What shall I say? It is a slow movie, it is a heavy movie.
And most of all it is a beautiful masterpiece about the human soul.
Doctor Who doesn't get any better than this episode. Forget the Daleks and anything else that you might consider 'scary', this is the real stuff. And such a clever writing. Incredible. Episodes as this, are what defines Doctor Who's cult status.
I love the new introduced characters, as well as how they revisit the familiar characters, after they meet again. Rich variety, all with reasonable and believable traits.
I watched this movie as a spur of the moment thing. I'd thought it would be another period era romance smut film (which is exactly why I watched it, don't judge), with racial tension thrown in to set it apart. In the end, it became a commentary that applies to modern day, and not just about slavery of colour, but of social standing, spirit and the human race. I had no idea it was based on real lives, which I admit actually made me rate it better.
The costumes were beautiful, acting above average and a few stand out scenes. If you don't usually like period films, then the second half of the film might be more enjoyable for you then the first.
This episode was quite close to being awesome. Quite an achievement, considering how new the series is.
Sadly the storytelling still is flawed in crucial moments. This time it's when Stamets falters under pressure, exactly in that moment when they finally figured out how to get the upper hand. He has seen several hundred of deaths, why should he reveal the secret to avoid one more? It makes absolutely no sense!
Such issues aside, Sonequa is awesome and fits perfectly for that character. I had high hopes, as she was one of my favs in TWD. It seems she will exceed my expectations.
Fury actually begins quite good. It isn't uncommon for war movies to reduce "realism". So it is rather the standard that enemy forces attack just in the right size, so that the heroes can take care of them. We wouldn't want enemy PAKs and Panzerfäuste to attack organized, all at once from different sides, wouldn't we?
I might even accept the shallow characters, trying to represent the result of their harsh experiences.
I could even accept the fictional scenario that a Tiger would engage a battle all on its own, so that "Fury" could prove its point of Americans fighting a technically superior opponent.
But the final battle ... I don't know, I think that's how you insult the intelligence of your customers.
The first and last chapters offer every stereotype you'd expect. Some code of honor, betrayal, revenge. All in the most basic variation, with no finesse at all.
The only part that stood out, was about what they were willed to endure, before they get their revenge. That made this movie a different but not an ultimately interesting experience.
this pilot is more compelling and engaging than the entire season 1.
Some really great dialogues and the actors (especially most Japanese) were very convincing. But those rich scenes are rare and the last half hour is rather lame, so ultimately the film doesn't feel very rewarding.
The first 30 minutes I wondered why Kate Winslet chose to perform in that movie, then came the mid part and it was excellent.
While the final episode was well made, the final season wasn't. It was disappointing that barely any character showed further development, it was just the (hi)story that moved on.
It's delivering what you'd expect but offers nothing beyond. Too generic to deserve any credit, but a welcome "to watch once at Christmas" candidate. But just once.
I simply don't like stories that are primarily exciting because everyone seems to go crazy. This episode was terrible.
3.5/10. This was, if you will pardon my french, a shitshow, especially afer how good the last episode was. The plotting was contrived, the acting was off, and the character motivations were haywire.
Let's start with the worst part. Robyn has been an unpleasant character from the moment she's been on our screens. Sure, to some extent that's the point, but it takes any story involving her down a notch from the getgo. She's a very broad character on a show that aims for something approaching naturalism even as it depicts super-strong heroes and mind-controlling villains. While I appreciated Malcom's dliemma (his character has quickly become one of my favorites for his quiet earnestness and strength despite what was done to him), giving Robyn such outsized characteristics and personality quirks just made it hard to have sympathy for her even in what should be a situation filled with pathos for the character.
And my god, how ridiculous was it that this crazy woman is able to not only rally the troops to go after Jessica, that it happens to coincide with Malcolm baring his soul, and that they just so happen to show up at Jessica's when she has Kilgrave on lockdown and things are otherwise fairly stable. The concept of the misguided outsider thinking the hero is the real villain, and that the villain is the victim, thereby freeing the bad guy and unraveling the hero's good work, is such a tired cliche in superhero stories especially. Channeling that story through Robyn was a poor choice especially, and it was all too convenient that it happened when it did. It seemed as though the writers said, "we need something to upset the applecart here, and this is just random enough to do it."
Speaking of convenient, I'm apparently one of the few people who's enjoyed the Hogarth-Wendy-Pam triangle this season, but Pam showing just at the right time to unintentionally kill Wendy was a bridge too far. There were tons of ways you could have had Pam realize that Hogarth is full of crap and realize that she was trying to use Kilgrave to get Wendy to sign the papers without ending up in this contrived, all-too-on-the-nose morality play where Pam ends up in jail. The scenes with just Hogarth and Wendy were actually pretty solid. The combination of Wendy's disgust and woundedness worked, and the "death of a thousand cuts" setup was tense. But the utter plot-convenience of how it ended up, especially with the hamfisted scene in the jail afteward, were facepalmingly bad.
And then what was with crazy Simpson? I mean, I get that he's taking some strange super solider pills, but his going all crazy Riley Finn seems unmotivated. His killing Detective Clemmons and torching the place felt out of character, and even if you can sell it as a Jekyll and Hyde situation with Dr. Koslov's pills, I just didn't buy the actor's performance. The insane incarnation of Simpson just seemed kind of goofy, rather than a deranged extension of the character we already knew. I don't know what to make of him.
Then the flashback with Jessica Jones in the dreamy past was so strange as well. Again, it was an extraordinarily blunt way to deal with the idea that she and Kilgrave look back at things differently. Plus I nearly died of ugh when Jessica said, "I'm all ears." And then we have some weird setup where Kilgrave's dad is trying to make a vaccine and has to use Trish? It's fine in principle, but it all goes so fast and strangely.
Then, of course, there's the end with Hope. I actually like the idea of Jessica allowing lots of collateral damage from Kilgrave's continued existence because Hope is a symbol for her -- of herself, of innocence, of a way she can make herself right with the world, and I like the idea of Hope rejecting that because she's much more pragmatic, her wounds are fresher, and she can't imagine what kind of life she can have now anyway.
But ye gads, did we really need this sort of complicated SAW-like set up from Kilgrave in the restaurant. There's a point in most seasons of Dexter where after the show has spent a great deal of time introducing characters and setting up cool conflicts, you get these more and more elaborate and convoluted setpieces as the cat and mouse game continues and the show keeps throwing more and more balls into the air. I think we reached that point here, and it's not a good look for this show, especially if, as Dexter did, it struggles to stick the landing after all the insanity it invokes.
You are a superhero - he threw the blue pills out the window... JUST GO GET THEM, jeez, why is everyone dumb in this show. D:
I rather enjoyed the show, till the last 3 episodes, which all have been cluster**** of crazy people making crazy decisions.
The only good left in this episode is the chemistry between Trish and Jessica and the flashbacks. Pretty much everything else belongs in the bin of terrible writing.
Great acting talent, interesting premise skillfully executed (things are not as they seem), ethereal soundtrack, thoughtful reflection on the big issues of life. Impeccable American accents by the Brits. Naomi Harris won a Hollywood Breakthrough Award for her performance, and if you compare this to her role in Moonlight or Spectre, you appreciate the chameleon talent she is - I expect we will see much more of her. Every actor deserves mention for their fine work in this. I give this movie an 8 (great) out of 10.
I rate "Two Days, One Night" with 7/10 only because of Marion Cotillard's impressive performance.
The story itself is a bit too repetitive. She experiences the very same challenges again and again. The others react with similar doubts and reflection, with few exceptions. It's realistic but not really exciting or entertaining for the consumer.
Something was missing in the second season, up to this episode. And this something was Vanessa Kirby. Wonderful episode!
It is impossible to capture the essence of infinite love, sublime mercy or unrelenting grace. When faced with even the shadow of these things, we walk away with more questions than answers. This film can't do it. The book tried it's best. We only truly see it in Jesus. But, eventually you have to find these answers in the submission of trust. We need to learn to trust God. That being said, I'm glad for films and books that point us in the right direction. Let's keep trying to reflect these big truths. I give this movie a 7 (good) out of 10, for a decent adaptation and some fine performances, especially Octavia Spencer and Alice Braga. I give the book a 9 (superb) out of 10.
I still can't believe how shitty this show is. Luke Cage was actually a promising character in Jessica Jones, his show though ... ugh.
How I despise this product is best summed up by the character Misty Knight. When Luke & her meet the very first time it once again seems very promising ... just to fall apart beyond recognition for the rest of the season.
Follow the story and imagine what stupid / unprofessional / emotional reaction the character could make in the worst case and the most idiotic reasoning she might give to explain it ... and she will surpass your nightmares regularly!
I don't know if I should credit Simone Missick for great or terrible acting, because she tremendously adds to the painful experience. If that was intentional: Amazing job!
You might think now that I have specific problem with her and her character, but far from it. She just is my "highlight". Besides Rosario Dawson and some other minor characters, nobody achieves a C rating.
And the story, in every single detail, can only be considered a travesty.
I still can't believe how shitty this show is. Luke Cage was actually a promising character in Jessica Jones, his show though ... ugh.
How I despise this product is best summed up by the character Misty Knight. When Luke & her meet the very first time it once again seems very promising ... just to fall apart beyond recognition for the rest of the season.
Follow the story and imagine what stupid / unprofessional / emotional reaction the character could make in the worst case and the most idiotic reasoning she might give to explain it ... and she will surpass your nightmares regularly!
I don't know if I should credit Simone Missick for great or terrible acting, because she tremendously adds to the painful experience. If that was intentional: Amazing job!
You might think now that I have specific problem with her and her character, but far from it. She just is my "highlight". Besides Rosario Dawson and some other minor characters, nobody achieves a C rating.
And the story, in every single detail, can only be considered a travesty.
Poor serie, boring as hell.Everybody seem stupid in this show, especially cops.And the hero...just repeating the same speech over and over... that's it.
I must say that I'm a little bit disappointed, after all the hype on Twitter and the 8.6 rating on imdb.
1x10 is just a bridge episode, rearranging the pieces in a (yet) not too exciting new setting. Sure, it might turn out to be awesome. It likely will. But so far there isn't anything we haven't seen yet before.
And that "wtf moment" people were talking about ... I didn't expect exactly that, but something in that kind.
The Wolf Inside was a rather annoying experience. Mostly thanks to Ash Tyler's arc, which I consider poorly designed and even worse executed. Heck, just all those ever present mini flashbacks from his 'torture' alone ...
Otherwise not much happened. At least not much that made a lot of sense or was exciting to see.
The part I probably liked most were the struggles Burnham expressed, about finding her place in the mirror universe, without risking to lose herself. Though that wasn't done brilliantly either. She drops some keywords, looks sad and suffers mostly silently. It's a nice idea, with some good scenes and images but overall the execution was underwhelming.
It generally seems that this show's current highlights are exclusively cliffhangers.
"Oh did you see who X is?"
"Wow, they ended up in Y! This will be SOO exciting in the following episodes!"
The problem is that it currently doesn't deliver much. With the exception of the very next cliffhanger of course.
[5.8/10] When watching Discovery, the easy route is to compare it to prior Star Trek series and films. Between the continuity nods, the classic characters popping up here and there, and some of the usual Trek rhythms, it’s natural to think of the latest show in the franchise in relation to its predecessors.
But “The Wolf Inside” is one of those episodes that reminds you that no matter how many familiar sound effects we here, no matter how neat it is to Mirror Sarek with a goatee like his son would eventually sport, Star Trek Discovery is a show that’s taking its cues from the most buzzworthy hits on cable television -- The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones -- more than it’s pulling from its space-bound forebears.
As I often say, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that necessarily. Despite rumblings about ousted creator Bryan Fuller’s ideas for the show, it was likely a pipe dream that CBS would revive Star Trek and keep it the same as it was when the franchise last left the airwaves. (Though perhaps the existence of The Orville suggests it wasn’t impossible.) Star Trek was very likely going to need to be updated for a new era of television, and it’s understandable, if not terribly original, that the powers that be, and the studio bankrolling it all, would want a show that emulated the biggest hits of its competitors.
Selecting Sonequa Martin-Green as the lead character is a canny choice, but also a clue where the show’s braintrust was at. One of the biggest issues with The Walking Dead is clunky, overwritten dialogue that spells out the theme for anyone not paying close enough attention to get the show’s otherwise flashing neon signs of theme.
In this instance, that’s “how do you hang onto who you are when the world around you is harsh,” a very Walking Dead theme. You have it in Burnham’s voiceover in the beginning of the episode, you have it in overdone exchanges between characters, and any number of other scenarios designed to let you know that this is what they’re getting at.
And hey, it’s not a bad theme for a Star Trek episode where you’re trying to infiltrate the Mirror Universe undetected. The notion of becoming the mask, of having to pretend to be someone for so long that who you’re pretending to be seeps into who you really are, is a good concept. It’s just dramatized in a blunt, tedious, and even dumb way.
For example, Burnham is ordered by the Terran Emperor to destroy a rebel colony. When told by Lorca that she needs to do it to maintain their cover, Burnham pushes back, and says that no matter who she’s pretending to be, she’s still a Starfleet officer, and she doesn’t want to kill people if she can avoid it. That’s admirable, and an interesting dilemma to play.
The problem is that her solution to this is to try to infiltrate the rebel camp, hoping she doesn’t get killed on sight, and bringing her friend who’s been acting erratically for a while now. It’s a stupid, stupid, stupid plan, one that only works because the plot needs it to work. Sure, it’s cool to see rebel leader Voq, and get our first look at Discovery’s Andorians and Tellerites, but mind meld or no mind meld, it’s a big dumb risk to take, especially when Burnham has the info on the U.S.S. Defiant she needs.
Her reason for taking that risk is even dumber -- she wants to ask Mirror Voq how he managed to unite different species, especially the Klingons. Sure, maybe that’s an interesting question, but it’s not like he’s going to have some magic formula that will tell her how to get the Klingons in the prime universe to accept the Federation. (Right now, my bet is that eventually they take Mirror Voq back to the Prime Universe, where he manages to start the movement of Klingon tolerance for the Federation.) True to that, when pressed, Voq basically says, “we united because we had to -- the Terrans were wiping us out.” It’s not especially complicated, and certainly not information worth risking your life for.
It doesn’t help that we’re only two episodes in and the show is already stretching the Mirror Universe concept a little thin. Let’s be honest, the Mirror Universe was always a kind of silly concept, and the problem is that Discovery wants to be a more serious show than the outsized Original Series was. That means it’s harder to write off convenient coincidences like that everyone Burnham knows is in some plot-relevant, position of significance.
Bits like the reveal that Georgou is the Emperor, or the convenience that Voq is the rebel leader, don’t really hold up to the scrutiny of the law of unintended consequences, where one significant change would beget others, rather than just leaving things mostly the same but with an evil flip here and there. That sort of tack is forgivable, even enjoyable, in the four-color tones of the original Star Trek, but feel goofy and convenient here.
That might be easier to swallow if the nuts and bolts writing were better. Again, the dialogue here is repetitive and often painful, full of banalities and pseudo-philosophical ramblings that fail the smell test. The episode is also aping Game of Thrones and its big twists and betrayals and reveals. There’s a fake out with Lt. Stamets’s death under Tilly’s care, with the hint that Stamets Prime being injected with spores just gave him an invitation to the Interdimensional Council of Reeds (or Ricks, if you prefer), which comes of cheesy rather than cool.
The most significant reveal is that Ash Tyler is really Voq prime, having been made human a la “The Trouble with Tribbles.” In principle, it’s a perfectly fine twist. The show set it up well enough; there’s past precedent for it in the franchise, and there’s juice in the notion of Burnham having to balance out someone she loves with someone she hates. But the show had just been hinting at this reveal for so long now that it comes off anticlimactic. The stilted Klingon Speech doesn’t come off well when Tyler has to speak regular english instead of denture-assisted roughian. And overall, it’s just underwhelming when all is said and done.
It’s not all bad. While a little predictable, the episode sets up “death by transporter” well enough to subvert it in a clever way with Tyler at the end of the episode, and transmit the Defiant info in the process. The interactions between Burnham and both versions of Saru are more revealing and emblematic of the show’s themes than all the hamfisted dialogue in this one. And Lorca admitting that his judgment may be impaired by his torture, and his sense of someone who’s putting on a steely facade but just barely holding things together.
But overall, “The Wolf Inside” is too on the nose with its themes, too skimpy on using those themes to craft a story that’s compelling and makes sense, too committed to clunky dialogue that drags the whole enterprise down (no pun intended), and too enamored with those wild twists that keep Game of Thrones in the news. I’ve enjoyed Discovery so far, but this episode was a reminded that it could use a scaling back of its efforts to ape its high-class genre show brethren, and more efforts to just be Star Trek.
Oh, Danny. You naive precious little puppy. Clearly you haven't been in the real world for 15 years. You can't go around telling people who think you're crazy that you are a warrior and the Iron Fist. But aww, poor soul. He has no one. :( I'm also starting to like Joy. I mean she already had her doubts and I loved how she proved it with the M&Ms. Unlike her brother, she seems like a decent human.
I'm probably overrating this episode by 1 point, because I'm too excited that we finally had another great episode for this show.
Anyway, it IS a great episode, with a nice mix of revelations and story + character development.
A good episode, but nothing special. Some minor decision making made little sense, so does "the science".
I also frequently feel like they'd recycle too many elements from previous shows and movies. "Riding on top of an explosion" is getting old, for example.
And about the show in general: I'm a bit disappointed by "the hounding" from setting to setting, within few episodes. So far Discovery's priority certainly isn't to deepen the plot, rather than jumping to the next climax.
It wasn't as bad as Luke Cage, but Iron First certainly isn't a good show without flaws either ... heh, actually my average episode rating is 5.615.
My biggest problem: Danny certainly isn't the smartest cookie in the world.
But he actually had pretty much nothing else to offer either, besides his problem with using his head just once.
Fighting? - Even here his character was annoying as ****. And Colleen was a much bigger joy to watch.
The craziest part though is that Ward, of all options, was by far the most interesting character, with the most interesting development and, compared to others, his decisions made actually sense from his perspective. Sometimes.
