Movie Review - Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

I love Star Wars, and it makes me so sad to see Disney consistently get the franchise wrong. Other than The Mandalorian (which is pretty good but not great), they've produced one disappointment after another, and the falling box office returns are evidence of it. But are declining revenues enough to get Disney to correct their course?

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a 2019 science fiction action film based on George Lucas' masterpiece. It is rated PG-13 for violence but is appropriate for most ages.

The Good

Timothy Zahn. If you've ever read Timothy Zahn's original trilogy that basically relaunched the Star Wars franchise, then you'll recognize a few elements such as using science (perhaps cloning) to preserve a Jedi Master (or Sith Master) and a dark fleet of Star Destroyers. Those elements were pretty cool and should have been the focus of the trilogy.

Entertaining. Unlike The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi which were both painfully dull and hard to sit thru, this film is actually entertaining. It doesn't make much sense, and if you start to think about any of the plot points you'll scratch your head. But if you can shut off your brain for 2+ hours, it's a fun ride.

Pacing. This film moves at a good pace.

The Bad

Characters. This movie has the most blah characters of any Star Wars story I've ever seen. George Lucas gave us two great, lovable casts in his two trilogies. This one didn't even produce a single really likable character, and made several of the old beloved characters a little less beloved.

Storytelling. This movie is basically a whole bunch of scenes and incidents stuck together without much logic or sense. There is little emotional investment. There is little peril, because the movie goes exactly how you would expect. There are so many characters and scenes stuffed into the 2+ hours that no one and nothing gets much development. It's a whole lot of ideas that are just thrown at the audience.

Art Direction/Visuals. Star Wars is known for its amazing visuals and gorgeous designs. This film once again fails to deliver anything memorable or amazing to look at. I can't see anyone taking inspiration from this trilogy, which is a shame.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish this movie had been the trilogy, and they had spent three films developing the story instead of just throwing a whole bunch of interesting ideas together without much development. I also wish the filmmakers had focused more on casting an interesting group instead of checking all the boxes on their diversity checklist and failing to cast a single character the audience will care about.

Overall

If you are looking for a mindless action flick with subpar action, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is your movie. There are a lot of good ideas in this movie (mostly stolen from Timothy Zahn), but they are just thrown at the audience and never developed. I wish this movie had been the trilogy with the filmmakers spending three films developing the story. That would have been worth watching. I also wish the filmmakers had focused more on casting an interesting group of actors as the main characters (George Lucas gave us two great, lovable casts in his two trilogies) instead of checking all the boxes on their diversity checklist and failing to cast a single character the audience cares about. It robbed the film of any peril or sense of accomplishment when you care so little for the characters. The film is very entertaining as long as you don't think too hard about it. The storytelling is weak. The visuals are disappointing. But the pacing is good. And the filmmakers threw everything in this including the kitchen sink to make it a"big ending" but it's more spectacle than anything else. It's not a bad film, but isn't far from a good one. I give this film 3 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

   

 

Movie Review - Klaus (Netflix Original)

I'm a big fan of experimental animation, even though most of the time the experiment fails. But when it succeeds, oh how it succeeds!

Klaus is a 2019 animated Christmas film from Netflix. It is rated PG for rude humor but is appropriate for all ages.

The Good

Animation. The animation was gorgeous. It was 2-D animation shaded to look 3-D, but because it was 2-D it was very fluid and nice to look at and looked painted instead of plastic.

Story/Concept. The story is basically where Santa Claus and writing to him came from. This was a clever approach and story that was fresh but classic.

The Bad

Main Character. The filmmakers made the main character such an exaggerated caricature of a spoiled rich kid that was really difficult to care about him until he changed significantly halfway thru the film.

Feud. The filmmakers played it too same making the characters very bland. No one could have a strong personality or any real conflict for fear of offending someone, so the characters came off as very bland and unremarkable.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the main character had been more likable and the feud had been dropped. There was enough conflict and drama without it. This also would have helped make the first third less slow and less painful to get thru.

Overall

Klaus is an entertaining family film once you get thru the boring and painful first third. The animation is gorgeous. The story of how Santa came to be and why kids started to write to him is clever. Once you pass the first third of the film, the characters are interesting and you care about them and what happens to them. The ending was really nice. I give this film 4 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

   

 

Movie Review - Frozen II

The first Frozen film was pretty good, but I wasn't sure where they were going to go with that. Sequels tend to either be a repeat of the first film, or the next chapter in a bigger story. Frozen didn't seem to have a bigger story, so I was fearing a bad remake of the first film.

Frozen II is a 2019 cgi animated fantasy family film by Disney. It is rated PG but is appropriate for all ages.

The Good

Story/Approach. The filmmakers were really smart to make this movie completely different than the first one. Where the first one was a romantic comedy that make fun of Disney Princess film troupes, this film was a fantasy adventure exploring the origin of Elsa's powers.

The Bad

Pacing. This film was a little slow and dragged in places.

Character Development. The filmmakers played it too same making the characters very bland. No one could have a strong personality or any real conflict for fear of offending someone, so the characters came off as very bland and unremarkable.

Comedy/Age Range. This movie was made for small children with the humor being very silly and simple. The story and action were also geared for a younger audience so while the film had the potential to be great, it wasn't clever enough or smart enough.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the characters had been more developed and the comedy more sophisticated.

Overall

Frozen II is an entertaining fantasy adventure appropriate for the whole family. The filmmakers were really smart to make this movie completely different than the first one. Where the first one was a romantic comedy that make fun of Disney Princess film troupes, this film was a fantasy adventure exploring the origin of Elsa's powers. Unfortunately, the movie was made for a young audience,  with unsophisticated humor and a pretty obvious story and plot twists. The filmmakers played it too same making the characters very bland. No one could have a strong personality or any real conflict for fear of offending someone, so the characters came off as very bland and unremarkable. The music was good, but not nearly as classic as the original. I give this film 4 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

   

 

AudioBook Review - The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent by Larry Correia

I'm not the biggest fan of political satire or comedic social commentary, because it tends to be really obvious and negative. It's rare to find something clever and not mean spirited. But every once in a while...

The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent by Larry Correia is an Audible Original scifi comedy. It is available only as an Audiobook.

The Good

Comedy. This book is very funny using insurance to make a lot of really funny jabs at the bizarre things going on in the world and with the government. And it leans slightly conservative which is really refreshing.

Story. The story is pretty simple and straightforward, but takes a unique approach and does a good job exploring several different angles of that approach.

Characters. Most of the characters are very likable being slight variations on classic troupes.

The Bad

Villain. The main villain was a little too "classic black moustache" and could have used a little more originality.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

...

Overall

The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent by Larry Correia is a fun, clever comedy that uses insurance as the vehicle to make a lot of really funny comments on society and the strange things the government has done recently. The characters are variations on classic troupes but are still enjoyable. It's a short story that covers a lot of ground in under three hours. I recommend this book and give it 4 out of 5 eReaders.

   

 

The Christmas Clock - Annual Christmas Card

Book Review - A Matter of Will by Adam Mitzner

I'm a big fan of mysteries, but it's hard to find one with a twist I don't see coming but should have.

A Matter of Will by Adam Mitzner is a mystery book with a little romance on the side. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Mysteries. This book has several mysteries that are all well thought out and engaging.

Characters. The author has created several really enjoyable characters that the reader will feel invested in and care about what happens.

Story, Plot, and Pacing. Aside from the mystery, the story is really entertaining and engaging and moves along at a great pace. Even without the mystery, the side plots are interesting enough that the book would have been great without them.

The Bad

...

What I Would Like to Have Seen

A few important points worked out just a little too smoothly making the characters feel just slightly less real than they could be.

Overall

A Matter of Will by Adam Mitzner is a great book filled with several well-constructed mysteries (one I didn't see coming),  enjoyable characters I felt invested in, an interesting story and plot, and strong writing and pacing that I couldn't put down. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

    

 

TV Show Review - The Mandalorian, Episodes 1 and 2

I am a huge Star Wars fan and always wanted more adventures beyond the movies. I've read the books, comic books, watched the tv shows, and sat thru the four Disney-made movies, but none of them have satisfied me or felt like Star Wars. But when I hear Jon Favreau was behind this new series, I thought there might be a chance for it to be good.

The Mandalorian an 8-episode 2019 Disney+ original series based on Star Wars by George Lucas. It takes place five years after Return of the Jedi. It is rated TV-PG and is appropriate for most ages.

The Good

Storytelling. The storytelling is the strongest aspect of this show. The way the story is told is masterfully done and is what makes this such a great show.

Characters. The characters are all instantly likable even though we know so little about them, especially the Mandalorian himself. The way the show is shot, we feel like we are inside his head experiencing what he is experiencing. And I love how minor characters from previous Star Wars films have been included with a larger role instead of invention new, uninteresting aliens.

Feels Like Star Wars. This series feels like Star Wars, which is really rare for anything George Lucas wasn't directly involved in.

Story. The story is really strong and tight and holds your attention.

Action. There isn't a lot of action, but what little there is is very enjoyable.

The Bad

Pacing. The show moves at a very slow and deliberate pace and provides a lot of "quiet time" and "white space".

Content. The episodes feel a little sparse when it comes to content. They are 30-40 minutes each, but only contain about 18-22 minutes of actual story.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish more happened in each episode. The shows are very decompressed with a lot of "quiet time" and "white space".

Overall

The Mandalorian Episodes 1 and 2 are masterfully done with incredibly strong storytelling, great characters, pretty decent action, a great story, and--best of all--it feels like Star Wars, something none of the four movies Disney have put out has managed to do. The pacing is a little slow with too much "quiet time" and "white space", and the first two episodes were a little thin on content. But overall the first two episodes have been great, and I can't wait to see the rest of the series. I highly recommend this show and give it 4.5 out of 5 remotes.

    

  

 

Movie Review - Last Christmas

I really like Christmas films as a genre, but there are a lot of bad ones mixed in amongst the good and mediocre. Sometimes the Christmas spirit is enough to make a mediocre film enjoyable, and sometimes nothing can save a film.

Last Christmas is a 2019 romantic Christmas film based on an 80s song. It is rated PG-13 for language and adult situations and is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good

Twist. This film has a very interesting twist that you almost never see in this kind of film. It was a nice surprise, but one I guessed about 20 minutes before the big reveal.

The Bad

Pacing. This film is a little slow and drags in places.

Likability. The characters in the film aren't all that likable, especially the main heroine who makes many bad choices that alienates nearly everyone in her life. It's hard to feel sympathetic for her or root for her.

Political Message. At the end of the movie they shoe horn in a lesbian relationship that isn't even hinted at before and does nothing to advance the plot or add to the story. It isn't even very long and feels like an afterthought.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the characters had been more likable and the comedy funnier.

Overall

Last Christmas is an entertaining movie with an interesting twist that was unexpected in this kind of movie. But the unlikable characters and slow pacing will keep this from becoming a classic. And the shoehorned political message at the very end felt very forced and had nothing to do with the rest of the movie, nor did it affect the story except to slow it down. I give this film 3.5 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

   

 

TV Show Review - Cobra Kai Season 2

I loved the first season of Cobra Kai, and could barely wait for the next. But would it live up to my expectations  

Cobra Kai Season 2 is an 10-episode 2019 YouTube Originals series based on The Karate Kid film and continuing the story three decades later. It is rated TV-14 for language and is appropriate for tweens and up.

The Good

Story. The story continues right where the first season ended and introduces several great new elements while continuing the stories already begun in the first season. The writing is just as good.

Action. This season offers one of the best fight scenes in cinematic history at the end of the season and beginning of a new school year.

Pacing. The story is paced just right. It never drags and is never rushed.

Contrast. This series does an excellent job of showing the contrast between 80s culture and 2018 culture and how far society as regressed and how weak and cruel modern youth have become. It is really fascinating from both a social perspective and an entertainment one.

Cliffhanger. This series ends with several cliffhangers, only one we know how it will be resolved.

The Bad

...

What I Would Like to Have Seen

More episodes!

Overall

Cobra Kai Season 2 continues to be one of the best shows I've ever seen. It continues the story of The Karate Kid in a perfectly logical, relevant way being true to the original but brining in so many new elements that all fit. The pacing is perfect with each character given the appropriate amount of time to see his or her story progress and interact with the others. There is a lot of drama, conflict, and misunderstanding along with great action, comedy, and romance. This season introduces several new elements that fit into the existing storyline perfectly and sets up the third season in a big way. I highly recommend this show and give it 5 out of 5 remotes.