Not quite a "10" , but pretty darn close if you're looking for a fun actioner, where even some of the "bad" guys are kind of likeable, and the lead (Pitt's "Ladybug") is pretty much perfectly cast. Based on Kotaro Isaka's best selling novel, the film version does take some liberties with the characters as far as their ethnicities are concerned, as well as (IMO) the only glaring miscasting of the big bad which lacked believability, and caused me to briefly discard my suspension of disbelief, but overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, which I can wholeheartedly recommend. Hiroyuki Sanada is ALWAYS a welcome addition to pretty much any film he's ever been in, as is, of course, Miss Congeniality herself, Sandra Bullock, although she is used sparingly as "Ladybug's" handler.
The rest of the supporting cast, especially ("Kick-Ass" Himself) Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry are comically villainous counterpoints to Pitts charmingly successful but at times unlucky character, and, I liked the way the story intercut their backstories to tie their present situations all together. Again, if you're looking for Shakespeare, best catch another train, but if non stop comic mayhem is what you seek, grab a ticket, and take a ride on the this express train to chaos-town.
@Lazo - .....or, action-wise at least, a more gender mixed version of "Gunpowder Milkshake". ;-)
Hmmmm....,Will THIS be 2024's "Bullet Train?:
https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/argylle
As much as I wanted to like this movie, and ESPECIALLY not wanting to throw shade on Dave Bautista, I'm afraid the words of none other than Macbeth are the most fitting as far as a review of this enterprise goes:
A.O.D. is but a walking shadow, some poor players
That strut and fret their two and a half hours upon the stage
And then are heard no more: It is a tale
Told by idiots, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
That having been said, the REAL shame here is, that, with just a little bit of re jiggering, and a little less stupidity on the part of any one of the panopoly of characters, and, this could have not only been an epic movie, but, possibly a even a (2 or 3 movie) franchise!
Any movie that starts from the jump with nekkid zombie stripper ta ta's is a go for me, just on the "Hmmm, I ain't seen THAT before factor alone. Now, throw in Siegfried and Roy's zombified Manticore' , and, you're going to hold my interest. Add super quick and agile "rage zombies, and a mix of your usual suspect "shufflin' and bitin' " zombies, as well as a full auto Drax the Destroyer, and a crew of mangey former tier one operators, who served their country honorably, but per current SOP, were promptly shat upon by the country that they so dutifully served, then, give them a chance to for once not just even the score but come out ahead, and, you HAD the basis for a pretty decent horror adventure flick.
But then SOMBODY had to go and try to grow a brain, perhaps thinking they could be "edgy", and, instead of delivering a fun, intelligent live action "Walking Dead" (first few seasons only), they decided to suck all the common sense from EVERY characters brain, and then have each one of them suddenly go mute at the most inopportune times, when a word, a note, or even a cryptic whisper, could keep someone from becoming zombie snackos'. Now add to that mix, a teenaged girl with one of the most full blown cases of narcissistic personality disorder ever witnessed on film, and have her played by an actor who every time she opens her mouth you just want to backhand her and send her to her room with no dinner. But, she's also a master of either guilting her father (team leader Scott Ward) for doing something she later admits "he had to do", or, forcing him to let her accompany the squad, (to "rescue the aforementioned STUPID friend) by threatening to run off and do it alone anyway, which is a certain one way trip. So, welcome to mercenary baby sitting, Z/A style.
All is not lost though as there are some nice bonding moments between Zen "man some of the shizz I've done" Vanderohe, and newbie merc / safecracker Ludwig Dieter, especially when it is discovered he doesn't even know Zombie 101 basics. Raul Castillos' "Mickey" who at first seems to be either a You Tube poser, or just a bit crazy, then actually turns out to be an honorable guy. Samantha Joe's "Chambers" is a formidable street fighter, but, sadly , her heroic last stand is wasted when in the end, she got a case of the mutes, when she could have saved the entire crew with a shouted warning.
Nora Arnezeder is believable as Lilly, The Coyote, even if she does let little miss prissy teen smack her around a bit, for helping another of Kates IDIOT friends do something stupid, that, in the end, does not bode well for the entire team. Tig Notaro I guess is OK, especially since she was a last minute "digital" substitute for Chris D'Elia, who was unceremoniously cancelled and erased from the movie due to misconduct of the sexual kind. It's not seamless, but, it's not distracting either. But, she too, got hit with the idiot stick at the last minute, and, her indecision literally was catastrophic. In BOTH their story arcs, Snyder chose to plagiarize, er, uh, be "inspired" by ENTIRE SCENES from "Aliens", then "edgily" flip the script, by declaring opposite day at their individual conclusions.
The longest walk of shame, IMO, goes to Bautista's character Scott Ward, for being either too blind of just plain dumb, to not see through the machinations of neither his Japanese Benefactor, nor his henchman sent along to fulfill the ACTUAL goal of the "heist". But, in his defense, a couple hundred million dollars tax free, can buy a mighty dark pair of rose colored glasses, and, even though he can't see the forest for the trees, nor, apparently when the passion fires of his former flame have burst into a bonfire. Her end was so telegraphed, that even as it occurred, you weren't really shocked, just saddened. Just as his end, and the way it came about, had one waiting for the sound track to cue up Alanis Morrissette, but, perhaps they couldn't get a music clearance..
ONE final chance at redemption comes in the form of the epilogue with Vanderohe, and, it could have played out the epic revenge scenario, but, alas it was not to be, and he, along with any chance at a sequel, was D.O.A.
So, in conclusion, I don't dislike this movie for it's short comings, but, because of it's unfulfilled potential. It didn't necessarily have to be all happily ever after, but, as you watch it, and the idiocy starts leaking out of the characters, see if you can glimpse the great movie that COULD have been.
Gun Fu, Gun Porn, Stylized Ultra violence, call it whatever you want, but, one thing is certain, John Wick 3 delivered it all, and then brought you second and third helpings. Tom Cruise gets a lot of cred for doing his own increasingly elaborate stunts for each M.I. installment, but I'll see you EVERY stunt the couch jumping Mr. Cruise has done his ENTIRE career, for the first two action sequences in this movie ALONE! Also, Keanu Reeves isn't just harnessed to a plane or rappelling down the side of a building and leaping across roof tops. Reeves weapons handling and combined intricate fight sequences aren't the result of Steven Seagal style quick cuts, Fast and Furious edits, post SFX, or tricky camera angles to disguise whats actually happening. It's VISCERAL, because the camera lingers on the mayhem so that the viewer can savor each strike, slash, stab, and gunshot, and ALL the accompanying carnage. Not in Sam Peckinpah slo-mo, but in real time, yet, somehow, one is still able to take it all in, and then the sequence would end, just about the same time you remembered to BREATHE!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=20&v=nrawit53W7s
Yes, it's over the top, but this is the world John Wick inhabits. A culture of hired assassins, an entire society, existing just beneath the surface of the one you and I can see, the one the rest of us inhabit. A society with rank and file members, management, service, and executive classes, and RULES. And it is the rules, which have kept order from devolving into chaos for hundreds of years, that have made them "different from the animals".
For the love of his deceased wife, a car, and a puppy, John Wick reached his proverbial "last straw". (John Wick 1) For his loyalty to a blood oath, which was broken, he violated a cardinal rule, and was marked for death. (John Wick 2) Yet, using those same rules and oaths, (and his particularly unique set of skills) he was able to braid for himself a life-line, tenuous as it was, but a life-line nevertheless. The powers that be cannot allow that to happen, and seek to intimidate, punish, and if necessary eliminate each of those who extended him a thread of that line, even if they technically only "stretched" the rules. What they have failed to realize is that John Wick's reputation as the "Baba Yaga", the proverbial Boogie-man, is not only well earned, but, if anything, it is UNDER stated.
Those who were paying attention saw that we actually DID get quite a bit of origin/back story on the eponymous Mr. Wick, as well as a glimpse into the world of the contract killers, as to how the contracts are put out, and the hierarchy that pulls the strings behind the scenes. I look forward to seeing this expanded upon in future installments
Kudos and Props this installment to Iron Chef Mark Dacascos and a host of other Asian Martial Artists as the closest thing John has to true competition, yet, they are at the same time fanboys who geek out at getting a chance to fight him.
To Halle Berry, for NAILING her fight sequences, then being a trooper and not quitting when her scenes cost her a couple of broken ribs. Her character obviously has some issues with the menfolk, considering how many she shot in the "kibbles and bits. Also props to the trainers of her two pups, and the stunt men for allowing same said puppers to gnaw precariously close to their kibbles and bits until she shot them. OUCH!
In case you doubt me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=66&v=xa2RJPrY2Og
To Laurence Fishburne, for making sure that Neo still has Morpheus as a Mentor, even if you "sometimes have to cut a Mo Fo".. All we need now is Carrie-Anne Moss' Trinity to show up in the inevitable Part 4, and all will be right in the Universe. (make it happen writers)
10 out of 10 - Best of the 3 so far IMO
"Baggage", can be a GOOD thing when yours makes it on time across the pond with you on your flight from London, especially if it's first out of the chute and onto the pick up carousel. But, it's NOT such a good thing if one carries quantities of the negative kind into a new relationship, be it an IRL relationship, or, in THIS case, the relationship between a viewer and a filmmaker.
It was to be expected then, when, Anime fans and enthusiasts expressed trepidation after the trailer for "Alita: Battle Angel" dropped. They can all still recall the cringe-fest that was M. Night Shyamalan's, "The Last Airbender", which IMO was DOA from the moment it was cast, and, don't get them started on "Dragonball Z", lest you want a wall of text recounting it's cornucopia of cinema sins.
Now, I'm not here to go down the rabbit hole that is often expressed in the current virtue signaling trend of "whitewashing" outrage. We're not talking about the bad old days practice of Black or Yellow face, where obviously Caucasian actors were darkened or "Orientaled" up to play faux versions of the real deal, nor of instances where it is done for comedic irony, as in Robert Downey Jr's, "Tropic of Thunder' performance, nor, the Waynan's Brothers in "White Chicks". However I DO find it interesting that no one seems outraged in those two instances, or, that the same folks who express shock and dismay at ScarJo's casting as the titular "Ghost in the Shell", ALSO express outrage at those who expressed outrage, at the idea of casting Idris Elba as James Bond. Seems like there's no pleasing some folks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKvqhlhXq9s
But I digress....
My point is, that we, as consumers of visual media, often let ourselves be influenced by the BAGGAGE we carry with us, when watching a film or show. Our expectations, based on PRIOR experiences, can subtly, or even greatly influence our enjoyment of a given offering. I have to wonder how die hard Trekkies would react to STDISCO, if they had NEVER seen Star Trek ANYTHING before? I myself can recall dismissing Wild Wild West, the movie, as soon as I saw Will Smith was cast in the lead, because for me Robert Conrad would always be the personification of James West. Yet, I had the opposite reaction to seeing Denzel Washington cast in the lead of either the Equalizer, or The Magnificent Seven, perhaps because lack of familiarity had not left me ingrained as to who these characters were. (Both great movies IMO by the way) Or perhaps it is just the power of the Denzel. And, even with all the "outrage" over the casting of "Ghost in the Shell", I still enjoyed the movie overall, although it fell down in a few places. Again I was unfamiliar with the source material.
Unlike the disappointing experience with "The Last Airbender", which I went into being a FAN of the Nickelodeon series as well as "The Legend of Korra", I was completely without opinion concerning Alita: Battle Angel. What I DID know was, that it was produced by James Cameron, who doesn't put his name on stinkers, and was directed by Robert Rodriguez, whom I have liked since El Mariachi. BOTH know how to deliver epic, believable worlds and characters, so I put my faith in that, and went in unbiased, with no expectations either way.
And I am SO very GLAD I did!!!
I saw the movie in IMAX / 3D, and, while SOME movies / Directors throw obvious, rather lame 3D effects to boost a lame, insipid storyline, or, OVER use it to the point of distraction, here, they found the perfect balance, with the 3D adding an immersive depth to the already impressive "26% more IMAX picture". If you watch the trailers, you can pretty much figure out which scenes really WOW in this format.
To address the elephant in the room, yes, Alita's eyes DO remind one of a cross between a high tech sex doll (not that I would know) and Margaret Keane's "Big Eyes" waifs. (Cristoph Waltz was in that one too) Yet, here, you quickly become so immersed in the story that you no longer notice. The story begins with Waltz's Dr. Ido discovering Alita's discarded torso in a dump, while he is scavenging for parts to fix up the neighborhood cyborgs, which are plentiful, and not trying to assimilate anyone. Apparently in THIS world, if a body part breaks, gets diseased, or hijacked (yes I said hijacked) it can be replaced, much like a crumpled bumper in a fender bender. Dr. Ido just happens to have a teenager sized cyborg body handy which is explained later in the film, and, a little JB Weld here, and a couple of stitches there and Bobs your Uncle, .. instant Teenage Mutant Ninja Angel...., (sorry) Alita awakens, but has no memory, and, as many teenagers are, is all questions, curiosity, and hormones, all at once, especially when she meets the "polite, hard working", and, all around handy guy Hugo, who IS teenage, but NOT mutant.
A visit from Ido's Ex, Chiren, gives us some (slightly disturbing) back-story and we meet her boss, Vector, played by Mahershala Ali, once again being chauffeured around by Viggo Mortensen, (just kidding) but who IS apparently a big deal, with connections to the sky city of Zalem, which floats above them, and is "the place were the cool hang out, the SWASS like to play, and the rich flaunt clout!" This is where everyone wants to someday go, "by any means necessary", yet Dr. Ido and his ex were apparently exiled from there, no backstory given.
Thrown in are a nice mix of teenage discovery and bonding, combat sports, bounty hunters, robot dogs, robot bounty hunters, set piece fight scenes, featuring robot dogs and bounty hunters of the meat and robot varieties, vivisection, nanobots, betrayal, heartbreak, and general cinematographic carnage....., and just when it was getting REALLY good, the credits ran, and NO ONE MOVED, hoping for one more glimpse of this world, or a Marvel Comics style peek at what is to (hopefully) come.
When I got home, I immediately looked up Alita, both the Anime and the Manga, and found a 2 part 1990's era Anime, which the movie, with a few minor changes and liberties, seems to have followed almost shot for shot in places. So, Kudos for at least partially following the source material, even if changes were made to make a coherent, box office ready story.
Was it perfect for those with the baggage of their own expectations? That's up to them to decide. Did I find it to be an entertaining movie that allowed me to suspend disbelief and immerse myself in Alita's dystopian hive of scum and villainy, and root for her to be victorious in the end? Yes sir!! So, May we have another??? PLEEASE????
When you have a political system and society built on the absolute control of information, and the projection of being all powerful and always infallible, then, when something disastrous happens, the first inclination is denial, then a cover-up, and finally finger pointing, deflection and blame storming with the various people having any sort of authority or power trying to save their own asses. The fact that the party bosses and ministers were "Apparatchik's", the Soviet equivalent of bureaucratic hacks, who had been gifted their appointments with minimal or even no knowledge of the actual workings of the bureaucracies they oversaw, poured gasoline and threw a match on an already untenable situation. It's easy to strut around in a cheap suit and impress the peasantry, especially when you can have anyone who calls you out on your BS sent to the Gulag's or even worse. It gets a bit trickier when peoples hands and faces start melting off, and they're detecting abnormally high radiation 1000 miles away.
I feel worse for the civvies, whose naive faith and trust caused them to believe the lies and half truth's they were being fed, and kept them from not only questioning the official story, but, willingly living and working in such close proximity to a disaster waiting to happen, and, thinking it was a privilege to do so. They had no idea of the dangers lurking near them, and, like Lyudmilla, who even when warned not to get too close or stay too long, hugs, caresses, and even places her irradiated husbands hand on her growing womb, thinking he just has some severe burns, because no one has the courage to speak the truth, even at the cost of thousands of lives.
Granted, it really didn't matter after the fact, because the battle now was to keep from decimating the ENTIRE Soviet Union and most of eastern Europe, so, what's 10 or 20 thousand dead if it means saving the country? So, if the neighborhood cheap suit pulls your name from a hat at the point of an AK-47, you tend to cooperate and not ask too many questions. Unless you're a coal miner extra enough to work butt nekkid in a radioactive hole with no hope of survival, and no thanks or glory. I tip my hat to them. Hero's all, even if Moscow never acknowledged them.
Ahh, the sound of the nattering naybobs of Trekdom furiously trying to clap with one hand. You see, unless a program meets the narrowly specific parameters of what they will accept as "proper" Star Trek lore. Reminds me of those YouTube videos of entitled 16 year old's getting a new Lamborghini or BMW, and then pitching an absolute fit because it wasn't the color they desired. "This is NOT the Trek I was looking for"...... OK Obi Wan Kensnobby you win, we'll all go sit in the basement and watch reruns of the original series, or better yet, just the SPECIFIC EPISODES in each series that meet with your awesomely discerning taste. They rest you may send to the cornfield!!!!
Personally, I thought the producers and writers did a pretty good job of giving us a brand new crew, a brand new ship, an at least interesting situation as far as the story arc, while maintaining the connection to traditional "Trek" with appropriate amounts of fan service and character call backs. The animation, stylistically, is light years ahead of what is offered on "The Lower Drecks, er...Decks", and, the storytelling is aimed more toward the dramatic rather than the comedic. If that's not your thing, cool, but, neither should it be dismissed out of hand.
Personally, I found the amount of tension, thrills and FUN just about right, and the mix of immediate story and long arc balanced enough to hold my attention and leave me wanting more. Again, for a show aimed at the Nickelodeon demographic, that's no small feat IMO.
So yeah, I plan to continue watching it, and, it will be interesting to see if this version of the "Trekverse", can go where the others haven't gone before, or if the naybob's will be successful in stirring up enough negativity to eject the warp core and leave the crew stranded.
The sucking sound you hear is that of thousands of panties being dislodged and reluctantly pulled out of the wedgied butt cracks of the nattering, naybob naysayers, disbelievers, and generally unwashed masses. And trust me, they REALLY like their wedgies!
Yes, it's still early in the season, and there's still plenty of time to screw things up, but, I can wholeheartedly say that it appears the writers may have just found their stride, and are well on the way to achieving balance in the force...., er, wait, uhh..., THE balance between looking forward from and paying homage to established Star Trek canon, without being kitschy, and giving ALL Star Trek fans something to look forward to each week. Kudos and applause all around.
They attacked some BIG themes this episode, especially with the brilliant re-interpretation of A.C. Clarke's theorem that, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" to "Any sufficiently advanced technology when viewed by a non technological society is indistinguishable from...., GOD." (paraphrased) Believer, Nonbeliever, Atheist, Agnostic, ALL, like Aristotle's 'petitio principii', often beg the question, that is, their argument's premises assume the truth of the conclusion, instead of supporting it one way or the other.
One person looks at he mathematical precision of the Universe, and concludes that it HAD to have a creator, while another can look at the same precision and declare "There is no God". Yet, who really is the fool? Perhaps neither, perhaps both. If a being had technology that allowed then to manipulate and reconfigure matter on a molecular or atomic level, would that not, to those dispossessed of said technology, make them appear Godlike? It would only be their own benevolence that would prevent them from assuming that role.
That is the position our intrepid crew finds itself in this episode. After Michael Burnham reveals to Pike that her brother (from another Mother) Spock had apparently discovered the mysterious signals MONTHS before they actually appeared, another beacon reveals itself, and at maximum warp, they can reach it in...., 150 years. Ohhhhhhh Staaaamennts!!!!!! Now, Starfleet's General Order Number 1, or, Prime Directive, forbids interference with pre-warp civilizations, yet, somehow, they have been led to one inhabited by Terran's FROM earth who are now in the beta quadrant but their technological development ended 200 years prior during Earth's Third World War, when they were apparently beamed away just before a nuclear strike. So, "This is Us"..., but a severely beta version. The dilemma now being whether they get, or even deserve an upgrade. Oh that pesky prime directive..., What's a Starship Captain to do???
Well, knowing that THIS Captain's middle name is "Richard" and not "Tiberius", does keep that from having a foregone conclusion, and watching Burnam play Spock to Pikes Kirk, (got that?) is rather joyous, ESPECIALLY since this is apparently opposite crew day, and the traditional TOS roles here, are, well..., kinda sorta reversed.
Meanwhile, back on discovery, Officer Candidate Tilly decides to break off a chunk of the mysterious space rock they captured previously, and play with essentially a chunk of a neutron dense asteroid, so Stament's doesn't go mad inside the "mushroom network" if he sees his deceased other half again, and she, well, let's just say things don't go quite as planned.
And then there's the impending doom that suddenly materializes to get everyones knickers in a twist. Well OF COURSE impending doom suddenly materializes, we must have homage beats, yes? Do they even wear knickers in space? George Lucas said "there were no bras in space", but there MUST be knickers.... Those uniforms are too tight to go commando..., but, I digress.
So, the, all that's left to do is defeat the impending doom, make contact with the locals who are us, but running Windows 98, while obeying General Order Number 1, yet somehow not feel like total monkey butts if we decide to exit, planet left, without them.. Did I miss anything??? Oh yeah, and Tilly apparently can see dead people..., or she's having a brain aneurysm. Anyway...,
You now have permission to watch the episode.., if you haven't already.. (But then, WHY are you reading this if you HAVEN'T watched the episode?? Get outta here ya nut!!!)
Nicely done CBS. Deftly blended in some characters (1 this episode) and iconography from TOS to squelch the discord from the nattering, canon fascist nabobs, and pique the curiosity of the undecided, while still remaining PRE-TOS and advancing the original "Discovery" premise. Well played..., well played indeed.
Of course the "purists" will be quick to point out everything wrong with this episode, just as they have all along, insisting that this is a show we shouldn't enjoy because it's not Trekie enough, or TOO futuristic for the timeline, or too politically correct, or too violent, or too gay, when perhaps the real problem is with those whose cranial contents simply haven't evolved enough to grasp the actual depth and awesomeness of the show.
Star Trek has ALWAYS been about "going BOLDLY where no man has gone before" yet, sadly, there are those who desperately try to squeeze it into the confines of what THEY say is correct, and would have the writer and producers restricted to the same tried, true, and BORING stories that were fed to the masses starting almost 50 years ago. Now imagine if they were allowed to restrict technology, or commerce, or just about any facet of life to where it was 5 decades ago. I for one like and embrace the changes that have occurred both IRL and on our screens of all various shapes and sizes. Just as I am willing to give each new generation of Star Trek writers the benefit of the doubt, and the chance to not just copy and paste, but to stretch the limits of possibility and imagination, and take us on new adventures, and to new frontiers.
If that gets some purists canonical panties in a wedgie, well, so be it. But I for one am willing to suspend disbelief, buckle up, lower my shields and enjoy the ride.
As for the episode itself, several nice head fakes, when those familiar with TOS would be expecting certain things to occur but... gotcha!
Kudos to Sonequa Martin-Green for continuing to evolve her portrayal of Michael Burnham, and showing some emotions when appropriate. To the always delightful Mary Wiseman, who, as newly minted officer trainee Tilly is "incandescent" as ever and never fails to make me smile when she's on screen. Anthony Rapp's Staments, is of course going through the stages of grief, and, had me worried for a moment, but, it looks like something new is about to bring him out of his funk. Doug Jones Saru, was, well... Saru, and, believe me when I say, I mean that as a GOOD thing. Anson Mount pulled his weight as Captain Pike, doing a yeoman's job of restraint when stepping into such an iconic (if short lived) role. And the addition of Tig Notaro's deadpan wit and whip-smart timing (as well as her characters apparent next level engineering chops) might have her hanging out in the Montgomery Scott wing of the Discovery, we shall see.
Overall a really good season premier, and, from the looks of the upcoming clips, it's gonna be fun.
Looks like it comes from the SAME animation studio as Final Space, with many of the same character tropes. Not a "counter" to The Orville, but a look at the Trek universe and canon from the eyes of the usually expendable "Redshirts". In this universe, Starfleet Command staff don't always have "the RIGHT stuff, but instead are very, VERY LUCKY, always egotistically looking for ways to "make history" so they can get a mention in the official books, and are prone to take credit for the lower deck Geeks good ideas, and actions.
Lots of hat tips and mentions to TOS characters, creatures, and memes, as well as a pretty hilariously accurate depiction as to what would probably occur if you ACTUALLY tried to spar someone with a Bat'leth. A bit of intrigue is injected with the disclosure of Ensign Beckett Mariner's lineage, which looks like it might be interesting.
Didn't quite hit it out of the park the first episode, but, a fun and entertaining look at an alternate perspective of the Trek verse...
Natasha Lyonne (Orange is the New Black, American Pie) is trapped in a Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadooloop until she learns to swim, and catches the rhythm of the strokes..... COMPLETELY clichéd, but oddly watchable, if only for the creative ways she keeps managing to off herself, in spite of desperately trying not to.
Ironically, by ending it the way they did, they actually found a way to potentially revitalize the show and set up some new storylines. Maybe let it percolate for a bit and then do "specials" once a year or some such. In any case, I will simply say...,Sploosh!!! And that's all I have to say about that.
I'm going to go out on a limb and call this a "filler" episode, in that it was pretty much "a tale told by idiots, full of sound and fury, signifying NOTHING!" Bff's Picard and Riker turning on each other under pressure, Baby Momma Crusher and baby Daddy Picard both reminiscing and arguing over who zoomed who cuz she forgot her pill and the rubber must have had a hole in it.
Meanwhile Captain starchy pants gets a bump on the noggin and skins his knee, so, he turns over command in the midst of battle so he can go lick his wounds (and not get blamed for what misfortunes will soon befall them all) while Snidely "honey bunny" Vadic chair vouges, still smoking a blunt, which prolly explains her now offing a whole starship when before she just wanted Lil Crusher. Elsewhere, Worf, wearing his best Wednesday beheading outfit, fresh from offing a whole slew of baddies, including separating one obnoxious Ferengi from his noggin, cleans up his Bat'leth, then, does a bit of Pilates, and shows their prisoner his kinder gentler side, while Raffi plays dope-man until its revealed that all's not fair in love and goop.
Geez, the only person who stuck anywhere close to character was Seven, and she had to unconfine herself from quarters which means she's probably in MORE trouble once Captain Starchy Pants gets a band-aid on his boo boo, provided they indeed survive the present calamity.
OK, who else thought it was somehow Lore for half a second?
Rant over...., stay tuned.
Well, obviously the parents have never had a talk with their kids about "stranger danger", but then, in the case of Ethan and Victor, creeps of a feather flock together, even if, in a way, they are both innocently creepy. Daddy Jim is obviously alarmed that Victor may be grooming his son for some bad touching, but, in reality, he is, (and apparently always has been) trying to figure out what the hell is going on, even if he can't articulate it to the normies. As the OG resident number one of the newly christened "Monsterville", just how long was his only companion the day-walker ghost boy, and his dog who, I have a feeling are key to solving the mystery. Even as a kid Victor was "different", which, in the end, may have been the reason he survived, along with hiding in the storm(?) cellar. (why didn't anyone else hide?)
Teen girls gonna teen, but, I have a feeling Sara really HAS made a mistake, especially if no one at the colony house respects boundaries. That tossed off "we share EVERYTHING here" remark came off to me as ominous, even more so with Fatima and Boyd's son so eager to share sleeping quarters. The people in there have separated into tribes, the Colony House folks seeming like those who just want to isolate in a herd for some imagined protection from the monsters. The town folks seem to be the ones pulling most of the weight with Boyd and Kenny trying to hold it all together, Father Khatri playing Pontius Pilot, while dispersing platitudes and holy water. Jade is the wild card who will either figure it out, of be the next one to get mercked.
Hmmm, teleporting trees, and, now it appears that everyone there was ALSO teleported from different parts of the country after they came upon a downed tree in the road...., gotta mean something. But, who does the choosing, and WHY? Also, the space, according to Victor, is tightening like the proverbial noose that had a baby with the frogs in a pot of water sitting on the stove.
Better to have several graves and not need them, than to need several graves and not have them hey Victor?
WTF did I just WATCH? Offing a lead cast member to be "edgy" is so common place these days that it's become cliched and passé. But THIS? Strong move, indeed.... Pretty ballsy..... But you better deliver with the follow through though, or you just lost your audience.
OK I GET it. A "slow burn" show like this isn't everyone's cup o' tea. However, IMO, in the case of "Invasion", it worked well, in that it made you "feel" for the characters, (love OR hate them), while intercutting between stories, all the while avoiding hitting you over the head with monster jump scares, but still teasing you enough to keep you intrigued. A fine line to walk, and, they didn't always do it well. But all in all, a pretty good series, which, especially after the seemingly "easy, tied with a ribbon" NOT ending, and the "we ALL saw that coming" reveal at the NOT end, I am glad is getting a second chance "at bat".
Yes, some of the characters were predictable and annoying, and yet, the one person I wanted dead murked at the start, actually partially redeemed himself, and a couple of the others may, or may not have shed their mortal coils, at least on THIS plane. It will be interesting to see if they can take this beyond the "they came here for our resources" (or our brains) trope, and actually come up with something new(ish). Especially intriguing is the thought that Caspar (and his epileptic visions) could somehow partly be the CAUSE ("they came here for ME") as well as the effect of the arrival, especially with the astronauts Father making an appearance in his dream(?) after (brain) death(?). (Vdub Fringe's "digital back ups?") (but why was the father there?) Trevante Coles BEARD gets an honorable mention as an additional character, as well as Aneesha Malik for actually being a good Mom and not pitting her kids against the Dad by withholding a critical piece of information from them, even (or especially) after his possibly assuming room temperature. (no body, then, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps?)
Yeah, OK, maybe they spent too much time on these character development parts of the plot, but, as I stated earlier, they got me invested in the characters, for better or for worse, and, I look forward to seeing how the "rest of the story" plays out.
Come on son! Amy Pond, Sarah Connor, Spy Kids Mom, Tina Turner, and Emperor Georgiou, take on the menfolk ala "Shoot Em' Up, and "Smoking Aces" having a baybay. Not meant to be cerebral and over analyzed, but a manifest celebration of feminine badassery. Yes the bad guys were inept, as the only casualty on the female side was clearly the result of a lucky shot, (and a surprising lack of body armor in an otherwise awesomely stocked armory), But, then, even Bruce Lee's opponents surrounded him in a circle and came at him one at a time. Honorable, yes, but madly inefficient.
In any case, this was a fun, entertaining watch, and, Chloe Coleman is a delight as "8 and 3/4" year old Emily, the flashpoint of all this chaos and conflict. Nothing that hasn't been done before, but, still, a nice take on the genre. They could possibly get a sequel out of it if they really wanted to, and, I'd be down for that one also.
@Callum - To paraphrase Dr. Raymond Stantz, "...You never studied"..., Those who are comparing "Gunpowder Milkshake" to the "John Wick" trilogy aren't saying it's a shot for shot comparison, or even a stylistic doppelganger, but, they ARE similar in world building, in that BOTH movies feature an underworld organization, with a hierarchy, rules, and regulations, which if violated, will earn one a visit from one (or in this case several dozen) highly trained, variously skilled, assassins, who will "balance the ledger" with your blood, bowels, and/or a bullet to the dome. What GM did that JW didn't, is to juxtapose the Peckinpah-esque (that's slo-mo, for those in Rio Linda) carnage and bloodletting, with a wry bit of levity, and to break up the somber situations with comedic beats on occasion.
Thus you have bits like the "Rag Doll" sequence, which was IMO hilariously done, yet JUST plausible enough that it could work. (no, stainless steel medical trays won't stop bullets any better than a car door, but that hasn't stopped countless hero's from hiding behind them in EVERY gun driven movie, EVER) But it was FUN, as was the Bowling Alley sequence, or the laundry room escape. In fact, if you look at most of the positive comments, they include the word "FUN".
You see, with what at times feels like the majority of the world being "woke", seemingly pissed off at anyone and everyone not affiliated with their particular "tribe", or insisting that YOU should be equally pissed off, socially stagnated, and intolerant, not to mention the unchecked romper stompering by feral humanoids that has infected cities nationwide like the T-Virus on steroids, sometimes, the remedy (at least for me) is a couple of hours of diversion in the form of some cinematic FUN. There of course is always a place for the cerebral and analytical, but that's not what this movie was going for. With age comes wisdom, and I have wisely learned that just because something does not fit my particular tastes or expectations, doesn't necessarily make it "bad", just not for me.
Watching a movie for the soundtrack is like going to see "Cats" because you're a veterinarian... Just sayin....
Chock-a-block with old school mega stars, and a virtual who's who of in front of camera talent, the oh so very horribly titled "Boss Level" (a hat tip to the 8 bit video games of yore?) is a surprisingly entertaining take on the "time loop" tropes of "Ground Hog Day", "Edge of Tomorrow", "Source Code", and so forth.
I came across this unsung little gem purely by chance on a streaming site, and, was going to give it a pass, but upon looking at the all star cast, mostly in smaller roles, I became intrigued as to why they would "stoop so low" as to grace this film with their presence. Now we all well realize that Mel Gibson, as great of an actor as he is, has had more than his share of career ending faux pas, misspeaks, and errors of judgement, so, his appearance isn't that surprising, although, thankfully, he hasn't yet fallen to Bruce Willis' levels of derision and animosity among his fellow thespians. But Michelle Yeoh, Naomi Watts, Ken Jeong, and Will Sasso? If this were a "directed by Martin Scorsese" joint, or a Sci-Fi "Heavens Gate", I could get why folks would jump at the chance, but Joe Carnahan is better known for such "shoot em ups" as "Smokin Aces" "The "A" Team" and "The Grey" Movies.
The thing is, with a better title and a slightly altered cast, I really think this would be a bankable actioner rather than a Hulu "straight to streaming throw-away. Frank Grillo does a fine job as the reluctant protagonist, but, I could also see Jason Statham wheel kicking his way though this one. Swap out Selina Lo with Lisa Liu as Guan Yin, ("...who has done this"...) and things start to get interesting. In fact, if you squint just right, you can almost see the main tier stars the entire hit squad was substituting for. (Queen Latifa, Michelle Rodriquez, Peter Dinklage, to name a few)
Yet, it still WORKS, and also manages to bring a bit of freshness to a well worn genre. Plenty of humor as well as great action and practical stunts throughout. Also, the ending wasn't wrapped up with a bow, and even there, they aurally "paid homage" to the ending of "Inception", leaving the viewer to ponder what happened. I liked it, and I can whole heartedly give it a positive recommendation.
Major F up by the detective and ops running the raid. To protect the informant, you just zip tie her up like everyone else transport them all together and separate her out like a regular interrogation. The way they did it, they should have just stenciled "SNITCH - Kill me first!" on her forehead.
@Vassilis - All narcissistic demagogic psychos from Jim Jones, to David Koresh, to the Heavens Gate Cult think that what their doing is justified because only "THEY" are in possession of the secret / sacred knowledge that will save humankind. They are blinded by their own ego and hubris, and, those who follow such deluded people are made to feel "privileged" and special because they are in possession of knowledge the peons don't have, thus, the peons become expendable as collateral damage when "the revolution" comes, whether the end comes at the point of a gun, the hangman's rope, the killing fields, or intergalactic aliens scheduled to arrive eons after they have become dust. "If ONE of us survives..., ALL of us survive". ....SO SAY WE ALL!
They're Baaaaaack! Chookity-pah!!!!!!!
Why are you reading this if you haven't seen the episode? Get outta here ya nut!!!!
Ahhh yes, .. nothing like a bit of primo Valdez Rocks Snakeroot Kush, chased with an outstanding Picard 80's Merlot to get the juices, ...and the episode, going. Well, now we understand why Raffi is so pissed at "J.L.", but, I suspect it is not so much at her loss of stature and livelihood, as it was how quickly and thoroughly he seemingly abandoned her after shooting himself in both feet by playing the usually reliable Picard "my way or I'll take my ball and go home" card. Must have been rather shocking to finally get the "don't let the turbo lift door hit you in the azz on the way out" reply, so unexpectedly. In his own way, he was drowning his sorrows just as she was, but, he was MAKING the wine rather than self medicating with it.
So then, were Daj and Soji yin and yang like Data and Lore? And a more troubling query would seem to be, is Momma Asher now on the wrong side of the Terra Firma, simply ignorant of recent events, a holographic projection, or a clone of Dr Funkenstein? Inquiring minds want to know. And just what is that voodoo that Ramdah doo's so well?
OK, we already know that dermal regenerators can fix up an injury better than Dr's Nassif and Dubrow in our timeline. So why then do Hugh and the other reclaimed former drones still have facial scarring. Is it a badge of honor, like a dueling scar, or, a warning, to others like a scarlet "B"?
Here's a suggestion for the Romulan hit squads. On future assignments, forget beaming in with an entire crew, going CQB and H2H, only to miss the target, get murked by inferior numbers, but superier skills, and then assisting them in building their arsenal. (as if J.L. and Co needed any help in that department it seems) Next time just beam in a solitary suicide mercenary and have him activate the green "screw you juice" and eliminate both the target and the evidence. Just sayin!
Damn! Commodore Oh went all in with a full house and ran head on into a four of a kind monkey stomp! Guess the "cat's outa' the bag" now.
I though that Dr Jurati might be "compromised" at first, then not, then.... could it all have been a set up? Back burner for now, after her intro to Raffi. Her enthusiasm felt too genuine.
Picard giving Christobal respect by not taking the big chair, and him giving Picard props by waiting for his signature command,...., then Raffi's nonplussed reaction. Priceless!
Great episode overall.....
This episode is dedicated to everyone whose "Sucky Mom (or Dad) game is strong"..... Expect the worst, but, never give up hope.... Sometimes, people can surprise us and do something completely beyond our expectations. But, if all else fails, it helps to have a "pimp hand" like Fox.
Well, we all knew there could "be only one", so, if you've gotta go out...., go out like a BOSS, saving your friends and the Universe. "Always meant to be together...., but, never meant to be".... Damn allergies..., sniffle...
Bolo "Ash" Killum..... TitanMaster! ... Gonna Kill em all, gonna kill em ALL!!!!! ( Yes, we HEARD him Jeremy....)
Next season cannot get here soon enough..... Chookitty Pah!
A tale as old as time...., Girl meets Boy, Girl loses boy, Girl goes all timey wimey wibbly wobbly and tracks Boy through multiple dimensions and timelines only to STILL lose him every time. Girl finally finds Boy, but, he's not HER Boy, and She's not HIS Girl. Girl vainly tries to recreate HER Boy, but endangers NOT her Boy and her entire crew. Girl and Boy hopefully finally realize, if you can't be, with the one you love, baby, love the one you're with... OH yeah, and a bunch of deranged KVN clones wanted to eat Clarence's liver and spleen, with fava beans and a glass of Chianti, if they actually ate food.
Living under a political system where one must apologize for daring to tell the truth, (even if it saves millions of lives), under the pressure of censure, exile, ostracism, or even death, to the end that lying, or pointing fingers and looking for someone to blame, is more desirable than facing the truth had to have been maddening. (Oh, wait, we ARE talking about the Former Soviet Union, right? Such socio-political nonsense and shenanigans could NEVER happen here......)
Legasov did not know how, or even care, to play the political game and follow the party line and narrative. His only concern was telling the truth and fixing the problem. Shcherbina, was a political hack, but, once he found himself (under party orders) in the line of neutron fire, the TRUTH of the potential annihilation of most of the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, crystallized his mission, and, thankfully, he too became focused on solving the problem. at whatever cost.
As his brilliant speech in the chapel said ",I SPIT on the people who caused this to happen, (and thought they could cover it up by denying it possibly could), but, you will do it.....because it MUST be done! Fortunately, three VERY brave men were up to the task, just as brave men have faced death at the hands of seemingly insurmountable odds, time and time again throughout history. Most of us will probably never face a potentially suicidal task with the lives of other hanging on our ability to complete it, but, I tip my hat to those who have made those choices in the past, and, if my turn ever comes, I hope I can show the same fortitude as they did.
Indeed, that last scene was claustrophobic at best, and just plain terrifying, once the radiation killed their torches, leaving them in pitch black darkness.
The world thinks it knows what happened...., We have the official explanation...., Perhaps now we can find out why. Arrogance, denial, and delusional ideals are a dangerous, and in this case, fatal, cocktail. This of course is a dramatization, but, it is one based on the actual events and recollections of those who survived, many of who paid the ultimate price for speaking the truth.
Well, that certainly turned DARKER rather quickly. Vanya's new beau is at the least a next level stalker, possibly a serial killer, or, on a long shot, also "special" or, has knowledge of Vanya's suppressed (since childhood) abilities, which makes her either hella dangerous, thus the suppression, or part of Daddy dearest's diabolical experiment to see what happens if you take a "special" child, and tell them they aren't worth bothering about, until they lose any and all confidence in themselves. I REALLY hope she's dangerous, cuz, otherwise, Papa needed killin' real good.
Diego has got guilt transference down really good. Kills his own "Mom" and makes Luther feel bad about wanting to shut her down. Abandons the family and turns it to "well, why did you stay, the problem is YOU". Douche. Even when his Detective Ex girlfriend / booty call FINALLY does what he's been egging her on all along to do, breaks protocol, and pays the price, he transfers the blame to HER, asking "Why didn't you wait for me? I was coming?" Dude has MAJOR issues.
What if Vanya IS the cause of the end??? Just sayin'.
Yes, Sheehan has basically been doing a glammed up Nathan, but then he always plays some version of that character since Misfits IMO.
Unless my vehicle had a NASCAR sponsorship, my WTF moment would have occurred RIGHT after the second lap. That having been said, it's kind of f'd up that they toy with newcomers for awhile and then frag their vehicles, rather than at least TRYING to esplain' things before letting them run around a vehicle sized (figurative) "hamster wheel" and then springing their new circumstances on them. Like the one (apparent kin of Annie Wilkes) woman said, "It's cruel". Perhaps though, she has taken upon herself to spare folks the misery she has endured, or, she is connected to whatever the phenomenon is. In any case, it's Harold Perrineau, whom I've been a fan of since "Oz", and aside from a few stray grays, once again proves that "Black don't crack".
Looking forward to seeing where this goes.
I rated this a weaker episode due to the rampant idiocy leaking from the ears of many of the characters, and the abrupt changes in their base traits, as well as the forced yet flippant feeling introduction of "alternative" sexuality for seemingly no reason, other than just to do so.
Important safety tip: "I PROMISE" is NOT a valid reason to place all of your fellow housemates in imminent peril of assuming permanent room temperature, because you started thinking with the wrong head, when surrounded by monsters. If you INSIST on thinking with your nether regions tiny brain, take your silly azz away from the group, and THEN attempt satisfy your carnal longings, so you can shed your mortal coil without fracking up the flim flam for everyone else.
Mom and Pop Matthews playing Sherlock, without taking pause of the fact that, if the power is indeed coming from some unknown supernatural source, that, they are digging straight down into it. What happens if and when they succeed in finding it IMO does not bode well. But, then I guess it beats sitting around twiddling their thumbs, after they get busy.
You'd think after being trapped in a house with a finite number of folks for weeks, months, and years, that you would pretty much INSTANTLY know if someone was out of place, and would put the "Stranger Danger" protocols in play, rather than continuing to investigate, and then immediately succumbing to fear activated muteness, while the baddies play "veg-o-matic" with your squishy bits.
Better to have a gun and not need it rather than need a gun and not have it. If not a gun then a katana, some other rudimentary sword, knife, or even a sharpened stick or a rock. But I would damn sure have SOMETHING on me, ESPECIALLY at night, if not at all times. But nah, let's just huddle in a group, smoke weed, and get drunk when "there be dragons afoot". Sheesh!!
Father Khatri buries the lead and almost gets his cap peeled, then finagles his way onto Boyd's mission quest, as well as the proposition of dragging a cray cray killer in tow. Yeah, sounds like a plan......, for disaster.
Victor is not as dumb as he seems, and, it appears, he has been though this all before, if not several times.
The first order of business is to correct the Episode description, which SHOULD read, "12 year-old classmates Kima and Lil find themselves at odds with each other on a day that will change their lives forever.". (You had ONE JOB Lilith!!! LOL)
That correction having been made, I must say that, even WITHOUT performing the double duty of giving us a teaser of the back story for the upcoming eponymous series debuting on 01/23/2020, which, those who have been hotly anticipating it instantly recognized, especially with the (spelling it out for you) last shot of the "emergency broadcast" display they were staring at....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=FySrgrKJguE&feature=emb_logo
....this, IMO, was one of the better, if not the BEST "Short Trek" episodes this series.
Thought provoking, especially with (as LHG noted) its eschewing of verbosity in favor of letting the viewer glean the story simply from the visuals. Doubly, given recent events between differing cultures IRL here on our own little rock, I was struck by the prescience of this trek in dramatizing how one individual, acting out against another, can result in a "tit for tat" retaliation until someone steps in, or something traumatic occurs, hopefully, to make both realize the error of the path they have chosen. May we only be so fortunate in our own age.
Maybe, just maybe, instead of SPREADING and INFECTING others with with what is actually our own discontent, anger and hate, we can take a step back and decide that if we too "can be heroes, just for one day", then, possibly, that cycle can be broken in OUR time, and not just in a Utopian vision of the future
A STERLING end to a stellar season, as the eponymous Archer finally finds his way back to to life, back to reality, much to the surprise and relief of his number one fan and supporter, his Mother, Malory. Knowing this episode, and as a matter of fact, this entire season was penned BEFORE they knew for certain they were being renewed for an 11th, but hopefully not final season, one has to wonder if the "Archers greatest hits" super cuts homage toward the end of the episode, which quick cut scenes from his "real" life, interspersed with the internalized fantasy dream life he has lived, the past three years, was possibly meant as a fitting, so long..., and thanks for all the fish" series finale, in case they weren't.
That the said super cut was backed by Queen Sarah Saturdays bop, "Robert De Niro", a possible allusion to same said actors turn as coma patient Leonard Lowe in "Awakenings", we then realized what the episodes title was referring to, that is Sterling's own awakening. And how fitting it was that he would awaken, not to see Lana and his daughter, or, the rest of the former ISIS, cum (phrasing) CIA staff, but the woman who, in spite of her (we now realize) feigned disappointment and hostility, is first and foremost, a Mother, who despite his best efforts, deep down clearly loves her son....., perhaps, as Archers visible discomfort showed, .....in a really creepily oedipal way. And trust me, it wasn't just the phrasing.
So, what will the future hold?, Well for the past nine seasons Adam Reed wrote all of the episodes. This season he only solo wrote three, turning over most of the work to others. Next season, which he has stated would be HIS if not Archer's last, he is slated to write only one, so, if the writing team can deliver the goods one more time, to decent ratings, perhaps Sterling Archer won't end up older, hobbled, weakened, and frail, as his character most certainly will be after being bed ridden for three years. Maybe he will really prove to be, as he fantasized in the super cut, a "Highlander"...., Sterling MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod, that is, Immortal.
@Leon Feng - Well, it kind of WAS a personal vendetta, not against ONE individual, but the ENTIRE party, even the WORLD as she had experienced it up to that time. When the girl who had killed her father showed no remorse or repentance for her evil act, instead bemoaning her fate and the loss of her arm, it pretty much confirmed her already fomenting opinion that her world was irredeemable. Thus, even after receiving the interstellar warning NOT to reply or answer because "they" would come and destroy civilization as she knew it, she replies with outstretched arms, telling the unidentified being that she will help them. Perhaps psychologically self immolating, but, also taking the rest of HER society with her, as she has no hope or care for the rest of humanity, due to her own unresolved trauma. Kind of like the modern application of ""Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius.", more commonly translated as "Kill em' all, Let God sort them out!".
