Tag Archives: Netflix

The Wizeguy: Another ‘Mute’ Review 

I convinced myself to watch Mute (the first time), despite the so-so trailer and early bad reviews. I thought I had made a mistake. On the first viewing, I felt that the film fell short for so many reasons; bad acting, sophomoric directing, failed productions design, the cast felt like a joke, etc. I would have noped-out sooner but Duncan Jones’ film Moon is a borderline masterpiece. 

Mute begins, more of less, with the most romantic of love affairs. Leo (Alexander Skarsgård), the protagonist of Mute is sort of the Germanic version of Amish, a luddite who willfully refuses the advents of modern technology. He’s also mute. When his blue-haired girlfriend, Naadirah (Seyneb Saleh), goes missing, his search for her, through an elaborate underworld populated with ne’er-do-wells becomes the primary driver of the movie. 

Now, on my second viewing I realized what I had taken in … Mute is M*A*S*H gone evil. 

Spoilers Ahead

The point of Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux as Elliott Gould/Trapper and Donald Sutherland/Hawkeye is blatantly obvious.

-Rudd/Trapper sports the same mustache, the old MASH hat and parker (and reaches for a martini after surgery).

-Hawkeye/Theroux is blonde, wears glasses, wears an out of place large sweater (for those cold winter nights in Crabapple Cove) and calls Rudd/Trapper babe, all from Altman’s film.

-Rudd drives a modified Mad Max sort of Humvee painted with US stars.

-As in Altman’s 1970 film, M*A*S*H, a voice coming through a loudspeaker acts as a kind of chorus but here warns about AWOL US military personnel…in this case a metaphor for a wayward American morality.

Which brings us to the true subject of this film.

Altman’s film was an anti-Vietnam statement in which Hawkeye/Trapper are anti-establishment subversives. Here “post Kabul” they have become monsters – kidnapping, murdering, pedophiles…sociopathic if not psychopaths. This iteration of “America” is not anti-establishment or subversive but the brutal corrupt establishment capable of turning violent at any moment (i.e., the scene in the mall where Rudd/Trapper threatens the security guard). That the film does not succeed is debatable and it left me wondering what was it actually trying to say?

Mute has its flaws but I could also point out that it has two bold performances against type from Rudd and Theroux, that define the film’s skewered heart. Coming fresh off Three Billboards, I saw a lot of similarities in how ambiguously the characters were handled. Not as deftly handled, but very much on the same wavelength in treating the audience as adults and showing “difficult” characters and complex relationships. The project really needed a script doctor. The components for greatness are there, but the tenuous connections between the two plots (of which Hawkeye and Pierce are by far the more interesting) needed to be interwoven much earlier.

I still don’t understand why some side characters were needed. A lot of the fat could have been excised with getting rid of the Lock Stock gangsters and the two timing pimp. The ex-boyfriend turned friend was needed, but needed a more consistent personality and arc.

While the film does struggle to visually match the expansive/expensive splendor of say a Blade Runner, it still creates a very specific, brooding sense of place, a vision of the future through a distorted mirror. The world was believable to me, in its mix of old and new. I can’t help wondering if the movie would be better if it was actually set in 1970s Berlin, as Jones may have originally intended – the futurism hardly seems integral to the plot.

I remember reading a feature in Empire magazine on this film, with Jones enthusiastically expounding on how great it was that Netflix would just trust filmmakers and leave them to their own devices without interference. While we all hate studio notes, I think occasional misfires like this show that the pure and undiluted product of a director’s mind isn’t always genius, and that sometimes you do need an obnoxious grey suit to keep things in line. I sincerely hope one day Duncan Jones will work with someone who can shape his vast imagination into something truly special.

‘Mute’ is the fourth feature film Jones has directed, following 2016’s Warcraft, 2011’s Source Code and the critically acclaimed 2009 movie Moon. ‘Mute’ is now streaming on Netlfix.

-Dagobot



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‘Mute’ Review

MUTE (3.5 out of 10) Written and Directed by Duncan Jones; Starring Alexander Skarsgard, Seyneb, Saleh, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux; Not rated; Running time 126 minutes; On Netflix February 23, 2018.

This review will contain spoilers.

Mute tells the tale of a bartender (Skarsgard) who, thanks to a freak accident as a child, doesn’t have the use of his voice. He’s involved with a waitress (Saleh) at the club he tends at, a rough and tumble place where the city’s gangsters play. When his girlfriend goes missing, he jumps into action trying to discover what happened to her. This leads him to a motley cast of characters including Duck (Theroux) and Cactus (Rudd), a pair of evil doctors loosely based on characters from the Altman version of M*A*S*H. 

This film is beautifully photographed and acted, punctuated by a haunting score by Clint Mansell, but unfortunately, those things are the only thing it has going for it. It’s designed to be a classic, pulpy noir in a sci-fi setting which, for some, will get compared to other, better films like Blade Runner, but this has none of the poignancy of such films. Sure, it has a future cityscape with flying cars and flashing lights and skyscrapers chock-full of digital billboards and robotic sex workers, but it lacks the heart and the point.

Duncan Jones directs with a confidence that his story and script doesn’t warrant. Every detail is dropped as though it’s important, but in the final accounting it doesn’t add up to anything but pablum. In order to make the noir work in a world of sci-fi, the hero has to undergo an absurd backstory (Amish technophobe who can’t speak) to isolate him from the technology that would solve the case with the snap of his fingers. Instead, he blunders accidentally from one contrived situation to the next while everyone else in the movie thinks he’s a mastermind. 

Throughout the stories, coincidences fold in on each other and the relationships of characters grow tighter after introductions that make everyone seem unrelated. There’s one scene in particular that tries so hard to emulate the Earth-shattering reveal in Chinatown, but falls flat because it was easily guessed a few scenes prior and occurred in a scene that lacked any emotional resonance with characters we’d never met and this would be their only scene. 

Worse than all of this, though, is how undeniably sexist the film is. It treats women as objects from the get-go. The disappearance of the bartender’s girlfriend is what motivates him to go on his violent, silent quest. He only discovers later that she’s been a victim of the fridge trope. I think the filmmakers thought they were subverting the trope by placing her body beside the freezer, rather than inside of it. And then there’s the constant threat of child sexual abuse that permeates the film from about the halfway point on. It’s neither pleasant nor necessary to make whatever thin point the film was making. It honestly felt like an attempt to be “edgy” and add a discomfort to the narrative.

Some watching might confuse that discomfort for a tense story and filmmaking to match, but it really is only the queasiness of waiting to see how far the filmmakers will take the ill-conceived sub-plotline. The threat of rape of the young girl is even used to further twist a knife in the throat of her dying father, to make his last feelings of deep hurt and sadness.

There’s something to be said about the idea of following a pair of doctors plucked out of the M*A*S*H universe and set them working for the underworld, there’s a lot of interesting territory that story can take you through. Unfortunately, Jones and company drive right by the interesting territory into the world of entitled male rage, murder, and pedophilia. It’s just not interesting in this case and is, in fact, actually repellant. 

Looking deep and honestly within myself, though, I probably would have devoured this film at the age of thirteen, with no consideration whatsoever to why it might have been problematic. I wouldn’t have recognized its misogyny and internalized it, only to be fought against and decoded in myself later, and that seems to be the reason a film like this is so ill-conceived. Especially in a day and age where we know better. It’s easier to look at a film from the 1930s and say, “Maybe they didn’t know better and it was a different time and the culture wasn’t there for that sort of sensitivity.” But a film from today should know better. And Jones simply doesn’t.

When the film is added up together, it offers no grand idea. The science-fiction setting was nothing more than set dressing and added nothing to the reflection of humanity that the genre should provide. This is the sort of problematic storytelling you get when people try to stay apolitical in their science fiction storytelling: you get a film full of problematic behaviors, peopled almost entirely by white guys who treat women like objects, in a white, homogenous future where nothing has improved. 

In interviews, Duncan Jones beamed that this film was his passion project and that it was great that Netflix didn’t interfere with his making of it, which leads me to assume that maybe Netflix should have. 

This film earns marks for the cinematography, the acting, and the musical score, but fails every other test. 3.5 out of 10. 

Avoid it if you can, doubly so if you’re sensitive to misogyny and the threat of child rape.

Jessica Jones is Back!

It’s been two years since we first met perfectly flawed cinnamon roll Jessica Jones, and the first season managed to tackle a plot without making the heroine’s origin story a focal point. 

Pretty remarkable for a Marvel show, actually.

Season two will prove to be a whole new playing field. With the focus on Jessica, we can expect to learn how she got her powers (and how that plot will differ from the original Alias book), what role Trish will play in her life, and how those close to her will deal with the fallout from Purple Man’s reign.

We’ve seen footage and photographs of David Tennant on set–but what could it mean? Personally, I’m putting my money on “he’s a personification of her PTSD preventing her from reaching her full potential.” But that’s just me.

Jessica Jones returns to Netflix on March 8.

The Wizeguy: Questions & Questions

The Cloverfield Paradox became Netflix’s first big public experiment this past weekend when it seemingly dropped out of nowhere. The once titled, ‘God Particle’ also know as the third installment of the Cloverfield franchise was announced during the Super Bowl that it would be available to stream immediately after the game. Forget the lengthy trailers, the mystifying posters or the talk show interviews amping up the excitement. Playing my part of this experiment, I frequently kept checking Netflix that evening until the film was up and running. Now, if you are a Cloverfield newcomer, maybe this would be a fun entry point. However, I still think you should check out the previous entries, THE Cloverfield (2008) & 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), before jumping into the paradox. And, while I’m not going to review this film in a traditional sense, I am going to try and answer some of the movie’s questions with answers and possibly, even more questions.

Earth disappeared, but no one among the astronauts decides to use any of the instruments to figure out where they are?

The instrument they need is in the belly of one of the crew members. its not as simple as just looking up and finding the north star like on land/sea.

So Jensen’s station blew up, but she somehow transitioned, alive, to an alt-Earth station on the opposite side of the sun?

The Higgs Boson overload caused two instances of things to exist in the same space, this causes chaos. one ship exploded, one did not, crew members from both ships resulted in strange issues such as…

Both the gyro and the worms end up in Volkov’s stomach, intact?

Objects from ship A end up in crew member from ship A.

Volkov has an eyeball problem and a conversation with himself, which apparently was inconsequential?

Crew member from ship A ends up having a conversation with himself, but actually hes existing in the same space at the same time as crew member from ship B he is talking to his Doppelganger mentally (the Doppelganger is controlling his eye.) We see evidence of this again being the case later in the movie when Mundy loses an arm, we later see the arm crawling around, eventually requesting a pen, and then writing out that they need to cut open Volkov. This implies that the crew from ship B are stuck in some weird semi dimensional state, possibly including as possessing the ship, again chaos.

Hamilton wanted to go to alt-Earth just so she could warn herself about something that clearly didn’t happen there in the first place?

She also wanted to see her kids again.

It sure was easy for Jensen to get that gun when she needed it. That safe was less secure than my desk drawer.

Why do they even have the plans to print a gun?

The accelerator ripped open space time, but apparently that only happens the first time you turn it on. And the second. After that = stable?

Space time ripped open because of the power overload, the second overload untangled, the charge used the info they gathered while entangled to result in a non overloaded run, they clearly talk about this during the movie.

You want to really have fun?

A successful Shepard firing turns into a bright white light, and the crew references stations down on Earth that will harness the beams from it to generate power.

We also saw that firing Shepard can result in a massive residual magnetic field, and an unstable beam can result in those around it being flung through space and time.

Sound familiar?

What if I described an Island that sat atop a mysterious source of energy symbolized by a bright white “light.” But if it became unstable it produced a powerful magnetic force and could erupt violently and cause the island and everyone around it to become unstuck in space and time?

Yeah, that’s right. I’m suggesting the Shepard energy station was based on the Dharma Initiatives research into the energy source deep within the Island from ‘LOST’ (At least, in one universe).

And about that timeline, I pulled this image from a “Cloververse” subreddit:

Cloverfield Timeline 

I love the idea that specific moments in the past, present, and even the future, were merged with other dimensions. This would explain why Overlord (the next film in the universe) takes place in the past.

There may be proof in the films themselves of a specific year, but as far as I know it is the assumption that, like many other “present day” movies, the film happens in whatever year it was released unless otherwise specified. There is confirmation from a related ARG website that the Shepherd launched in 2028 (so the Paradox event happens 2 years later in 2030), and that the upcoming “Overlord” film happens during WW2 (so the 40s.)

Oh, and keep in mind that each timeline/dimension’s Earth was impacted in a different way. So even if the invasions happened in the same year (which they don’t), they would still all look different for each version of Earth. Crazy stuff.

Look, The Cloverfield Paradox is no Oscar contender, but it is a surprise addition to a service I already pay for. I was delighted by the whole thing. I loved the way they rolled it out (it was just such a Cloverfield thing to do) and it’s pretty much review proof anyway, given that it ended up on Netflix. I mean, it cost me zero, I didn’t have to wait to see it, and I didn’t have to deal with a movie theater for something I likely would have paid to go see.

Sidenote- What the hell was going on with the fooseball table? That scene made me laugh harder than the Ouija board that bursts into flames in the first Paranormal Activity.

-Dagobot



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Netflix’s Myths & Monsters is a Journey Worth Taking

You know those story narrations we heard as a kid on shows like Reading Rainbow, that were so good they glued our ears to the television? Voices like Earle Hyman and Morgan Freeman are probably two of the best. Nicholas Day, the host of Netlfix’s Myths & Monsters is another one you can add to that list. If you have any interest in myth or where they came from or how they began, and love an excellent narrator, then you need to watch Myths & Monsters.

Myths & Monsters is excellent in that it discusses many of the most well known mythological events and figures, but also some that are a little more obscure. Even the most casual mythology enthusiasts have heard of Achilles, The Odyssey, The Iliad, krakens, King Arthur, Aeneas, Jason and the golden fleece, and Robin Hood. But what is more interesting is learning about the lesser known myths like Ivan and Koschei the Deathless, Actaeon, Fergus Redside, and Iphigenia. In order to be more than just another show about legends, it’s essential for a show like Myths & Monsters to include topics that will grab the attention of the average fan, possibly making them even more interested, while keeping the more dedicated fans intrigued. Myths & Monsters does this very well indeed.

It efficiently uses animation and historical artwork to support the points as they are discussed by Day or any number of the highly knowledgeable mythology professors. Day, a renown Shakespearean actor, is no stranger to monologues. His voice has a quality that keeps us entranced and relaxed all at the same time. He speaks with a confident knowledge that makes us believe all of this information is at his disposal. The dimly lit wall covered in old texts behind Day is a little cliché in educational-type programming, but I’m willing to look past that. There is a delicate balance between the narration and scholarly input that allows us to listen to the story of myth while learning about what it means simultaneously. Kudos to the director, Daniel Kontur, and writer, William Simpson who along with Day also worked on Murder Maps (2015-2017) which is also streaming on Netflix.

Each episode covers a different aspect of mythology, the titles of which are: Heroes and Villains, The Wild Unknown, War, Love and Betrayal, Change and Revolution, and The End of All Things. Each episode follows a similar outline, which can get a bit monotonous after constant watching I’m not going to lie, but the episodes are short enough where that isn’t a huge issue. Each episode also seems very European-centric, with a slight nod to North Africa but little or to mention of the Americas or Asia. Although Kontur couldn’t confirm a second season, it seems likely, which will bring more exploration of myths in other parts of the world as well.

Myth & Monsters has 6-45 minute episodes which are streaming now on Netflix.

@EricOnkenhout

 

‘Little Evil’ Does a Little Good

There are a lot of things I appreciate about Little Evil, a Netflix original horror comedy. I like how it flips the trope of the demon-possessed child on its head, with the lead character doing his best to bond with the afflicted child. The story follows bungling, good-hearted Gary as he tries to be a good a stepdad to Lucas, his five year-old son. The two eventually form a parent-child bond, but not before Gary finds out that Lucas is the Antichrist and has already set a plan in motion to kill him. I won’t spoil the ending, but it’s a wild ride from start to finish.

In between the dad jokes and parenting attempts gone hilariously wrong, there’s another detail that caught my eye. Gary’s best friend Al, played by Bridget Everett, is one of Gary’s co-workers and a fellow stepdad. They are also visibly gender nonconforming. As a transmasculine person myself, this piqued my interest.

The movie does not acknowledge the fact that Al is gender nonconforming nor does it reveal which pronouns to use. I am using they/them for Al in this review because that’s what I default to when I don’t know somebody’s pronouns. It’s a good life practice and also something a lot of people do without even realizing.

In Al’s first scene, they commiserate with Gary about the trials and tribulations of being a stepdad. “Yeah, you’re a stepdad now, man. Sucks, bro. Welcome to the club,” Al says casually. Gary’s reaction is the closest we get to an acknowledgement of Al’s gender identity; he responds with “Oh, you’re a step—” and Al cuts him off before he can finish his sentence, declaring that they are a dad. Gary repeats “Dad?” with slight confusion, and Al confirms with a “Yeah, man.” Gary’s ultimate reaction is “Right.” And then they continue their conversation.

..
When Al learns that Gary is a stepdad, they fistbump in solidarity.

I love the nonchalance with which Gary receives Al’s comments about being a stepdad. Of course, some curiosity is to beexpected but Gary doesn’t contradict Al or ask invasive questions. Instead, Gary repeats what Al said, as though he were checking that he heard correctly.

There are a thousand ways this interaction could have gone awry, and a thousand more inappropriate and upsetting responses that trans people endure on a day-to-day basis, but in the end, this scene shows how to react when you find out that someone is transgender or expresses their gender differently to what you might expect. Essentially, Gary gets confirmation that Al is indeed a stepdad, shrugs, and moves on.

While it’s nice that everyone else Al meets interacts with them respectfully and don’t question or comment upon their gender expression, I would have liked to know Al’s gender and pronouns. I can understand any hesitation to specify Al’s gender lest it detract from the story. I can see challenges in determining the amount of emphasis to put on a trans character’s gender. Maybe it was a conscious decision to leave Al’s gender up to interpretation or to suggest that gender is fluid. Perhaps the filmmakers didn’t intend to not use pronouns and that’s just the way the script worked out. Either way, I don’t think a more explicit acknowledgement of Al’s gender nonconformity would have been amiss, but if the filmmakers never intended to address that directly, this scene in their office is the next best thing.

..
The movie’s sexual humour doesn’t cancel out its positive attitude towards sex work.

Al frequently uses terms like “dude,” “bro,” and “man” to refer to their friends. Al leads the banter and other stepdads chuckle when Al suggests that Gary’s wife Samantha gives good blowjobs. In another scene, Al speculates that a property Gary is selling may be converted into a sex dungeon, and they hump the divider in their office. Even if it is a little overdone, it’s clear that Al is “one of the guys.”

“The guys” in this case are the men in a therapy group for stepdads that Gary and Al attend. It’s refreshing to see a circle of men supporting each other and talking about their feelings. When Gary is reluctant to share his own struggles, one of the attendees declares: “This is a safe space, bro.” It is rare to see men in cinema in moments of vulnerability or struggling with something without the men crying or having a fit of anger. This scene doesn’t advance the plot, but it shows healthy solidarity between men without feeding toxic masculinity.

..
The stepdads in the therapy group share their frustrations and encourage one another.

Not once did I ever feel that Al was a token or was supposed to be “trans representation.” Al is just Al, a gender nonconforming character whose storyline and characterization don’t revolve around this single facet of identity. Al’s role in the story is driven by their personality and relationship to Gary as a chatty, funny, and a loyal friend.

But as hilarious as Everett is, I would prefer to have seen a transmasculine actor in the role. Calls for transgender characters to be played by transgender actors are not new. They’re here alongside the conversation about casting white actors as characters of colour and the discussion about able-bodied actors playing disabled characters. Matching characters with actors of the same gender, race, and with the same disabilities is something a lot of underrepresented people would like to see. I hope that future films build on Little Evil’s take on a gender nonconforming character and take it one step further by casting the right actor.   

..
Al leads the charge into the final scene.

One of the questions that Little Evil asks is what it takes to be a good stepdad. At one point, Al wins the “Dad ball” — a baseball with the words “best dad ever” on it, which not only validates the work that they have put into being a good stepdad, it also shows that good stepdads don’t have to be cisgender either.

The Wizeguy: Castlevania Primer

The first trailer for Netflix’s upcoming animated series based on Konami’s Castlevania franchise was released yesterday. The official synopsis of the series will focus on “the last surviving member of the disgraced Belmont clan, trying to save Eastern Europe from extinction at the hand of Vlad Dracula Tepe himself.” It will begin streaming on July 7th.

While waiting for this blood soaked nostalgia to grace the small screen AND to brush up on your skills…I’ve compiled a list of sorts about the Castlevania game series.

First of all, while there IS a linear story, it is not told as such, the games jump around from period to period so you can pretty much find a game which sounds interesting and go from there.

At the moment, there are three main gameplay styles in the Castlevania series:

CLASSIC: This is old school, tough-as-nails action platforming for consoles like the NES and SNES. If you’re looking into the roots of Castlevania, the original NES game still holds up. From there, you could move onto III, IV, and ‘Dracula X’. Also, ‘Bloodlines’ or ‘Rondo of Blood’ are good bets. (Rondo being one of my favorites.)

METROIDVANIA: Starting with ‘Symphony of the Night’, Castlevania titles took heavy inspiration from the Metroid series in level design, infusing the classic formula with a leveling system and special abilities. ‘Symphony of the Night’ is a great place to start, as is ‘Harmony of Dissonance’ for the Game Boy Advance.

HACK ‘N’ SLASH: This is the newest style of Castlevania game, in its own sub-series with its own continuity, ‘Lords of Shadow’. Right now there are only two titles in the series, and if you’re into combo-based combat gameplay, you ought to pick up ‘Lords of Shadow’ for 360 or PS3.

The Netflix series looks to be based upon ‘Castlevania III’, but I’d recommend going for the twofer of ‘Rondo of Blood/Symphony of the Night’ as that will give you a taste of both styles and see which you prefer. Rondo will be slightly more complicated to track down. There was a PSP remake of Rondo called ‘Dracula X Chronicles’ that included the original Rondo as well as Symphony as unlockables. Personally, the METROIDVANIA titles ROCK and (AGAIN) you can’t go wrong with ‘Symphony of the Night.’ It’s quite excellent, one of my favorite games. Though at the same time you might spoil yourself jumping into such a game if you skip the older/harder ones. It depends on the kind of gamer you are, and what you most enjoy.

Dagobot



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13 Reasons Why Transcends Ratings

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One of my co-workers recommended I watch 13 Reasons Why, one of the newest series on Netflix and an adaptation of the 2007 YA novel by Jay Asher. He told me how good it was. Chilling was the word he used. I thought it sounded like a cool concept so I thought I’d give it a try. I watched the first episode and it was sort of letdown. I felt like if it had been done in the vein of Making a Murderer, it would’ve been so much better, like a real documentary. I thought it was just another teen drama with poorly written characters and bad dialogue. The characters were unbelievable to me. I obviously was not the demographic for this show. I’m a 41 year old single male with no kids of my own. Anyone I knew who enjoyed the show were 30 years old or younger or if they were closer to my age, they had kids that were in high school and going through the same stuff the characters on the show were.

So I watched the first episode, after that I didn’t have any immediate plans to continue the show for a while. Eventually, during a day off in which I didn’t have much going on I thought I’ll start up that show again and just plow my way through it. I’ll finish what I started. So I watched episodes 2-4 in one day, my opinion didn’t really improve much. I figured I’d watch one episode a day until I finished. I ended up watching two episodes a night until I finished the series which took me about five days. It got increasingly better. I’m a creative writing student, so the entire time I’m watching I’m nitpicking about the writing quality. I complained about the characters not being believable. Hannah sounds a little too cheery and smart to commit suicide. The one I liked to harp on the most was a text sent from one character to another, “Dude, are you coming?” I thought no teenager, let alone anyone period, would send a text using proper punctuation. This show isn’t horrible, but it’s not great either. It had occurred to me that 13 Reasons Why is the My So-Called Life of the Millenial generation, which became a literal statement when Wilson Cruz made an appearance.

When My So-Called Life debuted for its one and only season, I was 19 and a year removed from high school. I could totally relate to the subject matter. When I first started watching 13 Reasons, I couldn’t relate at all, but it goes beyond that. I am human therefore I can relate when another person needs help or I need help. Yea the show is not perfect, but it doesn’t have to be. Everyday my co-worker asked what rating I would give the show. It started out at a 4, by the end I was at a 7-7.5. Only because it took a little while for it to get going.

Usually I like shows that draw me in right away. Like Game of Thrones or House of Cards. It’s exactly why I gave up on The Expanse after episode 3. He told me by episode 8 it gets really good. Anyway, the point of the series isn’t to be a Shakespearian tragedy like I think everything should be. It’s to highlight a mounting problem in today’s high school environment. A situation I’m 20 years + removed from, and do not miss. Yes high school sucks. We all know that. Yes, I was picked on and teased. Not every year but it happened. But I didn’t have to deal with the social media aspect of it. When I left school at 2pm every day I was safe.

Here are my ups and downs. Clay, who reminded me of myself at times, annoyed me. Yes, he was good kid but…okay I’m going to nitpick just to show my failings. Why did it take him so long to listen to those tapes? Just pop them in and go. Why did Hannah do this, why did Hannah do that? Why did Hannah put herself in those situations? Oh yea…I’m 41. Never mind Eric just watch and let it play out. Things have changed in the past 20 something years. Wow kids swear a lot these days! That is the point of the show. To make people like me realize that high school is tough, being a teenager is tough. And kids that experience the things that Hannah experienced have a place to turn to when they think suicide is the only option. It’s never an option. When I was 21 it had crossed my mind. But I was not in the position Hannah was. A person has to feel so lost as to even consider suicide. I wasn’t lost I was feeling self-pity.

I didn’t see the hot tub scene in episode 12 coming. I knew then that’s what broke Hannah. I always feel like the best forms of “entertainment” should make a person feel something. Shock. Anger. Sadness. Joy. I felt shock, I felt hurt, I felt angry. Hannah felt nothing. The blank stare on her face was all we needed to see. Hannah why didn’t you scream? Why didn’t you fight him off? Why? You gave up so easy! Why were you even there? These are the questioned being asked by an outsider. Someone who has never and probably will never experience something Hannah Baker did. And I’m an asshole for asking it.

A detailed review of this show isn’t the point. This series was obviously created for more reasons than just ratings or approval. It was to make us see. To open our eyes. Stuff like this really happens and it’s so not okay. These people need help and we need to help them. Talk to them. Make sure they know they’re not alone. I feel extremely unqualified to talk about this, but I am. No one is qualified, I don’t care if you have a PhD in psychology, We’re all human. We’re all imperfect.

The “scene” in the last episode is hard to watch. I couldn’t. I got up and walked away. I actually felt a little light headed. I appreciated the need to show it however. There is a 30 minute behind the scenes video after the last episode which I highly recommend. If you’re one of those parents that are upset at this show for depicting suicide as an option for your teen then you should watch this with them. I won’t go into to theory territory because I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone. All I will say is I’ve never felt the need to write out my thoughts about something as much as I needed to after finishing 13 Reasons Why. I actually sat down to balance my checkbook, and then this happened. My thoughts are raw and pure. Sort of like the poems Hannah wrote in her diary.

Take them for what they are. At the very least Thirteen Reasons Why succeeded in starting a conversation. It succeeded in making us think.

‘Bill Nye Saves the World’ Just When We Need Him Most

An entire generation of kids (myself included) had some of their earlies introductions to scientific concepts due to Bill Nye the Science Guy. The show aired on PBS and in classrooms around the world from September, 1993 to June, 1998.

Nye made science fun, accessible, and cool. There is no arguing that there are scientists in a lab right now, working on something that might change the world, at least partially because they were inspired by Nye and his show.

Bill Nye’s impact on my lifelong love of science can’t be understated. There’s a reason I have three telescopes at home and a considerable collection of fossils, I lay a huge portion of that responsibility at Nye’s feet (I’ll be sending you an invoice, that stuff isn’t cheap).

But the Science Guy has been off the air for coming up on twenty years and let’s get real honest for a second, things aren’t looking so hot. Climate change threatens to wipe out an untold number of species, throw into chaos entire ecosystems, and threaten the continued relatively comfortable existence of humanity. Preventable diseases that were on the verge of being wiped out are making a comeback due to the anti-vax movement. Sarah Palin in a blonde wig just got confirmed Minister of Truth… er, I mean Secretary of Education. We need an infusion of 100 milligrams of science STAT!

Look, science isn’t always sexy. It’s mostly quiet, unassuming, and scientists rarely say anything with 100% certainty. It isn’t as appealing to our lizard brains as when someone says they know that vaccines cause autism or that they can tell your future by the lines in your palm or the location of the stars in relation to the day you were born. But for real… that stuff is nonsense and our lizard brains would have us hitting each other with sticks on the African plains, getting eaten by tigers and sh*t.

Science brought us hygiene and antibiotics. Medical science has almost doubled our lifespan since we came down from the trees, literally giving you a second life. Computer science has brought us well… computers and video games and Pixar movies. The physical sciences taught us how to synthesize fuels, build rockets, and blast ourselves to the god damned Moon.

Yes, it also brought us chemical warfare and the atomic bomb. It aint perfect, science is a tool and while you can use a hammer to sink a nail, you can also use it to beat your neighbor to death. But here’s the deal, if you don’t educate yourself then the only people who will have those tools might not have your best interests at heart and you won’t see it coming when they beat you over the head.

It’s more important than ever that charismatic scientists like Nye carry on the legacy that Carl Sagan began with Cosmos and popularize science, making it palatable to the masses. We’re in some serious trouble Bill and some of us don’t even know it.

Like every good hero, they rise to the challenge when they’re needed the most. We’re pinning all of hopes on you Bill. We’re depending on you to save the world.

Bill Nye Saves the World premieres on Netflix April 21.

The Wizeguy: Robot-ed

For many, ‘Voltron’ is a fond memory from their childhood. Many could also say that the show that existed was a simple adventure show with the simple goals of keeping kids interested between commercials and selling toys made primarily in bright, primary colors. Now, the original Voltron did have a huge impact on other media and pop culture in general. Gestalt combinations of robots were integrated into the Transformers series, and there’s no doubt where the concept of Power Rangers came from. And to this day, the phrase “And I’ll form the head!” can still invoke laughter from those in the know. The team that brought us Legend of Korra took the parts of Voltron that really mattered and used those core elements to make something that will please fans of the original, pull in a few that might’ve heard it referenced in popular culture, and even let parents share it with their kids. The Voltron we have now is an origin story about five people making a team where there wasn’t one, learning to trust each other and work together. We’re no longer asked to just accept that these characters know each other and are instantly ready to take on King Zarkon’s Galra army the second they step into these lion bots.

You have binged Seasons one and two of ‘Voltron: Legendary Defender’ on Netflix, right? If not…PLEASE go and watch it (it’s DOPE.)

First, a brief recap:

After the season one cliffhanger where the team was thrown across the universe in a wormhole, season two begins with them having to reunite. It’s a straightforward continuation that picks up exactly where the first left off. That’s a relief, given that we left our intrepid heroes after their first encounter with Emperor Zarkon and space witch Haggar saw them soundly defeated and lucky to escape alive, only to be scattered due to a wormhole gone haywire. With the team battered and separated, it’s up to their wits and their trust in each other to see them back together again. When season two closes, Zarkon has been defeated and the Paladins are going to be struggling with the loss of their leader.  Pidge has a lead on her brother Matt – knowing he is alive and with some anti-Zarkon rebels.  Keith will have to make a choice in looking for more answers about his family, or taking the lead of Voltron.  Allura will need to give herself a new purpose now that they believe Zarkon is gone.  Beyond the fallout from Shiro’s disappearance, there is one thing we already know is coming next season: Summon Prince Lotor. Season three will bring us the Legendary Defenders interpretation of Prince Lotor, and yes, I am stupidly excited for this!  I want to see how Lotor is going to run the Galra Empire now that Zarkon is in the ‘coma.’  Adding Allura’s hatred of all most things Galra – will the writers bring in the DOTU plot point of Lotor’s obsession with claiming Allura as his own? Or will we get a reimagined Lotor whose storyline will keep us guessing just like Keith’s does?

Blazing sword, how did they pull all of this off? Seriously?!? It is SO good. In fact, the only gripe I keep coming across on the web is how Voltron doesn’t show up a lot to vanquish the baddies.

It isn’t up to Voltron to beat the RoBeasts. Voltron is only as strong as the Paladin’s connection to it, and as a result Voltron gets stronger as the Paladins get more character growth. That was most of the point of this last season. This actually made Voltron very special. It made it clear that Voltron has a mind of its own and is insanely powerful; but needs help to properly use that power. Voltron needs to draw on the will and life force of its Paladins. That is what the whole Quintessence bit at the end was about. I really liked that Voltron did not show up so much. It allowed the season to focus more on the characters and the universe. What is Voltron there to save? It was a break from the usual formula for this kind of show which really stood out to me and I appreciated it. As awesome and fun a show as that kind of “threat and then giant robot saves the day” formula is; it reduces a lot of depth such a show can have.

I am still surprised that a Voltron reboot carried such a saga feel. Writing was next door but rich and every character felt like a wild card, spontaneous. That attention to both macro- and micro- detail is evident from the first frame of ‘Voltron: Legendary Defender.’ This time around, character personalities are larger, more distinct, and — interestingly — tied directly to the action: the robot-shaped spaceships, we are informed, serve as reflections of their pilots. As small tweak, perhaps, but one that opens up all sorts of possibilities. Also, a Voltron appearance doesn’t suggest automatic win, that the team has to fight for every inch creatively, at all times. For a ‘cartoon’, it sure makes writing space odyssey look easy.

This show is a perfect example of how you make a show that appeals to all ages. Great action and drama. None of the episodes felt like filler and they all built upon each other towards the big battle at the end. I binged watched seasons one and two … and not once did I feel bored. Man, if Netflix gets ahold of ‘Thundercats’, ‘M.A.S.K’. Or ‘Masters Of The Universe’ …it’s going to be glorious day indeed.

-Dagobot



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