Enthusiastically Ambiverted Hopepunk
The shows and movies I like (or don’t).
45/2022 – ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Though the framing story takes place just after season one of Picard, most of the story is set just following the Dominion War, with tensions still high among Bajorans, Cardassians, Romulans, and Starfleet, all on a remote Bajoran planet occupied by the Cardassians. Lots of intrigue and mysteries abound.
Moonfall (2022): ⭐️: Makes Armageddon look like Carl Sagan’s Contact. If you look hard enough, there are a few brief glimpses of some good hard SF ideas somewhere in there, but they’re so slathered in layers of dreck that there’s nothing of real interest left.
If the basic premise of “the moon falls to Earth and things get real bad” interests you, read Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves for an actually intelligent take on the idea.
42/2022 – ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kirk finds that new allies have some hidden secrets. Another entirely acceptable Trek adventure.
40/2022 – ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A decent Trek adventure, with some interesting explorations of the Horta. However, yet another instance of Kirk immediately falling in love with a pretty woman from the planet of the week. I know it’s Trek cliche, but I wish more authors would just let Kirk interact with women as people, instead of so predictably and pointlessly as romantic interests.
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012): ⭐️⭐️: Much like Brendan Frasier carried the first film, The Rock completely carries this film. Luis Guzman, unfortunately, drags it down, bringing a Jack Black-style over-the-top attitude that kills his lines, even when the lines themselves are funny. A few things kept throwing me off, including that Frasier’s character isn’t even mentioned at any point, and the scaling (up or down) of creatures was confusing. Still, equally as inconsequentially entertaining as the first. The two made a completely acceptable Saturday afternoon double feature, but I’ll never have a great desire to see either one again.
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008): ⭐️⭐️: Inoffensively and forgettably entertaining. Occasionally hilariously obviously made during the 2000s 3D resurgence, with objects and effects being flung at the camera. Brendan Frasier is his usual affable self; not up to The Mummy levels, but by far the strongest part of the film.
Jurassic World Dominion (2022): ⭐️⭐️⭐️: I know the critics were snarky, but we really enjoyed it — and though we hadn’t seen it yet, we went right for the extended edition, and it felt fine. Long, sure, but not obviously or painfully draggy. And a lot of fun nods to moments from the earlier films throughout. Only disappointed that the pandemic kept us from seeing it in the theater!
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018): ⭐️⭐️⭐️: Everybody loves grrasauruses! Yes, they’ve gone over-the-top and silly with these, but is that a bad thing?
Jurassic World (2015): ⭐️⭐️⭐️: The rest of the Jurassic World films don’t quite live up to this first one, but they’re all still fun for fans of dinosaurs and science run amok, and this one was a strong reentry into the world.
Woman in Motion (2019): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: A little sad that I didn’t get around to seeing this until after Nichelle died. A really nice portrait of an incredible person, and a very important period in NASA’s and America’s history.