The Acolyte: Season 1

Ho mah gawd!!

Fwack that was a ride! Okay, well, let's do this shall we. The Acolyte easily was the most look forward to series that Lucasfilm had in the pipeline, and while it wasn't the 100% dark side story perspective I wanted I still got a really damn good show. Set in the still charting era of the High Republic 100 years before The Phantom Menace, a rogue assassin is targeting Jedi knights and we slowly unravel all the pieces to this mystery over the course of 8 episodes approximately 45 minutes a piece. It's not exactly a traditional murder mystery of a whodunit, if anything the mystery is more of a puzzle coming together as we learn the assassin is a twin of a failed padawan learner named Osha and one of the targets is her master Sol, so it's all connected in some way or another as we progress through the story. We get breadcrumbs, revelations, a few surprising twists I must say, and yes I am fully calling it now this is a season finale and not a series finale because of how it ends and man was I on the edge of my seat waiting for the final shot to occur during that. No spoilers in this corner of the galaxy but even I was a bit amazed they went so far. And I'll level with you straight up this is the first Star Wars series that I was really throwing myself into the social media pool of it all, seeing artwork, people giving theories, proclaiming their loyalty to the Yord Horde, all that grand stuff week after week as we all sat huddled in anticipation for the next episode. And as with all things light there must be a dark, I won't get bogged down with it but all I can say is, you dumb ****s need better representation in this court because your arguments are the epitome of moot. Now of course I'm an easy sell, I'm hardcore Sar Wars all day every day, been making minute progress in the High Republic novels, but anyone can watch it and enjoy it without catching the easter eggs and what might seem innocuous details which are actually pretty big news for us nerds. The premise is really good and the episodes gain a lot when you watch it a second time around, the characters have already gotten absurd amounts of love and it wouldn't surprise me at all if they're already making con appearences and will be popular around October, productions and visuals easy 10/10, the choreography at times is absurdly well done and I humbly feel it did outdo duel of the fates, and all the new stuff we either get to see realized in live action or are introduced to here is cool as hell. Let's talk characters! Amandla Stenberg, never have I ever in Star Wars history crushed this hard or this quick, you are a treasure and my God do you get to show true range by playing twins Osha and Mae. Wow girl you were good and the fact you're a fan like us makes it so much sweeter. Lee Jung-jae masterful at playing Sol, easily top 3 Jedi for me ever, I've never seen a more emotional Jedi and I am firmly in the Sol Patrol myself, I could spend the rest of this damn review worshipping the ground he walks on and I am dead serious. 20/10! Manny Jacinto wild card you are my guy but what a treat to see him first in this role as Qimir, and some of you filthy people need therapy just saying, and very much like Lee I'm gonna hunt down some of his other work for sure. Charlie Barnett and Dafne Keen, welcome additions to the Jedi Order and boy did they impact this fandom something fierce while also having standout moments of their own! Shoutout to Jodie Turner-Smith, I love me some space witches in my Star Wars and that's some mom goals for me plus that design was impeccable! The series kinda knocked it outta the park with this casting. Also I want a PIP, I really really want a PIP droid to carry around with me everywhere. Galaxy's Edge hook me up! I'm still reeling a bit from the ending so I'm trying to focus but my mind is so scatterbrained I feel a lightning round is in order to just center myself. Breathe. Bazil is best boy, Cortosis making a comeback is awesome, Selkath spotted this is not a drill, episode 5 is jaw dropping and the best of the series, really want that cortosis helmet as well, light whip needed more time but friggin' sick it made the leap to live action after so long, witches who use the power of song in their magicks don't mind if I do keep it coming, also wanted more Wookiee Jedi in my life but hey I'll take it, lightsaber crystal bleeding hoo hoo mama you know what I like, stellar creature designs and animatronics, gorgeous scenery, and I literally did a spit take when (*CENSORED*) turned up. Is there anything I do not like? One thing, but I can get over it. We get a character who turns babyface at a point and it felt just a bit too quick for my liking, if they planted the seed and as the episodes progressed we watch it grow and bloom I wouldn't mind so much but again I at least understand the character motivation behind it so it's a whatever point. Apparently people got uppity about Carrie-Anne Moss not being prevalent but I haven't seen...any of her filmogrpahy now that I think about it so I was absent on that party. All I have left to say is Leslye thanks for taking up this project, you know how to gut punch like a champ, and made me question aspects of storytelling I never questioned before in Star Wars you're brutal and I love you for it. Satisfactory and entertaining I think, ballsy at times for sure, and I'll give it 3.5 stars, 8/10! Try review bombing that dipshits. 

Queen And Slim

I'm really depressed now.

I greatly enjoyed and was even a bit moved by this movie, but it truly breaks my heart that the world of the movie is no different than reality. The story spans over the course of six days as one time date couple Ernest and Angela are on the run after killing a police officer in self defense, as we follow their progress from Ohio to Florida as they meet sympathizers to their situation, law enforcement seeking to arrest them, and people who don't even know who they are. Again very much like Parasite, it just shows people both good and bad. We see white people who stand with them, and black people who stand against them and what they stand for, and vice versa with no true antagonist of the story. It's not a person but a major problem of society itself, the film on multiple occasions brings up fictionalized yet all too real situations of violence and cultural standards. It makes one disgusted to be designated human sometimes. And the film really doesn't shy away from the grim meathook realities of the events as Ernest and Angela travel, slowly becoming folk heroes in the eyes of many and having to come to terms with their situation. Daniel Kaluuya has supreme amounts of charm and is impossible not to like and really he only gets better as the film goes on, he's a nice man who believes in God, doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, very empathetic and even a pacifist. But he was the one who pulled the trigger and we see him try to deal with that, he has every intention to turn himself in because even he can't believe what happened though it was a survival situation. Now I'm not saying all cops are horrible, they are people who wish to perform a public service to protect and serve, but this guy....oooh boy, he was an uppity little prick. Did he deserve death? I have no authority or place to say, not now not ever, but he could have been nicer. That's pretty much my stance on things, I don't care who you are, where you come from, what your language is, any of that, if you're a nice and reasonable person then you're my new buddy. And if you're a jerk, f*** off. Jodie Turner-Smith is very much a polar opposite in character as Angela, very honest and rough, doesn't have much love for cops, easily aggravated, and very much the pessimist of the duo but also the realist. Which makes sense for her character because she's an attorney, she has seen stuff in that position and makes logical sense that she is very closed off and a bit hostile. The writer said that it was very much akin to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X when it came to personality and beliefs of our main duo, which isn't hard to figure out but nevertheless a strong element. The story is great, but the cinematography is absurd. I mean this film looks gooooood, oh my sweet sainted grandmother it is beautiful at times, and the director only worked on music videos and television episodes so she knows damn well how to make a shot interesting and memorable with beautiful atmospheric shots and creative camera work. The only thing that tops that is the score, now the actual song selection is really good, you know I'm a sucker for jazz and more slow soulful kind of music, but the actual score is how can I say this? Uh, perfect. I can't get over how amazing this score is, like get this on my phone, I will buy a CD, kind of quality. Ohh, it's sublime! I pretty much from the first time I saw the trailer, was interested to see this and yeah it took me more than half a year, but I was soooo not disappointed and feel it was very much worth the wait. A very poignant movie that unfortunately has as much importance now as it did decades before the movie even came out. Slim & Queen along with Black Klansman would be a fantastic double feature to have, and so help me if I form an Empire, the times will be a-changing with the future looking truly bright. 4 stars, 8/10! Thank goodness this wasn't the last review of the week I would have been severely depressed, so next time hopefully we can end on a high note.