Posts

Showing posts with the label showrunner

Rebel Mooned, again...

Image
As promised in my review of Rebel Moon part 1 , I return with a review of Rebel Moon part 2: The Scar giver . So, strap on them Imperium uniforms and prepare for this Space-Viking-cowboy-Nazi-science fiction space opera.  This is the second part, and the thrilling conclusion of Rebel Moon... Wait, what's that, it made too much money, there's going to be a third? Maybe? We don't know yet... um okay. We'll just move forward with this review and cross that bridge when the enemy comes to shoot us all to crap. By now, you might have heard, or at the very least surmised there would be more rebel moons out soon, 4 more if old Zach has anything to do with it. However, I am not so sure the next one, Rebel Moon 3 has been greenlit. There are rumors it has, and also that it will start filming in 2025. If they make it, I will review it. For now, let just focus on Part 2. Don't want to get caught up in the assumption game and get taken out of context. I liked the first one, and

Fallout, a corporate irony...

Image
I really don't know how to feel about this review. I don't know how I feel about the show I just watched, hopefully, this can help sort it out. The fact that it's Amazon that did made this show, somehow makes it worse. Not sure if they are telling us about how they will manage the apocalypse, if they are just providing entertainment at this point, or if we are the entertainment or both... Anyway, here's an honest review of " Fallout ".  That's right, grab your two headed cow, get all your Stem packs together, and finish off that "nuka-cola", then lets ride out into the atomic sunset together- This week I will be reviewing Amazon's " Fallout " series. Buckle up vault-dwellers, strap on yer' pip-boys and enjoy the show. There is something to be said for the story telling and mastery thereof in certain video games, especially those made by old school "Bethesda". Some of the best story telling came from those early years.

Monarch: That Legacy thing...

Image
Since I have been doing the Godzilla thing recently, I thought I'd take advantage of that free subscription my wife has for Apple TV . There are only a couple of reasons to watch Apple TV in my opinion, but ever since I watched " Godzilla Minus One " (read that review here ), I have been craving some more giant lizards stepping on people, stepping on buildings, stepping on other monsters, etc. So I bit the bullet and decided to watch " Monarch: Legacy of Monsters ". And it was "meh", but the good kind of meh. The kind of meh that you might settle in with on a Saturday night and Netflix and chill with- but NEVER tell any one that you did it, and also, that you kind of, sort of, might have gotten a little enjoyment from it. But only just a little bit, not the full fireworks. Before I get started, let me preface this- This isn't even in the same wheel house as Minus One . Expect some speed bumps in the quality, and maybe a gag reflex. Make sure to wr

"The Fall", and Poe...

Image
I recently finished a Netflix original I thought deserved more credit than it got, even though it got a lot of credit. Usually, most of the shows on streaming services are okay, some are even "meh". Some deserve only the mention of ridicule: Good examples of those include, but are not limited to, " The Wheel of Time " and " The Rings of Power " (based loosely on some stollen material from the works of J.R.R. Tolkien ). Both are decidedly horrid when compared to the books. The latter is more than horrid, I can't express how bad it is, in fact, I just threw up in my mouth a little trying to forget I mentioned it. If you avoid one show in your life, avoid "The Rings of Power", utter fucking trash.  Enough of that negativity! Onward! The show I speak of, the reason I wrote this post, is " The Fall of the House of Usher " based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe . In fact, it's based on one of his short stories, but there is so much mor

I finally did it... and it was meh.

It took me some time, but I finally got around to seeing “ Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ”, and I have some thoughts about it. First, let me “pretext” the crap out of this. One of the first movies I saw as a kid was “ Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ”. This set the pace for my movie-going experience. Granted, Temple (as it will be referred to moving forward) isn't the strongest of the entries in the franchise. It does, however, have the honor of being one of the originals. As I said, it's not the strongest, but it carries a ton of fond memories. I watched that tape again and again until it broke. That’s right, VHS, not to date myself. a couple of years later I managed to get a boxed set that also included “ Raiders of the Lost Arc ”, and “ The Last Crusade ”, which incidentally come in as the best in the series, at least in my opinion. For years I waited and wished for another film. By the time Starwars came out with its sequels (“ The Phantom Menace ”, “ Attack o

Genndy Tartakovsky, a master of story telling...

When I first saw " Primal " listed on HBO MAX, I didn't realize that it was a  Genndy Tartakovsky  production. If I had, I most likely would have watched it sooner. It's just so damn good. Do yourself a favor, watch it now, here's why... Usually, cartoons don't interest me, so I just pass them by. With the exception: PIXAR . I pay attention to  Pixar  releases because I have a history with them. However, they seem to have gone a little stale over the past few years. What I mean by that is they have found a formula and are sticking to it- make the audience cry. Nonetheless, they still know their craft, but I feel that they have reached a peak. I doubt they will ever come up with another " Wall-E ", or even more poignant, another " Up ". Those risks have been taken, and those stories have been told. The other major animation studios are no different, sometimes they break free of what works and come up with something truly wonderful, but rarel

A different kind of apocalypse...

Well, I'll be a mushroom's uncle, so far " The Last of Us " is a solid show. Good story, good acting, and good visuals. It's still too early in the series to tell how it's going to go, but much like the " Game of Thrones " Spinoff " House of the Dragon " it showed up and demolished the competition. It seems that all the good writers and actors went and got jobs for HBO.  First off, there might be some spoilers ahead... so if that's not your thing, stop right here. Prepare to get infected, but this time it's not a virus or a bacteria, it's a fungus! A gross one too.  Unlike " The Walking Dead ", this show has roots, or mycelium as they are called in the world of molds and spores. The Walking Dead was one of the best post-apocalyptic zombie outbreak shows ever made, but one thing about it always bothered me. The audience never learns what happened, how it happened, and the mistakes that were made. I was okay with this

Avatar, the good, the bad, and the meh.

Image
( Photo by Pietro Jeng) I usually don't do movie reviews, but I felt this one is appropriate considering that  movies  are a storytelling medium- plus, this movie's made almost 2 billion dollars so far. In other words, it's doing something right. Study up my burgeoning writers, directors, and film majors!  Before I get started, I have to post a short disclaimer here: I am going to avoid major spoilers, however, I might give away some smaller ones. As much as I would like to go in-depth on this one I will abstain and perhaps bring it up in the future.  For convenience I will break this down into five parts; the story, the characters and their development, the use of elements and themes, world-building, and lastly, the visual aesthetics. Hopefully, this will answer the question-  Does it tell a good story and should I go see it ?  Starting off with the story and plot. There's no easy way to say this, the story and plot are the weakest part of the movie. That being said,

How to creativity... With John Cleese.

Image
John Cleese is one of my all-time favorites when it comes to comedy, satire, and writing. I love most of what he does, from his work with Monty Python to his stage roles. His commentary has shaped the world of comedy for the better part of half a century. Today's video talks about creativity- which he is something of an expert on. However, the title of this one is a little misleading, it's not about a war on "wokeism" it does talk a little bit about the subject, but it is more about the creative process and how it can be stifled or hindered. For any aspiring author, writer, or musician, it's well worth a peep. Hope you all enjoy it! Cheers!