My Review of The Sandman: "Death: The High Cost Of Living"

 

Written by Neil Gaiman And Allan Heinberg

Directed by Jamie Childs

Death (to Sexton): "Thank you. I had a nice day."

Last week felt like the true finale to the show but this episode could maybe be seen as an epilogue for this show overall. It's also got a very simple premise.

The premise being what would happen if Death took the day off? Every one hundred years that's exactly what she does. She takes a day off and lives a human life. She wanted the whole experience and for that, she needed human interaction.

That would come in the form of Sexton Furnival (Colin Morgan). He's a journalist who broke up with a woman named Sylvie. His flatmate Billie (Jade Anouka) wanted him out of the way so she could have sex with her girlfriend, Amelia (Adwoa Akoto). They'd end up in a fight before later making up.

As for Sexton, he was considering suicide until an accident put him in Death's crossbars and the two struck up a rather chaotic friendship. Oh and Mad Hettie putting them together in order to retrieve her "soul".

Throw in friendly cab driver Lennie (Tracy Ann Oberman), a nightclub reunion with Billie and Amelia and their single friend, Jackie (Ellie Mejia) and things were getting a bit much for Sexton. Then there was Theo (Jonno Davies) holding both Sexton and Death at gunpoint in order to get the latter to bring back his dead girlfriend. 

Eventually they got free, Death seemed happy with how her day as a human turned out and then she "died". Oh and Mad Hettie's "soul" was a picture of her daughter and Sexton got a new lease of life and a potential new girlfriend with Jackie.

- Sexton liked three sugars in his tea and wrote climate reports for The Guardian. He also had a Superman mug and found a Superman fridge magnet.

- Theo learned that Death's sigil couldn't bring people back or control Death herself.

- Death went under the alias of Didi, given to her by Sexton. She also had a conversation with herself near the end of the episode.

- Sylvie is never once seen in the episode, despite being frequently mentioned.

- This episode officially marked the end of this saga. Originally there was a Dead Boy Detectives scene that got cut from the series.

- Chronology: Present day London for the duration of the episode.

Death: The High Cost Of Living was a quiet way to end things. Were things different, I'd like to think that Netflix would've given this show a third season and covered more arcs but I'm grateful for what we did manage to get. Great performances from Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Colin Morgan.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

DCU Blog - July 2025 Edition: Superman Soars, Supergirl First Poster, Wonder Woman Movie Fast Tracked

Yes, it's the end of July and with it, some of the most exciting stuff to happen in relation to DC. Oh, it's been a hell of a month.

As of now, Superman (2025) has made over $516 million worldwide at the box office. The movie's an undeniable hit. A digital release has yet to be confirmed.

Naomi Ackie has been cast as the female lead for Clayface (September 11th 2026). Filming will begin in the UK next month. 

Yet again, James Gunn has reaffirmed that Robert Pattinson will not be the DCU Batman. The Batman - Part II will film early next year for it's October 1st 2027 release.

James Gunn has also confirmed that The Brave And The Bold is still happening.

The first poster for Supergirl (2026) was released earlier this month. The movie will be released from June 26th 2026.

Luca Guadagnino has stepped away from Sgt. Rock. James Gunn has said the movie will happen with a new director.

James Gunn has confirmed that he won't be writing the second season of Creature Commandos.

The first in a series of an animated one shots for Krypto is rumoured to be coming out in September.

Ana Nogueira has been confirmed as the writer of the upcoming Wonder Woman movie. She's also still writing the Teen Titans movie, though that's on hold for a bit.

James Gunn and Zack Snyder parodied themselves in a recent episode of Rick And Morty.

Aztec Batman: Clash Of Empires will be released from September 19th.

Mattson Tomlin has hinted that he might be writing for another DC hero in a recent Twitter exchange.

The second season of Peacemaker (August 21st on HBO Max) will feature cameos from past and future DC characters. There's a podcast every Thursday and Monday from James Gunn and guests going over the first season.

Keeping with the awards buzz, The Penguin has been nominated for 24 Emmys.

David Jenkins will write and executive produce the pilot for Booster Gold. Kumail Nanjiani will not be playing the titular role.

Filming for Lanterns has wrapped. It'll air on HBO in the first half of 2026. The show will be John Stewart's story.

That's it for this month but things are certainly hotting up for DC right now.

My Review of Mulan (1998)

 

Written by Rita Hsiao And Chris Sanders And Philip LaZebnik And Raymond Singer And Eugenia Bostwick-Singer And Robert D. San Souci

Directed by Barry Cook And Tony Bancroft

Mulan: "My ancestors sent a little lizard to help me?"

Mushu: "Hey! Dragon. *Dra-gon*, not lizard. I don't do that tongue thing."

Back in 2020 when the live action version of this came out during the height of COVID and went down like a lead balloon, I reviewed. I also realised that I never reviewed the animated version. Time to amend that.

Our lead heroine, Fa Mulan (Ming-Na Wen) has gotten to that age where her parents wanted to marry her but after one disastrous encounter with a matchmaker, it seemed like marriage wasn't going to be on the table for Mulan.

Of course, marriage wasn't that big a priority for Mulan and when the Emperor was mobilising conscriptions that included Mulan's much older father, Fa Zhao (Soon-tek Oh). Mulan tried to get him out of it, he didn't like her intervention and then she conscribed herself in his place.

Mulan posing as a man in the Chinese Army aided with tiny dragon Mushu (Eddie Murphy) was where the movie came to life. She butted heads and then became friends with fellow soldiers, Yao (Harvey Fierstein), Ling (Gedde Watanabe) and Chien-Po (Jerry Tondo). Then there was her rapport with Captain Li Shang (BD Wong).

Yes, there's a hint of romance between Mulan and Li Shang throughout their time together but of course, there were obstacles. The main one being that Mulan's identity as a woman came out during a crucial time and of course, there was the war itself.

This came into the third act in the Huns seize the palace and take the Emperor hostage. The battle between Mulan and Shan Yu (Miguel Ferrer) did lead to the former being rewarded as a hero and even getting Li Shang to stay for dinner. Oh and a legacy intact for Mushu.

- This was the first Disney movie to ever get released on DVD, a year after it's theatrical release.

- The only Disney movie to use the phrase "crossdresser".

- Standout music: Honour To Us All, Reflection, I'll Make A Man Out Of You, A Girl Worth Fighting For and True To Your Heart.

- Chronology: The real Mulan appeared in a 6th century ballad.

Mulan isn't one of my favourites but it's an enjoyable one. As it's Disney, there's some creative liberties taken with this one but the songs are good and the romance more understated.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Bring Her Back (2025)

 

Written by Danny Philippou And Bill Hinzman

Directed by Danny And Michael Philippou

Laura (to Andy): "Respect my fucking privacy."

Two years ago, a duo mostly known for their YouTube content surprised everyone with the release of Talk To Me. It was an impressive debut for Danny and Michael Philippou. Could they follow it up? Oh yes they could.

Focusing on a younger group, this time around we had step siblings Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong) who end up in the care system following the death of Andy's father, Phil (Stephen Phillips). Their care worker, Sally-Anne Upton) initially planned to separate them.

However, instead Wendy decided to have Andy and Piper live with a former careworker, Laura (Sally Hawkins) and the latter's "son" Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips) and it's a series of absolute horrific events after the other. Laura's legitimately a terrifying sight to behold.

Her whole control over the mute Oliver in itself did raise alarm bells but the way she tried to divide and conquer both Andy and the visually impaired Piper was something else. I mean she's genuinely nuts and Sally Hawkins played an absolute blinder here.

A huge reason why Laura's so unhinged as a character was down to the fact that her own daughter, Cathy (Mischa Heywood) died and using poor Oliver to house a demon named Tari, Laura was hoping that she could bring her own daughter through Piper as a vessel. 

Between gaslighting Andy into thinking he's pissing himself and framing the latter for punching Piper, Laura wasn't going to be stopped in her quest to bring Cathy back. She even killed for her mission and Oliver eating on Cathy's frozen body wouldn't stop. In fact, it's barely a miracle that Piper managed to get away from Laura as the latter's entire world crumbled yet again.

- Oliver was a kidnapped boy named Connor Bird. He came back to his senses towards the end of the movie.

- Andy's father was physically abusive towards him and Andy did punch Piper one time but it was Laura who did it in the film.

- Standout music: Empire Of The Sun's Alive.

- Chronology: The movie was filmed in Adelaide but I don't think they specify where it's meant to be set.

While I do slightly prefer their first movie, there's no denying that Bring Her Back absolutely delivered as a second movie from Danny and Michael Philippou. Sally Hawkins gave an incredible performance as Laura and Billy Barratt, Sora Wong and Jonah Wren Phillips are also fantastic.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

 

Written by Josh Friedman And Eric Pearson And Jeff Kaplan And Ian Springer And Kat Wood 

Directed by Matt Shakman

Reed: "Before we went up the first time, you couldn't turn invisible. Ben wasn't a rock. And Johnny never caught fire."

Sue: "Ben has always been a rock. Johnny is... Johnny. And I am right here. Whatever life throws at us, we'll face it together, as a family."

If we're being honest, 2025 has not been a high point for the MCU as a franchise. With it's first two movies failing to hit big and their Disney+ shows becoming more divisive, does this movie herald a change in outcome?

I will say that when it comes to big screen, this first family of Marvel haven't had the easiest of times and their last big screen outing in 2015 was a monumental disaster. This film isn't short of some problems but it's definitely not a disaster in any real way. First though, let's focus on the good.

We're going for a retro vibe here as our family - Reed Richards/Mr Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss -Bachrach) already have their powers, are household names and two of them are about to become parents.

Taking notes from other recent comic book movies, this one skipped the origin story and honestly, I'm cool with that. I mean there's still some context given to their powers and we do see some of their domestic life. Their live in robotic assistant H.E.R.B.I.E. (Matthew Wood) was rather adorable. 

For those less interested in the domestic side of things, there's the arrival of Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). She was there to herald the imminent arrival of the planet destroying Galactus (Ralph Ineson). There's a certain "tension" between her and Johnny that I really wished the film had explored a little deeper.

Of course Galactus posed an ultimatum towards our heroic family. He'll leave the Earth unharmed but only if Reed and Sue surrendered their son, Franklin. That was never going to happen but it did put a target on the family until Sue gave a pretty impassioned speech to get everyone else on side. It's a really nice speech.

Anyways, getting back to the villains, a reluctant team up with Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser) against Galactus along with a change of heart from Silver Surfer. For me, this was where the movie seriously lagged. It's a really rushed and unsatisfying climax and I do think the lack of bigger action sequences might hurt the film's rewatchability factor. 

- The credit scene of course featured Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr). Yes, they filmed that scene recently during production of Avengers: Doomsday.

- There's supporting roles from Mark Gates, Sarah Niles and Natasha Lyonne. They're fine but the latter felt a bit wasted.

- The actors from the unreleased 1994 The Fantastic Four movie had cameos in this movie.

- This movie found new ways to have both Johnny and Ben's infamous catchphrases referenced.

- Standout music: Chet Baker's Let's Get Lost, Juan García Esquivel's Guanacoa and Andrea Datzman's Let Us Be Devoured.

- Chronology: 1964 on Earth 828. Four years had passed during the credit scene.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps certainly would be the best movie that focused on this particular group and probably on a par with Thunderbolts*. It's also got strong chemistry with the leads. However it's runtime, lack of action and underdeveloped villains are where it's let down a bit.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Moana 2 (2024)

 

Written by Jared Bush And Dana Ledoux Miller And Bek Smith

Directed by David Derrick Jr. And Jason Hand And Dana Ledoux Miller

Moana: "Still not a princess."

Maui: "A lot of people would disagree."

It's interesting what a twist of fate can have. Originally this was supposed to be a miniseries for Disney+ but for some reason it was decided to make it into a theatrical release. That was a decision that turned out well.

Since the events of the first movie, Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) has become determined to find more people by exploring all the islands near Motunui. It's not been a successful venture for her and she's also missing Maui (Dwayne Johnson). Of course their paths would cross but not until halfway into the movie.

In the meantime, Maui had gotten himself into a bit of a pickle of his own. It turned out that helping Moana in the previous movie had consequences and he was now captured by Matangi (Awhimai Fraser). She's an enforcer of storm God, Nalo (Tofiga Fepulea'i), the main villain of the movie. 

Moana's mission for this movie also meant preventing the extinction of her people after an encounter with ancestor, Tautai Vasa (Gerald Ramsay). This also meant assembling a crew, which included Loto (Rose Matafeo), Kele (David Fane) and Moni (Hualālai Chung). Oh and there was the return of Heihei (Alan Tudyk) and pet pig, Pua.

Over the course of the movie, we had Moana and her crew reunited with Maui (Moni really was a fanboy). There was the journey that involved working with the coconut baddies from the first movie and Maui having to use his powers to help Moana lift Motufetu enough for the latter to touch.

It wasn't too surprising that Matangi was the one who was trying to stop the humans from reconnecting with ocean. By the end of this movie, that connection had been made with a celebration in Moana's honour to boot.

- A mid credit with Matangi and Nalo seemed to be setting a third movie that will happen due to this one getting over a billion dollars at the box office.

- Moana had a younger sister named Simba (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda) while Dwayne Johnson's daughters and mother's had minor roles in the movie.

- Standout music: We're Back, Beyond, My Wish For You, What Could Be Better Than This? and We Know The Way.

- Chronology: Three years since the events of the first movie.

Moana 2 did actually work rather well as a sequel, in spite of the fact it wasn't intended to be a theatrical one. The new characters/villains are fun, the songs are good and there's clearly an intent for another one down the line.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of The Sandman: "A Tale Of Graceful Ends"

 

Written by Allan Heinberg 

Directed by Jamie Childs 

Mother (to Maid/Crone): "There. For good or bad, it's done."

And so would be this show - almost. This episode alone was a funeral for Lord Morpheus but also a welcoming for Daniel Hall aka Dream II. Its such a pity that we won't get a full season of this version of Dream. I love him already.

Daniel spent a portion of this episode unsure of his new position and aside from one moment of calling out an impatient Cain, he was getting off to a pretty benevolent start. I mean he brought back Abel once Cain described him and then he revived both Merv Pumpkinhead and Fiddler's Green. The latter was less enthusiast about being brought back.

Of course the best scenes that the new Dream got were with Lucienne, Destruction and Lyta herself. Daniel showed compassion to both Lucienne and Lyta while having a rather poignant family exchange with Destruction. The latter might not have attended Morpheus's funeral but he give some great advice to Daniel.

As for the other siblings, yes they showed up to their brother's funeral and each of them gave some rather beautiful speeches. In particular, both Desire and Despair's hit the most. The end scene with the siblings embracing Daniel was a lovely moment. Another shame that we won't get to see more of it.

Going back to Lord Morpheus, his death certainly brought out some players. Matthew came back despite feeling he had said everything about Morpheus. Then there was Hob Gadling grieving for his friend but also wanting to continue to live. I loved his scene with Death.

Last but not least, they really went there with Johanna Constantine and Corinthian II, huh? This episode really pushed the big love story and even a romantic kiss. The woman who described her exes as nightmares and the nicer version of a nightmare. What an odd couple. Maybe it'll work out for them.

- A credit scene had the Kindly Ones reading from a fortune cookie. It seemed to be setting up next week's actual last ever episode.

- Daniel gave Nuala back her old room in the Dreaming. Titania blanked her during Morpheus's funeral. Morpheus also visited an older William Shakespeare.

- I spotted Mad Hettie, Rose Walker and Calliope also in attendance of Lord Morpheus's funeral. Hettie felt guilty about her part in Morpheus's demise.

- Death wore red during Morpheus's funeral while Desire admitted that they'll miss antagonising Morpheus. Despair talked of her previous iteration.

- Next week's actual last episode is titled, Death: The High Cost Of Living.

- Chronology: From where the last episode left off.

A Tale Of Graceful Ends did make for a glorious series finale (of sorts). The funeral scenes were beautifully handled with every character getting some truly great moments. Let's see where the real last episode will go.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of The Sandman: "Long Live The King"

 

Written by Marina Marlens

Directed by Jamie Childs

Lucienne: "Daniel?"

Daniel: "No, not any longer."

Well, it turns out that some shows actually can conceal a spoiler until transmission/release of an episode. I mean, we expect Morpheus to die and Daniel Hall to succeed him as the second Dream. The casting of Jacob Anderson on the other hand was a pleasant surprise.

However, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's rewind back and discuss the events that led to a successor. Well, there was Morpheus being called into the Faerie realm. That left the Dreaming vulnerable and gave both Lyta and the Kindly Ones the opportunity to strike.

They absolutely didn't waste any time destroying most of the Dreaming, killing anyone who got in their way and eventually confronting Morpheus themselves. Lyta however almost had a change of heart about killing Morpheus but the Kindly Ones made sure that she held up their deal.

Morpheus's last few moments were poignant and of course, it meant the return of Death herself. I liked that he got some scenes with Lucienne, Matthew and Corinthian II as well as his last moments with Death. For two seasons, Tom Sturridge played a blinder with the character and this was a poignant exit for Lord Morpheus.

It also served to set up the introduction of Daniel Hall as Dream II. His entrance was brief but Jacob Anderson absolutely owned his small amount of screen time. I'm disappointed that we're not going to get to spend a lot of time with him.

As for the rest of the episode, we had a determined Nuala wanting to go back to help Morpheus with both Cluracan and Titania offering their own support. I also quite enjoyed Delirium's encounter with Mad Hettie, her reunion with Barnabas and more resigned reaction to Morpheus's passing.

- RIP to poor Merv Pumpkinhead and Abel. Oh and poor Goldie too. Lyra, you messed up badly.

- Daniel was dressed in white with the protection pendant that Morpheus had given Johanna from the last episode.

- Despite their hatred of Morpheus, the Kindly Ones did back off when Death entered the fray.

- Cluracan really did make it clear that no one really cares about him in the Faerie realm before being helpful to Nuala.

- I just realised that Jo Martin voiced the Griffin this season. Something for Doctor Who fans to pay attention to.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

Long Live The King really struck the right Chord for the antepenultimate episode of the series. It marked one hell of an end for Lord Morpheus while quietly ushering in the introduction of Daniel Hall as Dream II. Excellent stuff.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of The Sandman: "The Kindly Ones"

 

Written by Greg Goetz

Directed by Jamie Childs

Johanna: "People around me tend to get hurt."

Corinthian II: "I'm not people. You can't hurt me."

In terms of pairings I didn't expect, step up Johanna Constantine and Corinthian II. No, seriously, I didn't expect them. This episode actually managed to make a compelling case for them too.

First of all, let's talk of Corinthian II. He might look the same as his former iteration but he's not the same, even if he does retain some of his former's self's memories. Only this time, he's actually a force for good. It would take a bit for Johanna to realise that but she did.

With Morpheus having to stay in his own realm to avoid the wrath of the Kindly Ones, he paired Johanna and Corinthian II in order to rescue.  There's a bit of a good/bad news on that. Loki didn't destroy him but he did speed up Daniel's impending Godhood with that baptism of fire. 

Another thing Loki managed to do was burn his bridges with Puck. The latter surrender Loki's whereabouts quite easily to Johanna and Corinthian II. They were successful in getting Daniel back and Loki got dragged away by Odin and Thor. Oh and Johanna and Corinthian II flirted up a storm but Johanna also refused to totally give into the reformed nightmare creature.

As for the rest of the episode, the Kindly Ones know how to play dirty. With Mad Hettie, they had no problem with manipulating Lyta into helping their mission to take out Dream. He didn't die in this one but being removed from his realm allowed the Kindly Ones and Lyta to enter the Dreaming. Alas, poor Fiddler's Green. 

Then there's Dream himself. He hated being under virtual house arrest but he managed to have some nice scenes with both Lucienne and Delirium before getting pulled into the Faerie realm by a reckless Titania. Yeah, her attempts to get one over on Nuala really did backfire by the end of this episode. 

- Delirium was looking for Barnabus. Dream didn't want to help but offered her Goldie to go with her instead.

- Corinthian II used Mrs Shore's eyes to locate Loki. Puck obviously hooked up with the previous Corinthian. He also hooked up with Cluracan this episode.

- Mad Hettie currently has Barnabus in her possession. The Kindly Ones continue to enjoy their loop holes by telling Lyta about Orpheus.

- Loki mentioned his six children in the previous episode and also talked about sleeping with Thor's wife in this one.

- Nuala's gift was taken by Titania while Johanna surrendered her protection to Corinthian II.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

The Kindly Ones kicked off the true beginning of the end for Lord Morpheus in style. Every plot strand flowed beautifully together but I really enjoyed the Johanna/Corinthian II scenes together the most.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Moana (2016)

 

Written by Jared Bush And Ron Clements And John Musker And Chris Williams And Don Hall And Pamela Ribon And Aaron Kandell And Jordan Kandell

Directed by John Musker And Ron Clements

Moana: "Okay, first, I am not a princess. I'm the daughter of the chief."

Maui: "Same difference."

Moana: "No."

Maui: "If you wear a dress, and have an animal sidekick, you're a princess."

Confession: Until last night, I had never seen this movie. Yes, there's some Disney movies I still have to catch up on. This and it's 2024 sequel are high on my list and things got off to a great start here.

Setting in Ancient Polynesia, our protagonist Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho), the daughter of Tui (Temuera Morrison) and Sina (Nicole Scherzinger). They're the Chief and Chieftess of Motunui and Moana had ambitions of her own. For instance, the ocean gave Moana a mission to return the heart to Te Fiti, a powerful goddess of nature and a living island.

The backstory here also being that Te Fiti had her heart stolen by shapeshifting trickster demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) who wanted to give humanity a head start. This had Te Fiti to disintegrate and for Maui to lose the heart and a magical fish hook after losing to volcanic demon named Te Kā. 

Of course, Moana's parents weren't keen on her exploring the oceans but that didn't stop the latter and her pet rooster, Heihei (Alan Tudyk) from taking to the ocean after the village's vegetation was struck by blight. They were in for one hell of an adventure.

First of all, there was the Moana and Maui dynamic. The latter wasn't pleased with the former not worshipping him and the latter was similarly annoyed with the former refusing to help her get to Te Fiti. They also couldn't get away from each other as Maui's tattoos forced his hand into helping Moana.

I'm not always the biggest fan of Dwayne Johnson as an actor but he's an absolute delight as Maui. The demigod had a massive ego that the movie had even more fun tearing down to size as Moana dragged him into helping her as they battled coconut crabs and their gigantic leader, Tamatoa (Jemaine Clement). I really enjoyed him as a minor antagonist.

As for the rest of the movie, yes both Moana and Maui were forced to step upon reuniting with Te Fiti and facing off Te Kā. There's also a great use of Moana's grandmother, Tala (Rachel House) with Moana also taking her place as wayfinder and Chiefess by the end of the movie.

- Auli'i Cravalho's mother, Puanani had a villager voice role in the movie while several actors reprised their roles for the film's Māori-language dub.

- Tamatoa was a tribute to David Bowie and Alan Tudyk was the only cast member that wasn't Polynesian or from New Zealand.

- Standout music: How Far I'll Go, You're Welcome, Shiny, I Am Moana and Know Who You Are.

- Chronology: Set in Ancient Polynesia, on the island of Motunui.

Moana deserves to be seen as one of the best modern Disney movies. Lovable protagonists, great songs, animation and delving into Polynesian history, it's an absolute blast to watch. Will catch up on the sequel during the weekend.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

Buffy Reboot - Five New Cast Members Announced

It's amazing how quickly this upcoming Hulu reboot of Buffy The Vampire Slayer has gotten off the ground. 

Yesterday five cast members were announced for the show that had already announced Sarah Michelle Gellar reprising her role as Buffy Summers along with Ryan Kiera Armstrong as introverted new slayer, Nova. These cast members are as follows.

Faly Rakotohavana as Hugo: A likable but privileged geek. Xander counterpart.

Ava Jean as Larkin: Described as a "chronic do gooder". Willow counterpart.

Sarah Bock as Gracie: A ringleader or a group of church going girls. Cordelia counterpart.

Daniel Di Tomasso as Abe: Nova's single father and a photojournalist. Joyce counterpart.

Jack Cutmore-Scott as Mr Burke. A high school teacher. Giles counterpart.

I'm guessing this completes our regular cast for this reboot that's about to start filming it's pilot episode, according to Sarah Michelle Gellar. The pilot episode will be directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao and written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman. 

Now what about former returning characters? Right now, it seems like the expectation will be to establish Buffy in this upcoming reboot with the new characters. However, Sarah Michelle Gellar didn't rule out other characters returning for this show but didn't specify as to who or when they'll appear. Given that she's recently been hanging out with Alyson Hannigan, I'm assuming that everyone's favourite witch, Willow Rosenberg will be one character we definitely will see in the show.

So far, it definitely feels like we're getting a bit of a rethread from the show itself and if we are, I can't wait to see who the Angel counterpart will be or who the Big Bad for the first season will be. Or why/how Sunnydale is now back on the table.

Filming for the Buffy The Vampire Slayer reboot will begin shortly. The more information that's revealed, the more I'll post about it.

My Review of The Sandman: "Fuel For The Fire"

 

Written by Jay Franklin

Directed by Jamie Childs

Corinthian (to Dream): "Thank you Lord. I await your command."

Oh look who's back. You'd think after the chaos he caused in the first season, the last line of defence that Morpheus would go for would be the Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook). That's how dire the situation has become for Dream. 

Of course, going by the brief scene that Corinthian appeared in, it would appear that his master had made alterations in order to make Corinthian more agreeable. He appeared to be in that one scene. Submissive even. Oh, Corinthian, I've missed you.

This episode seemed to continue a tour of sorts for Lord Morpheus. He recruited the modern version of Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman) in order to rescue Daniel. Yet again, there's a spark between Morpheus and Johanna and the latter had no problem in giving Dream a much needed dressing down and some home truths to boot. I'm really glad she's back for a more expanded role this season.

Keeping with the reunions, I'm also really glad that Morpgeus got a scene with Despair. We needed a scene between those two and its a beautifully done scene. Despair had a lot of compassion for Dream losing his son. I thought the stories she told Dream about his son was rather. Also sweet was Dream's reunion with Hob Gadling (Ferdinand Kingsley). I hope they get at least another one before the finale.

Getting back to the Daniel Hall story though, Loki really had no qualms with burning up a baby. Puck to his credit tried to do the right thing but alas, he couldn't outwit his more evil lover. Lyta on the other hand spent most of the episode fully blaming Morpheus for her son's abduction. I mean she wasn't entirely wrong. 

As for Nuala, she wasn't happy about going home. It didn't help that Cluracan was unsympathetic to her plight and even glamoured Nuala against her consent. Nuala's scene with Titania had a certain tension with the latter being fixated on Nuala's gift from Dream. 

- Johanna and Corinthian wore white last season but this time around, both were decked out in black. Johanna has shorter hair this time around.

- Dream gave Johanna her ancestor's diary, which she read about in relation to Orpheus. Johanna was having a dream about killing a lover.

- Puck really does seem to be falling in love with Loki. Loki played on that twice in this episode.

- Lyta's connection to the Kindly Ones was made apparent. They were also rather unhelpful with her.

- Hob had lost his wife from earlier this season. He brought up the fact that he's lost a lot of family members as a result of his refusal to die.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off. Daniel's eight months old.

Fuel For The Fire was a stronger episode with plenty of great character moments. The Loki/Puck dynamic over Daniel. Dream's scenes with Despair, Johanna and Hob were the best from this episode as well as the return of Corinthian.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of The Sandman: "Time And Night"

 

Written by Vanessa Benton

Directed by Jamie Childs 

Dream (to Destiny): "I deserve to die for what I've done but I have my realm to consider."

Three weeks ago, the first half of this final season had a poignant arc with Lord Morpheus and his son, Orpheus. By the end of that arc, blood was spilled but it was out of compassion.

This episode opened with Dream being fully aware of the consequences of giving his son a merciful death. He talked about an imminent visit from the Kindly Ones to Destiny. They intend to make sure that Dream will die. Dream sort of had a back up plan for that outcome.

Calling in a favour, Dream summoned Loki, who was now in a relationship with Puck in order to help him. The plan depended on Daniel Hall. Yup, he's back along with Lyta and Rose Walker as they're all back in Unity Kincaid's mansion. Sadly for Morpheus, the trickster couple decided to go off script.

It didn't take much for Puck to impersonate one member of staff while knocking out the other and taking baby Daniel with him. Loki really didn't like the idea of being beholden to Dream and he went about the most reckless way of defying Dream to boot. It turned out that Loki might be rooting for Dream's demise. 

On the other hand, someone actively rooting against Dream's demise was Nuala. Bless, she's completely smitten with Dream and refused to leave his side, even when Cluracan arrived to bring her back to Titania. I did feel bad for Nuala but I do think Dream was trying not to be selfish by sending her away.

Last but not least, the parents of the Endless popped up here and neither of them seem to have a parental bone in their body. Time (Rufus Sewell) outright despised his children and guilt tripped Morpgeus about not loving him while Night (Tanya Moodie) was more conditional. Ultimately both Time and Night refused to help Morpheus when he really needed them.

- The Kindly Ones funnily enough don't take kindly to being referred to as the Furies. They did enjoy toying with Morpheus. 

- Nuala seemed to have formed a bond with Lucienne, Fiddler, Merv and Matthew. Morpgeus also gave her a necklace before sending her away.

- Destiny is the only one who doesn't ask Time for anything while Night talked about Delirium's change.

- Loki and Puck's relationship worked because they don't trust each other. I did enjoy their Conclave roleplay at the Vatican.

- Jed was back in school in the US, explaining his absence from Rose and Lyta.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

Time And Night was a sobering mid season opener. The weight of Dream's actions and the impending consequences of that were on fully on display here. A great teaser for events to come.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of The Colour Of His Hair (2017)

 

Written by Elizabeth Montagu

Directed by Sam Ashby

John (to Peter): "Are you prepared for the consequences if we do go to the police?"

Ah, Josh O'Connor. One of the most talented actors working today and something of a favourite among the gays. He's had also had some gay/bisexual roles and in 2017, there was two of them. I already reviewed the sublime God's Own Country and now there's this one.

A short film focusing on the trial of Lord Montagu of Beaulieu along with Michael Pitt-Rivers and Peter Wildeblood from 1964. These men were sent to prison for a year for being gay. The Conservative Government under the guidance Sir John Wolfenden to report of male homosexuality.

This short film focused on John (Sean Hart) and Peter (Josh O'Connor). They live together and it's established that they're a couple. It's also quickly established that they're a couple. Worse than that, they're now victims of blackmail.

As the pair argue about who could possibly be blackmailing them, the film cuts to various scenes. The scenes are real life accounts of gay men who were arrested for homosexuality at the time as well as the formation of the Lesbian and Gay News Media Archive In London. The depictions of life under discriminatory law was shown among those scenes.

Getting back to John and Peter, there's certainly more insight into their private. Both men fear the outing of their relationship and the impact it'll have with their families and work life. By the end of the movie, it's John that had no choice but to go to the police. 

- The genesis of this short film came from an incomplete script from Lord Montagu's sister, Elizabeth.

- You can watch this movie online and it's included in the 2018 release of the Boys On Film series.

- There's images of naked men, erect penises, an old issue of Gay Times and various slogans like "I Can't Think Straight" in the intersped scenes.

- Chronology: 1960s London in John and Peter's home.

The Colour Of His Hair did mix things with both a documentary and a drama when I think one format might have suited it better. Saying that, the performances are rather good. 

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Prom Night (1980)

 

Written by William Gray And Robert Guza Jr

Directed by Paul Lynch

Alex: "I know they did it, they killed her, they, killed her... Robin, Robin!"

Time for more 1980s horror and for a movie I've heard a lot about but only recently watched for the first time. Yup, I've gone with this one and will eventually catch up with it's sequels at some point.

Starting in 1974, you had a bunch of kids named Wendy Richards (Anne-Marie Martin/Leslie Scott), Jude Cunningham (Joy Thompson/Karen Forbes), Kelly Lynch (Mary Beth Rubens/Joyce Kite), and Nick McBride (Casey Stevens/Brock Simpson) playing hide and seek in an abandoned convent. A harmless game that took a horrible turn when their mean spirited treatment of Robin Hammond (Tammy Bourne) resulted in the latter's death.

Yes, it's an accident but one that left Robin's siblings Alex (Michael Tough/Dean Bosacki) and Kimberly (Jamie Lee Curtis/Debbie Greenfield) and their father, Mr Hammond (Leslie Nielsen) pretty devastated. One of them a lot more than the others, given the events of this movie.

Six years and passed and it seemed that the older versions of Wendy, Nick, Jude and Kelly are being terrorised by someone who saw their actions back. Nick was also dating Kimberly while Jude and Kelly hooked up with Seymour Crane (Sheldon Rybowski) and Drew Shinnick (Jeff Wincott). Wendy on the other hand hooked up with bully, Lou Farmer (David Mucci).

As the movie progressed, the bodies started to pile up and the night of the Prom had arrived. Of course, Nick and Kim would be the king and queen but Nick getting detained by Lou and a scheming Wendy ended up saving his life. Lou on the other hand didn't fare so well.

The killer reveal did make sense for the movie and the killer was almost sympathetic. The final smack down at the Prom before their reveal made for a decent fight sequence. 

- This movie spawned three sequels and a loosely based reboot in 2008.

- It took Jamie Lee Curtis signing on for this movie to even get the financing to be made.

-  Standout music: Gordean Simpson's Fade To Black.

- Chronology: 1974 to begin with Robin's death and 1980 for the killer's reign of terror.

Prom Night made for a decent slasher and kind of helped to further cement Jamie Lee Curtis as a Scream Queen. Saying that, it's Nick who was the bigger character and a fairly decent Final Boy in a decent but unspectacular slasher flick.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Cat's Eye (1985)

 

Written by Stephen King 

Directed by Lewis Teague

Sally Ann: "Polly got in one good peck before that cat killed her." Good for Polly!

Hugh: "I certainly never realized that Polly had such a big pecker."

For the remainder of this year and every once in a while, I'm going to try and watch/review from 1985. I've done two in the last month and I found this one the other day when looking for something to watch.

Of course, it's a Stephen King adaptation but it's one where he's adapted it himself with his own script and added a new story into the mix. The link to these stories being a cat who would later be called General and a girl (Drew Barrymore). 

As for the stories themselves, there's three of them and they're a bit of mixed bag. None of them are awful but I do think it's the last one that worked the best out of the ones chosen for this adaptation.

The first story, Quitters, Inc focused on Dick Morrison (James Woods) desperately trying to quit smoking. He consulted a company named Quitters in order to do so and they resorted to extreme measures to curb his smoking and later his weight gain. Let's just say they didn't mind harming family members in order to get Dick to play ball. The cat was kept as an experiment before it escaped.

Moving on to the second story, there was The Ledge. The cat ended up as a pet for crime boss Cressner (Kenneth McMillan) who wanted to kill Johnny Norris (Robert Hays) for sleeping with his wife. Cressner had to make it to a series of mind games, which eventually gave Johnny the upper hand and brought about Cressner's downfall. It's the weakest story in the trilogy but it's decent enough.

The last story, General was the biggest focus on the cat. It was named General and taken in by Amanda (Drew Barrymore). Unfortunately, Amanda's mother didn't like the cat and blamed it for the death of the family bird. Of course, it turned to be a troll responsible for terrorising the family and General ended up being taken in permanently by the family after killing the troll.

- The first two stories were taken from Stephen King's Night Shift while the last one was written for the movie.

- The studio told Lewis Teague to cut out a prologue explaining the cat's motivation.

- Standout music: Sting's Every Breath You Take.

- Chronology: Quitters Inc took place in New York City, The Ledge took place in Atlantic City, New Jersey and General took place in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Cat's Eye might not be a classic adaptation but it's a fairly enjoyable look at three interconnected stories with a feline protagonist. The last story's the best of the bunch.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of The History Boys (2006)

 

Written by Alan Bennett 

Directed by Nicholas Hytner

Rudge: "How do I define history? It's just one fuckin' thing after another."

Another LGBT themed movie I've wanted to catch up with in a while was this one. I mean it's a who's who look at some of the most known British actors on television and many of whom have also appeared on Doctor Who over the last few years.

Set in a Sheffield grammar school, the students in question are a rowdy but eclectic bunch. There's the ringleader himself, Stuart Dakin (Dominic Cooper), who's something of a cheeky chappy but what of the others?

Well, there's the Jewish David Posner (Samuel Barnett), who's gay and in love with Dakin, Muslim Adi Akthar (Sacha Dhawan), part time milkman Jimmy Lockwood (Andrew Knott) as well as golf enthusiast Peter Rudge (Russell Tovey), stoner Anthony Timms (James Corden) and the snarky Donald Scripps (Jamie Parker).

Like I said, they're a riotous bunch and their relationships with various educational figures as they waited for exam results are handled amusingly enough. On the least prominent relationship would be with gym teacher, Wilkes (Adrian Scarborough) who's an ineffectual authority figure on the boys. 

Their relationship with General Studies and English teacher, Douglas "Hector" (Richard Griffiths) was the most explored. Hector's wandering hands with the boys certainly hit murky territory with even the much hated Headmaster Felix (Clive Merrison) trying to force Hector's retirement to come into effect early than Hector would've liked. Oddly, it's the boys - Dakin specifically who ended up fighting Hector's corner.

The temporary History teacher, Tom Irwin (Stephen Campbell Moore) had a different style of teaching with the boys. He was partially a foil and a meal for of sorts to them. Posner had the courage to come out to Irwin while a post exam results Dakin tried to get him to come out for a drink with him.

The last act of this movie had great moments. A look into the boys future with mixed results into their futures. Some of these lads prospered, some didn't and one of them found himself in a similar position to a former teacher. There's a bittersweet ending to this movie.

- While this is a very male led film, there's some nice supporting roles for Frances de la Tour, Penelope Wilton and Georgia Taylor respectively.

- At least one of the boys died off screen. The ending in the original play was bleaker compared to this adaptation.

- Standout music: Rufus Wainwright's version of Bewitched as Samuel Barnett and Jamie Parker's version, New Order's Blue Monday and The Smith's This Charming Man.

- Chronology: 1983 Sheffield for most of this movie.

The History Boys took a great play and delivered a great movie adaptation with an arguably better ending for it too. The standout performances are hard to nail because everyone single actor brought their A game here. It's a funny, touching, clever and bittersweet movie.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Starred Up (2014)

 

Written by Jonathan Asser 

Directed by David Mackenzie 

Eric: "I'm just saying. Said this therapy goes well and it changes my life and I rehabilitate. And then you lay it on for the next geezer and it works for him, and the next. And everything's sweet yeah? Crime rates starts to come down, police got less people to nick, courts got less people to convict. Pretty soon you're out of a job. Do you mind?"

I fancied watching a prison drama that I hadn't seen before and I landed on this one. I had heard of it before but never watched it until yesterday. Suffice to say, I'm glad I did.

Focusing on Eric Love (Jack O'Connell), he's a "starred up" prisoner and had transferred into the big boys pen for his history of violent behaviour. In fact he's barely five minutes into an adult prison before he attacked an inmate and that's barely the icing on the cake.

Instead of gracefully facing the consequences for his actions, Eric took on several officers and literally had one of them by the balls. Then there was Oliver (Rupert Friend), a volunteer group therapist who wanted to take Eric under his wing and get the best out of him. At times, it seemed like he was going to succeed.

Having Eric in a therapy of mostly black men got to see Eric open a bit more about his past and be somewhat a more thoughtful individual. Then there was Eric's father, Neville (Ben Mendelsohn). His presence certainly complicated things for Eric.

Throughout the movie, there didn't seem to be a lot of love lost between father and son. Eric promptly ignored any advice that Neville tried to give him, Neville tried to lay the law down with Eric only to get rebuffed. Oh and Eric wasn't best pleased when he realised that his father was in a relationship with his cellmate, Eric went pleased either.

There was also the threat that was Dennis (Peter Ferdinando). It seemed like he was the Top Dog of the joint but that didn't stop Eric from attacking him and then Dennis trying to have Eric killed. Dennis's plan ultimately failed and the movie ended on a tender note between Eric and Nevile with both father and son's lives taking different turns.

- A lot of this movie's based on Jonathan Asser's experience as a volunteer therapist at HM Prison Wandsworth.

- A "starred up" prisoner is someone who goes from a juvenile to an adult prison. Eric's 19 in the movie.

- There's almost no music in this movie at all, barring one scene.

- Chronology: Eric's stated to be 19 in the movie while Neville has a life sentence.

Starred Up is a great look into the prison system and the complicated relationship between an estranged father and son. The performances from Jack O'Connell, Ben Mendelsohn and Rupert Friend are sublime.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Monsoon (2020)

 

Written And Directed by Hong Khaou

Lee: "You should visit your old home."

Kit: "Yeah, I'm going to."

After watching The Old Guard 2 the other day, I realised there was a movie that featured Henry Golding that I had been meaning to catch up with. Yup, this one.

In this film, Henry Golding played a British-Vietnamese man named Kit. It's been over thirty years since he set foot in his birth country and the death of his parents was the thing to bring him back to Vietnam.

Throughout the movie, we're dripfed information about why Kit left Vietnam as a child with his parents. There's also plenty of scenes where Kit was reconnecting with an old childhood friend named Lee (David Tran), who happened to be his cousin.

Then there's also Lewis (Parker Sawyers). He's an American who's father fought in the war and there's a nice spark between him and Kit. Their romance was nicely underplayed throughout the film as Kit's journey was the bigger story priority.

There's a lot of scenes in this film that are quiet and intense. There's plenty of moments where Kit's mulling over his family's past and it's interesting to see how much Kit had to remember as the movie progressed. 

The journey Kit took to find the right place to scatter his parents took him into very interesting places and at times, it did feel like we were sightseeing with Kit as a character. The movie did end on a rather nice note with Kit putting his ghosts in the past. 

- Kit and his family were boat refugees after the Vietnam War. Kit had even forgotten how to speak Vietnamese.

- The film was originally meant to be a two hander between Kit and Lewis. The latter was originally intended to be a White American character.

- Standout music: Kumi Solo's I Know What Boys Like.

- Chronology: Set in Vietnam with Kit going from Saigon to Hanoi in the present day.

Monsoon is a lovely film, looking at one man's attempts of reconnecting with his roots. There's a very thoughtful and understated performance from Henry Golding and the whole movie in general feels like that too. 

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of The Old Guard 2 (2025)

Written by Greg Rucka And Sarah L. Walker

Directed by Victoria Mahoney

Discord: "For centuries I've watched you fight to protect hunanity while forsaking your own kind. I will destroy you and even you stand for."

Does anyone remember the first movie? Netflix released it fi e years ago and while I immensely enjoy it at the time, I hadn't gone back to revisit since then. In some ways, this sequel felt like it came out of nowhere and with very little fanfare to boot.

Picking up six months from the events of the previous, you've got Immortal crew of Andromache of Scythia (Charlize Theron), couple Yusuf Al-Kaysani (Marwan Kenzari) and Nicolò di Genova (Luca Marinelli) as well as new members Nile Freeman (Kiki Layne) and James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) indulging in drinking games for team morale.

Since the first movie, Andy's lost her immortality and former team member, Sebastian Le Livre (Matthias Schoenaerts) aka Booker has been exiled. The latter also ended up getting kidnapped by another immortal named Quỳnh (Veronica Ngo) and she wanted revenge.

It turned out that Quỳnh spent quite some time imprisoned underwater and there's the hint of both her and Andy being former lovers. Their reunion didn't get off to the greatest of starts and then there was Discord (Uma Thurman) to contend with.

The real villain of the piece and quite the counter to Andy in how both women truly viewed time. Like Andy, Discord has lost her immortality and she wants it back. If that meant kidnapping Andy's team and manipulating Nile into taking the others immortality to give to her, then that was what Discord was willing to do.

As an antagonist, Discord certainly had potential and I'm all for this current career Renaissance that Uma Thurman's undergoing but she's also a fairly underdeveloped villain with this movie deliberately ending on a cliffhanger. Saying that the scenes she shared with Charlize Theron and Kiki Layne are actually some of the best in the movie.

Getting back to the cliffhanger part of things, I did like that a team up was formed with Andy and Quỳnh. It's even more amusing that neither one was willing to submit to the other but Quỳnh did seem to be on better terms with Andy than she was when they first interacted here.

- There's a decent supporting role for Henry Golding as Hang Tuah.

- Nicky and Joe seemed to be at odds with one another at the start of the movie. Nile is the last immortal and can take others immortality. Discord was the first immortal.

- Quỳnh was trapped in an iron maiden underwater for five hundred years. No wonder she was pissed that Andy didn't find her.

- Chronology: Six months from the first movie. Locations included Paris, Seoul, Rimini, Rome and South Tangerang.

I actually thought for the most part, The Old Guard 2 made for an okay sequel. Saying that, the third act was rushed, the cliffhanger was frustrating and some of the characters weren't as well developed this time around. Will it get a third? If so, let's hope for a satisfying conclusion.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Anastasia (1997)

 

Written by Susan Gauthier And Bruce Graham And Bob Tzudiker And Noni White

Directed by Don Bluth And Gary Goldman

Anastasia: "Yes, let this be a sign, / Let this road be mine, / Let it lead me to my past, / And bring me home - at last!"

When is a Disney movie not a Disney movie but still has all the trappings of a Disney movie? Well, when it's this one I guess. For years, I genuinely thought this was a Disney movie. Of course I was wrong. 

However like any Disney movie playing around with a historical character, this isn't a movie where accuracy was priority of the day. Nope, it's a very creative liberty taking version of what happened to the Romanov princess. Basically not the sort of thing that will please history buffs.

Taking some inspiration from Sleeping Beauty, an embittered Rasputin (Christopher Lloyd) decided to put a curse on the Romanov family. Shortly afterwards, that fateful night came to play and a young Anastasia (Kristin Dunst) barely managed to escape with her grandmother, Maria Feodorovna (Angela Lansbury) as Rasputin fell to an icy death.

Fast forward a decade later and an older Anastasia (Meg Ryan) had no recollection of her former life but soon found herself in a scheme with handsome cob man Dimitri (John Cusack) and Vladimir (Kelsey Grammer) in order to make some money. All Anya had to do was pretend to be the lost Princess Anastasia.

During the movie, we went through the classic romantic tropes between Anya and Dimitri. Their constant bickering evolved into a mutual attraction that was then threatened when Dimitri realised that Anya really was Anastasia. Oh and there was the return of rotting corpse Rasputin and his exasperated albino bat companion, Bartok (Hank Azaria).

A slight minus with this movie would be that Anastasia's reunions with both her grandmother and Rasputin are somewhat rushed and needed a little more breathing between them. Rasputin himself was given a very rushed comeuppance while Anastasia and Dimitri also speedily ended the movie by eloping.

- Other voice actors for Anastasia included Lacey Chabert and Liz Callaway.

- Anya took on a cute little dog named Pooka, who was responsible for giving her a sign.

- In real life, there were rumours of Anastasia surviving but the women who claimed to be her were debunked.

- Despite not being a Disney movie, you can actually watch the movie these days on Disney+.

- Standout music: Journey To The Past, Once Upon A December, In The Dark Of The Night and At The Beginning.

- Chronology: 1916, Saint Petersburg, Russia before moving a decade later to the Soviet Union and Paris.

If you're looking for historical accuracy, then Anastasia definitely will not be the movie for you. If you're looking for the Disney esque fairytale version, then there's plenty to enjoy here. It's a pretty entertaining movie overall.

Rating: 8 out of 10