Monarch: Legacy of Monsters – Departure – TV Review

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TL;DR – The mystery starts to catch up with people as enemies loom over the secrets of Monarch.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

USS Lawton

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Review –

In the last episode with Aftermath, we got to dip our toes into this multi-generation mystery surrounding the Monarch organisation, the group behind monitoring/studying/controlling/exploiting the Kaiju of the MonsterVerse. It was enough to intrigue, but today’s episode needs to take it up a notch, which it does.

So to set the scene, we open in Manila, 1952, as Lt Shaw (Wyatt Russell) sporting a shiner on his left eye. When he is given a mission by General Puckett (Christopher Heyerdahl) to escort a Japanese scientist on a mission, some awkward introductions later, he and Keiko Miura (Mari Yamamoto) are crashing through the jungles of Mindoro hunting down odd radiation. Meanwhile, back in 2015 Tokyo, the revelations that Hiroshi Randa (Takehiro Hira) had two families echoed through the lives of Cate Randa (Anna Sawai) and Kentaro Randa (Ren Watabe). We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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Monarch: Legacy of Monsters – Aftermath – TV Review

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TL;DR – This was a fascinating start, jumping between timelines and preparing us for the approaching mystery.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

The Monarch logo.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Review –

If you look out to the cinematic landscape, you can see a world full of cinematic universes, or at least the attempt to make cinematic universes that never get anywhere. But as my list of them keeps growing, there is one that has been intriguing me, the MonsterVerse. It always felt like it was holding on with the skin of its teeth, but when doing that, it provided some of the best entertainment that I have seen in a while. Today, we jump into its first attempt at episodic television exploring the aftermath of tragedy.  

So to set the scene, we open on Skull Island in 1973, where Bill Randa (John Goodman) gives a heartfelt goodbye before he thinks he will die from a giant spider. The spider met a crab, but still, his goodbye made it out, and in 2013, it was picked up in the Sea of Japan. In 2015, Cate Randa (Anna Sawai) is returning home to Tokyo to settle her late father’s affairs. She was in San Francisco when Godzilla attacked, and the memories run deep as she sees how Tokyo prepares for the next attack. But nothing equipped her for what she found when she entered her father’s Tokyo apartment. We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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NCIS: Sydney – Snakes in the Grass – TV Review

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TL;DR – It is time for NCIS Down Under to discover our wildlife kills.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Sydney.

NCIS: Sydney Review –

It would be best to amplify the oddnesses when you get into the weeds of collaborative work. It is here where the humour can be found, and why set something in Australia if you do not make the most of it? And I think we started to see some of that today.  

So to set the scene, along Cowen Creek in New South Wales, Australia, a couple of fishermen cast their lines until one catches a big one. A scuffle occurs until they land in the creek and discover a floating body under a tree branch. That body belonged to a staff sergeant running one of the most significant military depots in the southern hemisphere who found himself on the wrong side of a snake. But not a snake from this area. We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Scrublands: Season 1 – TV Review

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TL;DR – This is a solid mystery that does not outstay its welcome. It hits hard at the start but does lose some energy throughout.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

A road in the outback.

Scrublands Review –

If there is one setting that Australian literature loves to explore, it is a small town. They litter the continent, becoming part of a country’s tapestry, but can also be insular places full of secrets. This juxtaposition creates the tension that can be mined for drama, which we see today.  

So to set the scene, one Sunday morning, Father Byron Swift (Jay Ryan) was greeting his parishioners at the end of a service when he dips back into the church only to return with a rifle and murders five people in front of the screaming masses fleeing the carnage. One year later, journalist Martin Scarsden (Luke Arnold) arrives at Riverside to discover why a man of the cloth became a mass murderer. But no one in town is talking, are they just upset about the torture porn, or is there something more going on. We will be looking at the series as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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Gubbins – Video Game Review

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TL;DR – A genuinely delightful word game that charms while presenting you with a fascinating challenge that I am driven to master.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for this game.

opening titles.

Gubbins Review –

We live in the post-Wordle era, where we ditched the crossword goodbye and devilled into six letters that gave us grief for months. Once it and its many different variations concurred on the internet, I wondered who would be the first video game company to capture that vibe of loving words and bring it into an interactive experience. Today, we look at a small Australian company who have not only done this but also charmed me entirely in the process.

So to set the scene, Gubbins in a puzzle game where you are given a bunch of discordant letters at the bottom of the screen and a grid above, and you get points for how many words you can create before the black FIN appears. You get bonuses for chains of words, and some power-ups and traps can make placing the words difficult.

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PAX Australia & Melbourne 2023 Day 3 – Explore-It

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TL;DR – We dip our toes into what Melbourne has to offer a little more with round 2.

Disclosure – I paid for all products featured or mentioned here.

PAX 23 Logo. Image Credit: Brian MacNamara.

PAX Australia & Melbourne 2023 Day 3 –

  • Tree Walk.
  • tree branches in shade

Right next to where I was staying was the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens, so if there was ever a time to have a wander, a calm Saturday morning was the time. Unfortunately, that was also the same time as a Park Run, so there was much dodging.

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Dome House Six – Movie Review

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TL;DR – An interesting film that packs a bunch at the end but is a bit rough on our journey to get there.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I was sent a screener of this film.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

URSA

Dome House Six Review –

I think one of the reasons I like exploring post-apocalyptic settings is not for the disasters themselves but for the ability to show the best and worst in people. It is the great amplifier of humanity, and good stories focus on this. Today, we look at an entry into the growing genre of the environmental apocalypse, where we have destroyed the Earth and how we go on after that.

So to set the scene, in the not-too-distant future, climate change has wreaked havoc on the Earth’s ecosphere, damaging the atmosphere with pollutants and just generally making it unliveable. Where there is a need, some corporations will fill it, and U.R.S.A. Corporation develops Dome House, a technology to isolate your home from the dangers outside. For those inside the domes, life is safe but also a monotonous routine from one day to the next. But outside, life is barely habitable. It is here where the lives of Sidney (Madyn Rae), Micah (Prem Sagar Krishnan), and Harvey (Jordan Abbey-Young) come crashing together. All while the calm tones of URSA (Charlotte Best) walk them through every aspect of their lives.

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Saltburn – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A torrid and often shocking affair, but one you have trouble looking away from.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Warning – Contains scenes with prolonged flashing lights.

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

Oliver reflected in the table.

Saltburn Review –

There can be a multitude of emotions that can wash over you when the end credits roll. Disbelief, boredom, shock, sadness, horror, resignation, frustration, and even anger. However, never in my time reviewing films have I ever had this particular set of emotions permeating through my mind. A combination of revelation, horror, shock, and sheer amazement. It is this film that we explore today.

So to set the scene, it is 2006, and Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) has made it into Oxford, but he didn’t have wealthy parents. He got in on a scholarship, which immediately set him apart from everyone else there. He longs to be part of the group, and being friends with local heartthrob Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) is the best way to do it. It is a tumultuous relationship, but when Oliver’s dad dies and he has nowhere to go over the summer, Felix invites him back to his family’s estate, Saltburn. A place where wealth is in excess and lives can be changed.  

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Musings on The Leftovers (or did Nora Lie?)

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TL;DR – In which I wax lyrical or ramble about the series The Leftovers and its exploration of faith and truth.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

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

Two men on a roof after an apocalypse that didn't happen.

The Leftovers Review –

Today, we will do something a little different than usual in that we will be less of a review and more of a retrospective on a series. Well, it’s not quite a retrospective, but more some musings that have been rumbling around in my head for months and that I better put down on paper somewhere so I can let them go rather than pondering on them all the time. With that in mind, we delve into the world of guilt, trauma, religion, faith, and crisis.

So to set the scene, three years before the start of the series on October 14th, 2011, two per cent of the world’s population vanished instantly. One hundred forty million people were gone in a moment of time, with no rhyme or reason as to why they were chosen. A child was screaming one second, gone the next. A family was eating breakfast one moment and gone the next. The person you were holding hands with during a science experiment, the person you were making love with, all gone. How do you move on after an event like this? Can you? Can society? Can the town of Mapleton and the Garvey family? Now from here, we will be looking at the whole series as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Next Goal Wins – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A fun time that gets held back by some wooden acting and forced storytelling.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

The Team v the Coach.

Next Goal Wins Review –

I have been enjoying my time at the Brisbane International Film Festival, but as always, things must come to an end. But if you are going to pick a film to end it on, Taika Waititi’s romp about the American Samoa Football Team is an excellent place to do it. This is a sports story that is so infamous that even I have heard about it. With that in mind, let’s play some soccer and see how a team can come back from abject embarrassment.

So to set the scene, American Samoa has been at the bottom of FIFA’s rankings for an age and reached an even lower level in 2001 World Cup qualifiers when, during a game with Australia, they lost 31-0. Tavita (Oscar Kightley) tries to manage the club, but he has become a laughingstock in the soccer community. After some pushing from his wife, Ruth (Rachel House), he applies to the American Soccer Federation for a new coach. Well, this might be a Hail Mary, but at that moment, they have a coach who is about to get fired, and Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) has only one option: take a plane into the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

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