Author Archives: Diego Crespo

Freelancer with never as much free time as I'd like. It all works out.

The Mandalorian Episode 1 Review #CantinaHangouts

Star Wars! Who doesn’t love the Star Wars? I love the Star Wars. As much as I’d enjoy Star Peace, I continue having fun with retrospective podcast series that cover the vast breadth of Star Wars entertainment. I think The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi both stand tall alongside the best of the series. I loved Rogue One. I didn’t hate Solo. Sadly, the Star Wars lovefest must come to an end. The Mandalorian isn’t a lost cause after the first episode but I won’t be holding my breath much longer either. But who knows? This weekly show will be covering all Mando-lore (heh) and host many guests, reviews and discussions on the series. It would be great if I did a total 180 on this. Check out the podcast episode links below to see where I’m coming from.

 

BLADE RUNNERS: MORE HUMAN THAN HUMAN

Blade Runners Rick Deckard and Officer K couldn’t be any more different. Deckard is a fundamentally flawed being who has little interest in life, a depressed shell of a man, wrapped up in the lingering mystery as to whether or not he is a replicant. K, not exactly a spry fellow himself, is almost immediately revealed to be a replicant whose only job is to exterminate other generation models. Deckard’s journey is one of revelation in his embracing of humanity, while K longs for a mere ounce of it. Even the respective films start with vastly different declarations.Continue reading “BLADE RUNNERS: MORE HUMAN THAN HUMAN”

THE COUNSELOR and the Birth of Ridley Scott’s New Age Ferocity

The filmography of Sir Ridley Scott comes with an abundance of critical acclaim. Occasionally, even the lesser received films like Kingdom of Heaven get a lengthened shelf life thanks to extended director’s cuts that help flesh out narrative and thematic purposes. Scott is a director whose work presents itself with visual splendor and sharp production design that drip with atmosphere. The most common complaint in spite of all this is how, for all their technical strength, Scott films can feel cold. Not merely the look of them but in how they portray people. Lo and behold, when Ridley Scott makes his least accessible film to date, The Counselor, it is unsurprisingly spurned by the masses. And yet, the critical lambasting didn’t allow Scott to miss a beat.Continue reading “THE COUNSELOR and the Birth of Ridley Scott’s New Age Ferocity”

DUEL: Spielberg’s Man and the Elements

Duel is a film directed to near perfection, its technical efficiency meant to highlight on the “experience” rather than have its logistical details parsed out. It’s something elemental, like the villainous vehicle crawled out of the dirt of the seemingly endless California desert that has served as a tomb for so many other drivers. The telephone lines might as well be crosses in a graveyard. What can man do against such rudimentary construct of primal rage? It’s Spielberg’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre. His Earth-Jaws. With so many attempts at bringing in a “proper” third Terminator film, we may as well reconvene and name Duel the secret prequel in the tale of man vs. machine.Continue reading “DUEL: Spielberg’s Man and the Elements”