Month: May 2025

‘Andor’ is must-see sci-fi TV; ‘Electric State’ misses the mark

Posted on by earthtoshawna

I will get my negative reviews out of the way first: I did not love “The Electric State.” It is set in the ’90s – an alternate ’90s in which humans have been at war with robots.

It stars Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, who I love, and is directed by the Russo brothers – it should have been a hit. Unfortunately, it was kind of dumb and I don’t recommend it.

I finally got through Season 3 of “The Witcher.” I really liked the first couple seasons of this series, but then it veered into “Xena: Warrior Princess” territory and now I’m over it. Henry Cavill will be replaced with Liam Hemsworth for Season 4, which clinches my decision.

Michelle Yeoh’s character in “Star Trek: Discovery” was cool, but the spinoff movie didn’t live up to my expectations. I can’t pinpoint exactly where it went wrong; I guess it was just too cliched and silly. (It seems to be going around.)

Let’s talk about Season 2 of the Star Wars series “Andor,” on Disney+. Although Season 1 took a few episodes to get interesting, Season 2 hit the ground running.

In the first episode of the season, Cassian impersonates an Imperial pilot in order to steal a prototype of a new ship – the TIE Avenger (I predict a new Lego set!), while Bix, Brasso, and Wilmon hide out on the agricultural planet Mina-Rau. On Chandrila, Mon Mothma prepares for her daughter’s arranged marriage.

It’s been two and a half years since Season 1; I sort of wish I’d rewatched it before beginning Season 2, and if you haven’t started Season 2 yet, I’d recommend doing that. Still, it’s very suspenseful and exciting. As much as I love Mando and Grogu, “Andor” is arguably the most well-done of all the Star Wars TV series.

In the last season and this one, the most powerful scenes are those in which the characters realize the consequences of their decisions and sacrifices. Sacrifice is a major theme in “Andor.” The writers also leaned hard into allegory this season, with the Empire and the Resistance mirroring our current political climate.

One more thing I will say about “Andor” is that while it’s essentially good guys vs. bad guys, there’s more of a blurring of the lines with some of the characters; for example, some of the “good” guys do some very bad things – for a good cause. It is a gray area that hasn’t been seen much in this franchise and boosts this series above the others.

Upcoming films and series

Neill Blomkamp is working on a new “Starship Troopers” movie! This is less a remake of the 1997 Paul Verhoeven film, and more an adaptation of the 1959 novel by Robert A. Heinlein. I really like Blomkamp’s films “District 9,” “Elysium,” and “Chappie,” so I am looking forward to seeing his interpretation of “Starship Troopers.”

If you did not see “The Old Guard,” I wholeheartedly recommend it; it’s on Netflix. I may rewatch it myself before the sequel is released July 2 (also on Netflix), as it has been five years since the first film. Charlize Theron stars as Andromache of Scythia, an immortal mercenary who has been around for thousands of years. It is an adaptation of a comic book (which is also good) by Greg Rucka.

The sequel will have a different director than that of the first movie. Victoria Mahoney took over directing duties from Gina Prince-Bythewood, who is a producer on the film. Theron, KiKi Layne, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Matthias Schoenaerts, Van Veronica Ngo, and Chiwetel Ejiofor will reprise their roles, and Uma Thurman and Henry Golding have been added to the cast for the sequel.

I loved “Thunderbolts,” as you know if you read my last post. Next up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”

After several not-so-great movies of this quartet, I’m not super hyped about another attempt, but maybe it will surprise me.

I do love the cast: Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Vanessa Kirby star as the team of four superheroes who must save their 1960s-inspired planet (a parallel Earth).

It will be in theaters July 25.

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Thunderbolts*, Academy museum, Ren Faire, & more

Posted on by earthtoshawna

Before I tell you about my latest sci-fi/fantasy themed outings, let’s talk about Marvel’s newest movie, “Thunderbolts*.”

We went on opening night (the IMAX “fan event”) and, fittingly, it was the same day as our rare Southern California thunderstorm. Unfortunately, the power went out halfway through the movie, and we had to come back the next night to finish it.

The setup is nothing we haven’t seen before – a ragtag team of misfits forced to work together to defeat a common enemy, blah blah blah. But it works. I laughed, I cried, I can’t wait to see these characters together again in another movie.

The MVP (unsurprisingly) is Florence Pugh. She always brings it, and as much as I love her as bratty Amy March in Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women,” I love her even more as Black Widow’s little sister Yelena.

David Harbour reprises his role as the scruffy and comical Red Guardian. There are so many great actors in this: Sebastian Stan, Hannah John-Kamen … I will even reluctantly admit that the cast’s nepo babies were good. (Wyatt Russell is the son of Kurt Russell, who has also been in a Marvel movie, and Lewis Pullman is the son of Bill Pullman, who has not.)

My biggest issue with the MCU is that some of the villains (such as Gorr the God Butcher and Ronan the Accuser) are a little over the top. I love Julia Louis-Dreyfus but her character is also a bit one-sided, but that’s par for the Marvel course, I guess.

“Thunderbolts*” is a fun (and funny) action movie, but its greatest strength is its emotional impact. Early in the movie, Yelena is asked what you are supposed to do with your dark feelings, your emotional trauma? Well, you just stuff those feelings down. Way, way down. I laughed out loud at this dialogue (which I’m paraphrasing), but Marvel does not get enough credit for addressing things like PTSD and mental health. This movie in particular does a good job of exploring these topics, which are so important.

Even though I’ve seen it one and a half times already, I would go see this in the theater again, and I may do just that, as it’s playing at El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. There are even costumes from the film on display as well. For more information: https://elcapitantheatre.com/

If you’re a movie lover who lives in Southern California, check out the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Wilshire Boulevard, which opened in 2021.

We went for the Bong Joon Ho exhibition and happened to be there on May the 4th – Star Wars Day! There were photo ops with droids and Jedis, a Star Wars mural painting opportunity, and lots of people dressed up as Star Wars characters.

The Bong exhibition was pretty cool. Even though I have not yet seen all of his films, there were a lot of props, film clips, and story boards from his movies. I especially loved the drawings and concept art from the movie “Okja.” The only bummer: nothing from “Mickey 17.” The only nod to the new film is a copy of the novel from which the film was adapted, for sale in the museum gift shop.

Another current exhibition at the museum is “Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures Through Cinema.” Featured films include “The Matrix,” “Tron,” and “Videodrome” (a Cronenberg film from the ’80s that scarred me for life). There were props from the movies “Blade Runner,” “Ex Machina,” and more. Be sure to check out both floors of this (somewhat sparse) exhibition.

Don’t miss the other galleries – even though we had seen a lot of the costumes and props the first time we visited (in 2022 for the Miyazaki exhibition), there are a lot of new additions, including Barbie and Ken’s costumes from the Barbie movie. For more information, go to https://www.academymuseum.org/en

There are two weekends left of this year’s Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Irwindale.

We went opening weekend; the weather was nice, and the entertainment and food were great. We enjoyed the various shows and vendors. I especially love the Seraphim Arabesque Ensemble. Maybe I was a belly dancer in a past life?

Throw a costume together and bring the family! Make sure to follow the directions on their website – and don’t miss the joust! For more info, visit renfair.com/socal.

Photos of the Academy Museum and the Renaissance faire by Earth to Shawna.

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