Tag: star wars

New Fiction 2020 – April

Far Cry Primal

dev. Ubisoft Montreal (2016)

I wanted to wander around an environment alongside mammoths and this game provided that in spades. I spent so much time just contemplating in big meadows full of gentle, giant mammoths. On the flip side, it’s a survival horror game? But saber-tooth cats instead of zombies. Now it’s one of my favorite video games. It’s an entry in a long-running series of first-person shooters I otherwise don’t care about. And this game definitely gives me ‘standard AAA bland shooter’ vibes in its structure and narrative. They just created a fascinating world around that. One of the interesting bits of the game is everyone speaks in recreated primal languages. The one bit of English is lyrics in a song that appears toward the end of the game and it’s so jarring to hear in contrast to the rest. I was impressed that Ubisoft invested in that level of authenticity but really got into it. It always bugs me when a game or movie uses weird accented English in place of the native language. I found this article series from the historical linguist they worked with to craft the languages and dialogue. Pretty fascinating deep dive.

Star Wars: Republic Commando dev.

LucasArts

(2005)

LucasArts released many Star Wars video games in the period around the prequel movies. 2005 saw the release of this game and Battlefront II, the latter of which is perhaps more popular for its online multiplayer component. I tried the single player of that game and it doesn’t compare to Republic Commando. This game’s focus on working together with a squad of surprisingly smart A.I.-controlled comrades makes it feel more intentional where many shooters seem to want to throw enemies for the sake of providing bullet sponges. Make no mistake, this is still a shooter and the player is still mowing down hordes of aliens. It’s just smarter about how it sets up those combat encounters. The player can only progress by successfully guiding squad mates around the battlefield. I enjoyed the game and was surprised to see it that it was rather short, starting at the Battle of Geonosis and ending just before the tragic Order 66 moment that so many heroes of the prequel era have to contend with. The game never received a sequel so I have to assume the squad sadly goes on to fulfill their mission. This is also compelling for providing an early look at the inner lives of the literal carbon copy clone army, something that Clone Wars would fully expound upon just a few years later.

Cabin Boy dir. Adam Resnick (1994)

All the movies I watched this month were through communal viewings on an app called Kast. It’s been fun to have no say in the movies that are selected, trusting someone else to make interesting choices. This first one was a strange, weirdly referential movie. It builds upon old timey sailor epics and Harryhausen stop-motion adventures to deliver a screwball comedy more in line with Pee Wee Herman than any of its inspirations. It stars Chris Elliott and I know of his work and have seen a few of his roles, but I can see why he was never quite popular in his heyday. His comedic style is almost daring you to like his work. I still can’t say I liked it, but it was certainly interesting to see a comedy like this and with this level of practical effects in 1994.

Manos: The Hands of Fate dir. Harold P. Warren (1966)

This felt similarly interesting as Cabin Boy in that ‘what the fuck am I watching’ kind of way, but at least with Manos I knew to expect some kind of schlock. I haven’t watched the MST3K version but knew full well that it’s hoisted up on the same lofty heights as Plan 9 from Outer Space in the Worst Movie Ever rankings. The big surprise for me was that it didn’t feel like the worst movie ever made. The viewer can follow along perfectly fine, and it’s clear what they’re going for. It’s also clear the filmmaker wasn’t a filmmaker. I can’t say I enjoyed it as a horror movie as much as I enjoyed examining it while I watched. I can imagine being disappointed if this movie was taken seriously, but hindsight really makes it a fascinating artifact. We watched the restored version on blu ray and perhaps that extra visual quality helped make it just a little better than old grainy copies would have.

The Castle of Cagliostro dir. Hayao Miyazaki (1979)

So let me get this straight. Lupin III–the star of this animated movie and countless other series both in manga and animated form–is usually an unlikeable pile of garbage? And this one movie where Miyazaki wisely makes him a hero is a source of complaints by fans who want the garbage version? That’s my understanding. It makes me want to not watch anything else with Lupin III in it. Castle of Cagliostro is still a product of its time and the whole ordeal is about the hero saving the damsel and taking down the villain (who, by the way, is a real pile of garbage). However, it’s still charming and Lupin’s intentions kind of clear up as the movie goes on. He’s more akin to Han Solo, rogue with a heart of gold. The movie’s notoriety is clearly driven by the high watermark set in the art and animation. It is an astounding movie to just watch in motion. Miyazaki and co. undoubtedly near killed themselves to make this, much as they did for many of the movies to later come out of Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli work. There’s a fascinating interview with Yasuo Otsuka, animator on the film, that is included on the blu ray and available online.

Star Trek: Discovery – Seasons 1 & 2 (2017-2019)

Spoiler-filled rant.

Discovery is… something. It outta be called Star Trek: Burnham. Sadly now it feels, like Picard, that they had to squeeze their arcs into seasons that needed more episodes. There’s an odd bottle episode or two where I felt like “more of this!” But I can count them on one hand. The stakes are constantly at 11. And with Discovery, the characters are good! There are so many of them who get so few lines but like, I wanna know who they are and care about them before the shit hits the fan and they upend the status quo. For example, how do you include a cool-looking cyborg to the bridge crew for two seasons and give her almost no screen time, then make a major episode about her and expect us to believe everyone’s sad when she sacrifices herself? I got real annoyed over Airiam’s fate. She should’ve gotten her own non-critical episode before that. Like the stuff with Saru and his home planet. I suppose my key problem with Discovery is that they don’t seem to understand that TNG, DS9, etc were about ALL the bridge crew, not just a couple of people. Discovery also spends a lot of time on the villains and external characters. There’s some cool characters there but it definitely pulls time from the bridge crew dynamics and camaraderie.

Star Wars Rebels (2014-2018)

Rebels was a nice series to pair in the same month as Discovery because it does exactly what I’d hoped from that series. You spend all your time getting to know the key members of the Ghost’s crew. This show skews toward a younger crowd so its motivations are simpler, but they still squeeze in some significant character-building and growth into their relatively short episodes and seasons. They also raise the stakes, but the stakes are so personal and small in the grand scheme of the Star Wars galaxy’s problems that it’s always about what’s important to this group of people there and now. There are also plenty of fan service moments and returning characters to make this a satisfying continuation of the stories and themes in Clone Wars.

Star Wars Forces of Destiny (2017-2018)

I was surprised to find these bite-sized, kid-oriented shorts even existed. I’ve lost touch with Disney’s many efforts to expand the brand and while this series certainly fits into that type of marketing-driven creative effort, it’s still a nice bit of fun with familiar characters. I’d watch these with my five year-old niece. The focus on women as the leads of these shorts sadly highlights how they need to continue to expand the scope of their lead roles beyond men (and, I think, beyond humans).

New Fiction 2020 – April

Far Cry Primal

dev. Ubisoft Montreal (2016)

I wanted to wander around an environment alongside mammoths and this game provided that in spades. I spent so much time just contemplating in big meadows full of gentle, giant mammoths. On the flip side, it’s a survival horror game? But saber-tooth cats instead of zombies. Now it’s one of my favorite video games. It’s an entry in a long-running series of first-person shooters I otherwise don’t care about. And this game definitely gives me ‘standard AAA bland shooter’ vibes in its structure and narrative. They just created a fascinating world around that. One of the interesting bits of the game is everyone speaks in recreated primal languages. The one bit of English is lyrics in a song that appears toward the end of the game and it’s so jarring to hear in contrast to the rest. I was impressed that Ubisoft invested in that level of authenticity but really got into it. It always bugs me when a game or movie uses weird accented English in place of the native language. I found this article series from the historical linguist they worked with to craft the languages and dialogue. Pretty fascinating deep dive.

Star Wars: Republic Commando dev.

LucasArts

(2005)

LucasArts released many Star Wars video games in the period around the prequel movies. 2005 saw the release of this game and Battlefront II, the latter of which is perhaps more popular for its online multiplayer component. I tried the single player of that game and it doesn’t compare to Republic Commando. This game’s focus on working together with a squad of surprisingly smart A.I.-controlled comrades makes it feel more intentional where many shooters seem to want to throw enemies for the sake of providing bullet sponges. Make no mistake, this is still a shooter and the player is still mowing down hordes of aliens. It’s just smarter about how it sets up those combat encounters. The player can only progress by successfully guiding squad mates around the battlefield. I enjoyed the game and was surprised to see it that it was rather short, starting at the Battle of Geonosis and ending just before the tragic Order 66 moment that so many heroes of the prequel era have to contend with. The game never received a sequel so I have to assume the squad sadly goes on to fulfill their mission. This is also compelling for providing an early look at the inner lives of the literal carbon copy clone army, something that Clone Wars would fully expound upon just a few years later.

Cabin Boy dir. Adam Resnick (1994)

All the movies I watched this month were through communal viewings on an app called Kast. It’s been fun to have no say in the movies that are selected, trusting someone else to make interesting choices. This first one was a strange, weirdly referential movie. It builds upon old timey sailor epics and Harryhausen stop-motion adventures to deliver a screwball comedy more in line with Pee Wee Herman than any of its inspirations. It stars Chris Elliott and I know of his work and have seen a few of his roles, but I can see why he was never quite popular in his heyday. His comedic style is almost daring you to like his work. I still can’t say I liked it, but it was certainly interesting to see a comedy like this and with this level of practical effects in 1994.

Manos: The Hands of Fate dir. Harold P. Warren (1966)

This felt similarly interesting as Cabin Boy in that ‘what the fuck am I watching’ kind of way, but at least with Manos I knew to expect some kind of schlock. I haven’t watched the MST3K version but knew full well that it’s hoisted up on the same lofty heights as Plan 9 from Outer Space in the Worst Movie Ever rankings. The big surprise for me was that it didn’t feel like the worst movie ever made. The viewer can follow along perfectly fine, and it’s clear what they’re going for. It’s also clear the filmmaker wasn’t a filmmaker. I can’t say I enjoyed it as a horror movie as much as I enjoyed examining it while I watched. I can imagine being disappointed if this movie was taken seriously, but hindsight really makes it a fascinating artifact. We watched the restored version on blu ray and perhaps that extra visual quality helped make it just a little better than old grainy copies would have.

The Castle of Cagliostro dir. Hayao Miyazaki (1979)

So let me get this straight. Lupin III–the star of this animated movie and countless other series both in manga and animated form–is usually an unlikeable pile of garbage? And this one movie where Miyazaki wisely makes him a hero is a source of complaints by fans who want the garbage version? That’s my understanding. It makes me want to not watch anything else with Lupin III in it. Castle of Cagliostro is still a product of its time and the whole ordeal is about the hero saving the damsel and taking down the villain (who, by the way, is a real pile of garbage). However, it’s still charming and Lupin’s intentions kind of clear up as the movie goes on. He’s more akin to Han Solo, rogue with a heart of gold. The movie’s notoriety is clearly driven by the high watermark set in the art and animation. It is an astounding movie to just watch in motion. Miyazaki and co. undoubtedly near killed themselves to make this, much as they did for many of the movies to later come out of Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli work. There’s a fascinating interview with Yasuo Otsuka, animator on the film, that is included on the blu ray and available online.

Star Trek: Discovery – Seasons 1 & 2 (2017-2019)

Spoiler-filled rant.

Discovery is… something. It outta be called Star Trek: Burnham. Sadly now it feels, like Picard, that they had to squeeze their arcs into seasons that needed more episodes. There’s an odd bottle episode or two where I felt like “more of this!” But I can count them on one hand. The stakes are constantly at 11. And with Discovery, the characters are good! There are so many of them who get so few lines but like, I wanna know who they are and care about them before the shit hits the fan and they upend the status quo. For example, how do you include a cool-looking cyborg to the bridge crew for two seasons and give her almost no screen time, then make a major episode about her and expect us to believe everyone’s sad when she sacrifices herself? I got real annoyed over Airiam’s fate. She should’ve gotten her own non-critical episode before that. Like the stuff with Saru and his home planet. I suppose my key problem with Discovery is that they don’t seem to understand that TNG, DS9, etc were about ALL the bridge crew, not just a couple of people. Discovery also spends a lot of time on the villains and external characters. There’s some cool characters there but it definitely pulls time from the bridge crew dynamics and camaraderie.

Star Wars Rebels (2014-2018)

Rebels was a nice series to pair in the same month as Discovery because it does exactly what I’d hoped from that series. You spend all your time getting to know the key members of the Ghost’s crew. This show skews toward a younger crowd so its motivations are simpler, but they still squeeze in some significant character-building and growth into their relatively short episodes and seasons. They also raise the stakes, but the stakes are so personal and small in the grand scheme of the Star Wars galaxy’s problems that it’s always about what’s important to this group of people there and now. There are also plenty of fan service moments and returning characters to make this a satisfying continuation of the stories and themes in Clone Wars.

Star Wars Forces of Destiny (2017-2018)

I was surprised to find these bite-sized, kid-oriented shorts even existed. I’ve lost touch with Disney’s many efforts to expand the brand and while this series certainly fits into that type of marketing-driven creative effort, it’s still a nice bit of fun with familiar characters. I’d watch these with my five year-old niece. The focus on women as the leads of these shorts sadly highlights how they need to continue to expand the scope of their lead roles beyond men (and, I think, beyond humans).

New Fiction 2019 – December

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (2003)

I’d had this novel sitting on my shelf since about January, and finally picked it up to read during my holiday flights. It breezed along quite quickly for a book in which the protagonist dwells on maths and physics. It was interesting to see an autistic character’s point of view and I was glad to read that Haddon had personal experience working with autistic individuals. The mystery aspect was a nice way to bring the reader along on a journey about how difficult it is for some people to fit into the structure we’re all required to be a part of. There were times when I identified with the protagonist’s feeling of being overwhelmed by everything. I dug the book.

“The Geranium” by Flannery O’Connor (1946)

These first few stories from the late forties by O’Connor were hyper-focused on realistic portrayals of the relationships of African-Americans with their communities and with the white people that still held little respect for them in the South, which feels like it might’ve been revolutionary at the time. There’s also liberal use of the word “nigger” which is an extremely loaded word that makes one uncomfortable each time the eye passes over it. We can think it was more common and acceptable at the time, but I don’t particularly care if it was acceptable then, because it shouldn’t have been. This story’s white protagonist doesn’t so much confront his racism as he is gently guided toward it.

“The Barber” by Flannery O’Connor (1947)

If the last story was a rebuke of old Southern white guys, this story is a rebuke of the white guy academics who were in debate club and thought that was enough to learn how to convince people that they’re shitheads. It turns out they don’t really want a rigorous academic debate.

“Wildcat” by Flannery O’Connor (1947)

I took this as a contemplation of old age and its perils, but my gut says there was more there. Like a professor would give me that look right about now, the one that asks, “Okay, but what else is happening? What does the character’s experience tell you about the time and place?” It’d be something like that and I’d give up the floor for someone else to elucidate.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D dev. Grezzo (2015)

I hesitated with considering this as new fiction since I’ve played and loved the game multiple times before, but this re-release on 3DS had so many changes and additions that it was different enough from the past versions. I liked it again and appreciated all the quality-of-life improvements, such as more save points. The notebook used to track quests was also much more informative. I like its implementation of what is essentially an itinerary for every meaningful character in the game, but I can see why it turns off some players. Repeating the same period of time can certainly wear one down.

21 Bridges dir. Brian Kirk (2019)

The mystery becomes evident pretty quickly, so you’re waiting for the protagonist to catch up. Fuck the police for sure.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale dir. Jalmari Helander (2010)

This was fucking awesome. It’s fun horror and certainly evokes the gritty stuff from the eighties. I mostly remember waiting impatiently for the title to make sense.

Jumanji: The Next Level dir. Jake Kasdan (2017)

Speaking of eighties, Kasdan hit on that same energy with these movies. I’d skipped the first and was surprised at how enjoyable the sequel was. I think the best assessment I read is that these movies succeed because they lean into the body-swap comedy, a type of comedy I hadn’t thought to much about.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle dir. Jake Kasdan (2019)

The first one is also good, but I think watching the sequel first made me like it more than the original. I also dug the nods to the original movie because, you know, cinematic universes.

Richard Jewell dir. Clint Eastwood (2019)

I was sorry to see that this bombed because it’s a good portrayal of the way the government and media can fuck up someone’s life.

Frozen II dir. Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee (2019)

Oh god, so many songs. And my niece sang them every time she was in proximity to people. I know Disney animated stuff is built on music but… ugh. Watch Moana instead.

The Long Kiss Goodnight dir. Renny Harlin (1996)

What a bizarre piece of nineties action cinema. The characters and plot are fine, but the action is so over-the-top and weird that it sits in sharp contrast to the rest.

Fractured dir. Brad Anderson (2019)

I’m glad I can’t see twists coming because I think movies like this wouldn’t be watchable if one could see what’s coming.

The Lake House dir. Alejandro Agresti (2006)

My mom’s love of Keanu Reeves rivals that of the Internet, and so she sat us down to watch this. I dug the supernatural/weird stuff, but the schmaltz was heavy.

Imagine That dir. Karey Kirkpatrick (2009)

I had no idea that Eddie Murphy had taken on these Jim Carrey-esque family comedy vehicles where he’s a dad with a strained relationship to his kids. This one you can skip.

Daddy Daycare dir. Steve Carr (2003)

Farts, farts everywhere! I’d watch this one over the previous listing if you’re curious what Eddie Murphy was up to in the aughts.

Eat Pray Love dir. Ryan Murphy (2010)

I’m into the journey of self-discovery, but she ends up with someone who seems just as shitty as the bad men she left behind.

The Angel dir. Ariel Vromen (2018)

I felt real dumb watching this. The protagonist’s actions are meant to broker peace between Egypt and Israel… but it’s like he’s playing multi-dimensional chess and I was processing it all as a game of checkers. I still don’t quite understand how his actions helped with the peace process but it really happened. I’d be a real terrible spy.

Klaus dir. Sergio Pablos (2019)

Holy shit, this looked amazing. I hope it wins all the awards. It reminded me of “The Backwater Gospel” but, you know, it won’t traumatize kids.

Dolemite Is My Name dir. Craig Brewer (2019)

I watched this in Spanish audio which may have ruined the intended effect, but I liked it. I knew nothing about Moore or his work so it was a good (and maybe more watchable) introduction.

Cats dir. Tom Hooper (2019)

My brain almost broke. And look, it eventually becomes clear what these characters want, but the funky terminology really slows things down. It’s all weird and I think I chose to focus on minutiae. Jennifer Hudson’s the best part.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker dir. J. J. Abrams (2019)

I ranked this fourth out of eleven on my obligatory Star Wars movie list but the more I dwell on the issues that I saw in the theater, the more I dislike it. Their disrespect toward Rose Tico is the more egregious problem. It’s another Return of the Jedi, i.e. a bad conclusion to a trilogy. Time will dull most of it but it feels like it’s gonna fall lower on the list.

Uncut Gems dir. Josh Safdie & Benny Safdie (2019)

Jesus christ, this movie moves so fact and at a pace that definitely made me anxious. It’s great. Watch it.

A Nightmare on Elm Street dir. Samuel Bayer (2010)

The “Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace” parody from The Simpsons now makes more sense. It’s also more enjoyable than this movie. Watch that instead.

Death Becomes Her dir. Robert Zemeckis (1992)

This is so fucking weird. I like it. I should go watch more Goldie Hawn movies.

Casino Royale dir. Martin Campbell (2006)

I should also go watch more Bond movies… but they’re not all like this, right? I feel like the previous ones wink at you constantly. This one just has a real boring take on Bond as a Serious Man. It’s hard to watch when I just saw Daniel Craig goofball it up in Knives Out.

Unbelievable (2019)

I watched this at the end of November and forgot to include it, which is messed up because it’s a great series. Well, like Richard Jewell, it’s based on real people and events, and those events are fucked up. But it’s great as a story worth telling.

Cheers – Seasons 5-11 (1986-1993)

This show somehow gets better after Shelley Long left the show. It takes them a while to figure out Kirstie Alley’s character, but once they do they’re off to the races. The writing gets better, the jokes are funnier, and the episode in the kitchen during a wedding is a comedic masterpiece. They also dare to equip their characters with more flaws. The ending is the gut punch that countless people have described. I’d certainly watch this series again.

The Mandalorian (2019)

It was nice to close out my Star Wars viewing with this after the slog of The Rise of Skywalker. It has the same space western vibe as Firefly, which is one of my favorite shows (in spite of its creator’s exposed shittiness). The universe feels more suited to series anyway, so here’s hoping for more characters getting the episodic treatment.

New Fiction 2019 – December

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (2003)

I’d had this novel sitting on my shelf since about January, and finally picked it up to read during my holiday flights. It breezed along quite quickly for a book in which the protagonist dwells on maths and physics. It was interesting to see an autistic character’s point of view and I was glad to read that Haddon had personal experience working with autistic individuals. The mystery aspect was a nice way to bring the reader along on a journey about how difficult it is for some people to fit into the structure we’re all required to be a part of. There were times when I identified with the protagonist’s feeling of being overwhelmed by everything. I dug the book.

“The Geranium” by Flannery O’Connor (1946)

These first few stories from the late forties by O’Connor were hyper-focused on realistic portrayals of the relationships of African-Americans with their communities and with the white people that still held little respect for them in the South, which feels like it might’ve been revolutionary at the time. There’s also liberal use of the word “nigger” which is an extremely loaded word that makes one uncomfortable each time the eye passes over it. We can think it was more common and acceptable at the time, but I don’t particularly care if it was acceptable then, because it shouldn’t have been. This story’s white protagonist doesn’t so much confront his racism as he is gently guided toward it.

“The Barber” by Flannery O’Connor (1947)

If the last story was a rebuke of old Southern white guys, this story is a rebuke of the white guy academics who were in debate club and thought that was enough to learn how to convince people that they’re shitheads. It turns out they don’t really want a rigorous academic debate.

“Wildcat” by Flannery O’Connor (1947)

I took this as a contemplation of old age and its perils, but my gut says there was more there. Like a professor would give me that look right about now, the one that asks, “Okay, but what else is happening? What does the character’s experience tell you about the time and place?” It’d be something like that and I’d give up the floor for someone else to elucidate.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D dev. Grezzo (2015)

I hesitated with considering this as new fiction since I’ve played and loved the game multiple times before, but this re-release on 3DS had so many changes and additions that it was different enough from the past versions. I liked it again and appreciated all the quality-of-life improvements, such as more save points. The notebook used to track quests was also much more informative. I like its implementation of what is essentially an itinerary for every meaningful character in the game, but I can see why it turns off some players. Repeating the same period of time can certainly wear one down.

21 Bridges dir. Brian Kirk (2019)

The mystery becomes evident pretty quickly, so you’re waiting for the protagonist to catch up. Fuck the police for sure.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale dir. Jalmari Helander (2010)

This was fucking awesome. It’s fun horror and certainly evokes the gritty stuff from the eighties. I mostly remember waiting impatiently for the title to make sense.

Jumanji: The Next Level dir. Jake Kasdan (2019)

Speaking of eighties, Kasdan hit on that same energy with these movies. I’d skipped the first and was surprised at how enjoyable the sequel was. I think the best assessment I read is that these movies succeed because they lean into the body-swap comedy, a type of comedy I hadn’t thought to much about.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle dir. Jake Kasdan (2017)

The first one is also good, but I think watching the sequel first made me like it more than the original. I also dug the nods to the original movie because, you know, cinematic universes.

Richard Jewell dir. Clint Eastwood (2019)

I was sorry to see that this bombed because it’s a good portrayal of the way the government and media can fuck up someone’s life.

Frozen II dir. Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee (2019)

Oh god, so many songs. And my niece sang them every time she was in proximity to people. I know Disney animated stuff is built on music but… ugh. Watch Moana instead.

The Long Kiss Goodnight dir. Renny Harlin (1996)

What a bizarre piece of nineties action cinema. The characters and plot are fine, but the action is so over-the-top and weird that it sits in sharp contrast to the rest.

Fractured dir. Brad Anderson (2019)

I’m glad I can’t see twists coming because I think movies like this wouldn’t be watchable if one could see what’s coming.

The Lake House dir. Alejandro Agresti (2006)

My mom’s love of Keanu Reeves rivals that of the Internet, and so she sat us down to watch this. I dug the supernatural/weird stuff, but the schmaltz was heavy.

Imagine That dir. Karey Kirkpatrick (2009)

I had no idea that Eddie Murphy had taken on these Jim Carrey-esque family comedy vehicles where he’s a dad with a strained relationship to his kids. This one you can skip.

Daddy Daycare dir. Steve Carr (2003)

Farts, farts everywhere! I’d watch this one over the previous listing if you’re curious what Eddie Murphy was up to in the aughts.

Eat Pray Love dir. Ryan Murphy (2010)

I’m into the journey of self-discovery, but she ends up with someone who seems just as shitty as the bad men she left behind.

The Angel dir. Ariel Vromen (2018)

I felt real dumb watching this. The protagonist’s actions are meant to broker peace between Egypt and Israel… but it’s like he’s playing multi-dimensional chess and I was processing it all as a game of checkers. I still don’t quite understand how his actions helped with the peace process but it really happened. I’d be a real terrible spy.

Klaus dir. Sergio Pablos (2019)

Holy shit, this looked amazing. I hope it wins all the awards. It reminded me of “The Backwater Gospel” but, you know, it won’t traumatize kids.

Dolemite Is My Name dir. Craig Brewer (2019)

I watched this in Spanish audio which may have ruined the intended effect, but I liked it. I knew nothing about Moore or his work so it was a good (and maybe more watchable) introduction.

Cats dir. Tom Hooper (2019)

My brain almost broke. And look, it eventually becomes clear what these characters want, but the funky terminology really slows things down. It’s all weird and I think I chose to focus on minutiae. Jennifer Hudson’s the best part.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker dir. J. J. Abrams (2019)

I ranked this fourth out of eleven on my obligatory Star Wars movie list but the more I dwell on the issues that I saw in the theater, the more I dislike it. Their disrespect toward Rose Tico is the more egregious problem. It’s another Return of the Jedi, i.e. a bad conclusion to a trilogy. Time will dull most of it but it feels like it’s gonna fall lower on the list.

Uncut Gems dir. Josh Safdie & Benny Safdie (2019)

Jesus christ, this movie moves so fast and at a pace that definitely made me anxious. It’s great. Watch it.

A Nightmare on Elm Street dir. Samuel Bayer (2010)

The “Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace” parody from The Simpsons now makes more sense. It’s also more enjoyable than this movie. Watch that instead.

Death Becomes Her dir. Robert Zemeckis (1992)

This is so fucking weird. I like it. I should go watch more Goldie Hawn movies.

Casino Royale dir. Martin Campbell (2006)

I should also go watch more Bond movies… but they’re not all like this, right? I feel like the previous ones wink at you constantly. This one just has a real boring take on Bond as a Serious Man. It’s hard to watch when I just saw Daniel Craig goofball it up in Knives Out.

Unbelievable (2019)

I watched this at the end of November and forgot to include it, which is messed up because it’s a great series. Well, like Richard Jewell, it’s based on real people and events, and those events are fucked up. But it’s great as a story worth telling.

Cheers – Seasons 5-11 (1986-1993)

This show somehow gets better after Shelley Long left the show. It takes them a while to figure out Kirstie Alley’s character, but once they do they’re off to the races. The writing gets better, the jokes are funnier, and the episode in the kitchen during a wedding is a comedic masterpiece. They also dare to equip their characters with more flaws. The ending is the gut punch that countless people have described. I’d certainly watch this series again.

The Mandalorian (2019)

It was nice to close out my Star Wars viewing with this after the slog of The Rise of Skywalker. It has the same space western vibe as Firefly, which is one of my favorite shows (in spite of its creator’s exposed shittiness). The universe feels more suited to series anyway, so here’s hoping for more characters getting the episodic treatment.

Star Wars and Laserdiscs

My only memory of the defunct laserdisc video format is the player my uncle Ramiro owned sometime in the early nineties. I remember noticing the device sitting on a high shelf of his classic wood and lacquer entertainment center, the type frequently seen in the homes of my Mexican uncles and friends of my dad. Someone always knew a wood-working friend or uncle who could whip one of these things up in no time.

I didn’t know what a laserdisc was, of course, since my parents would never spring for such a frivolous device when a VCR and VHS tapes were far cheaper. My uncle explained its purpose, showed me an actual laserdisc (like a CD the size of a 12″ vinyl record), and then demonstrated that his particular player included two disc trays. I recently learned that laserdiscs could only fit about fifty-five minutes of video on one side, so the early players required one to get up and manually flip the disc. Later players introduced automatic flipping and that multi-disc support my uncle showed me.

It was most likely the Pioneer LD-W1.

We didn’t even watch a movie on laserdisc that day. He just showed it off. I never thought about laserdiscs again except as a Betamax-like curiosity.

Then there’s this past month, and Star Wars. I was a huge Star Wars fan in the late nineties and early aughts. In addition to watching the movies, I played all the video games, read all the novels, collected many toys. Star Wars was a big part of my life. I first ventured into chat rooms to discuss Star Wars with strangers, and had my first online crush when I chatted with a girl from San Diego who loved Star Wars enough to write her own songs about the series. Later, I joined Star Wars video game forums and participated in my first collaboration with online strangers when we worked together to discover the requirements for the most challenging medals in Star Wars: Episode I Battle for Naboo, a game for the Nintendo 64. I officially credit this as the beginning of my career in video games.

So I loved Star Wars, and still care about that universe and its stories. An appreciation for Star Wars got passed along to my brothers.

They were there with me when I was in the mood to watch the films on our VCR and they know the stories of the myriad film characters as well as I do. They always join me to watch the latest installment of the franchise. It’s become a treasured tradition for me.

Now those VHS copies from the nineties, they were the 1997 Special Edition versions of the films. They were released on VHS, naturally, and laserdisc, but by the time Lucasfilm got around to DVD releases in 2004, they’d made additional changes to make Specialer Special Editions. These were different from the versions I loved and it left my beloved Special Editions in a limbo between the CG-free originals that most grumblers prefer and the constantly tweaked releases of today. No one cared enough about these versions of the films with their nineties CG to create digital copies and share them online. I grudgingly watched other versions of the original trilogy until this past December when I could no longer carry on. I needed to find copies of my Star Wars films that I could hold onto and share for years to come. VHS copies were available but any VHS film would look pretty poor on a modern television or monitor. 

Laserdisc was my best chance of finding those films in the best possible quality.

What a cluster. Unlike DVD or even VHS, laserdisc player quality seemed to vary greatly between players and from year to year. I wasn’t willing to shell out the money for the high-end holy grail players. So I bought the Star Wars 1997 Special Editions on laserdisc and

a Pioneer CLD-D701

from ebay. The motor sounded a bit rough but it still played the discs well. I managed to get through two of the films before the player’s motor crapped out at the start of the third. I can’t get it to budge and fixing it is a project for another day.

Then I checked Craiglist. (Last ditch is when Craigslist is most useful.) That’s where I found a Pioneer CLD-S201 from an electronics recycler. The forums I checked said it’s a low-end player (and it’s missing the disc flip feature), but I was ready to wrap up this project. I needed it to literally play one more movie. I drove there and they confirmed it worked with one of their discs, so I bought it. The motor on this one sounds fine and I’m just now getting through the final side of the final disc.

There’s going to be a new Star Wars film each year for the foreseeable future. It’s not just my brothers and I who get to watch them, but our girlfriends and kids join us as well. Technology, entertainment, film… All elements of our lives that seem to fly by inconsequentially but leave indelible memories of the times when we enjoyed them together.

Star Wars and Laserdiscs

My only memory of the defunct laserdisc video format is the player my uncle Ramiro owned sometime in the early nineties. I remember noticing the device sitting on a high shelf of his classic wood and lacquer entertainment center, the type frequently seen in the homes of my Mexican uncles and friends of my dad. Someone always knew a wood-working friend or uncle who could whip one of these things up in no time.

I didn’t know what a laserdisc was, of course, since my parents would never spring for such a frivolous device when a VCR and VHS tapes were far cheaper. My uncle explained its purpose, showed me an actual laserdisc (like a CD the size of a 12″ vinyl record), and then demonstrated that his particular player included two disc trays. I recently learned that laserdiscs could only fit about fifty-five minutes of video on one side, so the early players required one to get up and manually flip the disc. Later players introduced automatic flipping and that multi-disc support my uncle showed me.

It was most likely the Pioneer LD-W1.

We didn’t even watch a movie on laserdisc that day. He just showed it off. I never thought about laserdiscs again except as a Betamax-like curiosity.

Then there’s this past month, and Star Wars. I was a huge Star Wars fan in the late nineties and early aughts. In addition to watching the movies, I played all the video games, read all the novels, collected many toys. Star Wars was a big part of my life. I first ventured into chat rooms to discuss Star Wars with strangers, and had my first online crush when I chatted with a girl from San Diego who loved Star Wars enough to write her own songs about the series. Later, I joined Star Wars video game forums and participated in my first collaboration with online strangers when we worked together to discover the requirements for the most challenging medals in Star Wars: Episode I Battle for Naboo, a game for the Nintendo 64. I officially credit this as the beginning of my career in video games.

So I loved Star Wars, and still care about that universe and its stories. An appreciation for Star Wars got passed along to my brothers.

They were there with me when I was in the mood to watch the films on our VCR and they know the stories of the myriad film characters as well as I do. They always join me to watch the latest installment of the franchise. It’s become a treasured tradition for me.

Now those VHS copies from the nineties, they were the 1997 Special Edition versions of the films. They were released on VHS, naturally, and laserdisc, but by the time Lucasfilm got around to DVD releases in 2004, they’d made additional changes to make Specialer Special Editions. These were different from the versions I loved and it left my beloved Special Editions in a limbo between the CG-free originals that most grumblers prefer and the constantly tweaked releases of today. No one cared enough about these versions of the films with their nineties CG to create digital copies and share them online. I grudgingly watched other versions of the original trilogy until this past December when I could no longer carry on. I needed to find copies of my Star Wars films that I could hold onto and share for years to come. VHS copies were available but any VHS film would look pretty poor on a modern television or monitor. 

Laserdisc was my best chance of finding those films in the best possible quality.

What a cluster. Unlike DVD or even VHS, laserdisc player quality seemed to vary greatly between players and from year to year. I wasn’t willing to shell out the money for the high-end holy grail players. So I bought the Star Wars 1997 Special Editions on laserdisc and

a Pioneer CLD-D701

from ebay. The motor sounded a bit rough but it still played the discs well. I managed to get through two of the films before the player’s motor crapped out at the start of the third. I can’t get it to budge and fixing it is a project for another day.

Then I checked Craiglist. (Last ditch is when Craigslist is most useful.) That’s where I found a Pioneer CLD-S201 from an electronics recycler. The forums I checked said it’s a low-end player (and it’s missing the disc flip feature), but I was ready to wrap up this project. I needed it to literally play one more movie. I drove there and they confirmed it worked with one of their discs, so I bought it. The motor on this one sounds fine and I’m just now getting through the final side of the final disc.

There’s going to be a new Star Wars film each year for the foreseeable future. It’s not just my brothers and I who get to watch them, but our girlfriends and kids join us as well. Technology, entertainment, film… All elements of our lives that seem to fly by inconsequentially but leave indelible memories of the times when we enjoyed them together.