Category Archives: 2024 Reviews

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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Beetlejuice (1988) Review – Exploring the Past

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TL;DR – Delightfully odd in a way I am not sure you could capture today. 

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

The Handbook for the Recently Deceased.

Beetlejuice Review –

When I was invited to see Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, I was intrigued, given just how much social legacy the first film Beetlejuice had. But then, as I sat there thinking about the original movie, it dawned on me: I had watched it, right? But for the life of me, I could not remember if I had actually watched it? Or was it one of those films that you have just absorbed through the osmosis of the decades? Well, there is only one way to fix a dilemma like that, and that is to remove all doubt.

So, to set the scene, we open as Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) plays with his model town as he and his wife Barbara (Geena Davis) holiday at their holiday home. It is a beautiful time for all, right up until they swerve to miss a dog and are killed in the crash, not that they know they are dead for a while. They try to find purpose in the afterlife, but that is shattered when a new family, Charles (Jeffrey Jones), Delia (Catherine O’Hara), and Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), arrives. They want to change everything, but there might be hope when the daughter catches a glimpse of the couple looking from a window. But when they can’t get anyone to leave, they do something everyone was warned against: they say “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” (Michael Keaton).     

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Elven Kings Under the Sky – TV Review

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TL;DR – In our first episode back, we take a moment to reacquaint ourselves with the whole band as the world of Middle Earth starts to fall apart.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Forodwaith

The Rings of Power Review –

Back in 2022, a very bold chance was taken. Can you jump back into the world of The Lord of the Rings but only using some of the appendices as a guide? Now, the actual result was quite mixed for people. However, I loved that first season very much, and I am excited to see where we go from here.

So, to set the scene, Sauron (Jack Lowden) was once a great lieutenant for the evil Morgoth, but once Morgoth was defeated, he alone stood to rule the orcs. The orcs had other ideas. So, how did an elf become the human Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) we first met back in Adrift? Back in the present, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Elrond (Robert Aramayo) are racing to find the best use of the new rings when Elrond has Galadriel drawn in front of High King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) and the future of the Elves is thrown into sunder. But is Elrond willing to disobey his own king? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.      

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Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011) Review – Exploring the Past

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TL;DR –.  While it is showing its age in places, it revels in the chaos of the moment and the power of relationships.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no Post-Credit Scene

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

Crazy, Stupid, Love Review –

I have been sick this week, and what I tend to do is fall back into that realm of comfort films to help me get through it all. For me, that is the Ever Afters and the 10 Things I Hate About Yous. But I was chatting with some friends about what their go-to comfort films are when one of them pointed out a blind spot: Crazy, Stupid, Love. I knew of the film, and I am sure that it got memed for a good reason. Well, what do you do when you discover a blind spot? Well, you shine a light on it, and that is what we are doing today.  

So, to set the scene, we open a very nice restaurant where couples share in the joys of love, well, almost all of them. Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) just asked his wife Emily (Julianne Moore) what she wanted, only to discover that the answer to that question was a divorce. This is just the start of what is a disastrous night for the Weaver family. But out in LA, Jacob (Ryan Gosling) might just be having a typical night as he makes a pass at Hannah (Emma Stone, but fails, but that is fine because Jacob takes a crack at nearly everyone in the bar. Later that night, Jacob sees Cal self-destructive in a bar after being dumped by his best friend. He finds pity for the man in ill-fitted clothes and decides to teach him how to talk to women.    

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Touch (Snerting) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – This is a stunningly beautiful portrait of a man’s life that feels both deeply personal and universal in what drives him. It is profoundly moving and full of narrative grace that could have been all melancholy but is instead full of heart and joy.   

Rating: 5 out of 5.

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

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

Kristófer looks out over a city scape.

Touch Review –

I know this is only August, and there are many films I will see this month, let alone by the end of the year, but today, can I say that we are looking at one of my films of the year. If not, the film of the year. This is such a stunning work that it has sat with me the whole time since I first watched it. I mean, Touch is such a beautiful film that I am getting emotional from writing about it now.

So, to set the scene, Kristófer (Egill Ólafsson) is going through the motions of his life in Iceland at the start of the COVID pandemic. He is a famous restaurateur on the island, but he has now closed his restaurant and is spending time at a local choir and trying to invoke his past diaries. But as the world starts to close up, Kristófer sets on a mission to answer one of the great questions of his past when he (Palmi Kormakur) was a young student in London and one day, he walked into a Japanese restaurant and met Miko (Kōki).

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Blink Twice – Movie Review

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TL;DR – This is a profoundly uncomfortable film that grabs onto you and refuses to let go until the credits roll.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

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

WARNING – Scenes in this film will cause distress.

Frida stands in front of a bunch of red bags all lined up.

Blink Twice Review –

Wow, rarely has there been a film when I felt the need to debrief with people to process what we just watched. However, that is the film we are looking at today. A movie that I had to catch myself from letting out an expletive during the session. This is not an easy film to watch.

So, to set the scene, Frida (Naomi Ackie) and her friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) work as waiters at big fancy events in New York City. One such event is being chaired by Slater King (Channing Tatum), a billionaire doing a redemption campaign after being forced out of his company due to rampant harassment. Frida and Jess slip into some cocktail dresses and sneak into the event when Slater takes a fancy to them. Before you can say it, they are on a plane to his fancy private island, full of all sorts of debauchery. All the girls are having a blast with the endless champagne, fancy food, and anything they could want. It is just that something here does not feel right.

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Jackpot! – Movie Review

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TL;DR – This is a fun film, anchored by a charismatic cast, but you could also feel it was a bit of missed opportunity.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There are mid-credit scenes and end credit scene.

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

Katie win the Lotto.

Jackpot! Review –

There are a lot of ways you can anchor a film, and one of those ways is through an interesting narrative hook. Today we wonder: what would happen if a government authorised a state-wide Hunger Games that was completely opt-in? When you have a good premise, its very existence invokes questions that you want answered, which is what we will do today.


So to set the scene, during the Great Depression of 2026, governments were desperately looking for a way to make money. Enter The California Grand Lottery©. You can be the winner of the jackpot, that is if you can survive until sundown. Until then, you are free game from anyone, and if they kill you, they take your winnings. Just no guns. It is Los Angeles in 2030, and a winner just got taken out by a grandma. But as the jackpot hits $3.6 Billion, child actor Katie (Awkwafina) has just arrived back in town on Lottery Day to try and get back into the business. But when Katie accidentally touches a lottery ticket and wins, then all of Los Angeles turns against her, bar maybe Noel (John Cena) who is protecting her … for money.

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The Union – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While it is a perfectly okay spy film, all it does is remind me of better films.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

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

Shooting targets.

The Union Review –

Today, we look at a film that should have everything going for it. Big names to anchor the proceedings, big action scenes, car chases, hopping across the world. Everything that you would want from a Spy Film. However, while watching it, I just kept thinking the whole time that I have seen this done better elsewhere.  

So, to set the scene, Agent Hall (Halle Berry) is working on what should have been a simple extraction of an asset from a hotel Trieste. However, just as they are about to leave, things start falling apart as the team is picked off one by one. Soon, all but Hall are dead, and the hard drive is taken. Meanwhile, in New Jersey, Mike McKenna (Mark Wahlberg) is living his life, working on bridges, being a good friend, and living paycheck to paycheck. When Roxanne Hall, his old high school flame, walks into the same bar. It is time to reconnect, time to get knocked out, and time to get kidnapped by the not-CIA spy agency, The Union. Because they need skills, only Mike has: a nobody with no history.

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