shrewd.buddha

I was looking forward to this show returning. It has the look and feel of a true sci-fi show (tho I'm not sure how Netflix pulls that off). I also like that Kovacs is getting a new body for this season ... but Mackie does not seem very comfortable with all the techno gobbledygook dialogue. Perhaps looser, more easy-going characters come more naturally to him as an actor. It feels like a lot of characters and situations are being thrown at us - - to the point I stop paying attention to names and wait to see who manages to live through the next sure-to-be-coming gun/blade battle.

The last straw for me may have been the reinterpretation of the Hansel and Gretel story. The racist recasting of the fairy tale characters was bad enough, but they completely ignored a significant part of the story: Hansel and Gretel's parents trying to abandon them in the forest, which was horrible in itself. That was just lazy racism which made me think that this show would most likely paint every situation - past, present and fairy tale - as an example of extreme racial prejudice. The Truly Grim History Behind The Fairy Tale Of Hansel And Gretel

Yes, it is very jarring how the show leans hard into the comic book, pulp, fiction with Jonah's fantasy visions of a team of heroes with flashy intros, specific skill sets and code names. But the flashbacks to the concentration camps (with an extra layer of sadism) just feel icky and disrespectful. It doesn't make the revenge fantasy feel like righteous justice when two of the killings have basically been some strangers breaking into an old person's house and taking them unawares (the NASA Nazi and the music Nazi). It wasn't like the (ex- ? ) Nazi's were still actively killing. And who, besides this secret band of Hunters, will get any relief or satisfaction from these executions when the Nazis' past crimes are not exposed? I don't think I am going to make it much further in the series. The wackiness of Jonah's friends, the quirkiness of the Hunter's characters and the 70's window dressing doesn't manage to compensate for, and is not balanced by, the in-your-face horrors of the holocaust flashbacks. I find myself wanting the episodes to be over.

Al Pacino Impaling a Nazi Is the Best Thing About Amazon’s Hunters I found myself agreeing with this article. ^^ The pilot episode was entertaining - to a point - but I found myself conflicted about the concept of a revenge fantasy in which old people are being killed off. I felt it would be more satisfying if the old Nazis were exposed and brought to justice instead anonymously killed. Or at least if they were killed by their actual victims and not by people who were only told about their crimes. It probably also doesn't help matters by the fact that I am exhausted by real life racial tensions and I am not looking to be entertained by over-the-top fictionalized racial hatred. We will try a few more episodes though..

It was interesting. But this show always manages to ratchet up the urgency and layer on the compounding circumstances to stretch things out: Kidnapped privileged teen! FBI standoff in a near-impenetrable panic room!! Kidnapper may be delusional - - but is not!!! Kidnapper's missing daughter was actually abducted!!!! Homing pigeons are involved!!!!! Human trafficking!!!!!! Missing daughter is in a coma and can't be used to de-escalate Kidnapper Dad!!!!!!! ... although I did appreciate the homing pigeons and wish more people would consider trading in their cell phone plans for a flock of pigeons.

Yes. Some trailers feel like their own thing: an artistic effort - short, well edited and choreographed to music. The last trailer that caught my attention in such a way was for Godzilla, King of the Monsters - edited to music from Clair de Lune. Unfortunately, that movie did not live up to the promise of the trailer.

Yes, that was annoying. They did it with both victims, both of whom were wearing underwear. At first I though it was a good misdirect ... but after thinking about it, the killer was a police detective who had investigated one of the victims. He was not shown (that I noticed) to be connected to the victim or suspect in any other way. Him being revealed as the killer was as out-of-the-blue as if the killer had been a complete stranger .. except he followed the rule of having had screen time at some point. Was there any indication that the sheriff was going to face charges for helping to cover up the circumstances of the JAG lawyer's husband's death/murder? And the JAG lawyer appeared to be very unconcerned and casual about all the deaths happening around her.

Just rented it ... and I can understand the lack of enthusiasm for this movie. The entire story is stuck on repeat: Killer robot and also a protector come from the future to kill/save someone: running and fighting ensue. None of the tweaks and twists to that story made it feel any fresher: gender swaps, current immigration issues, human enhancements, etc. The action sequences even started to feel repetitive and numbing. It did not help that the over-the-top sequences near the end of the movie were somewhat confusing with regards to who was doing what to whom (at least to me). One of the most irritating aspects of these Terminator movies is that we are shown how lethal the robots are - taking out a a small army of guards - but the target character (who is to be terminated) always ends up in face-to-face combat with the robot that could easily kill them at any moment. Someone in the always-apocalyptic future really needs to address the endless amount and constant use of time-travel technology. It's like Amazon levels of time-displaced package delivery.

Has it ever been explained how the no-currency lifestyle works in the 24th century? How does one get entitled to have a large swanky apartment or French villa? Supply and demand would make it impossible for everyone to have ocean-view houses. What circumstances would cause a person to only be entitled to the New York style one room apartment with a bathroom-is-also-the-kitchen setup? I also wonder what compensation a person would get for taking a position such as caretakers for Picard's vineyard. Is there some type of super advanced bartering system or indentured servitude?

The premiere episode is free to view on YouTube for a limited time. So we checked it out to decide whether to binge the series after it has completed. (Cannot justify paying a monthly subscription for only one show -- nice try CBS and Disney.) I was wary of how it would be approached, but was pleasantly surprised. Above all else, it is entertaining without the distracting annoyances of retconning the past or babbling nonsensical science-sounding words. The real advantage of this show is that the Star Trek universe is moving forward, finally. We can be free of prequel issues and old stories being rehashed in alternate timelines. Fingers crossed that the series can maintain the quality that was present in the premiere. This is a show that could easily fall deep into fan service and nostalgia porn. A thing that did seem odd was why would Picard have any issue finding out about Dahj (the AI young woman). She had an apartment of her own and a scholarship to a prestigious school - - she should be well documented. At that point in the future, I would imagine that you couldn't start your flying car or enter your apartment without some type of automated DNA verification.

Agreed. Was there any clear explanation as to how the extra Sabrina escaped from regular time to go back and save herself from the carbonite stuff? I think there was some talk about how Caliban did it by making the 9th circle of hell some sort of time limbo. I was somewhat glad that the time reset was not a completely clean reversal of everything that had happened. I did not like how things ended with Blackwell still free, crazy and bent on murder. The character was so much better as part of the bureaucratic witch society (which is gone). Also not too happy that the weird sisters are no more. Prudence's blaming Ambrose for not being able to make her own decision was a lame way to break them up.

Yeah ... and things seemed to be going so well, for me, until now. But they have killed too many central characters to believe that things will stand as they are without a major timey-wimey reset taking place .. which always feels like a lazy out. A couple of other things that have grown to annoy me: The Caliban competition being continued no matter what the current circumstances are. That over-stretched the limits of believability (even for this show). Sabrina showing up at school to talk to Roz, despite all the major craziness that is happening. Sabrina's attendance at high school and witch school is so haphazard and for-plot's-sake-only that there is no believability to it, either. Maybe I only imagined it, but the previous seasons seemed to have more believable day-to-day activities happening. Now - there is no mortuary business happening, there is no real coven left, no one has basketball or cheerleader practice ... and so on. I am finding myself less invested as the show becomes more unhinged from its own daily reality.

One of the things I appreciate about this show is how bonkers it can get. They have turned the screws, ratcheted up the stakes and painted themselves into corners ... but I like not having the possible outcome or solution being obvious as it is for many shows. It seems as if the writers have also seen their share of tropes and cliches - - and work on taking the stories into unexpected territories. It is also amusing to have these life and death circumstances, but the teenagers (Sabrina, Harvey, Nick) still manage to get all "woe is me" about having 'just' broken up with their platonic boyfriend/girlfriend. I have no idea what they are trying to do with Theo/Susie in this season... Also - the production values and set dressing for this show make The Witcher look like a local cable show (almost). .. and I like The Witcher.. But how does that manage to the all the media buzz?

It seemed like an odd yet directly connected scene to add to the episode. Jubal doesn't respect classroom snitches ... but in his 'esteemed' chosen profession, he uses his authority to bully people into snitching on one another on a daily basis. That, along with OA's fake drive-by shooting and other questionable decisions, made the FBI come across as both slimy and police-state authoritarian in this episode. Maybe there will be some chinks shown in the FBI armor ... which isn't a big stretch considering the agency has plenty of scandalous behavior, both recently and all the way back to J. Edgar Hoover. But I did like Jubal's feelings of regret at the end. It was a nice alternative to the haughty moral superiority reactions we see from OA and Maggie most of the time.

That was an impressive amount of makeup, costuming and special effects - so, well done on that. It also helps that all the actors seem to be giving it their best efforts. Even tho the show is just fun entertainment for us, it struck me as odd that Sabrina and the gang manage to go on a major quest to Hell without the knowledge of Hilda and Zelda. And Ambrose and Prudence are literally on a killing spree, of sorts. It's not that I mind the show taking things up a notch and following the natural consequences of what has happened ... it is just that I worry that things may get too sinister and serious and we may lose the more fun and light aspects of the show. But I am totally on board with the semi-queen of hell trying out for the high school cheer leading team..

Agreed. Even though both seasons 1 and 2 were mostly centered around one planetary location, they were not confined to one location with multiple scenes outside the Jupiter, like some sci-fi RV park. But I would appreciate if the writers would attempt action story lines that were more interesting. In season one, Penny gets trapped down an ice well with time running out before she perishes. Later, Maureen and John get trapped in a mud pit with time running out before they perish. Then, in season two, Maureen and Penny get trapped down a cliff with time running out before they perish. Later, John gets trapped down a mine shaft with time running out before he perishes. .. and those are just the ones I can remember off-hand .. Come on, writers.. Surely there are other scenarios to explore. Maybe, occasionally, lose the countdown clock. Maybe involve someone other than a main character who has near-impenetrable plot armor.

"Your dad was trying to do the right thing ... but ended up activating a hundred killer robots. .. also, he was a bit too chatty and didn't feel like running that day.."

I am tired of the sci-fi trope which demands, for dramatic effect, everything must be blown up: space stations, planets, death stars, etc. ... as long as the precious humans are still breathing, nothing else matters .. What about the horses and chickens? Cows? Pigs? All the supplies needed for mining, distilling water, farming .. all the supplies that were onboard for the colony at Alpha Centauri ..? The entire show seems to be built around bouncing from one catastrophic crisis to another. Is there really an underlying or overarching story being told? - - or is it just episodic disasters with heavy-handed themes of family, friendship and embracing your special-ness? At one point Don jokes, while running, that there is never any time to deal with anything. And speaking of time and waste - - it was annoying when Scarecrow's handler human decided the time had come to make the ultimate sacrifice ... despite the fact that he had time to attempt a run back to the Jupiter. But no, best to use that time for giving farewell speeches to Will and Scarecrow. If only they had landed just a bit closer to their destination. And speaking of speeches.. Judy: "Should I give a speech?" Judy, you are you mother's child, pontification is in your blood. Go ahead, try not to give a speech.. Ever since the mutiny, Maureen seems to be the de facto captain of the Resolute. The decision to destroy the Resolute and send the children away felt very contrived - - whatever was necessary for the biggest emotional gut-punch. And they really drug out the departure of the children's ship. On the plus side, I will give the show credit for the joke about why would a ship have a self-destruct feature. And all the foreshadowing of Judy's bio-dad. Season 3 could be interesting ... but you know it will be messy and hamfisted.

So, Judy gets a message from her parents, telling her that they outside of the space station, left behind in maintenance pods... And Judy's reactions is basically, "Whatev ... I guess we kids are on our own now." I kept waiting for some scene where Judy would tell someone, anyone, that her parents had been 'thrown overboard', but no.. And Not Dr. Smith was on team Robinson for about half an episode - but then immediately goes back to anti-Robinson after John spoke harshly to her. One episode to go, but I have to say that getting through this season feels like an effort. Many of the 'dire situations' feel a bit forced and you can almost see the effort of the writers to pair up different characters for parallel crises to jump back and forth between. I am chalking it up to the notion that maybe the writers are aiming at more of a tween audience.

So the Robinsons just approach, dock, and merrily hop off their ship onto a space station before having any communication with said space station? This type of reckless behavior explains most of their problems. And TPTB are doubling down on Not Dr. Smith. We are supposed to believe that this Jessica Harris has the ability to hack the security system to switch identities, DNA profiles and erase any digital evidence? .. so that only the Robinsons will know the truth, yet have no proof? Ugh. If this were not a sci-fi show with high production values, I would be getting off the train at this point..

I have talked to a couple of people who said they gave up on the series mid-way and specifically sited Not!Dr.Smith as part of the reason. My viewing partner also talks about how this character makes the show difficult to watch. But now the show is stuck with this actor/character situation and it's difficult to see how they can really make it work. And as others have said - why continue calling her Dr. Smith? It would be different if the character had been played as mischievously disruptive, but no, she is a straight up murderous sociopath. Why would the parents let their children be alone with her? Why do we have do endure her constant droning monologues? Do the writers think the majority of views are really enjoying this? And Penny was perfectly okay with Will reading and 'publishing' her journal without her consent? Not likely. The show could benefit from toning down the "very special episode" aspect of the stories dealing with the children. However, I did appreciate when Maureen told John to consider what lives their children would have if they were forced to grow up without a larger society. She didn't specifically say 'incest', 'inbreeding', or 'sister wives' ... but I think we all got what she was implying ...

Season 4: It was nice to see the characters again. It seemed like a long, long time since season 3. Not sure that I like the cliffhanger ending for every single episode. What that a programming decision to promote binging? It got to the point that I started guessing where in the episode they would cut to black and roll credits... I would prefer to have some stories come to a satisfying close. At some point I realized that the Rocinante crew was not getting off that planet until the season was over. That's okay, I suppose .. tho it felt a bit padded out when the people planet-side and in orbit started solving their problems at the same time. Same with the Mars story line. It had some interesting parts, but it felt like waiting to see how much crap Bobbie had to go thru before taking the job Avasarala offered her at the beginning of the season. I was okay with Avasarala taking a bit of blow to her career and shown to have flaws. (But election politics is a bit nausea inducing, no matter the time frame.) All characters that are going to be around for a while should have some ups and downs. One thing that I'm still not clear on - where are the other 1300 'rings'? Are they in our galaxy? Or is there only the one ring in our solar system and the other rings are only visible after passing thru 'primary' ring? It seems hard to imagine that Earth could be policing the entrance to all those rings.

We watched it over 4 or 5 days - - it went pretty quickly and easily. However - I found it much less enjoyable than season one. In this season, Jack has already become jaded, bearded, grizzled and an expert at .. well, everything.. Also, Jack's girlfriend from season one disappeared without a trace or mention. Greer was the same type of dick he was in season 1, which fits and works for his character. But now Jack Ryan is the same type of dick, with no naivete or potential to grown and learn - - he is all grown up, no longer riding a bike, picking up strange women for one-nighters and has his brooding man-beard. The action was well done. But nothing was very subtle. El presidente turned out to be your typical evil villain who would cut his own brother's throat (we were sure there was going to be some type of twist there, but no..). Ryan's insta-love connection with spy-woman was also abrupt and lacked any visible chemistry. The episodes were easy to watch, but the writing has definitely gone downhill. I suppose that since the first season was considered a hit, the series will now get the "just churn 'em out" treatment.

Yes, Sophie lit a fuse, but Piety was a calculating, kidnapping, murdering, liver-stealing black-magic psychopath. They were worlds apart. And Phillo and Faerie girlfriend apparently dumped yet another dead body that no one has found yet. What was the point of Faerie girlfriend's attempted jail break via faked suicide? Incompetence? We were sure she had grabbed some keys or something in order to make a true escape, but .. nope. What are her street-smart talents supposed to be, exactly? The ability look disinterested at all times? And what a waste of 'magical' creatures. The most significant wielder of magic was a human: Piety. All the Fae 'people' were just stand-ins for minority race immigrants who get labelled with derogatory nicknames and confined to ghettos. Yes, the rising tide of nationalism is thing to be concerned about ... but this show is so ham-fisted in its approach that it feels lazy and off-putting. This show is basically a mockumetary. Side question: Do other countries that have different racial mixes than England (such as China, India, Nigeria ) have similar racial tensions and discrimination? Is there a country that is considered the gold standard for diversity representation? Can't say that I'm eager for more ... And I have seen news items that say the original creator has left the show and new showrunners have been brought on for season 2. Not a promising sign..

Racism, sexism, all forms of bigotry, fear mongering towards immigrants - and - the mandatory whore house. This felt like a swing-and-a-miss attempt to copy the look and feel of Game of Thrones (but with faeries). I was surprised they wrapped up the fae serial killer story line so quickly. Impressive visuals, but the acting felt overwrought and I wasn't buying what the lead actors were trying to sell .. especially their epic love for one another.