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The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel (2020)
Recap.
Some blood-boiling moments, but basically a recap of the last 5 years. You would think as a Canadian production this doc would be more in focus and have an actual point.
Falling for Angels (2017)
Haven't we gotten past this yet?
The episodes are well written and produced, but it's almost as if they were from 10 years ago when film-makers were striving to make gay people more mainstream. But then, the current culture in America has taken a few steps backwards. Regardless, this is "must-watch" material. I only hope that future episodes will expand beyond the Los Angeles area for a more global flavour.
The Bible (2013)
Writing, writing, writing . . .
I finally had a chance to watch "The Bible" and was amazed at the poorly-written, almost laughable script. While the cinematography, acting and SFX are professional and believable, the script IS NOT. If you were to take a Sunday school class of 8 to 12 year-olds and ask them to write a script for a series based on the Bible, this would be the result. I was amazed to read that the producers consulted "a wide range of pastors and academics." Really? Maybe the only way to tell such a beloved story is to be simplistic and shallow. But, since these stories have all been done many times before, I would have hoped for something a little more sophisticated. And whoever it was that said narration is the sign of a poorly-written script was absolutely right about this one.
Silicon Valley (2014)
Where's the laugh track?
I had heard so much about this show, so I checked it out and the result is a love-hate relationship. I'm not a fan of sit-coms, so that would be my main complaint. This IS a sit-com - every line is a "one-liner" which is usually followed by a laugh track. Thank goodness this is not an 'over-the-air' network offering, or the laugh track would definitely be there (think Big Bang Theory) Yuk. Instead, we have a "Bored To Death' - type show with great actors and writing, but not much substance. I would have preferred a little more dramatic feel with some more intelligent comedy as a buffer, but that's always a hard format to deal with in both the writing and delivery. What I like about the show is the subject matter - Silicon Valley, start-ups, programmer geeks, California, inexperienced entrepreneurs and over-night millionaires. This all makes for fun viewing, but it leaves me with a "did I really need to watch" kind of feeling. But hey . . . I'll continue to watch and see how it goes . . . it's not on my weekly "first watch" list . . . yet.
Star Trek: The Man Trap (1966)
One of the best episodes ever written
I'm not a writer and probably wouldn't know the difference between a great or not-so-great story, but as one of the many baby boomers who has seen every episode of Star Trek - The Original Series, I feel "The Man Trap" is one of the best written. There were so many little sub- scenes that were out of character with most of the episodes that followed. For example, when Yeoman Rand brings lunch to Mr. Sulu, or when Capt. Kirk is eating a snack while on the bridge conducting a search, or when Uhuru is trying to make small-talk with Mr. Spock while he's at the helm. This was all great for character development, but I really missed this type of "not part of the plot" interplay in the episodes that followed. Also, the message of the right to survive vs. extinction was nicely done. I've made it a point to check-out some of George Clayton Johnson's other work . . . his Twilight Zone episodes in particular.