Science Fiction

Star Wars Rebels – Breaking Ranks

  • Title: Star Wars Rebels – Breaking Ranks
  • wiki: link

Star Wars Rebels - Breaking Ranks

Working undercover for weeks in an Imperial Academy, Ezra (Taylor Gray) caries the bulk of this week’s episode leaving the other members of the Ghost mostly sidelined or as support waiting to spring into action. Even the episode’s B-story involving Kanan (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and Hera (Vanessa Marshall) on an unrelated attack on an Imperial supply run is more about how each reacts the kid’s solo mission that the immediate danger facing them. While offering a glimpse into the early lives of those who become Stormtroopers and Imperial Officers, “Breaking Ranks” also introduces several new characters who I’d expect we’ll be seeing again.

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Interstellar

  • Title: Interstellar
  • IMDb: link

InterstellarIf Christopher Nolan‘s sci-fi end-of-the-world epic feels a bit familiar it is. Borrowing obviously from 2001: A Space Odyssey and the recent success of an astronaut stranded in space in Gravity (both far better films), Interstellar showcases both Nolan’s strengths and weaknesses of the director when his subject matter lacks the originality of his best films.

An ambitious project to be sure, Interstellar‘s B-movie plot seemingly ripped straight out of 1950s sci-fi can only lead it so far. The strength of its cast can’t cover up the flaws in the nearly three-hour project whose length also effects the director’s decreasingly-effective bag-of-tricks such as the loud music blasts which may have worked in Inception but come off distracting and disorienting even obscuring dialogue in several scenes.

As a movie experience Interstellar has merit and is worth seeing. As a complete film experience I found it wanting and would compare it to the eerily similar Signs. M. Night Shamalan‘s equally ambitious project relied too strongly on performance, far-too-cute coincidences, and late twists (over a well-developed story) as well.

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Doctor Who – Dark Water

  • Title: Doctor Who – Dark Water
  • wiki: link

Doctor Who - Dark Water

The first-half of Doctor Who‘s two-part season finale begins with the death of a major character and ends with the return of a familiar foe (although not the one I was hoping for). Despite the mysterious set-up of 3W, a company providing afterlife for the recently deceased, “Dark Water” doesn’t work as well for me as it should since it relies so heavily on a relationship the season has never quite sold me on especially given the amount of foreshadowing about how important Danny Pink would be to Clara’s travels with The Doctor coming to an end.

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Samurai Jack #13

Samurai Jack #13“The Quest of the Broken Blade” continues as we learn Samurai Jack has gone into hiding after his magical sword was shattered. Attempting to lay low as bearded hermit in one of the largest cities, Jack is discovered by a bounty-hunter named Robo-Merc forcing him to flee once more. The sequence also alerts the audience how the world has grown even darker since its hero went into hiding.

Distressed to learn his prey has alluded him once more, Aku is mollified after he learns the assassin can track the samurai down through the trace of of blood he was able to collect. It seems Samurai Jack’s time has run out.

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Star Wars Rebels – Rise of the Old Masters

  • Title: Star Wars Rebels – Rise of the Old Masters
  • wiki: link

Star Wars Rebels - Rise of the Old Masters

“Rise of the Old Masters” teases the appearance of another Jedi Master on the run, although it proves to be nothing more than a trick to lure the crew of the Ghost into a trap in the heavily guarded prison known as The Spire on Stygeon Prime it does provide the first face-to-face meeting between Kanan (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and Ezra (Taylor Gray) and the show’s coolest bad guy The Inquisitor (Jason Isaacs).

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