What would happen if the Atlantis writers decided to make their season a little darker, a little more dramatic, and a little more gritty? You’d get this season. Unfortunately, the season finale was formulaic, predictable, and once again, abusing time travel as a patch in the plot instead of the physics-shattering craziness that it actually is. I really dig the plot with Tayla and her baby… it pulls the heartstrings, it raises serious questions about the team’s future, and makes everyone confront just how risky that galaxy is. And then someone decided to PHONE IN the finale. The finale is the only reason that this season didn’t get five stars. It got four.

You can get a Master’s degree in the interplay of Western and Japanese philosophies, or you can watch this movie. I’m estimating that at least 75% of the dialogue was subtitled in quotes, and I really have no idea who the characters were quoting. The action was top-notch, the appearance of the Major was excellent, and once my mind wrapped around the philosophy involved, I was verrah happy to have watched it. It really is taking the questions and the action and what the world is becoming in the first movie, and elevating it to the next level. Four stars.

Disappointing is all I can really say about this one. Over-milked the time travel business, which they had really already done in Season 10. Can you over-milk something that’s been over-milked? My guess is no, and it really showed up in this. STOP ABUSING TIME TRAVEL. NAO PLZ. I’m really hoping that the writing quality either goes back up for these movies, or they stop writing them. Otherwise, the SG-1 crew has jumped the shark, in my oh-so-humble opinion. Three stars.

Character death? Did someone say character death? Did someone let George R. R. Martin into the writer’s room? My guess is that yes, he was there, talking about football and when to destroy the dreams and potential of whichever particular character that you were just starting to like.

Make no mistake, I loved this season, and that’s part of why. I really dislike kid gloves, and Season 3 takes off the kid gloves, takes off the adult gloves, and peels off three layers of skin from the hands. And then, at the very end, it chops off your hands, slaps you with them, and then takes you out to a movie and buys you dinner.

There’s not much that I can say about this season without spoilerizing it. I’ll just leave this little teaser for you. At least four of the last five Cylons are revealed. Five stars. And I have it on good authority that Season 4 is even -more- screwed up. I can’t wait!

I’d never pictured the dude from Fight Club, Edward Norton, as a tough guy. Really, as a muscley guy at all. And as a skinhead? Woah. This movie was truly amazing, and nailed nearly every single thing I look for in a movie. I was caught up, I was emotionally involved and invested in the characters, and the ending wasn’t rushed and didn’t take the easy way out. I really didn’t expect to see the girl from The Craft there, either. If you get the chance, see this movie. Five stars.

Apparently, I was on a bit of a skinhead run. Maybe I’m trying to figure out my cousin. Who knows? This one was recommended to me a while back, but I don’t remember who did it. This one’s got a bit more of an innocent cast to it than the other, due to the age and circumstances of the main character. Again, I was invested in the characters, and it was a great film. You could tell that it was an independent film, but the actors were amazing. The actor that played Tommy in Snatch was another surprise showing. That man can play really diverse roles. The ending was inevitable, but not labored. Four stars.