Let me start this off by saying that this sequel did not feel outside of what we remember.
Blade Runner 2049 maintains the mood and feel of its predecessor. The visuals, the sound... the dystopian future, it's all there.
| FIRST THOUGHT |
I love writing reviews, it comes somewhat naturally to me after watching something that I learn to feel passionate about.
This movie taught me to be passionate.
But... it's really hard for me to express judgment. And I'm going to explain why:
Actually, it's very simple. This was a 3 hours movie. Of these 3 hours, 2 were simply... air. Now, don't get me wrong, that isn't always negative, like in this case. It was refreshing air, but still... it doesn't (at first glance) hold anything on the plot.
Because of this, the viewer (me at least), is left with a lot of questions, the picture doesn't explain itself. Also; as a side note - you most definitely need to watch the first one. The great majority of the runtime is inexplicably useless.
The longer it goes, the longer it begins to add new stuff, and then some, then it seems somehow related to what's actually going on, but right after it deviates the actual story on an ideal from the characters involved, that at a certain point, evaporates. I'm really conflicted about this because it looks to me like the screenwriters and director wanted to leave all of this to theory and the fans.
Why is this confusing? Because it's a very strange mixture of linear narrative and non-linear narrative. One is focussed on one objective, the other starts a bunch of other objectives and then it simply dies. No explanation was given, no closure was given.
And this is aggravated by the fact that it's a 3 hours movie, of which 1 hour of the actual story is spread and mixed amongst 2 hours of absolutely nothing. VISUALLY IMPRESSIVE NOTHING. A VERY INTERESTING BUNCH OF LITERAL VOID.
This is actually the only thing I did not like about the movie. Which, again, if you are like me and enjoy movies that aren't patently explaining themselves, it's not a bad thing. I just feel like it could've been much more interesting if they explained somehow what happened to all the side characters, or just cut them out.
|STORY & ACTORS |
Aside from what I've mentioned before, the more "linear" part of the story is actually not that bad. It's nothing impressive. A part of what I said earlier connects to the fact that this movie constantly keeps juggling between what is real and what is not. Be it by robots, or actual reality that the characters are living. So it came out pretty obvious that the movie would have a twist at some point, somewhere. I will admit that I did not get it until the very end, so, don't be discouraged.
Ryan Gosling was great, also because he as an actor was perfect for his role. Being so that he has this way of being and looking conflicted, and so it portrayed really well on the protagonist.
Harrison Ford had less value to this movie than he did in the last Star Wars.
Jared Leto's character is a mystery to me, but he did a phenomenal job talking random shit.
All of the other actors, Jared Leto included, were there to push the story forward (or to add random bullshit) and that's it. They did a fantastic job, but unfortunately, as mentioned above, at first glance it looks like they don't mean shit.
| CINEMATOGRAPHY |
The movie is visually pleasing, it's bliss for people with OCD. It's perfectly round and at the same time perfectly square. It keeps smooth lines combining great color combinations in the palette, and utilizing great solid colors at the same time.
As I said before it holds perfectly a spot near its predecessor, the mood and feel are almost identical. (Having watched the first one only an hour before going to the theater to watch this one)
I have to say, this one looks A LOT, like A FUCKING GIGAZILLION LOT more gruesome and splatter than the first one. The fighting scenes are brutal, they do not go into dramatic effects, they just are what they should be. A punch in the face, exploding heads and blood.
There is no doubt that this movie looks fucking amazing.
It sounds amazing as well. It has a collection of deep, pure sounds. There is not a lot of music, but when there is it's powerful and present and it makes you wake up and amaze. Same goes for the special audio effects: I have watched it in ATMOS and I have to admit, they did not utilize it at all, except for one scene later in the movie, but the way it goes from absolute silence to seat trembling sensations it's really amazing. The sounds were so powerful I could literally see the movie screen shake and the subwoofer hit made the whole room shake.
I would also like to add that in the Italian version, you can clearly see that they used "incorrect" words grammatically, they used a lot of anglicisms, I guess they've done that to express how language is evolving? It's actually current of our generation, I see a lot of people adapting English words in Italian, so I was very impressed by that.
| FINAL THOUGHT |
I feel like everyone needs to understand, before watching this movie, that you need a time, a mood and a place perfectly fit to sit for a 3 hours movie that it's going to feel like a 6-hour long journey into colors, shapes, and absolute "living" silence.
This is NOT a Marvel movie, there is action, well-done action, but it's not about action. You need to sit, relax and don't think about time, because, trust me, it's going to fuck you.
Please like my comment if you enjoyed my review, it makes me really happy.
Note that all of this is driven by my personal opinion. If you think I wasn't objective in some of the parts of what I've written, you're welcome to make me notice where.
On Twitter, I review the entire world -> @WiseMMO
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.
I do like the show, but it's not Star Trek. If this was just a new sci-fi show that existed in its own universe, it would be incredible. However, the fact that they've tried to pass this off as Star Trek when it's clearly not sullies the experience.
If it wasn't already apparent, Paramount and CBS have no idea what made Star Trek great, and don't care either. The simple explanation is that the world of Star Trek is supposed to be optimistic; this is pessimistic. And I do enjoy pessimistic sci-fi, but there's so much of it, and to see one of the few optimistic sci-fi worlds turned into something pessimistic is a shame.
Fortunately, we now have The Orville, which is doing Star Trek better than anything has since Voyager ended in 2001.
The show is supposed to take place between Enterprise and TOS, but the technology is very different. For example, there are holograms everywhere. Why try to do a prequel again? Why not set this after Voyager? That would make a lot more sense, and they'd be able to add whatever technology they like, and not be constrained by existing continuity. Fortunately, it's not too late for the showrunners to say "hey, we made a mistake, this actually takes place X years after Voyager".
Last, they fucked up the Klingons. For almost 25 years, they had the look of the Klingons figured out perfectly. They're iconic. But this show (and the reboot movies) messed them up and made them look like generic sci-fi bad guys. What happened to their hair and beards? Also, the costumes are ridiculous, and their ship interiors look like they're made of coral. I do like the idea of having an albino Klingon though.
And I applaud their desire to use the Klingon language on the show, but it's pretty annoying having every Klingon scene subtitled. The previous shows used a common sci-fi conceit: the actors speak a language that the audience understands, but it's accepted that they're really speaking a different language. The viewer effectively has a universal translator so they can understand what's being said.
Also, it looks nothing like Star Trek. Once again, The Orville got that right, and this didn't.
All of that said, I do like the show. The characters are interesting (especially Doug Jones), I've enjoyed each episode, and I think the storyline is pretty interesting. But goddamn it, why did they have to try to make this Star Trek when it's not?
THIS is how you slowly build up your characters and world to a satisfying payoff. If you have an entire episode that takes place outside of the main universe and put all the main characters into completely different roles yet still manages to retain the core of the show and give viewers enough familiarity to hold onto, then you really do know how to write. Even if the series ends here, what a brilliant, intelligent, and enjoyable adventure The Orville is. Anyone still out there who looks at this show and thinks "Family Guy in space" is in crippling denial. This show is reaching Stargate levels of storytelling and character development now. What started as a chance foot in the door, to get the fleeting chance to stand in the shadows of science fiction giants has evolved into something that actually has the potential to be one of those giants some day.
For this episode in particular, what a delightful blend of TOS movie and Star Wars musical cues, the new ships and places that are a departure from the typical Union aesthetic, and the very best special effects I've seen on this show so far. Effects that are very detailed and eye-popping while still allowing everything to be well-lit and easy to follow. A very bold and dramatic way to cap off a season, especially the second season, and a very enigmatic ending that deliberately left threads hanging while still being satisfying and positive.
THIS show is the hopeful vision of the future we need right now. Not something that just reflects back what we currently are (because, let's face it, what we currently are is embarrassing), but one that shows up what we could be if we could stop resenting ourselves and each other for five freaking minutes. We'll always have our precious mistakes, our warts, our weirdness, but it's wrong to let those things define us. In the past, this kind of love and awareness came from a different show. A show that has sadly decided to move away from the wisdom of the human adventure. Now, thankfully, it's coming from this one. Hopefully, for a long time to come.
The Orville is back! And it looks amazing. Although we maybe spend a little too much time looking at space docks and starships. But they compensated with additional runtime so I take it.
The story is again what this is about. It was great that they picked up on the fact that Isaac was re-instated and what that meant for the crew onboard. Althought I think they are all wrong about him. Yes, it's human to hate and they need a scapegoat. But Isaac did only follow his programming, he did what he was supposed to do just like your PC does what you tell him. But he then overcame his programming, choosing (!) to help defeat the Kaylons. He became more then his program.
The whole story is an analogy about online mobbing and how it can drive people to commit suicide. Claire's words toward Isaac at the end make that clear. It's great to see we still follow that formula and wrap the stories around real problems.
But despite the fact that Burke helped at the end, I still don't like her. That's probably what they wanted to achieve with the character. It would have been easy to make her come around and a part of me is glad the didn't take that road. But for her to get on my good side there will be a lot of redeeming involved.
There seem to be a lot of trolls continuing to leave nasty comments throughout these episodes about the writers, the lgbt+ representation, choice of pronouns for some characters, or general comments of how much the show sucks... yet they've still continued watching the show for several seasons despite how much they claim to hate it. Personally I don't have time to waste watching four seasons of a show I don't enjoy.. just something to take into consideration when reading such overwhelmingly negative comments.
As for my own opinions, this was a great episode. Burnham seems to still be coming into her station and struggling with her past but with each challenge she faces she's becoming stronger in her conviction and that seems to be reminding her of who she was. And who she still is despite everything she's lost.
This episode was a good mirror for that, with rescuing unfairly punished criminals and standing up for the rights of other people who might have also forgotten who they were. Felix was a great comparison and reminder of who Burnham used to be. He knew who he was and was ready to accept the punishment that he thought that he deserved, just like Burnham at the beginning of season 1. It was a good reminder. And though their stories ended up very different it's clear that Burnham understood him and related to him in a very personal way.
Still really looking forward to the rest of the season and how things play out between Stammets and Tarka.
[8.0/10] Man, Lower Decks is on fire this season! I love the conceit of doing a mini-adventure for our usual set of Lower Deckers aboard the Cerritos, but spending more focus on their Klingon and Vulcan counterparts to give us a glimpse at how the other half lives. And this was the most dramatic and intense story yet! More and more, this show has come into its own this year, and I’m ecstatic to see it.
It’s hard to pick between the Klingon and Vulcan lower decks stories as my favorite, because both are great. I love how each comes in with a chip on their shoulder for different reasons. Both M’ach and T’Lyn are a little different from the usual attitudes of their species. M’ach gets made fun of for proposing himself as the “logical” choice to succeed his vessel’s first officer. And T’Lyn’s reliance on instinct and feeling gets her castigated for being “hot-headed” like a human.
The glimpse we get of two good crewmembers whose actions help save the day, but who face opposition for not falling in line, in classic Trek storytelling. There’s great drama in M’ach ingratiating himself to his captain only become disillusioned when he learns what his leader’s up to. And there’s pathos and frustration in T’Lyn finding pleasure in her work and recognizing problems her colleagues miss, while being chastised for “flying off the handle” for showing the slightest twinge of emotion or intuition.
The events on the Cerritos are comparatively light and low stakes, which is nice! The big deal is Boimler looking for a “bridge buddy” while all of his friends are occupied during a “long haul warp.” There’s some good quick hit comedy there. Shax flying off the handle about Bajor, Tendi and Dr. Tiana pulling a Star Trek V rock climb, and Mariner and Captain Freeman working out mother-daughter issues in the holodeck is all fun stuff.
I especially like the absurd, sitcom coincidence of Boimler falling in with a crowd around Commander Ransom of crewmembers who are all pretending to be from Hawaii. It’s just such a silly note for everyone to play. The comic escalation of everyone but Boimler actually hailing from a moon is great, and Boimler turning around and being the “bridge buddy” to an ensign is a wonderful win for him at the end of the tale.
But it’s the alien stories that really drew me in. I like M’ach’s tale. He’s a little like Boimler, someone anxious to rank up who does things by the book in order to get noticed, but who’s also a true believer. That plays out here in a fantastic way. M’ach gets what he wants: the captain’s ear and a place on the bridge. But it comes at a cost, namely discovering that his captain isn’t an honorable Klingon, whose machinations go against everything the young warrior believes in.
And hey, what a twist! The reveal that the Pakled are being goaded by the standard “Klingon who thinks the Empire’s gone soft by making peace with the Federation” general gone rogue is a doozy. It’s a neat reveal to tuck into a bit of an anthology episode, and making all of the stories converge on the twist is a cool bit of storytelling as well.
Likewise, the scenes with T’Lyn on the Vulcan ship are just as well done. These feel more like the dickish Vulcans of the Enterprise era. (And not for nothing, a Vulcan ship getting the Big Damn Heroes moment feels like something out of ENT as well.) The way T’Lyn seizes on a problem, gets nothing but guff for raising it, finds the solution that saves their pointy ears, and then gets “punished” by being reassigned to Starfleet all feels like an appropriately Vulcan fable. It’s low key infuriating on her behalf, and makes T’Lyn an instantly sympathetic character. I expect, and hope, we see more of her as Lower Decks continues.
As always, the broader Star Trek references and random gags are also a blast. I love the quick looks we get at the Lower Deckers of a Pakled ship and especially the Borg ship over the end credits. There’s a lot of homages to Star Trek VI here too, from M’ach noting other Klingons have tried to disrupt peace, another Klingon leader quoting Shakespeare, and and even the first appearance of their pinkish blood I can recall since The Undiscovered Country. And while not a reference to another bit of Trek, M’ach rising to power through his honor and kindness to an otherwise vulnerable creature made his story oddly heartwarming.
Overall, this another great outing from an increasingly self-assured and bold Lower Decks. Very much looking forward to the finale!
At this point, it's my guilty pleasure show. The first season felt so toned down and slightly, and I mean super slightly, like a slice of life series. The story to me always seemed like it was dedicated to Johnny Lawrence and Miguel Diaz, similar to the original film being about Mr. Miyagi and Daniel LaRusso. That being said, S3 is an overdose of the final episode of S2, where we get more of the High School all out karate fight. It's bonkers and you know what it becomes tolerable when you get the best bits of Lawrence helping Miguel get out of his wheelchair. The Karate Kid was an underdog story, one where two misfits find meaning through one another. Cobra Kai is Degrasse+ Kung Fu (the TV series) and it's not in anyway in the same spirit as the original movie or its terrific freshman season.
That being said, considering the series is now a hit on Netflix, I do hope the Emmy's recognize William Zabka for his amazing performance on this show. The guy embodies every middle aged man who didn't understand high school ends. He also balances a terrific form of tragedy and humor (a talent not every actor can balance but Zabka does in a series that could've been an SNL bit). Anyways, I'm going to buy an Eagle Fang Karate T-Shirt. This is my guilty pleasure TV show.
[9.5/10] I absolutely loved this one, A wonderful blend of character moments, classic Star Trek homages, thrilling action, uproarious comedy, and tons of heart. This is peak Lower Decks, and I’m glad to see it.
One of the best things about the episode is how it picks up the pieces after the events of season 1 in a committed way. That hasn’t really happened thus far, despite some hints at the margin here and there.. It’s most evident in the A-story, where Mariner and Boimler finally hash out their differences over Boimler leaving for the Titan.
There’s some great bits in the lead-up to the emotional climax of things. Boimler jokes with one of Mariner’s old friends about how much of a handful she can be, whileMariner bristles at him taking out of school about her marooning him. You can see the little flare ups between them as they go on the adventure of the week which gesture toward bigger issues that have gone unresolved.
Those issues come to a head when Boimler’s able to get into the big Starfleet Command party by posing as his Titan transporter twin William, but can’t get Mariner in as his plus-one. She throws barbs at him for abandoning her again, and he barks back that she’s been a lousy friend for not appreciating the promotion he earned. It’s the Titan situation in a microcosm, which makes it a good opportunity for the pair to deal with each side’s beefs from that experience.
That’s the beautiful thing, though. At the end of the day, Boimler gets to the fancy Starfleet party and realizes it’s no fun without his “number one”, after seeing the famous captains with their good friends and second-in-commands by their side. He returns to a dive bar where Mariner’s having a pity party and tells her as much.
It’s such a lovely monet, Boimler deciding he’d rather be with his friend than rubbing elbows with the bigwigs Given how much of a butt-kissr and career opportunist, the choice carries such weight. It’s just as lovely when Mariner again admits that she was hurt because of her abandonment issues and BOiler apologizes for how he left, worrying that the strong-willed Mariner would talk him out of going. It’s true to form for both characters and their personalities, but also their unique friendship.
That’s what this episode is most strongly devoted to. For all their needling and ribbing one another, Mariner and Boimler are a pair worth watching, who will stick together and one day do great things. The fact that they find a carving in the bar for “Kirk + Spock” is a benediction of sorts, a sign that the show wants us to think of them as following in those hallowed footsteps in their own, off-kilter way. And I’m hard-pressed not to be as touched and inspired by the whole scene as they are.
In the same vein, Rutherford and Tendi’s story likewise follows up directly from the events of last season. We haven’t done much this year to grapple with Rutherford losing his memory. So I appreciated this one delving into the character’s difficulty with living up to his past self and how frustrating he finds it, despite his typical upbeat attitude. One of the great things Star Trek’s done across shows nd fils is take outlandish premises seriously and examine what it would mean for individuals wrapped up in them. In that spirit, having Rutherford fixate on model-building that he did pre-memory wipe on a quest to prove himself just as good as he ever was nicely accomplishes the same thing.
But I like Tendi’s revelation to him, that the model-building was always just their means of deflecting social attention. Rutherford is as good as he ever was, and even if he’s “behind a year on being friends with” Tendi, she’s still there for him and ready to give him a boost when needed. Her reassurance giving him the confidence to use his skills to find them an escape from the danger is a great beat and moment of friendship and self-actualization.
And what amusing danger! I just love the concept of the Dooplers. The notion of a species that duplicates itself when flustered or embarrassed is so off the wall and fun. Richard Kind does fantastic work as always in his reactions to the various bits of social awkwardness. The solution to the problem -- that the Dooplers start rejoining when made angry -- is a funny solution, with their affronted reactions being just as amusing. The whole thing is brilliantly sideways tribute to “The Trouble with Tribbles”, replete with our heroes using the quickly replicating pests to taunt their enemies (albeit this time it’s supercilious Starfleet officers rather than Klingons).
Speaking of which, this episode is chockablock with hilarious inside references to fun Star Trek ephemera. Let’s start with the smallest but also the biggest -- the first appearance of a Kzinti in canon in nearly fifty years! Somewhere Jimmy Diggs is smiling. There’s a great reference to small bits from TNG like Okona (acknowledged by Captain Freeman as outrageous) DJ-ing the big party, or the fish people played by Mick Fleetwood making an appearance. And I died laughing at the Deep Space 9 model coming with both an Ezri and a Jadzia. The writers know their stuff, and it’s just a delight.
But references aside, this one is a great outing for Captain Freeman as well. Her frustration with the Dooplers is palpable, but she gets the win when her frustrations are what allow the team to find the solution to the problem. And her speech to the bouncer at the big Starfleet party is low-key inspiring. The Captain is right. The Cerritos may get second class jobs in a first class organization, but they do them damn well and deserve some recognition for it. The fact that she and her sneir officers, plus Mariner and Boimler of course, manage to make their own fun party on a random corridor of the space station, speaks to their ability to make the most and the bests of whatever they have.
This is an easy high water mark for Lower Decks, paying tribute to the central bond between Mariner and Boimler, the enervating friendship of Rutherford and Tendi, and the determination and capability of Captain Freeman. These were the building blocks of the series from the beginning, and with “An Embarrassment of Dooplers”, the show stacks them up to show us just how high they can all reach.
“The more people I cut out of my life, the quieter it got”.
The Bear is just OK for me. Though I liked the show, I'm a little lost in the praise here, because for the most part it felt like watching Shameless but in the kitchen. Jeremy Allen White is a good actor, so I'd wish they would have written his character a little more different than Lip Gallagher.
The show is defined as a dramady but there are very few comedic moments, this is definitely a more dramatic show than it's presented as.
It's a bit annoying how every episode is wrapped up in a neat little bow. Also, it's get repetitive very quickly - there are like 50 versions of the same scene where someone says, "hey can you try this" and the food is amazing every time. And, hearing chef every 2 seconds is a bit irritating.
Episode 4 (the party one) was kinda stupid, because someone would definitely call the cops after picking up their kid and seeing everyone at the party passed out.
What they're doing in the back kitchen does not reflect what's happening out front. Where’s the waiters? Where’s the customers? There’s more employees than customers. It seems like an empty dirty sandwich shop cooking fancy food.
I do not like Sydney at all. Hoping she'll grow on me. But for now she is a bit of a know it all and reminds me of a try hard coworker everyone can't stand in real life. She and Marcus may be the worst employees ever.
The ending of season 1 felt tacked on. The whole money in a can plan does not make sense to me. How did no one open any of these cans, how long has Mikey been gone? The fact that people have to come up with such convoluted theories just proves the writers dropped the ball. But maybe the did it on purpose, hoping for a second season?
Best part about the show is that it's only half an hour long!
Sorry Angel (Plaire aimer et courir vite) is a sea of love that just keeps getting deeper and deeper as the film progresses and overwhelms the viewer, submerges us with sentiment until we're drowning in love and don't want to come back up for air.
Set in 1993, this love affair between a man in his 30s and an impulsive younger man 10 years his junior unfurls like a Pride flag against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic. The film successfully borrows the best aspects of films that came before it with the romance of Call Me By Your Name, the gravitas of 120 beats per minute, and the passion of a French scream at the night called Les Nuits Fauves (Savage Nights, 1992), written and directed by a young nova who would die of AIDS before he could receive all the awards it won.
Sorry Angel is subtle finesse with strong acting (Vincent Lacoste turns in an especially amazing performance) and a passionate story in every sense of the word that takes its time getting to where it's going. Fortunately, the meandering plotline is distracting only for a moment and we soon settle back into this film that engulfs us with its sensitivity.
The show that put science fiction back on T.V. and made it serious again. A lot of excellent written concept shows that newer shows have recycled or done entire series from. Patrick Stewart became a superstar and is a big reason why the series work as he spits out dialogue and science babble as the Bard himself should have written it. He got help from a very well-balanced ensemble and The Star Trek universe became bigger, deeper and even more interesting than before. Since the show consist of many stand alone stories, every single episode "hit-and-miss" depending on how lucky the writer was with his/her idea and how the production and director executed the story. The first two seasons did have a lot of stinkers and there was too much of Wil Wheaton's Wesley Crusher during that time who was a terrible character on the show when he was a regular while his stories as a guest star later was excellent. Some cheesy moments also make this series a lot more dated than it should have been. My main problem though is that the series lack character continuity as most of the personalities comes through in dialogue and small moments and they never change by events from episode to episode (most remarkable is when Geordi LaForge who got brainwashed in one show but is just as good and normal the following episode). Still, this is a show that set the standard for science fiction for the next two decades and is full of entertainment value. If one only skips the worst written episodes that is.
