Change Your Image
vincent-425-782726
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)
Fun-Hulk
The gist of it is that She-Hulk is just plain fun and feels fresh and easy to digest to someone like me who's suffering from MCU fatigue.
Tatiana Maslany is pretty much perfect in the role and if you've seen Orphan Black you know how great she is with comedic facial expressions and just being humorous without it feeling overbearing and try hard-like.
Mark Ruffalo is just natural and at ease in his role by now and has great chemistry with Tatiana both as Hulk and as Bruce.
Almost everything that happens in the show is tongue-in-cheek and has a playful tone and is best taken as such and while it's not necessary having some familiarity with MCU, especially the original Hulk movie, is helpful in appreciating the story.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)
Look, a review!
Rings of Power roughly covers the Second Age, starting with the re-emergence of Sauron after Morgoth's (the original Big Bad) defeat and the forging of the Rings of Power (hence the name). I'm assuming the show's supposed to end with "The Last Alliance of Elves and Men" and basically tie into the LoTR trilogy intro but that's still speculation.
Overall the show does feel like a big budget movie and does a good job of emulating the spirit of the trilogy. Wide sweeping shots, beautiful geography and architecture, a great score by Bear McCreary. Time is taken to show and paint the world which to some might seem slow but as a book reader I like it.
Some of the action has a "shield surfing Legolas" exaggeration to it and I could do without it but it doesn't bother me much. LoTR and Hobbit trilogies couldn't escape it either.
Casting wise it's pretty much impossible to beat Kate Blanchette as Galadriel or Hugo Weaving's Elrond. It's just something this show and those who watch it need to deal with. Some of the elves have a cosplaying office worker feel to them but most of the principal characters look good and the costumes and armor are beautiful.
Fortunately the elves do speak Quenya (the fictional language of the Noldor). Not all the time but a few lines are thrown in just like in the LoTR trilogy.
Another great and unexpected thing is that RoP's orcs are afraid of sunlight, something that the trilogy mostly addressed indirectly. Simple as it may be the whole "light vs. Dark" dichotomy is prominent in Tolkien's writing and it's good to see it realized further.
Story wise it's important to remember that the Silmarilion is a much shorter book than LoTR while at the same time having a narrative thinly spread over thousands of years and RoP only covers a small part of that. I don't see how it'd be possible to have a multi-season series of this without adding some characters and events. I've long ago come to accept changes in adaptations (it's not "if" but "how" it's done), I'd accepted them in LoTR (and yes, there were many) and I'm fine with them in RoP but I'll leave the judgment to you.
And if you're upset by proto-Hobbits being in RoP, yes it's true there was no mention of them in the Second Age but there's no reason for them not to have existed. They didn't just "poof" out of nowhere at the beginning of LoTR. The way RoP deals with it is by showing them living in hiding at the outer edges of civilization. Also they're adorable.
RoP has flaws but I personally like it quite a bit and want to see all of it. If you're a Tolkien fan or at least a fan of the movies based on his writing it's worth it to give this a try in my humble opinion.
Prey (2022)
Fun and better than expected.
Prey goes back to the roots. Forested wilderness, gritty, savage survival vs. Overwhelming odds. The design of the "feral predator" is great, almost like an alien Zulu warrior. This Predator is more primal and low tech (and arguably more honorable because of that) which is needed since he's facing, spears, bows and colonial era firearms and traps.
Many are saying it's the best Predator movie since the first one and I'm inclined to agree though I personally really like Pred 2 as well.
Batman: Soul of the Dragon (2021)
Fun Disco-Fu romp.
Bruce Lee/Shaft/James Bond + Batman more or less. Yes, Batman is not the central character but he still features prominently and the movie addresses his time training in Nanda Parbat.
Movie's fairly tropey and stereotypical but it's decent fun with some good action and Disco era nostalgia. Not amazing but undeserving of hate.
Cruella (2021)
Delightfully devilish darkly humorous punk-rock fashion drama.
"Cruella" is pure fun and forges its own identity and style that's different from previous iterations while maintaining their flamboyant drama and moustache twirling villainy.
The two Emmas hit like a freight train loaded with acting talent but much credit also has to be given to the movie's canine actors. The dogs being little furry rogues.is a highlight of many scenes.
Like in a Tarantino movie the music in Cruella is integral to its style, atmosphere and emotional beat and it never fails to generate excitement.
A few of the jokes didn't quite work for me and I thought the motivations of some characters, like Artie, could've been fleshed out more but in the end this movie executes its intent with great success and well beyond that.
Make sure to stick for the end credits. ;)
Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020)
Warning: This is a non-knee-jerk reaction review that considers the show's themes, characters and likely future growth.
Lower Decks (LD) introduces the concept of Second Contact, what comes after all the high level diplomacy is done. Laying down the practical, physical groundwork and infrastructure meant to integrate new Federation members. After the politicians come the mechanics and plumbers to "lay down the pipes" so to speak. It's an interesting aspect of Federation activity past shows haven't touched on much and I'd love to see it explored further in an adult show.
- Trek Themes so far (2 eps in)
Meeting new people and engaging with them constructively (whenever possible) and dealing with any complications along the way is one of the pillars of Star Trek and is the opening scene for LD.
The Federation encompasses not only all of humanity but many non-human races as well and this diversity is put on display including its messy side. The Bajoran chief of security is a nice touch as well as the Caitian (best known from ST: The Animated Series) doctor.
Ensign Rutherford's search for a career change where he is intensely tested but also supported whether he succeeds or not and decides to move on shows the uplifting but also meritocratic nature of Federation society. Barriers to self improvement, if any, are minimal.
It's nice to get some focus on bottom rank crew members, not that ST has never done this, but it's good to have a show dedicated to the idea even if it's meant for a young audience. I'd also love a show that focuses on Federation civilian life (as opposed to Starfleet). Check out Aurora Trek's animated fan movies on YouTube if the idea intrigues you.
- Characters
Mariner: Mariner's extroverted and experienced but has problems with responsibility and drinking. Her disdain for authority and senior officers is probably based on conflict with her parents (admiral and captain) who try to pass her off on each other to avoid dealing with her. There's some history and family drama here to unpack. Mariner is capable and means well but also creates almost as many problems as she solves.
Boimler: Quintessential Starfleet rookie. Enthusiastic, educated and sober but lacking real world experience. I'm sure it will come to him, there's lots of room for growth here. In fact I think he's learned a lot in just the first two eps. Trials by fire sometimes work best.
Tendi & Rutherford: Introverted nerds who know you can *be* with someone while still doing your own thing or enjoy someone's company almost purely by virtue of just their presence. These two don't seem to suffer from any major issues (as far) beyond some degree of social awkwardness but just seeing them interact with the world, and especially each other, is fun, more so if you share some of their personality traits.
Overall LD is a 25min show for teens and as such it comes with a lot of silliness whereas Star Trek is known for being fairly cerebral and slow(ish) paced. As a new show it's still finding its footing and growing its characters into their future more realized selves but I think there's room for a kids' show that combines Star Trek themes and this kind of humor, especially if it helps bring new young people to the setting.
IO (2019)
Slow dancing to oblivion.
First of all this isn't a movie about science, climate change or space ships. It's about hope and human connection. It's essentially a melancholy drama set in a soft sci-fi-ish context.
Basically if you like movies akin to "A Space Odyssey ", "Sunshine (2007)", "Contact (1997)", Tarkovsky's "Solaris" or the more recent "How It Ends" there's a good chance you'll like "Io" as well.
Io's not for everyone, it's not for most people in fact, but if you can understand the essence of the movie and immerse yourself in its atmosphere rather than obsess about the minutia of how a movie does not correspond to objective reality thinking it makes you smart, then Io might provide you with a worthwhile experience.
Annihilation (2018)
Glad movies like this still get made.
Even though it's very, very different Annihilation reminds me of "2001: A Space Odyssey". It's "true" sci-fi in the sense that it has you face something unknowable, something truly alien and not just an extraterrestrial variation of something you already know.
If you like movies like "A Space Oddyssey", "Solaris" or even something like "Moon (2009)" or "Sunshine (2007)" Annihilation is worth a try.
I understand why movies like this don't achieve great popularity or financial success but I'm happy they still get made.
Mute (2018)
Actually good, just tricky to follow.
Many reviews seem to be centered around how Mute doesn't make sense or is vague and pretentious. While it's understandable why many feel that way as the plot is not easy to follow Mute does make sense and have a complete story line. 'll explain.
-- Spoilers --
Cactus and Naadirah hooked up and had a daughter, Josie. Eventually they got divorced, probably due to Cactus' personality disorder level of dickishness and got joint custody of Josie. For whatever reason Cactus decides to desert the army, steal Josie and go back to the US. To this end he does favors for a criminal to get money and fake papers. He uses this money to pay off corrupt MPs so they don't bring him in. Naadirah, wanting her daughter back, whores herself on the side and asks for money from her friend Luba in order to counteract Cactus' bribes and get the MPs to arrest him. Cactus finds out, from the MPs themselves when they ambush him, kidnaps Naadirah and kills her. Cactus' friend Duck, being a pedophile and a messed up person in general, messes with Cactus' plans by tipping off Leo via phone hoping Cactus will get in trouble so Duck can get his hands on Josie and also get some revenge on Cactus for being such a huge dick. However it all backfires and the rest is self-explanatory if you've seen the movie. In the end Leo loses a girlfriend but gains a daughter for a bitter sweet ending.
-- End of Spoilers --
No, Mute isn't Bladerunner, it's not an homage to Bladerunner, it's not trying to be like Bladerunner. Just because a movie is set in a near-futuristic setting doesn't mean it's trying to copy Bladerunner. What it is, is weird, darkly funny, bizarre, interesting and a bit of a puzzle to figure out. 8/10
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
Discovering the new Star Trek *minor spoilers*
First of all I've seen pretty much every Star Trek show since The Cage (1986) up until Star Trek: Beyond (2016). The Next Generation and Deep Space 9 are my favorites.
For me, Star Trek is not about the color of the uniforms or the shape of the warp nacelles but about Gene Roddenberry's vision and desire for a better humanity and the challenges that come with it. The shows' main strengths, imo, have always been engaging characters, testing one's principles in difficult situations and facing the unknown.
Star Trek: Discovery is still young but I find its characters engaging and want to know more about them. Both Captain Lorca and Michael Burnham are cerebral, introverted characters with an air of mystique about them. Burnham struggles to reconcile human nature with Vulcan upbringing while staying true to her principles while Lorca keeps his cards close and has all the subtle magnetism one would expect of Jason Isaacs. The supporting characters also have their flaws and quirks, caution and duty vs. friendship, inexperience and awkwardness vs. ambition, etc., which make them endearing or interesting.
Klingons are somewhat changed compared to previous iterations. While still militaristic and ceremonial they also feel more exotic and are quite a bit more elaborate aesthetically. However the idea of all these different Klingon houses having their own subcultures, ways of life and even different appearance is interesting and hopefully gets developed a lot more.
The main mcguffin of the show, the new propulsion system, is what gives Discovery the potential to live up to its name and create interesting stories. It is my hope the writers make use of it and don't focus too much on the ongoing conflict.
Overall Discovery is similar to Deep Space 9 in the sense that it doesn't shy away from showing the less-than-pristine aspect of Federation society which makes it feel a bit more grounded and isn't inappropriate, I feel, for a younger, developing Federation.
In its first few episodes Discovery has set up quite a bit of mystery, potential and interesting characters and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes.
Live long and prosper.