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Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas (2023)
Fun for Ted Lasso Fans
This is a fun Christmas variety show that will appeal to fans of Ted Lasso, and of variety shows in general. Hannah Waddingham serves as the host of this special, To nobody's surprise, she is quite an amazing singer, and belts out many Christmas standards, both old and new.
While Waddingham is excellent, and is paired well with special guests including but not limited to special guests like Leslie Odom Jr. And Luke Evans, it falls flat when it comes to everything else. Instead of being Waddington's show, it feels more like a Ted Lasso reunion. Almost every major character from Ted Lasso makes an appearance.
While I am not opposed to cast reunions, the fact that Ted Lasso only recently ended its run, made the cast's appearance distracting, to me and took away from her performance, when in reality, it should have been Waddington's show.
That said, this is still a very fun variety show that will appeal to all ages.
Star Trek: Yesteryear (1973)
Best episode of the animated series
This is the best episode of Star Trek: The Animated series. However it fails to reach the heights of classic Trek.
It follows Spock, who has inadvertently become erased from existence, and must travel back in time to save himself from dying. Here we see the return of Sarek, played by Mark Lenard, among others. It's an interesting episode that further develops the character of Spock, which is pretty cool to see.
The 25 minute runtime really hampers the development of the characters though, leading to a rushed ending that makes the payoff seem cheap. Still, it's a pretty interesting episode that is worth taking in, unlike much of the rest of the series.
Star Trek (1973)
It's OK
Your mileage will vary with this one. I watched it as a Star Trek completionist. While it was great to see much of the original cast return, along with the more creative stories, this series just lacks the same heart of the original series, in favor of a more action oriented one.
That is to be forgiven of course. After all, this was a half hour long Saturday morning cartoon, so it would stand to reason that the characters would end up becoming cardboard cutouts, while the plots would be shallow to an extent.
Still, there is a lot to like here. Many of the writers of the original show came back to this one, and they created several great stories that would otherwise not have made it into the original series, because they would have been too expensive.
Unliek the original series, I'm probably not going to watch this one again anytime soon, but I still believe it is a worthwhile watch.
Star Trek: The Squire of Gothos (1967)
Super fun, but the ending leaves something to be desired for me
This is a super fun episode of Star Trek, and well worth watching, despite the weird episode title.
Basically, the Enterprise is stopped by a being who calls himself General Trelayne, who ends up transporting various crew members to his domain, where they are meant to serve as his "playthings", in an environment that he believes will suit them (great idea, but about 900 years too late).
Later, it becomes clear that despite appearing human, Trelayne is a bit more than he seems, and has no intentions of releasing them. The Enterprise crew has to work out a solution to figure out a way to escape.
Trelayne is a pretty interesting character. If you are a fan of the Next Generation, you will find more than a few similarities between him and Q. Infact John de Lancie has even cited Telayne as an inspiration for Q.
Unfortunately, despite how great the episode is, I was a little let down by the ending, when we find out exactly who Trelayne is. However I know people who absolutely love it too, so your mileage may vary.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Conspiracy (1988)
Great episode! Too bad it was never expanded upon
Star Trek meets The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers!
Picard is covertly summoned to a secret location by an old friend who has some concerns about what is going on at Starfleet, so he scraps the Enterprise's visit to a paradise planet for R and R. In favor of investigating this issue. As it turns out nothing is as it seems.
It's a little hard to assess this episode within the pantheon of this very inconsistent first season of The Next Generation. On one hand, the tone of the episode really doesn't fit in with the others, and the lack of payoff from this episode in later seasons, makes me categorize this into one of The Next Generations weird experiments.
On the other hand, when you consider it as a standalone, it is perhaps the best episode of the 1st season. While not the best written, it is one of the very few times that this show managed to truly creep me out, which is no easy feat if you know me.
In many ways, I wish this were the finale of the first season, because if this was a thread that they were thinking about pursuing, I would have liked to see what they would have done with it. Unfortunately, this plot was never revisited. But as a standalone, I liked this episode quite a bit.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Angel One (1988)
Some of the worst writing, acting, and directing on the show
This episode was supposed to be a commentary on Apartheid in South Africa, with men on the planet representing black people. Instead, it serves as a commentary for how not to depict relationships between men and women.
The Enterprise encounters a society ruled by women, and all it takes is for Riker to beam down, give a speech, and then the men save the day, by giving the female leaders a sexual awakening.
It's no small wonder why most of the cast did not like the episode. While the first half of the episode is interesting, it devolves into a male savior type fantasy, that was cringy as hell, even in the 80's.
Michael Ray Rhodes directed the episode, and from I have read, he didn't get along well with the cast. Apparently Patrick Stewart himself, sought to have the episode changed to become less sexist. Even executive producer Maurice Hurley hated it, described it as "terrible. Just terrible. One of the ones you'd just as soon erase".
I have only watched this episode once, and as much as I hate to say it, I'd rather not watch it again.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Big Goodbye (1988)
Good intro to holodeck
Some of the best episodes of TNG are the holodeck episodes. While this episode provides a great introduction to it, there are quite a few glaring flaws that prevent this episode from being a must see.
The Enterprise is sent on a diplomatic mission where Captain Picard has to master a difficult language to ensure that Starfleet and the new race establish cordial relations. However, he is stressed and tired from all of his efforts.
In need of some rest and relaxation, he enters the holodeck, where he chooses to engage in his favorite program, a noirish thriller, where he plays a detective named Dixon Hill, in 1940's San Francisco.
Unfortunately for him, this world is turned upside down, after the enterprise is scanned by aliens., leading to a malfunction within the normally safe holodeck that can potentially injure or kill Picard.
While this episode is a ton of fun, the problem with it, is that there are quite a few glaring plot holes. I've never really liked the idea of the holodeck safety being turned off. Seems a bit absurd. Like if someone programmed my XBOX to kill me everytime I died in a video game.
Still, it is a fun episode, and Lawrence Tierney, who was in many film noirs over the course of his career, also stars in it. I'd give it a recommend.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Hide and Q (1987)
A tired trope that gains new life
I found it hard to review this one. On one hand, it reuses tired old tropes of Star Trek. The theme of humans gaining powers of a god already appears ad nauseum in the Original Series, most notably in Where No Man Has Gone Before, Charlie X, and Plato's Stepchildren.
However, Hide and Q does break new ground, featuring a reluctant Riker being tempted by Q to become just like him. For the most part, it isn't very interesting, apart from the fact that it continues the Q arc, of putting man on trial. Thankfully, Riker is more than up to the task of becoming a foil to Q. However, to be fair, I think Picard would have been a much better choice, since he and Q couldn't be any more different.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Battle (1987)
As average as they come
This episode had some interesting things going for it. While the Ferengi are one of the worst villains in Star Trek history, they are actually used better here, in comparison to other episodes.
One of the themes here involves the idea of Picard potentially having PTSD, as he receives his old ship as gift from the Ferengi. However, it turns out to not be what it seems to be, which makes the episode less compelling.
The show would eventually explore the theme of PTSD in later episodes, and even one of the movies. However, the failure to lean into this interesting premise, leads to a rather disappointing emotional payoff.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Justice (1987)
I'm with Starfleet and we don't lie!!!!
Oh dear god, make it stop! Wesley Crusher is one of the worst written characters in Star Trek history. It's not the fault of Wil Wheaton, but rather, the writers, who had no idea what to do with his character, or how to write dialogue for him.
But oh my lord, is his character written badly here.
The same goes for the planet, which is a mish mosh of utopian cliches. Also, what is this show's obsession with sex? We are already on episode 7, and it seems like half the episodes have weird sex themes already. Was the show trying to be edgy here?
It's a real shame, because the story idea is fairly interesting. What happens if we make first contact with an alien planet, and accidentally break a law? It's a premise that can bear some weight with the right writers. However, in this case, it's poorly done.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Where No One Has Gone Before (1987)
The first truly good episode of TNG
This is the first good episode of TNG, but it still doesn't meet the promise of its successors.
An arrogant warp drive expert, who may or may not be what he says he is, boards the Enterprise, and enjoys pontificating about things that go beyond the understanding of the crew.
At the same time, his mysterious assistant befriends Wesley Crusher, and they try to troubleshoot an apparent malfunction in the warp drive that propels The Enterprise far beyond its capabilities.
Many people deride this episode in part because they find the character of Wesley Crusher annoying, While I find that to be a very reasonable attitude, in retrospect, it is unfair to judge an entire episode based on one poorly written character.
In the end, it is a fairly good episode, that should be watched, since it is consequential to the rest of the series.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Naked Now (1987)
Interesting, but Not Good
The Naked Now, is the sequel to the Original Series episode, The Naked Time. Much like the original series episode, this one is full of cheese.
To be fair it is a good cheesy Limberger quality, because it's a hilariously bonkers episode. However in a show purported to be more high quality in comparison to its predecessor, this one just doesn't feel right.
The best way The Naked Now works, is if we already know and love the characters. This being the second episode of the new series, we haven't really gotten a chance to know the characters yet, which can lessen the impact of the episode for some.
However it should be noted that its predecessor, The Naked Time, was the fourth episode of the Original Star Trek, which is still beloved by fans. Still, the humor in this episode seems too broad, and inappropriate for this cast, which is why it is not as beloved.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Encounter at Farpoint (1987)
Rough Start, but OK Beginning
This is the pilot for Star Trek: The Next Generation.
As any fan of television can attest, the pilots of great television shows most often do not reflect their greatness. Not only is this episode not reflective of the series greatness, but you can say the same thing about the entire first season!
The biggest change in the pilot episode for me personally, is Data, who is much more dour, and much less endearing in comparison to how he was portrayed later. However I'm pretty biased, because he's my favorite character.
The rest of the characters do not reflect who they are later either, but they more or less possess some semblance of the same characteristics.
As for the episode itself, it's a mess. There are two different narratives with two different tones. The first one introduces the recurring character of Q, and is pretty cheesy. In fact, it is more reminiscent to the original series. This shouldn't be a surprise, since it was written by the creator, Gene Roddenberry, himself.
The second half of the episode is much darker, and involves the mysterious new happenings at a station called Farpoint. It is also reminiscent of the original Star Trek, since original writer, DC Fontana wrote it.
However interesting both parts are on their own, they do not work too well together, leading this to be a mess of a season, and a surefire sign of things to come. It wouldn't be until TNG's second season, that the show will resemble the one we know and love.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Final Mission (1990)
Not a great episode
This is not a great episode. In fact, in a season filled with fun solid stories, this one stands tall as being one of the worst, if not the worst.
Created for the sole purpose of allowing Wesley to depart the show, the episode seems to have been hastily written to be a showcase for Wil Wheaton's talent. On that end, it works. If I were to curate a list of top Wesley Crusher moments, this episode would surely be considered among the very best.
Other than that, it's just.....not....good. The story sucks. While I like the idea of his getting a send off by going on a mission with Picard. However the story they built around them is half baked, and in need of a serious rewrite.
Thankfully, this isn't the last we see of Wesley. If it were, I would have probably ranked this much lower.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Remember Me (1990)
Could have been much better
I liked this episode quite a bit. Gates McFadden gives a tour de force, as Crusher gets sucked into a warp bubble, and creates a new reality based on her own thoughts.
Watch Dr. Crusher descend into madness, as her world narrows, and gets weirder and weirder. McFadden truly does a great job with the material that she is given, and shows she's capable of leading an episode on her own.
However, the episode was way too forced for my comfort. We later find the real culprit of this new reality, but to be honest, the payoff was very disappointing in my opinion. Still, this is a very decent episode. My only wish was that the stakes were much higher,
Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Hunted (1990)
Underrated
The first time I saw this episode, I hated it. I found the plot to be dumb, and the character of Danar to be terrible and nonsensical. It is also makes no sense to think that the crew of the Enterprise, with all of its resources and technology, would have trouble dealing with this one man, regardless of how enhanced he is.
However, after watching this episode for the first time in many years, I realized just how excellent a metaphor it is for the PTSD. Danar is a soldier through and through, and as a soldier he is conditioned to do one thing, survive and win at all costs. Unfortunately the byproduct of this conditioning is that it becomes impossible for him to be integrated into mainstream society.
It's amazing to see the ethics of Picard on display. On one hand, Danar is a criminal, while in the other hand, his actions are a result of societal oppression. Either way, it ends up having serious implications for the society that he comes from.
It's not a perfect episode, but I do think that it deserves to be considered among the classics.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Allegiance (1990)
Pretty Fun Episode
This episode is a lot of fun! Picard gets kidnapped and replaced by a good, but not "perfect" replica of him.
We see the imposter Picard interact with everyone of the ship, and do some strange things. Thankfully, he has a crew that really knows him, and their suspicions are raised when the captain starts acting like an extrovert.
Meanwhile, the real Picard is held captive alongside a few other aliens. For what purpose we don't know until the end. However the ending is where the flaws come out.
This episode probably could have benefitted from being broken into two separate stories. While it's a fun episode for sure, it doesn't go far enough with either of its premises'. Still, there's a lot to enjoy.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Bonding (1989)
A lot of wasted potential
This episode had a lot of potential. The first half was very strong, involving the death of a woman who had a newly orphaned son on board the Enterprise.
There are a lot of great character moments here. Some great character moments from Picard, Troi, Worf, and Data. In particular, I loved how the episode involves a meditation on the ethics of bringing children on board the Enterprise, and putting them in danger.
The big problem I had with this episode is the way the plot twists towards the end. Rather than exploring the character of the boy, or the ramifications the death has on the crew, it devolves into an alien of the week story.
I found myself wishing that the original story for this episode was used. Instead of the alien of the week, we could have had one involving the holodeck.
It is by no means the worst episode, but I was let down by the plot, because I saw the potential for something a lot more interesting.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Up the Long Ladder (1989)
Interesting ideas but bad execution
One of the best things about Star Trek is its emphasis on social commentary. You can see this throughout the original series as well as subsequent ones.
While TNG is no stranger to social commentary episodes, many of their early attempts were misfires. This happens to be one of them.
That isn't to say that there is nothing good to be said here. It tackles the ideas of immigration and cloning. However, it leans too far on comedy for people to take it seriously. I mean, why use Irish stereotypes, instead of creating new cultures? It isn't as if Star Trek ever had issues doing that. After all, the Klingons and the Romulans, are both well rounded species in the show.
The whole story just comes across as lazy and offensive.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Q Who (1989)
Not as good as people say
A lot of people claim this is peak Trek. However I disagree. It's certainly a fun episode though. I really enjoyed Q and his interactions with Picard and Guinan especially. Also, his motivations foreshadow the terror that will be wrought by the Borg in the future.
However, the ending is really bad. The fact that Q puts the Enterprise in a position of danger that ends in the deaths of 18 of its crew is terrifying. However, the way Picard reacts to those 18 deaths, is borderline sociopathic. He calmly forgives Q, and says that perhaps, he meant well. No matter the fact that he just basically put the enterprise in danger that led to many bad decisions, which resulted in those 18 deaths.
The School for Good and Evil (2022)
Long and boring, but not as bad as rating shows
So as an unabashed Cate Blanchett fan, I just had to watch this film, even though I hadn't really heard many good things about it. I was pleasantly surprised.
It's not a great film, but it's entertaining, and turn off your brain fun. The main problem I had with this film is that it's too long and the plot is nonsensical.
Along with Blanchett, it stars quite a few actors/actresses that I don't really care for, including Kerry Washington, Kit Young, and Rachel Bloom. Unfortunately, Blanchett doesn't appear on screen, instead playing the voice of a character named Storian.
Still, it made me want to check out the books at the very least. Hopefully they are a lot more interesting than this film.
Paranoia (2013)
Boring
A title like Paranoia evokes the image of a well made and tightly plotted thriller. However, this movie was anything but thrilling.
It's not like the pieces weren't there. The plot was interesting, as it involved corporate espionage. Then you had three great actors in it, like Gary Oldman, Harrison Ford, and Richard Dreyfuss.
However, it seems like every actor involved is sleepwalking in it. Not only is Liam Hemsworth terrible, but it's easily one of Gary Oldman's worst performances. Harrison Ford is also in this one, and doesn't fare much better.
In fact, the only one who seems to be trying to do anything is Richard Dreyfuss, who makes the most out of his small role.
This is boring tripe that would probably have been direct to video fare, had it not had so many A-Listers in it.
Hanover Street (1979)
Uneven Film
Man and woman have a meet cute in the middle of London. They fall in love, a forbidden romance, since the woman is already married. All of this is interspersed within the pretty intriguing backdrop of WWII.
This film has no idea what it wants to be. Is it a historical epic, an old fashioned romantic film, a spy film? It's actually all of them, and that's the problem I had with it.
That said, although it could have been much better, the action scenes are well staged, and.there's palpable tension between co-leads, Harrison Ford and Christopher Plummer.
It's a movie that you can skip, as there are better films that you can watch. However, if you are a Harrison Ford fan like I am, it's not too bad a way to pass 2 hours.
The Simpsons Meet the Bocellis in Feliz Navidad (2022)
Thankfully Short
Here is yet another pointless Simpson's short. They meet the Bocellis randomly, and I wish I could say that hijinks ensue, but it's a 2 minute short and there's not much here. Why the Bocellis? No idea.
Thankfully, this short was only 2 minutes long. Also, the sound sucked. Andrea Bocelli has a beautiful voice, and his singing here sounded like he had literally phoned it in. What a trainwreck of a performance.
I am having a very hard time writing this. Truth be told, It's personally insulting to me to have to write a review this long and spend more time talking about it than I did viewing the actual short that this review is based on, but
Other than that, it's a hollow piece of drivel.
The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies - New Zealand: Home of Middle-Earth - Part 3 (2015)
Standard New Zealand Promo
This is a nice little love letter to New Zealand, which is the official home of Middle Earth!
Standard talking head stuff, nothing anybody hasn't seen before in the Lord of the Rings extended edition DVD's.
It's fun to watch, not must see viewing, unless you like that sort of thing.