It's not supposed to be taken seriously, and that is great. It's not as /dark/ as the original Teen Titans tvshow (or most of DC tvshows, to be honest) but it's silly and funny and that was probably the point. It's a great silly show that makes you laugh. There's nothing wrong with that.
That scene where the prisoners run scared and lock themselves back up when they see ghost rider... priceless.
The action in the end is disappointing since it was rushed. Riggs is told his friend is downstairs with the bad guy. When he's really chasing her with his truck. Riggs suddenly shows up in his car and quickly blows up the bad guys truck with a couple of gun shots.
Otherwise it was nice to have the show back after a two week break. The two leads are still worth watching the show for. I also liked the very end.
for me, this film felt the most like the original series out of the rest in the AOS series! having the crew stranded on an unknown world, separated, and trying to find their way back to each other - nothing feels more 'star trek' to me!
A perfect blend of action, comedy, adventure and what makes Star Trek, Star Trek.
As a trekkie I was not disapointed, it had me laughing, touched and captivated just like I was as a kid watching Star Trek.
This is by far the best movie in the Trilogy. It sticks to star trek ethos and manages to be entertaining at the same time
The last true Star Trek. Such a shame it didn't got the end it deserved.
And No, I don't consider the crap JJ Abrahms puts out Star Trek.
Other than having to mute the god-awful theme song, I'm loving this series.
Ouch. I've watched some hot garbage before, and I'll likely watch another episode at least. But this has some issues. For one, Inhuman society is horrible. Monarchy, castes, those that don't get terragenesis manifestations are enslaved.
And what was up with awkward beach party. I'm glad they shaved off that hair, that was just awful. And Blackbolt is as compelling a character as warm, spoiled milk. I'm struggling to find anything redeeming in this rn.
This has been a borderline show for me since the beginning since I turn to fiction to escape politics of any kind, not so that I can get more of it in addition to real life. But the initial premise and mystery were enough to hook me. Going into season two, it's obvious that (a) this show has an identity crisis and (b) bears little resemblance to that initial premise and that (c) the writers have no idea what to do with a bunch of additional episodes that they probably weren't expecting to get. As such, I'm literally fast-forwarding through everything in the White House -- this week's viral outbreak (that will be resolved within 42 minutes) and Confederate monuments are a far cry from bombing Congress -- at this point because it's not my thing and because I can't stand New Guy at all.
Which leaves the Hannah stuff which, while far less interesting so far than it was last year, is at least more in line with my own interests. In short, it's the stuff that could have made an interesting show on its own instead of being a small part of the bloated and generic thing that DESIGNATED SURVIVOR has become. And at this point, Hannah has learned of some ties between the First Lady's parents and some possible shady contracts or deals done as favors were called in to move the First Lady's father to the top of a heart transplant list. Not quite "Who bombed the Capitol?" stuff, but better than statues. Still, it probably would have been better to end this as a one-season thing instead of trying to extend its lifespan like this.
"The Gifted" had a better premiere.
could someone explain how are they they were able to shave Medusa's hair when only her hands were being held? She was fully conscious and could have taken them all out.
The realism is way off on this show, however, I did appreciate the CIA operative played by Stacey Farber. She was by far the best thing going for this episode/show.
Don't bother with this one...probably the least interesting show in the "highly unrealistic millitary/romance show" category I have ever seen... :P
Underwhelming on many parts with an odd cast making pretty much every character very unbelievable. Acting isn't good either, stressing the unbelievable part. A plot that plays it safe while at the same time the writing tries so hard to make it cool it comes off as incredibly trashy rather often. That way I have a hard time taking it serious or being entertained by it.
As mookie suggests, rather watch Lethal Weapon. That one has more of a humoristic approach but is so much better, admittedly surprisingly good even. If you want it more serious than LW though, maybe watch The Brave or even SEAL Team, whereas the latter is ehh as well. Not sure if this has even the potential of getting another season not even speaking of airing the full first season.
Entertaining Friday night fodder. Banderas is suitably gruff, and Kingsley is suitably Kingsley. Goes perfectly with alcohol.
Efficient action thriller, short on a decent plot but with plenty of action. Switch your brain off and you will find some enjoyment.
Seen this movie about 8 times, recently in the theaters which was great. Hands down, without question, a perfect movie. Okay, it sure does seem easy to knock someone out with just a punch, but who cares. It's hilarious, action packed and the characters are well thought out and funny from their own specific point of view. It's what every "reluctant buddies on the run" movie strives to be but none have ever touched. Perfection.
I actually fell asleep during this one. The Brave takes SEAL Team down every week now.
I've got to admit, this just did not hold my attention and I lost track of what was going on. Some nice special effects from what I saw.
Home Alone is a perfect movie, not in the sense that there is zero room for improvement or it's the greatest artistic achievement in human history, but in that it does what it sets out to do in a nigh-flawless fashion. It is impeccably paced, shot, and edited. It has the right balance of escapist fantasy, relatable family drama, humor, heart, and even slapstick comedy to keep the film lively without making it a piece of fluff. And miraculously, despite a cast full of ringers like Catherine O’Hara and Joe Pesci, the whole thing hinges on the acting talents of a nine-year-old boy who pulls it off with flying colors.
Because as great as O’Hara is as the mother desperate to get back to her son, as amusing as Pesci and Daniel Stern are as a pair of robbers who get more than they bargained for, as hilarious as the inimitable John Candy (who steals the show with less than five minutes of screen time) is as a polka-playing good Samaritan, Home Alone is, first and foremost, a story about Kevin McCallister, and even at that tender age, Culkin (with a huge assist from writer John Hughes and director Chris Columbus) sells that story like a champ.
That’s part of why Home Alone works so perfectly as a family movie that plays with both kids and adults. As a child, the more outsized elements of the story loom large. The iconic scenes of Kevin tormenting his pursuers offer a spate of perfectly deployed slapstick, worthy of Looney Tunes or The Three Stooges and apt to elicit any number of giggles from the younger members of the audience. By the same token, there’s an escapist fantasy for kids in the early part of the film, where Kevin jumps on the bed, eats junk, and “watches rubbish” without anyone being able to tell him otherwise. There is an incredible sense of fun to these scenes, whether it’s the ACME-inspired antics and great physical performances of the “Wet Bandits” or Kevin living out the immediate joy of his wish to be family-free.
But what makes the film more than just an insubstantial flight of fancy is the way it mixes that holiday mirth with enough heft, enough of the downside of that wish and a stealthily nuanced depiction of a young child maturing in both his ability to take care of himself and his understanding of the world.
When we meet Kevin in the film’s frenetic opening sequence, showing an entire household abuzz with cousins and uncles all in a state of pre-travel frenzy, Kevin cannot even pack his own suitcase. There’s recurring jabs from his siblings and cousins that his mom has to do everything for him. Over the course of the film, when pressed into service by being the all to his lonesome, Kevin becomes a surprisingly self-sufficient little boy. When not smothered by a score of other siblings, he shows a surprising resourcefulness, proving himself able to go to the store, do laundry, and even leave out cookies for Santa Claus when the time arrives. This culminates in the cornucopia of traps Kevin sets for the robbers, proving that he is even capable of defending his house from those who would do his family harm.
In the process, Kevin overcomes a number of his fears, which provides another thematic throughline for the film. Chris Columbus and Director of Photography Julio Macat help this part of the story tremendously by the way a series of normal things are made frightening by shooting them from Kevin’s perspective. From the low shot on the furnace in the basement as it seems to taunt and beckon Kevin while he’s doing laundry, to the scene in the store where Old Man Marley is introduced only by his big black boots, seeming to glower down at Kevin from high above, Macat’s camera keeps us inside Kevin’s head, seeing the terror in these otherwise quotidian interactions. That cinches Kevin’s transition when he tells the furnace not to bother – we understand what he’s overcoming.
The heart of the movie, however, comes through in the scene where he conquers his other big fear – his scary looking next door neighbor, whom his brother described as a secret murderer the cops couldn’t catch. When Kevin runs into him at church, he discovers that Marley isn’t some serial ghoul, but rather a kindly old man who offers him a bit of solace and comfort in a time of need.
It’s an incredibly well-written scene, bolstered by the stellar performance of Roberts Blossom as Marley and Culkin playing Kevin at his most precocious and worldly. Blossom sells the utter warmth and humanity of Blossom behind his icy visage. His sitting next to Kevin as a friendly presence, telling a small part of his life story, and speaking to the lad as something approaching an equal provides a big leap for the film’s protagonist. It’s part of that maturation process, the realization that he shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, that he can’t necessarily trust his brother’s accounts, and that the people who seem the most unnerving can be the people you want in your hour of need. In one scene, Old Man Marley goes from being the film’s great threat to being its heart.
And he ties into the other big motif running through the film – an appreciation of one’s family. What could easily be a trite Hallmark card of a message from the movie has real force from the way the lesson is delivered. When Kevin wishes he had no family, the film helps us understand why, putting him in that relatable little kid situation of causing a scene, feeling you were goaded into it, and that nobody takes treats you nicely or appreciates you. And then when his wish comes true, it takes some time to let the audience, and Kevin, revel in his newfound freedom. But it also show’s Kevin slowly but surely realizing that he misses them, and that as much as they drive him nuts sometimes, having them back is what he really wants for Christmas.
That’s why the scene and story of Old Man Marley’s estrangement with his son is so important. It’s center on the idea that the issues Kevin is dealing with – fear, family discontent, loneliness around the holidays – are not unique to him or his tender age, but are universal obstacles that people of all ages confront at various points in their life. It’s a sign of Kevin’s broadening perspective, the way he’s being changed by this experience and learns that it’s possible to love your family even when you’re angry with them.
It’s also his realization that even in those impulsive moments, whether you’re an old man or a little boy, that you make grand declarations about not wanting to be a part of your family anymore, you may soon find yourself regretting it, yearning for the thing you were so ready to give up. Kevin starts to understand this in Home Alone, and it’s why his sincere plea to one of Santa’s “messengers” (who amusingly offers him tic tacs and can’t get his car started) to bring his family back has weight and meaning.
All of this is able to come together so well because so many of the technical, or less showy parts of the film are all done extraordinarily well. John Williams’s score expertly matches the mood of the film at every turn, whether he’s playing yuletide pop classics or an orchestral score that fits a grand escape or moment of tension. The writing has a clockwork quality to it. Hughes’s script accounts for the circumstances in which a nine-year-old would left alone by himself, unable to be contacted by his parents or the authorities in a nicely plausible fashion, and he constructs a series of events in which Kevin believes he wished his family away and then wished them back in a way that is equally convincing for the kid and the viewer.
And the film is shot and edited superbly, with amusing cuts like Kevin calling out for his mother with an immediate smash cut to a roaring airplane, or the frenzied fashion in which the McCallisters are depicted racing through the airport. Every part of this film works in sync, to deliver a visually exciting, narratively sound work that lets its humor, story, and message, land without a hint of friction.
So when we reach the end of the film and see Kevin’s reunion with his family, and Old Man Marley’s reunion with his, both moments feel earned. Chris Columbus tells a nigh-wordless story in the final scene, with O’Hara’s Kate McCallister silently marveling at how great the house looks and Kevin offering an expression of reluctance, one that suggests he might still be holding onto the anger he unleashed at this mother the last time they were face to face, before quickly sliding into a smile and running to embrace her. Their expressions tell the story, of the way both mother and child now see each other differently on this Christmas Day. The same goes for the expression of gratitude, of near-tearful camaraderie, between Kevin and Old Man Marley as Kevin witnesses his new friends’ reunion with a family of his own. Everyone here has grown; everyone has taken chances despite their fears, and come out better for it.
Throughout all of this, Home Alone manages to be cute, sweet, thrilling, funny, sharp, clever, and hopeful. For films set alone the holiday, it’s all too easy to lean into maudlin sentiment or cloying comedy, but Hughes’s and Columbus’s collaboration produced a film that manages to be nimble and amusing from start to finish, with enough meaning and mirth in it to make the story told feel as important as it is small. Home Alone tells the tale of a young man learning that despite his fear, his inexperience, and his familial resentments, he’s ready to take his first step into adulthood, and finds in the process that what he needs most are the people he was afraid of or wanted to wish away.
Honestly, this show is more Trek than the current ("Discovery") and previous ("Enterprise") Treks. Yes, some unfunny jokes here and there, but all in all -- it's a Star Trek show (specifically - TNG). Last few episodes (4-5-6 could have been easily TNG episodes).
Star Trek viewers needs a ton of Suspension of Disbelief, with all the aliens and spaceships and transporters etc., but in The Orville - this SOD is harder to swallow, because of the... let's call it... casualness... of the show - which kinda makes it harder to actually implement this necessary suspension of disbelief.
Considering the current Trek show, I am just left wondering why they just don't give Seth McFarlane write a proper Star Trek show. He is clearly up to the task, and Trekkies (sorry, Trekkers) deserve a good Star Trek show.
Oh, it's so good to finally know what happened to Fitz. And I squealed with joy when I saw Hunter again. It's been so long! I've missed my dumb English son. It's absolutely hilarious to me that Fitz managed to communicate with him by insulting his favorite soccer team in a magazine. I guess it's canon that at some point in the past they decided it would be their emergency line of communication. It's so British. I'm a little disappointed Bobbi wasn't there as well, but I guess Adrianne is too busy these days working on The Orville. Good for her, she deserves it. I still miss Agent Morse though.
I'm not saying Fitz telling those military guys "They were abducted by aliens" should become a meme, but... oh wait, that's exactly what I'm saying.
I feel so bad for Polly. First she lost her husband because of his Terrigenesis, now her daughter is practically out of her reach as well. Also, I can't believe that they brought this seemingly random family from season 3 for this episode.
Enoch observing humanity for 30,000 years kind of reminds me of those creepy bald dudes on Fringe.
So if I understand correctly, Lance and Bobbi spent the rest of their lives knowing the world was going to end. Did they survive it? Did they die in the Lighthouse? Thinking about it breaks my heart.
That little Han/Leia moment with Fitz and Hunter made me cackle and warmed my heart at the same time. This is such an underappreciated brOTP.
I can't wait for the next episode. It's a shame that we have to wait two weeks for it. Oh well. Happy Holidays, I guess?
Saw Molly’s Game today and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great dialogue and wonderfully acted. This is Aaron Sorkins directorial debut, and while it was perfect from that aspect it is a great first outing. The movie is long but it’s well paced so it doesn’t feel like it drags, it feels like it needed those 140 minutes to tell the entire story. The scene between Chastain and Costner at the end is definitely one of the best I’ve seen in 2017. I give it this movie 4 out of 5. Go see it if you have a chance.
Terrible episode, I've wanted to like this show, but this one killed it for me.
Great episode, great writing. I hope the next episode will be on par.
There are so many things that you can't understand if you focus too much on them. However, if you look past them, it may be better. I've made my peace with this show now, it can deliver some really strange plotlines, or maybe some really good ones. I just try to enjoy the action scenes and the dialogues.
If you liked the other ones then you will probably like this one. There is a decent amount of action but man there are a lot of eye roll moments too. The more I thought about it during the movie the more I start to side with WCKD. Those kids need to look at the big picture of the entire human race.
[7.3/10] “Bread and Circus” is a bit half-baked, but still entertaining enough for everything to work just about as well as it needs to. It offers one of the usual Kirk vs. Local Potentate tete-a-tetes, some great Spock-McCoy moments, and even some decent action.
Naturally, it starts with our heroes implausibly finding yet another parallel Earth. But this time, there’s a twist! It’s Rome, except it’s a modern day Rome, with automobiles and televisions but also togas and televised gladiator fights. It’s all a bit silly, even nonsensical (particularly when Spock remarks that they’re speaking English -- which is a can of worms the show would do better not to draw attention to), but it makes for an amusing setting and a decent premise, albeit one that is, contrary to Mr. Spock’s declarations, entirely illogical.
It also features another Starfleet Captain gone native. This time it’s Captain Merik who was initially stranded on the planet, but then decided he liked it so much that he not only became “First Citizen” in their Roman Society, but sent the members of his crew with reservations to fight and die in the arena. There’s much hand-wringing over that darn prime directive, particularly after Merik introduces the Enterprise’s main trio to Claudius Marcus, the “proconsul” and de facto leader of the society, whom he’s told everything.
It’s here that the episode gets a bit incoherent. There’s a bit of the standard “this isn’t our way of life, but maybe there’s merit in it” back and forth that the show does so often. Merik argues that while the gladiator games seem barbaric, but suggests they’ve been an outlet for the planet’s war-like urges and with that to blow off societal steam, there has been no war for four-hundred years. And then...later...he just changes his mind and helps Kirk escape for reasons that are super unclear.
Maybe it has to do with Claudius. Claudius’s pitch to the spacemen is that their society is a stable one, where the strong men survive, as in nature, and that the concept of other ways or alternative methods of organizing society would undo that stability. Merik appears to have some minor jealousy and/or admiration for Kirk, so seeing Kirk fight and be called a “real man” by Claudius may prompt Merik to turn on Claudius, or it may just be that seeing Kirk imperiled is enough to convince him to help Kirk leave or that this society isn’t all peaches and cream after all. The episode mostly glosses over all this stuff in the name of rough-and-tumble excitement, and it’s not a bad call.
The peak of the episode is a gladiator fight pitting Spock and Bones against Flavius, a local escaped slave who ran away after he discovered a new local and peaceful monotheistic religion, and the Roman equivalent of a red shirt. The episode cuts back and forth between Spock toying with his attacker while Bones and Flavius are trying to make their fight look convincing, and Kirk engaging in the usual “aint our society great”/“you don’t understand” pontification with Merik and Claudius. It’s a long scene, but going back and forth between the action and the observers helps pace it very nicely.
It also includes one of the best things to recommend this episode -- plenty of excellent Spock-McCoy banter. In all of the faux-Roman trappings and jumbled meditations on “might makes right” philosophy, “Bread and Circuses” takes time out to dig into the contentious but affectionate relationship between the Enterprise’s first officer and chief surgeon.
That makes the episode both funny and a little touching. It’s amusing to hear Bones jokingly lament the prime directive, noting that just once he wishes he could beam down to a new planet and claim he’s the archangel Gabriel, while Spock could only pass as the devil. Later, Spock ribs him back that he didn’t realize McCoy was trained or had any logic at all, and assumed that he just proceeded based on trial and error. And during the gladiator games (which are, amusingly enough, shot on a standard studio set), the two have a great back and forth where Spock asks if McCoy need helps as he’s being pummeled by his foe and Bones rants about how that’s the most illogical question anyone’s ever asked.
Then, in a quiet moment, McCoy tries to thank Spock for saving his life in the arena, and Spock’s curt answer sends Bones into another rant about how Spock doesn’t fear death because it would stop the human side of him from peeking out, the thing he’s so afraid of. In a devastating, well-written line, Bones declares that Spock wouldn’t even know what to do with a warm feeling if it had one. Spock blanches just a bit, and even though they fight -- McCoy calls back to the great line that even they don’t know whether they’re enemies sometimes -- they understand one another better than they let on. And Bones perceives that Spock’s frantic (by his standards anyway) attempts to get out of their prison come from a place of worry about Kirk.
Kirk, of course, is fine, enjoying the opportunity to bed one of the local slaves, adding yet another morally questionably romantic conquest to his ledger. Thankfully, up in the sky, Scotty is dancing around the prime directive, and creating a power blackout on the planet just long enough for Kirk and company to make their escape during Kirk’s would-be live execution.
Flavius sacrifices himself for thin reasons. So does Merik. But by hook or by crook, our heroes make their way back to the enterprise (relatively) unharmed. It’s there that the episode gets downright silly. While Kirk, Spock, and McCoy were puzzling at the development of these “sun-worshippers,” Uhura reveals that she’s been listening to local radio and learned something important (it’s nice to see her get one of those big “here’s the twist” moments at the end of the episode) -- that they’re actually “son-worshippers.”
That’s right! The Romans found Jesus! It’s a fairly ridiculous twist in an already ridiculous parallel development, but hey, that’s half the fun I suppose. Between the flag-waving of “The Omega Glory” and the admiring tones in which the bridge crew reflect on the spread of Christianity, it’s clear that Star Trek is upping its ‘Merica cred as it closes out its second season. Regardless, “Bread and Circuses” works best when the viewer doesn’t take it too seriously, with a fun-if-standard caper for Kirk and some great Spock and McCoy stuff that reveals that however much they butt heads, they know one another and when it counts, are there for one another.
