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JohnnyHStevens
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Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi (2022)
Content for contents sake
The analogy, that streaming is kind of like a buffet, that always needs to be fully stocked, has once again proven true. This is a gorgeous looking show, and on a surface level I am glad to get more Clone Wars-like shows, but nothing about this is super interesting and feels like its treading old ground. We didn't need these holes in the backstory filled. These episodes are very short and aren't thematically super interesting, even if theres a couple of attempts at themes. Ultimately, all it amounts to is watching YouTube shorts, that tell us about the origins/future adventures of a couple of Clone Wars characters. Will likely pass on Season 2 if it happens. Always thought more Clone Wars would be a good thing, but with this and Bad Batch, I'm not so sure anymore.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)
Trek's back baby!...sort of
I have really not been enjoying this new slew of live action Star Trek show, so Strange New Worlds was an extremely refreshing change of pace. One-off stories, with seriously fun characters and a light-hearted tone, that knows when to get serious... like this is just really good Trek to me. I like that despite ditching the absolutely miserable convention of having season-long arcs, like the other Nu-Trek live action shows have, that they still have character stuff happening as a main plot. It keeps you engaged and as I said, the characters are a blast. It retains all of the strengths of Discovery, while dichting the weaknesses. Spock Amok was far and above my favourite episode of the season, but I did enjoy quite a few more, particularly episodes 1, 2 and 10.
This shows biggest weakness is definetly the stories themselves, which can be good to just kind of meh Star Trek outings. I feel ike with only 10 episodes a season, we can't have this many that are just more "monster of the week", you have to fill these slots with somewhat higher quality stories.
But overall, this was a damn fine and not to mention refreshing season of Trek and can't wait to see more. The potential, the talent involved and some of the ideas presented could absolutely catapult this into a high-tier Trek show, just pick more stories like episodes 1,2 and 5.
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
Decent action adevnture show
"Discovery" is a decently fun and very high quality action adventure show. It's not really made for me, but I guess it works fine. Problem is "Discovery" is not called "Discovery", but "Star Trek: Discovery". And that's where it fails. It's too trashy and not cerebral enough. It has no heart and just isn't "Star Trek" and ruins its core principles at every turn. Also takes itself way too seriously.
BoJack Horseman (2014)
One episode less and perfection
Despite how repetitive it can get when watched in one bug chunk, I still absolutely love BoJack Horseman. There are many shows that in the final few seasons or in the final season become atrocious and you start rethinking all of the show. BoJack isn't one of those. The final season is great and the way it ends is good. But, that second to last episode... the way it made me feel about my own mortality, how much it made me question my life, it was devistating. The existence of the episode that came after kind of ruined that for me. BoJack has changed, yes, but he's kind of doing the same thing after prison, isn't he? His death would be more of a cynical ending, which doesn't work with how happy a lot of it is, but I think it would've just resonated more and put in place actual finality. I don't dislike the final episode in the slightest and I don't dislike the end of it, but I dislike its existence. Still, absolutely worth watching.
Sex Education (2019)
Very mixed experience
So I just finished watching the first season, and I have very, very mixed feelings about it.
As a comedy show, the show doesn't work for me, this isn't my brand oif humout in the slightest. It's not clever at all and very stale, banal gross out humour that just isn't shocking in 2019 anymore. It's been done before. However I do appreciate that they actually showed genitals and I liked how over the top the universe was: I mean they have sex in the middle of campus, this is a universe doesn't take itself very seriously.... Until it does.
Anytime the show tries to tackle serious subjects, like homophobia, abortion, mental illness etc. the show just completely switches tones. The clean-cut and presentable safe TV look suddenly turns into a Paul Greengrass type thing and the music becomes stock piano. It's jarring and stands out from the rest of the show, which like I said, is borderline absurd at times. The way they tried to tackle these issues seemed almost thrown in to get good ratings.
I also somewhat disliked the character of Maeve. They constantly draw attention to the fact that she's sooo smart and sooo well written. I kid yo not, two lines in this are "I like complex female characters" (to draw attention to how well written the male writers wrote her) and "I am very smart". I don't like the term Mary Sue but it applies here. Just a very poorly written cliché.
I did like her will-they-won't-they romance with Otis, it was very sweet and endearing. In general, the sweet and endearing hit their mark most of the time. Asa Butterfield is also super charming and raises a lot of this material.
As for some more stuff on presentation, it was way to American. for England. They also couldn't help themselves throwing a licensed song in every five minutes.
Overall, if you have low standards for TV and love stuff on the CW and shows like Big Mouth, you'll enjoy this. If you want a bit more out of your TV, concerning presentation and depth hard pass.
The Beginning: Making 'Episode I' (2001)
I adore this
This documentary is one of the most interesting case studies ever. I don't like the prequels and this documentary really gave me a lot of insight into the motivations of the filmmakers. I don't like them now, just because I've seen the stuff they've been through, but I gained a lot of knowledge when it comes to them. Also, I love the reactions from those who can already see how bad it's going to be. One of the comments under the documentary, which is available for free on the official Star Wars YouTube channel was: ''It's like watching an episode of the office.
Many of the quotes in this documentary are now iconic because of the Plinkett reviews.
If you love Phantom Menace, I obviously recommend it, since it is probably in your best interest to see how it was made.
If, like me, you had problems with it and maybe want to gain some insight as to why, please watch it.
Adaptation. (2002)
I really wanted to love it...
...but I don't. I have seen every Kaufman written movie Adaptation. and on, excluding Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. And I have loved every single one and they are all 10/10 perfect movies in my mind. Synecdoche, New York being my favorite film of all time.
But something didn't work here. And after re-watching it one more time I think I got it. You see, all the parts with Charlie Kaufman as a struggling writer and writing the story as it goes are some of the best Kaufman stuff ever made. And the third act perfectly ties things together by letting everything that Kaufman didn't want to happen, happen. And its awful/great. But every single time it cut back to Meryl Streep in The Orchid Thief I found myself utterly bored. None of these parts seemed that integral to Kaufman's plot, so I wonder why he bothered by having them in this movie this much.
I have never been this disappointed in a writer. The movie is great, but it focuses on the wrong things.
Game of Thrones (2011)
Good but the books were (once again) better
This show is good. Excellent actually. But the simple fact of the matter is: the books were better. I know, to a lot of people that seems unfair but I think its impossible watching this show without comparing it to its book counterpart. Everything seems dumbed down. The characters are simplified. For example Tyrion, played by the excellent Peter Dinklage( who despite the criticism I'm giving the character pulls him off marvelously, especially the trial scene in season 4) is dumbed down from a guy who does have a good moral compass but still kills people without any remorse, to a one dimensional hero. The story is dumbed down. Whereas in the Books every action has a heavy consequence, in the show, there either is no conspiracy or Varys and Littlefinger kill someone randomly because the character that killed them in the books(and who has a motivation there) has been cut. But the performances are excellent, for the most part, even though they sometimes misrepresent their original characters (i.e Jaime, Tyrion and Euron). Kudos goes to the child actors who all do a great job despite having no previous experience. The execution of the heavier scenes are great, like the battle of the bastards, even though they don't make any sense. And it does feel like the books, and represents the books mostly well. My favorite aspect of the show is that we see all the great places from the books come to life, it's biggest flaw is the characterization of Jaime in the later seasons. Overall good..... BUT THE BOOKS WERE BETTER