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Reviews
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)
Disappointed Season 2
Season 2 has been a great disappointment. It is unfocused and some episodes ridiculous like "Subspace Rhapsody" where everyone is singing, and "Those Old Scientists" where cartoon series Lower Decks characters and Strange New Worlds meet in real life. Are the show runners already running out of ideas. I had such hope for this series would be different from Discovery and season 1 had a good start. What happened? The best episode from this season is "Ad Astra per Aspera" and "Among the Lotus Eaters" are decent writing, but the rest seem uninspired. I hope if there is another season that the writing will improve to the style of the original and characters will start to consistent the originals. Spock is too emotional, and unconfident for which Vulcans are the opposite. It's bad enough the actor who plays Spock doesn't look or act like Leonard Nimoy.
Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration (2022)
Not that bad really...
It was fun and enjoyable production. It celebrated and honored the animated movie that has become a Disney classic. The animators, producers, directors, song writers and Walt Disney himself were highlighted as they should for making a heart felt movie. The music most of all is what pulled this movie together and was well sung and well staged in this live stage version. I never felt it was overproduced because it's a fairy tale and how do you not. The costumes were beautiful as well as the sets. This 30th anniversary special was well put together, and it held me to the end. For the most part, the casting was pretty good especially Josh Groban, H. E. R., Martin Short, David Alan Grier, and Joshua Henry. I wasn't so crazy about Shania Twain playing Mrs. Potts. Shania seemed way out of her element and really didn't have the right voice to cover the part. I could think of a hand full of well known singers who could. So why didn't they. Also I felt the guitar solo at the end by H. E. R. Was so inappropriate, it ruined what could of been the ending of a great duet with H. E. R. And Groban. My complaints are kind of picky, but they did take away from the better performances. Overall, I still think it was fun and enjoyable to watch.
Eternals (2021)
Too much to take on...
My review of this film takes it back to the idea of these complicated characters. Why do the characters do what they do for what reason? They are there programmed to do a job, then hang around for thousands of years waiting for more deviants to show up. Then they do, and they get back together after having relationships and so forth in and then they are confused on their programming to do their job. Most of them love Earth and one or two don't care. Why? Then this new Celestial is to be born and then they (most) of them stop it before it blows the Earth up. It didn't make sense. Special effects were done well as the acting. They threw in some big well know actors and there you have a movie. Didn't anybody backup and see how the script just did not relate to anyone. Then the introduction of new MCU characters at the end didn't help matters. Now that the movie has been out for a while this movie has put Marvel in a pickle. How to tie all these characters into other MCU franchises that are in the Disney plus collective. Or not? I like to think there was a plan, like the Avengers: Infinity Wars and Endgame to have all the new characters somehow. But I am getting away from the review of this movie. I really had a hard time to care about these characters and although they had some fun personalities, there interaction was flat. I suspect mostly because they had little time in this massive movie to develop the characters and feed all the action in between. It just didn't keep my attention due to the constant moving on to the next scene and character. You never get the chance to breathe with the character's emotions and why? There should be moments of reflection and moments of intensity in action that holds your attention that you want to care. But doesn't give you a chance for the suspense and release. I felt the story was just pushed through to get it in. It would of made more sense to make this story an 8 episode series on Disney plus. So although I felt the story didn't work and there were too many characters introduced in this movie, I did like the music, the special effects, the acting, and the scope of the movie to give it 5 stars.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
I really enjoyed the series...
I've been watching Star Wars movies since I was kid back in '77 and I felt this series really held up. This is a series not a movie, so I don't why some fan boys were so critical of the time spent learning about other characters. It's important we understand the character's motivation of why they are there. It's easy to be Nit-picky about about how characters would react to every situation, and felt the those characters were consistent.
I also felt there were some insights into Kenobi's life before the Jedi and why Lea well knew who Ben Kenobi was later in the Episode IV. The Darth Vader vs Kenobi duel was pretty good, especially in part 6. I would of liked the duel to be a ramped up little more, but it work well.
I think if you haven't seen the series yet, enjoy it for what is, not for what you want it to be.
IMDbrief: The Future of Star Wars (2020)
I like what's cooking, but they are missing some obvious potential shows and movies.
Although the many spin offs sound interesting, but there are many obvious TV shows and movies that could be made. One of which is the Timothy Zahn series of books That followed Luke Skywalker after Episode 6. Either movies or tv series. Another tv series is a Han Solo. Although, the movie Solo didn't do well, the Han Solo and Chewbacca story is still of many interests to many fans. Another series could be about the origins of the Sith. Even earlier years Palpatine as series.
I think their missing some obvious fan interests. There are plans for series that I doubt will do well like, Andor and Acolyie. They certainly ambitious with many shows that may fall to over doing on fans enthusiasm. Star Wars may get burned out, before any new movies to be made. I would hate that to happen.
A Quiet Place (2018)
Tries to be the another version of the movie "Signs"
This movie has basic over tones of M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs" with Mel Gibson starring. A Quiet Place wants to be intelligent, thoughtful, thriller with a surprise ending, like Signs but ends up in the end asking yourself what was so hard killing the monster in the first place. All you had to do is find a high frequency to open their head and shot them? Really, the government couldn't figure that out and military couldn't cut through them with armor piercing shells. Ok, maybe they couldn't do that. If it was me, I would use sound to attract them into trap and round them up to kill them later when I found their weakness. But we don't know enough about the monsters on where they came from, how many there were, what the government did or didn't do, to answer those questions. We just know monster are sensitive about sound. Ridiculous gimmick for this movie . The only thIng that saves this movie is the good cast and what a waste that is for this monster movie. Emily Blunt and John Krasinski carries this movie though with believability and intelligence for a movie with many holes of logic. So I am not recommending movie unless you enjoy a typical scare movie.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Pretty Great...
First of all, I'm not sure what those who claim they saw the movie and gave it terrible reviews based on resentment, what are really trying to do. They obviously didn't see the movie and have no business commenting the movie. If you did see it, fine, but the purpose of commenting on the movie is to give an honest option, not some built up resentment against anything others enjoy. Grow up, will yah.
Now after my rant, I always Star Wars since the first movie in 1977 when I was 11years old. I watched every movie has come out and loved most, not all. This one I do, Although I felt the opening of the movie was rushed and felt a little mystery could of been a better direction, I did feel this movie took me on a wild ride and delivered on answers fans have been asking since "Force Awakens" I was hoping to slow down few times to get my breathe and did not. But that's Star Wars pacing, much like the very first movie. There are appearances here you will not expect and quite welcome too. The acting was generally good especially from the main cast. The story I felt was strong and unexpected. There was much action and some good funny moments too. I'm trying not to give anything away here, but it did have some touching moments too. I felt the ending battle was satisfying, but felt the final sign off scenes needed more to say since this was the last episode of the 9 movies and I site "Avengers: Endgame" and the "Lord Of the Rings" as reasonable examples. Overall, I left the theatre quite happy about my experience.