ddumble

I am a long time fan of Wes Anderson, so I am deeply disappointed by The Phoenician Scheme. It is one of the worst films I've seen in a movie theater. All the characters speak in the same monotonal staccato whine, the plot makes zero sense, and no character is likeable or even recognizable as a human being. Visually the film lacks Anderson's trademark verve. I can only assume that as long as Anderson assembles an A-list cast and keeps the budget down, no one will attempt to exercise any control over the quality of his screenplays. Coming on the heels of the somewhat disappointing The French Dispatch and Asteroid City, I am wondering if Anderson can ever find his way back to being an A-list director.

This is bad. They took the most interesting character from Discovery (not a tall mountain to climb) and made her boring. Yeoh is wasted, none of the other characters are interesting, the plot makes no sense, and the whole thing has no context within the Star Trek universe.

Section 31 really didn't fit into Star Trek, but William Sadler sold it. No one here from Section 31 appears to be sane, much less a responsible person in authority. It is supposed to be a "Dirty Half-dozen" of secret Section 31 operatives, but it isn't apparent how this group could accomplish anything. For an all-knowing, all-seeing organization they seem pretty ill-informed.

This may be the worst Star Trek movie ever. Worse that ST V, worse than Nemesis, worse than Insurrection.

While Murdoch Mysteries frequently produces an epic fail when attempting humor (their "spooky" Halloween episodes are uniformly dreadful), I find I enjoy the antics of the Newsomes of New South Mimico. I enjoyed the wedding episode My Big Fat Mimico Wedding and I enjoyed this episode. The Newsomes, including King Rupert, have their own insane internal logic that would frustrate a mind as orderly as William Murdoch's, and the cumulative effect of the entire clan's insanity (save for cousin Effie) is delightful. I suppose humor is subjective and not everyone seems to find the family enjoyable, but I do.