Practical Magic (1998) Review – Exploring the Past

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TL;DR – While narratively it is a bit all over the place, there is a core to it that still translates in 2026.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

A pentagram drawn on a man's chest in whipped cream from a can.

Practical Magic Review Introduction

Today we are looking at a bit of a blind spot for me. When I think back to the cult classics of 1998, my touchstone was Ever After: A Cinderella Story. But with the Practical Magic sequel upon us, I thought it was time to fix this potential mistake and see if the film can still resonate in 2026.  

So, to set the scene, Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gilly (Nicole Kidman) are sisters from the infamous Owens family. The whole town thinks they are witches; well, that is because they are. They live with their aunts Frances (Stockard Channing) and Jet (Dianne Wiest), and maybe a curse that affects every woman in their family. It is this supposed curse that caused Gilly to run away from the town, and Sally to buck history and fall in love with Michael (Mark Feuerstein). Sally moves back in with the aunts with her daughters Kylie (Evan Rachel Wood) and Antonia (Alexandra Artrip) and gives up magic for good, until one day Gilly calls needing help from her abusive boyfriend Jimmy (Goran Visnjic), and things go very wrong.

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New Zealand Spy: Season 1 – TV Review

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TL;DR – A delightfully silly exploration of the world of spying through a Kiwi lens.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I viewed this on ABC iView.

New Zealand Spy over a view of mountains.

New Zealand Spy Review Introduction –

There is a wide range of ways you can attack the spy genre, and time and time again has shown that farce is a perfectly valid way of achieving that. Today, we are looking at an example of this from my next-door neighbours, and all-round nice guys, New Zealand, who hopefully won’t betray that kindness by casting the Australians as the bad guys.  

So, to set the scene, a man clad in white races down a side of a mountain in skis as bullets fly. Michael Brown (Paul Williams) wants to be a spy; good thing there are only three applicants for five positions, so he just got lucky. After training, Michael is sent on his first mission to Queenstown, with Sue Nightingale (Rose Matafeo) and Michael Anderson (Joe Thomas), to see why the head of Australian Intelligence just touched down. Though maybe the training to be a spy should be longer than two weeks? Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Runner – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While I had some fun, this is one of those films where you will either be in for the ride or bounce off it so hard.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

The Brisbane sign.

Runner Review Introduction

Today we are looking at Runner, which should not be confused with The Runner that we looked at last week. This is a bit of an odd film for me because I am reviewing a movie not just filmed in my hometown, but actually set in it. Which brings a lot of joy when you see them in locations I know so well, but then also a real disconnect when the geography makes no sense. Let’s see how that juxtaposition pans out.

  So, to set the scene, Hank Malone (Alan Ritchson) is an ex-Navy SEAL living in Brisbane, Australia. Hank is one year sober and works as a runner, bringing items usually legal, sometimes not so, from one location to another as quickly as possible. A good example of this is a parrot from one divorced partner to the other. The day was meant to be over until an emergency last-minute parcel arrives via plane from Honolulu. But this parcel, an organ, comes attached to Ben Bishop (Owen Wilson). They just need to get the liver from Brisbane to the Gold Coast hospital before the time runs out. It is a simple run, well, it should be, but that is when some black SVUs filled with gun-wielding bikies start hunting them down.

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The Airport Chaplain: Season 1 – TV Review

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TL;DR – An interesting show with compelling characters that gets stuck in backstory rather than making the most of its central thesis.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I watched this on SBS On Demand.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

Airport Chaplain written on the back on a vest.

The Airport Chaplain Review Introduction

When I watched God Complex, I was instantly hooked by one of the more interesting premises on television this year. How would the titular Airport Chaplain work in a system full of tension, staff and management, the frustrations of passengers, or the different requirements of different faiths? Now that I have watched the whole season, I am both impressed and a bit frustrated with how it all played out.

So, to set the scene, it is a chaotic day at Victoria Airport: planes are being delayed, a flight from Shanghai has been circling for half an hour with a dead body on board, and there is a security incident happening. It is one of those days when you need a fixer to help smooth these things over, which is a good thing: Airport Chaplain Tobias Wallace (Hugo Weaving) is on the case. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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The Gentlemen: The Road To Kingdom [S2E1] – TV Review

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TL;DR – A delightfully terse and messy return to a fascinating series.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

The Price to buy a Cash-strapped Lord.

The Gentlemen Review –

Back in 2024, when I heard that they were going to make a spiritual homage to the movie The Gentlemen on a vibes level while keeping the title, I was a touch concerned. I shouldn’t have been, because Guy Ritchie’s works tend to be interesting if nothing else. The first season was full of style, but a bit uneven; it was absolutely enough to make me want to see where they go in a second outing.

So, to set the scene, we open with Edward “Eddie” Horniman, the 13th Duke of Halstead (Theo James), having a very, very, very bad day. Three months earlier, things are looking a lot better for the Duke, as he starts his manipulations for Susie’s (Kaya Scodelario) father, Bobby (Ray Winstone). All he has to do is grease Lord Richard Hawthorne (Hugh Bonneville) to get a peerage in the House of Lords, and keep his new Italian fixer Cico (Michele Morrone) in line. What is the worst that could happen? Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass [S4E7] – TV Review

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TL;DR – While it didn’t land everything it set out to do, you could not help but get caught up in the drama somewhat.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

End Credit Scene – There is an end-credit scene.

An old timey tv production monitors.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Review Introduction

As this season of Strange New Worlds has progressed, I am finding myself agreeing with Seán Ferrick from TrekCulture in wondering what is the vibe for this season? This has been a series that always has had its statement episodes; this season has been nothing but that. It has led to a dramatically inconsistent season, of which we see another example today.

So, to set the scene, Pike (Anson Mount) wakes up in sickbay with a bandage wrapped around his head. He had been in a terrible shuttle accident. Something is very wrong: his memory is fuzzy, M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) keeps talking off into the distance, the lights are too bright, everyone is speaking with dramatic pauses, and was that a musical cue in the background that Pike can hear? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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The Runner – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A conceptually interesting film that does not have the legs to make it to a full feature length.

Rating: 2.5 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.

Gal Gadot running.

The Runner Review Introduction

Today we review a film with a very singular focus, a singular drive, it might be said. Where the title is not just a thematic exploration of the narrative, but a description of what we will be doing for the next ninety minutes. Such singular focus can work because you strip out every extraneous factor, but when you have borne your soul, you also have nowhere to hide.
  
So, to set the scene, Maia Marten (Gal Gadot) is a lawyer working in London who likes running, so much that she will fob off one of her clients to put another male runner in their place. But as she runs to the office one morning, A Caller (Damian Lewis) uses her son Noah’s (Rory Wilmot) phone. The kidnapper has two rules: Maia cannot talk to anyone else, especially the police, and two, Maia cannot bore him. She has an hour to kill a witness in her big case that only she has access to, or Noah dies.

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Big Baby – Movie Review

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TL;DR – Unfortunately, this film fails at almost every level.

Rating: 1 out of 5.

Disclosure – I was sent a screener of this film.

Big Baby stands illuminated in green light.

Big Baby Review Introduction

Today, I am reviewing a very odd film, one that seems openly hostile toward film critics, whether their criticism is made in good faith or not. Thus, do I critique a film about film criticism or not? All of this is made harder by the fact that Big Baby was a real slog to get through.  
 
So, to set the scene, we open as Adam Lewis (Brandon Scott) is ripped to shreds by dudes on the internet, rocked by the thoughts that even though he is successful enough to be earning a comfortable living for his work, he may never win an Oscar. Adam stays up late, drunk, trying to write a new film. He dreams of a Big Baby (Adam Marcinowski) slashing his way through his house. This might be his new muse, or it could be a monster waiting to strike?

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Japan Trip Day 3 – Explore-It

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TL;DR – I take a walk through Osaka and find a Pokémon Center.  

Disclosure – I paid for my flights, accommodation, entry, and everything you see purchased in this article.

Looking over the Japan Inland Sea at Hiroshima.

Exploring Japan –

I had always planned to go back to Japan one day, and had started making plans to go back in 2020, and then 2020 happened. But late last year, I finally had the chance to put those plans back in motion as I flew out of Melbourne for Osaka, and thus my time in Japan began.  

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Lanterns: OutKast [S1E3] – TV Review

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TL;DR – We go full-flashback episode this week, but they make it work.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the HBO Max service used to view this series.

End Credit Scene – There is a making-of and trailer after the end credits.

John falling.

Lanterns Review Introduction

Today, we are looking at a style of episode that can be quite tricky: the flashback. This is when we put the current narrative on hold to jump back in time and give some more context around a character or an event. They can be fraught because putting your narrative on hold can feel indulgent, be a sign that you have not explained things properly, or worse, it can derail your entire story. Thankfully, we miss these potholes today.

So, to set the scene, it is 2016, and we begin with John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) falling through the air and landing on a pile of mattresses. It is a unique entry into what might be the most important interview in his life. Waiting for him is an unassuming lady, friendly but with a stare that pierces through you. Lianna (Laura Linney) has many questions, including, “Do you feel fear?” Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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