tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55647191623942823622024-03-23T01:36:03.152-07:00Deeeshing It OutI'm just an idiot with a keyboard in a sea of other idiots with keyboards rambling on about stuff.Deeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-33649576978505002102023-12-24T07:43:00.000-08:002023-12-24T07:43:05.668-08:00Just a Heartbreaker<p>Many of you
celebrate today as Christmas Eve. But personally, I'd like to
celebrate this as the day I died and came back to life!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsA9TfrCyxQOR16YBLZNOyxPH_aryX4pkyKGv5L9JHb_78cY4mbCB3eGEzQ59BNwO1V4jedXVaEoYP4pINuKPu2XVDevP3T-znyRv4C3j2gBRp4XNAY3E4-2DJuNkgeiaYK0s8yaHpCC6zdMIokZT8eKTv8pGISRYd2noA7vco52NFW8I2vYJsDU0oAk/s1395/HeartstuffFinal3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="1395" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsA9TfrCyxQOR16YBLZNOyxPH_aryX4pkyKGv5L9JHb_78cY4mbCB3eGEzQ59BNwO1V4jedXVaEoYP4pINuKPu2XVDevP3T-znyRv4C3j2gBRp4XNAY3E4-2DJuNkgeiaYK0s8yaHpCC6zdMIokZT8eKTv8pGISRYd2noA7vco52NFW8I2vYJsDU0oAk/s320/HeartstuffFinal3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Okay, maybe that's a bit overly
dramatic. But it's not an exaggeration to say, last year on December
24th (2022), I had my chest split wide open while machines kept my
heart and lungs working for a few hours as a team of incredibly
talented doctors and nurses performed a very unexpected triple bypass
heart surgery on me (commonly referred to as Coronary Artery Bypass
Graft, or <b>CABG</b>). I'm typically not a fan of the holidays, but
this was not at all how I imagined spending them. And it definitely
is something that sticks with you for a while. Trust me when I say,
not a day goes by that I don't remind myself just how close I got to
not having a holiday season to scoff at this year.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So how did I get here...?</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Well, some of you have heard this
story, but many of you may not be aware of the specifics. So since
it's on regular rotation in my brain, allow me a moment to relive my
"reliving" with you, on the off-chance that maybe you or
someone you love is saying, <i>“Hm... I wonder if my heart is about
to just up and quit working on me”.</i></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Looking back, this all started a few
years ago... </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And yes, I can already hear you asking,
<i>"Whyyyyy didn't you go to the doctor?!?"</i> To which I
say... Ha! I did! More or less. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Since I've had decent insurance from my
job, I try to have a fairly regular check-up. And I learned a while
ago, my cholesterol is a bit high (thanks genetics!), so I'd started
trying to eat right (ish). I stopped drinking soda, and haven't had
any fast food in yeeears. I drink water, lemonade, orange juice, and
coffee (obviously). </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And if that wasn't enough to lower
those pesky triglycerides, I learned that Red Rice Pills can also
lower it... somewhat. So I started taking those, and according to my
doctor, it worked! And this sounded way better than being on
prescription drugs. Cause I'm stubborn. And I hate drugs. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Add to that, I do occasionally try to
exercise. Not as often as I want (or should?) but enough to say that
I do... sorta. So maybe I wasn't the picture of health, but more like
a rough sketch. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Then one day while exercising, I
noticed I was getting some serious fatigue. I started feeling some
aches and soreness in my upper arms, and just couldn't push myself
past it. It was frustrating, but mentally, I chalked it up to the big
“O”... I was getting “Older”. Definitely not something I
wanted to accept, but since I had just recently turned 30
*cough-cough*, I knew things might be starting to slow down a little.
Argh...</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">As random and strange as the fatigue
was, I wasn't too concerned because I'd just had a check-up a few
months earlier, and my doctor said all was pretty good (well, except
for the cholesterol). But I didn't think it was anything urgent, and
figured I'd discuss it on my next check-up. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And then Pandemic season began. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">While THAT was going on, I had zero
interest in going to the doctor, unless I reeeeally needed to. So I
put off my annual check-up another year. Because I felt fine. And I
really didn't want to go to the doctor anyway.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So when pandemic season came to a
close, I kept telling myself I need to make a doctor appointment
cause it had been a couple years by now. But since I was feeling
alright, I wasn't in too big a hurry. I still had occasional fatigue,
but meh. For the most part, I was trying to take care of myself and
even started taking some vitamins. Maybe I still wasn't eating great,
but good enough, and never excessively (because, as many of you know,
I really don't like food).</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But October 2022, it finally caught up
with me...</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>*insert dramatic tension music here*</i></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I'd gotten a bad cold earlier that
month (or maybe late September). After recovering, I was walking into
work, when suddenly, I got out of breath. A lot. And there was a
definite tightness in my chest. By the time I got inside, I sat down,
drank some water, and eventually felt perfectly normal (as normal as
I usually felt). Well, that is until I had to run up some stairs.
Then I suddenly got winded again. Seriously?!? WTF...</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I went to health services, and they did
some basic checks and said they could call an ambulance. To which I
said nooooo... Cause really, I'm okay. He suggested maybe I was
dehydrated especially after getting sick the week before. So, I went
home early and thought, I just need to drink more water maybe. Or
maybe I needed electrolytes? It is what plants crave.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I took a couple days off work to relax,
and that's when I realized... I had just started taking Fish Oil to
replace the Red Rice pills cause they were (supposedly) better! So
maybe something in that was affecting me strangely?</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>"And that's when you finally
went to the doctor!”</i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Naaaaah, no reason to bother a doctor
when I can figure this out myself! (Remember... I'm stubborn!)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I did talk to a few friends to get
their opinions, hoping they might be able to point me in the right
direction (i.e. tell me what I want to hear). In the end, I stopped
taking all my vitamins and supplements, thinking maybe I just needed
to clear out my system. I even went to a big nerdy convention that
weekend, where I walked around. A lot! And I felt pretty good the
whole time.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The following week, I was ready to
return to work, thinking everything was just peachy. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Plot twist: Things were in fact, not so
peachy.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">As I look back, there are a few
distinct moments during this whole ordeal where I can say it was <i>'the
worst'</i>. And this particular day was one of them.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Sitting at home, feeling that tightness
in my chest, not being able to catch my breath was pretty horrible.
Can I say I was having a mini heart attack? From what I've learned,
yes, it probably was. The whole time, I had this internal monologue:</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“<i>Fiiiiine, I'll go to the
doctor..."</i></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>"Wait, should I go to the ER??"</i></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>"Wait... should I call an
ambulance??” </i></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">To be clear, this was no longer
stubbornness. I was just trying to figure out if I was overreacting
or not. Was my mind playing into my discomfort and making it worse
than it really was? The idea of going to the parking lot, and getting
in my car sounded like a marathon. I was legitimately unsure if I
could do it. But I thought... no. Maybe I am overreacting. I'm pretty
sure I can get to the car. And if I do collapse in the parking lot,
hopefully someone will see me and call for help.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Yes. Those were my actual thoughts. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I made a call and fortunately my doctor
could get me in that day, and more fortunately, I was able to get to
my car without incident. I could even drive without any problems. By
the time I got there... I felt great! I was convinced it had to be
some issues with my muscles cramping, or maybe some strange lung
problem. There is no way this could be my heart! Especially after
they gave me an EKG, and I was told it looked beautiful! So maybe I
was overreacting...? </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Curiouser and curiouser. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Whatever it was, I was scheduled for
some blood work and a follow-up a couple weeks later. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In the meantime, I recall having a few
more of those "out-of-breath" moments. A couple times at
work, (adding to my theory that I was allergic to work), typically
going up stairs, and again when I went to have my blood taken. And as
much as it sucked, having this happen just before my blood test was
probably for the best, so they could see the results while I was
feeling it. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">By now, it's November and time for my
doctor's follow-up appointment, where I get to find out exactly
what's going on, give me a prescription, maybe a shot, and have me
all fixed up so I wouldn't have to deal with this ever again. I still
remember how that conversation went:</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>"Blah blah blah... cholesterol
blah blah. Blah blah... prescription. Blah blah... </i>Troponin
levels<i>. Blah... </i>CARDIAC
EVENT<i>.... blah blah... AND YOU NEED TO GO TO THE ER RIGHT
NOW."</i></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Okay, that's... wait what? Hold on, I
feel great! I don't need to go to the hospital. Plus I have to work
tonight...</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Welp, looks like I need to call in to
work again, cause like it or not, suddenly I'm driving myself to the
hospital. Ugh...</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Everyone was making a fuss, and I felt
like the lamest person in the ER because I wasn't doubling over in
pain, nor was I bleeding all over the floor. But they put me in a
room, and gave me a gown, and I'm like... seriously?! <i>I'm not
staying that long!</i> They did a few tests, many of which turned out
negative. They managed to narrow things down at least, and long story
short: </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Turns out maaaaybe I have a heart
problem. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Ugh x2...</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So FYI: A high Troponin level is a
clear indication of a cardiac event. But they had no idea how severe
it was or why it happened. They wanted to keep me overnight, to do
more tests, but after they checked my Troponin levels again,
everything looked normal. So I felt like staying longer was
completely unnecessary. I had other things to do, and whatever did
happen was a thing of the past, and I'll be okay now forever and
ever. Plus maybe they saw my insurance was good, and wanted me to
help pay for some new equipment by keeping me longer. Well,
personally I wasn't having any of that, and really... I felt fine.
They were definitely not happy when I told them I was going home. But
I assured them, fiiiiine I'll make an appointment with a cardiologist
if that makes everyone happy. They shrugged and let me check out. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Then, a week or so later, when I
finally could get in to see a cardiologist (Dr Olivier), he didn't
tell me anything I wanted to hear either. I tried to convince him my
chest pain was slightly on my right center, so it couldn't possibly
be my heart. Soooo, turns out that's common because of how nerves
often react to pain. He was also saying stuff like outpatient
surgery, and Heart Catheter, and stent. But because I obviously know
much better than a trained professional (because my initials are MD),
I told him I <i>really</i> didn't need all that and asked if there
was some alternatives. Reluctantly, he suggested doing some stress
tests and ultrasound. But apparently, those kinds of things are
fairly popular, because I couldn't get scheduled until late January.
But fine... whatever is going on, it can't be that big a deal, and I
can wait another couple months to find out.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Well, I must have kept my cardiologist
awake that night, because he called the next day and said, he really
<i>REALLY</i> needs to do a heart catheter. He was also very
concerned about causing stress to my heart by doing a stress test. I
can not express enough how much I really didn't want to do this...
But fine. I got myself scheduled on December 22 for a heart catheter.
At least it'll be over and done with so I can move on with my life. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Ugh x3...</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And while I was overly stressed
thinking about this (which is obviously not conducive to someone with
a heart condition), I talked to a few friends that had this procedure
done, and they assured me... it's really no big deal. So, as nervous
as I was going in on December 22, they were right. A heart catheter
really isn't that bad. They gave me some light drugs, so I was awake
the whole time, and pushed a wire through my arm, (yeah, they could
have gone through the groin!). Occasionally I could feel a little
burning in my arm, but I didn't even notice when they started poking
at my heart. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">There was a giant big screen TV my
doctor was studying above me to my left, and me still being the
impatient patient, asked how everything looks. I mean, I don't
reeeeally need a stent... do I?? </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">His response: </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>"Hm... Let me consult with my
partner quick, so just hang tight."</i></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Um. Okay, cryptic. But I wasn't going
anywhere, especially since I still had a wire running through my arm
connected directly to my heart.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">He finally came back and turned the
screen to show me what was going on. He sprayed a bit of dye through
my heart and I couldn't help notice um... only half of it was
working. He said a stent was impossible due to severe calcification
on the left main artery. To be more specific, there was 95% blockage
on the LAD, 90% blockage on the LMCA, and 100% blockage in the mid
RCA. Yeah, I'm not entirely sure what any of that means either, but
he informed me, it's commonly referred to as a Widowmaker... because
you won't survive if anything happens to the functional half of your
heart.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In laymen's terms:</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Ugh x4000000000...</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_snWcXYYoCCrFp8GB0v23yAZDU3cXxVauXmw5jvUpC1F3f7qOoPXttQdvcJ-cRUDu-tf5aBoyGFPp-f4_C-DhbO3eACc7s35kjo_JLr6jp_Ga6HL-xxY-l0zIda_kxR0uTty-Xoitu-Lxv6dpR_amet96kuXaiizqHAmfz-Dti9ChLj1s3eYFWEW7sU/s1829/received_403472445271317.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1829" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_snWcXYYoCCrFp8GB0v23yAZDU3cXxVauXmw5jvUpC1F3f7qOoPXttQdvcJ-cRUDu-tf5aBoyGFPp-f4_C-DhbO3eACc7s35kjo_JLr6jp_Ga6HL-xxY-l0zIda_kxR0uTty-Xoitu-Lxv6dpR_amet96kuXaiizqHAmfz-Dti9ChLj1s3eYFWEW7sU/s320/received_403472445271317.jpeg" width="189" /></a></div>I'm not entirely sure what my response
was, but I think it might have been something like, <i>"Well,
that sucks...".</i><p></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">At this point, a lot of it was just a
blur, and not entirely because of the drugs. I think I was eager to
go home, but they made it pretty clear I wasn't leaving this time. I
mean, I could have made a run for it, but I would have been yanked
back quickly from the IV and heart monitor cables stuck to me. Plus,
apparently I could quite possibly die.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">They also decided to transport me to
another hospital (ORMC - Orlando Reginal Medical Center) that was
more qualified to take heart patients. Have you seen those Facebook
quizzes that ask you to give points for things you've done, like
broken a bone or gotten a tattoo etc? Finally I can give myself a
point for riding in an ambulance. Bonus points for the EMT guy in the
back being very decent and talking about music with me and just being
extra supportive. I don't think I had processed the mavity of what
was happening yet, but it was great having a distracting chat with
him, and hearing him tell me I'll be okay. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And then they wheeled me into my hotel
room. At least it might as well have been a hotel, because it was an
impressive new empty wing of the hospital. And bonus points for a
very cute friendly nurse helping me get all settled in. This may not
be so bad after all! Oh, that's right... there's still all this heart
stuff I have to deal with.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So I tried to relax and get some sleep
and forget about everything for a while... until some random moron
doctor wakes me up at 2am to tell me he's a doctor. Well, I say
moron, but I'm sure he's very intelligent. But intelligence does not
equal wisdom. Cause he woke me up just to introduce himself. And I
don't think I ever saw him again. What was the point?? </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In his defense, at the time, nobody
knew who was going to do the actual surgery. Remember kids, this was
a big holiday weekend. I met with several doctors and initially, I
was told they might not be able to do the surgery until Monday (Dec
26). Hey, I've gone this long with only half a heart, what's another
few days...? </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But big surprise, Friday afternoon, I
was told Doctor Hanna could perform the surgery on Saturday morning,
Christmas Eve. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This is great news...! </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Well, I guess it's great? </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Okay, sure it was a relief knowing I
wouldn't have to wait, and I could finally get this over with so I
could move on with my life. But... remember I said there were a few
moments that particularly sucked? </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">His assistant came to talk to me for a
bit. She was nice, but also very matter-of-fact. It was apparently
her job to tell me all about my upcoming surgery. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In extremely graphic detail...</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Now, many of you know, I enjoy a good
horror movie. Mostly cause it's not real. And more importantly,
because it's not happening to me. So maybe you can imagine how
uncomfortable it was hearing about their plan to rip me apart, take
out my heart and lungs, while removing arteries from my leg to fix me
up. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Maybe sometimes not knowing is
preferable. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It didn't help that physically, I was
feeling pretty good. My brain was screaming, <i>YOU are going to make
me feel miserable!</i> (ignoring the whole "Widowmaker"
aspect of my situation).</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But, she did tell me a couple of
important things:</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">1. I'm apparently in really good shape</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">2. I'm still very young</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Go on..... </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">With those factors, there was a less
than 1% chance of anything going wrong. But she also reminded me...
less than 1% is not zero. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">When she left, I obviously had a lot to
think about. And this was the only time I genuinely felt emotionally
gut-punched. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">To be clear, I was not worried about
dying. I <i>KNEW</i> I would live. There was no doubt in my mind I
would be okay. I still had way too much to do in my life. I just
didn't want to go through any of <i>THAT</i>. I'd gotten used to my
internal organs sitting right where they were. So the idea of anyone
messing with their natural placement sounded very unpleasant to me.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I had a couple very close friends I
confided in, and I absolutely appreciate their support. But
otherwise, I didn't make any of this public (no Facebook posts from
me), because I really didn't want to worry anyone. See, I knew I was
going to be okay, but I didn't want to have to convince everyone
else. So there was maybe five people, plus my family that knew what
was going on, and that was good enough. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Maybe I just wanted to surprise
everyone after it was all over. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And just to make matters a bit more
annoying, my parents (who I get along great with), are still in
Indiana, and my dad had a bad cold. Nothing serious, but enough to
make flying to Florida on Christmas Eve last minute, nearly
impossible. Well, maybe with a private jet, but we aren't quite there
yet. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So once I'd coped with exactly what was
going to happen, I did my best to settle in for the night, and
prepare for quite possibly the biggest Christmas Eve of my life.
Maybe even a bigger Christmas than the year I got all those Star Wars
toys. But only slightly. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And I'm going to skip right over the
two or three "not-so-good' nurses I had to deal with the night
before my surgery. Yeah, it was December 23, Friday night, and I'm
guessing they didn't have their A-Team working. But you'd really hope
they would know how to deal with an IV like not taping it down for a
shower, then ripping it out. But hey, I said I wasn't going to talk
about it. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And after I surprisingly did get some
sleep, I was awoken bright and early for my big day. I was wheeled
down to pre-op, where I imagined being greeted by Santa, elves, all
my friends and maybe even Scrooge and the Grinch himself, telling me
this was all an elaborate lesson to teach me the importance of having
more Christmas cheer! </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Unfortunately, that didn't happen. And
even if it had, I'm sure Santa would have said something like, <i>"We
still have to open you up though, ho ho ho...!"</i></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I remember being coherent, but not
nervous. I was restless and eager to get it over with. I was also
very eager for the drugs. Sure, I don't normally like drugs, but this
was a special occasion. Give me ALL the drugs!</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I must have eventually gotten them,
because I don't remember anything before being wheeled into surgery.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And all the while they were
eviscerating me, the few friends and family that knew about this were
being updated on my progress via a text message chain, originating
from the robot that was operating on me. To be clear, I'm pretty sure
Dr Hanna himself is not an actual android. But from what I
understand, a robot did do some of the more heavy lifting, including
sending out texts telling my friends exactly what was going on. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Typically, I'd be concerned if the
surgeon operating on me was texting while he worked but, I'd like to
take a moment to celebrate our new robot overlords...</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">To the best of my knowledge, things
went textbook perfectly. But you'll have to check with everyone else
regarding the details, (which I've only heard bits about), because
thankfully, I slept through the whole thing. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And then I woke up in the ICU...</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Which brings us to the third (or
fourth?) most uncomfortable moment out of this whole ordeal.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The very first thing I remember is a
group of three or four people helping me walk to another bed, feeling
myself all wrapped up in cables and tubes, followed by my very first
words:</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>"I can't breathe..."</i></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Because I couldn't.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">To be clear, I thought I couldn't,
because of how I used to breathe all willy-nilly without a care in
the world. But this was a new post heart surgery era, where
apparently I had a set of tubes still inside me pressing against my
lungs catching some fluids. And apparently, this was all perfectly
normal because of how everyone ignored me gasping for air as they
continued to shuffle me to the bed. It was only a couple steps, but I
can assure you... this really sucked. Might have been nice to know
about the difficulty in breathing thing before my surgery.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Okay, maaaaybe they mentioned it, but I
could have blocked everything out after they told me about the
ripping me apart stuff. Kinda feels like maybe I should have paid
more attention. My bad. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So there I was, the only patient in the
ICU, (cause I guess nobody else decided to get surgery for Christmas
Eve), trying to get comfortable with all the tubes inside me, gasping
for air, as they asked me if I needed anything. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Music. Give me. Some music. Please...</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I desperately wanted a distraction from
the not being able to breathe thing. And some music that I could try
to sing badly to would be an awesome way to just forget about all
this for a while.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But I never got any music. Dicks.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Although, they probably would have just
pumped in some Christmas music, and I don't think that would have
helped in my recovery. I tried to sleep, because that was the only
time I was comfortable. And every time I woke up, I was gasping for
air again, and suddenly reminded how much this sucked. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But good news, I didn't have any pain!
Possibly because of the drugs, but at this point, I really couldn't
appreciate them. Cause seriously, breathing would have been a
wonderful Christmas present. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Anywho, you get the idea, and I don't
want to drag this part on any longer than I should. Or at least any
longer than it felt. In the end, I was only in the ICU for a few
hours, but I'm not sure exactly how long. I wasn't paying much
attention to the time. I just know eventually, someone came in and
told me he was taking me back to my room, but first he needed to yank
out some tubes. I remember looking at him confused at his comment,
then feeling some very unusual sensations as things I didn't know
were inside me were suddenly pulled out. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I know I was on a few different drugs
which probably helped immensely, because other than the breathing, I
felt pretty okay, all things considered. I remember sending out a few
texts, although I can't be entirely sure they were coherent. Spelling
was a bit overly complicated for a few days. But I will let you in on
a little secret: </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">After my surgery, I posted something on
Facebook letting everyone know what happened and that I was okay. But
I had actually written it the day <i>BEFORE</i> my surgery, so all I
had to do was copy/paste. It was only when people started responding
and I tried to reply did I start to sound like maybe they cut out
part of my brain as well. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And I would say my heart grew three
sizes that Christmas day, but that would have been extremely
unhealthy. So instead, I'll just say again and again how overwhelmed
I was (and still am) by the amount of support and love I got from my
silly little post surgery post. Seriously. It meant the world to me,
and I can't thank everyone enough. From all the messages, to all the
phone calls, thank you x4000000000.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And of course, being in such a good
mood made me feel rather chatty. I was alert, and imagined I was
making some kind of sense (as much as I normally do). However,
looking back, I read some of those texts, and a few of them may have
come across as a bit jumbled. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But I'm sure I sounded just fine for
anyone calling or visiting! Although I do recall some very unusual
imagery randomly popping in front of my vision. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So, my hospital stay was surprisingly
brief. Surgery was on Saturday morning, and by Wednesday afternoon,
I was on my way home. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The highlights of my stay consisted
of: </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">- They kept trying to give me food.
Other than it not being good, I never eat that much. So the trays
just kept piling up.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">- Fiiiinally getting the tubes pressing
against my lungs pulled out of me, and realizing it really didn't
help me breathe any better. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">- Getting yelled at every time I got up
to do anything, cause they wanted me to call for help... but I really
didn't want to bother anyone.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">- Having several nurses trying to
figure out how to change the toilet paper roll cause it was a new
setup and nobody knew how. Legend has it, they are still trying to
figure out how to change the roll today.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">- Spending time learning how to walk...
For the third time in my life. The second time after a foot surgery
(bone cyst) a few years earlier. The first time being a few years
after I was born.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But as much fun as all that was
<i>*sarcasm*</i>, eventually they stuck me in a wheelchair and sent
me home. To be clear, I got into a car for the actual trip home. They
didn't wheel me down the road.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And having just learned how to walk
again for short distances, I was concerned about climbing the three
flights of stairs to my apartment. But even more concerning was,
hoping I wouldn't get in an accident on the way home, because I
figured my chest would just explode on impact. Although at this
point, I had the same concern about sneezing.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I did finally make it home safely, and
while it took some time, I managed to get upstairs. And as I was
settling in, my first thought was... <i>Should I be here??</i></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I say this because I no longer had the
perfectly adjustable bed, the monitors checking my vitals regularly,
and the staff of nurses and doctors I could contact at the press of a
button right down the hall should I have need of anything urgent. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">My first night trying to sleep
consisted of me switching from the bed, to the couch, to the big
cushioned armchair, back to the bed, and finally back to the chair,
all the while trying to find the best pillow placement around me, and
all within an hour of me thinking I really need to get some sleep.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But with each night, things got easier.
Sure it was a rough few months, but thanks to many supportive and
encouraging friends, I was able to recover fairly quickly.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">However, most tragically of all, I
gained back the ten pounds I lost after my surgery.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So here we are, exactly one year later,
and other than occasionally feeling like I have a piece of duct tape
down my chest, I'm pretty much back to normal. As normal as I get
anyway. I've gone from having to take a break after going up a couple
of stairs, to weaving in and around slow walking people when trying
to escape work with my co-workers. My doctors are very happy with
everything, and I'm down to taking only three prescription drugs, one
of which is for cholesterol, and one is a baby aspirin, (hopefully
just those two if I can convince my doctor on my next visit).</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So the big question is, what caused all
this calcification and blockage?</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I was in relatively good shape,
relatively young (ish), exercised (ish), and other than cholesterol,
there's been no heart disease in my family. My dad says it was caused
by all the macaroni and cheese I used to eat. I think it's just cause
I'm a cheesy guy <i>*Ba-dum-tss...* </i></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But let's not ignore how incredibly
lucky I was.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I've often said I feel like I've been
very lucky in my life. I've had the good fortune of great work
opportunities in my career. I've been able to work with sooooo many
wonderfully talented people. And now, looking back on this heart
stuff, maybe you can see several times where this could have gone
horribly wrong very quickly. I've seen a few fairly young celebrities
that suddenly passed away, not from drugs (surprisingly) but a heart
condition they were unaware of, and I can't help think... that could
have been me. But thankfully, everything fell right into place and
worked out for the best for me. Somehow.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And most importantly, I'll always
remember how lucky I am to have some of the most awesome friends
anyone could ever hope for.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Between Tom, Kristen & Lee, Lisa,
Josh, Lauren, Tony, Tanya & Rich, Rick, and Dan, with all your
visits, phone calls, care packages, driving me around, taking me out
for walkies, and listening to me occasionally complain about random
aches and pains, I'll never forget how truly amazing you all were to
me and how much you really helped my recovery fly by.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And to soooo many other long distance
friends who messaged me and supported me during all this as well,
from the bottom of my heart, (which seems to work a lot better now,
so hopefully it means a bit more), thank you! </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So, if I did die and come back to life,
it's starting to look like I'll probably outlive everyone else
now. And since I'm regularly taking a baby aspirin, it's starting to sound like that makes me one year old today!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3axQU_M5xVmOuy8FEgV5RCfflfVqWEjhKXqM6H79wDVs2Z5ki1cKoRj5PD4IRS1s5MI42hfuQ9MlcxyalKVFsBBbNzu24m_J-jKv_xJZ4OviDLgoQiB642ItrVLb_xi-CMS4d9hcoeOKvT0qxbXlyVl7V0C2jHvNxd2UVYJufyYpOeQVjmiTjB-XW3gQ/s2135/HeartStuffScar1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2135" data-original-width="2088" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3axQU_M5xVmOuy8FEgV5RCfflfVqWEjhKXqM6H79wDVs2Z5ki1cKoRj5PD4IRS1s5MI42hfuQ9MlcxyalKVFsBBbNzu24m_J-jKv_xJZ4OviDLgoQiB642ItrVLb_xi-CMS4d9hcoeOKvT0qxbXlyVl7V0C2jHvNxd2UVYJufyYpOeQVjmiTjB-XW3gQ/s320/HeartStuffScar1.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Deeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-88521338733178705242020-05-16T07:20:00.000-07:002020-05-16T07:20:45.057-07:00Star Trek: The Ultimate Review - Part Two<span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome back to part two of my Ultimate <b>Star Trek</b> Review. If you missed part one, check it out <a href="https://deeesher.blogspot.com/2020/04/star-trek-ultimate-review-part-one.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Remember how excited and positive I was about the first incarnations of Star Trek (with some exceptions)? Remember how I also said these are my opinions, and I completely understand if your opinions differ, as long as we can discuss it logically? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, let's boldly go where no one has gone before, and talk about <b><i>The Next Generation</i></b> (<i><b>TNG</b></i>): </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Star Trek: The Next Generation </b>(1987 - 1994)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Gene Roddenberry</b> finally got approved for a new Star Trek series for television! But was it the same...? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">They decided to make this version eighty years after Captain Kirk, so we could see some advancements and they wouldn't have to be bound so tightly to the original series. This time, we follow a new crew on board the Enterprise, NCC-1701 D, as they boldly... well, you get the idea.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think most fans agree,<i style="font-weight: bold;"> TNG </i>had a very rough season one, but over time, the series vastly improved. Eventually there were many good episodes, but it still never quite felt like the original series to me. One particular problem I had was the dialogue and chemistry between characters. It seemed like everyone was unnatural and plastic, and conversations were laced with unnecessary amounts of technobabble. Sure the cast was talented, but it's as if they got the script an hour before shooting, and everything was filmed on the first take. Even with some good stories, the friendly banter often felt impersonal and almost forced. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Riker: <i>"Here's where I say something witty and charming"</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">LaForge: <i>"I'll chuckle appropriately, and possibly make a witty yet intellectual observation"</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Troi: <i>"Something about ice cream..."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Worf: <i>*stares in Klingon*</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>*Audience laughs, because Worf just doesn't understand...!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Unfortunately, the writing team didn't have the benefit of creativity that the original series had when they used seasoned science fiction authors. And since it was an entirely different creative team simply writing for television, showrunner <b>Rick Berman </b>began<b> </b>crafting his own version of Star Trek. Which worked out okay in the end, but it took a while to figure out exactly what they wanted this Star Trek to be.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">And honestly, I never liked the design of the Enterprise D either. It's obvious they wanted to make something simple for early computer effects, but it never quite looked right to me.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tMQGYy0smCWO4CGZgiar_BF77rJBOE84kC16MWPUIofyKHGVlVD9P7nESx1xqUxtOwU9M1ZfM9URT-daT4__SPGfB5SI5U4lJBDgNabCuutFzjECH5_e9hT7yFoXRL2bw-udjpMtOn0/s1600/8a62de901a0e6c639c62beaa28a646cb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="800" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tMQGYy0smCWO4CGZgiar_BF77rJBOE84kC16MWPUIofyKHGVlVD9P7nESx1xqUxtOwU9M1ZfM9URT-daT4__SPGfB5SI5U4lJBDgNabCuutFzjECH5_e9hT7yFoXRL2bw-udjpMtOn0/s320/8a62de901a0e6c639c62beaa28a646cb.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Even the music is just empty lush background orchestration. Other than the theme song, (which was from the 1979 movie), none of it ever stood out. From <b><i>TOS</i></b>, you know how the Vulcan mind meld music sounds. You know how the Doomsday planet killer music sounds. And you know how the standard fight music sounds. In <b><i>TNG</i></b>, I can't pick out any theme or motif in any situation they encountered. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">But, if you never saw <b><i>TOS</i></b>, I completely understand why you might prefer <b><i>TNG </i></b> Because when this series was good, it was <i>very</i> good. And it helped that audiences were hungry for good science fiction.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">So <b><i>The Next Generation</i></b> endured, for seven seasons, and several movies. And obviously, when you have so much time to fine tune things, you'll have some really great moments. And of course, some not so great moments too.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm not going to do a Top Five like I did with <b><i>TOS</i></b>. But if your curious, there are plenty of Top Ten lists for <i><b>TNG</b></i> posted all over the internets, and they tend to be fairly consistent. Otherwise, you're on your own here, kids. Just remember, season one has a <i>lot</i> of rough patches.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh, did I mention <b><i>TNG</i></b> had several movies? Beginning with...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Star Trek: Generations</b> (1990)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This was the official<i> 'passing of the torch (passing of the phaser?)' </i>from one captain to another (Kirk to Picard). I should point out, it was an odd number Trek movie, so obviously, it was just okay (see part one of my review to understand where the reference came from). Although it had <b>Malcolm McDowell</b> in it, and he's cool...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway, that brings us to...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Star Trek: First Contact</b> (1996)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This was such a fun movie, and really a pretty good story too! Easily the best <i><b>TNG</b></i> theatrical release, and overall just a great sci-fi action film to watch.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>Insurrection</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">(1998) & </span><b>Nemesis</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">(2002)</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswZY8vId5LSZ57zy4DXZhSfARFU2KE05YzPatjC0_hT0uZaQ2kM1OUQo5x7JDIdEk4Xw7NLw_-Gyw9x-7YbE6ilajTVXrvmDxAhVO4WJvg9gqGVQE2tVkoXtAH026VXoTtRyYmBSh7c0/s1600/sQdiBAMZ8mq9Eb9fQX1Z7HZHUVs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="682" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswZY8vId5LSZ57zy4DXZhSfARFU2KE05YzPatjC0_hT0uZaQ2kM1OUQo5x7JDIdEk4Xw7NLw_-Gyw9x-7YbE6ilajTVXrvmDxAhVO4WJvg9gqGVQE2tVkoXtAH026VXoTtRyYmBSh7c0/s320/sQdiBAMZ8mq9Eb9fQX1Z7HZHUVs.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">These were both movies. I know I saw them. The word 'forgettable' comes to mind. One of them was the last of the<b><i> TNG </i></b>cast. I know they got my money. I might have shrugged.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Meanwhile, back on television...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Star Trek: Deep Space Nine</b> (1993 - 1999)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When <b><i>Deep Space Nine </i></b>began, <b><i>TNG</i></b> had been on television for a few years. At the time, I still did the occasional eye roll at what they did to my beloved Trek. But never did my eyes roll more than during the <b><i>TNG</i></b> story arc involving the Bajoran and Cardassian turf war. Their conflict was sooooo boring to me, and the Bajorans always sounded like a bunch of whiny bitches.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">So imagine my enthusiasm when I learned there was a new series based on a space station in orbit around the Bajoran homeworld and the Cardassian occupancy! Ugh...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I saw the first few episodes, and not only did I still hate this endless soap opera, I also hated the characters. Dr. Bashir was like arrogant nails on a chalkboard to me! Not to mention, the cast felt like they really didn't have any chemistry. There were other cringy things that bothered me too. I still remember being offended when they were discussing a character being a 'fat Ferengi'. The actor just wore a badly padded fat suit. Why couldn't they have simply hired a heavier actor for the part?? It made no sense to me. The only person that seemed to be having fun in this series was <i><b>Quark </b></i>(<b>Armin Shimerman</b>). But it didn't help that I still felt generally the same about the<b> Rick Berman</b> Trek-verse in comparison to the original (meh).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">While we're on the subject, let's examine another science fiction series about a space station where aliens met:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b><b>Babylon 5</b> (1994 - 1998)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh this was good... <i>sooooooo good!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I want to clarify, this show has <i>NOTHING</i> to do with <b><i>Star Trek</i></b>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Creator/showrunner <b>J. Michael Straczynski</b> pitched his idea for <b><i>Babylon 5</i></b> to many networks. He had a concept about a space station where alien races could gather peacefully to work out their differences. One of the networks he pitched it to was CBS, but they rejected it. And before you can say <i>suspiciously coincidental</i>, CBS premiered <b><i>Deep Space Nine</i></b>... about a space station where all alien races could gather peacefully to work out their differences. Hmm...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>Babylon 5 </b></i>also had a rough season one, but the characters and concepts were fantastic! This series was designed to have a beginning, middle, and end, and <b>Stracyznski</b> fought very hard to keep this entire project alive. He was ultimately successful, and this is a show you need to watch if you can find it. Some of the best moments in science fiction ever are in this brilliant series.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh, sorry, I'm supposed to be talking about <i><b>Star Trek</b></i>...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The point I'm trying to make is, <b><i>B5</i></b> had some great elements. <i><b>DS9</b> </i>had annoying and boring characters, with a boring story. The reality is, I can still be a fan of Star Trek, but I'm not a fan of bad writing. I'm simply a fan of good science fiction.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">And I'll make a confession... I never finished <i><b>Deep Space Nine</b></i>. I know, I know, I can hear the collective nerd gasp from all of you, and I've heard it does improve. To clarify, what I've been told is it improved when they left the space station and got into the <b><i>Defiant</i></b> to explore space... sorta like a trek through the stars. A s<i>tar trek</i>. I swear I'll watch it one of these days. But really, I hated most of those characters so much...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Maybe the next version of Trek will be better...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Star Trek: Voyager </b>(1995 - 2001)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Federation starship <b><i>Voyager</i></b> gets shot out into deep space. I mean really deep space. Like suddenly it will take them a hundred years or so to get home. One might say they are... <i>l</i></span><i>ost in space.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was interested in the story, because it meant they could finally get away from those annoying ass Bajorans and Cardassians! But even moreso, I found most of the characters in<i><b> Voyager </b></i>were actually interesting. They finally created some unique characters, and the cast seemed to have great chemistry together. The interaction no longer sounded fake, and you believed the conversations were a bit more natural. Well, of course they still had an overabundance of technobabble, but this was already a big improvement to me. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">One of my personal favorites was the <b><i>Emergency Medical Hologram (EMH)</i></b>. <b>Robert Picardo</b> really had a great time with his role, and it showed throughout the entire series.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And while the writing and music still had that typical <i>Berman Trek</i> feel to it, the stories were good enough to keep me entertained and curious for more. And I want to make it very clear, I liked the show <i>BEFORE</i> they added <b><i>Seven of Nine</i></b> (<b>Jeri Ryan</b>).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking, but truth be told, she was a very well developed character! Wait... let me try that again. Due to <b><i>Voyager</i></b>'s low ratings, it seemed very obvious why they added her in season 4. And as much as I did enjoy it initially, it really felt like something in this series needed to be tweaked... wait, that came out wrong too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In all seriousness, her character wound up being more than just eye candy. Seven's story arc was interesting and a unique addition to the Trek Universe. Unfortunately, when they realized her popularity in the show, she began to overshadow everyone else in the series. Which is a shame, because as I mentioned, they did have some decent characters.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Star Trek: Enterprise</b> (2001 - 2005)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Never have I been more excited for a series, and yet so utterly disappointed. And no, I'm not talking about the silly mechanic jumpsuits they wore. Seriously, costume design, this is the <i>best</i> you could come up with?? Ugh...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Enterprise </i></b>was to be the series before <b><i>Captain Kirk</i></b>, and even before <b><i>Captain Pike</i></b>, when Earth first started exploring space with warp drive. Starring <b>Scott Bakula</b> from<b><i> Quantum Leap</i></b> as <b><i>Captain Archer</i></b>, I thought, how could they possibly go wrong...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I had hoped for a return to the original look of the series, and an opportunity to explore the first contact with some of the classic alien races we love. There was so much potential, but sadly, the first couple seasons were generally bland or poorly written, with characters that I learned to loathe over time. One of the best reviews I remember reading at the time suggested changing out one of the characters with a potted plant to see if anyone would notice. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Communication officer <b><i>Hoshi Sato</i></b> (<b>Linda Park</b>) and <i><b>Doctor Phlox</b></i> (<b>John Billingsley</b>) were two of the best characters in the series. Unfortunately, they were overshadowed by a Vulcan in a tight bodysuit, with a lame bowl haircut (<b>Jolene Blalock</b>).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">*See part one of my review where I said Vulcan women do NOT have bowl haircuts, Rick!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Other characters in the show were either boring, or extremely annoying, and... <i>whyyyyy did they spend so much time in their underwear rubbing each other in decontamination???</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This happened... often, (although not normally with the dog). Sure, I love a bit of titillation in my stories, cause I'm a dude. But after a while, it became uncomfortable even for me. Maybe because they didn't have any actual writing skills?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Okay, I'm being very harsh, and in reality, not all the episodes were terrible. In fact, they got a new and improved writing team in later seasons, which gave us</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> one particular stand out, the two-part mirror universe episode, <i style="font-weight: bold;">In a Mirror Darkly</i>. I loved everything about this episode! Rumor has it, they planned on an entire season of mirror universe if the series continued. That could have been interesting...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But alas, it was too little too late, and the series was suddenly cancelled supposedly due to poor ratings. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Although some have said that certain execs in CBS (Les Moonves and Alex Kurtzman) decided they didn't like Star Trek or science fiction, so they just killed it. It didn't help that there was also a split between Viacom and CBS which caused a bit of a custody battle over the rights. So sadly, this w</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">as literally the end of an era. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But before this version of Star Trek vanished, we at least got to explore a meaningful story about the Orion Slave trade.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I mean, it was a better story than the Bajoran/Cardassian conflict...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To be continued in part three...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Deeesher</span></div>
Deeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-12299581128271638782020-04-14T00:05:00.001-07:002020-04-14T01:09:42.821-07:00Star Trek: The Ultimate Review - Part One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm about to drop some truth photon torpedoes on you. And while none of them will contain Spock's body, I hope you will find them all to be quite... logical.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Hey Deeesher, do you prefer Star Wars or Star Trek?"</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I prefer good writing.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">To clarify, I have a real problem with blind devotion over any franchise. Whether we're talking about <b><i>Star Trek, Star Wars, Marvel </i></b>or <b><i>DC</i></b>, there are always some great versions, and some not so great versions. Anyone that says, <i>"...We should be happy we're getting new *insert franchise here*!"</i>, clearly has no idea what they're talking about. This is how we get the <b><i>Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Batman and Robin </i></b>(bat-nipples anyone?), and of course, <b><i>The Star Wars Holiday Special</i></b>. I hope I've made my point.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I always want studios to respect the source material, but if they change something, make it a good change. As fans, we deserve to be given a quality product. And if it's badly written, call them out on it! If the online fan fiction is better than the theatrical release, Hollywood should be ashamed of themselves.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">*DISCLAIMER</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Before giving my reviews, I want to make it very clear, these are <i>MY</i> opinions. Your opinions may vary, and<i> that's great</i>, because you are human (allegedly). I'm not here to change anyone's mind. I just want to try to put things into perspective and explain why I like/dislike something. So if I should say anything you strongly disagree with, please try to refrain from becoming overly emotional. My motto remains the same:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I prefer aliens to alienation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Space... the final frontier.</i> Before these legendary words could be spoken by the equally legendary <b>William Shatner</b> in 1966, creator <b>Gene Roddenberry</b> (aka <i><b>The Great Bird of the Galaxy</b></i>... yes, that's his real alias) had quite an uphill battle ahead of him. Originally pitched in 1964, his vision of a wagon train to the stars was to be a space western set hundreds of years in the future <b style="font-style: italic;">*COUGH*</b><i>firefly</i><b style="font-style: italic;">*COUGH*</b>, with the crew of the <i>Enterprise </i>exploring strange new worlds. Every week, they would seek out new life, and new civilizations. Basically, they would be boldly going where no man (or woman) had gone before...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In those days, getting a series like this sold was quite a challenge, because most studio execs just didn't get it. But there was one major exec that loved the idea, who just happened to own a studio:<b> Lucille Ball</b>, of <i>Desilu Productions, </i>aka the Godmother of Star Trek.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">She approved a pilot, and Star Trek began filming the first episode, titled<b> </b><i><b>The Cage</b>. </i>This version starred<b> Jeffrey Hunter</b> as <b>Captain Christopher Pike </b>and a female first officer <i>*gasp*</i> simply called <b>Number One</b>, (played by soon-to-be Mrs. Roddenberry, <b>Majel Barrett</b>).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">But still, studio execs didn't get it. And they genuinely hated <i>"the guy with the ears"</i>, <b>Mr. Spock </b>(<b>Leonard Nimoy</b>). They felt the story was just too cerebral for audiences.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Roddenberry tweaked some stuff and created a second pilot, called <i>Where No Man Has Gone Before</i>. Rumor has it that <b>Jeffrey Hunter's </b>wife didn't feel Star Trek was right for him, and preferred he focus on a movie career instead, so he was 'unavailable' for the second pilot. Instead of re-casting Pike, the roll of captain was re-invented for <b>William Shatner </b>to play <b>Captain James T. Kirk</b>. And yes, they kept the guy with the ears.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">This was finally accepted, and season one of <b><i>Star Trek</i></b> could begin it's five year mission.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And, over fifty years later, the legacy continues. But it has gone through <i>MANY</i> different incarnations, with each version quite different from the last. And I don't mean simply in appearance. Of course special effects get updated, but the heart and soul of the series has changed. Whether that's good or bad depends on your personal views. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I would say the entire franchise can be broken down into three distinct parts. And that is exactly how I'm going to write this review. Let's begin our adventure with: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>The Original Series</b> </i>(<b><i>TOS</i></b>).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Cage </b>(unaired pilot - 1965)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i>Personally, I love it. There are a lot of good story elements, and it's interesting seeing <span style="font-family: inherit;">Captain Pike convey the heavy burden of his command. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"<i>I'm tired of deciding which mission is too risky and which isn't. And who's going on the landing party and who doesn't. And who lives. And who dies.</i>" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">So when the Talosians give him an opportunity to live his life in a perfect fantasy illusion, you can easily empathize with how conflicted he feels. This becomes particularly difficult after meeting Vina, who they decide will be his mate. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Vina was played by the beautiful and talented, <b>Susan Oliver </b>who, in the real world, following two near fatal plane crashes, decided to became a licensed pilot and was named pilot of the year in 1970. She would also be one of 19 women admitted into the <b><i>American Film Institute's</i></b> <b><i>Directing Workshop for Women</i></b> (<b><i>DWW</i></b>), and was one of the first female directors for television. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In this pilot episode of Star Trek, she also became the first green Orion slave girl, predating Slave Leia by about twenty years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's a great episode, but is it a good place to begin watching the series? Maybe not...? There is definitely some good drama, but I can see how people with short attention spans might not appreciate it. This is real science fiction. And yes, there is some action scenes, but they also spend time discussing what's going on, and how to resolve it. Fundamentally, this is (should be) the difference between <b>Star Wars </b>and <b>Star Trek</b>.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Star Trek</b>:<i> "What do these aliens want? How can we communicate with them? How can we convince them we mean them no harm so they don't kill us all?"</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Star Wars</b>: <i>"Look! Something evil! I'm going to throw it across the room with magic!"</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Neither one is bad, and I think both have their place... if well written. I found The Cage very well written.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Star Trek: The Original Series</b> (1966-1969)</span></span><br />
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<i>"Hey Deeesher, you must be old since you like a show from the 1960s!"</i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">First, I'm still a millennial, and in a few years, I'll be Gen Z... as far as you know. Obviously I have no idea how age works.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The point is, there are many shows and movies I enjoy that were created before I was born. You just need a high tolerance for low budget effects. If all you see are cheap effects, you really aren't paying attention to the story. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Obviously we all want realism in our science fiction, but not unlike reading these things called 'books', you can sometimes use this thing called your 'imagination'. And in fairness, for the 1960s, those effects were really pretty good. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fo</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">rtunately for us, those not-so-great-for-today effects are a thing of the past. Due to it's popularity, Star Trek received a makeover a few years ago, and the effects were thoroughly updated and the series completely remastered. Maybe this will help some of you holdouts accept it more.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As a kid, I don't remember understanding Star Trek, but I do remember it often terrified me. Although at the time, I think nearly everything terrified me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">As an adult (ish), t</span>his is my favorite incarnation of Star Trek.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Over the years, I've learned to really respect some of the amazing performances, as well as the great writing. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It helped that many episodes were crafted by real science fiction writers, such as </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">Harlan Ellison</b><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">David Gerald, Robert Bloch</b><span style="font-family: inherit;">, and </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">Norman Spinrad</b><span style="font-family: inherit;">. In most cases however, Roddenberry himself, or his script editor, </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">DC Fontana</b><span style="font-family: inherit;">, would make some adjustments to the final version. If the rumors are true, even Shatner himself had a hand in some changes to the script, much to the chagrin of the writers. Harlan Ellison even wrote a whole book about his frustration with the process, (which I highly recommend!). </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">If I could, I would sit down with you and watch some of these episodes, giving my commentary on each moment, so you have a better understanding of why I appreciate this series. In lieu of that, let me try to convey some of the nuances with my top five quick picks, (aka required viewing) to try to explain the genius contained within this series. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And no, I will not being doing such a detailed breakdown on the other Trek shows. While other versions are good, I feel like these are worthy of a closer look. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>1. Doomsday Machine</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This episode deserves all the awards. The Enterprise finds a trail of rubble in a solar system that once contained several planets. Upon further investigation, they find the <i>Constellation</i>, another Federation ship, which had been badly damaged after a battle with, what is basically a giant planet killer... a <i>Doomsday Machine</i>. The commander, <b>Commodore Matt Decker</b> (<b>William Windhom</b>) is the only survivor after sending his entire crew to one of the planets, fearing the <i>Constellation</i> would be destroyed in the battle. Then he has to watch helplessly as the Doomsday Machine suddenly looses interest in his ship.</span><br />
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<i>Kirk: "Matt, where's your crew?"</i><br />
<i>Decker: "On the third planet."</i><br />
<i>Kirk: "There is no third planet."</i><br />
<i>Decker: "Don't you think I know that? There was, but not any more!"</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Windhom's performance is simply amazing. Essentially playing Captain Ahab from <b><i>Moby Dick</i></b>, his thirst for revenge drives him completely insane. Decker commandeers the Enterprise trying to destroy this seemingly unstoppable killing machine, while Kirk is trapped on the derelict Constellation, helpless to save his own crew from this madman. If you aren't on the edge of your seat by the last ten minutes, you've obviously spent too much time staring at your phone during this episode. The editing, story, and performances are just fantastic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And the glue to hold it all together, is the brilliant score by composer <b>Sol Kaplan</b>, written specifically for this episode. FYI the "Planet Killer" theme would eventually inspire<b> John Williams</b> in composing the theme for <b><i>Jaws</i></b>.</span><br />
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<i>This is why I love Star Trek!</i><br />
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<b>2. Mirror, Mirror</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfW6oHq4qMgii4scyXzzkdsGHcBmbhn4xvZqdXuz1DKMxfQJGINn6tjFXymr7KT44rB4ur2tACLO17d3tjmqZcTJmHDLYUKeSkZncXROa8ehzLwBwhFj_dYATHuQxuMkHpdrOwxqq3_U/s1600/d7aa5xq-9696181d-c06b-4d66-8e42-9ad228965464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1524" data-original-width="1250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfW6oHq4qMgii4scyXzzkdsGHcBmbhn4xvZqdXuz1DKMxfQJGINn6tjFXymr7KT44rB4ur2tACLO17d3tjmqZcTJmHDLYUKeSkZncXROa8ehzLwBwhFj_dYATHuQxuMkHpdrOwxqq3_U/s320/d7aa5xq-9696181d-c06b-4d66-8e42-9ad228965464.jpg" width="262" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Even in the future, we need tech support. And never is it more obvious than when a transporter malfunction accidentally sends the away team to an alternate universe. And the people in this particular alternate universe are not so nice. One might even say they are self-centered, sadistic, and opportunistic. Somehow, Kirk and his team have to figure out a way to blend in to avoid being detected, while discretely trying to find a way back to their own universe. Some great moments as everyone explores their own dark side, not to mention a wonderful speech where Kirk tries desperately to inspire a revolution. I'm not even mad at their uniforms.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8NOyYDuDsh98SKVzJla6PfmsXkiW3fveMbwT0Be7WnSO9eiQsFdstXDze6bbpfOMt51sOVe5WqtnTGpOHE9O07yBpx75SEwPGdug0l7fj67Q5yzmbgLj-ixxTTV3mN-mqbHzHIhEMgM/s1600/vlcsnap-2020-04-03-08h43m24s898.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8NOyYDuDsh98SKVzJla6PfmsXkiW3fveMbwT0Be7WnSO9eiQsFdstXDze6bbpfOMt51sOVe5WqtnTGpOHE9O07yBpx75SEwPGdug0l7fj67Q5yzmbgLj-ixxTTV3mN-mqbHzHIhEMgM/s320/vlcsnap-2020-04-03-08h43m24s898.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<b>3. The Naked Time</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPvdlwrO4QTlTdN9komzbKHibpC8C_mQ90DKgxT_cLSBiYpVeWGz6p1Lq8RV_LWGbBBUvsLPgWjJEZC17fm0XE-wQhCo2opuZOQThPz-3Ooz9F8dv_OEZFGHnfpLXn4iWzX34ROz_lh0/s1600/73083915_1174494622737615_2145783300512284672_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPvdlwrO4QTlTdN9komzbKHibpC8C_mQ90DKgxT_cLSBiYpVeWGz6p1Lq8RV_LWGbBBUvsLPgWjJEZC17fm0XE-wQhCo2opuZOQThPz-3Ooz9F8dv_OEZFGHnfpLXn4iWzX34ROz_lh0/s320/73083915_1174494622737615_2145783300512284672_o.jpg" width="226" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A crewmember contracts a disease on a quarantined planet after removing his glove and touching his face, (um... ahead of their time?). Transmitted through touch, the results are that everyone behaves insane in their own unique way. To make matters worse, one of the crewmen has locked himself in the engine room and randomly starts pressing buttons for fun, not only causing the ship to spiral towards the planet below, but completely shutting down the engines in the process. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are plenty of great moments, and seeing the exasperated look on everyone's face as they continue to try to do their job, while others are falling apart around them is fantastic. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But maybe the most powerful scene is how <b><i>Mr. Spock</i></b> reacts to the disease.<b> Leonard Nimoy</b>'s performance is chilling, as a logical Vulcan who desperately tries to stay in control of his own emotions, but fails. The camera follows him with no edits as he desperately tries to keep his feelings in check. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6jsPEVOemEE" width="400"></iframe></span></div>
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<b>4. Amok Time</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNaOad2wdzg1u7JUP162ZqIgUGKUimrqrr0CRr_0yHf-TkSoBkZGOk9NNqMOIxFl7TBBMDe-OVzWgccRGGhnonJLHV7HE5lFUl0ajfSF9UmU-u-g3vtrIUnJUNCW5Rsr7b52xEuu7lAI/s1600/87368312_1292208974299512_2833889425572757504_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNaOad2wdzg1u7JUP162ZqIgUGKUimrqrr0CRr_0yHf-TkSoBkZGOk9NNqMOIxFl7TBBMDe-OVzWgccRGGhnonJLHV7HE5lFUl0ajfSF9UmU-u-g3vtrIUnJUNCW5Rsr7b52xEuu7lAI/s320/87368312_1292208974299512_2833889425572757504_o.jpg" width="226" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Speaking of <b>Mr. Spock</b>... Let's take a moment to discuss Vulcans.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Space is big. I mean really big. So it comes to reason that it's populated with a vast array of aliens that not only look much different than us, but have completely different philosophies. Having explored a bit of the original series lore, I always felt Vulcans were extremely... fascinating. Like us, they have emotions, but through mental disciplines, they've learned to control them. It was necessary for the survival of their race. In their past, they were a brutal war-like society, but thanks to the teaching of <b>Surak</b>, he helped them overcome their animalistic nature. He taught them a logical and unemotional way to a better world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And whether due to their purge of emotions, or just common Vulcan physiology, they do have a rather unique issue that has to be dealt with. Every seven years, they need to mate, or they will go insane and die. And no, this is not something they are proud of. In the original series, there was a certain privacy and mysticism surrounding Vulcans, and generally speaking, Starfleet, or at least humans, never knew about many of those details. I read somewhere that Vulcans had a certain power in their hands, which is why they don't greet by shaking hands. This is also how they perform the nerve pinch, and mind melds. And did I mention they are much stronger than the average human...?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So I particularly love this episode, partly to explore Spock's homeworld, partly because of yet another fantastic score composed specifically for this episode, and partly because it's a great story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We also see Vulcan women, and no they do <i>NOT</i> have the same bowl haircut as the men as future incarnations of Star Trek will have you believe. For example, here is Spock's wife.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuZ2SgsyD4oougX50x6CWW9PSPNhZG8ahiq2c08-aA6jxLIS1U7F4m_Fnlwoi30BProd7qnajdO85ZIw5A1rGCFnOoBiQ0X68ZBEpdommJwa45TS_lyl7He_JH__Gy3MKD3vubC_xudk/s1600/ERKQmtmWkAISCGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="802" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuZ2SgsyD4oougX50x6CWW9PSPNhZG8ahiq2c08-aA6jxLIS1U7F4m_Fnlwoi30BProd7qnajdO85ZIw5A1rGCFnOoBiQ0X68ZBEpdommJwa45TS_lyl7He_JH__Gy3MKD3vubC_xudk/s320/ERKQmtmWkAISCGE.jpg" width="274" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Which brings us to...</span></div>
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<b>5. Balance of Terror</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik3MG9TDZ7or0MBwhmCaO_Btx-OFyUpMop_eJ-JrXi0c1sTKruSTyaR79tLRaaQ53I-R1I4fc3i2W1bO5StrJPNUYIkgwlaQNBNebUlAgIlxgrou_88Z8rq_x2nhz50tCPSHK9rafCrhA/s1600/84507789_1261026117417798_1124570322406735872_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik3MG9TDZ7or0MBwhmCaO_Btx-OFyUpMop_eJ-JrXi0c1sTKruSTyaR79tLRaaQ53I-R1I4fc3i2W1bO5StrJPNUYIkgwlaQNBNebUlAgIlxgrou_88Z8rq_x2nhz50tCPSHK9rafCrhA/s320/84507789_1261026117417798_1124570322406735872_o.jpg" width="226" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ever notice how Vulcans and Romulans look alike? That's because hundreds of years ago, when Vulcans purged their emotions, there was a segment of their society that hated the idea, so they left the planet. They relocated on planet Romulus and became... Romulans.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the first appearance of Romulans, and their cloaking device. It's an amazing cat and mouse story with Kirk battling wits with the Romulan commander. It also features an important message about racism. One of the helmsmen suspects Spock to be a Romulan spy after seeing their similarities in appearance.</span><br />
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<i>Stiles: "I was suggesting that Mr. Spock could probably translate it, sir."</i><br />
<i>Kirk: "I assume you're complimenting Mr. Spock on his ability to decode?"<br />Stiles: "I'm not sure, sir."</i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Kirk: "Well, here's one thing you can be sure of, mister: leave any bigotry in your quarters. There's no room for it on the bridge."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">And FYI, the actor playing the Romulan Commander would eventually become known as Sarek, who is Spock's father. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxJfbheqg8k2B3ZwQsmCVvosazAQxS65i1NW3WixQCkXFeDI28zyAi4P-Jva1X0rjaxWz3yaL62w9joFksap3QsHwbd9oOfs2R5SLnua7n-7dm9U-Mtp-hOVuxEWdD67vRatJU2JcCcg/s1600/RomulanSarek1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="614" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxJfbheqg8k2B3ZwQsmCVvosazAQxS65i1NW3WixQCkXFeDI28zyAi4P-Jva1X0rjaxWz3yaL62w9joFksap3QsHwbd9oOfs2R5SLnua7n-7dm9U-Mtp-hOVuxEWdD67vRatJU2JcCcg/s320/RomulanSarek1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">Left is the Romulan Commander. Right is Sarek, Spock's father. Both are Mark Leonard. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So those are my particular top five, however depending on my mood, I could have easily substituted:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Man Trap </i>- An alien that feeds on the salt in humans, and can disguise itself as anyone. This creature gave me nightmares for years!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Trouble with Tribbles</i> - Funny episode involving Tribbles that are cute and fuzzy, and continue to multiply.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Galileo 7</i> - Spock commands a shuttle that crashes on a desolate planet. He tries to keep everyone alive, but the crew accuse him of being too unemotional during the crisis.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>City on the Edge of Forever</i> - Considered by most fans to be the best episode. Unless of course you're the writer, <b>Harlan Ellison</b>, who hated it. Kirk and Spock travel back to the 1930s to rescue McCoy after he accidentally overdoses on a drug, and changes time. Love story with Joan Collins ensues. It's definitely worth adding to the list.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Space Seed</i> - This was the inspiration for the second Star Trek movie, <b><i>Wrath of Khan</i></b>. <b>Ricardo Montalbon</b> is fantastic. Like rich corinthian leather.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You could also include, <i>This Side of Paradise, All Our Yesterdays, Assignment Earth, Tholian Web, Wink of an Eye, Tomorrow is Yesterday, and I Mudd</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Star Trek: The Animated Series</b> (1973-1975)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlA6Rrulc_7-G-onARB6Hz9bAQMrgumq8kTOymfOPGpOwUAQZNcu1CqoZtqeqNrtKg2daHtxf7KKWXN0xfpmM5PUpp3rFFjZrfrjwFQwkRMdKPKqo-vke4QPluJYL4Vpow-bjyueKm80E/s1600/MV5BMzI0Y2Y0NDYtY2VhZS00YjEyLWE1MTAtMzgyNTg3ZjQ5MmJmL2ltYWdlL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjUwNzk3NDc%2540._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlA6Rrulc_7-G-onARB6Hz9bAQMrgumq8kTOymfOPGpOwUAQZNcu1CqoZtqeqNrtKg2daHtxf7KKWXN0xfpmM5PUpp3rFFjZrfrjwFQwkRMdKPKqo-vke4QPluJYL4Vpow-bjyueKm80E/s320/MV5BMzI0Y2Y0NDYtY2VhZS00YjEyLWE1MTAtMzgyNTg3ZjQ5MmJmL2ltYWdlL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjUwNzk3NDc%2540._V1_.jpg" width="239" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There's a big debate about whether this series is actually canon or not. It has all the original actors, as well as many of the creative team behind it. And having re-watched recently, there are some very well written episodes. Unfortunately, they were limited to not-so-great animation, and had to resolve an entire story in less than thirty minutes. Had they been full length live action episodes, some of these story ideas would have been great! But often the episodes felt rushed, and the low budget is frustratingly obvious. Season one for the most part, is well written, but later episodes in season two felt like they tried to simplify stories to appease the younger Saturday morning audiences. They're really not bad. But this particular series is definitely for the more hardcore fans.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Star Trek: The Motion Picture </b>(1979)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7CsQKNvRtt4cKA5V3VrCAivdGASQd91H7Xu5G8-2YqarSe9j-2FOMuQU_dGC9vWotKz3T4hWv_GvB3-QvN7u7XpBcOh2U9nz9E1NIXwU80EVvvwev0tBYp6SKYR0vZHU2XBYiMstp9KM/s1600/header-tmp-novel-review.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1100" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7CsQKNvRtt4cKA5V3VrCAivdGASQd91H7Xu5G8-2YqarSe9j-2FOMuQU_dGC9vWotKz3T4hWv_GvB3-QvN7u7XpBcOh2U9nz9E1NIXwU80EVvvwev0tBYp6SKYR0vZHU2XBYiMstp9KM/s320/header-tmp-novel-review.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is where it all changed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Star Trek had an overwhelming fanbase at the time. One might even call them rabid. There was a demand for the series to continue, but nothing ever panned out. There were plans for a <b><i>Star Trek Phase II </i></b>series, with a new crew... like a 'next generation' crew, if you will. But this never happened either.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fortunately for us, George Lucas made a movie called <b><i>Star Wars</i></b> in 1977. And as you can imagine, suddenly studios wanted some of that sweet, sweet sci-fi box office money. So studio execs desperately pulled some elements of <b><i>ST: Phase II </i></b>out of their trash bin, and in 1979, a <b><i>Star Trek Motion Picture</i></b> was approved.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In many ways, this version of Star Trek could easily be equated to <b><i>Star Wars The Phantom Menace</i></b>. Sure everyone flocked to the theater to see it, and the fan knee-jerk reaction was to love it. But is it what we wanted?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> From Leonard Nimoy:</span><br />
<i>"It was a very finely crafted film, and it did well. But from the actor's point of view frankly, it was frustrating. We didn't feel that we were getting to play the characters that we enjoyed playing in the way that we knew how to play them, and it was frustrating for Gene Roddenberry too. It wasn't the story or script he had wanted, and the gaps seemed filled with too much emphasis on special effects."</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For some reason, it was rated G. They hired the director of <b><i>West Side Story</i></b> (<b>Robert Wise</b>), and he initially didn't want to do it, but his wife convinced him. There were constant re-writes during shooting. The music was different, (although good), the uniforms were drastically different (ugly and very bland), the characters felt plastic, and the dialogue was often cheesy. Even the Klingons suddenly looked completely different for no reason whatsoever. Sure the effects looked great, but we got way too much of that. There were seemingly endless scenes of the camera just panning across the ship. Before the Paramount logo appears, there is over a minute of music with a blank screen. During the first appearance of the Enterprise, there is over four minutes of the camera panning around the ship as Kirk and Scotty fly around in a shuttle. No dialogue, just music and the Enterprise... for four minutes! I cannot confirm whether or not Kirk was actually masturbating during those four minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The story was okay, but this was not the Star Trek we had grown to love. And it's unfortunate, because from this movie, the franchise was never the same again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That's not to say there aren't still good versions of Star Trek. Case in point...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b><b>Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan</b> (1982)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBEUqfk2TuWN7-gsmqkxh5IRHGLz2BP1ajxQvhDIoC8WBiC6C8tzJpbxV7JlZd_f2r1Kfo5wI9UiDK8bKJU2clUBSO0qrkayt8iBQBCQVvfp93Zt4EmhfBIQ7HdHgOZFsD5qO6iqW4GQ/s1600/u-g-F4S8120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="588" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBEUqfk2TuWN7-gsmqkxh5IRHGLz2BP1ajxQvhDIoC8WBiC6C8tzJpbxV7JlZd_f2r1Kfo5wI9UiDK8bKJU2clUBSO0qrkayt8iBQBCQVvfp93Zt4EmhfBIQ7HdHgOZFsD5qO6iqW4GQ/s320/u-g-F4S8120.jpg" width="241" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the Star Trek fans wanted! Instead of focusing on effects, they dealt with characters, story, and action. And they did it beautifully. Everyone was at the top of their game, particularly <b>Ricardo Montalban</b>, who should have won all the awards for reviving his performance of Khan, and ramping it up exponentially.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Following the events from the original series episode, <b><i>Space Seed</i></b>, Khan's hatred for Kirk was fueled to rather epic proportions. After escaping his exile, he eventually tracks down Kirk to extract his vengeance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And can we talk about the soundtrack here?? The music composed by James Horner easily rivals John Williams, and is one of my favorite movie soundtracks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We also got a new character. <b>Kirstie Alley</b> played the half Romulan half Vulcan, Lt. Saavik.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBD-T2a2U0DFzkwJQg4K1qBLlu0pNHZLbWD7khJlwBlGfoaos3khpjQbrNrKpdI7DovE75EFuWg3ZsLEGrbeZvcK2ONI_4guwEgtr4hBircnwtMmBSU_7ix22GGOCVY5Y0JBx21GcMTsc/s1600/c77cc3178d9ff5f031a85e934f754b46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBD-T2a2U0DFzkwJQg4K1qBLlu0pNHZLbWD7khJlwBlGfoaos3khpjQbrNrKpdI7DovE75EFuWg3ZsLEGrbeZvcK2ONI_4guwEgtr4hBircnwtMmBSU_7ix22GGOCVY5Y0JBx21GcMTsc/s320/c77cc3178d9ff5f031a85e934f754b46.jpg" width="267" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, if I'm being completely honest, I think the casting of <b>Merrit Butrick</b> as Kirk's son just felt wrong. But there's so many other wonderful things about this movie, I try to overlook it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> Star Trek III: The Search for Spock</b> (1984)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLY4qwQViXKQbzYxXbujYlbYFhYFcXJHJi_smCewbXjFhXzclYsr4zdAsbCN9C9nZZlKxJKtp8YqJbptqpj4WYbsBg1xqORKwoRRU6EjVTBi8d2nydacd4UN__BE2bRdSbgsf8oaXQFs/s1600/stiii_poster1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLY4qwQViXKQbzYxXbujYlbYFhYFcXJHJi_smCewbXjFhXzclYsr4zdAsbCN9C9nZZlKxJKtp8YqJbptqpj4WYbsBg1xqORKwoRRU6EjVTBi8d2nydacd4UN__BE2bRdSbgsf8oaXQFs/s320/stiii_poster1.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">How can I explain this movie, without spoiling the events of<b><i> Wrath of Khan</i></b>? Well, it's been a few years, so maybe you know by now, Spock died. Or did he? Sarek (Spock's father) tells Kirk they need to get his body so they can bring him back to life. Obviously, they have to search for him, despite Starfleet telling him no.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I think this movie is too underrated. I really enjoyed it, and there are some very good moments in this one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And for some reason,<b> Lt Saavik</b> is played by <b>Robin Curtis</b> this time. I'm not mad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home</b> (1986)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsfZw68ZIU7KgYtpeNEaj1n8NesZyELyqIPFSVbvnfM5bwt-TKWnwtDhqh5K9cMxXfhXjyopoNRRW1nXMpj4VvzoyWo4nSL5kszNQJtGDcSbhyPKY2Azmxvaz7suEWN5gFbn74pwsekaM/s1600/star_trek_iv_1986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsfZw68ZIU7KgYtpeNEaj1n8NesZyELyqIPFSVbvnfM5bwt-TKWnwtDhqh5K9cMxXfhXjyopoNRRW1nXMpj4VvzoyWo4nSL5kszNQJtGDcSbhyPKY2Azmxvaz7suEWN5gFbn74pwsekaM/s320/star_trek_iv_1986.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Directed by <b>Leonard Nimoy</b>, this is another fan favorite. The characters started to once again feel like they did in the original series (<i>finally!</i>). They had fun, and it shows. Even the story felt like it could have been in one of the episodes of the series. It was an original idea, and not connected to the other movies, except continuing where<b><i> Star Trek III</i></b> ended.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Star Trek V: The Final Frontier</b> (1989)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Um, do I have to talk about this one? Ugh... fine. It was a movie. I'm sure they made money from it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Okay, a bit more. Directed by <b>William Shatner </b>(for some reason), we suddenly find out that Spock has a brother and I guess he wants to meet God.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is also where the rumor began that all odd number Trek movies suck. And I'll say again, I liked III. But yeah, you can not only skip it, but ignore that it was ever made.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country</b> (1991)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0D_SKt700VJvSmhELm_wDJirkglUHJEdur3c1zKsw4NKqoP5hGfKw-c57AIeK1EqC_zKbBCi5tsGGYwLX-IISsTEtMEM8gfQn-942z44e-S9gda5mxWuIDCTZyKvT8I4XhHo8WEYPgE/s1600/0+P0DmE6Q3xdgKJYXr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1426" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0D_SKt700VJvSmhELm_wDJirkglUHJEdur3c1zKsw4NKqoP5hGfKw-c57AIeK1EqC_zKbBCi5tsGGYwLX-IISsTEtMEM8gfQn-942z44e-S9gda5mxWuIDCTZyKvT8I4XhHo8WEYPgE/s320/0+P0DmE6Q3xdgKJYXr.jpg" width="224" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another enjoyable movie. Not one of the best, but some good moments as the crew tries to unravel a mystery, and Kirk deals with his own prejudice against Klingons. It helps that we have a fantastic cast, particularly one <b>David Warner</b>, who has always been one of my favorite actors.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is also the last we see of the original series cast together. Bittersweet, but it was time for their journey to come to an end.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And this is where part one of my review ends. Coming up:<i style="font-weight: bold;"> The Next Generation</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Live Long and Stuff,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Deeesher</span>Deeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-18270094904874133102019-11-27T14:01:00.005-08:002019-11-27T15:22:19.416-08:00The Hobbit - Tales of the DeeesherAt the risk of offending some of you, Kanye West is wrong. While I'm sure we agree on many other topics (whoever he is), <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/can39t-read-me-nothing/" target="_blank">Kanye doesn't believe in reading books</a>. But the reality is you definitely should read. Read lots of books. Read them often. Read them hard. <br><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">In grade school, I started reading Hardy Boys, most likely because our school "book collection" (definitely not a library) wasn't so impressive, and my guess is, I probably liked the covers too. I'm not sure I really understood them, but I loved the idea of using my own brain to create imaginative scenes from printed words. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Then in 5th grade, I discovered a short story called Fever Dream, by Ray Bradbury. It truly changed my life! I needed so much more of this! So soon after, I got Fahrenheit 451, then Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked this Way Comes, and eventually The Illustrated Man. Those books were so important to me! I fell in love with Bradbury's imagination, and "poetic" style of writing. It also helped that they were a great escape from the real world (aka school), which generally sucked. This inspired me to join the science fiction book club, and get lots more books. I can't say I read them all... but I wanted to! </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">I could go on about some of my favorites, like Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber, or Douglas Adam's Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. And then I'd have to rant about how I became obsessed with Harlan Ellison's writing, who was one of the people I credit for making me who I am today. I can't say if that's good or bad, but regardless, that's what happened. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">So here we are, a few years after high school, and due to life being rather "life-y", I don't read nearly as often. In the last few years, I have picked up some of the classics, such as random Edgar Allan Poe stories, as well as the first Sherlock Holmes book, (which was awesome!). I also started reading Moby Dick, but kept getting distracted and still haven't finished it. I enjoy what I've read so far, and I want to finish it, I swear! I just need to get back into that reading mindset, and simply ignore life's annoying little influences. <br><br>It does help that I surround myself with nerdy friends that enjoy berating me for not having read some of those classics. As I'm sure you can imagine, nerd peer pressure can leave you feeling rather desolated. But never are they more eager to take away my nerd card than when I tell them I haven't read... The Lord of the Rings. Yes, they react about the same way you just did. <i>Sorry! </i></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">In my defense, fantasy books were never my thing. Which is strange, because I played Dungeons and Dragons! Tolkien could easily be credited as the co-creator of D&D. But when I read books, I prefer something otherworldly, futuristic, or at the very least, a bizarre twist on our modern life. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">So it took me some time, but after my friends came down on me like wizards at my doorstep, they finally convinced me to go on an adventure, whether I wanted to or not. And after going there, and back, I'm ready to give you my review of:</div><div dir="auto">The Hobbit</div><div dir="auto"><div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EeJp-wy5biPa74mcxtHowhchtCYKJqDGLsgCFZuRPDCDekgedEDO7WjVCF66v5DXgsx4ByPm5tli0d6_csx5fqXGOo8_9PmLboKJhleiYv-10tAf5Q92afFwyZUxwPp48niq7kAEHtk/s1600/9780345445605.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="295" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EeJp-wy5biPa74mcxtHowhchtCYKJqDGLsgCFZuRPDCDekgedEDO7WjVCF66v5DXgsx4ByPm5tli0d6_csx5fqXGOo8_9PmLboKJhleiYv-10tAf5Q92afFwyZUxwPp48niq7kAEHtk/s320/9780345445605.jpg" width="276"></a></div><br></div><div dir="auto">*Disclaimer</div><div dir="auto">Normally I keep my reviews spoiler free. However since it's been over eighty years ago, I hope you'll understand if I cover some of the more poignant details in the story. If you'd rather not have anything spoiled here, please read the book and come right back. If you need encouragement to begin, I have some rather militant nerdy friends that would be willing to have a talk with you. </div><div><br></div><div>Okay, show of hands, how many of you knew The Hobbit was a children's book? So... everyone but me. Fine. Yes it was written for children, which explains the songs and silly names (Dwalin, Balin, Kili, Fili, Dori, Nori, Ori etc). Keeping in mind that children from the 1930s were already far more intelligent than most adults today, it still made for a fairly easy read. </div><div><br>Bilbo was a great character, and I could uncomfortably identify with his desire to sit at home and do nothing. But somehow Gandalf and the Dwarves convinced him to get out of the house. How? Apparently because thirteen on an adventure was unlucky...? But unless there is a great reveal later as to why it had to be Bilbo, I think there were plenty of other professional types of burglars they could have hired in the Prancing Pony tavern nearby. But I guess Halflings gotta have a hero too, so...<br><br>The actual travelling part of the book seemed to drag a bit, (as is common with most extensive journeys). But it was always fun seeing Bilbo become the reluctant hero. Whether fighting giant spiders, or playing uncomfortable riddle games with Gollum, or even negotiating peace with Bard, he was consistently clever and very good at thinking on his furry little feet, mostly out of desperation. And as we all know, a hero is only as good as the villain, and Bilbo was always facing some very interesting enemies. I particularly liked this Gollum creature, and hope we get to see more of him in the future! <br><br><i>"...But Deeesher, what about the other heroes???"</i><br>Um... I guess Gandalf had a couple nice moments. Maybe I skimmed past the scenes where the other Dwarves saved the day? Okay, let's be honest, this entire book could have happened with just Thorin, Bilbo, and Gandalf. Well, whenever Gandalf wasn't off doing<i> 'other things'</i>. If you want to look at this metaphorically, an argument could be made that Gandalf was the "parent" letting Bilbo learn to do things for himself. But I prefer to think that Gandalf just had a bad gambling problem. Regularly he was teleporting out to the tracks because he had money riding on the ponies. Hey, he was a wizard, not the 'lead-to-gold' alchemist kind.<br><br>Now let's take a moment to talk about Dwarves.<br>Ugh... They're a hairy, beer guzzling, unkempt, warmongering race. My guess is they don't even bathe nearly as often as they should making them also quite smelly. Not only did Bilbo repeatedly have to save them, they did absolutely nothing to further the plot. In fact, they often seemed rather ungrateful for all the times Bilbo did have to save them! One Fourteenth was his cut...<i> seriously??</i> He should have re-negotiated that contract. More like two-thirds the treasure by the time they got there! <br><br>Having said that, I confess I did get a bit choked up when Thorin finally reconciled with Bilbo in the end. After all they've been through, it was good to see him come to terms with how much Bilbo really did try to help the disgusting hairy little bastards.<br><br></div>So I'm happy that I finally read The Hobbit, and I'm curious to read the next books in the series. I stand with many other LOTR fans in saying that the Peter Jackson Hobbit trilogy really sucked in comparison. He extended a lot of scenes that didn't need to be extended, added elements that didn't need to be added, and with a budget of millions of dollars, I will never understand how he made those effects look so bad!<br><br>However, if you get a chance to see the 1977 Hobbit animated movie, I think you will find that a much closer adaptation. And nothing against the Peter Jackson/Andy Serkis version of Gollum, but the animated version made him rather nightmare inducing *shivers*<br><div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3PTLozVjcXV3S6OfXG8xsDb1HXx6MfWao1bpSs0vpLEv_nH_qxKw9q3ixSJukms2MwTBG6ltGcOTauaiJEmwyWCxfJNaVYc3R1RTt-plzrQcV2SOZGsAdcyoTXyZbCejA07VC6CPkKE/s1600/9f0d6b60ce3e2931e5ddf68ffd1ffdbf--bilbo-baggins-death-note.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="677" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3PTLozVjcXV3S6OfXG8xsDb1HXx6MfWao1bpSs0vpLEv_nH_qxKw9q3ixSJukms2MwTBG6ltGcOTauaiJEmwyWCxfJNaVYc3R1RTt-plzrQcV2SOZGsAdcyoTXyZbCejA07VC6CPkKE/s320/9f0d6b60ce3e2931e5ddf68ffd1ffdbf--bilbo-baggins-death-note.jpg" width="320"></a></div><br>Your Precious,<br>Deeesher<br>Deeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-85967700091651682612019-04-29T09:29:00.001-07:002019-04-29T09:29:31.805-07:00Avengers Endgame Review (Non-Spoiler)<div dir="ltr">
<i>"We're in the endgame now."</i><br />
- Doctor Strange, <i><b>Infinity War</b></i></div>
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Okay, let's make this short and sweet... unlike the runtime of<b> <i>Avengers Endgame</i></b>, which is nearly 3 hours long, (pace your drinking habits).</div>
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First, let me repeat the common sense philosophy I said before: If you<i> don't </i>like superhero movies, this was<i> not</i> made for you. Especially if you haven't seen any of the other previous <i>Marvel Cinematic Universe</i> (<b>MCU</b>) movies in the last 11 years. Although an argument could be made that you don't have to watch <i>ALL</i> 21 movies. You might be able to watch 8 or 10 of them to get fully up to speed. At this point, it's essentially a career move.</div>
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However, if you have seen them, and you do love superhero movies, and find yourself emotionally invested in the fate of these characters, (as many of us are), I really think you'll appreciate <b><i>Avengers Endgame</i></b>. But just how much? Let's discuss...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGg2B4-JURN-2bnEOpX9CP6LvDdDLu6EZY6s8NZzj3jMHa4z6uyivlQy3wAh62Kg9cy71dECOFdFqyR6pC0dvMFMVw-VFANkaBOcugdHmCqoEgi2yCqSRsCBqBdphyphenhyphen4-eC4QMBKW92lE/s1600/avengers-poster-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1081" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGg2B4-JURN-2bnEOpX9CP6LvDdDLu6EZY6s8NZzj3jMHa4z6uyivlQy3wAh62Kg9cy71dECOFdFqyR6pC0dvMFMVw-VFANkaBOcugdHmCqoEgi2yCqSRsCBqBdphyphenhyphen4-eC4QMBKW92lE/s320/avengers-poster-2.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
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The first thirty minutes weigh a bit heavy, as our heroes come to terms with their losses from <i><b>Infinity War</b></i>, (although having gone out in public, personally I often feel Thanos did nothing wrong). But once we get past that mourning period, we're treated to <i>The Avengers Greatest Hits</i>. Without giving anything away, there are lots of references and nods to some of the best moments from their past. Yes, you could call this the <i>Avengers Awesome Mix Tape</i>.. <i>but with so much more!</i></div>
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The length of this movie is mostly justifiable, because there are so many story elements to process and resolve. Realistically, they could have trimmed some of it out, but along the way, we get lots of good laughs, some<i> "F* YEAH!"</i> cheer scenes... as well as some very sad conclusions. Combining all those things effectively is what this movie does right. It's quite the emotional roller coaster, and a beautiful ending to an epic story. </div>
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<i>"But Deeesher, is it really the end...??"</i></div>
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First, stop asking questions. The MCU has plenty of sequels already in production. This universe isn't going anywhere. But for me, they did tie up all the loose ends with a pretty bow. </div>
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<i>"But..."</i></div>
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<i>I said stop asking questions! </i>Okay, as much as I did enjoy this movie, you have to suspend disbelief a bit more than I normally like. Sure, I accept that an alien from space collects a bunch of colored stones to wipe out half the population of the universe. But I want my story telling to be a bit more linear in thinking. And we all knew there would be some time travel here, and unfortunately, that kind of thing tends to be a bit sketchy. Maybe they'll clear up some of those details in upcoming releases. I've already heard that the repercussions from this will change certain aspects of the existing time line. Ugh... </div>
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Nitpicking aside, this didn't detract much from my enjoyment. Like the previous Avengers movies, no one character or performance stood out. Everyone did very well in their respective roles, although you could say <b>Robert Downey Jr</b> might have nudged out the others just a bit. But, with sooooooo many Avengers in the lineup, they focus primarily on 10 (or so) of the main characters. And if you have a favorite hero from any of the previous 21 movies, don't worry, you will see <i>ALL</i> of them doing some pretty cool stuff. There are plenty of beautiful hero shots that will bring a tear to your eye. </div>
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Many of you know, in the past, I've had some misgivings with the <b>Russo Brothers</b>, who have directed a few previous MCU movies. Some scenes still seemed poorly lit (doesn't anyone in space have light bulbs??), and some of the action seemed a bit too close, but otherwise it looks like they got some of my notes (<i>you're welcome!</i>). In the end, this is how you make a movie that respects so many classic characters. This is what you get when the 'suits' listens to the fans! </div>
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So, if I may channel my inner Stan Lee,</div>
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<i>Excelsior!</i></div>
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Deeesher</div>
Deeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-76351448455020331482019-03-06T22:27:00.001-08:002019-03-07T08:23:06.630-08:00Aquaman 2019 ReviewIf you ask the nerds, there is an ongoing competition for superiority between <b>Marvel</b> and <b>DC</b> live action comic book movies. Truth be told, both companies want the other to do well. A successful superhero movie can easily drive audiences out to see another one. For the most part, in my humble opinion, Marvel seems to be very successful making the jump to the big screen. Also in my humble opinion, DC is very successful... <i>in their animated department. </i>I don't think they are very good in their live action releases. So after quite a few missteps, can they take one of the most unpopular heroes and make him likable? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZMGFsAStP96vpffsMAHYG9zg3CcqvwB5CAKasONMUDTs_h71cT0_j_f8S6rmNaezVl-wPixJoRL6gOgWhpqvFxap9bis9HOORBeiUULdJJjzL4EoM9NIXmUiA2hNwUg7lHjMLlsIJW8/s1600/6366ccc93c40d19c4ab39a82e78ddcbc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZMGFsAStP96vpffsMAHYG9zg3CcqvwB5CAKasONMUDTs_h71cT0_j_f8S6rmNaezVl-wPixJoRL6gOgWhpqvFxap9bis9HOORBeiUULdJJjzL4EoM9NIXmUiA2hNwUg7lHjMLlsIJW8/s320/6366ccc93c40d19c4ab39a82e78ddcbc.jpg" width="216"></a></div>
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I say unpopular, because <b><i>Aquaman</i></b> has always been the butt of many superhero jokes. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEAmOMyLHdE4wIDqL5yLRUvVvYxH2JFTd7gjVturenYe7gXnmdq-sDXgM2EGe1z0FrXdPt3nF0rqHLo5LwPG1jJnvbxoQ-S69d7BBSDDJy1UbltnBzL5OsHogrX0iHX6Hw7P6FsmRpmjQ/s1600/aquamaniswhite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="630" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEAmOMyLHdE4wIDqL5yLRUvVvYxH2JFTd7gjVturenYe7gXnmdq-sDXgM2EGe1z0FrXdPt3nF0rqHLo5LwPG1jJnvbxoQ-S69d7BBSDDJy1UbltnBzL5OsHogrX0iHX6Hw7P6FsmRpmjQ/s320/aquamaniswhite.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
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However, he has gone through a few changes in recent years, to try to make him look cool. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVJvW4fvk3xYgAoaSFmvSQajg5bb9M7-ANC-sbrpPNrj2uN0POPpYDttOFQk-xGZnU1bxp0lhY9ZL-nGRmKB8OzaTBwSJ-FwyPMXvp2qLL7vIEb9bPE3NcyTF-y2ZCFmstXSPvitb_1A/s1600/aquaman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="634" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVJvW4fvk3xYgAoaSFmvSQajg5bb9M7-ANC-sbrpPNrj2uN0POPpYDttOFQk-xGZnU1bxp0lhY9ZL-nGRmKB8OzaTBwSJ-FwyPMXvp2qLL7vIEb9bPE3NcyTF-y2ZCFmstXSPvitb_1A/s320/aquaman.jpg" width="211"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCc_rZZioU8aCwLEje4ZMWv6_ZQo3sGb2nQVaW6RoQv28DCi2TJdq4bPJE806lo7gB3Nw326SnJzlgm7OXIxDPJRXUNHer64eIxY6APB3O2jsfHA_vqLt0IASemTmEgIf3C-W_KaE12Q/s1600/Aquaman+fish+army.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="254" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCc_rZZioU8aCwLEje4ZMWv6_ZQo3sGb2nQVaW6RoQv28DCi2TJdq4bPJE806lo7gB3Nw326SnJzlgm7OXIxDPJRXUNHer64eIxY6APB3O2jsfHA_vqLt0IASemTmEgIf3C-W_KaE12Q/s320/Aquaman+fish+army.jpg" width="215"></a></div>
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And now we have <b>Jason Momoa</b>. In the past, an <b><i>Aquaman</i></b> Hero Pose was a bit of an oxymoron. And now...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzPig1Bq7W5e5HnUWqJXidEA9olzLoXwb7GN15lUMA9Fpe2WDrzuWFGp7oT5XutLimFZ8RvmrFN4zj8krMag1R4XEMzvRlGV0UTN2-j-1c476RF5rdg8bwi3LZZ3ifJRNDRUPckMDLQI/s1600/vlcsnap-2019-03-06-23h37m27s518.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="442" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzPig1Bq7W5e5HnUWqJXidEA9olzLoXwb7GN15lUMA9Fpe2WDrzuWFGp7oT5XutLimFZ8RvmrFN4zj8krMag1R4XEMzvRlGV0UTN2-j-1c476RF5rdg8bwi3LZZ3ifJRNDRUPckMDLQI/s320/vlcsnap-2019-03-06-23h37m27s518.png" width="267"></a></div>
And as I'm sure millions (billions?) of women will agree, <b>Jason Momoa</b> is one of the reasons this movie works! I don't think he was necessarily 'acting'. He just showed up and was himself, which is actually pretty impressive. If you don't believe me, look up<b> Jason Momoa</b> throwing an axe, drinking beer, playing bass, or jumping off cliffs.<br>
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But with all that charisma, your co-star had better be able to keep up with you. And honestly, I don't think Mera (<b>Amber Heard</b>) could do it. The chemistry between them felt very forced, and her performance was just there. She looked great! But I don't think they're right for each other. Let's all say it together: <i>"You can do better...!"</i><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hth-sef3Lj7wFz4-ir9LLL-3FenRkxHyKZ7BC5_fTs7D1xgumWhRtpwWZjOcofj9ieGNJe2i19ht4CWek8v0WVd_sjcvLhaH0qgsjdci9nmf1KKHMlZTraQhkq9ETzH6utRy8zgzknk/s1600/mera-in-aquaman-movie-997353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="947" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hth-sef3Lj7wFz4-ir9LLL-3FenRkxHyKZ7BC5_fTs7D1xgumWhRtpwWZjOcofj9ieGNJe2i19ht4CWek8v0WVd_sjcvLhaH0qgsjdci9nmf1KKHMlZTraQhkq9ETzH6utRy8zgzknk/s320/mera-in-aquaman-movie-997353.jpg" width="252"></a></div>
Ugh... I think?<br>
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Now Black Manta (<b>Yahya Abdul-Mateen II</b>) and Momoa have chemistry! Sadly, we don't get to see nearly enough of this relationship! The movie focuses primarily on his overly convoluted family issues and all the undersea ruling kingdoms. I understand why this was important for his origin story, but it felt like it dragged occasionally. And at a running time of 2 hours and 23 minutes, you do not want your undersea adventure to drag. Towards the end, it devolved into the Lord of the Rings, with billions of tiny CGI characters attacking billions of other tiny CGI characters. I found myself looking at the time asking them to wrap everything up quickly.<br>
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But for the rest of it, director <b>James Wan</b> made <i>soooooo many beautiful shots!</i> I might have drooled. This makes up for years of dark and depressing DC films. And<i> fight choreography you can see FTW!!</i><br>
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<i>"But Deeesher, how does it compare to other super hero movies???"</i><br>
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First, as you know, in recent years, there has been so many super hero movies, it becomes difficult to rank them. However, nerds will still find a way to do it. Marvel has raised the bar so high, it's not easy to reach that tier, but in some ways, I think this was a success. I enjoyed <b><i>Aquaman</i></b>, and I'm eager for a sequel, but I still think there are some suits in DC/WB that don't quite get it. <br>
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For DC movies, <b><i>Aquaman </i></b>and <i><b>Wonder Woman</b></i> are both good in some ways, and not so good in other ways. But still this is the best DC has to offer in live action. Although, I stand behind my love of DC/CW season 1 and 2 of <b><i>The Flash</i></b>, and their crossovers are EPIC! Those should be theatrically released! <i>*hint hint WB*</i><br>
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In comparison to Marvel movies, I would say <i><b>Aquaman</b></i> is better than:<br>
<b><i>Iron Man 3</i></b><br>
<i><b>Thor 1</b></i><br>
and... (dare I say?)<i style="font-weight: bold;"> Doctor Strange </i>and<i style="font-weight: bold;"> Spider-man Homecoming </i><br>
<i>*ducks*</i><br>
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And by the way...<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXLsNtQiX8I3C9REeA69a5zBZTZry8DP-TM3CSp4cp-g0DYJlCkm2A5kwJuGOxpC_y_tjg6PlvPQYu12Mrm4o4ZZhm5wWk5JgFP1vTAyaXaUyctBWL9jdxIy_g3zt5SgLMXT7vOJhhaA/s1600/20190307_000339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="929" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXLsNtQiX8I3C9REeA69a5zBZTZry8DP-TM3CSp4cp-g0DYJlCkm2A5kwJuGOxpC_y_tjg6PlvPQYu12Mrm4o4ZZhm5wWk5JgFP1vTAyaXaUyctBWL9jdxIy_g3zt5SgLMXT7vOJhhaA/s320/20190307_000339.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
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<i>SOMEWHERE</i> in the Atlantic...? Shouldn't they be more PACIFIC???<br>
LOLOLOLOLOL<br>
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*DISCLAIMER: Yes I wrote this review just so I could use that joke. I will also look for an opportunity to post it again on social media somewhere in the future.<br>
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My apologies,<br>
DeeesherDeeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-19899488468707510562018-10-08T07:19:00.001-07:002018-10-08T09:05:03.951-07:00Venom Review<b><i>Venom</i></b> first appeared on another planet, when all the Marvel heroes and villains were gathered together to fight, in the twelve issue mini-series called <b><i>Secret Wars</i></b> (1984). <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At the time, it was just known as the 'black costume' that Spider-man discovered after ripping his regular Spidey-tights. It all seemed harmless enough, although there was the usual fan outcry hating the new look. When the limited series ended, and Spidey returned home, the plot thickened, as the costume seemed to slowly take over. Eventually, it bonded itself to Peter, and it really didn't want to let go. When he finally was able to literally pry it from his body, the alien blob slinked away only to find reporter Eddie Brock. The alien symbiote bonded with him, and called itself Venom... Marvel fanboys around the world squee'd with excitement. </div>
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In 2007, super genius film director <b>Sam Raimi</b> was forced to include Venom in <i>Spider-man 3</i>. Yes, forced by Sony due to the popularity of the character. He really didn't want to do it... and it shows. The results were some of the most cringe-worthy moments in any comic book movie ever made. </div>
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And now, in 2018, Sony releases a stand-alone <i>Venom</i> movie. Did they learn from their mistakes?</div>
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To clarify, while this movie<i> is</i> based on a Marvel comic book, it is <i>NOT</i> part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe of movies. Those movies are released through Disney. Venom is owned by Sony. So, there is zero connection between Venom and Thanos, or Avengers, or Captain America, or Iron Man, or Thor, or Ant-man, etc. It all has to do with copyrights that are equal parts confusing, and frustrating.</div>
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The popular opinion is to hate this movie, because how can you have Venom without Spider-man? So without the convoluted Secret Wars origin story, they simply went with the 'alien-life-form-brought-back-from-space' story, which was... acceptable. The 2007 movie used the same idea, as well as the original animated series, so it works based on that simple premise. </div>
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I can't say I hated the movie, but there was still plenty to dislike. The most painful being the horrendous computer effects. To put it into perspective, <i>The Abyss</i> was one of the first movies to ever use CGI in 1989. There was a scene where they created a moving blob of water that looked pretty realistic. Thirty years ago, that scene looked far more realistic than <i>any</i> of the scenes with Venom. Did they not have a budget for the most important aspect of this movie, or did they just not care?</div>
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I'm also not a fan of <b>Tom Hardy</b>, who plays Eddie Brock. I don't see any charisma or personality in him whatsoever. You could replace him with a paper sack, and I would be as equally entertained. Although, in the 2007 version, we had <b>Topher Grace</b>, so... upgrade? </div>
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I did however enjoy some of the banter between Brock and Venom. I might have even lol'd just a bit. Plus, if you overlook how bad the effects are, there are some good action moments... when the lens flare and smoke wasn't completely overpowering the scene.</div>
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<div>When you compare <i style="font-family: sans-serif;">Venom</i> with the 2004 <b>Halle Berry</b> <i>Catwoman </i>movie, and the 2015<i> Fantastic Four</i><span style="font-family: sans-serif;"> reboot... </span><i style="font-family: sans-serif;">it's</i><i style="font-family: sans-serif;"> not that</i><i> bad! </i></div><div>(Yes, you can use this quote for promotional purposes if you 'd like). </div>
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If you're interested in seeing this, just lower your expectations, expect some bad effects and a few 'questionable' writing decisions, and you might like it. And if not, it's only ninety minutes long, so you won't lose too much time out of your life.</div>
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Deeesher</div>
Deeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-8143905014735794972018-07-20T08:31:00.000-07:002018-07-20T08:31:27.014-07:00Batman Ninja Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So... There is a lot to respect about the animation in Batman Ninja. They obviously
put a lot of work into this, and I appreciate it.<br />
<br />
But for the rest...
There is not enough facepalms or eyerolls in the world to express my feelings.
Someone drank a LOT of sake making this movie.<br />
<br />
I had originally thought this was going to be a story of <i>"What If Batman lived in Feudal Japan"</i>. It's not. It's time travel.<br />
<br />
Okay, I'll mildly accept time travelling Batman heroes and villains. But after that...? I think there are ways it could have worked, but not like this.<br />
<br />
You have to REALLY love
Japanese anime. I mean <i>REEEEALLY</i> love it, to the point where you aren't worried about
common sense story telling.<br />
<br />
Ugh...<br />DeeesherDeeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-20372915982399160372018-07-20T08:20:00.001-07:002018-07-20T08:20:35.380-07:00Professor Marston & The Wonder Women ReviewHow much do you know about the creator of Wonder Woman?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs60u8Q7BBumMvFNkdkt47YqRYeoRsu35RJ9b_BElVOUx6pN4zbynoTOCKnLnZf9Vbc4lyg7Fgq2BbxvrG27eIOEd5dVcAtBCKJLrX3sSFG204chSJ_y8OrE3sA5FpsxxHsLXCxIRt1H0/s1600/1200x630bb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="420" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs60u8Q7BBumMvFNkdkt47YqRYeoRsu35RJ9b_BElVOUx6pN4zbynoTOCKnLnZf9Vbc4lyg7Fgq2BbxvrG27eIOEd5dVcAtBCKJLrX3sSFG204chSJ_y8OrE3sA5FpsxxHsLXCxIRt1H0/s320/1200x630bb.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women is truly an amazing
biopic about his very unique life. Officially, I read that the Marston
family rejected this movie, but nobody really knows all the details of his personal life.<br />
<br />
What is known, is that the character of Wonder
Woman is based on Marston's wife, their life partner, and their
fascination with BDSM. Definitely an interesting psychological study of
people during a time when many things we accept today, were considered a
perversion.<br />
<br />
I really hope this is more accurate retelling than the family said,
because it's a beautiful story.<br />
<br />
DeeesherDeeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-31483322650875012842018-07-20T08:07:00.000-07:002018-07-20T08:07:35.347-07:00Fahrenheit 451 2018 Review<span class=" UFICommentActorAndBody">Fahrenheit 451 was the first Ray Bradbury book I ever read in 6th grade. I discovered him after reading a short story called Fever Dream in a magazine in
5th grade that gave me chills. Before that, I was mostly reading Hardy Boys and dinosaur
books, so it felt great to read something with so much imagination.</span><br />
<br />
In 1966, it was made into a movie by François Truffaut, which despite lead actor Oskar Werner's efforts to sabotage the production (because he hated the director), it wasn't a bad movie at all. There were a few powerful moments that I respect from this version.<br />
<br />
And now, in 2018, I thought I would really hate the the modern Michael B. Jordan remake.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNa3k_byjNbmfrJ66eAuP_yTMfjtClwW26BvnlV6WRCPTzVWsvmAmKSpqKNswFU9pOqDZLkfNth4JcIRgh2yXMrBIsIZo_QDJZ7jWKYruVCxZq4RCcVYpA9ZT8aNGlxW5kCOJHVxPYH6Y/s1600/2606691339c979a8213efd911df8c71d75c6fdea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNa3k_byjNbmfrJ66eAuP_yTMfjtClwW26BvnlV6WRCPTzVWsvmAmKSpqKNswFU9pOqDZLkfNth4JcIRgh2yXMrBIsIZo_QDJZ7jWKYruVCxZq4RCcVYpA9ZT8aNGlxW5kCOJHVxPYH6Y/s320/2606691339c979a8213efd911df8c71d75c6fdea.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
It turns
out, parts of it were a decent modern take on the original concept!<br />
And parts of it was Hollywood just changing things because they're
idiots. Seriously guys, stop trying so hard. Your ideas suck.<br />
<br />
The standout for me was Michael Shannon, as the Captain. He made me appreciate his acting skills, after really hating
him as Zod in Man of Steel.<br />
<br />
Otherwise, some of the scenes felt very well done (no
fire pun intended), and it's easy to imagine some of the elements here happening with today's social media culture. But I still think the 1966 movie was a bit better.<br />
<br />
In the
end, you really should read the book.... before it's too late.<br />
DeeesherDeeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-48179738766229073932018-07-20T07:44:00.000-07:002018-07-20T07:46:11.757-07:00Westworld Season 2 Review<div class="_5pbx userContent _3576" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="js_s2">
I will say again, season one was just amazing. This was truly one of my favorite shows ever put on television, nearly theatrical in many ways. The depth of story, visuals,
and characters blew me away, after I expected it to suck. It was a reboot <i>*blech*,</i> produced by my mortal enemy, JJ Abrams, created by the brother of my other nemesis, Christopher Nolan. Somehow, not only did I accept it, I loved it!<br />
<br />
And now we finally get Season two.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPLfs8QbFDtcgHjS04zeJFMfH4DQhsav-5ygEhpMjRcj5LbbjRV-Mfxn3Yrf8ZCZAMi4btqSczZZ6oAeq8T2EpT9P5a_9JLjgi-cYhyphenhyphenRj0wm5HUZJIq4iua_SVGbZ6bihHBN9wTSiRSnA/s1600/westworld-season-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="782" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPLfs8QbFDtcgHjS04zeJFMfH4DQhsav-5ygEhpMjRcj5LbbjRV-Mfxn3Yrf8ZCZAMi4btqSczZZ6oAeq8T2EpT9P5a_9JLjgi-cYhyphenhyphenRj0wm5HUZJIq4iua_SVGbZ6bihHBN9wTSiRSnA/s320/westworld-season-2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Um... out of ten episodes, there were a few I enjoyed a lot.
But overall, the same method of story telling that felt brilliant in season one, seemed frustrating and confusing this time. In fact, I really started to get annoyed with their crap.<br />
<br />
It was
nice to see some backstory on the park and get a deeper history behind some characters, (particular standout for me was the Ghost Nation episode, and learning a bit more about James Delos), and of course visually, it's still stunning. But the overall arc this season started getting confusing
and maybe a bit too existential for my taste. It seems like they are trying so hard to top season one, they forgot the story should still make sense to people watching.<br />
<br />
I think you can summarize my feelings for this season with the opening credits. Both seasons have the same amazing score by composer Ramin Djawadi, but the visuals felt much better crafted for season one. The images had a much more powerful impact than the vague random look of season two's intro.<br />
<br />
I'm eager for season three but they do have to... <i>rein</i>
themselves in (see what I did there??).<br />
Deeesher</div>
Deeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-48005059848648526082018-06-29T03:48:00.001-07:002018-06-29T04:03:29.693-07:00Harlan Ellison<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6USDfdzDpC7VozH8i1fdtZIecWG3QQg2NQqqK6gaBiNHWnSUndLwA00gY1W6SApLbqEtFPzbX7LK8vRV844nhGrcKRYwQJ_9-eUwAFM2nTTDDbnOy9szxs_AP7azmqFh4hdtUKobRivY/s1600/GettyImages-901984840_copy.0.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6USDfdzDpC7VozH8i1fdtZIecWG3QQg2NQqqK6gaBiNHWnSUndLwA00gY1W6SApLbqEtFPzbX7LK8vRV844nhGrcKRYwQJ_9-eUwAFM2nTTDDbnOy9szxs_AP7azmqFh4hdtUKobRivY/s320/GettyImages-901984840_copy.0.0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<b>Harlan Ellison</b> unintentionally made me who I am today. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Science fiction has always been important to me, partly due to<b> Ray Bradbury</b> and <b>HG Wells</b>, but it was <b>Harlan Ellison</b> that taught me how to write. Of course he created a lot of brilliant <i>'speculative fiction'</i>, but it was his commentary on the world around us that caught my eye and tickled my brain. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I could never match his intellect, but when I write, I can sometimes hear his voice nudging me towards what to say and how to say it. Because of his amazing influence, I always wanted him to know how much I appreciated his talent, but he's obviously not someone I could easily meet. Then a few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find his website had his address posted, and he seemed open to anyone that wanted to send him actual mail. So, I was determined to write him a (way too) lengthy thank you letter, but as is always the case, life got in my way, and I kept putting it off. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As of yesterday (June 28, 2018), it seems I put it off too long, because the legendary Harlan Ellison has passed away in his sleep. </div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="132" data-original-width="558" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoemKmnVCCggllXzj2Va4KZwB24TQYtLGDkYAEEGTjYfocp8hwaH6v_JEkO7pWiPyA36aVECHNOFBxUK9XqkkrR-ccMw770ZdajqHcrKSaJGqu7Fd1ErX-s6rYzwN4N_IH0iGHYhiwwOY/s400/HE1.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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If you're unfamiliar with his name, you might know him from his extraordinary career. </div>
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Harlan was best known for writing <i>The City on the Edge of Forever</i>, which is considered by many to be the best episode of the original <i><b>Star Trek</b></i> series. The irony of that is, he hated the episode. He wrote an entire book, reprinting his original script, and complaining about <b>Gene Roddenberry. </b>I read it, and I highly recommend it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2ZunchMKRT7jU_KtQsmiHDJJ-MzzqOCWfLyG9lugUsyhA8AZj9omvkfNZuEJEi7JFx0BZTQZDf380WCOhb_Gn6uYhoXuYS942gnF5EbVDDkX3wEwGImG0VR5itmyufQd5TdLY1SL_rI/s1600/cvforever.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2ZunchMKRT7jU_KtQsmiHDJJ-MzzqOCWfLyG9lugUsyhA8AZj9omvkfNZuEJEi7JFx0BZTQZDf380WCOhb_Gn6uYhoXuYS942gnF5EbVDDkX3wEwGImG0VR5itmyufQd5TdLY1SL_rI/s320/cvforever.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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You also might recognize his name from the closing credits of the original Terminator from 1984. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pWJBM71dyIGxFZvD-B43QnZ5u56fRpVrv2oeCDjsrpa1tKrRiKNaouGHEXEzE9VEuKItkAP-FCy-aRRijTJIxIOzgMQ0COpXHorm9imLKmU8WejiRUe0jV_5-C5vD9OYO3bEHcgfCrk/s1600/ellis2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="362" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pWJBM71dyIGxFZvD-B43QnZ5u56fRpVrv2oeCDjsrpa1tKrRiKNaouGHEXEzE9VEuKItkAP-FCy-aRRijTJIxIOzgMQ0COpXHorm9imLKmU8WejiRUe0jV_5-C5vD9OYO3bEHcgfCrk/s320/ellis2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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From IMDB:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>"Science fiction author Harlan Ellison sued James Cameron, claiming that the film was plagiarized from the two The Outer Limits (1963) episodes that Ellison wrote, namely The Outer Limits: Soldier (1964) and The Outer Limits: Demon with a Glass Hand
(1964). The concept of "Skynet" could also have been borrowed from an
Ellison short story called "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream." The suit
was settled out of court and newer prints of the film acknowledge
Ellison. Cameron has claimed that this settlement was forced upon him by
the producers. He felt that Ellison was an opportunist making invalid
claims, and wanted the case to go on trial. However, the studio told him
that he would be personally responsible for financial damages in the
event he lost the trial. So he had no choice but to accept the
settlement, a fact that he has always resented."</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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Harlan Ellison never took any money for this movie. He only asked for a credit acknowledging his work. And that's what he got. </div>
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For decades, he's been described as a curmudgeon, ornery, intimidating, and just brutally honest. But others have said he has a heart of gold and would go out of his way to help friends, or even a stranger, in any way he could. He's won dozens of awards and has more wisdom and experience than any of us could ever hope to accumulate. </div>
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<br /></div>
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He had a commentary for <b><i>Sci-Fi Channel</i></b> (before becoming <i>SyFy</i>), and fortunately for us, they're all posted online. <i>PLEASE</i> watch a few of these <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgAXCT99m0M&list=PLn5mSh00tKGGwiZ0CsZvWAzA0M2xQn8jA" target="_blank">here</a> to understand a bit more about him. Each one is about three minutes long, and definitely worth your time. You can also see some of his more recent rants on his own YouTube page <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1XrlRQsRxYfuc47CCJN05w" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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So now I have to ask myself, what is to become of the overly inflated fan letter I started writing? </div>
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<br /></div>
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I guess I'll just post it here as an open letter, in the hopes that somehow, his spirit might be able to sense my gratitude in the <span class="st">æther</span>. </div>
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Dear Mr. Ellison,<br />
<br />
Hi, my name is
Mike, and I've loved you for many years. To clarify, my feelings are strictly platonic, mostly due to my heterosexuality, although I do acknowledge that you are a good looking guy. I am in fact, deeply in love with your work, your wisdom, and your vast intellect.<br />
<br />
Sadly, I think my "infatuation" is
destined to be unrequited. I say this, because I wrote you many years ago, after reading, <i>Dream Corridor</i>, and you never
replied. I know you're a busy guy, so I wasn't too upset.
But, I always had high hopes that the legendary Harlan Ellison would acknowledge my existence in some way.<br />
<br />
I
also wondered, maybe I didn't do enough to get your attention?
Maybe I was just one more annoying voice in the sea of endless
banality you most likely get every day. And in truth, I know I
was quite the idiot when I wrote you years ago, (and most likely still am
today). <br />
<br />
I sort of imagined you adding my name to a vast
compendium of other names, with stars next to each one, correlating the
level of stupidity, like your own little black book of morons.
I sincerely hope my previous letter didn't garner a star (or two?) by
my name.<br />
<br />
But in the off chance that you were genuinely
just too busy to reply, or my letter never even got to you, I decided
to try writing again. So here I am, many years later, pouring my
heart out to you as concisely as my tiny brain will allow, in hopes to impart my undying gratitude and appreciation to your influence in my life.<br />
<br />
I do apologize for the unnecessarily long introduction, but I felt the need to tell you that you have genuinely inspired me.<br />
<br />
In
middle school, I started reading <b>Ray Bradbury</b>,
and <b>HG Wells</b>, and of course comic books, (mostly <b>Hulk </b>and <b>Spider-man</b>, but there were many others). I was lucky, because my
parents loved science fiction, so they would tell me about
interesting things that they enjoyed when they were younger, which would generally scare the crap out
of me (like some episodes of <i>Lost in Space</i> and <i>Star Trek</i>... <i>hey, I
was just a kid!</i>).<br />
<br />
I hated school, because I was a bit nerdy,
and the masses seemed to enjoy picking on me, since I liked imaginative
things <i>*gasp!*</i>. And naturally, science fiction was a great escape for me from the real world.
<br />
<br />
So, in my efforts for escapism, I joined the S<i>cience Fiction Book Club</i>. And from reading the vague descriptions of each book, I was curious about and eventually bought your book, <i>Stalking the Nightmare</i>. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Thank
you!!</i><br />
<br />
I still remember how I loved <i>Djinn, No Chaser</i>! It
made me laugh, with brilliant insults I could never be quick enough to remember if I should need them.<br />
<br />
Of course there were many other fantastic stories as
well, but that one always stood out. And since I was a slow reader, I really appreciated your short story format. I could get into the story, it would make me think, and get out, all within the same day. Rinse,
repeat. <br />
<br />
But eventually I read all the stories in <i>Stalking the Nightmare</i>, and the only
thing left was <i>Scenes From the Real World</i>. Ugh.... I confess, as a kid, I had <i>NO</i>
interest in reading about your personal life. I thought, "<i>I'm living my
own life, why should I listen to him rant about his problems??" </i>
But I was desperate and a curious sort, so I decided to check them
out anyway.<br />
<br />
And suddenly something amazing happened: <i> I
was entertained!</i><br />
<br />
To my surprise, it seemed there was still
plenty of flavor left in this book after I completely sucked the juice out of the
fiction part. I still remember annoying my friend as I read <i>The 3 Most Important Things in Life</i> over the phone to him.
I wonder how much he really paid attention? I seriously doubt I
read it with the proper inflections.<br />
<br />
Soon after finishing the entire book, I bought
<i>Shatterday</i>, and then<i> Deathbird Stories. </i>Each time, I continued to be impressed with
your style and imagination.<br />
<br />
For myself, I did spend time trying to write, and created a few of my own short stories, but I
never had the patience to write a full novel. And like any aspiring writer in high school that had noticed girls, I occasionally wrote poetry and nonsensical prose.<br />
<br />
A few years later, when I began college, I started to write my own journal. I
had a useless job as a security guard, and spent lot of time staring
into the empty void. I always hoped no evil doers would appear and make me do anything... because I was completely unprepared to deal with the criminal element. So I began to write.<br />
<br />
Originally I was inspired to jot my thoughts down after watching <i>Twin Peaks</i>. I loved
hearing <b>Agent Dale Cooper</b> dictate his findings to Diane on a pocket
tape recorder. I guess in some way, I was eager for my own life to sound a bit
unnatural, like his. <br />
<br />
But looking back, I can honestly say
it was your original <i>Scenes From the Real World</i>, (and later <i>Harlan
Ellison is Watching </i>on <b>Sci-Fi channel</b>) that I was channeling!<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, it seems I've lost my spark of creativity and originality. But I do still cling to my (informed?) opinions, whether on movies, television, or occasionally music. Sometimes those opinions are not so
popular, even with my friends, which has given me a crisis of faith
in my writing. I find myself thinking... <i>why should I
bother writing, </i>especially when friends disagree with me. I've always preferred aliens over alienation, so I never want to annoy anyone.<br />
<br />
Today, I don't write as
often as I should, because putting words in just the right order takes lot of effort for a simple guy like me. And I'm realistic enough to know, in this sea of idiots with a keyboard on the internet, I couldn't make a
career out of this.<br />
<br />
But I wanted to reiterate again how
important you were in my life. I for one, will always promote
your genius and outspoken views on the world. And I truly appreciate the originality I was
lucky enough to experience from your works throughout my life.<br />
<br />
I hope in some small way, I could get your attention this time.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Sincerely,</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Deeesher</div>
Deeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-10959196592264501862018-06-07T03:40:00.002-07:002018-06-07T08:24:39.824-07:00Solo: A Star Wars Story ReviewOh <b><i>Star Wars</i></b>, I think I've finally figured you out. You have a drinking problem. If you drink sensibly, and in moderation, you can be the life of the party! But sometimes, you get drunk on your own power and just do dumb things, like pretending you can fly through space, or visiting some casino planet for no reason. There was that one time you were telling people you got your powers from <i>midichlorians</i> (whatever that is), and told everyone to call you Jar Jar. When you get like this, we're eager to call you a cab and send you home. Sometimes, we don't even know who you are.<br>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
Well, looks like your at it again, Star Wars. You should still be recovering from your <i><b>Last Jedi</b></i> hangover. Did you hear what your friends and neighbors were saying about you? Do you really want to hit the bottle again so soon? Fine, let's talk about what you did this time *le sigh*</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
Many fans have given up on the series, feeling that <b>Disney</b> has destroyed the franchise. Personally, I've felt more <i>"Luke Warm</i>" than <i>Luke Skywalker</i>, but I continue to endure, occasionally seeing things I do like, (e.g., <i><b>Rogue One</b></i>). </div>
<div>
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<b><i>Solo: A Star Wars Story</i></b> is a movie we never asked for, and never expected. Most of the fans wanted an <b><i>Obi-Wan story</i></b>, or <i><b>Darth Maul story</b></i>, or *gasp* a <i><b>Knights of the Old Republic story</b></i>. But here we are... the origin of Han Solo. </div>
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While we don't get to see his birth, or childhood escapades, we do get to see him meet Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, the Millennium Falcon, and of course, watch him maneuver through the Kessel Run.<br>
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Despite the discouraging behind the scenes reports, director <b>Ron Howard</b> managed to put together a mostly enjoyable experience. If <b>George Lucas</b> were allowed to give his honest opinion without fans losing their minds, I think he would give it a big thumbs up. There is a fantastic speeder chase scene in the beginning which really feels like an homage to their mutual connection, 1973's <i><b>American Graffiti</b></i>.<br>
<br>
Howard also gave us some beautiful shots of the Falcon, which will make any die-hard fan all giddy with excitement. I really enjoyed the instant connection Han had with, what would eventually be his ship. The scenes with him piloting around, quickly flipping switches, felt very natural, like he was truly connected.<br>
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The father and son writing team of <b>Lawrence and Jonathan Kasdan</b>, put together a decent story, giving us a bit more depth into the life of Han Solo. He doesn't start out as the scruffy looking nerf-herder we know and love. They made it clear in the beginning that he's nearly polar opposite, with lines like, <i>"I've got a good feeling about this..."</i>, and wearing a white vest with a black shirt. They give us genuine character development, letting him grow into who he'll eventually become, through the experiences in this movie.<br>
<br>
My biggest concern was <b>Alden Ehrenreich</b>. I didn't know if I would be able to accept him as Han Solo, but I was pleasantly surprised by his performance. In fact, the entire cast had good chemistry, which really helped me accept this as a <b><i>Star Wars Story</i></b>. The standout for me was <b>Donald Glover</b>. He exuded every bit of charm and charisma you would expect from Lando. I wanted to see a lot more of him. Although I'm not sure how I feel about the <b>Will I Am</b> haircut...<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLteAtTlndaJC9o5zDrrKgEUGzAtlvcBhZpFGOsrYdmlHi9Fut9oDfRyHZCVGNNTckBOpqqOb8kkCw4-e9a48pYX7vy44sxKIjy3OGZC5EGuKyQcQlJ_-AQdLE2yL49b_bAH3TIss7TLk/s1600/Lando1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="693" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLteAtTlndaJC9o5zDrrKgEUGzAtlvcBhZpFGOsrYdmlHi9Fut9oDfRyHZCVGNNTckBOpqqOb8kkCw4-e9a48pYX7vy44sxKIjy3OGZC5EGuKyQcQlJ_-AQdLE2yL49b_bAH3TIss7TLk/s320/Lando1.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
And there were a few other uncomfortable moments.<br>
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Some of the dialogue felt a bit cheap. Lines like,<i> "Are they morons?", "No, we're not morons."</i>. *cringe*<br>
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As well as,<i>"Your name is Chewbacca?? I'm not going to say that every time, I'll have to shorten it!"</i>. Really?? Is Chewbacca that difficult to say?<br>
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I noticed some of the scenes also looked a bit monochromatic. As much as I appreciate <b>Ron Howard</b> for allowing us to see the action without quick shaky edits, there were places that felt like an overall color filter washed everything out. A few scenes had life to it, but many times, it seemed to favor a one-color look. Even blaster fire was all amber. Maybe they just wanted to match the movie poster?<br>
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Seriously, are they aware of the vast array of colors available when you make a movie poster???<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9V0WmV35xKl_mOrfWbiEyae8G7PZpAypVf7-nIeVuc_JiE_avmY5GhWnQo61rB6bc8WFvINauR1KvmTnyFlsVDsrLKc0oUKp-07MrWWFdS7YGorifS157N-Q_VV7zfQKbX_2bWH5wMo/s1600/posters1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="1196" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9V0WmV35xKl_mOrfWbiEyae8G7PZpAypVf7-nIeVuc_JiE_avmY5GhWnQo61rB6bc8WFvINauR1KvmTnyFlsVDsrLKc0oUKp-07MrWWFdS7YGorifS157N-Q_VV7zfQKbX_2bWH5wMo/s400/posters1.jpg" width="400"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALDZlrflhiOOE6D9LIL8Lvf6poQl_NKRwbE86wBwA5pgGO2BNGucZR_jTjpY6btakGNcsZ6K38ac7296fC3MVs8EA5ZCdFmtVq5Gyix92fu6XprViEXGdZkXiV4D2VZq65UzVADLq5U0/s1600/tumblr_p6w8b7hJNI1un5tkao1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="587" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALDZlrflhiOOE6D9LIL8Lvf6poQl_NKRwbE86wBwA5pgGO2BNGucZR_jTjpY6btakGNcsZ6K38ac7296fC3MVs8EA5ZCdFmtVq5Gyix92fu6XprViEXGdZkXiV4D2VZq65UzVADLq5U0/s320/tumblr_p6w8b7hJNI1un5tkao1_1280.jpg" width="217"></a></div>
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<br>
Ugh...<br>
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So did this movie need to be made? <i>Not at all!</i> Could we have waited another year before it's release? <i>Absolutely!</i> But if you ever appreciated <i><b>Star Wars</b></i>, you might really enjoy <b><i>Solo</i></b>. From the new<b> Disney</b> era of the franchise, <b><i>Rogue One</i></b> is still my favorite, but this one gets a comfortable second place spot. </div>
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And one last thing...<br>
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I can't believe we have to say this, but if you hated this movie, or any of the characters in it, (or any movie for that matter),<i> do NOT abuse the actor!!</i> They didn't write the character, and most likely, didn't write the movie.<br>
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This is <b>Kelly Marie Tran</b>. She was Rose Tico in <i><b>Star Wars: The Last Jedi</b></i>.<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99f1x37nkooxzGFchuo98iY2hoyhIr1D66DQ12F6ijtlWRgv6B6aZHUPuzPWp395E0v7sMd9toQVa-26DyOZqoGWQ9csLIKDnfGOfe54HczoKCqYtvYS9yljGwnlwuC2nrnMbnwjz3Bw/s1600/DO61EfFX0AEoSUV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="639" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99f1x37nkooxzGFchuo98iY2hoyhIr1D66DQ12F6ijtlWRgv6B6aZHUPuzPWp395E0v7sMd9toQVa-26DyOZqoGWQ9csLIKDnfGOfe54HczoKCqYtvYS9yljGwnlwuC2nrnMbnwjz3Bw/s320/DO61EfFX0AEoSUV.jpg" width="275"></a></div>
This sweet girl was excited about having a big break in a Star Wars movie. Sadly, she has taken a lot of abuse from "fans" who hated her character. If you harass someone for being in a movie you don't like, you're not a fan. You're a bully, and a disgusting human being.<br>
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#GetALifeNerds<br>
#StandwithKellyMarieTran<br>
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May the Force be with the rest of you civilized people,<br>
Deeesher</div>
Deeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-4748101953784792292018-04-30T09:46:00.002-07:002018-04-30T09:46:45.177-07:00Avengers Infinity War Review(Non Spoiler Review)<br />
Wow...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CCPEO61no8TANlLM6pA17GcbeW5kNl6GG4NmJvAkgBXNKPDQyLLCMm0h3yk_MolKsnbbbRfPPU19tYCCWS09HbCbZG5Z6tT-309NzJsyF8uL_wtgrjfpUwwvJBVzlV_Kwx064PG1Xg8/s1600/avengers-infinity-war.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="674" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CCPEO61no8TANlLM6pA17GcbeW5kNl6GG4NmJvAkgBXNKPDQyLLCMm0h3yk_MolKsnbbbRfPPU19tYCCWS09HbCbZG5Z6tT-309NzJsyF8uL_wtgrjfpUwwvJBVzlV_Kwx064PG1Xg8/s320/avengers-infinity-war.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
Deeesher<br />
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<br />
Oh, you want more? Okay, let's put everything into perspective.<br />
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Ten years ago, Marvel had an idea to bring together a group of remarkable people, to see if they can become something more. It began with <b><i>The Incredible Hulk</i></b> and <b><i>Iron Man</i></b> in 2008. It continued with <b><i>Captain America</i></b>, and <i><b>Thor</b></i>, culminating into one awesome movie called <i><b>Marvel's Avengers</b></i> in 2012.<br />
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But they didn't stop there! That was only <i>"Phase One"</i>.<br />
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They added a few sequels, plus other classic comic book characters to the line-up, from <i><b>Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Black Panther, Spider-man</b></i> and eventually going into space to add my personal favorite, <i><b>The Guardians of the Galaxy</b></i>.
Between the amazing cast, many genius directors, and of course epic writing, the real hero, Producer <b>Kevin Feige</b>, continued to understand what comic fans want from a super hero movie, with very few missteps.<br />
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So before going to see the newest Avengers movie, <b><i>Infinity War</i></b>, ask yourself these questions:<br />
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1. Do you like comic book/superhero movies?<br />
2. Have you seen (and enjoyed) MOST of the Marvel movies from the last decade?<br />
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If you answer "<i>no"</i> to these questions... seriously, <i>why the hell are you here???</i><br />
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I can only imagine you just wanted to read my goofy comments, because <i><b>Infinity War</b></i> is definitely <i>NOT</i> for you. It's a sequel, based on a long running series of movies. You don't necessarily have to watch them all to understand what's going on, but you should have some background into this universe before just blindly purchasing a ticket. And if this isn't your thing, that's fine. Please go see a Rom-com and stay out of my theater. <i><b>I Feel Pretty</b></i> is playing, or even <i><b>Super Troopers 2</b></i>, if you're into that sort of thing.<br />
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But for the rest of us... <i>of course you'll love Infinity War!</i><br />
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It's not an exaggeration to call this movie <i>'epic'</i>. Between the fantastic visuals featuring many different worlds, amazing characters, and and a well crafted story, <b>Marvel Studios</b> once again, gave us some impressive bang for our theater bucks.<br />
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Okay in fairness, I won't say this is the <i>BEST </i>Marvel movie ever. And going in, I did feel a bit<i> 'meh'</i> by the idea. There has been a lot of super hero movies in the last few years, and not all of them have been good. Some (misguided?) people are talking about <i>"Super Hero Fatigue"</i>, because they can't imagine any need to make another one. To me, that's a ridiculous concept, because I'll always appreciate a new super hero movie. But I do think a lot of the marketing gets exhausting, and we are definitely getting unnecessarily overwhelmed by the hype. It would be easy for any studio to show one trailer 6 months before release date, without any other advertising, and they would still break box office records through word of nerd mouth.<br />
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And for myself, I've always preferred solo comic stories. Maybe a group ensemble is too much for my tiny brain to grasp. Even theatrically, I want one hero to focus on, because with so many characters, I can't imagine a director successfully telling a well balanced story.<br />
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But just as<b> Joss Whedon</b> did with the first two Avengers movies, the <b>Russo Brothers</b> figured out how to make a movie that fans could appreciate.<br />
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For the most part, they stuck with the Marvel formula, which admittedly consists of a <i>LOT</i> of CGI, and some jokes that felt a bit forced. Although I still did <i>LOL</i> a few times.<br />
<br />
But if I can nitpick a moment, a few cosmetic things did bother me. And no, I'm not talking about Black Widow's blonde hair, (although that did feel somewhat irksome). I'm talking about the idea of Thor's short hair, and Captain America growing a beard. Are they turning into the same person??? They seem to be losing their identity.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHM-DFW1F9LZhHy_Dui41vBPdRMY7068uqXRgYsz4AN8yjAK8YdMyljhkCiLTNjCLfB_AlZUKMvuLxbQtPqO4-_vz4qNbn847J2DlV3pUkAYXU6iNNHi_GZSMTWBDTAwVrShTT-byhZQ/s1600/CaptainThor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="690" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHM-DFW1F9LZhHy_Dui41vBPdRMY7068uqXRgYsz4AN8yjAK8YdMyljhkCiLTNjCLfB_AlZUKMvuLxbQtPqO4-_vz4qNbn847J2DlV3pUkAYXU6iNNHi_GZSMTWBDTAwVrShTT-byhZQ/s320/CaptainThor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
And with Bucky's new beard, what happens if he decides to cut his hair?<br />
<br />
I was also very underwhelmed with Hulk/Banner's involvement in the story. I've been a Hulk fan for many years, so I was disappointed with his portrayal. His particular story just didn't make any sense to me based on what I know of his character.<br />
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But everyone else seemed to be at the peak of their ability. Of course there were a lot of characters to follow, but the core of this movie was Thanos. Can I say <b>Josh Brolin </b>'killed it'? We've seen him in the background for several previous movies, so it was great to see him finally step up and give quite a bit of depth to this character.<br />
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And one thing I normally look for in a movie, is heart. After ten years of getting to know these characters, plus many more decades of their legacy to appreciate, I can say there is plenty of things to get emotionally attached to. They've earned our love and respect. We do care about what happens to them. We genuinely care about who lives and who... dies.<br />
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Okay, not really a spoiler, because if you're familiar with the comic this is based on, you know some of the heroes die in this battle. I haven't read it (yet) but my extreme nerdy friends tell me there are some changes in the theatrical version, so don't go into this thinking you know what will happen. But also keep in mind, in the world of comic books, dead doesn't always mean dead.<br />
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However in the real world, there is one thing that could ultimately destroy Earth's Mightiest Heroes: Contract Negotiations. Some of the actors have chosen not to renew. Even though there are many sequels currently in production for the next few years, there could still be a few changes to the universe planned.<br />
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So for the most part,<b><i> Infinity War</i></b> is pretty awesome, and a lot of fun, but it's also the darkest in tone of all the Marvel movies.<br />
<br />
<i>"...But Deeesher, where does this rank with all the other Marvel movies???"</i><br />
My friends and I are always trying to rate Marvel movies from favorite to least favorite since they began in 2008, so to help you understand things from my perspective, I'd like to present my personal ranking (my reviews clickable if I wrote one):<br />
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1. <a href="http://deeesher.blogspot.com/2014/08/guardians-of-galaxy-review.html" target="_blank">Guardians of the Galaxy</a> (2014)<br />
2. <a href="http://deeesher.blogspot.com/2012/05/assembling-avengers.html" target="_blank">Avengers</a> (2012)<br />
3. Iron Man (2008)<br />
4. Guardians of the Galaxy vol 2 (2017)<br />
5. <a href="http://deeesher.blogspot.com/2011/08/oh-captain-my-captain-america.html" target="_blank">Captain America: The First Avenger</a> (2011)<br />
6. <a href="http://deeesher.blogspot.com/2014/04/captain-america-2-review.html" target="_blank">Captain America: Winter Soldier</a> (2014)<br />
7. Civil War (2016)<br />
8. Infinity War (2018)<br />
9. Ant-Man (2015)<br />
10. Thor Ragnarok (2017)<br />
11. Black Panther<br />
12. Spider-Man Homecoming (2017)<br />
13. Thor The Dark World (2013)<br />
14. Avengers Age of Ultron (2015)<br />
15. Doctor Strange (2016)<br />
16. <a href="http://deeesher.blogspot.com/2010/05/heavy-metals.html" target="_blank">Iron Man 2</a> (2010)<br />
17. The Incredible Hulk (2008) (my edit)<br />
*DISCLAIMER - As a fan of the Hulk, I enjoyed this movie, however I felt there was some unnecessarily sappy moments. Many great scenes were also deleted that I would have kept. So I created a version that felt better in many ways. Although I still think Liv Tyler was a poor casting choice for Betty, my edit improved many other aspects of this movie.<br />
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18. Thor (2011)<br />
19. <a href="http://deeesher.blogspot.com/2013/05/iron-man-3-review.html" target="_blank">Iron Man 3</a> (2013)<br />
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I seriously hope this is on the blu-ray as a deleted scene...<br />
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DeeesherDeeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-44591562933247019222018-04-15T10:49:00.001-07:002018-04-15T10:52:17.257-07:00Lost in Space 2018 ReviewIn the not too distant future of 1997, earth suffers from massive overpopulation. Powerful governments around the world race to finalize a mission colonizing a beautiful new world near Alpha Centauri. Many governments would do anything to ensure they were the first to reach that new world... including sabotage.<br />
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This is the premise of the original 1965 series, <i><b>Lost in Space</b></i>, developed by the legendary <b>Irwin Allen</b>. The Robinson family was chosen, because they were the best, of the best, of the best... with honors (Sir!). But the catalyst of the show, and one reason for it's longevity, was Dr. Smith and the Robot.<br />
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Most people remember the goofy banter between Smith and the Robot, but originally, they were just scary and evil.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0xCI_maIaRc" width="350"></iframe><br />
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Before the tone of the series changed, Dr. Smith was a military Colonel, helping prepare the crew for the long voyage into space. He was also in contact with <i>'someone'</i> who promised him a lot of money to ensure the Jupiter 2 never makes it to their destination. So while the crew is in suspended animation, Smith reprograms the environmental robot to destroy key components on the ship, eight hours after launch. Unfortunately for him, he's trapped on board at lift off and must wake the crew to convince them to send him back home. But with his additional weight added to the ship, they already begin going off course, and head directly into an asteroid field. Once this is corrected, the Robot becomes active and causes even more damage, making everyone... LOST... IN.... SPACE... SPACE... SPACE...!<br />
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<b>Jonathan Harris</b>, who played Smith, became bored with the character after a few episodes, so he decided to make him a bit more cowardly and foolish. Eventually, the Robot developed a personality, making many episodes a lot more family friendly. Of course, this helped cement their place in television history but... I liked the evil versions more.<br />
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So ends our education in television sci-fi history. And now, let's flash forward to 2018, when Netflix reboots...<br />
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<i>*Obligatory reboot rant*</i><br />
...Ugh. Just stop!<br />
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In fairness, I really have no problem rebooting this show. I think the original idea is still viable, and with just a few modern tweaks, it could be fantastic. Netflix has produced a lot of great shows (<i>please watch Netflix original series, <b>Altered Carbon</b>, and <b>Series of Unfortunate Events</b>!!</i>), so it's easy to see this being a huge success... if they do it right. And after binge-watching all ten episodes of the new <i><b>Lost in Space</b></i>, I have a lot of mixed feelings.<br />
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As with any reboot, I have to ask Hollywood producers, if you don't like the core concept, <i>why are you doing a reboot??? </i><br />
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I've also said, if you make changes, they should be good changes. And there are some good changes. But some incredibly unnecessary changes as well. It felt like there were three different mindsets working on this show. One group gets it. The other two don't.<br />
<br />
The good news is, the tone of the show feels right. Often, reboots take a serious concept, and frustratingly try to make it a comedy (<b><i>21 Jump Street, Starsky and Hutch, Land of the Lost </i></b>etc). Of course there's also a concern of making it just dark and depressing (<b><i>Fantastic Four </i></b>2015). Fortunately, Netflix gave <b><i>Lost in Space</i></b> the right balance between action, drama and a decent sense of humor. There is plenty of tension, but it's not so serious that it's afraid to make a silly comment occasionally.<br />
<br />
I also really loved the cast! As a general rule, I hate kids (...<i>get off my lawn!</i>). And kid actors can be really annoying. But the Robinsons genuinely felt like a family. The chemistry between all the characters seemed authentic. There was plenty of love/hate moments and I could accept them as the super genius family, with all the issues that it entails.<br />
<br />
Well... most of it I accepted. I'm not sure why they would choose to have the father estranged, and then join them on this mission. What was wrong with having a good family unit? Is it so impossible to believe? I'm not expecting their relationship to be perfect, but it's just an odd concept to grasp that he would suddenly rejoin the family on this mission.<br />
<br />
And maybe I'm being nitpicky here, but every time I saw him, all I could think of was<b><i> Stan Against Evil</i></b>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnpRPkg88QlkbJ9vSgeiEcqvp_KPPQ4m8JM6OS8QsFT23iTwTq9MNXAlGexe7tVxSe-7QgqzgiaRGNiFw3eTZJeTxEVbJpujxmBwgiYJdp-ZjB4NWOgmWNvXqfmX9n-XokBheRWNWMss/s1600/JohnRobinson1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="772" data-original-width="1222" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnpRPkg88QlkbJ9vSgeiEcqvp_KPPQ4m8JM6OS8QsFT23iTwTq9MNXAlGexe7tVxSe-7QgqzgiaRGNiFw3eTZJeTxEVbJpujxmBwgiYJdp-ZjB4NWOgmWNvXqfmX9n-XokBheRWNWMss/s320/JohnRobinson1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
He did have some nice heroic and fatherly moments so I could overlook it... mostly.<br />
<br />
<i>"...But Deeesher, what about Major Don West??"</i><br />
Oh I haven't forgotten him, but maybe the writers did. Originally, West was the good looking, ace pilot of the Jupiter 2. And once again well cast, but no longer a Major. Now he's just a smuggler with plenty of charisma and charm. He's basically Space Han Solo.<br />
<br />
Which brings us finally to Dr. Smith and The Robot.<br />
<br />
Well, the Robot is definitely scary, and Smith is once again evil. The relationship between Will and The Robot feels authentic, and even Smith is appropriately creepy, but that's where the similarities from the original series end. Without giving anything away, I'll just say the Robot is not their reprogrammed environmental robot, and Smith is definitely <i>not</i> a military doctor paid to sabotage the mission by an evil government agency.<br />
<br />
<i>Why the changes??? </i><br />
<br />
Of course the original series had plenty of silly stories that just would never work, so I do appreciate a few updates. But the changes they made are completely unnecessary.<br />
<br />
And looking at it objectively, if I ignore the original story, they made a few other decisions in this series that I hated. For example:<br />
- Stop showing us breadcrumbs scenes from the past and just give us linear storytelling please!<br />
- Stop having dramatic reaction shots that quickly cut away before showing us what they're seeing!!<br />
- Stop the unnecessary lens flares!!<br />
- Stop putting modern music in our futuristic science fiction show!!!<br />
<br />
<i>*le sigh*</i><br />
Despite those bits of stupidity, it is an enjoyable show. I think it will be successful, and I think people will like it. Maybe the purists will be frustrated, but if you keep an open mind, you can still appreciate a new, decent sci-fi series with elements of <i><b>Lost in Space</b></i>.<br />
<br />
And yes, every time I saw one of those eye rolling writing decisions, a little voice inside my head said...<br />
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Deeesher<br />
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<br />Deeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-370560532311461992017-12-19T01:28:00.000-08:002017-12-19T10:47:30.494-08:00Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review<i>"...This is not going to go the way you think!" </i><br>
<i> - </i><b>Luke Skywalker</b><br>
<br>
<i> </i><br>
This comment from the trailer for the new <b><i>Star Wars</i></b> movie, <i><b>The Last Jedi</b></i>, accurately summarizes the entire experience.<br>
<br>
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<br>
Since the release of <i><b>The Force Awakens</b></i> in 2015, a million and one fanboy/fangirls have posted their theories about what might happen in the next episode. I had my own theories, good or bad, that I posted <a href="http://deeesher.blogspot.com/2017/10/deeeshers-wacky-star-wars-theories.html" target="_blank">here</a>. But in the words of director/writer <b>Rian Johnson</b>, your Snoke theory sucks.<br>
<br>
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So with such high expectations for the saga, will anything truly satisfy everyone?<br>
<br>
As with all things in the world today, this movie has definitely polarized fans. From comments like,<i> "...this is the best Star Wars movie ever!"</i>, to <i>"...this is the worst Star Wars movie ever!"</i>, it seems everyone has <i>very</i> strong opinions about the newest chapter in the saga.<br>
<br>
Star Wars has become so painfully mainstream, it's as if it's ingrained into our DNA. We all have an idea of what <i><b>Star Wars</b></i> <i>should</i> be. So, can anyone really look at it objectively? Well, I'm going to see if I can let go of my feelings and try to review it fairly.<br>
<br>
<i>Ha!</i> Everyone knows, <i>there is no try! </i><br>
<br>
For this review, I'm going to break it down in two parts: <i>Non-Spoiler</i>, and <i>Spoiler</i>. The first half being non-spoiler, and don't worry, I'll give you plenty of warning before delving into the spoiler half.<br>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>NON-SPOILER REVIEW</b></span></div>
<br>
Creator of the Star Wars universe, <b>George Lucas</b>, had an outline for the final trilogy in the series. But, for some reason, Disney threw out his notes and decided to do their own thing. <i><b>The Last Jedi</b></i>, was written and directed by <b>Rian Johnson</b>, but the origins of the current story arc, including characters, came from Episode VII, <i><b>The Force Awakens</b></i>, which was written and directed by <i><b>JJ Abrams</b></i>. And, as you may know, I'm not such a big fan of<b> JJ Abrams</b>.<br>
<i><br></i><div><i>"...but Deeesher, JJ Abrams rebooted and saved <b>Star Trek</b> AND <b>Star Wars</b>!"</i></div><div><i><br></i>Seriously, a couple of trained monkeys could have rebooted those titles, because they are popular franchises with an enormous built-in fan base. They were guaranteed to be box office hits. But <i>"Successful"</i> does not necessarily mean <i>"Good"</i>.<br>
<br>
Prior to <b>Abrams</b> and <b>Lawrence Kasdan</b> taking over the script for <i style="font-family: sans-serif;"><b>The Force Awakens, </b></i>it was originally being written by <b>Michael Arndt</b>. He had some great concepts, and I highly recommend the book, <b><i>The Art of The Force Awakens</i></b>. In it, you will find rough drafts for the movie he was writing, as well as plenty of concept designs for the environments and characters before Abrams took over. I would have loved to have seen that movie! <br>
<br>
But <b>Abrams</b> did take over, and for the most part, he played it safe, rehashing a lot of concepts from the original 1977 <i><b>Star Wars A New Hope</b></i>. He also created some new characters that were not so inspiring to me. Sorry, but I never really liked Rey, Finn or Poe. I don't find anything appealing about them at all. They didn't feel so heroic, and I had zero emotional connections with anything they did. You could replace them with blocks of wood, and I would have been equally as entertained.<br>
<br>
<i>"...oh Deeesher, you're just stuck in the past and only like old things!"</i></div><div><i><br></i>
<i>Ha!</i> First, I'm only in my twenties (as far as you know), and I <i>LOVED <b>Star Wars Rogue One</b></i> from 2016! I thought <b>Jyn Erso, Chirrut, Baze, </b><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">and</span><b> Krennic</b> were fantastic characters! I even loved <b>K-2S0</b>. I also really recommend watching the animated series <i><b>The Clone Wars</b></i>. The first couple seasons were a bit kid friendly, but later on, they had some great episodes, and some genuinely Interesting characters. So putting things in perspective, I just want something that will inspire and excite my tiny brain. And going into <b><i>The Last Jedi</i></b>, I really hoped these new characters would step up their game and add a bit more from the previous movie.</div><div>
<br><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">I'll even admit to liking </span><b style="font-family: sans-serif;">BB-8</b><span style="font-family: sans-serif;"> from </span><i style="font-family: sans-serif;"><b>The Force Awakens</b></i><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">. I also</span> like <b>Snoke</b>, and I guess I'm curious about <b>Kylo Ren</b>, and now finally we get... <b>Luke Skywalker</b>!<br>
<br>So, <b><i>The Last Jedi</i></b> continues their stories, and throws even more new people at us... which I didn't care about either. </div><div><br></div><div>Fortunately, <b>BB-8 </b>was still awesome. Luke, Rey and Kylo Ren were, interesting, and I really wanted to follow them through the movie. The other characters just seem to push the story along. I will even go so far to say I really hated Poe's actions. Isn't he supposed to be a hero?? Why am I hating nearly everything he does? Shouldn't I be cheering for the heroes?<br>
<br>And as for Luke, I've read that some people complained about how he was portrayed here, but I didn't have any problem with it. His actions and behavior, for the most part, made sense to me. Of course I wish things would have gone differently, but I didn't write it.<br>
<br>
And how was the writing?<br>
<br>
Well, there was a lot of it. Two hours and thirty-two minutes is too long. Whatever happened to <i>'leave them wanting more'</i>? It felt like the <b>Netflix Marvel</b> shows, where they give you thirteen episodes, but you would have been happy with nine or ten. The story moved along nicely, but I think it would have been more exciting if they had cut out a lot of unnecessary moments. A two hour Star Wars movie would have been fine with most fans. Dare I say, an hour and a half would have felt nice?<br>
<br>
Fortunately for us, director <b>Rian Johnson</b> knows how to direct a movie. I could see the action, and there was some sweet emotional moments as well. I also appreciated the dialogue and it had a good sense of humor.<br>
<br>
I can't say I hated <i><b>The Last Jedi</b></i>. But I won't say it was awesome either. Mostly, I had problems with some of the writing decisions. I prefer it over <i><b>The Force Awakens</b></i>, but the original trilogy still did it best. <br>
<br>
And, as controversial as this might be... <i>I like Porgs!</i><br>
<br>
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<br>
<br>
And now, to properly dissect my review in half, I present to you a truncated picture of Supreme Leader Snoke, before going into Spoiler territory....<br>
<br>
<i></i>
<i></i>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> **********SPOILERS**********</span></div>
<br>
Okay, I was being kind for my 'general audiences' review, but there were a few writing decisions that really pissed me off, and there were a couple things I really appreciated. Going through the list:<br>
<br>
1. Snoke. <i>Seriously?? That's it?? </i>What an incredibly anti-climatic conclusion to a character being built up as the ultimate power in the universe. I sincerely hope he manages to sew himself back together for the next movie, because if he's dead... <i>lame!</i> Oh Snoke, we hardly knew ye. I mean seriously, he just happened to be the guy to take over the First Order and mysteriously influence Kylo Ren... only to die before the final chapter? Ugh...<br>
<br>
2. Phasma. Possibly a bigger joke than Boba Fett's ending. Never have they built up such a powerful important character, only to have her be tossed in the trash compactor in the first movie then easily defeated in <i><b>The Last Jedi</b></i>. If she somehow survived to come back in the next movie, the only way to redeem herself, is if she takes over the entire galaxy. Are they really trying to promote strong female characters?? Because she's been beaten down and lost every time she's been on screen.<br>
<br>
3. Space Leia. In the words of Han Solo... <i>That's not how the Force works!</i> I'm not sold on the idea of her holding her breath and flying through the vacuum of space to safety. I would have preferred a moment where someone goes to shoot her, and she raises her hand to block the bolt like Vader has in the past. Of course, I think there are any number of different ways to show she had learned some Force abilities, but this wasn't it.<br>
<br>
4. Force Astral Projection. Some people had a problem with this. But I'll reluctantly give it a pass, moreso than floating through space anyway. Although, I would have preferred if Luke had shown up for a real battle. If he reluctantly left his home for one last fight, and let Kylo Ren kill him ala Ben Kenobi, that would have been a very powerful and poetic ending. But as it was, he looked cool, and I didn't mind it, mostly because his dying at the twin sunset was a powerful emotional scene for me.<br>
<br>
5. Luke, Leia, and R2. Speaking of powerful emotional moments, seeing these characters meet each other, got me right in the feels. Oh... I have something in my eye...<br>
<br>
6. Finn. I really expected him to sacrifice himself into the big cannon
at the end, because he could have died a hero and I would have felt
something for him. But... nope. Still don't care and he'll be back again
for the next movie to do... something... I guess.<br>
<br>
7. Yoda. This was maybe my favorite part. Yoda proves he is still wisest of them all, and I really enjoyed this a lot. Maybe this is one of the reasons why I didn't completely hate the movie.<br>
<br>
8. Rey. I'm going to say it now... Kylo Ren lied to her. Her parents weren't 'nobody'. I still think she is a clone of someone, and I'm hoping it was Palpatine. We'll see. <br>
<br>
That's it for now, nerds. Until 2019, when we discuss, <i><b>Episode XI: The (Something) of the (Something)</b></i><br>
Deeesher</div>Deeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-6449735957978522772017-11-30T12:30:00.001-08:002017-12-01T13:57:06.498-08:00Star Trek Continues Review<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before I begin my
review of <i>Star Trek Continues</i>, I have to ask, have any of you
ever heard of <i>Star Wars</i>? Yes? Some of you. How about <i>Doctor
Who</i>? A few more, good. I'm asking, because I need to explain
something about continuity.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>CONTINUITY</b></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The
unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over a
period of time.</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Star
Wars</i> recently released <i>Rogue One</i> (2016). And despite being
filmed nearly forty years apart, fans could almost seamlessly edit
the end of that movie to the beginning of the original 1977 <i>Star
Wars</i>. It works because the director, writers, and producers
understood the importance of franchise continuity.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And
if you're familiar with <i>Doctor Who</i>, which began in 1963,
you'll see over fifty years of (relatively) continuous story telling.
Okay, in all fairness, after so many episodes, there are occasionally
some glitches. But for the most part, current episodes still
reference things that occurred to characters decades ago. They keep
things somewhat consistent, because they have a lot of respect for
the source material.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Star
Trek</i>, which began in 1966, was created by the <i>Great Bird of
the Galaxy</i>, <b>Gene Roddenberry</b>. He envisioned a fantastic
future for humanity, with a United Federation of Planets, exploring
the stars, and all the possibilities that it would entail. Written,
for the most part, by real science fiction authors, then tweaked (for better or worse) by <b>DC Fontana</b> and/or Roddenberry himself, (and if
you believe the rumors, <b>William Shatner </b>as well). </span></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlJ-_0Xjff1MPbU_95arsJTh3pbWSftxZlmSxQ_-Yb7yEXeiMYmngiRfQd8TuRGiOjmBN5aGyn0GtaiTziSO0vSb71xG57VDQZLIuxWFsXpZkztR-TGHYz9gGMCEitRmZiPD68IghRVY/s1600/8007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="952" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlJ-_0Xjff1MPbU_95arsJTh3pbWSftxZlmSxQ_-Yb7yEXeiMYmngiRfQd8TuRGiOjmBN5aGyn0GtaiTziSO0vSb71xG57VDQZLIuxWFsXpZkztR-TGHYz9gGMCEitRmZiPD68IghRVY/s320/8007.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
show wasn't about <i>"pew pew"</i> or explosions. It was
about imagination. Sure there were occasionally phaser fights, hand-to-hand (or ship-to-ship) combat, and plenty of dramatic tension, but
for the most part, it was inspiring. Today's scientists and NASA engineers will often tell you how they were encouraged to begin their careers thanks to things they saw in Star Trek. Even I started my career in audio, partially because the faders in the transporter room looked like faders on a recording console. Roddenberry invented an amazing universe, giving us a unique and creative
way to think way outside the box. With stories about
traveling back in time to fall in love with a woman destined to die,
or trying to defeat an indestructible Planet Killing Machine headed
towards a heavily populated sector of space, we got a chance to
boldly go.... </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Check
out this top ten list for an idea of some of the more popular
episodes:</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fmn4FXXnIc4" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Personally,
I would have made <i>Doomsday Machine</i> number one, and maybe
added/changed some of their choices, but you get the idea
about the brilliant writing involved.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sadly,
this series was cancelled after three seasons. And as you can imagine, millions of fans cried
out, and began an epic letter writing campaign to the network. So
mighty was the demand for it's return, that an animated series was
created a couple years later. And amid sheer volumes of support at sci-fi conventions, all our dreams came true when Paramount finally released <i>Star
Trek: The Motion</i><b> </b><i>Picture</i> in 1979. Well, in all honesty, maybe it wasn't <i>everything</i> we wanted. It was... okay. I
wouldn't consider this movie to be a great representation of the
series, but some elements were there, and it was nice to see the
adventure continue. We would have to wait another couple years before
the sheer awesomeness of <i>Wrath of Khan</i> hits theaters, which
is still one of the best sci-fi movies ever made.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Since
then, the entire Trek franchise has had varying degrees of success.
Some incarnations I enjoy more than others. And in my humble opinion, <i>successful</i> does not necessarily mean <i>'good'</i>. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
Speaking of 'not necessarily good', here is me and my crew at Megacon in Orlando, 2017<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The most important thing to take away from <i>Star Trek: The Motion Picture</i>, was the re-introduction of characters
we loved. We felt satisfied knowing those characters, and the universe that contained them, survived the end of the five year mission. Their lives changed, but
what happened that led to those changes? Kirk took a promotion and a
desk job, Spock returned to Vulcan, and McCoy went back to being a
good ole country doctor.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yet still fans wondered, how the series would have ended when the Enterprise finally returned to spacedock.
What events occurred to make our favorite characters change their
lives so drastically? <i>*Dramatic music swell before commercial break*</i></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Meanwhile, on modern-day earth, <i><b>Al Gore</b> invented the internet</i> (allegedly)! And as computer and video technology grew, fanboys and fangirls suddenly were able to create their own versions of favorite shows, and share them with the rest of the world. <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fan films have become so popular, that even <b>Lucasfilm</b> has an annual awards
ceremony celebrating independent <i>Star Wars</i> films (check it out <a href="http://www.starwars.com/star-wars-fan-film-awards" target="_blank">here</a>).</span></span>
</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And as you can imagine, <i>Star Trek</i> is no exception! Um... well, actually they are the exception. Recently, Paramount became so annoyed by fan films (partly because they were good?), they had a legal ruling about what was allowed. Check out the official rules <a href="http://www.startrek.com/fan-films" target="_blank">here</a>. Fortunately for us, there were plenty of versions of Trek Fan Films that were already online or in development prior to that court decision. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And now, enter <i>Star Trek</i>
super-fan <b>Vic Mignogna</b>. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mostly
known for his voiceover work, Vic has over 250 acting credits listed
on his IMDB page. And like many of us, he grew up watching <i>Star Trek</i>, having
the same questions about the end of the series. But unlike most of us, he has the money, skills, resources, and a lot of talented friends, willing to donate their time
and efforts to answering those questions. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So in 2013, Vic began his own ongoing mission, to create an eleven episode adventure, and finally continue the Original Series, giving fans much needed closure on what happened next. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of the episodes for Star Trek Continues, recreates the ending scene from the original series, Mirror Mirror. Someone posted the comparison video.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Syt0llURkdo" width="370"></iframe> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On the surface, <i>Star Trek Continues</i> makes a flawless connection to the 1960's episodes. Between the sets, sound effects, music cues, simplistic effects, props, pacing and even the editing is identical to what was originally aired on television five decades ago. The attention to detail is outstanding, showing how much everyone involved appreciates this show and loves what it did. If you could take one of Vic's episodes back in time and show it to someone, they would be convinced it was a new unaired episode of Star Trek, with different actors. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And, admittedly it does take a moment to get used to different actors playing your favorite characters. As much as Vic can appear very Kirk-y, you have to accept that it's not <b>William Shatner</b>. You have to overlook that, it's not really <b>Nimoy</b>, or <b>Kelley</b>, or <b>Doohan</b>... oh wait, <i>that IS Doohan! </i>Scotty, is quite accurately played by his very own son, <b>Christopher Doohan</b>. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And this is another area where <i>Star Trek Continues</i> truly shines. Traditionally, acting in fan films is rated, <i>'good enough'</i>. But by the grace of Landru, not only is the main cast pretty freakin' good, we get to see some sci-fi legends as well. Between <b>John de Lancie, Erin Gray, Lou Ferrigno, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Daniel Logan, Colin Baker, Gigi Edgley, Anne Lockhart</b>... and yes, even <b>Rod Roddenberry</b> himself, son of Gene, have appeared in episodes! </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But with so many special guest stars, I don't want to take away from what the main cast does. Of course Vic channels his inner Kirk so well, it's very easy to convince yourself, it really is Shatner. And after a few minutes, you learn to accept everyone without question, as they quickly endear themselves to us, making us care about each member of the crew. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"...But Deeesher, how is the writing???"</span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some that know me say I can be rather picky. I'm
never looking for a big budget, I'm just looking for the heart and
soul of what came before. Whether it's <i>Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, comic
book characters, or Star Trek</i>, I want a good story from someone
who gets the universe it's based on. With Star Trek, I imagine it could be an alternate reality, because already, it seems we are on a different path. Obviously there was no Eugenics War in the 90s, and most of our cell phones are a mix of communicator and tricorder. Maybe we are in the Mirror universe??? But following the path of the original series, at the risk of repeating myself, once again, Vic and his crew nailed it! </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'll even go further to say that the episodes,<i> Fairest of Them All, What Ships Are For, Pilgrim of Eternity</i>, as well as the two-part finale, <i>To Boldly Go</i>, are some of my favorite Star Trek episodes ever. I put off watching the finale, because I really didn't want this series to end. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But sadly, it did end. And like <i>Star Wars Rogue One</i>, you can watch the finale, and easily transition into <i>Star Trek: The Motion Picture</i> without missing a beat. Too bad it's not considered canon.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>CANON</b><br /><i>A collection or list of sacred books (or shows) accepted as genuine. </i></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">That's right, since <i>Star Trek Continues</i> is a non-profit 'fan film', not produced by Paramount Pictures, it is not officially considered part of the Star Trek universe. If only Gene Roddenberry were here to weigh in on this series...</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oh but wait, his son, Rod Roddenberry had some thoughts after attending a screening at Las Vegas in 2014:</span></span></span></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"I do have to say, and I said this after
'Lolani', I'm pretty damn sure my dad would consider this <span style="color: black;">canon</span>.
The fact that you do stories that mean something, that have depth,
that make us all think a little bit, I really think he would applaud
you guys, and I applaud you guys. And, as far as I am concerned, <b>it
is canon</b>. So thank you."</span></span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And mic drop... </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I was fortunate to meet Vic at a convention a couple years ago for an autograph. When I brought him the picture to sign, his eyes lit up and he said proudly, <i>"Now that's what I'm talking about...!"</i> For the next few minutes we discussed Star Trek, and how much I appreciated everything he was doing. He was very cool, and maybe one of my favorite celebrity interactions, because he didn't seem like a 'celebrity'. We were just a couple of squeeing fanboys talking about our favorite show. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Truly, you, and everyone involved in this series, have earned your place among the stars.</span></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oh...
I have something in my eye...</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Deeesher</div>
Deeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-41382491475582696252017-10-03T23:58:00.000-07:002017-10-04T00:18:18.793-07:00Deeesher's Wacky Star Wars Theories!A long time ago, here on Earth, <i>Star Wars</i> was just stupid fun. You could go to the theater, shut off your brain, and watch pretty explosions as good battled against evil. We got to see a simple story unfold about a boy and his lightsaber, a smuggler and his Wookiee, a Princess and her 'tude, and a big scary bad guy with a breathing problem. We enjoyed <i>Episode IV: A New Hope</i>, without a care in the world, or a question to be answered. We just wanted to see the next episode, because <i>we loved it! </i><br />
<br />
But that was before the dark times. Before the... <i>Abrams-verse</i>.<br />
<br />
After the release of <i>Episode VII: The Force Awakens</i>, we have more mysteries than we can throw an Ewok at. Today, there are a million Youtube videos and blogs, showcasing every insane theory under Twin Suns. Debating the possibilities seems to rival the discussion people had during the television series, <i>Lost</i>. And we all know how satisfied people were with that conclusion. I wonder who created that show...?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well, like most of you, I have a couple of brains, and I like to use them to think of stupid crap. And since we are a few months away from <i>Episode VIII: The Last Jedi</i>, I thought I'd share some of my ideas with you now, so I can say <i>"HA!"</i>, in your face when I'm proven to be right. Or I can laugh about how I was joking, and/or the writers are clueless, if by some astronomical chance I'm wrong.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg890fT0F2PA2gP9C0lIByJqI_twnMLW30sI4BrxnBJ41wo4FVbWEMdLdbENJ6-b-brByYBTI2vm72oy_AMnfj4VdTbFneuYGChUjFGE-7y-NU42xl6EFHAgeG9EItrdyd6Eo435I793jQ/s1600/STARWARSRED.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="628" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg890fT0F2PA2gP9C0lIByJqI_twnMLW30sI4BrxnBJ41wo4FVbWEMdLdbENJ6-b-brByYBTI2vm72oy_AMnfj4VdTbFneuYGChUjFGE-7y-NU42xl6EFHAgeG9EItrdyd6Eo435I793jQ/s320/STARWARSRED.png" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
*Disclaimer:<br />
I have no clue. Seriously. I don't work for Disney, or Lucas. I have not seen a script, or anything remotely leaked. I don't even think I know anyone who is working on this franchise. Well... unless you count the time a few years ago when I met Mark Hamill and he was hitting on my girlfriend. In his defense, I don't think he knew I was there. But when Luke Skywalker is hitting on your girlfriend, you let him!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquR1ut99mSaqwXRiwmkaKCODSfVBfurxXDQ3S-Xh2ZO44idSfXeVX6F_LWZzzE_TgCJUGGslMxG4ngUcoJSwHlRUU667kX8DRw9T8TNCd9KPEpOb_MX2YVd-Ca8RSh8qZuIFQOLVcGx8/s1600/jedi1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="771" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquR1ut99mSaqwXRiwmkaKCODSfVBfurxXDQ3S-Xh2ZO44idSfXeVX6F_LWZzzE_TgCJUGGslMxG4ngUcoJSwHlRUU667kX8DRw9T8TNCd9KPEpOb_MX2YVd-Ca8RSh8qZuIFQOLVcGx8/s320/jedi1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
So, I don't consider any of this spoilers, unless you take my word as law. But this is the internet, and nobody believes a word of it these days.<br />
<br />
So with that, I give you...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Theory 1:</div>
<b>WHO IS REY</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvecaKfqBfZBmYCk4kH9uT5SbE1lOKLSd4UyjbJAvvhEae0fmrG0PkuBpJEktwgxDvVol8MVBRJ4uQadYxLv7wUOTu_ZXZYZmYBmRKi8LFtmR1rulQ_koduwPexixA786dP__hfPro64/s1600/b8855aa4cc73cfb6c440b9cd7ea85f06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="900" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvecaKfqBfZBmYCk4kH9uT5SbE1lOKLSd4UyjbJAvvhEae0fmrG0PkuBpJEktwgxDvVol8MVBRJ4uQadYxLv7wUOTu_ZXZYZmYBmRKi8LFtmR1rulQ_koduwPexixA786dP__hfPro64/s320/b8855aa4cc73cfb6c440b9cd7ea85f06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Rey is... <i>Nobody! </i><br />
<br />
Okay, I'm not standing behind this 100%, but I love the idea! How awesome would it be, if<i> </i>everyone in the Star Wars universe was <i>NOT</i> related to everyone else??<br />
<br />
Maybe Rey was training with Luke as a child for the simple fact that she was strong in the force. Ben (Kylo Ren) was impressed with her powers, so he either wanted to take her for his own apprentice to the Dark Side... or he just wanted to kill her. And sensing the danger, Luke protected her and quickly hid her on Jakku, instead of Tatooine, (because seriously, what kind of madman would leave a kid on Tatooine??), where he then wiped her memories. This could also explain why she quickly has a lot of Force powers, without any apparent training. It was natural for her to recall things she learned before being left on Jakku. It could also explain why Kylo Ren is so obsessed with her, (other than the fact that he's never had a real girlfriend).<br />
<br />
But seriously, can Jedi erase your memories? I'm not quite ready to buy that.<br />
<br />
So, if the writers have half a brain, the best theory I heard was, Rey is a clone of... someone. Most likely she is a clone of Palpatine, or Vader. Her<i> "clone pod'</i> was opened earlier than it should have been on Jakku, leaving her with no memories, because she was born in a tube and released before adulthood. This could explain her natural predilection to the Force. And yes, I know Vader and Palpatine were dudes. But what better way to hide yourself and fool your enemies than to get rid of that pesky Y chromosome?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Theory 2:<br />
<b>KYLO REN</b></div>
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Okay, we all know who he is, so no real theory there. But why is he <i>soooo</i> obsessed with the Dark Side? Sure, maybe he loves his Grandpa, and his Snoke Machine, but I think there has to be more.<br />
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My theory: <b>His Mask.</b> <br />
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Before going into detail, let me take you back to a time when <b>George Lucas</b> sold the rights to Disney. One of the first decrees from the Mouse, was that multiple books in the series, were no longer canon. Millions of voices cried out, as some of our favorite characters were silenced forever, (I'll miss you most of all Mara Jade!). However, there were many aspects of the Star Wars Universe that were never addressed... including <b>The Old Republic</b>.<br />
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Enter <b>Darth Revan</b>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaTd96wHDWY3mm0maowt76LnHLvBELEzhKlehtRlLoVjfhrKLtSOS7bpKzee-jwH5v1WeM75E6LVVb8U67ugL0eb86dE22gx4lAdLhCgLaDzmfFX_N4vh9BgiAqQkaA-abiJJoF4OX1I/s1600/TOR-Revan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1053" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaTd96wHDWY3mm0maowt76LnHLvBELEzhKlehtRlLoVjfhrKLtSOS7bpKzee-jwH5v1WeM75E6LVVb8U67ugL0eb86dE22gx4lAdLhCgLaDzmfFX_N4vh9BgiAqQkaA-abiJJoF4OX1I/s320/TOR-Revan.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
Revan first appeared in a <b>Bioware</b> game called <i>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</i> in 2003. The game took place several thousand years before Luke Skywalker, but the character of Revan and events during that timeline have become fan favorites. Currently, there is a very successful online game, called <i>Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR)</i> featuring stories from that era.<br />
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I think Disney likes that. And I think they want to connect it. <br />
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I believe, there was a time when Kylo Ren was looking for Jedi (or Sith) relics, and he found one: Revan's Mask. In the SWTOR games, this is a popular quest item for Sith, because of it's power in the dark side of the Force. This could be heavily influencing Kylo Ren and directing his actions. Yes, I'm aware it doesn't look exactly alike, but people have repeatedly called out Kylo Ren saying he looks like Revan. And who knows, being the son of Han Solo, maybe Kylo Ren made some<i> 'personal modifications'</i>. <br />
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I can hear you rolling your eyes at me already, but I have other reasons for this idea...<br />
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1. The Mask has weight to it. Every time he puts it down, there is a heavy <i>thud</i>. This reminds me of the <i>One Ring</i> in <i>Lord of the Rings</i>. Every time the ring was dropped, it had the same distinct thud because of it's power. Plus, notice how the camera seems to focus ominously on his mask when he puts it down.<br />
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2. Han Solo says,<i> "Take off that mask. You don't need it."</i> Maybe he knew the power and influence it had over him?<br />
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3. Kylo Ren says, <i>"I'm being torn apart. I want to be free of this pain."</i>. Revan was known to have been 'split in two', having power in both Dark side and Light sides of the Force.<br />
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And yes, I can already hearing you screaming at me,<i> "...but Deeesher, in the new trailer, we see Kylo Ren's helmet was destroyed, and according to legend, it's impossible to destroy Revan's Mask!"</i>.<br />
And to you, I say...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUB-dIUfUP_A_1NTHz5BZURXgge42h6WjaQZAiE1ijT_GP85a03Cul-xkkhNRScAD-VuCROihoz31YU4kTsGJiPvZ1qtpVaHiGlesl7WrfBACUmG2v1KPa5c_bcAeFjcu4cOSitXK4PM/s1600/luke-face-in-vader-helmet.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUB-dIUfUP_A_1NTHz5BZURXgge42h6WjaQZAiE1ijT_GP85a03Cul-xkkhNRScAD-VuCROihoz31YU4kTsGJiPvZ1qtpVaHiGlesl7WrfBACUmG2v1KPa5c_bcAeFjcu4cOSitXK4PM/s320/luke-face-in-vader-helmet.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Symbolism! Or a vision? Something he must do? A nightmare perhaps? Hmmm...<br />
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So, is it possible Snoke is aware of the power in the mask, and is using this to push him. Maybe Snoke gave him the mask because he felt... inadequate?<br />
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Which brings me to...<br />
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Theory 3:<br />
<b>WHO IS SUPREME LEADER SNOKE</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEj3cK5PcHHU3Vl9D1n7vO1JAlvfELFNuBeQKLoc-B_PcV5vz4FYG-9CNEttF-bdrKKIruXK8wDT9R42GVtacqr2HPWa7ghEnLE5_td3D8q5LEjDC_H9erBXJ1NEmPjx1vQ-hh4PyrySw/s1600/GRAY_2017_SWCT_BASE_SB_52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="796" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEj3cK5PcHHU3Vl9D1n7vO1JAlvfELFNuBeQKLoc-B_PcV5vz4FYG-9CNEttF-bdrKKIruXK8wDT9R42GVtacqr2HPWa7ghEnLE5_td3D8q5LEjDC_H9erBXJ1NEmPjx1vQ-hh4PyrySw/s320/GRAY_2017_SWCT_BASE_SB_52.jpg" width="286" /> </a></div>
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Remember folks, these are my wacky theories, and this is one of my wackiest! </div>
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I've heard people guessing this could be Palpatine, or even <i>Darth Plagueis</i>, (Palpatine's Master). Of course we could go back to my original theory about Rey, and Snoke is also <i>nobody</i>. Perhaps he is simply a new character and we are looking too deeply (for some reason) in our desperate attempt to make a connection where one doesn't exist. </div>
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But I prefer to look a bit deeper.</div>
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I'm sure many of you recall Yoda's introduction. He was no Jedi Master. He was just a goofy little green swamp creature trying to steal food from Luke.</div>
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I have a similar feeling about Snoke. Maybe he isn't so giant as he appears in his hologram. And maybe he appears quite harmless in reality, carefully pulling strings in plain sight. Maybe, like Palpatine, he is pretending to be on the side of good, but in reality, he is putting things into motion to get exactly what he wants.</div>
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And, as some new toys seem to suggest, perhaps he is really a <i>she... </i> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg73uQC7GF3HnbIFkGufVZ4yG_-2cXX67oBZh0k7H34TI1hp-_12G8q4Zn6jCyP7B-SjXJF0Et5VEv99vA-K22xBzsCezovlpsAocr2Aopue0-K8PiXVL7r3nyn4ai4mVFI1Y165BKkmM/s1600/EPVII_Maz_looking_at_Finn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="767" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg73uQC7GF3HnbIFkGufVZ4yG_-2cXX67oBZh0k7H34TI1hp-_12G8q4Zn6jCyP7B-SjXJF0Et5VEv99vA-K22xBzsCezovlpsAocr2Aopue0-K8PiXVL7r3nyn4ai4mVFI1Y165BKkmM/s320/EPVII_Maz_looking_at_Finn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b> </b>That's right... <i>Maz Kanata is Supreme Leader Snoke</i>. </div>
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People have said that Snoke is not a Force user. Maz has said she is not a Force user, but she knows about it. She had Luke's lightsaber. </div>
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And before you freak out, I present to you... </div>
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<b>Exhibit A:</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYqkTxQRriDs8xGsoikrdY4Nvsjt-iRGn0Q8XYmw03IkZr5vh5AjHA_fCJYGswWhCOoBaK0y0BVM4Yai47epR_GpxXvllJuwv1Tk20XMMXzxCZb-2Wv_pEXVCB8jNq3VC-6jNAd7m22Q/s1600/Christopher-Reeve-Clark-KentSuperman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="550" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYqkTxQRriDs8xGsoikrdY4Nvsjt-iRGn0Q8XYmw03IkZr5vh5AjHA_fCJYGswWhCOoBaK0y0BVM4Yai47epR_GpxXvllJuwv1Tk20XMMXzxCZb-2Wv_pEXVCB8jNq3VC-6jNAd7m22Q/s320/Christopher-Reeve-Clark-KentSuperman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-1AdHvIe-xCW8mYi5BuIP01wbnREqeDThIc77Sd9z3xXO2DE-W2UiL02hUOr6ke23yr_hZYVwLDjhg-chqvP2ry00Iio-PniCNmi6DZ_jJIiDOyL4HTZ_11CfbzYxi2ZMvZa-CFNHxg/s1600/Maz-Kanata.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="994" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-1AdHvIe-xCW8mYi5BuIP01wbnREqeDThIc77Sd9z3xXO2DE-W2UiL02hUOr6ke23yr_hZYVwLDjhg-chqvP2ry00Iio-PniCNmi6DZ_jJIiDOyL4HTZ_11CfbzYxi2ZMvZa-CFNHxg/s320/Maz-Kanata.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div>
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<b> </b>Does it seem so crazy now? Holograms can add several feet to someone, and as any woman will tell you, the right makeup can hide many blemishes. </div>
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<b> </b> </div>
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Speaking of insane, this brings me to my final point... </div>
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Theory 4: <br />
<b></b></div>
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<b><b>LUKE SKYWALKER</b></b></div>
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I'm just going to say it... I think Luke is bat-shit crazy.<br />
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Originally, I was thinking it would be awesome if Luke was actually Snoke. I liked the idea of him turning Dark side and guiding things from the shadows. Many people believe that Luke actually did turn Dark side at the end of <i>Return of the Jedi</i>. He had plenty of reasons. And now, feeling the overwhelming responsibility of teaching a whole New Order of Jedi, one day he just snapped, wore a silly disguise, called up Kylo Ren on a hologram, called himself Snoke, and decided to use him to wipe out all the potential new Jedi, because he didn't want to run the risk of them destroying the galaxy.<br />
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As interesting as that idea might seem, I have heard in The Last Jedi, Luke actually does sound quite insane. I thought it would be awesome if Rey was walking past a cave, hearing him laugh like the Joker. Then she enters the cave, and sees only Luke, who denies anyone else being there.<br />
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Then I had a sudden realization...<br />
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<i>What if Luke has been talking to himself for decades! </i><br />
<i>No Force Ghost Ben, Yoda or Anakin, and his madness only made him think they were there guiding him! </i><br />
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<i>"...But Deeesher, how can you say this?!?" </i><br />
Well, has anyone else seen these Force Ghosts?<br />
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If you recall, during<i> Empire Strikes Back</i>, Luke was attacked by a Snow creature (Wampa), which he escaped from, only to wander through the freezing cold, barely alive. During his delirium, he suddenly 'saw' a vision of Ben, telling him to go to the Dagobah system. But what if it was all in his mind?<br />
<i> </i><br />
And while on Dagobah, I think Luke did a lot of training, and became more powerful with the Force... but was there really Yoda teaching him, or was it all in his mind? After everything Luke has been through, it's not too difficult to imagine that he may have completely snapped.<br />
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Okay, I admit, some of these might be what you would call... Fringe Theories, (get it? <i>Fringe</i>?). But I sincerely would love to see the writers doing something unique and unexpected. My instinct is, they will write to the lowest common denominator, and not take any risks. They want to make a movie for the fans, so they aren't going to try to come up with anything too mind-blowing.<br />
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I would love to see Rey turn Dark Side, and Kylo Ren turn Light Side for some reason or other, so we could mix things up a bit. And of course, it would be nice to see Luke being heroic, but it's also conceivable that he is quite a broken man by now. <br />
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Realistically, I'm just a clueless idiot, and maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. In the end, I just want a movie that's fun, exciting, maybe a bit dramatic, without too many quick edits, and well lit, so I can follow the action.<br />
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Maybe I ask the impossible...<br />
And that is why I fail,<br />
DeeesherDeeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-3701254163169938262017-09-25T13:41:00.001-07:002017-09-25T13:45:56.441-07:00Star Trek Discovery ReviewI try to keep an open mind when watching new shows or movies based on something already established. I try to put all my personal bias to the side and look at what is presented, judging it accordingly. Often, I've felt pessimistic about something that eventually impresses me. Some of you may recall my apprehension about the first <i>Avengers</i> movie. I said there is no way it could work. But today, I consider <i>Avengers</i> to be one of my favorite movies. I also had a lot of doubts about the new <i>Wonder Woman</i>, but was pleasantly surprised. And of course, I love the 1970's television version of <i>The Incredible Hulk</i>, even though the comic book version is a lot different conceptually. I can enjoy it, because the core of it is still there, and everything around it is well written.<br />
<br />
So with that said, I recently posted my feelings of dread regarding the new <i>Star Trek Discovery</i> series for CBS, (read all about it <a href="https://trekfanproductions.com/but-is-it-really-star-trek-a-fans-view-on-the-new-discovery-trailer" target="_blank">here</a>). I really hoped I would be wrong. Unfortunately, it seems I was right.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarucDQfwIy6elZhyphenhyphenpskgTPRoiVZAHY9W3FowEDbG0VRfpKWxaCZXAORNyCxRvm2ZTpCpwc_QfKJdsedOvDoh9MnZMPDhNEYDeg-Dm3WwR0ehDdB8ge2RMlYYEo916n89Y0itz33uePJ8/s1600/star-trek-discovery-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarucDQfwIy6elZhyphenhyphenpskgTPRoiVZAHY9W3FowEDbG0VRfpKWxaCZXAORNyCxRvm2ZTpCpwc_QfKJdsedOvDoh9MnZMPDhNEYDeg-Dm3WwR0ehDdB8ge2RMlYYEo916n89Y0itz33uePJ8/s320/star-trek-discovery-poster.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
As many fans of Star Wars will tell you, some incarnations of an established series are better than others. I feel the same way about Star Trek. Some of them I love, and some are very cringe-worthy. I'm a big fan of The Original Series (TOS) from the late 60's. This was <b>Gene Roddenberry's</b> vision, mixed with script editor <b>DC Fontana's</b> tweaks originating from genuine science fiction writers unique stories (<b>David Gerrold, Normal Spinrad, Harlan Ellison</b>). My personal favorite episodes are <i>Doomsday Machine, Amok Time, City on the Edge of Forever, Trouble with Tribbles, Where No Man Has Gone Before, This Side of Paradise, Space Seed, Corbomite Maneuver, Piece of the Action, Galileo 7, Man Trap, The Naked Time, Squire of Gothos, Arena, Tomorrow is Yesterday,</i><i></i><br />
<i><i>Mirror Mirror, Assignment Earth, Tholian Web, Wink of an Eye, The Mark of Gideon, </i>and<i> All Our Yesterdays</i>. </i><br />
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To be clear, there are some TOS episodes that I <i>NEVER</i> want to see again. I would prefer Star Wars prequels to re-watching some of those episodes. 1979's <i>Star Trek the Motion Picture</i> is also painful on some levels, but then <i>Wrath of Khan</i> is quite nearly perfection.<br />
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I will even say, season one of<i> Star Trek The Next Generation</i> originally bothered me to the point that I stopped watching it. But they eventually found their space legs, and had many good episodes. But it still had plenty of not-so-great episodes littered throughout.<br />
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When <i>Star Trek</i> is good, there is a perfect balance of intelligent story telling, action, suspense, and some drama involving interesting characters. And, just like <i>Star Wars</i> fans, (dare I say also <i>Doctor Who</i> fans?), we want continuity. <i>Star Wars </i>seamlessly blended <i>Rogue One</i>, which was made in 2016, with the original 1977 <i>Star Wars A New Hope</i>. <i>Doctor Who</i> has plenty of aliens and tech that were created in the 1960's, and uses them effectively in current stories. <i>Why can't we do this with Star Trek???</i><br />
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Okay, I get it, the original <i>Star Trek</i> series had a very low budget, and technology has come a long way since the 60's. But you can take those original concepts and design a universe around it, giving things a more modern look. You could keep the integrity of what was originally designed only updated. But it seems <i>Star Trek Discovery</i> threw out the entire book and started from scratch.<br />
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What went wrong? Let's take a moment and dissect the first two episodes of this Denebian Slime Devil, known as <i>Star Trek Discovery</i>, (aka STD). <br />
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<b>Warning: SPOILERS</b><br />
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1. Klingons. <i>Why are we changing the look of Klingons again?? </i>Why do they sound like they all have cotton stuffed in their mouth??? Why do we have to read 15 minutes (or more?) of subtitles?? I have no problem reading subtitles but seriously...? Sure it's an alien species and I don't expect them to speak English. But can we maybe spend a bit more time with the Federation, where everything is universally translated. I also recall one Star Trek movie, brilliantly began with the Klingonese, but creatively merged it to English, so you could understand them, but also knew they were still speaking their own language. <br />
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Yes, these are all Klingons.<br />
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These are Daleks from 1963, and 2010</div>
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Here is Darth Vader from 1977, and 2016<br />
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You see where I'm going with this... </div>
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2. Due to the popularity of <i>Star Wars</i>, let's begin our story on Jakku.<br />
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And why can't the ship detect you in a sandstorm, but they can see your footprints?<br />
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3. Uniforms. What is seriously wrong with the Federation that they have to change their uniforms every four or five years? I'm so confused...<br />
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This series is supposed to take place ten years prior to the events in TOS. With that being said, this is how the Federation should look.<br />
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4. In the future, the only light available in space will be from your console, and of course the overly used lens flares.<br />
<br />
5. So... the Federation has hologram technology now?? And conveniently it gives you a 360 view so you can see who is behind you.<br />
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6. <i>VULCAN WOMEN DO NOT HAVE THE BOWL HAIRCUT! </i>Yes, I had a problem with this in many other versions of Star Trek.<br />
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7. A Vulcan Hello? The most peaceful race in the galaxy would <i>never </i>fire first. Highly illogical.<br />
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8. Vulcan nerve pinch. Vulcans are stronger than humans. This was established long ago. How do they do a nerve pinch? I thought humans could never learn this due to their physiology. But, taking a leap of faith that a human could learn, in this first episode, the moment was so fast and ambiguous that I barely caught it. There was no establishing moment of her learning it. People unfamiliar with the technique would be extremely confused. But again, for her to mutiny like this, and expect the crew to obey is also highly illogical for someone who spent so much time training on Vulcan.<br />
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9. <i>PHASERS DO NOT GO PEW PEW!! </i><br />
This is a phaser: <br />
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10. What moronic command decisions says, "Let's beam over our two highest ranking officers to take on the entire Klingon ship by themselves!" I can understand if one of them wanted to go, but the other should stay on the bridge. Realistically, even IF the two command officers were to beam over to an enemy vessel, they would take a team of red shirts. Oh, wait, blue lens flare shirts? Either way, this was guaranteed to fail.<br />
<br />
There were plenty of other cringe-worthy and/or eye-rolling moments, but I think you get the idea. The writers either don't care about fans, or they have no idea what Star Trek really is.<br />
<br />
Currently, I'm enjoying <i>The Orville</i>, which is conceptually, more like Star Trek than anything else I've seen in some time. Yes, it's got a comedic edge to it, but after three episodes, the overall stories are very well developed, and thoughtfully crafted. Creator of the series is <b>Seth MacFarlane</b>, is a big fan of Star Trek. He gets it. So he put together a universe based on those concepts, and it's pretty cool.<br />
<br />
I also recommend the Youtube series, <i>Star Trek Continues</i>, created by <b>Vic Mignogna</b>. He's also a big fan of TOS, and quite literally begins his series where the original series ended. The look is very 60's, which could be good or bad, but the stories are nicely put together and fall in line with what Roddenberry originally had in mind.<br />
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If you've never seen any version of Star Trek before, maybe the pretty lights and big explosions will pull you into <i>Star Trek Discovery</i>. But for many reasons, this isn't really Star Trek. It's just STD, and you really should have yourself checked.<br />
<br />
Boldly Reviewing,<br />
DeeesherDeeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-8110260037959742692017-07-10T03:01:00.000-07:002019-09-18T10:10:29.920-07:00Ocasek and I - or Why I Like The Cars (the band)This may come as a shock to some of you, but in the not so distant past, a variety in music was not always readily available to people. I should also note that in those days, music was also known to be more creative, skillful, and melodic... but that's a topic for another day. <br />
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Yes, in a time prior to the internets, there was no such thing as Spotify, Pandora, YouTubes or satellite radio. We had to listen to music the old fashioned way: FM radio. And as modern historians will tell you, this was broadcast by cavemen playing stone records with a pterodactyl beak, (which is incidentally how the term 'rock music' was coined). <br />
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There was also a definite correlation between the the size of your town and your listening choices. In smaller mid-western areas, too much variety, or anything new and different was often considered <i>"devil music"</i>, and just not allowed. <br />
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One particular small town in northern Indiana is called Nappanee (current population about 6,500). This is where my story begins. The nearest radio station was in South Bend, Indiana. So for popular music, I had one choice. Some might say it was a 'Top 40' station, but it was more like Top 20. I do recall a rival radio station became available later, but in the end, they played the same songs so everyone would just switch back and forth. There was one other choice, but I never hung out with 'those type of kids'. <br />
<br />
I was aware of bands like <b>The Cars</b>, and I remembering hearing <i>Shake It Up, Just What I Needed, Let's Go, Drive</i>, and<i> You Might Think</i> often. Their other songs were (probably) too extreme for regular rotation on my radio station. No, I don't think I'm exaggerating. <br />
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The simple conclusion to this story would be, as a nerdy guy, I should instantly gravitate towards nerdy bands like <b>The Cars</b>. But at that time, I just didn't care about them. I was more obsessed with my movie soundtracks, like <b>Ghostbusters, Fright Night, Breakin' 2</b>, and <b>Star Wars</b>. I was also into <b>Sheena Easton</b>, post <b>Prince</b> influence, mostly because she was hot.<br />
<br />
But as with all great life changing experiences, suddenly there was this girl...<br />
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Before getting a license and a car, (or friends with a car), I took the bus home after school. Normally it was uneventful, but on one particular day, there was an extra passenger. She had a very nice smile, and I thought she was very pretty. She sat alone, across from me, and I had no idea who she was. Due to my extreme nerd status, I never socialized with anyone outside of my very small circle of friends, so I had no idea where she came from. <br />
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And because she was new, different, and alone on the bus, the other kids decided to pick on her, because as you know, kids can often be mean and stupid. I felt bad for her and wanted to protect her, but a nerdy guy like me just wasn't brave enough to get them to stop. I did however feel chivalrous enough to make an encouraging comment to her when the bus stopped at my house. I said something like,<i> "Oh they're just jealous..."</i>, or <i>"They're mean because they really like you"</i>, or some other lame, innocent thing, knowing that I would probably never see her again. <br />
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At this point, maybe you're thinking I'm a hero and this story is soooo cute. And maybe it would be sweet if it ended here. But surprisingly, I did start seeing this girl in the hallways of my school regularly. Never in person, just from afar. I discovered she was in the same grade as me, but we didn't share any of the same classes. I never saw her on the bus, because most likely, she had friends or family that would drive her home.<br />
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I need to remind you, I was lame. I was insecure. I really was clueless, uncool and girls just freaked me out because I had no idea how to talk to any of them. It also didn't help when I learned she had a boyfriend, although I sincerely doubt I would have been brave enough to approach her even if she didn't.<br />
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So yes, looking back now, I know I had a very unhealthy infatuation. It wasn't even unrequited love, because I didn't know anything about her. Fortunately, I did get over her and soon after, grew out of it.<br />
The End.<br />
<br />
<i>"...But Deeesher, what about The Cars!?!?"</i><br />
<br />
Oh, that's right!! <br />
<br />
During one particularly forlorn evening, while switching back and forth between my two radio stations, I heard a new song: <br />
<i>Why Can't I Have You</i>, by <b>The Cars</b> from the album <b>Heartbeat City. </b><br />
<br />
<i>Holy crap, Ric wrote that song for me! </i><br />
<br />
Okay, maybe he didn't write it specifically with my situation in mind, but he most definitely understood my anguish. I had to listen to this song often, because it helped soothe my (imagined) pain. I listened to this song daily. Hourly... continually. It somehow helped me focus on the rest of my life, because my feelings were actually put to words and music. <br />
<br />
Eventually, the cassette copy I made from the radio with slight static and a DJ talking over the intro wasn't good enough. I had to have the absolute best quality of this song, so I bought the album <b><i>Heartbeat City</i></b> (aka cassette). I don't think I listened to anything else from the album except that one song. I mean, Drive was mildly acceptable but that's it. And, I will go so far to say, I kind of disliked <i>You Might Think</i>. Sure the video was cool, but ugh... what silly music!<br />
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Fast forward a few months... (yikes, was it a year??), and I did get mildly brave enough to talk to a few other girls. I remember talking to one girl I was sort of interested in, and she said something silly like, <i>"The rest of the album is pretty good too! I like Stranger Eyes"</i>. So from her advice, I stepped outside my comfort zone and listened to the rest of the album. Suddenly, I realized she was right! There actually were a lot of other good songs here! ...Except <i>You Might Think</i>, of course.<br />
<br />
Then I got curious about other Cars songs, and I remember talking to a radio DJ one morning and saying, <i>"Do you have that one song by <b>The Cars</b>, something about 'ribbons in her hair...?"</i>, because I always liked that lyric. They easily identified it as <i>Just What I Needed</i>, which I suddenly really enjoyed also. So I thought, I should buy their debut album too, because maybe it has some other good songs on it. That was when I discovered <i>It's All Mixed Up</i>, which seemed to sum up my general frustration about any typical girl... because they were still weird and mysterious to me. <br />
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Then I had to get <i><b>Candy-O</b></i> because... duh, the <b>Vargas</b> girl on the cover is hot! Are you sensing a theme here? My obsession had switched from this girl on the bus, to this band. I had to have it all! <br />
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After getting the studio albums, I ordered the solo albums. I loved <i><b>Beatitude</b></i> and <b><i>This Side of Paradise</i></b> from <b>Ric Ocasek</b>, because he wrote all <b>The Cars</b> songs, so it all had a familiar vibe to them. Later I bought <b><i>Change No Change</i></b> from <b>Elliot Easton</b>, <i><b>Niagra Falls</b></i> from <b>Greg Hawkes</b>, and <i><b>The Lace</b></i> from <b>Benjamin Orr</b>, but wasn't so impressed, because the song writing wasn't quite the same. Eventually, I managed to find a company that sold bootleg recordings, and bought a few live Cars concerts, as well as the original and rare <b>Milkwood</b> album (1972 Ric and Ben acoustic).<br />
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Somehow, I was fortunate to find another girl who was also quite obsessed with <b>The Cars</b>. We spent quite a bit of time together, and she gave me a much needed musical education. She would play songs for me all the time from other bands that I never heard before in my sheltered small town life. <br />
<br />
<i>Me: "This sounds great, who is this??"<br />Her:"That's a band called The Doors!"<br />Me: "This is awesome, what is this??"<br />Her: "That's a band called The Who!"</i><br />
<i>Me: "This is amazing, who is this??"<br />Her: "That's David Bowie!"</i><br />
...etc<br />
<br />
I had no idea there was so much awesome music in the world! So within a year or two, I overloaded in classic rock music, that was all new to me. I even got brave enough to listen to the local "devil music" station, which I learned was actually an AOR station, meaning they played a bit of everything new and old. <br />
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The next life changing moment for me came with the release of <b><i>Door to Door</i></b> in 1987. No, I'm not talking about having a real girlfriend at the time, nor am I talking about the first speeding ticket I got on the way to their Indianapolis concert. And I'm definitely not talking about the pain of hearing about the breakup of <i><b>The Cars</b></i> soon after. <br />
<br />
I'm talking about how Ric produced this album, and how a picture of him mixing over a console was maybe one of the most inspiring moments I ever had in my life. <br />
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This awesome image meant the world to me, and I wanted to know what every button and knob did. I suddenly knew what I wanted to do with my life. I discovered there are actual schools that teach music production, and if I could have left home that night to start studying, I would have. <br />
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I found a school in Ft Lauderdale, Florida and eagerly signed up for it. Well, there were schools a bit closer in Chicago, or even Atlanta, but... I sort of liked the idea of living near the beach and seeing hot girls in bikinis daily. Looking back, I think I went to the beach only a handful of times while I lived there. <br />
<br />
Studio work seemed to come very natural to me while studying. I soon found out, it is in fact easy to fool with the sound. My goal was to one day work with Ric in the studio... or at the very least, win a Grammy award for producer of the year. <br />
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My first few years in the studio will always be the best of times, and the worst of times. I was often broke and frustrated, but through amazing luck and many long hours/days/nights/weeks, I had the opportunity to work with some fantastic, talented people. Many of those people are still very good friends today. I am very proud of some of the stuff I did in my early days, and I cringe thinking about other parts of it. <br />
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While studying engineering, one of my instructors, who wound up also being one of my best friends, was <b>Eddie Mashal</b>. He had Grammys for his work with <b>The Eagles</b> on <i><b>Hotel California</b></i>. He also recorded their followup album, <b><i>The Long Run</i></b>, and worked with many other great classic rock artists, but he never did work with anyone from <b>The Cars</b>. However, Eddie was quite a nerdy guy like me, so we had a lot of great conversations about music, recording, as well as comic books, movies and television shows. He was a fantastic mentor for me, not just in the studio, but in life too. Sadly, he passed away a few years ago, and I miss him every day. I wrote a bit of a eulogy to him <a href="http://deeesher.blogspot.com/2014/03/for-eddie.html" target="_blank">here</a> if you're curious.<br />
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So, I never did get a chance to work with Ric, despite my efforts. I also never got my Grammy award, but that's fine. I did however, get to work regularly in one of the top five studios in Miami, which happened to have the exact same model of recording console Ric was working on in the picture. <br />
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I guess in the end, you could say I got just what I needed.<br />
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EPILOGUE: I'm still not a huge fan of <i>You Might Think</i>, but I've learned to appreciate it a bit more. And girls still freak me out, and I still don't how to talk to them.<br />
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EPILOGUE Part 2: On September 15, 2019, Ric passed away.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's been very heartbreaking, but the outpouring of love from his fans has been amazing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But just a few months prior, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to meet him at his art show in Ft. Lauderdale. I<i> NEVER </i>thought I would have a chance to meet him, so this was a very big deal for me, and even more meaningful now that he's gone. </span><br />
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My conversation with him was very brief, but mostly because my brain just shut down. I shook his hand and told him what a huge honor it was to meet him. I said I became a studio engineer because of him. He was surprised, and I told him how I was inspired from the picture of him over the console in <i>Door to Door</i>. He asked if I was still doing it, and I told him yes, five nights a week, and I told him where I worked if he wanted to come by and visit.<br />
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I brought him his book of poetry, <i>Lyrics and Prose</i>, and asked if he would sign it. He looked at it a long time before signing, then added the dot at the bottom almost like an afterthought. He said, <i>"Thank you for buying this"</i>. He seemed very honored that I had this book. I said<i> "Thank you for..... everything........."</i>, and suddenly became tongue-tied. His handler quickly tried to move to the next person, and there was a moment that Ric and I sort of fought over his pen. He tried to give it to me, but I said it was his and we went back and forth for a while before I think his handler took it. </div>
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After I left, I thought of a dozen things to say. But other people were waiting so it's best I didn't swoon too much during his art show.<br />
Just before meeting him, I accidentally took a picture of his shoes.<i>"Life's the same, except for my shoes..."</i><br />
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*Side note - when we took the picture together, maybe he had a nervous twitch, but his hand kept patting my back and all I could think was... is he tapping the beginning of <i>Just What I Needed</i> on me???<br />
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Deeesher</div>
Deeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-69937067409750223522017-06-30T09:12:00.001-07:002017-06-30T09:12:52.331-07:00Twin Peaks Season 3 Mid-Season Review<div dir="ltr">
I completely missed season one of <b>Twin Peaks</b> when it originally aired. For sake of argument, we'll just say I was too young, (don't question it, just accept it). But the unique power and popularity of this 1990 series could be felt pre-internet buzz. So prior to the season two premiere, I was curious enough to watch the hour long recap of the first season, explaining all the characters and strange nuances of this small northwestern town. </div>
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And to clarify, it is a small town of 5,120 residence, despite what the welcome sign says at the opening credits. Apparently, the network preferred a bigger city, prompting creators to add another digit to the population. Later they justified it by saying the sign has a typo. Which seems accurate in this unusual town.</div>
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So, what I learned from this recap, is there are three elements to Twin Peaks:<br />
1. A silly part<br />
2. A mysterious part<br />
3. A weird part</div>
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All of which I love, so I was sold!</div>
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I became even more invested watching the intro of season two, with Agent Dale Cooper (<b>Kyle MacLachlan</b>) laying on the ground after being shot, talking to himself about the experience... and then suddenly a giant appeared to give him some cryptic clues.</div>
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I instantly became a huge fan, re-watching episodes repeatedly, buying magazines about the show (<i>Wrapped in Plastic</i>), getting all the soundtracks, and purchasing several books, including <i>Laura Palmer's Secret Diary</i>, and <i>The Autobiography of Special Agent Dale Cooper: My Life, My Tapes</i> (which I highly recommend!).</div>
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So yes, I'd call myself a fan.</div>
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And now, based on a passing comment in season one during a dream sequence, <b>David Lynch</b> and co-creator <b>Mark Frost</b>, revive the series twenty-five (ish) years later.</div>
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Before diving into season three, I wanted to re-watch the first two seasons, as well as the prequel movie, just to remind myself what It was all about.</div>
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I'm glad I did because I made some interesting discoveries. </div>
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Season one is still awesome! Eight episodes, each one with strange interesting characters, moving the story forward. </div>
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Season two, is not so good. Of course there's still plenty to love. But with twenty-two episodes, they had a lot of space to fill. Often it seemed they had no idea where to go with the story, or what to do with so many characters.</div>
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It's interesting to note however, other than creating the show, <b>David Lynch</b> only directed and co-wrote a few episodes. <b>Mark Frost</b> seemed more involved in writing the series, but mostly they were dependent on a random group of other writers and directors.</div>
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So I'm curious, did these other contributors make the show more cohesive? Dare I say... common? </div>
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Season two started strong, and held up for about nine episodes. But what followed may have been too "mundane" for fans to accept, which resulted in it's eventual cancellation. Fortunately the finale returned to it's weird roots, and left us all wanting more. But everything prior to the powerful conclusion felt like it was dragging it's feet, not the jazzy shuffling little person we grew to love.</div>
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Soon after the series ended, we did get the theatrical release of the prequel, <b><i>Fire Walk With Me</i></b>. But maybe audiences weren't quite ready to accept Lynch in all his freaky glory. It was booed at Cannes Film Festival, (although currently it's showing 61% on Rotten Tomatoes). So with such a poor reception, and bad box office returns, the studio cancelled any plans for a sequel.</div>
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But maybe in the crazy, mixed up world of 2017, we are finally ready for David Lynch's visual insanity. But more importantly, as eager as fans are to return, does Lynch want to revisit the town of Twin Peaks?</div>
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Well, midway through season three, I have good news and bad news. There are moments that will put a big smile on your face. But there are many more moments that will make you question your own sanity, or consider the real possibility that someone might have actually drugged you before the episode began.</div>
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<b>Kyle MacLachlan</b> is still an important part of the show, although after so much time has passed and considering his experiences, he's not the same Special Agent Dale Cooper we knew and loved. And don't expect to see much involvement with other regular cast members. Many appear as brief (obligatory?) cameos, and seem completely unnecessary to the plot. But for me, seeing some of those legacy characters appear were the best moments so far. </div>
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It also feels as if the town of Twin Peaks itself is a cameo, since we spend so little time there. Most of the show takes place everywhere from South Dakota, New York, New Mexico and of course 'the other place' (<i><b>Black Lodge</b></i>?). Is it still Twin Peaks if during an hour long episode, we only spend five minutes in the sheriff's office, and another few minutes in the Roadhouse for a musical interlude?</div>
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Which brings me to another great aspect of the series: The music. I do love the music they chose for season three, but don't expect the same jazzy/industrial orchestra as before. Many scenes have no music, or at most an eerie music bed, where you might expect something to play. It's as if Lynch holds back just letting the scene speak for itself. But later, we get a great band with a full performance in the local biker bar. It's different, but still good. </div>
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I wouldn't say you should lower your expectations, but simply change them. If you love David Lynch, and enjoy feeling like your brain is being bombarded by radiation while on acid, you will like season three.</div>
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You still get all three elements, (silly, mysterious, and weird), but maybe the balance feels off for me. Too much weird. I can appreciate the visuals, but I'm always looking for a story. I never want to watch a twenty minute Youtube video explaining what I just watched, (which I've had to do).<br />
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It feels like Lynch/Frost are dropping breadcrumbs for me to enjoy each episode. I do like many aspects of it, (great cameos, all the disturbing and unique visuals, and of course the music), and of course I'm eager to know where the story is going. But maybe it just feels like I'm a drug addict, wanting more and more, and then after each episode, I'm filled with regret. <br /> </div>
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Does this mean I've<i> 'peaked'</i> too soon?<br />Deeesher</div>
Deeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-35308051199509864532017-06-10T10:12:00.000-07:002017-06-10T10:21:15.773-07:00Wonder Woman ReviewThere are so many things I could say about women, and their portrayal in movies and television! But as a guy, I'm extremely unqualified to write anything about it, and just barely smart enough to know that I shouldn't even try.<br />
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And I really can't say I'm an expert on <i>Wonder Woman</i> either, because I've never followed the comics. But, I loved the <b>Lynda Carter</b> 1975-1979 series! She's always been the perfect embodiment of what I felt <i>Wonder Woman</i> should be. If you're interested, I recommend watching season two and three when the show was moved to a new network and took place in modern times. Even as a kid watching, I remember thinking the World War II stories in season one were cheesy. <br />
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I'd also suggest the <i>Justice League</i> animated series from 2001 which often featured <i>Wonder Woman</i>, as well as her solo animated movie from 2009. For a long time, I kept shouting, <i>"Why don't they make a live action version of this!" </i><br />
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But nobody ever listens to me. Instead, we get:<br />
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Is it wrong for me to ask how this version of <i>Wonder Woman</i>... <i>stacks up</i> to others? I have a feeling I will be apologizing a lot after writing this...<br />
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Traditionally, <i>Wonder Woman</i> was associated with World War II. However, someone at DC/WB decided to move her origin story a bit further back to begin in World War I. This way nobody would try to confuse/compare it with Marvel/Disney's <i>Captain America: The First Avenger</i>. But in the world of 2017, I don't think people notice the difference. It's still a war against Germans.<br />
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And the Amazon women on the island of Themyscira don't know the difference either, because they are hidden and completely isolated from the world of men (which could be for the best). Until Steve Trevor (<b>Chris Pine</b>) shows up accidentally, bringing the war with him. Typical. <br />
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Yes, this is an origin story. And as far as theatrical superhero/heroine origins go, this was awesome! After so many misses from DC/WB, it's nice to finally see them do it right. They created a fun and cohesive story that kept me entertained from beginning to end. In my (simple) mind, I don't think they made a movie for women or for men. They just made a movie that everyone could enjoy. And if someone tries to tell you it's just a rip-off of Captain America... <i>they're an idiot!</i> Other than fighting Germans in a war, there are soooo <i>many</i> differences. <br />
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And yes, I know casting <b>Gal Gadot</b> as Diana was not anyone's first choice (or second... or third choice). But she did fine. I sort of accepted her accent since she was far removed from America. I could even accept her physicality for the role. I know prior to filming, she had been training hard to appear less frail, and it showed. She had the intensity when needed, but remained feminine as well. She also played a great fish out of water character, but still appeared emotionally invested during key moments. I didn't see her (or anyone in the cast) delivering an Oscar winning performance, but none of the acting took me out of the movie either. I did appreciate all the key characters. Everyone in their final ensemble were well crafted and interesting, creating a lot of depth to the story.<br />
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But all hail the real Wonder Woman here: Director <b>Patty Jenkins</b>. I could see the action, and I loved her use of colors! <i>*gasp*</i> I don't think DC/WB has accepted color since <b>Christopher Nolan</b> banned them in <i>Batman Begins</i> from 2005. To me, this has always been the biggest difference between the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and DC. Marvel knew how to make things colorful. DC seemed to film everything in mud... in the dark. After seeing how well <i>Wonder Woman</i> worked visually, I sincerely hope that DC/WB producers can finally understand that sharp reds, blues, and well lit scenes will not terrify audiences.<br />
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And I know, a lot of people have said that Patty's use of slow motion during fight scenes was overused, and most likely stolen from <b>Zack Snyder</b>. To this I say <i>Bah!</i> I always loved the slow motion fights from Zack! But I don't think she borrowed/stole this idea from him. Maybe producers heavily suggested it to her, but I clearly remember watching awesome fight scenes on television from the <i>Six Million Dollar Man, Bionic Woman, Incredible Hulk</i>, AND <i>Wonder Woman</i>, where they often fought in slow motion. Those were fun! Okay, sure it's always nice if a movie has impressive fight choreography, but to me, I want to see the camera pulled back so I can watch it. Sadly, too often you can't see it because the camera is so close, or the scene is edited too quickly. If those are my options, I'll take slow mo any day. <br />
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So yes, I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable Wonder Woman was. Maybe if you're not into fantasy/comic book stories, this isn't really for you. But if you are, it's a very well directed movie, with some interesting characters, while making some very powerful statements about war, and gender differences, without being preachy.<br />
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But I still think they created the worst theme song ever (which originated in <i>Batman vs Superman</i>). That annoying guitar riff seemed a bit more buried in orchestration here, but it was still there, grinding painfully into my brain. Maybe they should have let a woman create her theme song.<br />
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Okay, I think I've done enough mansplaining for now.<br />
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DeeesherDeeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-67749926186734728252016-12-20T22:34:00.001-08:002016-12-20T22:38:28.696-08:00Rogue One ReviewRemember long ago, when Star Wars never came to the theater? We would wait years for the possibility of a sequel or prequel. Then eventually we gave up hope ever seeing another big screen version again.<br />
<br />
But things have changed. Disney gave us a new hope. Last year they released <i><b>The Force Awakens</b></i>, and now this year we have <i><b>Rogue One: A Star Wars Story</b></i>.<br />
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Way back in 1977, <i><b>Star Wars</b></i> (aka <i><b>A New Hope</b></i>, aka Episode IV) was released in theaters. This is where the franchise first began, telling the epic story of a boy, a girl and a Death Star. One of the important elements of this movie was the plans to destroy said Death Star.<br />
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But where did those plans come from? I'm glad you ask! Because even if you didn't want to know, Disney is going to tell you about it anyway. <i><b>Rogue One</b></i> is essentially <i><b>Star Wars Episode 3.9</b></i>, giving creators plenty of room to write episode 3.1 - 3. 8. And realistically, I'm sure as you read this, someone is working on a novelization of Episode 3.95.<br />
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If you recall this time last year, I was not a huge fan of <i><b>The Force Awakens</b></i> (aka Episode VII). As the kids say, it was <i>"aight"</i>. Visually it was nice with some cool moments, but for the most part, the story felt like an elaborate re-hash of <i><b>A New Hope</b></i> with some fairly shallow characters. And, if you know anything about me, my opinion of the movie's director, (<b>J.J. Abrams</b>) is fairly low <b>*COUGH*</b><i>overrated</i><b>*COUGH*</b> (read all about it <a href="http://deeesher.blogspot.com/2015/12/star-wars-force-awakens-review.html" target="_blank">here</a>).<br />
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So you can imagine my curious anticipation to see director <b>Gareth Edwards</b> involved. For the most part, I was not disappointed with his efforts! Some scenes were a bit muddy and dark, but he also included many visually amazing moments with action you could follow, without resorting to a shaky cam or lens flare! <i>*gasp*</i> I also loved getting to see some new worlds in this universe like <i>Jedha</i> and the tropical <i>Scarif</i>. And just watching ships launch and dogfight in space was very cool. Even the ground fights were fun to watch.<br />
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My biggest concern going in, was this would be a very dark, uncomfortable war story. At it's core it is, but they remind us, it takes place in the Star Wars universe, so they know how to make it exciting as well. There were definitely a few clap and cheer moments to appreciate.<br />
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The story presents us with a lot of new characters although, some of them are a bit forgettable. For myself, I mostly appreciated K-2S0 (<b>Alan Tudyk</b>), Director Krennic (<b>Ben Mendelsohn</b>), and of course Chirrut (<b>Donnie Yen</b>). However, this is Jyn Erso (<b>Felicity Jones</b>) and Cassian Andor's (<b>Diego Luna</b>) movie, and they did pretty decent too.<br />
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But other than a few dark, murky scenes and some extraneous characters, I can't find much wrong. If I'm nitpicking, I would complain about Vader's appearance. He didn't seem as tall and narrow as he should. But I'll just imagine he did some binge eating before the movie, then a quick Force workout before the events in Episode IV. <br />
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Did this story need to be told? Was all the fan service really necessary? <i>Of course not!</i> But it really looked cool, especially for fans. Trust me, you'll be very happy.<br />
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And if you've never seen a Star Wars movie before, what rock have you lived under?? But this is a very good place to begin before seeing Episode IV. <br />
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What about Episode I - III you ask?<br />
Those are not the movies you're looking for...<br />
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Deeesher Deeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-33936884703185109202016-09-14T00:00:00.002-07:002016-09-14T00:00:32.959-07:00The Writer
Once upon a time, there was a writer...<br />
<br />
Well, he wanted to be a writer, but he was never very good at it.
He'd just stare at a blank page all day, waiting for something to
happen. He continued to stare and kept hoping the words would spontaneously appear. But sadly, they never did. <br />
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The more he stared, the more frustrated he became. There
were so many wonderful, imaginative things he wanted to share with the world! But no matter how much he concentrated, all those
interesting things just cluttered up his mind.
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So, he just sat there, staring...<br />
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Then one day, The Writer had a revelation. <br />
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"What if I use my hands and fingers, in some way, to convert
those thoughts into words..."<br />
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He was surprised he'd never thought of this before. Of
course the words won't magically appear. You have to make some
kind of effort!<br />
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The Writer was filled with optimism for this new idea.
This had to work! Getting those things out that constantly
swirled around in his brain was becoming a necessity. An
obsession. <br />
<br />
So The Writer took a deep breath, trying to determine the best way to begin. He started
gently at first, slowly gliding his hand across the page. <br />
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Nothing happened. He began swaying them back and forth,
a bit faster. He added some flourishes to the movements, trying
to wave them around. Nothing happened.
<br />
<br />
"Maybe I'm not using my fingers enough", he thought.
So he started pointing and gesturing. He began casually, but seeing the page was still blank, he became more frantic. He
started acting like a caged animal in his attempt to put something on
the page, hitting and punching the emptiness pleading for freedom. <br />
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But his efforts were in vain. No matter how desperately he moved his hands and fingers across the blank page, nothing happened.
Covered in sweat, mixed with tears, he shouted in exhaustion.<br />
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Then suddenly, through his wild behavior, The Writer noticed he had cut his finger. He cringed in
pain, but froze when he saw something new: Blood. He held
his breath as he looked at the light streak of red across the
previously empty page.<br />
<br />
He turned to look at his finger, still in pain, and then back to the page that now clearly displayed all the emotions he was feeling.<br />
<br />
"Is this the only way?!?" he shouted to the sky.<br />
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The deafening silent reply gave him the answer.<br />
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So through tear stained eyes, The Writer finally started to write...<br />
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Deeesher<br />
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Deeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564719162394282362.post-54518734535770788282016-09-12T07:10:00.000-07:002016-09-12T07:14:13.862-07:00Gotham Season 1 Review<div dir="ltr">
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It seems like just yesterday when I first heard about this new Fox series called <i><b>Gotham</b></i>. Everyone was all giddy with anticipation to watch the origin of Batman and the rise of Jim Gordon through the corruption of the Gotham City Police Department.</div>
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And it seems like it was just the day after yesterday, when myself and all my nerdly friends were so disgusted and frustrated with the horrendous writing, after seeing the first few episodes, we vowed never to watch it again. We just hoped this type of abomination would be cancelled quickly, and the creators brought up on charges of hate crimes for destroying such iconic characters.</div>
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But something weird happened... <i><b>Gotham</b></i> wasn't cancelled. As I write this, they are about to begin season three. How is this possible, when everyone hated it??? Well, actually... it seems some people really enjoy it. I can hear your collective scoffs at the idea, but I have met some of these people. They really like the show! How is this possible???</div>
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I needed to find out what exactly was going on. I knew none of my friends would ever watch again, so like meeting a mugger in an alleyway behind a theater, I took a bullet for you and watched all of season one.</div>
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The trick to watching and, (dare I say?), enjoying, this series is, you have to look at everything very objectively. Pretend you know nothing about Batman, or any of the characters in the entire mythos. For some of you, this is impossible. You have seen every incarnation of the Bat imaginable, and you can't accept that someone might have a version askew of your deeply ingrained concepts. </div>
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However, others (some of us?), are open minded enough to understand and respect that occasionally origin stories are altered. Even in comic books, the history of some characters have been tweaked over the years to change with the times. The fundamental basics are usually still intact, but there is always some idiot that thinks he can do it better than it's been done before. Sometimes they actually improve on those original ideas. Sometimes they don't.</div>
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Therein lies the conundrum that is<i><b> Gotham</b></i>. <i>Some things they did very well!</i> And other things really suck.</div>
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In my humble opinion, one thing I found particularly sucky, was how much fan service they
try to shove down our throats. It feels like they don't have the confidence in their own writing to focus on the core characters of the show. They seem obsessed with putting as much Bat-history into each episode that they can find. Whether it's someone obscure, or common, if you liked a particular Bat-villain,<i><b> Gotham</b></i> will
figure out a way to slip that character into an episode. And unfortunately, some of those random diversions in the main story arc just didn't work. They tried to do so much in season one, it's easy to overlook some of the impressive elements of the series.<br />
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So like Peter Quill in a dance-off, let's break it down.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">WHAT THEY GOT RIGHT</span></b></div>
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<b>Gotham</b><br />
I'm referring to the actual city. It looks and feels right. There is quite literally a dark cloud hanging over everything. The buildings look perfectly big, industrial, and just waiting for some masked vigilante to shoot a grappling hook into the top of them Even Arkham Asylum was very well crafted. Gotham feels like a character itself, and that's kind of cool.</div>
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<b>Penguin</b><br />
All hail actor <b>Robin Lord Taylor</b>. He created a fantastic, but unique version of Oswald Cobblepot that I can respect. His appearance and acting helps you accept that this sneaky, odd little man, can eventually become a powerful crime lord in Gotham. I was eager to see him more and more. He alone is the reason to watch this series.</div>
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<b>Ed Nygma</b><br />
When he first appeared, I rolled my eyes a bit. With Penguin already an important character, it seemed like overkill to wedge the future Riddler in as a secondary character. But honestly, I started to appreciate actor <b>Cory Michael Smith</b> more as the series went on. He stands out and feels like a modern comic book adaptation. Occasionally he borders on annoying, but if they can reign him in, he'll be one to watch in later seasons.</div>
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<b>Harvey Bullock</b><br />
Actor <b>Donal Logue</b> was the first thing that I liked when I originally started watching the show. He felt comic book accurate. Occasionally he was too cliché, but maybe that's why he was enjoyable too.</div>
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<b>Harvey Dent</b><br />
Appearing in only a few episodes in season one, they developed him properly. I do appreciate the lighting on him, showing half his face in shadows. Bonus points for foreshadowing. Well, I want to think it was intentional anyway.</div>
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<b>Bruce Wayne and Alfred</b><br />
Child actors can be fairly annoying. But this kid gets it (<b>David Mazouz</b>). It's nice to watch him become a detective and figure out right and wrong. It helps that he has Alfred (<b>Sean Pertwee</b>), who is also that perfect balance of mentor, guardian, and obviously Butler too. </div>
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<b>Victor Zsasz</b></div>
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I felt annoyed at the producers for adding yet another Batman villain into an already convoluted mix. But actor <b>Anthony Carrigan</b> made this character enjoyably creepy. </div>
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<b>Luscious Fox</b></div>
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Shown very briefly for one episode, actor <b>Chris Chalk</b> seems like he will be a good fit as well. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">WHAT THEY GOT GOOD ENOUGH</span></b></div>
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<b>Jim Gordon</b><br />
At it's core, Gotham should be about Jim Gordon (<b>Ben McKenzie</b>). More often than not, he is secondary to whatever else is going on around him. I don't dislike him. But I can't love him either. He just shows up, and occasionally stops criminals. </div>
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<b>Selina Kyle</b><br />
Producers seem very eager to showcase a young Catwoman (<b>Camren Bicondova</b>). At times, she seemed too ridiculous to take seriously. But other times, there is a decent origin story for who she is destined to become when she's older. It's nice to see her and young Bruce together. But is she necessary to the story? Maybe not...</div>
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<b>Mob Bosses</b><br />
On the one hand, they seem very cliche. On the other hand... I've known some very cliche older Italian people in my life, who may, or may not have been involved in the Mafia. So is it accurate, or just a bad 1920's version of what producers think the Mob is like? I will say, I did see some very well crafted story elements involving them though. I say that seriously, and also to make sure my kneecaps aren't spontaneously broken tomorrow. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">WHAT THEY GOT HORRIBLY WRONG</span></b></div>
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<b>Fish Mooney</b><br />
From the ridiculous cartoon name, to the pointless over the top acting, to the eye rolling outfits, <i>THIS</i> is the main reason to never watch this show again. Producers wanted to create a new character to make their mark in the Batman archive. This was not the way to do it. It seems as if writers, or producers or actress <b>Jada Pinkett Smith</b> watched too much <b>Adam West</b> Batman. This character is so wrong for this show. And honestly, I don't think she would work well on <b>Adam West's</b> Batman either. After a while, I was very eager to just fast forward through every one of her scenes. </div>
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<b>The Mayor</b><br />
When you hire an actor to play the Mayor of such a dark, corrupt city, would you consider hiring someone best known for their comedy roles? Apparently the producers of Gotham thought that was a good idea when they hired <b>Richard Kind</b>. And yes, he plays him as foolishly as you can imagine. He overreacts, he gets overly emotional and just feels out of place as mayor. I don't care if he's corrupt, he should at least have some semblance of being an adult in a position of power. </div>
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<b>Ivy</b><br />
Stop. Just stop. I can't think of any reason to include this character. She's pointless and adding her just feels forced and unnecessary. </div>
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<b>Kristen Kringle</b><br />
Again the show tries to appear too cartoon-ish. The object of Ed Nygma's affection (<b>Chelsea Spack</b>), seems too exaggerated and poorly written. To make Nygma stand out more, in such a dark story, she should be <i>'normal'</i>. </div>
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<b>Mrs.Kapelput</b></div>
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And here we have another reason to turn off this show. Fortunately she only appears in a few episodes, but actress <b>Carol Kane</b> plays the same foreign character she's been doing since it was first conceived in the series Taxi in 1979. Stop. Please. This is not the place for it.<br />
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<b>Most Secondary Criminals</b><br />
Gotham seems eager to interweave a <i>criminal of the week</i> throughout their main story. And more often than not, that criminal of the week is very poorly written. There are some exceptions, but many of them are forgettable. If you haven't already forgotten them by the end of the episode, you will be eager to try to forget them soon enough. </div>
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So having seen all of season one, I can't say I hated it. It was like a roller coaster. I guess you could call it a Bat-coaster. I think there are many missed opportunities in the show. I really wish Thomas and Martha Wayne would have stayed alive for one full season, so we could appreciate all they did for the city. Then when they are tragically killed, we would feel something. I wish they would focus strictly on Penguin, Jim Gordon/Harvey Bullock, and the Mobs. I think there is enough with those characters alone to create a very enjoyable series. I wish they could decide if they want to be a serious show or just outright goofy.<br />
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And to be clear, the <b>Adam West</b> version of Batman is the only one allowed to be a bit silly.<br />
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But for serious stories, you should watch nearly every incarnation of Warner Bros. Batman animated from 1992 with <b>Kevin Conroy's</b> voice. That series, and many of the movies spawned after, are more intelligent and better crafted than most shows on television today.<br />
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You can also play the Batman video games, Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. But if you're not a gamer, you can always just watch the cut scenes on Youtube. Totally worth it.<br />
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Or I guess you could read a comic book. I hear they know a little something about Batman. And the artwork is usually fairly impressive as well. <br />
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Although, the Arkham games did have some decent character designs too. Case in point:<br />
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Holy Blog Batman!<br />
Deeesher</div>
Deeesherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022778699060471822noreply@blogger.com0