Stacy's Blog Has Got It Going On

No funny quote this time.  Just a rant.  This movie is mostly just dumb fun.  I was mostly fine with the genre switching.  I was along for the ride.  But the movie's message is that we should be kinder to AI and maybe they'll be kind back and not destroy us.  In theory, I agree, but I have enough experience to know that humanity, even if it's just some, will never be kind to AI and will always do the worst possible thing. Even the villains, who claimed to be anti-AI, were trying to control it and use it for their ends.   And then we have Megan's character arc.  She gets redemption in this movie.  Wonderful, but the lesson here seems to be that we should give AI powered killer robots a second chance.  I am not okay with that message. Most movies that have AI involved recognized the risks that come with it and I think the writers of this movie are very naive.  In the end, it's a dumb, but kinda fun movie.  And maybe I'm letting m...

 "Hi, Dad!  I'm a bargaining chip!" -Glordon Elio Solís (Yonas Kibreab) wants nothing more than to be abducted by aliens and explore the cosmos.  One night, his wish comes true and Elio is taken to space.  However, it isn't as fun as he imagined when he has to negotiate between two groups of aliens to prevent war from breaking out. What Works: To start with, this is a Pixar movie, so it's beautifully animated.  That should go without saying as that's what we've come to expect from Pixar, but just because it's expected doesn't mean it shouldn't be praised. Yonas Kibreab does a great job as Elio.  Elio is an unusual protagonist in this sort of movie as he's pretty unlikable at first, but he learns and grows over the course of the story.  Throughout it all, Kibreab does a great job at giving Elio a lot of emotion. My favorite character of the movie is Glordon, who is played perfectly by Remy Edgerly.  He's the son of the warlord leader of ...

 "I have always dreamt of playing Charades with you, Jeffrey.  Just not like this.  And not on dry land." -Dean Pelton "Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design" picks up in study group.  After Annie (Alison Brie) shows the group her new diorama, Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed (Danny Pudi) leave to go build a blanket fort in Abed's dorm room.  Britta (Gillian Jacobs) makes fun of them for wanting to hang out in a blanket fort before they leave. The Dean (Jim Rash) arrives to inform Jeff (Joel McHale) that he won't be receiving credit for his independent study class, Conspiracy Theories in US History, because it isn't a real class.  Jeff claims it is real and has a meeting with Professor Professorson every week.  Jeff takes the Dean and Annie to Professor Professorson's office, but only finds a storage closet.  Jeff claims this is some sort of test from his professor, but the Dean and Annie don't believe him.  A man claiming to be Professor Prof...

 "Tell your disappointment to suck it!  I'm doing a bottle episode!" -Jeff Winger "Cooperative Calligraphy" picks up with the study group finishing up a diorama for anthropology class.  The Dean (Jim Rash) announces that a Puppy Parade is happening outside and most of the group decides to go, except for Jeff (Joel McHale), who has a hot date.  Just before they can all leave the study room, Annie (Alison Brie) asks them all who took her pen and explains that she has had 8 pens taken from her recently and has had enough.  The group promises to be more respectful of her property and tires to leave again, but Annie starts screaming. The group reluctantly searches the study room for the pen, but can't find it.  Annie points out trust is at stake and that no one has entered or left the room, so somebody has to have it.  The group looks at Britta (Gillian Jacobs), who has a habit of "borrowing" pens from everyone.  The group convinces her to empty her ba...

 "It's going to be a maze." -Joshua "Aerodynamics of Gender" picks up with a basketball game between Troy (Donald Glover) and Jeff (Joel McHale).  After losing the game, Jeff kicks the ball into a garden and Troy has to go and get it.  He discovers a secret trampoline.  Jeff catches up with him and they meet the gardener, Joshua (Matt Walsh), who allows them to use the trampoline to reach a state of bliss and relaxation.  He asks them to keep the trampoline a secret because of its potential to be a serious lawsuit.  He also tells them to only use the trampoline one at a time. Meanwhile, Annie (Alison Brie), Britta (Gillian Jacobs), and Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) sign up for a Women's Studies class as a way to take a break from the guys, but when Abed (Danny Pudi) finds out, he signs up as well.  The girls try to sit away from Abed, but a group of mean girls, led by Meghan (Hilary Duff), force them to move out of their seats after insulting them....