My Review of The League Of Gentlemen's Apocalypse (2005)

Written by Jeremy Dyson And Mark Gatiss And Steve Pemberton And Reece Shearsmith 

Directed by Steve Bendelack 

Bernice: "The League of Gentlemen! Extraordinary!"

After blitzing through the first three series in a week, it was time to see the antics of Royston Vasey on the big screen, lol. Yes, this show was popular enough at the time that a movie was the logical step to go.

Given the bizarre nature of the show itself, of course the movie would also have to take a similarly wild turn of events. What would happen if the real world and the fictional world of Royston Vasey clashed? Or more specifically if the writers just gave up on their grotesque creations?

We opened with poor Jeremy Dyson (Michael Sheen) being terrorised by Edward (Reece Shearsmith) and Tubbs (Steve Pemberton) before getting scared off a cliff by a more milder Papa Lazarou (Shearsmith). Yup, these three have entered the real world on a mission and they're not the only ones.

With a prophecy of impending destruction for Royston Vasey, Reverend Bernice (Shearsmith), Pauline (Pemberton) and Chinnery (Mark Gatiss) are willing to enter the portal to avert the apocalypse. However it's Geoff (Shearsmith), Her Lipp (Pemberton) and Hilary Briss (Gatiss) that get in their first and they're even more determined to save themselves.

There's kidnapping Steve Pemberton himself with Her Lipp impersonating the former to his family while Geoff found himself wanting to be the hero in The League's new project, The King's Evil. There's fun to be had with this plot as the main characters in that horror historical all had to make sacrifices to Dr Erasmus Pea (David Warner). They're also turned into a gnarly looking three headed demon for good measure.

The third act then had the most fun with Pemberton, Shearsmith and Gatiss all getting killed off in comically gruesome ways while the likes of Geoff, Chinnery, Herr Lipp and company all had to make a stand against Pea and save their very existence. There's a happy ending of sorts with free will bring afforded to these characters and the lines between reality and meta eventually concluded.

- Jeremy Dyson did survive and everyone got tails as a result. It was something he had mentioned at the start of the movie.

- Unexpected couple alert with Reverend Bernice and Pauline. I wish we had seen more of them tbh.

- There's some nice roles for Victoria Wood, Liam Cunningham, Simon Pegg and Peter Kay in this movie.

- Chronology: An unspecified time since the events of the Series 3 finale. 

The League Of Gentlemen's Apocalypse certainly had a lot of fun with the meta and while some characters were evidently neutered for the big screen (Papa Lazarou and Herr Lipp), overall this was a fun outing for this world. I had a good time with this one. 

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Salem's Lot (2004)

 

Written by Peter Filardi

Directed by Mikael Salomon

Ben: "Beneath the postcard camouflage, there's little good in small towns. Mostly boredom, interspersed with a dull, mindless, moronic evil."

Before I get to the 2024 Max movie version, I have this second attempt of a miniseries to get to. I liked the one from 1979, so perhaps this one will be just as good?

Well, you've got network TV icon Rob Lowe in one of his first gigs after departing The West Wing. Here he's playing the role of Ben Mears and he's backed up by a generally cast of familiar actors, who step into their respective roles nicely.

You've got Samantha Mathis as the tragically doomed love interest Susan Norton and while I don't think the romance between her and Lowe's Ben has the same impact as the 1979 version, I did like her death scene. Overall, the romance might be the weaker element of this version in general.

As for the characters that work the best, I actually think both James Cromwell and Andre Braugher gave the best performances as Father Callahan and Matt Burke respectively. Oftentimes both of them actually outshone Rob Lowe in this two part miniseries. They're so great to watch onscreen.

Then there's the villains of the piece. Rutgar Hauer and Donald Sutherland can play villains in their sleep and both are on solid form as Kurt Barlow and Richard Straker in this adaptation. Are they career best performances from either actor? Nope, but they're good nonetheless and that's what counted here.

Last but not least was the role of Mark Petrie. I'd say Dan Byrd was pretty solid in the role and there's a nice Batman/Robin style dynamic between Mark and Ben. I should note that this miniseries does take a much different ending compared to the previous. It kind of works too. 

- This aired for two nights on TNT from June 20th-21st in 2004.

- The subplots involving the residents are largely kept intact with cheating Doctor Jimmy Cody (Robert Mammone) also playing a supporting role in the main plot.

- Standout music: Gob's version of Paint It Black.

- Chronology: This was given a 2000s setting, which worked in its favour.

The 2004 version of Salem's Lot does hold up strong enough. Not quite as compelling as the 1979 version but the performances are good and I do like some of the differences made. I'm mixed on the ending but it does work in its own way.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Joker: Folie A Deux (2024)

 

Written by Todd Phillips And Scott Silver

Directed by Todd Phillips

Lee (to Arthur): "I wanna see the real you."

Oh boy. In things I did not have on my 2024 Bingo Card, it would be how poorly received this sequel would be. Now I wasn't expecting another billion dollar hit but the way this follow up to 2019's Joker has gone down. It's definitely surprised me. Is the movie really that bad?

I'm going to be very contrarian here and say that, nope, it's not that bad. At the very worst, it's an average movie that tried it's hand at deconstruction (not unlike a certain other director) it's title character and the impact of said character's actions. Unfortunately it doesn't really pull it off as well as it wanted to.

You could say that was a deliberate choice on Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix's part to ensure they wouldn't be strong armed into doing a third movie. In that case, both of them succeeded with that particular goal in mind. There's no danger of a third movie ever happening.

Anyways, the movie itself. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) has been residing at Arkham State Hospital where he's become a figure of ridicule for the guards, specifically the brutish Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson). He's also being prepared by his lawyer Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener) to stand trial for the five people he murdered in the previous movie.

During this time, romance also crept into his life in the form of fellow patient Harleen "Lee" Quinzel (Lady Gaga). She's determined to bring out his bad self and a failed escape attempt resulted in her being checked out of Arkham. Not that it matters as she was determined to be at his trial every step of the way.

For those of you who romanticise the Joker/Harley relationship, this movie won't be pleasing for you. It's another case of recent media presenting their union as wholly toxic, only this time with the roles reversed for Arthur and Lee. She's the corrosive influence and even when her lies are exposed, Arthur still won't give her up.

However as the trial proceeded and upstart DA Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) made it his mission to get Arthur the death penalty, the latter had his own epiphany of sorts. I guess it was the severe beatings or the testimonials of characters such as Sophie Dumond (Zazie Beetz) and Gary Puddles (Leigh Gill) but either way, Arthur gor a heavy reality check.

I get why the renouncing of his Joker persona would piss people off because it did somewhat undermine the first movie but at the same time, I think it mostly worked. However I wasn't surprised when Lee rejected him for rejecting the delusion and the end scene involving a certain inmate. Oh that scene will annoy people for years. Personally, it didn't bother me that much. I wonder why.

- A same sex kiss between Harleen and a woman outside the courthouse got removed but Arthur did give fellow inmate Ricky Meline (Jacob Lofland) his first kiss.

- There's an animated opening sequence that's blatantly alluding to Peter Pan, which summed up Arthur's mental state.

- In this continuity, Gotham actually is located in New York. It's usually not in other versions.

- Connor Storrie played the inmate who did that thing and might have referenced another Joker as well. Steve Coogan was also good in his scene as TV journalist Paddy Meyers.

- Standout music: There's a lot among the cast but the highlights include That's Entertainment, (They Long To Be) Close To You, For Once In My Life, When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You) and That's Life.

- Chronology: November 8th was the end of trial and this movie was set two years after the events of the first one.

I think Joker: Folie A Deux should serve as a lesson that not everything needs further expansion on but a lesson that Hollywood will refuse to learn, no matter. The movie itself in my opinion was no better or worse than the first one and my only criticism in relation to the musical elements would be that the movie should've committed more to that idea. Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga are on good form with this movie being more disappointing than outright awful.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

The League Of Gentlemen - Series 3 Review (2002)

 

Written by Jeremy Dyson And Mark Gatiss And Steve Pemberton And Reece Shearsmith 

Directed by Steve Bendelack 

Pauline: "Why are you doing this to me, Ross?"

Ross: "Because you made me hate my job."

At the time of airing, this really was the last stop at Royston Vasey and it had a story that be shown from multiple viewpoints before it's inevitable conclusion. Each episode looking into a different group of characters.

The first one saw former Restart officer Pauline getting out of prison and bunking up with the hapless Mickey. Despite being a lesbian, the two actually get together and their happiness was threatened by a vengeful Ross, who wanted to destroy both Mickey and Pauline. By the time we get to the last episode, he had a change of heart on the matter.

The second episode then put the focus on cruel joke shop owner Lance Longthorn (Gatiss) getting a woman's hand and finding it having a mind of it's own, which drove him mad. However it did lead to an act of unexpected heroism and another character avoiding death.

The third episode focused on the eternally angry Geoff (Shearsmith) changing careers but suffering massive facial disfigurement while Legz Akimbo tried to expand their very small audience with little success. There's also an annoying friend of Oliver's added into the mix that even he ditched by the end of this one.

The fourth episode had the put upon Alvin excuse himself from his wife's sex party, just so he could spend time with his mistress, Judith (Shearsmith) at the garden centre. Add a sex game gone wrong and appearance from Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen resulting in mayhem and this was an enjoyable one.

I think the second half of this series had the better episodes with the penultimate episode having both Charlie and Judee setting up a massage parlour and the former falling in love with Tony while the latter fancied him. 

The last episode saw the return of Papa Lazarou, posing as charity shop worker Keith, who enjoyed tormenting Reenie and the unfortunate Brian. His great scheme did leave a bit to be desired but the series did end on a bittersweet note with some characters getting a happy ending and others being trapped inside circus animals. 

- Episode titles included The Lesbian And The Monkey, The One-Armed Man Is King, Turn Again Geoff Tipps, The Medusa Touch, Beauty And The Beast (Or Come Into My Parlour) and How The Elephant Got It's Trunk.

- Doctor Who fans got to see Christopher Eccleston in the last episode as Dougal  Siepp, who was opening a cat cinema.

- Characters like the Dentons, Edward and Tubbs and Reverend Bernice Wooddall are either missing or are very briefly seen in this series.

- I liked the debt collector characters who popped up in the second episode. Wish we had seen a little more of them.

- Barbara ended the series by giving birth to twins while Alvin and Judith got away with burying several bodies.

- Chronology: Nearly a year since the events of the Christmas special.

Honestly had we not gotten a movie and a few specials, this really would've served as a good ending for this series. Nearly everything got wrapped up enough with most characters while the rest got the macabre fate they did. 

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Doctor Odyssey: "Singles Week"

 

Written by Ryan Murphy And Jon Robin Baitz And Joe Baken

Directed by Paris Barclay

Tristan (to Max): "It's Singles Week, strap in!"

Yes, it really was the week of the singles on The Odyssey with all four of our main cast members getting heavily involved in the three main cases and the respective focused singles as well.

First of all, let's talk about Tristan Silva, shall we? That rivalry between him and Max over Avery. We're two episodes and already, it's the weakest aspect of the show. He was still annoyed about Max breaking the "bro code" and it didn't help that Avery dismissed Tristan's crush on her, only to later reciprocate a kiss from him. Even more odd was the lack of follow up after that kiss. I felt like there was a scene missing from the episode there.

Tristan's a man who's well aware of his sex appeal and does seem to enjoy it as well. When we didn't have his fawning over Avery as a source of story, there was also his failed hook up with single girl Kelly (Stephanie Suganami). Before they could do the deed, she literally passed out with heart troubles on Tristan.

In fact, this episode tried to up the ante by putting Kelly in a very life and death state before later revealing that a dietary supplement she was taking was interfering with her heart. Heart troubles in this episode definitely seemed to be on point.

It's also better handled with the Captain himself. I did say in the previous episode we barely knew anything about him and this episode revealed that he literally had a broken heart over losing his wife. It's pretty effective and made me feel bad for the guy. On the other hand, he did get to have fun with Shania Twain's glamorous widow, even she didn't get too much screen time.

Keeping with guest characters, it was funny to see how former Glee hunk Chord Overstreet fared in this episode. His character Sam (not that one) was a rampant man whore that got an STD while still trying his luck with anything that moved. What was funny was watching Max and Tristan see him as a cautionary tale while Avery managed to avoid sleeping with him at the last minute.

Getting back to Avery, while the triangle with herself, Max and Tristan doesn't do any of them any favours, I did like that both guys stepped up to help her with her dreams of being a doctor. Not to mention, the other case involving an immigrant couple brought out her best scenes of the episode. Plus her views on Singles Week shifted quite a bit in this episode.

- Tristan was the one to tell Max that next week's episode would be a plastic surgeon. If we don't get a Nip/Tuck reference of sorts, I'd be surprised.

- Spencer Monroe, Massey's right hand man had a little more screen time as well. Max also likes a Martini with three olives.

- Those women fighting over the unseen Jeffrey were very over the top, though I did laugh when they pointed out that Avery needed to get the D. Avery doesn't do relationships apparently.

- Chronology: A week from the Pilot episode.

I'll admit this one was a little better than the first episode. Singles Week had fun with it's guest cast and utilised it's main players a bit better into their stories as well. I'm still not fond of this triangle and I'm hoping it's nixed sooner than later but I am finding myself rather charmed by the show regardless.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Grotesquerie: "Coordinates"

 

Written by Ryan Murphy And Jon Robin Baitz And Joe Baken 

Directed by Alexis Martin Woodall

Lois (to Sister Megan): "Let's get the hell out of here."

Closing into the half way point of this season, this episode might be the one where Lois seemed to nearly have her shit together. Granted, not really at the start of the episode but it's amazing what a little progress can do.

I mean she attended an AA meeting with Eddie, who talked about his own problems with booze (along with his stripper past) and yes, it did seem like an affair was brewing with the two of them. Even Merritt clocked it when Eddie was assigned to be her bodyguard by her mother.

It's Merritt who also helped give Lois a spring in her step by getting that puzzle box open. What was in it? Oh just coordinates fir both Lois and Sister Megan to follow into the middle of the freaking desert. Not to mention, a nice dose of Hellfire to boot. I'm not joking here.

Yes, the desert was ablaze but it was more to do with a gasoline disaster than a biblical one. Still, it didn't stop a geologist from mentioning Hell or a mystery old man Lois encountered talking about the abuse of the environment and having to go through a fire. It's heavy handed but an effective scene between two characters.

Then there's some good old fashioned Catholic guilt that can be added into proceedings. Sister Megan got her way with Father Charlie and instead of relishing the experience, it made her feel guilty instead. Lois did try to rationalise the whole thing but then this episode ended on a different note.

A mystery naked and burnt woman popped up out of nowhere with both Lois and Sister Megan letting her into the car. Was she really trying to escape from Grotesquerie as she implied? Or was there something in Sister Megan's earlier musings about the coordinates leading to a trap? It's likely both, isn't it?

- Father Charlie is doing online spinning classes as a side hustle. He's also not tending to those sores on his back properly. 

- Nurse Redd has started recording Lois in order to get power of attorney over Marshall. Eddie can make a tuna wiggle, which doesn't sound particularly appetising. 

- Standout music: Both Lois and Sister Megan were singing I Don't Know How To Love Him from Jesus Christ Superstar and there was David Bowie's Let's Dance at the end of the episode. 

- Chronology: I know it's meant to be present day but Lois's house phone is old as is Sister Megan's computer.

I liked Coordinates a bit more than the previous one. The radio singing with Lois and Sister Megan took me aback but it was a lighter moment in a continuously dark show. The lack of promotion for next week does make me wonder what the hell they're planning with the two of them and that woman they've picked up.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Grotesquerie: "The Bender"

 

Written by Ryan Murphy And Jon Robin Baitz And Joe Baken 

Directed by Ryan Murphy

Eddie: "Why should I help you?"

Lois: "I'm trying to catch a killer."

Ah yes, that old chestnut as the hunky nurse Eddie Lachlan succinctly put it. After weeks of mystery surrounding the name of Travis Kelce's character, it's very casually revealed. Then again, so was his last minute introduction into this episode.

Lois was going through it in this one. Her drinking was becoming so problematic that virtually every character had to point it out to her. Her fellow officers didn't hold back in their disapproval of her constant boozing and that was when she was filling in the blanks at the crime scenes that they kept missing.

On top of that, there was the opening exchange with her and Merritt. Both women might criticise each other's dangerous vices  ht they also enable them too. Why isn't Merritt trying to get her mother sober and why is Lois letting her daughter eat herself to death? They're practically killing themselves and each other. It's not fun to watch.

Getting back to the cases, this week's victims were sex workers and junkies strolled together. The deduction on the killer being that they're a surgeon or army medic of something. Another deduction being that the killer hated Lous for helping sex workers. One or two scenes maybe hinting at certain characters who could be in the frame. The way this show could go, even Lois could be a future suspect.

On to the religious side of things, boy do Sister Megan and Father Charlie revel in this stuff? I think the latter even more so during his church meeting with diocese members. I get talking about modernising the church but even I found the OnlyFans comparison a bit much. Also, Charlie practically seduced Sister Megan, only to leave her wanting more.

Circling back to Lois though, both the opening and the last scenes felt the most like an alcoholics haze. I mean, it seemed like she was practically throwing common sense out the window and was far too trusting of Eddie. Was I me or did it seem like the episode was verging heavier into fantasy land than the previous two?

- I should've mentioned Brooke Smith as Hanover from the previous two episodes. She's got a bigger role here and was in Lois's corner, even when the latter crashed her car in a drunken haze.

- Nice flashbacks to the beginning of Lois and Marshall's relationship but Nurse Redd wanting power of attorney of Marshall was creepy as fuck.

- Father Charlie really used Proverbs 25:26 to get a point across, likes to dress kinky when he's not whipping himself and both him and Sister Megan talked about the West Village killings from the 1980s.

- Chronology: A short period of time from where the previous episode left off.

The Bender probably could've been a little shorter and they're certainly labouring the point about Lois being an alcoholic mess and the smartest detective in the room. Fortunately Niecy Nash-Betts has managed to make Lois into a person instead of a walking trope. Travis Kelce was pretty decent as Eddie so far.

Rating: 7 out of 10

The League Of Gentlemen - Series 2 + Christmas Special Review (2000)

 

Written by Jeremy Dyson And Mark Gatiss And Steve Pemberton And Reece Shearsmith

Directed by Steve Bendelack 

Papa Lazarou: "You're my wife now."

Ah, it's the second series of this surreal and grotesque comedy series that probably introduced one of the show's most infamous and aged badly of characters.

Yes, I'm talking of wife collecting carnie minstrel Papa Lazarou (Shearsmith) and while the character's appearances are actually fewer than expected, there's no denying it's left an impression for better or worse. Frankly it's not a character that you'd get away with these days and for good reason.

Anyways, Lazarou and his creepy circus rocked up in Royston Vasey and even they weren't the strangest thing about this second series. Nope, a strange case of the residents getting nosebleeds attributed to creepy butcher Hilary Briss (Gatiss) along with the poor deformed David (Gatiss) seemed to get the villagers backs up more than the wife stealing minstrel.

Then there's the predatory German "vampire" Herr Lipp (Pemberton) who set his sights on unfortunate school boy Justin (Blake Ritson) and didn't take too kindly to the latter rejecting him. Again, Herr Lipp's another character that would definitely not work for today's environment. Even I cringed watching those scenes yet.

And what of the characters from the previous series? Poor Barbara had a faulty sex change but became a bride to the beastly David with Edward and Tubbs taking her when they couldn't get anyone else. Not that Barbara got to enjoy her honeymoon thanks to the extremely paranoid locals.

Then there was Pauline's fall from Restart grace. Humiliated by her callous replacement Cathy Carter Smith (Shearsmith), unable to cut it in the fast food industry and clearly not great at holding the officious Ross hostage either. Still, there's something oddly endearing about her friendship with Mickey. Just give the poor lad his fire engine.

As for the Dentons, tormenting Benjamin was their only goal but they came afoul of both their victim and creepy twin daughters. Married couple Stella (Shearsmith) and Charlie (Pemberton) enjoyed tearing each other apart as did Iris and Judee Levinson. The reveal of their real connection did seem like they were going an EastEnders type of moment. 

The highlight of this second series would be the ghoulishly delightful Christmas special. The episode gave major roles to foul mouthed Reverend Bernice Wooddall and the unfortunate vet Matthew Chinnery. It's complete with some great flashbacks along with a last minute attempt of a redemption story of sorts for Herr Lipp. It's a shame it's the only Christmas special because it's so good and the best episode in the entire series.

- Episodes titles were Destination: Royston Vasey, Lust For Royston Vasey, A Plague On Royston Vasey, Death In Royston Vasey, Anarchy In Royston Vasey, Royston Vasey And The Monster From Hell and Yule Never Leave.

- Other recurring characters included charity shop workers Vinnie (Shearsmith) and Reeny (Pemberton). Less sucessful characters included Pamela Doove (Shearsmith) and letchy landlord Pop (Pemberton).

- We were also introduced to bondage loving couple Alvin (Gatiss) and Sunnier Steele (Chrissie Furness).

- Roy Chubby Brown (real name Royston Vasey) appeared in one episode as the village Mayor.

- We learned that Hilary Briss was married to a cow before he fled Royston Vasey.

- Chronology: Not long from where the end of the first series left off.

This second series definitely had some fun moments in spite of some very outdated characters. I did like the arc with the nosebleeds and the Christmas special was the best part of this series.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

The Future Of Ryan Murphy Shows Part 2

I didn't think I'd be writing this again so soon but that Ryan Murphy just went and did some interviews and a lot of stuff came trickling out. Let's do this.

9-1-1/9-1-1: Lone Star: Both shows continue to be the highest rated scripted shows on ABC and FOX respectively with their premieres scoring big for both networks. The former show going through a Beenado and the latter about to go through some poison air. With the latter also ending this season (why, FOX, why?), Ryan Murphy has confirmed that both him and Tim Minear will be crafting a new spin off aimed to air for ABC for the Fall 2025 season. I got to be honest, I saw this one coming.

All's Fair: In less than a year, Jon Robin Baitz has immersed himself in the Ryan Murphy world and filming for this legal drama has gotten underway. The show will air on Hulu in 2025 and will star Kim Kardashian, Glenn Close, Niecy Nash-Betts, Sarah Paulson, Naomi Watts, Teyana Taylor and Matthew Noszka. It's being described as Murphy's take on a legal drama and will be sexy.

American Horror Story/American Horror Stories: It looks we might finally be getting information on the main show's upcoming thirteenth season very soon with Ryan Murphy implying that Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters could be returning for the FX stalwart. Meanwhile the second half of Season 3 will be released on FX on Hulu from October 15th. The episodes are titled Backwoods, The Thing Under The Bed, Clone, Leprechaun and X. Henry Winkler, Victor Garber, Michael Imperioli, Jeff Hiller, Debby Ryan and Jessica Barden are among the guest cast.

American Love Story: Expect this show to start filming in Spring with casting for both JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy to be announced over the next few months. Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson will executive produce this upcoming series for FX.

American Sports Story: Currently airing on FX and while it's decent, it seems to have gotten a bit lost in the sea of Ryan Murphy shows at the moment. Ratings seem to be good though the online chatter for the show is virtually nonexistent.

Doctor Odyssey: The opening episode pulled in 4.23 million viewers on ABC upon it's Thursday night premiere and mixed reviews. It's definitely getting a second season while this first one will have a total of 18 episodes. Joshua Jackson definitely seems to be a high attraction for this show along with Don Johnson, Philippa Soo and Sean Teale. UK viewers will get it on Disney+ from October 24th. Upcoming episodes will have Chord Overstreet, Shania Twain, Gina Gershon, John Stamos and Cheyenne Jackson to name a few.

Grotesquerie: Another hit for FX with Ryan Murphy admitting that he had a five season plan for this horror/crime drama. Niecy Nash-Betts has been great as weary detective Lois Tryon but I'm not sure if the title villain can be sustained for multiple seasons. The finale will now air on October 30th.

Mid-Century Modern: Yes, this Ryan Murphy/James Burrows collaboration is still happening with three older gay men (Matt Bomer, Nathan Lane and Nathan Lee Graham) and the mother figure (Linda Lavin) are basically doing The Golden Girls for a 2025 audience on Hulu for a ten part series. My hype for this one is nonexistent but I'm willing to be proven wrong.

Monster/s: While Ryan Murphy has not handled the discourse surrounding The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story particularly well, Netflix have seen a lot of people tuning in and both Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch have been social media favourites overnight. Meanwhile Charlie Hunnam has signed up to play Ed Gein for the third season, due to go into production soon.

The Beauty: Based on an Image comic book series by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley , this one will be a sci-fi, medical and detective drama. Evan Peters will be a detective trying to crack a case involving an STD that brings out beauty while Ashton Kutcher will be a tech billionaire. Jeremy Pope and Anthony Ramos also make up the main cast. The show will air on FX, filming will begin in both New York and Europe from November onwards and will contain eleven episodes. The show was created by Ryan Murphy And Matthew Hodgson.

Currently up in the air are future seasons of American Crime Story, Feud, The Politician and The Watcher while a second season of Ratched was cancelled months ago. Saying that, there's a ridiculous amount of shows from one man for the foreseeable future.

My Review of Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham (2023)

 

Written by Jase Ricci

Directed by Christopher Berkeley And Sam Liu

Ras Al Ghul: "It's beyond your human comprehension. Behold! This Thing! Gaze upon it. It's to incur ... Madness."

A couple of years ago, the DC Animated movies did a pretty good adaptation of Gotham By Gaslight and it seems that you can be lucky twice, because this adaptation of an Elseworlds of the same name also turned out well.

You've got a 1920s setting in the Antarctic. It's where Bruce Wayne (David Giuntoli) has set up base with Alfred Pennyworth (Brian George), Dick Grayson (Jason Marsden), Kai Li Cain (Tati Gabrielle) and Sanjay "Jay" Tawde (Karan Brar). The latter two characters being versions of Cassandra Cain and Jason Todd.

Anyways they're there to figure out what happened to Oswald Cobblepot's (William Salyers) expedition and soon find themselves coming up against the monstrous, Grendon (David Dastmalchian). Yup, the latter's basically a more horror tinged Mr Freeze and the former has made friends with a certain flightless birds.

Of course, Bruce and company wind up back in Gotham with Grendon and of course, trouble wasn't far behind them. You had allies in Oliver Queen (Christopher Gorham) and Harvey Dent (Patrick Fabian) warning them of Kirk Langstrom (Jeffrey Combs) turning into giant bats and dangerous cults led by the deadly Talia Al Ghul (Emily O'Brien).

Talia and her Doomsday cult folllowing certainly drive the threats to this movie. Not only do you have the likes of Grendon and Man Bat as threats but the arrival of Poison Ivy (Gideon Adlon) and Killer Croc led to a horrifying turn of events for Harvey and death for two of the Bat kids.

The third act was by far the best of the movie, especially with the likes of Etrigan (Matthew Waterson) and Ras Al Ghul (Navid Negahban) being added into the mix, leading to a tragic ending for this movie. It's an ending that I do have mixed feelings on to be honest.

- Gideon Adlon also voiced Barbara Gordon in this movie. We didn't see a lot of Barbara.

- There's something about David Dastmalchian that belongs in the Batman side of things. May this be a repeated thing in his career.

- The graphic novel in which this movie's based on came out in 2001 and was written by Mike Mignola with Richard Pace, and illustrated by Troy Mixey and Dennis Janke.

- Chronology: 1920s Antarctic and Gotham setting. 

Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham will not be a story for everyone and I'm certainly mixed on that ending but as an Elseworlds piece, I appreciate the heavy horror leaning of it all. It's somewhere in the middle for DC animated movies.

Rating: 7 out of 10