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fancifulflyer
Reviews
My Octopus Teacher (2020)
Profound, Thoughtful and Moving
Too often we see documentaries that offer an almost prurient look at wild animals, without really giving us any insights into how they live and the challenges they must overcome.
This video was certainly cut from a different cloth.
I found it particularly appealing because the subject--an incredibly charismatic Octopus (whom the main human interlocutor never names)--lived in a beautiful place (and is perhaps one of the most inaccessible habitats ever depicted in such loving detail).
Craig Foster--and the way he and his son grow closer during the course of the work done to capture the life of our amazing Octopus--make the whole experience doubly compelling.
Do yourself a favour--take the time to take in this wonderful and heartwarming look at surprisingly endearing creature, living in one of the world's most entrancing wild places.
NASA: A Journey Through Space (2016)
Great Visuals Ruined by Plodding Dialogue
There were a number of interesting video and photographic segments peppered throughout this documentary series.
The execution was ruined, however, by poor cooerdination between the video and photographic clips and the narrative (discussions of Gemini and Apollo flights paired with video clips of Mercury-Atlas launches, for example).
The producers of this shambles ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Sophie (2010)
A charming film for all the family, but children in particular will enjoy this.
It is surprising that this film hasn't been more well-received. It is well-presented and filled with authentic people (obviously many of those who appear in the film were professional circus performers).
The direction was natural and low-key, which allowed the performance of Brittany Bristow (Sophie, the main character) to captivate the audience... our pre-teen daughter liked it a lot. The story was believable and also compelling
Was it as fast-paced and heart-thumping as the big-feature films put out by the likes of Disney, Pixar and other major studios? No, but the plot moved along and it made sense. The fact that it was set n a "real" place made it all the more refreshing.
Of course, it was also nice to see John Rhys-Davies as well... All the more reason to get your hands on this film.
Give your children--and yourself--a treat.
Star Trek Beyond (2016)
Beyond Star Trek As We Knew It... Or Not?
I am old. That's why it was difficult at first to "get into" what J.J. Abrams was doing when he "rebooted" the film series with all new actors playing the characters introduced to us way back in the mid-1960s.
But I've found that the "new" Star Trek universe is growing on me... Sure, it was surprising at first to see Chris Pine playing "James T", but he has grown more comfortable in the role--and has improved it by making it his own (instead of a clone of the iconic characterization that we got when William Shatner played the old swashbuckler). This was really apparent in Star Trek: Beyond
* Spoiler Alert *
Yes, there was a strong whiff of nostalgia in this film (stronger, in fact, than what we saw with "into Darkness"). It was especially apparent in the focus on the grumpy but affectionate interplay between "new Spock" (Zachary Quinto) and "Bones" Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban). But there was innovation, too, in the weird backstory behind Captain Kirk's nemesis, Krall, and the introduction of a dynamic young actor, Sofia Boutella, in the role of Jaylah, a new character who could serve as a compelling and powerful female lead in future Star Trek productions
* Stand Down Spoiler Alert *
Kudos to Chris Pine (James T. Kirk), Zoe Saldaña (Lt. Uhura), Zachary Quinto (Commander Spock), Karl Urban (Dr. Leonard McCoy), John Cho (Hikaru Sulu), Simon Pegg (Montgomery Scott) and *RIP* Anton Yelchin (Pavel Chekov). Justin Lin, the director, also deserves credit for doing a great job of carrying the franchise forward.
Hats off, as well, to Idris Elba (Krall) and the aforementioned Sofia Boutella (Jaylah) and all the other actors who made this film so much fun to watch.
Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
Star Trek, Yes, But Voyager Stands On Its Own Merits
Star Trek. As with many other viewers, it's been an obsession for most of my life.
At first, I watched Voyager because of that, but as many others have observed, the show took on a life of its own as each new episode rolled out (I watched the first run of the series on television throughout the 1990s).
*Spoiler Alert*
Perhaps the "lost in space" plot premise (the ship was stranded in a distant quadrant of the Milky Way, with no possibility of help from home) was part of the charm. For me, though, what made it compelling was the writing and the focus on character development and watching how they evolved as the show went on.
*Stand down from Spoiler Alert*
As with the other Star Trek series, the importance of those relationships between the various characters and their individual growth was a big contributor to Voyager's success.
I have video discs (a mix of DVD and Blue-ray formats) of all the "mainstream" Star Trek television shows (except Enterprise and the animated episodes), as well as every Star Trek movie. But if I'm "in the mood" for some Trek TV adventures, Voyager is the one I go to first.
Yes, I love the Ferengi foolishness that featured in Deep Space Nine, while TNG episodes focusing on Commander Data were always a treat. But Voyager still comes to my mind before the rest.
As for how Voyager compares to The Original Series, well, let's just say that engaging is such a comparison is like debating which is better, a high-end mirrorless camera purchased last month, or a 35mm film camera made by Leica in the 1950s. Apples and oranges.
To Captain Janeway, Commander Chakotay, Commander Tuvok, Kess, Neelix, Lt. Tom Paris, Ensign Kim, Seven of Nine, Lt. B'Ellana Torres, "the Doctor", Naomi Wildman and all the many other memorable characters who appeared during Voyager's seven-year run (and, of course, the actors who portrayed them), all I can say is "LLAP".