Tag Archives: Sterling K. Brown

Paradise: A Holy Charge [S2:E4] – TV Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – This is the episode that reminds us that there are some things about today’s society that we take for granted, and we really shouldn’t

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

They arrive at the bunker.

Paradise Review –

Well, the first opening triplet of Graceland, Mayday & Another Day in Paradise, is behind us, and it is now time to build upon that foundation and dive full-bore into this season’s main storyline. But as we get into the world proper, one devastated fully, we need to see who lives in a broken world.  

So, to set the scene, nothing quite says “you have to lie down and rest” like getting six stitches in your spleen, but that is the world that Xavier (Sterling K. Brown) is living in. He is forced to rest after taking a knife to the side to protect some kids. Luckily, he was found by Annie (Shailene Woodley), who had some medical training before the world fell apart. Unluckily, she wants Xavier to take her back to Colorado and not to Atlanta. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

Continue reading →

Paradise: Another Day in Paradise [S2:E3] – TV Review

Posted on by
1

TL;DR – This is the episode where all the intrigue from last season gets turned up a notch as we have a less-than-subtle look back at the world today.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Sinatra in a coma.

Paradise Review –

After spending the first two episodes of Paradise‘s second season, Graceland &Mayday, it is nice to get back down into the muck with the city itself. The city feels like a façade just waiting for something to break it down, and this week, we get a lot of potential answers to just what that might be.   

So, to set the scene, Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond (Julianne Nicholson) eyes move, one blink after another, as medical monitors beep and whirl. One month, she has been in a coma for one month, what could have changed in Paradise while she was asleep, well, maybe a complete police state takeover led by an idiot president. But in the past, we discovered that the main problem with the volcanic eruption was not the globe-spanning tsunami, but the environmental tailspin that will happen in the years after, dubbed the ‘Venus Effect”. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

Continue reading →

Paradise: Mayday [S2:E2] – TV Review

Posted on by
2

TL;DR – A fascinating look at survival in a world trying to kill you to survive.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

A plane crash

Paradise Review –

Today, we dive into the second episode of Paradise’s second season. While the first episode was all worldbuilding, here we get stuck into the meat cube of things when we get to see how love first bloomed. But also see just why you never want to find yourself in Arkansas.  

So, to set the scene, after taking off in a light plane at the end of Season One towards Atlanta, Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) was flying south when a sudden flashback and a surprise hailstorm forced the plane to come down in quite a crash. Xavier survives the crash, but little does he know that he came down in Arkansas, and the last place you ever want to find yourself is Arkansas. Especially when you have a dislocated knee, and you have to put it back in place by yourself… Crunch … Scream. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

Continue reading →

Paradise: Graceland [S2:E1] – TV Review

Posted on by
3

TL;DR – They take a gamble with this first episode of the new season, but I think they pulled it off.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Day 24.

Paradise Review –

Last year, there was one TV series that caught me off guard, because I was completely surprised that we were actually in a post-apocalyptic world. Season One of Paradise had its foibles, but it was also an electric romp all the way to the end. But that season was very self-contained, and I wonder if the show has the strength to branch out? Well, that is what we will start looking at today.  

So, to set the scene, Annie (Shailene Woodley) has not had the best of lives, looking after mother in trouble, who died young, bouncing out of medical school, and ending up as a tour guide at Graceland, which turned out to be a bunker when the world fell apart. But tragedy is everywhere in a world where summer never came, ash blots out the sky, and the simple things now kill. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

Continue reading →

Paradise: Season 1 – TV Review

Posted on by
10

TL;DR – Cornerstoned by some fantastic performances, we explore a world where things might be perfect, as long as you don’t look any deeper.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Xavier walks up some stairs.

Paradise Review –

It might just be the current climate, or the fact that rewatching The West Wing makes me feel a growing sense of naivety. But I have been trying to find a new political or politically adjacent series to stick my teeth into. My first attempt was the delightful The Residence, which made its mark. But I wanted to find something with a bit more bite, and today I think I found it.

So, to set the scene, Secret Service Agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) was doing his usual daily rounds in the sleepy town of Paradise. The sort of town where you can jog to the President’s house as part of your morning commute. Xavier did the usual handoff to the agents on site, including Jane Driscoll (Nicole Brydon Bloom) and Billy Pace (Jon Beavers). However, something was off that morning, POTUS, Cal Bradford (James Marsden) was still in bed, which was odd even for a man who spends most of his day in a bathrobe. But as he goes into the President’s room, he is accosted by the sight of blood and the body of the President. Xavier should call it in right away, but he locks the site down before word can escape, and before he loses control of the first murder scene in Paradise’s history. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

Continue reading →

Atlas – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – It has a rough start, but kind of finds its feet, but probably long after most of switched it off.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this film.

The Mech.

Atlas Review –

Well, if there has been one technology that can define the 2020s, it is AI. As much as that affects behind-the-scenes in exciting but also exploitive and dubious ways, we are also going to see that come to the forefront of narratives. Today’s film does just that as we dive into the world on the edge.

So to set the scene, everything was going fine on Earth until one day, every AI robotic component on Earth rebelled, killing millions. All the damage was seemingly set off by one Robot called Harlan (Simu Liu) who helped kill millions before what was left of the world combined under the ICN and fought back. Harlan escaped the planet, but twenty-eight years later, he legacy of destruction is felt by all. No more so than Atlas Shepherd (Jennifer Lopez) who grew up with Harlan as a child. When one of Harlan’s top lieutenants, Casca Vix (Abraham Popoola), was captured on Earth, everyone knew he was ready to return, the one thing Atlas was fighting to stop.

Continue reading →

Movie Review – Waves

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – A challenging film to watch at times, but always beautifully shot and acted.     

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Warning – Several scenes may cause distress and a scene that features extensive flashing lights.

Waves. Image Credit: Universal.

Review –

When you go in to see a film, many factors engage you. There is the sound, the visuals, or the story. However, there is one factor that can have in an impact that you might not expect is that feeling of being in a room with a bunch of people that you don’t know who are having the same emotional experience. Today I look at a film where I felt the oxygen get sucked out of the room, felt the shock, and heard the gasps of exclamation.

So to set the scene, we open in on the Williams family as we get to see snippets of their lives. Ronald (Sterling K. Brown) is the firm farther pushing everyone to be the greatest they can be, Catherine (Renée Elise Goldsberry) might be a step-mother to the children. Still, she cares for them as if they were her own, (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) the local wrestling champion and eldest of the family Emily, and then (Taylor Russell) their caring daughter and Tyler’s sister. Tyler has everything going for him, he works for his dad, he is a star on the team with college scouts coming to the games, and an amazing girlfriend in Alexis (Alexa Demie). However, this façade starts to crumble when a shoulder injury doesn’t go away.

I am going to start the central part of this review by saying that it might be best to go into this film with as little knowledge as possible, so when those moments hit, they hit hard. Indeed it is going to be hard to talk about the movie in any meaningful way without running into spoilers right away. So with this in mind, I will try to be as vague as possible about the story beats throughout the review, but I will talk a little of the structure in the penultimate chapters where there will be full spoilers.  

Continue reading →

Movie Review – The Predator (2018)

Posted on by
2

TL;DR – There is a lot of great production here, and strong acting, but it has clearly been hacked apart in the edit leaving a disjointed mess.

Score – 3 out of 5 stars

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

The Predator. Image Credit: 20th Century Fox

Review –

The first Predator film was maybe the pinnacle of the 1980s macho-action film genre, I can remember watching it for the first time, probably far younger than I should. It was Arnie at his best hunting down an alien hunting people for sport and while there were sequels nothing ever captured the intensity of the first film. When I heard they were bring it back and giving it to Shane Black I had high hopes that at the very least it would be an interesting film … and then the last week happened and I can’t believe how disappointed I could be at such a promising director. Now the film is here and well, you can see the vision, but you can also see where the studio has taken a hatchet to it.

Continue reading →