Ben Fielding

Somehow better than most of the live action Star Wars streaming shows It is kind of crazy, but Skeleton Crew - a show centered primarily on 4 children - is better than the shows about Obi Wan Kenobi, Boba Fett, Ahsoka Tano and The Mandalorian (Season 3 in particular). It is baffling to think about it this way. But honestly, this show deserves a chance. This show is funny, intriguing and enjoyable. The pirate/treasure hunt aspect is really fun. The story is a little jumbled here and there, but it's a blast. All of the children are good actors which is a welcome surprise, but Jude Law steals the show. For completely opposite reasons, Andor and Skeleton Crew have been the best things to come out of Star Wars in the last few years. This show is more centered on kids, while Andor is adult Star Wars at its finest. Together they are great for the franchise.

I can confidently say that "The Acolyte" is finally uniting the Star Wars fanbase. After years of constant bickering amongst the SW fanbase, this show comes as the savior. Star Wars fans are finally united! In disliking this show that is. Is Andor level quality too much to ask for? Was that show just a fluke? Welp, another Star Wars show has arrived off of the conveyor belt of money-crazed Disney. And yet for some reason, they make all the decisions that drive away the core audience. Andor is a gem. It's up there with Empire Strikes Back and Revenge of the Sith as S tier Star Wars for me. The writing, acting, cinematography, direction, politics, effects - basically everything about it was fantastic. But for some reason, it's the only D+ show that has been above mediocre. Mandalorian had its moments, but Season 3 bogged it down. Kenobi was atrocious, Boba Fett was meh and Ahsoka was meh. There is no way anyone can say that this show isn't progressive ideology disguised as a Star Wars story. A Star Wars story that is mostly nonsensical and strange. The writing is not good in any way. The casting is bad, and you can tell they were just trying to check the diversity and inclusion boxes vs telling a good story. The third episode was the last straw for me. I usually try to finish a show before I review it, but the creators don't deserve my time.

"Dune" has been successfully put to the big screen. Not only is this a good adaptation, it passes with flying colors. The character arc of Paul Atreides is fascinating and complex. I love how they delved into his psyche and motivations so prevalently in this movie. He is reluctant to take up the Messianic mantle because he knows it's a lie. But things go according to his vision and he becomes a morally complex character. Religious fantacism takes hold of the fremen. It is up for interpretation what kind of character Paul becomes. Is he a tyrant? Was it the only path? What does religion have to do with it? Paul takes hold of the Bene Gesserit lie by exploiting faith. This leads to other questions. Can one truly trust the arm of flesh? The frailty of man? Leaders have come and gone throughout history bringing different ideals. One's own morality comes into play. Agency is vital to the human experience. Man will always falter. This leads to questions of a higher power and His role. Is there a God above? What are the implications of that? We don't get stories like this in Hollywood anymore. There is no happy ending in Dune, and one can only ponder the moral complexities of it. The book and movie have made me contemplate many things and I deeply appreciate stories like that. Others have already applauded the effects, acting and script, so I won't go into that too much here. What I will say is it was the best looking movie I have ever seen. Everything looked lived in. The fight scenes were choreographed masterfully. Each actor gave outstanding performances. Hans Zimmer gives a mesmerizing soundtrack. Frank Herbert's vision was honored masterfully. Well done Denis Villeneuve. (Also posted on IMDb)

The Marvel Studios conveyor belt of quantity over quality continues Well, I'll start off by saying that this wasn't a bad movie. It wasn't great, but it was alright. It was like Dune and Star Wars had a baby, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing. Jonathan Majors definitely stole the show here. We will be seeing a lot more of him. Literally. The CGI was very rough in places, and the editing was very off at times. It could have used an extra few months in development. At that, Modok was atrocious in execution. That's just how Marvel has been lately. Quantity over quality, unfortunately. Another thing I will say: I wish a Marvel movie would take itself seriously once in a while. The humor gets repetitive. 7/10 for me.