While overall reviews of Discovery’s freshman season were somewhat mixed, there were some strong characters and storylines that deserved revisiting. Season two’s third episode “Point of Light” does so, but also feels more like a chapter in a telenovela. Granted, that’s one of the inherent risks with such serialized storytelling. On the plus side, “Point…
Month: January 2019
“Space: 1999” is a blast from a past that never was…
The Year 1999. When I was a kid, 1999 was a year of a far-off future where we’d have flying cars, robots in every home, and of course, moonbases. It was a year that seemed poised on the cusp of greatness. One of the most popular songs when I was in high school was “Party…
The Orville takes on pseudoscience in S2.5’s “All the World is Birthday Cake”…
****UNION STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!!**** Once again, The Orville takes a familiar Star Trek-trope, in this case the event of first contact between a sophisticated spacefaring race and a less-developed planet. Star Trek has long held to its ‘prime directive’ that forbids revealing the existence of spacefaring civilizations to such planets unless they have asked for help,…
Star Trek Discovery S2.2: The way to “New Eden”…
****STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!!**** The latest episode of Discovery’s title, “New Eden”, briefly recalled (for me, anyway) the crazy space-hippies in TOS’ “The Way To Eden.” But this latest episode wasn’t about stealing shuttles and eating acidic apples. The space hippies were seeking a literal Eden, whereas the crew of the Discovery happen upon a planet frozen…
“Aquaman” is big, splashy, sometimes waterlogged entertainment…
This “Aquaman” review may be a little late because, to be perfectly honest, I had absolutely no intention of seeing this film. However, last week my wife and I attended the IMATS makeup artists trade show in Pasadena, where we saw some beautifully detailed full-body costumes, creatures, and other pieces from the movie, and they…
The Orville, S2.4: “Nothing Left On Earth Excepting Fishes”…
The Orville’s latest episode, “Nothing Left On Earth Excepting Fishes” (a direct quote from “The King And I”) shines a spotlight on Captain Ed Mercer (series creator/producer/star Seth MacFarlane), while the subplot focuses on the captain’s best friend, the less-than-genius Lt. Gordon Malloy (Scott Grimes). While Gordon’s subplot is primarily played for laughs (with just…
Star Trek: Discovery, S2.1: “Brother” kicks off a soft-reboot of the series…
The first season of “Star Trek: Discovery” offered feature-film production values, some interesting characters, and a Klingon-Federation war, yet it was still a bit wanting overall. The story arc of that first year felt a bit clumsily put together (too many cooks?). The final episode of season one felt as if the series was more than…
“Hellboy”‘s 15-year reunion is one of the highlights at IMATS in Pasadena.
Last weekend was the IMATS (International Makeup Artists Trade Show) LA convention in (technically it was in Pasadena, but close enough…) Five years ago, my wife and I attended our first IMATS LA, and it’s been a staple event we now attend every year. My wife (and our friend Ali) attend primarily for the cosmetics…
The Orville S2.3, “Home” is both reunion and farewell…
**** UNION CRUISER-SIZED SPOILERS!! ***** In the tradition of Denise Crosby’s “Tasha Yar” from Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Orville saw the departure of one its own in the latest episode from Seth MacFarlane’s retro-but-fresh sci-fi dramedy Fox series. Though not quite the tragedy of TNG’s “Skin of Evil,” Orville’s “Home” still managed to…
Taking “The Bird Box” challenge…
With the holidays now in the rear-view mirror, I finally had a chance to check out the new Netflix original movie, “The Bird Box” (2018), starring Sandra Bullock, directed by Susanne Bier from a screenplay by Eric Heisserer based on a 2014 novel by Josh Malerman (which I’ve not read, for full disclosure). The film…
The Orville S2.2: Really feeling “Primal Urges”…
As The Orville’s stock continues to rise, it’s increasingly clear that this ‘dramedy’ sci-fi series from star/creator Seth MacFarlane is rapidly eclipsing Star Trek: Discovery in the hearts and minds of some (if not many) fans. Personally, I hate to stoke competition (why not enjoy them both?) but if I had to say which series…
Discovery Short Treks, 4 of 4: “The Escape Artist”…
Just saw the latest and last of four CBS-AA Star Trek: Discovery “Short Treks”, and well… my wife says if you have nothing nice to say, you should say nothing. So… thanks for reading. Okay, I’m half-kidding. While it’s true that I don’t have nice things to write regarding Short Trek #4, “The Escape Artist”…