My Review of Pretty Lethal (2026)

 

Written by Kate Freund

Directed by Vicki Jewson

Bones: "These guys are drunk and out of shape, and we're prima fucking ballerinas."

Was anyone in the mood for a ballet meets Hostel (sort of) themed movie? Well, Amazon Prime recently served up something in that regard and it's kind of a mixed bag. Partly entertaining and very much ridiculous but here we are.

You've got a ballet troupe comprising of Bones (Maddie Ziegler), Zoe (Iris Apatow) and her sister, Chloe (Millicent Simmonds), Grace (Avantika) and Princess (Lana Condor). For the most part, they're a troupe that were largely at odds with one another until the movie needed them to step up or get killed.

They're mostly kept in line by their dance instructor Thorna Davenport (Lydia Leonard) but upon entering the wrong hotel owned by Devora Kasimer (Uma Thurman). Let's just say that it didn't take long for all hell to break loose or for Thorna to be shot in the head. From this point onwards, it just got more and more violent.

Every man in this movie, including characters such as Pasha (Tamás Szabó Sipos), Lothar (Michael Culkin), Doktor (Gábor Nagypál) and Yuri (Julian Krenn) etc would be revealed to be a violent would be rapist and general misogynist. Because of this, the ballerinas had to put their many differences to one side and work together to make it out of the movie alive.

I'll admit the characters themselves are likable enough if not the most well drawn out. Bones somewhat became the defacto leader of the group and almost lost her leg when it turned out that Devora was a former ballerina missing a leg. Much as I love Uma Thurman as an actor, her European accent tended to verge on parody at times here.

The movie itself though did have some fun in the way the girls used their ballet skills to actually fight back against their oppressors. I'll give the movie points for some incentive enough scenes there before Devora's act of extremism took care of a bigger threat. 

- The film was originally titled Ballerina Overdrive. Lena Headey was attached at one point to star in it.

- Kate Freund played Sona, a character who ended switching sides by the third act.

- Standout music: Snap! Rhythm Is A Dancer (Ballerina Remix).

- Chronology: Present day Los Angeles at the start with the majority of the movie set in Budapest. 

As I said at the start of this review, I found Pretty Lethal to be mostly entertaining but it's also a bit messy too. Overall, it's decent enough with a few incentive moments of violence and team work. It won't be the best thing you watch this year but neither will it be the worst either.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

DCU Blog - March 2026 Edition: Supergirl Promo, Lanterns Trailer And More

We're a quarter into 2026 and the DC news has been a little sparse but we did get some good bits this month.

Later today will see the release of a new trailer for Supergirl (June 26th). David Corenswet's Superman is confirmed to feature in it. Claudia Sarne is now the composer.

Filming for Man Of Tomorrow (July 9th) will begin in three weeks in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Aaron Pierre will reprise his role as John Stewart in Man Of Tomorrow. An actress has also been rumoured to play Maxima in the movie. Eva de Dominic is the rumoured actress.

Paramount's deal to acquire Warner Brothers will be decided next month. It might not even happen.

Robert Pattinson has talked about The Batman - Part II (October 1st 2027) taking some big swings. Filming will start during the end of May in the UK.

Ruby Sear has been cast in an undisclosed role for Clayface (October 23rd). A trailer is likely to appear at CinemaCon next month. The WB panel will be on April 14th from 4.30pm to 6.30pm.

Phil Lord and Chris Miller have written a movie for The Flash for the DCU but it hasn't been picked up.

Peacemaker won Best Superhero TV Series at the Saturn Awards.

The first trailer for HBO's Lanterns was released. The show will air from August on the cable channel.

Fans of the Absolute Batman series will be seeing Two Face in an upcoming issue while Absolute Wonder Woman will debut a new Cheetah in the next arc.

David Jenkins has confirmed once again that he's still the show runner for the upcoming Booster Gold show.

Superman worldwide collection now stands at $624.3 million.

A casting announcement for the Mister Miracle animated show from Tom King is on the way. It'll air on HBO Max.

The Jimmy Olsen show will be a crime mystery comedy according to co-showrunner Dan Perrault.

Freddie Stroma has confirmed that he doesn't know when he'll return as Vigilante in the DCU.

The 2026 DC Pride will be released in June and will factor in a Justice League: Dream Girls event. June will also see the release of the Dark Knights Of Steel sequel series.

That's your lot for this month. Bigger things on the way for DC no doubt.

My Review of Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010)

 

Written by Tab Murphy

Directed by Lauren Montgomery 

Kara: "Little nervous, I guess. It's just, you have this life. You can be Clark, or Kal-El, or Superman. Even a son. Who am I going to be?"

Clark: "I can't answer that, Kara. Only you can. Whatever you decide, I'll be there for you. I promise."

Yesterday I reviewed Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, so of course the follow up was going to be next. Though I should say this movie was more focused on Supergirl (Summer Glau) and that's not a bad thing.

Supergirl's ship crash landed in Gotham City River and she caused a commotion in the city until Batman (Kevin Conroy) managed to detain her and Superman (Tim Daly) made his presence known to her. Not surprising was Superman being nicer to his cousin than Batman himself.

In the first half of the movie, Kara struggled with controlling her powers, was at odds with both Batman and Krypto, embraced certain aspects of posing as a human girl and even was overwhelmed with how Superman was seen by the public. Then the Amazons led by Wonder Woman (Susan Eisenberg) felt she needed better training.

Sending Kara to Themyscira was the wisest move. She was starting to get her powers under control and even befriended Lyla/Harbinger (Rachel Quaintance). The latter had visions of Kara being in danger and sure enough, Darkseid (Andre Braugher) being interested in a new captain for his Furies made that clear.

The second half of this movie definitely was the highlight. We had Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman join up with Big Barda (Julianne Grossman) to rescue Kara from Apokolips. There's a great battle with Wonder Woman and Big Barda having to take on the likes of Granny Goodness (Ed Asner), Gilotina/Mad Harriet (Salli Saffioti), Stompa (Andrea Romano) and Lashina (Tara Strong). It's a rather brutal sequence.

Also brutal was Batman finding a way into manipulating Darkseid to relinquish his hols on Kara while the latter temporarily went against her cousin. Add a follow up battle with super cousins and Kara realised exactly what her destiny was supposed to be.

- Lex has officially been impeached and Gotham had security blimps flying over the city.

- Artemis went from being annoyed with Superman to having some respect for him during the fight with the Doomsday clones.

- We heard Vicki Vale, saw the Mister Miracle costume and Treasure was quickly defeated by the Furies.

- Chronology: Gotham City, Metropolis, Krypton, Apokolips, Themyscira and Smallville.

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse was even better than the previous movie. The focus on Supergirl was a good move for this sequel and Darkseid/Furies were also used really well. I really enjoyed this sequel.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009)

 

Written by Stan Berkowitz

Directed by Sam Liu

Superman: "Why is it that good villains never die?"

Batman: "Clark, what the hell are good villains?"

A while ago, I watched the Superman/Batman animated movies based on the comic of the same name. I went back to see them again just to review them for this blog. These are good movies.

Focusing a lot on Lex Luthor (Clancy Brown), this film saw the guy not only becoming president but he also seemed to have several superheroes under his thumb. Except for Superman (Tim Daly) and Batman (Kevin Conroy) but Lex had a plan for that.

With a meteor set to hit the Earth, Lex didn't want Superman saving the day and he also didn't take kindly to Amanda Waller (CCG Pounder) giving advice on using the superheroes he did have under his control. In fact, Lex was behaving erratically until it was revealed that he was injecting himself with Kryptonite.

Anyways Superman was made to look like he was responsible for the death of Metallo (John C. McGinley) but it was really Major Force (Ricardo Chavira) who did the deed. That reveal did manage to get the likes of Power Girl (Allison Mack), Captain Atom (Xander Berkeley), Starfire (Jennifer Hale) and Black Lightning (LeVar Burton) back on the good guys side.

Actually there's a lot of heroes and villains flying about the place as Lex put a billion dollar bounty on Superman. We even got both Hawkman (Michael Gough) and Shazam (Corey Burton) in fights with Superman and Batman before the tables were turned on Lex. Toyman (Calvin Tran) even tried to be a force for good before Led almost ruined everything.

There's a pretty big fight between Superman and Lex Luthor with the former having lost ant patience towards the latter while Batman nearly sacrificed himself to stop the meteor. As for Lex, well it's safe to say that his presidency came to an abrupt ending by the end of this movie.

- Villains that popped up included Killer Frost, Silver Banshee, Gorilla Grodd, Solomon Grundy, Mongul, Deadshot, Nightshade, Lady Shiva, Giganta and Captain Cold. There's a lot more in the mix.

- Both Lois Lane and Katana had brief appearances as well and Superman referenced already having a funeral.

- There's a follow up movie titled Superman/Batman: Apocalypse that'll be reviewed tomorrow.

- Chronology: Present day during a severe economic depression. Citizens were looting at one point in the movie.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies turned out to be a strong adaptation of the source with a few changes that worked in its favour. A strong team up with the title characters and a pretty despicable Lex Luthor to boot.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of How To Make A Killing (2026)

 

Written And Directed by John Patton Ford

Julia: "Whatever happened to the Redfellow family fortune?"

Beckett: "Oh, I'll inherit it someday."

Glen Powell does seem to be having something of a time with getting out a hit movie these days. Is he making the wrong choices? Is every movie he's chosen in recent times a bad one? Or do we live in an era where no actor has consistent hits these days?

I think with this particular movie, it might have been one of his more interesting roles. He's playing a man named Beckett Redfellow, who began this movie on death row talking to a priest (Adrian Lukis) about the events that led to his current situation.

It turned out that Beckett came from an incredibly wealthy background but his mother Mary (Nell Williams) was cut off of sorts by his grandfather, Whitelaw (Ed Harris) for being pregnant with him. Mary dying early in the movie however gave Beckett a sense of direction.

Beckett intended to get his family fortune and in order to do that, he was going to kill his way up to the top of the ladder. This resulted in some rather cool deaths for not so sympathetic Redfellows such as Taylor (Raff Law), Noah (Zach Woods), Steven (Topher Grace), Cassandra (Bianca Amato), and MacArthur (Alexander Hanson).

There was seven members to kill but Beckett had a hard time killing his uncle Warren (Bill Camp) but the latter had given him a job and showed genuine kindness to him. Fortunately for Beckett, a heart attack took Warren out of the mix but Beckett's killing spree was causing him a lot of problems.

It got in the way of his relationship with Ruth (Jessica Henwick) and it made him a blackmail target for former friend, Julia (Margaret Qualley). The way this movie ended did confirm that it was a tragedy but not quite the way that Beckett intended.

- The script had been on a Black List since 2014 under a different title before it got made.

- It's also loosely based on the 1949 film, Kind Hearts And Coronets.

- Standout music: Lincoln Chase's The Clapping Song.

- Chronology: Predominantly set in New York but Beckett also lived in New Jersey for most of his life.

I actually found myself enjoying How To Make A Killing. It might be one of the better choices that Glen Powell made and he's pretty good as a bumbling murderer. I definitely would recommend giving this one a chance.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Vicious (2025)

 

Written And Directed by Bryan Bertino

The Woman (to Polly): "You're going to die tonight."

I got to be honest, I just picked watching this movie at random. I didn't even know it existed prior to clicking into it. It was a random choice and something of an uneven experience.

I do like Dakota Fanning as an actor and here she's playing a directionless woman named Polly. She's stuck in a dead end job, appears to be rather miserable and an encounter from a strange old woman (Kathryn Hunter) only made things a lot worse.

The woman in question left Polly a box. This box had to be filled with the things or Polly would die. It took Polly a little moment to believe what the woman was telling her to be true. The things that needed to get in the box were something she hated, something she needed and something she loved.

Trying to get help from the neighbours was a bust because most of them ignored Polly and the only one who answered the door ended up dismissing Polly. Oh, did I mention the box had an entity that needed those things? That's kind of important to this story.

As the movie went along, the gore quotient escalated with Polly cutting off toes and fingers to appease the damn thing. Polly even was motivated into visiting her sister, Lainie (Rachel Blanchard) and niece, Aly (Emily Mitchell) to order to get a lock of the latter's hair for the box.

Things moved at a chaotic pace with this film. There was a neighbour named Tara (Devyn Nekoda) who kind of provided a solution to Polly's problem, although the latter felt guilty about it. Yup, that box will be dooming the whole neighbourhood.

- Polly received a creepy phone call from her dead mother (Mary McCormack) at one point in the movie.

- The movie was originally slated for a theatrical release before going to Paramount+ instead.

- Standout music: The Mamas And The Papas Dedicated To The One I Love.

- Chronology: Present day, Christmas setting in an American neighborhood.

Vicious (2025) had an interesting premise and suitable goes moments and even solid performances from Dakota Fanning and Kathryn Hunter but it's not a great movie. I wish it were but I'm not surprised it was pulled from theatres and went to Paramount+ instead. Not the worst I've seen but disappointing.

Rating: 5 out of 10 

HBO Max - UK & Ireland Launch Today

Today's the day. After nearly six years since it's initial launch in 2020, HBO Max has finally become available to the UK and Ireland and it's not a moment too soon.

In London there was a press launch with cast members from shows such The Pitt, Rooster, The Comeback, The Last Of Us, House Of The Dragon and A Kight Of The Seven Kingdoms to name but a few. The first show in particular will now finally and legally be accessible to UK and Irish audiences as the HBO Max app will be apart of the Sky and Now TV packages. I do think I'm overdue in watching this.

HBO Max offers a range of stuff including everything from HBO itself, classic WB TV shows such as Friends, TNT Sports and for my personal enjoyment, access to the DC Universe. Yes, that'll include various movies, including Zack Snyder's Justice League as well as shows such Peacemaker, The Penguin and the upcoming Lanterns. Sky/Now TV have aired these shows but they are now on the HBO Max app.

Then there's the biggest promotion for HBO Max itself. Yesterday saw the trailer for the Harry Potter TV show released. Titled Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, the first season of course will adapt the first book from JK Rowling's beloved books (it's what the trailer said). Of course there's controversy afoot. Many don't want to watch the show because JK's views on trans issues (spoiler alert: not gonna defend JK here) and others are more divided on the casting choices (particularly Snape) or feel it's too soon for a TV series when the movies are still fresh to a lot of audiences.

Now I do think these are important factors but at the same time, there's no getting away from the fact that the show was trending all day yesterday on social media, including positive responses among the mixed and negative ones. I think this show will end up being a huge hit for HBO and releasing it weekly from Christmas 2026 onwards is definitely smart, marketing wise. Also as we've seen in recent times, online boycotting rarely works and I don't think it will with this show either.

HBO Max is now available as an app or part of your Sky and Now TV packages.

My Review of Mr Burton (2025)

 

Written by Tom Bullough And Josh Hyams

Directed by Marc Evans

Richard: "Mr Burton, I want to be an actor."

Released around this time last year and airing on BBC1 a few months ago, I had wanted to watch this one. I'm not going to declare myself as a Richard Burton fan but I'm intrigued by certain classic actors of old.

Usually when we get biopics depicting him, it's in his later years and often focusing on his relationship, one in particular. This biopic however was more focused on the events that led to a boy from a Welsh mining background into becoming the actor he did.

In particular this movie focused on Richard Jenkins (Harry Lawtey) as a student in Port Talbot. He was a sporty kid with a strained family relationship, though he was shown to be living with older sister, Cis (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) and her family. He didn't particularly get along with Cis's husband.

A man whom Richard did get along with a teacher and mentor named Philip Burton (Toby Jones). The latter saw something in Richard and even adopted him in order to help Richard get further along in his acting career.

Richard's acting was definitely a source of exploration in the movie. He's clearly a talented actor but needed help with his diction and even playing certain scenes with less intensity. He took some of this board but was shown to be prone to lashing out when the pressure got too much to him.

The dynamic between Richard and Philip really anchored this movie. Both men brought out the best in one another and there's a sad moment when Richard turned on Philip. Add in the mix, Philip's landlady and friend, Ma Smith (Lesley Manville) and there's a lovely found family dynamic between the three characters. 

- Richard's romance with women was a little explored here, though the focus was on his acting career.

- There's some good performances from Matthew Gravelled and Daniel Evans as Sir Cyril Cooke and Anthony Quayle. Aneurin Barnard, Steffan Rhodri and Hannah New also appeared.

- The movie did alluded to Philip's sexuality while focusing on his writing career.

- Chronology: 1940s, Port Talbot in Wales for the most part. The movie got released to coincide with centenary passing of Richard's birth.

Mr Burton turned out to be a delightful film. Both Harry Lawtey and Toby Jones are on great form and both truly compliment each other. It's a nice exploration of the student/mentor dynamic along class division, aspirations and family. 

Rating: 8 out of 10 

Bridgerton - Season 5 In Production: Franchaela Rises

In news that should shock absolutely no one whatsoever, not only has the fifth season of popular Netflix Regency series Bridgerton has gone into production but we now know who the focused romance will be.

The focus for Season 5 will be on Francesca Stirling (Hannah Dodd) and Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza). I can't say that I'm surprised by this news but what do we know about the upcoming season that's now being filmed? Here goes.

• Eight episodes as per usual and likely another split season release.
• Takes place two years after the death of John Stirling (Victor Alli).
• Francesca goes back to the marriage mart for practical reasons.
• Michaela returns to London to the Kilmartin estate, complicating Francesca's feelings for her.
• Show runner Jess Brownell has talked about how groundbreaking it feels to write a sapphic relationship for the show.
• Benedict will be an ally to Francesca.

My overall thoughts would be delight. The show have nicely been building things up between the pair during the third and fourth seasons. Season 5 feels like the right time to put the Francesca/Michaela relationship to the forefront and hopefully book fans can approach it with an open mind. I do feel bad for the book fans of Francesca/Michael and Eloise/Phillip fans who have to wait another season for them but I am happy for Francesca/Michaela.

When it comes to LGBT characters and romances, the first season of Bridgerton did have Sir Henry Granville (Julian Ovenden) as a gay artist and then there's Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) right hand Brimsley (Hugh Sachs). He's gay and prequel series Queen Charlotte explored the younger version (Sam Clemmett) having a clandestine relationship with King George's secretary, Reynolds (Freddie Dennis). Then there's ...

Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) himself. The show stuck to his book relationship with Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) but both the third and fourth seasons did explore his relationships with men, which included a rather nice coming out scene between Benedict and Sophie. All of this does make me optimistic that the show won't drop the ball with Francesca and Michaela.

Season 5 of Bridgerton is currently filming in London. It's likely that it will be released in 2027 on Netflix.

My Review of Matilda (1996)

 

Written by Nicholas Kazan And Robin Swicord

Directed by Danny DeVito

Narrator: "No kid likes being yelled at, but it was precisely Harry's ranting and raving that gave Matilda the key to her power. To unlock that power, all she had to do was practice."

I'll admit seeing scenes from this movie being used as a meme on social media yesterday reminded me of this film. Oh and the fact that it's 30th anniversary will be coming up in the next few months.

I'm not usually a fan of Americanised adaptations of classic British set books but this without a doubt was my introduction to Roald Dahl's story of a precocious girl with some pretty cool powers and the adults impacted by those powers.

Matilda Wormwood (Mara Wilson) was one of those kids born into the wrong family. She's smart, kind and honest. Her family are the opposite of that. Her father Harry (Danny DeVito) knew how to con people while her mother Zinnia (Rhea Perlman) prioritised looks over books. Matilda's brother, Michael (Brian Levinson) was just a dumb bully.

As bad and as anti intellectual as the Wormwoods were, Matilda had a far bigger threat to face when she was eventually allowed to attend school. I'm talking about Miss Agatha Trunchbull (Pam Ferris). She might be one of the most brutal characters ever created. A truly terrifying presence.

Miss Trunchbull had her ways of terrifying the students and took an immediate dislike to Matilda. By contrast, Miss Honey (Embeth Davidtz) was impressed by Matilda's potential and even believed Matilda when she revealed her powers. Matilda also had a friend in classmate Lavender (Kiami Davael), who delighted in playing her own prank on Trunchbull.

For me, Trunchbull was the highlight because she's genuinely terrifying as a baddie. She made poor Bruce Bogtrotter (Jimmy Karz) eat an entire cake and that's not getting to what she did to Amanda Thripp (Jacqueline Steiger) for wearing pigtails. On the other hand, she's also terribly superstitious and a murderer.

For me, I did find the connection between Miss Trunchbull and Miss Honey a little convenient but it did work dramatically. Trunchbull got a glorious comeuppance, the Wormwoods were on the run and both Matilda and Miss Honey ended up with the family they needed.

- There's funny supporting roles Paul Reubens and Tracey Walter as Bob and Bill. Matilda quickly clocked them as FBI agents.

- The picture of Miss Honey's father, Magnus was actually Roald Dahl himself.

- Standout music: Rusted Root's Send Me On My Way.

- Chronology: 1990s America. The Wormwoods decided to flee to Guam to escape the feds.

Matilda (1996) might have changed the setting but it's an excellent adaptation of a beloved book. The performances from everyone are brilliant, there's some genuinely hilarious lines (most from Trunchbull herself) and it ended on a lovely note. 

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of The Groomsmen: Second Chances (2024)

 

Written by Rick Garman

Directed by Ron Oliver

Danny (re Zack): "What if he doesn't have feelings for me?"

Jackson/Pete: "What if he does?"

Why am I reviewing the middle part of a Hallmark trilogy of The Groomsmen? Well, it's pretty obvious, isn't it? It's the gay love story part and despite not watching the first or last parts, it wasn't too hard to keep up with things.

Funnily enough we started off with a runaway bride named Elizabeth (Lily Dodsworth-Evans) who hid in a tavern owned by Kate (Annie Bird). For the life of me, I couldn't figure Kate's accent out but her curiosity as to why Elizabeth ditched her own wedding led to the latter revealing the focal point of this installment.

Our love story centred on two best friends. You've got retired baseball player turned coach, Danny (Jonathan Bennett) and you've got business manager, Zack (Alexander Lincoln). They're chalk and cheese but get along brilliantly as mates. Then there's prosecutor Nolan (Adam Rhys-Charles). He's Zack's actual boyfriend turned fiancée.

In typical fashion the moment that Danny realised he was actually in love with the Zack was also the moment where the latter got engaged to Nolan. On top of that, Danny got roped into organising the wedding and the second half of this movie relocated to Santorini.

Moving this film to Greece was definitely a good move. It gave us colourful characters like Ophelia (Sue Kelvin) and her estranged husband Constantinos (Andreas Karras) while Danny's best friends Jackson (Tyler Hines) and Pete (B.J. Britt) were there for moral support. Did Danny and Zack get together?

Yes, of course they did. It's a romantic comedy and it's usually at the last minute when couples get together. They even dived into the beautiful Greek water and got married a year later. It ended well for the pairing. Even Nolan got his own happy ending, albeit off screen.

- The movie ended with Elizabeth telling Kate that there was another story. Elizabeth was clearly meant to be the older version of Jackson's daughter, right?

- Nolan had a fear of heights that got resolved during a climbing exercise during a stag event organised by Danny. Nolan also married a weatherman and had four kids with him.

- The movie won a GLAAD media award for Outstanding Film - Streaming or TV.

- Chronology: Present day in the USA and then Greece with a flashback forward to a year. Zack's British but has known Danny since he was nine.

You know what, I'm not really a Hallmark kind of guy but that's not to say that I don't occasionally see them from time time. As a trilogy, this was a neat from Jonathan Bennett. Both him and Alexander Lincoln are on a good form with some nice chemistry with each other. The Groomsmen: Second Chances isn't anything revolutionary in terms of gay movies but it's sweet natured enough to enjoy.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Tarzan (1999)

 

Written by Tab Murphy And Bob Tzudiker And Noni White

Directed by Kevin Lima And Chris Buck

Tarzan: "No matter where I go, you will always be my mother."

Kala: "And you will always be in my heart."

Another Disney movie that I haven't watched before until last night. For some reason, I just decided to watch this one and I was pleasantly surprised it.

One of the last of the 1990s Disney movies, we open with a shipwrecked couple and their new born son in Equatorial Africa. It's not long before the couple are killed and the baby son ended up being raised by a gorilla named Kala (Glenn Close), much to the disapproval of her mate, Kerchak (Lance Henriksen).

The boy of course was Tarzan (Alex D. Linz/Tony Goldwyn). The latter often stoked Kerchak's disappointment while Kala loved him like he was her own son. Tarzan also befriended gorilla Terk (Rosie O'Donnell) and African forest elephant, Tantor (Wayne Knight). They made for a nice friendship group.

Cut to Tarzan being all grown up and realising that he's not the only human after all. There was the arrival of an expedition group comprising of Professor Archimedes Q. Porter (Nigel Hawthorne), his daughter Jane (Minnie Driver) and the rather treacherous William Cecil Clayton (Brian Blessed). Add a few henchmen for the latter and you have got your humans here.

With Jane, she's clearly the love interest for Tarzan and while not the best written love interest, there's a likeable enough chemistry between the pair. By the end of this movie, even her father recognised that her and Tarzan were meant to be together. 

As for Clayton, he's a nasty enough baddie. It took little for him to turn on Archimedes and Jane and he had no problem with capturing Tarzan or even causing the death of Kerchak. Like all Disney villains, he got a rather suitable comeuppance to boot.

- Clayton might have been the human villain of the piece but the leopard Sabor was responsible for the deaths of Tarzan's parents and Kala's son.

- Prior to Rosie O'Donnell's casting, Terk was intended to be a male character.

- Standout music: Phil Collins gave us You'll Be In My Heart, Two Worlds, Strangers Like Me and Son Of Man.

- Chronology: 1870s then 1890s in Equatorial Africa. Porter's crew were English.

Tarzan made for something of a decent adventure. While it doesn't hit in the same way for me that either Aladdin or Hercules did, it's a very enjoyable watch with a great soundtrack from Phil Collins.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

Baywatch - FOX Greenlight New Series

Yes, in the year 2026 we are getting a brand new series of Baywatch. It'll be on FOX for the 2026-2027 TV season and right now, the pilot is currently being filmed.

What do we know so far? We know that the role of Hobie Buchannon will now be played by former Arrow actor Stephen Amell, who'll be leading a new team of recruits. The recruits are Luke (Noah Beck), Nat (Hassie Harrison), Charlie Vale (Jessica Belkin), Grace (Livvy Dunne), Brad (Thaddeus LaGrone) and Trina (Shay Mitchell) and Diego (Kylar Miranda) to round off the majority of the main and recurring cast.

In particular, a lot of the filming pics seemed to heavily focus on Noah Beck. The guy's mostly been a social media star with a football background. In terms of acting experience, he's appeared in Tubi movies and guest starred in the short-lived Doctor Odyssey. Going by the character description for his character, Luke, he does seem to be a newcomer to the team. Also looking at those filming pics with the cast, they're definitely making the effort to recapture the allure of the original series. This pilot is being directed by McG from a script written by Lara Olsen.

Now, let's talk about the original series, shall we? It ran for eleven seasons between 1989 to 2001, first on NBC and then on Syndication. This included spin offs movies (1995-2003) and a supernatural themed spin-off series named Baywatch Nights (1995-1997). It gave David Hasselhoff a career boost after Knight Rider (1982-1986) and launched the career of Pamela Anderson and Jason Momoa (during the Hawaii era) among other actors. As a show, it wasn't exactly known for it's complex writing and Emmy type acting but it was a delightful guilty pleasure that I did watch when I was younger as did many in my generation. Not to mention that theme tune was pretty iconic.

I think the question that should be asked - can the show work in the modern era? It's very much a show that feels like a product of its time and a previous attempt of modernising it with Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron's 2017 movie failed. Will this FOX attempt actually work? It's definitely going the sequel series route with Amell now playing Hobie Buchannon and David Chokachi reprising his role of Cody Madison for this show. I also wouldn't be surprised if the show at least attempts to get David Hasselhoff and/or Pamela Anderson or other former cast members to try and appear on the show if it's a hit for FOX.

The new Baywatch show will air on FOX during the autumn while the original series is available on streaming platforms to watch.

The Cottage Again, 90s Love And Game Time

And once again, here we are with a catch up of everything I've been watching since the last time I did one of these.

911: Will this show ever give audiences what they truly want with Buck and Eddie or are doomed to this weird place both characters are stuck in for eternity? They continue to act like a couple without actually being one and Eddie went into protective boyfriend mode during Buck's kidnapping episode. It's really long past time for this show to either go there with Buddie or give them permanent love interests.

911: Nashville: There's no denying that this show might be the weakest in the brand but there's a few moments where some hints of improvement are creeping in. I liked Don's flashbacks with Dixie and Blythe, the Blue/Taylor romance has potential and we even got some backstory for Roxy. Not to mention having Buck and Eddie appear certainly didn't hurt things.

Bridgerton: Into the second half of the love story between Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie Baek. While their wedding was a mid credit scene (odd choice), the show did an excellent job with building towards their romantic conclusion. Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha absolutely delivered in their scenes together. Also, who the hell is the new Lady Whistledown? There was also Anthony/Kate's return, Francesca losing John, Violet choosing herself and good scenes with Queen Charlotte/Lady Danbury but the show could've done something with Cressida and Araminta. 

How To Get To Heaven From Belfast: How do you follow up a show like Derry Girls? Lisa McGee certainly had a task on her hands but this turned out to be a worthy follow up. Saoirse, Robyn and Dara working together to solve the mystery of their "dead" friend. Some familiar faces in the mix with Bronagh Gallagher on fine form as well as the more skittish Saoirse Monica Jackson. Oh and that ending nicely set up a potential second season.

Love Story: Ryan Murphy will forever stoke ire for these anthologies based on real people but the more they're watched, the more he's gonna keep making them. Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon are on great form with the show giving a good depiction of John F. Kennedy Jr and Carolyn Bessette's turbulent relationship. I do think Pidgeon's the stronger actor of the two but Kelly held his own. Saying that, Naomi Watts was a bit wasted as Jackie Kennedy.

Vladimir: You know what, I totally get it. Netflix wanted a more unhinged version of Fleabag and this show kind of did that. I can't blame Rachel Weisx going cuckoo for Leo Woodall's titular character and her obsession with him was oddly entertaining to watch. Less interesting was anything involving the family of Weisz's character and some of the MeToo commentary just didn't land as well as it could've done. Given it's viewership numbers, I wouldn't expect a second season though.

• Netflix have officially cast their Scooby Doo live action show. McKenna Grace, Tanner Hagen, Abby Ryder Forston and Maxwell Jenkins will play Daphne, Shaggy, Velma and Fred respectively. Frank Weller will voice Scooby Doo.
• Amazon Prime has renewed Cross for a third season. The second season is currently being released weekly.
• The White Lotus has added more to its cast including Max Greenfield, Kumail Nanjiani and Chloe Bennett to name a few. Filming begins in France next month.
• Danielle Deadwyler has been cast as a lead in the reboot of Hulu's The X-Files.
• Firefly is being revived as an animated series with the original cast slated to reprise their roles.
• The Bear will end with it's upcoming fifth season. It'll air on FX during the summer.
• AMC have renewed The Audacity for a second season, ahead of it's first one airing next month.
• The Harry Potter series will film it's second season later this year. The first will premiere on HBO in 2027.
• FOX have renewed Doc for a 22 episode third season.
• ABC have renewed both 911 shows for further seasons.
• Family Guy is getting a Stewie based spin-off. FOX have given a two season order for the show, due to debut in the 2027-2028 TV season.
• The Vampire Lestat (aka Interview With The Vampire Season 3) will premiere on AMC from June 7th.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day - First Trailer Released

It's been a long time coming and we've had a whole series of Wonder Man and teasers for Avengers: Doomsday. This morning, Sony/Marvel released the first trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

So, what were the highlights of the trailer then? Highlights and some facts as well.

• It's the fourth solo movie with Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and it's been four years since the events of the previous one.
• Written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi, Wonder Man).
• Both MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) are back and still don't remember their prior connections to Peter.
• Peter is shown to be in a cocoon and to be developing organic webbing.
• For the gays he's also in a nice black tank top, shirtless and in boxers at different points. Like the MCU don't know their audience.

• Sadie Sink's mystery character only very briefly appears. She's got to be playing someone major for this level of secrecy, right?
• MJ has a new boyfriend played by Eman Esfandi.
• There's scenes that Peter and Spider-Man share with Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal).
• Villain wise, there's an appearance of Scorpion (Michael Mando) as well as Boomerang, Tarantula and The Hand.
• Charlie Cox is expected to appear as Daredevil/Matt Murdock as well as Tombstone (Marvin Jones III).

As a trailer, I think it did a really good job in selling it. It definitely feels like a smaller scale one, compared to Tom Holland's original trilogy but that's certainly a good thing. I think it's going to do very well.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be in theatres from July 31st. The trailer is on YouTube.

My Review of Calvary (2014)

 

Written And Directed by John Michael McDonagh

Father James: "What do you want to say to me? I'm here to listen to whatever you have to say."

Jack: "I'm going to kill you, Father."

Father James: "Certainly a startling opening line."

After watching The Guard (2011), of course I had to catch up with Calvary (2014). Brendan Gleeson going from an amoral garda to a cantankerous priest and the way this movie opened, it's not hard to see why he'd be pissed off.

The movie started with Gleeson's priest, Father James taking confession with a mystery man. The latter informed Father James that he was a victim of sexual abuse by the priests and even though James wasn't an abuser, he was going to be killed on the next Sunday.

Now, given this advanced warning, you'd think James would've just relocated and avoided death but alas, he didn't. Even after getting rather unhelpful advice from fellow priest, Father Leary (David Wilmot) and Bishop Garret Montgomery (David McSavage), he stuck around.

Then again when Father James wasn't contemplating imminent death, he was spending time with estranged daughter, Fiona (Kelly Reilly). They had something of a complicated relationship, though there was a clear affection between the two of them. Perhaps James should have gone with her instead of waiting to be killed.

Then there's the mystery man himself. The local butcher Jack Brennan (Chris O'Dowd). He wanted revenge for the abuse he suffered. His wife Veronica (Orla O'Rourke) was sleeping with another man named Simon (Isaach de Bankolé) and he didn't care. He just wanted revenge for his past trauma.

There's a great dramatic performance from Chris O'Dowd on that beach as Jack succeeded in actually killing Father James. Then he went to prison with Fiona paying him a visit. It certainly ended this film on a complex note.

- There's an array of well written supporting characters played by Killian Scott (the porn addled Milo Herlihy), Aiden Gillen (the arrogant Dr Frank Harte), M. Emmett Walsh (a writer named Ger Ryan) and Owen Sharpe (a rather talkative rent boy named Leo). Domhnall Gleeson also appeared as Freddie Joyce.

- Father James never finished Moby Dick so Jack had to be a dick and spoil the book. At least Jack wasn't responsible for the death of James's dog.

-Standour music: Fred Neil's The Dolphins.

- Chronology: In a small parish, likely Sligo as that was where the movie was filmed.

As a follow up movie, Calvary (2014) did lose a point for the dog death. Saying that, it's very funny and very bleak in parts and the cast are on excellent form. It's definitely worth watching.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of The Guard (2011)

 

Written And Directed by John Michael McDonagh

Everett: "You have anybody you want me to call?"

Boyle: "Nah, I don't have anybody. Just pin a medal on my body like those boys coming home from Iraq."

Everett: "Fuck you again Sergeant."

Catching up with more Irish movies this month, would you believe this one was a first time watch? No, seriously. I only watched it for the first time last night and I nearly burst my sides laughing. 

Brendan Gleeson has given many a career best performance (and long may he do so) but pairing him with Don Cheadle might be one of the most genius double acts to happen. They're the perfect combination of chalk and cheese and bring out the best in each other.

With Gleeson, he's playing Sergeant Gerry Boyle. The character's coarse, vulgar, rude, a tad racist but also surprisingly sympathetic, savvy and quick on the draw when people least expect him to be. The things Gerry would say rightfully cause offend but it's really hard not to root for the guy.

He's got a sick mother, Eileen (Fionnuala Flanagan) who brought out his softer side. Her death also caused quite the blow to him, though it happened off screen. Gerry's also got a soft spot for the ladies as his escapades with two prostitutes resulted in a blackmail. He was more angered about one of them being physically assaulted than he was about being blackmailed by the villains of the piece.

Gerry also felt sadness for the widow (Katarina Čas) for the closeted Garda Aidan McBride (Rory Keenan). The latter was murdered at the behest of crime boss, Francis Sheehy-Skeffington (Liam Cunningham) and his cohorts Clive Cornell (Mark Strong) and the unhinged Liam O'Leary (David Wilmot). The way that Gerry dealt with them all was particularly brutal but deserved.

Circling back to Don Cheadle, his character FBI Agent Wendell Everett was the straight man in this buddy cop dynamic. He was certainly appalled, perplexed and even admiring the utterly batshit antics of Boyle. I absolutely loved their scenes together.

- Gabriela (McBride's widow) was from Croatia. She wasn't shocked by the fact that her husband was gay. Boyle pointed out that Croatia had good football players.

- Boyle was an expert swimmer, which came in handy for how this movie ended the character.

- Standout music: There's a good use of traditional songs and artists such as N.E.R.D. to boot.

- Chronology: Set predominantly in Connemara but Everett was also from Wisconsin.

The Guard was an absolute riot of a movie. Hysterically funny from start to finish and with an incredible double act from Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle. Not exactly politically correct mind you.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale Not Picked Up By Hulu

Yesterday certainly threw out the biggest pop entertainment media story it could have with this one, didn't it? On the week of the show's 29th anniversary and all.

Sarah Michelle Gellar took to social media yesterday to announce that Hulu opted to not pick up Buffy The Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale as a series after the pilot had been filmed last year. A later statement had been made about exploring other possibilities within the popular IP. 

I have to say that my initial reaction was mixed to this news. A part of me was disappointed with the news as I had been looking forward to reconnecting with one of the most iconic television characters of all time. Then another part of me was relieved that perhaps Buffy Summers herself had been spared a fate that might not have done wonders for her enduring legacy.

This also lead to the obvious speculation that in spite of Chloe Zhao's best efforts, perhaps the pilot itself just wasn't good enough for Hulu to risk it. Leaks in the last twenty four hours had revealed that Buffy herself would've only appeared in the last scene. She would've been an insurance broker that was living in New York and going by Anne for some reason.

The rest of the pilot would've focused on both old and new versions of Sunnydale coexisting with long buried vampires coming out of the ground and a young girl named Nova (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) being activated as the new slayer. Also one of her teachers would have become a vampire during the episode. 

On paper, this didn't sound awful but a bit generic. I do think relegating Buffy herself to a mundane role wouldn't have been the best way to reintroduce the character as well. Could the pilot leak? Possibly. It took years for the original Buffy pilot to leak (currently on YouTube) as well as the opening scene from the planned animated show. 

Oh well, at least we still have the 1992 movie, the TV show, Angel, those follow up comics and that audio series from a few years ago. Perhaps this decision will be a blessing in disguise.

My Review of Young Sherlock - Season 1 (2026, Amazon Prime)

 

Written by Matthew Parkhill And Peter Harness And Steve Thompson And Melissa Bubnic

Directed by Guy Ritchie And Anders Engström And Dennie Gordon And Tricia Bock

Moriarty (to Sherlock): "When you've eliminated the impossible, whatever remains must be the truth."

Ah, yes. For the latest take on Sherlock Holmes, let's go younger with the character and keep John Watson out of his orbit. That might sound a little snarky but it was my gut reaction. Fortunately, it didn't deter me from actually watching the show.

The show itself introduced a nineteen year old version of the amateur detective. This Sherlock (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) spent some time in prison, got released by his oldest brother, Mycroft (Max Irons) and ended up with a porter job at Oxford's Candlin College. This would be where Sherlock would meet future enemy/current friend, James Moriarty (Dónal Finn).

Now the biggest strength of this show undoubtedly would be the Sherlock/Moriarty dynamic. Both Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Dónal Finn are fantastic in their scenes together. Both are smart and both were outcasts from their peers, so the both they form as the series unfolded made total sense. It's an incredibly strong partnership that made for the best viewing.

Of course there were mysteries afoot to keep things interesting. One of them involved Princess Gulun Shou'an/Xiao Wei (Zine Tseng). Throughout the series, there was some switching back and forth between identities and there were times when she went from being an ally as well as a nuisance to both Sherlock and Moriarty. Colin Firth popped up in the first half of the season as Sir Bucephalus Hodge but he's one of the few weaker elements of the show.

The second half of the season made things more into a rather complicated family affair. I enjoyed the gentle bickering between Sherlock and Mycroft along with the presence of their mother, Cordelia (Natascha McElhone). The latter in particular spent time in an asylum being recorded before she was released. This also played a part into the main plot of the season.

Of course it's the Holmes patriarch, Silas (Joseph Fiennes) and the not so dead daughter, Beatrice (Holly Cattle) that made up our final villains of the piece. There's shades of Guy Ritchie's movies and the 2010-2017 BBC series in this show but that's to it's strength and there's a few nice hooks for future seasons. 

- Episode titles are The Case Of The Missing Scrolls, The Case Of The Burnt Photograph, The Case Of The Unarmed Man, The Case Of The Missing Button, The Case Of Young Sherlock Holmes, The Case Of The Killing Jar, The Case Of The Two Corners and The Case Of Beatrice Holmes.

- Steve Thompson previous wrote for Sherlock and Guy Ritchie directed the Robert Downey Jr movies.

- Standout music: Kasabian's Days Are Forgotten, which was the theme tune for the show.

- Chronology: The show takes place in 19th century London along with Constantinople for the last two episodes.

Young Sherlock definitely hit the right spots. If you've missed the Robert Downey Jr movies and Benedict Cumberbatch TV show, this show's a perfect blend of both. Both Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Dónal Finn are excellent young versions of the iconic frenemy duo.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of The Bride! (2026)

 

Written And Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal 

Frank: "The Bride of Frankenstein."

The Bride: "Just the Bride."

I was really hoping that the critical were going to be wrong about this movie. I really wanted them to be. This movie had talent both in front and behind the camera and an interesting variation on a classic monster story. How did it go so wrong?

I think maybe the bouncing back and forth between Mary Shelley (the author of Frankenstein) and a young woman named Ida, both of whom were played by Jessie Buckley certainly didn't help matters. For some reason, Mary was able to possess Ida but the movie made no effort to explain it as such.

When Ida was possessed by Mary, she went on feminist rants that were written in a very purple prose sort of way. Ida's rants eventually got her killed but death wouldn't be the ending of her story. Instead, it was a prelude to a literal rebirth for her.

This was where Frank aka Frankenstein (Christian Bale) and mad scientist Dr. Cornelia Euphronious (Annette Bening) factored into things. Frank needed a lover and Euphronious went along with in spite her initial misgivings about playing with the dead. If anything, she could have resisted a bit more before resurrecting Ida.

Now we had three women at once for Jessie Buckley to play. She was Mary Shelley who had another story to tell. She was Ida who was conflicted about her past. She was also The Bride determined to make her own choices, including rejecting Frank's proposal attempts as she grew closer to him. I mean they did have a Bonnie & Clyde dynamic in the second half of the movie.

As a duo, both The Bride and Frank caused a lot of chaos, which included terrorising an actor named Ronnie Reed (Jake Gyllenhaal) when The Bride wasn't ripping out a corrupt cop's tongue. There was also a detective duo with Ida's ex, Jake Wiles (Peter Sarsgaard) and his protégé Myrna Malloy (Penelope Cruz).

The movie hurtled towards a hamfisted conclusion that combined elements of the original source material and the criminal couple that our leads tried so hard to emulate. The feminist messaging on the other hand kind of got lost in the shuffle as it turned out that death really wasn't an obstacle.

- The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935) had the same idea of Mary Shelley and The Bride being played by the same actor. It worked better there.

- This was the second time that Maggie Gyllenhaal had directed both Jessie Buckley and Peter Sarsgaard and cast them as volatile exes. 

- Standout music: Jake Gyllenhaal's My Sin and Luther Allison's Maelstrom.

- Chronology: 1930s Chicago for the duration of the movie with flashbacks to Mary Shelley in the 1800s.

The Bride! had all the potential in the world to be one of the best movies of 2026. It had the right people behind and in front of the camera but it's a misfire all round. The performances are erratic, the script's clunky and the messaging just didn't land. A genuine shame.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of In The Name Of The Father (1993)

 

Written by Terry George And Jim Sheridan

Directed by Jim Sheridan

Gareth Peirce: "You got 15 years of blood and sweat and pain from my client - whose only crime was that he was bloody well Irish. And he was foolish, and he was in the wrong place at the wrong time!"

Okay, continuing to watch more Irish movies this month, I went back to rewatch one that I had only seen once and not for the longest time. It's one of the more political themed and based on a true story. It's also got one of the best performances from Daniel Day-Lewis.

Taking on the role of Gerry Conlon, Day-Lewis played a man who started the movie being mistook for an IRA sniper. Gerry wasn't of course but he did steal from a prostitute and he had a rather strained relationship with his father, Giuseppe (Pete Postlethwaite). The latter didn't approve of a lot of Gerry's life choices.

Anyways the main crux of the film came down to Gerry and three of his friends - Paul Hill (John Lynch), Carole Richardson (Beatie Edney) and Paddy Armstrong (Mark Sheppard) being falsely accused the Guildford pub bombings and the Woolwich pub bombing. Undergoing police brutality and a trial, all four of them were given harsh sentences.

However, it wasn't just those four who received harsh sentences. Even poor Guiseppe ended up being a consequence of a corrupted system that wanted results for two high profile bombings. We saw through the interrogations that the police were concerned more with getting a conviction, even if it meant that they put the wrong people away.

In the confines of prison, both Gerry and Guiseppe had to deal with their own issues towards one another while Gerry also made other friends inside. Guiseppe died during his sentence and the movie also had Gerry working with solicitor Gareth Peirce (Emma Thompson) to get his sentence overturned. 

Gareth herself had to deal with both corruption and incompetence in order to help Gerry and the others regain their freedom. It's a bittersweet ending for Gerry, having lost his father and spent fifteen years of his life for something he didn't do. 

- There's some strong supporting performances from Paterson Joseph, Marie Jones, Gerard McSorley and Corin Redgrave.

- Gabriel Byrne had an executive producer role but distanced himself from the film due to creative liberties that Jim Sheridan took.

- Standout music: Bono and Gavin Friday's In The Name Of The Father and Sinead O'Connor's You Made Me The Thief Of Your Heart.

- Chronology: The bombings too place in October and November 1974. The Guilford Four were released in 1989 and Maguire Seven in 1991.

In The Name Of The Father (1993) might take creative liberties with the events that really transpired but I will admit that Jim Sheridan's directing was great. There's excellent performances from Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite and Emma Thompson.

Rating: 8 out of 10