DCU Blog - November 2024 Edition: Sgt. Rock Cast, Superman Trailer Maybe And More

As we hurtle towards the end of 2024, the DC news keeps a coming, especially with the DCU less than a week away from starting up.

Daniel Craig will reunite with Luca Guadagnino and writer Justin Kuritzkes for Sgt. Rock, playing the titular character. Filming will start in the second half of 2025.

Joker: Folie A Deux has made a total of $206.4 million at the box office. It'll get a physical release from December 17th.

Eve Ridley will play Ruthye Marye Knoll in Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow. Filming will begin in the UK from January 2025.

The Teen Titans movie is rumoured to be using the roster from the cartoon but that's a current rumour and they haven't decided on the Robin for it.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story will make its debut on HBO and Max from December 7th.

Are we getting a trailer for Superman (2025) in December? The trades/scoopers seem convinced we are and James Gunn hasn't debunked it either. A trailer has been prepared for the occasion.

James Gunn has also mentioned that Superman (2025) will have a serious tone in recent interviews. 

Garrett Dillahunt and Poorna Jagannathan will play William Macon and Zoe for the upcoming Lanterns HBO series, joining series regulars Kyle Chandler, Aaron Pierre and Kelly McDonald. Filming will begin in California in January 2025.

The previously announced Bane and Deathstroke movie will not be a Secret Six movie but will feature other villains, assuming it gets made.

There's a rumour of a potential animated movie trilogy for the classic Batman comic, Knightfall.

Alan Tudyk will voice Dr Phospherus, Clayface and Will Magnus for Creature Commandos. Not to mention that undisclosed role for Superman (2025). Released on Max weekly from December 5th.

Circe will have a large role in the DCU moving forward with Anya Chalotra reprising the role in live action for future projects. That won't be the same for other voice actors.

The Clayface movie rumours with Mike Flanagan writing but not directing have popped up again. It'll be a younger actor for the role if the movie goes ahead. Rumours for a 2025 filming.

The Authority may end up being an animated movie if it ever gets made. I have my doubts on it ever happening.

The Batman - Part II will film in the second half of 2025, likely later summer. The script had yet to be handed in. 

Peacemaker Season 2 has finished filming after seven months. Frank Grillo also revealed a lot about his Rick Flag Sr arc for that show in recent interviews. Brandon Stanley was also cast in an undisclosed role.

The series finale of Superman And Lois airs December 2nd on the CW. It marks the end of an era for DC on the CW.

The Penguin will get a physical release from March 2025. The miniseries recently finished up on HBO.

Tatiana Siegel will be writing a book about the history of the DC franchise. That's gonna be quite a page turner.

James Gunn and Peter Safran won't be attending CCXP in December. 

That's it for this month. Now let's what the final month of 2024 brings for DC Universe.

My Review of Bones And All (2022)

 

Written by David Kajganich

Directed by Luca Guadagnino 

Maren: "I don't wanna hurt anybody."

Lee: "Famous last words."

Earlier this week, I rewatched Call Me By Your Name, so I thought I'd catch up with this somewhat less queer romance movie that packed a different kind of bite instead. Perhaps don't eat anything when watching this.

Focusing on a young girl named Maren Yearly (Taylor Russell), you'd think she was an ordinary teenager but an incident at a sleepover revealed thst she had a thing for human flesh. She ate another girl's finger and it was enough for Maren's father, Frank (Andre Holland) to abandon her on her 18th birthday.

For Maren being abandoned by her father meant that she decided she was going to track down her mother (who also had a penchant for human flesh). Along the way she ended up meeting fellow cannibals.

The first one being the rather creepy Sully (Mark Rylance). While he would later turn on Maren, Sully was important in getting Maren to recognise fellow cannibals but he also resented her breaking away from his influence and his attempts to get back at her took a rather dark turn.

Then there was Lee (Timothee Chalamet). The love interest. The bad boy. The guy who also learned about the "bones and all" method of eating that would come back to haunt both him and Maren. The guy who also hooked up with a bloke before eating him, killed Sully and had his own traumatic family shit to deal with as well.

As a central romance, it a bit more understated but nicely done nonetheless. Ultimately Maren and Lee aren't exactly couple goals but they do try their hand at domestic living before everything went to shit for them. Let's just say, it was an all consuming love affair between the two of them.

- We did meet Maren's mother, Janelle (Chloe Sevigny), who at some point clearly ate her own arms off. Oh and Lee's sister, Kayla (Anna Cobb).

- Recent Halloween trilogy director, David Gordon Green briefly appeared as paraphilic cannibal Brad. Jessica Harper and Michael Stuhlbarg also appear in smaller roles.

- The movie is an adaptation of Camille DeAngelis book of the same name.

- Maren's haircut was influenced by a character from The Silence Of The Lambs.

- Standout music: Duran Duran's Save A Prayer, Animotion's Obsession and Joy Division's Atmosphere.

- Chronology: 1988, taking in Minnesota, Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan.

Bones And All was a delightfully offbeat and macabre take on the usual young adults romance with excellent performances from both Taylor Russell and Timothee Chalamet. While it's gruesome in some parts, it never veered into unnecessary tastelessness. It's well worth a watch. 

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of The Healer (2016)

 

Written And Directed by Paco Arango

Alec: "There seems to be a mistake here. I fix electrical things."

I don't see myself as a particularly religious person and I certainly hold a level of scepticism for faith healers, so the premise of this movie did raise eyebrows. It's a bit on the supernatural side and a lot on the Hallmark one too, even with the bouts of mild swearing in it.

Our "healer" as such was a promiscuous lad about town named Alec Bailey (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). Despite being a seemingly talented mechanical engineer, he's mostly bedding other people's wives and amassing debts for horribly written Russian mobsters, who are too inept to actually catch him.

Then there's a mystery uncle named Raymond (Jonathan Pryce) who offered to pay all of Alec's debts if he relocated to Nova Scotia for a whole year. Alec grudgingly took the offer in spite of his irritation of being compared poorly to his deceased twin, Charlie.

Winding up in the type of small town that you'd see in every Hallmark movie ever, Alec made friends with local vet Cecelia (Camilla Luddington). There's a god awful subplot where she pretended to be a lesbian that was poorly designed to delay the inevitable hooking up with her and Alec. This movie would've benefitted from Cecelia actually being a lesbian and making this movie less vanilla.

Anyways when Alec wasn't getting arrested by the overzealous Tom (Adrian G. Griffiths) or nearly causing the death of Father Molloy (Jorge Garcia), it turned out that he actually could heal people. Something involving family lineage that skips a generation and something that Alec rejected until he came into contact with cancer patient Abigail (Kaitlyn Bernard).

Yes, this movie needed a gutsy teenager to tell the adults they were being silly but mostly her purpose was to get Alec to accept his destiny as a healer. By the end of the movie, he pretty much did, so mission accomplished.

- There's an overlong tribute to Paul Newman at the end of this movie. 

- Dead twin Charlie did briefly pop up in one dream sequence that Alec had. 

- For a movie that was a bit too straight for my tastes, I did like the use of George Michael's Faith.

- Chronology: Started in London, majority took place in Nova Scotia and Alec's 30th birthday was what activated his powers.

Not my usual type of movie and definitely way too much in the Hallmark vein. The Healer does feel well intentioned, albeit rather misguided in its approach to the topic at hand. The romance plot also felt unwarranted too. 

Rating: 5 out of 10 

My Review of Watchmen: Chapter II (2024)

 

Written by Dave Gibbons And J. Michael Straczynski

Directed by Brandon Vietti

Dr. Manhattan (to Silk Spectre II): "This is where we debate Earth's destiny."

With so many things I've been trying to catch up with this month, I had forgotten about this one. I watched and reviewed the first part of this adaptation a few months ago. This second part more or less concluded the original maxiseries arc.

You have got Nite Owl (Matthew Rhys) and Silk Spectre II (Katee Sackhoff) really driving the narrative of this one. The first part hinted at a mutual attraction between the pair of them. This one went further by having them together as a couple and a crime fighting duo. It's actually rather sweet tbh.

In between having sex in Nite Owl's transport, there was also some very important flashbacks where Silk Spectre I (Adrienne Barbeau) confessed to her daughter about being sexually assaulted by the Comedian (Rick D. Wasserman). They were naturally gutting for Janey to hear about her mother but there was the world to save from a maniac and a team to build in order to do that.

The prison scenes with Rorschach (Titus Welliver) were definitely entertaining. Rorschach made it clear to his fellow inmates that being stuck in a prison with him would be much worse for them and delivered on that promise. Even when Nite Owl and Silk Spectre II were breaking him out, he was busy adding to his body count.

As for Dr. Manhattan, even Silk Spectre II got exhausted with the out of sync way he'd convey information to everyone but he was brutal in how he assessed every situation. The final confrontation with Ozymandias (Troy Baker), I'll admit that it lacked a certain punch but the movie itself did end on a slightly hopeful note for a certain couple.

- We got flashbacks to Janey's stepdad being horrible to her and to Rorschach's own messy origins.

- Veidt genuinely believed his actions were for the good, including the Comedian's death.

- Standout music: That Meltdown song during the closing credits was a little catchy.

- Chronology: New York 1985, which was practically going through hell.

Watchmen: Chapter II brings this arc to a good conclusion, not shying away from the ultraviolence of the source material. I didn't know if I liked it at first but having thought about it, I think I enjoyed this more than expected. 

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Dear Santa (2024)

 

Written by Ricky Flitt And Peter Farrelly

Directed by Bobby Farrelly

Satan (to Liam): "You lucked out big time. I'm way better than Santa."

There was a time when Jack Black was a guaranteed draw for the box office but alas for him, those days seem long past him. Maybe twenty years ago, this sort of movie might have been a surprise hit but these days, it's one that's better suited to streaming.

I'll admit the premise for it amused me. You've got a nice but unpopular dyslexic kid named Liam Turner (Robert Timothy Smith). His parents, Bill (Hayes MacArthur) and Molly (Brianne Howey) are fighting to the point where it looked like divorce was on the cards for them and he's not exactly the most popular at his school.

I mean he's got one friend in Gibby (Jaden Carson Becker) but he's also got a crush on Emma (Kai Cech) and her boyfriend Aidan (Gavin Munn) along with Mr Charles (P.J. Byrne) enjoy humililiating him. Oh and it probably doesn't help that Liam also still believed in Santa Claus. 

Now this was the concept somewhat paid off. Being dyslexic, Liam inadvertently sent his letter to Satan (Jack Black) who amused by being by a child decided to "corrupt" Liam as best he could. Getting Emma to like him, a Post Malone concert and straightening Gibby's teeth. Surely those were enough to get Liam to make his last wish.

Apparently not. Liam wisely realised that his soul couldn't be claimed as long as he didn't make that last wish and when he wasn't having to deal with Satan tempting him and an annoying shrink (Keegan-Michael Key), there was the breakdown of his parents marriage. That and the reveal of a dead sibling.

By the end of the movie, we got the twist of Satan being a lower level demon with Lucifer (Ben Stiller) unable to claim Liam's soul. That should've been the end of that but Liam only went and wished for the one thing that did reunite his family, so he's done for.

- Post Malone actually did appear in the movie but was credited as Austin Post. Ben Stiller also played Jack Frost.

- Genies stole the three wishes from Satan, let it be known.

- Standout music: It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas, Congratulations and O Come All Ye Faithful.

- Chronology: Christmas 2024 or likely 2023 had this movie released a year earlier and not been a victim of the strikes from last year.

Personally, while I definitely think Dear Santa would've bombed in theatres and definitely isn't a career boost for Jack Black, it's a surprisingly decent enough movie. You won't love it but you won't hate it either.

Rating: 5 out of 10 

My Review of Superman And Lois 4x09: "To Live And Die Again"

 

Written And Directed by Jai Jamison

Superman (to his family): "I love you all."

Woah, did we just do Batman V. Superman again here? I knew we weren't done with Doomsday and of course, Lex decided the best use of his fancy new suit was to make that thing into an even worse killing machine than before.

Doomsday got a very nice new look for his final form but sadly any hope of Lois tapping into any remaining humanity was a no go. Lex made sure that this time he was focused on killing Superman once and for all. Oh and Lex also decided he wanted a front row seated and all of Smallville nuked for good measure.

It turns out that when an entire town rejects your money, its enough to want to use Doomsday to destroy it. Even Amanda realised that Lex was completely out of his mind and decided to abandon him and throw her lot in with Lois. The one person who had his back all season. Lex really doesn't play well with others.

Amanda's sudden change up did feel a tad rushed but it worked more or less. Thanks to a brief return from Bruno Mannheim, Lois realised that the likely dead Cheryl was another Amanda and that was enough for Lois to wise Amanda up to Lex. Lex also blowing up on Amanda may have also contributed to her change up too.

As for Jonathan and Jordan - well of course they're not strong enough to take out Doomsday. That should've been a given. However that didn't stop either from showing their true heroics in helping citizens to flee Doomsday while their father tried to stop the latter. There's actually a great scene with Jordan and Vicky May and it's easily the best the character has ever had. It's that good.

- Vicky May's had fries for Jordan and a French dip for Jonathan. The former wasn't best pleased.

- Lois has become something of a PR liability thanks to her Godfrey interview.

- I thought we'd see more of the other cast but I'm assuming they're bring saved for next week's big finale.

- Chronology: Not long from where the previous left off. 

To Live And Die Again does seem like it's repeating what we did earlier in the season with Superman and Doomsday but something in spite of having a 60 year old heart, the former might have a very different outcome. I can't believe there's only one more episode to go.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Call Me By Your Name (2017)

 

Written by James Ivory

Directed by Luca Guadagnino 

Oliver (to Elio): "Call me by your name and I'll call you by mine."

When this movie came out seven years ago, it put three people on the map. Two of them have flourished since then and one of them will unlikely get close to the heights they had in their career.

I've only seen this film once a few years ago but with the imminent arrival of Queer, I found myself wanting a refresher. It's a romance that in a new lens would definitely be seen as rather problematic for good reason. It's also a very well done movie and it's easy to see why it opened doors for certain people.

Set in Italy in 1983, you've got Jewish-American grad student Oliver (Armie Hammer) staying with well off Jewish-French-Italian couple the Perlmans. Both parents (Michael Stuhlbarg and Amira Casar) are taken with Oliver but their somewhat sullen son Elio (Timothee Chalamet) doesnt warm to Oliver. In fact, Elio can't stand the sight of Oliver and then something changed.

Between getting romantically involved with local girl Marzia (Esther Garrell) and being forced to spend more time with Oliver, Elio's feelings towards the latter shifted a bit. In fact, Elio went from hating Oliver to falling madly in love with him.

That's where this gets complicated as a movie because of Elio's age and the unequal dynamic between his lack of experience and Oliver being the older and more experienced of the two. It's not a relationship based on equals and the more the movie unfolded, it was also a relationship that was doomed to begin with. 

You've got undeniably brilliant chemistry between Armie Hammer and Timothee Chalamet but it's a very problematic pairing, in spite of one moment where Elio's father gave their beautiful speech about their relationship. In the end and in spite of various intimate scenes between Elio and Oliver, it's a pairing that doesn't come with a happy ending.

- Yes, it's based on the book of the same name by André Aciman. It's also the last installment in Guadagnino's Desire trilogy, which includes I Am Love and A Bigger Splash.

- That infamous peach scene nearly didn't happen with even Luca Guadagnino having some initial reservations on the idea.

- Standout music: The Psychedelic Furs Love My Way and Sufjan Stevens Mystery Of Love.

- Chronology: 1983 Italy. At one point in the movie, Hanukkah was celebrated.

Call Me By Your Name definitely put Luca Guadagnino on the map as a director and it's not hard to see why. It's an utterly captivating movie with stellar performances from both Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer respectively. 

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Wicked: Part I (2024)

 

Written by Winnie Holzman And Dana Fox

Directed by Jon M. Chu

Glinda: "Don't be afraid."

Elphaba: "I'm not afraid. It's the Wizard who should be afraid of me."

With only five and a bit weeks left for 2024, do we have the movie of the year with the first part of Wicked? Now that would be falling into hyperbole but maybe this will be the best movie of the year. I just loved this one so much that I'm eagerly anticipating the second part already.

For those of you who've never read the book or seen any stage production in the last twenty years, this movie basically gives a lot of context between the unlikely friendship/rivalry between Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) and Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande-Butera). Their whole relationship drove this first part throughout.

The movie started with the aftermath of the Wicked Witch of the West's death and the now named Glinda admitting to the citizens of Munchkinland that they were once friends. Then the movie would go on to depict that friendship between the unlikely pair. 

We cut to Elphaba being an outcast in her own family to the point where her own father despised her but loved younger sister, Nessarose (Marisa Bode). The latter was also attending Shiz university with Elphaba being forced to chaperone her younger sister before coming into contact with Galinda and impressing Dean of Sorcery, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh).

The rivalry between the popular Galinda and the outcast Elphaba propelled the first half of the movie. Both took a delight in undermining the other but once, the handsome and rebellious Prince Fiyero Tigelaar (Jonathan Bailey) entered the fray, things certainly took a turn for the better between Elphaba and Galinda.

We actually got to see the two of them form a bond with each other as well as their individual ones with Fiyero. The latter in particular had a connection to Elphaba that he didn't quite have with Galinda. When the last animal teacher in the university, Dr Dillamond (Peter Dinklage), Fiyero stepped up in a way that impressed Elphaba. Fiyero doesn't appear as much as I hoped but every scene he's in was a joy to watch.

As for the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) himself. This wasn't a kind depiction of an already dubious at best character from the original source material. He's a selfish man who manipulated Elphaba for his own selfish ends to seize control over Oz along with Morrible. There's a beautiful moment towards the end of this first part that highlighted the complexity of Elphaba and Galinda's relationship before the former took control of her own destiny. At no point in this movie was I not on Elphaba's side.

- The opening sequence actually shows Dorothy Gale with the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion. The former as a cub is also set free by Elphaba and Fiyero.

- Ethan Slater does a good job as smitten munchkin, Boq. His side romance with Nessarose was actually quite sweet.

- We didn't get ruby slippers but we didn't get silver shoes either. Nessarose's footwear choice were more jewelled.

- Even I cheered when Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenowith popped up during one particular scene. 

- Standout music: It's the obvious choices but for good reason. Defying Gravity, What Is This Feeling, Popular, Dancing Through Life, The Wizard And I and No One Mourns The Wicked.

- Chronology: Depicting the younger years of both characters with the opening scene being after the events of The Wizard Of Oz of course. Wicked: Part II releases on November 21st 2025.

I absolutely adored Wicked: Part I. I know there's a month to go but I think this will be my favourite film of 2024. As someone who wasn't initially sure about Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera, I am more than happy to admit to beinging wrong here. They are absolutely incredible as Elphaba and Galinda and Jonathan Bailey just lit up the screen as Fiyero. An absolute triumph.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

Doctor Who Day 2024 Highlights (Spoilers)

Yesterday was the 61st birthday of Doctor Who and I purposely held off posting anything because I wanted to do a round up of stuff. Without further ado, here goes.

First of all, let's talk about upcoming Christmas special, Joy To The World. The festive special written by Steven Moffat and directed by Alex Pillai.

• A clip was released during Children In Need last week showing the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Joy (Nicola Coughlan) facing off a dinosaur.
• The concept of the episode seems to involve a time travelling London hotel of sorts. There's a mix of different time periods though Joy is a contemporary character.
• No idea who the actual villain is but we do have a Silurian played by Jonathan Aris and Villengard also make an appearance.
• The episode will be simulcast on BBC1, iPlayer and Disney+ on Christmas Day. The exact time to be confirmed.

Stepping away from the special, as part of the show's 61st birthday, the BBC made the scripts for Season 1 (Series 14) available, including scenes that didn't make it into the episodes available. There's also a 10 minute video on the official YouTube page of deleted scenes to delight in.

Meanwhile if you've enjoyed the colourised version of The Daleks from last year, then how about another one. Yup, I'm talking about the imminent release of The War Games.

• It'll be a 90 minute version of the ten episode serial and will air on BBC4 on December 23rd. Exact time to be confirmed.
• It'll have an updated sound and score as well as visual effects to appeal to a modern audience.
• The episode will feature a never seen before regeneration between Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee's respective Doctors.
• Though not confirmed, I'd expect a physical release at some point for this updated version of the classic story.

Other highlights from yesterday included the mention of an auction for props and costumes (including an 11th Doctor jacket) in February 2025 as well as Steven Moffat having done a watch along for Boom last night. Oh and there was a six hour livestream of highlights, currently available on the official YouTube page and a Casio A159 watch with limited edition Christmas box and free TARDIS badge. Yup, that's a thing.

Last but by no means least, I haven't forgotten about upcoming spin off series, The War Between The Land And The Sea. What's been going on with that since I last talked about it?

• Thanks to set reports, Russell Tovey's character is called Barclay, who seems to be a political figure romantically involved with a Sea Devil.
• Gugu Mbatha-Raw seems to be playing the Sea Devil that Tovey's character is involved with.
• Other cast members who have been confirmed for the show include Patrick Baladi, Vincent Franklin, Adrian Lukis, Francesca Corney and Mei Mac.
• The Sea Devils have gotten a modern update akin to the Silurians from 2010.
• Russell T. Davies has written the first and fifth episodes while Pete McTighe has written the second and third episodes. Both of them wrote the fourth episode together while Dylan Holmes Williams has directed all five episodes.

As for the main show itself, Season 3 (Series 16) has yet to be officially greenlit by the BBC and Disney+ and we likely won't find out until after the upcoming second season airs in early 2025. Personally, I think it'll be renewed but with a few shake ups. 

Doctor Who - Joy To The World will air on BBC1/iPlayer/Disney+ on Christmas Day with Season 2 in early 2025. The War Between The Land And The Sea will also air, likely in late 2025.

My Review of Maestro (2023)

 

Written by Bradley Cooper And Josh Singer

Directed by Bradley Cooper 

Leonard: "You made an exception for me!"

Felicia: "I thought maybe you were worth making an exception for."

It wasn't so long that the discourse surrounding this movie and it's leading man/co-writer/director's bid for an Oscar became a bit all consuming. There are award contenders that often rub folk up the wrong way. This movie certainly inspired a fair amount of ire. Was it justified ire?

I hate to admit it but maybe it was a little justifed. I mean it's taken me a year since it's release on Netflix to actually watch this one and even then, it felt random. I wanted to give this movie the benefit of the doubt because on paper, it should've been an easy win for Bradley Cooper but in all honesty, I somewhat struggled with this one a lot.

In this two hour plus biopic, Bradley Cooper took on the role of composer Leonard Bernstein. The movie mostly focused on Bernstein's romance, marriage and eventual seperation from his wife, actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). It's something of a happy union, in spite of Felicia's awareness of her husband's relationships with men.

Yes, the movie itself didn't totally shy from the fact that Bernstein was a man who had relationships with other men. The most notable one being his romance with clarinetist David Oppenheim (Matt Bomer). However that's not a relationship that lasted long when Leonard decided to make an honest woman out of Felicia and raise a family.

As the film bounced between black and white for the early years of Bernstein's life and career, the switch to colour then jarred a bit. It did however seemed to go with Bernstein having to accept the end of his marriage and a more honest relationship with his children, specifically eldest daughter, Jamie (Maya Hawke). 

There's some decent focus given to Felicia's illness and death while the beginning and end of this movie centred on Bernstein himself working in London with a symphony orchestra. When Cooper dialled himself down in certain scenes, he's effective as Bernstein but he's hammy at times and often during the wrong time that I'm surprised he was in consideration for awards with this one.

- Other noteworthy (though not always positive) performances included Michael Urie, Sarah Silverman and Zachary Booth as Jerry Robbins, Shirley Bernstein and Mendy Wager.

- The movie had a limited theatrical run before getting a Netflix release a month later.

- Standout music: The compositions used in the movie included On The Waterfront, Facsimile: Molto adagio, Fancy Free and Mass to name a few.

- Chronology: The movie spans from 1943 New York to 1973 London and back to 1987 for Bernstein's life after Felicia.

On paper, I genuinely should've loved Maestro because there's certainly moments that pull me in. Saying that as a movie, both Cooper and Mulligan's performances are a bit too theatrical to the point where it derailed a lot of what both were trying to do and that brought the movie down for me.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Unicorns (2024)

 

Written by James Krishna Floyd

Directed by Sally El Hosaini And James Krishna Floyd

Aysha: "Would you have had sex with me the night we met if I were a woman?"

Luke: "But you're not."

A film that I wish I had seen during the summer but didn't get around to finally made it's debut on Netflix this month. Needless to say, I had to watch it and it was quite a delight. Think of two different worlds colliding and you've got this movie.

First of all, you've got the straight, masc presenting single father and mechanic Luke (Ben Hardy). He makes the mistake of going to a bathroom and ending up in an underground nightclub that would certainly take him out of his usual comfort zone as well as encountering a certain someone.

The someone in question being Gaysian Drag artist Aysha (Jason Patel). Luke's a bit smitten and has no problem kissing Aysha outside the club. Then when he realised that Aysha was a man, he had a bit of a freakout for himself. Self loathing gay storyline? Not entirely. 

This movie somewhat subverted that trope a tad by having Aysha hire him as her driver and the more time Luke and Aysha spent together, the more they bonded. Luke even introduced Aysha to his son, Jamie at one point in the movie and the latter warmed to Aysha.

Of course, there was the matter of physical attraction as well. It definitely took Luke a while to have sex with Aysha, even though his initial hang ups annoyed the latter. However, Luke as a character somewhat matured as the movie progressed while an acid attack from a rival named Karen (Ali Afzal) forced Aysha almost to retreat into themselves.

I was concerned that this movie was going to end on a gloomy note with Ayesha staying with their parents, only for Luke to get Aysha out of their shell. Overall, it did end on a rather positive note for both Luke and Aysha.

- Aysha's family definitely knew about his sexuality but chose to ignore it until Luke turned up at their house.

- Aysha's drag friends were funny, especially the one who revealed they were 30. The wig pulling between Aysha and Karen certainly had a camp quality to it.

- There's a nice subplot with Luke reconnecting (but not getting back together) with Jamie's mother. She's written as a sympathetic character, though unaware of his relationship with Aysha.

- Chronology: Present day London, though Luke was from Essex and Aysha from Manchester.

Unicorns certainly was an unflinching movie between two very different men from very different worlds. There's great performances from both Ben Hardy and Jason Patel in their respective roles and the ending definitely landed for me. I really enjoyed this one.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Passages (2023)

 

Written by Mauricio Zacharias And Ira Sachs And Arlette Langmann

Directed by Ira Sachs

Tomas: "You know what I was doing last night?"

Martin: "No but whatever it was you sound very excited."

There are still a few films from last year I had not caught up and this one I had been meaning to watch for a while. I'll admit, it's got a premise I'm not particularly keen on but the execution was a bit better than I thought it would be.

In this movie, you've got German director Tomas Freiburg (Franz Rogowski) living in Paris, making movies and having a bit of a stagnating marriage to Martin (Ben Whishaw). Thomas's attempts to add some excitement to his own discontentment though would cause more harm than good.

A random encounter with a woman named Agathe (Adele Exarchopoulos) resulted in Tomas embarking on a relationship with her while also trying to maintain his marriage to Martin. For a moment, it seemed like Martin was willing to go along with the idea before he dumped Tomas.

Of course while Martin spent a lot of the movie bring angry at Tomas's growing relationship with Agathe, he didn't stay single for long. He hooked up with a hot writer named Amad (Erwan Kepoa Falé), much to the annoyance of his estranged husband. It's a relationship he was better suited to as well.

However with Tomas getting Agathe pregnant and being under the scrutiny of her parents, even Tomas realised he had it better with Martin. The reunion between the two only served as a reminder that they're a genuinely mismatched pair.

I think as a protagonist/main character, while Tomas is undeniably human and isn't being intentionally malicious, he does seem to want to have the best of both worlds. Ultimately he ended up with neither as both Martin and Agathe eventually rejected him, ending this movie on a bitter note.

- This movie got to Sundance after being rejected from both Cannes and the Venice Film festivals.

- Both Ira Sachs and Mubi rejected the NC-17 rating for the movie. There's a few sex scenes in this one.

- Standout music: Janet Penford's Won't You Buy My Sweet Blooming Lavender.

- Chronology: A contemporary setting in Paris. Tomas and Martin have been married for six years.

Despite my general dislike for a certain trope this movie was built on, I do have affection for Passages. It's well written, quite moody in parts and the performances from the three leads are good. The realistic ending very much worked in this movie's favour as well.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Doctor Odyssey: "Quackers"

 

Written by Ryan Murphy And Jon Robin Baitz 

Directed by Maggie Kiley 

Avery: "I'm pregnant."

Heading into mid season finale domain and it was time for something a little bit dramatic but also a tad obvious. Yup, Avery's pregnant and doesn't know who the father is. 

At the start of the episode, we got her feeling nauseous over paints and then when her two highschool friends showed up on The Odyssey, Avery admitted that she wasn't sure whay she wanted to do.

Of course the more interesting part of this story was saved for the ending. The differences in reactions that both Max and Tristan had to the news was very much night and day. Max went into pure practical mode about Avery being able to balance both motherhood and her medical career. It was his way of being supportive.

Tristan on the other hand, I found his reaction more interesting. It seems that getting someone pregnant at sea isn't a new experience and was expecting Avery not to want to go through with the pregnancy. He sounded supported but weirdly resigned to something that he knew wasn't in his control. Avery on the other hand, she didn't seem to give any indicator as to what she planned to do herself.

As for the main plot of the week, well only on a Ryan Murphy show. It turned out that a bunch of eccentric people playing treasure hunt with a ridiculous amount of rubber duckies is actually a thing. The founder, Jill Manafort (Loretta Devine) had Lorena's backing and Robert's confusion for it.

However between Max's overall disdain for the premise (he's very environmentally conscious), the bigger issue came with Jill's husband Jerry eating inanimate objects (including a gold rubber ducky) that almost killed him. It does slightly ground an overall ridiculous but moderately amusing theme of the week.

- Tristan got to tell Vivian about his Venezuelan heritage during the contest while the two of them tried to define their relationship.

- It was nice to see Max getting some screentime with Rosie and Corey this week. Give them more to do in the second half of the season.

- The show will return in March with a mostly uninterrupted schedule.

- Chronology: The episode took place over the course of a week.

Quackers had more rubber duckies than anyone would ever need to see in their whole lives. It's a generally decent mid season finale but eight episodes in, the show still feels like its treading water at times. I'm hoping it gets better in its second half.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of The Northman (2022)

 

Written by Sjon And Robert Eggers

Directed by Robert Eggers 

Amleth: "I will avenge you, Father! I will save you, Mother! I will kill you, Fjölnir!"

Playing catch-up again, prior to the imminent release of Nosferatu, I found myself watching this bloody Viking led movie and its quite the bloody tale of vengeance.

Somewhat based on the legend of Amleth (Alexander Skarsgard/Oskar Novak), you've got his journey as a young man who delighted in seeing the return of his father, King Aurvandill War-Raven (Ethan Hawke) to the tragedy of his father's death. A death that was at the hands of his uncle Fjölnir the Brotherless (Claes Bang). 

Forced to stay away from his mother, Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman) and sold into slavery as a grown man, Amleth was determined to get his revenge and nothing was going to get in his way. In fact being sold to Fjölnir and looked over by the latter's son, Thorir the Proud (Gustav Lindh) turned out to be an advantage for Amleth.

It gave him time to form an alliance and relationship with sorceress Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy) while also undermining Fjölnir at every turn. What Amleth hadn't considered was his mother in all of this, much to a personal cost.

It turned out thst not only did Gudrún marry Fjölnir voluntarily but she also had a son with him and had been the one who conspired with Fjölnir to kill both Aurvandill and Amleth to begin with. It's a nasty blow for Amleth and o e that he reacted badly too as the battle between him and Fjölnir descended into Hel. 

The battle between the warring pair certainly lying brought this to a rather bloody conclusion. In the end, one boodline almost certainly died out while another continued through Olga. Amleth got his revenge but at the cost of his own life.

- Yes, the tale would largely inspired a certain piece from William Shakespeare many centuries later. It's the blueprint.

- There's something jarring in seeing Alexander Skarsgard and Nicole Kidman go from a married couple in Big Little Lies to a warring son and mother here. The inclusion of a certain scene also didn't help either.

- Bjork makes a rather creepy cameo as the Seer while other alumni from Eggers such as Willem Dafoe, Kate Dickie and Ralph Ineson also have roles in this movie.

- Chronology: The film started in AD 895 but moving a few years later for the adult Amleth.

The Northman doesn't make for the easiest of viewings but I have to admire Robert Eggers refusal to go all mainstream too. Unlike his previous movies, this felt like a blockbuster but also a bit too weird to be one as well. It's not my favourite of his so far but I definitely liked it.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Hot Frosty (2024)

 

Written by Russell Hainline

Directed by Jerry Ciccoritti

Kathy: "I'm getting grief counselling from a snowman."

It's November so Netflix are a month behind on Hallmark's Christmas movie assault but that doesn't mean they can't generate the bigger headlines with some of their choices. Like this one for example.

If you were dying to see a sexy Jack Frost, well then, this one will be for you. The titular character, simply going by Jack (Dustin Milligan) got brought to life once single girl of the story Kathy Barrett (Lacey Chabert) placed a scarf on the sexy snowman and brought him to life.

From there on in, this movie played exactly as you expected to, almost beat for beat. Jack immediately found Kathy and in spite of her scepticism about being a snowman, she couldn't resist getting involved with him. 

Of course it's not just Kathy taken in by Jack's charms. The ladies of Hope Springs have no problem with his lack of attire or shirt in certain scenes while even Deputy Sherriff Ed Schatz (Joe Lo Truglio) found himself charmed by Jack. The whole community loved the guy on the spot.

Of course there was at least one exception to the rule. There was Sheriff Nathaniel Hunter (Craig Robinson). He was overzealous in wanting to uphold the law and even Jack had to pay for some minor crimes he commited when he first came to life. 

By the end of this movie, Jack was in danger of doing what snowmen must do and that was to melt away. Of course, true love had other plans and he became human instead. Come on, the kind of movie this was, there was no way it was going to end like The Snowman. It's a cute ending though.

- You get the feeling this movie was originally aimed for Hallmark before they decided that Lacey Chabert had aged out of their market range.

- There's a nice (but not subtle) Mean Girls reference as well as a reference to another Netflix Christmas movie. Two words: Lindsay Lohan.

- Standout music: The usual classics, in particular Jingle Bells Rock.

- Chronology: Christmas time in the lovely fictional town of Hope Springs.

I don't watch a lot of these movies but when I do, I'll admit in spite of their overtime cheesiness, they're usually inoffensive fun. Hot Frosty did feel a bit more polished compared to it's Hallmark counterparts but it's fun with believable chemistry between the leads. It did what it needed to and succeeded with it.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Superman And Lois 4x08: "Sharp Dressed Man"

 

Written by Brent Fletcher And Todd Hellbing

Directed by Michael Cudlitz

Lex (to Amanda): "Now that is a killer suit."

As we edge closer and closer to the very end of this show, there's time for Lex to make a few more underhanded moves against the Kents and Superman. What better way with some good PR?

Enter talk show host Gordon Godfrey. Yes, the mystery has finally been solved in terms of who Tom Cavanagh was playing this season as he popped up here.  Usually, this guy's connected to Darkseid but here, Godfrey's sole purpose was to make Lex look to the general public. He might have just succeeded.

Despite being encouraged by Clark to go the rebuttal route, Lois instead agreed on go on Godfrey's late night show to challenge Lex publicly. At first it looked like Lex was winning, then Lous almost came out on top. She nearly had Lex but then Dr Milton Fine (Nikolai Witschl) got the upper hand.

Assuming he's Brainiac, they really did wait until the last minute to introduce the guy. They also made sure that he made a lot of noise in this episode. When he wasn't scuppering Lois's attempts to take down Lex, Milton also went after John and Natalie.

The antics with faking a crash in order to gain access to their suits was a clever ruse. Unfortunately for John and Natalie, it also worked with Lex having the suit he really wanted. Yup, despite some initial setback, Lex won this round. He even got a kiss from Amanda.

- Lois was officially cancer free, there was jokes about her grammar and that favourite bar of hers was referenced.

- Otis ended up being killed off screen. Lex didn't lie about Otis beating him up in prison.

- Bit of a subplot with Jonathan and Candice breaking up as well as a dated Jamie Kennedy reference. Would a teenager in 2024 even know who he is?

- Chronology: Not long from where the previous episode left off.

Sharp Dressed Man certainly saw Lex coming out on top while also foreshadowing a predicted fate for Superman in light of recent events. Just two more to go.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Gladiator II (2024)

 

Written by Peter Craig And David Scarpa

Directed by Ridley Scott

Lucius: "What does my past matter, when my future is only to die as a gladiator?"

Ah, the legacy sequel. When they hit, they can really hit and when they miss, they certainly miss. Where does this one fit into things? If I'm being honest, there's elements of both at play here. I liked but did not love this movie.

Following a slew of critically acclaimed and some financially successful smaller movies, this was Paul Mescal's chance to prove he could play in the blockbuster space. I think he has the knack for that and with Lucius "Hanno" Verus, he effectively was given a superhero role without actually taking one.

Lucius was the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and Maximus Decimus (Russell Crowe) and like his father, he too, started this movie by losing his wife (Yuval Gonen) and winding up in slavery. It's not long before he's acquired by villain of the piece, Macrinus (Denzel Washington) and trained up to be a Gladiator. It's a path that Lucius grudgingly embraced along with a tense reunion with his mother.

Of course like his father, Lucius was motivated by revenge to offset Macrinus's thirst for power and control over. Macrinus in particular certainly played brother Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) off each rather well. On top of that, he also managed to orchestrate the respective downfalls of both Lucilla and her new husband, Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal).

Getting to Marcus Acacius, I was expecting more from Pedro Pascal. Not in terms of performance because Pascal doesn't put a foot wrong here but more in terms of screentime. He's actually not got a lot to do here and there's a revenge subplot between him and Lucius that felt poorly fleshed out with an almost rushed conclusion to it. I have similar thoughts about Lucius's subplot with Lucilla as well.

On the other hand, the dynamic between Lucius and Macrinus was easily the best thing about the movie. Both Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington are magnificent in their scenes together with the final few minutes dedicated to their rivalry coming to a rather swift conclusion. Fortunately the movie was smart enough to make sure it didn't the exact same ending as the first one in regards to Lucius's fate, thus opening that door for a third chapter. 

- May Calamawy was meant to be the female lead in this movie but her scenes were cut big time. You see her very briefly though.

- Macrinus is bisexual and even kissed a man but that scene also got cut. Saying that, Denzel Washington certainly played him like a bisexual man.

- Derek Jacobi popped up again as Senator Gracchus and even Matt Lucas had a few scenes as the Master of Ceremonies.

- There was some genuinely mad ideas involving a massive rhino that should've killed Lucius and mutant baboons. Caracalla also appointed his monkey Dondas as first consul.

- Standout music: The soundtrack has some good ones, including Strength And Honour, Let The Gods Decide, War Real War, The Dream Is Lost and Now We Are Free.

- Chronology: It's been sixteen years since the events of the first Gladiator movie for Lucius.

Gladiator II was something that treaded similar ground to it's first movie with a few differences but didn't quite come as well as it could've done. The lead performances are great, the action sequences executed well and there's some mad ideas that are to be admired. Overall, it's a good follow up to a classic movie but not without it's flaws.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of The Fall Of The House Of Usher (2023 Netflix Miniseries)

 

Written by Mike Flanagan And Emmy Grinwis And Justina Ireland And Mat Johnson And Dani Parker And Rebecca Leigh Klingel And Jamie Flanagan And Kiele Sanchez

Directed by Mike Flanagan And Michael Fimognari 

Verna: "The house of Usher. May it rest in peace."

With this, I have come to the endeth of my Mike Flanagan Netflix horror miniseries binge. It's been a rather fun two weeks watching these shows in a near vacuum but all good things come to an end and there's something oddly full circle about this particular series.

Flanagan started off with the Crain family back in 2018 and while they were dysfunctional, they also clearly loved each other. The Ushers on the other hand, they're more the polar opposite in this Succession style retelling of some Edgar Allen Poe tales.

Let's talk about the Ushers, shall we? You've got brother and sister duo, Roderick (Bruce Greenwood/Zach Gilford) and Madeline (Mary McDonnell/Willa Fitzgerald). They're a ruthlessly ambitious sibling act, desperate to take over their illegitimate father, William's (Robert Lomgstreet) pharmaceutical company, Fortunato but instead, they're having to deal with the obstacle of Rufus Griswold (Michael Trucco). That was until he wasn't an obstacle for them.

Of course to get ahead in life and when they weren't working with/backstabbing the likes of Assistant US Attorney C. Auguste Dupin (Carl Lumbly/Malcolm Goodwin), the sibling duo entered a treacherous deal with the mysterious Verna (Carla Gugino) aka the Raven of this macabre miniseries. A deal that would cost them dearly.

Verna was happy to grant Roderick and Madeline's wish for success but it was a price that eventually Roderick's children (most of whom were illegitimate) had to pay. It probably doesn't help that because of Roderick's power games and influence that his children were predominantly selfish people, this making it harder to feel bad for most of them.

Between the second and penultimate episode, the downfall of each child varied but were effective nonetheless. Prospero (Sauriyan Sapkota) succumbed to an acid attack in a nightclub while PR machine Camille L'Espanaye (Kate Siegel) had her face mauled by another siblings monkey. Each death got crazier as the show went along.

There was Napoleon (Rahul Kohli) being driven mad by cat while Victorine LaFourcade (T'Nia Miller) ended up killing herself. Vain Goldbug founder and cuckqueen Tamerlane (Samantha Sloyan) got butchered by glass, following her public downfall but the most deserving fate was left to eldest child Frederick (Henry Thomas). Let's just there's a certain Poe story that's brilliantly executed here for this one. 

Of course while the Ushers themselves had a reputation that even Camille couldn't whitewash, what about the people within their orbit? Dupin in particular found himself summoned on the last night of Roderick and Madeline to hear the story he wanted to hear. In flashbacks we also saw Roderick's marriage to his only moral compass, Annabel Lee (Katie Parker) fall apart with the more Madeline influenced her brother.

Then there's the Ushers right hand man, Arthur Gordon Pym (Mark Hamill). He was a handy person for the Ushers to have in their pocket and one that was so hardened, even Verna herself struggled to tempt him. Even I was a bit surprised by that.

There's some emphasis on the Usher kids spouses and partners, but often they're very secondary to things. Morella (Crystal Balint), fellow doctor Ali (Paola Nunez) and fitness guy William (Matt Biedel) were probably the worst treated by their Usher partners with Leo's boyfriend, Julius (Daniel Jun) reasonably treated in comparison. Also Roderick's only grandchild Lenore (Kyliegh Curran) being the only Usher with a moral compass along with Roderick's second wife, Juno (Ruth Codd).

As for Verna herself, Carla Gugino must have had a lot of fun with this character. She got to have so many different guises as she claimed each Usher throughout the series. She also had great but often different reactions in how Verna approached each of them as well as her final scene, one they had all been taken off the board. This might be her best role yet in Flanagan's horror universe.

- Episode titles for this were A Midnight Dreary, The Masque Of The Red Death, Murder In The Rue Morgue, The Black Cat, The Tell-Tale Heart, Goldbug, The Pit And The Pendulum and The Raven.

- With the exception of Roderick and Frederick (maybe Tamerlane and Lenore), nearly all of the Ushers were LGBT. Dupin also mentioned having a husband in the last episode.

- Other alumni actors who popped up were Annabeth Gish, Lulu Wilson, Alex Essoe, Igby Rigney and Aya Furukawa.

- Althought this was Flanagan's last horror show for Netflix, he had expressed an interest in adapting Hell House. He likely will too but for somewhere else.

- Standout music: The Newton Brothers did some great work here once more.

- Chronology: The downfall itself took place over a span of two weeks in November 2023. The flashbacks were largely set between 1953 and 1980.

Now this definitely packed a bit more of a punch. The Fall Of The House Of Usher played like the horror version of Succession and did with aplomb. Some genuinely horrible but fascinating character, a man willing to finally bring down the crime family and a harbinger of doom that was fun to watch. A great final installment to this Netflix horror universe.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Heretic (2024)

 

Written And Directed by Scott Beck And Bryan Woods

Reed: "Well, ladies. I think it's time."

Sister Barnes: "Time for what?"

Reed: "Time for enlightenment."

2024 has been quite the year for horror with both well received sequel/prequels and other original fare seeping through. Yes, there's also been a few duds but the output has been largely positive this year.

Now where does this movie fit? Is it good or bad? Does it try to do something new within the genre? After all, it's not the first religious themed horror movie this year but it's one where we're spared demonic pregnancies, so points there.

The movie started off with two Mormon missionaries - Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East). They're spreading the word of God and on their way, they make the unwise decision to visit obvious weirdo, Mr Reed (Hugh Grant). It's a decision they end up regretting.

Going into the strange man's house, they keep asking for his wife (as part of their own beliefs to have a woman in the room with them) and he kept trying to derail the conversation. Eventually when it dawned on them that he's nuts, they're given a terrible option in order to get their freedom back.

The second half of the movie somewhat trailed into weirdness. There was an old woman (Elle Young) rambling about being a prophet and then Sister Barnes was seemingly killed off after a secret about her was revealed (a contraceptive implant). Then Reed showed Paxton all the other women that he had kept prisoner.

Needless to say, there's a battle of wits between both Reed and Paxton about the nature of all religions being used to control people. It's a bit messily done but Hugh Grant certainly sold that scene well before one of them managed to make it out of the movie alive.

- A blueberry pie was actually a blueberry scented candle and Sister Paxton had a thing for butterflies.

- Topher Grace had a brief but not very interesting or effective role as Elder Kennedy.

- Standout music: There's references to Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Creep and The Air That I Breathe.

- Chronology: Present day America. I'm uncertain as to where it's specifically set.

Heretic was a nice against type role for Hugh Grant and he certainly played the role well. He's backed up nicely by both Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East. Overall, while not as good as I thought it would, it's pretty solid and made for a diverting time. 

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of The Invisible Man (2020)

 

Written And Directed by Leigh Whannell

Cecelia (to Adrian): "Surprise!"

There was a time, not so long ago that Universal had planned a big and connected horror universe but with the flop of The Mummy that idea got quickly abandoned. Instead, it was a case of reviving horror icons but keeping them in their own worlds.

That shift in ideas definitely benefits this particular version of The Invisible Man because it feels too grounded to be in a shared universe. Not to mention, it's given a rather definitive ending that doesn't seem to lend itself out to further expansion.

However while past versions of the titular character aka Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) have been more heroic, this one's a straight up menace. A controlling mad scientist and Cobalt CEO, the movie opened with Adrian being drugged by his girlfriend, Cecelia Kass (Elisabeth Moss). Yes, she had good reason to do it.

Cecelia was trying to escape the abusive relationship she was suffering from with Adrian and had gotten her sister, Emily (Harriet Dyer) to aid her escape while staying with her detective best friend, James Lanier (Aldis Hodge) and his daughter, Sydney (Storm Reid). It seemed like she was free of Adrian, even more so when his brother, Tom (Michael Dorman) told her Adrian was dead.

Of course at no point in this movie were we as an audience meant to believe that and it didn't take long for an invisible Adrian to terrorise the living daylights out of Cecelia. Messing up job interviews, breakfasts, drugging her with diazapam and yeah, killing her own sister in a restaurant. Adrian's onslaught of terror on Cecelia was relentless.

It got to the point in the movie that Adrian succeeded in nearly removing all of Cecelia's support system, even letting her rot in jail until she managed to fight back. There's a bluff with Adrian making it look like Tom had tied him up and was actually the one hounding Cecelia but the latter saw throught that and got her revenge.

For a title villain of the piece, Oliver Jackson-Cohen definitely got very little screen time as Adrian but certainly made the most of the material regardless. It's Elisabeth Moss who dominated as Cecelia and there's something satisfying in the revenge that she enacted on Adrian. He really should've seen it coming.

- Originally this was going to be a movie that had Johnny Depp as the title character but I think we fared a lot better with what we got here.

- There's a connection to Whannell's other movie, Upgrade here through the fictional Cobalt company.

- Funnily enough a sequel has been discussed (where would they go with that?) as well as a movie for The Invisible Woman but whether either happen remains to be seen.

- Chronology: Present day San Francisco, thought the movie was filmed in Australia.

This version of The Invisible Man might have taken our title character down a villainous path for a sci-fi take of domestic abuse and coercive control, but it was worth it. Great performances from Elisabeth Moss and Oliver Jackson-Cohen and a satisfying ending make this a very worthy reboot.

Rating: 8 out of 10