Reviews

The Mandalorian has fallen a lot from its peak around the start of season 1, I'll say that much. The ambient visuals and slow pace have been replaced by Book Of Boba Fett Tier direction and ceaseless Star Wars slide transitions. The brilliant lack of dialogue, gone, and in its place, endless, pointless and meaningless ramblings about nothing to a baby who can't understand what's being said. Everything I like about the show is gone.

It's still fine, though. But that rests solely on the visuals and action, and even that is a downgrade. The story- It's terrible. All of the acting is awful, which isn't a shocker, because it's the Mandalorian, but it is, and the pacing is hardly any better. And the story- I just don't care. It feels like The Mandalorian's jumped the shark 10 times over, and now it's a completely different show than the one I once enjoyed. It may work for some people, but it doesn't work for me.

I'll say it right now: This is easily the worst movie I've ever seen, and quite possibly one of the worst ones ever made. Now hold your horses, I really, really enjoyed it.

But it's not a movie. It just isn't. It does not count or qualify as a movie and so, reviewing it in the merits of a movie, it's the worst one I've ever seen, because even the worst real movies I've seen are still movies. This is 3 amvs, two old episodes of the anime and one new one. The old ones are good enough and the new one is good but lame as hell in the context of being a movie.

Removing repackaged old stuff, think about it: There was not a single fight scene in this DEMON SLAYER "movie". There was not a single character arc in this Demon Slayer "movie". There was not an ending to this demon slayer "movie". It's not a movie.

I'll review it as such.

1/10 (The new episode is like a solid 7 though)

Warriors is a pretty entertaining show- At least, this episode is. All the characters are likeable and well acted, the story is dense but very well introduced and explained and it obviously has a high production value with some gorgeous sets, great fight scenes and incredible music- But I can't help but find it a little bland right out of the gate. I've seen a lot of shows and movies with similar premises, and Warriors doesn't really do enough, outside of it's action and setting, to make itself seem any different. It's a standard enough crime show with a lot of sex, violence and mystery. That's all well and good, but I can't help but ask for more.

Coming off of the first episode, I was worried about this show. Of course, it was good, but I think it really fell apart after the time jump, ending up a little slow paced and not all that interesting. But, surprisingly, right out of the gate in this episode, all of the pacing issues are gone. And it stays throughout the episode. It's still somewhat slow, but it's consistently engaging and very well paced, full of great character moments, a fantastic action scene and some absolutely breathtaking visuals. It's just solid TV. Well written, atmospheric, visceral, and most importantly, entertaining. I'm very excited about the direction this show is going.

The Last Of Us, much like it's source material, starts out with a bang. And the first half of this episode which retells that bang, that fantastic, recognizable intro, surprisingly manages to improve on it in some very interesting, subtle ways, creating an incredibly engaging, tense and brilliantly shot opening that managed to shock me even though I knew the game's story very well going in. It's absolutely brilliant, and dare I say perfect. However, this episode is an hour and a half, and that intro is like thirty minutes. And the other stuff- I'm not saying it's bad, I'm just saying it isn't great. There's a lot of bad acting, overly frequent and unnatural sounding swearing, and just a general lack of things going on. It's a lot to get into, but it all really boils down to the pacing. That intro is absolutely exceptionally paced. It's what makes it so great, there's just this constant, neverending rise of tension that ends with a massive story bombshell. It's awesome. The rest of this episode, to me, kinda feels like a flatline. It spends a lot of time setting up a lot of stuff instead of actually doing any of it. Is that bad for this episode or good for the show?

Both.

But, even if I don't care for that part too much, it's still good TV, and it's still very entertaining. They just set the bar impossibly high and couldn't reach back up to it right away. But that's fine. The most important thing for a pilot isn't that it's the best stuff in the world, it's that it sets the show up right- Which this definitely did.

Y'know, reading reviews for this movie makes me feel insane, because I walked out of this movie absolutely floored.

The sheer spectacle of this film, the incredible story, the near perfect ending- It was an emotional, intense thrill ride from beginning to end that only got better as it went along.

But I guess other people don't see it that way, which makes sense. I am by no means someone to ask about Bollywood movies, this is the second one I've ever seen, so I'm very forgiving or unaware of most tropes and repetitive stuff, you know? That's what seems to bother a lot of people, from what I've read, that it's generic. Which could totally be true- But come on, man. How can you not like this movie? Did we watch the same movie? Did you see that ending?

It's powerful stuff. Very excited for part two.

The pilot episode of Snabba Cash has incredible visuals, acting, sound design and pacing, but the confusing plot doesn't get much less so by the end, leaving it to feel more intriguing than it was gripping. While it's good to leave the viewer wanting more, you also want to leave the viewer understanding the basic plot of what they just watched. As is, Snabba Cash feels like two different shows mashed together with little crossover. Obviously, this will change, but it makes the pilot less interesting to me, because I don't really get it at all. Of course, this is, somewhat, the nature of this type of show. Unfortunately, that nature makes it so the whole is worth more than the sum of its parts.

Nothing in the story of Tekken Bloodlines is impactful after episode two. It does not know how to handle pivotal plot moments or manipulate your emotions when it is focusing on telling a bigger story and not on its characters. The first two episodes work because of their simplicity, and because of the simplicity of the story at large. As it goes on, that simplicity is forgotten, and replaced with bland characters, pointless side stories and a central narrative that feels like a distraction and nothing more. There are so many things about this show that could be fixed with an expanded episode count or by trimming the fat of its own story. Ultimately, though, this is the show we got, and it is thoroughly disappointing.

But, hey, the fights were pretty cool.

This episode represents a good shift in direction, leaning more heavily on worldbuilding and drama, while maintaining the lighthearted, low-stakes soul of the show. Still, the writing (or translation) remains muddled and confusing, and many of the jokes featured just don't make much sense to me.

But, as always, it's funny, interesting and heartfelt, and strengthening the layers of lore and emotion only makes it a better show, even if, at times, it doesn't make the most sense or land completely for me. It's an episode that improves over most others, but is still limited by some core aspects of the show itself.

I enjoyed this quite a lot more than I expected to. Obviously, though, this first episode is far from groundbreaking. The story is predictable, the characters are all pretty obvious archetypes and even the central narrative of the show itself doesn't seem to offer much originality- But it does everything it does quite well. It's really nice to watch an anime with an optimistic, lighthearted tone that doesn't feel like it was dumbed down to be just for kids, and this pilot certainly feels like that. Also, oh my god, the music- It's worth watching for that alone. So, yeah. This pilot isn't great, and it's far from groundbreaking or strikingly original, but if anything, it's a fun time, and a refreshingly lighthearted one, at least for me.

Episode two of House Of The Dragon benefits greatly from its smaller scale and slowed pace, providing fantastic character moments and necessary and excellent setup for the episodes to come. The highlight of the episode for me, easily, was Emily Carey's absolutely fantastic performance as Alicent Hightower. The silent sorrow she brings to the screen really made me feel for the character where the script didn't. Every scene she's in, she elevates- If only I could say the same for Milly Alcock. I don't know whether to blame her acting or the script, but I can't find it within myself to care for her as much as the show wants me to. I'm lucky, then, that I don't need to, when I love everything else in the show so much.

From the bickering of old lords to the great beasts the show got its name from, this episode, and the show so far, shine in almost all areas- But truth be told, not much exciting has happened. The quality of what I've seen in this episode and the last really does hinge upon whether it will all be paid off in spectacular fashion- Or whether the show will fall flat on its face. For now, through, I'm loving it, and I trust that won't change anytime soon.

Marred down by a sluggish, largely uninteresting opening 20 minutes, House Of The Dragon finds its legs as it goes on, leveraging the brutality, production value and great writing the series is known for, as well as an absolutely fantastic performance by Matt Smith to its favor, ending up as one of the best pilots I've seen this year. Even still, some issues remain until the end, with Molly Alcock's performance and the abysmal CGI of the Dragons standing out in particular for me. But small issues like those can't tank a great episode such as this- And truly, this episode is great. I have high hopes for the future of the series- And Game Of Thrones as a franchise after this more than welcome revival.

Beavis And Butthead Do America does everything it says on the box exactly like you think it will. If you love Beavis and Butthead, this is the movie for you. If you don't, never even think about touching this movie with a 50 foot pole. Personally, I find myself somewhat in the middle of that spectrum. I think Beavis And Butthead is full of genuinely great jokes, but the delivery always kills them for me. I thought this movie would be different, because it's a movie, not a cheapo, mostly improvised sketch on MTV. But really, it's just an extra long episode of Beavis And Butthead with a slightly higher budget. I guess it was my bad for expecting anything more.

So, yeah, most of the jokes really didn't land for me, I was disappointed by the minimal change in quality from the show and I just don't really care for Beavis And Butthead- But I still see the appeal, and I did have a good time- Just not one that had me laughing as much as it should've.

This is a movie that I would say is too funny for its own good. Why is this? Because it's a story about world ending monsters and super powered aliens who can destroy planets built upon the foundations of a comedy movie. It never manages to find the right balance between these two tones, so when it's serious, it has no impact on me because instead of making me care, the movie has been making me laugh. When the movie is funny, it doesn't land because thirty seconds ago it was a serious action flick. It doesn't know what it wants to be, so it doesn't work. I still enjoyed it well enough, though. Despite its relatively low stakes, confused tone and incredibly poor pacing, it manages to stay entertaining throughout, propped up by its incredible action and decent humor. Though due to its lack of substance, it never manages to become anything truly meaningful.

Superhuman Law proves that when She-Hulk isn't grossly mishandling fan favorite characters, it can actually be a very funny, entertaining show. Sure, it's far from groundbreaking and I have no reason to be emotionally invested, but it isn't trying to be anything more than a funny little show. And, to its credit, it is a funny little show, and that's all it needs to be.

Overall, this is a good episode with lots of great jokes, fun moments and fanservice galore. There isn't really any substance, emotion or weight behind it all, but it still manages to be very entertaining, which is all it needs to be, and is more than I can say about past marvel shows. Good time.

The first episode of Anatomy Of A Scandal presents an interesting central narrative, a solid lead and a slower, more laid back approach to its storytelling, but its oft poor writing, laughable ending, ho-hum quality and sometimes repetitive nature keep it from reaching any exceptional heights- though it is, without a doubt, a good episode of television- just not a great one.

Episode 2 of tekken bloodlines builds upon the first in a wonderful fashion, continuing with the incredible action I expect from the series and improving on the story and dialogue to make for a show that is not only exciting, but that I care about. While I would argue the story progresses a bit too fast for my liking, leaving entire characters delegated to a few seconds in a montage, that can't change the fact that this episode presents a great, simple story with a well executed payoff, building upon the foundations established for Jin's character in episode 1 while setting up a finale that will no doubt be both exciting and emotionally charged.

8/10. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

The first episode of Isekai Ojisan builds a strong basis for the future of the series off of likable characters, good humor and great writing, though some anime tropes and a ho-hum plot delivered piecemeal keep it from reaching very high peaks.

While the lesser emphasis on plot is a symptom of its slice-of-life nature, it lacks anything meaningful to replace it. The biggest sin of its story is that it doesn't tell one. Things happen: Most of them aren't very related. I understand emphasizing characters and setting up the bigger story over telling a smaller, self contained one, but at the end of the day, that doesn't help the fact that this is not its own story, it's a small part of another one. A great episode should be both.

This is not a great episode. It is only a good one.

Overall, this first episode doesn't try to do much and it succeeds at doing so, and quite honestly, it didn't need to do anything more. It just wasn't exceptional, and that's fine. I'm excited to watch more.

7/10.

Carter is an absolutely incredible action film brought down by laughable CGI, bad editing, a confused, barebones story, a ho-hum third act and divisive cinematography. And if all of that is enough to make it not worthwhile for you, that makes sense.

For me, though, the lower-budget, over the top charm of Carter, combined with the absolutely incredible action and fantastic lead made it more than worth my time, and hopefully yours. It's just certainly not for everyone.