Thoughts on Succession's Season 3 Finale, Hawkeye's Disney Plus TV Show Season 1, Matrix Resurrections, and More

 Happy holidays!

Hope you guys have had a happy and safe holidays.  Here are some thoughts I had regarding the Succession finale, Hawkeye Disney+ TV series, Matrix Resurrections, and about Omicron.

The key to winning Logan Roy's heart appears to not be a child of the Roy family or born into there, but instead it seems to be loyalty.  
(Photo: Screenrant, via HBO)

Succession’s Season 3 Finale

It turns out that Kendall Roy didn’t drown after all.  He was saved by Comfrey, and so he lives to take part in another season.  Season 3 was a very interesting and entertaining nail biter.  Kendall gains the sympathy of his siblings, and together, Kendall, Shiv, and Roman team up to try to stop and block their father Logan Roy from selling WayStar RoyCo to Lukas Matsson that would prevent the kids from having any sort of power or meaningful position in the company.

Unfortunately for them, they are both unable to talk their father out of selling their media empire, and their father effectively cuts them off from having a future stake in their company.  The most heart wrenching aspect of knowing that the siblings would fail in their dealings with Logan Roy was the interaction between Roman and Logan, where Roman pleads to his father with love, and his father emphatically rejects it and dismisses his kids' behavior as poor business planning and disloyal behavior.  That the Roy kids would lose to Logan was probably inevitable since it seems that the ruthless Logan Roy always wins, but to me, it was a pretty sad end to Season 3, nevertheless.  

Over the course of the season and in terms of gamesmanship, the big winner turns out to be Tom, who goes from being jail bound to being in Logan's good graces and in a position to be in his inner circle.  It seems that the mistake the Roy kids made was that Shiv told her husband Tom Wambsgans about their plans to block their father’s impending sale of the company to Lukas Matsson, and Tom is implied to have relayed the information to Logan Roy so that he could call up his ex-wife to change things around so that their kids don’t get any leverage or power to block their business dealings.  What makes Logan a bad father makes him a good businessman, at least on the show of Succession.  Logan makes a cold business decision to both sell off the company and also decides that he will not want to deal with his children’s behavior any longer after they teamed up to try to unsuccessfully block the sale.  For Kendall, Shiv, and Roman, it seems that they will have to start up their own company and use their own funds and means to do so, all while Tom and cousin Greg move up the ladder to gain more power within WayStar RoyCo.

Overall, I liked the finale, and it was both gripping and intense.  The characters didn’t fully get everything they wanted on the show, but that is also what makes this show interesting, and it will provide a nice jump off point for the start of Season 4, to see how things unfold from the end of season 3 and onwards.

Disney Plus' Hawkeye season 1 was a roaring success, and it was a fun-filled season that had both  endearing and gripping moments along the way.
(Photo: Indian Express, via Marvel Studios)

Hawkeye TV series

I also watched all of the episodes of Hawkeye.  Kate Bishop (played by Hailee Steinfeld) is a young woman who ends up at her mom’s holiday party, and she poses as a waitress at an underground, black market auction in which they sell off Avengers and Ronin gear.  When a truck comes crashing into the auction, Kate makes a decision to put on the Ronin uniform that was once worn by the original Hawkeye, Clint Barton (played by Jeremy Renner).  

Meanwhile, Kate runs into all sort of problems, as she has to fend off the Tracksuit Mafia, and suspects her mom’s boyfriend Jack (played by Tony Dalton of Better Call Saul fame) of murdering Armand, a rich elderly gentleman who was also an acquaintance of their family.  Moreover, Jack seems to be too suave for his own good and is exceptionally skilled with the sword, and is also Kate’s mom’s mystery boyfriend and fiancée, so Kate immediately is suspicious of him.  In addition, Kate has to deal with the Tracksuit Mafia, who had their previous run-ins with Clint Barton when he was Ronin during his time where he lost his family and was grieving them due to the Snap (also known as the Blip), and so Kate gets entangled in this affair because the Tracksuit Mafia think Kate was the Ronin that they had faced off against years ago.

For Clint, he must deal with the trauma of his past, as he has to help Kate fend off the Tracksuit Mafia, and he also is tasked to find out who murdered Armand.  Echo, Yelena Belova, and Kingpin all play pivotal roles in the 6-episode first season, and we also get treated to good moments with the LARPers and Lucky the Pizza Dog, as we get treated to a nice mixture of action, fun, humor, and grippingly intense drama that keeps you engaged and interested in the series.  I enjoyed watching Hawkeye’s Disney Plus show season 1, and for those of you who already have or get to access Disney Plus, I recommend giving Hawkeye a viewing.

The Matrix Resurrections serves as a refreshing update that both reboots Neo and Trinity in a way that gives us a newer, younger Morpheus, a different version of Agent Smith, and Neil Patrick Harris really turns up the smarm as he steals the show as a secret major antagonist of the movie.

(Photo: Games Radar, via Warner Bros.)

The Matrix Resurrections

I also saw Matrix Resurrections starring Keanu Reaves as Neo/Thomas Anderson, Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity/Tiffany, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Morpheus, and I was pleasantly surprised at how good this movie was.

It was not only refreshing to see that they continued the storyline from the previous Matrix trilogy, but it also served as essentially a fun and intriguing reboot.  Neo comes back into the Matrix as a successful video game programmer, and he is credited with having created the Matrix video game that was essentially based heavily on his life.  He has recurring bouts of depression, loneliness, and trauma, and he dreams of Trinity, but he doesn’t know why.  In this world, he doesn’t really know Trinity, and he has to piece together moments of his old life and figure out that he actually lived that life.

Neil Patrick Harris was really good in a villainous role as Neo’s therapist and as the Analyst, and he really plays a smart, witty, smarmy antagonist character to perfection.  That was a really good addition to this series, and Jonathan Groff also embodied the character of Agent Smith and gives him newfound depth that makes him seem both like a credible business partner and Neo’s old enemy from the past.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II gave a refreshing swagger to playing Morpheus, and he’s basically channeling Morpheus from the very first Matrix movie.  Jessica Henwick also played an important role as Bugs, who helps explain to Neo his importance in paving the way for the future, all while explaining to him that they need him in the present.  As for Jada Pinkett-Smith playing old Niobe, I thought that was a bit of a disappointment.  She essentially was playing an old, wise veteran character that started up a new city called Io after the collapse of Zion, but she comes off as overly protective to the point where she doesn’t seem to want her citizens to take risks.

For the fans that love the Matrix trilogy, especially the first movie, you guys should tune in to watch Matrix Resurrections.  For those that didn’t really care for any of those movies though, maybe you don’t have to watch this, and you can elect to sit this one out.  I liked Matrix Resurrections.  It wasn’t perfect, but it was an entertaining and thoughtful movie that serves as a nice modern update.

Thoughts on COVID-19 and Omicron, and Other Things

Lastly, I wish you all to be happy, safe, and to be healthy.  These are some tough times as the world is dealing with the Omicron outbreak, but make sure you take precautions to be safe and healthy in the meantime.  

Anyways, those are my thoughts for now, and have a happy and safe holidays!  Thank you for reading.

Thoughts on The Rise of Skywalker and Uncut Gems

So, I had planned to have written this up in late December after having been in St. Louis, but I didn't save the Uncut Gems part of writing this up, so I had to re-write that whole section from memory, so that one may not be as good as it would have been had I remembered to hit the save button.  Anyways, here is the lost write-up that would've taken place on December 27th, 2019.

by Alan Lu

.........................

This has been a really interesting week in watching movies at the theaters.  On Friday, I went to AMC to see Star Wars IX: The Rise of Skywalker, and I also saw Uncut Gems on the night of Christmas.  Tonally, they seem to be two totally different movies.  The Rise of Skywalker is a fun, action-packed dramatic film that everyone can enjoy, and there were plenty of nostalgic moments, for better or worse.  Uncut Gems is more of a gritty, crime drama that details the exploits of a degenerate gambler in 2012 that attempts to settle his massive debts despite being in big trouble with the wrong people.  More specifically, Howard Ratner (played by Adam Sandler) is in trouble with his brother-in-law, who is also a loan shark, and Ratner at every turn drives right past the most convenient route to safety in order to go for the big score.  As where The Rise of Skywalker, the good guys win, and the bad guys lose, Uncut Gems is more of a character piece whose ending is jolting, if not unwholly surprising.

There are proponents and detractors from viewers that saw both of these movies, Uncut Gems seems to be more of a critical darling, and The Rise of Skywalker seems to be liked much more so by fans.  If you’re a fan of Rian Johnson’s controversial Star Wars film, The Last Jedi, you will certainly have bones to pick in the latest installment.  Simultaneously, there are a lot of heart-warming moments that have brought joy to filmgoers, which is definitely a plus.  For Uncut Gems, the main character doesn’t win, and the filmmakers ensure that he doesn’t.  It’s more of a sordid tale of a man whose exploits to win big seem to go wrong at every turn, even when he seems to pull off a miraculous victory.

The theater going experience to watching The Rise of Skywalker was surprisingly fun,
but the plot points didn't seem to add up or make much sense.
(Photo: Disney/Lucasfilm.)

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Things That Worked Well:

Rey and Kylo Ren’s relationship worked well, as their connection and bond allowed the film to play to its strengths.  There was always some sort of tension between them, as they were either fighting with or alongside each other throughout these movies, and through after fighting with Rey (Daisy Ridley), after she told him that she would’ve gone with him if he had fought for the good guys gave Kylo Ren/Ben Solo the epiphany to ditch the First Order for good, and to help Rey.  Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) decided to become Ben Solo once again, and the actors’ strong performances was a testament to their ability to translate their acting, fighting ability, and chemistry to the big screen.

Nostalgia. It’s fun seeing old characters come back in this film, as Han Solo came back as a vision to Ben Solo, which provided a tear-jerking, father and son moment, and Lando Calrissian was solid as an old, renegade rebel that provided wisdom and assistance to the Resistance.  Seeing Luke Skywalker one last time was fun to watch, as he provided more wisdom to Rey to help guide her through her journey.  Plus, it was fun to watch Chewbacca and General Leia Organa be in one last Star Wars movie before their characters rode off into their respective sunsets.

It has a happy ending that can be enjoyed by all or most Star Wars fans.  The 9^th movie brought a conclusion to the epic battles between the Resistance and the First Order, and it’s a joyous moment to see the good guys win at the end of this trilogy.

This film really brings out the 12-year old in you that just wants a fun, action-packed, but heartwarming movie.  While there were plot points that seemed to be hard to fathom and illogical, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a fun movie to watch when you turn off your thinking caps.

Things That Didn’t Work Well:

The plot didn’t always make sense.  They brought Palpatine back from the dead and they never truly seemed to explain how he survived the fall from Vader that happened in the 6^th movie, but he seemed to be inexplicably brought back somehow.  Maybe his Sith powers kept him alive, or maybe he grabbed ahold of something somewhere, but his return for the 9^th movie seemed to be all too convenient a way to transform Ben Solo/Kylo Ren into being a redeemable character.

Hux’s Spy Angle.  In The Force Awakens, General Hux gave a grandiose, fascist speech that was bone-chilling, as he helped carry out destructive orders that destroyed multiple planets.  Sure, he was Kylo Ren’s rival, as he and Kylo Ren were fighting to be the number two to Snoke in the 7^th movie, and he took a disliking to Kylo Ren claiming the throne in the eighth movie.  But Hux’s sudden transformation to help the rebels felt contrived and forced.  He had a tremendous thirst and lust for power in the seventh movie, yet his move to be a spy for the Rebels doesn’t seem to be a logical step for him.  He wanted to see Kylo Ren fail, but surely, he would’ve thought against being a spy, as that move ended up costing him his life.

The Chewbacca "death" fake out scene was pretty baffling.  In Rey's battle with Kylo Ren, they were dueling while using light sabers when suddenly lightning shoots out of Rey's hands which struck a ship that had apparently been carrying Chewbacca on it.  Realizing that Chewbacca was likely on that ship, she goes into hysterics and wails in despair.  Only that Chewbacca was not on that ship, but was on a different one!  Exactly how, we don't really know for sure, maybe he teleported magically, but the angle of faking Chewbacca's death was unnecessary at best, and puzzling at worst, but it did at least give me some relief that Chewbacca lived to fight another day.

The random appearance of Dominic Monaghan.  He’s been in popular TV shows and movies, such as Lost, but that he received an extended cameo role didn’t really seem to move the plot forward or make much sense, combined with the fact that Lupita Nyong’o and Rose Tico barely received lines in the ninth movie.

They didn’t really give Rose Tico or Maz Kanata anything to do in the Rise of Skywalker.  Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong’o) was teased as a major player in the Force Awakens, as she was Han Solo’s friend, was a beholder of Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber, and gave pearls of wisdom in that movie.  There was mention that maybe she even might have been a force-sensitive lightsaber wielding type of hero, but we never really got to see that.  Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) had an important role in The Last Jedi, as she teamed up with Finn (John Boyega) to find a codebreaker, and they fought together in that movie.  But in the 9^th movie, Rose Tico barely had any lines, and she was sidelined for most of the film.

Keri Russell didn’t have enough to do in this film.  Her character, Zorii Bliss was an old friend of Poe, and she mainly seemed to be in the movie to hang out and fight alongside Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), as well as to tell viewers that Poe and Zorii used to be in a relationship together.   Knowing full well that Keri Russell can act and fight as seen in the critically acclaimed TV show, The Americans, it’s a shame that she didn’t get more to do in The Rise of Skywalker.

The LGBT moment was quite forgettable, to the point where it sort of seemed like a throwaway scene.  Shippers of Finn and Poe were probably disappointed that they didn’t romantically end up together, and the LGBT moment was very brief, as there was a brief lesbian kiss between two side characters shortly before the cutaway.    But that moment was so brief, that Disney didn’t have to cut out much of their content in order to show their movie in Singapore.

Overall:

I’ll admit, I thought I would have written a lot on what works well, and in considerable detail, considering that I actually enjoyed this film when I saw this film last Friday.  The good parts of this film are that it’s fun, and it brings the kid out in you, as it is a fun, entertaining popcorn movie.  However, the plot didn’t always make sense, and more specifically, they made no attempt to explain how they brought Palpatine back from the dead.  Still, Star Wars IX: The Rise of Skywalker is a fairly enjoyable film, despite some questionable plot points.

Score: 3/5

Grade: C+/Above Average

Uncut Gems was a riveting tale of a degenerate gambler who tries to resolve
his gambling debts once for all, but keeps pushing his limits in a bid to go for the big score.
(Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems (A24), photo courtesy of National Review.)

 Uncut Gems

Things That Work Well:

There were very good performances all-around, more specifically from Julia Fox and Kevin Garnett.  Kevin Garnett is very believable in playing a superstitious, celebrity superstar basketball player that gets drawn in by the lure of the opal, to the point where he gets hypnotized into believing that it helps him play better in the playoffs.  Each scene between him and Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) keeps you on your toes, and while you’re never really sure why he’s in Ratner’s store, you’re rooting for KG to play well in the playoffs.  Julia Fox really gives a layered look into her character, Julia.  Though she doesn’t have a traditional relationship with Howard, she really humanizes her character by giving some depth, and through her ups and downs, she truly cared for him by sticking with him and following his crazy scheme all the way to the end.  LaKeith Stanfield and Mike Francesa were solid as well, Francesa was very convincing as a bookie that he makes you forget that he’s a famous sports radio talk show host in real life, and Stanfield’s Demany showed the intricacies of his dealings with his chaotic boss all the while trying to get famous people into their store.

Adam Sandler was fairly solid in this movie as Howard Ratner.  You’re not sure if you’re supposed to root for Howard Ratner, and he does some pretty despicable things in this film, but he has this charm that makes you root for him in the final act, if only to have him settle his debt with his loan shark, brother-in-law, Arno, so that he doesn’t meet a grisly end.

This movie worked well thematically.  The Safdie brothers didn’t seem interested in giving Howard Ratner a happy ending, and it works here, as it’s a movie about a compulsive, degenerate gambler that’s always looking for a big score.  Yet he seems to avoid the ramp to safety at every turn, and his tremendously risky set of plays ended up costing him at the end, even when he appeared to have pulled off a miraculous victory.  The end of Howard Ratner’s journey was truly a gut punch, though when you think about it, it may have been a fairly likely end for him, as he ended up in massive debts with the wrong people, and he kept putting things off to try to make a bigger splash with his bets.

Things That Didn’t Work Well:

The introduction was ambitious, if anything, as we see Ethopians hard at work trying to extract the jewel in a mine cave that leads to a huge fight amongst them and outsiders, and it seems evident that the opal Howard Ratner will receive may be the equivalent to a blood diamond.  But there was a dizzying light show stemming from a look at the gem, followed by a look into Howard Ratner’s colon, and the dizzying set of lights and the strange decision to directly show the inside of Ratner’s colon can be off-putting enough to offset the intriguing introduction of the mine caves in Ethopia.

Should Howard Ratner have gotten a happy ending?  We know his character is a compulsive, degenerate gambler, but the movie seems to show that he actually seems to be kind of good at betting, at least in the scenes that he is in.  On the other hand, his seeming lack of morals and ethics, combined with doubling and tripling down on his bets rather than choosing to settle them probably have put him in a huge hole that he could never really get out of in the end.

Overall:

Uncut Gems is a compelling film that details the exploits of a gambler who runs a jewelry store, and his attempts to settle his debts with his loan shark, brother-in-law, all while running into some good luck by meeting Kevin Garnett at his shop.  This movie does not have a happy ending for Howard, but it seems to provide one for some of the other characters.  Overall, it’s a film that builds layers upon interesting characters.

Score: 3.5/5

Grade: B/Good