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Debaser

Star Trek: Discovery

I just watched the two-hour opener for the new Star Trek series, and enjoyed it even more than I thought I would. Sure, there’s something a bit weird about Star Trek being so war-focused, but what I was presented with was an incredibly interesting new setup, and I was actually shocked by the way the 2nd episode ended — and then super excited by what I saw in the preview of what the season is going to look like. The show looks great, and the new main character is a big draw for me (and I was a bit shocked too by the early exit of another key character). As I wrote in my post about The Orville, I’ve watched everything Star Trek, and so you could say I’m a pretty big fan of the series in general, and to me this feels like a fresh and exciting new take on the franchise. I like the latest movies fine, but I’m much more interested in watching this series and seeing where it’s going to go.

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Games

More on Dangen

The Japan Times recently published a piece that gives a nice rundown of what Dangen Entertainment — a publisher+ that wants to be the bridge between Japan and the west — is all about. Glad to see my buddies Ben, John, and Nayan getting so much great coverage for their new business.

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Art Design Fashion Photography Web

Gener8ion Continues

Nothing really to say other than I still really love the Gener8ion Tumblr, even though I know nothing about who is behind it. Love the aesthetic.

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Debaser

Saturday Night Fever

I’m definitely taking my time with my 1977 movie marathon (maybe it should be called a 1977 “crawl” instead), as I have to be in the mood. A couple of weeks ago I watched Saturday Night Fever for the first time in forever, and it made me realize that, I think I really like disco music? Just like I remembered, the highlights of the movie are all of the disco sequences, with the drama behind it all less interesting (to me at least). But yeah, when it comes to all of the scenes in the club, Travolta really comes off as an amazing performer.

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Debaser

Goon: Last of the Enforcers

Look, just like the first one, this movie is dumb as hell, but I got a kick out of watching it. I’ve even come to think that fighting in hockey is crazy and stupid — and that’s the aspect of hockey that these movies clearly focus on — but still, as someone who grew up following hockey (the only sport I’ve ever had a huge interest in following), there’s a lot that I find funny in these, including the fact that it takes place in Eastern Canada, where I’m from, and that my hometown (Moncton) is a team featured in the league they play in (the Lords). It’s not for everyone, but if you liked the first Goon, you’ll probably enjoy this one too.

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Debaser

Kingsman: The Secret Service

I remember being disappointed by Kingsman the first time I watched it. I think it’s because I wanted something that was a bit less wacky, and I really hated Samuel L. Jackson’s character and his annoying lisp. After seeing the trailers for the sequel, which to me looked super fun, I decided to give the first film another shot, and actually really enjoyed it this time. Maybe it’s because I went in this time knowing what to expect, but I was much more into the ride we’re given, and the action sequences were still just as entertaining as I remembered them being (especially the church scene). Sure, I still don’t like Jackson’s character, but it wasn’t enough to ruin the film for me this time.

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Debaser

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

What to say about this. I wasn’t really excited to see another Pirates movie, and so it kinda feels like a franchise that is really pushing its luck, but then again, I like big adventure movies, so I wanted to give it a shot. In the end, it passed the time, and had some neat visual moments, but I can’t say that I have much love for it. The ending does suggest a continuation, and if that continuation can include those particular characters that show up at the end, than I actually would be more interested in seeing another one (Depp’s Jack Sparrow alone is getting to be a bit of a parody of himself).

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Debaser

Baby Driver

What a great movie, and it all starts with the soundtrack, which I think is the best song-based soundtrack we’ve gotten since Pulp Fiction. If I were to pull out a disappointment, it’s that the stunningly entertaining opening car action sequence never gets topped, and I kept hoping we were going to see more of that (we get a bit more, but nothing on the scale of that opener). But what we did get was still a joy to watch, and I thought the ending was quite appropriate (i.e. it’s not always a complete happy ending). I wouldn’t mind seeing these characters have more adventures.

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Debaser

F Is for Family (Season 2)

I had really liked the first season of this series, but then when the second season hit during the summer, as happy as I was to start watching it, I found myself not really digging it — it felt less funny and just meaner. So I only watched the first couple of episodes, and then kinda stopped. I don’t know what made me want to continue watching it again recently, and I’m not sure if it’s because there’s an actual change in tone, but for me it got back in its groove and I was hooked again, quickly binging the rest of the season. I’d say the second half gets even funnier than anything in the first season. I’m glad I persevered.

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Debaser

Jerry Before Seinfeld

I quite enjoyed this new stand-up comedy special by Seinfeld for Netflix. It also made me realize that I think this was the first time I watched an actual full set by him — if you don’t count all of the stand-up bits that were part of the original Seinfeld series (which funnily enough, I started watching again from the start, since I noticed it’s up on CraveTV, a Canadian Netflix-like). The set is a fun walkthrough of his early career, and the jokes themselves hit way more than they miss. I believe this is the first of a series of specials that he’s doing for Netflix, and so I’m pretty excited to watch the next one.