Tag Archives: books

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Demon Pigeons Attack [S2E2] – TV Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – Despite some forced tension, the episode shines with a thrilling chariot race and heartfelt godly moments.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

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

A swarm of Stymphalian Birds.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

A couple of days ago, we looked at the first part of this opening introduction to Percy Jackson’s second season: I Play Dodgeball with Cannibals. We talked about how it felt like the first part of an opening episode. Well, today we take a look at that second part where things ratchet up in tension as the real threat comes into view.  

So, to set the scene, Tantalus (Timothy Simons) is ruling Camp Half-Blood like his own fiefdom, which is getting in the way of everyone wanting to go save Grover (Aryan Simhadri) and secure the Golden Fleece. But Percy (Walker Scobell) and Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) think they have found a loophole in the rules, thanks to the chariot race, that should let them go on an official quest. Well, that was the idea, but a cryptic warning from Chiron (Glynn Turman) and the sudden swarm of Stymphalian Birds put a wrench in their plans. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

Continue reading →

Murderbot: FreeCommerce – TV Review

Posted on by
1

TL;DR – A fascinatingly weird start that kept me wondering from beginning to end.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the AppleTV+ service that viewed this show.

The Murderbot.

Murderbot Review –

There is a lot of sameness out there in the world of entertainment; if you have seen one police procedural, generally you have seen them all, irrespective of whether they have a dun-dun sound. But when you do stumble into something new, something weird, something quite odd, well, that is something to cherish.  

So, to set the scene, we open on the Mining Station Aratake in the Corporation Rim. Here, all the miners are celebrating the end of the mining expedition 115-24TTX. The one person not celebrating is the Security Unit, which has to follow human orders and tries to keep them safe. But as he is sitting there, he is able to hack the Governor Module in his head, thus Security Unit 238776431 did not have the right ring to it, so it became Murderbot (Alexander Skarsgård). He was a free bot, but given the corporation would kill him the moment they discovered he was rogue, which is how he ended up on Mining Survey 0Q17Z4Y, with more humans, ones who just might care about him, because they were weird. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.   

Continue reading →

Reacher: Season 3 – TV Review

Posted on by
2

TL;DR – I am not sure if the formula is starting to feel repetitive or if this season falls flat for me, but I didn’t connect with it at all.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription that viewed this series.

Reacher standing by a road.

Reacher Review –

There are few people in the military fiction business with a bigger name than Lee Child. His novels, especially his Reacher series, are legendary in the space. So much so that having Tom Cruise be the face of the film adaptations was seen as a disappointment because he did not live up to the depiction in the novels. However, there was much rejoicing when the First and Second TV series came out because they captured the essence of what the book readers and the general public wanted, and that is a hard cross-section to nail. But now, after seeing the third season, I’m not as sure as I once was.   

So, to set the scene, poor Reacher (Alan Ritchson) always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. This time, all he wanted to do was sell some old records to fund the next part of his journey, but when he looked out to the street, he saw a kidnapping happen right in front of him. Quickly dispatching the potential captors, he tries to get the potential hostage, Richard Beck (Johnny Berchtold), to safety, only to find one of the potential captors was a cop. Now a potential wanted felon, he takes a job with Richard’s father, Zachary (Anthony Michael Hall), while things blow over. However, all is not what it seems, and Reacher might be just where he wants to be. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

Continue reading →

Nautilus Season 1 – TV Review

Posted on by
2

TL;DR – When this series comes together, it is a delight to watch. Unfortunately, a lot of the episodes are a bit hit or miss.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

The crew does a slow walk.

Nautilus  Review –

In today’s re-make/re-boot culture, there are stories that you hear over and over again because they are in the public domain. Sure, it is great to see another take on Peter Pan, but there is a treasure trove of works in the public domain that are interesting and ready for interpretation through a modern lens. Today, we are looking at just such a property that has not been delved into since 2003’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

So, to set the scene, it is 1897, and the British India Company has stretched its influence across the globe through colonisation and imperialism. One of those ships, in its vast navies, was on its way to Bombay when something rumbled the ship from below. They could have let it go, but Captain Youngblood (Jacob Collins-Levy) had to hunt it down. The only problem is that what they saw was not a beast but a craft unknown to science at the time and one that just ripped their hull out from underneath them. For this is a machine, a machine made of metal, that can travel under the water and is led by the magnificent Captain Nemo (Shazad Latif). We will be looking at the season as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

Continue reading →

Slow Horses: Season 1 – TV Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – This was a weird and wonderful delight, where you never know if a character will get a bullet to the head or fart themselves awake.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Hodded man holding up the day's newspaper.

Slow Horses Review –

When I dived back into the catalogue of AppleTV+, there was one show that more people had recommended to me than any other. “You have to watch Slow Horses” was the call, and well, I am always one to take a recommendation when it comes as strong as that, and well, I am glad that I did because I am not sure I have ever watched something quite like this.

So, to set the scene, we open in on an airport in England as River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) is on-site leading the hunt for a terrorist. But when a bad call means that information got mixed up and the terrorist got away, River can only watch as the bomb is set off in the middle of peak hour traffic. It was only a training exercise, but it is a stuff up so bad that Cartwright was jettisoned to the worst job in MI5: Slough House. Led by the ever-flatulent Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), there is one word to sum it up: dull. But while Cartwright is looking to find a way out of this purgatory, they may have slipped onto something bigger than anyone that could get them all disappeared. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

Continue reading →

Mapping Percy Jackson’s Quest – Map-It

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – We map Percy’s Quest to the underworld and back again.  

Percy approaches the tree.

Mapping Percy Jackson –

Well, we have reached the end of the first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and you can read our review HERE, but spoiler alert, it’s good. However, when you have a quest that takes you across a continent, well, you know I will have to map it, and here is no exemption.

With our map, we used the locations where they state them in the show; sometimes, these are pretty vague, and we have to make educated guesses. Sometimes, it is the Empire State Building where you can list its address (350 Fifth Avenue for those playing at home). Now, where we are given no location whatsoever, I went back to the books and used the information we have there.

Continue reading →

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Prophecy Comes True & Full Season – TV Review

Posted on by
7

TL;DR – Some staging issues aside, I am glad to see that Percy Jackson stuck the landing as it brought season 1 to a close.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

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

Percy approaches the tree.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

Well, we have come to the end of the first and hopefully not the last season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians and what a season it has been. But the critical question we must always ask in the final episode of a season-long story is: Did they stick the landing? Which is slightly more difficult with the God of the Skies is your enemy. 

So to set the scene, at the end of We Find Out The Truth, Sort Of  Percy (Walker Scobell) had a revelation about the whole situation and the oncoming war. For you see, there is someone even more ancient than the Greek Gods stirring, and Kronos (Nick Boraine) is not at all happy with the Gods that defeated him, cut him into tiny pieces, and threw him into Tartarus. I mean, fair point. However, before Percy has time to tell anyone about it or possibly return the Master bolt to Zeus (Lance Reddick), he, Annabeth (Leah Jeffries), and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) are confronted by an angry Aries (Adam Copeland) out for blood. We will be looking at the episode and season as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

Continue reading →

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers – TV Review

Posted on by
2

TL;DR – This is the episode where the quest, the gods, and the half-blood’s stories all coalesce together in a way that makes it the strongest episode so far.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

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

Gateway Arch smoking.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

There is one thing that can make or break your show, movie, video game, or even radio play, and that is the casting. It is so important to find people who can embody the characters and bring them to life. Add in the added pressure of playing new interpretations of old characters, and you have a recipe for disaster. But as we see today, this might be Percy Jackson’s biggest strength.

So to set the scene, since feuding with the Chimera at the top of the Gateway Arch and maybe causing a bit of destruction to a national monument in I Plunge to My Death, our gang of Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Jeffries), and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) are forced to start hitchhiking as the cops are starting to get suspicious about them. But their day goes from bad to worse when Annabeth spots The Fates (Joyce Robbins, La Nien Harrison & Cindy Piper), and a gentleman (Adam Copeland) in a motorcycle rides up to them. We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

Continue reading →

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom – TV Review

Posted on by
2

TL;DR – We build on the foundation and enter the fun world of Camp Half-Blood.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

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

Percy sits in front of a fire.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

Well, our first episode, I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher, was all about dipping our toes into the universe of Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) and the world of hurt that is coming for him. In the follow-up, it is time to rip off that Band-Aid because we are diving into the deep end with the gusto of a charging Minotaur.

So to set the scene, Percy wakes up from a dream with his mother (Virginia Kull) gone and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) looking down on him. He is not in the city anymore, for he is in Camp Half-Blood, a place that is safe for people like him. It might be the only safe place on Earth. Well, as long as he can survive a beat down from Clarisse La Rue (Dior Goodjohn), the daughter of Aries. We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

Continue reading →

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher – TV Review

Posted on by
3

TL;DR – This is a fantastic introduction to the character and the world.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

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

Percy in the rain.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

Can you hit lightning a second time with the first strike? It was a bit of a whiff. That is the question that we are looking at today with the second bite at the apple with a Percy Jackson adaptation. I had found the first Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief movie to be okay, nothing to write home about, though very famously, it has a terse relationship with the original author. The Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters worked even less. I didn’t think much more about this until one day, I came across the novels and thought I would give it a go, and well, I got hooked. But can they learn from their mistakes with this second adaptation? This is what we are going to look at today.

So to set the scene, Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) has had a difficult life. He struggles to focus at school, he is always daydreaming and seeing things that are not there, he never knew his father, and while his mother Sally (Virginia Kull) loves him dearly, her partners tend to suck. The only things working in his life are his friend Grover (Aryan Simhadri) and Mr Brunner (Glynn Turman), the one teacher who believes in him. Well, when he is on a trip to the history museum, he wanders through the rooms full of statues of Greek Gods when he is attacked by one of his teachers, Ms Dodds (Megan Mullally), and his life forever changes. We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

Continue reading →