WeView

⭐6/10 If Prometheus and Covenant were like the flawed Star Wars prequels, then Romulus is the Force Awakens. There were no new ideas here, but rather a soulless, inferior rehash of the original, safe and audience-tested to make nobody mad and pull in lots of money from a big IP. I hated this movie to start. Horrendous writing, a boring team of paper-thin characters, Netflix level exposition, and it all felt like a bad, 2010s YA dystopian movie.  There is also one of the worst CGI abominations to bring back a beloved actor from dead. I was ready to write this one off as a sub-5.  The second half happens and the movie sorta catches its stride. The biggest thing is it's all action and scares, and so the bad writing is less important because there isn't any dialogue. The worst of the actors are killed off, and there's some pretty good moments including a truly frightening final boss. Also, and this is a bit random, but I've never been a big fan of Isabela Merced...

⭐7.5/10 I watched Prometheus last year and my main take was that we don't need all the extra Alien lore, that the simplicity and the unknown is what made the original great. Covenant really continues to explore the background and history of the Alien universe, and while I still think the original benefits from scarcity, I will say I was coming around on the lore aspects. Now that I'm 4 movies deep, I do find myself intrigued with the sci-fi stuff, though i will say that Prometheus made such a small impression that I had to go back and research the plot. I mean, the plot summary rang zero bells and i was starting from scratch. I feel the same will happen a year after watching this one.  But this movie was pretty solid. The horror elements were certainly there, but I was more intrigued by the Michael Fassbender of it all. He plays two parts in this movie, 2 different models of a robot sent to space at different times. It made for some really interesting discussions th...

⭐10/10 This is a book I read for work, and Kessler is kinda the authority on grief work these days. Generally I don't bother to review books I read for work, but I thought this one was absolutely awesome. What makes Kessler an amazing voice on grief isn't necessarily his knowledge or communication, but how authentic and human he sounds in these pages.  He was the protege of Kubler-Ross who came up with the 5 stages of grief, and toured and lectured around the world. However, in the midst of all this, he lost his adult son to an accidental drug overdose, and suddenly all this became very real. This book is a more overarching grief therapy book, but then he takes time to tell his own story and it's super powerful, tying all these threads together in a way that you don't learn in a classroom. He is a terrific writer and the book gave me more hope and optimism than I would have thought. He goes over stats and theories, but again grounds it all in very real human...

⭐ 6/10 Your suffering is over, you can go to sleep now. We started this season, got 6 episodes in, then stopped for over 3 months. That should tell you all you need to know. The season basically takes place over like 3 long and painful days. There is a huge storm, the restaurant is flooding, they have no money, everything that can go wrong is. There are tons and tons of close ups on cigarettes blocking a drain that is causing a bunch of these issues, and it felt ironic to me, but completely not self aware. Maybe the show is... circling the drain? I think they think all the madcap stuff and fast talking is funny, but it really isn't. Every moment of humour feels ad-libbed, where people are swearing and being sarcastic or whatever. Its just so worn out. There is a moment early on when a mom is talking to another mom about how she is sad she is here and not with her kid. And the other mom is like, but would your kid want you home and sad wishing you were here instead? Which to me was...

⭐ 9/10 I thought this movie was so good. It combines the "great man" drive of something like There Will Be Blood or Whiplash or Marty Supreme with modern attention-seeking, and its based on a true story! I was aware of Chris Hansen and To Catch A Predator, but I was pretty young and didn't think too much about it. But this movie is fixated on the people who made that show, and whether what they were doing was good for anyone. Don't get me wrong, obviously pedophiles are a problem, but there is a really interesting dynamic here. This show basically entraps people, playing on their darkest desires and then utterly shaming them on national television. Chris keeps saying "what would happen if I wasn't here", and the movie makes you think, well, maybe nothing! These creeps would still be creeps, but the show's intent was to make them act on it, which might not have even happened without the show. Pattinson is phenomenal, driven by this holy crusade but c...

⭐ 8.5/10 The show is in a familiar rhythm, and that's fine. This season the new big bad guy is a fascist, and I kind of like that Tommy has moved all the way up to politics. We are getting to the end and it is reminding me of all mob stuff, like the Sopranos, in that the main character is trying to figure out what all of this has meant. Tommy is going through it, and while he does that every season death is really becoming a preoccupation of his (like Tony). Again, nothing new here, but I think the execution is very good. I was impressed by Sam Claflin, really goes toe to toe with Cillian, especially having to follow up Adrian Brody as the bad guy. I thought the women get a chance to shine here too, all going through the same cycles as the men. Again, lots of Carmilla Soprano in all of them, but we are far enough along now that they have all mostly accepted that they are the bad guys too. Happy to see Anya Taylor Joy now, and I wish she had more to do, but I have faith season 6 wi...

⭐9/10 In a year of great movies, it seems like this was the one to make the most headlines. There's a lot of reasons, like the rags to riches production and the launching pad for some sure-fire future celebrities, but in the end this movie became wildly popular because it is very, very good.  It's a super simple premise though I'm not sure it's really been done? A sorta loser guy makes a wish that a girl would like him, and then she becomes dangerously obsessed with him. I wouldn't even say this movie takes many super unexpected turns, but it is executed nearly perfectly in my opinion.  I think one thing missing in the discourse is that people call this a modern metaphor because it's an incel-type selfish loser taking away the free will of a better woman. I actually don't think that's exactly the case! I think this movie succeeds because it's not so blatant. Bear isn't a complete loser to start! He has a good, emotionally supportive a...

⭐8/10 I find it extremely difficult to rate a game like Palworld. On the one hand, this is a truly creativity bankrupt game. It's not just that they stole Pokemon's homework and wrote their name on it with the creature designs, but every element of this game seems stolen and cheaply applied. Clear rip offs from Elden Ring to Breath of the Wild, there is nothing sacred enough to not be stolen and desecrated. And yet? This game is also a ton of fun!  This is a crafting survival game, a genre I have never explored and so most of this was new to me. Essentially there is a loop of exploring, gathering, and catching Pals, then going back to your base to craft and upgrade materials with the help of your Pals so that you can more effectively explore, gather and catch more Pals. There is a story here too (beat 8 gyms, the elite 4 and the final boss) to keep track on your progress, and this feedback loop is nigh irresistible.  In a lot of ways, this is Pokemon as it should h...

⭐8/10 Man, where do I begin with this show? I have no idea why I decided to start this. I hate anime.  I heard somewhere that this show is the only fantasy to truly capture Tolkien, and while I think that's not even remotely true, the first episode elicited such a strong response from me that I had to give it a go.  In that first episode, Frieren is returning home from a long journey with her companions after saving the world. But as an elf, all of this is kinda meaningless because she is ancient and every conflict feels like another blip. She comments that the 12 year adventure meant nothing to her, and leaves her companions so she can continue doing whatever she wants to do. Only after 50 years and the death of their leader does she kinda realize what a hollow existence it is to not feel anything, so she commits to try to understand humans better.  I mean, what a weird premise for a TV show. The conflict is over, and much of the show uses flashbacks for her ...

⭐7.5/10 Jared Diamond is back! He is now 88 years old and I really had no idea he was still writing. I am always super skeptical when someone that old is still putting out work, but Jared will always be my guy, and this is a topic I've debated at length with Weview's  other contributor.  I am often on the record saying that leaders don't matter, but I usually only mean coaches in basketball or billionaire CEOs rather than, say, politicians. Well Diamond takes on that very topic, giving examples of those 3 plus religious leaders.  To start, I was totally sold. I love Diamonds style, and he opens with two fantastic stories of the first president of Botswana as well as an environmental writer (I found the second to be a huge stretch because she wasn't really even try to be a leader). Still, they were new stories to me, and were those wonderful examples of learning more about the world and history in a digestible and interesting fashion. Clearly leaders matter!...

⭐7/10 This is an older, cheaper movie from a director I reluctantly love. It was Gareth Edward's tryout for Godzilla, and he was really able to show what he could do with a teeny budget.  In this movie, alien lifeforms have fallen to earth and a photographer and a girl have to cross the restricted zone - an area in Mexico that has been blocked off from the world. But the plot is secondary to Edward's signature style of cool images shot in cool ways. In that way, I'd say this movie is a success with some great sequences.  As far as the rest goes... Well I get the distinct impression that Gareth Edward's thinks this is a good movie. It goes really hard, and in some ways it succeeds, but in others it makes you roll your eyes. The biggest weakness is probably that the two leads aren't that good, both at acting and portraying normal human adults. They have a few moments, but especially the guy is so annoying, not sure what they were going for here.  But yeah,...

⭐ 9.5/10 This is easily the best show I've seen all year. I don't watch a lot of TV, and I was skeptical of this one even early on. But it got better and better until the exciting finale, with a lot of room left to grow in future seasons. This is starts as a somewhat basic cat-and-mouse, serial killer is on the loose and an FBI agent is tracking her. After episode 1 I was like, okay this is just Killing Eve, both will become fascinated with each other, they will circle the whole season, and then in the finale they finally cross paths. Not at all! Alice is the FBI agent, and she's been through a lot herself. As the case becomes about human trafficking and violence against women you learn just how personal this all is for her. Again, I was skeptical of this angle. In episode two you see her look at her shower with fear, refuse to get in, and then coworkers constantly asking what stinks. I thought the implication was clear here, but then two police officers watching her in a ...

⭐ 8/10 I looked back at Goodreads for my first review of this book, and shockingly I gave it 10/10! I know the first time I read it I was in Death Valley, which is surely the best place in the world to read this. I also distinctly remember the final sequences of this book blowing me away, the most unexpected event happens that completely reshapes what these books are going forward, and the first time I read it it might have been the most shocking moment in a book for me ever. That moment still lands - it took me 4 months to read 3/4 of this book and then a day to read the last quarter. However, this book is mostly a bunch of commentary. Politics, mysticism, philosophy. Every character's inner thoughts are all sort of the same thing, full of scheming and planning. Leto and Ghanima are the most interesting here, especially compared to Alia, and I had a memory of this book being a lot more of them. There are just whole arcs here I was checked out on, especially knowing what was comin...

⭐ 9/10 Dominic Sessa is now 2/2 for movies that feel like they were made in the 90s in all the best ways. This tells the story of the formative summer in the life of Anthony Bourdain, where he happened to find himself working in a kitchen. I am so so skeptical of biopics, and we live in an era where all the grit is sanded away from the lives of fascinating people. Michael was one of the biggest movies this year, and granted I haven't seen it, I know that movie does not touch any of the dirt. Same with the Amy Winehouse movie, which I also haven't seen, but read that its kind of like, sure she was an addict but she was also sad. This movie does not sympathize with Tony almost ever. It reminded me a ton of Marty Supreme in that way, constantly making choices you hate but are consistent with who he is. But this guy's only talent is lying. I also love that it is focused on a simple summer of inspiration, the starting of a new chapter, and doesn't try to end with an aged-up...

⭐ 8/10 This is a Coen movie I had seen before, and had fond memories of, but I didn't really remember most of it. With it being the summer of The Odyssey it felt like a good one to watch - the first frame literally says its based on it. But structurally these are very different stories, with a bunch of nods and allusions to things like the cylops and the sirens. 3 guys are on the run, and only later its revealed that the one is trying to get back to his wife and daughters. There are some really memorable scenes here, and I guess that's like The Odyssey too, set pieces on the journey. The most memorable is when they sing I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow, what a banger. But for the most part I think this movie is totally carried by Clooney's charisma. He is handsome and fast talking, and I love how elevated his vocabulary is. Fantastic writing for this character, while he was talking I felt my mind more engaged than during 90% of things I watch (excluding Jeopardy). A unique ch...

⭐ 8.5/10 This is a tournament between 6 all time Jeopardy greats, and it was a fun watch. I do think the episodes are too long, basically double episodes, but it still has the great pace. It did get tiring seeing the exact same people every episodes competing in different configurations, but that also meant you get to know a bunch of them really well. Shoutout to Paolo, who we had seen previously and both loved, and Andrew, who won our hearts. But Victoria, my goodness, I was not aware of your game! She is an absolute beast, and I was blown away watching her breadth of knowledge. Born to be a trivia genius, she dominated so many of these games. The real reason this gets a lower score is because the guy I didn't like won. Yogesh completed the title defense, but he is so uncharismatic and boring, and its annoying to see him spamming the buzzer when he is clearly to late, as if to say, I know this one too! Victoria totally choked in the final, with some Daily Double and Final Jeopard...

⭐ 8.5/10 CBC got me again with a true crime podcast teaser posted to the Frontburner feed on a holiday. Something about these being in small towns near places I know is super interesting. This one is about Dawson Creek AB and this long chain of murders going on there. Turns out its all drug related, but the interesting part of this one is the relationship the journalist makes with a local drug dealer. The guy is an arrogant idiot, but has some amazing clips that they use, speaking very openly about the violence and drug trade. He compares himself to The Sopranos or Corleones, but he's an absolute mess. There's a moment when is grown up daughter dies from an overdose on fentanyl, and its fascinating to hear him come to terms with himself being the bad guy, indirectly or directly causing the death of his own child. And then, spoilers, he is eventually killed for speaking out to these journalists! There is an interesting dynamic here, where everyone knows who the murderer is, but...

⭐9/10 Another history book about medieval England. I can't give them up! This was a bit of a unique one in that I heard this guy on a podcast I listen to and found him super entertaining and so I got his book. Didn't disappoint!  The thing that sets this book apart is that it's not a narrative history and doesn't focus in on any figures in particular, but rather is about what life would be like if you were transported to your average medieval English town. It goes over what you'd eat, drink, the work you'd do, entertainment you'd enjoy, and kinda just day to day lifestyle stuff. I eat this stuff up, and Mortimer is a wonderful writer with plenty of charm and humour.  Lots of super interesting insights and tidbits to go around. I think some of my biggest takeaways, which I knew some about, was the insane medical field and how death is always around the corner. He talks about having 7 kids in hopes that 4 survive, or that by 40 you're thinking ...

⭐8/10  This is a World War II movie made by my good friend Terrence Malick. I would actually not say we're good friends yet but the friendship is ever growing and I would say his movies really appeal to me, even if this one wasn't exactly what I wanted. But in the two I've recently watched, there is that uncommon meeting of gritty realism with dreamy romanticism.  This is a gorgeous movie. It all takes place on an island where there was a big fight between Japan and the US, and man, what a looker. For a frantic war movie, it never lets you forget that this takes place in a beautiful setting. There are lots of high-octane moments, but they are often contrasted with sweeping shots of mountains and forests, lots of candid nature shots, all with wonderful orchestral music in the background.  So that's the best quality, but on the gritty side of things, this movie all takes place within a relatively short period, so the action is all personal and claustrophobic. ...