Author Archives: tldrmoviereviews

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – 300th Night [S1E9] – TV Review

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TL;DR – It perfectly sets up the season finale, while bringing real tension in its own right.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that airs this series.

Nahla, Reno, and The Doctor on The Bridge.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – The Life of the Stars –

We are heading towards the end of the season at warp speed, and it feels like it is time to start wrapping up some of the tangling plot threads. But that involves crushing some big storylines together, which can always be fraught if not handled correctly.  

So, to set the scene, there are celebrations everywhere. The 300th Night means that they have reached the end of their first year. In the middle of those celebrations, the USS Athena joins the fleet over Betazed to inaugurate the new Federation Headquarters. As the cadets come together to share a Klingon friendship ritual, Caleb (Sandro Rosta) runs out. He is still feeling odd feelings about his family, the tension of replacing in some way the thing he has been chasing for so long. But when things start looking up, they work out what Braca (Paul Giamatti) stole, Omega-47, an entity that could rip apart both space and subspace. He could target every Federation planet and send them back to the burn, killing billions in the process. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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The Bride! – Movie Review

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TL;DR – I’d be honestly surprised if “what if Bonnie and Clyde were Frankenstein and his Bride” was not written somewhere prominently in the pitch deck for this film.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

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

Warning – This film contains scenes which may cause distress.

Ida staring across a room, almost right in your soul.

The Bride! Review Introduction –

If you had told me a few years ago that Gothic Romance would come crashing back into the zeitgeist, I would have called you a fool. But indeed, it seems that I would have been the foolish one. Because we have had multiple big entries into this space, including other works adapting Frankenstein. Today, we are looking at a work that takes that classic tale and twists it on its head, and I am intrigued to see just how that works out. 

So, to set the scene, it is Chicago in the 1930s, the casinos are hot, the liquor is flowing, and the mob has their fingers in everything. Frank (Christian Bale) has been going through this world alone, but now he wants a partner in crime, and Dr. Euphronious (Annette Bening) might be just the person to do it. Thus, a local murdered and possibly possessed woman’s body becomes The Bride (Jessie Buckley). It was all very simple to pull off, but they may have got more than they bargained for.

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Mapping Jet Lag the Game in 2026

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TL;DR – We chart all of Jet Lag the Game as they galivant across the globe or hide in small English towns.

The first Flop.

Mapping Jet Lag the Game Introduction –

If you have seen any part of this site, you know I love maps, like really love maps, like I probably should talk to someone about it, love maps. There are very few people out there who get maps on the same wave level as me. But outside of two proper English gentlemen, one of the best places you can find it comes from a little YouTube/Nebula series called Jet Lag the Game. Which is where a team of three Americas, and guests, galivant across the world playing games like Tag, Snake, and Connect Four, but using countries as their gameboard. Back in 2023, we took a first look at mapping Jet Lag, but there have been many games since then, so, before they race around Taiwan, I thought I would take a look at where in the world they have been.

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Anemone – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While the scenery is stunning, the cast is giving their all, and the themes they are exploring are quite important. Unfortunately, Anemone is a victim of the whole not being as good as the sum of its parts.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

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

Warning – This film contains scenes which may cause distress.

A man looking out to a storm coming in over the ocean.

Anemone Review Introduction –

Let’s be honest, there is a lot I could say here in my opening paragraph as to what made me want to watch this film. However, we all know why you are immediately captivated by this slightly odd film; it is because Daniel Day-Lewis came out of retirement to star in one more movie. No matter what else is happening, that makes it a must-watch.

So, to set the scene, we open with Jem Stoker (Sean Bean) making the long trek into the wilderness of England looking for his brother Ray Stoker (Daniel Day-Lewis). Twenty years ago, Ray left his house and his pregnant wife Nessa Stoker (Samantha Morton) to build a life in isolation. Well, now his son Brian Stoker (Samuel Bottomley) is in trouble because the absence of his father has followed him around wherever he goes, and Jem hopes that bringing Ray back to speak with Brian will stop the boy from going down a dark path.  

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Mapping Aladdin’s ‘A Whole New World’

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TL;DR – Today, we map the two different trips on top of a magic carpet as Aladdin tried to woo Princess Jasmine.

Mapping Aladdin Introduction –

Over the weekend, I realised it had been a while since I’d made a Map‑It entry. And because old Disney films happened to come up in conversation, I started wondering whether the magic‑carpet route differs between the 1992 animated film and the 2019 live‑action remake. So, I booted it up to see.

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The Bluff – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While the story might not have the strength of wind behind the sails, the action and setting make up for it.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

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

Rowboats approach the shore.

The Bluff Review Introduction –

Today I was thinking that I have not seen a good Pirate action-adventure film. Well, call me surprised to find that when I opened Amazon Prime tonight, I found that a new film starring Priyanka Chopra and Karl Urban had landed, promising to do just that. Well, there is no time like the present to dive in and see if it works or not.   

So, to set the scene, in crashing waves and the gale of a storm, a pirate vessel is making its way through the Caribbean Sea in the tail end of the Era of Pirates in 1846. In the gloom, it finds its prey, a merchant vessel Swiftsure with a curious captain, Theodor H. Bodden (Ismael Cruz Córdova), holding gold marked with their pirate brand of Captain Connor (Karl Urban). Gold, they got in the small town of Cayman Brac. But while Cayman Brac looks inconsequential, it holds many secrets, and Ercell Bodden (Priyanka Chopra) is no sailor’s wife, well, she is, but she’s also a lot more.  

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Paradise: Another Day in Paradise [S2:E3] – TV Review

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TL;DR – This is the episode where all the intrigue from last season gets turned up a notch as we have a less-than-subtle look back at the world today.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

Sinatra in a coma.

Paradise Review –

After spending the first two episodes of Paradise‘s second season, Graceland &Mayday, it is nice to get back down into the muck with the city itself. The city feels like a façade just waiting for something to break it down, and this week, we get a lot of potential answers to just what that might be.   

So, to set the scene, Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond (Julianne Nicholson) eyes move, one blink after another, as medical monitors beep and whirl. One month, she has been in a coma for one month, what could have changed in Paradise while she was asleep, well, maybe a complete police state takeover led by an idiot president. But in the past, we discovered that the main problem with the volcanic eruption was not the globe-spanning tsunami, but the environmental tailspin that will happen in the years after, dubbed the ‘Venus Effect”. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – The Life of the Stars [S1E8] – TV Review

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TL;DR – A quiet, thoughtful meditation on the effects of grief and trauma from a number of perspectives.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that airs this series.

The USS Athena docked at Starfleet Academy on Earth.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – The Life of the Stars –

As we get into the back half of the season, it is clear that Come, Let’s Away is the fulcrum that the whole season pivots on. That is interesting because last week’s attempt to explore the repercussions of the event, Ko’Zeine, fell flat on its face for me. But maybe the second time is the charm.   

So, to set the scene, as Tarima Sadal (Zoë Steiner) arrives back on Earth, she is no longer attending the War College because of the fear of permanent damage if she uses her powers again. This puts Tarima in an odd place, being so close to where she wants to be but missing out. It adds to the pain that has been bubbling up for a long time and is affecting the candidates’ ability to work as a team. Seeing the problem and knowing it could lead to irreparable damage, Chancellor Nahla (Holly Hunter) decides to bring in some reinforcements in the form of Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman). But for one of the cadets, it might be too little, too late. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Scrubs: My Return [S10:E1] – TV Review

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TL;DR – While it is nice to be back with old friends, I was most surprised at who made me tear up in this first episode back.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

JD in scrubs.

Scrubs Review –

Well, well, well, the show that uplifted me in my youth and also blindsided me with emotions I was absolutely not prepared for … looking at you, My Screw Up. Scrubs is one of those comfort shows that you could sit down and watch any time, and it will bring you joy. However, I have seen old shows being brought back and not being able to work in the modern environment, so I came in here with some trepidation. Turns out I didn’t need it, at least not this time..

So, to set the scene, it has been a long time since JD (Zach Braff) worked at Sacred Heart hospital [which was not torn down, I do not know how that rumour got started]. However, while he spends his days being a concierge doctor for the wealthy, it is not exactly a stimulating profession. But as fate would have it, today he is back at his old stomping grounds, because one of his patients got admitted. It is a place of joy with old friends, old mentors, and more recent ex-wives. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Paradise: Mayday [S2:E2] – TV Review

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TL;DR – A fascinating look at survival in a world trying to kill you to survive.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

A plane crash

Paradise Review –

Today, we dive into the second episode of Paradise’s second season. While the first episode was all worldbuilding, here we get stuck into the meat cube of things when we get to see how love first bloomed. But also see just why you never want to find yourself in Arkansas.  

So, to set the scene, after taking off in a light plane at the end of Season One towards Atlanta, Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) was flying south when a sudden flashback and a surprise hailstorm forced the plane to come down in quite a crash. Xavier survives the crash, but little does he know that he came down in Arkansas, and the last place you ever want to find yourself is Arkansas. Especially when you have a dislocated knee, and you have to put it back in place by yourself… Crunch … Scream. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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