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Reviews
Downsizing (2017)
Wish I hadn't waited so long. Surprisingly good.
Why do so many people dislike this polarizing film? Maybe people were expecting a goofy comedy. It's often not that. Maybe some were expecting a sci-fi piece. It's usually not that either.
Obviously (from reading reviews here) many of its detractors couldn't handle a film touching on fictionalized versions of environmental topics. ... As if that makes it political or preachy. It's just a story. And as long as you don't get your panties in a bunch thinking that it's got an agenda, you're able to focus on the story.
To be fair, it IS funny, it IS sci-fi, and it is a little preachy, but not a lot. Both the environmentalists and their detractors in the film are made out to be extremists, and they are. That's the point. If you only like stories to be an echo chamber of your personal beliefs, you should probably skip this one. However I highly recommend it. Grow some skin and give it a shot.
The Bubble (2022)
Underrated but not great
I was holding off on watching this one, putting it in the "too soon" category. I'm glad I waited a little bit. This will hopefully grow into a cult-classic period-piece comedy. A timely weirdly focused lens on an odd period.
I also appreciate that it is a takedown of Hollywood and the industry in general, a genre of which I am definitely a fan. (hail Caesar, once upon a Time in Hollywood, etc.)
The film is definitely a little bit too long. Even a talented, deep ensemble cast couldn't save it from the weight of the unnecessary length. ... Ironic that the film itself keeps poking at how long the production of the fictional film therein took.
Recommended with reservations.
Futurama: The Futurama Holiday Spectacular (2010)
You can skip this one
The only refreshing thing here is that pretty much everybody dies, repeatedly. ... It's not that I want to see our protagonists' demise, but it's at least a fresh take, kind of. Otherwise this is a low point.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Reedickyoulus (2008)
Microwaving a kitten, not cool.
I love the ridiculousness of ATHF, and the horribleness of Shake, almost always, but not this time. Killing a cartoon kitten is different than torturing a cartoon inanimate object. I'd be fine losing that scene forever.
Star Trek: Picard: Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 (2020)
What a polarizing series and episode
I've seen everything Star Trek, from TOS through animated through Kelvin, and the latest CBS all Access action.
People rating this as low as possible are probably insufferable ideologue bores. What standards they seem to have. How these people made it to the 10th episode is beyond me. If they have such disdain for this show and consider it a middle finger to them and the Star Trek universe, what the hell is wrong with them? Why do they continue to torture themselves by watching it? Gluttons for punishment?
7.5/10
Missed opportunity for a father daughter conversation, and sure, some pretty lazy writing. But this is entertaining Star Trek universe fodder for a brave new world. Enjoy!
An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn (2018)
Anti-humor. Quirky. Just lovely.
Talking about humor is like petting a cat about entropy. This intentionally campy, overreacted, melodramatic weird-fest is excellent. It is disjointed in the best way. If this doesn't sound like your cup of tea, don't watch it. This is a polarizing film for a reason.
Another Life (2019)
Just awful. Horrible characters. Horrible writing.
All gloss and no substance. Calling this decent sci-fi is like calling Pol Pot a decent person. This is garbage with a sci-fi veneer. Avoid.
Stargate SG-1: Out of Mind (1999)
Another recycled clip episode. Avoid unless that's your thing.
When people told me to watch Stargate they Warned me to avoid two episodes in season one including the one with recycled clips. For some unknown reason they didn't tell me to avoid this one. If you're as annoyed by lazy recycling of clips from previous episodes, avoid this garbage.
Stargate SG-1: One False Step (1999)
Fun story. Weirdly stilted dialog and acting.
It's a good enough story - hobbled by absurdly awkward dialogue, amateurish direction, and therefore equally poor acting. That is to say, not even the best acting could have saved this episode.
Daydream Believers: The Monkees' Story (2000)
Decent. Lazy.
I feel like they could've made this film a lot better with only minimal additional effort and no extra cost. So many anachronisms (24 hour ATM across the street before their first meal together, Jimi Hendrix' cheap modern guitar, hairdos, make up, and speech almost half a century out of place, etc) pulled me out of it.
Mute (2018)
Great story. Well told.
Performances and characters are great. You know it's good when you don't care how broken and flawed the bad guys are. ...and sometimes it's hard to determine good from bad. A near-perfect future noir tale with hints of dystopia and hope.
Star Trek: Discovery: The Red Angel (2019)
Weakest episode so far. Lazy writing.
Yes. Time travel is complicated. You know it's not complicated? Lazy writing. This episode made me roll my eyes more than all previous episodes combined. ... That's a lot of rolling.
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
Big queen fan. Not a fan of this movie.
I know they weren't making a documentary, but the degree to which they disregarded facts and the timeline is reprehensible. This is a whitewashed fluff piece. It probably doesn't help that I am a longtime queen/Freddie Mercury fan and a musician, but I know of people in a similar boat who enjoyed the film, so I guess to each their own. Here's one specific little nitpick:
The guy playing John Deacon spent way too much time looking at his hands while he was pretending to perform. It was difficult to suspend disbelief that this guy is a top level player.
Suburbicon (2017)
I really enjoyed this film
I saw the poor rating but decided to give it a shot. About halfway through I said, "this movie is going to have to get a heck of a lot worse for me to not think it's good." At the end when I looked it up I was not surprised to find that the Coen brothers wrote the great story. I'm amazed at how many people are confused by it. I think that speaks volumes about them, and nothing about this film. Watch it.
Enterprise: These Are the Voyages... (2005)
Not a great finale. But an average enterprise episode.
This episode gets a bad rap because it isn't a great finale. But it is an episode on par with most other episodes of enterprise. So, if this were just some other episode, it would probably be about an 8/10. ... And I am solely basing that scale on average IMDb ratings of other episodes, by other people.
As a series finale, it's not great. So if you're looking for a great ending, don't expect one. Maybe just expect a run-of-the-mill enterprise episode, and you won't be so disappointed.
Singularity (2017)
Couldn't finish it
Thankfully, only invested 10 minutes into this turd. AI kills humanity. Film maker makes horrible film.
Why Netflix showed it to me as five stars, I'll never know.
Thankfully, this hints that the singularity is still a ways off.
One of Five (2002)
A touching look at lives less viewed
Though it's his touch that makes the film, Zimmerman's absence from it - is what makes this documentary special. Zimmerman effectively removes himself from the presentation, whereas many recent popular films in the genre either include too much of the auteur (Michael Moore) or focus solely on the documentarian (Morgan Spurlock).
One of Five's wide appeal isn't obvious at first blush... given its somewhat obscure (commercially) focus, but with buzz-topics from mind-controlling aliens to the plight of the urban elderly, it's sure to jar most viewers.
You likely don't care about the subjects (or people like them) until you see this film. That's the magic of One of Five.