Masterplan – Movie Review

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TL;DR – This is a film that should have been right up my alley, yet I struggled to be engaged at any point in time.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this film.

The Mona Lisa.

Masterplan Review Introduction

Sometimes, all you need to get hooked on a film is its premise. Today’s film is “Stanley Tucci wants to steal the Mona Lisa”. You had me with that one line. That was all you needed to suck me into your film’s premise. But if you are going to capture me, you better deliver on your promise.

So, to set the scene, Jay (Victor Belmondo) and Chiara (Simona Tabasco) are criminals for hire. Jay is an explosives expert, and Chiara is a hacker. One day, they are hired by the eccentric businessman Roger (Stanley Tucci) to break into his own house. For, you see, this is all a test. Also, they’re supposedly his long-lost children, but I digress. Two children who are thieves, a long-lost father who is a thief, and a deal they can’t say no to. Steal the Mona Lisa.

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The Mongoose – Movie Review

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TL;DR – Good intentions, but sloppy execution.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this film.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

A reed carse racing down the highway towards the camera.

The Mongoose Review Introduction

Today we are looking at a film at the crossroads. On the one hand, we have the incredibly important subject matter: we send soldiers off to war and then don’t care much about them once they become veterans. However, the film is exploring this important issue through the lens of a comical action film. It is a combination that we will see is destined to fail because those two impulses want to take different paths.

So, to set the scene, we open as a red sports car blasts down an Arkansas highway while being chased by every cop car in town, dodging spike strips with ease. Ryan “Fang” Flanagan (Liam Neeson) is running from his past, both the dead body back in Kentucky and what happened in Afghanistan. Now, he is running, and he has the police forces of multiple states after him, and the outcome does not look good as he approaches Texas.

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Scrubs: My Story [S2:E7] – TV Review

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TL;DR – Today we have a sad episode, not a dagger to the heart sad, but the sadness of a tide of reality flowing in.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that aired this episode.

Turk, Nurse Dubois, and the new administrator sitting in the chappal.

Scrubs Review Introduction

There are many questions that came up when Scrubs came back, most notably how the happy ending from the previous iteration ended in a divorce by the time My Return came around. Well, given certain love interests were dismissed back in My Best Friend’s Birthday, it looks like today is the day to find out.

So, to set the scene, the new administrator Cassie (Stephanie Koenig) is on the warpath, trying to find any savings or revenue-raising she can. However, after having to have “the talk” with their son Ollie (Kellan Tetlow), JD (Zach Braff) and Elliot (Sarah Chalke) have a moment to reminisce, and maybe it’s time to have dinner together one more time. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Best Docking Scenes – Article

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TL;DR – We Explore the Best Science Fiction Docking Scenes in Cinema

Best Docking Scenes in Cinema Introduction

I was talking with a friend today about certain building blocks of genres, which segued into Interstellar. Then the conversation naturally turned to the docking sequence, one of its most famous moments. This left me thinking that, unless you are going to do a Star Trek and beam around everywhere, one of the key points of tension that can be created in Science Fiction comes from that docking manoeuvre. It can be full of dread, of wonder, and of calamity. So, today I want to explore some of the best docking sequences in Cinema and Television.

Honourable Mentions:

Alien: Romulus: Docking with a death station.
Farscape: Deploy the Docking Web.
Gravity: Breaking into a Chinese Space Station
The Martian – Capturing a supply pod
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – The USS Rio Grande docking on the Habitat Ring.
Star Trek: Nemesis – The USS Enterprise forcefully docking with the Scimitar.
Star Trek: Voyager – The USS Prometheus docks with itself.
Star Wars: A New Hope – That’s no Moon.
Sunshine: Icarus II docks with Icarus I.
Tron: Legacy – Train arrives at a secret ship.

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Black Doves: Black Door [S2:E1] – TV Review

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TL;DR – This opening episode builds the tension throughout because you know something very wrong is coming.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that I used to view this series.

Wallace and Helen walk into a gala.

Black Doves Review Introduction

There are times when you want just to sit down and wallow in intrigue and let a spy thriller absorb your life. That happened for me back in 2024 when Season One of the delightful spy romps/thrillers [I am not sure if something can be both, but Black Doves is both] dropped on Netflix. Well, it is now back for a second season, and I was more than ready to jump in.

So, to set the scene, things are moving fast in the world of Helen Webb (Keira Knightley) because not only is she a secret spy for an organisation that trades on secrets, but she is also now the wife of the PM of the United Kingdom. It is a dual life that is constantly rubbing up against itself, such as when a political dinner turns into a secret gunfight. However, while this dual world is a real struggle, what is worse is that even this structure is about to fall apart. We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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VisionQuest: Immolation [S1:E7] – TV Review

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TL;DR – This week reconnected me back to the story with some strong themes, which was important after last week’s outing.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service used to view this series.

Vision, and the team try to work things out.

VisionQuest Review Introduction

Today we dive into the penultimate episode of VisionQuest, and for the first time, I am a little worried. I came out of last week’s Deadlock, feeling quite concerned with the direction of the show. Some of the reveals left a bad taste in my mouth. However, Terry Matalas has not done me wrong yet, so I am here to see if he can bring it all together.

So, to set the scene, everyone is working through the fallout of Deadlock, with Vision (Paul Bettany) and Tommy (Ruaridh Mollica) trying desperately to save Lisa (Lauren Morais) from the nanobot that Jocasta (T’nia Miller) sent into her brain and is slowly rewriting who she is as a person. Meanwhile, Jocasta and Ultron (James Spader) have made their way to her mortal grave and unlocked five of the six locks needed to unleash her plan of world domination, which is when the mysterious benefactor arrives to both parties, offering them hope, or sending them to ruin. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Apocalypse Z: New World (Apocalipsis Z: Nuevo Mundo) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – The follow-up doesn’t quite land as well as the first, with odd story choices and issues weighing it down.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this film.

A cruse ship used as quarantine.

Apocalypse Z: New World Review Introduction

Yesterday, we explored the first in the series of Apocalypse Z films as a man and a cat made their way through a fallen Spain to get to safety. I quite enjoyed it; not revolutionary, but a solid zombie romp. Also, cat. Now tonight is the time to see if the sequel can match that same level of intensity.

So, to set the scene, the Canary Islands fells like the furthest you could be from trouble, but after the spread of the TSJ virus across the world, it might be the last place in Europe that has not succumbed to the disease. But supplies are now running desperately short, and there is a constant threat of the virus jumping into the refuge. Things are desperate enough that the government is risking a mission to Madrid to find supplies. Roberto (Carlos Alcaide), due to his parents and poor judgment, is about to become an example of the military judiciary, but he has one chance to avoid prison: Project Ithica. But there are many agendas going along this trip back to the mainland.

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Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End (Apocalipsis Z: El principio del fin) (2024) Review – Exploring the Past

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TL;DR – A solid Spanish zombie film, with good tension, a capable lead, and strong worldbuilding.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no end-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that was used to view this film.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

Zombies swarm.

Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End Review Introduction

Tonight, as we are spooky season adjacent, I thought I would dip into a horror film and the new Spanish Zombie film was recommended to me. It was at that point that I remembered that I had planned to watch the first film in the series but never got around to it. Well, there is no time like the present to fix that.

So, to set the scene, it is the new year in Spain and Manel (Francisco Ortiz) and Júlia (Iria del Río) are on their way back from visiting Manel’s family when a traffic accident changes their lives. A year later, things are a bit tense as a virus has the EU thinking of closing borders. Life is moving on, as the cases are ‘contained’ in Spain, but there is fear that collapse is on the horizon, and important people are being moved out to the Canary Islands for some reason.

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Scrubs: My Halloween [S2:E6] – TV Review

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TL;DR – There were all the components of a good episode here, but they didn’t quite gel as a whole

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that aired this episode.

JD and Turk look on in horror.

Scrubs Review Introduction

Today is a bit of an odd one, because from a sheer composition perspective, it should work gangbusters. However, as I watched it, I just could not get into the episode the way I was expecting. Which, given it is one of the few episodes where nearly all the cast is there, is quite peculiar.

So, to set the scene, it is Halloween at Sacred Heart, which makes differentiation between the traumas and the costumes a lot more difficult than a regular day. JD (Zach Braff) is still pinning his single-era status; however, much of his day is taken up by the new concierge doctor, none other than Dr Cox (John C. McGinley). Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999) Review – Exploring the Past

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TL;DR – While it is a film where you do need that nostalgic hook to get the most out of it, I do have to admit there is still a charm there.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no end-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to view this film.

Elmo gets sucked through a portal.

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland Review Introduction

Today I am looking at a film that was a direct request from one of my friends. Was that friend in an exhaustive haze at the end of a long convention? Probably. Will we need to dive back in time to before the Y2K bug? Yes. Have I ever watched this film before? Absolutely not.

So, to set the scene, Elmo (Kevin Clash) is looking for his blanket (it is behind him; the children yell), who is his best friend (I am not sure that is healthy). After a Blanket-Best Friend song, there is a segue to an impromptu percussion party in the laundromat. On the way home, Elmo is trying to comfort Zoe (Fran Brill) with animal impressions because she can’t go to the zoo. After a series of unfortunate events, the blanket ends up in Oscar the Grouch’s (Caroll Spinney) trashcan, and Elmo could not wait for Oscar to return home and gets accidentally sucked into Grouchland.

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