grandomeur Reviews

Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)

Feels like a badly written and acted home alone series

[2/10 · 7 June 2022]

They should have made this a parody instead.

A fully trained legendary jedi now chasing a kid.

Darth Vader with all the power of the force stopped inexplicably by a few flames.

It all fits in well with Disney. Just not so much in Star Wars canon.

The Mandalorian: Chapter 15: The Believer (2020) Season 2, Episode 7

3 great episodes in a row

[9/10 · 11 December 2020]

But each with an inexplicable, glaring hole. After the jetpack fiasco, this one comes with a machine that scans your face for apparently no reason. Anyone can walk to it and access very sensitive information about the whereabouts of the highest ranking officers. Had Meyfeld been the one whose face was scanned, it would have still been ok as he's someone in the system. But how the hell did Din's face-scan grant him access to such info? Other than that, this episode was top-notch: amazing cinematography, 2 excellent combat scenes, and an unexpected turn of events with an imperial officer. Many people have reacted so positively towards the last scene, though I found it a tad cheesy. Still, a great prep for the season finale.

The Mandalorian: Chapter 13: The Jedi (2020) Season 2, Episode 5

Who the force is Grogle?!

[9/10 · 27 November 2020]

Sounds like Google gone evil. Everything else in this episode was exhilarating though. Wish it was longer. Rosario Dawson was perfect in her new role.

Devs (2020)

meh

[5/10 · 10 May 2020]

Lethargic and pretentious, coupled with bad acting. Lead actress recites her lines in such robotic a way that makes siri sound like a wild, drunken teenager. The pace is off, the music is off, the dialogue is lifeless. Cinematography is decent. Spare your valuable time. This isn't the next big sci-fi masterpiece.

Rick and Morty: Never Ricking Morty (2020) Season 4, Episode 6

probably best Rick & Morty episode to date

[10/10 · 9 May 2020]

Yes, it diverted somewhat from their known formula (that we know works), and yes this won't appeal to everyone. But what the writers are doing here is creative, fresh, and bold. I find myself glued to the screen trying to decipher all references. I haven't felt this engaged in a TV series for a long time. I'm glad this series is taking even a weirder direction than moving into cliché and overused domains like so many good ones before it.

Westworld: Crisis Theory (2020) Season 3, Episode 8

I think I'll park it here with Westworld

[4/10 · 4 May 2020]

Season 1 was a masterpiece. Season 2 was a mess. Midway through this season, I was getting my hopes up that this might end up being a decent watch -nowhere near season 1 mind you, but a good passtime nonetheless - but it all came burning down in the last few episodes. And the season finale was horrendous. Not looking forward for season 4 and this will likely be the end of the line for me Westworld-wise.

Star Trek: Discovery: Such Sweet Sorrow (2019) Season 2, Episode 13

Grey's Anatomy in space

[1/10 · 23 February 2020]

Nothing but contemporary teenage expressions (how the fluff did those survive well into the 24th century?) and an abundance of crying. This is a cheap, badly written, unimaginative soap opera. It shouldn't be classified as sci-fi, let alone ST canon.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

To boldly redo what's already been done before

[1/10 · 18 February 2020]

Only good thing about this movie is Benedict Cumberbatch's acting. For that it gets one star.

The rest is just a typical J.J. Abrams millennial blockbuster. Rehashed, recycled, cutified content without an iota of creativity or a semblance of a decent, thought-provoking plot. No depth, lousy dialogues, and an awful attempt at humor.

You could see everything coming from light years away because, well, you've actually seen it all before in 1982. Shameful plagiarism at its best. It's sad that at a time when the world is seeing some of the best series being created, the producers of some of the best Sci-Fi franchises (Trek, Star Wars, etc...) cannot assemble a few decent writers to keep the tradition going without dragging those stories into mud.

The Color of Pomegranates (1969)

Not a movie. A masterpiece.

[10/10 · 14 February 2020]

This and Ingmar Bergman's 'The Seventh Seal' are the only movies that I would rate 11/10. Two very different works, yet both with breathtaking cinematography. You could screenshot every second of it, frame it and hang it as a picture in your flat. This even more than the Swede's. The plot is very loose in TCoP so don't watch it expecting much to happen. Instead choose a day to relax and fully immerse yourself in this Armenian cultural whirl-hole. It's the Odyssey of cinema.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

at least the prequels gave us JarJar and sand jokes

[1/10 · 5 January 2020]

What did the sequels do exactly? it doesn't feel like they added one bit to the SW universe. Disney milking this cow till it drops dead.

Silicon Valley: Exit Event (2019) Season 6, Episode 7

Not the final episode I was expecting

[10/10 · 14 December 2019]

Which made it somewhat even better. Can't think of many other series where they've come up with better endings. I found this last season to be overall quite good and this episode quite fitting to wrap it all up.

Mr. Robot: 410 Gone (2019) Season 4, Episode 10

more millenial angst

[3/10 · 10 December 2019]

Never in the history of mankind has going away on vacation been so dramatic. You could easily skip this one folks. Giving it 3 stars cz of the nice and unexpected cameos from Leon and Irving. Rest of it is just D&D arguing about whether to grill a cheese sandwich or fly off to Budapest. 2nd worst episode after 404 this season. This season being the worst of all 4 overall for me. Perhaps it's good they're wrapping it up. Esmail seems to have run out of fresh ideas.

Mr. Robot: 404 Not Found (2019) Season 4, Episode 4

impressive cinematography glossing over a weak plot

[5/10 · 1 November 2019]

A number of really eye-pleasing scenes, particularly those shots of the foggy forest glistening under the moonlight. But apart from that and a couple of humorous twists, I found myself bored and tempted to fast forward.

Things were made worse by the petulant millennial behavior some of the main characters (Darlene, Tyrell) have evolved to represent. I'd tolerate some over-dramatic complaining if the plot was strong enough to keep me hooked, but in such a filler episode it was just unbearable, at least for me.