Paul Levinson's Blog: Levinson at Large, page 53
June 30, 2022
Podcast Review of The Man Who Fell to Earth 1.9
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 326, in which I review the ninth episode of The Man Who Fell to Earth on Showtime.
Written blog post review of this episode of The Man Who Fell to Earth
podcast reviews of The Man Who Fell to Earth 1.1 ... 1.2... 1.3... 1.5-1.6... 1.7... 1.8
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June 29, 2022
Podcast Review of Obi-Wan Kenobi
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 325, in which I review Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney.
Blogpost written review of this series.
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
Review of Obi-Wan Kenobi
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 325, in which I review Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney.
Blogpost written review of this series.
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
June 28, 2022
Obi-Wan Kenobi: The Medium is the Message
Checking in with a review of the six-episode season of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney, which I thought was just superb. In fact, I liked it better than any of the Star Wars movies released since the prequel trilogy, 1999-2005 -- which I liked almost as much as the original trilogy, which I flat-out loved.
Ewan McGregor back in the title role, and the super fine job he did with that, is only part of the reason. There was excellent acting and star power in the 2015-2019 releases movies, too. And though I really enjoyed hearing James Earl Jones as Darth, and seeing Hayden Christensen as Anakin, Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon, and Jimmy Smits as Bail Organa, that wasn't the deepest reason I really enjoyed Obi-Wan Kenobi, either.
I think it's that for a story of this scope and importance, a six-episode series is a much better conveyor than a single movie. It's pretty much common knowledge that Obi-Wan Kenobi was originally planned as a movie, too, but the poor box office of The Rise of Skywalker in 2019 got the producers thinking that maybe a TV series would work better. Likely COVID's depression of theatrical attendance played a role as well.
Whatever the reason, I binged Obi-Wan Kenobi in two evenings, which would have been one if I hadn't started watching it so late. To get back to the acting, in addition to the big names who lived up to their big names, I very much liked Vivien Lyra Blair as young Leia, Indira Varma (close already to being a big name) as Tala, and Moses Ingram as Third Sister aka Reva.
[Spoiler ahead ... ]
The only question I have, and maybe I missed something, is why exactly did Obi-Wan not kill Darth when he finally got the better of his once-student? Especially since that happened right after Darth informed Obi-Wan that Darth was no longer Anakin, and in fact had killed him?
But that's ok, I still love this little series, and, right, I'm looking forward to and hoping it will have at least one more season.
June 27, 2022
Podcast Review of Westworld 4.1
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 324, in which I review episode 4.1 of Westworld on HBO.
Blogpost written review of this episode
They're coming out into the open, for the first time in centuries ....
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Westworld 4.1: Lean Mix
Westworld was back on HBO last night with the start of its fourth season, and I liked it. It had a leaner feel and storyline than the previous season, which worked well with the meanness at large in every season. Plus, it had a wallop of a surprise at the end.
[Spoilers ahead ... ]
Maeve is in great shape, forced out of some kind of retirement in the snowy woods because a team is out to kill her. Like a hit woman or agent who hasn't lost her touch after all of these years, she disposes of them easily. But of course there'll be more to come. She needs to create her own team, and she starts with Caleb. This almost could be a Liam Neeson movie were it not for the first three seasons.
Caleb is relatively happily married, and he has a daughter that looks like Maeve's daughter, but I assume she's not. In contrast to Maeve's steely resolve, well-played as always by Thandiwe Newton, we have the mentally conflicted Caleb well played by Aaron Paul. This part was a little trite, but, then again, the opening story with the Man in Black making like a mobster was even triter.
Not trite at all is Christina, once Delores, who is now in New York writing stories. If she ends up writing a story about sentient AIs that would be ok with me. Evan Rachel Wood is great, as always, and so far she's the most interesting character, storyline wise.
Which leads to that surprise at the end: Teddy's back! Which I think is a fine move, not only because I'm sure we'll get a good story about how he ends up now in New York City, after -- how many years? we last saw him in Season 2 -- but because, hey, I like to see some true love in a story, and Westworld certainly needs some.
See you back here next week with my review of the next episode.
And see also Westworld 2.1: Maeve's Daughter ... Westworld 2.2: "Narcissus Narcosis" ... Westworld 2.3: The Raj and Guns of the South ... Westworld 2.4: Questions Pertaining to Immortality ... Westworld 2.5: Telepathic Control ... Westworld 2.6: The Dangling Conversation ... Westworld 2.7: Maeve vs. Dolores ... Westworld 2.8: The Wrong World ... Westworld 2.9: Fathers ... Westworld 2.10: The Realist World
And see also Westworld 1.1: Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick Served Up by Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy, and J. J. Abrams ... Westworld 1.2: Who Is the Man in Black? ... Westworld 1.3: Julian Jaynes and Arnold ... Westworld 1.4: Vacation, Connie Francis, and Kurt Vonnegut ... Westworld 1.5: The Voice Inside Dolores ... Westworld 1.6: Programmed Unprogramming ... Westworld 1.7: The Story of the Story ... Westworld 1.8: Memories ... Westworld 1.9: Half-Truths and Old Friends ... Westworld Season 1 Finale: Answers and Questions
They're coming out into the open, for the first time in centuries ....
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June 26, 2022
The Man Who Fell to Earth 1.9: Just Deserts
Well, episode 1.9 of The Man Who Fell to Earth on Showtime tonight shows I right about two important developments in 1.8:
[Spoilers follow ... ]
1. Lisa is ultimately in the employ of ... Newton. And in the last scene, Bill Nighy never looked better in the role and more like David Bowie. Which one and the same thing, and a very good thing to see.
2. Josiah survived. But in sad touch that makes perfect sense, he lost all of his Anthean qualities, and is back on the road to soon dying as completely human. I'm hoping Faraday gets a chance to give him some more of his Anthean essence before the finale ends.
Some other points:
I was glad to see Lisa kill Spencer. He was one despicable character.Edie turns out to be a tough character after all, pushing her ill father over a cliff, after he tells her that he's leaving the company to here brother Hatch. This has to serve some purpose in the finale, which I'm eager to see.And now I'll make a typical plea. I'd like to see a second season of this series. It's compelling and original, difficult for a sequel in which the actor who played the original central character can't be on the screen because he's no longer with us. I don't think I've ever seen a series quite like this one, and I very much welcome more.See also The Man Who Fell to Earth 1.1: Great Provenance and Excellent Start ... 1.2: The Ending We Needed ... 1.3: "I've come with a prototype ... " 1.4: "Tell my wife I love her very much ... " ... 1.5: Co-Mingling ... 1.6: Music of the Spheres ... 1.7 Game Changes ... 1.8: Battle at the Nunnery
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
June 24, 2022
Podcast Review of The Orville 3.4
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 323, in which I review episode 3.4 of The Orville on Hulu
Blog post written review of this episode
Podcast reviews of The Orville third season: 3.1... 3.2
... 3.3
Further reading related to this episode:
The Talmud versus The US Supreme Court Decision Today to Suspend Roe v. Wade
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The Orville 3.4: The Captain's Daughter
An excellent episode 3.4 of The Orville up on Hulu today, which connected to a momentous, disastrous US Supreme Court decision today which couldn't have been known when the episode was made.
[Spoilers follow ... ]
The Union is pursuing a treaty with the Krill to fight their mutual enemy the Kaylons. High stakes diplomacy ensue, including the best admirals on TV these days, Halsey and Perry, played Victor Garber and Ted Danson (you can't go wrong with that). But before the treaty is concluded and signed, the head of the Krill is beaten in an election by the fascistic Teleya. This is just the beginning of the resonances in this episode to the present USA.
Teleya has been on The Orville before, in its two prior seasons. In 3.4, she's not only elected President (presumably -- perhaps she and her party fixed it), she turns out to be the mother of a daughter fathered by our one and only Captain Mercer (the two had an affair). Ed gets to meet her, and it's a great scene. The fact that Teleya kept the baby is not surprising -- an abortion is a crime in their culture, and couples who have them are forced to interact with a hologram of what their child would have been like. (See The Talmud vs Today's Supreme Court Decision Overturning Roe v. Wade for at least some of my thoughts about what U.S. Supreme Court did in our reality today.)
Back on The Orville, I won't tell you how all of this turned out, though you'll of course know that Captain Mercer survives. I will say there are some crackling battles in space, Ed and Kelly have a tender moment, and I like the art deco look of the Krill big city,
See you back here next week with my review of episode 3.5
See also The Orville 3.1: Life and Death ... 3.2: "Come and Get Me ..." ... 3.3: What Do Bill Barr and Ed Mercer Have in Common?
And see also The Orville 2.1: Relief and Romance ... The Orville 2.2: Porn Addiction and Planetary Disintegration ... The Orville 2.3: Alara ... The Orville 2.4: Billy Joel ... The Orville 2.5: Escape at Regor 2 ... The Orville 2.6: "Singin' in the Rain" ... The Orville 2.7: Love and Death ... The Orville 2.8: Recalling Čapek, Part 1 ... The Orville 2.9: Recalling Čapek, Part 2 ... The Orville: 2.10: Exploding Blood ... The Orville 2.11: Time Capsule, Space Station, and Harmony ... The Orville 2.12: Hello Dolly! ... The Orville 2.13: Time Travel! ... The Orville Season 2 Finale: Alternate History!
And see also The Orville 1.1-1.5: Star Trek's Back ... The Orville 1.6-9: Masterful ... The Orville 1.10: Bring in the Clowns ... The Orville 1.11: Eating Yaphit ... The Orville 1.12: Faith in Reason and the Prime Directive
watch The Chronology Protection Case FREE on Amazon Prime
The Talmud vs. Today's Supreme Court Decision Overturning Roe v. Wade
The Jewish Talmud generally holds that life begins with the first breath (see, for example, When Does Life Begin? A Jewish View). What would this mean for a Jewish woman who wants to have an abortion in a state in which abortion is banned, due to today's U.S. Supreme Court decision?
If she is denied the right to have an abortion, due to the Supreme Court's decision based on the Christian view that life begins with conception, is she not having her Jewish religious belief overridden by a Christian doctrine adopted by the Supreme Court of the United States? And would this not be a blatant violation of the First Amendment to our Constitution, and its separation of church and state?
This is the essence of Florida Rabbi Barry Silver's suit against Florida's recently enacted 15-week ban on abortion. As Silver explains, "when life begins is radically different for Jews than it is for the people that wrote this law.”
Ultimately, the only way to reliably safeguard the rights of women over their bodies is to elect 54 Democrats to the Senate. With two Democrats, Manchin and Sinema, almost certain to vote against lifting of the filibuster, that leaves 50 Senators to vote in favor of that. VP Harris can break the tie, which opens the possibility of expanding the number of Justices on the Supreme Court, by Congress and President Biden.
Before then, it will be instructive to see what happens when Rabbi Silver's suit lands in the current Supreme Court, Will they choose to ignore the separation of church and state required by the First Amendment?
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