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MichaelS (0 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017) in Movies
Feb 20, 2018
This is perhaps the most difficult review I've ever written. I simply don't know where to begin. It might help to start with saying that, as a movie lover, Star Wars is my life blood. No movie has ever sparked my imagination the way the original film did. It's kind of cliché to say it, but the movie changed me. The 8 year old boy that walked out of the movie theater that day in 1977 was not the same one that walked in.
Over the years I would devour anything and everything Star Wars related that I could get my hands on. I followed the franchise across decades of films, and their various highs and lows. The same is true of The Last Jedi.
It's almost inconsequential to discuss the plot of the film. Like The Empire Strikes Back there is not just one story, one plot, being told. Yet all of them must come together in the end. This is where the highs and lows come into play. Every character is on a separate arc of growth and discovery. But there is one subplot that just does not work. At all. It feels out of place, and contains a message about cruelty that is so ham fisted and heavy handed, that when a character makes what is supposed to be a triumphant statement, I rolled my eyes and cringed.
The most important plot area of the movie centers around the return of Luke Skywalker. Mark Hamill gives the performance of his life. Never before has Luke been so layered, and so utterly badass. Watching him in this movie is like watching Heath Ledger as The Joker. He's so mesmerizing that every moment he's off screen, you're anxiously awaiting his return.
The action in the movie is breathtaking. An opening space battle is unlike we've ever had in a Star Wars movie, There are also two hand to hand combat scenes that are not only thrilling to watch, but are also important story moments that will leave you guessing as to their meanings until the end.
I can say this is NOT going to be a movie for everyone. It is not made to be the rousing crowd pleaser that The Force Awakens was. This film is filled with twists, turns, and more than one "I did NOT see that coming moment", and not all of those moments are going to please everyone. It takes Star Wars in directions you might not expect, and might not be happy with. But that is the nature of bold filmmaking. A director has to be true to his vision, take the risks he deems necessary, and let the chips fall where they may.
Now, since I said that there is one story arc of the movie that utterly fails, you might wonder how I can still give the movie a perfect rating. Simple...as a Star Wars fan, the highs of this movie took me SO high, that the lows of the film don't take me so low that they ruin the movie for me at all.
The film thrilled me, challenged the things that I believe make Star Wars what it is, and rewarded me with an original, visually dazzling movie that commands to be seen multiple times to pick up all the little things I didn't notice the last time.
Over the years I would devour anything and everything Star Wars related that I could get my hands on. I followed the franchise across decades of films, and their various highs and lows. The same is true of The Last Jedi.
It's almost inconsequential to discuss the plot of the film. Like The Empire Strikes Back there is not just one story, one plot, being told. Yet all of them must come together in the end. This is where the highs and lows come into play. Every character is on a separate arc of growth and discovery. But there is one subplot that just does not work. At all. It feels out of place, and contains a message about cruelty that is so ham fisted and heavy handed, that when a character makes what is supposed to be a triumphant statement, I rolled my eyes and cringed.
The most important plot area of the movie centers around the return of Luke Skywalker. Mark Hamill gives the performance of his life. Never before has Luke been so layered, and so utterly badass. Watching him in this movie is like watching Heath Ledger as The Joker. He's so mesmerizing that every moment he's off screen, you're anxiously awaiting his return.
The action in the movie is breathtaking. An opening space battle is unlike we've ever had in a Star Wars movie, There are also two hand to hand combat scenes that are not only thrilling to watch, but are also important story moments that will leave you guessing as to their meanings until the end.
I can say this is NOT going to be a movie for everyone. It is not made to be the rousing crowd pleaser that The Force Awakens was. This film is filled with twists, turns, and more than one "I did NOT see that coming moment", and not all of those moments are going to please everyone. It takes Star Wars in directions you might not expect, and might not be happy with. But that is the nature of bold filmmaking. A director has to be true to his vision, take the risks he deems necessary, and let the chips fall where they may.
Now, since I said that there is one story arc of the movie that utterly fails, you might wonder how I can still give the movie a perfect rating. Simple...as a Star Wars fan, the highs of this movie took me SO high, that the lows of the film don't take me so low that they ruin the movie for me at all.
The film thrilled me, challenged the things that I believe make Star Wars what it is, and rewarded me with an original, visually dazzling movie that commands to be seen multiple times to pick up all the little things I didn't notice the last time.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Slayer (Slayer #1) in Books
Apr 1, 2019
I am a Buffy fan. I'm not the biggest Buffy fan I know - that honor goes to a friend of mine, who I just gave a giant box of Buffy comic to, since we're downsizing in preparation for the move to the new house. I haven't seen anyone that happy in a while, and it made my day. (And hers, judging from the bouncing and squeeeeing and hugging!) But I am still a Buffy fan. I own DVDs of the entire show, plus Angel, plus the original movie. The box of comics I just gave away was Season 8 and some spin offs. Slayer takes place after all of that.
First I'm going to say, if you're not a Buffy fan, seriously don't bother with this book. You won't understand a lot of what goes on, and while there are cursory explanations given in the book, it's really not meant for people that haven't watched/read the rest of the world. You'd be okay not knowing much about Angel, but you really do need to have watched the TV show of Buffy, especially that last season. While the book takes place after the comics, they're not necessary to understand the plot as that, at least, is explained.
So, for the rest of us Buffy fans, this is a great continuation of the Buffy-verse. Nina is the daughter of Watchers - in fact the daughter of Buffy's first watcher, the one before Giles. Given what befell the Watchers, the ones that are left are kind of antagonistic towards Slayers in general and Buffy in particular. So when Nina becomes a Slayer, her world goes sideways.
The world is mostly the same, but with a twist due to events in the comics. (It's explained. You don't need to have read them.) The book expands on how Slayer powers work, a bit, especially their dreams now that there's more than one of them alive at a time. We do see mentions of familiar characters, with one notable scene where an old favorite appears briefly.
I really enjoyed the book, and I'm eager to read the second half of the duology when it comes out. I need to know how Nina's story ends! The book ended on a subtle cliffhanger; the main conflict has been resolved, and the characters think it's over, but we know it's not. Similar to how many episodes of Buffy ended, actually.
So yeah. If you're a Buffy fan, pick up this book, it's pretty great. If you're not - take a pass. Or start with the TV show and get yourself a new fandom if you're feeling bored!
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
First I'm going to say, if you're not a Buffy fan, seriously don't bother with this book. You won't understand a lot of what goes on, and while there are cursory explanations given in the book, it's really not meant for people that haven't watched/read the rest of the world. You'd be okay not knowing much about Angel, but you really do need to have watched the TV show of Buffy, especially that last season. While the book takes place after the comics, they're not necessary to understand the plot as that, at least, is explained.
So, for the rest of us Buffy fans, this is a great continuation of the Buffy-verse. Nina is the daughter of Watchers - in fact the daughter of Buffy's first watcher, the one before Giles. Given what befell the Watchers, the ones that are left are kind of antagonistic towards Slayers in general and Buffy in particular. So when Nina becomes a Slayer, her world goes sideways.
The world is mostly the same, but with a twist due to events in the comics. (It's explained. You don't need to have read them.) The book expands on how Slayer powers work, a bit, especially their dreams now that there's more than one of them alive at a time. We do see mentions of familiar characters, with one notable scene where an old favorite appears briefly.
I really enjoyed the book, and I'm eager to read the second half of the duology when it comes out. I need to know how Nina's story ends! The book ended on a subtle cliffhanger; the main conflict has been resolved, and the characters think it's over, but we know it's not. Similar to how many episodes of Buffy ended, actually.
So yeah. If you're a Buffy fan, pick up this book, it's pretty great. If you're not - take a pass. Or start with the TV show and get yourself a new fandom if you're feeling bored!
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Popcorn Dice in Tabletop Games
Aug 18, 2021
Two things everyone in my little family likes: popcorn and dice games. My daughter would eat popcorn all day if you let her. She takes after her dad. My son would play dice games all day if you let him. I like to let him as much as possible. Once I saw that Van Ryder Games was coming out with a marriage of these two beloved things, I knew I had to get my hands on it for preview.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is an advance retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
Popcorn Dice is a very light dice chucker where the winner is the player with the most amount of points at the end of the game. Setup could not be simpler: place all the dice in the popcorn bucket and pass it to the starting player. Done. Let’s make some corn!
The active player shakes up the popcorn bucket and then dumps out the dice on the play surface (I would normally use the word “table,” but we have actually played this on many different surfaces). Every die face showing the golden kernel icon is placed back in the bucket: it’s not fully popped yet. All dice showing the single Pop! icon is placed in the player’s score pile to be counted later. Each Burnt dice face showing can be countered with one Double Pop! icon, with both dice being placed back in the cup. If there are no Burnt faces, then the remaining Pop! and Double Pop! dice can be placed in the score pile. However, if at any time four Burnt dice are unable to be canceled with the Double Pop! then the turn is over and ZERO points are scored. Similarly, if no dice (upon a subsequent re-roll) are moved to the score pile, the turn is over, but the player may count up their score pile dice. The active player may continue rolling as many times as they wish or are forced to stop due to unwanted dice rolls. The first player to 30 points signals the end of the game. Every player continues the round so each takes the same number of turns, and the player with the most points wins!
Components. This game is a plastic bucket in the shape of old timey popcorn buckets and a pile of dice. The bucket is nice and very sturdy, and the dice are great! They are big and chunky (like the size of King of Tokyo, if memory serves) and the icons are mostly clear. I say mostly because The Double Pop! and single Pop! icons are white ink on off-white colored dice. They can sometimes be hard to distinguish, especially if playing under less-than-favorable lighting. Other than that, I totally dig the look and style of this game.
When I say that my son and I played this 23 times the first day we received it, I am not at all exaggerating. My kid LOVES Popcorn Dice, and it plays differently from other dice games. I was just expecting this to mimic earlier dice games like Martian Dice and Zombie Dice. Thankfully, this one is lighthearted enough for my children, and still keeps the adults very satisfied. And let me know if you ever accomplish The Perfect Pop.
It is so simple to play, and that’s the beauty of it. I’m talking 10 minutes with toddlers. When you need something super quick and easy, and maybe to bring in absolute gaming beginners, you cannot lose with Popcorn Dice. Have some youngsters tagging along with their parents to game night? Show them Popcorn Dice and watch them be entertained nearly the entire night trying to pop the best batch of corny goodness. If you need that one little game in your collection that can work in many many different scenarios, then consider adding Popcorn Dice to your collection. Grab your copy here: Popcorn Dice from Van Ryder Games.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is an advance retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
Popcorn Dice is a very light dice chucker where the winner is the player with the most amount of points at the end of the game. Setup could not be simpler: place all the dice in the popcorn bucket and pass it to the starting player. Done. Let’s make some corn!
The active player shakes up the popcorn bucket and then dumps out the dice on the play surface (I would normally use the word “table,” but we have actually played this on many different surfaces). Every die face showing the golden kernel icon is placed back in the bucket: it’s not fully popped yet. All dice showing the single Pop! icon is placed in the player’s score pile to be counted later. Each Burnt dice face showing can be countered with one Double Pop! icon, with both dice being placed back in the cup. If there are no Burnt faces, then the remaining Pop! and Double Pop! dice can be placed in the score pile. However, if at any time four Burnt dice are unable to be canceled with the Double Pop! then the turn is over and ZERO points are scored. Similarly, if no dice (upon a subsequent re-roll) are moved to the score pile, the turn is over, but the player may count up their score pile dice. The active player may continue rolling as many times as they wish or are forced to stop due to unwanted dice rolls. The first player to 30 points signals the end of the game. Every player continues the round so each takes the same number of turns, and the player with the most points wins!
Components. This game is a plastic bucket in the shape of old timey popcorn buckets and a pile of dice. The bucket is nice and very sturdy, and the dice are great! They are big and chunky (like the size of King of Tokyo, if memory serves) and the icons are mostly clear. I say mostly because The Double Pop! and single Pop! icons are white ink on off-white colored dice. They can sometimes be hard to distinguish, especially if playing under less-than-favorable lighting. Other than that, I totally dig the look and style of this game.
When I say that my son and I played this 23 times the first day we received it, I am not at all exaggerating. My kid LOVES Popcorn Dice, and it plays differently from other dice games. I was just expecting this to mimic earlier dice games like Martian Dice and Zombie Dice. Thankfully, this one is lighthearted enough for my children, and still keeps the adults very satisfied. And let me know if you ever accomplish The Perfect Pop.
It is so simple to play, and that’s the beauty of it. I’m talking 10 minutes with toddlers. When you need something super quick and easy, and maybe to bring in absolute gaming beginners, you cannot lose with Popcorn Dice. Have some youngsters tagging along with their parents to game night? Show them Popcorn Dice and watch them be entertained nearly the entire night trying to pop the best batch of corny goodness. If you need that one little game in your collection that can work in many many different scenarios, then consider adding Popcorn Dice to your collection. Grab your copy here: Popcorn Dice from Van Ryder Games.
ClareR (6106 KP) rated Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine in Books
Mar 28, 2018
Not what you'll expect it to be...
Eleanor lives by her routines. Every weekday morning she gets up at the same time, starts work at the same time, buys a newspaper at the same place which she always reads all of and completes the crossword in. She leaves work at 5.30 every day, travels home the same way and listens to The Archers as she makes pasta and pesto with salad (which requires one pan and one plate). She goes to bed at the same time, 10pm, every evening. Wednesday, ‘Mummy’ always phones and talks to her for 10 minutes.
On Friday nights after work, she buys pizza and two bottles of vodka, that she will drink over the course of the weekend, on her own. She spends all week on her own. Eleanor has no friends, she believes that she doesn’t need any either.
Then Eleanor sees him: the man who she becomes obsessed with, the man who Mummy never believes she will be able to attract, and Eleanor decides to reinvent herself so that he will become interested in her.
Some of these reinvention ‘adventures’ are hilarious, and include things that all women do: self-grooming, in particular. The waxing incident had me in stitches!
At work, things change when she meets Ray from IT when he comes to mend her computer. He’s affable, gentle and intrigues by Eleanor. She however is not at all interested, and her sights are set elsewhere. After work one day, Ray and Eleanor are walking home when they come upon an elderly man, Sammy, who has collapsed in the street. They help him, call an ambulance, and so a friendship is begun. Eleanor’s life is opened up, whether she wants it to or not.
Eleanor tells her own story, and we go along for the ride as she shares her story and learns how to actually live. Secrets she has even kept from herself for years, are revealed.
There are many funny parts to this story, and they are painfully funny. Eleanor’s lack of social skills is evident. I didn’t feel that fun was being poked at Eleanor, but we are encouraged to laugh at the situation and therefore learn about how difficult Eleanor’s life is. There are parts of the story where laughter is very far from the mind. I found parts to be very emotional and so, so sad.
I honestly didn’t want to leave Eleanor Oliphant’s world. The story really doesn’t end at the end of the book, and we are left with the impression that Eleanor’s story will continue in her ‘book universe’. Ultimately, this book is an interesting commentary of modern life and our biggest problem - loneliness. We are the generation of social media, internet and gadgets, and we have left behind our human kindness. We are a social animal that no longer seems to be social. All so wrapped up in our own little worlds, that we don’t realise we’re missing that connection with real human beings, and don’t see when there are others around us who are lonely and need the contact of others.
This is such an enjoyable, funny, heartwarming and heart wrenching and above all, hopeful book. I would heartily recommend it, particularly to those who enjoyed “A Man Called Ove’, ‘The Rosie Project’ and more recently ‘The Cactus’. It’s never overly sentimental, but it IS full of heart.
On Friday nights after work, she buys pizza and two bottles of vodka, that she will drink over the course of the weekend, on her own. She spends all week on her own. Eleanor has no friends, she believes that she doesn’t need any either.
Then Eleanor sees him: the man who she becomes obsessed with, the man who Mummy never believes she will be able to attract, and Eleanor decides to reinvent herself so that he will become interested in her.
Some of these reinvention ‘adventures’ are hilarious, and include things that all women do: self-grooming, in particular. The waxing incident had me in stitches!
At work, things change when she meets Ray from IT when he comes to mend her computer. He’s affable, gentle and intrigues by Eleanor. She however is not at all interested, and her sights are set elsewhere. After work one day, Ray and Eleanor are walking home when they come upon an elderly man, Sammy, who has collapsed in the street. They help him, call an ambulance, and so a friendship is begun. Eleanor’s life is opened up, whether she wants it to or not.
Eleanor tells her own story, and we go along for the ride as she shares her story and learns how to actually live. Secrets she has even kept from herself for years, are revealed.
There are many funny parts to this story, and they are painfully funny. Eleanor’s lack of social skills is evident. I didn’t feel that fun was being poked at Eleanor, but we are encouraged to laugh at the situation and therefore learn about how difficult Eleanor’s life is. There are parts of the story where laughter is very far from the mind. I found parts to be very emotional and so, so sad.
I honestly didn’t want to leave Eleanor Oliphant’s world. The story really doesn’t end at the end of the book, and we are left with the impression that Eleanor’s story will continue in her ‘book universe’. Ultimately, this book is an interesting commentary of modern life and our biggest problem - loneliness. We are the generation of social media, internet and gadgets, and we have left behind our human kindness. We are a social animal that no longer seems to be social. All so wrapped up in our own little worlds, that we don’t realise we’re missing that connection with real human beings, and don’t see when there are others around us who are lonely and need the contact of others.
This is such an enjoyable, funny, heartwarming and heart wrenching and above all, hopeful book. I would heartily recommend it, particularly to those who enjoyed “A Man Called Ove’, ‘The Rosie Project’ and more recently ‘The Cactus’. It’s never overly sentimental, but it IS full of heart.
HerCrazyReviews (247 KP) rated Super Size Me (2004) in Movies
Sep 8, 2019 (Updated Sep 8, 2019)
Fast Food May Be Bad But Most Points Made In This Documentary Are Worse
We had to watch this film in school when I was younger and I remember agreeing with most of his points. After re-watching this though, I agree with a few of his statements but what mainly puts me off is how he conducted his thirty day challenge. He went from exercising every day (more then the average person) and eating extremely healthy to not exercising at all and ordering RIDICULOUS sized portions. After ordering these portions instead of saving some for later (you know, like most people do) he decided that he had to eat it all which caused him to constantly throw up. He did this over and over! His doctor also recommended to drink water instead of constantly drinking pop. Even told him that this would help him out a lot but he still didn’t listen. Like, DUDE, listen to your freaking doctors. Instead, he decided not to put his health in peril. I don’t get why he wouldn’t because obviously McDonalds serves water and not everyone gets pop.
This could have been a great documentary talking about how bad fast food is. Which I mean, most people already know about, but he still could have made serious points. And I will admit there were point in here that were good. Such as the Super Size portions are not necessary and when he interviewed that doctor whose family founded an ice cream business. When the doctor was describing the connection between his family’s severe health problems and their eating habits I felt like that was an excellent point! Other then that though most points aren’t proven in the best way possible. Plus, he was adding in bits that didn’t even connect to the fact that fast food is bad. For example, when he showed a child a card with Jesus on it and was surprised that the kid didn’t know Jesus but knew Ronald McDonald. Dude, there is more then one religion out there and not everyone is even religious! (This just upset me a ton!)
I’m just going to jump straight into it and say this documentary pisses me off. While, yes, some people may be obese it isn’t always because they eat too much fast food. There are other reasons why they may not be societies perfect skinny ass version of the normal weight. I do understand though that he is focusing on people being overweight because of fast food not because health reasons or why the BMI index is wrong. I just think that he is going to extreme lengths on purpose which showed an inaccurate representation of what fast food does to the normal consumer because most people don’t eat fast food everyday like Don Gorske.
This could have been a great documentary talking about how bad fast food is. Which I mean, most people already know about, but he still could have made serious points. And I will admit there were point in here that were good. Such as the Super Size portions are not necessary and when he interviewed that doctor whose family founded an ice cream business. When the doctor was describing the connection between his family’s severe health problems and their eating habits I felt like that was an excellent point! Other then that though most points aren’t proven in the best way possible. Plus, he was adding in bits that didn’t even connect to the fact that fast food is bad. For example, when he showed a child a card with Jesus on it and was surprised that the kid didn’t know Jesus but knew Ronald McDonald. Dude, there is more then one religion out there and not everyone is even religious! (This just upset me a ton!)
I’m just going to jump straight into it and say this documentary pisses me off. While, yes, some people may be obese it isn’t always because they eat too much fast food. There are other reasons why they may not be societies perfect skinny ass version of the normal weight. I do understand though that he is focusing on people being overweight because of fast food not because health reasons or why the BMI index is wrong. I just think that he is going to extreme lengths on purpose which showed an inaccurate representation of what fast food does to the normal consumer because most people don’t eat fast food everyday like Don Gorske.
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Tales from the Loop in TV
Jan 22, 2021
Such is the competition for our attention on the major streaming services, and such is the daunting depth of choice, that sometimes something of real quality can slip through the net for a while. I like to think that eventually, everything gets the audience it deserves, because eventually enough people that appreciated it will find it and pass it on. But it is apparent that good things can go under the radar very easily for one reason or another.
Everything about the production and presentation of Amazon’s Tales From the Loop suggests they thought it might be a bigger hit, or at least they had enough faith in it to let it be different from the mass appeal conventions that apply to sci-fi shows. They have proved this many times in recent years, with shows like The Man In the High Castle and The Expanse favouring patient and mature story-telling over interminable flashbangs and whizzpops usually found in the more action based sci-fi on Netflix and others (The Handmaid’s Tale being another notable exception).
Having raised myself auto-didactically on the oldest traditions of science fiction writing in novel and short story form since my teenage years, I can say with some amateur authority that the point of using sci-fi ideas was always about the people and the parallels to social reality and politics that could be highlighted by putting them in a “what-if” situation. The lazer guns and spaceships and evil aliens were much more a product of Hollywood, and still are. Great science fiction writing can and usually does revolve around a very simple change to the world we know, an inversion or a convention or a technology that turns how we live on its head. At its best it is philosophical and moral poetry.
Tales From the Loop, inspired by the beguiling paintings of Swedish Artist Simon Stålenhag aspires to return to these principles, eschewing breakneck pace and unnecessary exposition at every turn – it is entirely content to confuse and sometimes even bore you with its patient, melancholy approach, testing almost if you are worthy to reach the prize of deeper meaning buried away in the final few episodes.
The idea of Stålenhag’s work is to juxtapose a familiar and mundane landscape with a detail of technology that does not exist in our reality. Often it is something broken, run-down or neglected, leaving a strange sadness and beauty behind that has you wondering who once made this and what was it for, and why is it no longer loved? The untold stories objects and hidden lives, secrets and desires that have been lost, is what this sensitive and delicate show is about. It is about the interconnection of lives caught in time, and the sci-fi / tech conceit is only the hanger that coat is put on. Which… I love.
The surface idea is that we are looking at the inhabitants of a small American town that once relied on farming and community, but now has been changed by the presence of an underground facility that deals with experimental physics and finding ways to make impossible things possible. They call it The Loop. It is never fully explained where it came from, or why, or what it is truly capable of – the mystery is always allowed to remain mostly a mystery – which, again, I love!
Many people in the town work at The Loop and rely on it for their livelihoods and collective economy, including Jonathon Pryce and Rebecca Hall, who are ostensibly the show’s main characters. But most folk have no idea what is really going on. Each episode focuses on one or two members of the community that interweave with one another; several important people begin as background dressing and become more prevalent as the full story of their lives and connections unfolds. But no one character is in every episode… which, you know, I love.
Their lives, that seem simple at first glance, are revealed to be complex tapestries of emotion and personal history, revolving around how The Loop has affected them and the things they love. The progression and unfolding of the detail is so deliberate and usually under-explained that very often you don’t realise the effect the full image will have. And when it does catch up with you it becomes a very moving and meaningful experience. Characters that you don’t understand or even like at first come into sharper focus as we reach the climax of the season and grow to learn why they are the way they are. The story arcs of Pryce and Hall in particular are very satisfying, tragic yet utterly beautiful to comprehend.
A lot of the criticism you will see about the show will concentrate on how slow it all is. I am totally convinced this is a deliberate artistic choice to weed out the thrill junkies. They are very welcome to go elsewhere, and it sounds as if many of them did, basing their reviews on one or two half watched episodes they couldn’t be bothered to engage with or wonder at. Which is why I think in time the respect for this as a work of art will come back around.
There is nothing to fault in the production at all. From the opening credits to the end of each episode, what you get is a very highly polished and considered look and feel, designed to evoke certain feelings over others – a wistfulness, an ennui, a bittersweet smile of knowing, perhaps. It invites you to watch patiently and relate, not to watch eagerly and expect… which, you know, I love.
The photography is crisp and well framed always; the music is subtle but effective; the dialogue is often sparing and well chosen (no detail is merely thrown away); and the direction is of a remarkably uniform vision, considering each episode is a different guest professional, including such prestigious names as Jodie Foster, Mark Romanek and Andrew Stanton.
I absolutely urge anyone that isn’t put off by a little sentiment to give this one a try. Sadness and regret in life is not something to shun and be afraid of, they are parts of human experience, and I love art that explores them as concepts. Put that art in a science fiction context and I am bound to love it even more. Like the final moments of Blade Runner, we know that one day all these moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. We have to take time to see the beauty while we can, even if that beauty is painful.
It may not be for you – I don’t think it is better or worse than other things, just more… me. There is every chance that if it isn’t you… you will hate it. If you do begin, however, please see it to the finish before casting judgement – the final episode directed by Jodie Foster is truly wonderful: a pay-off of such emotion after your investment of seven previous stories, tying it all together perfectly. Rarely have I felt so stupid for not understanding the point of something sooner, or been more pleased that I hadn’t. The final moment of the season is literally unforgettable, and gets richer in my imagination by the day.
Will there be a second season? There certainly could be. Was it enough of a success to justify the investment? Hmm, not sure. Either way, it either sits as a perfect self contained collection of fine, old-fashioned sci-fi stories, or I’d be happy to see it expand, as long as the temptation isn’t to listen to the negative reviews and pander to the fast-food mentality that has already rejected it without fully understanding it. Because nothing needs to change here. A thing of beauty, recommended to those who like beautiful and delicate things.
Everything about the production and presentation of Amazon’s Tales From the Loop suggests they thought it might be a bigger hit, or at least they had enough faith in it to let it be different from the mass appeal conventions that apply to sci-fi shows. They have proved this many times in recent years, with shows like The Man In the High Castle and The Expanse favouring patient and mature story-telling over interminable flashbangs and whizzpops usually found in the more action based sci-fi on Netflix and others (The Handmaid’s Tale being another notable exception).
Having raised myself auto-didactically on the oldest traditions of science fiction writing in novel and short story form since my teenage years, I can say with some amateur authority that the point of using sci-fi ideas was always about the people and the parallels to social reality and politics that could be highlighted by putting them in a “what-if” situation. The lazer guns and spaceships and evil aliens were much more a product of Hollywood, and still are. Great science fiction writing can and usually does revolve around a very simple change to the world we know, an inversion or a convention or a technology that turns how we live on its head. At its best it is philosophical and moral poetry.
Tales From the Loop, inspired by the beguiling paintings of Swedish Artist Simon Stålenhag aspires to return to these principles, eschewing breakneck pace and unnecessary exposition at every turn – it is entirely content to confuse and sometimes even bore you with its patient, melancholy approach, testing almost if you are worthy to reach the prize of deeper meaning buried away in the final few episodes.
The idea of Stålenhag’s work is to juxtapose a familiar and mundane landscape with a detail of technology that does not exist in our reality. Often it is something broken, run-down or neglected, leaving a strange sadness and beauty behind that has you wondering who once made this and what was it for, and why is it no longer loved? The untold stories objects and hidden lives, secrets and desires that have been lost, is what this sensitive and delicate show is about. It is about the interconnection of lives caught in time, and the sci-fi / tech conceit is only the hanger that coat is put on. Which… I love.
The surface idea is that we are looking at the inhabitants of a small American town that once relied on farming and community, but now has been changed by the presence of an underground facility that deals with experimental physics and finding ways to make impossible things possible. They call it The Loop. It is never fully explained where it came from, or why, or what it is truly capable of – the mystery is always allowed to remain mostly a mystery – which, again, I love!
Many people in the town work at The Loop and rely on it for their livelihoods and collective economy, including Jonathon Pryce and Rebecca Hall, who are ostensibly the show’s main characters. But most folk have no idea what is really going on. Each episode focuses on one or two members of the community that interweave with one another; several important people begin as background dressing and become more prevalent as the full story of their lives and connections unfolds. But no one character is in every episode… which, you know, I love.
Their lives, that seem simple at first glance, are revealed to be complex tapestries of emotion and personal history, revolving around how The Loop has affected them and the things they love. The progression and unfolding of the detail is so deliberate and usually under-explained that very often you don’t realise the effect the full image will have. And when it does catch up with you it becomes a very moving and meaningful experience. Characters that you don’t understand or even like at first come into sharper focus as we reach the climax of the season and grow to learn why they are the way they are. The story arcs of Pryce and Hall in particular are very satisfying, tragic yet utterly beautiful to comprehend.
A lot of the criticism you will see about the show will concentrate on how slow it all is. I am totally convinced this is a deliberate artistic choice to weed out the thrill junkies. They are very welcome to go elsewhere, and it sounds as if many of them did, basing their reviews on one or two half watched episodes they couldn’t be bothered to engage with or wonder at. Which is why I think in time the respect for this as a work of art will come back around.
There is nothing to fault in the production at all. From the opening credits to the end of each episode, what you get is a very highly polished and considered look and feel, designed to evoke certain feelings over others – a wistfulness, an ennui, a bittersweet smile of knowing, perhaps. It invites you to watch patiently and relate, not to watch eagerly and expect… which, you know, I love.
The photography is crisp and well framed always; the music is subtle but effective; the dialogue is often sparing and well chosen (no detail is merely thrown away); and the direction is of a remarkably uniform vision, considering each episode is a different guest professional, including such prestigious names as Jodie Foster, Mark Romanek and Andrew Stanton.
I absolutely urge anyone that isn’t put off by a little sentiment to give this one a try. Sadness and regret in life is not something to shun and be afraid of, they are parts of human experience, and I love art that explores them as concepts. Put that art in a science fiction context and I am bound to love it even more. Like the final moments of Blade Runner, we know that one day all these moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. We have to take time to see the beauty while we can, even if that beauty is painful.
It may not be for you – I don’t think it is better or worse than other things, just more… me. There is every chance that if it isn’t you… you will hate it. If you do begin, however, please see it to the finish before casting judgement – the final episode directed by Jodie Foster is truly wonderful: a pay-off of such emotion after your investment of seven previous stories, tying it all together perfectly. Rarely have I felt so stupid for not understanding the point of something sooner, or been more pleased that I hadn’t. The final moment of the season is literally unforgettable, and gets richer in my imagination by the day.
Will there be a second season? There certainly could be. Was it enough of a success to justify the investment? Hmm, not sure. Either way, it either sits as a perfect self contained collection of fine, old-fashioned sci-fi stories, or I’d be happy to see it expand, as long as the temptation isn’t to listen to the negative reviews and pander to the fast-food mentality that has already rejected it without fully understanding it. Because nothing needs to change here. A thing of beauty, recommended to those who like beautiful and delicate things.