Change Your Image
scott-donaldson
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
The Gentlemen: The Gospel According to Bobby Glass (2024)
Do we care about any of these characters?
It is unfair to compare the series with the movie -- so often critics will score low any adaptation that lacks the power of the original. So I will start by saying that my disappointment did not come from there.
Even though Ritchie directed both the movie and the series, the movie is tighter and more cohesive. The series in my opinion is an example of style over substance.
Theo, portrays the lead character whose narrative arc begins as a soldier, lacks any apparent emotional or romantic connections, who drifts along a criminal path and wholeheartedly embraces ruthless murder by the end. Are we meant to cheer when his moral decay leads to the cold-blooded execution of his rivals?
The inclusion of the wonderful Giancarlo Esposito in the plot is wasted, as we are expected to believe that this criminal mastermind happily embraces imprisonment at the end. Really?
Others have commented on the comedrama elements of the series. However, Ritchie employs this technique lazily, and assumes the audience is fully onboard, happily embracing the nudges and winks. When there is no emotional investment in the characters however, no one cares.
Star Trek: Picard: The Last Generation (2023)
The bonhomie fan club ending
I've watched almost every episode of every spin-off related to Star Trek over the years, growing up with the original series. I'm a fan, and I understand this sentimental journey reuniting old friends with new characters should be satisfying, and bring tears to my eye.
I'm also a fan of the Borg, the ultimate nemesis for the federation, although this season the shape changers have come pretty close to usurping them.
Yet I found myself pressing fast forward on the dialogue scenes, the resolution to each conflict situation was dumbed down to a sentimental resolution (the plot writers didn't have to strain themselves), and the episode rolled on like a cruise-ship carrying geriatric celebrities from one superfluous dialogue to another.
Highlights this season for me were Seven of 9 (always fantastic), Jack Crusher (bringing fresh energy to the franchise), Vadic (the theatrical commander of the. Shrike).
From the old crew, Worf will be remembered most fondly.. deeply in fact, followed by Data.
Andor: Narkina 5 (2022)
A compelling vision of multi-planetary future life
We often think of multi-planetary life as the saviour of the human species from destroying itself. The vision shared here is of distant planets or moons, where protestors or enemies of the empire, are transported to prison camps as slave labour.
The sterile bleakness of prison life is shown very effectively here, and Andor's disorientation and disbelief is shared with subtlety: often his eyes and stoic expression says more than words.
The repetitive movements of the atomised prisoners were reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times. The attention to detail of the set designers, the planning and design that has clearly gone into the prison, and the coordinated movements of the workers constructing believable engineering parts, refreshes the story of atomised individuals fighting against a machine/ system up to date.
You can imagine how attractive such a prison model would be to a future stagnant human elite inhabiting a homogenous world, who can simply send their dissidents away instead of dealing with social change.
"Narkina 5" shows how the seeds of resistance can flower, when societies are oppressed beyond the limit of human endurance.
Westworld: Que Será, Será (2022)
Average ending to a fantastic series
At some point during this episode, I thought to myself, how courageous it would be to end with a minor character (Clementine) saving the day. Or utilise some overlooked detail from an earlier episode to end the series on a high. Or set the scene for a finale that asks deep philosophical questions about the nature of consciousness/ reality.
Sadly, we had none of those things, and the finale is a star vehicle for the headline names to face-off against each other, with a very familiar plot twist that a 14 year old could have written.
Disappointing.
Westworld: Zhuangzi (2022)
Evil.. or just curiosity?
I gave the episode 10, because for the first time this series, it is apparent that the hosts have questions in paradise.
The nuances of self awareness and identity are being explored, with some cliches concerning immortality and unlimited power thrown into the mix.
Unlike humans, the hosts have opportunities to shorten their evolutionary cycle by engineering fundamental changes to their being to transcend their limitations. Could this be a path the scriptwriters will take? There are many directions the narrative could follow, and this is pure speculation on my part. But if so, would the progeny of gods view their ancestors as savages?
When a child steps on an anthill and destroys a colony, it it not necessarily evil. It could just be curiosity, or a response (as Hale may say) to being "bored".
Westworld: Generation Loss (2022)
What is it to be human?
Remember Bernard's struggle in an earlier season to come to terms with the fact that he was not human? The hundreds of interviews he participated in, as his programmers (human at first and later host) attempted to piece together backstory, motivation, purpose, that formed his narrative arc.
Imagine taking focal human characters from the series, messing with their reality, and placing them within this same rinse and repeat framework. Treating them as the hosts were treated previously. Does it feel different when we know that it is a human who is being treated like a lab rat?
What remains of a conscious being after reprogramming? Is the reprogramming reversible?
We also see the first sign of convergence with the Christina storyline, who's purpose remains unclear.
Westworld: Années Folles (2022)
Uncomfortable, unsettling.. where will the path take us?
In this season, the hosts have the power of gods. The imbalance in power is greater than ever, and the disturbing inventions that the hosts are working on (a sinister tower and a strange black liquid) suggests their victory is inevitable.
There is a thread of bleak fatalism throughout this season, that the writers are attempting to finely balance with the hero characters. This episode, bringing an old favourite back from the dead with visionary powers, and offers the first evidence that defeat for the humans is not certain.
Fringe: White Tulip (2010)
My favourite Fringe episode
Rewatching Fringe after all of these years, this episode was especially poignant at the time. The regret that Walter feels is mirrored in the yearning of the key protagonist.
The dénouement is delicately acted. Beautiful episode.
The Virtuoso (2021)
Flawed, competently acted thriller
The narrative voice describing the lead character's thoughts jars and disturbs during the first half, and you wish there was more action DOING rather than TELLING.
Hopkins is largely a cutout character, and the director attempts to use him during a clunky monologue to explain the horrors of war and what it means to be a good soldier.
Despite these flaws, when the main plot set piece kicks off, the viewer is carried along and the movie comes alive.
Overall, a little predictable. Although there is a nuance at the end concerning choices that stays with you, after the movie is finished. Worth watching.
The Mandalorian: Chapter 8: Redemption (2019)
Taika Waititi dumbs down the franchise
This is Waititi's only episode as director, and his signature comedy is all over it (for better or for worse). A cursory review of his bio in IMDB returns the link "How Taika Waititi Balances Emotion and Humor on Film". Not a bad thing, but I'll get to that later.
Perhaps the Disney executives received feedback from their focus groups that "The Mandalorian" was considered too serious, and more humour was needed to avoid alienating a younger audience if season 2 was to be a success. Whatever the reason, it is noteworthy that while directors like Dave Filoni and Deborah Chow were entrusted with several episodes (which they delivered impeccably in terms of tone, pacing and narrative) it was left to Waititi to end season 1.
In my opinion, Waititi has delivered an easily consumed crowd-pleasing finale to season 1 (demonstrated by episode 8 having the highest IMDB rating so far), but his use of cheap gags and cartoon-like fight scenes disappoints me; I remain hopeful that this is not a sign of what to expect in season 2. Meanwhile, the beautiful cinematography and attention to small details -- all delivered in an understated manner -- in episode 1, reminds me of what could have been.
Positives
Favreau's writing continues to be magnificent.
Negatives
-The Stormtroopers are comical, and not in a good way. Easily killed, and when IG-11 goes on the attack, it seems likely it will be able to kill all of them by itself. Yet later IG-11 considers it necessary to self-destruct to destroy a platoon of them.
-The dialogue and interactions between the bike scouts was so laboured, I was waiting for canned laughter to come in.
-None of the stormtroopers can hit Mando, yet Moff Gideon casually knocks him down with a single shot, then shoots an explosive to incapacitate him further.
- Moff Gideon, the most significant villain scripted so far in the series, and the casting of Giancarlo Esposito. This appears an error when his lightweight onscreen presence is compared to that of Werner Herzog (The Client).
On a separate note, one of the aspects I enjoyed most about the episodes prior to this one, was the sensitive characterisation of the non-human roles. I would include Mando in this category, for the simple reason that his concealed identity, and limited dialogue, made him enigmatic and "machine-like": yet we could relate to him as a person through his memory flashbacks, observing his frailty in battle, the misfortunes that befell him, and his occasional sighs of resignation. All directed with a light touch, to show glimpses of his humanity and makes us care about him. Perhaps greater care was made to characterise Kuiil and the robot IG-11, than the other human characters: certainly Kuill and IG-11 are probably my favourite characters in season 1. It is ironic that it is Waititi who provides the voice to the IG-11, and for me that is probably his greatest achievement in the series.