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Reviews
Childhood's End: The Children (2015)
Milo is an Idiot
That's all I wanted to say. Leaving Rachel behind knowing that he is never going to see her again alive was stupid. It may make an interesting end to the story, but Milo was an idiot.
Stargate SG-1: Thor's Hammer (1997)
A trail of destruction
This interesting episode really does a tremendous amount in terms of fleshing out the backstory of who might have built the gate system and what happens to a host when they are taken. And it's a huge revelation that there is a powerful race of aliens out there that are fighting the Goa'uld.
But this episode is a glaring example of one of the things that I always found incredibly disappointing about SG-1, and O'Neill in particular. They constantly leave a trail of destruction behind.
Keep in mind, their standing orders are to find technology that will help in the fight against the Goa'uld. Those are their orders! In this instance, they have found an absolutely incredible piece of technology that can safely remove a Goa'uld from its host. That is priceless in the fight against them. It literally means any Goa'uld can be captured and brought here to set the host free. That is incredible! Especially since we now know that the host's personality and memory remain intact. Not only is it fantastic that the host can be saved, but think of the strategic intelligence that could be obtained from them. I'm sure any host would be happy to tell everything they remember.
Just as important, this technology is vital to the Cimmerians, and to keeping them safe. The recording that greets O'Neill and Teal'c clearly indicates there's a treaty in place, and this is a vital part of it's enforcement. What right does O'Neill, or anyone, have to destroy it?
But O'Neill destroys this incredible piece of technology (in contradiction to their standing orders) for no other reason than it's inconvenient! Teal'c is in no danger whatsoever. With the Unas dead, he can remain in the labyrinth as long as he needs to for SG-1 to find who built the Hammer and contact them. There's simply no legitimate reason or right to destroy the technology. Not to mention it would be a far more positive first contact with the Asgard.
Much as I like Stargate SG-1, and I have the entire series on DVD, this egocentric and destructive characteristic of the team, mainly O'Neill, is the one thing that I have always disliked, and really puts a stain on an otherwise very heroic group of characters.
Stargate: Atlantis: Progeny (2006)
Endless squabbling was the bane of SG Atlantis
About halfway through the episode Shepherd demands a number from McKay for how long the replicators will be frozen. McKay has already said it's impossible to know, yet Shepherd demands a number. I guess the writers think this quarreling is supposed to be funny, but it's idiotic. It makes Shepherd look like a child, as well as displaying a huge level of condescension for a member of his own team. If it were once in a while it would be fine, but it become a staple in nearly every episode. It's one of many examples of why I never found SG Atlantis nearly as good as SG-1. The constant childish quarreling among the team members who should know better was a huge distraction from could have been a great story.
Travelers: David (2018)
David & Marcy
This is easily the most powerful and gut-wrenching episode of the entire series. I think David & Marcy have often carried the series since the other characters are so often either inconsistent or just plain annoying. Both Patrick Gilmore and Mackenzie Porter have done a fantastic job portraying their characters throughout the series, but their performance in this episode is amazing.
Shut In (2022)
Good, edge-of-your-seat move.
I really enjoyed this movie. I was half expecting cheesy scenes with a recovering addict suddenly becoming the mother of the year, but there was none of that. Jessica is portrayed as trying to figure out how to be a good mother, and sometimes makes mistakes. This is a gritty and sometimes violent movie that I think realistically portrayed the characters. There were interesting twists, scary moments, infuriating moments, and a good payoff at the end. It keeps you engaged all the way through.
Regarding the negative reviews, it looks to me like they're politically motivated, and have nothing to do with the movie. That's too bad. This is a good movie.
Midway (2019)
Everything looked fake
If you've never seen a real airplane or ship, you might like this movie. Otherwise, all the CGI is a real distraction. Nothing about the airplanes looked real, but especially the way they moved was just not at all realistic. But it wasn't just the airplanes - everything looked fake. The flames look fake, the smoke looks fake, the buildings look fake, the water, the ships, the bow waves, Everything looked fake. Even the scenes that were shot on a real set with real props still looked fake. Maybe they thought if the real scenes also looked fake, then the CGI might look more real. I don't know. I do know I"d like to have my two hours back. This doesn't even hold a candle to the 1976 Midway.
Downton Abbey (2019)
Such a disappointment.
I've been looking forward to watching the Downton Abbey movie. I have the series on DVD and have watched it many times. Along with the stunning scenery and the antique cars, what I most appreciated was the time and effort put into the development of the characters and each sub-plot.
But the only way I can describe the movie is whiplash. We are constantly plopped down in a scene, the actors immediately say a handful of lines, and then WHAM - we're jerked out of that scene and tossed down into another completely unrelated scene. Rinse and repeat. It happened over and over throughout the entire movie. No development, no establishment. There were just far too many sub-plots crammed into the movie without any thought of actually drawing the audience into the story and giving them a satisfying experience with the beloved characters. If this were a standalone movie, it would have failed miserably in the box office.
And some sub-plots were just obvious attempts at gratuitous sentimentality, like the out of the blue revelation that Lady Violet has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. No lead in, no build up. Just more whiplash.
To make matters worse, several characters seemed to have moved backwards in time. The most egregious of these was Mr. Molesley. He was returned to acting the fool instead of continuing to develop his confidence as we saw in the last season. We saw him grow so much, but instead of paying that off with his new position as a respected teacher, the writer took the cheap and easy route of portraying him once again as a clown. Even to the completely idiotic and out-of-character point of having him curtsy in front of the King and Queen, and the entire house! Being nervous and chatty have been a part of his character, but never breaking etiquette (while sober, anyway) and definitely not behaving like a woman. And are we really to believe that after three years, he and Baxter are still not married?
Lady Edith, now Lady Hexham, has returned to complaining all the time. The last series showed her finally taking charge and owning every aspect of her life, including her daughter Marigold by having the courage to stand up to Bertie's mother, but here she is portrayed as back to whining about life instead of taking charge. It was so great to see her become a strong woman in the series, then suddenly all of that disappeared.
Tom Branson is back to being portrayed as the untrustworthy Irishman, with Lady Mary following him around because she suspects him of being up to no good. And what should have been an interesting and engaging romantic sub-plot with Lucy Smith is rushed and hurried.
Mr. Carson's palsy has magically disappeared, and suddenly he is fully capable of resuming his position as butler. We think of him as being extremely principled, yet he doesn't give a moment's consideration to ousting the current butler if he gets to serve the King and Queen. And the arrangement made in the last episode was to have Mr. Carson act as an adviser and mentor to Mr. Barrow, but apparently Mr. Carson just spends all day working in his garden.
Which brings up Mr. Barrow, who was last seen as being treated with respect by the family. At least he was portrayed as showing some spine when Lady Mary replaced him with Carson.
One thing that was consistent with the series is that during the series there were many times when a character would do something completely out of character or nonsensical just to facilitate a plot line. It could be overlooked because the series fully developed those story lines. But the constant jumping around of the movie never allowed anything to be truly developed.
Yes, it was great to see the characters again, and there were some good moments in the movie. But it just did not live up to the series. I liken the movie to expecting a fulfilling and enjoyable dinner with family and friends, only to find out you've been lured into a frantic and jolting two-hour round of speed dating. Very disappointing.
Stowaway (2021)
Space Nerds will not like this movie
If you are a fan of space exploration and real astronauts, or even good space-based action movies, you won't like this movie. But if you're not worried about all the technical mistakes and want a pull-at-your-heartstrings kind of movie, you'll probably enjoy it.
It's completely improbable that a missing launch technician would not be noticed before a launch, but virtually impossible that he would survive the G-forces of a launch while crammed into a tiny little console. Then we're supposed to believe he somehow fell into this tiny little space where the CDRA goes AND the cover for the CDRA is put in place over him? The suspension of disbelief just can't go that far.
Then there's the freehand climb along the solar array tethers without any sort of tether connecting the astronauts to the main tether cable. Also, how did David get through training if he is so out of shape? Or the physically impossible idea that 100 pound Zoe can catch and stop the momentum of 150-175 pound David when he bizarrely decides to just let go and sail uncontrolled across the solar array that if damaged would kill them all. Next Zoe repels down the side of the Kingfisher with no apparent safety to stop her from sliding off the end of the rope, and was supposedly taken by surprise when the hatch came off completely (wouldn't they have briefed on what to expect?). Next, if they really were trained astronauts, it would have been automatic to secure the canister to either David or Zoe's back when the solar storm forced them to hurry back because that canister is the whole reason for this EVA, and trained people would automatically know they are going to need both hands free even more now that they're in a hurry. Zoe's free fall down the tether would have destroyed her gloves and spacesuit, killing her, and wouldn't have happened at all if the canister were properly secured.
So for technically-minded people this movie has a lot of problems. But there were some poignant moments in the movie that added some interest. They don't quite get developed as well as they should have, but they were there. It seemed that many times a scene would start to draw you in, and just as you get emotionally invested in it, they move on to the next thing. The acting was good, but the script just didn't have the punch it needed. And last but not least, the music was just a little bit weird.
This movie had huge potential, but with all the technical gaffs and no emotional payoff, it just didn't get there.
Enterprise: These Are the Voyages... (2005)
Worst episode of the entire series
This was easily the worst Enterprise episode. Absolutely bizarre to make two characters from another series the main stars of the episode. And we're supposed to believe that after everything T'Pol and Tucker just went through, they didn't figure out a way to stay together? The rest of the plot and lines are incredibly cheesy. Very, very disappointing. But the worst insult of all was to end the episode focused on Riker and Troi, treating the main characters like extras. And instead of Archer's voice, we get Picard. Pathetic.
Travelers: Trevor (2018)
Phillip & Trevor
This is such a great episode with so many poignant scenes. Especially when Trevor and Grace have dinner and Trevor lovingly talks about his wife and their multiple generations together (although it's confusing that if they have made so many jumps, why they were still living under the dome). Grace realizes she can never be more than a friend to Trevor. And, of course, the scenes with Marcy and David are great, especially David's eulogy for Jim.
But one contrast that really stood out to me is the conversation between Trevor and Phillip. Trevor is completely committed to the mission, the Grand Plan, and is even willing to sacrifice his life so that the healthy young host could go to another traveler. But Phillip selfishly decides he doesn't want to take a simple pill anymore, even though his team absolutely depends on him being clear headed and providing reliable information. I like Phillip, but this just struck me as unbelievably self-centered. Especially later on when his inability to sort out the timelines prevents him from saving David and then Marcy.
Travelers: Kathryn (2016)
Any Kathryn is Too Much Kathryn
Kathryn is far and away the character I just can't stand. Constantly whining. Constantly griping. Never stops to think. Never thinks about anyone other than herself. Goes off on a temper tantrum at the least little thing. Carly is probably my next least favorite character, but I completely agreed when she asked Marcy to just shut Kathryn up.
Other problems - if Phillip can dress up as a lawyer, why can't he at least clean up before going to get Mac's SUV. And in what world does he get out of an international airport after attacking a security guard?
Marcy has some great moments, and Dr. D is pretty cool, and Phillip is pretty funny at the end. And Mac learning more about who MacLaren was is a good thing. But overall, not a great episode.
Travelers: 17 Minutes (2017)
Tedious
This is one of the episodes I like the least. Over and over Carrie races from the landing zone to where the team is, arriving just seconds too late. The most obvious solution is to ignore the original landing zone and fly directly to where the team is. She wastes valuable time under canopy descending to the wrong place. It seems an unlikely mistake for the Director to make, especially on the first Traveler that does not collide with Carrie's brother.
Travelers: Naomi (2018)
Good and bad.
Overall, Travelers does pretty well in using correct firearms procedures. But when Marcy is worried about David buying a gun, and then comes home to find him cleaning it, a big mistake happens. She is right to get upset when she sees that it is still loaded, and tells him never to clean a loaded gun. That's absolutely correct, and many experts advise not having ammo in the room at all. Marcy is also right to get upset when he looks down the barrel. But then she tells him to point the gun at her, which is no different than pointing the gun at himself. The rules of gun safety are: 1, always assume a gun is loaded; 2, never point a gun at anyone or anything you're not willing to shoot; 3, keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire; 4, be sure of your target and what's behind it.
That said, it's great that Marcy didn't pretend guns are all evil and David was bad for wanting one. He had good reason to fear for his safety after everything that's happened. Marcy insisted he learn to handle it safely, which is awesome!
And of course, since religion was in this episode, we saw another example of how much the producers hate religion. Not once in the series are religious people portrayed positively, but always as crazed wackos.
Deepwater Horizon (2016)
A great suspenseful and realistic movie.
Loved this movie. Kept me on the edge of my seat almost the entire movie, starting with the bird strike on the way to the rig. From the sarcastic banter to the realistic sets, it was great. Russell, Wahlberg, and Malkovitch are terrific. The only thing I thought was missing was a bit more explanation of what a cement bond log is and why it was so important, and same thing for the negative pressure test. Glad they made this movie and glad they went to such lengths to make it as real as possible.
Stargate: Atlantis: Sunday (2007)
All downhill from here
Killing Dr. Beckett was the worst possible decision. Beckett was a much needed balance to all the constant bickering between McKay and the others. Don't know what the writers were thinking, but from this point forward the show took multiple bizarre twists winding up with Woolsey, of all people, being in charge of Atlantis. Very disappointing, but not surprising since SG-1 had also begun to take strange twists and turns with the whole Ori religion storyline and strange Claudia Black character Vala.