My Review of Lady And The Tramp (1955)

 

Written by Erdman Penner & Joe Rinaldi & Ralph Wright & Don DaGradi & Joe Grant

Directed by Clyde Geronimi & Wilfred Jackson & Hamilton Luske

Lady: "Haven't you a family?"

Tramp: "One for every day of the week. The point is, none of them have me."

As we head into the month of Christmas, I thought I'd start the last day of this month with a Disney movie that I really loved as a child and even as an adult, it holds up really well. Also as a dog lover, it's really hard not to love this movie.

You know the drill: one Christmas we see a family, the Darlings get an adorable cocker spaniel puppy they name Lady (Barbara Luddy) and as the movie goes on, we see Lady grow up and worry about her place in the family when the Darlings are expecting a baby.

By the time the baby arrives, Lady feels protective towards the new bairn but with the Darlings going on a trip and the baby being looked after by the truly awful Aunt Sarah and her equally awful Siamese cats (Peggy Lee) - sorry feline fans, things get a bit complicated for Lady, especially when she befriends the rather rough Schnauzer mix, Tramp (Larry Roberts) who gets Lady to embrace her rebellious side with mixed results.

Together, the two of them break into a zoo to get a muzzle removed with the help of a beaver, explore the many places that Tramp likes to call, bag themselves a free romantic meal at a restaurant but between chasing chickens and Lady getting caught by the dog catcher and learning more about Tramp's other female friends, things do take something of a sour note between the lovestruck pair.

Of course, the presence of a rat in the house does help to earn Tramp a redemptive arc and by the end of the movie, he's been adopted by the Darlings and of course, both him and Lady are proud parents to their own potential little tearaways. Unless you have a heart of absolute stone, there's no way you can't watch this film and not be moved.

Both title characters are fantastic protagonists but this review would be remiss without mentioning Lady's other friends - slightly crotchety Scottish terrier Jock (Bill Thompson) and former crime dog/bloodhound, Trusty (Bill Baucom) whose sense of smell isn't as great. Both of them are fantastic characters to watch as are the other dogs in the pound, even if we don't get to spend a lot of time with them. Oh and in case, I didn't emphasise it enough earlier, Aunt Sarah is the absolute worst.

- Bill Thompson who voiced Jock in this movie would then go to voice other roles in Sleeping Beauty and The Aristocats.

- I really loved that this film both opened and ended with Christmas, even though the majority was set in warmer months.

- Standout music: Bella Note, What A Dog/He's A Tramp and The Siamese Cat Song / What's Going On Down There.

- Chronology: I'm guessing perhaps the 1950s with it's release, and the setting was partly inspired by Walt Disney's boyhood hometown of Marceline, Missouri.

Lady And The Tramp is a bonafide Disney classic. It's a beautiful movie from start to finish with lovely character bits, great songs, great animation. If you loved it as a child, then I don't doubt that you still will as an adult. Over 50 years later, an animated sequel and a Disney+ live action reboot and this movie still has a lasting impact.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Top 10 Ryan Murphy Shows

I was going to do this a few weeks ago but now that we're heading into the final month of 2020 and no more Murphy productions in sight (aside from The Prom), I thought I would do a run down of the ten best/most interesting shows that Ryan Murphy has done over the last two decades.

Without further ado, here goes ....

1: American Horror Story (FX, 2011-present)

I know for some people this show might not be at it's best as it was in earlier seasons but for me, while it has gotten formulaic in it's approach, it hasn't quite lost the entertainment factor either and with it's tenth season in current production along with a spin-off and three further seasons planned, this is by far Murphy's most successful production to date. Not to mention, it's done wonders in revitalising the anthologies for television and streaming alone.

2: Glee (FOX, 2009-2015)

Six seasons and no movie and a lot of controversy and a lot of musical numbers. This series started some careers and stalled others but the Ohio setting surrounding a local Glee did manage to become a worldwide phenomenon. Again, the show might have faltered in later seasons but it's definitely responsible for making Murphy into quite the power player and certain had no problem pulling in impressive guests in it's six year run.

3: Nip/Tuck (FX, 2003-2010)

Tell me what you don't like about yourself? Before both Glee and American Horror Story, there was also Nip/Tuck - a crazy plastic surgeon drama based in Miami (Seasons 1-4) and LA (Season 5&6) with one hell of a talented cast and some of the most batshit crazy antics ever. The show had a lot to say on it's subject matter and definitely delivered it in the most OTT manner.

4: Pose (FX, 2018-present)

Now, this show is more the work of Steven Canals and Janet Mock, though it's under Murphy's production company and he was involved with casting. It's arguably the most important show from Murphy's body of work, especially with the majority of the cast being transwomen and it's definitely a beautiful capturing of both the 1980s and 1990s settings in it's first two seasons. With a third season currently in production, I can't wait to see what's next for Blanca, Elektra, Angel and the gang.

5: 911 (FOX, 2018-present)

On paper, this arguably had the potential to be the tamest of shows from Ryan Murphy but three seasons in, it's also got a lot of Murphy's trademark OTTness. It's also the most heart warming of the bunch and another megahit for FOX with a spin-off also helping to build a franchise for this particular series.  With a loveable cast, top quality writing and brilliant stunts, it's hard not to enjoy this series.

6: American Crime Story (FX, 2016-present)

Ryan Murphy's love for the anthology format has certainly helped him and going down the real life crime route for this show definitely helped to get him a lot of Emmy love. The first season focusing on OJ Simpson was easily the most adored on that front but the second season focusing on Andrew Cunannan and Gianni Versace was the one for me. The upcoming third season will tackle Monica Lewinsky and the Clintons and that's going to be interesting to see unfold. 

7: Feud: Bette And Joan (FX, 2017)

Alternatively, this could've been another ongoing anthology series but fate played a bit of a cruel trick here. This only series, focusing on the infamous feud between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford was sublime, with both Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange giving career high performances as well as some nice recreations on both actresses most infamous roles and turbulent lives. 

8: Hollywood (Netflix, 2020)

Murphy's shows on Netflix haven't been quite as smooth as his ones on network and cable television but in spite of his format becoming too recognisable, they're still worthy of discussion. Hollywood decided to play around with an alternative version of 1940's Tinseltown, including an interracial relationship between Rock Hudson (Jake Picking) and writer Archie (Jeremy Pope) while also bringing about diversity in an era that wasn't best for it at the time. Suspend disbelief and it really was an enjoyable seven part series.

9: Ratched (Netflix, 2020-present)

Ryan Murphy's relationship with Sarah Paulson continues with her not only appearing in the majority of his shows but now spearheading one, also by creator Evan Romanky. This prequel series for One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest with Paulson tackling a younger version of Nurse Mildred Ratched might have felt American Horror Story lite and might not have been able to fully pull off it's themes at times, but it did make for an enjoyable romp but here's hoping the writing is sharper next season.

10: The Politician (Netflix, 2019-present)

Netflix's first foray into the world of Ryan Murphy saw them delving into one man's political aspirations and while Ben Platt's aspiring politician Payton Hobarth is a difficult main character to like, the show itself is often anchored by it's older cast. Specially when that cast includes the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Judith Light and Bette Midler. With the third season set to be it's last, at least the show will not be outstaying it's welcome.

So that's my rundown of shows concerning Ryan Murphy. I guess honourable mentions would go to the likes of 911: Lone Star, Scream Queens and Popular. I definitely couldn't get into the likes of The New Normal. 2021 will see the debut of American Horror Stories (FX on Hulu), Halston (Netflix), A Chorus Line (Netflix) and Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (Netflix), so it looks like Murphy won't be going anywhere. 

Doctor Who - Series 13 Begins Filming & Captain Jack Return for Revolution Of The Daleks - EDITED

I wanted to wait a while before doing this particular blog and there's a chance I might be editing it as well, but we finally have information about Doctor Who that's actually related to the show and not extraneous media, so here goes.

First of all, the worst kept secret was finally revealed. On Monday, the BBC decided to do a watchalong of The Timeless Children as part of #DoctorWhoDay with a very brief trailer airing at the end. The trailer revealed that John Barrowman will be reprising his role as Captain Jack Harkness for the festive special, Revolution Of The Daleks. It seems that Jack's role in the upcoming episode will focus on helping the companions - Graham (Bradley Walsh), Yasmin (Mandip Gill) and Ryan (Tosin Cole) against an invasion of Daleks while the Doctor herself is a bit detained.

#JackIsBack: https://twitter.com/JohnBarrowman/status/1330965668548657152

While Revolution Of The Daleks has yet to be given a confirmed airdate and with a proper trailer and further guest casting yet to be revealed, executive producer Chris Chibnall did tell DWM that there will be a character called Leo in the special with another character telling him to "embrace the uncertainty." I know that's hardly much to go but it's likely this character is probably someone who the Doctor largely interacts with before getting free from her current predicament. There will also be multiple versions of Daleks to look out for in this special but what of the future though? Fortunately I can answer that question for you.

Edited: Chris Noth will be reprising his role as Jack Robertson. The character was last seen in Arachnids In The UK. Noth will also be joined by Dame Harriet Walter and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett in undisclosed roles. The special will also be 70 minutes long. 

The answer being that Series 13 has officially gone into production since November 2nd. The forthcoming series will see Jodie Whittaker back in her third full series as the Doctor but the series will only being eight episodes this time around, due to COVID restrictions and longer filming needed for production along with new safety measures for cast and crew.

As for the companion situation - this is where it gets a tad tricky. Right now, only Jodie Whittaker has been confirmed for Series 13 but Mandip Gill was spotted on set and took part in the Children In Need bit with Jodie, so it's practically confirmed that Yasmin will be continuing on for the next series as a regular. It has been confirmed now that both Bradley Walsh and Tosin Cole will be departing in the special. Whether or not, Yasmin will be the sole companion remains to be seen.

In terms of filming, right now the episode currently in production is a Crimean War based episode, featuring Sara Powell as Mary Seacole as well the return of the Sontarans and John Bishop being spotted on set. Jamie Magnus Stone is slated to direct a block for this series while both Ed Hime and Maxine Alderton have seemingly been confirmed as writers for the new series. I'll be posting more details as the series progresses and more confirmed information is made known.

Captain Jack's Back: https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2020/jack-is-back?at_custom3=%40bbcpress&at_custom1=%5Bpost+type%5D&at_custom4=EBBEEA86-2DA6-11EB-9AC0-BA6F0EDC252D&at_medium=custom7&at_campaign=64&at_custom2=twitter

Series 13 Filming Begins: https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/doctor-who-sop

ROTD Trailer: https://twitter.com/bbcdoctorwho/status/1333129854208892931

Doctor Who: Revolution Of The Daleks will air on BBC1 and BBCAmerica  on January 1st 2021 while Series 13 is currently in production with an Autumn 2021 airdate slated. 

DC TV Series Update: New Looks & Potential Future Shows In The Making

I was going to wait a little bit longer to do this one but with so much news coming out over the last few weeks in relation to DC TV and streaming content, I thought I might as well do a blog right now. Warning this may be edited tomorrow when other stuff emerges later today.

With DCFanDome disappointingly didn't give us a first look as to what Javicia Leslie's Ryan Wilder would look like as Batwoman, last month a nice series of photos emerged to unveil the new look that Ryan would have and if you spotted some set pics, it also looks like Ryan will have a Batmobile of her own as well. I like the bigger emphasis on red with the gauntlets and the cape compared to Kate Kane's look in the first season and the choice of wig works pretty well to boot. Viewers won't have much longer to wait as the show returns to the CW from January 17th with a brief trailer giving us a tiny glimpse of Ryan in action. 

First Season 2 Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5__G4rXil8

With the third season in production (and rumours of a fourth season also in the works), HBO Max didn't waste too much time in unveiling Curran Walters new look for Jason Tood as the Red Hood will be coming to Titans in quite a big way. The character will not only serve as the main antagonist for the first half of the season but Red Hood is also poised to get his own spin-off while Blackfire (Damaris Lewis) will serve as a main villain for the second half of the forthcoming season. Castings for new characters such as Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake and Scarecrow have yet to be confirmed but you can expect some new looks for Beast Boy (Ryan Potter) and Starfire (Anna Diop) as well as a more focused team when the show does return in 2021.

In an unexpected turn of events, the pace for Peacemaker has seriously picked up, almost out of nowhere.  Filming for the eight part spin-off of The Suicide Squad is set to start in January 2021 and the main cast will not only see John Cena reprise the role of the titular character but he'll be joined by his movie co-stars Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee, also reprising their roles as Dr Emilia Harcourt and John Economos respectively. Also joining the cast will be Chris Conrad as Adrian Chase/Vigilante, Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo and Robert Patrick as Auggie Smith. James Gunn has written all eight episodes for the upcoming HBO Max series and will direct some of them as well.

Meanwhile for those of you wondering if the CW were going to pick any more DC content, well you're in luck (depending on your standpoint with CW DC content) as there seems to be plans afoot for a Black Lightning spin-off, focusing on the character Painkiller ( Jordan Calloway) with a backdoor pilot being filmed as part of the main series upcoming fourth season. I stopped watching this show after it's first season, so this news slightly threw me off. I'm not against the character getting a spin off and I might watch the pilot episode out of curiosity, but don't expect much or any coverage on here. Black Lightning's fourth season will premiere on the CW from February 8th 2021. It also has been confirmed that this will be the show's final season as well.

If Painkiller getting his own series wasn't surprising, how about the CW giving a series to a character who has yet to make her debut in the comics? For a while there's been a lot of hype for Brazilian Wonder Woman, Yara Flor (created by Joelle Jones) in the upcoming Future State event series (January/February 2021) and the CW have decided to quickly get in there by commissioning Wonder Girl, which will focus on Yara Flor and will be done from Queen of the South executive producer/co-showrunner Dailyn Rodriguez and Berlanti Productions.

The synopsis for the upcoming series ....

Written by Rodriguez, Wonder Girl centers on Yara Flor, a Latina Dreamer who was born of an Amazonian Warrior and a Brazilian River God, learns that she is Wonder Girl. With her newfound power must fight the evil forces that would seek to destroy the world.

This is showing a lot of confidence for a character who DC readers have yet to meet and while it's potentially risky, I have to commend the CW for taking the risk though. It'll be interesting to see the casting for this upcoming series but with both this and Painkiller getting potential shows, I have a feeling that Supergirl might not be the only CW DC show we lose in 2021.

Wonder Girl Press Release: https://deadline.com/2020/11/wonder-girl-tv-series-latina-lead-yara-flor-dailyn-rodriguez-greg-berlanti-productions-the-cw-1234616503/

Meanwhile November 17th came and went and Zack Snyder held a breakdown of the trailer for fans on his Vero account for Zack Snyder's Justice League. The trailer was uploaded again with a few new scenes in black and white but we're still no closer to a confirmed date for the upcoming miniseries. It was confirmed a few weeks ago that Jared Leto will reprise his role as the Joker for the new cut. I'll provide a link for the new cut of the trailer below.

ZSJL Trailer (B&W): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3OyBdkrDTk

That's a rundown of some of the upcoming DC shows that both the CW and HBO Max will be producing over the next year. There's more info to come, especially regarding a certain Cut and a bunch of Green Lanterns. 

My Review of Someone Has To Die: "Pull the Trigger" / "Apretar el gatillo"

 

Written by Manolo Caro & Monika Revilla & Fernando Pérez

Directed by Manolo Caro

Amparo: "Does it ring any bells? You came back to Spain only for this. Fate sure is capricious, isn't it?"

Gabino: "Don't come any closer or I'll shoot."

The show might have been titled Someone Has To Die but for this final episode, clearly Manolo Caro thought he might as well kill off half the cast and only one of these deaths saddened me. One other I had mixed feelings about and the remaining two were definitely deserved. 

The death I'm of course sad about was Lázaro. I was hoping that he might have made it out of this miniseries alive and while I wasn't exactly rooting for him and Mina as a pairing, it did royally suck that Amparo managed to kill him. Lázaro really had the worst time between captured, having his life threatened and of course, Cayetana taking a sadistic pleasure in orchestrating his downfall. Cayetana really did take spite to the next level here.

The death I was mixed on was Alonso of course. After actively hating the guy's guts in the previous two episodes, this finale decided to take a different turn with Alonso's guilt somewhat getting the better of him here. For a man who was only too happy to have both Gabino and Lázaro kidnapped and beaten up in the last episode, his turnaround seemed a bit too sudden for my liking here. This is where arguably an extra episode might have benefitted this particular character turn.

Alonso did give Gabino a gun to use and he did us all a solid when he shot Gregario in the head. However the one really good thing in this miniseries didn't save him from being killed by Amparo moments later. I think Carlos Cuevas did a great job bringing a rather hateful character to life and giving him some understandable turmoil. The scene in the car with Gabino where he finally seemed to make some way into accepting himself was particularly done well. 

As for Gregorio, he too seemed to suffer from some inner turmoil here. I mean he had no problem with capturing and torturing his son but relented before it got to the extremes that he took pleasure in with the other gay guy from the last episode. He also seemed genuinely devastated when he learned of his mother's own murderous ways but had no problem trying to get Gabino to kill Mina and Lázaro before Alonso took him out. Needless to say, Gregorio had it coming.

As did of course Amparo. Don't get me wrong - as a character she was a bloody fantastic villain. A true nasty piece of work, manipulative to the core and her hold on her family certainly caused a lot of problems. I'm glad that Gabino was the one to take her out and I'm also glad that both Gabino and Mina at least survived this series, even if we're unlikely to find out what happens next with them.

- Rosario's husband died. I wish we had gotten to know her family a bit more in the series but with only three episodes, I guess her story had to be short changed.

- I'm genuinely surprised that Carlos survived the previous episode. I did like the brief scenes he shared with Gabino here.

- The last shot I used as a screencap for this was particularly arty. There was also some of Gabino and Gregorio being tortured together and a rather gory one of Amparo and a beating heart.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off. 

Well, this was an interesting miniseries. I've seen some people express disappointment with this final episode but personally I really liked it. Much as I would've loved a Gabino/Lázaro pairing, I felt this was a good enough ending with most of the baddies taken out (Cayetana remained unpunished) and two of the strongest characters thankfully surviving the events. 

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Someone Has To Die: "Take Aim" / "Tomar puntería"

 

Written by Manolo Caro & Monika Revilla & Fernando Pérez

Directed by Manolo Caro

Lázaro: "You did nothing wrong."

Gabino: "Yes I did. I love you and that's the problem."

Lázaro: "And I love you too. So what."

Gabino: "Not in the same way."

Lázaro: "But I still love you and that can never be a problem. You got that?"

Wow, this was not an easy episode to sit through. Not easy in the slightest. Things were set up that if Gabino was outed, things would get bad pretty quickly and this episode did not shy away from that at all as various people reacted badly to Gabino being gay.

First of all, there Cayetana taking the woman scorned angle to toxic levels. She was angry about Gabino leaving her at the side of the road from the previous episode but her anger stemmed more from Lázaro not wanting to be with her, which resulted in her causing the most damage throughout the entire episode. 

Then there's Alonso. Now there is a guy so horribly in denial about his sexuality that he took an overzealous pleasure in kidnapping and torturing both Gabino and Lázaro with his asshole friends while almost succumbing to some late night cruising after his brutal attack on his former friend. I find myself more angered than sympathetic towards Alonso and I'm taking the time period here into context as well.

As for Amparo and Gregorio, well they were never going to be the most open minded about Gabino being gay and this episode proved it as Amparo enabled Gregorio's homophobia while the latter attempted to scare Gabino straight with a horrifying sequence involving another gay man being tortured during this episode.

With these four characters being against Gabino, at least we had two characters firmly on his side. Lázaro might not be gay himself but I loved his unconditional support for Gabino, hence the bits of dialogue that I quoted to open up this review. It's a shame this miniseries didn't give us those two as an actual couple but we could all do with a friend like Lázaro from time to time,

Saying that, Lázaro's lust for Mina was definitely awkward to watch in parts as he made his attraction towards her known here. Mina herself also seemed rather attracted to him and seemed to try to fight while also initially trying to get Gabino to apologise to Cayetana before enabling Gabino and Lázaro to flee for Paris by the end of this episode. 

- Amparo seemed to scupper Rosario's plans to help her husband and for a brief moment, Mina did have an upper hand with her mother in law but lost it during the last scene. 

- Some of the dream sequence type moments are beautifully shot but feel a little jarring. One example being Cayetana's creepy sing song moment while brushing her hair.

- It seems that Amparo was also responsible for killing her husband and that Gabino was somewhat aware of this.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off. 

Despite being uncomfortable during various scenes, this was an absolutely absorbing episode. Some genuinely stellar performances from all the main actors, more beautifully shot and lit sequences and a great use of score music as well. 

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Someone Has To Die: "Release The Prey" / "Soltar la presa"

 

Written by Manolo Caro & Monika Revilla & Fernando Pére

Directed by Manolo Caro

Gabino (to Gregorio): "I'm not going to marry Cayetena. I'll never be the man you want me to be."

My original plan was to watch all three episodes of this Spanish Netflix miniseries and do a series overview but I found myself getting so engrossed with this first episode, so I've changed tack and now I'll review the miniseries individually.

Anyways, the main premise of this miniseries focuses around a young man named Gabino Falcón (Alejandro Speitzer) who left the family home a decade ago but has returned from Mexico to Spain in the midst of many changes, those including his conservative father, the rather unsympathetic Gregorio (Ernesto Alterio) who seems a little too eager into moulding his son into a version of himself.

It's quickly established during the first episode that not only does Gabino have no desire to marry the rather free spirited Cayetana Aldama (Ester Expósito) but he's secretly gay, in love with his Mexican dancer friend,  Lázaro (Isaac Hernández) and has a rather volatile past with Cayetana's clearly closeted brother, Alonso (Carlos Cuevas) to boot. 

Now that's a lot to go on and this series, while clearly heavily focused on Gabino's own struggles to be himself isn't leaving other characters to one side either. Aside from Gabino who is a sympathetic and likeable protagonist, two other Falcón family members that stood out were his mother, Mina (Cecilia Suárez) and grandmother, Amparo (Carmen Maura), both of whom in scenes together give off a very classic soap opera level of rivalry that I seriously want to see more of.

Amparo seems to be quite a devious troublemaker in the making, spoiling Gabino with expensive suits while at the same time, enabling Gregorio's domineering control over his family and taking pleasure in undermining Mina at certain points during the episode.

Then there's Mina herself. I like that she seemed to spot the connection between her son and his new friend and I loved the scene where she talked about her own Mexican heritage as well. Her scenes with Gregorio were the most uncomfortable moments here and I'm really hoping by the end of this miniseries, both herself and Gabino are able to escape from both Gregorio and Amparo.

- I noticed there was a lot of imagery with birds (pigeons specifically) in this series, even down to some of the promotional shots.

- Cayetana and Alonso's father seems less controlling than Gregorio. He's also in some kind of debt/arrangement with Greogorio as well.

- There was a subplot here with Mina trying to help the maid Rosario (Mariola Fuentes) free the latter's husband from prison, with Amparo now set to scupper things.

- Chronology: This miniseries takes place in 1950s Spain.

Having no familiarity with director/creator Manolo Caro, this first episode was a pleasure surprise. Some genuinely top notch acting, gorgeous cinematography, a good insight into what makes each of the main characters, I'm definitely intrigued to see how the remaining two episodes of this miniseries play out.

Rating: 8 out of 10

You Promised Me No More Lies

Okay, something of a shorter TV Jumble blog than usual but also one with some spoilers for upcoming series as well. 

911: Lone Star: There's not many episodes left to go with the first season on SkyLiving and so far, not too much has really happened. I mean, there was a moment where it seemed like Owen's leadership was a bit threatened by Judd's old pal, Billy but that quickly fizzled out and Michelle's ongoing search for her sister has given Carlos a story outside of TK but other than that, between the cases and a little more screen time for Mateo, it's felt fairly modest at this point. 

Schitt's Creek: It's six episodes into the first season and I'm liking the show but I haven't fallen into the hype compared to others. I can see why a lot of people love it and I do enjoy Moira's zaniness to offset Johnny being the more calmer of the pair while Alexis and David are amusing enough. The latter is more amusing with the grudging friendship with Stevie is quite endearing. Roland is still painfully unfunny but at least his wife and son are better characters to watch and Moira's vintage ad was pretty decent for a laugh too.

The Boys: I have finally finished up the first season and intend to start the second one later in the month. The second half of Season 1 was pretty strong with the Compound V revelation having quite the knock on effect along with the complicated animosity between Billy and Homelander getting even more complicated with Becca being very much alive and with a superpowered son. I've enjoyed Hughie's growing relationship with Starlight, the Frenchie/Kimiko connection as well character such as Mother's Milk and Maeve while finding the Deep's own comeuppance fascinating as well. Can't wait to see where the second season takes this crazy show.

• Jeffrey Dean Morgan's real life wife, Hilarie Burton will play Negan's wife, Lucille in an upcoming episode of The Walking Dead.
• Mackenzie Marsh has joined the seventeenth season of Grey's Anatomy in a recurring role.
• Stacey Farber will be playing Leslie Lar in Superman & Lois, due to air on the CW in February 2021.
• William Jackson Harper will lead the second season of HBO Max anthology series, Love Life. BBC1 recently aired the first season of the show.
• Loki has been renewed for a second season ahead of it's debut on Disney+.
• His Dark Materials has also been renewed for a third season ahead of it's second season premiere on BBC1/HBO Max this month.
• Bridgerton will debut on Netflix from Christmas Day and has already gotten a second season renewal.
• Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina's fourth and final season will be released on Netflix from New Year's Eve.
• FOX has cancelled both Filthy Rich and neXt.
• Castle Rock has been cancelled after two seasons on Hulu.

My Review of The Exorcist (1973)

 

Written by William Peter Blatty

Directed by William Friedkin

Father Karras (to Chris): "There are no experts. You probably know as much about possession than most priests. Look, your daughter doesn't say she's a demon. She says she's the devil himself. And if you've seen as many psychotics as I have, you'd know it's like saying you're Napoleon Bonaparte."

One of the things I've always found extremely fascinating about this movie was the fact that it was so scary upon it's release that people somewhat passed out in the cinemas when seeing it. I've seen plenty of scary movies throughout my life (and I want to see so many more) but the question - is The Exorcist really that scary?

I think had I seen this as a child rather than an adult, I definitely would've been far more terrified of it but there's no doubt that this movie has had a lasting legacy on the horror front and it's easy enough to see why. It's all down to two incredible central performances, isn't it?

The first one being of course, Linda Blair. She had the unenviable task of playing a child possessed by the Devil or so she claims. It's never really stated but throughout the movie, Blair goes from playing an ordinary mild manner young girl named Regan into the entity possessing her and causing all manners of madness in her wake.

It's an incredible performance from a young actor with Regan alternating between a helpless child and an evil entity, attacking Regan's own mother, Chris (Ellen Burstyn) while revealing some scandalous stuff about the very priests trying to save her soul. Then there's the aftermath where Regan seems unaware of the damage that she's had a role in.

The second great performance of the movie would then be Jason Miller in the role of Fr Damien Karras, the very man determined to save Regan's soul and facing an uphill battle as a result with his own faith and morality torn asunder as he's forced to take the most extreme measure in order to save the day. It's a performance that's just as powerful as Blair's.

The movie itself effectively feels like a two hander between Blair and Miller towards the second half, even with the support of others. It's those two actors who anchor the whole things and it's Karras and the possessed Regan's battle of wits with the raised stakes that genuinely makes the movie a captivating piece of cinema. 

-  The director's cut has a slightly different ending between the characters of Kinderman and Dyer.

-  Some religious zealots took this movie so seriously, there were even threats against Linda Blair, which genuinely startled me to read about.

- I think the most shocking scenes were some of the more sexual references in the movie and they were toned down from the original book.

- Chronology: This movie begins with scenes in Iraq before the main setting of Georgetown, Washington. 

The Exorcist is a stone cold classic. Had I seen this as kid, I definitely would've been terrified but even as an adult, this movie certainly holds up on the scares, the possession scenes, the music and of course, the central performances from both Blair and Miller. Easily a perfect choice of movie to watch over the Halloween weekend.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Arsenic And Old Lace (1944)

 

Written by Julius J. Epstein & Philip G. Epstein

Directed by Frank Capra

Mortimer (to Elaine): "I probably should have told you this before but, you see, well... insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops."

I've waited a while to review this one and with Halloween around the corner, of course it would make sense to review a movie actually set around the occasion itself. Of course, Halloween doesn't really play too huge a role in this film but I appreciate that setting nonetheless.

The film adapted from a play of the same name, see newlyweds Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) and his new bride Elaine (Priscilla Lane) finding their first night marriage in disarray when they head back to the former's old home and reunite with his delightfully scatty aunts Abby (Josephine Hull) and Martha (Jean Adair), who confess to having bumped off at least twelve different people and burying them in the basement.

Despite the trailers and promotional almost making this movie look like a screwball romantic comedy, Elaine isn't as focused as expected with her largely being absent during certain big scenes and reacting quite badly when faced with some other characters throughout the movie.

The other characters in question would be Mortimer's psychotic brother,  Jonathan (Raymond Massey)  and drunk plastic surgeon Dr. Herman Einstein (Peter Lorre) with the former also being a serial killer and in a moment that's played both for laughs and horror gets Mortimer bound and gagged to a chair with the intention of taking out his critical brother.

Cary Grant definitely gives one of his most interesting performances in this movie with Mortimer being a pithy enough protagonist reacting to the absolute insanity of his family (a family that also includes another brother who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt, but he's the more harmless member) while also trying to stay alive and becoming a captive audience for an amateur playwright police officer in arguably the funniest scene of the whole film.

It's a madcap adaptation of a classic play, both terrifying in parts and absolutely daft in others and at the same time, never suffers as a result. Raymond Massey in particular perfectly captures that duality of Jonathan being genuinely menacing and then hilarious during the moments where his whole great scheme comes undone through a series of mishaps.

Similarly the aunts of the piece are  amusing too. Two dotty older women who look like they wouldn't hurt anyone, yet have quite the body count while there's a delightfully exasperated performance from Peter Lorre's Einstein. It's only really Priscilla Lane's Elaine who feels a tad short served by this film, which is probably the only negative I can give to an otherwise hugely enjoyable movie.

- The movie made quite the point (as did the original play it's based on) that Jonathan looked a lot like Boris Karloff along with Mortimer inadvertently predicting his own bondage fate.

- The most prolific female serial killer - Amy Archer-Gilligan was an inspiration for this play and movie, mainly as her weapon of choice was of course, Arsenic.

- This film was made nearly three years before it's actual release, though it did get showings in 1943.

- Chronology: Given it's setting, I'm going to assume the early 1940s for this to coincide with it's own release.

Arsenic And Old Lace is a perfect watch for the Halloween period if you want something a little madcap with also the right bits of horror into the mix. It's a career best performance for Cary Grant, it's incredibly funny at the perfect moments and it's gorgeously shot. An absolute classic of a movie. 

Rating: 10 out of 10

My Review of Addams Family Values (1993)

 

Written by Paul Rudnick

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld

Morticia: "You have gone too far. You have married Fester, you have destroyed his spirit, you have taken him from us. All that I could forgive. But, Debbie..."

Debbie Jellinsky: "What?"

Morticia: "...pastels?"

And the superior film would be the sequel. Not financially of course as this movie sadly bombed but in terms of pure enjoyment and really capturing the quirkiness of the Addams, this sequel more than delivered on that front, even improving on certain things from the first movie.

The biggest improvement would be of course the choice of villain. Black widow serial killer turned nanny, Debbie Jellinsky has got to be one of the best and most camp of movie villains and Joan Cusack clearly seems to be having the time of her life in playing such an over the top menace terrorising the family and in particular, Fester, who really does seem to have a habit of letting domineering women influence him.

Fester starts the movie somewhat envious of Morticia and Gomez's great love and it doesn't take long for Debbie to work her charms on him, get married and of course separate him from his beloved family. It's the bit where trying to kill Fester that Debbie seems to have great difficulty in, though it's not a lack of effort on her part.

Of course when electricity and house bombs don't work, Debbie takes the entire family captive, gives a strong delivery on her villainous path before being bested by the latest addition of the clan - baby Pubert, whose arrival did initially see both Wednesday and Pugsley take the term sibling rivalry to more extreme measures.

Speaking of Wednesday and Pugsley, Debbie did manage to take them out of a good portion of the story by having them sent to Camp Chippewa, managed by the doubly Gary (Peter MacNicol) and Becky Granger (Christine Baranski) and the bratty Amanda (Mercedes McNab). All three however soon come afoul of Wednesday and Pugsley as well as Joel (David Krumholtz) during a Thanksgiving play that no-one will likely forget any time soon.

Of course it's the theme of family that is prominent in this sequel with the Addams always being a stronger unit when together and we see that as they band together over Debbie being a thorn to their side and also towards the end when gathered for Pubert becoming a year old. There's also a nice subplot with Wednesday and Joel getting close to one another before that last moment at the graveyard. 

- Director Barry Sonnenfeld and Julie Halston played Joel's parents for a few scenes in this movie. There's a few familiar faces to keep an eye out.

- Carol Kane replaced Judith Malina for the role of Grandmama while Margeret and Cousin Itt had a baby too between movies.

- This was one of the final film roles for Raul Julia who died a year after this film's release.

- Chronology: Several months since the events of the first movie with a year passing by the end of this one.

Addams Family Values definitely is the superior movie of the two we got with this cast. It's a pity that it underperformed because it takes everything that worked well enough with the first movie and massively improves on it while also feeling a lot crazier in the best way possible. Not to mention a sublime villain with Debbie and some of the most pithy dialogue on offer. 

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of The Addams Family (1991)

 

Written by Caroline Thompson & Larry Wilson

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld

Gomez: "Think of it, Thing. For 25 years we've attempted to contact Fester in the great beyond, and for 25 years, nothing. I'm beginning to think my brother truly is lost."

I have to admit that my memory of this movie isn't as great as my memory of the second movie and catching up with both movies over the weekend, I'll admit that my preference tends to lean more towards the second than the first. Still though, this is a good first look into America's most lovable kooky family.

The Addams - comprising of romantic lothario Gomez (Raul Julia), his Gothic looking wife, Morticia (Anjelica Huston), their children Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman), Grandmama (Judith Malina), butler Lurch (Carel Struycken) and of course, estranged Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd) who went missing 25 years ago, only to come back for this movie. Or did he?

That's where I get a bit confused with this one. It's implied that "Fester" is actually a man named Gordon who along with his scheming mother, Abigail Craven (Elizabeth Wilson) and family lawyer, Tully Alford (Dan Hedaya) find themselves plotting against the Addams Family in a bid to seize their fortune with a rather predictable turn of events.

As the movie progresses we see Gordon going from wanting to fleece our kooky protagonists to fully embracing the family to the point where the movie seems to skip over the idea of him being a conman to actually being Fester when a convenient bout of lightning restores his memories and the previous status quo with the Addams asserts itself. 

As a villain, I have to admit that I find Abigail somewhat lacking although she does for the most part have something of a restrictive hold on Fester and works to divide him from his family but the very dynamic while explored in the sequel with Debbie is somewhat better handled there than here.

The rest of the film plays out well with it's quirkiness as Wednesday and Pugsley along with Morticia find themselves adapting easier to life outside the manor than Gomez (another thing that the sequel tackles in a way) before the family are banded together to get their home and Fester back. 

- I notice that Mercedes McNab appears in this movie as an obnoxious girl scout. I genuinely didn't remember she was in the first movie as her role in the sequel is more memorable.

- Tully's wife, Margaret spends the movie being antagonistic towards the Addams before eventually getting romantically involved with Itt,

- This movie was not only Barry Sonnenfield's directorial debut but he also had a brief cameo in it as well.

- Standout music: Raul Julia and Christopher Lloyd's take on Mamushka.

The Addams Family isn't quite as strong as the more iconic sequel that it would spawn two years later but it laid the groundwork well enough for this family getting their first cinematic outing. The sequel is far better but this still has it's moments.

Rating: 7 out of 10

He Gives The Worst Pep Talks

It's been a while and with another lockdown due for Ireland, here's a rundown of some shows I've been watching over the last few weeks.

911: Lone Star: I'm at the halfway point of the first season of this spin-off series and it's going pretty well. Now I don't love the show quite as much as it's parent series but the characters are coming along nicely enough, the cases are fun enough to watch in parts (that bachelorette party) and the show continues to make some great strides in diversity as well as we saw some insight into Paul's dating life and of course with TK and Carlos's relationship. Owen and Michelle's plots are solid enough but I don't see Owen actually dying and we already know that Michelle isn't coming back next season.

Derry Girls: With the last two episodes of Series 2, I have officially caught up and I'm ready to see what the show will bring for it's third series when it comes back next year quite likely. I loved the homage to Carrie as well as the girls ditching school to meet Clinton and of course, James finally being accepted as a member of the gang. I'll even go as far as to say that I think the second series was even stronger than the first one and the bar had been set pretty high there.

I Hate Suzie: And it's over. I don't know if this show will get a second series (it definitely feels like it needs one tbh), but I did see a lot of what the finale did coming a mile off. Suzie's marriage collapsed, her career is in a strange place and her friendship with Naomi has also become strained. This was a great vehicle for Billie Piper's talents as co-creator and lead actor and it definitely feels like it deserves some award love at some point. US viewers will be able to see the series on HBO Max pretty soon.

Lovecraft Country: I mentioned in my previous review that this show could be so confusing to watch and the last three episodes definitely felt the most confusing. This show has definitely been an experience to watch and I quite liked Atticus and Letitia as protagonists but it might hep next season if the plotline was a little clearer to follow though.

Schitt's Creek: I know, I'm probably the last person to actually watch this show but E4 got the rights to it and are airing at least the first season in double bills. My first thoughts: I don't love it yet but I definitely like it and I can see why Moira Rose especially has made such an impression on people as the Rose family have lost their fortune and seem to be stuck in the worst town in the US with the worst televised Mayor seen in quite a while. It might take a few more episodes for me to really get into it though.

The Boys: I decided to wait until the first two season finished up to actually watch the first season and now, I've watched four episodes in the last week. This somewhat cynical take on the superhero genre definitely gets very meta and extremely violent in parts with Homelander proving to be far scarier than most comic book villain. Still though, I'm not sure that Billy Butcher is much better but fortunately there are sympathetic enough characters with Hughie, Starlight, Frenchie, Mother's Milk and Queen Maeve to balance things out a tiny bit and the superhero costumes do look pretty good. 

• Raffi Barsoumian has been cast in the role of Bishop, a sadistic scientist for the sixth season of Legends Of Tomorrow.
• The Flight Attendant will stream on HBO Max from November 26th.
• Paddy Considine has been cast in a lead role for House Of The Dragon, the prequel spin-off for Game Of Thrones. The show will debut in 2022.
• Dexter will return for a ten episode limited series on Showtime for Fall 2021.
• Euphoria will return for two special episodes ahead of it's upcoming second season. The first one will air on December 6th.
• Star Trek: Discovery has been renewed for a fourth season. Meanwhile UK viewers can currently watch the third season weekly on Netflix.
• Kristen Bell will star in The Woman In The House, which has been ordered to series to Netflix.
• Steven Krueger has joined the cast of Roswell: New Mexico for it's upcoming third season.
• Disney+ have ordered a series of Willow with Warwick Davis set to reprise his role from the original movie.
• Amazon will also be tackling a series based on I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Doctor Who - NYCC 2020 Highlights

And I use the word 'highlights' loosely because to be honest, there wasn't a lot actually revealed during yesterday's NYCC panel, featuring Jodie Whittaker (the Doctor), Bradley Walsh (Graham) and Mandip Gill (Yasmin), moderated by Melanie McFarland.

Definitely a case of keeping one's expectations tempered, although we at least got something in regards to the upcoming special, Revolution Of The Daleks.

The something being a synopsis for the special (which still does not have a confirmed date) and two pictures, which let's be honest hardly set things alight in terms of excitement. The first picture released showed the Doctor in prison fatigues, marking down the time she's been imprisoned and it seems a long time has passed for her since the events of The Timeless Children. 

The second photo showed the main companions - Graham, Yasmin and Ryan (Tosin Cole) all sat around a table, clearly doing research as the special will see them having to go up against a Dalek invasion without the Doctor to help them. Considering the title of this special was revealed back in March, would it really have hurt either Chris Chibnall or the BBC to have released one photo of a Dalek? What is wrong with the marketing team these days? 

I can see the logic in holding a trailer off as a date hasn't been confirmed yet for the special but at the same time, I'd be surprised if one doesn't materialise next month around the time we get Children In Need on BBC1 but it's a sad state of affairs when Star Trek can come out swinging by revealing a beloved character (Kate Mulgrew's Captain Janeway) returning for an upcoming animated series but Doctor Who can barely make the effort with a panel like NYCC. A serious missed opportunity. Anyways, we did get a synopsis for Revolution Of The Daleks, so here it is ....

The Doctor is locked away in a high-security alien prison. Isolated, alone, with no hope of escape. Far away, on Earth, her best friends, Yaz, Ryan and Graham have to pick up their lives without her. But it’s not easy. Old habits die hard. Especially when they discover a disturbing plan forming. A plan which involves a Dalek. How can you fight a Dalek, without the Doctor?

I really hate criticising the series at the moment but when it's given good media opportunities and squanders it, it only adds to the current frustration that this whole era has been generating for a long while and heading towards the end of the year, we're still none the wiser as to what's going on with the next series. It's time for the BBC and Chris Chibnall to up their game and stop being so secretive before they kill the enthusiasm for the series altogether.

NYCC Lookback: https://twitter.com/bbcdoctorwho/status/1314260519960932356

Revolution Of The Daleks will air on BBC1 and BBCAmerica over the festive period. Filming for Series 13 has yet to be officially confirmed. 

My Review of The Boys In The Band (2020)

 

Written by Mart Crowley & Ned Nartel

Directed by Joe Mantello

Michael: "What's so fucking funny?"

Harold: "Life. Life's a goddamn laugh riot."

There was a time when prominent LGBT content was a hallmark on HBO and Showtime and while both cable stations still do deliver from time to time, it seems Netflix (when they're not all cancel happy) are coming up with some content to get in LGBT subscriptions.

This is not the first we've seen Mart Crowley's infamous 1968 play adapted into a movie as we did have one all the way back in 1970 but I'm surprised that it's taken a while for another movie adaptation. A few years the cast who are in this movie performed this play on stage and now they're all back for this pretty solid take on a play that's stood the test of time.

The central premise revolves around the birthday of a reclusive Jewish man named Harold (Zachary Quinto), organised by his friend, a Catholic man named Michael (Jim Parsons). The two of them have a very strong love/hate dynamic and seem to take a little too much pleasure in needling the other. However by the end of the evening, it's Michael who finds himself in a world of doubt as the birthday party and games reveal a lot about everyone and not to Michael's liking either.

Keeping with the boys, you've got a couple on the brink of disaster with Larry (Andrew Rannels) and Hank (Tuc Watkins) with fidelity being a central problem to their relationship or the lack of it to an extent as well as book smart Donald (Matt Bomer), the rather effeminate Emory (Robin de Jesus) and librarian assistant Bernard (Michael Benjamin Washington) all making their presence felt for Harold's birthday.

Added to the evening's events also include the adorably dim (and one of the few nicer characters) hustler Cowboy Tex (Charlie Carver) and Alan (Brian Hutchinson) - an old friend of Michael's whom the latter spent most of the movie attempting to out, only for the events to transpire that Alan might actually be straight after all - or is he? It certainly seemed ambiguous enough.

During the two hour adaptation we saw our main cast physically, verbally and emotionally rip each other apart that it was almost a shocker to see how any of them were friends to begin with. At times it was hard to pick a sympathetic party but at the same time, I actually found myself at some of the outrageously horrible things various characters were saying to one another.

In terms of characters - I guess Michael, Larry, Donald, Harold and the Cowboy were my favourites. Michael was at times unsympathetic but he was never boring to watch and the barbs between him and Harold were amusing and insightful to watch. Larry also had a brilliant moment where he broke down his relationship with Hank pretty succinctly while Donald and the Cowboy were the more consistently likeable characters throughout the movie while both Emory and Bernard had sympathetic backstories of unrequited love.

- This movie had a lot of actors who've worked with each other on other productions as well as the numerous of Ryan Murphy ones over the last few years.

- Playwright Mart Crowley had a brief cameo here as he did in the 1970 film. 

- Standout music: Miles Davis's Round Midnight and Herb Alpert & The Tuuana Brass This Guy's In Love With You.

- Chronology: New York 1968 as to when the play originally debuted as well. 

The Boys In The Band is certainly another triumph for Netflix with great direction from Joe Mantello, a cast completely on fire and an excellent script from both Crowley and Martel. I'll admit the trailer didn't initially wow me but sitting through the movie, it was a lot better than expected - funny in parts, uncomfortable in others. 

Rating: 9 out of 10

DC - Upcoming Movie Dates Moved (& More Spin-Offs)

Yup, because 2020 and Coronavirus ain't done fucking with us, it seems that DC's upcoming movie slate has been dramatically changed yet again. 

Also as I write this blog, I'm psyching myself for even more changes because we really living in the worst of times all round, aren't we?

Anyways, let's get on with it, shall we?

The Batman, which had the absolutely glorious spot of October 1st 2021 has now been moved to March 4th 2022, due to Dune being pushed back a whole ten months. Given how perfect this movie was placed for a Halloween audience, this one stings the most. On the other hand, the movie has only resumed production (and will be filming exterior shots in Chicago this month), so I can see the extra time being a benefit to this one. Saying that, it's still the move that I'm most disappointed by, even though I know Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson are truly going to give us something special with this take on the Dark Knight.

As for The Flash, it's now going from June 3rd 2022 to November 4th 2022 and this one I'm not mad about. First of all, it has yet to go in production, we're months away from filming actually taking place  and having a wider gap from Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness could benefit it a lot. If anything, this is probably a smart move on DC's part. Right now, in terms of casting all we know is that Ezra Miller, Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton are confirmed with Billy Crudup in talks to reprise his role as Henry Allen. Over the next few months, we will get more and more exciting casting, so this one I can wait longer for. Not that there's a choice in the matter.

Last but not least (for now) to be moved is Shazam!: Fury Of The Gods. Gone is the November 4th 2022 release date (The Flash called dibs on that) and we've got a June 2nd 2023 release date instead. I was wondering when we'd get a DC movie announced for 2023 and now I've got my answer. I've seen people wonder if the movie will recast the kids, but truthfully I think the movie should just age them up. Again we are a long way off from learning anything about this upcoming sequel, which is due to start filming next year.

Also in unsurprising news, Black Adam has lost it's December 22nd 2021 date (now given to The Matrix 4) and currently doesn't have a new date. If I were to make an educated guess, I think it'll end up as summer 2022 movie, but that's not a certainty right about now. Meanwhile we did finally get casting for Hawkman with Aldis Hodge landing the coveted role, which just leaves casting for characters such as Adrianna, Cyclone and Doctor Fate to be announced. I'm sure those roles will probably be filled out and announced before the year ends. 

As for everything else, movie wise, it seems for now (and I emphasize for now) that Wonder Woman 1984 will still hit cinemas on December 25th 2020 and The Suicide Squad on August 6th 2021. I expect the former to be pushed to early/mid 2021 while nothing has been said on the upcoming Aquaman sequel, which again for now will remain in the December 16th 2022 release but again, I can see that being pushed to 2023. 

On a final note, it seems that not only are HBO Max going in with the Snyder Cut of Justice League, giving Matt Reeves a Gotham Central spin-off for The Batman but John Cena's Peacemaker will also be getting a spin-off. James Gunn will be writing and directing most of the eight episode series but if you're expecting this series to confirm the character's fate in the upcoming The Suicide Squad, there are rumours this series will be a prequel, so perhaps not. I'm not gonna lie, Peacemaker isn't a character I feel really warrants a spin-off but I'm curious enough to give it a try though.

Link: https://deadline.com/2020/10/dune-drifting-away-from-december-to-october-2021-1234591593/

Thoughts on the ever changing release patterns? Will this finally be it or do you expect more movements to happen in the next few weeks/months?