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The Veil (2024)
Well... I made it to the end
I'll start by saying I think the majority of actors did the best with what they had, especially the guy who played the American CIA agent. His delivery was pretty good.
Elizabeth Moss was miscast though. The accent. Stupid almost manic grins and cheesy one liners and quips just felt cringe and awkward.
The story is just unbelievable and pointless. The 'terrorist plot' is brain dead and I struggle to believe they needed to get the 'Djinn' to devise it. It's not clever, complicated or intelligent.
The twist is not a twist thanks to the worst foreshadowing ever. The story just plays out by numbers.
The CIA and French intelligence being fooled not once but twice with a switch was ridiculous. Absolutely unbelievable. It really ruined the story... Although I don't think omitting those parts would have saved it either.
Also it dragged out for its 6 episodes. Could have been done in 4. The last episode is basically done at the halfway mark.
Direction was actually good. Locations and filming good. Acting mostly good (except for Moss) but man... The story is just rubbish. It's like it was generated by an AI.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023)
Unlikeable characters doing dumb things
This show is full of unlikeable characters that disengage their brain. The only likeable character was Du Ho.
Otherwise it's girl bosses and girls getting it done in true Mary Sue fashion while a bunch of guys are there for muscle when needed. This applies to both the good team and the bad team.
Is it possible to write female characters these days without making them girl bosses?
Probably not.
Cate is completely unlikeable and acts like this whole adventure was something unfairly inflicted on her. May the same.
The two guys trying their best to rescue the show... And the dynamic female duo... Are doing their best but they can't rescue either.
Jumping off this at episode 4. It won't get better. The ingredients are not here. There is nobody to root for. Except maybe Godzilla... If he ever makes more than a split second appearance.
From: Strangers in a Strange Land (2023)
Season 2 starts off where Season 1 finished...
... and that is a show full of bad actors portraying dumb people doing dumb things. And the show absolutely hinges on dumb people doing dumb things because if it didn't there wouldn't be much of a show.
I can only think that whatever is 'selecting' these people to go to this town is only choosing people with extremely low IQ.
What happened in this episode? Very little, except a lot of dumb things. Actual plot progression was very limited, which isn't amazing when you think you didn't need to watch Season 1... the recap had everything you need to know.
And oh geez... Catalina Sandino Moreno I don't know if you're phoning it in, or struggling with the script, but your acting is terrible in this. You could at least act like you wanted to be there and your agent didn't sell you up the river.
The Peripheral (2022)
Started well and then just slid into word salad soupy nonsense
Out of the gate the first few episodes were well paced, had solid writing and acting, and gave you enough without over the top exposition to give you a taste for the story and where it was going.
And then something happened. A new protaganist was introduced with a silly motive... to the point where she was just being evil for the sake of being evil... and then the fabric of the plot started to fray.
Then the word salad started with nonsensical explanations that were difficult to care about and quite honestly could simply be ignored. They didn't seem to add anything to the plot anyway... because when you scratch the surface, outside the first few episodes... there is no plot.
Hopping off the train on this one. Maybe it will improve but I doubt I will find out.
War of the Worlds (2019)
Boring, brutal and depressing
I've managed to work my way through the first season and part of the first episode of the second season and I'm struggling.
No only is this show boring and full of tedium and talking, it is very depressing. There are moments of real horror and bleakness but it goes over the top.
It is definitely not feel good television and quite the opposite. Each episode has you reaching for the xanax as it sinks into new depths of despair.
There's a few inconsistencies, a bunch of pointless characters as we seem them slowly get picked off one by one as their usefulness expires... and a French legion that seems to grow and shrink in numbers.
Season 2 has expanded the story by including some origin elements... but geez... this is hard work. I had to watch an hour of RLM on YouTube afterwards just to brighten my life.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Part VI (2022)
Redemption in every direction
The series overall had some dull moments and looking at it, you could probably edit a lot of it out. You could remove Reva and a few of the chase scenes, cut it down to about 120 minutes and you'd have a great story.
Anyway, as per my comment we saw redemption across the board. I feel the series redeemed itself with that final episode. Still a few needless plot points to tie up, but they couldn't be left untied. (Unless Vader killed Reva like he normally would have in the previous episode).
Overall though... Obi Wan redeemed himself and found his mojo, faced with the clarity of purpose and what he must do. And he did what he must, always the strongest Jedi (as wise as Yoda and as powerful as Windu) when he found his purpose he took down Vader yet again.
Hayden Christensen absolutely nailed Anakin and redeemed himself fully from the horrible script he was given for AOTC/ROTS.
Obviously Obi Wan couldn't give him a little poke in the neck with the old blue glowie stick because that would obviously cause problems, but I am totally satisfied where he left it off. Uncertain whether Vader would survive but clear in Vader knowing who the true master was.
The Emperor makes an appearance to remind ol robot legs (and arms) that he has a Death Star to finish building (10 years late already) and we close out with some hugs and goodbyes and some more glue to ANH.
With plot armour all around it's hard to bump anyone off and I think that is overall the biggest critcism. The stakes were so low and they didn't even kill practically the only character they could. But that's Disney.
Solid end though to what could be a good movie after some heavy cutting and editing. I expect to see that on YouTube soon.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Part IV (2022)
I think we're done with chase scenes
Go to location. Chase scene. Go to another location... Chase scene. Yet another location... Chase scene.
You know what made Star Wars great? Not chase scenes.
In fact I can't think of a single chase scene in all the great Star Wars moments.
Stop giving us chase scenes. Give us character development and heroes rising to the challenge against overwhelming odds. Not running away from weak antagonists.
Also this is the third time they've escaped in a ship. The Empire literally has the biggest and baddest fleet of ships and yet the heroes after the chase scene can escape in a single unarmed weak ship.
"They let us get away" doesn't work when you include a chase scene. There was no chase scene in A New Hope when they escaped the Death Star.
From: Oh, the Places We'll Go (2022)
Cancel this and put the show and us out of our misery
The endless talking that fills the spaces inbetween waiting for something to happen is meaningless fill. Unfortunately it makes up the majority of the show because nothing much happens until the last few minutes and do we even care?
What made LOST such great viewing was the character stories not the mystery. Here we have bland characters wth no development talking about feelings but not advancing the plot at all.
This episode answers nothing, because there are no answers.
From (2022)
If you want to watch a show with 90% of scenes just talking - this is for you!
Everyone just talks. Talk talk talk. There is little plot progression in the 9 episodes I've seen and for a bunch of people who like talking they never seem to be talking about the things they should be. There is no suspense. No atmosphere. No scene building or world building. Just talk talk talk. Also almost no action... But quite a lot of talking if you haven't figured that bit out yet.
Star Trek: Picard: Assimilation (2022)
Here's the future ready to judge us now in 2024
There's a whole lot of nonsense in this episode from partial assimilation, lots of crying Discovery style... And of course the future coming to 2024 to tell us how barbaric and backwards we are.
From a society that celebrates vaccination chips and don't mind killing a bunch of people to travel back into the past.
Horrible episode. Great special effects though.
Star Trek: Picard: The Star Gazer (2022)
Like visiting people in old age home
And embarrassingly wishing the time to pass quickly.
Full of boring dialogue from start to finish and almost zero action. The only regret I have watching this is I wasn't more drunk than I was because then I would have happily fallen asleep.
What's the nice way of saying this is garbage? Not sure .. so this is garbage.
Peacemaker (2022)
Cringemaker - Low budget low rent woke Deadpool
This really fits into the "it's funny if you're a 14 year old boy" category. For a grown adult it's going to be a struggle to hold interest inbetween juvenile humour and by the numbers cliche plotlines.
There is some genuinely funny moments but not enough to keep this rolling as the rest of the jokes (most of them) fall flat.
It's not the delivery. It's the writing. Even though it looks like it's made on a tiny budget and for of the actors are clearly not getting paid to be in it - it almost pulls it off. However the writing really really lets it down. This is not a story that needs to be told.
Cowboy Bebop (2021)
I never watched the anime so I am enjoying this thoroughly
I'll probably go back and watch the anime after this, but so far 8 episodes in and I am enjoying everything about this show.
Any criticism of it being cheesy, corny, space westerny, physics defying etc. I put in the same category of criticisms of shows that have space wizards with laser swords not being deeply constructed physics based space dramas. You can't please everyone!
Overall though it is FUN, and INTERESTING and gets the IMAGINATION flowing... so naturally most people these days won't like that sort of stuff.
Foundation (2021)
Hot garbage in the cold of space
I've sat through every episode so far realising week by week that this is Foundation only in the name of the stories and characters. It should be called Tribute to Foundation... and then a very poor one at that.
Visually this is stunning, but visuals aren't enough to keep you engaged week after week as the plot collapses into a heap of bad science fantasy (there is no real science here) and magic space Jesuses the entire universe revolves around that can instantly do everything brillliantly.
The Trantor plot is sufficiently engaging if bringing absolutely nothing new to screens we haven't seen before. Like a poor man's Game of Thrones stuck on a planet capable of space travel... without Dragons mind you so what's the point?
But the Foundation/Terminus plotline is just the worst television ever. Every episode is like the worst episode of Star Trek Discovery... and we all know how bad that show is. Hard to do worse you think? Think harder!
Why am I still watching? Hope? It must be. There's not much else.
I did think to myself "this must be it!" after the last week's awful reveal in which magic super powers exist in this world of supposed mathematic science... and it might well be.
Unless they all get murdered in a firery nuclear hell... then it might be worth continuing to watch.
Foundation: Death and the Maiden (2021)
Move over Michael Burnham...
We've got ourselves a new Space Jesus!
Never been to space but can take a space ship off with little guidance? Not to mention the whole contrived plot about locking the ship. Why exactly did they need the guy? They could have put a bullet in his head and held the gun to hers or her mum and told her how to fly... it must be easy if a first timer can ease it off the ground.
Salvor is such a badly written character that in order to fix plot holes she has to turn into Space Jesus.... just like Michael Burnham from Star Trek... another character who it seems the entire universe revolves around.
I read the books so long ago I can barely remember them. I do remember though they were great reads that had me turning page after page.
This show is definitely not that.
Invincible (2021)
Get ready for a dark journey
This is a fantastic show that explores a myriad of Superhero tropes if they existed in the real world today, with a mix of both light and dark humour.
And then .... it just gets dark, and darker than any superhero story I've seen. The gore is next level and could only possibly be portrayed through animation, and even then it is very disturbing, especially in the final episode.
Overall, the story is excellent, but it takes you to a place you might not want to go, and there is certainly no warning this is the road you're on. Even the end of the first episode which is surprising doesn't match the ... I don't even know what to call it... of the epic finale.
Made for Love (2021)
Pretty good as a one and done. No sequel required.
The story is not bad although does seem to suffer from some pacing issues with a few backstory filler episodes thrown in. Taken for what it is though, and interesting premise with an equally interesting conclusion it's definitely watchable and entertaining.
The character of Byron is almost comic book in his depiction of an awkward billionaire who has forgotten what the real world is like, and as we dig deeper, understand he is trying to solve the problems with the world that drove him to solitude.
The character of Hazel is perhaps not as fleshed out as Byron, even though she is in the majority if scenes, but perhaps that's the point. She missed ten years of development as an adult and never grew beyond her early 20s. She is perhaps more selfish than Byron who is trying to make the world a better place, when she is just trying to make things better for herself without caring about anyone else.
Quirky, funny, lightweight. Don't read too much into it though. You'll forget it not long after finishing it.
Tom and Jerry (2021)
Godzilla v King Kong has a better story
And it has no story. This movie has zero redeeming qualities and anyone involved in it should be highly embarrassed they were part of its production.
Star Trek: Discovery: There Is a Tide... (2020)
Surprisingly decent after a run of very poor episodes
This episode is better than I expected, granted I had pretty low expectations.
It demonstrates in the right hands with the right script Discovery can bring passable Trek to the screen.
It also ironically highlights the failings of the Federation and their utopian ideals, plus their inability to let things go and move on.
Peace offered and rejected and millions will continue to suffer because the Federation wants to be idealistic.
At least I'm talking about the story and not the horrible acting or weak wobbly crew that somehow have a starship.
Star Trek: Discovery: Su'Kal (2020)
30 minutes of tearful and dramatic speeches
5 minutes of space stuff. Who wants to watch this?
And teen emotions caused the burn? Give me a break. This show replaces science with weak plot devices to get to the next emotional dramatic speech.
Seriously who wants to watch this?
Star Trek: Discovery: Unification III (2020)
Once again the answer is Michael Burnham
Crazy as it may seem Michael Burnham is yet again the answer to unlocking this week's clue in the search for the cause of the burn.
Simply impossible to believe.
Star Trek: Discovery: Die Trying (2020)
Star Trek Burnham does it again
Another episode where Michael Burnham saves the day again. I can see why the Burn happened... She wasn't around to stop it.
They'll probably fix that in later episodes. Once you let the time travel genie out of the bottle forever will it remain.
Star Trek: Discovery: Forget Me Not (2020)
Depressing episode for those who want to be depressed
The writers of this show have become miserable sods intent of sucking all that is good out of Star Trek.
From one over emotionally depressing roller coaster... The drama is just too much.
Westworld: The Mother of Exiles (2020)
Pretty to watch but hard to like
Well shot, well directed, well acted hot garbage. The story is complete nonsense.
The Mandalorian (2019)
Entertaining if you allow yourself to be entertained
If you don't get hung up on what is Star Wars and what you think it should be and just take it for what it is this is a very entertaining show.
If you approach this with unreachable expectations then you are setting yourself up for disappointment and only have yourself to blame.
Well written. Well acted. Some nice humour. Good effects. It just comes together and works... If you let it.