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glennpettit1
Reviews
Tenet (2020)
Complicated but ultimately not so confusing
Mild spoiler in case you haven't seen any of the trailers: This film is about a version of time travel. Now if, like me, you've seen the old Planet of the Apes movies, any time travel episode/movie from Star Trek, or even 12 Monkeys (movie or TV show), you know time travel can be complicated. Well, Christopher Nolan has made it even MORE complicated.
Because of that, you actually have to WATCH this whole film carefully. You can't be idly looking at your phone and hoping the action piece or dialog will tell you what's up. Nope, that ain't gonna happen! You need to watch for the clues throughout the film, and then when you get to the end, you'll get it. It will almost all come together.
Having said that, Nolan really challenged himself to portray the kind of time travel he decided to give us, and the results are spectacular. Yes, there SEEM to be plot holes, and there are some dangling threads at the end that you're just itching to pull to see where they lead. But overall, the film hits its marks. I'd still be curious to know more about what happens after the end of the film, and how it truly connects to the beginning, but...well, NOLAN.
My one gripe with time travel end-of-the-universe-as-we-know-it stories in general is the anthropocentric nature of it all -- i.e. Some human figures out how to manipulate time on a local level, and somehow that ends up able to affect the whole universe. Oh spare me! Might as well have Superman fly around the earth and spin it backwards to reverse time and save Lois Lane. Yeah, they actually did that in one film that was otherwise pretty good up to that point.
Nonetheless, Tenet is a good film, and if you've seen movies like Source Code or the TV show Seven Days, then you'll kind of understand what's going on. Even then, you might need another time through to get it all. Fortunately for us, we can rewind to watch what we missed. ;-)
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Muddled but not without hope
No spoilers, because if you haven't seen the stills and trailers with Steve Trevor miraculously alive, then you need to wake up. Like so many things about this movie, the reappearance of Diana's one true love is a maguffin of the worst sort. So much is left out of Max Lord's backstory -- like how and why he was looking for the rock at the center of all this -- that you really don't care about him. He's a smarmy con man, not a sneaky titan of industry, and so his story arc rings false. Barbara Minerva gets just enough early screen time to generate understanding about her story, but, again, she's a loose end and barely worth having in the film. Diana is luminous as always, and to see her truly hurt and getting weak was a nice change. But the whole story feels cobbled together, as if a group of writers sat in a room and spitballed "What if..." scenarios and then kept too many of them. The action is good, and Diana's growth is acceptable. Some of the effects needed a bit more work than they got.
I would have given this 5 stars, but the mid-credits scene earned it another star. You'll understand when you see it.
Babylon 5: Strange Relations (1998)
Ugh! Time for a nap...
Even when I saw this 20-plus years ago, it was a snooze-fest. Part of it is the boring loose ends: we don't have any clue who truly is behind the explosion at the beginning of the episode, we don't really get to see Bester and the bloodhounds in action, and the rogue telepaths are BORING. Byron and his telepaths look like refugees from a goth convention after passing through a Renaissance fair. They are trying to avoid the Psi Corps but they all dress in black like their still in the Psi Corps? Their utter lack of facial expression and emotion isn't creepy, it's just boring. Please, Bester, take them away! No, the only even vaguely interesting plot point is the role G'Kar takes on. Really? Forty or so minutes and that's all we get?
Babylon 5: The Parliament of Dreams (1994)
Fun, thoughtful, but campy
So we have several stories here: G'Kar is threatened with assassination (10/10), the demonstration of dominant faiths (9/10), and Cdr Sinclair facing off with an old flame (6/10). Catherine Sakai's dialog comes straight out of some campy film noire potboiler. "Don't...touch me unless you mean it." Seriously?!?
But we also get the wonderful Lennier, who gets told to look up because "I cannot have an attaché who is constantly running into things." Once his role is explained to him, he responds, "I do not understand, but understanding is not required, only obedience." That's MUCH better dialog, and it very subtly foreshadows Lennier's actions much later in the series.
Overall, a good mix of stories (albeit very short stories), but questionable screenwriting and direction.
Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears (2020)
More Indy than Phryne
I always enjoy seeing Phryne and Jack, but this story is more like an Indiana Jones story mixed with a Miss Fisher story, and so it misses quite a few of the classic Miss Fisher Mysteries marks. It couldn't seem to decide which story to tell, the treasure hunt or the murder mystery, and that left me wanting.
I do like the subtle commentary on British colonialism. The cast was, as usual, outstanding. The cinematography was so-so, and the sound levels couldn't seem to settle to an even tone.
MILD SPOILERS:
Other than Phryne and Jack, the rest of the gang only has a cameo at the beginning, and so we don't get the usual Hugh and Dot fun, Cec and Burt investigating, and Mr Butler being his usual indefatigable self. That removes a LOT of the fun. Sigh.
Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (2020)
Overall a solid serial killer procedural
In a modern spin on the old Ironside series, Lincoln Rhyme is paralyzed and must rely on his team to do the legwork, which I found refreshing. This show relies less on profiling (no Criminal Minds stuff here!) and more on forensic evidence. While this season is built around the titular Bone Hunter, there are a few diversions to track down other killers, and they were good stories in their own right. The cast is outstanding across the board, especially Brian O'Byrne as the Bone Collector himself. His arc in this 10-episode season gave him plenty to work with, and his face was amazing to watch as his secrets slowly came to light. And a special shout out, too, for casting Zach Weinstein, a fine actor who actually uses a wheelchair. He didn't get nearly enough screen time, so I hope we see more of him next season.
My one quibble has to do with the final few steps they took to try tracking down the Bone Collector in the last few episodes. It seemed like the kinds of things I've seen them do very early in tracking serial killers on other shows, and yet it took them EIGHT YEARS to finally follow those lines of inquiry? Oh well. Enjoy the chase and just let it go.
In the Shadow of the Moon (2019)
Does time travel create a predictable story?
Yes. Having watched plenty of time travel stories, this movie was no surprise. But the action was good, direction and acting were good, and the story was good until he figured it out. Then there was no great revelation at the end. However, I would give the writers credit for WHAT they tried to prevent through time travel. If only we could do that for real. Sigh. In all, not a bad flick.
Hanna (2019)
Action and heart make for a great show.
Others have pointed out how the "villain" Marissa is not some one-dimensional evil secret agent, and I second that. Part of that is the writers and directors, but special kudos go to Mireille Enos for bringing deep thought and emotion to what could have been a cookie cutter baddie.
Props also to Esme Creed-Miles who runs the gamut from spooky lack of emotion to fun to heart-breaking loss and sadness. There is a great depth to those sometimes cold blue eyes.
Joel Kinnaman gets something to work with, rather than being a simple heroic dad. His past is questionable, and his doubts and hopes come through even in those haunting silent shots of his eyes.
The supporting cast is wonderful, too, and I appreciate that many actors got to speak in native tongues rather than the producers making them speak English all the time.
The season story really builds out the movie story in a way that allows Hanna and Erik to both grow and bond. Were the story beats unexpected? Do you really need to ask that after how many Bourne movies? Nonetheless, we are talking about a teenager, so there are things here you'd never see in Bourne. The action with Hanna is part Bourne and part Laura from "Logan", and I was fine with Hanna not killing everyone she faced. Also, it's nice to have an action show where not every person who helps the hero gets killed.
I am looking forward to the next season!