The Mandalorian looks great but the writing is akin to bad 80's evening dramas. Obi-Wan Kenobi was slightly better but still, pretty terrible writing, which is why when I started watching Andor, I was so pleasantly surprised and impressed. Writing is EVERYTHING. If you don't have a solid script, with characters who have real, meaningful relationships and real stakes in their lives, you have nothing. I would argue that, in terms of meaningful characters and relationship development, Andor sits levels far-above even George Lucas' original Star Wars, as it provides a much deeper human experience than any Star Wars story to date. And it's really no "accident"; Tony Gilroy's masterful storytelling lays the foundation for the possibility of greatness but let there be no doubt that the very talented directors, actors, crew and editors who collaborated to create Andor, created something that has set the bar to a much-needed, higher level. Given the utter lack of good writing in most Star Wars movies and spinoffs, it's honestly difficult to believe that Disney had any involvement in Andor, but sometimes even the "corporate machine" can apparently have people working within it that can surprise you. Here's hoping Andor inspires people to write better stories. I kind of doubt it, but I can only hope there are more pleasant surprises on the horizon.

SONY FX30: $1798 Great autofocus, 4K to 120fps (cropped, but still)

What a great short! The beauty here, as with anything, is its simplicity and continuity. We're told, from the beginning, "Always Jack, you go too far" and yet he just can't help himself and we're left thinking: This is not going to end well". Then the well-paced edit and build up to the "accident", delayed gratification because the accident does not happen, delayed gratification because she is not killed and the wrap-up reference to the opening statement: "It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye". Watching it again, there's even more foreshadowing in the opening credits showing a "spider web" that is, in fact, a broken windshield, so right from the get-go we're set up psychologically to expect something, but it does not happen as expected. If I'd read the script for this, I probably would have thought..."Meh", but the end result is super entertaining and suspenseful. Loved it. Nash Edgerton is a pretty talented guy. If you haven't watched the series MR. INBETWEEN yet, I would highly recommend it. It's a great three-season series directed by Nash Edgerton. Dark, but really worth watching. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7472896/

As much as I love Villeneuve's work, I would have rather seen him direct Dune as a series rather than a "potential" couple of films. I have never read Frank Herbert's books but, if I hadn't seen David Lynch's version of Dune, I would have been overwhelmed trying to figure out the complexities of Villeneuve's Dune universe. Lots of amazing visuals but not enough character development. Even crammed into 2 1/2 hours running time, Villeneuve could have doubled that and it still wouldn't be enough time to pace it properly.

I'm surprised DEADWOOD is not talked about more, especially in writing circles as it is, in my opinion, one of the finest displays of talent and craft ever to grace the small screen (or any screen for that matter). If you know anything of David Milch (creator of DEADWOOD) you know that he is a mad, creative genius. Of that there is no doubt, but for someone who, in fact, had no love for Westerns and originally pitched this show as a series set in ancient Rome, he was able to create an amazingly human depiction of the "Wild West", circa 1875-ish. No small feat for someone who admittedly "hated" the Western genre. On top of that, the production essentially relied on Milch to create the show literally "Day-To-Day". There was, in fact...NO FINISHED SCRIPT to work from, other than what he showed up with the morning of each day of shooting. I mean, who Does that?! And how could he do that and have the finished product not only NOT end up being a total catastrophe but become the intensely human work that it was..IS. I admit, I am biased. There are few movies or TV series I have ever watched more than once as they generally don't contain much from which to mine. Deadwood is the exception; I have watched all three seasons no less than ten times in the last 10 years and every time there is something new to discover. If nothing else, the dense dialogue and complex relationships, developed over time, reveal themselves deftly and intricately without leaving me, the viewer, feeling pandered to or manipulated in any overt way. It's brutal, tender, complex stuff. The stuff of complex human lives laid bare. Here's hoping the film does the HBO series justice.

If you're going to have an English Voiceover, don't you think you should have someone who speaks English well? Unbelievable that they would post such an unprofessional "promotional" video. Total W.O.T.