mtgsebsean Reviews

Sherlock: The Six Thatchers (2017) Season 4, Episode 1

Sherlock's season 4 begins with a touch below the expected

[6/10 · 3 January 2017]

It seemed like centuries since I had popped down on the couch for the newest episode of Sherlock. Dare I say I ever doubted the arrival of the new season, as I spent my days checking the Twitter account that counted down the days until the new episode. Without a doubt, the first episode of season 4 has been one of the more lacking entries in the series' history. For the first hour or so, Sherlock and co. investigate a newer case that Lestrade has handed them, along with the expository re-introduction of the cast. Even early in the episode you can see how the writers intended for there to be a focus on the matrimony of John and Mary. As the episode dwindles on, Sherlock solves the first case easily and the plot deepens. Unfortunately, going deeper is not what the episode needed. We find out about the huge spy-associated history of Mary, and the mysterious flash drives and their connections to her team. This entire story is built in one episode, and it is the centerpiece of it as well. This decision by the writers backfires, because the actual flesh of the story is not only unnecessary but at times boring. As viewers have come to see a show about Sherlock, they are immersed into the Watson world of Mary and John's boring adventures. From an irrelevant 'love' side plot of John and a random bus passenger, to Mary's affairs in the spy world, the episode lacks any real entertaining substance. Mary is followed by Sherlock to the destinations she wishes to hide herself, thus making the whole idea of her hiding herself unnatural and unneeded. Another issue is some plotshielding throughout, which allows the characters to go about things altogether unrealistic. Although the episode uses the concurrent themes and music from the past seasons, its main focus is astray from the brilliance of the Sherlock series- and that is Sherlock himself. The great thing that lifts this episode above a terrible rating is the acting. Even though the writing and plot bores me, Cumberbatch and Freeman once again deliver exciting portrayals of their characters. By the end of the episode, there is a deep gash in the cast, with Sherlock and John divided for 'classified reasons' (I wish not to spoil). Hopefully this gash will be the interest of a new story arc to power the next two episodes in season 4. The first episode just lacked interesting detail and function for the latter half. Please, Moffat, don't disappoint me like you did with Doctor Who, and bring season 4 home with some exciting content.

6/10

Passengers (I) (2016)

A poorly-made spacebound blockbuster

[5/10 · 3 January 2017]

From the beginning, I had low expectations of Passengers due to the swath of bad reviews emanated from multiple sources. However, I did find that the film excelled past this barrier only to find a steep cliff of mediocrity that it dove off near the middle of the movie. Featuring an all-star cast of Chris Pratt, J.Law, and Laurence Fishburne, here I will be delving into my thoughts about the new sci-fi film Passengers. On the 5,000 person-keeping ship the Avalon, Chris Pratt or "Jim Preston" finds himself awake 90 years earlier than the scheduled de-hibernation as the ship travels toward a new inhabitable planet. Within minutes, he finds that he is the only woke passenger on board. Shortly, Preston finds himself enjoying the luxuries of the ship having gotten past his anguish about the malfunction. However, he succumbs to loneliness quickly, as a robotic bartender and roombas that vacuum cheerios are unable to keep a man company. A big problem I had with the following moments of the movie was the complete and utter obstruction of a major plot point from the trailers released. Preston finds himself wandering the pod bay when he spots a beautiful young women in one of the hibernation pods. As a matter of fact, Jennifer Lawrence or "Aurora Lane" was woken by Preston, unlike how the plot had initially told she woke up at the same time as him. This sort of detail maneuver was only another sly way for Columbia Pictures to break into the box office. As the story progresses, not only does the plot lull, but it finds a cliché-y feel that was not present in the beginning. The main issue with Passengers is its inability to find real substance. When the main characters learn the ship is soon going to self implode, they are instantly knowledgeable of how to fix the problem. This takes essence in Chris Pratt, whose character's mechanical abilities seem to be that of superhuman. Well into the film, I lost most of my feelings for the characters due to the lack of honest development and interest. The romance between Preston and Lane ascends painstakingly quick and dissolves just as fast. Most of this was due to the completely deadbeat pace of the film, which surely progresses "slowly and steadily" but often suddenly escalates due to something needed to be accomplished. One thing that was to the benefit of the plot, however, were the astounding visual effects and cinematography, which are very well done by the studios at hand. There are gleaming shots of space, and brilliant CGI of the Avalon progressing through the void. Towards the end of the film, there are many turns which some would say are in the wrong direction. At points, the grandeur of the issues at hand are laughable in the way they are portrayed. Overall, Passengers combines many awkward cliché notions with a sloppy plot to become a lackluster sci-fi film for the end of the year.

5/10

Criminal Minds: The Longest Night (2010) Season 6, Episode 1

A True Criminal Mind

[8/10 · 29 December 2015]

Criminal Minds focuses each episode on a periodic killer, investigated by the B.A.U. (Behavioral Analysis Unit). Often, the killers are mentally deranged or are driven by previous experiences. In this episode of Criminal Minds, the Unit is flown to Los Angeles for a lengthy expedition. This episode was broken into two parts, which was a necessity given the amount of story here.

The unit as usual undergoes an analysis of the fresh killer. The opening episode (finale of Season 5) starts the rampage of Billy Flynn. The story focuses on the suburban life of Los Angeles. Fortunately for Billy, the local government is conducting blackouts for power supplements in different parts of the city.

The killer uses this to his advantage, exploiting many people throughout the first and second parts of this episode. You will come to understand why Mr. Flynn is so obsessed with the continuing darkness.

Tim Curry as Billy here is absolutely astounding. His portrayal of a mass-murderer is not only accurate, but extending. The cast members of the B.A.U. are fashionably included, but the episode focuses more on Shemar Moore and A.J. Cook.

Something I'd like to point out about the episode that I didn't enjoy was the mood at some points. This killer was extremely serious in his activities. However, the music and theme was not convincing. At some points, the B.A.U. members exchange jokes in such a dark time. There is no real music accompanying the entire episode until the ending. Luckily, Curry conveys a dangerous-enough portrayal in the episode, that it overshadows these problems.

At the end of the day, The Longest Night is one of the more formidable entries in this series. The conclusion is exciting and tense, but also features one of the best scenes of acting, perhaps in the entire show. Unfortunately, Criminal Minds is running dry. There is not enough content and creativity to continue a 10-year running show.

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