They fought the ghosts, then made a deal with them, and then were teaching them Rollies in the ship, all in the same day. And people around me still question why I watch CR - what else could one possibly want, lol.
Whether you're still happy with the Marvel Cinematic Universe or not, most fans can agree that things are in a tough spot right now. A large amount of discourse around newly released movies and TV shows tends to either be about superhero fatigue or the multipronged direction the MCU is taking (in comparison to early stages of the MCU where the buildup to things made much more sense). It's complicated timing for anything to be released, let alone a miniseries like Echo, expected not to be as connected to everything else.
There was a lot that could have gone right with Echo. It's the first release under the "Marvel Spotlight" banner — for more grounded and self-contained stories focusing on certain characters — and one that could've been a return to form, sort of dipping its toes on Daredevil territory again before the Daredevil: Born Again series comes along, while introducing a cool character with her own backstory. It's also shorter than other series and released all at once, getting closer to a movie treatment than previous MCU shows (which I think would have benefitted some of those shows quite a bit).
Unfortunately, it's in its storytelling where Echo fails to measure up to the other shows. The show tries to juggle too many things all at once; because of that, it has a very strange, quick pacing full of exposition, which I'd say doesn't help get viewers invested in the lives of these characters as much as it could have. The first episode alone wastes a lot of time by showing us scenes we've already seen and tries to hype up the show and its connections to key characters, but from there onwards, the story languishes in a largely pointless conflict with Fisk and his men, who are way too cartoonish.
Vincent D'Onofrio as Fisk is easily the best the series has to offer, and a big part of what makes this worth watching, especially if you're a fan of the Netflix original Daredevil series. That he is still involved — knowing about his appreciation for the Daredevil series and the character — and still owning the screen as this character does raise the level of the show. If Maya had been a more compelling character, between her and Fisk I would have been happier with the show; however, as much as I like her as a crime-fighting hero and think she fits this corner of the MCU well, outside of those activities, the character is angry and frowning 90% of the time. I get that she has a tragic backstory and has been dealing with loss and betrayal, but there are personality facets missing that don't help me connect with the character.
There were things I enjoyed about the show, such as the ancestral flashbacks; I didn't love how convenient Maya's powers were when needed the most, but the access to them via ancestral memories was interesting to see. The small town as the main location was fine as opposed to New York once again (we get just enough of New York, so there's a nice contrast between locations). I also really enjoyed the use of ASL on scenes by focusing on it entirely without attempting to draw you away like so many shows and movies tend to do. I was unsure what to make of Fisk having the eye tech to bypass learning it, but saw a comment online suggesting "if he truly cared about Maya, he would've made the effort to learn," which is a very interesting take.
In general, definitely not the worst MCU TV show, but also not the best. It stands in the middle for me, benefiting a lot from the fact that it's a miniseries, but it's possible that it would've made more sense as just a movie. As a nostalgic fan of the Netflix show days, I find it a little sad that a show bringing back Wilson Fisk and even a brief Daredevil fight ends up being not as memorable as it could have, but at least those things happened. The fact that Fisk stands out so much makes me very curious about what a "Wilson Fisk series" would be like, especially given Vincent D'Onofrio's vocal love for the character and continued involvement.
As has been the case of late, a bit bummed with the MCU, but still cautiously optimistic.
Had the absolute pleasure of being at this live show, and I still can't believe it actually happened - it was incredible! Wonderful show.
I'm only vaguely familiar with the game, but decided to give this a try just out of curiosity to see how they would go about adapting this. The first episode was very promising, I thought there was a great balance of action and story - really loved the first scene - but after watching the next two episodes, I don't think I will be sticking with it.
It's not the worst game adaptation, they managed to make something that at least has enough story and the characters have their moments (loved Sweet Tooth's voice), but the type of comedy the show is going for is just not for me. It's way too flat, in situations that ultimately aren't very interesting (all the interaction with Sweet Tooth in episode 2 felt like a waste of time, same as the torture in episode 3). It just feels like they're going to run into obstacle after obstacle that will amount to nothing in the end.
If you want a bit of mindless fun and don't mind silly comedy, you may enjoy it. Otherwise, there's nothing super interesting or unique about this.
The Witcher has become a tricky show to get into or talk about without getting into a rabbit hole of controversy. With the announcement about Henry Cavill leaving, and after the reception to last year's spin-off being what it was... my expectations of this continuing and not being cut short by Netflix are pretty low. I feel like it's going to be extremely difficult for the producers to navigate the change of main performer without taking a hit. Even if Liam Hemsworth does a good job, Cavill has been way too iconic, and knowing about his love and dedication for the character makes it hard to accept anyone else continuing from where he left off.
It's almost impossible to avoid those things bleeding into the experience of watching the episodes, as you keep wondering if they decided on X or Y for any particular reason given what was going on behind the scenes. But trying my best to leave all that aside and focusing on the season as it was, I truly enjoyed it and think that they took a lot of steps in the right direction.
As a book reader and game player, I had some of the similar issues a lot of fans were voicing negatively about Season 2. I wouldn't go as far as to say I didn't enjoy it, but there were times I felt unable to immerse myself with what was happening on screen. Although I'm super open to changes in adaptations (lots of times I even prefer it), I took issue with character changes, such as Yennefer's betrayal towards the end, and certain parts of the Blood of Elves book being omitted for no apparent reason other than probably pacing.
To me, Season 3 did a wonderful job of fixing most of the concerns I had while paving the way for a story that more closely follows the storyline from the books. It starts off with some missing elements from Blood of Elves (the visit to Shaerrawedd, Yennefer training Ciri and growing to love her as a mother), but then I'd say it does its most faithful book adaptation so far with Time of Contempt (from Gors Velen to all that happens in Aretuza, the desert, and Geralt's recovery). Ciri's shenanigans in Gors Velen were 100% as I imagined; the episodes around Aretuza were stunning, with the Conclave having a lot of moments that pretty much word for word recreated the book, not to mention the whole format of the episode, which is the exact same with the switching back and forth as Geralt and Yennefer piece things together; the trek through the desert, which I worried about as it's a long segment, made for a great episode; even the brief appearance of the Rats, which are not one of my favorite parts of the books, was exciting to see. There are things here and there that didn't quite happen, like the whole switcheroo with Stregobor, and I guess Stregobor being there at all - something I'm torn on as I quite like seeing Lars Mikkelsen, but the whole plot with that was a bit too easy to predict, and Vilgefortz's later reveal of what he did isn't the best writing.
There are big new things added once more. I think Geralt's adventures in finding the fake Ciri are an example of a welcome addition, as with that: 1. they manage to give Geralt a little more to do while Yen and Ciri are travelling (which the book can get away more as it switches perspectives fully and for larger periods of time); 2. they give us Geralt fighting the creepiest creature the show had so far (which you can argue isn't needed, but as a game fan as well, I enjoy an opportunity to see some Witchering happening and can't really complain); 3. they even give a chance for Geralt to hear about his mother and for us to get more backstory. There are certainly things that we can appreciate with some of these additions, which is why I think not everything needs to be dismissed or met with pitchforks instantly.
Of course, not everything new works out well. The relationship between Jaskier and Radovid is tough, as in my opinion it happens way too quickly for it to be believable - situations where the characters are saying "I see the real you" or similar when they've met only a couple of times just don't work out for me. I find it doubly frustrating as if this was done well, it could have served as a very interesting opportunity for us to get to spend more time with the king and on that side of the story ((in a Game of Thrones way) and could be great representation on screen, but the writing for it and the way it has that vibe of an "aside" to the rest of the story makes it hard to take seriously or get invested in. Other changes I wasn't super into would be some of the scenes with the elves; I don't dislike their involvement in the plot, but it seems a little too quick and superficial for the death of certain characters to have the impact the writers are going for, even if they do help with the story of characters like Cahir or Francesca.
Overall, the parts I wasn't as keen on didn't affect the whole season, and most of it was very well worth my time, with many decent storytelling decisions that trump the bad ones. I don't agree with all the negativity I see online; personally, I think there were some noticeable strides towards addressing fan criticism, but the situation with Henry Cavill has backed the creators of the show into a corner for sure. I absolutely loved Henry's work, am happy we at least got what we got with him. I remember way back when his casting was first announced, thinking it was some kind of joke as I didn't imagine him in a TV series - I will be watching his future projects for sure. As for Liam... I will try my best to stay open-minded, curious to see how that works out.
The mission to defeat the dragons was already great, but adding Raishan into the plans as someone that you can never truly trust is a stroke of genius on Matt's part. Everything is so much more unpredictable and exciting now - this might be one of my favorite story arcs in all that I've seen of CR.
The restaurant scene was great! They have some great ideas for scenes.
There are things in this that were an improvement over the first film, and others... not so much. Overall, I think I enjoyed it less.
The overall plot is basic and something we've seen a million times, but it's still more interesting than the first one - I'm into the simplicity of knowing the villain plan early and just seeing it unfold without too many twists and turns. The action, especially towards the end, is wayyyy over the top, but I can appreciate the bold choices they went with (such as the collision after jumping from the bikes). It feels like it's an anime movie far more than most anime adaptations, lol.
The whole romance with Nyah is what makes the film lose a lot of points with me. I'm not even that opposed to a basic romance plot, but I feel all those scenes were so cheesy and slow, I can't help but lose immersion into the story. Add to that the cartoonish villain with random misogynistic lines in the middle of dramatic moments, and the film just becomes extremely dated - which sucks, as I was actually fine with the effects and overall look of the movie.
I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. It's cheesy, the story is all over the place - betrayal after betrayal after betrayal - and some of the shots are... a choice (the bloody hands scene on the bridge were so weird, lol). However, all things considered, it's a fun time, and feels like a movie that knows not to take itself too seriously. Looking forward to watching the rest of them.
This is probably the best episode so far - definitely the first where I feel I now like all of the teachers - but it's impossible to root for Hank even with the flashback. I get the abandonment issues, but instead of someone who is suffering, he comes across as incredibly petty (calling the daughter, insisting on bringing up the topic, etc).
Paul's divorce story was a great scene.
Hugh Grant is a lot of fun as Greg and I always enjoy Aubrey Plaza, but other than that, there's nothing super remarkable about this. The story is quite bland; the jokes are too many and way too childish; and the action, while not bad, could've been slightly more impressive - which in my opinion might've elevated the movie more. As it stands, it's a very forgettable movie.
That was one hell of a fight. Strongjaw! Strongjaw! Strongjaw!
Loved every second of it. I tried to go in not building my expectations too much (since I absolutely adore the first movie). i was wondering what wrinkle Rian would throw on this type of story, and they did it again - for half of the movie, you don't even know the main question being asked. Definitely will be rewatching at some point.
I wasn't a huge fan of Jodie's run - even though I thought she was a wonderful Doctor and quickly made the role her own - but I'm very glad that she got a goodbye that was fun and filled with a lot of special moments, this was a very enjoyable episode. I told my friend - who I watched the episode with - that my only hope for the ending was that they did something worthy of her presence, and I'd 100% say that it was.
I think what I loved the most was how simple the references to prior Doctors/companions were. Usually I feel they have to come up with some sort of gimmick to explain in the plot why other Doctors are appearing and that in itself is part of the main plot - as we've seen with previous specials - but between that "consciousness plane" and then the AI, I was impressed and thought it was a smart and convenient way of giving us those surprises, especially allowing the Doctors interact with Tegan and Ace without it feeling convoluted in any way. (And by the way, Tegan and Ace were amazing!)
I also REALLY love the idea of the support group at the end. Usually endings are a lot more dramatic, but having the brief scenes of the group mixed with the beginning of the Doctor's regeneration was a fantastic idea in my opinion - again, very simple, but very special too.
If I had to nitpick, I'd say my least favorite thing about the entire episode was Ryan's conspicuous absence. Him not being there in any shape or form (not even some type of archive footage) felt like a disservice to the Doctor. Have we ever had a main companion not appear whatsoever? I haven't kept up with news, so don't know if there's a huge reason why he didn't appear - I'm chalking it up to something in the production of course. (But the writing could have been much better at accommodating that, it was one throwaway line.) Also, Dan leaving in the beginning and returning at the very end was a little weird also.
And finally... just a round of applause for Sacha Dhawan, he absolutely killed it as the Master - he might be my favorite Master after this episode. I just love being able to see how much fun an actor is having as a character, and you can 100% see that in everything he did. I'd love if Jodie and him returned at some point!
I love that the whole episode is basically this family deciding who's going to be the president... and their reality is so freaky, even Connor seems like an actual option haha.
Loved the talk between Tom and Kendall - Tom saying he's never seen Logan lose. The dialog in this series is solid gold.
Man, this time I thought I was keeping perfect track of everything and had some theories lined up, surely they couldn't pull the rug from under us again... most of what I thought ended up being just dead wrong, I'm a fool, can't believe it haha. They pulled the "different timelines" trick of Season 1 mixed with the "fidelity time jump" trick of Season 2, and I definitely need to watch this one again.
So basically, everything we've seen with Caleb and Maeve (including the past stuff shown in this episode) happened in the few years following Season 3, but then they "died". Hale then dominates the world, and over two decades later, I guess there's only a faction of humans that remain, including Caleb's daughter, and that's when Bernard begins doing his stuff / Dolores begins realizing things are strange. The twist makes a lot of sense... knowing this, I'm super excited to see what the show becomes now.
What I'm most curious about is finding out exactly what Hale is doing, because it seems like the hosts aren't really aware of what went down and just "live life" normally in the world - so rather than just being a "human vs hosts" situation, at least it looks like Hale is also playing god even among the hosts, plus, humans are being made into hosts, such as Caleb. I wonder why, and also wonder if William is still being kept alive.
The biggest question though... was Stubbs just sitting down waiting for 30 years for Bernard to be back? lol
This was everything I wanted after the previous episode. It's no surprise to see that Vince Gilligan directed it - there's a lot of the slow, "taking in the moment" shots that capitalize on everything that's happening, letting everything sink in while keeping the tension going. This one reminded me a lot of "Face Off" (Breaking Bad season 4's ending) with Gus slowly walking to the nursing home - Kim walking to the door it's the same type of situation where we're expecting something to go down, but it takes as long as it needs to to get us there.
Something great about this episode is I think it's a perfect showcase of how Gus is not only highly intelligent, but also has an extreme level of perception to the point that observing how someone speaks/what they say, or a very small detail (like the laundry fan) can make him figure out what's going on around him or notice when he's exposed, based on the context of whatever situations he's dealing with. It's a "Sherlock Holmes" type of awareness, and this isn't the first time we've seen this in BCS (we had his look when he noticed Nacho had a role in Hector's stroke, and a few others) but the episode does seem to lean on it more than any others. Probably my biggest nitpick with Breaking Bad was that I never understood why Gus figured out that his car was a risk in the hospital (when Walt tried to bomb it), but now I feel I can process better that he can tell he was lured there - I feel as if I understand the character a lot more.
By the same token, it seems he can anticipate and prepare for a lot of outcomes, so leaving the gun in the laundry - which I also didn't understand at first - is him probably him deducing Lalo is interested in the lab and being like, "there's a 5% chance he will find and enter this lab, and an even smaller chance that I will be with him when he does - but if that happens, there should be a gun here." But him being in the position of being held at gunpoint and actually taking shots shouldn't happen, as Mike points out, and only shows that his feelings about the Salamancas are his only weakness - we see it when he drops his glass earlier in the season, and of course, when it gets exploited by Walter later. (Funny enough, Mike demands to be present if Gus gets "a wild hair to play detective" - but can't be present in BB due to his injury. I 100% think if Mike was there, they would've caught and killed Walter.)
Also, Howard deserves a mention - I'm glad he got more of a proper "send off" here, with the cold open and Mike's respect of the body, even if what happened is still terrible and one of the most tragic things to come from the show. Mike's facial expressions alone made me think this was the show's attempt at showing reverence, in a way. I'm interpreting it as if he was remarking on Howard's innocence in his head, and like to imagine he set the car in the beach with the wallet and ring personally.
This show is not only an expansion/continuation of Breaking Bad, but also just a wonderful gift for any Breaking Bad fan. The way the entire production crew treats the material is something that I really think should be considered a "golden standard" by anyone else who's embarking on the journey of making a prequel spin-off (looking at you, Disney). Better Call Saul has constantly showed how you can make a prequel that adds to the story we know in the future, but doesn't really go for cheap tricks - by paying so much attention to detail and building a show that stands on its own legs, they manage to still create moments that are still 100% tense and have us on the edge of our seats even if we know the fate of multiple characters involved. Like, we know Jimmy will go on to be Saul Goodman and be more involved with crime - but here, we're wondering how he'll process what just happened and can't wait to see it next week - what other prequel has done that? Everything feels completely earned, and I love them for making it that way.
Loved it! Incredible editing and perfect casting for Kamala! Very impressed, if all episodes are of this caliber it might become my favorite Disney+ series so far.
Incredible season and finale... so much happened, it's hard to dissect everything. Barry uses 30 minutes much more effectively than most 2h movies, Bill Hader is a gifted storyteller and director.
Sally has gone from bad to worse, and is now sinking really deep, I'm really curious what's next for her journey. Hank finally gets to have some agency in what's going on around him and single-handedly escapes and rescues Cristobal.
Albert's confrontation with Barry ends up being about what Barry has wanted for three seasons: for someone to acknowledge he isn't evil and give him a second chance. Ironically, he gets caught because what he intended for Cousineau actually happens; he's a successful actor (who fools him outside the house) and a better man in the end. I'm extremely curious to find out what's next, presumably he joins Fuches in jail, but this show is completely unpredictable - I wouldn't put it past them for Barry to simply walk out after 1 min on some clerical error, lol.
Absolutely incredible, one of the most heartbreaking moments in the Breaking Bad universe. Never in a million years I'd have expected something like this - always thought Howard was the safest character.
Nacho's death was sort of easy to process since there was so much vindication and control about it, but this was the polar opposite - Howard gets ridiculed, only to then get offed basically for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
When Lalo looked at the cockroach, I instantly knew he'd look for Jimmy, just never expected it being so soon. Visual storytelling at its finest.
With this episode, I realized I also changed my perspective on Saul's future as Gene - where I used to feel sort of sorry for him after seeing how he thrives in his heyday, it more and more seems like where things were headed all along. Best character development on TV as always, and masterful storytellers all around.
Really enjoying this season so far. I actually always liked the fact that Mayans introduces different side plots to follow, even though they sometimes stray very far from the actual M.C. characters before circling back - I actually prefer that over all the worry about "the pipeline" they keep mentioning (reminds me of all the endless talk about "the guns" on SOA lol).
I do wish they'd spent more time focusing on the conflicts going on inside the club, it's clear that the event to come together became bullshit, yet Alvarez isn't really reacting that much to it other than just stopping immediate fights. Curious to see what happens with EZ's plan to go back to what appears to be a more democratic voting, I feel at this point the other guys will just laugh at that.
(People here on Trakt seem to either be watching a different show or not really know what they're watching, lol - complaining about biker gang charters existing in a show about... biker gangs.)
Loved every second of it, I wasn't expecting to have this much fun! Few directors are this good and handling an ensemble cast - everyone had their moment of glory. Loved Hugh Grant's character.
A really great movie that will have anyone feeling lots of feelings, especially anger and sadness. Very well written and with some truly spectacular acting by everyone really. Always had it on my watchlist because of Mads, but after this and Another Round, I will definitely be on the lookout for more Vinterberg films.
Like other people commented, there's really no one to blame - everyone collectively acted based on emotion. Lucas changed in Grethe's eyes the moment there was a hint something could've happened, and the man asking Klara questions certainly didn't help at all... but the kids were being kids, and the parents were being parents.
My only complaint is I kinda wish we'd seen more vindication, whoever killed the dog should've been thrown in jail, though I guess it's impossible to find out unless they confess since anyone could've done it. But also... the movie isn't really about the vindication part of what happened.
If they somehow end up finding a way to travel to Ruidus, that would be such a crazy direction for this campaign. I'm all for it haha (if it's an actual place that could be visited, perhaps there's a way to just teleport?)
Also, Evon is straight up the Dean Pelton of Exandria, haha.
I discovered Critical Role in Jan 2021, when the pandemic was hitting pretty terribly here in the UK - my mind was dealing with a lot between that, being in my final university year at the time, and some personal mental health stuff as well. Not the greatest time ever.
I can't recall exactly how it came to be in my orbit - but remember at some point I came across it and wanted to find out more. I was familiar with Ashley Johnson and Laura Bailey, and knew some of the other voice actors by name mostly, yet I didn't know anything about D&D and wasn't sure where/how to jump in. The first thing I ended up watching was their "Narrative Telephone" episode where Laura tells a story as Jester - I liked the character and the voice so much, I decided to try checking out the Mighty Nein campaign.
Now, a year and some months later... here we are, and what a ride it has been. Took forever to watch because it's a lot and I don't really watch the episodes in one sitting - I kinda got into the habit of taking in the story slowly - but following the Mighty Nein's adventures was a true gift in a very challenging year. Watching a group of people play a game didn't sound that exciting on paper, but very soon into the first episode I found it's pure theater - Matt Mercer's wonderful storytelling and world-building, along with the cast's chemistry and expertise in what made their characters tick, makes for such a complete experience. I laughed, got emotional, got excited, wanted to unravel the mysteries of Wildemount with them, and see as many places as I could.
I'm thankful for the cast, and this campaign, for introducing me to characters I will never forget. Caleb and Beau taught me to make most out of a dire, seemingly hopeless situation. Fjord, Yasha and Essek, that it's never too late walk a different path, and choose the one you belong to. Caduceus and Molly help me think about life and death, purpose and uncertainty. Veth and Jester... that there's never any situation where you can't put a little chaos out into the world, and a smile on your face.
Goodbye, Mighty Nein! Long may you all reign.
I've been rewatching most MCU movies and got to this one - It's weird going back to these movies after so long, and after the characters changed so much (Thor especially) but I'm surprised at how well this one holds up.
Watching Tom Hiddleston's performance is even more fascinating once you know what Loki is up to, you can definitely see him acting out the deceit, and the camera lingers on him a lot too. The humor also seems a bit less heavy handed than on later movies. My only complaint would be that the Warriors Three are completely expendable, but overall great performances and direction, lots of fun, glad I didn't skip it on rewatch :P
Probably not the worst finale possible considering the rest of this season, but I really don't get what they were going for.
The halloween costumes were too much haha. Also - what a twist!
