Monday Media Musings - 2/17/20

Arrowverse update: Am behind again. ( Legends, Flash )

Star Trek: The Next Generation rewatch: In preparation for Star Trek: Picard (which I still haven't started so no spoilers please!!), I refreshed my memory by watching a handful of episodes again, mostly to do with Picard, Data, and/or the Borg. In particular, it had been a long time since I'd seen either "Datalore" or the Hugh arc, and I suspect the details of that will be useful to remember. I've heard nothing but postive buzz about Picard and I'm looking forward to jumping in soon.

Be Kind, Rewind: I spent a good chunk of these last two weeks watching every video on this YouTube channel. Most of the episodes go in-depth on the Best Actress Academy Award winner in a particular year, which provides a jumping-off point to explore all kinds of issues around women and representation in Hollywood. I've also learned a lot of entertainment history. Definitely recommended.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix: Not great, but not as bad I was expecting based on buzz and reviews. It started off with a nice slow burn, as Jean Grey discovers both her new powers and the truth about her past. But the pacing got real rushed, real fast. I wish that we'd gotten more time with Sophie Turner as Jean, to build up her relationships with Scott Summers and Charles Xavier more naturally. And everything with the aliens was pretty weak. In the end, I don't know if it's even possible for one movie do to the beloved Dark Phoenix arc justice -- 20th Century Fox has now tried twice, and failed both times. Maybe Disney can do it up right as a mini-series someday.