Tag Archives: review

TV Review – Street Food: Season One

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TL;DR – This is a fascinating series exploring the food and people that make up some of the most interesting cities in Asia.  

Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars

Street Food. Image Credit: Netflix.

Review –

If you have read my reviews in the past you could probably tell that I am a sucker for a good food documentary. A documentary that explores the origins of a dish, or the people that make it, or the cultural context it exists in. Well, today we get a show that does all three with Street Food. When you think of street food, what first comes to mind? Well for a long time for me it was that kebab shop that is open to late in the morning or that one chip store I found in Sydney that one time. However, as I have started to travel I have found it is much, much, much more than that, and this is what we will be exploring today.

So to set the scene, today we delve into the street food cultures of eight different cities across Asia. Some of these locations are quite well known like Bangkok, Osaka, Delhi, Seoul, and Singapore, as well as some less well-known places like Chiayi, Yogyakarta, and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). We see the foods that mark each of these cities and the people that make them. We discover the Fish-head Stew of Chiayi, the Crab Omelette of Bangkok, or the Putu Piring of Singapore. But more than this we explore the cities, their history, their relationship with food, and what it means for the people who make/eat it.   

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TV Review – The Orville: The Road Not Taken and Season 2

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TL;DR – Time travel, parallel universes, and the end of the universe, oh my.

Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars

The Orville: The Road Not Taken. Image Credit: Fox.

Review –

Time travel is a dangerous thing because you never know just what you may accidentally do. Today we are looking at the second part of an interesting look at the past of The Orville. It gives us time to see characters in a new light, in new circumstances, and asks the question: what could really happen when you know the future?

So to set the scene, at the end of Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow Kelly (Adrianne Palicki) was meant to be sent back in time with her memories wiped so she could not accidentally change the crew’s past and her future because of the knowledge she knows. Well at the end of last week’s episode we discover that the memory wipe didn’t take, and out of a need to not cause any pain Kelly decides not to accept Ed’s (Seth MacFarlane) proposal for a second date. I mean that can’t change anything, right, it is just one date, right …? Well, as it turns out it might have changed everything. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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TV Review – Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Ticking Clocks

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TL;DR – It experiments with the format while still having an emotional core.

Score – 4 out of 5 stars

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Ticking Clocks. Image Credit: NBC Studios.

Review –

One of the great things about getting another season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine is that it is clear that the writers, producers, and actors are swinging for the fences, making the most of their new chance. Today we get to see the fruits of that when we see the show experiment with its format without missing a beat of what has made it so grand.

So to set the scene, we open with Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) and Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller) trying to work out how best to cook their lasagne only to discover in horror that they forgot the garlic bread. However, all is not what it seems because Jake (Andy Samberg) has discovered through keen observation of Holt (Andre Braugher) that the slow internet is actually a crisis, because there is a hacker in the building and if they are not found one of two things will happen. Either the hacker will know the identities of all the precincts criminal informants, or Holt has to wipe the entire server, losing months of evidence. Well, there are 19 minutes left for them to find who it is … if they can. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Movie Review – Avengers: Endgame (No Spoilers)

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TL;DR – Now all together “Baaaaaaaar bar bar bup barrrrr, barr barrr, barrrrr bup bup barrr baaar bomp barrrrrrr, Baaaaaaaar bar bar bup barrrrr, barr barrr, ba dum, ba dum, ba dum, ba dum, Baaaaaaaar”

Score – 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit sequence and a hint at the end

Avengers: Endgame. Image Credit: Marvel/Disney.

Review –

Wow and here we are. Honestly, when I sat down to watch Iron Man in cinemas all the way back in 2008 I don’t think I really comprehended just what it was that I was watching. I didn’t know it would spawn a 20+ movie franchise that would take us into the past, into the deep reaches of space, and create one of the biggest events in movie history. In many respects, it feels like this is my generation’s Star Wars moment, and I have not seen queues like this to go see a film in a long time. Well, today we take the plunge and see if they can work out one of the biggest cliff-hangers in movie history and can this be a film that gives closure to the films that came before it.

So to set the scene, at the end of Infinity War the one thing they were trying to stop happening actually happened, as Thanos (Josh Brolin) obtained all the infinity stones after ripping the mind stone out of Vision’s (Paul Bettany) head and snapped his fingers. All at once across the galaxy, 50% of everything turned to dust and we had that gut-wrenching moment as everything literally fell apart in people’s hands. Indeed Peter (Tom Holland) looking desperately at Tony (Robert Downey Jr) pleading that ‘I don’t want to go” is one of those moments that just stays with you and it stays with the cast. Because as we start everything is in a bad place. Tony is trapped with Nebula (Karen Gillan) on a ship running out of fuel, air, and food, and those Avengers that survived are counting the losses on Earth where no one has been left unaffected. However, one should never give up all hope, because you never know when deliverance will come from an unlikely place, and then hope is lost again. Now with today’s review, we will be doing something a little different. In this review there will be no spoilers, you will get my general impressions of how it all worked, however, I won’t mention any plot details that happen after the first act. Also, if you really want to be spoiler free, don’t examine the credits below. If you have seen the film and would like to see a full spoiler discussion of the ending you can go HERE.        

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TV Review – Game of Thrones: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

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TL;DR – A moment to catch our breath before the onslaught is unleashed.

Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars

Game of Thrones: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Image Credit: HBO.

Review –

You know, Game of Thrones is known for its sweeping storylines that explore events happening across continents. However, there are times in the show’s history where a bunch of main and supporting cast find themselves in the one location, and if you know anything about the history of the show, that is never a good thing. Well today, we look at an episode that is the calm before the coming storm, when everything is still but you can see the dark clouds and cracking lighting on the horizon.  

So to set the scene, at the end of last week’s Winterfell a number of big plot bombs got dropped on us. There was the big news of John (Kit Harington) finally finding out who his real mother and father from Samwell (John Bradley). There was the growing sense that The North is not fond of being under anyone’s rule again. After fleeing from the destruction of The Wall in The Dragon and the Wolf Tormund (Kristofer Hivju) comes across the dead ruins of the Last Hearth and also finds the survivors of The Night’s Watch where they discover that the dead are on the move and heading straight for the Capital of the North. In the final shot, Jamie (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) arrives in Winterfell only to find Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) waiting for him, and this is where today’s episode starts off. Jamie is fighting for his life after pretty much betraying, or being at war at some point with everyone in the room. With only Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), who no one cares about in this case, and Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) who people do care about, standing for him. However, while revenge would be nice, the dead are coming and they need every sword. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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Movie Review – Someone Great

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TL;DR – While it is not anything new, the film focuses on women supporting women and that helps elevate it.    

Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars

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

Someone Great. Image Credit: Netflix

Review – There is nothing quite like the pain of something lost, time might heal all wounds but it also makes the deepest cuts. This is especially true when the thing that is lost is a romantic relationship. What do you do when nine years of your life disappears overnight, how do you process that pain. Well, today we look at a film that explores all of that.   

So to set the scene, we open with Jenny (Gina Rodriguez) alone sitting in the subway obviously in a state of distress. She had finally gotten the job of her dreams after years of hard work, but it involves moving from New York to San Francisco and her partner of nine years Nate (Lakeith Stanfield) decided that he was not prepared to even try a long distance relationship. Everything is changing in her life but there is still one constant and that is her best friends Blair (Brittany Snow) and Erin (DeWanda Wise) still have her back. So as a way of helping to cope and to celebrate her new life and commiserate her moving away the three decide to go to Neon Classic a concert from their youths and have one last crazy adventure.   

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TV Review – Lunatics Season One

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TL;DR – This is a show that wildly oscillates from being deeply offensive to just plain dull  

Score – 1 out of 5 stars

Lunatics Season One. Image Credit: Netflix.

Review –

Before we get into this review, let me take you back 14 years ago to 2005, this was when We Can Be Heroes first aired down here in Australia. It was a revolutionary comedy for many, as it satirised people that you thought you all knew. Also having one actor play multiple different parts was a novel concept … at the time. Chris Lilley won multiple awards for the show and it put him in the limelight which he followed up with the equally successful Summer Heights High two years later. Why am I opening with this, well I wanted to give it a bit of history for non-Australian readers, and I wanted to give a bit of context before we fall into the rubbish that is this series.

So to set the scene, Lunatics is based around the lives of several characters (all played by Lilley). There is Jana a lesbian pet psychic based in South Africa, Gavin a brat that somehow going to be an Earl, Joyce a former adult movie star, Keith a long time retail worker that is opening his own store, Becky a tall twin starting her first day at an American college, and Quentin a real-estate agent from the Gold Coast. The series explores their lives as they all move into their next stages of life. Now from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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TV Review – The Orville: Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow

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TL;DR – We look to the past and find out how much we have changed, the show included

Score – 4 out of 5 stars

The Orville: Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow. Image Credit: Fox.

Review –

Time travel, oy vey, nothing quite gives me a headache like a temporal mechanics headache and today we are looking a doozy of one. Now, of course, this is not the first time that The Orville has dabbled in the world of time travel with Pria happening all the way back in Season One, which also set up some stuff that the show has yet to quite follow through with. However, today’s temporal jump is a much more personal affair.

So to set the scene, we open with Ed (Seth MacFarlane), Kelly (Adrianne Palicki), Talla (Jessica Szohr), and Gordon (Scott Grimes) sharing a drink and reminiscing about the past. Talking about the past has Ed reminiscing about lost loves but Kelly makes it clear that it would not be good for the ship or them if they repeated the past. The next day Isaac (Mark Jackson) and John (J. Lee) are showing Kelly a potential new temporal device when the ship is hit by a massive gravity wave. Not only does the damage the ship but it interacts with the device and all of a sudden a Kelly from seven years ago is standing in the science lab. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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TV Review – Brooklyn Nine-Nine: The Bimbo

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TL;DR – A fun episode that lets us have some great character moments and shift the dynamics of the cast a little

Score – 4 out of 5 stars

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: The Bimbo. Image Credit: NBC.

Review –

As we continue along this surprise extra season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, we have had big episodes, we have had funny episodes, we have had dramatic episodes. Well, today what we get is a smaller affair, but it takes a moment to use that contained nature to develop relationships more.

So to set the scene, Jake (Andy Samberg) arrives late to the briefing and gets punished in the cruellest way, okay that is just the cold open. We actually start with Keven (Marc Evan Jackson) leaving Holt’s (Andre Braugher) office and them sharing a public handshake before leaving. However, Kevin is not going straight to work because he needs to have a quiet word with Jake. For you see, a number of important coins had gone missing in the office that he works in, and he can’t go straight to Holt because Holt can become a bit out of place when there is a case where Kevin is involved. So they plan to do the case in secret, and that goes about as well as you can expect. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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TV Review – Star Trek Discovery: Such Sweet Sorrow Part 2 and Season 2

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TL;DR – An episode filled with emotional moments and big changes

Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars

Star Trek Discovery: Such Sweet Sorrow Part 2. Image Credit: CBS Studios.

Review –

As I sit here after watching the final episode of Season Two of Star Trek Discovery, I am feeling a lot of emotions. On the one part, there was nothing too surprising that happened in the episode if you had been paying attention so far this season. However, it was also an episode with emotional moments that hit you in the gut.

So to set the scene, we begin where Part 1 ended up, with the captured Section 31 Fleet let by Leland/Control (Alan van Sprang) surrounding the USS Enterprise and the USS Discovery. Leland/Control has one want, to get the Sphere data found on the Discovery, and everyone has one hope to let Michael open a time wormhole to the future, so the ship can fly out of reach of control. Everyone is working to get the Time Travel Suit ready, charging the time crystal, and preparing for an onslaught. However, no matter what they were preparing for nothing they could do could get them ready for what is about to happen. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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