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Gojira -1.0 (2023)
Best film I've seen in a long time
I'm a lifelong Godzilla fan. I saw "Mothra" and "Rodan" when I was very young, I saw "Godzilla 1985" in the theater, and I've seen every important Godzilla made since, including some of the nearly unwatchable ones from the 80s and 90s.
I was skeptical that "Godzilla Minus One" could be as good as they say but I was proven wrong. This is a brilliantly directed, brilliantly acted, brilliantly scripted, brilliantly executed film. The directing reminds me of young Steven Spielberg. It hammers your emotions like few films are capable of. It pays homage to the old Godzilla movies. I could go on an on. Great premise, beautiful cinematography, clever ideas, and a very nice musical score as well.
I don't see how anyone could think this is anything other than a great film. Even if you're not very into Godzilla, this is a standalone monster movie, maybe the best ever. The film it would seem to be most obviously comparable to is "Jaws".
Godzilla himself -actually the monster was intended as a female in the very first film if I recall correctly- gets relatively little screen time in this movie, as it is primarily a human drama. But this adds impact to the scenes in which he does appear: a ferocious, terrifying sea monster - as he was originally intended.
The only nitpicks I might point out: I don't like how they animated the upright, walking Godzilla. He looks unfinished. In my opinion Godzilla looks most natural on land while walking on all fours, like a Stegosaurus, as they did in "Godzilla vs. Kong".
And I'm not sure how I feel about using a crying toddler to insert drama into a scene. I definitely wouldn't have used it twice. But this is pretty minor.
This must surely be considered the best Godzilla movie of all time, but that statement feels just a bit unfair as this is a very different type of film.
Sisu (2022)
Very stupid and contrived movie
This film is a series of simplistic scenes, each more implausible than the last, until it finally gives up trying to be believable and goes for broke. It seems to have been conceived by a bunch of adolescent boys.
How does one throw a landmine? Even the basic premise of the film: finding a huge gold deposit, is unrealistic. I doubt such a large deposit has been found in modern Europe. By the way, how did he break the nugget up into small pieces? Gold is a ductile metal, not a stone.
The only thing worth recommending about this is the performance by the lead. Congratulations, you got my money.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Boldy sitting still
This was the peak of William Shatner's career. There was a lot of anticipation for this movie as it would follow the success of "The Voyage Home", which is still a great film. Additionally, 'The Next Generation' was on TV now - though it had not yet become the classic we know today. Shatner would finally get his chance to direct this.
It may be more revealing to attempt to list what is good about this movie. It's a surprisingly difficult task. I'm a lifelong Trekkie and there's is practically nothing I can bring. We got a couple of new sets, that's really about it. And I remember being quite captivated by the Romulan ambassador as a teenager. They produced a very nice new version of the Goldsmith musical theme which is still being enjoyed. Would have been better if they had composed some original music though.
The plot is not only messy, it flat out doesn't make sense at times. There's no satisfying story arc or reward. It feels wrong, and they must have known during production.
I won't bother commenting on the special affects. I'm sure other reviewers have covered that thoroughly. It shows again how they tried to cut corners.
Sybock is a very weak and uninteresting "villain". The actor does the best he can with anemic material.
Star Trek: Generations (1994)
From a lifelong Trek fan
STG is, unfortunately, definitively, not a good film. It looks like it was made by people who did not know what they were doing, who didn't have the skills to execute it, and who weren't sure how to translate the TV show to big screen for the first time. Worse, this film had to be the "crossover movie" in which Kirk meets Picard. But it's done in a very hackneyed and disappointing way.
It's evident from the first lines that something is off with these now familiar characters. They don't act right. The earlier original ST films had this problem too. Data in particular is way out of character. Which is surprising as Brent Spiner is one of TNG's best actors.
But of course the worst thing about STG is the way they killed Kirk. In hindsight, with a couple of decades of Star Trek in the interim, the manner in which this happens seems almost hard to believe. It has also proved to be an irreparable barrier preventing William Shatner from ever appearing in Star Trek again, and in writing the stories which might have been interesting.
Kirk is not fundamental to this film. He's an extraneous bit, just like the Klingon sisters. Thrown in without any real reason. He never comes into the future to see the new Enterprise or meets any characters other than Picard. It's a big let down for what should have been the highlight of the film.
So, are there any good things about this movie? Malcolm McDowell's character serves as an intriguing foil to Picard, to some extent. The film also features the only HD images of the Enterprise-D, at least until the recent series on Paramount. The interior of the ship gets more expensive lighting and a full crew. The film's crowning special effect shows the saucer section crash landing in what was a quite impressive sequence at the time.
Finally , the film to a very small degree sets the stage for its superior successor, though they aren't related in any way.
Star Trek: Picard: The Last Generation (2023)
Bravo
Holy shoot, you did it. You basically made what we waited our entire adult lives for. Not a perfect episode but at the same time more than good enough. You have to be impressed with how this cast has evolved and how they can still carry a show. Compare how they act and relate now to those old episodes. Should I point out this is a TV show with an 82 year old man in the title role?
It would seem Paramount slow walked this season until the end. I was harshly critical of those other episodes. As for this finale, congrats and thank you to the entire cast and crew for this memorable accomplishment.
Star Trek: Picard: Võx (2023)
You're starting to redeem yourselves
Well, I'd argue bringing the Borg into this was unnecessary, most especially since we just saw the Borg last season. Nonetheless, this episode felt more like a movie than any episode so far. Picard's acting is better. (In the last episode, when he responds to LaForge's question about the bottle of wine, his response was snappy, funny, and it felt like Picard was back for the fist time.)
Every fan will love seeing the original crew back on the bridge of the most beautiful ship in the history of Star Trek. We've never gotten many nice HD views of that ship.
You know what I'd do: in the final episode I'd have the Enterprise D go up against the Enterprise E. But I doubt we'll get to see that, unfortunately! :-)
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UPDATE: I wanted to point out, since I haven't seen any reviewers do so yet, that this episode paid homage to Dr. Pulaski.
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Star Trek: Picard: Surrender (2023)
Better
I wrote a review trashing this whole season on the series' general IMDB page. I will say the last two episodes have been perceptibly better. More interesting to watch. (Though not without scenes designed to consume time, such as the full ten minutes we were forced to watch as Vadic counted down to her evil deed.) I think I can see what they were trying to do with Vadic. She's sort of an insane clown in space. Maybe it looked a little more compelling in the original concept art? As it is, the actress who plays her is the best actor on the show.
One strange thing I will point out is that the original characters don't seem all that happy to see each other again. Worf greets an old flame and stoically recites to her instead of showing any emotion at all. It would seem the characters have all built their own lives and moved on. Dark indeed.
Star Trek: Picard (2020)
This show is absolutely terrible
STTNG took pains to make things seem at least scientifically plausible. This show is a hacked together ball of derivative Star Trek tropes designed to make a show as cheaply as possible. The acting is very bad. Did the original cast members even rehearse their lines? Characters are constantly explaining what's going on, trying to form a storyline where there is none, and most of all, trying way too hard to reunite original characters, and referencing old episodes.
From a technical standpoint, the show is passable. The CGI is decent. (I would hope so, this is 2023, not The Wrath of Khan.) Lighting is pretty nice. The sets are obviously the same redressed ST sets we've all seen so many times now.