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Vrian Sinth
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World War II: From the Frontlines (2023)
Beautifully Restored Video and Inaccurate Naration
I didn't know what to expect when I started watching this. Now that I have finished, I can say that the video has been beautifully restored and colorized. This is perhaps some of the best WW2 video I've ever seen. That's probably my favorite part of the series.
John Boyega does a good job with the narration, but unfortunately there were a lot of inaccuracies in the storytelling itself. I wouldn't watch this series in a classroom setting.
One thing that really bothered me is how the entire series glosses over Japanese atrocities, especially in China and Korea. I don't recall anything being mentioned. The Japanese killed far more people than the Germans, but a huge segment of the video covers the genocide of the Jews, which is important, but nothing about the rape of Nanking.
I give this a six out of 10.
Invasion (2021)
There's supposed to be an invasion, right?
I'm five episodes in and I don't know if I really care about anyone at this point. As others have said, they tried to appeal to so many people that they end up appealing to nobody. I feel like they took an excel spreadsheet and made sure all the "boxes were checked.
The five episodes I've watched so far could have been easily condensed into one or two. This isn't a spoiler, but the Japanese side plot is so boring.
So many pointless side stories. So many dysfunctional relationships (eye roll). Just give me some aliens, sci-fi or something to keep me interested. This is slower than a slow burn.
Halo (2022)
Decent, Not Great
Overall I liked the first episode from a Sci-Fi perspective. I've played Halo since it originally came out and I've always been a huge fan.
I have a few complaints that really took me out of the show. First off, there would never be an early 2000s Chevy on a foreign planet 500 years in the future. You'll have a hard time finding one 20 years in the future. Couldn't they have come up with a little extra set design to create crappy "future" SUVs and trucks?
My second complaint is the use of AK variant rifles on Madrigal. There is no way a gun that has only been around a little over 50 years is going to still be used 500 years later. A lot happens in 500 years. Just look at the weapons we used in 1622. No comparison.
My third complaint is Master Chief removing his helmet. Any die-hard fan will tell you that would never happen. And as we found out in Halo V, Master Chief has blue eyes. I would have hoped they would have thrown that little nugget to the fans. That said, I do like how Pablo Schreiber played the character.
While I have these complaints, it was a fun story line and I am looking forward to more episodes.
Once Upon a Time in Iraq (2020)
Overall very enjoyable albeit a very biased view.
I would like to start off by saying that I personally don't think the US should have ever gone into Iraq. I feel like most of these people crave dictator rulership and democracy simply goes against their core beliefs.
I really enjoyed the interviews of soldiers, civilians and journalists. It provided a really intimate view of the Iraq war/conflict that I've never seen before. I found the story of Aliyah Khalaf Saleh especially moving and she is absolutely on my list of heroes.
Overall I recommend this to anyone interested in a documentary on Iraq. It does clearly push a biased message, especially when covering presidents of the United States. I also feel like there was too little coverage of ISIS. There was no mention of the Yazidi atrocities, which was huge. There was also no mention of Kurdish help in defeating ISIS. I don't recall anything being mentioned about how much Iran meddled in everything.
Coverage of President Bush was overall negative, although a lot of that is probably deserved. Coverage of Obama was overall positive although it could easily be argued that his premature withdrawal from Iraq, against his Generals' advice, ultimately lead to ISIS gaining so much power. Only one line was even provided for President Trump even though he ultimately helped defeat ISIS and oversaw the removal of their leader.
Editing, music and audio clips are clearly put in key places to push a narrative.
Cowboy Bebop (2021)
Struggling to continue watching.
As I see many of these scenes reenacted, I can't help but remember how much better the anime is. The dialog feels forced and not natural. Perhaps it's just bad casting. I'm going to keep watching it and see if it gets any better, but right now its tough to slog through.
The Midnight Sky (2020)
Slow Burn, But Enjoyable
This movie was beautiful and had a compelling story about family. It is a slow burn, so it's not for people with short attention spans. While it's not the best movie I've ever seen, it was worth my time. I think a lot of the people giving negative reviews would probably have hated 2001 Space Odyssey.
I would love to see a movie about Mitchell and Sanchez's flight back to Earth and what ended up happening to them. Perhaps it's because I have kids, but the family elements woven throughout the movie really spoke to me. I would recommend this film.
The Purge: Election Year (2016)
Excellent if you're in need of a good laugh
The 2 dimensional characters had me literally laughing on the floor. One bag guy was a tattooed skin head with Nazi symbols and confederate patches all over his jacket. The purge people in the church are all old rich white people. At the end there is an electoral map that shows conservatives are all purge loving demons while lefty states are all pure peace loving people. The move is extremely predictable...and actually really funny.
The Expanse: Nemesis Games (2021)
What Happened to Alex?
Alex is just gone after some beeps? No explanation? No tears? What a lame way to off one of the coolest characters of the show.
The Mandalorian: Chapter 13: The Jedi (2020)
Thrawn Is Back
So excited to see Thrawn is back. My 90s teenage self was screaming for joy inside. The Thrawn trilogy is what the Disney trilogy should have been. I also loved seeing Ahsoka. Great episode all around.
Starship Troopers (1997)
Top 10 Sci-Fi Movie
I want to start off by saying I have never read the book. I understand that this departs significantly from the book. I appreciate people who hate this movie because of that.
As a sci-fi movie, this purposely hits all the tropes in a delightful way. This movie had me smiling from ear to ear and I can appreciate the intentional campiness of it all.
In 2020, I feel the special effects hold up really well, especially when you consider this movie is over 20 years old. The CGI is remarkable, mixed with practical effects.
You can tell that Paul Verhoeven has a dislike of military and the similarities with Nazis is clear. It probably stems from him being alive during the WWII period. That said, the political undertones didn't feel to overbearing for me. And I'm conservative leaning in ideology.
This is probably in my personal top 5 sci-fi movies of all time. I can put this on and just about any time of day and enjoy it. The soundtrack is even impressive. I love the small propaganda commercials. It's brilliant.
If you haven't seen this movie, realize that it's meant to be a bit slapstick, even in the most violent situations. Watch it with a grain of salt, but appreciate it for all its genius.
Scoob! (2020)
Enjoyed the Animation. Character Voices are Terrible
Couldn't they get the modern cartoon voices for this movie? I know we can't get Casey Casem, but Matthew Lillard was almost dead on the same. And Fred doesn't sound right at all. All the voices sound off. Every time Shaggy speaks I cringe a little. It really pulled me out of the movie.
Greatest Events of WWII in Colour (2019)
Very Little Pacific Theater Covered
Almost all of the episodes cover Germany, but very few covered Japan. I wanted to see more about the Batan death March, Rape of Nanking, Solomon Islands, Midway, Korean comfort women, etc. Not a word about Iwo Jima. All we really got was a little about pearl and a mostly one sided view about The Bombs.
This review is pretty amazing as far as the German war goes.
The Mandalorian (2019)
Disney Finally Makes Star Wars
I'm a huge fan of Star Wars. Saw ESB and ROTJ as a kid in the theater. I haven't been impressed with much of what Disney has done with the exception of Rogue One. The Last Jedi was such a turnoff I almost bailed on Disney Star Wars completely. This first episode finally feels like I'm in the Star Wars universe again.
The Book of Eli (2010)
One Of My Favorite Post-Apocalyptic Thrillers
If you're able to put aside your religious bigotry and understand that this is a fictional piece, you're going to enjoy this. I love just about any movie that is post apocalyptic in nature. I love the acting, Denzel is amazing, the action is spot on and I really enjoy how the movie ended. Overall I was remarkably surprised just how much I ended up enjoying this movie. This even had a pretty decent soundtrack.
Mars (2016)
Season 1 Good, Season 2 Overly Preachy
I have enjoyed this hypothetical drama of the exploration of Mars. Season one was very enjoyable. At the time I gave it an 8 out of 10. I was very excited for season two, only to find that the amount of preachiness was significantly amped up. I can't get past the preachy aspect of season two, so I have dropped my review down to a 6 out of 10. Hopefully season 3 goes back to the glory of season 1.
Mars: Worlds Apart (2018)
Very Preachy, Very Political
I really enjoyed season 1, but this episode really had me rooting for the corporations....which I never thought I would do. Greenpeace was downright annoying. Could we spend less time on the annoying activists and more time on Mars?
Vader: A Star Wars Theory Fan Series: Shards of the Past (2018)
Brought Back The Excitement
I've been pretty down on Star Wars ever since The Last Jedi. I've had a hard time getting excited about anything Star Wars related. Watching this Fan Film brought back those feelings and the excitement that I felt for the original trilogy. It was pretty amazing.
Disneyland: Earth Star Voyager: Part 1 (1988)
Recorded Off T.V. And Loved It!
I was twelve years old when this first showed on T.V. I recorded it on tape and enjoyed the movie. I remember waiting until the next week for the show. I had the tape, but somebody recorded over half of it. I ended up watching the only part I had several times.
I couldn't even remember the name of it until I found it on Google. I could only remember for sure that it was put out by Disney and that it had a rail gun in it. I did a search with those terms and found the movie title! Too bad it isn't on DVD. I am purchasing a copy of Ebay. I'll have to see if it is a good copy. It will be interesting to see what my wife and friends will think of it.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
I had high expectations, and they were surpassed!
I have purposely not read any of the books, although I am a big fan of the genre, so I could enjoy the films without worrying about technicalities. I waited in line for 3 hours to get a good seat, and it was well worth the wait.
I won't give any of the story away, but it was incredible and visually stunning. The storyline is perfect, ends are tied and the 3+ hour length of the movie flies by so fast you won't even realize it. This will easily be the best film of the year. The LOTR trilogy has surpassed my old favorite trilogy, Star Wars.
Krull (1983)
A Sci-Fi/Fantasy movie that is not only creative, but captivating
I remember the first time I saw this movie. I was a little boy with my dad in a movie rental store in Bayfield, Colorado. I asked my dad to rent it and he did. I fell in love with the movie. I ended up asking my parents if I could watch it on my birthday every year after that. I now own it and love it! It's too bad other people don't give Krull the credit it deserves.