shrewd.buddha

I think I would have liked it better if the kids had been adolescent street urchins .. around the age of the kids in the first season of Stranger Things. That could have been fun. Casting the main characters as teenagers (basically adults in Victorian times) makes me feel as if TPTB are wanting to go down the usual angsty , CW network route .. not my favorite thing .. but others may enjoy that. They are already setting up a love triangle -- only slightly less painful than having your eyes plucked out by birds. .. We will give it a few episodes to see how things go ..

Zack Snyder's Justice League Pitch Meeting

The expanded post credit scene starts at the 1:24 minute mark: Justice League: The Colbert Cut

So .. Zach Snyder's Justice League - - move over Tyler Perry, someone else is tagging their movies.. We braced ourselves for four hours of slo-mo-epic-seriousness and watched. And watched.. Was the Snyder version better than the theatrical version?: Yes. Most definitely. So many things made more sense. Did the Snyder version have its own problems? Yes. Most definitely. So much slow motion. So many ballads sung. The 4:3 aspect ratio (why?). Agreed. I have thought he would make a really good cinematographer. The Flash was still unsatisfying to me. He still runs funny and his overly-armored costume makes him look small. Am I supposed to believe that Barry Allen can stock a warehouse lair with more equipment than a BestBuy warehouse - yet cannot manage to put together enough money to get into a criminal justice school? I find Snyder's version of Wonder Woman and the Amazons much more satisfying than Patty Jenkin's 1984 version. Even without the ability to fly. Something about Diana being a god-level badass unapologetically and nonchalantly appeals to me. The WW solo action sequence in the museum was near perfect - especially her taking a moment to make sure everyone was okay afterwards. There were no wasted minutes there. This version really benefited from having the Cyborg story fleshed out. (heh) It was overwrought and overdramatic, per Snyder, but it really held the movie together. The 'miracle' of getting the Bat-troop-carrier to fly seemed a bit much. And Cyborg's unlimited abilities bordered on magical powers. The Cyborg costume also never looked real. (Side question: without his hoodie and sweats, is Cyborg basically running around naked?) Steppenwolf and Darkseid still looked like cartoons. Steppenwolf's costume got bedazzled, but his face seemed to have gotten smaller, so there was no emotional connection. Snyder really should have used actual actors as the basis for the villains - it would have helped. But the defeat of Steppenwolf was much less silly in this version. Martian Manhunter? He seemed pointless. It was odd that he admitted to doing nothing during the whole destruction of Metropolis by Zodd event. Also pointless? Batman's (k)nightmare dream-vision in The Epilogue and the inclusion of Joker therein. Are we supposed to believe that if Superman actually turned evil he wouldn't just kill everyone with his heat vision from five miles away? And I still have same complaint as before concerning Superman's Mom having financial issues: that should have never been a thing. Clark could have found a gold mine with his abilities and set Martha up for life long, long before he ever was in danger of dying. Basically, what I felt about the Snyder version of Justice League was the same thing I felt about the tape recording that Silas left for Cyborg. I felt bad for Silas when Victor cut him off by destroying the tape player. ..but then.. when Victor went back and played the rest of the message.. I was like: "please shut up now - you have gone on for far too long."

I very much agree. Everything felt forced this season and the cringe element hit heights never before seen. The only thing that really stood out for me was how committed the adult actors were . . . they seemed committed to doing their best with the ridiculous situations they were given.

The Snyder "trailer" that was released on Valentine's Day was so very, very quintessentially Zack Synder: A series of images that are iconic, dramatic and larger-than-life (emphasis purposely emphasized) .... but also feeling somewhat random and not giving much indication as to how one image leads to the other. It seems , to me , that Snyder spends a lot more time and energy on creating images like the one of Aquaman standing in front of a gigantic ocean wave than he devotes to plot, story structure, character development, etc. (Maybe those things are someone else's job.) And yet, on the other hand, while online I have seen so many fans who are honestly, earnestly happy about this Snyder Cut, that I don't begrudge it coming into existence. And I will most likely pay a one month HBOMax subscription price to see it - - at some point. My one hope is that after it is released, Zack Snyder can finally shut up about it.

Yeah, someone really dropped the ball on editing. There were already issues with trying to figure out what Naomi was trying to accomplish on the USS BoobyTrap. But things got worse in this episode. The cuts between ships and crew members was not done well enough to clearly convey what was happening. Without having established the profiles of particular ships, I could not tell what was happening during the Rocci space battle. I could not tell any of the ships apart in Drummer's attack group. And again, with the attack on the Ring Gate - it was difficult to tell who was doing what to whom. It's not as if the spaceships are as distinctive as the Millennium Falcon...

For me, one of the worst offenses was the complete lack of 80's music. How? Why? Even the first trailer (which looked promising) featured 80's music (New Order, I think..) How did none of the producers realize how much music could add to the appeal of a movie ? (ie: Guardians of the Galaxy).

What happened to the FX budget? This show feels so cheap now. Here are a couple clues of cost saving measures: Instead of paying to choreograph a fight scene for Clarissa/Peaches, why not just cut back to where she is standing over a group of people who are lying down .. then she can just swoon as if she's beaten the crap out of them.. Hey, why not have the gun fight at night? We can pretend there's a small army attacking .. and we don't even have to pay for blood effects.. people can just say 'ouch' and fall over.. How many scenes can we have in the same places, like little shit Filip's room? More hallway and corridor scenes..!! Looking out of windows is expensive .. let's have shots of looking into spaceships.. How many episodes can we have Alex and Bobbi sitting in a cockpit and talking? Wow.. that many..?! On second thought, maybe it is a COVID restriction thing. If sets of actors have been tested, they can just film the same groups in the same locations without having to deal with exposure issues. All the scenes with Holden, Alex, Drummer, etc. could have been filmed in one long setting and then spread out over several episodes. I don't think there is going to be much of a satisfying conclusion to the season in the next episode. At the current pacing, I doubt Marco will be dealt with .. maybe just some resolution to the Naomi situation. Of course, if Naomi is willing to sacrifice her life to save anyone approaching her ship, the solution for that is pretty simple .. just pull some wires. Lastly .. I just don't buy the whole "let's get off this shithole planet called Earth" idea that they are trying to sell. I find it hard to believe Amos has no appreciation for blue skies, fresh ocean air, trees, birds, clouds, rain, snow -- and on and on and on. In space and on Mars, people have to live in tin cans with recycled air. There is no flora. There is no fauna. Resources are limited. If you don't have financial means or some needed skill, no one is going to want you there.

I find the show's presentation of the asteroid destruction on Earth to be disappointing. They are very vague when it comes to the locations and there have been no aerial shots of the devastation. I am guessing it may be a result of a CGI budget limit - - but it does undercut how bad Amos and others 'say' things are. .. And how has Amos managed to keep his haircut so fresh during the weeks he has been on Earth? The overkill of booby-trapping the ship inside and out seemed very contrived in order to make things harder for Naomi. She is supposed to be a mechanical wizard - - turning off the outgoing message should not have been very difficult for her. As for the political stuff: it seems obvious that Earth and Mars should seize control of all Belter space stations and cut off Marco's resources. The idea that a 'civilized' government would consider killing everyone at a colony just seems silly. Space stations are so vulnerable to begin with .. disabling them shouldn't be a problem .. barely an inconvenience..

All the conversations with Naomi/Marco/Filip/OlderGuy were basically the same things they have said previously. I suppose they were trying to build up to Naomi's 'air-lock moment', but it was boring. Filip is so wishy-washy that it is annoying. Stone-cold: the most apt adjective. If any realism is applied to this maneuver, Naomi should be blind and have severe long-term physical repercussions. How would this stunt realistically work? She was seen going to the ship .. the ship is being remotely piloted .. the ship is only a few hundred feet away .. they can dock with it again and get Naomi back (who should be too incapacitated to resist). The Rocinante rail-gun space fight was impressive. But lately it feels as if the episodes are 85% talking and 15% action (if that). I would rather watch characters I don't know exploring the new Ring worlds than most of this boring exposition stuff.

Basically, the moral of the movie: Cheetahs Never Win (slight variation of a comment I read )

Wonder Woman 1984 Pitch Meeting

If nothing else, the show finally made some reference to 'raised by wolves' by mentioning Romulus and Remus - when someone found the tooth. There could be a link to Rome and the religion of Mithraism. But it is all very muddled and nothing seems to follow any known legend. It always seems to snow at night. It was even snowing inside the cave when Mother was about to give birth. Everyone seems to prefer to sleep out in the open even tho there are caves and a lander vehicle available. Mother is standing on the edge of one of the bottomless holes when she is attacked by a humanoid. Then Mother and Father decide to dispose of the body by burying it in a shallow grave. Too bad there is a not a bottomless hole they could use.. The show went completely off the rails for the last two episodes. Paul is getting info from Sol (or is good at eavesdropping). Marcus has gone full nutso. Mother and Father abandon the children to fly through the core of the planet (which is not a long journey, apparently). And that thing that Mother gave birth to was not a snake - - but whatever. Unfortunately, there was nothing about the show that would make me want to see more.

This show is so random - but not in a good way.. It appears that the bucket-head rapist (doing the Lord's work) and his android keeper have disappeared for the moment. There is not a single voice of reason among any of the crazy religious folk. They stop everything to build a church because Paul stacked up some stones. It is interesting (not) that it is only a short walk from a desert, to a forest and to the little barren farmstead that Mother murder-bot established. Where are they getting water? Apparently it never rains, only snows. Karl, the medic bot, is how I would prefer the androids to look. It is so lazy to have androids portrayed by humans with a few facial tics and robotic dialogue delivery. The don't even bother to deal with peach fuzz hair, pores, moles, etc. Only two more episodes to get through.. Praise Sol.

Campion should not be too surprised that Paul figured out the puzzle faster than he did. Campion was raised by two androids - basically two super computers .. yet he has probably spent half of his life collecting firewood, fetching water and growing potato-things. None of them managed to figure out more efficient ways to do any of those things. And none of them considered moving to a better location. They even know that the giant holes put out heat .. but they don't bother to take advantage of that. None of the characters are what one might consider sympathetic protagonists. Mother is a murder-bot who kidnaps children and has killed dozens of adults (maybe hundreds by crashing the ship). Mother lies to Father. Father and Campion keep secrets from Mother. Campion lies to Father. The kidnapped children somehow manage to be more petulant than traumatized. And the primary human characters murdered the people whose identities they stole .. and somehow managed to be to fake, wing-nut religious parents for thirteen years in a simulated environment.

This show is pretty to look at .. but seriously .. whoever is writing this must be doing so between bong hits. This particular set of humans should not be permitted to repopulate a new world. The androids are no better. None of them seem to have the ability to think logically: the androids don't settle near a water source, they don't retrieve available technology, the religious idiots leave behind all the resources from their wrecked ship ... the list is endless. I am beginning to think Ridley Scott projects should be watched with the audio turned off. Whatever you imagine is happening will probably make much more sense than what is actually happening.

Like most others, I was mostly disappointed. The only reason that the run time didn't bother me was because I streamed it in my living room, no bathroom break worries - - and mostly: there haven't been a lot of movie options this year. At one point, I wondered if the producers were intentionally going for cheesy. Some of the special effects were poor: especially some of Diana's running during the caravan action scene. This is one of those movies that make you wonder how it got made by a team of so-called professionals writers. Wonder Woman has a vast catalogue of stories to explore .. and they decided on this? It was way too magical/silly: massive stone walls and nuclear warheads appearing out of thin air and then disintegrating.

It is a bit of a stretch to believe that a ship could attack Tycho Station and manage to escape without being destroyed. Fred Johnson would have had several contingency plans for that - and being a space station there should be several types of ships that could track and catch up to the attacking ship. If the ship were destroyed at a safe distance, there shouldn't be any danger of the proto-molecule causing problems. ... but I suppose there would not be as much excitement if the problem were handled efficiently ..

Every time I see Clarissa (Peaches) Mao, I am reminded of the time she killed the old guy who was trying to help her work on the space station .. then used her enhancements to twist his body into a shape that could be stuffed into the machinery. .. I wonder if she thinks about those times.. I wonder if Amos would be as sympathetic if that old guy had been a friend of his. Same thing with Marco and Filip Inaros .. there are things that are just irredeemable. Marco is just another Bin Laden: what support would he have? He will go into hiding and be hunted for the rest of his short life.

The Pirate Life may have worked in the 1700's - - but at that time there was no digital recording, facial recognition, interplanetary communication systems and the world powers were usually at war with one another. Drummer should become a well known interplanetary criminal very quickly. But, okay .. Space Pirates .. sure.. Trapped-in-a-shipping-container thing: Hate to say it, but NCIS:LA did it better. Why leave a recording device? Where was the light coming from that allowed her to see things? Besides the oxygen issue, how cold would it have been in there? It is hard to believe that security tech is not going to get any more advanced than what we have today. Even in Star Trek times, someone is always able to disable security cameras and erase security footage.

The CGI space landscape visuals were nice. ..But perhaps I am not enough of a superfan to be giddy just to see the main characters again and have them exposition their way into separate stories. I am hoping that the crew is not kept separate for the majority of this season. Some of the stories already seem a bit blah ... not looking forward to Holden running around Tycho station having conversations with various people.

I was satisfied with the "and she lived happily ever after" ending. I was not in the mood for a gritty, more-like-real-life conclusion. I was a bit sad for this to be ending - but this isn't the kind of story that needs a sequel. (So please don't attempt one, Netflix.) Beth had two adjournments near the end of a major tournament. Would that really happen? Consulting with the best players during the overnight adjournment seemed highly unethical on the part of the Russians. But was all that just a setup for Beth's endgame rally moment when she realizes she has 'family' of friends ready to help? ..It was a nice moment, though. The Jolene character felt like such a lazy stereotype when she magically appeared at the end to put Beth back on track. And why did Jolene, of all the characters, have the sassy, ghetto diction? Marvel Studios has helped make the "best friend who is a minority" such a cliché that it is almost offensive. These characters are always super chill, worldly and are always ready with some wry observation about 'crazy white folk'. I believe writers can do better than that. I did like that Beth rejected the church money on principal, despite how easy it would have been to take it.

Of all the times and all the places, Cleo just happens to show up in Paris, on the night before Beth's final match, finds Beth's hotel, finds Beth's room and phone number, and proceeds to passively bully her into drinking. It was odd. And Cleo was giving Beth all those compliments, like a friend, but never seemed to care about her well-being or being rested for the big match. Cleo could have waited - just one night - and they could have partied with abandon. The show takes some odd turns. It was interesting that Benny wasn't living such a grand life in NY. It looked sort of sad. I suppose it is not that different from today's video game 'superstars' who are living in their parents' basement. In many ways, Beth is like a celebrity to all the chess nerds in the US. And people want to help her, personally and professionally. Sometimes I cannot tell how time passes on the show, but it felt like Beth was sober and industrious for two weeks - then she was a fall down drunk for two weeks. I was guessing that from the time she was supposed to go to Paris and the time thereafter. It was amusing that Beth suddenly took an interest in taking care of the yard and planting things ... five or so years after she and the chronically incapacitated Mrs. Wheatley were left on their own.

The match with the Russian prodigy was odd: surely at that point every match would have some onlookers. And Beth should not have been able to get away with such behavior - though I thought it was her intentional attempt at psychological intimidation. Maybe the book addresses that aspect of the game more. Some of Beth's previous matches involved people trying to psych her out - like the yawning guy or the guy who purposely arrived late. I wondered if Beth felt guilty for intimidating a kid. Beth's Mom's death was inevitable ever since her consumption-cough made its appearance a while back. But she got a very nice final weekend of drinking, romance, performing, being motherly .. and more drinking. I had expected a diagnosis of lung cancer and hospitalization - but we got a very tidy and peaceful death. There was also the impression that Mom may have been a bit much to deal with when her pen-pal Mexican lover also disappeared to a distant city. I suppose I shouldn't give any more consideration than the show does to how a non-working, abandoned, not-very-active woman financially and physically manages a house and yard. Was Mr. Wheatley sending money? Was everything being paid for with Beth's prize money?