Star Trek Prodigy - Season Two

I am in awe of this show. A rag tag bunch of misfits giving us all the story and power of Star Trek. A show supposedly for kids but it made this adult cry, laugh and feel hopeful for a better future. 

Again the last 2 episodes of the season, just like season 1, are all that Star Trek is about. 

I hope there is a season 3 but if it has to end it certainly went out on top. Although I don't think I am actually ready to say goodbye to my new favorite family: Dal, Gwyn, Rok, Zero, Murf, Maj'El and Jankom.

It was a joy to hear some familiar voices on the show and see them in all their animated glory :) We tried not to look things up on IMDB or read the cast credits so we could be surprised when certain people showed up. It was also the reason for us binging the show as best as we could before SDCC. We didn't want to be spoiled but ... in the end we were spoiled with riches ... due to an amazing show and story ;)

I will most definitely be watching the show again and if you haven't found it yet or started it, I highly recommend you rectify that. I don't believe you will be let down at all. Go along for the ride and enjoy the rag tag family of misfits in all their Star Trek glory.

4 paws and a Murf ;)

The Acolyte - Star Wars series

 

I know this show took a lot of heat from Star Wars fans and from non-fans too. 

I liked it. Amandla Stenberg was great and a joy to watch through the 8 episodes. I liked that the show felt like a murder mystery who-done-it but with a Star Wars theme. I had fun trying to figure out who done it too.

I was blown away by Manny Jacinto. The last time I saw him was as Jason on The Good Place...this is VERY different from that role and he handled it perfectly. 

I like what to me felt like a different view of the Jedi, since I am not 100% invested in Star Wars overall, this view may hit a nerve with some fans. I figured it was just a story and they set it in a Star Wars theme. I will say that it did seem to run out of steam as it was going along. But at the same time I really wanted to know what was going to happen. 

We hadn't planned to watch it episodically, we thought we would wait and binge but then we started it before it was done and had to watch each Tuesday/Wednesday to see what happened. So to me, it can't be that bad. Would I watch it again? Probably not, unless I needed that information or memory jog for a second season or to tie to another show. 

I think if you watch it as a Star Wars murder mystery and don't worry about how it fits or doesn't into your story line of Star Wars, I think you might enjoy it. Again Manny Jacinto was crazy good, emphasis on crazy ;)

Was it perfect? No. Was it terrible? No. 

3 paws

Frasier - 2023 series reboot

We came for Toks Olagundoye and left with a reminder of old friends, incredible belly laughs and even a few tears. Toks is hilarious in her role as Olivia Finch and is an excellent match for Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane and Nicholas Lyndhurst as Alan Corwall. The comedic timing of the entire cast is truly amazing. I am glad Toks was in the show because I don't know if we would have watched and we would have missed out on some great comedy.

There are 10 episodes and there was only 1 we were not thrilled with (too much slapstick and cringe) and there is only one character that was a little out of place but by the end they found a way to make the character work. 

It was lovely to see the call backs to the original character of Frasier and the show Frasier. My favorite reference in the show is that the bar they frequent is called Mahoney's and that is to honor John Mahoney who portrayed Frasier's father in the original Frasier show and passed away a few years ago.

I am impressed with how they maintained so much of the original show and character even though we are quite a few years out from the original show. There are so many clever pieces to the show and probably some throwbacks that I might have missed. I do think it is best to watch if you have seen the original but it probably stands on it own too.

4 paws

Obi-Wan Kenobi - mini series

There is one main reason I wanted to post about this fantastic show.

Vivien Lyra Blair!!

She portrays 10 year old Princess Leia Organa and I would almost swear she is Carrie Fisher reincarnated! I 100% believe she will grow up to be Carrie Fisher's Leia. In fact, as we watched the last episode I kept crying because it made me miss Carrie Fisher so much.

Vivien is a key piece of this series and she holds her own so perfectly alongside such incredible actors: Ewan McGregor, Moses Ingram, Hayden Christensen, Jimmy Smits, Joel Edgerton and so many more.

I guarantee I missed a ton of great inside pieces in this show that linked to the movies, etc but it stood on its own to me even without knowing all the ins and outs. I did ask Brainwise a few questions to keep me on the right page though.

If you are a Star Wars fan, this is a must see. If you just a casual Star Wars fan, I still say this is a must see. It is well put together and it fills in some gaps and provides us the most perfect 10 year old Leia.

4 paws

The Marvels - Disney +

 

Three incredible actresses portraying three incredible characters. I absolutely loved all the scenes between the three leads. I hope they had as much fun together as it looked like in the film.

I loved how the movie fit into the timeline and it was good to see enough exposition to know what was going on for each character. 

I definitely loved the fangirling Ms. Marvel did over Captain Marvel. It was so real and true to her character and also felt like she was us in the movie. What a joy Iman Vellani is in the movie and from her own series. 

I was also thrilled to see Goose again  I loved how integral the cat was to this story 😉 Quite the clever storyline and use of the adorable cat.

There was really only one major part of the movie I didn’t like and it definitely didn’t seem to fit but overall I enjoyed the story. I’d love to see more of The Marvels working together in future movies. The three women were just amazing together. 

3 paws

Locke and Key - Netflix

 

I have had this on our list probably since the first season (2020). I only know the title and that it was a popular comic book series. We finally started it the other week and we flew threw the 3 seasons as fast as we could. What an incredibly unique story and show.

I adored Jackson Robert Scott as Bode, he was perfection and we already came in to the show with a love for Connor Jessup (Tyler) from seeing him in Falling Skies and even getting to meet him at SDCC during a signing. But the definite showstopper was Emilia Jones as Kinsey. Holy Moly did that girl have a lot to do and she was spectacular. I LOVED how the 3 siblings stuck together and the love between them was easily felt. 

Darby Stanchfield as the mom Nina was incredible. She had quite the roller coaster of story line and she played it beautifully and realistically. 

We were also pleased to see Aaron Ashmore as Duncan. The Ashmore brothers are two of our favorite actors and I would say we have always loved the shows we have seen them in throughout the years. This was no exception and it may even be one of our most favorite roles yet.

Petrice Jones as Scot was a joy. His voice and accent were just wonderful and he was an excellent anchor for many parts of the story. Coby Bird as Rufus was also just a lovely character and portrayed so well by Coby. 

As I scroll through IMDB to get the correct actor names, I realize I could write something great about each actor/character. This was a well rounded show for acting and story telling. I had a friend say they just couldn't get into the 2nd season but I can't see how. We LOVED the second season. We just rolled through it all in one day.

I definitely don't see any loss of interest or story by having not read the source material... and neither has Brainwise (shocking that we have a second show that Brainwise didn't know). Of course that almost makes it more fun to watch because he has to guess too as we go along.

I will state that season 3 is not 100% the same as the first two seasons and now after reading the differences between the show and the comics, we know why. It doesn't mean it is bad by any means, it is just different and there is a reason. I don't like to give anything away if possible, so I will not say any more :)

I just love how unique this show is and how great the actors portray their characters. I would actually watch this whole series again and as you know this is usually my meter on how good something is. 

4 paws

Old Guard - Netflix

 

I had no idea what this movie was about, of course it’s been about 3 years since this was released. I didn’t even remember it was based on a comic book until Brainwise started saying how different scenes looked like the book. 

The number one thing I will say about this movie is that it is ULTRA violent. I mean ULTRA violent. There was quite a lot that I didn’t watch because it was just too much. 

Charlize Theron looked incredible and was superb in this role. The story was very interesting and we found out that a second movie may be coming. I look forward to the story but maybe not the violence. 

Again it was good to see a female main character and a bad a$$ one at that. Kiki Layne was awesome and also very bad a$$ too. I also adored the scene between two of the male characters expressing their love for each other while in quite a bind with the bad guys. 

Such a very different story and incredibly interesting.

3 paws

Paper Girls - Amazon Prime

 

I know this is based on an excellent comic book but I have not read it nor do I know anything about it. But the main characters are girls and I know it is a popular story so I added it to our watch list last year. 

I am so glad I did. What an excellent series!! The girls were fantastic and the story was extra wild but really good. I didn’t have any issue trying to follow along with the story and while I may have missed some tie ins from the comic book series I don’t think it was anything critical. 

It’s good that I felt satisfaction with the ending since it will not have a second season. Not that I wouldn’t watch more if they had gone on but I felt closure with the story as told. 

The casting was incredible. I easily believed the versions we were shown and I wonder how the actors felt looking at versions of themselves. 

The music in this series was awesome too! Lots of "oldies but goodies" :) 

4 paws

Arcane - Netflix series

We came to see Toks Olagundoye as Mel and we were treated to one of the most incredible shows all around. Seriously, I have nothing negative to say … except I want more. And luckily, while we watched season one, we found out season two is coming this year. 

I have zero knowledge about the League of Legends game this is based on but I had no issue following along and easily being in the story. In fact, I was so into the story that when we had to stop watching the first night I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened and what was to come. I was impatiently waiting to get back to the series. 

One of the main things I loved about the series was the music. Both the score and the soundtrack were other characters in the episodes and were integral to the storytelling. 

The animation is like nothing I’ve seen before but then I don’t play any video games. But then I also don’t know if the animation in this series is the same as the game either. 

I think the voice actors for the characters were perfectly matched and I adored Toks as Mel. Her character was so layered and grew during the season, it was a joy to watch and listen. 

4 paws and a tail

Christmas Movies 2023 Part 2

The Hogfather

When Death and his granddaughter are the most normal part of the show, you know your in for something waaay off the beaten path.

Brainwise was very excited to watch this three episode miniseries on Amazon Prime. I had zero idea what to expect and even now that it’s finished I’m not sure I still know what I watched. But it was good. Not sure how I know this but I believe it to be true. The less you know, the better it will be for your viewing :)

3 paws

Candy Cane Lane

What an incredibly fun romp of a movie. Eddie Murphy and Traci Ellen Ross were perfection together. This was a great family show and I laughed so much. Very clever and different. Definitely would watch this again. 

3 paws 

Best Christmas Ever

While there is definitely some questionable humor in this movie, I ended up crying in the end. It was a lovely story about friendship and belief in magic. Brandy was lovely in her role and I’m glad they included her singing. I liked the story and it came with some twists and turns too. 

2 paws

Christmas Movies 2023 Part 1

Dashing Through The Snow - Disney +

Ludacris in a Christmas movie?? Yes, please. He is a joy in this role. I absolutely loved everything about what he brought to this role. He was a great Dad, wonderful social worker, and hilarious all around.

Madison Skye Validum, as the daughter Charlotte, was splendid and radiant. She just oozed happy and I would love to spend a day with her just to feel her joyous personality. She is an excellent actress too and brought everything needed to make her role believable and enjoyable.

Lil Red Howery was the incredible Nick, whose wardrobe was incredible. He was perfection in this role and think he got completely lost in the role as I had a hard time deciphering/rectifying who he was under the gorgeous robe.

I highly recommend this joyful movie that helps us all believe just little more in the goodness of this world and the magic we can find if we just look.

3 paws

Family Switch - Netflix

Jennifer Gardner and Ed Helms were hilarious and perfect in this movie. Emma Myers and Brady Noon were wonderful as their children in this movie. Except for one too over the top scene (and many might say there is more than just one), I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

Light and heavy all at once. A clever switcheroo that seriously looked so much fun to film. I can't imagine how much laughing there must have been on the set.

And even though you can figure the story out, it doesn't detract from the fun and the laughter that will be found during the movie. There is also an excellent rendition of Santa Claus is Coming to Town!!

3 paws

Merry Little Batman - Amazon Prime

Cute, funny, clever, fun and perfect for any DC or Batman fan.

I especially loved the change in animation for part of the story. It was perfect for conveying what was happening and definitely made me watch even more intently. 

There are a few scenes that could have been shorter but overall it was a fun and very different Christmas show. 

2 paws

America’s Tallest Singing Christmas Tree

 Yes, the title is true and it is spectacular.

And these are all high school students from Mona Shores High School in Michigan. 

I first heard about it a few years ago on TV and put in the list of things I wanted to do. Then two years ago a comic con friend of ours posted about it and I had to know how she knew about. Crazily enough they live in the area and her husband works at the school. I told her that we wanted to visit to see the tree. 

Fast forward to earlier this year and we find out both her children would be part of the orchestra for the Tree. Right then and there we started making plans to visit and see the show. 

We arrived Thursday in Grand Rapids Michigan and then drove to Muskegon Michigan to check in across the street from the theater. 

Saturday we went to the 3pm show and had seats in the lower balcony. There are no words to describe how incredible the show is. They played and sang so many of my favorite songs and the ones I didn’t know are now favorites too. The kids put everything in to the show and we loved it so much we bought tickets to the 7pm show too. The seats this time were not together and we had a person in the last row of each section so now I want to see it from the orchestra seats I might have to go back for the 40th anniversary!!

They live streamed the 7pm show and we are told it might replay at Christmas. I hope so because I would love to see it again. 

If you ever find yourself in Muskegon Michigan the first weekend of December I highly recommend this show. 

4 paws and a tail with a jingle bell collar 

Lost in Space - Netflix Series

 

Brainwise remembered way more of the original than I did for this series. Who is surprised? 

So he caught some inside things but it didn't really seem to matter if you knew the original or not. I thought it was pretty good. I liked the actors and the characters they portrayed. But my favorite character might have been the non-human... and no I don't mean the Robot :) I loved Debbie. To find out who that character is, you will just have to watch ;)

I liked the way they created the family and all the twists that happened to bring things together. You do have suspend belief quite a few times but really when don't you have to when dealing with outer space stories. I only got really annoyed once with the jump in the story or how quickly things worked out but I just read where the story runner passed away recently, so I wonder if they were trying to make sure he saw the story thru to the end and if that is the case, I am good with it all.

I liked that the outcome of the saga was simple and actually easy. Sometimes life does work out in the simplest manners but we choose to not see it. I appreciate that the children were all brilliant in their own ways. I also loved that everyone had a chance to be the person in shining armor, even the Robot (although he was literally I guess, lol).

I was probably pretty skeptical at the start of our binge watching but I ended up asking when we were going to watch the episodes in the 3rd season. I really wanted to see what was going to happen next and how it would all conclude. If you enjoyed the original or the movie that was made, I would guess you would like this iteration also. 

3 paws

3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost

Hallmark Channel blew me away with this one. 

Madeleine Arthur as Ruby is glorious. Simply glorious! I didn't even realize how many things I have seen her in until I looked her up on IMDB. She looked completely different here.

Makeup and costuming deserve awards for styling Ruby. She is stunning at every turn, from her clothing to her jewelry to her makeup to just her incredible self.   

This is such a clever and beautiful story and it’s carried out wonderfully by Julie Gonzalo, Chris McNally and Madeleine Arthur. 

The connection between the two women is amazing and I love how they support each other. I love how they grow and learn and become the best versions of themselves even with over 100 years between them. It's both good and bad to know that some things carry through the times and are the same for people regardless of the surroundings :)

Speaking of surroundings, I loved the set for this movie too. Beautiful home with beautiful furnishings. I would love to know what came first when creating this movie: the story, the setting, the costuming, regardless all of it is perfect and wonderful.

You all know I don't post too many Hallmark movies (I do watch them all), but this one really was just wonderful and different and I had to share my thoughts.

4 paws, 2 ears, 1 tail for all 9 lives ;)

Let’s put it this way, I didn’t delete this from my DVR when it ended because I’m going back to watch this one again. 

Good Omens - Season Two

 

As promised in my post about Season One, we did indeed watch Season Two.

I was "spoiled" for the end of this season without ever being told exactly what happened. I could just tell basically what must have happened based on the reactions from my friends on social media after they all binged it when it was released. 

I had pretty much the same feelings about this season as I did about the first. I am not sure what is missing for me when I watch. Maybe it's that I haven't read the source material. Maybe it's that I don't get the humor. I know I did have a little trouble remembering things even just from the first season, which for us wasn't that long ago. Overall it made it's way to it's ineffable (I am sure that is not the way to use that word but there ya go) conclusion which I did actually love.

If you watched the first and liked it, you will also like season two. If you didn't like the first season, I might gather you won't like this one either. Note, that for the most part it is a completely new, stand alone story. Although I wouldn't watch this without having seen the first.

This season did not lead to any deep conversations like the first did and that is ok, not every show needs to be heavy.

3 paws overall

4 paws for the last 20 minutes of the season

Secret Invasion - Disney Plus

 

I love Samuel L Jackson and I love Nick Fury so I was very happy he had his own story to tell but this series could have been much much better. I don't even know if I know exactly what was the issue. It was definitely too quiet, slow and it definitely doesn't stand alone... not that it should.

It is shows like this that I am glad I don't try to tell the story in my post. I just state if I liked it and if you should watch it. I definitely could not easily describe what we watched and I would not watch this again but you should watch it if you are a Marvel fan and if you plan to watch more Marvel Universe. I am sure we will need this series to help with the upcoming The Marvels and who knows what else.

It is only 6 episodes, so it doesn't overly torture the watcher and on the good side there is lots of information about Nick Fury that, at least, I didn't know.

2 paws

Star Trek: Lower Decks Seasons 1-3

As I wrote in my review of Strange New Worlds, I am so glad we had watched two episodes of this series before the crossover episode. It definitely helped us enjoy the crossover much more as we had background that would have been missing otherwise. I know that sounds obvious but really it made a huge difference with us liking the episode and not liking it.

So honestly, I did not like season one at all overall. It was a little too off kilter for me. The humor is not my favorite and it was hard to get into the silliness of it all.

Luckily, the next 2 seasons were better. They seemed better put together and flowed much better. There was story and things carried over into other episode and everything just worked better and I was able to get into it. I am glad. I know so many friends who rave about this series and I was sad I wasn't feeling it. 

Although I do have to say, if you have never watched any Star Trek, there is sooooo much you will miss in this series and sometimes it does make a difference to liking/understanding an episode and not. I asked Brainwise maybe the most questions during this series than any of the others... that is a lot of questions! I just don't recall past shows like he does, so he definitely enjoys the show much more than I do.

I do refuse to miss out though. I love how all these series fit together in so many different ways. So clever and so difficult and I appreciate it.

2 paws - season one

3 paws - season two and three

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4

 

Sonequa Martin-Green is glorious in her role as Michael Burnham. She is fierce, strong, independent, brilliant, courageous, confident, loyal and one of my favorites in the Star Trek universe. 

Right behind Sonequa is Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly. She is my spirit Star Trek character. I adore her. She is exactly who I would be if I were in the Star Trek universe. She is a great friend, brilliant scientist, incredible team member and I definitely want to be friends with her.

Over the four seasons we were treated to a roller coaster of emotions. We laughed, we cried, oh how we cried, we yelled, we were annoyed, we swooned, we cheered and we loved almost every second of all four seasons. There were a few wobbles but not enough that I can remember them specifically now to write about them. 

This show is a definite for the Star Trek aficionados and even those that aren't. There are quite a few episodes that lead to deep discussions between Brainwise and myself. You will definitely be entertained by almost all the episodes and if you are a Doug Jones fan, you definitely need to watch him portray Saru. We love him and we knew he was in this series, we just did not know how much he was in this series and we were thrilled. He was spectacular and perfectly cast for this role.

I could go on and on about each member of this cast and how wonderful they are: Anthony Rapp, Wilson Cruz, Emily Coutts, Jason Isaacs, Tig Notaro, and the amazing Michelle Yeoh. Just go and watch and enjoy it all.

4 paws

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - movie

 

I was unsure, even half way through, if I liked this movie. Then we got to the end and I found myself crying and I realized that I did indeed like this movie. 

I do believe it is MUCH better if you have any DnD knowledge, which I do not but it is a fun movie with more story than I expected. 

I was also very surprised to see Hugh Grant in here but he ended up being the right person for the role. There were a few things I wish were different but overall it was a fun rollicking story and movie.

Chris Pine was excellent in his role as was Michelle Rodriguez. Justice Smith and Sophia Lillis were also perfect for their roles. 

If you are looking for a fun 2 hours, I recommend checking this out. If you have any DnD background, I say you MUCH check it out. Then come back here and let me know your thoughts about it.

2 paws

Star Trek: Picard Season Two

Not as good as season one but still an excellent show.

Brainwise and I both believe this season could have been done in 5 episodes but they made it last 10.

Agnes as Queen was incredible and I completely understand and support what she did. I feel that I might have done the same if I were in her character.

Elnor is lovely but there may be a few too many mentions of him and it is part of the reason 10 episodes seemed too long for this season.

Picard's childhood and Maman was just a bit... ok a lot... overdone. Again this could have been 2 episodes max and it would have covered what was needed but instead it did run over the whole 10 episodes.

I wouldn't tell you not to watch but just be aware that this season may slow down just a bit too much. BUT you need it to cover some very important information that comes from season 1 and appears in season 3.

I would say that the guest star character is not my favorite but it ended up working out and my annoyance was for not.

3 paws