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christopherdarveaux
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: In the Pale Moonlight (1998)
Best Star Trek Episode From Any Series
This episode is the reason why, when asked if I prefer kirk, or picard, I say sisko.
It is very different from Gene Roddenberry's vision of humans being peacekeepers in that it examines the dark side of human nature when their doorstep is darkened by certain doom.
How far are we truly willing to go for the greater good? This is a question that forces us as humans to examine our own ethics, like for example: dropping a bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in order to force an end to World War II.
(Spoiler paragraph of plot without the ending)
The episode begins with Sisko recording a captains log as he explains that it is hard for him to see a growing casualty list knowing the pain that families feel if their sons or daughters might be on that list. Sisko knows what it would be like for him to lose Jake, so he enlists Garak's help in plotting a scheme that will spark a war between the Romulans and the Dominion, who currently have a non-aggression pact before the start if this episode.
(Spoiler paragraph of plot without the ending)
I wont give away the ending, but I will say this is the best acting I have seen from a main character in any star trek series. Better than Picard, who never had to make any tough decisions. Better than kirk, who was nothing more than a hotshot womanizer. Better than Janeway, who does weird things with her hands. The moral compass examined in this episode and Sisko's dilemma of how far he is willing to go in order to save lives is truly what makes this episode tick, and for that reason, it gets a golden 10/10.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Unprecedented
First off, let me say that I am not being paid to give a good review of this and also that I have already seen it.
People will like this movie even if they were disappointed in TLJ. It answers all the questions we had while at the same time providing a satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker Saga. That's all I will say. Go and see it.
Star Trek: Voyager: Renaissance Man (2001)
Why the hate for this one?
I don't understand why so many people hate this one. This is one of the most innovative episodes of the entire series.
The doctor's dilemma makes perfect sense. Since he is programmed to do no harm, it makes sense he would turn over the core to save the captain's life. Furthermore the space battle to reacquire the core was intriguing and his deathbed confession scene was hillarious. Classic voyager
Star Trek: Voyager: Scorpion (1997)
One of the best episodes of the series
I am a huge fan of Star Trek but I believe pretty much anyone would like this two part episode. Janeway can be annoying at times because of her stupidity, but in this one you see her at her best because she knows what the crew's end goal is and she won't give it up easily. But what really holds this together is not just the introduction of Seven of Nine, but the role Chakotay plays in helping Janeway realize how dangerous the Borg really are. But Janeway knows that the Borg aren't the threat and that they might be next if they don't defeat Species 8472 here and now. I agreed with Janeway's decisions in this and the cliffhanger ending really makes you want to see what happens next.
Furthermore, the ending introduces one of the most popular characters in Seven of Nine. If you have seen any Borg episodes from Next Generation, you would know that the Borg aren't your typical star trek enemy. They are relentless and stop at nothing to add their victims distinctiveness to their perfection. Not only that, but their vessels are VERY difficult to kill and right away you see about 8 or so Borg vessels obliterated by an unseen ship. As the plot unfolds, you begin asking yourself, how will voyager defeat this new enemy?
Solid 10/10
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
One word: Unprecedented
I won't say much but this was the greatest movie theater experience I've had since Avatar. I see there's a lot of one star terrorists who would never be satisfied, or who only believe in arthouse type movies that are non-fiction. If that's you, then ignore this review. We'll both be better off.
The emotion, the tender love between characters who have been developed over the last 15 years, and just the general willingness to sacrifice everything for the greater good truly make the writing click in both infinity war and endgame. In addition, the writers were careful not to make it a requirement to see all 21 films leading up to this. Yeah, seeing infinity war and probably age of ultron is a must, and it will help you enjoy it more to remember some of the references from Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the two Guardians of the Galaxy films, but generally, infinity war explains anything you may not now going into it.
As for the common complaint that 3 hours is too long, I will disagree. This is an end to a series on an unprecedented scale and it is totally worth your time.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Don't give into the Dark side...see it with an open mind
First off, let me just say that I understand why star wars purists would hate this. It's because Luke didn't do what the fans wanted him to do. But what people need to ask themselves truthfully is who is Luke? Give us an honest answer.
Episode IV shows Luke destroying the death star and learning a valuable lesson from Obi Wan Kenobi: the force is stronger than death and there are alternatives to fighting.
Episode V shows Luke learning the ways of the Jedi from Yoda, who INITIALLY WARNED Luke was too old to be trained and would be tempted by the Dark Side due to the attachments he has formed to people in his life: Han, Leia, and at the end, his father
Episode VI shows Luke confronting Vader and getting him to turn back to the good side. IS this the act of a Jedi? No. The Jedi forbid attachments to family and that is why they are trained from a young age. The discipline starts early because as Yoda says, the Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. Luke had none of this when he began his training not as a boy but as a young man.
Where I am going with all this: was Luke a Jedi? Yes. But is he the gold standard of the Jedi? No way. Given all that, the more I think about it, the more I realized that Star Wars: The Last Jedi is as honest as it could have been and it sets up for a monumental episode IX.
It isnt currently what fans want to hear because they all want Luke to kill Snoke but they are forgetting that is not the way of the Jedi. Luke's death becoming one with the force after his hologram battles kylo ren is reminiscent of Kenobi's first lesson that the force really is stronger than death.
As for the rest, it gave a new vision that George Lucas himself praised. Give it a few years or wait until IX. It will grow on people
Super 8 (2011)
A Heartfelt and Effective Combination of Spielberg Magic and Abrams Flair
The amazing thing about JJ Abrams is that his tastes are always right on. He knows what to say and how to say it. Super 8 is very much it's own story despite the fact that it pays homage to a Spielberg classic: ET - the Extra Terrestrial.
Don't listen to the haters who say JJ can't come up with original ideas. The truth is he can and he does. I felt great sympathy for the main character from the beginning, a very different kind of connection than the audience has with Elliot in ET. Joe Lamb is a 14 year old boy coping with his mother's tragic death caused by the incompetence of a drunk. He copes with it by spending time with his friends as they make a super 8 movie they wish to enter into a local film festival. Charles and the other kids witness a train crash while filming at a station, and afterwards we are in for a hell of a ride.
The story ends up being very poignant when the creature looks into Joe's mind and sees that children do not hold prejudice of adults, and this aspect is why I give this movie a 10 out of 10. Bright, solid, and massive. It reminds us that we as adults should strive for this more, and the two fathers of the main characters end up making amends with one another. Thank you JJ for yet another memorable cinematic experience.
Rating: 10
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
It ain't broke, so JJ didn't fix it
I have heard quite a bit of hatred about this movie being too much like episode IV: A New Hope, but the one question I have is what would YOU do differently?
Need I remind everybody that when George Lucas tried to do something completely different than the original trilogy for the prequel trilogy, it blew up in his face. What direction can a villain faction such as the first order head into rather than another menacing death star that happens to be not only a death star? In my opinion it was a good decision.
I have also heard hatred that the dialogue was meant for kids and it was. But why is this a bad thing? This was done in the original trilogy and nobody cared because of the breakthrough.
Without giving too much away other than the new death star, I will say that many were a bit tough on this movie because of the high expectations. Is it the best of the series? No way, but it is way better than the prequels including Revenge of the Sith. All the humorous cracks fit in perfectly to give us a reasonable mix of old and new. Yes, there is new as well. What also stood out for me was JJ's ability to strive for an independence of green screen photography and using more real environments as backgrounds for scenes. This gives a more realistic feel that the other movies lacked most of the time.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Thank you JJ for making us feel like kids again at the movies.
A note to IMDb: Please look at what percentage of voters have rated this movie 8 stars or higher. Why do you place the 1-star reviews under the best category just because many people have responded to them? It has a 92% rating on rotten tomatoes and an accurate 8.1 on IMDb. You are inadvertently spreading hatred for a kids movie that most people really enjoyed. Rethink please.
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Restores the X-Men series to what it was
Having Bryan Singer back in charge clearly makes all the difference in the world. This man was born to make X-Men films. The first two X-Men movies were excellent, also done by Bryan Singer. X-Men: the last stand was an OK movie with some very bad logic flaws but the two wolverine films prior this were terrible in my opinion. The first thing this movie does right is it appears to disregard these completely. Because of X- Men: the last stand, Bryan Singer had his work cut out for him to undo all the logic flaws and I must say I was a bit skeptical after the epic fail of superman returns, but you can clearly see that Singer has done his homework and created a magical film with a lot of heart in the story and characters.
Without giving too much away, I will say that every scene is breathtaking. The story is a well-constructed piece of emotion and heart.
What really makes this film work is the complexity of the characters, especially Charles Xavier (professor X, both older and younger), Raven, and Magneto. What all these characters have in common is they are all tortured souls. As for Logan, well, Hugh Jackman is always fantastic, but the real star of the show is McAvoy, Fassbender, Lawrence. All of their characters help you to feel something for them.
This movie presents a time travel paradox, if you cannot look past that or are a viewer that prefers mainly non fiction, or cannot take sci fi leaps of faith, ignore this review. We'll both be better off.
See this film. It is probably the best superhero movie of the last decade. The only ones that are of the same caliber of superhero movies are Christopher Nolan's Batman movies. In some ways this film is even better. Rating: 10