For all that Christopher Nolan is a talented filmmaker, he’s one whose movies are declining in smartness over time and as their budgets grow. I talked about this in a previous blog, so go check that out if you’re interested in my full argument, but the simple version is that earlier in his career he … Read More
Though there are many things to be disappointed in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, one of the most prominent is just how derivative they are of the original trilogy. Say what you will about the prequel trilogy, and they are just as awful if not worse, but they at least tried to broaden the world … Read More
For all the high concept ideas that Christopher Nolan is good at creating, he tends not to be able to execute them in a way that makes full use of them. He’s limited in his vision and executes them in a rather pedestrian and stereotypical action movie way. It makes sense on a logistical level; … Read More
Game of Thrones is a frustrating show. While it’s generally understood that the later seasons fell apart, I think the problems of the show go deeper and earlier, and one episode I think is really indicative of it is the second episode of the show and how it adapts the corresponding Jon Snow chapter. (If … Read More
Bladerunner 2049 is a divisive movie. People either loved it, or fell asleep during it. Which while a joke, is also fairly accurate. Bladerunner 2049 is a movie at a very deliberate and glacial pace. It’s an introspective movie, but one that navel gazes a bit too much, one that I really wanted to like … Read More
08. A Small Town The best way to describe this episode is flat. The premise, that a man finds a scale model of his town that when he changes it changes the town, isn’t inventive, but worse nobody in this episode changes, grows, or sacrifices anything. The main character starts a good person and ends … Read More
Today we continue our deep dive into the second season of the new Twilight Zone. Spoiler alert: there’s glimmers of hope dragged down by more dullness. 03. The Who of You This episode doesn’t actually have a twist at all, but it’s basic concept, of a man that can jump from mind to mind and … Read More
I was not a fan of the new Twilight Zone’s first season. The fast version is that the new Twilight Zone suffers from a few key problems: the length of the episodes put them in an uncomfortable limbo, the characters are never allowed to breathe and be real people, and the themes are trite and … Read More
Today we’re switching it up from one form of screen to another, and taking a look at Xcom: Chimera Squad. It’s the sorta-sequel, but not quite, to Xcom 2. It isn’t a bad game, exactly, but it is a step down in a few key ways. There’s two main changes from the Xcom formula that … Read More
Joe, the main character of You, is in the tradition of a lot of TV anti-heroes; charming, handsome, morally bankrupt, and violent towards acceptable targets like abusers and douchebags. He’s not a particularly deep character, but one that all of the show is filtered through. And that’s unfortunate because… What I find really frustrating with … Read More