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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Forgotten Island – Movie Review

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TL;DR – The ending might be messy, but you cannot deny the charm and style that is throughout the film.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

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

A charm bracelet.

Forgotten Island Review Introduction

Today I get to dive into a world that I have not experienced before. Through my work and study, I am familiar with a lot of the world’s mythologies, but not with the myths of the Philippines. This does mean I won’t be critiquing in this review how well they represent that mythology, but it does mean that I get the joy of new experiences.
 
So, to set the scene, Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano) have been friends since they were kids because no matter how different they are, they share a love for mythology, and a care for each other. The bonds of friendship run deep, but they get a major test when Raissa is accepted into CalTech in America. It is the last day they will be together when Jo finds a star in the ocean creating a portal to a new world. The two girls wake up 12 hours later with no memory of the night before and the realisation that they have both lost their only way home, and upset Manang (Lea Salonga), the Dreaded Manananggal, the one creature you never want to upset.

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Japan Trip Day 4 – Explore-It

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TL;DR – I take a walk through Kyoto. There were many, many steps.

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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Seven Snipers – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A film about snipers should be tense, not dull.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

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

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

A car in the target of a sniper scope.

Seven Snipers Review Introduction

As we continue to catch up on releases before the end-of-year onslaught happens, there is one Australian film from earlier this year that I wanted to get my eyes on. Conceptually, the idea of multiple snipers facing off against each other deep in the Australian bush is something that you have to see.  

So, to set the scene, Chris Hendrix (Radha Mitchell) lives deep in rural Australia with her daughter Anja (Annabel Wolfe). Chris is a little high-strung, which of course is perfect fodder for a rebellious teenager. However, Chris is not just some normal strict parent; she is a former special forces operator who has been living in hiding after antagonising the ruthless Dragon. But when a local real estate agent turns out to be an assassin, Chris realises that after decades, the Dragon has found her. Calling in backup, Chris hopes to get in front of this when her daughter runs away, and then the bodies start dropping.    

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Hope (Hopeu/호프) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – This is honestly one of the most bonkers films I have ever watched, both good [the action] and bad [the animation], and everything in between [the tonal whiplash].

Rating: 4 out of 5.

And/Or

Rating: 2 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Two men stand on either side of a creature sized hole that has been made in the wall of a building.

Hope Review Introduction

Today we are looking at a profoundly odd film, a film that bamboozles and weirds you out in equal measures. I will be honest: I spent the entire time I was watching this film on the edge of my seat, not knowing what would come next, good or bad. It constantly keeps you off balance, not knowing what will happen next.  

So, to set the scene, Ko Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min) is the police chief of Hope Harbour, a town in South Korea near the border with the North. Early one morning, he is called out of town by his cousin Ko Sung-ki (Zo In-sung), where they find a large bull that has been eviscerated by something larger than a bear. Concerned that a wild animal is this close to the town, Ko Bum-seok makes his way back into town to try and organise patrols to keep people safe, which is when explosions and screams cry out into the early morning.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Orders of Magnitude [S4E8] – TV Review

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TL;DR – This week I feel as if we have seen a touch of the endgame of the season, as we suddenly have what might be the first normal episode of the season.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

The USS Enterprise over a planet.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Review Introduction

Today we are looking at a very odd episode, because if we removed it from all the context around it, then we get a solid episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. However, once we bring in all the context available, it starts becoming odder, as it feels almost more like a reaction to an uneven season. If nothing else, it does make an interesting episode to mark Star Trek’s 60th Birthday.

So, to set the scene, the USS Enterprise has been patrolling one of the major trade routes of the Federation when a weak SOS has called Pike (Anson Mount), Una (Rebecca Romijn), Chapel (Jess Bush), Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), and A’Sha (Bianca Nugara) down to some crystalline caves. This puts them out of communication when Admiral Simon Reeger (Joe Morton) arrives by shuttle. He is a hero of the Federation-Klingon War and is chasing an echo of a ship that committed the Vaardan massacre. There is not enough time to wait for Pike to get back, so Reeger takes command of the Enterprise and makes Kirk (Paul Wesley) his number one. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Practical Magic 2 Review – Movie Review

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TL;DR – For me, the sequel improves on the narrative while bringing the charm in spades.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

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

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

Xolo Maridueña on the ground after being hit by a car.

Practical Magic 2 Review Introduction

Well, it’s time for round two when it comes to magical adaptations. I was not sure what to expect when I sat down to watch the first Practical Magic yesterday. But joyfully messy was not on my list, which makes me wonder how it will hold up to a sequel all these years later.

So, to set the scene, Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gilly (Nicole Kidman) are sisters, with their aunts Frances (Stockard Channing) and Jet (Dianne Wiest), from the infamous Owens family. The whole town thinks they are witches; well, that is because they are. Twenty-five years after the first film, Sally’s elder daughter Kylie (Joey King) is discovering that the family curse might not be all done and dusted when her boyfriend Gideon (Xolo Maridueña) is gravely injured. This leads to a flight to England to try and break the curse once and for all. 

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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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