jvr2400 Reviews

After Midnight (2024– )

A little chaotic but i laughed a lot

[8/10 · 18 January 2024]

I'm not sure why this show's rating is so low after a single episode. Give things time, people!

I never saw the original version of this show, so i went into it blind. It is sort of a tv version of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, though not as smooth, intellectual, or funny. Yet.

Taylor is engaging when she feels like she is being herself. When she sticks to the script, it feels less natural, as would be expected from a first day host. I hope the powers behind the show recognize this and don't try to force her into a mold.

The editing is where the show suffers most. It feels rushed and the places where bits were cut are jarringly obvious, and not just because the scores fluctuate.

In the end, i can say i laughed out loud quite a few times. It was a light, enjoyable watch and I'm very curious how it will evolve over time.

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)

Such a disappointment

[5/10 · 27 December 2023]

Rebel Moon. Jyn Erso...er, I mean Kora (not the Avatar) brings together a band of fighters to start a rebellion (even though there is already a larger, better equipped, and better organized rebellion already started) against the evil Mother World with, I dunno, a series of high Charisma rolls. That's the only way to explain how she is able to convince all these people to come fight for her adopted farming village. It's Star Wars (of course, this was meant to be Zack Snyder's Star Wars entry) meets Seven Samurai.

The good: Sofia Boutella (Kora) has decent screen presence. The smoky stand-ins for lightsabers are pretty cool. Charlie Hunnam is engaging as smugger/thief/whatever he's supposed to be Kai. Ed Skrien's Admiral Atticus Noble is effective as a much more brutal and competent version of General Hux.

The bad: Kinda everything else. The effects are Star Wars on a Serenity budget but it's too bad they didn't have a Joss Whedon-caliber writer. Most of the characters get only the most basic introductions. Kora's imploring speeches to convince them are short and unconvincing. Everything feels rushed and half-done. And oh my god So. Much. Slow. Motion. I almost gave up during the first fight scene.

I really really wanted to like this movie. I really really didn't.