Tag Archives: Supernatural

Agatha All Along: If I Can’t Reach You / Let My Song Teach You – TV Review

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TL;DR – What Agatha nails is that fine line between fun and concern.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

the house on the hill.

Agatha All Along Review –

There is a lot of space within the Supernatural genre for where you can locate your show. You can terrify all the way to making it a straight comedy. Well, Agatha All Along does fall mostly towards that latter category, but it also shows how much space you can work with, even if you are trying to have a fun romp.

So, to set the scene, there was a feeling of triumph as the coven of Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), Teen (Joe Locke), Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata), Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn), and Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone) made it through the first trial during Through Many Miles / Of Tricks and Trials, but that was until someone noticed that Sandra (Debra Jo Rupp) was dead. The death of one of them put a stark pause on everything, especially given Agatha’s callousness. However, as they still need a green witch, they do a bit of summoning. If Agatha had a choice, I don’t think she would have summoned Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza). Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Agatha All Along: Through Many Miles / Of Tricks and Trials – TV Review

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TL;DR – The first trial is here, and it very much sets the tone for the show going forward.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

The Coven arrives on the Road.

Agatha All Along Review –

After last week’s Seekest Thou the Road and Circle Sewn With Fate / Unlock Thy Hidden Gate double opener gave us the foundation of this world, it was going to be interesting to see where they would go from there. Everything was building to that road, and by the end of episode 2, we were there. Now, we need to find just what trials will appear along the road.

So, to set the scene, when Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) combined the powers of Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata), Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn) & Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone), oh and Sharon Davis (Debra Jo Rupp) and Teen (Joe Locke) are also here, to open the door to the Witches Road, she seemed surprised the most that the door opened. But attackers were there, and Agatha had no choice but to run down the staircase. But now that they are all on the road, the dangers start hitting home because even straying off the path can be deadly. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Agatha All Along: Circle Sewn With Fate / Unlock Thy Hidden Gate – TV Review

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TL;DR – It was time for Agatha to get the gang back together, that is, if she had ever had a gang before.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Teen looking out with a gag on.

Agatha All Along Review –

Well, I was not sure what to expect when I sat down to watch the first outing of Agatha All Along, but the first episode, Seekest Thou the Road, was kind of a blast. But that left me with some high expectations for the follow-up. Thankfully, with some clever cast compositions, I think this might have landed even better.

So, to set the scene, after Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) gets her memory back but not her mojo, she is hit with a realisation: she has less than a day to live. Some very powerful people are after her, and thanks to a snitch witch, they know where Agatha is and that she has lost her power. What do you do in a situation like this? Well, maybe it is time to get a temporary coven together, but then Agatha is not historically known for playing well with others. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Agatha All Along: Seekest Thou the Road – TV Review

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TL;DR – This was a fascinatingly weird start to the series that hit the end of the episode with the gusto it needed to move forward.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Based on the Danish Series WandaVisdysen.

Agatha All Along Review –

I’ll be honest: I didn’t think we would ever come back to Westview with all the changes and realignments of the MCU in recent years. I loved the promise that WandaVision presented, even if I don’t think it stuck the ending. But in this world, it was clear that Kathryn Hahn was a real presence as Agatha, and when it was announced we were going back, I hoped we would get something as boisterous as it could be, and I think we might just get that.

So, to set the scene, Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) is a local detective in Westview and is arriving at a peculiar murder scene because a young lady from Eastern Europe has seemingly landed in a riverbed without disturbing a single leaf. This frustrates Agnes because there is something there, something she can’t quite put her finger on. But her life takes a turn when the Feds (Aubrey Plaza) arrive. Because no one wants the Feds snooping around your case because things tend to go wrong. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While it does not hit nearly as hard 40-years later, it was still a fun ride from start to finish, if you can get through all the mess.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

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

Beetlejuice appears from the mist.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Review –

While you should never say Beetlejuice’s name three times, today we are in luck because we are looking at the sequel which is just Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. However, delving back into the past and trying to find a sequel after 40-odd years since the first outing is a potentially fraught endeavour. Can you capture what made the first Beetlejuice a hit all those years ago? Well, that is what we will look at today.

So, to set the scene, in the many years since Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) helped the Maitland ghost’s out she has become a mother, and a host of a very popular ghost show called Ghost House with Lydia Deetz. However, every now and again, out of the corner of her eye she sees a man with green hair and striped suit. Lydia was in the middle of taping one of her shows with her producer Rory (Justin Theroux) when she gets an urgent call from her stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara). Her father has been killed and the whole family is going back to Winter River for the funeral, including Lydia’s mostly estranged daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega), who does not believe that her mother can commune with the dead. Mourning for the dead can be a difficult process, but when mysterious woman called Delores (Monica Bellucci) appears in the afterlife killing souls and sending Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) into hiding. Well, a fortunate timed funeral could be just what he needs to connect with his almost wife from all those years ago.

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Deadland – Movie Review

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TL;DR –  It is a film with a lot of intrigue, but I wish it had a bit more going on under the hood.  

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I was sent a screener of this film.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

A man standing on the river's shore.

Deadland Review –

I do love when films get weird, when they play with your perceptions of what is real or not, though I should maybe stop playing them before bed. Today, we are looking at a film that does just that with the people in the movie, but does it have the same effect on the audience?

So, to set the scene, we find ourselves on the USA/Mexico border with US Customs and Border Patrol, where they find a suspicious van trying to cross. Agents Angel Waters (Roberto Urbina) and Ray Hitchcock (McCaul Lombardi) find just a kid behind the wheel and a whole lot of drugs in the back. It was just a routine day for The Patrol, but when Angel is alone and finds the body of The Stranger (Luis Chávez) floating dead in the river, he is the most surprised when the man wakes up out of his body bag on the drive home. But when Angel’s father, Ignacio Coronado (Manuel Uriza), returns and the dead man, now alive, turns up dead again, things start falling apart, and this is when Internal Affairs starts to sniff around.  

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Ashes (Kül) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A film that does a fantastic job of setting up a world and mystery that unfortunately can’t sustain itself all the way to the end.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

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

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

Warning – Some scenes may cause distress.

The manuscript Kül.

Ashes Review –

Today, we dive back into the world of romance but with a side of danger as we explore Turkish cinema for the first time properly on the site. Romance films can be fascinating because they can meld and merge into so many different genres and take on a broad scope of tone. In today’s film, we dive into the harder edge of the genre, where danger awaits.

So to set the scene, from all appearances, Gökçe (Funda Eryigit) is living her best life. She is a successful publisher with a talent for picking good manuscripts, something that has made her husband Kenan (Mehmet Günsür) fabulously wealthy. But her life feels like it is missing something, missing a lot of things. But when a manuscript called Kül arrives, she is immediately transported into its prose. Being captured by its narrative, it awakens a joy that she had not realised was missing. But when she discovers the bakery in the book is real, and more of the book is real, she hunts down the mysterious man.

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Maboroshi (Alice and Therese’s Illusory Factory/ Alice to Therese no Maboroshi Kôjô/ アリスとテレスのまぼろし工場) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While there were some good ideas here, an unfortunate narrative focus and other frustrating narrative issues held it back for me.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

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

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

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Steel Factory on fire.

Maboroshi Review –

When something supernatural happens, is that divine retribution or divine protection? In a time of crisis, do people continue to carry on, or do they give up? What happens when you are stuck? Can you go on?

So to set the scene, it is 1991 in a small town in Japan, as Masamune (Junya Enoki) and his friends are all staying up late studying when an explosion rips out into the night. The local steel factory is ablaze, sending flames up into the air. Then, a light flashes through the air, and time becomes a bit funky. Running outside, they see the factory on fire, but cracks appear in the sky, and the smoke from the factory is not as innocent as it first appears. Everyone in the town senses the presence because everyone is trapped, and no one can get out.  

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Talk To Me – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A completely fraught film that captivates and terrifies you in equal measures.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

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

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Mia holds the hand.

Talk To Me Review –

As I do this final wrap-up of 2023, there is one film that I tried to see multiple times, but life or odd showing times always got in the way. I knew I could not do my end-of-year lists without seeing it, so I was happy to see it had slipped onto Netflix while I had my back turned.

So to set the scene, there is a part roaring in a suburban house, but cutting a swath through the gathering is Cole (Ari McCarthy) looking for his brother Duckett (Sunny Johnson). Cole is concerned but is shocked when he finds Duckett under the influence of something. Trying to get him to safety, he confronts all the partygoers filming the pair out of amusement when Duckett pulls a knife from the counter and stabs Cole in front of the gathering. Later, Mia (Sophie Wilde) is still reeling on the anniversary of their mother’s death when she takes her friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen) and Jade’s Brother Riley (Joe Bird) to a party where the kids are playing a new game, Talk To Me. It is a porcelain hand covered in words that, if you say the right words, you can see a visage of the other side and let them into your body. Just don’t let them stay more than 90 seconds.

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Musings on The Leftovers (or did Nora Lie?)

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TL;DR – In which I wax lyrical or ramble about the series The Leftovers and its exploration of faith and truth.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

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

Two men on a roof after an apocalypse that didn't happen.

The Leftovers Review –

Today, we will do something a little different than usual in that we will be less of a review and more of a retrospective on a series. Well, it’s not quite a retrospective, but more some musings that have been rumbling around in my head for months and that I better put down on paper somewhere so I can let them go rather than pondering on them all the time. With that in mind, we delve into the world of guilt, trauma, religion, faith, and crisis.

So to set the scene, three years before the start of the series on October 14th, 2011, two per cent of the world’s population vanished instantly. One hundred forty million people were gone in a moment of time, with no rhyme or reason as to why they were chosen. A child was screaming one second, gone the next. A family was eating breakfast one moment and gone the next. The person you were holding hands with during a science experiment, the person you were making love with, all gone. How do you move on after an event like this? Can you? Can society? Can the town of Mapleton and the Garvey family? Now from here, we will be looking at the whole series as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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