© by Gerald So | 3:00 AM
Jenna Ortega plays Wednesday Addams at seventeen. Expelled from Nancy Reagan High School for siccing piranhas on boys who bullied Pugsley, Wednesday is accepted to her parents' alma mater, Nevermore Academy. There, she stumbles on the mystery of several people found mangled to death in the woods. While trying to find her place at Nevermore, she sets her mind on solving the mystery.
Ortega adapts well to Wednesday. Though a laconic, impassive role, Ortega's face strongly suggests what Wednesday is feeling, what she wants to say but cautiously leaves unsaid. Her Nevermore classmates are a motley crew of supernatural creatures—like roommate Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers)—a werewolf who hasn't managed to wolf out—and rival Bianca Barclay (Joy Sunday)—a siren whose amulet dampens her mesmerizing power.
The show feels largely well run by Smallville developers Al Gough and Miles Millar. Wednesday's family isn't the focus, but a couple of members appear to good effect. Wednesday's temperament reminds me of the stoic portrayals of Batman, except Wednesday has some supernatural abilities. I might've liked the show even more if she didn't.
I didn't like the final mastermind reveal, but I won't spoil it. We can discuss it in the comments or on Mastodon.
Thursday, November 24, 2022
Saturday, November 12, 2022
Kevin Conroy Dies
© by Gerald So | 7:30 AM
Kevin Conroy, the Long Island-born, Juliard-trained actor who voiced Batman in various projects since 1992's BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, reportedly died Thursday, November 10, of cancer.
Conroy's performances as Bruce Wayne and Batman had similar nuance to Christopher Reeve's Clark Kent and Superman. Great actors elevate the material and raise the bar. Yet more impressive, Conroy was a good and humble man. His memory will live on.
Embed from Getty Images
Kevin Conroy, the Long Island-born, Juliard-trained actor who voiced Batman in various projects since 1992's BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, reportedly died Thursday, November 10, of cancer.
Conroy's performances as Bruce Wayne and Batman had similar nuance to Christopher Reeve's Clark Kent and Superman. Great actors elevate the material and raise the bar. Yet more impressive, Conroy was a good and humble man. His memory will live on.
Embed from Getty Images
Friday, November 04, 2022
Twitter and Mastodon
© by Gerald So | 6:30 AM
At my programmer brother's nudging, I joined Twitter in 2008, a little more than two years after it was founded. I couldn't think of much to do with it except to announce when I posted here. Despite Twitter's massive growth and changes since then, I've remained and tried to post the disjointed thoughts I always have.
With Elon Musk's tumultuous purchase recently completed, I worry Twitter will finally change too much for me, so I've created a Mastodon account. I like that Mastodon is decentralized, free of both charge and ads, and chronologically ordered. I like that my posts don't further corporate interests. Feel free to follow me.
At my programmer brother's nudging, I joined Twitter in 2008, a little more than two years after it was founded. I couldn't think of much to do with it except to announce when I posted here. Despite Twitter's massive growth and changes since then, I've remained and tried to post the disjointed thoughts I always have.
With Elon Musk's tumultuous purchase recently completed, I worry Twitter will finally change too much for me, so I've created a Mastodon account. I like that Mastodon is decentralized, free of both charge and ads, and chronologically ordered. I like that my posts don't further corporate interests. Feel free to follow me.
Thursday, November 03, 2022
I've Finally Seen Top Gun: Maverick
© by Gerald So | 6:30 AM
The original Top Gun premiered when I was twelve, and I watched it endlessly on cable TV, but as I researched aviation for my C.J. Stone stories, I realized the movie was sheer fantasy. I could still enjoy it on that level, the hotshot rulebreaker learning responsibility. That is until Top Gun: Maverick changed our hero's trajectory. Instead of living happily with Charlie as a seasoned instructor, Maverick has bounced from billet to billet, rubbing the brass the wrong way, repeatedly being bailed out of trouble by top brass Iceman.
The sequel would have us believe the U.S. doesn't have the most advanced fighter jets, really because the Navy didn't want the movie to show its best. So Maverick and his team must fly F-18 Super Hornets dangerously close to the ground to destroy the unnamed enemy's uranium enrichment plant. I can't enjoy this because I know the U.S. has the capability to bomb such a target from a safe distance, meaning less risk to personnel and equipment.
But hey, I'm just one guy. Clearly thousands of moviegoers enjoyed themselves to the tune of billions of dollars. Even I bought the movie on 4K disc because it's supposedly reference quality.
The original Top Gun premiered when I was twelve, and I watched it endlessly on cable TV, but as I researched aviation for my C.J. Stone stories, I realized the movie was sheer fantasy. I could still enjoy it on that level, the hotshot rulebreaker learning responsibility. That is until Top Gun: Maverick changed our hero's trajectory. Instead of living happily with Charlie as a seasoned instructor, Maverick has bounced from billet to billet, rubbing the brass the wrong way, repeatedly being bailed out of trouble by top brass Iceman.
The sequel would have us believe the U.S. doesn't have the most advanced fighter jets, really because the Navy didn't want the movie to show its best. So Maverick and his team must fly F-18 Super Hornets dangerously close to the ground to destroy the unnamed enemy's uranium enrichment plant. I can't enjoy this because I know the U.S. has the capability to bomb such a target from a safe distance, meaning less risk to personnel and equipment.
But hey, I'm just one guy. Clearly thousands of moviegoers enjoyed themselves to the tune of billions of dollars. Even I bought the movie on 4K disc because it's supposedly reference quality.
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