Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Good Time (2017)

starring Robert Pattinson
directed by Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie

Connie and Nick, his mentally challenged brother, hold up a bank. They don't get away with it. Nick gets caught. Connie tries hitting up his girlfriend (Jennifer Jason Leigh) for some money to get Nick out on bail. Nick gets into a fight while he is in jail and beat up badly. He is taken to a hospital. Connie tries to break him out of the hospital with disastrous results. It just gets crazier from there.

Knights of Sidonia 1.01

Commencement

Nagate Tanikaze, a teenager, lives on Sidonia a city that travels through space. He has lived his whole life in the underground portion of the city. He was raised by Hiroki Saito, his grandfather. He ventures to the surface for the first time after he runs out of rice. He is injured and apprehended running from guards in the rice factory. He escapes, only to be recaptured. Ochiai, an agent of the Immortal Council, finds him and takes him to Captain Kobayashi.

He is quickly added to the pilot training program, at Captain Kobayashi's request. He is assigned to a dorm where he meets Lala Hiyama, the dorm mother. She looks like a bear that wears clothes and has a mechanical hand. Soon after that he meets Izana Shinatose, who is neither male nor femaile and is one of Nagate's classmates. Izana informs him that usually it is very difficult to get in the pilot training program.

Monday, December 30, 2019

Young Justice 2.06

Bloodlines

Bart Allen arrives from the future traveling in a time machine. The machine arrives in Mount Justice. Nightwing, Robin, and Beast Boy are there when he arrives. They don't trust that he is who he says is is, at first. They manage to capture him, but he escapes before too long. He adopts the name Impulse and tells them who he is, the grandson of Barry Allen (the Flash), before he leaves.

Taking of the Pelham One Two Three (1974)

starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo
directed by Joseph Sargent

The Pelham 1-2-3, a New York subway train, is hijacked by four armed men who identify themselves as Mr. Blue (Shaw), Mr. Green (Balsam), Mr. Grey (Elizondo), and Mr. Brown. They want one million dollars and only give the police an hour to cough up the ransom. If their demands are not met then they will start shooting hostages.

Transit Police Lieutenant Zachary Garber (Matthau) runs the operation to try and rescue the hostages and capture the hijackers. He gets some assistance from Transit Police Lieutenant Rico Patrone (Jerry Stiller).

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Chris Claremont's X-Men (2018)

starring Chris Claremont, Louise Simonson, Ann Nocenti, Tom McLean, Peter Sanderson, Jim Shooter, Sean Howe
directed by Patrick Meaney

The story of Chris Claremont's contributions to the X-Men comic books is told in this documentary through interviews with all of the people named above and several others. Claremont wrote hundreds of issues of X-Men and X-Men related comic books from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s. His contributions to the main comic books series and others should not be underestimated. Two of the editors Claremont worked with, Louise Simonson and Ann Nocenti, both of whom also wrote for Marvel during the 1980s, provide lots of detail that help to color in the picture of what it was like working with him.

Saturday, December 28, 2019

Fargo 3.08

Who Rules the Land of Denial?

A few more details are filled in about what caused the bus crash. Yuri stepped out into the road as shown in 3.07 but, with some help from Meemo and Golem (the fake cop who tried to kill Nikki in jail), he set up a makeshift device that helped the bus to crash.

Friday, December 27, 2019

GLOW 3.10

A Very GLOW Christmas

The women of GLOW play the Secret Santa game. Ruth gets Carmen but Carmen knows it. She wants to do a GLOW version of A Christmas Carol for the last show of the year. Ruth is against it but reluctantly agrees to do it.

Thursday, December 26, 2019

Samurai Jack 3.13

XXXIX: Jack and the Labyrinth

Jack enters a pyramid in search of an artifact which will help him return to the past but he is not alone. There is another man in the labyrinth inside the pyramid who seeks the same artifact. The two men eventually meet. They argue. They are attacked by the guardians of the pyramid. They flee together. They escape but the artifact is destroyed.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power 1.09

No Princess Left Behind

Adora teams up with Perfuma, Mermista, Entrapta, and Seahawk to rescue Bow and Glimmer from the Fright Zone. Adora puts together a plan although it doesn't go exactly according to plan.

Entrapta gets very distracted by all the technology in the Fright Zone and wanders off on her own. She befriends a Horde robot, which she names Emily. She eventually regroups with the others.

Mermista swims through the sewers, much to her disgust, to open a gate into the Fright Zone.

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Edge of Seventeen (2016)

Starring Hailey Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson
Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig

Nadine (Steinfeld) goes a little around the bend when Krista (Haley Lu Richardson), her best and only friend, starts dating Darian (Blake Jenner), Nadine's older brother. She doesn't get along with her mother (Kyra Sedgwick). Her father has been dead for a few years. She directs her angst at Mr. Bruner (Harrelson), her history teacher. She has a number of conversations with him over the course of the movie.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Starring Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver
Directed by J. J. Abrams

Rey, Finn, Po, and friends continue to lead the rebellion in the fight against the First or Final Order. Kylo Ren attempts to consolidate his hold on the forces of the First or Final Order. A familiar face from from Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi returns. Rey finally learns about her biological heritage. Ben Solo makes peace with the ghost of his father. Rey, Finn, Po, and friends journey takes them back to Endor where they find some of the remains of the Deathstar.

Thoughts

There are moments I like in this movie. Some made me laugh and some got me a little choked up.

I still don't understand the affinity that Rey and Ben have for one another or their psychic connection. Finn and Po felt like third wheels in this movie. Rey and Ben/Kylo were the stars.

This was just a little too much. I would prefer a simpler movie that doesn't attempt to over complicate things by including a cast of millions.

Monday, December 23, 2019

Dear White People 1.08

Chapter VIII

Lionel follows Troy around for a day and part of the night. He's trying to write a piece for the school newspaper about his roommate, the president of the student body, even though Silvio, his editor, gave that assignment to another staffer, Brooke.

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Fargo 3.07

The Law of Inevitability

It is Christmas Eve. Varga opens all the packages under the Christmas Tree at Emmit's house. He stays there and waits until Emmit comes home.

Friday, December 20, 2019

GLOW 3.09

The Libertines

Ruth goes to Los Angeles for an audition for Justine's and Sam's movie. She thinks it goes well but then she realizes that they aren't just going to give her the part. She leaves after agreeing to meet with Sam in a couple hours. Sam, Justine, and the producer talk about Ruth but Sam is the only one who wants her to get the part.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

UFO Robo Grendizer 1.14

Boss Borot is Here!

Everyone gets up early on New Year's Day and goes to the top of a mountain to watch the sunrise. They are dressed in kimonos. They return to the ranch to celebrate after the sun has risen. Danbei has a little too much to drink and falls asleep.

Hikaru flirts with Daisuke. She doesn't say it but it is pretty clear that she likes the way he looks in a kimono.

Boss, Nuke, and Mucha, three of Kouji's friends from his time with Mazinger Z, come to visit in their robot, Boss Borot. The Vegans send a minifo to investigate Boss Borot. They quickly decide to destroy it. They plant bombs on it and then send Dorio Dorio, a saucer beast, to destroy it.

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Samurai Jack 3.11

The Birth of Evil

XXXVII: Part 1

A dark shape is chased through space by three gods (Ra, Rama, Odin). They attack it. It fights back but they strike it down. They seem to have destroyed it but a piece of it survives and makes its way to Earth. It crash lands on Earth in the time of the dinosaurs.

Fargo 3.06

The Lord of No Mercy

Ray and Nikki talk about the guys who beat her. She is still in bad shape. The pain is intense. Ray wants to kill them. They locate Yuri and Meemo and follow them from the office of Stussy, Inc. They see them meet with Varga. Ray is ready to get out of the car with murderous intent but Nikki convinces him that they need to wait for the right moment.

Meemo meets with the IRS auditor. He acts as if he is the lawyer for the company and chases off the auditor.

Friday, December 13, 2019

NewsRadio 3.19

Office Feud

The new upstairs tenant is a not-for-profit organization that is making lots of noise. Beth thinks that there are a bunch of hot guys upstairs. Joe thinks that they are the ones playing practical jokes on WNYX, at least two of which blow up in his face.

Bill starts doing radio spots for Rocket Fuel Malt Liquor with a "street" accent. Catherine gets him to try the drink. He gets plastered. She then talks him into modifying the radio spots by using new slang that she makes up.

Lisa spends the day at the White House covering the Easter Egg Roll. She tries interviewing a bunch of kids but none of them are cooperative.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Dear White People 1.07

Chapter VII

Sam and Reggie don't show up for the protest at the pep rally. Gabe is left wondering what happened. The ones who do show up to protest can't get in because it is a ticketed event. Gabe starts to see things in how Sam and Reggie are acting towards one another. He starts imagining things, sexy things, involving Sam and Reggie.

Saturday, December 7, 2019

GLOW 3.08

Keep Ridin’

The show shifts forward in time. It opens with a celebration of their 50th show. This is followed by a time lapse scene which features Ruth in the foreground removing her makeup while everyone else does other post show stuff around her. When the time lapse scene ends they have just finished their 200th show and it shows. No one wants to celebrate.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power 1.08

Princess Prom

Adora and Glimmer go to the All Princess Ball aka Princess Prom. Bow goes too but instead of going as Glimmer's plus one he goes with Perfuma. The event is hosted by Frosta, Princess of the Kingdom of Snows. They run into a number of people who have shown up in earlier episodes including Perfuma, Mermista, Sea Hawk (he claims to be her plus one but she says he's just her ride), Entrapta, Scorpia, and Catra. Scorpia got an invite because she is a princess. Catra is her plus one.

Glimmer spends most of the episode angry because Bow is hanging out with Perfuma. Adora tries unsuccessfully to talk Frosta into joining the Princess Alliance. There are no weapons allowed at the Princess Prom so Adora has to leave her sword at the door.

Monday, December 2, 2019

UFO Robo Grendizer 1.13

Grendizer Is in Danger

Daisuke is busy getting ready for New Year's celebrations on the farm when Giro Giro, the latest Vegan saucer beast, attacks. Giro Giro uses the power of the sun to charge up. It proves to be a little too much for Grendizer. Double Haken, one of Grendizer's weapon systems is knocked off line.

Grendizer escapes the fight before Giro Giro can deliver the killing blow. That night Kouji locates Giro Giro and tries to destroy it while it is immobile. Giro Giro proves to be a little more resistant than Kouji thought it would be.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Star Blazers 2199 1.13

The Wolf from Another Dimension

The Yamato is pursued by a transdimensional submarine of the Gamilan fleet, the UX-01 commanded by Captain Flaken. The Yamato hides in an asteroid field waiting for the enemy to expose itself. The enemy does the same until Captain Flaken grows tired of waiting. The UX-01 uncloaks and leaves the system but then sneaks back.

General Domel assumes formal command of the Milky Way Theater Operations. Domel's predecessor, Goer, who was last seen leaving his men behind while he fled in 1.10, is now his second in command.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Fargo 3.05

The House of Special Purpose

Ray dresses up like Emmit, once again. He and Nikki make a sex tape. She wears a wig to disguise her appearance. They leave it on Emmit's front stoop with a message. They want $100K or else they will share the tape with Grace, Emmit's wife. Grave finds the message and watches the tape. She leaves Emmit and takes the kids and his mother.

Star Wars (1977)

aka Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

directed by George Lucas
starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford

Luke Skywalker, a farm boy from the desert planet of Tatooine, is drawn into the battle between the rebellion and the empire when C-3PO and R2-D2, a couple of droids belonging to Princess Leia, one of the leaders of the rebellion, fall into his hands. The empire comes looking for the droids because one of them has the plans to its new mega-powerful space station, the Death Star.

Friday, November 29, 2019

The Amazing Jonathan Documentary (2019)

directed by Benjamin Berman

This purports to be a documentary about the Amazing Jonathan. He is a stage magician and comedian. He quit show business in 2014 after announcing that he had been told by doctors that he only had a year to live. It turns out that the doctors were wrong and he is still alive. A team of filmmakers started to work on a documentary about him in 2017. The first part of this movie is that documentary.

GLOW 3.07

Hollywood Homecoming

Sam and Justine go back to Los Angeles to pitch her script to a number of studios. Sam takes charge at first. Most of the meetings don't go well and he's very negative after them. They finally get a meeting with a producer who is receptive. It goes well but Sam starts to have a panic attack in the middle of the meeting. He manages to keep it to himself. Justine wants to celebrate afterwards but he doesn't want to let her know what's happening. She drives off. He goes to a hospital where he finds out that he's had a heart attack.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

NewsRadio 3.18

Twins

Andrew (Jon Stewart), Matthew's twin, comes to visit. They aren't really twins but Matthew doesn't know that. Matthew is adopted, well that's how it is presented at first but by the end of episode the only thing that seems to be clear is that they aren't really brothers but both of them act weird and claim that it is the other one who was adopted.

Mr. James needs to cut costs so he is selling most of the radio station's furniture. Everyone gets card tables instead of desks. Eventually Dave figures out the reason why. The radio station is way over budget because Phil got a huge raise.

Iliza Shlesinger: Unveiled

This is the 4th of Iliza Shlesinger's Netflix comedy specials that I have watched. This is the 5th one. I watched the first 3 and missed the 4th one.

I don't usually go in for comedy specials. I tend to watch them in chunks. I don't love this special to pieces but I enjoyed it quite a bit. I laughed a number of times. I cringed a few times. I like her sense of humor for the most part. I like the weird voices and facial expressions.

I like how this one was filmed. There are no shots of people in the audience. I don't know why that seems to be a staple of comedy specials. I don't need to see people laughing. I can hear them.




Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Samurai Jack 3.10

XXXVI: Jack, the Monks, and the Ancient Master's Son

Jack encounters a couple monks who come from the Shaolin Temple. They fight but soon realize that they have received the same training. The monks take Jack to the Sholin Temple which is hidden from Aku. The ancient master, who protects the other monks from Aku, recognizes Jack. He was just a boy when Jack came to the Shaolin Temple to train.

Dear White People 1.06

Chapter VI

A number of groups meet at Armstrong-Parker Hall to try and decide how to respond to the incident involving Reggie and the unnamed campus security officer. Reggie has a meeting with the Dean scheduled for later that day. Sam, Joelle, Gabe, Troy and a few others decided to be there for him. They all show up except for Reggie.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Dolemite (1975)

starring Rudy Ray Moore, D'Urville Martin
directed by D'Urville Martin

Dolemite (Moore) is a pimp who is let out of prison on the condition that he take down one of his rivals, Willie Green (Martin). He makes the deal with the warden but then is pursued by crooked cops. Green isn't just a pimp but he also pays bribes to the mayor and is the one who got Dolemite arrested. Willie Green comes after Dolemite, who gets some help from a bunch of female dancers who are also martial arts experts and an FBI agent.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Fargo 3.04

The Narrow Escape Problem

Ray shaves off his mustache, puts on a wig, and impersonates his brother. He goes into the bank and asks to see the contents of the safety deposit box that Nikki found out about when she broke into his house in 3.02. Ray doesn't have the key so they have to drill the lock. When he examines the contents of the box he finds nothing but a bag with ashes in it. He asks for $10K in cash and leaves.

Friday, November 22, 2019

GLOW 3.06

Outward Bound

The women of GLOW spend a couple days out in the desert.

Reggie, Sheila, Ruth, and Debbie go for a hike. Ruth and Debbie fall behind and think they are lost. Ruth tells Debbie about Sam's confession. Sheila starts hallucinating and sees a wolf.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Star Blazers 2199 1.12

What Lies Beyond

The Yamato is nearing the edge of the Milky Way. The senior members of the crew are on the bridge talking about the next segment of the trip when Kodai and Shima get into a shouting argument. Shima contends that Kodai doesn't take the situation seriously enough. Shima is still processing the information he got from Yamazaki about his father. He still hasn't learned to accept the news. They both get punished for their behavior by Commander Okita.

Yabu overhears Yamazaki telling Tokugawa about what he told Shima. He passes this information on to Kaoru.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Dear White People 1.05

Chapter V

Reggie spends the Saturday wandering around campus with Joelle, Rashid, and Al. Sam spends the day at the botanical garden with Gabe. The others try to distract him but Reggie can't stop thinking about Sam. They stop by a few parties.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Fargo 3.03

The Law of Non-Contradiction

Gloria goes to Los Angeles to try and learn what she can about Ennis. She stays in the same motel where he lived when he was there. She hopes to find some kind of a lead. She reads Planet of Wyh, his book, the one that won an award, while she is in L.A. The story is brought to life on the show through animation. It tells the story of a robot that outlived the people that created it, traveled across the universe until it was found by scientists. They download it's memories and then have it turn itself off.

Friday, November 15, 2019

GLOW 3.05

Freaky Tuesday

Tammé has a serious problem, which has been hinted at before. Her back is bothering her but she keeps wrestling.

Sandy makes an offer to Bash and Debbie. She wants to keep GLOW at the casino through the end of the year, their run was originally scheduled to end on March 31. Bash is ready to say yes but Debbie is not.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power 1.07

In the Shadows of Mystacor

Adora, Glimmer, and Bow visit Mystacor for some rest and relaxation. Adora is on edge because she keeps seeing a shadowy creature but no else does. She manages to relax briefly in Mystacor where Castaspella, Glimmer's aunt, is the head sorcerer.

The shadowy creature that Adora keeps seeing is a manifestation of Shadow Weaver's magic. It follows them to Mystacor where it finally attacks Adora. Shadow Weaver tries talking Adora into returning to the Horde, through the shadowy creature. She also tries to destroy the magic that protects Mystacor from the outside world.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Dear White People 1.04

Chapter IV

Colandrea "Coco" Conners was roommates with Sam when they were freshmen. Times have changed. They drifted in apart and moved in different directions. Sam became part of the Black Student Union, eventually it's president. Coco tried pledging a sorority, Alpha Delta Rho, but that didn't exactly work out. She wound up quitting before she was fully accepted. Eventually Sam's and Coco's differences created a rift between them and they stopped rooming together.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Samurai Jack 3.09

XXXV: Jack and the Haunted House

Jack follows Kumi, a young Japanese girl, to an old house. He has trouble finding her once he gets to the house. The house turns out to be haunted by a demon that has stolen Kumi's family.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Toy Story 2 (1999)

Starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
Directed by John Lasseter, Ash Brannon, Lee Unkrich

Woody misses going to camp with Andy after his arm gets torn. He helps Wheezy, a toy penguin, escape from a yard sale but in the process he is stolen by Al, a toy collector. Woody is a rare collectible. Al plans to sell him along with a few other toys to a museum in Japan.

Buzz Lightyear, Mr. Potato Head, Hamm the Piggy Bank, Rex the Green Dinosaur, and Slinky Dog go looking for Woody. They make their way to Al's Toy Barn but Woody isn't there. Buzz encounters another Buzz while he is separated from the others. The two Buzzes fight. Andy's Buzz loses and gets locked up.

NewsRadio 3.17

Airport

Dave and Bill are stuck in the St. Louis airport due to a snow storm. Bill gets impatient and belligerent.

Lisa is left in charge. Catherine and Joe are planning to go see a movie together. Mr. James insists that Lisa not allow them to go on a date.

Beth and Matthew go to Bill's apartment to water his plants. Matthew gets mesmerized by the decor.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

GLOW 3.04

Say Yes

Bash needs to find a replacement for Keith who isn't there to ref because he isn't sure about his relationship with Cherry. Bash finds a bunch of other performers and makes Debbie deal with them. She gets on Cherry's bad side when she hires a magician. Cherry is supposed to be some sort of a magician or maybe its a witch doctor. Eventually Debbie and Cherry straighten things out over a joint.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Fargo 3.02

The Principle of Restricted Choice

Chief Burgle is in the process of getting relieved of her position as chief, because her local police department is being absorbed into the county police department. She ticks off her new boss, digs through some of her stepfather's belongings, and follows up on a lead. She goes to the gas station where Maurice stopped to try and find the address he lost. When Burgle sees that the page ripped out of the phone book is the one that had Ennis' name on it she takes the whole book as evidence.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Star Blazers 2199 1.11

A World I Once Saw

In the Magellanic Cloud, near Balun, a Gamilan fleet is engaged in a battle. During the fight, Gamilan General Domel is ordered to leave his front line unit by Admiral Ditz. He isn't happy about it but he follows orders.

The senior crew members of the Yamato try to decide what to do with Melda Ditz, the captured Gamilan pilot. There is much arguing. A scan of her reveals that she is essentially human, except for her blue skin. Kodai argues for treating her humanely. Others would like to resort to other methods to extract information from her. Commander Okita leaves the questions of Ditz up to Kodai.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Dear White People 1.03

Chapter III

Troy Fairbanks is running for president of the student council. His chances for winning are boosted by the fallout from the Dear Black People party. It probably doesn't hurt that his father is the dean of Winchester. Troy's relationship with his father isn't ideal. He goes along with what his father wants but he is torn is torn and it shows. He feels as though he has to do what his father wants but he rolls his eyes a lot at his old man when he isn't looking.

Monday, November 4, 2019

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power 1.06

System Failure

Adora, Glimmer, and Bow arrive at Princess Entrapta's fortress just as one of her experiments goes awry. Entrapta was experimenting with a piece of First Ones technology. It winds up corrupting all the technology in her abode. She-Ra tries fighting it but even she is affected by the First Ones technology. It gets to her through her sword. She is more or less useless for the rest of the episode.

Bow leads Entrapta's kitchen staff in a counter attack that breaks the hold that the First Ones technology has over Entrapta's robots and She-Ra. Entrapta starts tinkering with the First Ones technology again after the trio leaves her home.

Friday, November 1, 2019

Future Man 1.13

A Date with Destiny

Josh doesn't get what he expected. Dingo and Owl show up instead of Tiger and Wolf. Together the five come up with a plan to attack and take down the Kronish building. They break into 3 teams: Alpha (Tiger and Dingo), Bravo (Wolf and Josh), and Charlie (Owl).

Saturday, October 26, 2019

GLOW 3.03

Desert Pollen

Cherry signs the ladies up for a dance class with Denise, a former showgirl. Most of them are not into it. Cherry has problems of her own. She and Keith want to have a baby but after she has a conversation with Denise she starts having second thoughts.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010)

Starring Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin, Anna Kendrick, Allison Pill, Aubrey Plaza, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong
Directed by Edgar Wright

Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is dating Knives Chau (Ellen Wong) when he sees Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). He loses interest in Knives and starts dating Ramona but Knives isn't ready to give up on him just yet. Scott is forced to fight Ramona's evil exes and deal with Knives and another ex-girlfriend of his who is now dating one of Ramona's evil exes. Scott is in a band, Sex Bob-omb, that is taking part in the local Battle of the Bands competition.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Dear White People 1.02

Chapter II

This episode is a companion piece to the prior one and has me wondering about the rest of the season. Lionel Higgins, the reporter for the Independent who broke the story about the Dear Black People party, gets the spotlight. The events of the previous episode are also part of this episode. Samantha is only seen fleetingly, just as Lionel was in the previous episode.