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Reviews
Unsolved Mysteries (2020)
Only watched first episode so far
The case is interesting, but the pace of the show sucks. Too drawn out, so it loses the genius of the original - quick re-enactment, present facts and leading theories rapid fire, then on to the next one.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
There are flaws, but it's an enjoyable capstone to the Original Saga
This movie is by no means perfect, and it walks back or completely ignores several plot threads established in Episode 8. This results in a movie that tries to pack in a LOT of story in a limited package, and it can feel a bit rushed.
That said, it focuses on the major theme of the Original Star Wars saga - lineage, and how the current generation is affected by those that came before. It hits the high points it needs to hit. There are low points (a side quest to extract data locked in C3P0's memory feels particularly stapled on and unnecessary), but when the final credits rolled, I did clap because the big emotional moments delivered.
Knives Out (2019)
Fun Whodunit, and I'd sign up for a sequel
If you are a fan of old school detective mysteries, this movie will warm your heart. It borrows heavily from some of the best detective works of all time (Agatha Christie's "Curtain" and "The Murder of Roger Aykroyd" come to mind), and I do not mean that as an insult.
The acting is top notch, as you would expect from this cast, but I enjoyed the cinematography as well. And the director plays fair with the audience - it's possible to guess the full final solution to the mystery, but that does not take away from the enjoyment of watching the characters get there.
The real triumph of the movie, however, is Daniel Craig's portrayal of private investigator Benoit Blanc. Craig plays him like a Southern Hercule Poirot - bumbling on the surface, but observant with a keen intellect and a flair for the dramatic. I would rather see Craig play this character again than play James Bond - and that's no insult to his portrayal of Bond.
Fringe: The Day We Died (2011)
A very good episode ruined by one of the most nonsensical plot twists ever
Look, I'm a Fringe fan. John Noble should have won at least one Emmy by now for his performance as Walter Bishop, and if Anna Torv doesn't win one for her pitch-perfect performance of three distinct characters this season (Olivia, Fauxlivia, and Walter Bell-living-inside-Olivia) it will be a damned crime. I generally find the plots interesting, well thought out, and occasionally mind-blowing.
So I came into this episode with high expectations. This was the episode that was going to take the amazing "Alternate Universe" storyline and give it an equally amazing conclusion. And for the first 59 minutes, it was working quite nicely for me. Everything was hitting on all cylinders. Having Olivia's niece become a Fringe agent was a nice touch, along with President Broyles. The death of Olivia was both surprising and poignant.
And then... then ending happened. Specifically, the very last line of the ending. My first reaction was anger. Anger at the Hand of God being used to wield the Sledgehammer of Plot to drive home a point that doesn't make any sense. Peter never existed? If Peter never existed, then what the hell was the point of the first three seasons? There would be no need for the universes to work together, because if Peter never existed, Walter would never have crossed over and stolen Walternate's child, the rift between the universes never would have opened, and, quite possibly, all of the "Fringe" events wouldn't have happened.
I am somewhat interested in the potential for people from both universes crossing back and forth on a regular basis in Season 4, and I'm curious to see if Peter is "resurrected" at any point and how that gets explained away, but on the whole, I haven't been this disappointed since the end of the third season of "Heroes."
Titanic II (2010)
It might be the worst movie of all time... and I'm almost ashamed to say I enjoyed it
I'm convinced this movie was made just so the lead actor (who also wrote and directed this pile of junk, by the way) could get his hands on some hot women. I honestly can't believe he got Bruce Davison to act in it.
It's almost impossible to critically review this as a "movie." The dialogue is high school drama club level, the plot is wafer thin, and some scenes that are "aboard the boat" are quite obviously shot in a hotel. The real "triumph" of this movie, however, is the CGI. Oh, the CGI. You will never complain about The Last Airbender's special effects again after seeing this movie. In some cases, special effects in 1920s movies are better.
Needless to say, I laughed out loud throughout the entire thing. You should see this movie to laugh at how bad it is, and I highly recommend seeing it with a 12-pack of your favorite frosty beverage handy.
Skyline (2010)
My lord... someone was paid to film this?
I walked out of the theater trying to recall a worse movie I've seen in a theater, and I could not come up with one.
The script is clichéd and banal. The acting is wooden and stilted. I felt no connection to any of the characters. Yes, there are special effects. But nothing you haven't seen in a half-dozen other sci-fi movies that have been done much, much better.
That said... there's a nugget of something in there that _could_ have worked. There's an idea of the real helplessness the average person would feel if the situation in the movie was actually happening. In better hands, this could have been something. Instead, I found myself laughing at the utter ridiculousness of the film's final climactic scene. I think that says everything.