I really appreciate this one because one of the few episodes if not the only one
that doesn't have overly Savage violence
it's a really simple story it's very short
but the animations really interesting some amazing use of colors
it's an interesting cautionary story
This episode is better then pilot (01x01), but still it lacks something.
This film has garnered a lot of great reviews, but for me, it was only partly successful. It's certainly well made, but by its very nature, is more suited to stage or a dance recital than a movie. Impressive performances, and a good music score, but as a story it only works in fits and starts.
Not my favourite. I love angst in love stories, I don't mind the uglier side of relationships, but not when it feels like the characters absolutely cannot stand each other. The arguments were too petty and too annoying and too cliché to actually build any sort of meaning or commentary beyond what we were given at face value. Yeah, alright, the movie proves love isn't a bed of roses, but it does so in an uninspired way in my opinion, then trying to salvage itself by throwing a few callbacks and clever dialogue about the relationship between love, life and time that all just mostly fall flat (even if there's some genuinely good moments in the midst of it all). Jesse and Celine work as a fleeting relationship, not as a long lasting one. In the other two films you could see they got on each other's nerves but it worked cus they were only in each other's presence for a brief period of time. This film wants so hard to be realistic, but there's nothing realistic about these two staying together for this long. The creator of this trilogy should have realised this worked better as a succession of one night stands.
I love Lego Star Wars but this was not very creative. It would have been a lot of fun if they interacted in an interesting way with the different time and places. For example the Mandalorian was just 3 seconds and just a plug.
I'm someone who was loathe to use the Trump name when I heard the first pronouncements after the escalator introduction. I've adopted different monikers to try and stem the tide of his overwhelming influence. I'm more dead inside than the frothiest pundit attempting to explain the exponentially terrible and long term consequences of what his reign will bring. I felt obligated in a kind of cultural accounting to watch The President's Show, despite the sinking and desperate feeling of wishing for it to all be over. I never much cared for when the cartoon version showed up in The Late Show. I understand that there's a whopping mental discord that needs to be contended with even before we pretend we can piece together the extent of the destruction.
All that said, the case for this show is almost too explicit. They are cartoon characters. This could be a dozen different short-lived cartoon shows from MTV or Comedy Central over the years. What made them exist in the first place were chuckle moments or an exploration of a particular pathology. Here, because the cast of characters is so large, you get to see a slightly broader take on each person. It's one thing to hear a dozen renditions of the same joke from late night hosts, it's another to see it transposed into a light-hearted attempt to not choke to death on what all of the real world examples truly mean.
It's not a particularly good or intriguing show on it's own so far (2 eps). It's more of a therapy session and slightly cranked up mockery. But that's almost the point. Where do we go from here but into tyrannical ever-escalating death? If you can't imagine it as a cartoon, how can you much cope with anything coming out of this saga? Consider the wholly uninspired "Donald Trump is the President" end credits song; when you can't parody anymore, you just repeat it over and over in disbelief.
The main strength is that it doesn't solely rest on another 25 minutes of Trump-isms, but there's plenty. The whole party gets to be implicated and you get a sense of the collective absurd psychosis that has taken hold. This is a show that is looking for laughs after you've conceded you're broken and if life can't be a cartoon, at least this can be. I've been unable to find the funny in Trump from the beginning, which I think stems from a deep appreciation for consequences and historical understanding. His idiot cartoon sons or gonzo Ted Cruz don't feel as much an explicit betrayal to the idea of us ever pulling our shit together and taking responsibility for what's really happening, and were hence what got the chuckles from me. Is it also a cynical small-minded cash and attention grab attempt utilizing an ongoing disaster? Probably. Can it serve as a bridge between the monstrosity and one day feeling capable of cleaning it up? Hopefully.
I don't know man. I'd trade this for a second of hope for the future.
The real highlight is the cinematography. The story itself, while not uninteresting, is kind of a typical romance-that-should-not-be wrapped around events that are to be described as histrocial fiction.
Worth watching but nothing extraordinary.
Apart from the first act, what a stupid episode, almost like the second one. Let's hope they improve.
Not every segment in this works, but the stuff that does is great. Jake Gyllenhaal as Mr. Music is the highlight and I want to see him play more absurdly humorous characters like this.
TRASH TRASH TRASH TRASH TRASH
Efficient rather than excellent account of a true story. There are some good moments here, but only a handful of moments truly stand out.
I mean no disrespect, but, this movie still a better love story than Twilight. How could a story about an umbrella made me cry?
This was a struggle. You want to give it points for quasi-creativity (is it though?), but how you manage to take such a talented cast and put nothing in their mouths to work with is beyond me. There's just nothing else to say about it. People gotta work I guess.
It just sunk in why this is so bad! You know the phrase, "Good artists copy. Great artist steal."? You feel like the people who created this had that in the back of their head with no greater vision or capacity to make it into something better, individual, or worthwhile. They just steal, maybe thinking their idea is great, but end up not even good because it's just a laziest copy you've seen in some time.
On top of that, why hire a bunch of comedians to play in an uninspired drama? It's insult to injury. You spend so much time waiting for the joke or thinking about the funny thing you've seen someone in that you're stuck in a constant reminder that they went out of their way to pack it full of funny people to half-ass do drama? The more I think about this series the more it upsets me.
Elizabeth Perkins playing it straight during her feature is the only time I felt a genuine laugh, so, go her.
What an absolute stinker of an episode - Numerous times a reboot has been attempted - all failed. With the quality of this latest episode, it's not hard to see why. Utter predictable rubbish. I'm done. Five travesties to the good name of The Twilight Zone in, and has gradually got worse. I didn't think it was possible to top the sheer idiocy of #1 The Comedian, but this one managed it and then some!
Season 3 turned the show around, and I'd go as far as saying that it saved the franchise. A massive change of people behind the scenes resulted in a big shift in tone for the show, and this bled over into every aspect of production. Michael Piller took the reins as what we would now call showrunner, and writers like Ronald D. Moore, René Echevarria and Ira Steven Behr did their first work.
The show became more confident, and made its storytelling far more about the characters than the plots. It looked better, with a more cinematic style and much improved uniforms for the cast. We got to know these people in a far more intimate and relaxed manner than previously, and they each managed to find their own voice. Beverly Crusher was a welcome return.
While it's not a perfect season, it's such an improvement over what came before as to be almost unrecognisable. The first two seasons of the show almost feel like they fit into The Original Series at times with their cardboard planet sets, overly dramatic camera shots and quirky acting. Here, Star Trek: The Next Generation came into its own.
Quite surprisingly, Wesley Crusher becomes quite interesting here. Maybe it's because he wasn't constantly saving the ship and acting like a brat, or maybe it's because they finally gave him some personality. His conversations with his mother are some of the highlights of the season. Data gets a massive amount to do and starts to show that he is capable of very nuanced human behaviours.
The one character who is left behind somewhat is Geordie. The poor guy just never gets developed well, there's not much personality and he doesn't seem to have anything much going on other than his engineering work. His dating attempts are routinely abysmal, and I can't help but think that LeVar Burton deserved better.
Best episodes for me: Yesterday's Enterprise, The Offspring, The Best of Both Worlds (1), Who Watches The Watchers, The Enemy, The Defector, AllegianceWorst episodes for me: The Price, Booby Trap, The Vengeance Factor, The High Ground, A Matter of Perspective, Tin Man
Honestly, kinda pointless but I love Joel so this get a pass in my book.
What a surprising delight.
I binge watched during sick leave - and it was perfect brainles, light hearted positive tv that is needed in that kind of situation.
OMG so boring. The convo between Lily & Katie was some of the stupidest writing & acting. This show was boring to start with, this episode made it worst.
Pretty sure this isn't coming out in a couple weeks...
A pretty solid first episode
The Assistant was one of the movies I was most excited to see at Sundance.
I went in with the wrong expectations however, as the trailer and synopsis both seem to be selling it in a different light than what this was.
Julia Garner does a great job playing an assistant that grows increasingly aware of the situation she's working in. The movie takes place over a single day, but this is where it starts to lose me.
Typically slice of life movies are my thing, but something about The Assistant just really didn't deliver. I left the movie wanting a lot more than what I got, and about 2/3rds of the way through it really started to feel like it was dragging on. Even with a runtime of 85 minutes.
Overall, I think you could go in with the right expectations and you might enjoy it, but I'd have a hard time recommending people take the time out of their day to see it.
The Orville is finally established enough to start referencing lore created by previous episodes. This episode is an unexpected followup to another very good story from the first season. And in typical Orville fashion, it takes a very old and weathered collection of story tropes and gives them a fresh spin with a unique resolution. A reveal that threw me completely off the scent right up until they out and said what was actually happening and why. I got conned just as hard as everyone else, and it was very satisfying. I'm very interested to see the impact the Valdonis have on the Orville Universe. They seem like a much less antagonistic Q-like race that still might cause trouble with their indifference to less-evolved species.
Bortus' blank stare at the kid talking about TikTok and Instagram was the funniest part of this episode. Kelly clocking a flight attendant being a close second.
I loved the irony of Ed being told he was being deceived... by a fake version of Issac as part of an even larger deception.
The shot of the Kaylon drone staring into the bridge was amazing. I briefly thought it was intentional, very Cylon-like behavior.
The only thing I didn't like about this episode is that it didn't push the overarching story forward, even Shadow Realms involved the growing alliance with the Krill. There are only 10 precious episodes in this season. I'm perfectly fine with episodic content as long as the world of The Orville grows as much as possible... just in case.
I wanted to love this because of Kristen but I just can't. It just feels all over the place and nowhere at all at the same time.
We've heard a lot about the Cardassian Occupation, but this is our first chance to see some of it thanks to some detailed flashbacks. The station looks like a very different place and it's a wonderful transition from the comfortable DS9 we're used to to the dirty and brutal Terok Nor. It's easy to forget that it was an ore refinery.
The changes in characters past and present are also a joy to see. Kira is a different person, younger and angrier and with a lot of reason to be scared. Odo is unsure of himself and we are shown a great contrast between his questioning skills in the past compared to how they are now (complete with a Columbo moment). We get to see what Dukat was like when he was in charge, with all the arrogance and power it brings. Even Quark is different, playing his part to fit in alongside the Cardassian's rule.
Besides giving us a solid crime investigation, this is an important character episode for Odo and Kira. Their friendship has been built on Kira covering up the murder she committed, and Odo seems to be able to forgive her for it. That seems out of character for him until later revelations (he's in love with Kira), but I doubt that storyline had been thought up at this point.
It's a reminder of what a dark place many of DS9's characters are coming from, and firmly guides the show along this path. There's even room for a little bit of comedy. Great stuff.
the making of Hawkeye was supposed to be e07. What happened to it?
9.5/10. I have never seen Glee, so a lot of the direct parody was over my head, but this is such an enjoyable episode. Having the show's X-mas episode turn into a cross between Glee and Invasion of the Body Snatchers was an inspired choice that both makes the holiday-themed story both distinct and gives it a direction as the episode progresses.
The songs themselves were unique and each had their own shade of humor. The two stand outs in my opinion were Annie's (in a perfect parody of the weirdness of songs like "Santa Baby"), and Shirley's (which perfectly seized on her character's achilles' heel). But the episode had lots of great Community wordplay ("well-documented historical vanity" is just a hilarious phrase in and of itself), and ridiculous moments like Britta "singing her heart's song." Everyone in the cast was on point. If I have one small nit, it's that Taran Killam occasionally went a little too broad in his performance for my tastes, but he did capture the "bright-eyed psychopath" role well.
Of course, Community being the quality show that it is, still manages to ground the outsized premise in something character-based. Abed wanting to spend the holidays with his friends, and worrying about making things darker when trying to make things brighter, culminates in a heartwarming moment of the gang showing up at his apartment. Sure, it's a bit easy, but it absolutely works as a great capper to tremendously creative and amusing holiday episode.
NOTE: Reviewing both parts as a feature-length TV movie.
"It is the unknown that defines our existence."
I have to confess to a bit of excitement here, as I begin a re-watch of not only my favourite Star Trek series, but my favourite television series of all time. And it's been quite a while since I last saw it. Deep Space Nine was a show that did not fit into the presets established by what had come before, and while it began as a companion show to The Next Generation, it nevertheless forges its own identity from the very start.
This is defined almost immediately by a stunning opening sequence that Trek had never attempted before. The Battle of Wolf 359 is shown and the special effects are such a step up in quality over what we'd been seeing on TNG. As things continue, the visual identity of the show is clearly going in a very different direction with harsher lighting and dark shadows, a smoky atmosphere and a general sense of gritty damage all around.
It's more than just the way the show looks, though, because the characters reflect much of the same qualities. These are misfits, and in many cases damaged people who might not get along that well with each other. There's more conflict here than we could ever get on another Star Trek show, and along with that comes a lot more emotion. Commander Ben Sisko is a broken man who has lost his wife and is trying to raise a son by himself, and as we find out he simply can't move on from the pain of his past. Add to this Avery Brooks fairly quirky acting style (I came to love it) which relies far more on emotional reaction than Trek usually allows and I find myself instantly able to connect to the character. It was a bold move to include a scene in which Sisko confronts Picard with barely restrained anger, because at the point this show was broadcast viewers absolutely LOVE Picard. Seeing a new character bringing him down by reminded him of the worst experience of his life was a risky move, because we could begin to hate Sisko from the off. Fortunately, the writing is good enough to help steer us on a journey with this new commander.
It's an episode with far more depth in its ideas than TNG was doing at this point. These feel like real people, reacting to their situations with real feelings. Even Chief O'Brien seems more relaxed and natural as he curses and kicks the equipment around him. Yes, you could argue that Alexander Siddig is hamming it up a bit much right now, but it's a small complaint. Gul Dukat swaggers on to the scene feeling like in instantly formed character (and knowing what comes later for him, it's quite amazing how much of the character's essence is already present here). For the first time we see a Ferengi who isn't a ridiculous caricature of silliness in Quark, a first step in making them a far more interesting species.
The sequences with the wormhole aliens are masterfully written and constructed pieces that are edited together wonderfully, and again feel far more creative and fluid than the rigid structure of TNG would have allowed for. It's a genuinely heartbreaking moment as we see Sikso confront the past he's been refusing to let go of. It's also interesting that the sequences help define a major theme for the show, and that is that ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES. With Star Trek being an episodic franchise, this is something that has literally rarely had any meaning to it; you watch an episode and the story is wrapped up in 45 minutes, never to be referred to again. While DS9 won't kick in with heavy serialisation for a while, the characters are going to be shaped by their experiences throughout and actions will certainly have consequences.
While not a perfect episode (it's restrained, but there's still a bit too much technobabble at points), this remains the only good pilot for a Trek series and I'm pleased at how well it still holds up by today's standards - we will see if Discovery can challenge it later this year!
Such a weird episode, but so informative.
Dax is such an interesting character with the multitudes of lifetimes to explore, but somehow I thought that DS9 managed to make her the least developed character. Terry Farrel was great in the role and when the show gave her something really good, she flourished. This is not quite one of those stellar moments, however important it is to her character development.
The revelation that one of the past hosts was a murderer is a big one, but it doesn't feel like it's made as big a deal of as it should be. This should be a character-changing moment for Jadzia, but the effects of this episode seem to have zero bearing on her future. We see an angry and confrontational side of her personality develop here, but it will seemingly be kept under wraps from here on despite the revelations she has. DS9 was usually a bit better at allowing characters to change with big events (although, fair enough, it's not ignored entirely in future episodes).
The episode has some great moments, though. Odo stirring the souffle is quite charming and it's great to see that Bashir has matured enough to be a doctor rather than a womaniser, as demonstrated when Jadzia comes to sleep in his quarters. Also, how fantastic is it that Sisko has his entire senior staff over for dinner and cooks for them? Picard would never do that.
I think it's a great story and I love learning more about the Trill, it just falls a bit flat in the execution for me.
For all the people that are saying this movie is horrible...You are WAY too serious. This movie is hilarious in numerous ways. I've watched enough "romantic comedies" to get all the jokes and see how stupid most of those movies actually are. The movie is not meant to be serious, so if you don't like spoofs, then don't watch the movie, Eggfarts.
