Drop – Movie Review

Posted on by
2

TL;DR – Drop is uncomfortable and unsettling but also deeply compelling. It’s one of those thrillers that has you on the edge of your seat, wondering if anyone will make it out alive.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

A phone message to check your security cameras.

Drop Review –

Even though film is an old visual medium, it is always trying to connect with and incorporate modern technology. While some films like Searching take that concept to the extreme, others sit back and pick the lazy option and just show a message pop up on a screen. It takes a lot to have modern technology fit naturally into your movie. But today, we look at an entry that just might pull that off.

So, to set the scene, Violet Gates (Meghann Fahy) is a single mother to Toby (Jacob Robinson), and that and her work supporting victims of spousal abuse and coercive control have meant that she has not gone on a date for a very long time. But today is different; her sister Jen (Violett Beane) is coming over to babysit, and tonight, she is going out on a date with what seems like a perfect gentleman who has been chatting to her for months and has not asked for a feet pic once. Her date, Henry Campbell (Brandon Sklenar), is taking her out to a fancy restaurant called Palate, with a view right over the Chicago cityscape. It could be a perfect date, right up until she starts getting obnoxious messages on her ‘Digi-Drops’ app. They are annoying, and she is about to turn the app off when it tells her to look at her home security cameras and do whatever they ask her to do, or her sister and son are dead.

Continue reading →

Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution – TV Review

Posted on by
2

TL;DR – An odd opening episode that is equally interesting, odd, and also a bit frustrating.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

Belinda arrives at Miss Belinda Chandra I.

Doctor Who Review –

Well, we’re back, and the series that keeps on truckin’ is back with the second season of its third era. Doctor Who has always been a bit of an odd duck because there are times when it soars in the sky and other times when it flounders around with its but hanging in the air. Last season was a bit of both, where interesting characters and scenarios got lost at times due to a lack of focus. Will this second season work on some of those issues? Well, since it was filmed before the first episodes came out, I am not holding my breath, but I am always happy to be proven wrong.   

So, to set the scene, Miss Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) is a nurse working in a local hospital and lives a generally unremarkable life bar the time one day that an old flame bought one of those silly ‘name a star’ certificates. But the one people who did not think the certificate was ridiculous was the new robot overlords of Miss Belinda Chandra I. Who capture her and take her back to the planet, now named after her, to marry their AI overlord, who is the new royal queen of the planet. The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) is there to help, but it looks like time is in flux. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

Continue reading →

G20 – Movie Review

Posted on by
1

TL;DR – Much like the action films of the 1990s, which were a clear inspiration, G20 may hit just about every cliché in its runtime, yet it still gets to be a fun blast.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There are mid-credit scenes.

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

All the world leaders standing together for the group G20 photo.

G20 Review –

My background is in International Relations, and one of the many facets it explores is the strength and use of international organisations. These tend to be contextually quite dull from a Hollywood story perspective, but every now and again, my two worlds collide. Sometimes, these are pretty fascinating choices, like in The Hitman’s Bodyguard, and other times, they can be a confusing mess, like with Rumours. However, today, we are upgrading from the G7 to the G20, and calamity is afoot.  

So, to set the scene, something is very wrong in Washington DC. It is so bad that they must wake Madam President Danielle Sutton (Viola Davis) in the middle of the night. Because her daughter Serena (Marsai Martin) found a new way to get around the Secret Service and escaped the White House to go to a party. Now on her first international trip, President Sutton is on the backfoot domestically and internationally as she arrives in Cape Town, South Africa, to sell the G20 on her plan for a digital currency for farmers. The hotel was meant to be a fortress, but a fortress only protects from external threats. One surgical strike later, and the security becomes terrorists, and now twenty world leaders are hostages.     

Continue reading →

Dead Sea (Flycatcher) – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – Today, we look at a film that may have foundered at the start and end. It also found itself in the centre when it truly shined.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I was sent a screener of this film.

A trawler on the ocean.

Dead Sea Review –

Today, we are looking at slightly odd film because usually, when films fall about, it is in the middle. But today’s outing is where the movie shines. This is such an odd juxtaposition, yet it also led to a compelling outing at times.  

So, to set the scene, Kaya Adams (Isabel Gravitt) lives in the Florida Keys, and she has to spend a lot of time looking after her family after her mother passes away. Afraid that Kaya is becoming a recluse, her best friend Tessa Miles (Genneya Walton) sets her up on a double date with Xander (Koa Tom) & Julian (Garrett Wareing) jet skiing all the way to the Bahamas. It was a delightful day until tragedy struck, and Kaya and Tessa were left alone in the ocean with a badly injured Xander. The sea is deep and full of predators, and all help is lost until they see a boat on the horizon. But little did they know that they may have been safer in the water.  

Continue reading →

Creature Commandos: Season 1 – TV Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – It was always going to be difficult being the vanguard of this new era, but for all its strengths, I am not sure this was the foundation that they needed.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Rick Flag, The Bride and Nina.

Creature Commandos Review –

Well, I don’t think you need to look hard to see the issues that the current DC slate of products has had in recent years. The DCEU never quite got on its feet and then floundered when choice after choice held back even well-performing films. Even their Elseworlds experiment has had issues with Joker: Folie à Deux floundering while The Penguin thrived. However, we are at an official turning point in the comic world. But can this new era thrive? And is this the best first start they can bring to the table?

So, to set the scene, the Belle Reve Correction Center is many things, including the Non-Human Internment Division. It is here where Waller (Viola Davis) and Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) watch as the Sons of Themyscira, led by Circe (Anya Chalotra), cross into the country of Pokolistan and start causing trouble. Waller cannot let that happen because America needs their oil, so it is time to activate the Creature Commandos, including The Bride (Indira Varma), GI Robot (Sean Gunn), Weasel (Sean Gunn), Dr. Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk), Nina Mazursky (Zoe Chao), to lend Princess Ilana (Maria Bakalova) a hand. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

Continue reading →

Flow (Straume) – Movie Review

Posted on by
5

TL;DR – A stunning work of animation that conveys so much without saying a word. You are brought into this story in the opening moments, and it captivates you until the final frame.  

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is an end-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film

Cat looks up to a big sculpture of a cat.

Flow Review –

There was one film that I wanted to catch last year, but no matter how much I tried, the film festival screenings never lined up for me. Well, since then, Flow has won the Oscars for Best Animated Film and we have finally gotten a full realise here in Australia. That meant that I had to dive in and give it a watch, and I am so glad that I did.

So, to set the scene, one day, Cat (Miut) was going about its usual day, stretching and sleeping in the old sculpture studio that it calls home and then lazily dropping down to the river to catch some dinner and get something to drink. But this day, a pack of dogs were hounding everyone by the river, and Cat had to make a run for it. But just when they thought they were safe, a cacophony of noise explodes from down the river as a deer horde races away from a flood. Cat manages to escape back to their house, but the next day, the water starts lapping against the house, and for the first time, they realise that home might no longer be safe.  

Continue reading →

The Bad Guys: Little Lies and Alibis – Movie Review

Posted on by
2

TL;DR – A delightful return of these fun characters that knows precisely how long you can lean into the shenanigans without outstaying their welcome.      

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I was given a free ticket to see this film.

The gang in a line up.

The Bad Guys: Little Lies and Alibis Review –

Back in 2022, there was this odd kid’s animated film that came out of nowhere and quietly captured my heart. The Bad Guys was such a fun blast of energy from start to finish, and who doesn’t like a good heist? I knew that the sequel was going to come out later in 2025, but talk about my surprise when I got a sneaky reunion a touch early before I watched Dog Man.

So, to set the scene, at the end of The Bad Guys, the titular bad guys discovered in themselves that even though they were going to prison, they were not, in fact, bad guys but good guys. Well, after serving their time, Mr Snake (Marc Maron), Mr Piranha (Anthony Ramos), Mr Shark (Craig Robinson), and Ms Tarantula (Awkwafina) are still required to visit a parole officer which they can’t miss. Which, of course, means that they are about to have a disaster of a day, which includes an unfortunate run-in with chicken nuggies.

Continue reading →

A Minecraft Movie – Movie Review

Posted on by
2

TL;DR – It is a film that absolutely captures the essence of the camp it is adapting. Even if all the added features should have been enough to torpedo the movie, it remained a solid kid’s film, even if it made some questionable choices.  

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

A Minecraft Village

A Minecraft Movie

This was such an interesting movie for me to review, not in the least that it has been in devilment hell for ten years or so, which makes it fascinating to see what was finally produced. But also, this is a film about a video game that I have probably had my second-longest relationship with. Every year, I dive back in and build a new Minecraft world from scratch, discovering all the wild changes that have been made since last time. But video game adaptations can be very much hit or miss, and that long of a production period does give me pause.  

So, to set the scene, one day, a boy really wanted to be a miner, but no kids were allowed. Time went on, and when Steve (Jack Black) became an adult, he ran back into those mines, found a cube and activated a portal to another cube-based world. It was a joy to create until, one day, he discovered a portal to the Nether, ruled by Malgosha (Rachel House/Allan Henry), who loves gold and hates creativity. Forced to send his dog fleeing with the cube, the portal remained undiscovered until one day when four weird and different characters, Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Jason Momoa), Henry (Sebastian Hansen), Natalie (Emma Myers) and Dawn (Danielle Brooks) from the town of Chuglass rediscover it. When they step through, they find themselves thrown into a world where everything from the trees to the grass to the sheep are all now cubes. It is a wild world that becomes even more dangerous when the sun goes down.

Continue reading →

Dog Man – Movie Review

Posted on by
1

TL;DR – This is a profoundly silly premise. However, they commit to it with such gusto that you can’t help but be brought along with it.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I was given a free ticket to see this film.

Dog Man jumping in the air.

Dog Man Review –

There are animation studios out there that are defined by the visual style that they use in their films. You can look at a Studio Ghibli or Pixar film and know it comes from one of those studios. This was once the case for DreamWorks Animation. However, in recent years, I have been fascinated by the different experiments that they are taking with their animation styles. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Wild Robot, and The Bad Guys have all shown this in action. Today, we get to see the next entry in this experiment with Dog Man.   

So, to set the scene, Ohkay City is under threat from Petey (Pete Davidson), the world’s most evil cat. Chief (Lil Rel Howery) sends out the only team that can take Petey down, Officer Knight (Peter Hastings) and his Golden Retriever Greg (Peter Hastings). They may be a menace, but they are the only hope the city has, that is, until tragedy strikes. A bomb set by Petey explodes badly, injuring Knight and Greg. There is no hope until a nurse has a bright idea: why don’t we attach the good dog head and the good human body, and Dog Man (Peter Hastings) was born?     

Continue reading →

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – A fun pomp back to that past nostalgia, which, while not quite having the strength to get all the way to the end, was still a blast when it leaned into the looney side of the toons.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Daffy Duck and Porky Pig

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie Review –

Unfortunately, if there has been an entity that has been the most affected by this current blight of shelving products for tax purposes, it has been the Looney Tunes. So, to see one of those fallen products escape containment and get a release was reason enough to make it down to the cinemas. My big question was: could it connect with a new audience? And I was fascinated to see the outcome.  

So, to set the scene, Daffy Duck (Eric Bauza) and Porky Pig (Eric Bauza) have grown up together under the guidance of Farmer Jim (Fred Tatasciore). But with him gone and suburbia encroaching on their former farm, they are stuck with a profound predicament: find $10,000 to fix a hole in their roof, or their house will be condemned. But what caused the hole? Why is that scientist (Fred Tatasciore) covered in goo? And does it have something to do with Petunia Pig (Candi Milo), who just walked into the coffee shop?

Continue reading →