You mean like your flaccid attempt at self-actualization, the 2014 jackass version versus the 2010 comatose version? Yeah, that's the one.

That's why I used "blatantly, obviously" as preface, since all art is contrived to at least a small degree. I also pointed up the contrast with your choice of words, since that was what I found particularly interesting, albeit tending to the inexplicable. None of the other directors you list take such a predominantly…

You mean your incredibly trite, superficial generalization, a claim made without any evidence whatever? Booooooooooring.

Interesting points. The container for the struggle to understand a metaphorical language was just brutally bad, though. If that had been better written (and it takes all of thirty seconds to come up with a different scenario—one is where Picard is marooned with a spacefaring alien without benefit of universal…

"To me, as a young cinephile stretching out of the primordial soup of Wes Anderson and Tarantino…"

That's a self-defeating, impossible to observe mantra that led to a suicide attempt. So there's that.

More of a guideline, really.

Booooooooooring.

"If this was the intent I'm not sure it entirely worked because Ashley
Judd, at that age, was still pretty cute. Maybe that shouldn't matter,
but I think it likely does a little."

It may be the intervening 17 years has made the limited script of the pilot all too prosaic, but even as of 1997 the first episode of The Practice must have seemed all too predictable boilerplate.

"Subtly subversive" direction is of minimal help when your script is a monumental bore.

Skip this turd and find the superbly executed Day Break, a little known one season time travel series made when Taye Diggs cared enough to at least occasionally change expression.
.
He plays a cop involved with Moon Bloodgood, and repeats the same day over and over as he… well, no sense spoiling a rewarding,…

And he used to be able to act. That one season series he did, where he played a cop who repeats the same day over and over, was very well executed and a lot of fun to follow.

Really? Jesus. How'd I miss that one?

I'm mystified by claims for Oldman as a great actor. Didn't he once briefly quit acting, claiming he hated it? It shows in far too many of his performances.

Likewise, although the many side plots in VM made the overall arc less unnecessarily twisty and to me more enjoyable. Plus, young Kristen Bell.

Yup. That's a huge problem with these single cases that last a season.

I rewatched the first couple of eps a month ago. It feels extremely tired. Benzali's performance, which was close to riveting the first time around, feels like shtik now.

Who thought Kelsey Grammar's gigantic cranium would serve anything but light comedy? Or perhaps The Leader, from the Hulk comics, without makeup.

It's junk. Happy?