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Reviews
For All Mankind: Crossing the Line (2023)
Wow that last line!
Excuse the vagueness I'm trying to keep this spoiler free as possible!
This season has had it's ups and downs trying to negotiate the aftermath of season 3, even seemed to loose its way at times with a few of the story lines getting turned on their heads. There is a certain character who upon arriving at Mars starts to set the record straight and proves their brilliant mind has not been idle. Their expert negotiation skills and ultimate aim for being up there are only revealed in the final few scenes of the episode.
However it's only when they visit Ed and we think the conversation is going to go one way, it turns a complete 180, like Mad Max busting a J in supercharged Interceptor. That final line and the look on Ed's face just sealed the insane direction this show is about to take.
I imagine if they ever did more prequel novellas for The Expanse this new story arc would have slotted in perfectly, it's one hell of a twist! Fingers crossed they pull it off!
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
What a fun ride!
For the budget they had they actually did a really good job. With the cost of Marvel movies now this is somewhat of a smallish budget film for what it brought. Pine and Rodriguez had great chemistry, and were a good counter position to one another (though I think we got the store brand / "We have McDonalds at home!" version of Chris Pratt as Edgin and Gina Carano as a truly mighty Holga, shame she is somewhat still blackballed at the moment, maybe she can be Holga's sister in a future movie!).
The choreography for the fight scenes was spot on and just perfect, nothing over the top when Rodriguez was using skill and leverage instead of outright might in the fights as a smaller warrior. The dialog was just campy enough to make things lighthearted but I didn't feel like I wasted a bit over two hours, I was definitely entertained! The CGI was good, the magic was great and scenery was okay, but they spent less than 200 USD on this movie so they invested the money in the areas that mattered and it shows, in a good way!
History of the World: Part II (2023)
Wow, this is what I have been waiting for!
It's Mel Brooks folks, he's going to ruffle some feathers! So skits do go a bit far but for the most part as an original Part I fan I was on the floor laughing for most of these skits. I really would have given it a 7 or 8, but seeing all these 1 ratings I had to give it a 10 for balance. It's brilliant and irrelevant just like Mel is famous for. Who cares if your kids can't watch this, my parents felt bad about me watching Part I almost 40 years ago, guess what, time change!
A few skits do go a bit far, but a few are also comic gold so it all balances out for me! Can't wait for the rest of the running jokes and stories to play out over the course of the season! I've waited 4 decades for this and the wait was worth it!
History of the World: Part II: I (2023)
'80s comedy gold!
If you grew up in the '80s and have a shred of appreciation for Mel Brook's comedy style you will love this, after all I have been waiting around 40 years for this and it doesn't disappoint! Just realize it's not a history class, nor is it for the politically touchy on either side of the fence, you know who you are!
This is a show that breaks the rules and will have you on the floor laughing if you have a sense of humor and don't take things too seriously (and are up on your history and pop culture, I know, really tough ask). I mean the Hitler glitterstache durring the Hitler on Ice, and the Jackrasp skit had me in stitches on the floor, complete with J. Knoxville and Jason Acuña (aka Wee Man)! Definitely took comedy to the next level with this one, and I'm sure making up for lost time!
It was hard to say a single skit took a wrong step on this one, from the Romonov twitter skit to U. S. Grant just trying to catch a buzz by going on a "secret mission" to West Virginia thanks to Lincoln, it was all just brilliant!
History of the World: Part II: II (2023)
Exactly what I would expect from HotW Pt. 2 in 2023
What's with all the long faces?! I was dying though the whole episode and I love the whole running jokes/stories from episode 1, it will make for a very interesting season! This is pretty much what I would expect from a Mel Brooks' show circa 2023, plus I love how they made it a show and not a movie, and then made fun of themselves for it in one of the episodes!
This definitely isn't something you can have the kids watch, but with all the old '70s, '80s, and '90s stylistic references they wouldn't get it anyway. This is definitely for someone who is older and halfway decent with their current pop cultural references. I can't wait for future episodes, after all my neighbors probably though The Joker moved next door after seeing these first two!
Star Wars: The Bad Batch: Tribe (2023)
A punch to the feels
Just like The Solitary Clone I got some real Episode V and RO/Andor type vibes. The episode definitely felt longer than it ran (in a good way) and it was great to be introduced to a reprized character that fans actually care about again. It also added another layer to the disenfranchised droids which was very interesting if not a bit disturbing.
I was never a fan of Endor or the mini wookies so it's great to see where they end up with this episode and expanding the lore of the location. It definitely opens the door for more creativity at this location in future Star Wars shows. Not to mention once there the interactions between the characters, the fights, the new characters and the hateful yet calculating Empire from Episode V were well thought out and executed.
Andor proved we can have a Star Wars show with a minimum of filler episodes. If they want to add depth to the characters spread the filler out with short scenes and conversations over the season instead of lumping it in single episodes, especially since we only get one episode a week. Hopefully we get more episodes like Tribe and The Solitary Clone from here on out!
Meltdown: Three Mile Island (2022)
Better title would be "Public reactions and feelings"
If you are looking for great fact based storytelling like the Chernobyl series then look elsewhere. While Chernobyl focused on the facts and science, Three Mile Island focuses on fear based storytelling to bump up ratings. What they failed to focus on was that the containment system did its job and almost no radioactive contamination was leaked. A large coal power station spews more radioactive particles and heavy metals into the air each day than all that was released into the environment from TMI. And no there was not any danger of a nuclear explosion, the science behind a reactor and bomb are completely different.
I watched to the end to see if they would talk about all the reforms and technological advancements made in the nuclear industry after this eye opening event, instead it was just more repetition about people's feelings from not understanding the science and someone who is obviously sour on the industry after being fired. It is biased subjective pieces like this which are preventing us from perfecting this power source and keeping us on coal and natural gas.
Exosquad (1993)
Incredible forgotten gem from my childhood!
I had the benefit of rewatching this show after finding some DVDs for season 1 and 2. It's everything I remember it being, just great storytelling and was far ahead of it's time. If there was ever a series that deserved a refresh it is this series. Though they would probably mess it up so just watch the original and take the at times campy action and animation with a grain of salt and concentrate on the story! I'm still a huge fan of the jumptroops, those soldiers were just awesome!
It's just refreshing to reminisce on a series that was as well thought out and voice acted as this, even though it was an early '90s "kids" show.
Outside the Wire (2021)
This is a high B rated action movie
Not a great movie by any means but it's better than the extremely negative like / dislike reviews make it out to be. The twists can be seen from a mile away but the mentality of the antagonist at the end is an interesting twist on the typical doomsday AI scenario. In all I felt as though there was just too much crammed into two hours and didn't allow for proper character development and relied on too many cliches to carry the story. This story would have been better told in a two season mini series. I do agree that the mechs and the tech behind them should have had more screen time!
Cursed (2020)
Starts slow but ramps up well
Just one of those shows where people love it or hate it for some reason. I admit the first few episodes were pretty meh, and the cg effects weren't exactly big budget but by the time the last episode rolled around I'm really wanting to watch season 2, I didn't expect the story to creep up on me the way it did. As a whole I would have given the series a 6 or 7, but I'm choosing to forgive the first few episodes and give it a slightly higher score to help bolster it in light of all the undeserved one star reviews which are very much hurting the show's rating here.
All in all the actors did a good job, the story eventually found it's footing and Skarsgård brought just enough Flóki to Merlin so the role wasn't another "Gandolf" like in so many other Arthurian renditions. All in all, if you have an open mind and can get through the first few growing pains episodes you will be rewarded with a refreshingly unique telling of an Arthurian tale. I also really thought the Pym side story was a good relief from the drama of the main story, the actor was really good with bringing out her character's sardonic comic relief!