Category Archives: 2023 Reviews

John Wick: Chapter 4 (JW4) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – In many respects, this is the best John Wick film so far, or at least it would be if the action scenes were a touch more restrained in their length      

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a post-credit scene

Disclosure – I paid to see this film

John walks into a cathedral.

John Wick: Chapter 4 Review –

If there has been one series that has captured my attention in the last decade, it is the Jon Wick films. John Wick: Chapter 1 was an explosive surprise that shifted what action films could do in the modern era. John Wick: Chapter 2 took the world and expanded it in every way. While John Wick: Chapter 3 pumped everything up to eleven. Could they keep ramping up each time? Well, let’s see.

So to set the scene, after Winston Scott (Ian McShane) betrays John Wick (Keanu Reeves), shoots him in the chest and throws him off the Continental’s roof, it looks like the end for John. Well, until he is found by the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne), who is very happy helping John with his revenge mission. But revenge often comes with its own retribution, and The Table strikes back hard and without mercy. Because, as they say, revenge is a dish best served cold or via dog attack. It is one of them.    

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Star Trek: Picard – Dominion – TV Review

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TL;DR – It does what Star Trek does best and explores complex morality problems as the world implodes around them.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that viewed this episode.

A nebular.

Star Trek: Picard Review –

Can you make someone have a moral quandary in the middle of an action scene? That feels almost like an area that few would dare to tread, but where else will you learn about someone as well as you can when you have engaged them in a dance of battle? Whatever the case, this week brings emotions to the fore, or is that to the Lore?

So to set the scene, the USS Titan-A is all alone but with the knowledge that there is a conspiracy that has gone to the top of Starfleet as the Changelings are out for revenge. The crew is trying to find allies that are left out there when Seven (Jeri Ryan) gets in contact with her old crewmate Tuvok (Tim Russ), but the reach of the Changelings is extensive, and time is running out. Which means that maybe it is time to throw the hail Mary. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.      

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The Mandalorian: Chapter 21 (The Pirate) – TV Review

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TL;DR – A fun return to form, with two adventures romping across the galaxy.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Navarro

The Mandalorian Review –

The Mandalorian has come from a long line of inspirations encompassing grand space operas, the gun-slinging westerns, and the samurai dramas of Japan. When the show taps into these elements, it always shines. This is good because that is the episode we get today.

So to set the scene, Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) has been busy as Magistrate of Navarro building the planet up as an independent trade location outside of the New Republic and Imperial Remnant control. He was nearly getting it self-sufficient when the pirate Gorian Shard (Nonso Anozie) descended in his corvette and rained fire on the town. With nowhere else to turn, Greef calls out to Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) for help, but maybe the New Republic is too tied up with its own problems at the moment. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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The Portable Door – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A delightful romp through a world where coincidence can be bought and manipulated.     

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid and post-credit scene

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film

The portable door.

The Portable Door Review –

Few things get me into the cinema as quickly as ‘made by The Jim Henson Company’. No matter what they are involved in, you know it will be fascinating to watch. But add in some lovely Magical Realism and a cast of zany characters, and you have a must-watch.

So to set the scene, Paul Carpenter (Patrick Gibson) is down on his luck and trying to find a job to pay the bills before he gets kicked out of his flat. All he has to do is get to the café. What could go wrong? Well, everything, apparently. Both shoelaces might break, the trousers might have a stain, and a dog might run off with your scarf. But what if, coincidentally, running after the dog, you find a small door for applicants, and what if you find yourself in the company JW Wells and Co that is expecting you even though you never applied for something? But what if, in that interview, you notice that the cracks in the wall remarkably resemble a map of London? You might find yourself employed by a company that believes that coincidence can be manipulated and controlled.   

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Star Trek: Picard – The Bounty – TV Review

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TL;DR – When you explore the past and think about the future, you get a perfect episode of Star Trek

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that viewed this episode.

The USS Titan-A behind a star.

Star Trek: Picard Review –

When you look back on Season 1 and Season 2 of Star Trek Picard, I loved them, but they did suffer from the mid-season slump. They got lost among the weeds but found themselves in the end. But this is the last ever season, and if you wanted something to land, now would be the time to do it, and I am so glad that is what we are getting.

So to set the scene, at the end of Imposters, we discovered that things were worse than anyone had thought. The Changelings can now replicate internal organs meaning they can pass through all the scanners set up at the end of The Dominion War. Now they have made their way into every part of Starfleet, and the USS Titan-A is now in their sights. How can they prove they are innocent? Oh, just infiltrate the most secure facility in all of the Federation. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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Furies (Thanh Sói) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While sometimes difficult to watch, it soars during its action sequences.     

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this movie

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

bloody hands.

Furies Review –

I was unsure what to expect when I sat down to watch the first film from Netflix in Vietnam, or indeed our first ever film from Vietnam. I was told to expect some decent action and a stylistic presentation, both of which are present. However, I did not expect to encounter in the first five minutes one of the most confronting scenes I have seen in a film I have reviewed.

So to set the scene, when Bi (Nguyễn Công Danh) was young, she suffered an unspeakable trauma that left her alone in the world as everything she knew burnt to the ground. She grew up on the streets alone, leaving her vulnerable until one day, Jacqueline (Ngô Thanh Vân) drops a beet down on a group of men trying to attack her. She gives Bi a place to stay with Hồng (Rima Thanh) and Thanh (Tóc Tiên), who help with a makeover montage and train her to be ruthless. Jacqueline is teaching the women to take on the elements of society that pray on women, and the first people in their sights are ‘Mad Dog’ Hải (Thuận Nguyễn) and his gang of traffickers.

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The Mandalorian: Chapter 20 (The Foundling) – TV Review

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TL;DR – A fun return to form, with two adventures romping across the galaxy.  

Grogu and his crab rock.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Mandalorian Review –

When I left last week’s episode, it was the first time I felt deflated with the show. I respect that they were trying something different, but it all fell flat for me. Suddenly, I was concerned with where the rest of the season was going, so I walked into this week with more than a bit of trepidation. Only time will tell if this was warranted or not.

So to set the scene, we are in the hidden Mandalorian compound as all the foundlings train outside the cave. It is here where Grogu has to show that he has power and is not a tiny child unworthy of respect. But while this happens, a large raptor swoops down, collects one of the foundlings in its claws, and takes it off to places unknown but with murderous intent. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead for the show.    

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Star Trek: Picard – Imposters – TV Review

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TL;DR – Things go from bad to just fundamentally worse, like just about the worst of the worst.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that viewed this episode.

Two captains and an admiral.

Star Trek: Picard Review –

I need to stop saying that ‘It’s Always Darkest Before the Dawn’ because I fundamentally misjudged where the bottom was for the USS Titan-A and her crew. Because … oh wow … we are in a bad place, like fundamentally almost the worst place you want to be.

So to set the scene, after fighting off The Shrike and escaping the nebula, the USS Titan-A limped back into Federation space to make repairs. But while the crew wonders why the Changelings are not reverting to goo, Starfleet shows up. Riker (Michael Dorn) and Picard (Patrick Stewart) did break more than a few laws to save Beverly (Gates McFadden). But when the security crew from the Duderstadt class USS Intrepid arrives, we find the exanimation undertaken by an old friend … or enemy? Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead for the show.    

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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – Movie Review

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TL;DR – An enjoyable film that captures the chaos of a DnD session right down to the nat-20 dice rolls.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid to see this film.

The party enters the arena.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Review –

Between a combination of Critical Role finding a moment in the streaming space and the wave of nostalgia birthed from Stranger Things, it has rarely been a better time for Dungeons & Dragons. Many people started their own DnD campaigns, and I am not immune to that, so what do you do? Well, you bring your party to the cinemas and experience a one-shot.

So to set the scene, we open in prison surrounded by an icy wasteland. Two prisoners were Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine), a bard and his best friend Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez), a barbarian trying to get a pardon by explaining their tragic backstory. Or … you know, you could do a little prison break. Because when Edgin was captured, he left his daughter Kira Darvis (Chloe Coleman) in the care of his party member Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant), rogue. Only Forge is now the Lord of Neverwinter and might have turned Kira against the group.

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Shazam! Fury of the Gods – Movie Review

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TL;DR – When it is working, it is a delightful blast of a film   

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid and post-credit scene

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

The whole family in super form.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods Review –

When the first Shazam! film came out. It was at this odd moment for the DCEU. There had been a hard pivot away from the dark and brooding movies like Batman v Superman towards something a little lighter. And I, for one, liked the change. While Shazam! and Aquaman were not perfect films, there were at least supremely entertaining. But I wondered if lightning could strike twice because, much like last time, Shazam has to do some repair work after a string of failures.

So to set the scene, since Billy (Asher Angel) was given the powers of Shazam (Zachary Levi) by the last council of the wizards, also called Shazam (Djimon Hounsou), he has tried to be a superhero. However, he is still just a kid; if ever there is an imposter syndrome, it is this. However, life does not give him the time and space to process this change because the two daughters of Atlas, Kalypso (Lucy Liu) and Hespera (Helen Mirren), have returned to Earth. They are there to rectify their position and see Billy and his family as a threat and an affront to everything they stand for.  

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