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Reviews
Buffalo Bill and the Indians or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976)
Pretentious film made up entirely of establishing shots
A movie that dares you to attempt to become involved with its characters by keeping you at a distance. Altman's use of overlapping dialogue and diverting cuts to other scenes just as something interesting is about to happen make this one of his most annoying films. A mass of talented actors in great costumes get very little chance to actually act. Not really sure what the point of this film is other than western shows are, just that, shows. Also all Indians are incredibly noble and profoundly boring. Just another example of 60s filmaking washing over into the 70s with just a desire to be different for no other reason than to be different. How this got released is beyond me. I suppose Paul Newman was enough to guarantee a few weeks of box office before audiences caught on to this unfininished, unpolished, unfocused, hash of a movie.
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
Overblown, Underwritten, Too Many Characters, Expensive
Banging around to all points on the globe, this synthetic, committee-written, mess recalls too many old characters and introduces too many new characters who take turns being nipped at by expertly created dinos at well-timed intervals. As usual, a rich white man is the source of all evil and characters of various ethnicities and sexual orientations save the day. If it was written by a computer, kudos to the programmer. If it was written by humans, I need to check your papers... and your pulse.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Laughable Payoff
It consumes two hours building up to the return of ... I dunno ... a messiah, maybe, judging from the looks of those dim-bulb scientists and the gush of the score. Then, a nude party of embryonic ETs step out of a spiked spaghetti strainer, dump their cargo of kidnapped humans, and decide to take the Wichita Lineman - my 1 billionth choice to serve as earth's ambassador - for a spin around the galaxy. I staggered out of the theater in 1977. I had never before been insulted by a movie.
Star Trek: First Frontier (2020)
By People Who Understand and Love Star Trek
A noble effort and yet another reason to be disgusted by what CBS has done to the the Star Trek ideal. Good story, well-casted, and wise to use James Horner's sweeping score. Yes the sound is bad and the effects are not up to current standards, but you've got to appreciate the effort and drive to create a feature length film with "stone knives and bear skins." Not up there with Star Trek Continues, but I hope they will keep exploring this end of the Star Trek universe. They got the tone right.
Star Trek Continues: To Boldly Go: Part I (2017)
Time Machine Perfection
On a shoe string budget and amid the hostility of CBS, they have created a series of little gems that recall the hey day of Star Trek. Recreated with exacting detail and wisely using the excellent background music of the original series, that have pushed Trek forward while preserving the spirit of the series - something that has been lost since the days of STNG.
A true achievement made by people who love the essence of what made Star Trek stand apart. While the current series goes for darkness and milestones like incorporating the first F bomb (what a daring stroke!) Star Trek Continues plies the waters first explored by Gene Roddenberry with a positive view of the future and the people who will inhabit it. THAT is Star Trek. I only wish they could make more.