Doctor Who: Wish World – TV Review

TL;DR – What if you took vibes, like the most vibes that have ever vibed, and then smashed it into the densest exposition known to human and alien kind?

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

The Doctor and Belinda married with a child.

Doctor Who Review

Well, here we are, with the beginning of the end in sight. Today, we are exploring the penultimate episode of Season Two, or if you believe the rumours, a penultimate episode of a series finale, or the penultimate episode until it shifts away from a global broadcast. Whatever the case may be, can this episode set up the ending that they need to land next week? Only time can tell, or you read my TLDR above and already know.

So, to set the scene, The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Miss Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) finally make it back to Earth on the day Belinda leaves, only to find that everything is not well. Indeed, they have fallen into a deadly trap of one of The Doctor’s great foes, The Rani (Archie Panjabi). But the thing about Earth is it is a place that The Doctor holds dear, but also where many of his allies call home. Like all Timelords and Timeladies, time travel is always on the cards. But wait! Didn’t the TARDIS explode at the end of The Interstellar Song Contest? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Doctor Who: Rogue – TV Review

TL;DR – An entertainingly camp episode, playing into the current hotness.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

The aftermath of a dual.

Doctor Who Review

It does not matter if you are Doctor Who, James Bond going into space, or that one time Deep Space Nine was James Bond. When there is a current hotness in pop culture, you know people are going to ride that vibe. Well, it doesn’t take much to see that Bridgerton is the current hotness, so slap on some suits and frocks, amp up the drama, and let’s all go to a dance.  

So to set the scene, it is the year of our Lord 1813, and we are at a high society function, my dear, in the most exotic place we can find: Bath, England. We pan down to two gentlefolk who have a row over the honour of one of their sisters. The only problem is that when a dual is called, one of the men is packing electricity. But of course, it would not be a party without The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) popping by, and well, who is that brooding man on the balcony (Jonathan Groff)? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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Knock at the Cabin – Movie Review

TL;DR – An intense, claustrophobic look at the potential end of the world    

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is an audio queue at the end but not something you need to stay for.

Disclosure – I paid to see this film

Warning – This film contains scenes that may cause distress.

The Cabin.

Knock at the Cabin Review

If you look across the media landscape, the post-apocalypse is all the rage at the moment, but what about an excellent old-fashioned apocalypse? A film about struggle against all odds, looking doom in the face, and maybe not getting out alive in the end. Today we look at just such a film that both embraces and is a bit sly about it simultaneously.

So to set the scene, Eric (Jonathan Groff), Andrew (Ben Aldridge), and Wen (Kristen Cui) have gotten away from the world and are spending some time relaxing in a cabin in the middle of the countryside. A perfect escape from the world, so remote there is no cell service among all the trees and picturesque lake you can swim in. It is a delight until one moment, Leonard (Dave Bautista) walks up to Wen when she is collecting grasshoppers. He tells her not to be afraid, but he and his friends need to get into the cabin her fathers are in, and they need the whole family for something special to stop the end of the world.

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The Matrix Resurrections – Movie Review

TL;DR – This is a weird yet oddly compelling film that will capture you if it is your mood. If it is not your mood, well, it is going to be a bit of a slog    

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a post-credit scene

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

The Matrix Resurrections. Image Credit: Warner Bros Pictures.

The Matrix Resurrections Review

Of all the films that I have a complicated relationship with, The Matrix series is high on that list. That first film was one of my first entries into the love of cinema, and it still ranks high on my personal Top 10 list. But the sequels also taught me that sometimes lightning doesn’t strike twice. Both are important lessons to learn. However, after all this time, I questioned whether I was ready to enter the Matrix again?

So to set the scene, some years after the end of The Matrix Revolutions, people are still diving into The Matrix. While Bugs (Jessica Henwick) is searching, she discovers a moodle running using old code. Inside, a woman sits talking on the phone, only to discover that the line has been traced and police are on their way. Outside, agents pull up and ask the sergeant why he sent his men in “we can take care of one little girl”, he replies, “no, your agents are already dead”, comes the response. As Bugs follows the program, everything is familiar but wrong. In a way, she can’t put her finger on it. All of this falls apart when one of the Agents notices her and shows a secret portal to a room, the room of one Thomas Anderson, better known as Neo (Keanu Reeves). Okay, so much like Spider-Man: No Way Home, this is a difficult film to talk about because you cannot really discuss it without getting into spoilers at a frighteningly quick pace. So with that in mind, we will give some general impressions and then dive into full spoilers.

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Movie Review – Olaf’s Frozen Adventure 

TL;DR – Honestly this is stock standard children’s entertainment, it is shallow, with no stakes, has no character progression, and tries to distract you with as many songs as possible, I expected better.

Score – 2 out of 5 stars

Olaf's Frozen Adventure. Image Credit: Disney.

Review

Ok, I might be one of the few dozens of people left on this planet that has not seen Frozen, but from my understanding, it is a more or less a charming story about the bonds of sisterhood overcoming all opposition. So when I was in watching Coco (see review) and it opened instead with a Frozen short I was like ‘sure whatever’ you know sometimes these can be really good like Lou (see review) that was on before Cars 3 earlier this year … unfortunately, this was not one of the good ones.

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