The History of Sound – Movie Review

TL;DR – It is both profoundly moving and also downright frustrating. The visual construction was some of the best all year, yet it pondered along, afraid to commit to what its thesis statement was.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

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

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

A river flowing in a forest.

The History of Sound Review Introduction

Today, we are looking at a film that existed in a state of dissonance for me, from the heights of beauty that you see throughout, to the despair of frustration. Some of this dissonance is purposely built into the film, an intentional conversation in subtext. However, while that is important, you can’t forget the actual text.
 
So, to set the scene, Lionel Worthing (Paul Mescal) has always had a special relationship with music since he was a child, able to feel it, see it, and manipulate it. It was this gift that took him in 1917 from the rural farm in Kentucky where he grew up to the Boston Conservatory to study music. It is here that he came across fellow student and composer, David White (Josh O’Connor). They had an instant bond, but war broke out, and David was drafted. David returned in 1919 and asked Lionel to join him on a trip collecting and recording folk songs, a trip that would have a marked impact on both their lives.

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Regretting You – Movie Review

TL;DR – A delightfully funny film filled with earnest emotion.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

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

Standing at the town limits.

Setting the Scene

In my line of work, you tend to get a good sense of a film before you have even walked into a cinema, that is because so much of it gets released in the marketing process. However, today we have one of those gems that I knew nothing about before walking in, other than what you could glean from the theatrical poster. So, I could be completely surprised by the fun yet emotional romp I was about to watch.  
 
So, to set the scene, back in the day when they were teenagers, Morgan (Allison Williams), her sister Jenny (Willa Fitzgerald), and their boyfriends Chris (Scott Eastwood) and Jonah (Dave Franco) were inseparable. But when Morgan gets accidentally pregnant, she and Chris build a life together. Seventeen years later, Jonah has popped back into Jenny’s life after being away for over a decade, and they now have a new baby, Elijah (Ryan Conner Simmons/ William Burnham Simmons). Also, Morgan and Chris’ baby Clara (Mckenna Grace) is now all grown up and giving lifts occasionally to the cutest boy in the school, Miller (Mason Thames). Everyone is content with their lives, knows what their future will be, which is the right thematic moments for a tragedy to rip that all apart.

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Kangaroo (2025) – Movie Review

TL;DR – This is a profoundly Australian film, and in that I mean more its structure than the narrative. But once it gets going, you can’t help but get caught up in the charm, because it has it in spades.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid to see this film.

Joeys.

Kangaroo Review Introduction

While Australia is known as a place where big-budget films come to film, where you can walk down the street of Brisbane one day and suddenly it is New York for Thor. However, we also have a vibrant domestic film culture, or we do at the moment, looking at you politicians not doing enough to support the local industry. However, there are times when you could tell a film is Australian, even if no sound of an accent passed your ears, and today’s film is a good example of this.  

So, to set the scene, Chris Masterman (Ryan Corr) is the local weather reporter for Channel 6’s Rise and Shine Australia. He wants to be more than the person they cut to in the morning when they need someone to get a bucket of water thrown at them. But no one takes him seriously. Well, Chris is going to change that when the opportunity to go viral presents itself. Unfortunately, it blows up so spectacularly in his face that not only is he not up for promotion, but he is fired and put on the instant reject list for every production team in Sydney and beyond. He has one shot to get his career back on track, and that is to drive to Broome and do some regional work. But when his car accidentally hits a kangaroo on the outskirts of Silver Gum, he is stuck in the small town waiting for his car to be fixed, but also looking after a now orphaned joey with the help of Charlie (Lily Whiteley).

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – What is Starfleet? [S3E7] – TV Review

TL;DR – An experiment that has its frustrating points but is made better with one of the best performances in Star Trek history.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

In Accordance with the United Federation of Planets " Freedom of Information Act" This documentary includes security footage that has been declassified by Starfleet Command in the spirt of Transparency"

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Introduction

One of the lingering plot points that has been bubbling away since Wedding Bell Blues is that Beto Ortegas (Mynor Luken) is going to film a documentary. What kind of documentary he’d make has been debated. In a world where ‘following orders’ faces growing scrutiny, it feels like a timely reminder.    

So, to set the scene, the USS Enterprise has been tasked by Starfleet to lend aid to the Lutani, a people that had been previously hostile-adjacent to the Federation, but who are now under attack from the nearby Kasar people trying to lay claim to their home system and all its resources. Millions have died. However, there is a quandary with The Enterprise’s orders; they have to deliver ‘supplies’, obviously weapons, but also help escort the Jikaru, which is an ethical time bomb waiting to go off. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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The Life of Chuck – Movie Review

TL;DR – A profoundly weird film, steeped in sadness, leaving you disconnected, right up until the moment you find yourself captured by the story.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

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

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Chuck with hands on either side of his head.

The Life of Chuck Review

When I walked into the cinema last night, I had no idea what I was expecting. I knew that Tom Hiddleston was in the film because that was the only thing of note on the posters. But I was not prepared for what I was going to see, a feeling that was confirmed the second the ‘Act 3’ appeared in the opening moment.   

So, to set the scene, we open as Marty Anderson (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is desperately trying to get his students interested in Walt Whitman. However, the class is disrupted by the news that an earthquake has struck Los Angeles and California is slipping into the ocean, which is when the internet fails for the final time. In the past 14 months, the world has degraded after wave after wave of disasters have stretched everything to breaking. But amongst all the disasters, something odd is happening. Throughout the town, signs bearing “Charles Krantz: 39 Great Years! Thanks, Chuck!” begin appearing in honour of Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Tom Hiddleston). But no one knows who Chuck is.   

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Elio – Movie Review

TL;DR – A charmingly beautiful film about finding yourself and also a love letter to Science Fiction.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

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

Elio sitting in an 'abduct me' sign written in the sand.

Elio Review

To say that Pixar has had a bit of a rough time recently is a bit of an understatement. Where they are not pushing out okay sequels to their classic films; they are trying to find original voices with mixed success. But when I heard that some of the creatives behind Turning Red, Bao, Coco & Luca were coming together for a new film, I knew something special was afoot, and I am glad that I was right.

So, to set the scene, Elio (Yonas Kibreab) does not have the easiest life with the loss of his parents, the two people in the world who could connect with him. His Tia Olga Solís (Zoe Saldaña) has tried, but there has always been this barrier that never could completely come down between them. However, one day, when he is at the Montez Space and Air Museum, he discovers a love for what might be out there, and might it be life that will actually understand him? For everyone else, this was a pipe dream of a difficult child. For Elio, it was everything, but I am not sure anyone was expecting the boy to be right. Or that the aliens might accidentally think he is Earth’s leader.

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Andor (Star Wars: Andor): Jedha, Kyber, Erso – TV Review

TL;DR – A bittersweet symphony of hope and coming sadness.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

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

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Two X-Wings flank Cassian on the way back in to Yarvin.

Andor Review

Well, we are here, it is the end of it all, yet we find ourselves in an interesting place. Unlike most series finales, Andor doesn’t need to stick the landing because the third act of Rogue One has already done that for them. This puts it in an interesting space where you can ask: how do you definitely end something that already has another ending? Well, that is what we will look at today.   

So, to set the scene, much like last week, we start our episode moments after Who Else Knows? ends. Cassian (Diego Luna) and Melshi (Duncan Pow) have made it to where Kleya (Elizabeth Dulau) is hiding out. Unfortunately for them, the Empire is also tracking them, and Supervisor Heert (Jacob James Beswick) is but one floor away and closing in fast. Comms are down, so K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) can’t send a warning of the coming doom, as Stormtroopers start making their way down the hallway to the room where they are hiding. 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 Last Journey (Den Sista Resan) – Movie Review

TL;DR – It was a fascinating and emotional film, but I did walk away with a number of questions that did not quite sit right with me.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

An orange car.

The Last Journey Review

There are some films that you don’t know what you are getting yourself into before you sit down. Today, the fact that this film is called The Last Journey gave me a little guide on where we were going to drive. However, this is one of those films that no matter how prepared you are walking in, you will still be an emotional mess by the end [or in the first five minutes if you are me].

So, to set the scene, back in 2008, Lars Hammar retired from teaching to enter his glorious third age. However, instead of freeing himself to explore the world, Lars has retreated into his lovely armchair from Belgium and seems content to stay there until he passes. Well, his son Filip has decided that it is time to get his father out of whatever funk he has found himself in by taking him on the same journey to the south of France that they used to do every year when they were children. Show him the world from the back of a small orange vintage car and hope that they restart that spark in him. Well, that is the plan. The question is, can they even get out of Sweden?

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Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy – Movie Review

TL;DR – In a cup, add a heaped measure of situational comedy, a tablespoon of second-hand embarrassment & a squeeze of authentic charm. Shake it up and pour over the realisation that you are getting older & serve with a garnish of the exploration of life after death.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There are items during the credits.

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

Three figures release a single balloon into the air.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy Review

Now, I should be a bit clear: up until this point, I have never watched a Bridget Jones film before. When they first came out, I was very much not the target audience, but as you get older, you realise that target audiences are bogus and you should be experiencing a variety of medias. It also looked like this was going to be a bit of a soft reboot, so it was the perfect time to jump in. Little did I know just how right I was.  

So, to set the scene, it has been four years since Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) was tragically killed during a humanitarian mission overseas. Since then, Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) has been spending time at home trying to raise her two children alone, working through both their and her grief. But as the anniversary of Mark’s death draws near, Bridget is forced to look at her life and wonder if she is doing the right thing for her and her kids. But even though everyone has an opinion on how she should approach life, especially those nasty school mums, she needs to find her own way. But it won’t hurt if the new teacher Mr. Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and local ranger Roxster (Leo Woodall) help change her perspectives.    

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The Works of 2024 That Emotionally Wrecked Us

As I have gotten older, I am not afraid of having a good old-fashioned ugly cry in the cinemas when the time calls for it, and hell, I probably got emotional just writing this list (Spoiler: I did). Sometimes, they are tears of grief or tears of joy, and even still, sometimes, they are tears of anger. 

Emotion is a core part of the cinema experience. If you can’t get us to respond emotionally to your characters and/or the situation, I am sorry you failed to make a great film.

Our Highly Commended Films in 2024 are: A Quiet Place: Day One, The Beekeeper, How to Make Gravy, Robot Dreams, Thelma & Turtles All the Way Down

Our Highly Commended TV in 2024 are: Agatha All Along, Earth Abides, The Penguin, Shōgun & Star Trek: Prodigy

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