I have so much to say about this show and how bad it is. If you want a excellent supernatural drama, then watch this BUT only from season 1 to 5. The fifth season's finale offers a great ending to the show and after that, everything is just plain bad. The plots stop making sense, they bring back characters just to kill them off and introduce new ones nobody gives a shit about. Think about everything that makes the show amazing, all those characters you love. Well, you'll be lucky if they decide to kill them off, because they managed to ruin Castiel and Crowley's characters to a point where I can't even stand them. Season 10's Crowley is just terrible, all he does is sit on his chair in his castle or whatever the hell that is (look i made a pun) and kill random demons. Regarding Castiel, a lot happens to him after the fifth season, sure, but his character just doesn't evolve. This is so irritating because i was such a huge fan of this show but now i feel like i'm gonna have to drop it.
I can only recommend the 5 first seasons, after that everything is just bad.
Just look at the gap between season 1-5 ratings and season 6-10 (or 11 now, since it has been renewed), and really the only people still defending this show are tumblr hardcore fans and shippers.
Watching order
Because there are some issues with watching this, here is the order.
Copying from the site in case it ever goes down, but this info came from here: http://thunderpeel2001.blogspot.com/2010/02/battlestar-galactica-viewing-order.html
It's probably more confusing here on trakt, so go to the above linked site for a better layout.
The Miniseries
Night 1
Night 2
Season 1
1.01 33
1.02 Water
1.03 Bastille Day
1.04 Act of Contrition
1.05 You Can't Go Home Again
1.06 Litmus
1.07 Six Degrees of Separation
1.08 Flesh and Bone
1.09 Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down
1.10 The Hand of God
1.11 Colonial Day
1.12 Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I
1.13 Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II
Season 2
2.01 Scattered
2.02 Valley of Darkness
2.03 Fragged
2.04 Resistance
2.05 The Farm
2.06 Home, Part I
2.07 Home, Part II
2.08 Final Cut
2.09 Flight of the Phoenix
2.10 Pegasus (56 minute extended version)
2.11 Resurrection Ship, Part I
2.12 Resurrection Ship, Part II
2.13 Epiphanies
2.14 Black Market
2.15 Scar
2.16 Sacrifice
2.17 The Captain's Hand
Razor (101 minute extended version - not the 81 minute broadcast version)
Important note: This was originally broadcast just before Season 4, but chronologically it fits here, telling more of the Pegasus's story. Some people argue it's better to watch after Season 3, as originally broadcast, but it makes most sense to watch it here.
The reason that the placement of Razor is a hotly contested issue among BSG fans is because of a bit of dialogue at the very end (in the last 10 minutes) which sets the tone for Season 4 (barely even a spoiler). Everything else in this TV movie is not a spoiler.
So why place it here, and not where it was originally broadcast, if there's any sort of issue? Because, chronologically, the story is set here, and by the time you reach the end of Season 3, the story of Pegasus will feel like ancient history. Indeed, that was the complaint echoed around the internet from fans after Razor originally aired -- it had nothing to do with what was going on in the story at that time.
As a result of this, most fans agree it's better to watch Razor here. In doing so, you'll appreciate the story more and it will have greater emotionally resonance. In short: I highly recommend that you follow my advice and watch it here.
There is one small caveat, however: In order to deal with the above dialogue issue, and so not to unintentionally alter the tone of Season 3, I have two, very specific instructions that I recommend that you follow for your absolute optimum enjoyment.
I will try not to spoil anything with these instructions, so pay attention. You need to press MUTE on your TV (and/or turn off any subtitles) in the following two moments. Both of these moments occur in the last 10 minutes of the story, so you can relax and enjoy the first 90 mins before you need to worry.
Press MUTE when:
and shortly afterwards:
That's it! That's all you have to worry about. Two very small moments, and even if you don't unmute it, it's not a huge spoiler, it just unintentionally alters the tone of Season 3 if you don't, so do try your best to follow my instructions.
2.18 Downloaded
2.19 Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I
2.20 Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II
The Resistance
A 10 episode web-based series bridging seasons 2 and 3. (25 mins.)
Season 3
3.01 Occupation
3.02 Precipice
3.03 Exodus, Part I
3.04 Exodus, Part II
3.05 Collaborators
3.06 Torn
3.07 A Measure of Salvation
3.08 Hero
3.09 Unfinished Business (70 minute extended version - Note: Not included on Region 2 DVDs, but is included on ALL Bluray releases.)
3.10 The Passage
3.11 The Eye of Jupiter
3.12 Rapture
3.13 Taking a Break From All Your Worries
3.14 The Woman King
3.15 A Day in the Life
3.16 Dirty Hands
3.17 Maelstrom
3.18 The Son Also Rises
3.19 Crossroads, Part I
3.20 Crossroads, Part II
Razor: Yes, this again. (Well this is where Razor was originally broadcast, after all.) Remember the last 10 minutes where I told you to MUTE two small moments? Well, guess what, now is when you get to go back and hear what was said. Watch the last 10 minutes of Razor here.
Season 4
4.01 He That Believeth In Me
4.02 Six of One
4.03 The Ties That Bind
4.04 Escape Velocity
4.05 The Road Less Traveled
4.06 Faith
4.07 Guess What's Coming to Dinner?
4.08 Sine Qua Non
4.09 The Hub
4.10 Revelations
Season 4 Continued (aka "Season 4.5" or "The Final Season")
4.11 Sometimes a Great Notion
The Face of the Enemy
A 10 episode web-based series (although it plays together like an intense mini-episode). (36 mins.)
4.12 A Disquiet Follows My Soul (53 minute extended version - only on Bluray releases)
4.13 The Oath
4.14 Blood on the Scales
4.15 No Exit
The Plan (DVD/Bluray movie)
A stand-alone movie that shows (approximately) the first two seasons from the Cylons' perspective. (You finally get to see "The Plan", mentioned all those times in the opening sequence!) Although The Plan was originally released after the show had finished, it is generally agreed that it should be watched here, so that everything is all tied up when you do reach the end.
4.16 Deadlock
4.17 Someone to Watch Over Me
4.18 Islanded In a Stream of Stars (62 minute extended version - only on BluRay releases and Region 1 DVDs)
4.19 Daybreak (150 minute extended version - only on BluRay releases and Region 1 DVDs)
The Plan : This is where this DVD/Bluray movie was originally released (after the show had finished). It seems universally agreed that it's preferable to watch this after No Exit, instead of after you've finished the entire series, but there's no harm in waiting until now.
Then Caprica the series: http://trakt.tv/show/caprica
I'm just going to start off by listing the 3 shittiest things that He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named did in this episode, okay? By the way, please enlighten me, how does a dude who does multiple shitty things per episode even stand a chance with Kara, let alone actually get together with her?
Calling Kara helping people as Supergirl "little superhero-ing".
Immediately disregarding Kara's wishes and telling everyone about their relationship.
Ignoring what Kara said (again) and trying to brush it off (again).
I just don't get it. A part of me thinks, or hopes, that the writers are doing this on purpose to show what a toxic relationship looks like and how not to treat your significant other, but let's be real, that's probably not it. They actually seem to think that this shit is cute and romantic. And it makes me sick.
Sure, Man-Hell was right about Jeremiah. But contrary to popular belief, the end doesn't justify the means. He could have proved his point without being an asshole. But I guess that's just how he rolls, right? And we're supposed to let it slide because... he's conventionally attractive?
Honestly, fuck this guy.
Alex's confrontation with Jeremiah was a powerful moment and Chyler Leigh once again brought her A-game.
How long will I have to scream into the void about Maggie's lack of screentime before someone finally hears me? I can't believe the showrunners think I'm more interested in What's-His-Face than in this amazing woman, who:
is simultaneously an absolute badass and the softest human being I have ever seen (those dimples, man, Jesus Christ, what a bae)
was outed to her parents and kicked out of the house at 14
is such a good detective that she figured out Kara's secret by herself
is a good, pure, unproblematic fave who deserves better.
I have no dignity left anymore, I will literally beg if I have to. I'll sell my soul if that's what it takes to get her a proper storyline. Sure, the family dinner thing was cute, and the way she comforted Alex was wonderful. Maggie Sawyer is a kind, supportive girlfriend who listens to Alex and is always there for her, and the way they keep trying to draw parallels between Sanvers and Karamel lowkey makes me want to die. They're not similar! At all! Not in a million years! One is based on mutual love, respect and support, and the other is an abusive garbage fire. I'm starting a campaign. Let Maggie Sawyer deck Fuckboy in the face 2017.
And another thing: I guess Karamel can be all over each other, make out, wake up in bed naked after obviously having sex, but God forbid Maggie and Alex do anything more than kiss for exactly 1.5 seconds. No, I'm not bitter, why do you ask?
Does Cadmus want to send all aliens back into space? Hey, here's a thought: maybe they can use that big-ass ship to launch Mayo-El into the Phantom Zone? Pretty please?
The whole theatre burst into spontaneous cheers several times, and the whole theatre completely went silent - people literally stopped chewing their popcorn - on numerous occasions.
Like you've probably already heard, the movie REALLY is a phenomenal throwback to the original trilogy, with an extra oomph and insane amounts of creativity and new found inspiration that will take the franchise to a whole new level.
The characters are three-dimensional, it's nowhere near as strictly black and white, good vs. evil like in most of the previous movies, and Adam Driver as Kylo Ren is the best example of that. Hands down, the best villian to appear in the Star Wars franchise other than Darth Vader.
Daisy Ridley & John Boyega are thrilling to watch, the old cast members, popping in during the movie were just as fun to watch.
J.J. Abrams and the writers somehow managed to create a plot that was very confined in space and time, yet they effortlessly captured the grand universe that is Star Wars with some pretty great throwbacks to the old trilogy plot-wise. Some might argue that it's lack of creativity and unnecessary repetition, but I thought it was a wonderful homage. It flowed naturally and there really was no dull moment.
Absolutely phenomenal. :)
No. No. I refuse to believe this.
I'm not crying, not yet. But I have this horrible, cold, twisting sensation in my stomach that usually means I'm nervous. Right now it means that my worst nightmares have come true.
I can't say that I didn't expect Root to die, but I didn't expect it to happen before the series finale, and even then, my silly, naive heart still hoped against all hope that she'd miraculously survive.
Root died protecting Harold, fighting for a cause she believed in. She transcended death and became The Machine's voice. They couldn't have possibly come up with a more fitting end for her character, but that doesn't mean I'm the tiniest bit okay with her dying. I feel sick, to be honest. I can't breathe. I don't know how to process this. Is this what heartbreak feels like? It sucks. It sucks so badly.
It's no secret that I loved Root. I absolutely adored her. She was one of my favorite characters of all time, and her journey from an antagonist to a hero was nothing short of extraordinary. I feel like a part of me died with her, and I don't think I'll ever get it back.
I can't focus because my feelings are overwhelming me. It was a brilliant episode. Great action, great Harold speech in that interrogation room, great Root/Shaw scenes... I need to scream into my pillow. Root just got Shaw back! It's not fair!
How am I supposed to live after this?
Everything hurts, and nothing matters anymore.
I think I need a hug.
And here I thought the last episode was terrific. This was a near-flawless ribbon on the top of so many different arcs. And it's only the season's midway point.
Cotyar goes down a hero by destroying an infected Agatha King (taking "that asshole" Nguyen with him), Errinwright gets double-teamed by Sorrento and Anna and finally locked away, Mao is captured by Jim and forcibly knelt before Avasarala, Prax finally finds his daughter Mei, safe and sound, and Bobbie confronts a hybrid and finally gets over her PTSD of being defeated by one on Ganymede. Even Jim and Naomi made up and got back together after a risky tip of their hand to Fred Johnson paid off. And then a fucking jellyfish swam out of Venus' atmosphere... It's almost too much to process right away.
So much got packed into this hour yet it all flowed perfectly from one plot line to the other, interweaving where it made sense, and pushing the whole narrative forward in a believable way. This is how you make hard scifi.
The SyFy Channel is positively stupid for giving up on this exceptional piece of television. They really should be forced to change their network's name on account of it deliberately creating confusion for viewers.
What.the.actual.fuck.
"I am the Flash, and I don't exist anymore".
Seriously, what the hell was that? Anyways, I'm not gonna say it was horrible, cause it wasn't. Sure it had some writing issues (aka Speedforce), but it's not the worst I've seen. At least we didn't go back to Barry's house the night his mom got murdered so I'm calling it a win. It wasn't as good as the other two finales, but it was entertaining and we got to see a shot of the three Flash running together which got me too hyped.
Savitar, the God of Speed, a guy who can time travel, who can vibrate his hand through your chest and kill you in a heartbeat, gets downed by a freaking bullet? Like seriously? I couldn't believe it, then I realized he's still Barry and I understood. Bullets and tranq darts got to be Barry's worst enemy.
H.R., I was ready to watch another Wells die. He's the real hero. He fucking sacrificed himself to save Iris. He alone changed the future in just a second. Like he once said, a hero among heros. Drumsticks up for him! And then, everyone was just chilling with his death? He died and they got over it too fast.
Savitar kills Iris everybody: "oh no, you horrible monster. My life is ruined. What do we do now? I'm depressed"
Savitar kills H.R. instead Everybody: "oh it's ok, everything is fine. Don't you worry, we're gonna get you some help". The only person who understood him was Tracy. She was the only one with common sense.
I'm royally pissed off that Black Flash got killed by a single cold blast. Like what the hell, RF has been trying to escape from him for a whole season and he get kaputt like that? No way in hell. And Savitar is defeated by a freaking bullet? For God's sake. RF, one of the smartest people in the multiverse couldn't figure out that freeze was the only thing he needed to survive.
Black Flash getting killed with a single cold blast and Savitar with a bullet was dumb as hell. I guess you can't lock up the darkness, but you can freeze it to death.
HOLY SHIT! I'M HAVING AN ANEURYSM! A lot of this review is going to be in caps. Forgive me. But honestly, this is what Supergirl should be! Full of heart, putting women at the center, launching abusive former slave owners into space. I'm living. I'm actually excited for season 3. Let's hope the writers don't disappoint us and remember that in Supergirl's case, the recipe for success is: fewer White Boys (yes, there is a significant difference between a white boy and a White Boy, one is a Caucasian male and the other is a fucking trashcan of a person) and more Cat Grant, with a side of the Danvers sisters loving and supporting each other, and women in general having each other's backs.
First of all, CAT KNOWS! I'VE BEEN SAYING THIS SINCE SEASON 1, SHE KNOWS! Cat, you beautiful human. I really hope Calista will be around more next season. Everything's better with Cat. The last two episodes proved that.
M'gann is back! And she and J'onn are in love! That is so adorable. I want to see more of her in season 3.
THEY GOT RID OF MON-EL! WHAT A GLORIOUS DAY! I want to shout it from the rooftops. I want to rent a fucking airplane banner. Apparently, Chris Wood is confirmed to return in season 3, which is unfortunate, but at least he's gone for now. I've talked a lot about his relationship with Kara this season, but no one can tell me that I didn't have good reasons. Abusive garbage fire is still the best name for it that I can think of, and the fact that they framed it as tragic and romantic in the end makes me want to throw up. I can't stand the thought of all those little girls growing up thinking that a man disrespecting you, belittling you and ignoring everything you say is "relationship goals". And I don't care how much he's "changed". That doesn't make up for all the shitty things he's done.
And last but certainly not least, SANVERS ARE GETTING MARRIED! I don't even care that they seem to rush everything a little too much when it comes to this ship. MY TWO CANON LESBIANS IN LOVE ARE GETTING MARRIED! I feel so alive. I feel so blessed. I won't stop smiling for a week. What a wonderful time to be alive. Cry me a river, homophobes. I live in Poland and honestly, Americans ain't got nothing on Poles when it comes to homophobia. A few whiny babies bitching about "leftist propaganda" (because apparently that's what giving people basic rights and allowing them to marry the person they love is called nowadays) is a breeze compared to the kind of shit that I hear in face-to-face conversations every day. Bring it on.
Well, that's a season wrap for Supergirl! See you all in October!
Awesome episode. I enjoyed it all the way. Funny as hell and evolving the plot.
Boy, Mom's obses Mon-El is creepy. She has some kind of reverse Oedipus shot going on. She just pulled an Adrian Chase. Just 10 steps ahead. It was so obvious that Hercules, I mean Mon-El's dad, was gonna be stabbed by his wife. She's just a little shit. I get her point but the end doesn't justify the means. I just hoped she wouldn't have killed him, but locked him up in a dungeon or something. I'm disappointed! Mon-El's parents are way too interesting and I hoped he'd stayed longer. Anyway, can't wait for her to meet Lillian, they will create a mega evil team-up: to protect the world from alien life. To unite all earthlings within our nation. To extend our reach to the stars above. Lillian. The Queen. Team Mommy, blast off at the speed of light. Surrender now Supergirl, or prepare to fight.
I also loved J'onn beating the crop out of that psychic.
At this point, I'm not gonna bicker about Mon-El and Kara, my sister suffers the consequences, though. At the end, he's gonna sacrifice himself to save her, I'm sure about that. But remember how important working at CatCo was for Kara? And now she literally gives no fucks. And Mon-El compensating being a douche by making her breakfast. I'm not gonna complain, food gives me life and if someone does it for me, wow. Btw, loved the way Kara said "Bacon".
And Agent freaking Schott is back again! I love to see him getting a big role, even though he is "a little short for a Stormtrooper". loved that line. Never underestimate a Star Wars reference. And "Helicopter parenting", lol. If anything, Mon-El has a lot of potential for a comedic character.
And the President being an alien? I totally suspected it since the minute she ordered not to attack the ship. She's like a shapeshifter reptilian sent to earth to enslave humanity.
I can't believe next episode is a month away! Damn breaks! At least we got a great one to call it a month.
I'm not sure what to say. I don't know how I expected this show to end. On one hand, I'm okay with this ending, and I think it was a good way to conclude the show. On the other, I feel completely empty inside. It's strange to think that we're not getting another episode next week.
I was sure that John would be the one to die. It made the most sense. He had a good death, fighting until the very end. Still, I cried my eyes out when it happened.
I'm glad that Shaw is alive, and that she has Bear by her side. I loved how she smiled in the last scene. She totally heard Root's voice on the phone.
Finch is finally reunited with Grace!
So The Machine was talking to a version of herself all along. I'd kind of suspected that.
This was a great episode, and the last few minutes of it were bittersweet but also hopeful. The Machine's final monologue was epic. You know how sometimes you hear something so profound and powerful, something that speaks to you so deeply that you have to fight the urge to get it tattooed on your body? That's what I felt like when I heard that monologue. Overall, I'm quite satisfied with the way they tied it all up.
Now, it's time for me to say goodbye.
I discovered Person of Interest quite late - just a few months before season 5 started. I wasn't hooked right away, but I stuck with the show because I'd read stellar reviews online. It took me almost an entire season to really get into it.
And then Root showed up, kidnapped Finch, stole my heart in about 0.2 seconds, and I was officially obsessed. It took me only 10 days to binge-watch seasons 2-4 (after all, who needs school? Who needs sleep?). This show was a wild ride, and I'm grateful that I got to experience it.
Thank you, Person of Interest.
Thank you for giving us compelling storylines, jaw-dropping plot twists and intense action scenes.
Thank you for exploring fascinating themes, such as AI and the true meaning of humanity.
Thank you for gorgeous cinematography, spectacular score and special effects that blockbuster movies could be jealous of.
Thank you for phenomenal characters, fantastic relationships, consistent characterization and incredible character development.
Thank you for starting my obsession with Amy Acker, which resulted in me binge-watching 19 episodes of Angel in one day (no, I do not possess amazing impulse control).
Thank you for making me laugh, making me cry, making me think, making me lose sleep over you.
Is there something about this show that I'm not happy with? Absolutely. I wish CBS hadn't acted like dicks and had given us a full season instead of measly 13 episodes. I wish Root hadn't died, and a part of me will always be bitter about it. I wish Shaw and Root had had more time. I wish they had paced the final season better (Root and Shaw are reunited after 10 months and over 7,000 simulations, Root dies in the following episode, and then we get a case of the week as if nothing happened? That's just bullshit right there), but I also know that the showrunners tried to do the best they could with a reduced number of episodes. And overall, they succeeded, making Person of Interest one of very few TV shows that were just as, if not more, exquisite in their last season as they were in their first.
Goodbye, Person of Interest. You will always be one of my favorite TV shows of all time. I don't think I'll ever get to watch something as engaging, thrilling, smart, thought-provoking, heartbreaking and powerful as you again.
7.5/10. Dan Harmon, creator of Community is known for several things -- his trademark bottle of vodka, his tendency to spill his guts to audiences full of strangers, but also his story circle. The story circle is a device that Harmon uses as a blueprint for nearly any story he writes or supervises. It offers a series of steps to telling a story: 1. A character is in a zone of comfort; 2. But they want something; 3. They enter an unfamiliar situation; 4. Adapt to it; 5. Get what they wanted; 6. Pay a heavy price for it; 7. Then return to their familiar situation; 8. Having changed.
Brooklyn is basically Story Circle: The Movie. Eilis may not have the best life in Ireland, but she is comfortable there. But she hopes and wants for a better life than she can expect to have in the Emerald Isle. So she moves to Brooklyn, a situation whose unfamiliarity is hammered home from the first Irish immigrant she meets on the boat, to her fellow boarders who snip at her a bit, but also guide her through her new surroundings. She slowly but surely grows accustomed to her new home, with its different social mores and customs. She eventually has a good job, a future in accounting, a boyfriend, and the good life her sister wanted for her when she helped send Eilis to America. But just as she grows comfortable in that new life, she pays the price not being able to be home for her sister's funeral or to comfort her mother in person. Eventually, she's able to return home, but as the film makes clear in its third act, she is much different person now then when she left it.
That's not meant to be a criticism of the film. That type of adherence to story structure does lead to a film that feels conventional, and in truth Brooklyn is a feel-good story that is as interested in a film experience that feels like slipping into a warm bath as it is in proceeding through its simple-but-sweet coming of age tale. The notes are familiar, but the melody is beautiful, and the audience goes home happy.
At one point, Eilis offers her beau, Tony, an adjective to describe herself -- amenable. And it's the perfect way to describe Brooklyn It's a very amenable film, happy to lean into the soft hues of the past to tell a love story, and immigrant story, and a bildungsroman, in gentle tones that provoke smiles and sighs as Eilis finds happiness, love, and fulfillment despite her initial reservations and homesickness.
If I have a criticism, its that Eilis's journey is almost too successful. For all the accusations of unrealistic perfection leveled at Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Eilis is a paragon of good fortune throughout Brooklyn. Nearly everyone she meets in Ireland and in Brooklyn short of the prickly Miss Kelly likes her and helps her to feel more comfortable in whatever her current surroundings are. To boot, she becomes successful at nearly whatever she sets her mind to, from working at the department story, to courting, to her burgeoning skills as a bookkeeper.
But that's not to say Eilis does not face challenges in the film. Hers are challenges of conscience rather than the standard plot obstacles we expect our cinematic protagonists to leap over. The crux of the film is Eilis returning to the land that she thought had nothing there for her, and finding that she was wrong, that there is good work, and friendship, and family, and a nice boy with a good future. Suddenly, the life she forged across the pond, the one with her husband, and her studies, and seems distant, something that unexpectedly has to compete with the renewed comforts of home. The choice the film stakes out -- whether to take the stronger, more confident persona Eilis has built back to Ireland and start a life there better than any she hoped to be able to enjoy, or return to the place that made her into that stronger person with the man she pledged her love to.
The problem is that as well as the film sets up that choice, and lays out compelling elements on both sides of the equation, it glosses over the conclusion in a somewhat unsatisfying fashion. While the touch of Miss Kelly's would-be blackmail is nice, it seems abrupt that after all the time the film spends setting up Eilis's hometown as somewhere that Eilis has a place and could be happy, one harsh woman is enough to send her back to New York. There's subtext about an iron fist hiding beneath the velvet glove that's been offered to Eilis since she returned to Enniscorthy, but it's hard to see it anyone besides Miss Kelly, with everyone else in the town seeming a bit pushy and presumptive, but also genuinely enamored with the young Ms. Lacey. Her confession to her mother is a quietly powerful scene, and the breakup letter she gives to her Irish beau feels like too easy way to resolve that relationship, but more than anything, it just feels odd that one mean old crow is all it takes to convince Eilis that she could never have a life in a place that, despite the vows she's tried so hard to put out of her mind, seemed to welcome her with open arms.
Still, the scene where Tony finds Eilis waiting for him and the pair embrace is a sweet moment, even if it doesn't feel totally earned given what motivated Eilis to come to that point. But it's a lovely image in a film full of them. Brooklyn is awash in muted pastels and primary colors, that give the past a gauzy hue that catches the eye and conveys the sense of a sweeter, simpler time. It's also a supremely well-shot film, that shoots Eilis and Jim Farrell at the beach having a conversation with their romantic companions framed in between them in the distance, conveying the subtext of the exchange. It's also a film keen to use subtle touches to show changes in Eilis's mood or perspective, from the simple act of wearing her bathing suit under her clothes that impresses her friends back home, to the letters she shoves in a drawer to signify the way in which she's putting Brooklyn out of her mind. None of these techniques is so subtle that the viewer will miss them, but the film takes the old admonition "show don't tell" to heart, and succeeds well with that principle in mind.
In the end, Brooklyn is a fairly simple story. Girl leaves home. Girl makes a new life with success and romance. Girl returns home, seeing the beauty of what she left behind and has to choose her new life or her old one. But the film's pleasures come from the sweet stillness of the moments in between, of the temping worlds the film creates on either side of Eilis, in the recognizable steps of maturation, of change, that Eilis goes through as she moves past her homesickness, past her reticence, and eventually, past the girl she used to be. Brooklyn is an aggressively amiable film, that breaks little new ground, but covers the familiar territory with such a pleasant, charming air, that it can be forgiven for making few new steps.
Non-spoilerish;
After having finished Penny Dreadful S1 I must say I'm satisfied with how the first season ended. It seems the makers of PD knew there would eventually be a S2 and took their time and didn't rush through the story- that's awesome!
The show is/was enjoyable, delivered some really impressive performances and a well written story( apart from the misdefined egyptain creator diety Amon-Ra- that part is bullSHIT.
Amon-Ra was a more or less good buddy.)!
The cast- Great!
Eva has, once again, shown us what she's capable of as an actress. Impressive acting here!
Frankenstein, oh Frankenstein. I hate the Frankenstein stories and I already expressed my opinion on Frankenstein and his Creationin in my previous post, but someting has changed and I learned to actually like Frankenstein in Penny Dreadful!
What I absolutely don't like is Reeve's role, he plays sexy Dorian Grey, who basically didn't draw my attention at all. I simply didn't care if/when something awful happaned to him...
I was dry like an empty barrel, no tears, no pity and no sympathy!
His on-screen time was a joke! Reeve's a great actor and I think he deserved much better!
Scare/Anxiety Factor- mild/medium. Each ep. adds more mystery than anxiety.
Worth Watching? In my opinion, YUP! You should be watching! ^ ^
I'm very pleased to say that I really loved this! As much as I enjoyed the premiere, it didn't fully feel like a Doctor Who episode to me. This one, however, absolutely did. I think it captured the essence of the show perfectly.
Something that Chibnall does very skillfully is create an engaging mystery that really draws you in. I was on the edge of my seat for a big part of the episode, waiting to find out what happened to the population of the planet. And what do you know, it looks like the Stenza are going to be a recurring theme this season! I'm curious to see how that will play out. And what - or who - could the timeless child be?
One of the strongest points of this season is the cinematography. Some of the wide shots that we got in this episode looked like they belonged in a Star Wars movie. And the music is excellent as well. It's kind of subtler than what I've gotten used to with Doctor Who, but it's lovely. The new composer is doing a great job.
Another strong point is obviously the acting. While I do think that Jodie, just like every Doctor, will need a few episodes to fully come into her own, I love everything she's given us so far. The quick wit, the quirks, the boundless energy, the enthusiasm and the charm that she brings to the role - it's all exactly right. And I'll be honest, the emotional moments in this episode really got me. Her face when she saw the hologram of the Ghost Monument and realized it was the TARDIS! And the reunion was so soft and gentle and wonderful! I actually cried happy tears when she said "You've done yourself up! Very nice". I adore Thirteen. And the companions are growing on me too. I like the interactions between the three of them and the Doctor. I can't wait to see these individual dynamics develop over the course of the season.
The opening credits are awesome. I've never seen the classic series, but the theme has a very retro vibe to it and I like the color scheme. It looks like a kaleidoscope. I dig it.
And finally, the TARDIS! She's redecorated all right! The interior looks more organic, kind of like Nine's and Ten's were. I liked the sleek, mechanical designs of the Moffat era, but this one is so appropriately alien. The biscuit dispenser is a cute little touch, especially considering that they put it there as a gift to Jodie and packed it with her favorite custard creams.
Overall, I thought this was a really great episode. Now that we have the TARDIS back, I'm excited to see what adventures await us.
throws an Emmy at Chyler Leigh's head because somehow she manages to outdo herself every week and it's ridiculous
I didn't expect Supergirl to do a horror episode, but they actually kinda pulled it off. The scenes at the research station were sufficiently creepy. And the parasite looked really good.
Drunk Kara was absolutely adorable and hilarious.
The Guardian is fine. I liked James and Winn's interactions in this episode. Kudos to Jeremy Jordan for his angry speech at the DEO. It was amazing. And the idea to lace the suit with lead so Kara can't see inside it was pretty brilliant.
Is something going to happen to J'onn because of White Martian blood?
Well, Mon-El is dead. I mean, not really, but I can't say I'd miss his pasty annoying ass.
Now, let's get to the more emotional and less comprehensible part of this review:
Alex came out to Kara, and of course there had to be a misunderstanding, but that scene at Kara's apartment was beautiful. Everything about it was perfect, from the soft music and the warm lighting to all the acting choices. Alex talking about Maggie and calling her beautiful was just so pure and cute and it made me want to bite my hand off. You know the feeling. Don't lie to me.
AND THEN ALEX KISSED MAGGIE! I had to pause the episode and calm my racing heart. I was so excited and happy that I felt like I was about to explode. But underneath all that there was a nasty little gremlin sitting in my stomach, whispering "Maggie's gonna reject her", so I hesitated for a good minute before hitting play.
And guess what?
The gremlin was fucking right and I hate life.
Don't get me wrong. I want Alex and Maggie's relationship to develop slowly. And Maggie had a good reason for not wanting to get involved with a baby gay who's just starting to figure herself out. The calm, reasonable part of me knows that. But the far more vocal, far less logical part wants them to get together immediately.
Alex's heartbreak destroyed me. Holy shit. My poor baby. I'm sobbing because of her. The way she choked and stuttered and could barely talk... so real and completely devastating.
Welcome to part 2 of my messy overemotional written-while-half-asleep-at-5-AM crossover review, where coherent train of thought isn't a thing and punctuation rules don't matter. Buckle up, nerds, because this was freaking wild and we've got a lot to talk about.
First of all, the Dominators and the special effects in general were insane. Especially considering that this is a CW show and not a big-budget movie. Everything looked great and the action scenes were amazing.
Every year the crossover rolls around and I get to play a fun little game called "Does person X know person Y's secret identity? Have these two characters ever actually interacted before? Who was there when that other thing happened?". You can imagine how absolutely frustrating that is for someone like me, with my attention span of a hyperactive golden retriever puppy. Those are four massive TV shows we're talking about, and they're not the only ones I watch! How am I supposed to remember if Barry and Sara have ever talked before?
The writers managed to do the impossible: practically every single character had their moment in the spotlight, which is impressive with a cast this big and only 42-minute runtime. So kudos for that. What I don't understand is why we had to listen to Wally whining for like 8 of those minutes. That was just annoying. "Why won't they let me help fight aliens?" I don't know, dumbass, maybe it's because you got your powers like 2 seconds ago and you have no training whatsoever?
I liked Oliver's speech to Barry about change and people making choices. I wholeheartedly agree. I wish the other characters would stop getting mad at Barry for Flashpoint. Yeah, he fucked up, and let's hope he finally learns from his mistakes, but it's not like the people around him haven't made some shitty decisions. Give the guy a break. I mean, how can Cisco be sure that his brother wouldn't have died in the original timeline?
Oh, and if I heard correctly, Supergirl's Earth is Earth-38? I don't know why it's important to me, but I'm happy to know that.
Shockingly awful. There was no reason for this to be as bad as it was. This is another one of those films, like The Banana Splits Movie that uses one of the unused/scrapped scripts thrown out by Scott Cawthon as he works on his Five Nights At Freddy's movie. Studios see some potential in the scripts and just change around the aesthetic to adapt it. Nicolas Cage has a producing credit on this and I don't know why. What a shithead move to not have him speak the entire movie. If they were going for a Man With No Name approach, he should have a couple lines, really killer ones. The idea he says nothing is a comically ridiculous waste. There's no reason for him to be there then. Go Doomslayer if you want the silent killer. Give him a scarf over his mug and cowboy hat, it would complete his look, and then Cage wouldn't require a big check. None of the characters are memorable, recognizable, have any attachment to the story, or warrant the screen time they're given. Characters don't play to any specific strengths or weaknesses. Their names are spoken one or two times, none of them add to the world building or have connections to this restaurant. Any characters that have a chance of redemption are killed on the spot without a second glance, making their place in the script meaningless. Even the sympathetic sheriff groomed by the head sheriff doesn't get his moment to shine, he's unceremoniously killed in a lame, unrealistic situation where somehow an animatronic stowed away in the cop car. The levels of turning your brain off you have to do to even tolerate what's going on are to many to permit. Only one, named Liv, cares about doing the right thing. Neat. She cares about this old, creepy birthday palace why? I don't know. The lore is taken right from FNAF's pages, people possess animatronics to cause havoc, only here, it's serial killers. For what purpose? I have no clue. They only get fed every time the town's folks tricks a passerby to become a night janitor. How often does that happen? It's all just thrown in to one horrible exposition dump as Cage stands there with the same expression he has the whole movie. There's even a second exposition free for all that repeats all the points from the first one, only from the perspective of the townsfolk, and it comes right in the middle of an interesting scene between one of the kids and a suit. When we cut back, the kid is immediately killed. Why does the dude drink that brand of soda and on every break conveniently timed and looped throughout the picture? The only way this story would've been enjoyable is if it was an actual video game, Duke Nukem style. This is the cinematic equivalent of watching someone play Doom, but you don't get to experience the gameplay yourself, it's terrible. It's not even good exploitation. The blood effects are below the grade of a YouTube video, very obvious Kool-Aid mixtures for blood effects that come out of people's mouths. An excuse for violence is a staple of exploitation flicks for sure, but come on, we're far above the lowest tier trash that comes out of the genre. Most others in the medium are far better than this. To call this a slasher movie is insulting to other gore fests. Every scene is a loop. Janitor guy beats the shit out of a suit, he cleans up, takes his break with a soda, stares at the creepy guys on stage, and loop. This happens six times in the runtime; abysmal. It's a joke in itself, shots repeat like the tossing of a soda can in the garbage, like this shit thinks it's clever. If you want that, have some progression. Maybe that pinball game he cleans up, he gets better at and scores a higher score after each time he defeats a suit. No thought put in to anything, no themes. That ties in to the editing. You're not Edgar Wright. Quick cuts and neon lighting is overused now, you aren't interesting and it doesn't even fit the aesthetic of the time or location. Some of the reaction shots are laughable; like Cage will be punching the shit out of a dude, the camera is all wobbling and up close to be intense, then it cuts to a wide static shot of Liv standing there with a dumbfounded reaction on her face, which completely breaks the engagement of the fight, and then it cuts back to that shaking extreme close up of Cage fighting. It's distractedly awkward. The care to environments and visual effects are of a student film. Balloon lights, lighting equipment, and other junk can be seen in a few shots. The camera work is either over produced or television sitcom, most of the time switching in between shots. The setting of Willy's is small and pathetic, like a little store they rented out for the film. One ballpit, a side room for a birthday table, a kitchen where one pinball machine is located, and a very tiny arcade. As for the animatronics, you have to make me believe these were intended to be cute and friendly. The Banana Splits Movie understood this, considering they used actual Hanna Barbera characters so that was their original purpose, but these monstrosities are freaky even in the upbeat commercial. At least try to be subtle with your costume design, or have it so they flick a switch and change appearance to something demonic. It could tie in to the story's core element of Satanism being at the heart of this dandy play place. About the only satisfying scenes are Cage's final music video dancing to the pinball machine and the head sheriff's death by Willy. The score is also decent. Two points for this dreck.
A very good example of what Bollywood can do outside of its usual norms. A mix of folklore, horror, thriller and historical movie.
Vinayak grows up in a manor where a fabled treasure is hidden, though nobody found it. Coming back as an adult he finds it. However he seems to go back and forth between the city and the manor and only brings back a few gold coins at a time. The main story and mystery part focuses on how he's getting his gold coins. And the reveal of the whole ritual is amazing.
Get at the bottom of the well in the manor's courtyard. There's a corridor with another fortified well at the end. There you enter the goddess' womb. Get down there, draw a protective salt circle. Bring a doll made of flour. As soon as the doll is revealed, Hastar appears. He can't get into the circle, which is great because a simple touch will change you into an undead. Give him the doll, and while he's eating it, quickly spill some coins from his satch and pick them up, but remember, no touching. Then get the hell out of here before he's finished.
The whole movie looks really good. The light work and almost constant rain creates a great gloomy mood. But the womb part... just amazing. It's just the right mix of creepy, disgusting, fantastic and realistic. It fits perfectly. Not only the decor but also Hastar himself.
The rest of the story, with his wife, his kid, his mistress, the opium dealer trying to find the secret are basically fillers here, but it's short and diverse enough to make it an interesting complement to the story and not be annoying. This actualy creates a different focus on the womb sequeces, it's a great choice. The relationship with his kid is weird though. You're not really sure if he's useless and Vinayak is going to sacrifice him, or if the kid will try to take his father's place or whether he will just fuck it up.
The final part, when the kids suggests to steal the satchel instead of a few coins, feels a lot like it's going a goose that laid golden eggs way and ends up totally different where every doll they bring generates an instance of Hastar. That's one of the best twist I've seen in a while. Not only is it surprising and interesting but it doesn't disrupt what we already know, it doesn't come out of nowhere and actually feels quite logical. After all, Hastar only appears when you show a doll, and there's nothng telling that it's the same Hastar every time you get in the womb. After all the satchel is not limitless, maybe it would have emptied by then..
That's also a strength of the movie. Despite being obviously fantastic, the whole thing is actually coherent and makes sense. Every thing that is done to get the gold has its explanation, as well as the weird monster grandmother, up until the final twist.
This is a great, original, masterfully directed and shot story. Incredible for a first film. I'm eagerly waiting for his next ones.
I honestly think this whole season was a waste of time because I can't even name three things that would make this season relevant. It just feels like pure filler with bad writing. I'm sure I could have skipped this whole thing and didn't miss out on anything.
- I can't believe Bear just suddenly remembered he had a camera installed. What an absolute lame "twist" to solve Kenny's death.
- Geraldine was just... pointless? I thought she might be involved with the Twelve or has some personal agenda, hidden secrets or something. But I guess the whole point of her was to have mommy issues?
- I was hoping for more infos about the Twelve when Villanelle becomes a keeper, but I neither know what a keeper even is nor do I have any more knowledge about the Twelve. Disappointing and feels like a wasted story that Villanelle tried to go up the ranks.
- The ending was okay. I wish I could be more emotionally involved, but the whole season was such a drag that I just feel... numb. It's nice they finally chose each other, but I hope that'll be relevant in the next season because the cat and mouse game gets a bit boring by now. And I hope they'll finish with season four.
The saga continues. After a false fresh start, it’s Roger Moore’s turn to step into Bond’s shoes with Live and Let Die.
007 is tasked with solving the mystery of three murders across the globe, all MI6 agents. As ever this takes him all over the world and he meets bad guys, women, shoots guns etc etc. This is the eighth film in the series and we’ve learned by now that it’s not about what he does, it’s about how he does it.
Despite being superficially the same as the others, this is a genuine change of direction for the franchise. The camp tone that was so irritating in Diamonds are Forever actually works in Moore’s hands.
He’s the definition of nonchalant. While Connery was always ready, clenched fist and hand on gun, Moore gets out of danger with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. It sounds silly but he’s so good at it one can’t help but be charmed.
The other changes they make are more hit and miss. There’s no crazy villain trying to take over the world, just a gangster running a drug business. However, even with the apparent simplicity of the story it still manages to be overly convoluted.
Trying to ‘get real’ hurts the film too. The villains simply aren’t that threatening. Not that everyone should be Dr. No but it’s hard to imagine why they send Bond on a errand that frankly should be a matter for the local police.
The producers also clearly attempted a shameless cash grab by imitating the then popular Blaxploitation theme. Bondsploitation. It can be fun to watch at times for the fish-out-of-water value but mostly it makes the film feel too much of its time. No one really wants to see Bond tackling the ‘issues’.
There’s a lot of good though. Jane Seymour stands out as the ‘Bond girl’. She’s only 20 years old here and it really shows. She manages to lend a genuine vulnerable air to the role without hamming it up. However, it is slightly unsettling to watch Bond shamelessly try to screw a teenager using some rigged tarot cards. He’s only one step away from slipping a pill into her drink…
Also good is the theme tune. It’s the first break from a big band style song and it’s a true classic. McCartney still plays it live on stage.
There are some very slick action sequences in Live and Let Die. It’s a shame they are often swamped by really boring ones or just wind up being overly long and losing our interest.
The boat chase is the best example of this. It feels like it’s never going to end, we don’t really know why there even is a boat chase, never mind where it’s actually supposed to be happening (the Bayou I presume?). A shame, because it is punctuated by moments of true greatness. One of the boat jumps broke a Guinness world record. It’s ambitious footage spoiled by a very poor edit.
Live and Let Die has not aged well. It’s confusing and keeps trying to bring race into the plot for no reason. However, one can’t help but enjoy Moore’s performance and if this film does anything, it makes us want to see where he goes with the character.
http://benoliver999.com/film/2015/06/05/liveandletdie/
[8.5/10] “What did it cost you?” “Everything.”
It’s silly to try to connect Veep with Avengers: Infinity War, but it’s also hard to disaggregate them in my mind. Selina Meyer is not Thanos. Her goal is one of direct personal ambition than Thanos’s faux-altruistic goal. But the costs, at least in a spiritual sense, are the same.
Selina has her wish. After so much striving, so much conniving, so many lines crossed, she becomes President -- not just for a few months, but for a full term. And all she has to do to get there is: make a deal with the Chinese to let them undo the diplomatic liberation that made her politically relevant again, throw her nearest advisor into a position to have another heart attack, make a ignorant and repugnant man her Vice President at the expense of her other nearest advisor who resigns in disgust, relegate her one time protege to working for him without letting her advance from where she started, ensuring that another of the younger members of her team is out of politics, outlawing gay marriage to get votes but firmly and finally estrange her from her daughter, and throw the one person who genuinely, truly loved her under the bus.
In short, Selina sold her soul. That is impressive, if only because I didn’t think Selina had a soul left to sell. This show has constantly been about Team Meyer being utterly and completely mercenary, having no scruples to get in the way of climbing the political ladder, and being happy to sharply elbow one another whenever necessary or possible. Selina in particular has been happy to throw anything and everyone to the wolves when it suits her.
And yet, there’s something about the change that erupts in her when a (maybe?) dying Ben tells her that she knows what to do, that feels like she enters a new realm of darkness. With one blistering dress down, she eviscerates Tom James’s chief of staff and orchestrates her unexpected rival’s untimely demise with a MeToo moment. She sells out to whatever interests are necessary to get her the nomination, no matter the effects on her allies and erstwhile friend. She’s even willing to make a pact with the most repugnant man, who brandishes the most repugnant ideas, if it gets her what she wants.
There’s well-placed irony in the fact that, after all of the insults, all of his ridiculous ideas, all of his dump truck of deplorables speeches and gestures, Jonah ends up in the VP slot. With all the horse-trading and compartmentalizing going on here, it’s the ultimate gesture of futility. Selina knows full well, and vents, at how useless a drawer the Vice Presidency is to be shoved into and forgotten about. Having that be the culmination of Jonah’s obsequious journey feels appropriate.
That said, the genuine stock and trade of politics has never been Veep’s specialty, and so some of the brokered convention mishegoss to get to Selina’s ascendance and Jonah’s relegation becomes tiring after a while. The delegate-whipping and backroom dealing is a good opportunity for Veep to work in some final blasts from its arsenal of insults, and give the usual rondelay from its foul-mouthed politicians one last airing. But beyond the satire of Jonah’s “terrorist math” prediction coming true, the episode doesn't really kick into gear until Selina goes over to the darkest of the dark side once and for all.
But what does it get her? Well, the presidency, for one thing. And hey, that’s not nothing! But when we see Selina sitting in the Oval Office (once again buttressed by Sue!), being the President who won’t let the veep’s staff in rather than living on the other side of that arrangement, she doesn't seem happy. She’s still reflexively asking for Gary. Her staff is now made up of strangers. And in the end, she’s utterly alone, something that, as conveyed through Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s outstanding performance in the series finale, seems to be getting to her.
All of this striving and backstabbing and cutthroat Washington D.C. politicking still doesn't seem to have made her happy, still hasn’t fulfilled her in the way it was supposed to. The opening of the season asked repeatedly why Selina wanted to be President, and the closest she could come to an answer is “because this country owes it to me.” When that’s the only reason you want something -- because you like the idea of having it, not the thing itself -- then attaining will, as the finale suggests, only leave you alone and empty.
It’s a surprisingly powerful statement from a show that had seemed to adopt a Seinfeld-esque, “no learning, no hugging” policy. The true chutzpah comes in the show’s final segment, which jumps twenty-four years in the future, and you see that these years and years of naked political ambition left Selina’s hangers-on without much either.
Ben is dead. Kent looks like a shaggy wildman who raises livestock. Amy married Bill Ericson and chose never to have kids (an interesting echo given where things started for her this season). Dan is out of politics, never grew up, and is now selling real estate. Jonah was impeached, but is still married to his half-sister, apparently. And poor Gary is still devoted to the object of his courtly affection, despite all she’s done to him, laying the special lipstick on her coffin in a moment that has more emotional resonance than any comedy this foul should be able to muster.
Meanwhile, Richard, the only person in Selina’s coterie with any ethics or morality whatsoever, is the current President, having been reelected in a landslide. All of the shameless political backstabbers ended up discarded, depressed, or somewhere far short of their goals, and the one of their number who was too decent to be real, who shared none of their ambition, is the one who ended up succeeding better than any of them. In some ways, Veep’s finale is a fairytale. In others, it’s the final chapter of a tragedy.
(The one exception to all of this is Mike who, in a hilarious running gag that reaches its apex here, manages to consistently fail upward in the media world, with his boneheaded schtick being seen as endearing and a part of his charm. There’s a lesson, and an implicit critique, in that too.)
What did all of that selling out and betrayal and darkening of the soul net Selina? A one-term presidency that seems to have left her overshadowed by her successors, discarded by history, and bumped from the evening news by the death of Tom Hanks. Selina thought that all of this scratching and clawing would not only bring her happiness and fulfilment, but also a legacy. Veep declares, with her yonic Presidential Library full of disdainful rivals and allies and shoddy stumbles, that she ended up with none of the above.
Veep is a deeply cynical show, about government, about politicians, and about people. And yet, in the end, it delivered one of the most remarkably optimistic, and even moralistic messages imaginable: that the calculated climbers lose, even when they win, and that the good will ultimately prevail. The series was always one measure of caricature beyond the real world and one measure of hitting too close to home. But in its final hour, it buries its protagonist, and with her earthly remains, buries everything she aspired to and represented in the process.
I spent the entire episode grinning like a fool. It's so good to have Doctor Who back! And beyond amazing to finally properly meet Jodie's Doctor!
Oh, Jodie. When she first took off that hood in the reveal video back in July 2017, I immediately started crying. The thing is, I hadn't even allowed myself to hope for a female Doctor - I thought there was no way BBC would take such a risk. And I had never been happier to be proven wrong. I spent the last 15 months devouring every interview, every panel, every talk show, anything I could find, and making my way through Jodie's filmography (because of that, I can now understand her accent pretty much perfectly, which, as a non-native speaker of English, I'm really proud of). I knew she was a phenomenal actress, and in this episode it became obvious that she was born to play this role. Her Doctor is just the right amount of quirky, she's funny, brilliant and a delight to watch. One thing that stood out to me right away was the sharp contrast between her and Twelve's bedside manner - or, in his case, lack thereof. Thirteen is wonderfully empathetic, she seems to understand human emotions way better than her predecessor did. And it makes sense, too - after a darker, more troubled Doctor we get one who's bubbly, joyful and full of childlike wonder. Someone a little softer, which I love.
The episode itself was very enjoyable. I thought the storyline was quite clever and Tim Shaw (yes, I know that's not how it's spelled) was a pretty good villain. There were moments that definitely reminded me of Broadchurch - you can already clearly feel the difference between Moffat's style and Chibnall's. The whole thing also looked really good. Very cinematic. I already like the new companions - or friends, as they're now called. I wasn't a fan of Graham at first, but his speech at the funeral was very sweet. The Doctor explaining what regeneration feels like was excellent and moving, it also served as good exposition for potential new viewers. And I adore Thirteen's outfit.
It's times like these that I wish Doctor Who was a Netflix show. I want more!
UPDATE: This episode was watched by 8.2 million people in the UK upon its debut, which is the highest overnight viewership since The Day of The Doctor. Guys, I'm trying to be a good person here, I really am. But when I remember all the assholes on YouTube going "RIP Doctor Who" when Jodie was first revealed, I can't help but cackle. I'd say the show is doing just fine.
Kara saying "You have changed" to Mon-El after he did one remotely decent thing was bullshit. You know, my alcoholic stepfather used to make my mom breakfast too. Didn't stop him from getting drunk and beating her up every other weekend. That's just the thing about toxic relationships: it's not all bad. Why do you think people keep coming back to their abusive partners?
We finally got to see the alien President again. Took them long enough. It's hard for me to tell if she's good or bad. She certainly had a sinister vibe at the end of the episode.
Man, Mon-El's mother is a stone cold bitch. I knew immediately that she was going to kill her husband. I'm excited to see her wreak havoc upon the Earth. Just imagine how awesome a team-up between her and Lillian Luthor would be. They both hate Supergirl, so why not?
"I'm not here to judge you for things that happened in the past, I am here to help you heal."
Alex and Maggie's relationship is so good and healthy. I want to cry. Maggie is the softest soft to ever soft, and Alex is wonderfully gentle and supportive. I mean, I'm uncomfortable that they made Maggie a cheater (as if there weren't enough unnecessary hate for her character in the fandom already), but I still love her to the death and I will protect her at all costs. I hope we'll see more of her dealing with the repressed trauma of being rejected by her parents. And I hope Alex will be by her side through all of it.
And we're going on another break. Sigh.
Story time:
Once upon a time, Castle was my favorite show. I discovered it two years ago, and I loved everything about it. The writing. The characters. Castle and Beckett's dynamic. The way they balanced comedy and drama. It was perfect: well-acted, surprising, charming, funny, but also dark and intense when it needed to be. It was everything you could possibly want from a TV series. People say that when two main characters get together, it ruins the show because apparently established relationships are not interesting to the viewers. But in Castle and Beckett's case, it worked. It really did.
Until they decided to make Castle disappear on his wedding day in season 6 finale. That was the first time I was genuinely disappointed with the show, but I kept watching because I still loved it.
Season 7 was noticeably more forgettable than the previous ones, but it had enough good moments for me to feel somewhat satisfied. We got the wedding, they tied up the 3XK storyline (which, in hindsight, were the last two truly good episodes of Castle ever). Although Andrew Marlowe wasn't the showrunner anymore, he stuck around as a writer, and it was obvious that as long as he was there, he kept the show from going completely downhill.
And then the new showrunners took over in season 8 and destroyed everything that Castle had once been.
Season 8 was an insult to the audience. There's no other way to put it. The writing was mediocre at best and straight-up awful most of the time. Separating Castle and Beckett was unbelievably stupid. None of the new characters were likeable. Stana Katic had too little screen time, and Castle's PI business became the focus of the show. I wish I had something nice to say about this season, but there's nothing. All I feel is bitterness, and I can't imagine how people who have been watching the show since 2009 must feel. I stopped watching this trainwreck when I heard that they'd fired Stana, but I came back for the finale after they announced the cancellation. I was relieved. I hoped the show would end with some dignity. Which it didn't, but at least Beckett's alive, so I'll take it. If they'd got rid of the last shooting and made the epilogue longer, it would've been fine. But they very clearly wanted to show that they intended to kill Beckett before the series got cancelled. It was like one last slap from the writers to the audience.
I don't know if the rumors about Stana and Nathan hating each other are true. All I know is that those two seem like really nice people if their interviews and panels are anything to go by. Especially Stana has always struck me as a classy, lovely person. They appeared to be thick as thieves during their PaleyFest panel in 2012, and then, at the same event in 2013, they weren't even sitting next to each other. I can't imagine what happened between them, and we'll probably never know. But one way or another, their relationship off-screen didn't have anything to do with Castle's long-overdue cancellation. Low ratings and backlash from fans after the showrunners tried to make Beckett-less season 9 happen did.
If I decide to rewatch the show in the future (and I probably will because seasons 1-6 really were excellent, and season 7 still had some of that flair left), I'll be sure to skip the abomination that was season 8 entirely. The ending of season 7 was a better and more satisfying series finale anyway.
Goodbye, Castle. I won't miss you in the fall, and I'm sad that it had to end like this, but you were incredible once. And that's how I want to remember you.
Something like this comment was originally a reply to @Pedro, but I thought I'd put it here.
This show starts a little slow. It does that thing where the first few episodes are your typical boring cop procedural to show the network they know how to paint by numbers. Then it picks up.
It starts actually exploring the morals of mass surveillance, and (minor spoilers) it turns out the Machine is an AI, and they deal with all the interesting ramifications of living in a world secretly run by a benevolent(?) AI. One of the nice aspects of this show is the only fictional element of the Machine is software. Makes for a very grounded science fiction.
The characters start to deal with total corruption of the police system and attempt to take it down, meanwhile learning and redeeming themselves from their dubious past.
They also deal with taking down organised crime, and what to do when someone tries to consolidate power within the families, even though the new boss is less violent.
They get caught up in vast government conspiracies waging massive secret intelligence wars, and must stop innocent people from getting killed while remaining hidden from powerful people.
Heartbreak, romance, homoerotic sexual tension, SciFi, shooting people, explosions!
They stop making another cop show and start making some really compelling television.
Creepy. Thrilling. Suspenseful. Conjuring.
My friends and I have been planning on seeing The Conjuring for a while now. There was quite a hype going around about how freaked this left a bunch of our friends, so I guess there was some level of expectation. I wasn't expecting much, though. This is the first "horror" movie I've watched in months (I never really saw the appeal in them, except when watching with friends), and it definitely did not disappoint for me.
At the end of the film though, my friends kept saying how it wasn't scary (which contradicted their screams from a few minutes before that lol) and how it does not compare to Insidious, a film which we all watched together two years before.
What my friends did not appreciate was what I liked about it: there actually was a story. It was developed and did not just focus on trying to scare the crap out of you with shocking music and sudden appearances by creepy-faced hags. I have to admit, I still found some scenes definitely cliched and corny.. It's not perfect, but it wasn't bad either, which is saying something because I've hated horror movies growing up.
This film is more than just a horror, if it doesn't scare you that doesn't make it a bad film. Insidious is just as much about the story as it is the scares. It does a fantastic job of setting up a solid atmosphere, trying out new scare techniques while still dabbling in the tried-and-true methods of your typical jump scare.
This "sequel" is more of a natural continuation of the story. It picks up right where the first film left off and does the story real justice. It expands the mythology behind "The Further" while dealing with Josh's new-found possession. If you don't feel you can watch it for the scares then watch it for the story because it's a bloody good one.
One of my favourite things about this film is it's not only a sequel but also works it's way as a prequel too. It takes us right back to when Josh was a kid and how he first came into contact with the woman in black. Not only that but this film does a beautiful job of linking back to the unexplained scenes in the first film which, when experiencing that for the first time, is an absolute treat.
Don't listen to reviews saying it wasn't scary enough or it was worse than the first film. This is just the second chapter of the same story. It doesn't care for rehashing the first film but instead does something different. You don't discriminate between chapters of a book complaining one wasn't as scary as the other, one wasn't as good as the other. They're all chapters of the same story and work together to create this fantastic, whole story.
Insidious is just that. With the 3rd film confirmed it's clear that Insidious is one big story not just about the scares, not just about the Lambert family but instead the bigger picture is about "The Further" and the story behind it. The entities involved, whether they're parasites or demons.
If you liked the first film you'll love the second. It's still got the familiar atmosphere, the comic relief from Specs and Tucker, and even features a music score that takes inspiration from the first film's soundtrack while offering something to keep things feeling fresh.
I'm a sucker for a well-written story and the Insidious franchise is no exception. Leigh Whannell (who funnily enough, also plays the character Specs) does a great job in penning the screenplays. The story is fresh, exciting an after Insidious: Chapter 2 I feel fully confident in the Insidious series/franchise and am very much looking forward to full trilogy.
Whether this film scares you, makes you laugh or doesn't let you sleep.. you can't deny it's a solid, original story. Forget the labels and just enjoy the film for what it is. Really. Fucking. Good.
Now that I’ve watched the entire series in literally one sitting, I’m ready to go back and go through it more slowly. Maybe take notes on each ep about the things I love and things that might trigger others.
There is just so much world-building for all that it is set right here and now. The layers of detail and the breadth of the world created is just fascinating.
Each location truly feels separate, probably because they did actually film on location heh. And each culture feels very distinct which creates such a sense of realism.
I am genuinely impressed with the technical aspects of this show: directing, writing, editing, cinematography, etc. But the heart of it is the chemistry between the main cast and how well they demonstrate the sudden intimacy that their new situations create.
Nothing felt inevitable, there was always a sense of risk and possibility. At the same time, the things that do happen feel right and true to the characters and situations. It’s masterful.
I feel so fortunate that this show exists and that I got to see it.
All that said, there are some incredibly intense moments in the show. There is a suicide in the early part of episode one. Later there is various levels of gore and violence. And if you have any bodily issues, the fact that the show in no way ignores the biological issues of cis women’s bodies might shock you.
As far as I can recall, however, there is no animal harm or rape/attempted rape. I specifically recall a scene where I was like, “oh thank fuck! he’s only trying to murder her.”
At the end of the day, the people I cared about survived and/or triumphed enough that the hardships they went through felt worth it. Intensity level-wise (language, sex, violence, plot) I would compare it to Starz’s Spartacus series. Quality-wise too, it’s that good.
The main character Liv Moore dies and comes back as a zombie. She changes her entire way of life and starts to work in a morgue where she can get all the brains she needs. Every time she eats a brain, she gets visions and abilities or properties from the deceased and with those she helps a detective solve cases where those original brain owners were involved in.
Pretty straightforward synopsis and if you can accept the "eat brain, get visions/abilities" premise of this show you're in for a great treat.
Most of all the writing is consistent. The plots aren't stupidity driven as they are on major network shows these days, nor are the plots dragged out with nonsense you don't care about.
The acting is believable, the actors play likable characters and those have depth. They aren't cardboard characters or dull stereotypes, they all have their backstory and purpose. While this is an adaption of a comic there are apparently issues to overcome.
For example filling the time that you have in a TV format with dialogues. I haven't read the comics and can't comment on how faithful the series is overall but it definitely delivers the concept very well without having to know the comic.
Comedy is rather subtle here but usually very sweet. The humour comes often from the brains Liv eats and are situational.
Matching that comedy you get here and there fitting popculture references, like a very dark humorous, self ironic and absolutely brilliant Fight Club reference.
Especially shows with zombies are more and more frowned up on these days. People are slowly fed up with stories involving zombies. But this one takes a different approach.
As of yet (S01E10) there is no humans vs zombies, no apocalypse, just a how does a zombie try to live a normal, daily live kind of situation. Spiced up with brain induced antics, murder cases and a plot involving the commercial exploitation of zombies, in a way at least. ;) Each episode involves therefore a new case, a case that usually in some way is linked to the overall plot and therefore a new piece to the puzzle of the show.
On the other hand, because there's no apocalypse here, this show is not an action driven show. Nor is it a show where you can completely shut off your brain but I'd say it would work as a calm down kind of show.
You had an exhausting/stressful day at work, school, university, etc. and need to calm down, get your minds off things in the evening? Watch iZombie. Due to the aforementioned, it is a rather lighthearted not too serious show but it definitely is very enjoyable.
Personally this show, after the sad and undeserved cancellation of Forever, is my most favourite airing show.
Since it is a lighthearted show that doesn't take itself very serious at times - in smart ways nontheless - it may not please everyone. The cast seems a tad too young but I wouldn't go as far as to say there are miscast persons on this show as there are on other, bigger shows. When you dislike the synopsis, or think it sounds cheesy, that may be your right to say or think, but I think you misjudge this TV show very much and miss out on an incredibly enjoyable show that doesn't insult your intelligence with plots that get more and more ludicrous with each episode. Something bigger networks try more and more these days with each new show.
Charming shows like these are sadly a dying kind.
