Tag Archives: Temuera Morrison

The Bluff – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While the story might not have the strength of wind behind the sails, the action and setting make up for it.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service to view this film.

Rowboats approach the shore.

The Bluff Review Introduction –

Today I was thinking that I have not seen a good Pirate action-adventure film. Well, call me surprised to find that when I opened Amazon Prime tonight, I found that a new film starring Priyanka Chopra and Karl Urban had landed, promising to do just that. Well, there is no time like the present to dive in and see if it works or not.   

So, to set the scene, in crashing waves and the gale of a storm, a pirate vessel is making its way through the Caribbean Sea in the tail end of the Era of Pirates in 1846. In the gloom, it finds its prey, a merchant vessel Swiftsure with a curious captain, Theodor H. Bodden (Ismael Cruz Córdova), holding gold marked with their pirate brand of Captain Connor (Karl Urban). Gold, they got in the small town of Cayman Brac. But while Cayman Brac looks inconsequential, it holds many secrets, and Ercell Bodden (Priyanka Chopra) is no sailor’s wife, well, she is, but she’s also a lot more.  

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The Wrecking Crew – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A solid action film that works as two big personalities collide with vengeance.

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.

Johnny (Dave Bautista) and James (Jason Momoa) in a police office.

The Wrecking Crew Review Introduction –

Today, it is time to dive into an action film full of explosions, guns, big muscles, and bigger personalities. It is the kind of glitzy action film that we would get once a month, but now get sent straight to streaming. But as this is a very dad-film coded entry, it might just be the best place for it.   

So, to set the scene, it’s Chinese New Year on the streets of Honolulu as Walter (Brian L. Keaulana) walks through Chinatown, being stalked by unsavoury people as fireworks explode. But just when he escapes, a van mows him down in the street. The man was a private eye with a long list of carnage in his wake, including two children, half-brothers Johnny (Dave Bautista) and James (Jason Momoa), who have not talked to each other in over ten years. But when the Yakuza show up at James’ place with violent intent, looking for a package Walter sent him before he died, well, it just might be time for James to go back to Hawaii to see who really killed his father.

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Moana 2 Review: A Visual Spectacle with Emotional Depth

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TL;DR – While the plot might be a bit convoluted in places, and the music does not hit quite as hard. When the story, emotion, and characters collide, you can’t help but feel that joy wash over you.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

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

Moana blows a shell horn.

Moana 2 Review –

This is a good day for me because I honestly believe that Moana is the best-animated film that Disney has made in their current era. I loved the world that they built, the narrative they created, and the music they crafted. Coming back into this world was always going to be a joy for me, but given how much I liked the first film, can it ever live up to what has come before?

So, to set the scene, it has been a number of years since the events of Moana, and Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) has spent that time exploring out from Motunui to find new foods, new resources, but also to reconnect with the people that Te Fiti had cut off. However, no matter how many islands she discovers, she can’t find any people. But when Heihei (Alan Tudyk) stumbles across some pottery that shows that there are people out there, Moana puts together a team of Loto (Rose Matafeo), Kele (David Fane), and Moni (Hualālai Chung) to explore. However, there may be a god out there who does not want them to succeed, hoping she will end up like her ancestor Tautai Vasa (Gerald Ramsey), the last Wayfinder who failed to find the fabled island.

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Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While Aquaman is quite fun in places (the whole volcano fight), you could feel that they struggled to find the right tone, so it bounces all over the place and never settles into its rhythm. Also, it can’t escape the fact that it feels fruitless watching it because you know it is about to get hit by a big re-do button.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

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

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

Whales.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Review –

Oh my, look, a lot is going on with this film that is not its fault. It did not go into production knowing that it would be the final entry of the DCEU, and much like The New Mutants, it does not deserve that kind of legacy. But we can’t go into it ignoring all the stuff around it because I brought that baggage in, and I don’t think I am alone here.

So to set the scene, Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) is now living two lives. By day, he is the King of Atlantis with all the responsibilities and limitations that come with it. But at night, he is a father to a son they had with Mera (Amber Heard). This is not an excellent combination for a sustainable life. All it would take is one issue to torpedo everything. Enter Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who has had Dr Stephen Shin (Randall Park) search the globe for Atlantean tech so he can repair his suit when he discovers an even greater power lurking in the ice.   

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Star Wars: Ahsoka – Part Five: Shadow Warrior – TV Review

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TL;DR – A blast into the past and a push into the future.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Dual on the astral bridge.

Ahsoka Review –

One of the first things I mentioned back in Part One: Master and Apprentice is that I was coming into this series without watching the Rebels or Clone Wars animated shows that were being used as the springboard for both the characters and the narrative. I had wondered if this would be a show where you could follow what is going on if you were not coming in with all that extra homework. Well, today, we get the best litmus test for that.  

So to set the scene, last week’s Fallen Jedi did not end on the best note for everyone. Sabine (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) was tempted by Lord Baylan (Ray Stevenson) about the chance to be reunited with her lost friend and didn’t destroy the map. While Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) was thrown from the cliffside into the waters below. Hera (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and the cavalry arrived, but it was not quick enough to stop Morgan Elsbeth’s (Diana Lee Inosanto) Hyperspace sled from jumping off into galaxies unknown. But what is waiting for Ahsoka in the ever after is not what she was expecting … a battle. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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The Flash – Movie Review

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TL;DR – Through all its pre-production issues, the final product is a blast of fun, but I am not sure it would have the staying power on repeat watches.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

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

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

The Flash running at speed.

The Flash Review –

We are entering quite a tricky period for Superhero films. While they have been the dominant media property over the last decade, the shine is starting to come off the genre. While we will probably not see the great Western collapse again, how many players does the industry have room for? Can you still engage with a property you know is about to be rebooted? And can multiverses still work? These are some of the questions we will look at with our review of The Flash today.

So to set the scene, Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) is living his life as part of the Justice League, but not as a leading figure as we see when Alfred (Jeremy Irons) calls him up before his morning breakfast to help clean up some of Batman’s (Ben Affleck) mess in Gotham City. But while he is very good at catching babies, the main issue in his life is trying to get his father, Henry (Ron Livingston), out of jail. He is serving a life sentence for murdering his wife, and Barry’s mother, Nora (Maribel Verdú), something Barry knows his dad did not do, but no one listened to him because he was just a kid at the time. In his frustration, Barry runs so fast that he breaches the speed of light and begins to transverse back and forwards in time, and surely nothing bad can happen from that.  

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The Mandalorian: Chapter 24 (The Return) & Season 3 – TV Review

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TL;DR – While you could say they spared their best to last, it was still frustrating that this energy went missing a lot during this season.     

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and The Armorer (Emily Swallow) decend.

The Mandalorian Review –

I am not sure we thought that at the start of the season, we would be feeling a bit odd now that we are drawing to an end. Indeed, I had to correct myself because I had inadvertently written this as the fourth season, though in hindsight, I don’t think that is far from the truth given how Book of Boba Fett turned out. However, as we come to the end of this season, and maybe even the series at the time of writing season 4 is not confirmed, I wonder what we got.   

So to set the scene, in The Spies, most of the disparate groups of the Mandalorians came together to help reclaim Mandalore after discovering that it was potentially inhabitable. However, Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) realised their plan. He set a trap because neither of the Mandalorian groups knew is that Gideon always knew the planet was habitable and had made his base there. A realisation that happened after Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) was captured. Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) was leading the survivors off to escape and warn the armada above that they were about to come under attack. Still, only time would tell if they would get the warning before obliteration. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode, and season, as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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The Mandalorian: Chapter 20 (The Foundling) – TV Review

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TL;DR – A fun return to form, with two adventures romping across the galaxy.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Grogu and his crab rock.

The Mandalorian Review –

When I left last week’s episode, it was the first time I felt deflated with the show. I respect that they were trying something different, but it all fell flat for me. Suddenly, I was concerned with where the rest of the season was going, so I walked into this week with more than a bit of trepidation. Only time will tell if this was warranted or not.

So to set the scene, we are in the hidden Mandalorian compound as all the foundlings train outside the cave. It is here where Grogu has to show that he has power and is not a tiny child unworthy of respect. But while this happens, a large raptor swoops down, collects one of the foundlings in its claws, and takes it off to places unknown but with murderous intent. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead for the show.    

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Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi) – TV Review

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TL;DR – There are elements here and there that elevate it out of the mire it seems to have written for itself, but many parts still felt lacklustre.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

Inquisitors on the move.

Obi-Wan Kenobi Review –

There is very little people agree on when it comes to what worked in the Star Wars prequels, but one of the few things is that Ewan McGregor knocked it out of the park with his performance of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Since then, there have been rumours and talk of films going back and forth until finally, the series was announced. I had high hopes after they got the whole band together, but I am not so sure now that I have watched it.

So to set the scene, it has been ten years since The Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) engineered his coup against the Jedi with Order 66 wiping all of them out. Well, nearly all of them, because Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) slipped through the cracks and now lives in a cave on Tatooine. He works as a butcher during the day, trying to keep a low profile. However, this is damaged when Inquisitors land on the planet looking for Jedi and Obi-Wan is forced to come out of hiding because across the galaxy, a young Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) has just been kidnapped from her house. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode and season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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The Book of Boba Fett: Chapter 7 (In the Name of Honor) and Full Season – TV Review

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TL;DR – A lacklustre ending to a frustrating series overall.   

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ subscription that viewed this show.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene in the final episode

The Book of Boba Fett: Chapter 7 (In the Name of Honor). Image Credit: Disney.

The Book of Boba Fett Review –

Well, we have reached the end of the first season of The Book of Boba Fett and does it end on a triumph? Well no. What we have gotten is a season flailing around in the sand and finding the odd gem, but not much else. With that in mind, let us unpack the final episode and the season as a whole.

So to set the scene, at the end of From the Desert Comes a Stranger, Cad Bane (Corey Burton) kills the chance of Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) getting back up by taking out Marshal Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) in a showdown. Meanwhile, the Pyke Syndicate strikes the first blow of the coming war by destroying Sanctuary and killing (probably) Garsa Fwip (Jennifer Beals) in the process. The oncoming storm is near, all Boba, Fennec (Ming-Na Wen), and The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) need to do is hold out for reinforcements (that are not coming) and hope that the criminal families of Mos Espa continue with their neutrality between a more significant winning power and family about to get stomped on. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole and the rest of the season, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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