Movie Review: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

"The battle for galactic peace has begun..." (Screencap from Wikipedia, poster by John Alvin.)

Premiere: December 6th, 1991

Synopsis: The moon that provides the Klingon Empire's energy suffers a major disaster, releasing ozone onto the planet. This potentially condemns the empire to a maximum of fifty years, should the planet not reign in it's military expenditures. The Federation is ready to broker a treaty between them and the empire, and sends Captain James T Kirk and the Enterprise out to make a truce. Thing is, Kirk doesn't trust the Klingons - something about them stabbing his son and wrecking his old ship doesn't endear them to him.

Just after a series of awkward talks between the Klingon Ambassadors and the Enterprise (appointed ambassadors), the latter ship fires on the former's ship, killing the Klingon Chancellor. With no knowledge on who did it, Kirk and Dr McCoy stand trial and face life in prison, and the two forces appear on the brink of war.

Review: Well, it took far longer than I expected (again, my apologies), but here we are. The last movie solely based off of Star Trek: The Original Series, and the last film produced during Gene Roddenberry's lifetime (he died a month and a half before the premiere, but got an advance screening two days before he died).

After the utter disaster that was Star Trek V, nobody was sure what to do with Star Trek VI. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that it was the franchise's 25th anniversary, and that TNG had done alright in the ratings so far, Paramount probably would've sunk Star Trek into history. After waffling around as to what the plot would be, the end result is actually a genuinely moving film - an arguably overlooked classic in the Trek canon.

(Warning: spoilers. Proceed at your own peril. Or disappointment. Hey, it's a movie.)

Steven Universe Review: "Tiger Millionaire" (Season 1A, Episode 9)

Still a better ad method than spoiling the results of your competitor's matches.

Airdate: January 20th, 2014

Synopsis: Amethyst messes up a mission by punching the monster of the week, getting gunk all over Steven and earning her Pearl and Garnet's scorn. The night after, Steven manages to track Amethyst down to an old warehouse, where a wrestling league is held. There, she moonlights as the Purple Puma - a ruthless wrestler that's shooting up the ranks. Steven becomes struck by the aura of the whole thing, and becomes her assistant as "Tiger Millionaire" - a ruthless venture capitalist from the jungle.

Review: Full disclosure - I'm not really a professional wrestling fan. Don't hate it, don't really follow it. Most of the info and jokes about wrestling here, I got from brief skims from the TVTropes and Wikipedia pages. All I know is that WWE Smackdown airs on SyFy - by far, the most insane and idiotic programming move that doesn't involve scheduling Dilbert after Shasta McNasty. (Nice job, UPN.)

So, this episode... in an actual sci-fi show. Easily among my favorite episodes from the front end of the first season.

Steven Universe Review: "Serious Steven" (Season 1A, Episode 8)

Who designed this? Who? Who?

Airdate: January 13th, 2014

Synopsis: A massive accident at Funland (the amusement park where Steven and Connie almost got flattened by a roller coaster) weighs heavily on Steven, as two weeks later, they go to the Strawberry Fields, which used to be a battle site for the Gems. Characterized as Steven's first "serious" mission, Steven tries to prove himself worthy to Garnet. This can only end badly, especially when a pyramid that they walk in flips over, thanks to Steven.

Review: Fans who started watching new episodes in Season 2 (y'know, half of the fandom, up to and including myself) might be a bit put off when they first see this episode. You see, we're still in the part of the show where Steven is more like that kid that the Gems happen to have on their backs. With the gems treating this as his "first serious mission", Steven has a hell of a lot of weight on his shoulders.

Most impressively, he's hanging out with Garnet this time. A tall order for the ten-year old, indeed.

Scullyfied Simpsons: "When You Dish Upon a Star" (Season 10, Episode 5)

This is as close to a mockery as Alec Baldwin gets. It's all downhill from here.

Airdate: November 8th, 1998

Synopsis: While parasailing at Lake Springfield, Homer literally crashes into Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin's house. Rather than call the cops or the paramedics, they befriend the idiot. Apparently, the two hang out at the Summer house to try and escape the press. Homer quickly becomes their personal assistant, yet has to check his impulses that could expose them to the media.

Review: While we have seen Homer's character begin to slip over the past season, in my opinion, Season 10 had three key episodes that cemented the change in character from "lovable everyman" to "obnoxious Creators Pet/Jerkass Homer". These include "Homer Simpson in Kidney Trouble" (cementing his callous actions as practically normal), "Viva Ned Flanders" (cementing his omnipotence and role as centerpiece in the town of Springfield), and today's example in how to tarnish the legacy of the most treasured sitcom in American history, "When You Dish Upon a Star". Here, we focus on Homer not only meeting up with celebrities, but also becoming their assistant... despite damaging their house.

And that's just the start of the episode's problems.

Gravity Falls Review: "Weirdmageddon II - Escape From Reality" (Season 2, Episode 19)

It may be better than perfection, but is it better than life?

Airdate: November 23rd, 2015

Synopsis: Dipper, Wendy, and Soos venture into Mabel's bubble prison... the happy land of Mabeland. Pop music fills the air, 80s cartoon characters thrive, lawlessness rules, and waffles guard Mabel's office. Thankfully... waffles guard Mabel's office, so the trio are able to get in. There, Mabel all but bribes Soos and Wendy with their desires, leaving Dipper to try and avoid any sort of temptations brought on by the bubble.

Review (SPOILER-TASTIC): The announcement on the Friday before "Escape From Reality" aired that Gravity Falls was to reach it's denouement after two seasons was, let's face it, not that shocking. There had been speculation from the moment Season 2 was announced that the show wasn't long for this world (DisneyXD's scheduling made it seem longer than it was), and Alex Hirsch's tumblr post this past Friday simply served to put whatever speculation there was to rest. In fact, it's actually a good thing at the end, because we don't get to watch the show rot into a charade of guest stars and recurring "marriage trouble" episodes, nor do we get to see it smash a mirror, screaming "How's Annie" with no word on what the hell is going on.

Kudos to Hirsch.

Anyway, before we go out, we get a second (and last) penultimate episode of the season that delves into the mentality of one of the central characters. Last season, it was Stan. This time, it's Mabel.