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daveozs
Reviews
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Those Old Scientists (2023)
Great for Lower Deck fans
This episode was awesome...if you enjoy the Lower Decks series. I see a lot of reviews talking about ruining the series, it's not their Star Trek, this isn't the same, the continuity, as bad as Discovery, etc. Also, they want you to get off their lawn and talk about walking to school uphill both ways. Yes, it's different. Yes, they are making new interpretations. So what? It's a fictional universe. Thinks are going to be different. I love TNG, but having watched TOS, it's not like it was a perfect show.
As for this episode, I loved the crossover. It's always fun to have these. It doesn't go as far as a time raveling Picard or Archer onto another show, but was still fun to see. The interactions with the crew, the fandom, meeting your heroes.
All in all, this might give a battle to my favorite crossover show ever-the Supernatural and Scooby Doo episode.
The Iron Claw (2023)
More than a wrestling movie
I'm not going to lie. I grew up a wrestling fan and went into this movie for nostalgia purposes. I thought it would be fun to see the portrayals of the 80s wrestlers I only knew as a little kid. However, it turned out that while wrestling played a large part, this was a film about brotherhood, family, sacrifice and obsession.
To start with, the wrestler portrayals seemed spot on, save one. Almost all seemed realistic and you could tell who was being portrayed usually pretty easily if you knew the wrestlers. The one exception was Ric Flair. There was a huge buildup and Flair is a legend. He was charismatic, cocky, and a ladies' man. However, the version in the film lacked on all fronts. He looked like a middle-aged dude with bad hair, and had none of the presence of Flair. The actor portraying Kerry was also too short, as others have mentioned, but the performance was great so I'll give that one a pass.
There was so much tragedy in one family. In fact, there was so much they didn't even include yet another brother who wrestled and died via suicide. The script writers thought that would be too much. Overall, you get a great sense of the bond between the brothers. They have to support each other to overcome an overbearing father trying to live his dreams through his children. I know it is a dramatization of Fritz, but I'm curious if he was really that bad.
I also thought Kerry would be the focus of the movie, as he was the main Von Erich I remembered from his WWF days. Having. Kevin as the main protagonist was a surprise. Efron gave a wonderful and realistic performance. Also, even as a fan, I had no idea Kerry wore a prosthetic for the latter part of his career, including his WWE run.
Overall, this is a great film even if you know no wrestling history. If this wasn't based on a true story, you'd think there was no way this much sadness happened to one family, but it did and more.
NCIS: Los Angeles: New Beginnings, Part 2 (2023)
Is that a wrap on the series?
Okay, so they wrapped up the regular weapons plot that is standard for the series. They made it seem like a big narrative or new villain, but that wasn't the case. Then they moved on to the wrapping up of a lot of pending storylines. The pregnancy, the lawsuit, the wedding. And Hetty, Nate, Nell, Sabotino. Beale only got a side mention. Seems like they wanted to give everyone a send off and a chance to say goodbye. Did I miss a series cancellation notice? I'm not sure if the creative piers that be are worried about loose ends, but if this was it, it was a good send-off. It felt a bit like the end of NCIS New Orleans, but that show was known to be ending.
Unless there's a spin off coming with that "ready for the next adventure" line at the end.
Enterprise: E² (2004)
Too many plot holes
I'm not against time travel episodes and some of the issues that other reviewers noted. I also know that it is a TV show and a viewer needs the suspension of disbelief. With that said, my main issue was that they spent the first part of the episode talking about improvements to the warp drive, reinforcing the hull, etc. So the 170-year old advanced those parts. However, they then tried to steal the plasma injectors and run away. The current Enterprise and 170-year old Enterprise then fought to a standstill.
Sorry, but in all that time and meeting up with other aliens, they never improved the weapons or defense capabilities? No difference to the armaments? And they just tried to fly away without dismantling current Enterprise's weapons? I'm not generally a detractor, but that bothered me a bit here.
Enterprise: Shadows of P'Jem (2002)
Good story, needless scenes
I know this is an older show and my reviews are later, but I just recently watched Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and now starting Enterprise. I only saw one reviewer comment on the previous episode and mention it in this one, but why the gratuitous scenes? In the last episode we got the three crew members in their underwear while decontaminating. In this one, there is the awkward positions the captain and T'Pol get into while trying to get out of the cuffs. And wouldn't you know it, he happens to fall face first into her chest at one point. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against attractive women rat all, but we get no explanation of why T'Pol is the only Vulcan who wears a skin tight cat suit and strips down to her under garments multiple times this season. I guess they are trying to repeat Seven of Nine.
As for the episode, good story. Goes back to the earlier episode when the Vulcan fake monastery was exposed. These were some of the consequences. As others noted, it's also interesting to see Vulcans not portrayed in benevolent and positive light we have seen in the other series and movies.
Star Trek: Voyager: Investigations (1996)
Still No Trust for the Maquis
When the Captain and Tuvok reveal their plan to flush out the traitor to Ckakotay, you can see how he hurt he was. They had to keep Chakotay in the dark, they said, because they weren't sure he could be impartial in an investigation of the Maquis. He points out that they did not trust him. There was no follow-up on this and no further mention of the deception. Paris made a joke about giving Chakotay a hard time and enjoying it at the end of the episode. Clearly there is still the rift between Federation and Maquis. I'm watching this in order for the first time, so I'd be curious if there is any fallout or further development out of this.
The 355 (2022)
Good action but plot holes even beyond the normal action movie
I'm a sucker for action movies. I'll suspend disbelief to some extent in order to enjoy the action. Sure, I'll believe only the main characters know the evil plot and can save the world. This film delivers on good action scenes from a very good cast. However, even for action movies, where the plot is usually secondary, this on was tough.
First, the son of a drug dealer in Columbia apparently can make the most hi tech super gadget that can hack into and beat any type of electronic security. Okay. Sounds useful to a drug dealer trying to avoid being caught. But no, they are selling this wonder technology. The son conveniently says it can't be copied and he's the only one who can make this gadget. So you know he's gonna be dead soon. Then they let the shady criminal buyer waltz into the house with his entourage without checking for weapons. Who needs security? Of corse they turn on the drug dealer and shoot the son first thing. I guess it had to be done to create the MacGuffin.
Second, the spies/agents/protagonists have said device in their possession several times. Everyone has explained how dangerous it is all movie. So why doesn't anyone just destroy it? Would save some time, but we need the bad guys to steal it back to make the movie work.
Third, we see the secret agents of something called the Ministry use a decoy device and have the actual gadget with them. Again, not destroyed. It's just lying around. And despite knowing (or should have known) the bad guys are coming, there was little to no security. No guards on the secret hideout. Their secret lair was apparently not so secret. The bad guys waltz in.
Last of the points I'll make. When the bad guys kill the loved ones of our female heroes to get t then to talk, they immediately leave and don't kill the heirs. Gee, you just killed almost everyone they care about, maybe you should kill them? I mean, why worry that these highly trained agents might seek revenge and come after me? That never happens in action movies.
It may sound like I hated the movie. I did not hate it, as it had its merits. I love action and didn't mind it was all women as the protagonists. With the giant plot holes, though, can't go more than seven for my rating.
F9 (2021)
The Fasterest and Even More Furious
F9. If you care about plot, character development, realistic action, characters staying dead, the laws of physics, etc., well, you probably quit watching the Fast and Furious movies by the fourth one. But if you enjoy the movies, you know what you're in for. They have a formula and stick to it. It was entertaining for what it is, even if my ability to suspend disbelief is getting stretched by these antics at this point.
Batwoman: Rule #1 (2021)
Can we get a new villain?
Okay, at least Alice was original or not used on TV before. Here, though, they introduce Black Mask. Which would have been cool if just hadn't seen an updated version in Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey. The hey can try other villains. Decent episode plot wise. I don't really care about Ryan's love life. However, best one-liner of the season to Black Mask. It was when they have just sawed that henchman in half and Batwoman wakes up protesting. Black Mask asks her, "This is an HR matter. What are you, OSHA?" I laughed out loud at that.
Highlander: Diplomatic Immunity (1997)
Unfinished storyline
Interesting episode. Started off as if it was one of the light-hearted comedy episodes. Then it turned after Duncan's friend's wife, Molly, was killed. The immortal seeks revenge on the wrong person. Duncan was hypocritical here. Wouldn't he had done the same for the murderer of one of his lovers? In fact, he had. The immortal only went off the information he knew about his wife's killer and killed the wrong man. Then Duncan tells the friend he will kill him for going after the son. Why? Why is he protecting an addict? Much like the one who killed Tessa? The episode ends with Duncan trying to talk the son into turning himself in. That's it. No resolution. Was there revenge? Did the son reform? I guess we'll never know. I know the Highlander often goes the other route and wraps things up too cleanly. However, this just seemed like an unfinished episode or storyline.