#Christopher's song is for every time he pops into the plot and plays nice with Lorelai

[fabianocolucci]

Avatar (2009) and its pop cultural disappearance

Welcome back to my blog. Since Avatar’s long awaited sequel is coming out in a few months, I was thinking about the original movie, which destroyed every box office record between 2009 and 2010. Specifically, I was wondering: why did Avatar leave no trace in pop culture?

The movie itself is rarely mentioned, you barely hear someone quoting a line or a scene from Avatar, let alone remembering the characters’ names outside of Jake Sully and, perhaps, the alien Neytiri.

If we think about director James Cameron’s previous film, however, the story is another. We are talking about Titanic, a movie still loved and referenced 25 years after it was released, back in 1997. Leonardo DiCaprio is still a huge star, and, when it comes to the music, Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On is so famous that it could be hard to find someone who, at the mention of her name, thinks about another song.

The same cannot be said, for instance, with Leona Lewis’ I See You, and, with the actors, Zoe Saldana might be more famous for her MCU role as Gamora, ironically another alien with a colourful skin. As with Sam Worthington, while he did go on to have a nice career, he has nowhere near the star power that DiCaprio obtained with Titanic.

What happened to Avatar? How did the movie that became the highest grossing one in history manage to barely left a scratch in pop culture?

I will try to share my opinion.

Avatar was well crafted in every detail. Top notch special effects, wonderful landscapes (CGI generated, but inspired by real life landscapes), a believable alien culture (with a language created specifically for the movie), diverse flora and fauna and even the accuracy of making the Na’Vi blue because their planet, Pandora, had two suns.

However, the plot is something we have seen countless times. The main character, initially, is on the side of those who want to fight against a people. Then, he finds out that said people is actually on the good side, and fights for them. Not only there are so many stories with this plot (just to name one, the series of John Carter of Mars, created in 1912, even adapted as 2012’s John Carter), but, in that year, District 9 came out, with a similar structure, beautiful special effects and a better handled plot.

I can show you a culinary parallelism. Imagine you are walking into a luxurious restaurant. The waiters are all elegant, the chairs and tables are manually crafted, the cutlery made of pure silver and the menu is nothing short of a silk towel, with golden writing on it. You order something, whose name resembles something that came from French cuisine, and you trust the chef, renowned as much as Gordon Ramsey.

After a few minutes, in which you cannot wait to taste it, someone serves you a shiny tray. You look into it… and it’s pork and beans!

Now, tell me: if you were to think about that restaurant again, would you think about the luxury around you, or that all those efforts pretty much just served you pork and beans?

Also, Avatar even lost its potential role of an original story that managed to shine when put next to adaptations, remakes and reboots. In 2010, Inception came out, and managed to show the potential of an original blockbuster, something that director Christopher Nolan even replicated with 2014’s Interstellar, and then with his subsequent movies. Ironically, the main character of Inception was played by Leonardo DiCaprio.

What about the 3D? When Avatar came out, everything was around 3D. Movies tried to capture the 3D craze, even when it was clear how the movie was produced without said intention, and, as such, you barely had one scene where 3D was well used, and it could have been a pure coincidence.

I sincerely hope that Avatar’s sequel manages to be a success and finally give the highest grossing movie of all time the rightful spot in pop culture.

After all, from a business standpoint, it also represented a watershed. Before its release, only four movies had grossed one billion Dollars. Now, you could barely get in the top 50 movies of all time with that number.

So, what do you think? Should Avatar get its place in pop culture? Or do you believe it’s a good thing that this blockbuster came, smashed every record and then left no traces?

#avatar #avatar movie #avatar 2009 #james cameron avatar #avatar 2 #avatar the way of water #3d #sam worthington #zoe saldana #happy zozz! #pop culture #random thoughts #leona lewis #titanic

[anxiouspotatorants]

Well if it isn’t me assigning Crazy Ex Girlfriend songs to Gilmore Girls characters:

Lorelai: The Math of Love Triangles and The Darkness and You Stupid B*tch

Rory: Without Love You Can Save the World and I Have Friends and The End of the Movie

Luke: I Hate Everything But You and You Go First and Don’t Be a Lawyer

Emily: After Everything I’ve Done For You (That You Didn’t Ask For) and Forget It

Richard: Sports Analogies

Lane: Face Your Fears and Maybe This Dream

Paris: (Tell Me I’m Okay) Patrick and What You Missed While You Were Popular

Sookie: Friendtopia and What a Rush To Be a Bride

Dean: Settle For Me and Real Life Fighting is Awkward

Jess: But I Could If I Wanted To and The Moment Is Me

Logan: Fit Hot Guys Have Problems Too and Nothing Is Ever Anyone’s Fault

Christopher: Hello, Nice To Meet You

Max: We’ll Never Have Problems Again

Jason: Horny Angry Tango

Kirk: Trapped in a Car with Someone You Don’t Wanna Be Trapped in a Car With and You’re My Best Friend (And I Know I’m Not Yours)

Michel: I’m In a Sexy French Depression and George’s Turn

Taylor: I’m A Good Person and Cold Showers

Liz: I’ve Always Never Believed In You

And the rest of Stars Hollow: The Group Mind Has Decided You’re In Love and No One Else is Singing My Song

#yes this is a bit of a callout post for all the characters #in a loving way #Lorelai really fits that satirical energy in the Love Triangle songs #and you stupid b*tch sounds like something she would sing to herself #I Have Friends has massive seasons 1 and 4 Rory energy #I Hate Everything But You is something Lorelai could have hallucinated Luke singing #Emily's songs are self-explanatory #Lane's are clearly tied to her desire to break out and massively unfair plot #You might think Real Life Fighting is Awkward fits Jess but get ready for this: Dean with any guy who even looks at Rory #Jess feels like a combo of Heather and early seasons Greg #Logan just is Nathaniel no explanation needed #Christopher's song is for every time he pops into the plot and plays nice with Lorelai #Kirk is Kirk #Taylor and Liz' songs are callout songs through and through I have no fear #I wish I could find songs for Babette and Miss Patty #but the closest I can get is the deleted song for Karen #gilmore girls #lorelai gilmore #rory gilmore #luke danes #emily gilmore #richard gilmore #lane kim #paris geller #sookie st james #michel gerard #dean forester #jess mariano #logan huntzberger #stars hollow

[aion-rsa]

Christmas Movies: A Complete Holiday Streaming Guide

https://ift.tt/3q2Rba0

So, maybe there isn’t enough Christmas and holiday programming on TV for your liking. We get it. You can’t be stuck at the mercy of broadcasters and cable networks all the time, not when there are so many Christmas movies to watch, right?

Read more

TV

Christmas Movies and TV Specials: Full 2020 Schedule

By Den of Geek Staff

Movies

Christmas Movies: A Complete Holiday Streaming Guide

By Alec Bojalad and 1 other

Well, because we’re a little crazy, we’re working on an index of every Christmas movie and other piece of seasonally appropriate holiday-themed film available on various streaming services. Just bookmark this page, scroll on through the alphabetical list, hit the links, and it can be Christmas whenever you need it to be! And if you spot some stuff that we missed, just let us know in the comments and we’ll see about getting it all added for you.

Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)

Hulu

What is it about the holidays that makes it feel like we’re on the verge of the end of the world? Regardless, if you’re going to capture Christmas season ennui in a movie, you might as well go all out. That’s exactly what British holiday film Anna and the Apocalypse aims to do. Anna is a Christmas zombie musical comedy. Because why have one genre when you can have them all?

Read more

TV

The Best Christmas Movies Available on Hulu

By Alec Bojalad

Movies

Run Review: Sarah Paulson Terrifies as Mommie Dearest in Hulu Movie

By Don Kaye

Ella Hunt stars as Anna Shepherd, a secondary school graduate who plans to embark on a grand travel tour before heading to university. Those plans come to a grinding halt, however, when a zombie infection starts to spread throughout her town. Anna gets together with some friends as they try to survive both the holidays and the encroaching zombie apocalypse. 

Black Mirror: White Christmas (2014)

Netflix

Those looking for Christmas cheer won’t find it here. Black Mirror isn’t necessarily known for its happy endings and it’s 2014 Christmas special, “White Christmas” is no different.

Still, there is an audience out there that definitely wants this level of Scroogery. Plus it stars Jon Hamm! “White Christmas” follows three seemingly disparate stories. Jon Hamm is Matt, a mysterious man with a mysterious job who viewers watch in three different environments: once as a gross pick-up artist helper, once as a digital “cookie” salesman, and once as an occupant in a cozy cabin on Christmas Day.

What do all of these have to do with Christmas? Watch and find out. Then weep for the collapse of humanity.

A Charlie Brown Christmas Special (1965)

Apple TV+ – Arriving Dec. 4

“A Charlie Brown Christmas Special” is one of the most enduring holiday classics in the pop culture canon. Originally airing in 1965 on CBS, it was an experiment from The Coca-Cola Company to see if Charles M. Schulz’s beloved Peanuts characters could carry their charm over to a new medium…and boy could they.

The half-hour picks up with Charlie Brown down in the dumps and unable to capture the Christmas spirit. Thankfully, his friends know just what to do. Soon ol’ Chuck is directing the school Christmas play and nabbing a pitiful Christmas tree with Linus. This is “A Charlie Brown Christmas Special’s” first year as primarily a streaming entity, though Apple TV+ is allowing it to air on PBS on Dec. 13.

The Christmas Chronicles (2018)

Netflix

If a Christmas movie is only as good as its Santa (surely someone out there abides by this rule), then Netflix’s The Christmas Chronicles is one heck of a Christmas movie. This family film produced by Chris Columbus features Kurt Russell ascending to his final form as Hot Santa Claus. 

Read more

TV

New on Netflix: November 2020 Releases

By Alec Bojalad

TV

The Best Christmas Movies Available on Netflix

By Alec Bojalad

The plot follows two children who are struggling to believe in the magic of Christmas after the death of their firefighter father. But the spirit of the season seizes them when they encounter the ultimate stand-in father figure: Kurt Russell Santa. The Christmas Chronicles is your classic, by-the-book family holiday yarn with a fun actor at the center and elevated production quality. Its sequel is also available to stream on Netflix. 

Doctor Who Christmas Specials

HBO Max

If the British know one thing, it’s tea. If they know two things, it’s tea and Christmas specials. Many big-time U.K. television shows have their own excellent holiday specials. Decades-old sci-fi institution Doctor Who, however, takes the cake when it comes to Christmas excellence.

HBO Max has 12 seasons worth of Doctor Who Christmas specials dating all the way back to the modern continuation’s first Doctor, Christopher Eccleston. Each episode is an hour-long treat of Doctor Who and Christmas goodies and should the joy of watching them ever peter out, there are plenty of bonus materials to watch as well.

Frozen (2013)

Disney+

Frozen, an animated movie you might have heard of, technically takes place during summer. But it sure doesn’t feel that way after Queen Elsa freezes the fjord and belts songs about the snowmen she and her sister want to build. Indeed, there is hardly a more festive film for the holidays than this celebration of self-love and familial love. Rather than being the story of a princess falling for a prince, Frozen is about the love between two sisters, Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell), and how that bond can transcend fear, isolation, and lifelong trauma like losing your parents at an early age.

Read more

Movies

Christmas Movies on Disney+ Streaming Guide

By David Crow

Movies

Frozen 2: ‘Show Yourself’ Song Was Almost Cut from Movie

By David Crow

Fairly sophisticated stuff for an animated movie, Frozen became a bona fide classic in large part due to its songbook by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, with “Let It Go” standing out as an anthem for self-empowerment and the realization of identity. And if you overlook the fact you heard that song probably five thousand times, it still has that same resonance, which is why children are drawn to its message, as well as Elsa’ irresistible ice powers brought to dazzling life. When you factor in Anna’s own awkward charm, the power the two radiate together is warming in any season.

Home Alone (1990)

Disney+

Another holiday classic from Fox, Home Alone remains a millennial touchstone for this time of year, and a gift that keeps on giving. Yes, everyone remembers the end where Macaulay Culkin tortures two bumbling goons (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) as if they’re Elmer Fudd, but the movie has a lot more going for it than just slapstick sociopathy. Indeed, when Kevin McCallister isn’t being a sadist, this film has an earnest appeal about celebrating the fantasy of a kid living by himself at home.

When his parents leave Kevin McAllister home alone for Christmas—it was an accident!—he has a luxury house to himself that he lounges about as if it were a giant playground with free ice cream, pizza, and R-rated movie viewing parties. Things go a little pear-shaped though when crooks try to rob the joint, but he handles that in glib fashion, all while sweetly pining for his mother. In fact, as you get older, Catherine O’Hara’s trials and tribulations to get back home to her baby boy in time for Christmas are as amusing as Kevin’s hijinks. (John Candy! Polka music!! Polka Christmas music!?!) But probably the reason this is a real classic has a lot to do with John Williams’ eternally heartwarming score.

Into the Dark: Pooka! (2018)

Hulu

The concept of Hulu horror anthology series Into the Dark is a simple one. Starting in October, every month would see the release of a new horror movie, usually revolving around a theme or holiday within that month. So naturally December 2018’s entry, Pooka!, brings its chills to Christmas. Directed by Nacho Vigalondo from a script by Gerald Olson, Pooka! introduces one of the cutest creepiest critter since Gremlins.

Struggling actor Wilson Clowes (Nyasha Hatendi) takes on a job operating a giant fur suit of a toy company’s upcoming holiday season to, Pookah. Pookah has two modes, naughty or nice. Soon Wilson comes to find that the suit is starting to effect his overall mood and the naughty mode may last outside the confines of the suit.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Amazon

Now if you could only watch one Christmas movie every holiday season, it’s gotta be this one, right? It’s a Wonderful Life has been a winter staple ever since…shortly after its 1946 release. The film infamously took a little while for audiences to catch on they they were in the presence of a classic. And now it lives on Amazon for the time being as the go-to spot for holiday cheer.

If you haven’t watched this movie in a while, it can be surprising just how tenuously tied the whole thing is to Christmas. Though the story of George Bailey begins on Christmas Eve 1945, the movie takes audiences throughout the entirety of his life, Christmas Carol-style. But of course, in the end the angels have gotten their wings and Christmas is in full thrall. Certainly, It’s a Wonderful Life will be all over the traditional TV calendar, but it’s nice to know that it’s on streaming as well for those who just can’t wait.

Klaus (2019)

Netflix

Since the hallowed days of Rankin/Bass stop-motion animated Christmas specials, there hasn’t been much movement or innovation in the realm of animated Christmas movies. Klaus, written and directed by Sergio Pablos, seeks to change all that in Klaus.

This crisply animated feature serves as an alternative history version of the story of Santa Claus. Jesper (Jason Schwartzman) proves himself to be the worst student as a postal academy and is sent to the North Pole where his lack of letter-delivering abilities won’t do anyone any harm. There he discovers Klaus (J.K. Simmons), a mysterious carpenter who lives alone and likes to make handmade toys. Sounds pretty familiar. 

Klaus is both a technical marvel and an effective little Christmas story.

Last Christmas (2019)

HBO Max

Shortly after taking in the cheerful trailer for Emma Thompson and Paul Feig’s 2019 holiday hit Last Christmas, the Internet stood up as one and agreed on an important point: there’s a twist in here, isn’t there? And of course, the Internet was right…as it so often is.

Last Christmas features a very prominent and important twist in its plot that you’ll have to watch the movie (or read Wikipedia) to figure out. But twist or no, this is a perfectly enjoyable entry into the modern Christmas canon. Emilia Clarke takes some time off from torching King’s Landing to star as Kate, an aspiring young singer going through hard times around Christmas. That all changes when she meets the alluring and devastatingly handsome Tom (Henry Golding). What follows is a minor Christmas miracle.

The Santa Clause (1994)

Disney+

Tim Allen really was on top of the world in the 1990s, wasn’t he? The star of ABC’s popular Home Improvement sitcom, and just a year away from becoming a Pixar legend in Toy Story, Allen could get any family entertainment greenlit. Thus enters Disney’s The Santa Clause, a movie that posits “what if Tim Allen became Santa?” That’s pretty much what happens when Allen’s schmo-y Scott Calvin inadvertently is responsible for the death of the previous Santa who slips off his roof.

The consequence of Scott’s mistake is he puts on the red and white outfit to finish Santa’s sleigh ride that night, much to the delight of his son Charlie (Eric Lloyd). Little does he know that by donning the suit, he has entered into a “Santa Clause” which means he becomes the big guy—literally so as he gains 100 pounds of weight and a white beard overnight. It’s still amusing now, but our favorite bit will always be David Krumholtz as the no-nonsense North Pole elf from Brooklyn.

Surviving Christmas (2004)

Amazon

One enduring hallmark of the Christmas movie genre is how bad many of its entries are. Of course, there are some well-executed classics that command one’s attention and respect, but for the most part they all blend together into a pleasant cheerful mush that can be on in the background while one decorates their tree.

Read more

TV

The Best Christmas Movies Available on Amazon Prime

By Alec Bojalad

TV

Amazon Prime Video New Releases: November 2020

By Alec Bojalad

But even by the dismal standards of Christmas movies, 2004’s Surviving Christmas is particularly dismal. This Ben Affleck/James Gandolfini starring vehicle very much earns its 7% Rotten Tomatoes score. In a way, however, that makes it a must-watch holiday classic. Affleck stars as a rich advertising executive looking to reconnect with his past. What better way to do so than to pay the current occupants of his childhood home to spend Christmas with them? Much James Gandolfini grumpiness ensues.

A Very Brady Christmas (1988)

Hulu

A Very Brady Christmas was a 1988 made-for-TV movie that brought together the entire original cast of The Brady Bunch save for Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady). Olsen was on her honeymoon at the time and I cant’ figure out if that’s a great reason or a weird reason to miss a once-in-a-generation TV event.

A Very Brady Christmas centers on a very simple and very relatable concept: getting the whole family back together for Christmas. This is a hard enough logistical challenge for a “normal” family, and a damn near impossible one for a family with six kids. Will the Bradys be able to pull it off? Watch and find out!

Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus (1991)

HBO Max

“Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” is one of the most enduring sentences in Christmas history. It comes from an 1897 newspaper editorial in which The Sun (of New York) editor Francis Pharcellus Church responds affirmatively to young Virginia O’Hanlan’s question about the existence of Santa Claus.

Read more

Movies

Wonder Woman 1984: Does HBO Max Premiere End Theatrical Releases as We Know Them?

By David Crow

TV

HBO Max New Releases: November 2020

By Alec Bojalad

This 1991 TV movie of the same name dramatizes the already-quite dramatic story. Charles Bronson, of all people, stars as Church, who is dealing with the death of his wife and the trauma he endured as a war correspondent during the Civil War. It turns out that one little girls credulous belief in the impossible is all that many adults need to get back into the spirit of the season.

And here’s the complete list, just in case you don’t like our choices!

5 Star Christmas (2018)

Netflix

12 Days of Christmas Eve (2004)

Peacock

12 Dog Days Till Christmas (2014)

Hulu

12 Pups Of Christmas (2019)

Hulu

Alien Xmas (2020)

Netflix

Alone for Christmas (2013)

Peacock

American Rodeo: A Cowboy Christmas (2016)

Amazon

Angela’s Christmas (2017)

Netflix

Angela’s Christmas Wish (2020)

Netflix

Angels in the Snow (2015)

Hulu

Anna and the Apocalypse (2018)

Hulu

Back to Christmas (2004)

Hulu

Barbie: A Christmas Carol (2008)

Hulu

Barbie: A Perfect Christmas (2011)

Hulu, Peacock

Beyond Christmas (1940)

Amazon

Black Christmas (2019)

HBO Max, Peacock

Black Mirror: White Christmas (2014)

Netflix

A Bell for Christmas (2014)

Peacock

Bob’s Broken Sleigh (2015)

Netflix

BoJack Horseman Christmas Special (2014)

Netflix

A Bride for Christmas (2012)

Amazon

Chico Bon Bon and the Very Berry Holiday (2020)

Netflix

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: A Mid-Winter’s Tale (2018)

Netflix

Christmas, Again (2014)

Amazon

Christmas with the Andersons (2016)

Hulu

Christmas Belle (2013)

Hulu

Christmas Break-In (2019)

Netflix

The Christmas Calendar (2017)

Hulu

A Christmas Carol (1938)

HBO Max

A Christmas Carol (2019)

Hulu

The Christmas Chronicles (2018)

Netflix

The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020)

Netflix

Christmas in Compton (2012)

Hulu

Christmas Crush (2019)

Hulu

Christmas Cruise (2017)

Peacock

The Christmas Dragon (2014)

Amazon

Christmas in the Heartland (2013)

Peacock

Christmas on Holly Lane (2019)

Amazon, Hulu

Christmas Inheritance (2017)

Netflix

A Christmas Kiss II (2015)

Hulu

The Christmas Lodge (2014)

Amazon

Christmas Matchmakers (2019)

Peacock

A Christmas Movie Christmas (2019)

Hulu

Christmas Mystery (2014)

Peacock

Christmas Perfection (2018)

Hulu

Christmas with a Prince (2018)

Amazon

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding (2018)

Netflix

A Christmas Princess (2019)

Peacock

The Christmas Ride (2019)

Amazon

A Christmas in Royal Fashion (2018)

Peacock

A Christmas Solo (2019)

Hulu

A Christmas Snow (2011)

Amazon

A Christmas Tree Miracle (2015)

Amazon

Christmas Twister (2012)

Peacock

Christmas in Vermont (2016)

Hulu

Christmas in Wonderland (2007)

Amazon

A Cinderella Christmas (2016)

Hulu

Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas (2009)

Hulu

Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker (2020)

Netflix

Dash & Lily (2020)

Netflix

Dear Santa (2011)

Amazon

Deck the Halls (2006)

Hulu

Disney Channel’s Epic Holiday (2020)

Disney+ – Arriving Dec. 11

Disney Channel Holiday House Party (2020)

Disney + – Arriving Dec. 18

Disney Holiday Magic Quest (2020)

Disney+ – Arriving Dec. 11

Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (2020)

Netflix

A Doggone Christmas (2016)

Amazon

A Dogwalker’s Christmas Tale (2015)

Hulu

The Dog Who Saved Christmas (2009)

Hulu

The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation (2010)

Peacock

Dragons: Rescue Riders: Huttsgalor Holiday (2020)

Netflix

Dreamworks Happy Holidays from Madagascar (2005)

Netflix

Dreamworks Holiday Classics (2011)

Netflix

Dreamworks Home For the Holidays (2017)

Netflix

Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas (2014)

HBO Max

Elf-Man (2012)

Amazon

 Elf Pets: Santa’s Reindeer Rescue (2020)

Netflix

Every Other Holiday (2018)

Hulu

Eve’s Christmas (2004)

Hulu

Free Rein: The Twelve Neighs of Christmas (2018)

Netflix

A Flintstone Christmas (1977)

HBO Max

A Flintstone Family Christmas (1993)

HBO Max

Get Santa (2014)

HBO Max

Girlfriends of Christmas Past (2016)

Hulu

A Go! Go! Cory Carson Christmas (2020)

Netflix

The Heart of Christmas (2011)

Hulu

High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special (2020)

Disney + – Arriving Dec. 11

His and Her Christmas (2005)

Hulu

Holidate (2020)

Netflix

The Holiday Calendar (2018)

Netflix

Holiday Home Makeover with Mr. Christmas (2020)

Netflix

The Holiday Movies That Made Us (2020)

Netflix

Holiday Road Trip (2013)

Peacock

Holiday Rush (2019)

Netflix

Holiday in the Wild (2019)

Netflix

Holly’s Holiday (2013)

Hulu

Home Alone: The Holiday Heist (2012)

HBO Max

Home For Christmas (2019)

Netflix

How to Ruin Christmas (2020)

Netflix

Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas (2011)

Hulu

Into the Dark: Pooka! (2018)

Hulu

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)

Netflix

Klaus (2019)

Netflix

The Knight Before Christmas (2019)

Netflix

Last Holiday (2006)

Peacock

Let it Snow (2019)

Netflix

Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)

Hulu

The March Sisters at Christmas (2012)

Hulu

Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special (2020)

Apple TV+ – Arriving Dec. 4

Married by Christmas (2016)

Hulu

Merry Happy Whatever (2019)

Netflix

Miracle on Christmas (2020)

Amazon

Mighty Express: A Mighty Christmas (2020)

Netflix

My Dad is Scrooge (2014)

Hulu

My Little Pony: A Very Minty Christmas (2005)

Hulu

My Santa (2013)

Hulu

Nailed It! Holiday! (2018)

Netflix

A Nanny for Christmas (2010)

Hulu

Naughty and Nice (2014)

Hulu

A Nasty Piece of Work (2019)

Hulu

Neo Yokio: Pink Christmas (2018)

Netflix

New Year, New You (2019)

Hulu

A New York Christmas Wedding (2020)

Netflix

A Norman Rockwell Christmas Story (1996)

Amazon

Nothing Like the Holidays (2008)

HBO Max

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)

Disney+ – Arriving Dec. 4

The Oath (2018)

Hulu

Once Upon a Time for Christmas (2017)

Hulu

Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas (2016)

HBO Max

Operation Christmas Drop (2020)

Netflix

Pee-wee’s Playhouse: Christmas Special (1988)

Netflix

Power Rangers: Megaforce: The Robo Knight Before Christmas (2013)

Netflix

Power Rangers Super Samurai: Stuck on Christmas (2012)

Netflix

Prince of Peoria: A Christmas Moose Miracle (2018)

Netflix

A Prince for Christmas (2015)

Peacock

A Princess for Christmas (2012)

Amazon

The Princess Switch: Switched Again (2020)

Netflix

A Puppy for Christmas (2016)

Hulu, Peacock

Rare Exports (2010)

Amazon, Hulu

A Royal Christmas Ball (2017)

Peacock

Santa Buddies (2009)

HBO Max

Santa Pac’s Merry Berry Day (2016)

Netflix

Santa Girl (2019)

Netflix

Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays (2012)

HBO Max

The Search for Santa Paws (2010)

HBO Max

Second Chance Christmas (2017)

Hulu

The Secret of the Nutcracker (2007)

Hulu

The Smurfs Christmas (1982)

HBO Max

So This is Christmas (2012)

Hulu

The Spirit of Christmas (2015)

Hulu

A StoryBots Christmas (2017)

Netflix

Sugar Rush Christmas (2019)

Netflix

Super Monsters: Santa’s Super Monster Helpers (2020)

Netflix

Super Monsters Save Christmas (2019)

Netflix

Super Monsters and the Wish Star (2018)

Netflix

Surviving Family (2014)

Amazon

The Swan Christmas Princess (2012)

Hulu

This Christmas (2007)

Hulu

The Town Santa Forgot (1993)

HBO Max

True: Winter Wishes (2019)

Netflix

The Truth About Christmas (2018)

Hulu

A Very Country Christmas (2020)

Amazon

A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas (2011)

HBO Max

A Very Murray Christmas (2015)

Netflix

A Wedding for Christmas (2017)

Peacock

Wonderoos: Holiday Holiday! (2020)

Netflix

Yogi Bear’s All-Star Comedy Christmas (1982)

HBO Max

Yogi’s First Christmas (1980)

HBO Max

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[theabominableblogger]

Rewatching “Eragon”

Because I can.  :b

*scats along with the 20th Century Fox theme*

I love this opening POV shot of the Dragon Rider

Whoever thought of casting Jeremy Irons as Brom needs a gold star because I love it.

I SUFFER WITHOUT MY STONE.  DO NOT.  PROLONG MY SUFFERING.

God Robert Carlyle, you were utterly wasted in this movie.

*dramatic whisper as the title pops up*  Eragon...

Wow, those guards’ armor is terrible.  Whoever made the chain mail easy to penetrate with an arrow really needs to be fired.

Again with Bambi’s mom?!?

Peter Buchman (the screenwriter)... bad dog, no biscuit

DRAMATIC FADE TO BLACK

There’s Sloan... where’s his daughter Katrina?

So I found out why that actor sounds familiar... he plays Captain Tarpals in “The Phantom Menace”...

*Eragon and Roran play fight in the barn*  So turns out me and my sister used to reenact this scene when we were younger.  Because we’re nerds.

Man, it’s a shame that there are actually good actors in this movie and they’re kinda brought down due to this script.

Like what happened to Ed Speleers (Eragon) and Christopher Egan (Roran)?  Or Garret Hedlund (Murtagh)?

Oh snap, Murtagh was in Tron Legacy!

[Eragon watches the sunset after Roran leaves] *starts humming the Binary Sunset theme*

“What are you [Saphira]?  You’re not a bird...” Hmm, I dunno, a dragon comes to mind, but... nah, that can’t be it...

How does Arya sense that Saphira’s hatched?

Eragon, that’s not how you feed a baby anything.  You don’t just hold a milk bag over it and go “Now eat it.”

“The dragon has hatched... but to a mere farm boy.”  How do you know that?

Every time Galbatorix talks, I keep hearing “Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich”

*Durza creates the Ra’zac*  Ummm no, that’s not how that works.

*Saphira ages up mid flight*  Ummm no, that’s not how that works.

*Saphira basically names herself*  Nooo....

“The time of the Dragon Riders has come again.”  No, she doesn’t know that...

God, Eragon has become the Iron Fist of this movie:  you don’t just sneak into somebody’s house!

So let’s keep pressuring your dad to tell you, Eragon, that’s the way to go.

OK, for one, the Ra’zac don’t look like that.  Two, beetles?  Really?

“It’s you they want!”  How do you [Saphira] know?

“Stupid boy!”  Basically a summary of the Inheritance cycle.

So basically Eragon is like a much whinier, younger, annoying ANH Luke Skywalker throughout this movie and most of the book series.

And now it’s raining.

I forgot how pretty most of the scenery is in this movie.

I looooovvvee Brom’s black horse

“Why here?” “Because I said here.”  Bring his ass down, Brom.

“Seventeen!”  Wasn’t Eragon 15 in the book?

OK, but here’s the thing:  we’re not even supposed to see Galbatorix until the last book.

Saphira literally shouldn’t be able to know half of the exposition in this movie.  She has about as much information as Eragon at this point.

There’s literally so much tension in a scene where Durza stabs someone’s toe with a blade.  Calm thyselves.

More shots of them riding horses!

“Oh no, the Urgals are slaughtering a village, killing women and children!  Let’s go sword training!”

*sing songs* Priorities...

Whoa, wait, those were the Urgals?  Ugh.  They’re supposed to be these Minotaur looking MOFOs

OK, shut up movie, this is definitely not night time.  Saphira should not be out then.

Brom:  *does something*

Eragon:  WHAT DID YOU DOOOO?!!?!?!?

Oh my gosh, I didn’t realize that there are so many filters used in this movie.  I like the color schemes used but there is no way there is grass that green.

Brom:  Don’t talk to anyone.

Eragon:  OK (goes off and meets up with Angela)

Oh my God, they ruined Angela.  So much. 

Like seriously, where’s Solembum?

Angela in this movie has some seriously bad cataracts or something.

BLUE FIRE!!!!

*Urgals fly into the water*  I FLEW IN FOR NO REASONNNNN!!!

ME TOOOOOO!!!

CANNONBAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!

Eragon:  Holy snot I used MaGicCCC?!?!?!?

Eragon seems to me like Taran from the Prydain Chronicles.  Actually a lot of the plot of this book series seemed kinda recycled from most epic fairy tales and other published stories.

This is kind of a loose explanation of the Ancient Language.

Where has been Brom stashing the dragon saddle this whole time?

HANG ON WITH BOTH HANDS, YOU MORON!

Brom, there is no way Eragon can hear you from down there.

“It’s easy; I can do this.”  Pfffttt.  Nope.

That Insagram filter though!

*Saphira crashes into a tree*  WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!  WATCH OUT FOR THAT.... TREEEEEEE!!!

BUM BUM BUM BUM BA BUM!

Is Brom putting mustard on Saphira’s wing?

“Better to ask forgiveness than permission.”  Oh shut up, Eragon.

“Dragon Rider...”  How did you [Eragon] know?

OK, probably one of the best things in this movie is Zar’roc, the freaking sword, because its design is pretty sweet.

That was kind of an abrupt scene transition.

Durza’s outfit looks like it’s covered in sequins.

He stabbed the Urgal... in the temple... with his fingernail...

Oh now that was a cool transition!

“Gilead’s the opposite direction!”  Well if they were actually going to Dras-Leona like they do in the books, that would be correct.  And they were also hunting down the Ra’zac instead of just camping out for funsies.

Era-gun?

“I’m the rider and I say we go.”  Bitch!

Who are these hooded assholes?

The main architect at Gilead, when building this, probably went “Hmm, y’know, m’Lord, this place seems too kind of evil for nice soft candles.  Let’s go with flaming grills and torches everywhere!” and Galbatorix replied with “Malkovich!  Brilliant!  And make everything look rectangular!”  And here we are.

Now how does Eragon keep continuing to use the Ancient Language even though we know that he knows that it wears him out every time he uses it?

Robert Carlyle was utterly WASTED!  Like this upsets me.

WHY DO YOU KEEP USING BRISINGR!

DURZA... BOY... YOU DON’T USE BRISINGR TO LEVITATE A SWORD!

They use Orc noises for Saphira

They tell you in the movie that Saphira doesn’t like Zar’roc because it’s “a dragon killer” but when Eragon pulls out the sword, Saphira immediately comes to it.

BOY[Eragon]!  STOP SMILING!  YOUR DAD IS DYING!

Now when did Eragon take the time to learn some more of the Ancient Language?

OK, so Brom can understand Eragon and Saphira when they talk to each other, so yeah, his last scene in this movie is sad.

*Saphira sits up to mourn Brom*  That’s awesome.

[Arya shows Eragon how to reach the Varden]  *sings* DON’T GO CHASING WATERFALLS/ PLEASE STICK TO THE RIVERS AND THE LAKES THAT YOU’RE USED TO

How does Murtagh know where the Varden are?

More shots of horseback riding!

That Urgal just leapt out of nowhere for no reason at all.

Oh my God, Malkovich...

He is annoyingly American in this movie.  Like why would you be afraid of this dude?

Man, Djimon Hounsou needs to get a lead role someday.  Like he’s too good for most of the movies he’s in.

The guy who plays Hrothgar looks really familiar for some reason...

Man, even before OUAT started, Robert Carlyle still had to deal with his character’s bad teeth problem.

Y’know, for Du Weldenvarden, this is pretty small.

This movie is pretty much kind of a rip off of “A New Hope:”  boy wants to do more, lives with his uncle, said uncle dies and gets burnt, boy travels along with father figure (in this case Brom’s actually his father so spoiler), father figure dies via bad guy who also has mystical powers, boy has the same job as father figure, boy defeats evil via super specific small weak point while in/on a flying object, boy has to go rescue princess

Are they planning out the battle on the sidewalk with charcoal?

You expect this naive seventeen year old who barely knows anything to lead the Varden into battle?  Haaa......

*Urgals burst through the Wall*  WHO’S GOT THE BARBECUE???

Y’know, for a climatic final battle, this is puny

INTO THE SKY!  TO WIN OR DIE!

“Yeah!”  We burnt down half the Varden!  Heck yeah!

Arya, as of this point in the movie, has probably had zero character development

Oh no, more marching Neanderthals...

Abba blacka what?

So literally for this final battle, Durza summons a dark smoke Pokemon.

“This wound weakens me.”  No crap, Saphira.

“I know what I have to do.”  Fire the proton torpedoes?

And Eragon dies from the fall.  End of movie.  Cue end credits music.

OK, I can’t deny the fact that Eragon’s battle armor looks sweet.

WEISS!!!  HEILL!!!

Why does Murtagh remind me of a Discount Kylo Ren?

All of the Varden are cheering because Eragon and Saphira wrecked their town last night.  Like “Eh, better cheer for this asshole as he freaking leaves us!  Thank God!”

@dynamicdiplomacy, what was that one Snapchat conversation we had about Luke coming back to the base after destroying the first Death Star?

“When will I see you [Arya] again?”  Never.

What’s with the Native American theme for Arya in this movie?

Shruiken!

KEEEEEEPPPP HOOOOLDINGGG OOOONNNNN!!!!

Why do the credits have a picture of a gryphon for the background?

#the blogger reacts #eragon #jeremy irons #robert carlyle #ed speleers #inheritance cycle #A New Hope #Luke Skywalker #avril lavigne

[nixonsmoviereviews]

"Mortal Kombat"- A classic piece of 90's cheese... and also a very entertaining fantasy-adventure romp.

I'm not going to try and convince you that 1995's "Mortal Kombat" is a spectacular film. Heck, I'm not even going to try to convince you that it's particularly good. Inspired by the brutal arcade games, the film is little more than a broad piece of "fluff"... a shallow bit of entertainment filled to burst with only the most common of cliché and trope, with an emphasis on effects over substance and action over drama. It's cheese, plain and simple. And yet, director Paul W.S. Anderson's film has gone on to become something of an icon for children of the 90's. A pop-culture phenomena that is still widely beloved. Even its brilliantly goofy techno theme-song is still a standard at many a nightclub and house- party. It's elevated itself beyond its boundaries and is now often regarded as a classic of its decade, fondly recollected by those of us who used to obsessively rent the VHS at Video King every weekend. Oh, it's cheese. But it's delicious, nostalgic and entertaining 90's cheese. A group of Earth's greatest warriors- including the vengeful Liu Kang (Robin Shou), special forces agent Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson) and washed-up action-star Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby) are united by Thunder God Raiden (Christopher Lambert) to take part in a legendary tournament known as "Mortal Kombat." The goal is to pit fighters from various realms and dimensions against one another to find the greatest warriors in the known universe. However, should a world lose ten consecutive tournaments, they will be at the mercy of the victor- in this case, the dreaded "Outworld" has won nine against Earth, and the treacherous sorcerer Shang Tsung (Cary- Hiroyuki Tagawa) is eyeing his tenth victory so that he may conquer the Earth for his emperor. And so, our heroes must try and save the planet with the help of Outworld princess Kitana (Talisa Soto), who seeks retribution for the death of her parents at the emperor's hands. Yes, the plot sounds very silly, and indeed it is, often being summarized as a fantasy riff on the classic Bruce Lee film "Enter the Dragon." But it's not the main focus here. Merely a backdrop to help deliver what the film excels at, which is the development of highly likable characters and wonderfully thrilling action sequences, with at the time mind- bending special effects. You'll find yourself very much willing to forgive the somewhat shoddy story development for these very reasons. The fantastic casting of our lead actors and the witty dialog helps us care and root for our heroes. Shou is fantastic as our "chosen one" hero Liu Kang, a man haunted by the death of his brother at the hands of the dreaded Shang Tsung. He's got a dark streak as a result, but also a very humanizing and identifiable sense of wit, and will occasionally snap back with a clever comeback or joke to remind us that he's not just a blank-slate, but has a likable personality despite his turmoil. Wilson is quite good as Sonya, who similarly has a chip on her shoulder thanks to the death of her partner. She's sort-of the most serious of our group, and while the role may come off as flatter than the others as a result, she plays an invaluable role thanks to evening everyone out. Ashby is a wonderful addition, and is the closest we have to a traditional comic relief. Formerly a famed actor, Johnny is now a bit of a diva, but Ashby wisely plays him as being just self-aware enough to know that he needs to grow up to become a better person. But he never quite lets go, leading to some golden moments of comedy. But Lambert and Tagawa steal the show in their roles as Raiden and Shang Tsung. Lambert seems to be having the most fun he's ever had, and he uniquely interprets the all-power Thunder God as having a bit of a sarcastic sense of humor, which I found very welcoming. He's just detached enough from mortality to not quite be able to fit in with the other heroes, leading to some nice "culture clash" moments of humor. And Tagawa just chews the scenery in the perfect way as our fiendishly entertaining villain. He knows he's crafting a character that you'll love to hate, and he plays the role to perfection, with a childish glee. The action is the other big highlight here, and even more than twenty years later, I think it generally holds up. This was one of those first big, sweeping martial-arts hits in the United States, and we hadn't seen anything quite like it at the time. The concept of a tournament featuring fighters from different worlds and dimensions allows for some splendid and entertaining mash- ups, so no two fights are quite the same, and there's good variety. There's also a really nice natural progression over the course of the film, so the stakes really ramp up with each passing action beat. Director Paul W.S. Anderson has a really keen eye for scope and composition, and knows how to perfectly frame a shot and cut together sequences to make for some great gasps and winces from his audience. And he knows just the right moments to supply enough levity for us to catch our breath before hitting us again with an even more intense martial arts battle. It's splendidly directed and structured and there's never a dull moment. In the end, "Mortal Kombat" may not be a great film. But it is great entertainment. It's a fun and wild relic of its time, and I know that for this fan, it'll always be a movie I pop on now and again for nostalgic kicks. I give it a very strong 8 out of 10 for this reason. Pop on the nostalgia goggles and get ready to have a fast, fun time.

#imdb #movie #film #review #mortal kombat

[thelatetothegameblog]

So the second half of the first season is about to begin.  How about we take a look again at the first half, shall we?

Originally Posted on 11/14/17

Star Trek Discovery is a series with an identity crisis. Much like it’s lead character, Michael Burnham, it is trying to live between two worlds and succeeding completely at neither of them. Just a fair warning, the way forward is dark and full of spoilers so go back if you want to remain ‘pure’.

Still with me? Okay.

Theme Song

Lets start with the most reoccuring thing in the show, The Theme Song. The Theme to a show can make or break it. Just ask people who watched Enterprise. Yeah, it was bad.

This one is actually pretty incredible, with hints of the original series and it is certainly a proper Star Trek theme. So this goes in the good pile.

  What is the series about?

Star Trek Discovery is supposed to take place 10 years prior to Star Trek The Original Series (TOS). So, timeline wise, this series takes place well before the famed 5 year mission of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701. This means it, theoretically, takes place when Captain Christopher Pike was in charge of the Enterprise and that would also mean that Spock was among Pikes bridge crew on at the time.

Spock and Pike from the Original Series Pilot: The Cage

Star Trek is traditionally known to feature ensemble casts that work together even if there is a little conflict at times. By the end of the first episode of any given series you typically know the characters, have a basic understanding of their needs, and personalities. These traits are later defined further through subsequent adventures. This series, on the other hand, mostly follows two characters, Burnham and, the Captain of the Discovery itself, Lorca. There are other players in the series but really only two (maybe two and a half) characters.

Discovery follows First Officer Michael Burnham (played by Sonequa Martin-Green) as she struggles with her own moral code and the duality of her life. From early on, some of her decisions lead to the events that are indirectly responsible for the first Klingon War with the Federation. This war would eventually lead her to the Starship Discovery under the command of Captain Lorca (played by Jason Isaacs). More on this later.

Burnham’s story, as I mentioned before, is one of finding her place and justifying her existence. Lorca, on the other hand, seems to be proving himself to himself. His is a dark internal conflict that is rarely seen in Starfleet Captains. Unscrupulous and obviously corrupted by the freedoms he has been granted by Starfleet Command, Lorca feels he can do no wrong and rarely even tries to hide it. He is a fascinating character and is certainly one of the high points of the show.

Ultimately, the USS Discovery is attempting to find new and unique weapons for Starfleet to win the war against the Klingons while under the command of an unscrupulous Captain. They do things, get into trouble, and then do more things. The ironic thing is that Lorca has something on his desk that could honestly end the war on it’s own and he doesn’t even know it. A freakin Tribble.

Literally at his fingertips the ultimate Weapon against the Klingons.

The Characters:

Michael Burnham (aka Vulcan Not Vulcan):

You see, Michael is a human that was raised by Sarek and Amanda, a fact of which the show WILL NOT let you forget. These are the same parents who gave birth to Spock from the Original Series, in case you don’t recognize their names. Michael was rescued by Sarek in an event where she was given part Sarek’s ‘Katra’ (his soul) and so she has a unique link with him that also serves as a plot device. She also happens to be the first Human to graduate from the Vulcan Academy. Because of her upbringing, she straddles both worlds and has issues with both. So yeah, she is a pretty convenient character to be following in this series but, then again, most of the characters we meet in Star Trek are exceptional people with interesting backgrounds so we really shouldn’t be surprised here. I mean how boring would it be to follow Craig the Space Janitor? Okay, maybe that would be a good show.

She is ultimately responsible for the war between the Federation and the Klingons in this story and is reminded of this constantly at first. Then people stop caring about that since you know it stopped being important to the plot. She’s a hot head and it gets her in trouble a bit, which is ironic since she was raised by Vulcans from a young age. Man, Vulcan education must be pretty terrible.

Captain Gabriel Lorca (aka Lucius Malfoy in Space)

The Captain of the Starship Discovery. You don’t meet him until episode three even though the show is named after the ship he captains. Heck, you don’t even meet the ship until episode three so there’s that too.

Lorca is basically the combination of every evil character Jason Isaacs has ever played. I swear he is the go-to bad guy these days. Not that he does a bad job but seriously, when I see him pop up on a show, I know this guy is gonna be bad news.

Anyhow, Lorca is the Captain of the Discovery and he isn’t the ‘nice guy’ ‘straight laced’ Captain we are used to. He’s not even a Kirk level ‘cowboy’ Captain, he is a war Captain and he had been given the okay by Starfleet to do pretty much what he wants to do. This is NOT a good idea as he is not the most stable or pleasant or diplomatic guy to be in charge of a Starship with the power that Discovery has.

All that being said, I loved his character on the show, he is one of two and a half fully formed characters with the rest being pretty two dimensional at best.

Saru (aka Not Abe Sapien)

Saru is played by one of my favorite actors, Doug Jones. Sadly the show doesn’t give him much to work with in this character so he just comes off as a dickish alien version of his character from Hellboy, Abe Sapien.

Saru is from a species that is new to Star Trek (yeah 10 years before TOS and already a species we never met before) called the Kelpians that are a Prey Species. He has these ganglia things that tell him when he is going to die, or so he says that’s what they do. They are really just telling him to run away because there is a chance for them to get killed. His species was not the top of the food chain on their home planet so it’s a pretty good chance they all got eaten before TOS began. Ten years can be a bitch.

He hates Burnham and makes it VERY WELL KNOWN throughout the season. I mean, this dude won’t shut up about it. But overall he isn’t too bad. I mean, he’s good enough to get a photo on this review so that’s pretty good. The rest of the folks can pretty much be replaced by a talking lamp post. Yes, only ONE lamp post. That’s how two dimensional they are! I know that sounds mean and it’s no fault of the actors. The writers have just done a really poor job making these characters interesting.

The remainder of the crew is pretty forgettable so I’ll give you my own names for them. There is Chippy the Starfleet Cadet , who ends up Michael’s roommate. There is Science Officer Grumble, who ends up being key to running the ship. Then we have Doctor McFancy Pants who we find out is dating Science Officer Grumble. Oh and later we meet up with Security Chief Tyler (that’s really his character’s name, so maybe he was memorable, not fully formed but memorable) ‘the human guy who is maybe a Klingon but we aren’t sure yet.’ (Hint, he’s probably a Klingon and we don’t know it yet. He might not even know it yet for that matter. hmmm) Sarek is worth an honorable mention only in that he is important in this series as part of Michael Burnham’s Character, but as a character of his own he is pretty one dimensional this time around.

Of all these half characters Science officer Grumble and Security Chief Tyler are the ones I hope get more characterization. They have potential and maybe when I do a Season One Part Two review they will get photos of their own.

There is one other character that I absolutely love but I can’t consider him one of the two and a half fully formed characters since he only shows up in 2 episodes. Yeah, I know thats nearly a fourth of the show so far but still, he is at best a recurring character at this point. That character is one of the few solid connections to TOS, that character is Harcourt Fenton Mudd.

Harry Mudd (played by Rainn Wilson) is an amazing connection to the Original Series. You see, when we originally met Mudd, he was a con man who was attempting to swindle miners until the Enterprise happened along to stop him. Mudd was a terrific foil for Kirk but what was he doing prior to all of that? Why being a con man of course! (and serving time in a Klingon Prison) Rainn’s portrayal of Harcourt Fenton Mudd is, by far, one of the highlights of the series thus far and I honestly hope we haven’t seen the last of him.

The Ship(s)

The first ship you meet is the Shenzhou, don’t get used to her, she doesnt last long. Heck, I’m not even going to go into details.

The ship you need to know about is The Discovery. This ship doesn’t show up until Episode 3 ‘Context is for Kings’. It is an experimental ship, one of two, that contains a unique ‘Spore Drive’ that allows for unique travel. The ship is captained by Captain Malfoy Lorca and is a science vessel turned weapons research ship due to the battle with the Klingons.

The Discovery really is a beautiful ship.

The Aliens:

This is really tough for me. I absolutely HATE how the Klingons look in this series. Let’s discuss for a minute. Please bear with me.

This is a Klingon from 100 years prior to the events in the Discovery and Original Series.

Note the prominent Brow Ridge, the bushy eyebrows, the long flowing hair, the unique facial hair and dark skin.

This next one is a Klingon from the Original series. Remember he is from 100 years AFTER the events in Enterprise but only 10 years AFTER the events in Discovery.

Note the shorter hair, lack of brow ridge, bushy eyebrows, unique facial hair and dark skin. Also keep in mind that this series was from the 1960’s so prosthetics were not commonly used due to budgetary reasons.

This next one is from the Star Trek Next Generation Era set 100 year AFTER the Original Series.

Note the return to the brow ridge, the bushy eyebrows, the long flowing hair, the unique facial hair and dark skin. According to the storyline the Klingons had experimented on themselves resulting in the smooth foreheads from the original series. It was an embarrassment to them and not something they liked to talk about.

Now, this is what appears as a Klingon in Discovery. Please note that Discovery is supposed to take place only 10 years prior to the original series. So you would think they would look either like that of the Enterprise Era or of the Original Series Era but no. They look like this.

WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?! Seriously. There is no way to can go from this to the smooth headed version in 10 years!

This really bothers me and every time I see one, it takes me out of the series immediately. Everything else, from the insane technology that doesn’t make sense 10 years prior to TOS to the uniforms that don’t make sense I can get over, it’s distracting at best. The only thing that would make ANY sense to a Trekkie like me is that Discovery takes place in the Kelvin Universe (click the link for an explanation) where the Klingons looked like this:

And you know what? That would have been awesome. A TV series set in the new movie universe would have been great as they would have been able to bring in the new version of Kirk, Spock and McCoy with little effort. Unfortunately the producers say that it is based in the Prime Universe and fits in with all the other tv series. Shenanigans I say.

Okay, Rant over, let’s get back to this lengthy review.

Other aliens include…well there really aren’t any specific other aliens. I mean, we see some Vulcans. We see Saru and there is also the Waterbear that becomes the navigator/regulator of the spore drive for a while. This guy:

He’s pretty cool.

There are some other things on the show but nothing really notable, not so far at least.

The Series:

Episode One and Two: The Vulcan Hello/Battle At The Binary Stars (aka the 2 hour pilot that was split into two because CBS wanted viewers to pay for half the first episode on their new streaming service.)

Michael and the Captain of the fist ship get into a disagreement on how to handle the newly (re)found Klingons and Michael tries to incapacitate the Captain and take over the ship in order to initiate a first strike. She ends up failing in her task, the ship gets wrecked and she gets courtmartialed. There, just saved you two hours of a pointless pilot.

I won’t get into the details of each one of the rest of the episodes. Ultimately, this first half of the series ends up in an interesting cliff hanger where we find out that there are Alternate Dimensions. I hope to GOD that one of these dimensions give us an explanation for those damned Klingon Not Klingons (KLINGNOTS for short for those of you who have been reading my weekly episodic reviews). If you want more details you can find those here. They are 99% spoiler free so you can enjoy them fully. Although if you already read all of this it really doesn’t matter huh?

Theories and Musings

One of the biggest theories is that Tyler the Security Chief is really a Klingon Sleeper Agent. One big thing is that there is an Albino Klingon named Voq that seems very important to the story until he and a female Klingon are disgraced and make plans to get revenge. This is literally the last time we see the Albino Klingon. The very next episode we are introduced to Tyler who is found on a Klingon ship as a captive. That ship is captained by who? The Klingon Female that the Albino was plotting with. At the end of the mid season finale Tyler and this Female Klingon meetup and, after he deals with some PTSD, she tells him ‘ I will never let anyone hurt you’. Weird huh? The crazy thing, Burnham is in love with Tyler. Yeah that’s gonna suck. (Oh, Hey look Tyler got his picture in after all! Maybe he is an important character!)

      Voq maybe Tyler

Tyler maybe Voq

One other theory is that Lorca is not from the Prime Universe at all. He is actually from the Mirror Universe and has been trying to get back. He blends in as the Prime Universe Lorca having either displaced or killed the original and is trying to use the Discovery to find his way home. One thing that verifies this is that he has been tracking the rifts that lead to alternate universe and when Science Officer Grumble tells him he will only do one more jump he overrides the jump and they end up somewhere unexpected. Also, it would really explain his a-hole tendencies that is very unlike traditional Starfleet Captains. Unless he is just like this guy. This guy was a dick.

Well, that’s all I have for you on this one. I hope you enjoyed my ‘indepth’ review of Chapter One of the Star Trek Discovery Series. I am sticking around for the second half in January and I plan to report to you on a weekly basis when those episodes are released. I am a firm believer that Any Trek is Good Trek unless it’s Bad Trek then it’s crap. Let’s hope this series finds its stride, it looks promising but I don’t like to get my hopes up. Let’s be honest, they should have set the series After Star Trek Voyager.

Thanks for reading, if you liked this review please check out my other review series: Key Movies Of My Life and my Toy Reviews. You can also get caught up on my Star Trek Discovery Reviews HERE. As always, please feel free to comment below and share your experiences with these movies as well. If you just happend by, please tell me what you think!

Thanks!

Late To The Game 11/14/17

“Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan production is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made film intended for recreational use. No commercial exhibition or distribution is permitted. No alleged independent rights will be asserted against CBS or Paramount Pictures.”

In Depth review of Star Trek Discovery Chapter One. So the second half of the first season is about to begin.  How about we take a look again at the first half, shall we?

#detailed #Kelvin Universe #Kirk #Klingons #Original Series #review #Reviews #Spock #Star Trek #Star Trek Discovery #starfleet