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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Mandalorian - Season 1 in TV
May 5, 2020
A live action series set in the Star Wars universe has been a long time coming and thankfully, it hit almost all the right notes.
The Mandalorian is set after the events of Return of the Jedi, where the empire is all but gone, and the titular hero is going about his business, taking bounty jobs for good pay. It's not too long before it's revealed that remnants of the empire remain intact and one unexpected bounty job sets Mando on a different path entirely.
The plot isn't too heavy on dramatics for the most part, and the 8 episode arc concentrates on small stories - mini adventures that are resolved relatively quickly. It's a lot of fun. The final two episodes set up a larger narrative, that has me excited for season 2.
The Mandalorian himself (Pedro Pascal) is a great lead, and considering his face is covered the entire time, that's high praise. He has a cold, precise exterior, and shows off frequently his capabilities as a warrior (every episode has a pretty awesome action set piece at one point). Underneath it all, his humanity is shown when The Child (commonly know as Baby Yoda) is thrown into his care, drawing paraells with his own childhood.
The Child arguably steals the show at intervals, being offensively cute throughout, and showing hints at force powers here and there.
Other cast members include Cara Dune (Gina Carano), a completely badass ex Imperial Shock Trooper. Her character is another highlight, and I sincerely hope to see her return for season 2.
Greef Karga (Carl freaking Weathers), bounty salesman and sometimes ally of Mando. The three of them (plus The Child) make for a damn fine crew.
Some further Star power is provided by IG-11 (Taika Waititi) and Kuiil (Nick Nolte) and these two characters further flesh out a great cast.
The villains of the piece aren't in your face, but are present enough to lay the seeds for bigger things to come. Earlier on we have The Client (Werner Herzog oozing text book evil empire vibes), and a bit later, Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), who is menacing enough to make an impact with his little screentime.
I also enjoyed the fleshing out of the Mandalorian religion.
There is some great directing talent in display as well, with episode from the likes of the aforementioned Taika Waititi, Deborah Chow, Dave Filoni, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Rick Famuyiwa. They've all down a great job of bringing this particular Star Wars narrative to life, and I genuinely enjoyed every episode.
Except for episode 6. And thats mainly due to the throwaway characters we get given. (It reminded me of that infamous shitty episode in season 2 of Stranger Things.)
The devotion to using practical effects pays off tremendously, as The Mandalorian frequently looks superb. The CGI used is actually pretty subtle, and the mix of the two works.
All in all, it's a strong first season that personally tops any of the recent trilogy in terms of Star Wars material. Can't wait to see where it goes!
The Mandalorian is set after the events of Return of the Jedi, where the empire is all but gone, and the titular hero is going about his business, taking bounty jobs for good pay. It's not too long before it's revealed that remnants of the empire remain intact and one unexpected bounty job sets Mando on a different path entirely.
The plot isn't too heavy on dramatics for the most part, and the 8 episode arc concentrates on small stories - mini adventures that are resolved relatively quickly. It's a lot of fun. The final two episodes set up a larger narrative, that has me excited for season 2.
The Mandalorian himself (Pedro Pascal) is a great lead, and considering his face is covered the entire time, that's high praise. He has a cold, precise exterior, and shows off frequently his capabilities as a warrior (every episode has a pretty awesome action set piece at one point). Underneath it all, his humanity is shown when The Child (commonly know as Baby Yoda) is thrown into his care, drawing paraells with his own childhood.
The Child arguably steals the show at intervals, being offensively cute throughout, and showing hints at force powers here and there.
Other cast members include Cara Dune (Gina Carano), a completely badass ex Imperial Shock Trooper. Her character is another highlight, and I sincerely hope to see her return for season 2.
Greef Karga (Carl freaking Weathers), bounty salesman and sometimes ally of Mando. The three of them (plus The Child) make for a damn fine crew.
Some further Star power is provided by IG-11 (Taika Waititi) and Kuiil (Nick Nolte) and these two characters further flesh out a great cast.
The villains of the piece aren't in your face, but are present enough to lay the seeds for bigger things to come. Earlier on we have The Client (Werner Herzog oozing text book evil empire vibes), and a bit later, Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), who is menacing enough to make an impact with his little screentime.
I also enjoyed the fleshing out of the Mandalorian religion.
There is some great directing talent in display as well, with episode from the likes of the aforementioned Taika Waititi, Deborah Chow, Dave Filoni, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Rick Famuyiwa. They've all down a great job of bringing this particular Star Wars narrative to life, and I genuinely enjoyed every episode.
Except for episode 6. And thats mainly due to the throwaway characters we get given. (It reminded me of that infamous shitty episode in season 2 of Stranger Things.)
The devotion to using practical effects pays off tremendously, as The Mandalorian frequently looks superb. The CGI used is actually pretty subtle, and the mix of the two works.
All in all, it's a strong first season that personally tops any of the recent trilogy in terms of Star Wars material. Can't wait to see where it goes!
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Connor Sheffield (293 KP) rated Clerks (1994) in Movies
Apr 22, 2017
Simple (3 more)
Hilarious
Pop Culture discussions
Jay and Silent Bob
I'm not even suppose to be here today!
Here is a film that could have left Kevin Smith in the Quickstop paying off the money he used to make this film, which he accomplished by maxing out credit cards.
Kevin Smith is an inspiration and this film is the start of it all. Clerks is a very simple film that manages to be entertaining and hilarious. The concept is this; Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) is asked to work on his day off, and ends up spending his day working in his dead end job behind the counter at a convenience store in New Jersey.
I should mention that this film is shot on a Arriflex 16 SR2 which means the film is in black and white.
Working with Dante is his best friend, Randal Graves, who isn't exactly a big help around the store or with personal problems. If anything, he makes matters worse because he almost never takes anything seriously.
The humour in this film is found through discussions of films such as Star Wars, discussions about sex, and about the customers of course. Describing it in text doesn't do it justice so you'll just have to watch it if I have in anyway peaked your interest.
This film was the introduction to what is known as the 'View Askewniverse' which is a series of films by Kevin Smith which are all connected via characters and events. However, the most important introductions from this film are the characters of the now famous duo, Jay and Silent Bob played by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith. Yes, the same Kevin Smith who wrote and Directed the Movie. These two are the only two characters to appear in every movie in the View Askewniverse and usually help move the film in the right direction.
Overall, Clerks has to be one of my favourite movies of all time and once you watch the Askewniverse, it's easy to understand why, because no only is it smart and hilarious, but you have to appreciate that this started a series of other great indie films that made Kevin Smith the funny man he is today.
Kevin Smith is an inspiration and this film is the start of it all. Clerks is a very simple film that manages to be entertaining and hilarious. The concept is this; Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) is asked to work on his day off, and ends up spending his day working in his dead end job behind the counter at a convenience store in New Jersey.
I should mention that this film is shot on a Arriflex 16 SR2 which means the film is in black and white.
Working with Dante is his best friend, Randal Graves, who isn't exactly a big help around the store or with personal problems. If anything, he makes matters worse because he almost never takes anything seriously.
The humour in this film is found through discussions of films such as Star Wars, discussions about sex, and about the customers of course. Describing it in text doesn't do it justice so you'll just have to watch it if I have in anyway peaked your interest.
This film was the introduction to what is known as the 'View Askewniverse' which is a series of films by Kevin Smith which are all connected via characters and events. However, the most important introductions from this film are the characters of the now famous duo, Jay and Silent Bob played by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith. Yes, the same Kevin Smith who wrote and Directed the Movie. These two are the only two characters to appear in every movie in the View Askewniverse and usually help move the film in the right direction.
Overall, Clerks has to be one of my favourite movies of all time and once you watch the Askewniverse, it's easy to understand why, because no only is it smart and hilarious, but you have to appreciate that this started a series of other great indie films that made Kevin Smith the funny man he is today.
postapocalypticplayground (27 KP) rated Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles, #2) in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Awesome continuation of the series
I’m so happy to be back in the world of the Lunar Chronicles! Scarlet, is Marissa Meyer’s take on Red Riding Hood, big bad wolf and grandma included. As with Cinder, Scarlet is a whirlwind of a story, straight into the good stuff and the story blends seamlessly with the continuation of Cinder’s overarching story line. Scarlet is a girl on a mission to rescue her Grandmother with Wolf (the big bad fighter) on her side. Outside of New Beijing, Scarlet’s story is set in a future France, which seems very undamaged by the wars, it has a very rustic feel, with Scarlet and her Grandmother enjoying a simple farming life. But Grandma, what big secrets you have! The collision of her grandmothers disappearance and the entrance of Wolf is played to perfection and their journey to Paris is both exciting and full of anxious moments. Scarlet is a fantastic character and you can completely understand, through the brief glimpses of her father, why she gives up everthing to take the journey to Paris. Whilst she wants to appear worldly, she is also wonderfully niaive at times, very much wearing her heart on her sleeve. I also loved the nuggets of information about hers and Cinder’s past and how the lines become blurred at times as the secrets and lies unfurl.
The action is frequent with huge set pieces which played out cinematically in my mind as I was reading. It’s quite an emotional one at times too, Kai’s dispair, Cinder’s desperation, Wolf’s inner turmoil and a bit of an insight into Levana left me quite breathless by the end.
My favourite thing at this stage, is how there is still so many secrets to be revealed. With 2 more books in the series to go it’s clear that each of the next characters will have some connection to what happened to Cinder as a child and how we reach present day, in story terms, I can’t wait to pick up Cress and see where the story goes next!
The action is frequent with huge set pieces which played out cinematically in my mind as I was reading. It’s quite an emotional one at times too, Kai’s dispair, Cinder’s desperation, Wolf’s inner turmoil and a bit of an insight into Levana left me quite breathless by the end.
My favourite thing at this stage, is how there is still so many secrets to be revealed. With 2 more books in the series to go it’s clear that each of the next characters will have some connection to what happened to Cinder as a child and how we reach present day, in story terms, I can’t wait to pick up Cress and see where the story goes next!
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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The First Satan ( The A’Vean Chronicles 0.5) in Books
Nov 21, 2023
174 of 235
Kindle
The First Satan ( The A’vean Chronicles 0.5)
By G.R. Thomas
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
At the dawn of civilisation, angels roamed the Earth.
Within shadows and dreams, these great warriors of A’vean were the silent caretakers of humanity, watching the first civilisations pull themselves from the cesspit of evolution.
I’el, the creator of all things, set one directive… Do not interfere.
Yeqon, sentenced to Earth as punishment for his misdeeds elsewhere, resented this deployment. Mindless eons of gently nudging humanity in the right direction set his mind to wander on the past and future glory, of war and power. Cowering in the shadows at the behest of I'el set a flame of resentment alight within him.
Yet, a loyal warrior, Yeqon remained committed to the task when he yearned to travel the universe, to fight, to love... until I'el pushed that loyalty too far.
A cord was struck against Yeqon and the Watchers he commanded, an event so devastating that it cleaved a wedge through them and stoked that fire. This upheaval stirred the beginnings of the greatest of wars...
and birthed the First Satan.
I can’t fault this book! I loved it! Yeqon is such a complex character and I really enjoyed finding out more about him. This is such a fascinating world and this author creates really in-depth characters.
I was lucky to have this gifted to me from the author and I’m so glad to have been chosen. Definitely read this if you love the series.
Kindle
The First Satan ( The A’vean Chronicles 0.5)
By G.R. Thomas
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
At the dawn of civilisation, angels roamed the Earth.
Within shadows and dreams, these great warriors of A’vean were the silent caretakers of humanity, watching the first civilisations pull themselves from the cesspit of evolution.
I’el, the creator of all things, set one directive… Do not interfere.
Yeqon, sentenced to Earth as punishment for his misdeeds elsewhere, resented this deployment. Mindless eons of gently nudging humanity in the right direction set his mind to wander on the past and future glory, of war and power. Cowering in the shadows at the behest of I'el set a flame of resentment alight within him.
Yet, a loyal warrior, Yeqon remained committed to the task when he yearned to travel the universe, to fight, to love... until I'el pushed that loyalty too far.
A cord was struck against Yeqon and the Watchers he commanded, an event so devastating that it cleaved a wedge through them and stoked that fire. This upheaval stirred the beginnings of the greatest of wars...
and birthed the First Satan.
I can’t fault this book! I loved it! Yeqon is such a complex character and I really enjoyed finding out more about him. This is such a fascinating world and this author creates really in-depth characters.
I was lucky to have this gifted to me from the author and I’m so glad to have been chosen. Definitely read this if you love the series.
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8.0
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