TV And Films

The shows and movies I like (or don’t).

The Abyss

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The Abyss (1989): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finally got around to watching the new 4K release of The Abyss (the Special Edition cut, of course). Happily, it still holds up, and remains solidly in my list of favorite films. Even though I’ve seen it many times, know the story, and can quote quite a bit of it, I still found myself getting pulled in. The characters are fun, the claustrophobic tension is great, and the expanded details and characterization make the special edition well worth the extra time. And, of course, finally being able to have a high-quality copy is a real treat.

Long-time favorite quotes:

Hippy: “I got to tell you, I give this whole thing a sphincter-factor of about 9.5.”

Lindsey: “So raise your hand if you think that was a Russian water-tentacle.”

Lindsey (again): “We all see what we want to see. Coffey looks and he sees Russians. He sees hate and fear. You have to look with better eyes than that.”

Dune: Part Two

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Dune Part: Two (2024): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Absolutely gorgeous, from start to finish, landscapes and production design both. I do kind of wonder if the Harkonnen designs were intentional homages to Giger’s work on the designs for Jodorowski’s aborted attempt. At some point I’ll want to find time to watch both parts back to back (maybe after Messiah comes out I’ll make it a trilogy marathon).

The Face of the Unknown by Christopher L. Bennett

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27/2024 – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A “year four” adventure that serves to both bridge the gap between TOS and TAS (and explain some of the changes to the ship and crew between the shows) and to take a much deeper dive into the First Federation as first introduced in The Corbomite Maneuver. Along the way, we get to learn more about Balok’s threatening puppet, Spock gets some introspective assistance, and Kirk…well, Kirk does his thing with impassioned speeches and eyeing alien women. The exploration of the First Federation is obviously the core theme, and it’s done well, extrapolating well from what little we learn in the TOS episode. One of the better TOS novels.

Me holding The Face of the Unknown

Gremlins 2: The New Batch

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Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love how this one just chucks any pretense at holding on to the more serious horror elements of the first and goes full-bore into off-the-wall ridiculousness. From lampooning major elects of the first to getting Christopher Lee to breaking the fourth wall, they don’t hold back when it comes to going over the top. The creature effects are still a lot of fun as well. Happy to see that this one is still fun to watch.

Archnophobia

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Arachnophobia (1990): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

While watching this at home doesn’t have quite the same impact as on the big screen at a midnight show that you had to sneak out of the house to go to and then walk home in the early morning dark…it’s still a fun and wonderfully cringe-inducing bit of comedy thriller. Holds up remarkably well for a 34-year old film. Highly recommended — unless (or perhaps especially if) you’re scared of spiders. ;)