Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Tomorrow’s Enterprise [S4E10] & Season 4 – TV Review

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TL;DR – A heartfelt end to a very uneven season.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

The USS Enterprise in front of a white hole.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Review Introduction

Well, we have reached the end of a very odd season of Star Trek. It almost feels like the beginning of the end, while also celebrating the series’ 60th birthday. The vibes are all over the place. Whatever the case, today we are going to take a little time to explore the series finale while also looking at the season as a whole.

So, to set the scene, the USS Enterprise is exploring a very rare phenomenon, a white hole. They are looking to see if white holes are the other end of black holes when a tractor beam strikes the ship after a signal shot out from the hole, impacting Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) the most. It’s odd, almost like she can hear things that have not happened, a temporal paradox just affecting her. She hears Scotty’s (Martin Quinn) demise, but he is still fine, and then maybe she hears a disaster from the near future. Wait, why is that white hole now a black hole? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Coyote vs. Acme – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A delightfully fun time that did something I never thought possible; it made me care about the Coyote.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

A Rocket Skates blueprint.

Coyote vs. Acme Review Introduction

Today I have the joy of reviewing a film that almost was lost to time, buried as a tax write-off by a company that chose profit over what has turned out to be a common-sense business choice given how well the film has done. But the tax write-off was the film’s past; the new theatrical run is its future, and I am here today to talk about that future.

So, to set the scene, Wile E. Coyote (Himself) has spent an age trying to catch and eat the Road Runner (Eric Bauza/Paul Julian) using just about every ACME contraption known to man and toon alike. His latest gambit involves magnetic gloves, rocket boots, some metallic baubles, and of course a lot of bird seed. It fails, like catastrophically. But out of his defeat, he sees a TV ad for Kevin Avery (Will Forte), a lawyer from Avery, Jones & Maltese who specialises in Toon disaster cases. However, what Avery really specialises in is doing as little as possible and getting an automatic small outcome for his clients so as to never ruffle those ACME feathers. However, when Wile E. Coyote dumps every failed ACME product into the evidence box, Avery, Jones & Maltese suddenly finds itself suing the biggest corporation in the world for every defective toon product ACME has ever made. Thus, Avery is now a very famous lawyer and is completely unprepared for the wrath that is Buddy Crane (John Cena).

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The Weight – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A truly immersive film that sucks you into its story and makes you feel the titular weight.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

Warning – Contains scenes with flashing lights.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Bars of Gold.

The Weight Review Introduction

Today was cheap Tuesday at the cinemas, and for the first time in an age I had nothing on in the evening. Well, when the universe lines things up, one should make the most of it. Today that meant just rocking up and seeing whatever was about to start, and that is how I watched the fantastic film today.

So, to set the scene, Samuel Murphy (Ethan Hawke) ends up in a hard labour camp after punching a man who menaced his daughter (Avy Berry) who turned out to be a cop. Samuel works hard because he needs to get back to his daughter before they adopt her out. But he can’t do that in time, which is where the Warden, Clancy (Russell Crowe), has a plan. He has a friend, Taggert (Alec Newman), that needs four men for a task, and if they pull it off, he will sign Samuel’s release papers. Samuel, Rankin (Austin Amelio), Singh (Avi Nash), and Olson (Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen) make the trek deep into the Oregon wilderness. Taggert runs a gold mine, and it is about to be nationalised during the Great Depression. But the commodity they will be carrying is gold, and gold brings out the worst in people.

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Lanterns: Bad Optics [S1E6] – TV Review

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TL;DR – A slow burn is a choice given the end of last week’s episode, but while we still come out swinging this week, the slower pace lets the show breathe, and the performances shine.

Rating: 4 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.

The Green Lanterns logo in the sky.

Lanterns Review Introduction

Well, what a season of television we have had so far. In any other show, last week’s episode, Lights Out, would have been the season finale, but no, not here. Not only is it not the season finale, but it was also just a stepping stone on the way to the endgame. Oh, to have such strength in your writing, and also, oh, to back it up each week.

So, to set the scene, it is 2026, and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) has moved on to his real passion of architecture after giving up the ring, which is why he was surprised when his mother (Jasmine Cephas Jones) calls to say that not only is Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) out of jail, but that he now lives in Rushville and wants to apologise. One long drive out, and no apology later, John is at his wits’ end when he gets a call from Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald). Hal is dead, murdered. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Neagley: L Train [S1E1] – TV Review

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TL;DR – This is a slow start to the Reacher spin-off, but you do see glimpses of something interesting in between the beatdowns.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service used to view this series.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

Neagley and Reacher at a baseball game.

Neagley Review Introduction–

One of Amazon Prime’s most successful series in recent years has been Reacher, and given its success, it was only a matter of time before someone tried a spin-off. But if you are going to spin off such a successful series, you need to have a good hook, and I think one of the most successful supporting cast members is a good place to start.

So, to set the scene, it is 2 am in Chicago, and a man walks out onto the train line tracks into oncoming traffic and is killed instantly. The man, Tommy Crane (Jhaleil Swaby), was an old childhood friend of Neagley (Maria Sten), who has just finished off a successful resolution of a kidnapping case with a little help from her old boss Reacher (Alan Ritchson). While she had not seen Tommy in years, him getting so high that he would walk out onto oncoming traffic does not sound like him, and so she must investigate. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Heart of the Beast – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While there are times when you feel emotionally manipulated, I can’t deny that this film had a powerful effect on me, as each turn, setback, and revelation had me on the edge of my seat.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

A plane flies low over a valley.

Heart of the Beast Review Introduction

The last couple of years have been an odd time for David Ayer and me. I loved his The Beekeeper, a film that improves with each rewatching, and yet I loathed A Working Man, a film which was not improved by a repeat viewing. This was such an odd juxtaposition that was playing in my head as I sat down to watch his latest entry. But thankfully, I think we spent more time in the former than the latter territory.  

So, to set the scene, James Belmont (Brad Pitt) is a now-retired Special Forces officer who lives a quiet life with his retired combat scout dog Odin (Uber). They both live with the scars of their former life, both external and internal. One weekend, Belmont flies the two of them up into the Alaskan wilderness to camp, fish, and enjoy nature away from other humans. Some unwanted surprise company aside, it was a great trip, until a storm blows in and they have to pack up early. But when tragedy strikes on the flight home, Belmont and Odin must hike over fifty miles through the unforgiving Alaskan countryside to make it to the nearest road, the only hope for rescue.

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Reacher: Season Four – TV Review

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TL;DR – A solid season that never evolves the manual but does show why it works as well as it does.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription that viewed this series.

Reacher looks out in concern.

Reacher Review Introduction

Another season of Reacher has come to a close, and thankfully it was a much better ride than what we got in Season Three. With that in mind, we will dive into what makes the series work as well as it does, and also what might be holding it back from really making a cultural moment.   

So, to set the scene, it is 2:18 am in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. Reacher (Alan Ritchson) is taking one of the last trains for the night when he notices a woman in clear distress, her hands hidden in a bag. Fearing the inevitable disaster, he tries to talk the lady down from the coming disaster. But when he lies to say he is a cop, hoping that will stop the escalation, it has the opposite result. Reacher feels like he failed the woman in her hour of need, but worse, every department in the federal government is now very interested in a suicide on an early morning train. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Resident Evil (2026) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – Blood, Gore, Screams, Gunshots, and that is just the first ten minutes

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

Warning – Contains scenes with flashing lights.

Hands and feet spall out from a door.

Resident Evil Review Introduction

Today we are looking at a very interesting film, a grounded take on a surreal world. Growing up, even though we were not a PlayStation family, you knew of Resident Evil from sheer reputation alone. One of the pillars of horror gaming. I even liked the Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Apocalypse films back in the day, though by the time of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter it was clearly shambling along to the finish line. That is a lot of baggage for a film, but add Zach Cregger fresh off Weapons into the mix, and suddenly you have the potential for something truly fascinating. 

So, to set the scene, it has been a very long day for Bryan (Austin Abrams), who is trying to make money as a medical courier. He thought he was done for the day, but then a last-minute package for Raccoon City General Hospital arrived, and that was a job he could not turn down. It is a hard drive as a blizzard rolls in; he was distracted so much so that he didn’t even see the figure on the road until his car hit it at speed. This would have been disastrous, but then why won’t the police pick up? Why does this house look like a fight has just happened? And why is that very dead lady now running at full speed towards me?  

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Japan Trip Day 6 Part 1 – Explore-It

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TL;DR – I spent a day in Hiroshima on my way to the south of the country.

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. Then, well, 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.  

Shinkansen.

After spending my first five days based out of Osaka, it was time to begin my trip down to the south of the country. I didn’t want to spend a whole day travelling down to the south, so it was time to make a pit stop in the middle, and for me, that would be Hiroshima. Okay, I say pit stop, I was always going to spend some time here.

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Japan Trip Day 5 – Explore-It

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TL;DR – I join some friends in Nara and bow to some deer.

Disclosure – I paid for my flights, accommodation, entry, and everything you see purchased in this article. [Other than the delicious lunch]

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. Then, well, 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.  

A field along the trainline from Osaka to Nara.
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