Tag Archives: reviews

Lanterns: OutKast [S1E3] – TV Review

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TL;DR – We go full-flashback episode this week, but they make it work.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the HBO Max service used to view this series.

End Credit Scene – There is a making-of and trailer after the end credits.

John falling.

Lanterns Review Introduction

Today, we are looking at a style of episode that can be quite tricky: the flashback. This is when we put the current narrative on hold to jump back in time and give some more context around a character or an event. They can be fraught because putting your narrative on hold can feel indulgent, be a sign that you have not explained things properly, or worse, it can derail your entire story. Thankfully, we miss these potholes today.

So, to set the scene, it is 2016, and we begin with John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) falling through the air and landing on a pile of mattresses. It is a unique entry into what might be the most important interview in his life. Waiting for him is an unassuming lady, friendly but with a stare that pierces through you. Lianna (Laura Linney) has many questions, including, “Do you feel fear?” Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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The Airport Chaplain: God Complex [S1E1] – TV Review

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TL;DR – This premiere was a good grounding episode for all the drama, conflict, and vibes of the series.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I watched this on SBS On Demand.

Airport Chaplain written on the back on a vest.

The Airport Chaplain Review Introduction

When you hear that Hugo Weaving is popping into an SBS series all about being an eccentric airport chaplain, well, you need to see what all that is about. It is one of those odd combinations that draws you in, and I am glad that it is also interesting.

So, to set the scene, it is a chaotic day at a Melbourne airport: planes are being delayed, a flight from Shanghai has been circling for half an hour with a dead body on board, and there is a security incident happening. It is one of those days when you need a fixer to help smooth these things over, which is a good thing: Airport Chaplain Tobias Wallace (Hugo Weaving) is on the case. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Off-Hour [S4E6] – TV Review

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TL;DR – For me, this is an episode that failed most narrative levels.  

Rating: 1.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service used to view this series.

The USS Enterprise with a countdown chronometer.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Review Introduction

Well, when I sat down to watch last week’s Level-Five Transporter Accident, I didn’t know I was sitting down to watch what was apparently the most divisive episode since Janeway and Paris had salamander kids. This week we shift to a more serious episode as our homage voyage among the stars ends up in 24-Land.  

So, to set the scene, the Alpha shift is looking forward to the end of the week and for Beta shift to take over. Everything is going fine until everyone spots a slight navigation oddity. But before anyone has time to process it, the USS Enterprise is rammed by a slipstream wormhole and yanked into its wake. Ripped from their heading, badly damaged, separated crew, and slowly shutting down. Worse, if they don’t find a way to stop, the ship will be ripped apart at the subatomic level. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Reacher: Bridge [S4E5] – TV Review

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TL;DR – Reacher finds himself up a particular creek without any manual propulsion devices.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Reacher falling through a trash chute.

Reacher Review Introduction

We have reached the halfway point of the season, and this is the point where things start falling apart. Well, Season Four has decided not to buck that trend and has leaned into it hard as the whole case gets turned on its head.

So, to set the scene, we left Reacher (Alan Ritchson) surrounded by a pile of bodies and the police banging down the door. It was a setup, because Lila (Agnez Mo) and Amisha (Anggun) are not as mild-mannered as they seem, and are in fact cold-blooded killers, favouring curved blades. This changes everything we thought about this case and more. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Tuner – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A fascinating exploration of a man at the precipice of a bad decision for good reasons.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

The locking mechanism of a safe.

Tuner Review Introduction

There are some people you know that when they give a film recommendation, you need to check it out, because whether you vibe with a film or not, their recommendations are always interesting. Today is just such a film, one that has intrigued me from afar, but even more so now that I have seen it up close.

So, to set the scene, deep in New York City lives famed piano tuner Harry Horowitz (Dustin Hoffman), who is training his apprentice, Niki White (Leo Woodall). Harry has progressive dementia, and Niki has perfect pitch but lives with hyperacusis, a sensitivity to sound, which means that he must wear hearing protection for most of his life, especially around loud noises. After being forced to come back to a house late at night to tune a piano when all the tradespeople have gone, he may have helped some criminals crack a safe. It is something that he would entertain, until Harry is hospitalised, money is needed, and maybe this is his way out.  

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Fuze – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A profoundly fascinating heist film that never lets you settle as it shifts under your feet.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this film.

The bomb starts ticking.

Fuze Review Introduction

Sometimes you sit down and have a feeling that you need to watch something you have not seen in a while, and for me that was a good heist film. I love the tension, the precision, the action; every part of a good heist is a delight, and I think we got a good one today.   

So, to set the scene, it’s construction time in London, England, and when digging out the foundation of a building, the diggers hit something you don’t want to find: an unexploded 500lb bomb left from WWII. It is one of those things that can shut an entire city down, as people must evacuate the potential blast zone. The Army, under Major Will Tranter (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), has been brought in to deal with the bomb while the police evacuate the city around it. But with entire blocks of London evacuated, and no one watching, that leaves an awful lot of unintended valuables lying around, and a lot of false alarms going off while hiding what you are doing.

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Normal – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A perfectly serviceable action film, competently constructed but with nothing remarkable to make it stand out.  

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this film.

Town of Normal welcome sign.

Normal Review Introduction

I decided today that I wanted to go on a bit of an action kick as this tends to be the time of year when they drop. However, today’s movie has the odd distinction of being both technically quite good, while also being an almost bland, if at best unremarkable experience.
 
So, to set the scene, we open in Normal, Minnesota, a very nice town … well, the parts that were not abandoned. Temporary Sheriff Ulysses (Bob Odenkirk) has arrived to fill in for the eight weeks before the town votes for a permanent replacement. The only odd thing is that this poor town does seem to have a lot of money for a town in a rural downturn, something that pulls on a thread for Ulysses that he can’t quite place. It was a perfect set-up, until some nobodies try to rob the bank and Ulysses’ life just got turned around.  

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Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A beautifully animated entry into a series steeped in friendship and a sheer optimism that you need now and again.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ subscription used to watch this film.

An old Air bending temple.

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender Review Introduction

Well, it is time to jump back into the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It has been a long time since I dabbled in this universe, but I remember it being a fun time. While it was very much focused on a younger audience, the themes of working together, finding yourself, and building a better future rang true. Now it is time to see if this world can still have an impact in the current world.
 
So, to set the scene, it has been a while since the events of The Last Airbender, and Aang (Eric Nam) has been collecting any remnant of the Air Nomads that he could find. While returning the artefacts to an ancient temple, Aang is attacked by an insurgent group known as the Denied. They were looking for a map to an ancient staff, from a time even before the oldest Avatars Aang can reach. The one clue that he can find leads him to the top of Mount Baihu, where Aang finds not a staff but something potentially more powerful.  

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We Bury the Dead – Movie Review

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix subscription used to watch this film.

A zombie opens its eye.

We Bury the Dead Review Introduction

Today’s offering has been bubbling around in the Australian cinematic landscape for quite a bit before it got its theatrical release earlier this year. Unfortunately, while there were no well-timed screenings near me at the time, it has now made its way onto streaming, and this is the perfect time for me to give it a watch.  

So, to set the scene, one day an accidental detonation of an experimental weapon off the coast of Tasmania destroyed the capital city of Hobart. However, an EMP wave stretched further, destroying the brains of all living creatures on the island. It is a catastrophe of epic proportions, and a whole mobilisation effort has been activated to help identify and recover the bodies of the 500,000-odd dead. However, now and again, some of the dead wake up, and they are no longer themselves. Ava Newman (Daisy Ridley) is one of the volunteers, hoping to find out what happened to her husband, who was at a conference on the south of the island. Those who do reanimate are completely docile and not a problem, or so the Army says.

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The End of Oak Street – Movie Review

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TL;DR – This 80s homage film triumphs on one important facet: Anne Hathaway fighting dinosaurs.  

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

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

A dog looks up to see a weird light.

The End of Oak Street Review Introduction

Now, if you know me, I make absolutely no apologies that I am a dinosaur fiend when it comes to media. Give me your Jurassic Parks, your Dinotopias, heck, you want to add dinosaurs to Star Trek, I am here for it. But if you are going to add dinosaurs to a film, they can’t just be a token addition; they need to mean something, and thankfully that is not an issue today.

So, to set the scene, in 1982 there is a quintessential suburb in America called Flowervale that does all the stereotypical things. They have block parties, the kids ride around on their bikes, and neighbours get upset with dogs pooping in their yards. On Oak Street in this suburb lives the Platt family: wife Denise (Anne Hathaway), husband Greg (Ewan McGregor), daughter Audrey (Maisy Stella), and son Brian (Christian Convery). They are the perfect nuclear family on the surface, but in private the cracks in Denise and Greg’s relationship are threatening to become a gorge. But all of that changes one night when the lights start to flicker, everyone’s ears pop, and odd noises start coming from the forest. That’s when the screams start.

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