Monthly Archives: September 2024

Rebel Ridge – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A fascinating exploration of how easy it is to twist and abuse power when no one is willing to stand up to it.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this film.

Terry is thrown onto the road.

Rebel Ridge Review –

My professional background is in International Relations, and at the core of much of that is the idea of power. How do you keep power? How do you use power? How can you counter those with power? This can often be found in the exploration of the Melian Dialogue, where “the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must”. A touchstone for our setting today. However, what happens if someone comes in to mess with that power?    

So, to set the scene, Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) was riding his bike one day with his music blaring when, unbeknownst to him, the police were tailing him. One sideswipe later, and being pushed to the ground while injured, Terry is arrested, and the money he was bringing to bail out his cousin was ‘confiscated’ by the police. Civil forfeiture: All the police need to do is have a suspicion that the money is an illegal gain, and they can take it, and the Shelby Springs Police Department did just that. Now Terry is on a ticking clock because if his cousin gets sent to state prison, he will be killed.    

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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While it does not hit nearly as hard 40-years later, it was still a fun ride from start to finish, if you can get through all the mess.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

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

Beetlejuice appears from the mist.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Review –

While you should never say Beetlejuice’s name three times, today we are in luck because we are looking at the sequel which is just Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. However, delving back into the past and trying to find a sequel after 40-odd years since the first outing is a potentially fraught endeavour. Can you capture what made the first Beetlejuice a hit all those years ago? Well, that is what we will look at today.

So, to set the scene, in the many years since Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) helped the Maitland ghost’s out she has become a mother, and a host of a very popular ghost show called Ghost House with Lydia Deetz. However, every now and again, out of the corner of her eye she sees a man with green hair and striped suit. Lydia was in the middle of taping one of her shows with her producer Rory (Justin Theroux) when she gets an urgent call from her stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara). Her father has been killed and the whole family is going back to Winter River for the funeral, including Lydia’s mostly estranged daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega), who does not believe that her mother can commune with the dead. Mourning for the dead can be a difficult process, but when mysterious woman called Delores (Monica Bellucci) appears in the afterlife killing souls and sending Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) into hiding. Well, a fortunate timed funeral could be just what he needs to connect with his almost wife from all those years ago.

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A Million Days – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A conceptually interesting film that just never quite coalesced in the way that it wanted.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I was sent a screener of this film

Three astronauts with crosses for eyes.

A Million Days Review –

If there has been one major shift in technology in the 21st century so far, it is the rise of predictive AI. While the whole world is trying to rectify this new landscape, Science Fiction media has been playing in that space for decades. Today, we explore a film that is all about AI and what it means for the future of humanity.

So, to set the scene, in 2041, after decades of unchecked global warming, Earth is on the cusp of complete ecological collapse. The SEED project, powered by an AI called JAY, was created to try and make humanity a multi-planet civilization. Anderson (Simon Merrells) and Sam (Kemi-Bo Jacobs) help run the JAY project as the Lunar Colony is being established. However, when one of the new hires, Charlie (Hermione Corfield), accidentally runs a JAY simulation for a million days, they discover that something is wrong with humanity and its survival.   

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Where the Stars are Strange – TV Review

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TL;DR – We delve deeper into the dwarves, and see the manipulation afoot.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that viewed this episode.

The elven city of Ost-in-Edhil.

The Rings of Power Review –

It is time to dive into the second part of the opening trilogy for The Rings of Power’s second season after Elven Kings Under the Sky. While last week was all about setting the scene, this week feels more like setting the mood for the season as we return to the Dwarves and see the dangers on the horizon.

So, to set the scene, after being banished and his prince hood removed, Durin IV (Owain Arthur) and his wife Disa (Sophia Nomvete) have shifted to a life away from power and riches. But before they can adapt to that life, Khazad-dûm is struck with a devastating earthquake that shatters the intricate mirrors that give the city light. Meanwhile, the elves of London are trying to work out how best to confront the growing threat of the orcs of Mordor now that Mt Doom has erupted. Still, while Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) can see the real danger might be closer to home, Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) cannot, which is a problem because ‘Halbrand’ (Charlie Vickers) has arrived at the gates of Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards). Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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