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Reviews
The Machine (2023)
Hated it.
I fell asleep twice and once while I was awake, I heard snoring from elsewhere in the theater. You know what I didn't hear? Laughter.
It kind of loosely hangs together as a story, but only by leveraging the most rudimentary story beats and ideas. Otherwise, just a shaggy dog story which winds up with bog-standard "family matters to me" messages as well as not-really-jokes Family Matters jokes. It's not funny and it's not emotionally moving.
There are a couple of redeeming features. Mark Hamill does what he can to bring some energy to the scenes he's in, and when he's not in them, you wish he was. Some of the directing choices for the transitions from the flashback to the present day are quite well executed via old-fashioned "Texas switch" techniques.
Most of the supporting actors are fine and the cinematography is pleasing enough, so it looks like a real movie, but it just isn't. It's let down by a pointless story and a lead who can't make us care about him or his relationships with his family and who might just have some kind of charisma that the camera can't capture.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: The Serene Squall (2022)
This show works miracles
Thai episode starts out merely okay and ramps up in enjoyability, becoming a pleasant romp with a kicker ending.
An ending which re-canonizes the worst part of Star Trek V: Spock's half-brother, Sybok. In The Final Frintier, Sybok is just another kind of stupid element in the kind of stupid movie. Here, his reveal actually produces a thrill and a promise of menace.
So far, Strange New Worlds has managed to mix callbacks to previous Trek (without undue nostalgia) and new ideas into a refreshing blend, and it's that success rate that makes Sybok exciting. Will the storyline to come fulfill this expectation? It's impossible to say for sure, but this series has been knocking or out of the park- for the most part. The rest of this episode isn't a strike, but it's a good base-hit. Maybe even a double.
Still the best Trek show currently on TV.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Spock Amok (2022)
Best Episode in 20 Years
This series is everything we ever wanted from Star Trek. Fun, with good character stories (A, B and C plots!), while also being respectful of the history of the franchise. Get in, tell stories we care about, and get out in one episode.
This series answers the question: What if Star Trek, but filmed today?