Category: 2020

TV Review – Star Trek: Picard Season One, Episodes Six & Seven

Star Trek: Picard (CBS All Access)
Season One Episode Six – “The Impossible Box”
Written by Nick Zayas
Directed by Maja Vrvilo

Season One Episode Seven – “Nepenthe”
Written by Samantha Humphrey and Michael Chabon
Directed by Doug Aarniokoski

I’m a little lost as to what the story being told here is at this point. The pacing decisions from early on have felt unbalanced, and “The Impossible Box” is a vital example of this. The audience has known that the Artifact is where Picard eventually will arrive since episode one. The show has meandered on its way to get there with strange layovers like “Absolute Candor.” When we finally reach the reclaimed Borg cube, things suddenly happen at rapid-fire, and we’re still left with little information moving forward as to what exactly this story is.

Continue reading “TV Review – Star Trek: Picard Season One, Episodes Six & Seven”

Book Update 2020 – January-February

Capitalist Superheroes: Caped Crusaders in the Neoliberal Age by Dan Hassler-Forest

I don’t pretend I’m in love with the superhero film genre. As much as I love the comic books I grew up reading and still love to read today, the films never sit quite well with me. Author and critic Dan Hassler-Forest details the underlying ideology presented in modern superhero movies and how it only reinforces capitalist patriarchal hegemony. Hassler-Forest argues that these are merely an extension of the same blind patriotism seen in the Stallone and Schwarzenegger movies of the 1980s. Instead of being expressly American, due to a growing global audience, specifically China, these movies are couched around post-9-11 ideology.

Continue reading “Book Update 2020 – January-February”

Media Moment (03/06/20)

So the former student who was staying with us is now with another parent, not the one who was causing the horrible neglect in her life. We were sad to see her go, but we had an absolutely fantastic week having her in our home. While she was here, we watched a couple of horror films: Hereditary and Us. She loved both of them, pointing out the psychological aspects of each that made them a cut above a jumpscare movie. We are still in touch, and I am sure there are many more movies in our future.

Continue reading “Media Moment (03/06/20)”

Media Moment (02/28/20)

In my personal life, I am in the midst of something that could potentially change my life forever. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m an elementary school teacher and have been doing this for fourteen years of my life. I have tried to stay in contact or reconnect with individual students over the years, and this last week one of those relationships has become something more significant. A young woman I taught in 3rd & 4th grade and is now a junior in high school contacted my wife. Her home life has been negatively affected by emotional abuse and neglect to the point that Child Services became involved. Since Monday, she and her younger brother have been living with us. Our goal at this point is to get this extended to longer if not permanent custody. Even though I’ve taught for so long, we have no children of our own, and I’ve always leaned more towards having a childfree home. After this week, I simply don’t want our life to have not have these kids in it. It’s also made me think about the films I would want to share with them if they do stay.

Continue reading “Media Moment (02/28/20)”

TV Review – Star Trek: Picard Season One, Episode Five

Star Trek: Picard (CBS All Access)
Season One, Episode Five – “Stardust City Rag”
Written by Kirsten Beyer
Directed by Jonathan Frakes

Now, this is an episode I enjoyed. After setting the pieces up on the board for the first month of the series, Picard finally has our characters getting into dangerous situations and dealing with both interpersonal and external conflict. I wonder how someone utterly unfamiliar with Voyager would understand Seven of Nine’s part in this story. I think you need at least a rudimentary understanding of who she is and what happened to her on that series. Of all the episodes we’ve gotten thus far, I think this one does the best in blending contemporary elements with the world of the Federation.

Continue reading “TV Review – Star Trek: Picard Season One, Episode Five”

TV Review – Star Trek: Picard Season One, Episode Four

Star Trek: Picard (CBS All Access)
Season One, Episode Four – “Absolute Candor”
Written by Michael Chabon
Directed by Jonathan Frakes

At first, I have been annoyed with the lack of Next Generation characters in Picard. But after doing the math, he was captain of the Enterprise for twenty-one years, which is almost the same number of years he’s been retired. I expect he’d drifted apart from his original crew as they received promotions and new assignments. These new people are lower on the totem pole and thus have less to lose. They lack extended family and therefore, can hop on a ship and journey out into space, not knowing exactly where they are headed and what they are in for.

Continue reading “TV Review – Star Trek: Picard Season One, Episode Four”

Movie Review – Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of Harley Quinn)

Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Written by Christina Hodson
Directed by Cathy Yan

I am not going to pretend I was excited in any way to see this movie. With the foul taste of Suicide Squad in my mouth and my opinion that Harley Quinn is not nearly as interesting a character as DC Comics is trying to make her, I knew I was going to dislike most of Birds of Prey, and I did. I won’t even go with the statement that “this movie wasn’t made for me” because it sort of was. I have loved DC Comics since I was a kid, especially the B-tier or lower obscure characters. Birds of Prey is chock full of them, and seeing a version of those characters on screen was mildly amusing.

Continue reading “Movie Review – Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of Harley Quinn)”

Short Film Showcase 2020 – #1

We’re starting off the short film showcase this year with a trio of fantastic animated films.

The Hill Farm (1986, directed by Mark Baker)
Mark Baker is the creator of Peppa Pig, but before that he made some fantastic animated shorts that played at festivals. This one tells of a few days in the life of a farmer and the visitors who come to their farm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9qWzPeADoY
Continue reading “Short Film Showcase 2020 – #1”