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Lowcountry_Girl
Reviews
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
A frenetic, shallow hot mess that does further damage to everything ennobling about the first six films while building nothing of its own
I wish I were surprised by this film. But after Episode 7's copy-and-paste plot and TLJ's wanton destructiveness, I honestly can't be. Instead I find myself empty, sad, and anxious to banish the sequel trilogy forever from my memory. Only Episode 6 qualifies as the Skywalker saga's true ending point.
After a promising start - I enjoyed TFA despite its unoriginality - the sequel trilogy took a nosedive with TLJ - straight into illogic, non storytelling, ideological hectoring, and intentional subversion.
TLJ obliterated legacy characters, diminished and demeaned new characters, destroyed old and new narrative arcs, and told OG fans like me we were stupid for imagining four decades of lore meant anything.
TROS doubles down on the destruction by rendering THE central figure of the Skywalker saga as worthless and pointless as so many other legacy characters are made to be.
Typical of the Mouse, the ST succeeds only as a contemptuous cash grab. It trades on nostalgia while simultaneously giving the finger to those of us who care about character, story, and the first six films.
By nullifying everything noble and successful that came before Episode 7, the PTB at Lucasfilm seek to make Rey - a character I cared about in TFA, but now regard with apathy - everything actual Skywalkers could never be.
Unfortunately for them, it's the true Skywalker saga (Episodes 1-6) that are everything their unintelligible, derivative, destructive, and hollow 'trilogy' can only weakly mimic.
Thanks for 1-6, George Lucas; Thanks for Mando and the wee baby Yoda, Favreau, Filoni, and Chow; Massive fail, KK, JJ, RJ, and Mouse.
The King (2019)
25% history, 75% pure fiction .. Transforms one of England's most martial kings into a pacifist with Daddy issues who got tricked into going to war
Why do they do this? Who does Hollywood think it is exactly with this unadulterated fiction? To have the temerity to fictionalize major facts of the life of an historical figure takes some kind of elevated opinion of yourself.
Here's a newsflash: Henry V was the member of his family most keen for war with France; Henry IV and Thomas favored peace. For reasons known only to Netflix, precisely the opposite is portrayed in this film.
So Daddy disinherited Henry and made Thomas the heir, really?? (NOPE) So Thomas was green and got killed in battle before Henry IV died, really?? (Both sons were seasoned warriors, and Thomas died well after Agincourt.) So Falstaff (Sir John Oldcastle) heroically died at Agincourt, really?? (Henry executed him in 1417.) There's much more, but the point is made.
So sick of historical figures being transformed into someone they weren't to suit whatever message the screenwriter is pushing. Just. stop.
Jack Ryan (2018)
Season 2 is jaw-droppingly dumb and overtly revisionist in its portrayal of the root causes of Venezuela's problems
YIKES, where to start?? Season One was watchable enough, fast-paced internationally flavored eye candy, but so forgettable I needed the S1 recap to have any idea of what had occurred or where the first season had left off.
Season 2 is just plain bad. The first season's revisionist portrayal of major characters has been expanded to now include revisionism of entire nation states, lol! I found myself rolling my eyes a half dozen times in the first episode alone, which is never good. Season 2 is semi watchable, but beyond moronic.
Game of Thrones (2011)
By defying logic, sensible motivations, years of characterization, and the rules of the world GRRM created, S8 renders GoT ultimately frustrating and unsatisfying viewing.
The competence with which a (previously) well-told story concludes matters greatly. There could be no greater example of that than Game of Thrones.
The numerous failures of Season 8 have been expounded on in many other reviews And why GoT's final season renders all of Game of Thrones unwatchable has also been well explained.
I will only add that to anyone considering giving the series a go despite the criticism, do yourself a favor by stopping watching after episode 6x10, entitled The Winds of Winter.
Then make up your own endings for the characters you love; Trust me, whatever you come up with will be more sensible and satisfying than the illogical, amateurish dreck long-term viewers were apparently expected to swallow wholesale.
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)
Undermines the power and heft of Jesse's narrative arc
Dear Brock -- How's it hanging, little man?!! So SO sorry about you being poisoned and orphaned and all because of your mom's association with me and now you're back in the gang neighborhood with Grandma and in 5 years you're Tomas, but I'm SURE this greeting card from your loving Uncle Jesse will fix all that right up!
Never mind that my last two girlfriends are dead cuz of me, your life is destroyed cuz of me, Ive murdered multiple people (and even added to my body count on my way out of town!), I've twisted that knife one last time with my parents by lying to them (yet) again, and I've voluntarily made thousands of pounds of the worst drug you can imagine, I'm all smiles now and off to a fresh start in Alaska!!!!! Yeah,
So, have a great life, little man, 'Kay?!!! I'm sure you will !!!!! Love, your BFF 4eva!!!!! - Jesse