Pluto, Dune: Part 2, The Program: Cons - Cults - and Kidnapping

- Pluto [2023] - 60

Pluto is one of those things that, similar to Westworld, has all the right pieces to make something I really love: sharp animation, cool robots, great creativity, and a noir-style mystery to follow. Also similar to Westworld, Pluto suffers most in its commitment to forcing you through it’s basic narrative, rather than fleshing out characters or the world they live in while letting that narrative grow naturally. Tons of potentially interesting characters make for a solid foundation that’s never properly explored in favor of getting to the next plot point. Hour-long episodes fill themselves with pedantic exposition rather than actually allowing the viewer to experience meaningful events from the past. All said and done, there’s truly a lot to like about Pluto, and I think that’s actually it’s biggest weakness. You want to know so much about so many things, but the show insists on telling you only the most basic components to make any given scene work, then refuses to spend more time developing its most interesting aspects. It’s a fine watch, but it could have been so much more.

- Dune: Part 2 [2024] - 77

Strangely, I feel almost exactly the same about Dune: Part 2 as I do about Pluto. Both pieces either needed to be much short and more concise, or much longer and more slowly paced. Dune specifically suffers from this because its rapid-fire pacing forces the audience to [weirdly… also similar to Westworld] simply accept certain things that the movie shoots right past and outright refuses to explain. Control the biggest and most dangerous animal in the galaxy with some metal hooks? Sure, no problem… but don’t you dare ask questions about it. Someone needs to get something done? We got you, just don’t even think about… actually, you know what? Just don’t think at all. Thanks.

Dune: Part 2 is great to look at and mostly fun to be a part of, but it’s got some of the laziest storytelling I’ve seen in ages. If you just want something flashy and fun, you found it. If you want something thoughtfully written and narratively interesting… Run, run far away.

- The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping [2024] - 90

The Program is a hellish reminder of what happens at the convergence of systemic failure, ignorance, and greed. A documentary by Katherine Kubler [a survivor of the Academy at Ivy Ridge], The Program is an incredibly difficult, but equally important, watch. Featuring intense descriptions and CCTV documentation of legalized abuse of children and teens in the name of “behavioral modification”, The Program intends to showcase the truths hidden behind the closed doors of these types of facilities. Through proven socially destructive practices, cult-style brainwashing and manipulation of parents, and driven by the all important dollar, these types of legal hells thrive to this day.

The Program is not one that should be skipped-over simply because it is difficult, and I hope that the courage shown by Katherine and those who’ve helped her make this piece does not go unheard by the higher powers who can stop these atrocities from happening to children in the future.