Sir Gerry

I've watched every tv show or movie ever made about the Musketeers, and this is the first one I didn't finish. My all time favorite is the BBC series of 2013. I even enjoy the Charlie Sheen Disney movie, and there's a special place in my heart for DiCaprio in the Iron Mask (Jeremy Irons is the best Aramis ever) I prefer my Musketeers lighter, funnier and more adventure oriented than drama like. This new adaptation is rather gritty and dirty. No doubt that the 1600's were not sterilized, but this movie is more like early middle ages than romantic France. Also, maybe the populace lived in dirt and mud, but the King and his guard didn't. The casting of the Musketeers was also rather odd, these guys don't look the part at all, they just seem like regular folk, no charisma or presence. Milady the Winter and Treville are on point.

Funny they wanted to preserve or recreate the dirt and grit of war engulfed France of the 1600's but they had to add the 2023 touch to it by making Porthos Bi. Filmmakers, respect the source material. Period.

Besides the lightsaber duels that wet all of us fan's pants, this episode is a simple filler, and a bad one at that. The most interesting character, Baylan, is just left unexplained, in a LFL mystery-box move, he's left out of it for the most part, while Thrawn just keeps asking "where is Baylan", like a old man having a memory episode.

This episode just has no stakes, no tension, no fear for the heroes' wellbeing, we know they all will be ok, because in Disney Star wars only the white man die (Luke, Han, Kylo).

We see more of those stupid hyperspace whales (How can they just push their asses and fly through hyperspace, this is Star Trek s**t right there, not Star Wars). Then our heroine and the somewhat funny droid maneuver without almost any effort through a minefield, but nothing else happens, even after they are discovered and bombarded.

Why are all the powerful witches listening to Thrawn? What does he have/know that allows him to have power over them? Why did the main witch go to all the trouble of the previous 6 episodes to find Thrawn and do his bidding? We don't know.

And don't even get me started on the opening senate-hearing scene. CRINGE as they come. Instead of rebellious, Syndulla comes across as entitled, bratty and man-hating (of course), and why does the actor inside the C3PO suit just keeps bending backwards?

Everyone despising George must now clearly see that doing Star Wars is not an easy task, not even his closest acolyte has been able to deliver.

This shows has been proving once and again that Ahsoka should've been called Rebels or Clone Wars or something else like that. I'm guessing good old Kathy told Filoni run with your own thing and he was happy to oblige. I've been a SW fan since 1977 but I do not consume everything they put out, there'0s just not time, and I've never been into cartoons other than the funny ones. Adult animation is not my thing. So, for me, every episode of Ahsoka ends with a visit to Google for the stuff I just saw. Space whales that can jump into hyperspace? Wookiepedia to the rescue. (I found this really dumb, and so not Star Wars lore, how do the whales breathe, what do they eat, oh, well) As an outsider to the Filoniverse, I really think more should've been done to keep the show close to the heart of the OT. Disney was taking a risk with a relatively unknown character, now if they tribalize it more and more, it would explain why they are losing viewership. This Filoni directed episode was pretty well done, very competent in the technical and aesthetical aspects, but story-wise it does very little to forward the plot of the show, let alone of the SW universe. I believe they want to bring Ezra back to test the waters for a live action Rebels show. This episode was also kinda dark, not in a bad way, more like bittersweet, melancholic way. The Anakin - Ahsoka interactions, I guess I have to consume some kind of mushroom to understand.

And what the hell is with the pan flutes and tribal drumming/percussion in all new SW shows?

Filoni pays a lot of tribute to George Lucas on the first episode of Ahsoka, written and directed by Lucas' padawan, there is no shortage of Lucas' Star Wars references, like the opening crawl, the long spaceship shot, the probe droid and the bad dialogue.

In this first episode we jump right into action because we all know who Ahsoka is, and who her friends are too, that's a good thing. Hinting at Thrawn's (and Ezra's) survival, Ahsoka is tasked with, guess what?!:

Finding a celestial map, left behind by a person who doesn't want to be found, so he can be found. Sounds familiar? I bet that's Kathy's hand, again.

Taking place a few years after the events of Episode VI, the ships, aliens and technology is as OT Star Wars as you're going to get. Nice sets, VFX and music (which is very similar to the OT soundtrack).

Acting is ok, I've always liked Dawson, and her animated counterparts come to life quite nicely, maybe except for Sabine, who has a pedantic, mean girl attitude, "because she is a Mandalorian".

Clocking at 52 minutes, this episode is nothing to write home about, but let's hope sets up the story for what is to come, we all know we are going to see some form of Vader, and I'm pretty sure Luke will be in it, too.

This documentary is being promoted as the film every parent needs to see. I think this is a film every adolescent needs to see. As a parent, I already know that we go through so much turmoil and phases during adolescence, but it's the young ones, especially in this generation, (unaccustomed to deal with negative feelings, bullying and confusion) that need to see this. When we feel bad, especially as a teen, we want to feel good. Changing genders is being sold by virtually everyone, (from schools, to doctors, to politicians, to billionaires to media and entertainment) as the one dose pill that fixes all your ailments. It's become almost impossible to question this idea, let alone present it in media or movies. Kudos to the producers and everyone involved in this feature, they expose the risks behind this dangerous, and I'd say dehumanizing, enterprise. We have to admit that through human history, some people have suffered from real gender dysphoria, but what is going on now is societal manipulation and modeling, mass brainwashing and indoctrination. As Bill Maher has said, if the trend keeps going, by 2050 the whole earth population will be Gay or Trans. Ridiculous. Watch this and recommend it, then get ready to fight back.

As many others have already said, this started really good, very promising, even for a Netflix series. Sadly, after episode 4 or 5, things went downhill. It had its funny moments on those after 6, but it really seems something changed behind the scenes, whether producers, writers or what not.

I say it feels like a sales pitch for the woke agenda because at the beginning, the show is about a mild mannered man helping an anxious teen become her true self, by winning beauty pageants.

The show took shots at everything and pulled no punches: Fat people, bible thumpers, hunks, lawyers, religious leaders, etc.

But once you're hooked, comes the sales pitch and it transformed into some kind of soap opera where, not one, but two characters have to struggle with their sexuality.

The worse part about that? It stopped being funny in favor of "The Message". After season 1, I stopped watching and won't see S2.

Netflix, enough with the gay thing already.

Previous Luis Estrada efforts were very good movies. Criticize the political party that ruled Mexico for 70 years and left it sunken in poverty, misery and violence was an easy task, everybody hated PRI and La Ley de Herodes y La Dictadura Perfecta were funny, well made and well received movies that captured perfectly the corrupt side of Mexican politics since the Revolution of 1910.

Enter Morena, a new political party that won the 2018 election, under the promise, as the movie said, to magically eradicate all corruption and poverty, a party that has been supported by many intellectuals, artists and media personalities, included one of the protagonists of this movie.

So now, the criticism turns to Mexicans.

Rich or poor, as the movie presents, both are the same. Each have their flaws but Estrada seems to take it all out on the poor, uneducated ranch folk. Behaving like animals for most of the film, the poor town folk are presented as stupid, cousin-marrying, basic people that only care about one thing: Money (and getting drunk).

Very retrograde vision of the Mexican populace, filled with stereotypes and cheap laugh artifacts (Really, the old wheelchair-ridden abuela that keeps cursing? She was only missing a cigar)

Estrada presents both sides of Mexico (the poor, rich-hating, close minded lower stratum, and the rich, (now called fifi, by our own president nonetheless) who despise of everything that reeks of poverty, both unaware that they are trapped under the same vicious circle.

I'm guessing Estrada, in the third installment of his series, wants to go to the bottom of the issue: Mexican politics don't change because, very deep, Mexican people just won't change their hundred year old ways. But he does so in not such a funny way, presenting a series of vignettes, more than a coherent story, that pair the film to many, equally flawed attempts at deciphering the Mexican collective unconscious.

Characters are exaggerated, but never touch hyperrealism or the farce genre, so they remain unlikeable, flawed people that the viewer can never identify with. There is no redemption in Mexico, everybody is rotten and corrupt, in Estrada's view.

Mexican filmmakers must not be immune to this, and maybe that would explain why this movie is not that good.

The first episode of this season saw the Mandalorian save a bunch of his kin from the clutches of an evil giant monster that came out of the water by surprise. In this new episode, Favreau and Filoni double down and Mando and friends have to beat not one or two, but many more monsters, from the ugly generic creature that wants to make them their dinner, to the Geonosian looking bug that just wants to squeeze the juices out of him, to the mythical creature that gives the Mandalorians their logo. All because this guy took his helmet off and now needs to bathe in the holy waters.

Kind of generic, one-search-leads-to-another, rescue-quest episode. The droid, ship-repair lady looks really different, but as obnoxious as always.

Really hoping this season picks up fast,, because it is not looking good, and it's only 8 episodes.

On the positive, CGI is really good, the ships and flying effects are amazing.

Bardo in Tibetan Buddhism, is a state of existence between death and rebirth, varying in length according to a person's conduct in life and manner of, or age at, death. One could clearly interpret this middle state as what Gonzalez feels after many years living in Hollywood. He's neither American, nor Mexican anymore. He's in the limbo of countries, his memories playing trick on him.

And that's what he reflects in his character of Silverio (not by chance referred to as 'El Prieto' (the dark one), when Iñarritu himself was well known in Mexico as El Negro, from his early radio days in the 80's.

Iñarritu, embodied in Silverio, reflects on the journey of a lifetime, from the get go you know this might be one of those films where everything might be dream, or is it?

Trapped in a state between life and dead (wonder what that might be in the real world, a coma, maybe?) the lead character relives (remembers) a distorted life.

This distortion is evident throughout the film by the ever-present distorted cinematography, looks like a lot of the movie was shot with a fish-eye or similar lens. Most of the camera angles are tilted up, a very unusual angle.

Is all that happens in the movie true, or just the recollections of a dying man? Bardo excels at cinematographic language, symbolism and interpretation, but...

Where this movie fails is in the plot. Mexican filmmakers do very well in the US but when they come back they suffer from the Mexican cinema trope. Simplistic stories, one dimensional characters, flat acting, recurring themes (migrants, missing persons, bad government, violence, etc.) If you are making a dream-like movie, why not keep it in that realm.

Somebody here said that this is the movie of the year, sorry but no, if you like this genre, "Everything Everywhere all at Once" is the much better surrealistic film.

I think that if Iñarritu had made this movie in the US, or had distanced himself form the cliché topics of Mexican Movies a much better piece of art would've been created.

Cinematography wise, this is indeed auteur filmmaking at it's best. Impeccable photography, set and art design, symbolic and deep, but with a weak story.

Filler episode, surely indicated by the suits at Disney that the show has to go for at least for 12 episodes, weekly, so they keep subscribers paying. Nothing of consequence happens in this one, heck we even see a mom humiliate his adult son, sooo Star Wars. A fan-editor could make a single great episode just by editing 4 & 5. More of the same distrust among rebels, more of the moping Corporate Officer, more of senator Pelosi, sorry, Mon Mothma's family issues, more interoffice politics on the Empire but very little action if none at all. My guess is they are saving all the good stuff for the last 3 o 4 episodes, let's wait and see.

Disclaimer, I didn't read the books. That's what I got Netflix for. This show is a slow, slow burner, it takes 2 or 3 episodes to really get who is who, too many confusing names, and situations. Stuff begins to happen on episode 5, and still, not very good. The Heist scene is some of the best in the series but there is so much filler, sometimes it feels like a soap opera or young adult drama set in a somewhat fantasy environment. And I say somewhat because it never becomes clear what are the rules of this world and where they are situated. It has obvious fantasy and magic elements, mixed with real world, 1920's and 1930's situations and items. Some people wear glasses, ride trains and fire machine guns. Then others, segregated, have powers and are hunted down. Sounds good but there are just too many characters to care for. Found myself fast forwarding some scenes and not missing anything. I won't be watching season 2.

Debra Chow directed a couple of great Mandalorian episodes, I think she's good at drama, but action, as evidenced by part V, is not one of her strengths. Some sequences come across as fanfilm, like those seen on youtube. Granted, she's not the stunt coordinator, but she's the director. The retreat with Tala was just terrible, everybody just shooting up, and only stormtroopers fall, they are at point blank range, and they still miss. (Yeah, I know). Before Tala falls, she just grabs a ST by the helmet and pulls him down like nothing, quite unbelievable. Then the Vader - Reeeva fight, man, it has a subpar choreography, looked really cheap. Anakin and Obi wan sparring was quite better, but of course those guys have known each other for 20 years.

The good, of course was all the fan service, seeing Anakin and Obi Wan was amazing (They should really make a live action series of those two, ala clone wars). Leia still the same know it all, valley-girl accent she's been all the show.

The story is where this show fails the most, too many plotholes and inconsistencies to name here. Just watch for the eye candy.

Thought he was one of the good guys, he stood up for Gina Carano, but nope, in this one he goes against people who chose not to get the jab, and those that "do their own research" which would be OK had he been funny, but the "jokes" were terrible, then all the guest from which the only good ones as usual were Ross and Attell, and they were kinda weak too. Joe Bartnick and Ian Edwards had good moments. Sadly none of the others could save this, and the women, oh boy, the one just talking about her private parts, just awful....

McGregor carries the show, and this must have been especially difficult in this episode, the little girl playing Leia has the accent and entitled attitude of a Kardashian, trying to portray her as an incredible little girl, she comes across as pedantic and entitled. Some terrible inconsistencies, like Ben Kenobi asking Leia her age, the episode sabotages suspension of disbelief when she dangles, just by one hand mind you, by a cable 5 stories from the ground. You know the strength you need to hang by one hand, especially with tiny little hand? The revealing moment at the end of the episode, emotional and powerful acting by McGregor, just ruined by the camera going out of focus!! C'mon man! Let's see where this series takes us...

If you like Mike Myers' humor you'll like this. Very similar to Austin Powers movies but R rated. Lot's of crude humor, sexual stuff and cursing, ridiculous situations mocking conspiracies at the same time that acknowledging they might be real. In short it was good, but the final message, which I'm sure was Netflix's doing, is, we gotta get rid of white men once and for all, have them all kill themselves, and we'll rebuild with a diverse secret society of women, gays and black men, no whites allowed, then the world will be a paradise. Funny, I thought Myers was a white man. Good to pass time, just be aware of the agenda.

9.4? Really? People surely have the hots for the Mandalorian. Nothing of importance happens here, other than him getting a new ship, a thing that looks more than nostalgia and fan service than any other thing we've gotten from Disney... Wizard? I'm one for nostalgia but one that moves things forward, the whole episode was made to link the Mandalorian to Boba Fett's quest, and in doing so maybe save this sinking show. It was well directed (the long shot at 7 minutes was quite nice) and well acted but the plot was just meh. The mechanic is quickly going from funny to obnoxious, we're talking Jar Jar territory here. A butcher house in Satar Wars? What's next, Brooklyn accents and a Joe Pesci cameo? I liked Bryce's past episode much better.

Remember when NBC gave us Seinfeld, the show about nothing that actually talked about a lot of taboo things in the 90's? Seinfeld proved you can be funny and include some message and people will accept it, if it is funny. Superstore is a comedy, it's ok if they want to deliver some progressive message but it has to be in the context of what the show has been for 5 years: a sitcom. This episode was just painful to watch, it came across as preachy, only thing missing was Garret turning to the camera and scolding the white viewers. Not funny at all, not a good vehicle for what they were trying to convey. It's bad enough they had to shoehorn C19 in there, but also a lecture on CRT. By far the worst episode of the show.

After watching the aforementioned movie (No sé si cortarme las venas) I decided to give this one I try. Not much of a fan of Mexican cinema (I'm Mexican) I hate all the urban or mojados stories. Somehow in Mexican movies there's always gotta be a gun.

Anyhow, I found this movie to be quite predictable, the ending is telegraphed way before the first act is done. Very nicely shot, the movie tells the not-quite-original story of a couple that, after being divided by the family, manages to casually bump into each other 35 years later, just like in telenovelas, a genre that Caro mocks esplendidly, but which also references extensively.

And just there lies, to me, the problem with this movie. It is too much like a telenovela. Much better shot, but acted and plotted just as badly.

Some lines are just as cringy as any soap opera, and delivered just as flat, especially by the young cast. The movie also suffers from slow pacing, especially the first two acts, by the third one, when all the protagonists are together, it kind picks up, but it is too late. By then we haven't been able to relate to the protagonists and their suffering, because we know they are going to solve their conflict.

They have no odds to beat, other than figuring out how to tell the truth to each other. The movie mentions Romeo and Juliet more than once, but unlike Shakespeare's play, we find no overwhelming force keeping these two 1980's lovers apart, other than simple mishaps or a couple of lies by the sister.

Kudos to the soundtrack editor, for the nice 80's Rock en tu Idioma music.

Not bad if you want to kill some time, but not a 10, like other reviews say.

The worst episode of the whole show. I tune in to get a laugh and forget about current problems but no, I cant catch a break, this wasn't a comedy show, it was the 6 o clock news. C19, BLM, police corruption, harassment, white guilt, all was here. All three plot lines were about a specific social issue, even Holt had his personal life destroyed. Terrible for a first episode of the last season, makes one miss other NBC shows like Seinfeld, those were the times...

Maybe because the main actor and director from La Ley de Herodes are attached,one would think this is a sequel to the 1999 movie that made history. Nothing of the sort, this watches more like a made for tv (and for profit) movie. Cinematography is as bad as any mexican soap opera, and it figures, most of the actors in this are Mexican tv stars, yep, the same mexican Televison industry that the movie tries to criticize.

While Herodes had some beautiful framed and shot scenes, and acting was very good, (maybe because most of the cast were cinema and theater actors) this one has the feel of a Televisa production, it seems clearly shot on video and the acting is really subpar.

The message is still the same we all know: Mexico's system is corrupt. If you want to learn why, then go watch La Ley de Herodes.

Your writers and producer (Netflix) care more about the social justice message than a good story. This has nothing to do with the first one, which had adventure, comedy and a strong message about believing, and tradition. In this one the predictable plot about and elf gone rogue is supposed to be the center of the story, but also the cliched rebel teen girl, and the cowardly kid that finds the inner courage he always had. It is very hard to balance all plot points so the movie tumbles as a result. Then add on top that Santa's village should be renamed Mrs Santa's village, all the deers are now female (with male horns, mind you, maybe they are trans) and the little actor representing the black community is terrible and you'll see why the bad reviews. Oh, and don't justify it with "it's a kid's movie" because kids are intelligent, and we adults are really tired of forced social justice message, we just want a good Christmas movie that isn't about romance.

This episode directed by Robert Rodriguez felt a little disjointed and prodictuon wise I think it lacked, compared to previous ones. The fat Boba Fett, the return of the bounty hunter, the flying droids (that looked a lot like Marvel Iron Man leftovers) the new Vader in the person of Moff Gideon and the Harry Potter Grogu magic were some of the downsides for me, but what really brought ti down was how dumb the Stormtroopers were. Yeah, I know these are remnant of the Empire but these guys were just painfully amateur, they got shot like sitting ducks, they didn't even try to find cover behind one of the many rocks, very poor for an action oriented director like Robert. Let's hope the next one is better.

I knew I was in for a documentary-drama on the dangers of social media and its excesive use (abuse). In an age where no teen is left behind of this new tools of conformity, one can't leave any tone unturned, especially those of us with kids. Very eye and mind openening in regards the traps and methods used by large social media companies to shape us and direct us toweards their goals.

But the discerning mind can't help but notice the left wing tendency of the documentary. They were doing very well on the pyschological effects of Instagram on teen girls' self esteem when all of a sudden we are ralking about tumbling democracies and, oh, surprise, influencing elections. The second third of the documentary is all about politics and Facebook. They lash out on Zuckerberg's social media, when in fact Twitter is far more toxic and dangerous.

While I do too belive that we are more divided than ever as humans, of course, the filmmakers very thinly accuse Facebook and Russia of dismantling democracies. They just never mention Trump because they are too wise.

So they end up doing the very same thing they accuse the social networks of doing. Trying to influence your thought and ideas about politics,, but now via Netflix (who, mind you, employ some of the very same tactis social media use to keep you hooked).

Finally they get back to the psycholigical and emotional effects of the abuse of SM, and suddenly it ends with the best advice of the whole movie: Delete your social netwoks. Especially Facebook, they said.

While the show has great ideas for plots and storylines, it really suffers from a few problems that prevent it from becoming a classic, and thus getting 7.5 on imdb. First, the episodes drag and drag, in what the showrunners (fancy new name) try to pass as elegant and movie like, some shots go on for ages, and add nothing to the story or move along the plot. In episode 7 there is near 360 degree pan that takes around one minute and says nothing. All episode suffer from slow pacing trying to fill the 51 minutes I'm sure amazon imposed on producers.

The other problem is the dark lighting. Why? Why does everyone think they are making Blader Runner 2049? You will really have to increase the brightness on your Tv to know what the hell is going on. I'm sure it is totally intentional and tires to convey a depressing atmosphere, but really it only frustrates the viewer.

I watched it all but if there a season 2 I don't think I will, and I'm a huge Sci Fi fan.

I don't think this movie is about that "what makes us human". Personally I think it is about creating your own reality. The whole movie developes around the ability of a character to understand a language. In a way, Adams' character is a child (humanity) learning to speak. She has to go through all the tribulations of learning a new language, a powerful one at that. The premise is quite interesting and it took me two views to get it: Your language (the way you express what you think) determines your reality. They even mention it at the beginning of the movie, with the Sapir-Whorf theory. This is by far a very metaphysical proposal, and a very adecuate one at that, one that has been told to us by great master of ancient ("For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned"). In a way, language IS reality, it is the only way we have to describe it and thus create it. So it would make sense that a more powerful language would create a different, more powerful reality. In the movie, learning the aliens' language would opne the doors of time and space for you, and this can be wither a weapon (as first understood by humans) or a gift, as later realized by Adams. Of course the ability to thread between past, present and future could be a powerful weapon, or a great gift. Once she realizes this, it is quite interesting that she still chooses to have her baby, aware of the outcome, but the most important choice she makes, while having the ability to visit the past or future, is to live in the present. Powerful message indeed. So now you know, choose your words carefully.