Scrubs: My Emergency [S2:E8] – TV Review

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TL;DR – This felt like both a very old-school Scrubs episode and also something fresh.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

JD sitting in the chapel that had been converted into a coffee house.

Scrubs Review Introduction

We are starting to get to the pointy end of the season, and it is interesting to see all the different moving parts start to take shape. All the seeds planted throughout the season have started to bear fruit, some interesting, and some ‘oh, this is going to blow up in your face’.

So, to set the scene, things at Sacred Heart are starting to reach boiling point as cost-cutting and cost-raising are colliding in disastrous repercussions. JD (Zach Braff) wants to support the new hospital administrator Cassie (Stephanie Koenig), but the rest of the hospital hates her … for some good reasons. But JD kind of needs this because he has caught feelings for Elliot (Sarah Chalke) again, and that never ends well. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Allen – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A delightfully fun, but also a touch dark, romp about a man finding the alien he once met as a child.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

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

Earth from Space.

Allen Review Introduction

When you think of Ludo Studio, one thing immediately comes to mind: Bluey. Which is fair enough. However, they have been quietly producing a wave of small but meaningful series. One good example of this was Robbie Hood. While they have produced a lot of TV series, they have yet to make the jump to feature films. Well, that changes today, as we dive into their first offering: a surprisingly odd, and a touch dark, family film.

So, to set the scene, one night while Peter ‘Petey’ Burns (Edward A O’Sullivan) was young, the power went out, and a blue light exploded into the sky. Running down to the beach, Petey found an egg-like vessel pounding music into the night and a little alien dude. It was a wonderful time as Allen, Petey, and friends had a blast before a blue light reached down and stole Allen away, but not before they left a mark on each other. Many years later, Petey (T.J. Power) has grown up and has spent his life trying to reconnect with his friend. Soon, the same conditions that shaped that night will return, and Petey knows this is his final chance to reconnect with Allen.

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Ramayana: Rise of a Legend (रामायणम्) – Movie Review

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Also Known As: Ramayana: Part 1 & Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana: Our Truth. Our History.

TL;DR – A grand epic in every way.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Vishnu.

Ramayana Review Introduction

Today we are looking at a very interesting film. It is the cinematic representation of one of India’s and Hinduism’s epic Sanskrit poems, one of those foundational literary works that impacts the world thousands of years later. It is also the biggest wide release of an Indian Film that I have seen near me since RRR. So, time to sit in the comfy Gold Class chairs, order some food, and get ready for the almost four-hour runtime.

So, to set the scene, throughout the eons, the Asuras and the Devas have been waging war after war to claim the three kingdoms. In one battle, the Devas almost overcome the Asuras, when at the last second Indra (Kunal Kapoor), blessed by Vishnu, flies in on his elephant and seizes triumph from the claws of defeat for the Asuras. The Devas are forced to live in poverty, and Ravana (Yash/Sharad Kelkar) is urged to put down his instrument and avenge his people. Oh, he does, and Ravana endured a dangerous quest to make a bargain with Brahma that grants him almost immortality. The only thing that can harm him is a human, which means that if Vishnu wants to come as an avatar, then he needs to inhabit a flawed, fragile human body, which is right when the Prince Rama (Ranbir Kapoor) is born.

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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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