Jesse Bedwell

Being a fan of the original 90's animated series, I was hoping for a somewhat familiar, yet new and interesting take on the character. What we got was new and potentially interesting, but nothing less then an agenda driven, man hating, DEI extravaganza. I got through the first three episodes before I'd had enough. This was terrible.

For much of the runtime of the first episode of The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power, I thought to myself, "This show is really missing Kee & Peel." I mean, they would have made this show a lot funnier than it is. Wait... This show is a parody of the imaginary world of Tolkien, isn't it? I'd heard the hype, and the subsequent pre-show rage from the online-trolls (a more reclusive and vicious sub-species of cave trolls), and wanted to see for myself. I came with an open mind and was ready to be impressed. Now there hangs a sign on my forehead which reads "CLOSED FOR BUSINESS". I'm not sure what all of the afformentioned pre-show criticisms were about, but perhaps they tapped into the umphish way about the elves, and their modern day haircuts. Or the appearance of the Borrowers with their flower child children. To be honest, I thought the protohobbits were interesting... For about two minutes. The show, like both movie trilogies, begins with a long voice over narration telling the viewer what's been going on in the world of middle-earth bringing us quickly up to pace. However, as I watched the prologue concerning the original war with Morgoth, I thought to myself, why are we not telling this story? Or do we truly wish to gloss over what, at least in my estimation appeared to be a more interesting story then building up to a trilogy of movies which is over 20 years old? The acting is so so, neither here nor there. But what is truly at fault here is the writing. I am not sure who put finger to keyboard, but might I suggest a trip back to the language of Tolkien and perhaps remove some of the more current lingua franca (being today). What this show truly needed was a pilot episode. That way Amazon could have saved about a billion dollars from the dismal failure this show has turned out to be, at least content wise. I would say stay tuned for further adventures into reviews land, however, I have no desire to touch the stove a second time to see if it's hot. Once is enough for me.

The titular character, as played by Ewen McGregor, is always engaging to watch. His mission of protecting the young Luke Skywalker is fairly dull, just as one might expect. But instead of putting some real imagination behind this inherent dullness to make it interesting, they whisk him off to some other planet on a mission as an easy out. The mark of Disney has been indelibly seared into the Star Wars stories we are receiving, and this is not a good thing. Just like everything else, all mystery must give way to lethargic backstory. Why am I still so disappointed with Star Wars after so many years of disappointment? You'd think I would learn my lesson by now. Oh yeah, one more thing. Why are there so many humans in outerspace? I mean even the aliens look like humans. This is it for me. I'm done with Star Wars.

Some people choose to be stuck in a moment, in a place, in a mentality. It's not comfortable, but at least it's familiar. The people you see day in, day out are unchanging. The routine is exacting and madness which comes from self imposed numbness can become explosive. Red wire. Blue wire. Whose to say what "The Banshees of Inisherin" is about. Perhaps nothing. Perhaps it's about the lunacy which abounds as the simplistic existence of Padraic and Colm's unexpected rift sends both head over heels into a realm of desperation and chaos. But then again, perhaps it's about nothing. Perhaps it's about the straw which breaks the camel's back. That infinitesimal moment which we all ponder, where the stasis becomes interrupted and change becomes the inevitability of life -- but not for all. Change can be violent, intrusive, like a thief which comes for everything you've invested yourself in because of simplicity, but not in any way which considers the complex, but merely is. It's the simplicity of a fuse, never aware that it is attached to charge of dynamite, in need of only proper push to finally set off the volatile state of self imposed ignorance. An island can exist in the form of a friendship, or in a love, or in anything where the center of focus is self gratification. The moment you find yourself ungratified is the moment the world seems to have lost gravity But... Perhaps it's about nothing.

I have never seen this Batman before. This is neither Burton's caped crusader nor Nolan's dark knight. This is something altogether different. Something I'd only imagined in my minds eye. Something I'd dreamed of but never thought could be reality: The great detective; the man who relies less on his vast fortune and more on those things immediately within one's grasp -- his intellect and physical prowess. This is the Batman of my youth. The one which won me over to begin with; whose very imagining makes young boys believe that they too may one day achieve such heights of reason and resolve. Although I do not speak of the plot and various story elements, this is the highest praise I can bestow. To speak to that little boy from the past and say to him, "dreams really do come true."

This movie was bad. There's no reway way around it. The film's plot felt completely contrived in order to have Chris Pine back as the love interest. I mean the main villain is basically a genie without a bottle. The filmmaking was completely incoherent. Nothing made any sense. Really felt like they decided to film a first draft screenplay which was largely created without any clear direction at all. The original film was good through the first two acts and faltered somewhat in the third. This movie has nothing going for it. BAD.

There's a rule seldom followed in the entertainment industry: Small stories for the big screen; big stories for the small screen. "I Know This Much is True" is a big, BIG story running just around 900 pages in length. It is brought to the small screen via HBOMax in a 6 hour limited series and this is a tight 6 episode run. Remaining extremely faithful to the source material, "I Know This Much is True" stars Mark Ruffalo as identical twin brothers, Dominick and Thomas Birdsey. Thomas is schizophrenic and commits himself to the Lord's work in preventing the coming apocalypse. He believes this requires his disembodied hand as a sacrificial offering for peace. Dominick is burdened by his brother's delusional Crusade, and angry about a myriad other catastrophes which have plagued him for most of his 40 years on earth. His dead mother, his harsh step-father, a marriage failed, and the biological father whose identity is withheld from him. The HBOMax limited series is a remarkable snapshot of a fantastic novel which achieves a similar outcome: After reading/watching the series/book I find myself drawn back to revisit the characters, the voice of Dominick Birdsey in my head (forever to the sound of Ruffalo's voice). A standout performance comes courtesy of Rosie O'Donnell's tender hearted, no nonsense social worker, Lisa Scheffer. I immediately fell in love with her character and the connection that she and Dominick forged over the welfare of Thomas, now incarcerated in the Connecticut state mental institution, Hatch. Indeed, there is not a wanting performance to be found. I loved this limited series. Is it dark at times? Yes. Is it depressing, as many have unfairly marked it? No. It rings true to the unpredictability of life and its various consequences. What captures me the most is its honesty. It looks and feels genuine and that I hold in very high regard.

I feel like this movie was made for people who like to look at their phones.