My Review of Friday The 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter (1984)

 

Written by Bruce Hidemi Sakow And Barney Cohen

Directed by Joseph Zito

Trish (to Jason): "You son of a bitch. I'll give you something to remember us by."

It's funny. Had things gone as intended, the subtitle of this movie would have been true. This really could've been the final chapter for this particular franchise. Had it been true, it would've ended on a strong note because this film was an improvement on the previous two.

Which is also funny as it's borrowing elements from all the movies so far and picking up where the last one left. However while this again picked up from where the last left off, yet again it's a new bunch of kids/young adults that Jason Voorhees (Ted White) to play around with this time.

Like with the previous movie, there's an attempt to give a character a past connection with Jason. This time it's a man named Rob (Erich Anderson), the brother of one of Jason's previous victims and like his sister, Rob's own encounter with Jason doesn't end well for him.

While the previous movies have had their fair share of deaths, it felt like this one really went to town with the body count. Several characters who were either hooking up, getting stone or watching old pornographic movies were taken out by Jason in some of the most inventive and outright gruesome of ways.

With Rob being more of a false protagonist, we did get a decent pair of protagonists with Trish Jarvis (Kimberly Beck) and her younger brother, Tommy (Corey Feldman). Easily two of the best characters in the franchise and let's just say that Tommy made quite a foil for Jason.

Having Tommy making himself look like Jason as a child was not a plot twist, not the rather overzealous way in which Tommy actually took Jason out. Still though the final scene with Tommy and Trish at the hospital did end this one on a rather creepy note.

- By far (or at least so far), this film not only upped the violence, blood and gore but also the nudity and sexual references.

- This movie was actually released on Friday the 13th. 

- The original idea for this movie was going to be a prequel but luckily we got this instead.

- Chronology: From where the previous movie left off.

Friday The 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter really could've been a strong ending for the franchise but if anything, it served as the opening part in a trilogy of movies for Tommy Jarvis. This movie alone cemented him as a rival for Jason Voorhees.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Friday The 13th Part III (1982)

 

Written by Martin Kristosser And Carol Watson

Directed by Steve Miner

Chris (to Jason): "No, you can't be alive."

After the events of the second movie, you'd be forgiven in assuming that perhaps some continuation would be happening in relation to Jason Voorhees (Richard Brooker) versus Ginny (Amy Steel) and Paul (John Furey) but things take a quick turn here.

Aside from an overextended recap of the last movie, both Ginny and Paul are out of the equation and instead we get Jason bumping off a couple from a store where Jason gets some new clothes. Bit rude there, Jason but I digress.

Of course with Ginny and Paul not coming back for seconds and Jason refusing to abandon Crystal Lake, it didn't take long for a new batch of teenagers/young adults to come into contact with the overgrown mama's boy. Oh and in something quite random, a biker gang also to make up the numbers.

The characters in question included Chris (Dana Kimmel) and her older boyfriend, Rick (Kratka). Along with them there was also the pregnant Debbie (Tracy Savage), prankster Shelly (Larry Zerner), whose biggest contribution was giving Jason part of his iconic look and of course that biker gang.

Anyways, one by one, Jason takes out as many of the newcomers as he can, only for Chris to be the one that he can't quite kill. It's certainly not from lack of effort as he really did try to take Chris out and even got close enough to succeeding only to die himself. However death does tend to be meaningless for Jason.

As for Chris, she's an okay enough Final Girl. I'd say she's on a par with Alice (just about) but truth be told, I wish we had gotten a second run with Ginny. I do like that the movie attempted to add a past connection between Chris and Jason though.

- This was the very movie where Jason got his infamous hockey mask (thanks to Shelly). We also saw Pamela Voorhees rotted head again.

- We got 3D titles for this movie as well as the use of Roman numerals to boot.

- Debbie's pregnancy in other TV versions of the movie was removed along with Chili and Chuck's scenes referencing pot smoking. Rick also has a similar jumper to Pamela.

- Chronology: From exactly where the second movie left off.

Friday The 13th Part III managed to be a bit better than the second movie but not by much. Still though, at least this movie did give audiences the iconic look for Jason and the supporting cast were decent enough.

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of American Horror Story: Delicate - When The Bough Breaks

 

Written by Halley Feiffer 

Directed by Jennifer Lynch 

Ms Preecher (to Anna): "Your baby isn't dead."

If you've read the book, this won't be a plot twist but if you haven't read the book, it's definitely a plot twist. Last week's episode made it clear that Anna had a miscarriage.  This week, it appears not.

The episode opened with Anna in a lovely field playing with her baby before the baby disappeared and her dress turned bloody red. Then we had her and Dex argue over trying for another baby before Anna took a walk, had a creepy encounter with Ms Preecher and lost more hours in her life.

Of course the big part of the episode this week was Anna getting drunk and lurking around Talia's basement where she discovered a secret passage and of course those creepy women in black robes and strange head pieces tie her down and inject her with something. It's from then onwards that Anna started to feel like her baby wasn't dead.

However everyone else didn't share her enthusiasm, specifically both Dex and Dr Hill, who refused to entertain the idea that Anna didn't miscarry after all. However Anna's suspicions were justified when she got cryptic messages via her planner that her baby was still alive.

Anyways with the baby still being alive, whoever is after Anna will obviously try and force her to miscarry again. As for Preecher, her scenes were more muted this week compared to the first two episodes. It also appears that she's trying to warn rather harm Anna.

As for Siobhan, we saw her for a few scenes this week and got some insight into her own miscarriage woes of the past. You want to believe she's looking out for Anna but with this show, it's likely not the case. Not to mention that blemish on Anna's face that's getting more noticed by other characters.

- We met Nicolette (Michaela Jae Rodriguez), a new mother and Talia's house manager this week. She had some nice scenes with Anna.

- If Dex isn't sleeping with Sonia Shawcross, even I'll be surprised.  Anna's likely justified in her suspicions.

- I wonder why there was so much emphasis on Siobhan's method for slicing up a cucumber.

- Kamal did end up believing Anna after he saw Preecher later in the episode. 

- This episode somewhat went overboard with the use of that particular nursery rhyme.

- Chronology: Not long after the previous episode left off.

When The Bough Breaks does help with moving things along a little this week. I'm definitely convinced we're about to get a link to a fan favourite season as well as things move along.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Dominion: Prequel To The Exorcist (2005)

 

Written by William Wisher Jr And Caleb Carr

Directed by Paul Schrader

Father Merrin: "I believe God let us decide between good and evil. I chose good. Evil happened."

Quick question: do you see this version as an alternative or the intended prequel for The Exorcist? Also if you've watched both versions, which do you consider the better take? I have to admit, I can't really decide here.

Basically the beats are mostly the same. Stellan Skarsgard's still the former priest known as Merrin and Julian Wadham also remains as Major Granville. Everyone else on the other hand are played by different actors with varying results.

Gabriel Mann for example gives a decent performance as Father Francis, a follower of Merrin but also weary of the latter's lack of faith. Like the previous iteration of the character, his determination to perform an excorcism on a possessed boy - this time named Cheche (Billy Crawford) would result in his demise. However it's a different death this time around.

Then there's Rachel Lesno (Clara Bellar) who has more or less he same backstory as Sarah did in the other prequel. Except no husband and the romance between her and Merrin was dialled down. Not to mention not really being possessed and surviving the events of this prequel to boot.

Where I do think this prequel does somewhat better is the possession itself. It's still Pazuzu pulling the strings and toying with Merrin's guilt. Billy Crawford also does a solid job as the possessed Cheche and the ending marked a nice enough departure from the other prequel.

As for Merrin, Skarsgard's performance was about the same in both versions with his altercation in Nazi Germany backstory handled only a tiny bit differently. Overall, the studio probably should've just released this version originally instead of making two versions but there's a lesson to be learned here.

- This was originally meant to be a DVD extra before it got a very limited theatrical release.

- The original title for this prequel was meant to be Exorcist: Dominion.

- Standout music: Dog Fashion Do's March of Satan.

- Chronology: Pretty much the same timeline as the other prequel was.

Dominion: Prequel To The Exorcist ain't much better or worse than Exorcist: The Beginning. It's more violent in some ways and less in others but overall, it's a serviceable horror flick that doesn't really standout in either a positive or negative way. 

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)

 

Written by William Wisher And Caleb Carr And Alexei Hawley

Directed by Renny Harlin

Sarah: "Sometimes I think the best view of God is from hell."

Well, I'm at the point in my reviews for this franchise where I'm in prequel territory and my previous comment about them being pointless stemmed from the fact that both of them tell the same story with one actor in both of them. So, which did it better? I'll reveal that in the next review.

For now though, going back to previous sequels where we got updates on both Regan and Father Karras after their encounters with Pazuzu, this focused on Father Merrin's (Stellan Skarsgard) first encounter with the demonic creature. It was also a time where Father Merrin's faith had been shattered and he was no longer a priest.

Instead he was a jaded man who lost his faith following the events of Nazi Germany and the horror he was forced to partake there. Winding up in Nairobi, his faith would return but so would a lot of horror, bloodshed and death as well. It wouldn't be an Exorcist film without it.

Aided with Father Francis (James D'Arcy), Merrin was on a mission to retrieve an artifact by Semelier (Ben Cross) while an old Christian-Byzantine church was being excavated by the villagers. It also didn't take long for it to appear that a young boy named Joseph (Remy Sweeney) to appear to be a host for Pazuzu. Except there's a twist here.

The twist being that Jewish Doctor Sarah (Izabella Scorupco) who ended up being the host. Sarah had spent the movie either as a love interest of sorts for Merrin while her backstory with archaeologist Monsieur Bession (Patrick O'Kane) added a bittersweet context to things. Either way, Merrin's feelings for Sarah gave him something to lose with Pazuzu.

A battle of wills between the demon and the fallen priest panned out predictably but made for a good last quarter of the movie. With Merrin's faith restored, of course he resumed his calling, serving as a nice lead in to the first movie.

- Pazuzu definitely channeled similarly inappropriate dialogue when possessed Sarah as they did with Regan in 1975.

- Plenty of gross moments involving missing hearts, maggots and dead crows. Both Jefferies and Granville got some memorable deaths.

- The next film, Dominion: Prequel To The Exorcist is basically the original version of this one with a largely different cast.

- Chronology: 1949 Nairobi for the majority of the movie with some scenes in Egypt.

Exorcist: The Beginning gave a reasonable origin for both Merrin and Pazuzu and in spite of its bad reputation, I found it decent enough. Largely down to Stellan Skarsgard's performance and some solid supporting characters. However, let's see if the intended version will be better.

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of Friday The 13th Part 2 (1981)

 

Written by Ron Kurz

Directed by Steve Miner

Paul (to everyone): "Jason's out there ... watching .... always on the prowl for intruders. Waiting to kill ... waiting to devour ... Thirsty for young blood."

I'm slowly working my way through this franchise and I was looking forward to this sequel. Mainly because it's the first one that actually has the not so dead Jason Voorhees (Steve Daskewisz/Warrington Gillette) front and centre as a villain. Let's just say that his first proper outing's a bit of a mixed bag.

Following the events of the first movie, a traumatized Alice (Adrienne King) wants to regain control of her life. Unfortunately for her, she ended up being Jason's first kill and spanning a trend of survivors being bumped off in follow up movies. It's also a rather anticlimactic death for the character.

Anyways with Alice out of the way, there's a time jump and Crystal Lake has reopened again with a fresh batch of young adult for Jason to bump off, one by one. Not to mention a new final girl named Ginny (Amy Steel).

One of the positives about this dry run for Jason movie was that I found Ginny to be a slightly better protagonist than Alice. She seemed to be open to the idea of Jason skulking around and killing people and when faced with him, the movie delivered one of its most interesting moments in the franchise.

Having Ginny impersonate Pamela Voorhees (Betsy Palmer) in order to buy herself time from being killed by Jason was both reckless and clever in equal measure. Saying that, Ginny also had her hunky boyfriend Paul (John Furey) to help as well.

In terms of characters, I don't really feel this sequel had a lot of memorable new players. None of the other camp counselors were bad, just not very interesting so to speak. I did however like the brief return of Crazy Ralph (Walt Gorney) but even he suffered from sequel death syndrome. 

- Ginny was revealed to be majoring in child psychology. It does explain how easily she played on his feelings for his mommy.

- Jason wore a burlap sack for this movie. His iconic hockey mask being introduced from the next one onwards.

- Unlike another horror franchise, the cute dog actually survived. Nice one, Muffin.

- Chronology: The pre title was two months after the first movie, then we got a five year time jump.

Friday The 13th Part 2 was a sequel I had greater expectations for and was a tad disappointed when it didn't really live up to them. It had its moments but wasn't quite as good as the first one, even though Jason got some good kills and I liked Ginny as a final girl.

Rating: 6 out of 10

DCU Blog - September 2023 Edition: DC Studios Update, Aquaman Sequel Trailer and DCU Returnees

With the writers strike officially resolved and the actors strike about to be as well, you can expect more developments for the future of DC as we head towards the final quarter of the year. For now, here's the latest news.

After months of waiting, we finally got our first trailer for Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom and it's still keeping its December 20th release date.

Some recent toys revealed a new character called King Kordax while Willem Dafoe will not be returning for the sequel.

Superman: Legacy should begin filming next Spring, once the SAG strike has been resolved.

Blue Beetle has grossed over $125 million worldwide and went to digital early this week.

James Gunn has confirmed yet again that Xolo Mariduena, Viola Davis, John Cena and Freddie Stroma will be returning for the DCU.

DC Studios will be expanding it's production hub in the UK for many of its future productions.

Creature Commandos will be released in 2024 and is officially the first project from the DCU.

The second half of the final season of Doom Patrol will begin streaming from October 12th on Max.

Fans will be able to buy the first season of The Sandman on DVD from November.

Batman is unlikely to appear in the second season of My Adventures With Superman. 

All three seasons of Pennyworth, including a complete series box set is now available to buy.

Colman Domingo and Hasan Minhaj will voice Batman and The Riddler respectively in the upcoming Spotify limited series, The Riddler: Secrets In The Dark.

Superman And Lois fourth season will now likely not air until next summer. 

Gail Simone revealed recently that she had a pitch meeting for a Harley Quinn solo movie.

Matthew Vaughn apparently is committed to an upcoming DCU project. 

That's your lot for this month. Let's see what the final quarter of the year will bring for the DCU.

My Review of The Exorcist III (1990)

 Written And Directed by William Peter Blatty

Patient X (to Kinderman): "I still hear from her occasionally, screaming. I think the dead should shut up, unless there's something to say."

If ever a horror franchise had its run of bad luck sequels, it would definitely be this one. However after the critically reviled second entry, this third one actually has enough going in it favour to be fair.

First of all, it makes a point to ignore the events of Exorcist II: The Heretic while being written and directed by William Peter Blatty himself. Does it mean this movie happens to be on a par with the first one? Not quite but there's a lot to like here.

Focusing on an older protagonist here, we have Lieutenant William F. Kinderman (George C. Scott) and his rather spiky friendship with chain smoking Father Dyer (Ed Flanders). They have great scenes together and then the latter got brutally murdered and suddenly, links to a past killer resurfaced.

The past killer in question being the Gemini Killer (a not so subtle Zodiac Killer stand in) and suddenly things get a bit strange for Kinderman. Notably because the Gemini Killer died fifteen years ago and then in a facility, Kinderman spotted someone who looked just like the presumed dead Father Karras (Jason Miller), claiming to be the Gemini Killer aka James Venamun (Brad Dourif).

Fairly soon, it's made clear that Karras did die and Pazuzu (Colleen Dewhurst) just to be a petty shit managed to put the Gemini Killer in Karras's body and have the latter obediently serve him. In terms of performances, both Jason Miller and Brad Dourif perfectly sync with one another, despite the literal restrictions in their movements.

For the rest of the movie, there's an excellent back and forth between Kinderman and Pazuzu/Gemini Killer with the bodies lining up, including Father Morning (Nicol Williamson) as the latter was unable to defeat Pazuzu a second time before Karras managed to get some free will and a gunshot ended Pazuzu this time around. 

- William Peter Blatty based this movie on his book, Legion, which was what he wanted to call the movie in order to distant it from the previous one.

- The Gemini Killer claimed to kill at random but went after victims with a K in their names and to spite his father.

- I liked that sly reference to Child's Play. They did cast Brad Dourif so why not?

- Chronology: 1990, fifteen years after the events of the first movie. 

The Exorcist III easily made for a better sequel than expected. The combination of excellent performances from the leads, William Peter Blatty's script and a genuine sense of terror all helped. It's too bad the next two installments are contradicting and rather pointless prequels.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of American Horror Story: Delicate - Rockabye

 

Written by Halley Feiffer 

Directed by Jennifer Lynch

Anna: "Thank you for saving me from myself."

Siobhan: "I mean, I am trying."

After last week's modest enough opening episode, this week decided to add a little more blood and gore into the mix. Has Anna's pregnancy quest come to a horrible end so early?

Somehow I don't think so and going by the source material, obviously not but this episode did end with Anna and Dex believing the former had miscarried. Maybe there is a conspiracy after all for Anna not to get pregnant. Oh and Siobhan's raising more questions too.

The episode started with Siobhan giving Anna a rundown of what the latter needed to do be a serious Oscar contender while giving Anna some B12. The B12 also made Anna puke her guts up but Dr Hill also confirmed her pregnancy before the events of this episode went the way they did. Anna really had a hell of a time here.

The Gotham Awards should've been her time to shine between a younger rival, an overly familiar fangirl in the bathroom and passing out on stage, she became tabloid fodder instead. Not to mention Siobhan was a bit too physically close to her in one particular scene. Are Siobhan's intention towards Anna's baby journey really selfless? I don't think so.

Then there were the stalkers again. Ms Preecher was still posting creepy shit about Anna on Reddit while Ivy finally interacted with Anna, while posing as a nurse. Anna almost clued together that Ivy was her stalker up it wasn't until the last scene where it was practically spelled out.

As for Dex, he seemed less horrible to Anna in this episode but still too suspicious nonetheless. Conveniently going out to get dogfood while Anna was being stalked in their home, his phone calls to Sonia and not being there when she miscarried. If he's not a baddie, I'll be shocked because it looks like he's a part of whatever gaslighting is happening with Anna.

- Anna's birthday was revealed to be January 17th 1988, making her 35 during this time. Babette Eno (Taylor Richardson) was born after 1991 at least.

- We met the hunky bodyguard,  Kamal (Maaz Ali) while also learning that Talia is a lesbian with a non binary partner. 

- I've seen some people speculate about Adeline and Somia being the same person and after one specific scene here, it does look like that'll end up being true.

- Anna's director Hamish Moss (Dominic Burgess) seems to have a rivalry with Siobhan. Siobhan looked like she wanted to kill him during the awards. Nice but brief appearance from Zachary Quinto as awards presenter, Craig.

- The Reddit pages had topics on super humans and a Hollywood coven among other things. 

- Chronology: From where the last episode left off.

Rockabye felt like a stronger episode compared to the first one with some genuinely shocking moments more akin to seasons of old. There's some heavy handed talks on nepotism babies (both applicable to two of our leads this season) and gaslighting overall, but saying that, I liked this episode.

Rating: 8 out of 10

The Future Of The Halloween Franchise - New Developments

It's been less than a year since the Blumhouse trilogy came to it's divisive (but financially successful) conclusion with Halloween Ends.

If you were hoping for the long running horror franchise to take a rest, you may be disappointed with the latest developments then.

Although rumoured for months by horror fan accounts, it was confirmed this week that the Akkads were shopping the rights for the next chapter in the Halloween franchise, including a potential TV series as well as a new movie. With Blumhouse out of the running, two potential owners are in the mix.

The owners being either Miramax (who have a history distributing past movies such as Halloween H20 and Halloween: Resurrection) or A24, the latter known for their elevated horror films such as Hereditary and The Witch. Out of the two, I know which one I'd rather see this franchise go with but either way, I expect development to move fast with this.

In terms of what should be done next with the franchise, it's time to go down the TV series route. At this point, it's a miracle that this format hasn't already happened and for the fans who want either the anthology setting or even a requel to Halloween IV: The Return Of Michael Myers, it's something I see a streaming show more inclined to do than the next theatrical release.

As for a new movie, we still have the 50th anniversary in 2028 and there's no way that big milestone is being passed up. I get the arguments for retiring this franchise permanently and I even agree with them but as long as there's an audience for Michael Myers and Haddonfield in general, it'll never fully rest for good.

What are your thoughts - a new movie or a TV show? Or is it too soon for this franchise to be returning?

My Review of Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)

 

Written by William Goodheart

Directed by John Boorman

Father Lamont: "Is there no hope once the wings have brushed you?"

Usually when a horror franchise comes out with its first sequel, it's a mixed reception. In some cases, the sequel in question can become a cult classic. No such luck with this one.

Set four years after the events of the first movie, Exorcist II: The Heretic would seem like the focus would be on Linda Blair's teenaged Regan McNeill but in some respects, she's the secondary fixation. Instead, it's another exorcist that generated the main attention.

The movie opened with Father Lamont (Richard Burton) failing to save a young woman in Latin America before being sent to New York by the Cardinal to seek answers into Father Merrin's (Max Von Sydow) death. This of course put Lamont right into contact with Regan who has seemingly forgotten about her own possession by Pazuzu.

The same Regan being cared by her guardian Sharon (Kitty Winn) and a doctor named Gene Tuskin (Louise Fletcher). The latter's also keen for Regan to use the Synchronizer in order to unlock her memories and it's not long until Lamont realised that Regan and Pazuzu still have a connection to one another.

This movie does go out of its way to give more backstory on Pazazu as well as filling in some history with the deceased Father Merrin. The history including the discovery of a man named Kokumo (Joey Green/James Earl Jones) who provided the sparsest of information for Lamont.

Then the last act of the movie decided to take Regan and Lamont back to the former's home, seduce Lamont in a rather unpleasant scene while also killing Sharon and leaving Gene to clean up the mess. The defeat of Pazuzu isn't as great as it was in the first movie and too much time here felt filler. The movie does imply that Regan might have freed herself from Pazuzu's possession or possibly not.

- Regan's mother clearly went through a lot of shit after the events of the first movie. She's a no show here.

- Louise Fletcher was originally going to be a recast of Chris McNeill before being cast as Gene Tuskin. The character was originally meant to be male.

- Audiences might have been traumatized by the first movie but they laughed and threw things at the screening of this one.

- Chronology: 1977 New York with scenes in Latin America, South Africa and Washington DC.

I'm gonna get some heat for this but I don't vehemently hate Exorcist II: The Heretic. Don't get me wrong - it's a very bad sequel to an iconic movie and needlessly longer than necessary but at least Linda Blair and Richard Burton try their damndest to make it work. Unfortunately, it's just a mess.

Rating: 5 out of 10

Doctor Who - Newest 60th Anniversary Specials Trailers/More Confirmed Casting

With exactly two months until the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who, the BBC have released the latest trailers for the upcoming three specials (The Star Beast, Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle) and they really delivered with this one.

First of all, a lovely new promo pic of the 14th Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) as the new trailer showed plenty of clips of the latter's reunion with her best friend as the specials teased of something so bad that even the TARDIS ran away from it. What exactly could that something so bad be?

Is it Beep the Meep (Miriam Margoyles) who has befriended Donna's daughter, Rose (Yasmin Finney) and has claimed sanctuary in the Noble/Mott shed? Maybe, but its more likely to be the Toymaker, played by Neil Patrick Harris. After a year of everyone guessing the character, both the trailer and subsequent press release confirmed the worst kept secret going. Given that it's been 57 years since the character last battled the Doctor on the small screen, it looks like the Toymaker will be upping the ante this time.

Of course, Beep the Meep, the Wrarth Warriors and the Toymaker aren't the only returning elements of the anniversary specials. With UNIT also back and clearly getting a fancier looking base of operations, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) was also confirmed, though again fans had already assumed she would be in these specials. Adding new blood though would be Ruth Madaley's Shirley Anne Bingham who gets a nice scene with the Doctor as he brings her up to speed about Donna. The trailer also teased the possibility of the Doctor not being able to save Donna again.

Last but not least, if you've forgotten that Ncuti Gatwa's 15th Doctor appears in the anniversary specials, the last clip in the trailer showed him once again. Where is he though in this particular scene? Gallifrey? The Edge? UNIT after The Toymaker blasts the 14th Doctor? Somewhere else altogether? It's an intriguing final shot nonetheless. Meanwhile Russell T. Davies indicated that more surprises were to come as we head towards November for fans and new viewers alike. 

Doctor Who returns to BBC1 and Disney+ from November with the exact release pattern to be confirmed in later weeks.

Yes Chef Again, School Daze And Mammy Returns

It's been a while since one of these and here's a glimpse of some recent viewings.

Abbott Elementary: The first two seasons have been on Disney+ for a while now but I decided to wait for E4 and having watched the first half of Season 1, I can say I like this show. It doesn't grab you as other workplace sitcoms, at least not instantly but it's an entertaining look into the running of a Philadelphia elementary school. Created by Quinta Brunson who also stars as the goody good Janine, the characters are a funny bunch. From irresponsible principal Ava to teachers such as Jacob, Barbara and Melissa and substitute teacher Gregory, it's a good mix of players.

And Just Like That: While this show still has stuff to sort through, the last four episodes did end it on a decent note. Carrie had a last supper for her apartment, got an adorable kitten named Shoo and her relationship with Aidan came to an end (for now). On the other hand, she did get a holiday with Seema and Samantha literally phoned in a cameo. Other stuff included Miranda getting a new job and potential love interest with Joy, the show won't free us of Che, Lisa and Herbert had a miscarriage, Nia hooked up with a chef and Charlotte briefly met Sam Smith. Oh and this show will be coming back for a third season.

Mrs Brown's Boys: The most hated BBC sitcom decided after ten years of Christmas and New Year's specials to finally do a fourth season and it's surprisingly decent. Unlike the last few specials which have felt horrendously phoned in, there seems to be an effort with the likes of June Rogers and Debra Stephenson being decent additions for the show. Some of the references (such as OnlyFans) are behind the curve but Brendan O'Carroll has seemed to gotten his groove back with the foul mouthed matriarch. 

The Bear: I loved the first season of this show and after leaving it a little, I binged the second season as quickly as I could. The second season saw Carmy and Natalie getting the restaurant up and running, Richie spending time with Olivia Colman's Terri and Marcus doing the same in Copenhagen with Will Poulter's Luca. Carmy also had a love interest with the rather nice Claire while his rapport with Sydney intensified as the season. The highlight of the second season also included one of the chaotic Christmas episodes featuring Jamie Lee Curtis as Carmy and Natalie's mother, Donna. Cannot wait for a third helping.

• Chucky Season 3 will air and stream on USA, SyFy and Peacock from October 4th. It'll be four episodes until the strike is resolved.
• The BBC have acquired the rights to both Love, Victor and Interview With The Vampire.
• House Of The Dragon's second season will conclude filming in October.
• HBO have recently cancelled both The Idol and Winning Time.
• What If has been moved to late December 2023, Echo to January 2024 and Agatha: Darkhold Diaries to Fall 2024, Disney+ wise. Ironheart is currently undated.
• True Detective: Night Country has been moved to early 2024 by HBO.
• The role of Abby for the second season of The Last Of Us was cast prior to the strikes.
• The second season of The Santa Clause will premiere on Disney+ from November 8th.
• Netflix has renewed One Piece for a second season. 
• The final season of Sex Education is currently streaming on Netflix.

My Review of American Horror Story: Delicate - Multiply Thy Pain

 

Written by Halley Feiffer

Directed by Jessica Yu

The Mirror (writing): "Don't do it, Anna."

After eleven seasons of mostly telling new stories while having some overt influences in parts, this show decided for it's twelfth to pull from a book that only released prior to this season's release. Was that a good idea? It's hard to say at the moment.

Based on Danielle Valentine's book Delicate Condition, we're in contemporary New York this time around and it's all about actress Anna Victoria Alcott (Emma Roberts). In a handful of scenes we're told about her trajectory as a regular on an old CW show to becoming an indie darling and now a potential Oscar contender. On top of that, she's also trying for a baby with husband Dex Harding (Matt Czuchry).

A good portion of this opening episode revolved around Anna's IVF treatment at the hands of Dr Andrew Hill (Denis O'Hare) and for something that should be straightforward for Anna and Dex seems to be more chaotic than it should be. It's almost as if someone or something seems to be determined for Anna not to get pregnant as the latter also contends with two followers here.

The first being the mysterious Ivy (Cara Delevingne) who Anna encounter three different times but Ivy had no dialogue with her. She also seemed to be cosplaying as Cruella for no apparent reason. However her brief scenes were enough to unsettle Anna but not as much as the second follower.

Ms Io Preecher (Julie White) was definitely more menacing. She made it clear to Anna that she was following her and even appeared cryptically in Anna's home and during the IVF treatment in one creepy sequence. Did she leave the "Don't do it, Anna." message at the end? Is this season really going down the Rosemary's Baby route? It's a bit clichéd but it's definitely giving that vibe.

As for the elephant in the room - Kim Kardashian. Her casting earlier this year certainly stoked a lot of controversy but she's surprisingly decent as PR lady Siobhan Corbyn. Her character seemingly has Anna's best interests at heart but there's also the fact that Siobhan's own failures with IVF might have their own implications down the line. Can Anna really trust her? And what's up with the overt use of spiders too?

- Dex's dead wife, Adeline and artist lady Sonia Shawcross not only look alike but both are played by Annabelle Dexter-Jones. Dex also comes across as cagey throughout the episode.

- Juliana Canfield made a lot out of her few scenes as Dex's friend, Talia. Unlike Anna, she's vehemently against having children but offering up red lipstick.

- Anna's film, The Auteur seems to be of the A24 horror variety. Nice use of Andy Cohen to get Anna to promote the movie.

- Anna not only had a doll of her role from her CW show pop up but there's also an Annihilate Anna Reddit page dedicated to hating her guts. 

- Due to the current strikes, this season will be split with the second half due for 2024.

- Chronology: September 2023 and the events of the episode take place over a week.

Multiply Thy Pain opened the season off to a slow burning note. Its not as sophisticated as writer Halley Feiffer set out but it has its moments. Why the lengths to prevent Anna from getting pregnant? Is there anyone who will actually be on her side as the season progresses? Any potential links to past seasons? So far, not bad but needs some snappier dialogue.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Harley Quinn's 4x10: "Killer's Block"

 

Written by Sarah Peters

Directed by Joonki Park 

Harley (to Superman): "I'm better than a hero. I'm Harley fucking Quinn."

And so endeth the season. Its been a strange mix of weirdness but it's come to an end nonetheless. Will we get a fifth season? After what this episode, we definitely need some continuity. Even a special would suffice.

So what did the season finale set up? Oh just Harley, Ivy, Catwoman and Oracle esque Barbara as the Gotham City Sirens. Their first mission - find put what happened to Nightwing's body. Of course the last scene clarified exactly what happened.

Talia, somewhat burned by Ivy took Nightwing's body and resurrected him in front of Damien. Yes, Nightwing also remembered that Harley killed him so that's going to fun to see play. Let's just say he's a bit mad about.

As for the main bones of the episode, it was Lex's "40th" birthday party on the moon and everyone was invited. Ivy however invited herself, tried to kill Lex, failed miserably and was largely dispirited by the whole thing. Fortunately she had Harley to cheer her up as the two of them really did see their common ground again.

Unfortunately for Lex, Ivy also decided to use his lasers to nuke a few businesses, including the Legion of Doom and then Steppenwolf took him away. That was a nice callback to Steppenwolf and Ivy's friendship from the start of the season.

Last but not least, Harley had a Joker problem. She just couldn't/wouldn't kill him and even having him as a gimp on the moon didn't help. Leaving Joker to Gordon though, that might be punishment enough for the Joker. Just about.

- A24 got the digs at their horror movies this week. That won't please movie needs.

- Ivy still preferred the Cobb Squad as a name and Barbara considered the Birds Of Prey. No one liked her suggestion.

- Superman got rescued from Harley after Lex had stole his powers and hair and Bruce used his contacts to release himself from prison.

- Chronology: Not long from the previous episode.

Killer's Block brought the season to a fun ending. Some chaos on the moon, a freed Batman and Superman, a new girl gang and Nightwing back. Worked for me.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Buffy - Slayers Audio Series Confirmed

Well, I didn't expect this news to drop today but looks like the world of Buffy The Vampire Slayer has gotten a little reprieve.

An audio series titled, Slayers: A Buffyverse Story will see many of the original cast return in a series of stories set twenty years after the events of series finale, Chosen. In a twist though, it'll be led by Spike (James Matters) in a heroic role.

The other returning characters and cast members will include Rupert Giles (Anthony Head), Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter), Anya Jenkins (Emma Caulfield), Tara McClay (Amber Benson), Jonathan Levinson (Danny Strong), Drusilla (Juliet Landau) and Clem (James Charles Leary). They will be also joined by newcomer Laya DeLeon Hayes.

The story itself revolves around Spike deep undercover in Los Angeles and meeting a young slayer named Indira Nunally (Hayes) as they're placed in a parallel reality where Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) never existed and Cordelia Chase (Carpenter) is the one and only Slayer. Oh and the Big Bad happens to be Drusilla. 

The series will be written by Amber Benson and Christopher Golden, the latter who wrote a lot of books for the series back in the day. Benson and Golden also directed the series along with Kc Wayland.

For years there's been attempts to get some type of continuation in the Buffyverse and now we've got one. I'm really happy with this development. Hopefully if a second run happens we get more cast members to come back as well. 

Slayers: A Buffyverse Story will premiere October 12th on Audible while a panel will focus on the series at NYCC from October 13th at 1.30pm.

Scream VII - Director Announced, Possible Returning Character and More (Spoilers/Speculation)

It's been a good six months since Scream VI hit cinemas and did great numbers. In news that will shock no one, we're getting a seventh movie.

However in a shake up of things, Radio Silence aka Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett will not be returning to direct the next installment as they were working with Melissa Barrera on an untitled monster movie for Universal.

Instead, Scream VII will be helmed by none other than Christopher Landon. The director known for his work in the Paranormal Activity and Happy Death Day franchises will be the one to bring the franchise to new heights. In terms of writers, it's yet to be confirmed if James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick will also return.

With a new movie on the horizon, there's a lot for Christopher Landon to accomplish. Can he provide a satisfactory ending for the Core Four that audiences have taken to in the last two movies? Will he want to clear the decks and want to start his own take from the off and not bother with them? And of course, what about a certain someone who was absent from the last movie?

Speaking of which, Neve Campbell has been doing some press and she hasn't exactly shot down anyone asking her if her iconic Final Girl Sidney Prescott will return for the seventh movie. In fact, she seems to have subtlely hinted that she might be back after all.

Now I personally didn't mind Sidney's absence this year but having her back and seeing what Christopher Landon could do with the character is intriguing to me. However it's going to be a while before any big casting news gets revealed due to the ongoing strikes.

Last but not least, anyone remember the TV series (2015-2019)? Well, it's not getting revived but it's heading to Paramount+ for those who want to watch it again or even for the first time before the next movie goes into production. There was an Easter Egg in Scream VI in the subway scene featuring the mask from the first two seasons of the show but that's a very blink and miss scene.

That's all the Scream news for now. I'll post more when it becomes available.

Doctor Who - Series 14 Filming Complete, 60th News And Spin-Off In Doubt

Last time I did one of these, it was nearly two months. Some stuff has happened since then in the world of Doctor Who. Some interesting rumours and some actual developments.

Buckle in folks.

Back in July, the BBC not only released images of the new sonic screwdriver for the anniversary specials but we got some lovely character posters for the 14th Doctor (David Tennant), 15th Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa), Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson). All bright and colourful and generally awesome.

Cool promo pics to one side, Series 14 completed filming in July and if rumours are true, it seems that filming for Christmas 2024 and Series 15 will start from October. 

Also in the world's worst kept secret, the BBC finally confirmed that Heartstopper star Yasmin Finney will be playing Rose Noble, the daughter of Donna and Shaun (Karl Collins) in the 60th anniversary specials. I mean it was obvious when we saw her filming last year but it's confirmed now. 

It also seems that Rose Noble might not just be around for the anniversary specials but could be appearing in the next series. Yasmin Finney has confirmed she's filmed scenes with Ncuti Gatwa as well as David Tennant and Catherine Tate. 

Meanwhile Jemma Redgrave has also been talking to the press recently. She confirmed in an interview that she will be at least one episode of Series 14 and that Kate Stewart has scenes with Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday but not Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor. She also seemed to indicate there wasn't a UNIT spin off in the works in spite of many scoopers this year claiming there was. We'll have to see how that ultimately pans out.

Keeping with scoopers, many of them have been saying that Steven Moffat will be writing for Series 14 but the latter himself isn't giving anything away. I do find it interesting that so far, aside from Russell T. Davies himself, no other writers have been confirmed for the upcoming series.

Other bits have included rumours of a certain Hollywood actor possibly appearing in the show (hope it's true but doubt it), a new behind the scenes feature will premiere the same time as the anniversary specials and that Doom's Day multimedia thing with Sooz Kempner is still a thing. 

Anyways with the autumn now in and the return of Strictly Come Dancing imminent, expect the marketing for Doctor Who to go into overdrive in the next few weeks.

Doctor Who returns to BBC1 and Disney+ this November.

My Review of Harley Quinn's 4x09: "Potato Based Cloning Incident"

 

Written by Sarah Nevada Smith

Directed by Chad Hurd

Harley (to Batgirl): "I'm quitting the Bat Family."

Well, to be fair, there's very little of it to quit. It's just Harley and Batgirl and now, even the latter might be dead. Yup, the show decided to give us another version of The Killing Joke. Oh great.

Joker seems to be back to his villainous self by shooting Batgirl and thanks to Doctor Psycho, we also learned that Harley accidentally killed Nightwing in her sleepwalking state. Really don't like that reveal.

As for the main plot points of the episode, Harley learned that not only was she responsible for Nightwing's death but also that she has a clone. A clone that's also five percent potato (blame Jim Gordon) and a bit overzealous with wanting to do the right thing.

At first Harley had some fun with her clone but then the clone got annoying and also determined to send Harley to prison. Needless to say we got that classic scene that you always get and then splattered mash on the road. Yup, they didn't waste time prolonging that story.

Last but not least there was Ivy's attempts to get the sun back. Without her powers she had to get board votes to oust Lex from power and even the accidental death of Clegg got her victory. Except it wasn't much of one as Lex just hopped on his phallic rocket and headed to the moon.

- We got a lot of The Flash, who was portrayed as a practical Joker and a virgin. I did not expect that reference from the recent movie.

- Keeping with HBO references this season, Succession got a nice shout out as well.

- Clayface got Bane to headbutt Ivy at the golf course. 

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

Potato Based Cloning Incident was a bit of a mixed bag compared to previous episodes. Hopefully the finale will end the season on a high note.

Rating:7 out of 10

My Review of My Adventures With Superman 1x10: "Hearts Of The Fathers"

 

Written by Serena Wu And Jake Wyatt

Directed by Jen Bennett

Zod (to Brainiac): "Let them rebel. In the end, it does not matter. They will kneel."

It really has felt like this season just came and went. I wasn't sure at first if this show would be strong enough after the high bar of the animated series from the late 1990s but over the course of the season, my mind was changed. This show definitely works.

Now we have this finale, which despite not being a two parter, it did manage to serve as an epilogue while nicely setting up for a second season that will be happening. That introduction for both Zod and Brainiac (Michael Emerson) will definitely make the next season a must see.

As for the rest of the episode, Clark brought Lois and Jimmy to the Kent farm for Thanksgiving with Sam Lane in tow. Clark quickly realised that Sam and The General were the same person and Lois found herself caught between her father and boyfriend when things got bad.

Yeah, after the big Parasite from last week, this week it was Brainiac's attempt of an invasion that saw Superman being vulnerable to Kryptonite (as were the invaders) and Sam to prevent Zero Day again. Lois barely managed to get through to him and their relationship seemed more fractured than before.

The Thanksgiving meal itself did have its moments of comedy. Mostly they involved Jimmy being exasperated by everyone confiding in him (including the Kents) before he casually mentioned that he was now rich. That alone might have been a bigger shock than Zod and Brainiac at the end.

- Jimmy's new found wealth came courtesy of selling Flamebird to the Daily Planet.

- Clark, Lois and Jimmy all went from interns to reporters with Steve, Cat and Roni all accepting them.

- Jor-El briefly popped up to help his son, the Parasite husk was still in Metropolis and Sam lied to Waller about the invasion.

- Chronology: Thanksgiving at the Kent farm.

Hearts Of The Fathers marked a great end to a great debut season for this show. The ending alone served as a great hook for next season and the slightly smaller scale invasion worked for the personal stakes involved too.

Rating: 8 out of 10