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David 🛡️

@uniquely_david

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Bit of a madman, working through the tangled forest of life 📽️🎼⚡
Life is one big show, so enjoy it 🏳️🌈
Mostly reviewing a bunch of stuff I like 🎬

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The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine title sequence

For as long as I can remember, Star Trek has always been there for me, but until recently, Deep Space Nine never really caught my attention in the same way as The Original Series, The Next Generation or Voyager did

Until now that is
With my Next Generation re-watch nearing its end, I decided to give DS9 another go & I'm happy to say it appears to have finally grabbed me
I'm only a couple of episodes into it so far, but I'm already loving the more enclosed setting with its character building & deeper political landscape that's unfolding compared to the adventurous exploration of its counterpart series

#StarTrek #StarTrekDeepSpaceNine #UnitedFederationOfPlanets #LiveLongAndProsper #GammaQuadrant by @uniquely_david

28

2

8 months ago

Batman Beyond
Lost Soul

Is Batman Just The Suit
Or Is It The Man Inside

Such an important question & one that plays a major part during the second half of this brilliant, almost psychological episode as Terry is forced to prove how worthy he really is to hold the Batman mantle when the Batsuit is taken over by a very malevolent intelligence
There's a fantastic look of pride from Bruce when Terry refuses his advice to not go up against the suit with nothing but a Nightwing mask & one of Bruce's old utility belts, Bruce may not have chosen Terry to become the new Batman, but this moment between the two of them cements the fact Terry is undoubtedly the right choice

Returning to the world of Batman, Stacey Keach (who previously voiced The Phantasm) is magnificent as Vance, refusing to let the fact he's dead stand in the way of his grand plans for his company, Gotham & indeed the world
Existing primarily as a static face on a screen & a disembodied voice, Vance's Ghost in the Machine presence is clearly inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey's HAL 9000 as he puppeteers everyone to get what he wants - there's even a superb homage when he's defeated as he resorts to singing a lullaby to try & save himself
Once again, for a programme produced for a kids network, it gets away with some very adult content, such as the thoroughly tense sequence when Vance seizes control of the Batsuit & forces Terry to walk into the sea & a final duel that certainly doesn't hold back on its creepiness &/or violent brutality

#BatmanBeyond #BruceWayne #TerryMcGinnis #KevinConroy #WillFriedle #StaceyKeach #BobKane #BillFinger #PaulDini #BruceTimm #BatmanTAS #KristopherCarter #GothamCity #GhostInTheMachine #DC by @uniquely_david

31

0

2 years ago

Batman Beyond
Joyride

It's Only Gonna Get Worse

Far from it actually because this is a definite step up from the opening two episodes
Granted its not perfect, but is stocked full of little details that are executed very stylishly & adeptly
Throwing you straight into the action, this places the viewer ahead of everyone involved as it reveals something is wrong with a new crime-fighting vehicle stolen by Jokerz & allows events to gradually collide the catastrophic penny drops
The reason it undoubtedly succeeds is in the way it builds on the passing remark Terry made to Bruce in Earth Mover about his youthfulness, here, because Bruce is barely involved (he literally has one blink-&-miss line of dialogue), Terry actively jumps straight into action without asking for help or indeed checking what he's getting into, to the point of putting his young life on the line to help someone (a brilliant Wendie Malick) he barely knows who refuses to trust him when the truth does emerge
As for the plot, there's a great element of danger as it isn't afraid to kill off a character or two & contains a fabulous dig at the always present issue of government under funding/corner cutting & how it always ends up costing lives they don't care about

#BatmanBeyond #BruceWayne #TerryMcGinnis #KevinConroy #WillFriedle #BobKane #BillFinger #PaulDini #BruceTimm #BatmanTAS #KristopherCarter #GothamCity #DC by @uniquely_david

13

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2 years ago

Batman Beyond
Earth Mover

The second episode in a row to involve someone's DNA being modified, albeit not from their choice this time, this unfortunately suffers from the same basic problems as Splicers in that the finer details aren't properly explored/expanded enough for you to actually care about anyone involved
It's also a strange coincidence that [just like Splicers] this episode also shares similarities with an adventure & indeed antagonist from Bruce's time as Batman, this time being Clayface but nothing is ever made of it, such as when Bruce analyses the soil Terry gives him, he effectively chooses to disbelieve him without even considering the possibility or warning Terry of what he might be up against after several interactions with the man himself
Now I've mentioned before how I like ambiguity so what I find really infuriating is that despite this episode requiring a hefty amount of it to succeed, it's either not utilized to the full extent or Ignored moments after it is used - a prime example of this include the moment Jackie & Tony are confronted by a silhouetted figure, instead of maintaining the suspense, it quickly becomes blatantly obvious as being Batman
Another moment where the ambiguity is wasted is how the primary antagonist became the way they were - shown in flashback as an accident, yet there's obvious malice & greed involved which unfortunately the script, the actor playing the guilty party or the accompanying animation fails to acknowledge properly as it ends up coming across as far too cavalier & underdeveloped, making the final resolution seriously unearned
On the subject of the ending, it's all too rushed & abrupt as it goes from a fight with no escape to everyone who is able to get out alive unaffected

#BatmanBeyond #BruceWayne #TerryMcGinnis #KevinConroy #WillFriedle #BobKane #BillFinger #PaulDini #BruceTimm #BatmanTAS #KristopherCarter #GothamCity #DC by @uniquely_david

11

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2 years ago

Batman Beyond
Splicers

Reborn To Be Wild

Batman Beyond's Sophomore season begins with a story Animated Batman previously covered in the episode Tyger, Tyger & although it tries to do something different with the material, for the most part it's primarily a bunch of bad puns & dialogue that unfortunately re-hashes what came before.
Because it's the first episode of the season & confined to a single episode, it lacks any real threat, it's also a real shame that it doesn't place anyone close to Terry in danger to drive him to stop any further experimentations
There's a fantastic sequence where Terry thinks he's having a nightmare after he's attacked by a Werewolf, only for it to be revealed as something a lot friendlier via his brother Matt - why go to the trouble of setting up Matt's dream of getting spliced but fail to capitalize on it
What I do like is how Terry himself is infected & the way it affects his relationship with Commissioner Gordon, especially because it shows that he's still not fully aware of his surroundings when going into battle & leads to a great Jekyll & Hyde style transformation that wonderfully homages "On Leather Wings" & shows that Bruce can still save the day having indeed learned from his past encounters
I also like the antagonistic friendship between Terry & Ace, as they reluctantly rely on each other to prevent catastrophe
Interns of villains, Ian Buchanan isn't bad as Chimera president Dr. Abel Cuvier - he is thoroughly charming to all concerned, but lacks the right kind of menace to the point the character has to physically change shape, ultimately becoming something that very much resembles La Magra's final form from Blade (which was released the year before this episode's broadcast) & is unfortunately defeated in the exact same manner
On the plus side, the finale actually pushes the boundaries of what the show frequently got away with - given its visceral quality, you'd never guess this was produced for a children's network

#BatmanBeyond #BruceWayne #TerryMcGinnis #KevinConroy #WillFriedle #BobKane #BillFinger #PaulDini #BruceTimm #BatmanTAS #KristopherCarter #JekyllAndHyde #GothamCity #DC #WarnerBrothers by @uniquely_david

11

1

2 years ago

Chucky
Final Destination

Sacrifices Must Be Made

Finale time & as you can guess, there are good & bad elements, but on the whole, this is a success - as I write this, the series has been cancelled, but an 8th film is in production

Unfolding a bit like a dream sequence, the resolution of Tiffany's execution cliffhanger is an absolutely joyous chain of events, from the quick fire shootout & her armed protection, to the entire prison cheering along & helping dispose of those trying to stop her getting to her beloved Pontiac, while a seriously pissed off Nica is forced to watch unable to do anything about it

As for Jake, now effectively dead, there's even more nods to The Shining (there's a fantastic moment as Charles takes on the Grady/Lloyd role) as he wonders the spirit realm looking for "Good Chucky" via a detour making peace with his father - Devon Sawa (25 years after appearing in a film of the same name, Devon Sawa gets to appear in another Final Destination) acts rings around Zachary Arthur in these scenes, in fact, until the final act when Chucky gets his way, Zachary is terrible as Jake fails to see the stupidity in his "Good Chucky" plan & it fully presents itself to him magnificent & hilarious fashion - you see, if "Good Chucky" actually could self sacrifice, then it would remove the good element from & in turn clear Charles' conscience

As for Chucky, it's so fun seeing different incarnations of Chucky in one place again & even more so with most of them being human, agreeing & disagreeing with each other on everything they've been through, but ultimately uniting to defeat Jake & finally beat that damn curse
Now, although Pryce's White House explosions look great, the subsequent process shots as everyone tries to escape are fucking atrocious & take away any danger
Oh & on a side note, after so much was made of it, this finale doesn't reveal who initially sent Pryce into the White House - it would have been nice if there was a simple cutaway to their identity

Continued in Comments by @uniquely_david

11

2

2 years ago

Chucky
There Will Be Blood

It's Not About The Numbers
It's About Passion & Originality

During the "Making Of" for Curse of Chucky, Brad Dourif mentions how he's never had a scene with the Chucky Doll, well he does here & it's a beauty of a scene as they discuss & come to an agreement about his current situation via the revelation that despite being dead, is even more powerful than he could possibly imagine - on a side note, because of the resurrections over the years, it makes sense Charles is visibly older than day he was shot in the toy store all those years ago
It all leads to an absolutely superb scene of him gleefully terrifying Henry while his family sit believing he's merely in shock, before climaxing in a fab séance as Chucky proudly & very stylishly kills again to well & truly leave Pryce's plan in tatters & send Lexy & the twinks a well deserved message

On the subject of the twinks, Jake is on truly stupid form here due to his idea of using "Good Chucky" to finally defeat Chucky - was he (or should that be the writers of the episode) not paying attention last season, specifically in regards to what happened to Nadine - I'd understand if he was possessed but he isn't so should know better

Away from the White House, fate throws a massive spanner (or should that be a van full of roses) into Tiffany's plans of avoiding the needle, leading to her begging for her life as she is forced to take a walk down her very own Green Mile - unlike with Chucky, who it felt was never in doubt of surviving his predicament somehow, you genuinely believe this is it for Tiffany due to Jennifer Tilly's utterly heartbreaking performance as she goes from pleading to dignified acceptance after comforting words from a very unlikely source & helped immensely by such a perfect choice of songs - My Heart Is Full by Norah Jones as Tiffany is led to her end & then William Shatner's "You'll Have Time" closing out the episode, the fact the finale is entitled Final Destination might just make you wonder even more that it could be over for her, but that is for another post

#Chucky #TiffanyValentine #BradDourif #JenniferTilly #DonMancini #DevonSawa #Horror #GoodGuyDoll #ChildsPlay by @uniquely_david

13

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2 years ago

Chucky
Panic Room

Sometimes Grownups Have Nightmares Too

The Tiffany plot takes a complete backseat in order to focus solely on the aftermath of what happened to President Collins & Chucky's plan of unleashing the whole fucking inferno

With the exception of everything involving the atmosphere draining Jake, Devon & Lexy (in particular Jake & Devon who suddenly switch mindsets as they approach the White House- which screams a last minute grasp from the writers trying to make them sympathetic after they've been insufferable assholes for the past 5 episodes), this is another brilliant episode, with a very ominous mood throughout, accentuated by the brewing storm outside, but formed primarily from Pryce's ongoing mission to keep covering everything up & control the First Lady, which thanks to a fab nod to the Kevin Kline film Dave (allowing Devon Sawa the play another character in the franchise), means everything goes accordingly but at the same time proves to be the last straw for the First Lady & ultimately provide the perfect opportunity for Chucky's own plan to unfold

On the subject of Chucky, despite getting his groove back, it's clear the curse is truly taking hold, which BTW can't be blamed on the exorcism, it has to be the baptism, but more on that later
Gradually getting even more frail - the way he's introduced in a wheelchair is quite a shock & later there's a fabulous shot in the bunker where you can clearly see the Good Guy clothes hanging off him - but still very mentally aware as he gets another child on his side, drives home an important speech about what it means to be alive & sets in motion his ultimate killing spree, which, due to one of the targets, also involves ruining every child's dream of Christmas
Brad is superb as the dying Chucky, cracking jokes & being supremely serious as he kills guards & proudly stand on top of the world looking down on its & his own imminent destruction - which leads into a literal dust in the wind statement & a fantastic physical guest appearance, that despite being revealed prior, is still an awesome sight.

#Chucky #BradDourif #JenniferTilly #PanicRoom #DonMancini #DevonSawa #Horror #GoodGuyDoll #ChildsPlay by @uniquely_david

13

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2 years ago

Chucky
Death Becomes Her

Fuck You M-Three-Gan!

Dealing with the aftermath of the Halloween bloodbath, this is mostly brilliant as it melds the psychological, political & very metaphysical, affecting President Collins more than anyone ever expected, to the now very old Chucky discovering the thrill of the kill has left him
Devon Sawa is superb here as President Collins believes he's losing his mind, due to seeing & hearing his dead son Joseph & the fact the "ghosts" are revealing the truth about the recent death count since taking office

There's a hilarious scene of Chucky flicking channels & commenting on those he sees who've clearly taken inspiration from him & how none of them will ever come close to his longevity
It's great in itself, but wonderfully leads into a lovely scene between him & Tiffany, speaking on the phone as they face their final days, coming to the realisation of how much they still truly adore each other & final conclusion that if he is finally dying, why not take as many others along with him - a body count which even Dambala should bow down in awe of

There are two murders, occurring either side of Chucky regaining his groove, the cleaner is simple & would be forgettable if not for Chucky's nonchalant nature towards cleaning up the mess
The second however is gloriously slow built before rapidly turning very brutal & cathartic as Chucky gets his mojo back & the key to the whole fucking inferno

Unfortunately what ruins this episode is Jake, who after sleeping with Devon, becomes even more insufferable than before, refusing to listen to Devon about letting the exorcist curse take care of Chucky once & for all by instead proclaiming to be "The Hero" & how he'll be a "Final Girl" by comparing himself to Jamie Lee Curtis

There's also the title, unlike the other episodes this season; unless it refers to the First Lady, literally surrounded by & covering up so much death that it's all she'll be known for, which is a bit of a stretch given her opinion on the matter, it doesn't bear any significance to what actually occurs

#Chucky #TiffanyValentine #BradDourif #JenniferTilly #DonMancini #DevonSawa #Horror #GoodGuyDoll #ChildsPlay by @uniquely_david

12

1

2 years ago

Chucky
Dressed To Kill

I'm Fucking Dying!

Chucky promised this would be the bloodiest Halloween yet & he wasn't kidding as he takes full advantage of a crowded White House ballroom
Given his weapon of choice this time, I love Chucky's Phantom of the Opera costume throughout the episode, something that's given an even deeper meaning thanks to the final reveal as he removes the mask showing the extent that exorcism is having on him
It's such a shame none of the victims (of which there are several) make much of an impact that you actually care for or are shocked by their deaths
It's also disappointing neither Lexy or the twinks (as Chucky called them) are killed, who once again drain the life from proceedings when the focus is on them, the fact they're dressed in variant Good Guy Doll outfits is reason enough for Chucky to take a swipe, but there's a perfect opportunity to kill off Devon (who like the opening episodes, is a useless reaction-less dummy again) only for him to be saved by Jake - unless they improve, hopefully one or all are dead by this season's end
On a side note, I find it extremely odd that even with Pryce's security system (which appears useless), it's strange there's no security positioned in the White House residence when Jake & Devon go in search of Chucky

As for Tiffany's side of events, it's a shame Martha Stewart was executed during the events of Seed of Chucky, because it's obvious that's who Nia Vardalos' Evelyn Elliott has been created to replace - she's great in the scene she shares with Jennifer as they exchange pleasantries only to part on very bad terms, but it would have played far better if it was Martha
SPOILER ALERT
As for Evelyn's death, it's graphic in a good way & it's great to see Tiffany using her voodoo talents to unleash the power of Dambala on her ass, but Evelyn's side of events is very uncoordinated in its execution compared to the intention & shows how unbelievably terrible the prison guards are, who instead of firing to disarm her, just stand & watches as she cuts & walks herself to death

#Chucky #TiffanyValentine #BradDourif #JenniferTilly #DonMancini #DevonSawa #Horror #TheWhiteHouse #GoodGuyDoll #ChildsPlay by @uniquely_david

27

1

2 years ago

Chucky
Jennifer's Body

She Made Me Watch Liar Liar
Over & Over...
On A Loop

The series gets a much needed kick up the arse & massive step up in quality as it turns back time to not only explain how & indeed why Chucky is in The White House, but reveal what happened to Jennifer Tilly/Tiffany after last season's cliffhanger

Jennifer Tilly is fabulous here as Tiffany's crimes finally catch up with her, leading to the realisation that life living in Jennifer's Body no longer holds the dream life she wanted, both in the sense of what she plans to do next, but also providing the perfect opportunity to avoid a lengthy jail term or indeed worse, unfortunately said plans don't exactly go accordingly
After Nica has given her evidence, I love the almost rapid & nonchalant, though still detailed way Tiffany explains pretty much everything that's happened to her up to that point, before her lawyer simply sums it up in just 6 words as if some kind of joke, only for it to then reveal there's a reason for it all
It's a shame the scenes are intercut with what happened to Chucky, because although they're great, I'd have happily sat through an episode focused solely on the court case as it leads to a shocking but inevitable conclusion

As for the Chucky side of proceedings, there are a couple of questionable CGI process shots & some really terrible music, but on the whole, a bloody good series of events that explain pretty much everything, including the fantastic murder of a very annoying & nosey cab driver - hopefully it doesn't bring him any bad luck, the significance of him killing 6 people in one place like Ron Defeo did (if you know, you know - I shouldn't have to explain who he is like Chucky does to Caroline), as well as revealing a very deep & life threatening consequence of that exorcism he went through last year, with the only hope of getting through it all successfully lying in a millennium old evil of incomprehensible magnitude with unfortunately very little chance of success - but as you know, Chucky won't let that get in the way

#Chucky #TiffanyValentine #BradDourif #JenniferTilly #DonMancini #DevonSawa #Horror #TheWhiteHouse #GoodGuyDoll #ChildsPlay by @uniquely_david

36

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2 years ago

Chucky
Let The Right One In

Hey
Do I Look Upside Down To You, Right Now

This is a really odd episode, being even more badly paced, acted & scripted than the opener, there are good parts to it (which I'll get to shortly), but for the most part it just feels like a bunch of unnecessary filler
Let's talk about Jake & Devon, who are even more insufferable & selfish the more screen time their given, clearly caring more about wanting to sleep with each other than focusing on the misguided plan to get to Chucky or indeed giving a flying fuck about Lexy or Caroline - a prime example of this is when Miss Fairchild (Annie Briggs is great & really should've been given more to do than look after these selfish trio) offers to help, Jake gives a really strange disappointed look as if saying "who the fuck you asked you" but at least it's a reaction, Devon just stands there like a dummy as if in a world of his own
Thankfully there's a brilliant moment when the three meet with Grant & he asks why they're not following his TikTok - Jake & Devon's response is priceless
On the subject of Grant, he's easily the best of the new cast, clearly a victim of his parents position with everyone avoiding or treating him like a freak, you just want him to lash out at the three who are clearly using him, his mother kind of sees it, but his wish for actual company instead of fake friendship sways her - it's just a shame he's unable to see what they're doing
There's a wonderful moment where he makes Henry feel better after what happened to Teddy & Chucky gives him a fab look
Speaking of Teddy, Gil Bellows is a great addition as Warren Pryce, arriving to investigate Teddy's death but clearly has an agenda of his own due to orders from someone at The Pentagon, he isn't even fazed when another death occurs, instead acting very fast to make sure it is covered up & quick to rope the First Lady in thanks to useful secrets about her husband so as to avoid scandal &/or hinder his real mission - just like with Devon Sawyer's president in Murder at 1600, there's a great moment of semi recognition about Chucky

Continued in Comments by @uniquely_david

14

2

2 years ago