Before the Fury

This past weekend, I headed off to the movie theater to sit in the rumbliest rumble seat I could find, to watch Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. This prequel film to Mad Max: Fury Road is writer-director George Miller's latest action fever dream brought to life before your eyes. If you love Fury Road, I imagine you could only like Furiosa as well. If, like me, you were a bit more middle-of-the-Fury-Road, then it might be harder to predict.

Certainly, there was a lot about it I did enjoy. Movies have become even more dependent on CG than they were 9 years ago, which only makes a movie like Furiosa, that feels more visceral and tactile, more welcome. It's not that Furiosa isn't using CG; of course it is. But a lot of the action is the work of real stunt performers, and everything about the movie is meant to fit as seamlessly as possible with that work.

And make no mistake, the action is the star of this movie. All manner of big stunts are here, a feast for the senses. There's phenomenal cinematography too, capturing all the action with perfect clarity while delivering numerous seemingly "impossible" camera shots both conspicuous and subtle. If you like movies that look great, Furiosa is for you.

As with Fury Road before it, story comes a distant second to spectacle. To the extent you become invested in the title character (and I mostly did), her adventures and hardships are compelling. But the story is pretty bare bones. Which would be fine, if the movie wasn't also two-and-a-half hours long. There's just not enough going on to justify the run time, not enough to have kept me fully engaged in the down time between big action sequences.

Also as with Mad Max: Fury Road, the purported title character doesn't really get to be the best character in "their" movie. Furiosa stole the show in Fury Road, bringing this prequel into existence. Here, Anya Taylor-Joy is saddled with being the stoic, mostly silent protagonist George Miller seems drawn to. But if the script keeps her constrained, that only leaves Chris Hemsworth free to chew the scenery as villain Dr. Dementus. It's the sort of flashy role that one suspects most Hollywood actors could have played "well enough," but Hemsworth gives it extra sauce in every scene, fully embracing the fun this movie is supposed to be.

I haven't actually watched Fury Road since it was new. (Though I've had the percussive, dramatic Tom Holkenborg in my shuffle the whole time. His soundtrack here will no doubt join it.) I'd probably need to watch it again to really "adjudicate" the question of which is better, Fury Road or Furiosa. But I felt like Furiosa was an entertaining B... which would seem to put it just a cut above Fury Road in my book. Either way, if you liked one, expect to like the other.

Discovery: Lagrange Point

There's just one episode left -- ever -- of Star Trek: Discovery. But before we get there, we have to stop at "Lagrange Point."

The hunt for the Progenitors' technology ends at a binary black hole, and the mysterious device left suspended between them. But the Breen scoop it up before Discovery can secure it, leading to an infiltration mission aboard the Breen ship to steal the device.

I'm glad Jonathan Frakes directed one more before we're done. He's always great with the actors, getting some of their best performances. And I'm always amused by how fully he embraces Discovery's "wacky cinematography," soaring over the top with spinning cameras, fast-paced tracking shots, and bobbing-and-weaving oners. I'm sure that as long as they keep making other Star Trek series, Jonathan Frakes will be back to direct them. But to the extent that this was a "swan song," I enjoyed his work (as usual).

In particular (again, as usual), I enjoyed the Saru/T'Rina subplot of the story. I find myself more invested in these two as a couple than any long-term pairing on Star Trek since Benjamin Sisko and Kasidy Yates on Deep Space Nine. In particular, I love the idea of using a Vulcan (and another character with controlled emotion) to depict a caring relationship that's not all sappy PDA. I think with T'Rina (and actress Tara Rosling) in particular, the show is doing a good job walking the line of Vulcan emotion -- expressing and feeling it within the boundaries of what a Vulcan would do.

In contrast, I'm less caught up in the relationship roller coaster of Michael and Book. The writers tried to hang a lantern on their bad timing this week, having Burnham comment that "mid-mission" was not the best time to have a serious talk. But even acknowledging that did nothing to mitigate the other strangeness of the scene: that these two were having this talk while in Breen disguise. So their heart-to-heart, instead of being face-to-face, involved a series of awkward "Iron Man inside the suit" close-ups. Sure, it highlighted the fact that there are always obstacles for these two characters... but it also prevented the actors from really playing off each other.

I felt somewhere "in between" about Rayner this week. I still love the way the show has used him this season, having him always resist the touchy-feeliness of the rest of the Discovery crew. It was great fun when Tilly tried to get him to open up about why he wouldn't sit in the captain's chair, and for him to just shut her down. Nope, Rayner refuses the whole "Star Trek: Discovery vibe," and it's great. (He wouldn't have stood around talking in the beginning long enough for the Breen to show up and scoop the prize.) Though at the same time, because Rayner is such an emotionally buttoned-up character who doesn't let the audience in, it was a bit unclear in the end what had changed his mind to make him finally sit in the big chair.

I also had a bit of hard time with the geography on the Breen ship. Because both the cargo bay and the bridge are large, open spaces, and because the show established Moll in both spaces early in the episode, things got a little scrambled in my mind -- it wasn't always clear who was where, who was going where, and what was going on. Often, this is the sort of confusion you would hold the director accountable for... but I think Jonathan Frakes simply played the hand he was dealt by the script (and the visual choices made in earlier episodes).

As I said, my opinion on the episode feels a little unsettled, and may shift a bit depending on the finale. But for now, I'll give "Lagrange Point" a B-.

Voyager Flashback: Workforce, Part II

Star Trek: Voyager fans in 2001 had to wait a week to see the conclusion of of the "Workforce" two-parter. My reviews of the two episodes won't be spaced that far apart.

The majority of the Voyager crew remains on an alien planet, having had their memories erased. Injured and desperate, Chakotay must convince Janeway to trust him and believe in her real identity. Aboard the ship, B'Elanna struggles to regain her own memories. Harry Kim and The Doctor each have their moments to shine in command. And everyone must get to the bottom of the alien conspiracy that put them all at this point.

This half of the two-part episode is directed by Roxann Dawson. She has directed Voyager before, and she does show here that she's got the chops that would lead to a post-Voyager career centered on directing. Still, it's an unusual episode for her to helm because her own character has such a major role in it. She actually gives a great performance as B'Elanna as well, in a series of impactful scenes where she slowly regains her memory of life aboard Voyager. I'd say it's one of the better self-directed performances on Star Trek... but it's actually one of the few. In fact, there would not be another one after this for literally decades, until Jonathan Frakes as Riker in Star Trek: Picard. (None of the Enterprise or Discovery cast members ever directed their own series.)

B'Elanna's subplot may be more emotional than the rest of the episode, but the rest of the episode is still pretty good. For one thing, it's paced just right -- this is a two-parter that honestly feels neither stretched nor rushed for time. Seven of Nine's own journey of self-discovery on the planet doesn't overwhelm the story (as Seven of Nine subplots often do). Chakotay gets several scenes of building trust with Janeway, and there's enough of a story arc there that she disbelieves and betrays him before coming around.

While we know the episode is going to end with everyone safe and sound back on the ship, I actually find the journey getting there to be a bit surprising. If you're expecting Ralph Malph from Happy Days (Don Most) to be at the hub of a vast alien conspiracy, surprise: many of the guest characters are actually on Our Heroes' side and here to help! Janeway's love interest Jaffen supports her even though doing so can only ultimately take her away from him. A dogged investigator played by Robert Joy is actually a noble detective looking for the truth!

Many of the other strengths of part one continue into part two -- like more great visual effects work (Voyager hiding inside a lunar crater, some good space battle action). The few drawbacks continue too -- the petty squabbling over command between Harry and the Doctor, and just brushing up against more serious subject matter without engaging (themes of autocracy). But generally speaking, it's a fun episode that really moves.

Other observations:

• The bat'leth that B'Elanna received in her recent adventure with Klingons is still hanging on the wall of her and Tom's quarters.

• Perhaps the one element of the story that does feel a bit rushed for time is Janeway's boyfriend Jaffen deciding not to stay on Voyager in the end. Of course he isn't going to stay on Voyager, but a slightly longer scene for their goodbye would have been nice.

The final moments of the episode kind of nail what's appealing about this two-parter. Janeway notes: "it may not have been real, but it felt like home." It feels nice to see the characters enjoy a simpler, rooted existence -- even as part of the conceit is that it's a trap from which they must escape. (Maybe especially because it is.) I give "Workforce, Part II" -- like the first part -- a B+.

Voyager Flashback: Workforce

Star Trek: Voyager made several two-part episodes in its final season, most of which aired as "two-hour movie" events. But one aired in the conventional "come back next week for the conclusion" way. So here we are, at "Workforce." (Part one.)

Most of the crew of Voyager has had their memories erased, and have been placed in jobs in a highly industrialized alien society. As Janeway pursues a romance, B'Elanna faces single motherhood, and Tom Paris hustles to find work, Chakotay, the Doctor, Neelix, and Harry Kim must work from Voyager to find and rescue all the crew.

Voyager has already done a two-part episode where all the characters think they're someone else. So in a way, this episode is starting in a hole to be climbed out of: "been there, done that." Yet there are two subtle but key differences here that help a great deal. First, the identities here aren't being forced on Our Heroes in the way the holodeck caused them to fully portray "characters" in "The Killing Game." When they recover who they really are, they will have to wrestle more deeply with their actions as their alter egos. (Not that Voyager really does this kind of continuity... but the idea that there are lasting stakes here does change things.)

Second, and stemming from that first difference, the identities of Our Heroes have not been totally repressed. The Voyager crew on the planet are still acting in accordance with their core identities; they're simply in a different set of circumstances. Seven of Nine is still fastidious and precise. Tuvok still tries to bring logic to bear on his feelings. Tom Paris still feels drawn to B'Elanna. And all that informs Janeway's story line: if she wasn't required to be "the captain" all the time, she'd absolutely be seeking romance and companionship. (She's moving in with someone in a matter of days!)

So in some ways, this two-part episode represents a version of the series where at the end of the pilot episode, instead of setting course for the Alpha Quadrant, they all just found a random alien planet and settled there. It's like an alternate universe episode -- but in not actually being in an alternate universe, there is the possibility for unfolding events to have more of an emotional impact. We may not really get any emotional sucker punches, but we see a Tuvok that still feels "Vulcan" in some way despite laughing and feeling fear, we see a flicker of hurt when Chakotay realizes Janeway doesn't recognize him, and we have mixed emotions about Janeway feeling free enough to kiss a (non-holographic) man while unknowingly turning her back on her entire crew.

Part of why these moments don't hit harder is that they're saving story for part two. (In particular, B'Elanna will have a harder-hitting subplot there.) But also, part of it is that this episode is a little diluted with elements that don't work quite as well. Back on Voyager, there's a strange thread about the Doctor fighting to retain command of the ship (and in particular, feuding with Harry Kim) that just feels juvenile. Lots of talk about labor shortages comes up often enough that you'd think this episode is trying to make some classic Star Trek social commentary... but it never really does.

But for the most part, the story just feels big. And the budget goes big to match. This would have had to be a two-part episode just to pay for all the new sets: a two-level factory, a large bar (filled with extras), and an alien apartment. There's great CG shots of Voyager adrift in a gas cloud, a glimpse of Neelix's ship (for the first time in a while), and a sprawling alien cityscape (though the fake people walking in some of these shots are less great). There are a variety of alien makeups. Even a few cheap, "already paid for" elements look great -- there's the return of the First Contact spacesuits, and the grated staircase where the final showdown takes place was apparently just something attached to a building outside the shooting stage on the Paramount lot.

Other observations:

• Among the core traits that don't change: Janeway still talks to the computer (a new trait she recently picked up), and still somehow manages to make a replicator burn all her food.

• Speaking of food, they mention here that Chakotay is a vegetarian. I don't know that we've gotten that detail before. And I'm pretty sure we have seen (and/or will see) him eat meat on other occasions.

• The opening minutes of this episode may briefly leave you with the impression that Our Heroes are actually undercover on an alien planet (rather than unaware of their true identities). If you think that, and then are disappointed to learn what's really happening, don't be disappointed: Chakotay and Neelix do go undercover by the end of the episode!

As we end this episode, B'Elanna has been taken back to Voyager, Janeway is moving in with her new love interest, and it looks like Chakotay is about to be captured! Tune in next week to find out what happens next! But for now, I give "Workforce" a B+.

Masterful Storytelling

Television mini-series don't tend to have the staying power in the public consciousness that long-running full-fledged series get. But a few mini-series do stand the test of time, and are talked about decades later. One of these is HBO's Band of Brothers, which in 2001 presented gripping stories of World War II. Almost a decade later, a follow-up, The Pacific, turned its attention to the other major theater of that war. Now, in 2024, those two series have become a trilogy with Masters of the Air.

Masters of the Air is a 9-part mini-series focused on the operations of the 100th Bomb Group in World War II. We follow their harrowing raids into German-occupied Europe, tracking events from roughly the U.S. entry into the war to its final days. We see how the pilots and their crews coped (or sometimes, didn't); how they gave their lives, or were captured; how triumphs and defeats seemed to go almost hand in hand.

It's been a long time since I watched Band of Brothers (though watching this made me want to revisit it). Yet I still think Masters of the Air arrives at the right time, as visual effects for television have reached the point where this story can be told well. Just as Band of Brothers took the combat that many people may have imagined as noble or righteous and exposed it as terrifying and grimy, so Masters of the Air shows what flying bombers over Nazi Germany really entailed. The title of the show paints a picture that the show itself quickly contradicts: we are following the "grunts" of the skies, relying as much on luck as skill to survive.

For the most part, the series follows the same core group of characters (with some departing or arriving over the course of episodes). Yet each episode has a distinctly different focus and tone. You see massive air raids in one episode, but in the next follow pilots on medical leave. You see a deadly attack in one episode that forces airmen to bail out... and in the next episode follow them on the run trying to escape enemy territory.

The cast is simply sprawling, including Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, Barry Keoghan, Ncuti Gatwa, and more. As with Band of Brothers and The Pacific before it, I have no doubt that if you go back to watch Masters of the Air, say, five years from now, you'll recognize several actors who have gone onto greater fame and think, "wow, they were in this?" Yet paradoxically, I wouldn't necessarily point to any one standout performance in the ensemble. Again, much like Band of Brothers and The Pacific, the story and the setting are the stars, and that seems to be how everyone wants it.

Masters of the Air is only the latest in my frankly never-ending list of reasons you should subscribe to Apple TV+. I give the series an A-. It's an epic, gripping tale with several exceptional episodes throughout.

Problematic

Netflix has just announced that they will be making more episodes of its recent series 3 Body Problem. This came as good news to me, as I'd very recently finished the eight-episode season one, and was very much hoping there would be more.

3 Body Problem is adapted from the first book of a trilogy by author Liu Cixin. It's a story about an alien race coming to invade Earth with ominous intent. Constricted by travel time, they will not arrive for 400 years. But through advanced technology, and aided by willing humans on Earth, there's plenty of mayhem they can cause in the meantime.

A lot of the online talk about the series focused on the creators of the TV show: David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo. It's the first two getting all the attention, as they're the team behind Game of Thrones. Many reviews focused on the question, had they bungled this the way they bungled Game of Thrones?

One angle on that was to focus on the changes between the show and the original book. I haven't read that book, but I know that the author (writing in Chinese) created a cast of Chinese characters. The TV series changed most of them to other nationalities, simultaneously improving diversity and opening itself up to accusations of whitewashing. To me, these changes ultimately seem necessary to make a TV show you intend to be watched by a Western audience. (You might as well complain about why so many theoretical scientists are conspicuously attractive. That's television.) If these changes rub you the wrong way, the book still exists -- though you should acknowledge that unless you're going to read it in the original Chinese, you're already reading an adaptation of sorts.

The rest of the criticism toward Benioff and Weiss centered on the final, badly-received season of Game of Thrones -- and I think it misses something very critical. The writing duo are actually very good at adaptation. The first five or six seasons of Game of Thrones were widely acclaimed, grew in popularity over time, and were almost always exciting and entertaining to watch. Those were the seasons based on material already published by George R.R. Martin. You know, adaptations. When the show ran out of runway, caught up with the published books, and had to begin telling the story for the first time rather than the second? Well, writing good original screenplays is a different skill than writing good adaptations, and Benioff and Weiss (unfortunately) revealed they weren't as good as that.

All of that is my long walk to say that 3 Body Problem (its first season, and the new episodes Netflix has announced will happen) are adapted from finished novels. Which means this is something these two show runners can do well. And I think they did so here. I found the eight episodes so far to be increasingly interesting. So much about the story seems intellectually stimulating to me. You have an antagonist that's both abstract and concrete, passive and deadly, sympathetic and menacing. You have real fantastical elements of science fiction underpinned by a desire to portray much more realistic science than the average sci-fi tale. Terrifying stakes for the entire world are skillfully balanced against very small but equally important personal stakes for the handful of main characters. Sure, all of that doubtlessly comes from the source material... but preserving that in a jump to another medium is what good adaptation is all about.

I love how the series kept me guessing from episode to episode. It routinely offered up plot twists you could see coming and feel clever about anticipating... seemingly just so that you'd be blindsided by other revelations hidden one level deeper than that. I became utterly convinced that I'd sussed out what form a second season of the show will take... but the way that the final episode of season one actually ended left me doubting that certainty.

The characters aren't necessarily the most standout element of the show, but there are a few performances that caught my eye. Rosalind Chao is great as Dr. Ye Wenjie, portraying a very difficult internal journey through carefully calibrated facial expressions. Benedict Wong is great as Clarence Shi, as close as this show gets to comic relief, served with a heaping side of exasperation. And the many returning Game of Thrones veterans are solid, though my personal favorite is Liam Cunningham, who ditches all the likability of his GoT character Davos to play proper asshole Thomas Wade.

Had Netflix opted not to continue the show, I'm quite confident I would have wanted to read the books to get the whole story. Even as it stands, the trilogy is now in my reading queue. I give 3 Body Problem a B+.

Discovery: Labyrinths

With just a few episodes left in its final season, Star Trek: Discovery visits the library! (Not joking. But it turns out: it's pretty cool.)

The trail to the final Progenitor clue takes Discovery to the Badlands, where an interstellar traveling archive holds the item they seek. But the inevitable associated test sees Burnham drawn inside her own mind, where she has limited time to escape. Meanwhile, the Breen are approaching the Archive with hostile intent, and Moll is trying to exert influence over the Primarch and drive a wedge between him and his crew.

This deep into the season, we're basically "pot committed" to all the story threads that have been laid out. It really doesn't matter than Book is awkwardly squeezed into stories where he doesn't belong; we're going to keep doing that (two different ways this week!). It doesn't really matter if you're invested in Moll and her potential redemptive arc; we're doing it either way. Fortunately, even though this episode by necessity included these less successful elements, the rest of the episode was basically all stuff Discovery does very well.

Once again, Sonequa Martin-Green demonstrates that she's one of the all-time heavy hitters for acting on a Star Trek series. As Burnham sat dying in the fading lights of her mental "Archive," what impressed me is that this time, Martin-Green didn't turn the emotional dial up to 11 as we've seen her do (wonderfully) before. Instead, there was a fatigue woven throughout her emotional revelation; this wasn't a dam breaking, but a clenched muscle being relaxed. But I was just as moved watching character and actor grapple with "the big stuff" in a very well-realized scene.

While Sonequa Martin-Green may have had the best moment in the episode, some other performers had strong moments too. As much as I've rolled my eyes at the forced inclusion of Booker this season, David Ajala was actually very good in the moment where Booker interacts with the Kwejian artifact. And on the other end of the emotional spectrum, Tig Notaro killed it with the comedy in a brief scene with Stamets and Adira. I could do with so much more Jet Reno than we ever get, but I suppose "leave them wanting more" is the right way to use the character.

I feel like special recognition is also due to guest star Elena Juatco, who played the quirky "librarian" of the alien Archive. I do credit the character with being an interesting concept and having some fun dialogue, but I really think the performer brought a lot to it, elevating the quirky ideas without making it all seem silly. And I want to give another shout-out to Patrick Kwok-Choon as Rhys. He's been on this show for ages, thanklessly spouting a little technobabble here and there, but this week he actually got to sit in the captain's chair and confidently whip out orders. It feels like it must have been a super-satisfying moment for the actor.

The visuals of modern Star Trek continue to impress. The interior of the Archive was a wonderful set, a "Library of EVERY Congress" in scale and scope. It was created consistently enough that it wasn't always obvious how much was virtual and how much was really there, and felt so "worth it" that I didn't mind the conceit that helped pay for the production of it (that Burnham's vision was set in the very same location).

This felt to me like one the strongest Star Trek: Discovery episode in several weeks. I give "Labyrinths" a B+.

Rising to the Challenge

I don't usually go in for "sports movies." But then, the best ones usually aren't really about sports. And an awful lot of voices had been saying the recent release Challengers was "one of the best ones."

Challengers stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a hyper-ambitious tennis phenom who becomes the romantic pivot point between friends and doubles partners Patrick and Art. Well... actually, it's the story of Patrick and Art meeting across the net, years later, to play out their bitter rivalry on the tennis court. Except... actually it's the gradual revealing of a decade of history explaining how two best friends fractured. But also....

Suffice it to say, Challengers is a surprisingly complicated movie. But indeed, the tennis is the medium and not the message. And an incredibly clever script by Justin Kuritzkes makes the complicated flashback structure seem not only clear, but necessary to presenting these characters in the most compelling way possible. Plus, it's one of those scripts where every single moment planted has some important payoff later. And one of those scripts that's subtle enough to not read as pure setup in the early scenes.

Intriguingly, as much as this is a sports movie that isn't really about sports, it's equally a sexy movie with surprisingly little sex. Director Luca Guadagnino freights the movie up with all the innuendo and sexual tension that you could ever ask for, but things never truly get as physical as they do on the tennis court. Indeed, Guadagnino leans into the flashback structure of the movie by making each return to the tennis match of the present day increasingly frenetic. By the end of the movie, the camera work is frankly gonzo and borderline nauseating, but the movie has almost earned it.

Essentially, this is a movie about the subtext. And so it won't work without strong acting. Thankfully, all three of the stars are excellent. Zendaya threads an impossibly small needle here. She commands all of her scenes without ultimately detracting from the core of the story, which in my eyes is the relationship between the two friends. Her character is so fierce, and often manipulative, that in any other movie she would just be the outright villain of the tale. Yet she's also the one character who's most self-possessed, and the most capable -- and it basically feels like Zendaya is the perfect person to embody all that.

Josh O'Connor is threading a needle of his own as Patrick. His character is spoiled, lazy, impulsive... could be thoroughly unlikable on paper. But all of those things become secondary in O'Connor's breezily charismatic portrayal. Mike Faist as Art possibly has the hardest role of all. His character is crafted to be a meek second in every pairing he's put in; he should be an uninteresting doormat, impossible to root for. But he too gives a performance that feels like more than what's on the page.

There's also a pulsing, "dance club vibes" score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It absolutely elevates the proceedings. (And I want to add it to my "ski mix" before next winter rolls around.)

Strangely, I find myself actually wanting to watch the movie again at some point soon. Because when I finished it, my thoughts were: "well, that was pretty good, though not as great as some people are saying." I'd call it a B+. And yet, going back to order my thoughts about it here, I find so much to like about it and very little to criticize. (Maybe it's a touch too long? As good as the Reznor/Ross score is, the choice to include a couple of strange church choir moments doesn't work for me at all.) Could I really wind up thinking that a sports/love triangle movie is among the best movies of the year?

I guess we'll find out later.

Voyager Flashback: The Void

The signature element differentiating Star Trek: Voyager from previous series in the franchise was that the ship was distant and isolated, cut off from the Federation. In the episode "The Void," Captain Janeway sets out to create a little Federation of her own.

Voyager becomes trapped inside a spatial anomaly along with dozens of other ships... but with absolutely no resources, and no apparent escape. While stronger aliens in this "void" prey upon each other for survival, Janeway tries to convince them all to work together toward the common goal of escape.

It's hard to ignore that the featured element of this episode -- being trapped inside a black void -- was already the signature element of the fifth season premiere, "Night." (They even called it "the void" in that episode.) The episode also has a little in common with "The Haunting of Deck Twelve" with its moody lighting, and sees a return appearance of the Overlookers (though an opportunity is missed to really dig into what it's like for them to be cut off from their decision-making "Hierarchy").

Still, this episode ends up feeling like more than a reheat of old ideas. If you can get over the hurdle of accepting Janeway's blind faith in giving resources away (I mean... I guess she turns out to be right), there's an enjoyable story here that goes right to the heart of Star Trek ideals. We meet an unusual alien race who only communicates (with us) through the music we teach them -- and we see their distinctiveness dismissed by those with closed minds. We see a sci-fi fable of cooperation as a virtue.

We also see a few things that are very NOT Star Trek. There's a long montage near the end of this episode, showing us the escape preparations with no dialogue at all -- almost unheard of on Star Trek. For the nitpickers out there, they actually acknowledge at one point that the shuttlecraft aboard Voyager have their own resources that can help supplement the main ship. (This realization could have gotten Our Heroes out of a few problems over the years.) And we get a rare instance of a credited actor who speaks no dialogue at all, as Jonathan Del Arco -- the Borg Hugh himself -- plays the alien named Fantome by the Doctor. (We get the expected joke about the Doctor still being unable to name himself.)

Other observations:

• Tom and B'Elanna and Janeway and Chakotay begin this episode at dinner, on something that must look very much like a double date to any Janeway/Chakotay shippers out there.

• There's a brief mention of the Vaadwaur. Remember when it seemed like they would be a thing?

• At this point in the series, most of the visual effects are achieved with CG -- and very little model work. And it generally looks quite good for the time the show was made. But there's something about just showing the ship in an empty void, with no stars or anything, that inescapably calls attention to the shortcomings of the CG of the time.

I give "The Void" a B. Its hopeless optimism feels a bit too extreme to be believed... yet is kinda-sorta pure, uncut Star Trek at the same time.

Monstrous Fun

Godzilla has been back in the zeitgeist in a big way over the past year, and I am lagging rather far behind: I didn't make it out to the theater for either of the two films that have been released in that time. But I still have an Apple TV+ subscription. And with that, I recently finished the 10-episode first season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

Monarch is a show with two tantalizing hooks. One: it will include Godzilla and other giant monsters to satisfy all you kaiju lovers out there. Two: it features a marvelous bit of stunt casting. In the show's decades-spawling narrative, the same character is played in two different time periods by real-life father and son Kurt and Wyatt Russell.

Monarch manages to deliver wonderfully on both of these two elements. When it comes to the giant monsters, that was by no means a given. Television simply doesn't have the budget of a major motion picture, and my friends who watch all the Godzilla stuff routinely offer this bit of criticism: "I could have used more giant monsters in that movie." But each episode of the show does have at least one big kaiju set piece, it generally doesn't feel wedged in there, and for the most part, the human story elements are compelling enough that they don't feel like filler between.

As for the gimmick of Wyatt Russell and Kurt Russell playing the same character? That's flawless. Every time-hopping story that has ever used old age makeup or creepy CG to age or de-age a character has been striving for something that works as well as this. Wyatt has clearly studied all his father's classic 80s movies (or, alternatively, simply didn't need to), and perfectly embodies that Plissken-esque swagger. Kurt, for his part, is a delightfully credible "aging action hero"; it doesn't feel like a reach that he's still out here MacReadying after all these years.

And it's not like the Russells are carrying a weak cast. Anna Sawai (who appeared in the just-finished Shōgun -- still queued up on my TV to-do list) is the solid anchor of the modern-day story line. Meanwhile, Mari Yamamoto and Anders Holm (the latter usually known for comedy) are strong foils in the "past" story line.

Not every episode is a home run. There's a lengthy side plot about the secret identity of one of the characters that left me cold (though more for the writing; it's not any fault of the actor's). Also, I think the show works better when both time frames are featured in an episode -- not just one, as the series sometimes does.

But the series is ultimately entertaining on its own, even as it does the unthinkable: it makes me consider going back to watch the earlier movies in this larger "Godzilla-verse" for the connections this show weaves into the background. Ultimately, the 10 episodes feel largely "contained" to me... and yet the show was popular enough that a second season has been announced. I'm nervous-but-hopeful about what they might do with it.

I give Monarch: Legacy of Monsters a B+. There's no shortage of compelling series to watch on Apple TV+. (Seriously, folks. The quality, show for show, has to be highest value proposition of any of the innumerable streaming services around.) But I'd say it's worth making time for this one.

Discovery: Erigah

Star Trek: Discovery's final season continues with the seventh episode, "Erigah."

A massive Breen battleship is coming to collect the fugitives Moll and L'ak from Federation HQ, and it's too dangerous to hand them over without our heroes learning how much they know about the hunt for the Progenitors' technology. Admiral Vance and T'Rina stall the Breen as Michael tries to find out why the criminals are so important to them. Meanwhile, Stamets, Tilly, and Adira all try to crack the next clue in the chain, working from different angles.

There were peaks and valleys for me throughout this episode, owing a lot to which characters were on center stage at any given moment and how much I am invested in their stories right now. But I also found a lot about the episode to be somewhat good and not at the same time.

For example, I've generally enjoyed the return of the Breen and using them as a major villain this season... but I'm also a bit disappointed at how they've been demystified from the inscrutable baddies of Deep Space Nine, so alien we couldn't even understand their speech. I'm glad to see Nhan return for an episode, as I'd like to see as many recurring characters get one final appearance in the final season... but she came back to lose her prisoners, contribute nothing to any story thread, and have no notable scenes. I'm glad to see an expanded role for T'Rina in the episode, especially one demonstrating her diplomatic acumen... but I really felt the absence of Saru, who remained weirdly off-screen for the whole episode.

I remain "unswept up" by Moll and L'ak, as their story continues to feel so manufactured to me. The romance between them is a large part of the demystification of the Breen that bothers me, and Book's efforts to force himself on that story line through a connection to Moll that really exists only in his own mind? It's increasingly grating. (Book really has nothing to do this season. Hell, he even wandered into Engineering this episode to tell Stamets basically that.) Whether Moll or L'ak lives or dies, has a plan or doesn't, escape together or not... I just feel the screen minutes crawling when the episode spends those minutes on these issues.

Almost equal and opposite, I continue to enjoy the presence of Rayner on the show. The revelation of his trauma and loss goes a long way (in television character terms) in explaining why he is the way he is. Instead of the Moll/L'ak flashbacks of a few weeks ago, I wish instead we had gotten a Rayner flashback showing the invasion of his planet by the Breen. This latest episode cast his abrasive demeanor in much the same light as another beloved (by me) Star Trek character, Major Kira -- and I want more of it. Rayner is a main character. So spend more time on him than on temporary villains like Moll and L'ak.

I also, as ever, love any excuse for an extended scene with Tig Notaro as Jet Reno. Sure, the idea that only Reno would be able to identify the strange metal card was a big stretch. But who cares when Notaro gets to quip her way through several pages of delightfully dry dialogue, and suggest the new cocktail for Trekkers to concoct.

I give "Erigah" a B-. Next week, our heroes go after the final clue... and I guess I've got until then to figure out a recipe for a Seven of Limes.

Voyager Flashback: Prophecy

During the "middle era" of Star Trek (from The Next Generation through Enterprise), the franchise's production was rare in Hollywood for having an "open door" submission policy for speculative scripts. Over the years, a select few Star Trek fans got to see their ideas turned into actual episodes. One notable example of this was Star Trek: Voyager's "Prophecy."

Voyager encounters a Klingon ship that's been traveling space for generations in search of a fabled Messiah who is said will lead them to a new land. The captain, Kohlar, seems to be a fanatic who identifies B'Elanna Torres' unborn daughter as that Messiah. But to Janeway, he reveals that he's simply a weary leader seizing on an opportunity to end his people's hardship. But there's much more to the story. The Klingons have hidden an important and dangerous secret from the Voyager crew, and there may actually be some truth in their ancestors' prophecy.

Larry Nemecek became one of Star Trek's more noted fans when he published multiple reference books on the original series. He was given the chance to attend a story pitch meeting for Star Trek: Voyager before the pilot, "The Caretaker," had even aired. One of his ideas involved Voyager encountering a generational Klingon ship far from home in the Delta Quadrant. That idea was bought... but shelved for over six years, when it was surprisingly revived for this final season episode.

In tweaking the story to fit the show Voyager had become by its seventh season, four writers would ultimately share story credit, and two others script credit. That sort of soup of writers is often the hallmark of an uneven, Frankensteined episode of television, but "Prophecy" bucks the trend. Still, it is perhaps a bit overstuffed: these Klingons from an "at war with the Federation" era get over that prejudice quite quickly, no one ever talks about the Klingons maybe being here to stay (and say, integrating with the crew as the Maquis did).

And yet, what is packed in here is pretty fun. I've never been the biggest fan of Klingons on Star Trek, but absence on Voyager has indeed made the heart grow fonder. Captain Kohlar coaching B'Elanna in the ways of Klingon braggadocio is amusing, seeing Tom Paris thrown into a classic Klingon duel (mostly; it's non-lethal) is a blast, and the element of spirituality woven throughout ultimately feels "just right." We get to see an old-style Klingon ship, and a big phaser shoot-out on the bridge. What's not to like!

There are a few good laugh lines spread to other main characters. Tuvok dryly speaks of the "significant security threat" of 200 Klingons. Neelix bellows a Klingon drinking song (originally established on Deep Space Nine, I believe). Janeway has to warn the Doctor to step back and let an unborn child take credit for his work.

Some more serious moments land well too. B'Elanna is really shown the good aspects of her Klingon heritage, and is truly moved by the bat'leth she receives as a gift in the end. Roxann Dawson is particularly good in the scene where her character half-remembers a traditional prayer for her grandmother.

But there are a few subplots here I don't love. It's a terrible episode for Harry Kim, who spends all his time running from an amorous Klingon, before being stupid enough to show a different Klingon exactly how to use the transporter (so they can then try to take over the ship). The "odd couple" relationship of Tuvok and Neelix wears thin when Neelix crashes Tuvok's quarters and then destroys it in a wild sex-capade. (You can't put a sock on a doorknob if there is no doorknob.)

Other observations:

• Actor Sherman Howard has popped up before on The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. This time, he's well covered up in Klingon makeup.

• Neelix has (I think) a new outfit in this episode. Or if it isn't new, its upholstery-like qualities caught my eye in a way they never did before.

 "Prophecy" is a nice blend of Star Trek lore with character-based story. I give it a B+.

Back in All Its Pink Glory

Last night, my husband and I won the Colorado Lottery. No, not the one with big money involved. (Wouldn't that be nice?) Rather, the random chance to have dinner at the new, remodeled Casa Bonita.

Assuming you've heard of Casa Bonita, basically everything you've ever heard about it is true. When the restaurant was featured on South Park in 2003, most of my Virginia co-workers assumed it was just a wild fiction by the show. No, those of us who'd lived in Colorado had to persuade everyone: it's a real place, and South Park really didn't exaggerate anything about it. Yes, it's a Mexican restaurant with a magic show, a funhouse "cave," and a waterfall with divers somehow all crammed inside its seemingly Tardis-like structure.

Everything you may have heard about it since then is true as well. With each passing year, the place fell more into decline, and the food (never that good to start with) became increasingly inedible. But not even a visit to what Casa Bonita had become could erode the nostalgia felt by anyone who'd visited the place in its prime as a kid. When South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone announced they were buying the place and remodeling it, that nostalgia fueled a fever to attend that has continued a full year now after the reopening. You can't just show up to Casa Bonita; you have to put your name on an email list, then wait to be randomly selected for your chance to go.

After watching a few friends have their turn come up over the past months (and being surprised at the hints of jealousy I felt about that), our turn finally arrived. As it turns out, everything you've probably heard about the new Casa Bonita is also true. Everything is better.

The food is improved. I guarantee you that your favorite Mexican restaurant, whatever it is, serves better. But also, I can't remember ever feeling "full" when leaving Casa Bonita, as I actually did last night. At the very least, the food is at a level where it's no longer a thing worth talking about. Which, given the rest of the experience that is Casa Bonita, is exactly what it should be. Yes, it's pricey. But that price tag isn't about the food itself; it's paying for everything else.

And because Casa Bonita is now so backlogged with reservations that it can count on being completely full every hour it's open, that means it can be in full swing all the time. Yes, Casa Bonita has always had a theater inside... but I think I was in junior high the last time I remember there actually being a magic show on that stage when I visited. Now, the "insanely mysterious Sorcero" is regularly performing quick, comedic magic shows multiple times a night. Yes, there was always a waterfall at Casa Bonita... but your odds of actually seeing a "cliff diver" there after 2010 were slim to none. Now, a quick two-minute dive show occurs every 20 minutes. Yes, there had always been a puppet show stage near Black Bart's cave... and I don't recall ever seeing a performance there, even back in the 1980s. Now, every half hour, you get amusing Dad jokes delivered by puppet tacos and burritos, every half hour. (Though I do feel a bit badly for the person who has to deliver those jokes again and again, all night long.)

So yeah, Casa Bonita really is back to fulfilling the promise of being what Eric Cartman called "Mexican Disneyland" in that one episode. At least, it's enough so to deliver one fun evening. Maybe you have to come like I did, loaded with nostalgia for what the place used to be. But however it came together, I had a fun time.

Fun on the Bayou

My reviews of Star Trek: Discovery have given me occasions to praise the dry humor of Tig Notaro. Now I get to do so again, for a television series she made years before Star Trek came calling -- One Mississippi.

Notaro made this series based on her own life, playing the character "Tig Bavaro," a radio host who returns home to Mississippi to deal with the death of her mother -- while still recovering from a recent bout with cancer. In Mississippi, she butts heads with her persnickety stepfather, continues her strange music-meets-confessional radio show, and develops feelings for a producer at the local radio station.

Tig Notaro has always put her life into her stand-up act -- and anyone who has seen her recorded specials will be familiar with the details. Still, it feels fresh to see that material packaged here into a half-hour sitcom-like format. I say "like" because it's not entirely clear whether comedy is the main objective of the show. It certainly has funny moments, many of them being Notaro tossing off a dry one-liner. But it isn't packing jokes in like many modern comedies.

Story is supreme here -- which you might expect more if you know the work of the writer who Notaro developed the show with: Diablo Cody. And so the show has a lot to say about grieving, coming out, child abuse, and more. No, it doesn't sound like a comedy. Yet the show does manage to give serious time to all these ideas without ever being dragged down long into seriousness by them. This is what you get in Notaro starring in a show about her own life -- there's plenty of light mingled with the dark.

The supporting cast is strong, particularly John Rothman as stepfather Bill, who manages to generate empathy despite playing a character determined to bottle up emotion. Noah Harpster plays Tig's brother Remy, and the two have an authentic-feeling sibling rapport/rivalry. Notaro's real-life wife Stephanie Allynne plays her prospective love interest in the series, perhaps spoiling the ultimate direction of that story, but also bringing some real-world chemistry to the relationship that is truly enjoyable.

The show ran just two seasons of six episodes each. While it does feel in the end as though it could have kept going perhaps one more, it also reaches a satisfying enough conclusion. Both seasons feel distinct, with the first focused much more on Tig herself, and the second opening up more interesting story lines for her brother and stepfather.

One Mississippi was never really on the top of my television viewing agenda -- I think I'd grade the series overall a B. (Which is plenty good; but we're in a time where it feels like even better shows abound.) Yet now that I've finished it, I feel its absence since there's really nothing else quite like it. Half-hour shows that are somewhat serious are rare enough. Comedies with the bravery to take on such heavy topics are more rare still. If you have an Amazon Prime subscription, perhaps One Mississippi is something you'd like to check out.

Discovery: Whistlespeak

The final season of Star Trek: Discovery continues with "Whistlespeak."

The latest clue to the Progenitor technology is tough to crack, but eventually leads to a pre-warp planet where the extreme drought conditions have been mitigated by a series of advanced rain-making towers hidden in the environment. The towers have become central in the native spirituality... but now are failing after years of neglect. Burnham and Tilly go undercover on the planet in search of the clue. Meanwhile, Culber's uncertain journey of self-revelation continues, and Adira has to "sink or swim" when assigned to bridge duty.

While I liked the tone of this episode overall, and several moments in it, there was a lot about "Whistlespeak" that didn't quite line up right to me. The title itself is emblematic of this: after setting up the intriguingly alien concept of whistling supplementing language... the episode doesn't pay it off at all. And that's despite having a clear moment to do so in the climax, when one of the locals hums a tune that's passed to their father through Tilly and Burnham. Hums? Not whistles?!

There was also something off about the episode's "lesson." The Prime Directive was put front and center this week, and Burnham even summarizes the moral for the audience: we're going to have to be wise with this advanced technology once we get our hands on it. But then what to make of the fact that Burnham violated the Prime Directive to resolve the story here? And what to make of the alien scientist who set up this lesson... by inadvertently introducing the concept of sacrificing to the gods into a primitive society? "I'm going to teach you that it's irresponsible to meddle using advanced technology by meddling on this planet using advanced technology." Real "do as I say, not as I do" energy here.

And I'm also not sure what to make of the Stamets/Culber story line right now -- though, obviously, there are still more episodes to come. Culber sure seems to be steering toward a place where he's not sure he and Stamets can be together anymore... and that seems absolutely wild to me. Stamets just said, point blank, in this episode, that "I don't understand what you're going through, but I love you and I want you to be happy." What more can he say? It's possible that Discovery is trying to tell a story here that's quite difficult to pull off in a Star Trek setting: is this the story of one spouse deciding they want to "start going to church" and the other spouse remaining agnostic/atheist? Religion is tricky on Star Trek. (Even Deep Space Nine, which handled it best, didn't always do it well.) I'm also having a bit of a hard time believing that Culber is having such a profound "crisis" of self after a Trill joining ceremony after he's already returned from the dead. I suppose we must assume that the first experience left him particularly susceptible to be shaken by the second.

Amid all those elements that I'm mixed to negative on, you might wonder -- did I actually like this episode? Well, I haven't talked about how much I enjoyed seeing a Burnham/Tilly team-up. It feels like it's been a long time since those characters have been the focal point of an episode together, and I really enjoy their dynamic. The power balance has shifted so much between them since they were roommates back in season one, but the way they interact together has survived that change intact. I find it light and fun. Burnham seems to be having at least one adventure with every main character this season, and I'm glad we finally reached the Tilly adventure.

I also thought the series once again did a good job showing us an alien planet and culture. That's not always easy when the decision is made for the aliens of the week to just be "humans with face paint." But the communal ethos of this culture was well realized, as was the planetary environment. (Subtle and carefully applied color timing can go a long way.)

Roll it all up, and I give "Whistlespeak" a B-. Though not the strongest episode of this season so far, neither was it the weakest.

Voyager Flashback: Repentance

Among the more progressive stances "baked in" to Star Trek are its attitudes towards incarceration. It's pretty much always been part of the franchise fabric that everyone deserves a second chance, rehabilitation is the goal, and capital punishment is anathema. In the episode "Repentance," Star Trek: Voyager takes some of that background and brings it to the foreground.

Voyager finds itself transporting alien prisoners due to be executed. When one of them requires an emergency surgery, with the unexpected consequence of repairing his "broken conscience," the prisoner truly reforms and repents for the first time. But that may mean nothing in the alien justice system -- a fact that causes Seven of Nine in particular to rethink her views.

This episode really tries to pack in a lot. (In part, it does this by beginning with the action underway: just as the prisoners are first coming aboard Voyager.) It grafts real-life details about the U.S. prison system onto this alien society, such as the fact that one demographic in its population accounts for a dramatically larger portion of the prison population. It questions how humanely prisoners should be treated (and whose humanity it actually comments on when they aren't). It pays lip service to the Prime Directive. (Even though I think it shouldn't; again, Star Trek can't remember from one episode to the next whether that's supposed to apply to warp-capable species.) It presents an intriguingly alien notion of justice: that victims, as the people who know how to "value" what's been taken from them, should be the ones passing judgments.

Because of all this background, there isn't enough time to really check-in on how many of the main characters really feel about the situation. (I think Harry Kim isn't even on-screen in this episode? But he does have one off-screen line I noted.) Tuvok has to run security in accordance with alien values without compromising his own. Tom Paris is made to recall his own time in incarceration (as the pilot episode began). The Doctor, of course, gets to be the most forceful voice against capital punishment. But all these moments are almost "in passing," even though any would be worthy of a more developed subplot.

Two characters in particular do get extra screen time, and it mostly works. Neelix is a good choice for this story, as no doubt his old life as a scavenger saw him committing crimes of various severity. He is the perfect person to hear the prisoner Joleg's story about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and feels more empathetic than naive to believe it.

Meanwhile, Seven is the right person to center in a story about someone who has done the most horrible things in their past now expressing true remorse. She's forced to confront her time in the Borg collective in a far more personal and emotional way than most past episodes have demanded. She reckons with whether she's been sufficiently punished for what she has done. And she gets the chance to give out a second chance as she was given one by Janeway.

And the story is helped by two excellent guest stars, each on opposing character arcs. F.J. Rio plays an apparently sympathic Joleg who in the end is revealed to be a psychopath, while Jeff Kober is excellent as the "irredeemable" Iko who actually does seem redeemable in the end. Tim de Zarn is strong too as the alien warden Yediq, who himself has a journey of forgiveness. In fact, the story arcs of these three guest characters might be a little too compelling, threatening to overwhelm the focus on Voyager crew.

Other observation:

• One prisoner is shocked when offered more than one meal a day. But it's Neelix's cooking, so which is really the greater punishment?

I don't exactly want a two-part episode here -- I don't feel like there's that much story (or a logical cliffhanger point). Though I do think this episode would have benefited a lot had it been made in the age of streaming, able to have as long a runtime as it needed. Another 10 to 15 minutes I think would have really helped dig into the Voyager characters' role in this story more fully. I give "Repentance" a B.

A Long Look Back

The Long Goodbye is a movie I perhaps shouldn't have carved out time to watch. The 1973 film is directed by Robert Altman (whose work I've never especially liked), and it's based on a Raymond Chandler novel (though "film noir" is not a genre I'm generally enthusiastic about). Still, the movie had managed to pop up several times over the past year in various contexts -- enough to convince me that this was a foundational movie I'd probably do well to have seen. And while indeed, I did not love it, there were enough elements I responded to that I was glad after all that I'd made the time.

Chandler's famed detective Philip Marlowe becomes embroiled in a mystery when he gives a friend a ride to Mexico, and the wife of that friend is found dead the next day. Marlowe is held for questioning... but ultimately released when the friend turns up dead in Mexico. From there, the plot only thickens, as a seemingly unrelated case of a missing husband may have unexpected connections, and a gangster puts Marlowe on the hook for money his late friend owed.

One major point of interest for me in watching the film was learning, as the credits rolled, who wrote the screenplay. Leigh Brackett is known for the scripts of several classic movies, though geeks like me will know that one of her last projects before her death was an early draft of The Empire Strikes Back. If you can't help but notice how sharp the characters are in Empire, how sparkling the dialogue is compared to literally every other Star Wars movie to date? The conventional wisdom is you're seeing the work of Leigh Brackett shining through.

It's fascinating to see how a she, writing in 1973, negotiates all the cliches of the traditionally male-driven film noir format. The Long Goodbye hardly codes as "feminist," though I daresay I detect a greater interest in this movie's characters as characters rather than archetypes, as film noir usually reads to me. And certainly, the dialogue here is notably snappy; people have a way of saying things that feels perfectly heightened without being unnaturally "over-written."

Outside of these touches that I like to think are Brackett, I can't say I'm otherwise thrilled by the script. The story simultaneously feels stale and rather convoluted -- though that presumably all comes from Raymond Chandler's original book (which was already 20 years old at the time this movie was made; it has only aged more since). It also unfolds at the glacial pace typical of 1970s movies. The Long Goodbye is less than two hours and yet still manages to feel about 20 minutes too long. This has a lot to do with just how much time is spent setting up the world; we're almost 14 minutes in before it feels like the story really starts to heat up (and most of that opening 14 minutes involves the main character dealing with his cat).

Still, I was drawn into even the slower parts of the movie to some extent, thanks to the actor playing the main character. I've seen Elliott Gould in all kinds of roles over the years... though he has felt to me like an actor who was somehow always "old." Now, of course, I'm aging myself and that's surely affecting my perceptions. Yet still, I'd never seen a movie with a younger Elliott Gould like this. And he gives a good performance too. This version of Philip Marlowe talks to himself all the time, making quips only for "himself" and the audience, and Gould somehow manages to make all that feel plausible. (And that first 14 minutes that's mostly Gould and a cat? Well, it may have nothing to do with the plot, yet it still somehow is oddly compelling. And however it may have been found in the editing room, this cat gives an extraordinary performance.)

Gould is only the most notable (to me) of several interesting performances in the film. There's Henry Gibson, fresh off Laugh-In and playing massively against type. Nina van Pallandt gives good "femme fatale." And, uncredited, blink and you'll miss both David Carradine and, in a non-speaking role, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Another noteworthy "performance" in the film comes from the composer, a name you'll surely recognize: John Williams. This comes rather early in Williams' career, and the score sounds nothing like what you'd think of as a John Williams score. He's still very much "Johnny Williams," hired here to do what many movies of the era did: have one song, remixed a half-dozen ways to sprinkle throughout the film. It's an interesting bit of film archaeology.

Overall, I didn't love The Long Goodbye. Indeed, these days, I tend not to even bother blogging about things that I have a generally mixed-to-negative opinion about. (As for why? Well, you could argue there's no point in me reaching out to swat down a 50-year-old movie that's on no one's radar.) And yet, there was just enough here that I don't want to fully swat this movie down. I give The Long Goodbye a C-. If you're a fan of noir, or Leigh Brackett (whether you knew her by name or not), or hell -- cat actors -- there might be something here worthy of your time.