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Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Epic blockbusters may one day come to pass, but, not today
It was impossible to see how the neat, action-packed adventure of the 1986 Top Gun could be topped, but Maverick somehow found a way! It is not afraid to entertain, entertain deeply, and entertain only.
Maverick's return to Top Gun is shaky but his resolve and trailblazing antics are enduring. This version of Maverick is quite different from the first movie, as age and experience would dictate, but he's every bit the daredevil that we saw in 1986. The cast does a great job with every delivery of complex characters. This is no doubt Maverick's movie, but Rooster steps up in a supporting role rivalling that of Goose and Ice man in the first movie. However, there isn't as much to get really invested in the other pilots.
This pays homage to the great parts of the first movie, while carving out an identity of its own. It goes beyond simple dog fighting and air battles to multi-layered challenges that draw the audience in further with each escalation. It also honors popular characters from the past and brings back the original Top Gun aesthetic and memorable music tracks. Personally, the new music did not click as well and may not have the "staying power" of the goldies from the first.
This movie has been all the hype this year, and very deservedly so. 9.5/10.
Top Gun (1986)
For legendary cinema, Top Gun is a target-rich environment
Hearing about Top Gun before, I expected an action movie cliche that only courts the interest of genre enthusiasts. What I got instead was what a distillation of what was iconic about 80s cinema.
Grounded characters. Unapologetic bravado. Pure entertainment
The main cast are distinct, play well off each other and are a joy to watch. Maverick (Tom Cruise) carries this movie with trailblazing confidence matched by incredible talent. This confidence isn't without consequence and most of the drama comes from these consequences. Be it the comradery with Goose, or rivalry with Ice man, Maverick's journey is bound to keep you gripped. This movie created so many iconic lines that live on in pop culture.
The music and cinematography are legendary and most of the awards that the former won are well-deserved; I was pleased to find a personal favorite goldie or two in there.
Some limitations of the time leave more to desire in aspect ratios and picture clarity by modern standards, but arguably, it wouldn't be the same without the distinctive charm of 80s.
Solid 9.5/10.
Cobra Kai: Head of the Snake (2022)
Entertain first, entertain hard, show no weakness
Hope you are not lactose intolerant because the cheese is plenty but all in service to a solid end that pays off what's been set up!
The characters are quirky, sometimes mysterious, yet mostly reasonable. Johnny is the still the G. O. A. T, but seeing him and Danny learn from each other is great. Silver is menacingly mysterious and most of the entertainment comes from seeing him always a step ahead. The "kids" are generally competent actors and consistent, although the fight choreography can sometimes be lacking. Tori is a standout with a rather complex personal life beneath the karate. Still disappointed with Miguel's diminishing role, seeing that he is who got us hooked in season 1. Hope he's centered in the future.
The plot ("big plan") is mostly kept under wraps until much later, which leaves most of the season seemingly aimless. However, a lot of the set up is eventually paid off - the writers kept track on their narrative and tied loose ends. It was not possible to see how they could up the ante from previous seasons, but somehow they did it. There are still A LOT of plot conveniences, hence not a 10/10...
Hopefully the showrunnners read the writing on the wall and end the show on a high note (soon), as it's increasingly difficult to innovate the karate story any other way. But for now, this is a great time capsule from the current day into a mutant child of cheesy 80s film and the contemporary world.
Better Call Saul: Saul Gone (2022)
It's Saul gone, but never to be forgotten
Saul and his antics will be missed, but we can rest easy knowing that at the end of the dat, it's Saul good, man.
In a world where most show writers dont seem to know to end their stories, Better Call Saul delivers the best ending in recent memory.
Following the story of Saul has been a wild, rewarding ride. As someone who's not typically drawn to this genre, I was gradually, but surely, gripped by Saul as a character.
The casting of this show is impeccable down to the supporting cast, with well-written characters. For the most part, people make decisions that are realistic and true to how they've been characterized and are delivered with utmost finesse. Give Bob Odenkirk an Emmy, in fact, give them all Emmys!
The setting, pace and quality of this show is unique and consistent. No matter where you land into this story, you KNOW you're watching a story of relatively 'every-day' people living in a Southern desert town that occasionally struggles with petty and cartel crime.
This episode wraps up an era. All loose ends are tied up and everything ties in with Breaking Bad nicely. In fact, it increased my appreciation for Breaking Bad, something most prequels of great TV continually fail to do.
Better Call Saul: Point and Shoot (2022)
Bullseye!
Best episode, if I had to pick one.
The characters, and the actors behind them, never miss a beat. Lalo is at his most vicious and unpredictable. He outsmarts everyone for the most part, building up the suspense around what would happen to the others. I clung to the edge of my seat for most of this episode!
You wont be disappointed, and just might be moved by one of the more memorable episodes of TV.
Prey (2022)
Forget predator armor; all hail PLOT armor
When they told you that it was competently shot, they weren't lying. A welcome return to natural settings instead of all green screen and volume studios.
But that's where the good stuff ends...
Characters. With the exception of Naru's brother, all the characters are weak and unbelievably over-confident, villainous or dumb. The natives speak and behave like your college dorm buddies in current year, not battle-hardened people that have to survive the harsh insults of nature. The protagonist is a charisma vacuum that STARTS out with confidence far unjustified by any
combat experience that we see. And what do you know? She nails her first fights with seasoned hunters in her tribe and the predator.
Plot armor. One has to suspend knowledge of traits that are actually crucial in real physical combat in order to enjoy this movie about a real-world hunt (an inherently physical activity). Naru is a ~100 pound girl that has the speed of an athlete, the draw strength of an archer with twice her upper body build, and strikes that deal more damage than a bear (whose strikes barely phase the predator). Even more, she takes hits from a foe that strikes a bear with its bare hands and has previously struck a beefy Arnie (Predator 1) to kingdom come.
Predator. This is easily the dumbest predator you have ever met. It has no grasp of how its own weapons work; it loses a limb and eventually, its own life by self-inflicted damage. While Arnie had to innovate traps that the predator has never encountered, this one was apparently too stupid to get out of its own way.
Better than Predator 2018 though so you wont be loosing as many brain cells with this...
The Terminal List: Reclamation (2022)
Solid ending
Ends with a bang and ties up loose ends neatly. The big "twist" is rather predictable and there's some plot armor but pretty entertaining overall. At the end, the story could conclude here and it would be fine. But, definitely left me willing to see more.
The Terminal List: The Engram (2022)
Hit the ground running
Great action-packed start! The story took some unexpected turns right at the start, taking out some characters that I didn't expect but sets the pace for the rest of the show.
The Boys: The Instant White-Hot Wild (2022)
If a wet fart was a TV episode
Spoilers! If you have been even remotely impressed with Soldier Boy's character, get your neck a cast because you're about to cringe it out of existence. After building up his challenging upbringing and desire for a family, SB suddenly becomes the cringiest, most hateful absent father when he gets his first opportunity - and for reasons that come out of nowhere.
Then there's butcher suddenly changing his mind about killing homelander, even after Ryan is safe. And homelander, who has held back his impulse to kill in public suddenly goes crazy and vaporizes a dude's head to the cheers of mindless fans that are clearly caricatures of what the writers think are deplorable citizens.
And Maeve...they clearly had nothing planned for her. She somehow survives a nuclear blast at point blank range despite losing her powers so that she's back for the next season. So much came out of nowhere just to end up in an unimpressive mess and right back, in most ways, to where we began.
Victoria Newman big bad now...who really cares to see where that's going?
What could have been a climatic release of superhero catharsis ends up as a miserly wet fart that will go into the wind that's blowing away the TV sludge of this summer.
Ms. Marvel (2022)
Generation Why Tho
"Modern" and certainly to a fault; an attempt to draw in a younger generation of watchers. Fast-paced, quippy and vapid enough for watchers seeking no more than brainless unimaginative contemporary fun.
It may get fleshed out eventually but why start out with a strategy that's bound to push away watchers seeking deeper, more skillful storytelling?
It might be a generational thing though, but it was hard staying on this train for any length of time. Hopefully marvel go back to finding the balance between grounded, relatable but extraordinary characters.
Better Call Saul: Wine and Roses (2022)
Great episode that had some missed potential
Great overall, but the build up to the cliff hanger was lacking. We did not see Lalo plan towards meeting Saul, so it seemingly came out of nowhere - not the strongest cliff hanger. Also the the Howard humiliation plotline seems trivial and concluded with a whimper.