Tag Archives: reviews

Reacher: City of Brotherly Love [S4E1] – TV Review

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TL;DR – Reacher has a nasty habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

The Philadelphia skyline.

Reacher Review Introduction

I was captivated by Reacher in its first two seasons. Season One was a breath of fresh air in a very stale genre, and Season Two escalated that to new heights. However, I came off Season Three with a real concern that the wind might be going out of this franchise. Well, today, we will dive into the first episode of the new season to see if it can buck off the languishing legacy of last season and forge new ground.

So, to set the scene, it is 2:18 am in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. Reacher (Alan Ritchson) is taking one of the last trains for the night when he notices a woman in clear distress, her hands hidden in a bag. Fearing the inevitable disaster, he tries to talk the lady down from the coming disaster. But when he lies to say he is a cop, hoping that will stop the escalation, it has the opposite result. Reacher feels like he failed the woman in her hour of need, but worse, every department in the federal government is now very interested in a suicide on an early morning train. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Greenland 2: Migration – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A quasi-religious themed sequel doesn’t live up to the first film, unfortunately.

Rating: 2.5 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.

John escapes from a radiation storm.

Greenland 2: Migration Review Introduction

Back in 2021, I was entirely surprised by a film. Greenland took what could have been a run-of-the-mill disaster/apocalypse film and filled it with real emotional weight. It even made it onto my best film list for that year. Since then, I have been wondering if they would go back to that world, and while we didn’t get an Australian release, I am glad to finally be getting a look at it today.  

So, to set the scene, in the five years since the Clarke devastation, fragments still impact the Earth, causing all sorts of radiation issues. John Garrity (Gerard Butler), his family, Allison (Morena Baccarin), and Nathan (Roman Griffin Davis) are still living in the bunker under Thule Airbase in Greenland. But things have stretched on longer than anyone expected, and they are now surviving by salvaging the ruins of humanity that wash up. The hope was to wait for the radiation levels to drop, but already large areas of North America have been made uninhabitable due to it. But when the tectonic plates shift and the base is destroyed, the Garrity family and the handful of survivors must make a mad dash across a waring Europe to reach the Clarke creator, the one place potentially free of radiation.  

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Solo Mio – Movie Review

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TL;DR – It has a level of heartwarming charm I was not expecting but was grateful to experience out in the Italian countryside.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

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

Being left at the altar.

Solo Mio Review Introduction

Well, it is the middle of the year, well more than the middle, and it is at this point and time that I start to get a bit reflective on the time that has passed and the coming storm that is the end of the year. It is the time of year when you want something that is just full of charm, and I think that will be the type of film we will look at today.

So, to set the scene, it was the perfect romance right up until Matt (Kevin James) was left at the altar by Heather (Julie Ann Emery) at their Italian destination wedding. As you can imagine, that is the perfect kind of embarrassment at any time and place, but there is an extra level of disaster when you are in a foreign country. Even worse, when your entire honeymoon package is 100% non-refundable. What is Matt to do? Well, it is paid for, and you can’t get your money back; well, you might as well enjoy it.  

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The Last House – Movie Review

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TL;DR – This is a film that is trying something, but it is working in a space where other contemporaries have excelled.  

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

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

Water filling in the cracks of shattered glass.

The Last House Review Introduction

Today we are looking at something that is becoming increasingly rare in modern cinema: a genuinely original film. Not adapted, not spun off, and not based on a toy from 50 years ago. Given how uncommon these projects have become, I knew I had to give The Last House a watch.

So, to set the scene, one Sunday morning a surprise rainstorm appeared on the horizon. It felt like a normal day, but then the internet failed. But even stranger was the fact that none of the doors or windows would open. That’s okay, because you can break windows, right? No, the glass cracks but doesn’t break. Now, you and everyone you know are stuck in their houses, with only the food you happened to have inside.

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Big Walk – Video Game Review

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TL;DR – Big Walk is a game that has somehow captured charm and inserted it into every single framework, from the game mechanics to the design, and most importantly, the interactions.   

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
The landscape looking up towards a red tower.

Big Walk Review Introduction

Today we are looking at the latest entry from Australian video game studio House House. They have a history of creating quirky and engaging games, so I was very interested to see how their next work would play out. That interest was only heightened when I discovered it was a cooperative adventure puzzle game, which felt like the perfect medium for shenanigans. Now, before jump into the review proper, I should be clear that at the time of writing I am about halfway through the game [The Blue Tower], but given what we will talk about below, I feel that I have seen enough of the game to cement my feeling on it.

So, to set the scene, you open in on a tutorial room where you can quickly run through all the controls under the leaves of a eucalyptus tree. Once your team is ready, you can dive out into a coastal valley below. Along the river valley leading out into the sea, you can spot different structures sticking out from the bush landscape. Each of these structures has a puzzle that you and your friends (also possibly family members, acquaintances, frenemies, co-workers, or heated rivals) have to work together to release a red item that my group ended up calling a gourd, which you insert into a machine to unlock a key that gives you access to the next location. While this starts quite small and manageable, it soon expands in scope.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Human Best Friend [S4E3] – TV Review

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TL;DR – Star Trek tries to do a Farscape episode; it has its moments, but it had completely fallen apart by the time the credits rolled.  

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

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

End Credit – There is a mid-credit scene

An Andorian and Edosian partying.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Review Introduction

Throughout the history of Star Trek, there has been the ‘shore leave episode’. They are a staple of the franchise, and there have been the highs of the titular Original Series episode Shore Leave and the lows of Deep Space Nine’s Let He Who Is Without Sin… Today Strange New Worlds is taking a swing at it and commits a bit too much in places and not enough in others.

So, to set the scene, back in Valles Marineris, it was mentioned that the crew has been going over six months without a break, and last week’s dive into horror, The Griffin Incident, probably didn’t help the situation. Understanding that tensions are fraught and the crew is heading into a difficult negotiation to end the civil war on Rodaxia, Pike (Anson Mount) decides that all the Alpha Shift needs to take some recreational leave. Thankfully, the hotel planet Cesnar is along the way. A planet whose atmosphere is intoxicating and brings everyone along on a journey. I mean, what is the worst that could happen if the whole bridge crew is high at the same time? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Ted Lasso: Home [S4E1] – TV Review

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TL;DR – A Kansas City detour to set up the season.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Apple TV+ service that viewed this episode.

Ted Lasso Assistant Manager.

Ted Lasso Review Introduction

Well, it is time for some more Ted Lasso. Now, I am on the record as being very fond of the series, even the weird episodes of Season One, Season Two, and Season Three. But I, like many, thought we were doneski, so colour me shocked when Season Four appeared from the ether. But given the time and the landscape, can it recapture that joy? That is what we are looking at today.

So to set the scene, Ted (Jason Sudeikis) has spent the last few years being the best day he can be to his son Henry (Grant Feely). But instead of coaching football or soccer, Ted is an assistant manager at a local supermarket. But then one day a surprise arrives in town. Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), Leslie Higgins (Jeremy Swift), and Keeley Jones (Juno Temple) have arrived with a mission. They want Ted to come back and coach their new women’s football team. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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Moana (2026) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – For better or worse, it is almost beat-for-beat the same film as 2016.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

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

Moana and Tala walk along the beach.

Moana Review Introduction

Well, here we are with a live-action remake of an animated film that was only released ten years ago. Disney’s track record with live-action remakes is not great, and that is before we even consider the ones they quietly dumped onto Disney+ like straight-to-DVD sequels. Which puts me in a kind of odd situation, as I am on record with how much I like the original Moana; indeed, it is still one of My Personal Top 10 Animated Films of All Time, and I even kind of liked the flawed sequel. However, last year’s How to Train Your Dragon showed that you can make that transition work, so I am here to see if You’re Welcome lands as well in 2026 as it did in 2016.  

So, to set the scene, deep in the Pacific Ocean, the demi-god Maui (Dwayne Johnson) attempted to harness the power of life from the goddess Te Fiti. He steals her heart, but instead of having the power over life, Maui is instantly defeated by the lava demon Te Kā and the heart and his magical fishing hook are flung into the ocean, separating Maui from his power and releasing death into the ocean. Or at least that’s the story that Tala (Rena Owen) tells to scare the children of the village, but it has been so many years since then, and surely these are just stories. But it is these stories that drive Moana (Catherine Laga’aia) to see what exists outside the reef that rings her island; however, her father Tui (John Tui), the chief, has banned people from leaving the island and the protection of the reef because of the dangers that lurk in the open ocean. But when death and disease come to her island, Moana will have to make a journey past what she knows and into the great abyss that surrounds every island.  

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Minions & Monsters – Movie Review

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TL;DR – Whether you like this film or not will depend on whether you think the Minions are charming or the death rattle of the end of Western Civilisation.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There are several mid-credit scenes.

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

Minions & Monsters Review Introduction

Over the years, I have been a strong proponent of how much I do enjoy the Despicable Me universe, even if Despicable Me 4 did start to show its age. Part of that is the chaotic energy that is infectious, the bright colours, and a heavy helping of quality slapstick comedy. It doesn’t hurt that I don’t have kids, so I only have to watch them once. But can a spin-off of a spin-off have the power to work? This is what we will look at today.

So, to set the scene, we open as a new museum is opening in Hollywood, looking back at some of the greats of cinema history, for example George Lucas (George Lucas). But the tour group was perplexed to see a statue of two Minions sitting in the exhibition. Well, the tour guide (Allison Janney) said, it is time to get an education about the history of Hollywood. The Minions have one goal: to find a big bad to work for, but one of the Minions, James (Pierre Coffin), had more of a creative side. When they end up in Hollywood, James finds his moment working with Max (Christoph Waltz), a noted film director. But to make James’ magnum opus, they needed a monster, and well, the Minions might have the evil spell book to pull that off.

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Among Us (2026): Season 1 – TV Review

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TL;DR – This is an almost perfect adaptation of the original game, full of tasks, murder, and voting people to their doom.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

The whole crew around a pizza party table.

Among Us Review Introduction

Back at the heart of COVID in 2020, there were a few things that helped get us through it. One of those was this weird little hidden role game where you set yourself a bunch of tasks to complete on a spaceship while one or more of you are aliens trying to kill you. Now, I played a lot of Among Us during this time, and my self-reports were legendary. Which means I am very interested to see how this animated adaptation turned out.   

So, to set the scene, deep in an asteroid field, a bunch of new employees, Green (Elijah Wood) and White (Patton Oswalt), for the MIRA Corporation, have begun the trip up to their new ship. Fun. Engagement. Fun-Gagement. These are the pillars of MIRA. All they have to do is take this new Ore+ from the asteroid to Industria, a simple trip. As Orange (Yvette Nicole Brown) gives them a tour of the ship and the crew, including the doctor Blue (Dan Stevens), we find a whole bunch of quirky characters for a trip like this. It all looks to be going swimmingly, well, you would hate it if there was a secret imposter on board wanting to take everyone else out one by one. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.   

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