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ThorMelsted
Reviews
Quantum Leap: The Family Treasure (2024)
This is how you address social issues.
This was a very good episode with a great message of love and family first.
The story here was a basic treasure hunt with the usual betrayals and twists, but that part wasn't the point of the episode. The point was love, and that family comes in all shapes and sizes and gender identities, and that yes, sometimes it hurts - but at the end of the day, love and a willingness to understand and grow can overcome anything.
The acting was solid and the direction was fine. The story moved along at a decent pace and both the episodic arc story and more than one serialized arc were addressed. Mostly well. The going from engagement to spending time apart part was not as fully fleshed out as it could have been, but that wasn't the main story of the episode.
The original series was always aware of its time in history and was more inclusive than most (despite a few episodes that have since become cringe worthy because of how society has evolved) - so if the issue of non-binary/trans had been in the zeitgeist in the early 90s like it is now, then of course that series would have addressed that issue like it did so many others, and most likely in a similar vein as was done here. To fault this iteration of the show for doing the same thing the original did, simply exposes the biases of those who do.
Shakina wrote this episode. She is trans and appeared in an episode last season that dealt with LGBTQ+ bigotry and someone's difficulty with coming out. The non-binary/trans issue is a big topic these days, and to a large extent it's because they've been so targeted by conservatives. Quantum Leap, in both its iterations, has always been about inclusion and promoting change through social commentary. Anyone upset by that should just watch something else more to their liking instead. Or better yet, they could examine why it upsets them.
Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder (2023)
Phenomenal!
Bizarre - super creepy - genuinely scary - and 100% old school Doctor Who, with modern production values.
Such a wild episode. It's hard to talk about without being spoiler-y, but I will say this.
An episode like this takes a master of the craft. For something to be scary and creepy simultaneously you need someone who knows what makes people tick, and RTD certainly does. This is right up there with Midnight as one of the creepiest Doctor Who episodes ever. The atmosphere, the emotional turmoil, the mystery, the reality - and then the ending. Oh goodness. The resolution to the story was highly emotional by itself, with superb performances by both Tennant and Tate. But the last scene? Tears. Just tears. For all the reasons.
If this episode is any indication of where Russell T. Davies is taking Doctor Who over the next two years, I'm so in. Not that I wasn't before, but come on now. This is Doctor Who!
May December (2023)
Pretentious and boring
The late Gene Siskel used to say that the simplest way to decide if a film was worth a damn, was if you thought watching the same cast have dinner together would be a better use of your time. This film absolutely does not pass that test.
There's nobody to root for. The two primary characters are a woman who raped a child and the woman who's playing her in a movie. Neither is likable or sympathetic. The young man who had his youth stolen by a predator is the only one who deserves sympathy, but he's got his own problems and isn't really likable either.
I don't understand how anyone would think this is a good film. But to each their own.
JFK (1991)
Exceptional filmmaking; bad reasoning
Easily the best edited film ever made - and one of the best shot films of all time. Richly deserved the Oscars it won for both of those.
When I saw this in theaters when I was 19, I was green and believed in the conspiracy and refused to accept the Oswald angle.
Fast forward.
I'm now 50. I've seen the "magic bullet" replicated in real life. It's not magic, it's just physics. I've seen the computer simulations that pinpoint the exact point of origin for all the bullets as the 6th floor window. I've studied the data; the images; the films (the Zapruder film is not the only film from that day); the interviews and I even read the Warren report. Yes, all of it.
There's only one way to adequately and scientifically explain all the evidence: Oswald got lucky, and a lot of people subsequently tried to cover up their own incompetence, which only added fuel to the conspiracy theories.
I've met Oliver Stone. He's pompous and arrogant and rejects evidence that doesn't fit his opinion. That's not science. That's not critical thinking. That's cherry picking. That's the thinking of a conspiracy theorist.
Don't watch this for facts or insight. Watch this for the art that went into making it.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
You either get it or you don't. I'm glad I did.
If you don't get it, you'll hate it and you won't understand why anyone would love it. That's okay. It happens. Not everyone understands subtext or allegory.
If you do get it, you're in for a masterpiece of absurdity, surrealism, existentialism, comedy and ultimately, humanism.
This is one of the most insightful and realistic depictions of ADHD, depression and anxiety I've ever seen. Yes, I used the word realistic about a film where characters may have hotdogs for fingers, or they may be a cartoon or a rock. Because it's not supposed to be taken literally. Everything is subtext. Everything is a metaphor. Everything is an illustration of absurdity to make a point.
The way this film handles the subject matter and delivers its message is a masterclass in using over the top silliness as a way to convey something subtle and nuanced.
It's insanely creative and beautiful. It's one of the best films I've ever seen.
Snowpiercer: Ouroboros (2022)
What the heck is this?
This is a non-episode. Pointless. Ridiculous. Waste of everyone's time.
A dream episode with virtually nothing advancing stories or characters.
It's worse than the musical episode of Fringe.
How was this allowed to go forward?
Star Trek: Picard (2020)
Ignore the haters. This is pure Star Trek.
Existential questions about what makes us human has always been at the center of the Star Trek universe. This show is no different.
Seeing the old gang again was fun and at times emotional.
Patrick Stewart does a wonderful job as always. The rest of the cast are great.
Yes, the story probably could have been told in fewer episodes, but that would be missing the point. The story is merely framework for character development and exploration of relationships, coupled with the aforementioned existential questions, which is always what matters the most.
I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this series and look forward to season two.
Kevin Can F**k Himself: Living the Dream (2021)
Awful. Unwatchable. A train wreck.
I really wanted to like this because I love Annie Murphy. It makes me so sad that this is the next thing she has to her name following up her deserved Emmy win for the brilliant Schitt's Creek.
No likable characters. No sympathetic characters (besides hers) and the contrived setup is a one-joke gag that would run dry within the first 2 minutes of a 7 minute SNL sketch.
Orphan Black (2013)
Fantastic show, phenomenal lead actress
Watching the series now for the third time.
One of the best lead actress performances in decades. Tatiana Maslany does a masterful job of portraying multiple characters, each unique in their own way. Whenever there's more than one of her in a scene together you just accept it. It always feels like they're actually different actresses. Each character is three dimensional, flawed and realistic.
Is every episode perfect? No, of course not. Every series has ups and downs. This show is no exception, but Maslany's Emmy winning performance never hits the wrong note. She's extraordinary.
Legends of Tomorrow: Meat: The Legends (2021)
What happened?!
This show has completely lost its marbles.
Does anyone behind the scenes care about quality anymore? Have they even seen good TV?
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
Stupid squared. Cubed, even.
I like the actors and most of the characters (except Constantine and Behrad). But the writing on this show has gone off a cliff.
Clinton, Inc. (2016)
Hyper-partisan propaganda.
Non-partisan, my foot. This anti-Clinton propaganda is from a group of hyper-partisan Republican operatives who previously made an anti-Obama film.
Legends of Tomorrow: Invasion! (2016)
Beware the Netflix recap skip
If you're like me you gave up on Arrow a long time ago and never got into Flash or Supergirl.
And if you're watching this on Netflix like I was, prepare for confusion - not just because you didn't see the other parts of this crossover, but because Netflix automatically skips the recap for you, making you think you've jumped a few seasons ahead and then go "huh?" when Supergirl is there in the opening scene as if we're supposed to know why. This is why Netflix's system should have a flag for episodes where the recap won't be skipped.
The ONLY reason to stick with this otherwise mostly irrelevant episode is for Stein's experience, which continues after the episode. But again, miss the recap and even that will be confusing.
Servant (2019)
Started off fine, now it's awful
First season was fine. Creepy and intriguing. But now it's all just meandering mess with no sympathetic characters. Season two is all style, no substance. No plot. Trying too hard to be mysterious. I stuck it out mostly out of curiosity, hatewatching more and more as the episodes got more and more pointless. But I'm done with it now. Season three can suck it.
Star Trek: Picard (2020)
Ignore the haters. This is pure Star Trek.
Existential questions about what makes us human has always been at the center of the Star Trek universe. This show is no different.
Seeing the old gang again was fun and at times emotional.
Patrick Stewart does a wonderful job as always. The rest of the cast are great.
Yes, the story probably could have been told in fewer episodes, but that would be missing the point. The story is merely framework for character development and exploration of relationships, coupled with the aforementioned existential questions, which is always what matters the most.
I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this series and look forward to season two.
Family Guy: You Can't Handle the Booth (2019)
How and why did this even make it through production?
That moment when... one of the writers has a really, really stupid idea and the producers take it seriously and it gets made and it results in the worst episode in the history of the show.
I don't understand how something this ridiculous even gets approved.
I don't understand how it can go through a table read, production and post-production and then makes it to air.
Were they just checking to make sure we're still paying attention?
Not funny, not clever, not entertaining, not interesting.
This was a complete failure of an episode, on every level.
What a sad waste of Sarah Paulson as a guest star. It sucks that she was brought in to guest and she gets what's essentially a throwaway episode.