nightscape94

Amazon has the US rights to the series, but it's the same Channel 4 one, just in a different viewing order.

Probably try to run through Altered Carbon on Sunday. I'm curious about it.

I don't think it's helpful to analyze every note, but you can certainly analyze intentions through intervallic relationships and such, key, time signature, etc. So, while breaking the flying theme from E.T. to a ridiculous degree may not produce any secrets, you can see the jump to the 5th, and the constant rise in scale, as being indicative of having a methodical purpose, representing musically the idea soaring. That is not an accident; not everything a composer does is happenstance.

Hope she extends her Baltimore contract and maintains both positions.

Arrival (2016) This was on my radar for a while. I love alien encounter movies that aren't all about shoot 'em up baddies. Movies like Contact or District 9 are a breath of fresh air and Arrival is cut from the same cloth. It has a clever twist built inside its storytelling, and provides an emotional core that is vital to the movie's success. I have to admit, however, that the technology that we were provided in the end is ultimately unhelpful, but it still works within the world of the movie and the way the plot is structured.

Jose Chung, and this was very much a Darin Morgan episode in that style. I didn't initially like "The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat", it was jarring, but then I really warmed up to it, and legitimately laughed out loud a few times, and then I realized I enjoyed the hell out of it. So far the only one I didn't care for was the second episode "This" with Langly. That one didn't work at all. "Plus One" seemed the most X-Filesy but I agree with @Jay that the one bedroom conversation with Scully and Mulder in bed, going on about a younger woman, was weird. Didn't feel like Scully and it was awkward. Otherwise a good MOTW entry.

Indeed it is wonderful, and sadly underrated. The recent Wit version is beyond amazing, and another example of Dvorak excelling at everything.

Me either, as much as I didn't care for it. It explains parts of El's background, her look, and a flashback crops up later in another episode that you may not understand without seeing it. Doctor Who Season 10 I'm behind on everything, but this finally became available on my Amazon Prime subscription. A fairly solid season of Doctor Who, and the last for Steven Moffat as creative director/show runner. Even some of the clunkers like Empress of Mars at least had a nice ending. I don't really feel there were any standouts, but each one was at least watchable and entertaining. That is mostly due to the trio of main actors, Capaldi, Mackie, and Lucas, the last of whom is an instant favorite. I was never the greatest fan of Missy, but here I felt she was finally used in an interesting way. The Return of Doctor Mysterioso I watched this after season 10 because I had completely forgotten that it existed, not that it mattered much on the viewing order. Surprisingly fun and goofy special. I didn't know how this would work, or if it would feel out of place or very much un-Doctor Who. But it was tongue-in-cheek, and I found myself smiling a lot throughout. One more Christmas Special to go and I'll be all caught up.

This was my only experience, so I can't compare it to anything else, but I can definitely say that things didn't seem all that coordinated. I had the feeling that M. Night was making up shots as he went along, which is totally normal, if you ever hear Spielberg talk, but as a result the extras were jostled around quite a bit and we had quick takes. We were constantly starting, stopping, resetting, etc. The assistants also didn't appear to be around much either because there was one scene where I was fighting this guy, and we were specifically put in a certain spot. After one take, the other guy wanted to move somewhere else because we weren't in the shot. So, against my wishes, he just walked away to another location and I was forced to follow him. No one noticed and we stayed the there rest of the scene. It wasn't all like that, though. Most of the time we were just waiting around. The action takes were brief, we were given a task to do, run from point A to point B, and that was basically it. The problem you mention could be an editing thing.

Yes, that was awful.

Split (2016) The thing I truly missed about Shyamalan before he went off the deep end was his ability to create tension out of thin air and sustain it; his ability to hold your attention and make you uncomfortable though silence, pacing, or through subtle camera movements, he really was a gifted filmmaker who became a stupid storyteller. Well, this is the first film of his that I've seen since The Last Airbender (and that was mostly because I was an extra). Now, I have not seen The Visit, do not plan on seeing After Earth, and with an utterly perplexing salaam but sarcastic bow to the puzzling The Happening, I suppose I can declare this most recent movie a return to form. It's a bit longer than it needs to be, but it's an effective thriller with a terrific performance by McAvoy that keeps you glued.

Stranger Things Season 2 It took me a long time to finally get around to seeing this. Although it no longer had that freshness that the first season had, it was still extremely good TV. There was only one episode/plot line that didn't work at all, and could have been completely removed, and the whole season would have been tighter. Other than that, no complaints. Great acting by the all involved, wonderful characters, and some truly emotional and heart-pounding moments makes this just as watchable and entertaining as the first season.

Jason Bourne (2016) Full disclosure. I love Bourne movies. Fucking love them. I can watch them endlessly at any time or occasion. I was worried when this newer film arrived and, after a near-decade gap, got mostly negative, poor, or otherwise tepid reviews. I didn't want to see it, and as such, I left it on the figurative shelf over the last year or so. Well, I can certainly see why it might be considered poor with respect to the initial trilogy, since each one was solid, and in my opinion, masterful, on their own, and enhanced when taken into context of the larger tapestry. The main problem is that this entry doesn't add anything new; the Bourne/Webb story is cooked, but they make an effort to reinvest your attention by adding a sliver more, but it's barely a story. It's a framework made to compensate space for tense chases and action scenes. If you look at it honestly, it's largely a retread of past ideas and doesn't even try to reset the table and begin a new story arc. It's a missed opportunity to jumpstart a new trilogy. Even in the face of all of that, you know what, fuck it, it's fun. It's still nice entertainment, and undeserving of the mediocre reaction it received.

Wouldn't expect Dutoit to be part of that Tanglewood event anymore.