Watched Top Gun: Maverick this weekend. I had originally planned on giving it a pass, assuming that it would be... not good. While i certainly enjoyed the first film back in 1986, with any kind of critical eye today, it does not stand up, and i was pretty sure the new one would not either. However, its rave reviews, nomination for an Oscar and personal recommendations convinced me to give it a try. Felt like an ad for how great the american armed forces are, how they can act with impunity without any over sight or input from anywhere else. Maybe back in 1986 we trusted in the US to make good global decisions (correctly or not), but now, it just felt gross. I give it 1/5.
We finally started watching Andor. I was put off by the (overused) trope of the kinda shady hero, in Cassian's intro. But by the second episode I was able to get into the show more fully. I think we have watched 4 episode now? Enjoying it, but not loving it.
There was an attempt to re-engage with the second season of Picard. That did not go so well. I may make my trudging way through it, but Ciara will not be joining me. I so want to love it, but it just misses, and feels... not as important as it is trying to be? Depending on how this season ends, i may continue on to the new third season, or let it go...
The Last of Us) continues to be my favourite tv show, another great episode. There are always things that "could be better", but really, dang, what a good show.
And finally, i watched Wakanda Forever. Similar to The Green Knight i'd heard from some folks that "it was not that good" and so was entering into it with low expectations. Also like The Green Knight, it exceeded those expectations, although not to the level of The Green Knight. The way in which they gave space to remember both Chadwick Boseman the actor and The Black Panther the character were well done. I give it a 3/5.
I knew the movie was "weird", but had avoided any real spoilers, so went into it on Friday with few expectations. Which was good as it was totally not what i expected. It is amazing to me that this movie got made at all. Non-white, older main cast. Subtitles. Crazy non typical story telling. It felt like something i would have watched in the 90's at TIFFs Midnight Madness. Michelle Yeoh was, in one of the few unsurprising things about this film, amazing. A family drama wrapped up in a multiverse of madness. I give it a 4/5.
Watched the new batman movie. I enjoyed that this one had some detectiving going on, giving a nod to Batman's tag-line "The worlds greatest detective". Any opportunity to see Jeffrey Wright is one that should be taken. Had lots of fisticuffs and pugilism. Not much insight or development for the main character, even with the hackneyed voice-over. A bit of a nod to Seven. I give it a 3/5.
So much has already been said about the new Avatar movie, i'm unlikely to add anything with my own ramblings, so i'll keep it short. It looks real. Watched in IMAX 3D, it was amazing. I was in awe of the technical aspects of this movie. The crab robot-sub-things were also a highlight. I rate it a 3 out of 5.
My previous post about my feeling towards the indiscriminate use of blog content to feed the maw of 3rd party AI/search/ad-tech still stands, but! I do want to do some kind of publishing of my thoughts, and some of my work(s), and at least owning my own site is better than being beholden to others'. So it is the devil you know/control over the one you don't. Feels shitty, but maybe the least shitty.
On the other side of that coin, i have deleted reddit again, and will be working hard to convert that behaviour over to reading my library books (TPL and OverDrive, love the digital library system!). I have "Roadside Picnic" by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky borrowed right now. I watched "Stalker" by Andrei Tarkovsky, which is based on the book, and wanted a bit more insight into just what the hell was going on in that film.
Been listening to this track by Medio Mutante a lot today. Sad that the band broke up a decade ago. But good that i can still discover and buy their albums! Also, simply because of the name, reminded me of this movie "Acción mutante" that I watched back in the day at TIFF's Midnight Madness stream, like in '93... Actually, now that i think about it, i didn't watch it at TIFF, a film-nerd buddy came by with it and we watched it at my place when i was living in squalor on Spadina... Still must have been around 93 or 94...
Side Note, i kind of hate it when a bands main web presence is on facebook.
Had a very successful weekend, getting many items crossed off the "to do" list! Felt good. Also did some appropriate physical distanced visiting with a friend that i haven't seen in a month or two, mostly due to my own stresses and anxiety. Oh and we watched "Skyscraper" with The Rock. It felt like a movie that had a bunch of parts that could have been good, some that were not, and a great lack of a decent plot. Watching it at home, with no other expectations that it would allow us to zone out for 1.5h, it was successful... Mostly, with some plot holes and dumb-decisions and paper thin NPCs... So, not good, but .. ok? I don't really suggest anybody else watch it.
However, the final episode of Ted Lasso really payed off. That show, so fun and... wholesome? something? Just makes you feel good watching it. Does for me, anyway.
