Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 (Jennifer Corbett and Dave Filoni, 2024)

Click here for the basics

Science Fiction, Action, Adventure

Season 1 Rating: DSQ=10, SP=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale A=4, Scale B=3, Scale C=3, Scale D=3, Scale E=3

I really enjoyed the darker, tenser tone of Season 3. Omega grows so much and we really see the undying loyalty that is the very essence and soul of a clone. The relationships between the clones and each other is also strengthened with the return and redemption of Crosshair. And the terrible experiments/trials of the Empire become somehow even more disturbing. I think Doctor Hemlock might be my least favorite character in Star Wars-- a truly awful villain. We also get more answers to many questions that kept arising in the previous seasons. Nothing completely explained, but that would never happen ;)

I loved The Bad Batch --in concept, each character, individual episodes in all seasons-- what a great part of the Star Wars universe.

Click here to see how I rated Season 1. And Season 2.

--Don't understand the ratings? Click here

The Pale Blue Eye

The Pale Blue Eye (Scott Cooper, 2022)

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Rating: Q=6, P=5 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

Based on Book, 19th Century America, Mystery, Grief, Macabre

I don't know much about the earliest decades of America, that time between independence and the civil war. It isn't a period that my history classes focused on, sadly. Especially not the culture. But I did spend some time reading early American authors as an English major in college and so gleaned some cultural and historical knowledge. The Pale Blue Eye is an aesthetically beautiful film. It is incredibly melancholic, greatly aided by the snowy, wintry setting. And though it is a mystery with undertones of the occult, cultural/political conflicts, and grief, it is also a story about young Edgar Allen Poe. They really made Harry Melling look exactly like Poe! I was captivated by this blending of history and fiction. And I was drawn into the world as much as (if not more so) trying to solve its mystery.

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Poor Things

Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2023)

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Rating: Q=8, P=7 / Obsession

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=4

Whimsical, Sci-Fi, Philosophical, Complex Relationships, Historical Fiction (sort of)

This film is incredible. It is truly something else. Poor Things, much like its main character, is a new kind of film and story. It is quirky and bold, aggressive and offensive, unabashed and unashamed. Poor Things and Bella makes you question and reflect on what it means to be a human being. Bella begins as an experiment and perhaps she shows us that every part of the human experience should be an experiment, as we must try and do --despite the risks-- in order to say that we live.

In addition to the fantastic story, Poor Things has the most memorable and intriguing artistry. The costumes, sets, score, and lighting are all so palpable. And very quirky and weird. At times, even surreal. I loved the Frankenstein and Wizard of Oz references, too. I will certainly eagerly watch this again and again. What a masterful piece of cinema.

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Shogun

Shogun (Frederick E.O. Toye and others, 2024)

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17th Century, Historical, Based on Book, Japan, Action

Season 1 Rating: DSQ=12, SP=8 / Can't Get Enough

Scale A=4, Scale B=4, Scale C=4, Scale D=4, Scale E=4

It has been quite a while since I've watched a series that is this intense--intense in story, acting, and visuals. Peaky Blinders was also intense, but in a different way with a different feel. At times Shogun is quietly intense, so much so that you feel you might explode from the tension. Other times it is roaring. The story of Shogun is one of discovery, cultures in contrast, strategy and intrigue, politics and war, customs and rituals, and especially honor and loyalty. But it is just as much (if not more so) a crushingly cruel, beautiful tale of love and loss, of identity and purpose. This is a grand tale of the human experience. What cinematography, costumes, and design! What moments! I was instantly sucked into the mesmerizing world of Japan in 1600 and I just want more. Stunning is not a strong enough word. Go watch this as soon as you can.

--Don't understand the ratings? Click here