Tag Archives: American Cinema

Saturday Night – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A movie that embraces the chaos of its subject matter with such reverence it ends up hurting the final product.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film

30 Rock.

Saturday Night Review –

Today, we are looking at a bit of an odd duck of a film. One that swings wildly, stampeding through the chaos of its subject material with the gusto of a rhino in full tilt. However, that approach is going to be a boon or a detriment for you, depending on how you are approaching this film. For me, I am not someone who religiously tunes into Saturday Night Live. Sure, occasionally, a sketch from the show will bubble into the subconscious like Natalie Portman, Undercover Boss, or the recent Mother. Also, the most impacting sketch for me and my comedy journey came almost wholly disconnected from the show. So, you always know it is there, and its legacy in the movies that have and have not worked and the comics it has brought to the forefront. It is within that framework we look at the film today.

So, to set the scene, it is October 11, 1975, and Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) is out in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza trying to get an audience to see his show with an NBC Page (Finn Wolfhard). That is because it is 90 minutes before his first show goes to air, and nothing is going right. The studio is having less and less faith in his vision, the cast is in chaos, the crew is in a state of revolution, oh, is that a fire, and why is there a llama? There are only 90 minutes to pull this all together, but that is going to be hard when there is not even a runtime yet.

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Agatha All Along: Familiar by Thy Side – TV Review

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TL;DR – It is flashback time, which might have been the most expected position the show could take.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Willian finds Lilia Calderu

Agatha All Along Review –

If you are a Disney show and you just made a significant character reveal before you move into the closing episodes, you better believe that it is time for a flashback episode. I am not sure that this is a particular Disney choice, but it feels like one. But the question is: is this a good flashback episode? Well, that is what we will look at today.    

So, to set the scene, William Kaplan (Joe Locke) was just a normal kid in Eastview when his Bar Mitzvah was evacuated during the final battle in WandaVision. Chaos ensues everywhere as his parents, Rebecca (Maria Dizzia) and Jeff (Paul Adelstein), try to get the family home. But, little did they know that this day would forever change the family in ways no one could have predicted. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Transformers One – Movie Review

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TL;DR – By taking the series back to the basics, they found the core of what makes Transformers so compelling.

Rating: 4 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 surface of Cybertron.

Transformers One Review –

If there has been one modern series that I have had such a mixed experience with, it is Transformers. For every Bumblebee, we get a Dark of the Moon and more. But thanks to those cartoons of my youth, including Beast Wars, I still have a deep fondness for the series and always turn up to see if this is the film where they nail it. Today, we are shifting things up with a new animated film that goes all the way back to the start, to a time when there were no Autobots and Decepticons.  

So, to set the scene, a long time ago, on a planet far, far, away, we are introduced to two miners deep in the depths of Cybertron. For millenniums, Energon ran freely on the planet. Still, after a disastrous battle with the killed all the Primes bar Sentinel Prime (Jon Hamm), and the Matrix of Leadership was lost, the wells dried up, and now nearly everyone has to delve into the dangerous mines to keep the city of Iocon running. While Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) is just a miner who does not even have a cog to let them transform, he dreams of finding the Matrix of Leadership and saving the city. This gets him in trouble quite a bit, and he often needs to get bailed out by his best friend, D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry). But when the pair get banished to the basement depths of the city, they stumble across an old beacon being unknowingly kept by B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key). They have a choice: do nothing or risk going onto the dangerous surface and changing their lives forever.     

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Speak No Evil (2024) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – Unnerving, unsettling, uncomfortable, and unpleasant, but given that was the intention of the film, I then have to say that it achieved what it set out to do.

Rating: 3 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.

Louise tries to smother a scream.

Speak No Evil Review –

Well … phew … wow … today we look at a challenging film to review because I don’t think I have ever been this stressed watching a movie before. I am sorry for anyone next to me at the screening from the constant clicking of my pen. However, this stress was not a by-product of the film but the full intent of the filmmakers, which is what we will explore today.  

So, to set the scene, Louise Dalton (Mackenzie Davis), Ben Dalton (Scoot McNairy), and their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) are all on a slightly stressful trip to the Italian countryside. Ben ripped his family from their lives for a new opportunity in London, only to lose his job when his company closed. Agnes has struggled with attachment issues, and it is clear that the parent’s relationship is under immense strain. However, one day, they meet up with Paddy (James McAvoy), his partner Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and child Ant (Dan Hough). The two families have a completely different vibe, but they bond in the face of Danish snobbery. At the end of the trip, Paddy invites the Daltons to visit them in the West Country, and they take them up on the offer. One long drive into the deep countryside, they come across a house full of possibilities, but it is also clear that something is not right.

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The Wild Robot – Movie Review

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TL;DR – This is a stunningly beautiful film that hit me with a wave of emotions as if I were standing by the seaside watching them roll in.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a post-credit stinger.

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

Roz surrounded by butterflies.

The Wild Robot Review –

It is school holiday time here in Australia, and that usually means a web of family films gets unleashed into the cinemas. Many are quite average fare, just looking to entertain the little ones for an hour or two in air conditioning. However, every now and again, you find something exceptional, and this is what we will be looking at today.

So, to set the scene, in the potentially distant future, a bunch of otters find a very peculiar item washed up on shore. It is a box with some contraptions. After some exploration, they accidentally set it off to discover it was a ROZZUM unit 7134 (Lupita Nyong’o) personal assistance robot. She is now activated and is not looking for a task. The only problem is that she does not speak wild critter, and they are all afraid of her. But when a bear attacks, she accidentally crashes into a goose nest, leaving only a single egg behind. Roz has to look past her programming with the help of Fink (Pedro Pascal), a local fox who would be happy to eat the issue away and Pinktail (Catherine O’Hara), an opossum who knows about motherhood. Because the little Brightbill (Kit Connor/Boone Storm) needs to eat, swim, and fly, all before winter sets in. Because if he doesn’t leave on migration, he will die.

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: The Eagle and the Sceptre – TV Review

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TL;DR – After blasting through our first couple of episodes with flying colours, we reach our first pause as we explore the last of the opening trilogy.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

Durin and Disa connect.

The Rings of Power Review –

In our jump back into the world of The Rings of Power, we have visited dwarves, elves, harfoots, magicians and orcs. However, there has been one major play from last season that has been surprisingly absent from the proceedings, Númenor. Well, today, in the last of the opening trilogy, we fix that as we spend time in the island kingdom on the cusp of a significant change.

So, to set the scene, after Elendil (Lloyd Owen) was forced to leave his son Isildur (Maxim Baldry) in the blight left by Mt Doom to get Queen Regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) back to Númenor, he thought all was lost. However, never bet against survival in The Lord of the Rings when you have a horse on your side. But as they arrive back in Númenor, they discover that the High King has died, and Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle) might be coveting a new, more important job. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.       

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Rebel Ridge – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A fascinating exploration of how easy it is to twist and abuse power when no one is willing to stand up to it.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

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

Terry is thrown onto the road.

Rebel Ridge Review –

My professional background is in International Relations, and at the core of much of that is the idea of power. How do you keep power? How do you use power? How can you counter those with power? This can often be found in the exploration of the Melian Dialogue, where “the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must”. A touchstone for our setting today. However, what happens if someone comes in to mess with that power?    

So, to set the scene, Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) was riding his bike one day with his music blaring when, unbeknownst to him, the police were tailing him. One sideswipe later, and being pushed to the ground while injured, Terry is arrested, and the money he was bringing to bail out his cousin was ‘confiscated’ by the police. Civil forfeiture: All the police need to do is have a suspicion that the money is an illegal gain, and they can take it, and the Shelby Springs Police Department did just that. Now Terry is on a ticking clock because if his cousin gets sent to state prison, he will be killed.    

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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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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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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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