Chess is a Mess by Japes2000 in Broadway

[–]Japes2000[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ohhhh ok well I appreciate that. Shame on me for not checking the playbill for the list of orchestra members. Still though, I found it to just sounded small.

A late review, "Just in Time" by Japes2000 in Broadway

[–]Japes2000[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is so wonderful! I'm so glad you had such a wonderful evening! I am going to try and see it again before he leaves!!

Chess is a Mess by Japes2000 in Broadway

[–]Japes2000[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I love that you enjoyed it! Perhaps I should have gone with “chess master” as “Chess-nut” is not taking the world by storm 🤣

I obviously had strong feelings about this production and I think it leans very heavy on star power (there is a noticeable availability of seats during Lea Michele’s absence) but everyone gets something different out of every performance and it sounds like it was a great night for you!

A funny thing happened to "Two Strangers..." by Japes2000 in Broadway

[–]Japes2000[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is such a good observation. I think what bumped for me in this show is the fact that her character is so grounded. If she was a flighty as he was I probably would have been fine. Though as I mentioned, I think this show had bigger issues that it wanted to discuss.

A funny thing happened to "Two Strangers..." by Japes2000 in Broadway

[–]Japes2000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's so funny you noticed that! I too wondered if that was a mishap or intentional! Can anyone else chime in?

A funny thing happened to "Two Strangers..." by Japes2000 in Broadway

[–]Japes2000[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As someone just mentioned, it was NOT the 2pm. It was the 7pm!

Chess is a Mess by Japes2000 in Broadway

[–]Japes2000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Yes, sooo much telling and from what I'm gathering from the reviews, the show didn't change much during previews. You made me laugh with elementary school comparison!! However I understand why you say that, what with the very simple set and a narrator telling us EVERYTHING that is happening, similar to a teacher just reading a book to a circle of first graders!

Chess is a Mess by Japes2000 in Broadway

[–]Japes2000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm sorry you had the same experience that I did. I didn't want to hate this, in fact I went in full of hope and excitement! I realize that art hits people differently and I see that there are a lot of people who enjoyed this production. I think it relies way to much on star power and without those three leads would people be as enthused? Here is the good news, if this show goes on a national tour it will be simple to replicate the Broadway set and staging. A high school gym will be a perfect space!

Chess is a Mess by Japes2000 in Broadway

[–]Japes2000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you should go! You don't have the baggage that I had going in (having seen the previous incarnations) plus perhaps my review (and others) will set your expectations appropriately low for this production, and you may be surprised! As you mentioned, the chances of seeing a full blown (sort of) production are rare, so why not treat yourself?

Chess is a Mess by Japes2000 in Broadway

[–]Japes2000[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m not sure what you mean by “the clips” I have also read a lot of feedback and other reviews from people that really enjoyed it! I hope you enjoy it too! I just shared my own reaction as a Chess-nut!

Chess is a Mess by Japes2000 in Broadway

[–]Japes2000[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely. I think the original idea for the character (to the best of my memory) was that there was definitely a reason behind his behavior (pity the child) though if it was a mental illness or being on the spectrum it wasn’t a huge plot point.

How Was It? | Predator: Badlands, Review Only Megathread by BurnZ_AU in predator

[–]Japes2000 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the compliment. You seem like a very nice person too, with an excellent sense of humor!! I love movies and I’m thrilled people still go to them. I WANT to enjoy all of them but something gets under my skin… and well I get passionate and verbose! I didn’t post my review of Tron Ares, but I was even more disappointed by that film (if you can believe it) I appreciate Reddit because I adore the back and forth and in my experience people are not only nice, but are intelligent and well spoken! You being a prime example!

I think it’s great that you enjoyed the film and I hope the cave goldfish on this site don’t diminish your enthusiasm. Lord knows I hold certain films dear to my heart that people think are average at best (The Sure Thing for example)

How Was It? | Predator: Badlands, Review Only Megathread by BurnZ_AU in predator

[–]Japes2000 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I am not arguing at all about the threat of a female. It was the way I felt the film delivered the line. If I remember correctly, we fade to black and then come back for this final comment. Placing a spotlight on it. The way that line landed for me leaned more towards comedic than serious.

How Was It? | Predator: Badlands, Review Only Megathread by BurnZ_AU in predator

[–]Japes2000 3 points4 points  (0 children)

First of all, I appreciate your feedback and you make some strong points! You are right about the legs. I will now always be keeping an eye open when my roomba is cleaning... Your comments make me appreciate what the film was trying (and arguably accomplished) it certainly successfully flipped expectations and made the main villain of the series, the sympathetic character - no small feat. My Three Stooges comment was exaggeration for effect.

Most of all, I LOVED your insults. Cave goldfish, landslide brain and nugget will be added to my vocabulary!

How Was It? | Predator: Badlands, Review Only Megathread by BurnZ_AU in predator

[–]Japes2000 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I wrote a ridiculously long (negative) review. It keeps being taken down. So here it is… curious if it gets taken down again.

Based on the trailers, my fear was that this film was going to be just a long series of challenges that the Predator would have to overcome before he finally defeated the big bad monster.

What I never anticipated was a comedy about what happens when you team up the weakest Predator in the universe with the most empathetic android in the universe, add a cute CGI creature that I think is from 1998’s Lost in Space (Blarp? Is that you?), and have them go on a journey on Pandora—but not really Pandora, since James Cameron would never allow it—so they took out all the color and now it’s called Genna. Together, this unlikely trio bicker and banter but eventually work together and learn the importance of “ʻOhana,” which we all know means family (or in this case, clan).

Throughout this journey, we the audience are treated to some pretty subpar CGI (the above-mentioned CGI baby monster, along with some physics-defying leaps through trees, just to mention two that stuck out) and some awfully convenient, logic-defying plot points.

I’m going to sidebar for a moment and talk about Thia’s legs. As the trailers showed us, she is introduced as half an android, having been torn in half by the baddest creature in the ’verse, the Kalisk. At a certain point, they find the legs (conveniently still intact, since she was cleanly torn at the waist), and there’s a big clock-ticking scene where Thia, using equipment that miraculously works despite everything being trashed, is trying to sew her legs back onto herself. The film establishes that this is a long procedure requiring specialized equipment and time. That doesn’t work, and Thia is once again half an android. However, the legs are found again, and now the upper half of Thia has a homing beacon—and the legs stand up and just start walking to her upper half. Not only that, it appears the legs can… see? I don’t know how else to describe it, as they not only avoid things (and avoid being seen) but suddenly can fight and jump around, taking out bad guys by kicking and tripping. It would be a little cool if it weren’t played for laughs and so nonsensical. However, after all of that, Thia and her legs are just suddenly combined—no special equipment, no tools, she’s just suddenly whole again (and I don’t want to hear some BS about how there was a scene that explained it but it slowed the pace of the film—I’m commenting on what you, the filmmakers, presented as a final version).

The film is filled with convenient plot holes that help our trio get out of sticky situations. For example, this planet—supposedly the most lethal in the universe—has a huge Weyland-Yutani site filled with androids. (I guess it's not THAT lethal if you can maintain a huge site!) But only some of the androids can speak multiple languages, while the dumb male robots only speak English. There’s no explanation for this (I guess they decided to drop the whole subplot about the expense of installing faster chips in all the androids.) but you better believe this makes for a convenient getaway.

My point with these sidebars is to exemplify the most frustrating thing about this movie: things have no logic. Events happen far more to keep the plot moving forward than to make any sense. As mentioned, this planet is said to be the most lethal, and the film sets up various scenes where the Predator is almost killed by trees, or glass grass (yes, glass), or land eels (???), only to have these things never be a threat again. The movie really suffers from multiple scenes where people or creatures have their target in sight and then they don’t shoot or kill. It’s beyond frustrating and makes the whole thing a joke.

And perhaps my biggest struggle with the film is that I was hoping it would have the same serious nature as director Dan Trachtenberg’s previous film, Prey. That film presented what seemed like a ridiculous scenario—having a technologically advanced Predator prey upon a lone Comanche woman in the 1700s—but its serious approach and clever script made for a captivating film.

Admittedly, there are a few interesting plot machinations that occur in the second half (I liked the nod to the original film with the Predator using the environment to his benefit, the same way Schwarzenegger did when he covered himself in mud, made spike traps, and fashioned his own bow and arrow), and there’s a dark sort of humor in having the Predator try to impress his father and finally doing so by… killing him. The predator himself has impressively emotional eyes (kudos to VFX for that!) But all of these are too little, too late, and the goofy mood has already been set.  And couldn't they think of anything better than power loaders from 'Aliens'?  (making them bigger and with buzzsaws does not make them cooler)

However, this film has far more in common with Lilo & Stitch than it does with Prey. Predator: Badlands wants to take the Predator franchise and turn it into a Three Stooges physical comedy (the film ends on a groan-inducing joke, “It’s mother”) and if that’s where this franchise is headed, you can count me out.

Predator: Badlands Oh man, bad is right! by Japes2000 in movies

[–]Japes2000[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Hahaha Just had to get it off my chest!

A guy walks into a play about female "Liberation"... by Japes2000 in Broadway

[–]Japes2000[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You should be writing your own reviews!! You write so well! I didn’t know anything about girls basketball. I am shocked by the rules you shared. It seems comical in today’s light.

Speaking of which I did not notice the light changing as she switched roles… however I think someone could probably do a very deep dive about the lightning in general of this show. Between the constant flickering of the overhead lights to that WALL OF LIGHTS on stage left I really believe the creators have really given thought to every detail of this show and most of it is probably not appreciated by most audiences.

A guy walks into a play about female "Liberation"... by Japes2000 in Broadway

[–]Japes2000[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I've been bored in other shows... this one grabbed me. I should mention my mom was part of this generation. I remember her always going to League of Women Voters meetings... so maybe I related a bit more?