My Review of Dr. No (1962)

 

Written by Richard Maibaum And Johanna Harwood And Berkely Mather

Directed by Terence Young

Dr. No: "The Americans are fools. I offered my services; they refused. So did the East. Now they can both pay for their mistake."

James Bond: "World domination. The same old dream. Our asylums are full of people who think they're Napoleon. Or God."

A few weeks ago, I thought to myself that I wanted to take on a movie franchise with a lengthy number of films. I also thought I'd go with this particular franchise, which is on the cusp of announcing it's next actor for the next ten to fifteen years worth of movies.

Going back to the very beginning, there was Sean Connery as 007 aka James Bond himself. He certainly set the bar for the character, himself and his successors and this film certainly got things off to an interesting start for the character.

James Bond definitely would be seen as the ultimate straight male fantasy character. He's a secret agent, can handle himself in fights, drives a cool car and uses cool gadgets when needed. He's also a great seducer of women and this was apparent in some of his encounters in this first film.

He didn't have to do a lot to seduce secretary Miss Taro (Zena Marshall) and get her arrested afterwards. That was certainly a moment highlighting Bond's coldness with women. Then there's his relationship with the main girl of the film - Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress).

It's a bit better explored, following the memorable way in which Honey herself was introduced. There's was some insight into her tragic family past, an interesting use of Tarantulas and of course, some genuinely sizzling chemistry between Connery and Andress.

As for the film's main - Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman). He's a reclusive member of SPECTRE and a man deeply resentful of his talents not being appreciated. He's a great villain and a wonderful foil for Bond himself. He also got one hell of a gruesome demise. The ending on the other hand was more on the tender side of things.

- SPECTRE stood for Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion. Dr. No had no problem explaining they to James Bond.

- Other prominent characters include Felix Leiter (Jack Lord), M (Bernard Lee), Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell) and Quarrell (John Kitzmiller) to name a few.

- Standout music: Monty Norman's Under The Mango Tree. Both James and Honey bonded over that song.

- Chronology: Predominantly set in Jamaica.

For the start of a sixty year plus movie legacy, I'll admit that Dr. No felt like a modest but entertaining start to James Bond on the big screen. Sean Connery commandeered the role quite easily. The action and romance nicely complimented each other and our titular villain was a success.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Rear Window (1954)

 

Written by John Michael Hayes

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Stella: "Intelligence. Nothing has caused the human race so much trouble as intelligence."

Now I've seen this one a few times and the other day, I found myself revisiting it. There are a lot of Hitchcock movies that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime. This obviously would be one of them.

You've got James Stewart confined to a wheelchair for the entirety of this film giving one of the best performances. In this film, he's a photojournalist named L. B. "Jeff" Jefferies. His injuries were work related, so he's basically under glorified house arrest and he's bored.

In his life, he's got a beautiful girlfriend named Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly). She's a model and went out of her way to treat Jeff to a nice dinner while also broaching the topic of them moving in together. Jeff wasn't so keen on the idea of such a thing. Lisa isn't a role that seemed exciting but as the movie went along, Lisa got some moments of true perception in relation to women and jewellery. There's a good point to it.

There's also the nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter). She's more of a fun character who's happy to challenge Jeff at different points while maintaining his physical health and recovery. I liked her character and would've been happy to have had more scenes with her.

Then there's Jeff's neighbour, Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr). The latter was seen hosting a party with a slew of colourful characters and then he killed his wife (Irene Winston). Or did he? Jeff was convinced of his guilt while others like Lisa and Lt. Thomas "Tom" J. Doyle (Wendell Corey) were less convinced that a murder even happened.

Of course, Jeff would be vindicated in his beliefs but it certainly didn't happen straightaway and Jeff's actions did put both himself and Lisa at risk. It's almost surprising that Jeff didn't end up being killed, though Thorwald certainly tried to. Saying that, Jeff probably could've handled the whole thing a lot better than he did.

- The movie was based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 story It Had To Be Murder.

- Thorwald's party guests included Miss Lonely Hearts (Judith Evelyn), Miss Torso (Georgine Darcy), songwriter (Ross Bagdasarian), Miss Hearing Aid (Jesslyn Fax) to name a few.

- Standout music: Leonard Bernstein's Fancy Free.

- Chronology: Mid 1950s in Greenwich Village, New York.

Rear Window (1954) has undeniably has earned it's place in cinematic history. It's one of Alfred Hitchcock's best films and for good reason and it's one of the best performances from James Stewart. It's a tense film but also very amusing in parts.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Coyote vs. Acme (2026)

 

Written by James Gunn And Jeremy Slater And Samy Burch

Directed by Dave Green 

Kevin: "Acme has knowingly been making dangerous products for years."

Ah, the movie they tried to seal up in the vault and never to be released. Well, after one hell of an uphill battle, it finally got itself a release but was it worth it? The answer would be yes.

As a kid, I loved the antics of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. The gag might have always been the same but it never failed to make me laugh. Of course there are limits and the Coyote was getting fed up of Acme products constantly failing to kill that Road Runner.

This was where the human element of the film emerged. You had a law firm that specialised in cases for faulty Acme products. Coyote in particular sought out the attorney, Kevin Avery (Will Forte) in order to sue Acme for their shoddy products. This was a case that would test both characters.

While Kevin had the help of his intern/niece, Paige (Lana Condor), those working at Acme were determined to get this case shut down and had no issues resorting to extreme measures in order to do so. Kevin had to deal with Acme Corporation lawyer Buddy Crane (John Cena) among a lot of other characters to boot.

There's a history lesson in a missing scientist - Dr Lorre and the fact that Acme have been using their cartoons in experiments that many such as Daffy Duck, Tasmanian Devil and Bugs Bunny were terrified to talk about. Not only that but there's also the fact that Coyote was using the court case in order to smoke out Road Runner.

If I said the actual trial was the best part of the movie, I don't think anyone would disagree with me. The bad guys won but only to have their dark secrets later exposed but not only that, there's the beautiful stakes of Coyote and Road Runner's relationship played out. I got a little emotional seeing a particular moment that beautifully encapsulated their whole dynamic. That genuinely surprised me.

- Eric Bauza pretty voiced all of the animated characters in the film. Project Sisyphus was key to the trial itself.

- Other human actor/characters included Martha Kelly, Luis Guzman, P.J. Byrne, Tone Bell and Kenneth Choi.

- The closing credits had a nice dedication to everyone who supported getting the movie into theatres.

- Chronology: Flashbacks to 1992 with the present day being 2022 in Albuquerque.

I'm so glad that Coyote Vs. Acme got released. Even if it hadn't been a good movie, it deserved to be seen by audiences alike. However, it's a genuinely great film with some brilliant performances from everyone involved. I also think it was a nice way to see out the summer releases this year.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Batman: Knightfall - Part 1: Knightfall (2026)

 

Written by Jeremy Adams

Directed by Jeff Wamester

Bane (to Batman): "You are always hiding from the people closest to you but you can't hide from destiny."

I gotta be honest, I'm actually surprised it took DC this long to have done an animated version of the classic Knightfall storyline. However, I'm not shocked that they've made this into a three part saga. It's wise of them to do such a thing.

Anyways, we open with a gang trafficking vulnerable people only for Jean Paul Valley/Azrael (Pablo Schrieber) to pop up and kill the majority of them while fighting Batman (Anson Mount). Then we had Jean Paul break down, being horrified by his powers and Batman taking him in to harness his powers for good.

Then there's our villain of the piece - Bane (Michael Mando). A good portion of the movie was dedicated to his origin story. We had the death of his mother (Adriana Isabel) and the sadistic prison warden (Bayardo de Murgula). The latter wouldn't live to regret his monstrous creation and his death was very much deserved.

Bane's a character that has had mixed results in both live action and animation. I can say that this might be one of the more successful takes on the character. You can sympathise with him as a child for the harsh treatment he was subjected to. You can also understand the envy he had towards the Wayne family and Gotham City and you can definitely be horrified by his actions upon arriving in Gotham.

Bane being both a towering force and an excellent strategic mind was where this first part was an undeniable. Freeing various baddies from Gotham to overwhelm both the GCPD and Batman was a success. Bane almost came close to killing the Tim Drake (Jack Griffo) version of Robin twice in this film. Even Alfred Pennyworth (Simon Temple man) wasn't safe from Bane.

The actual confrontation between Batman and Bane was absolutely brilliant. The way Bane deconstructed Batman's character and the sheer brutality of that back snap and public humiliation at the very end. This absolutely raised the bar for this animated adaptation. I really hope they can maintain this quality for the next two films.

- Villains we saw in this film were Scarecrow, Firefly, Mr Freeze (no voice actors), Riddler (David Dastamalchian), Ventriloquist/Scarface (Jeff Bennett), Mad Hatter (Jason Flemyng), Victor Zsasz (Andrew Morgado) and Catman (Luis Bermudez).

- Allies in this movie included Dr. Shonda Kinsolving (Toks Olagundoye), Commissioner Gordon (Bruce Boxleitner), Harvey Bullock (Mick Wingert) and Renee Montoya (Jessica Camacho). Dick Grayson (no voice actor) and Jason Todd (Max Mittelman) in flashbacks.

- Some of Jean Paul's backstory was referenced but not fully fleshed out. I really liked his scenes with Tim.

- Chronology: Unspecified timeline but we did see a lot of Bane's life in Santa Prisca before he appeared in Gotham.

The first part of this Knightfall saga might be one of the best adaptations of a DC animated movie. Easily one of the best uses of Bane as a character, an exhausted Batman, an inspired Robin/Azrael team up and a brilliant cliffhanger ending.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

DCU Blog - August 2026 Edition: MOT Completes Filming, TBII Films And Jimmy Olsen Goes To HBO Max

Well, this has certainly been a month for DC, hasn't it? There's filming news galore and much more.

Man Of Tomorrow (July 9th 2027) has completed filming. A trailer will likely surface in December.

The Deathstroke And Bane movie is getting closer to getting greenlit, according to ViewerAnon. Alan Ritchson was in talks for a role.

The Brave And The Bold is supposedly further along and might start filming next year. I'm a bit sceptical on that one tbh.

Is Adria Arjona playing Maxima or Wonder Woman? We're still none the wiser but I know which one I think it is.

The Batman Part II (February 18th 2028) has been filming in the UK for nearly two months. Some scenes have involved a wintry setting and one scene where Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) was rescued by Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis).

Cristin Milioti has confirmed that she won't be back for The Batman Part II in a recent interview.

An official trailer has been released for upcoming DC animated show, Get Jiro.

Paramount executives intend to keep both James Gunn and Peter Safran running DC Studios if the merger goes ahead.

The first episode of Lanterns has been viewed by over nine million across platforms. It's already a hit for HBO.

Dynamic Duo (June 30th 2028) has a reported $90 million budget.

Nathan Fillion will reprise his role of Guy Gardner in both Man Of Tomorrow and the Mister Miracle animated show. He'll also appear in Lanterns.

Entertainment Weekly have confirmed that both Waller and Paradise Lost are no longer a priority. Booster Gold may be revived with a new creative team.

Skyler Gisondo will reprise his role of Jimmy Olsen in upcoming HBO Max show, The People V. Gorilla Grodd. The Daily Planet staff actors will reprise their roles along with Jimmy Tatro, Arian Moayed, Mary Holland, Eduardo Franco, Dan Perrault and Andrew Leeds. Filming is about to start.

My Adventures With Superman has yet to be renewed for a fourth season but the producers seem confident it will be.

The WB-Paramount right now is also stalling some future DC projects. The sooner it's resolved, the better.

Supergirl has completed it's box office with $125.8 million, making it the lowest grossing DC movie since 2004's Catwoman.

And that's a wrap up for this month for DC news. 

My Review of Lanterns: "OutKast"

 

Written by Vanessa Baden Kelly 

Directed by Stephen Williams 

Lianna (to John): "This is when most candidates ask 'why me?'"

Ooh, this episode certainly has provoked discussion this morning. Certain comic book fans didn't love and others saw it as a much needed character piece with a pointed commentary on lived in black experiences. I would veer more into the latter way of thinking.

We knew from the opening episode that John was being trained to be a Green Lantern. His trainers being his parents and their methods were freaking extreme. John getting a rifle and a Green Lantern costume for his fifth birthday, walking a dangerous street at night when he's not even a teenager and the whole William Tell bit as well. His parents went too hard on the preparation for him.

If anything John's mother, Bernadette (Jasmine Cephas Jones) really pushed John. John was more artistically inclined than fighter focused but that didn't stop him joining the Marines, making some mistakes before the inevitable happened. He got the calling.

I liked that the episode was somewhat framed as an interview between John and Guardian Lianna (Laura Linney). Lianna got John to reveal some uncomfortable truths as the discussion of succeeding Hal Jordan factored into things. Hal was a source of frustration for the Stewart family and the Guardians themselves.

It was also Lianna who had put the idea of John becoming a Green Lantern into Bernadette's head. Lianna had tried to amend for John Sr being rejected as a potential Lantern. Giving the family a diamond didn't exactly help matters and it seemed Hal became the target of frustration while John was being primed for the role.

The first meeting between John and Hal in the former's childhood home was expertly done. Hal was sweet as pie to Bernadette and John Sr but made it clear to John that he had no intention of being replaced. I did like that John essentially just laughed it off. What else could he have done in that scenario?

- John's thing for birds was explained by Bernadette using them as a way to motivate him into training harder. John also hates cheeseburgers.

- John did get into an art school and that was where his interview ended up happening. His brothers are Marcus and Aaron.

- Hal's interfering with human affairs wasn't seen as a good thing with the Guardians. The Guardians also didn't understand race issues.

- The show is definitely being strategic with it's CGI. We don't see Lianna from the front when she shifted into her true form.

- Standout music: OutKast's Gasoline Dreams at the end of the episode.

- Chronology: Mostly 2016 but a lot of glimpses into John's past. 

OutKast proved to be a thought provoking origin story for John Stewart. I can sort of see why it might not appeal to everyone but I liked it. For the DCU, it's an interesting way to go with the character and it added another layer to the John and Hal relationship.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of The Love Witch (2016)

 

Written And Directed by Anna Biller

Richard: "Who are you? What are you doing to me?"

Elaine: "I'm the love witch! I'm your ultimate fantasy!"

Feminist witch themed movie, anyone? This was my second choice for a movie yesterday and it was a rather interesting experience. I've seen much acclaim for this movie over the years but this was a first time watch for me.

Set in the present day but paying tribute to 60s horror, you've got the titular witch herself. She's a woman named Elaine Parks (Samantha Robinson) and she's recently widowed. Actually, it's obvious from the start that she murdered her husband, Jerry (Stephen Wozniak). There's no ambiguity about that whatsoever.

Anyways, Elaine relocated to California and moved into a nice big house while working as an artist. She quickly befriended Trish Manning (Laura Waddle), a woman who had very different views on romance and was happily married to Richard (Robert Seeley). Trish wouldn't end the movie that way.

Elaine on the other hand was desperate to meet her mate and used love spells to attract both Richard and another guy named Wayne Peters (Jeffrey Vincent Parise). Richard and Wayne having big feelings for Elaine was a turn off and her rejection of both men (coupled with her not actually being good at casting love spells) saw both of them die rather horribly.

Richard's death in particular was somewhat of a beginning of the end for Elaine. Not only did she have to deal with Trish's wrath but her romance with Detective Griff Meadows (Gian Keys) ended up falling to pieces and she had actual feelings for him.

Elaine and Griff's romance was definitely the most intense part of the film but when he became wise to her, there was no going back. Even rescuing her from an angry mob didn't soften Griff and he ended up being brutally killed. The ending was definitely something to behold. 

- Elaine used a witch's bottle frequently in the movie. She even supplied them to a local store.

- There was some focus on Elaine's mentor, Barbara (Jennifer Ingrum) and the rather lecherous Gahan (Jared Sanford). We also saw a handfasting ritual and learned witches were barely tolerated.

- Standout music: Giselle DaMier's Fairy Lady.

- Chronology: Present day in Arcata, California.

The Love Witch (2016) definitely deserved it's acclaim. It's a beautiful nod to a bygone era of horror with a feminist twist that worked well. Samantha Robinson was incredible here.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)

 

Written by John Kamps And Arne Olsen

Directed by Bryan Spicer

Ivan Ooze: "Taking over the world is one thing. Finding good help to run it for you, that's the killer."

What can I say? I fancied a nostalgia trip and this was something that I've not watched in a long time. I forgot how unbelievably cheesy this movie was and nope, that's not a criticism.

I was obsessed with this show as a kid, specifically the first few seasons. I'm not necessarily sure when I dipped out of it but this era in particular still had two of my favourite characters as Rangers and I did like the others who replaced some of the original cast.

Let's look at the Rangers - there's Tommy Oliver/White Ranger (Jason David Frank), Billy Cranston/Blue Ranger (David Yost), Kimberly Hart/Pink Ranger (Amy Jo Johnson), Rocky DeSantos/Red Ranger (Steve Cardenas), Aisha Campbell/Yellow Ranger (Karan Ashley) and Adam Park/Black Ranger (Johnny Yong Bosch). Theyre a likable bunch of friends and current heroes of Angel Grove.

The movie opened with our heroes taking s skydive with bullies Bulk (Paul Schrier) and Skull (Jason Narvy). Needless to say, the latter two didn't stick the landing and ended up on a construction site. The same site that would attract show villains Rita Repulsa (Julia Cortez) and Lord Zedd (Mark Gitner).

However if you were expecting Rita and Zedd to be the main baddies of this one, you might be disappointed. Instead they're trapped in a snow globe when they foolishly released and underestimated Ivan Ooze (Paul Freeman). It didn't take much for Ivan to literally steal the show from those two or to get both Goldar (Kerry Casey) and Mordant (Jean Paul Bell) in line.

I'll give Ooze his dues. He moved very fast as a villain. He gave the Rangers a run for their money and he quickly neutralised both Alpha 5 (Peta-Marie Rixon) and Zordon (Nicholas Bell). This also meant cutting the Rangers off their power source as well.

There's a fun journey with the powerless rangers on Phaedos as they met with Dulcea (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick). During that time, they fought off bird creatures, got cool ninja costumes, were assigned new animals and got their powers back. Those scenes are the best within the movie itself.

Of course there was also returning to Earth and defeating Ivan Ooze. It's the usual fun, bombastic way that you'd have seen per episode and it's rather fitting defeat. There's also a nice subplot with a young boy named Fred (Jamie Croft) that added a further human element as his teaming up with Bulk and Skull also saved lives.

- The animals assigned were ape (Rocky), wolf (Billy), crane (Kimberly), frog (Adam), bear (Aisha) and falcon (Tommy). Dulcea turned into an owl at one point.

-  There's a mid credit where Rita and Zedd got out of their snow globe prison.

- Standout music: Red Hot Chilli Peppers Higher Ground.

- Chronology: Ivan Ooze was trapped for 6000 years. Not as long as Rita once was but still a rather long time.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, it's certainly as cheesy as I remember it to be and I wouldn't have it any other way. A fun nostalgia trip with a very fun and very purple themed baddie.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of The End Of Oak Street (2026)

 

Written And Directed by David Robert Mitchell

Greg: "Is that a fucking dinosaur?"

Denise: "It is."

Catching up with a few of the remaining summer blockbusters, I caught up with this one yesterday afternoon. Was this a rejected pitch for a one off Jurassic World film? It certainly felt like it.

Anne Hathaway has had an interesting 2026. There was Mother Mary, which ended up being hit and miss but she came back swinging with both The Devil Wears Prada 2 and The Odyssey. This movie however would fall back into the hit and miss category.

In this movie, she's a writer named Denise Platt and she's on the brink of divorcing her husband, Greg (Ewan McGregor). They've also got two children named Audrey (Maisy Stella) and Brian (Christian Convery) and a dog named Starbuck. They live on Oak Street. That's the basics of this particular family unit.

Add in an irate named Mel (P.J. Byrne), a local event and a missing dog and it was from then onwards that things actually got a bit weird in this movie. I should say prehistoric as dinosaurs suddenly started showing up and then there was some time travelling antics to boot.

I should admire this movie's ambition. The idea was good and when the Platt family weren't being separated and fighting for their lives from dinosaurs, Denise realised that she didn't want to get a divorce after all. There's a bit where it looked like Greg had been killed off until he wasn't.

Another point I'll give the movie would be that it didn't neatly try to resolve things. While Denise and Greg worked things out and the former got herself a book out of the events, Oak Street itself was still stuck between prehistoric times and wormholes. I guess it would suggest a follow up.

- The movie's title ended up being the title of Denise's book. Greg was delivering pizzas upon losing his job.

- Originally, this was called Flowervale Street before the title change.

- Standout music: Pat Benatar's Hit Me With Your Best Shot and Roxy Music's More Than This.

- Chronology: 1982 on Oak Street in Flowervale, Michigan. Then a time jump to two years later.

I'm really not sure about The End Of Oak Street. I kind of liked it but I also kind of didn't. It's a diverting summer blockbuster but it also felt like a parody in parts. I'll probably revisit it at some point and have a clearer view on it.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of The Crucible (1996)

 

Written by Arthur Miller

Directed by Nicholas Hytner 

John Proctor: "Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them you have hanged! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!"

As we head into autumn, more horror themed film of old will crop up on this blog. Also, historical ones like this movie for example. 

It's been on my list of films to watch for a while. Well, it's a second viewing as I saw it over twenty years ago when I was younger. Anyways, let's take a trip to Salem, shall we?

There's a group of young girls, with the emphasis being on the chicken blood drinking Abigail Williams (Winona Ryder) and possible witch herself, Tituba (Charlayne Woodard). The dancing of the young girls would be spotted by Reverend Samuel Parris (Bruce Davison) that all hell would break loose.

His daughter Betty (Rachael Bella) became deathly ill and the town was quickly falling into the paranoia of witchcraft. In particular, Ann Putnam (Frances Conroy) assumed the worst and Tituba herself was subjected to harsh cruelty when her involvement in the opening scene was revealed.

Tituba got a small bit of focus before disappearing from the rest of the story. A huge emphasis was on landowner John Proctor (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his wife, Elizabeth (Joan Allen) being accused of witchcraft themselves. Their servant, Mary Warren (Karron Graves) had been one of the afflicted girls and the Proctor accusations stemmed from a vengeful Abigail.

Reverend Hale (Rob Campbell) seemed to be the only one on the Proctors side and there was a moment where it seemed like both John and Elizabeth might have been dealt with excommunication. The ending of this film depicted the hangings of John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse (Elizabeth Lawrence), and Martha Corey (Mary Pat Gleason), ending the movie on a harrowing note.

- Arthur Miller wrote the play in 1953 and adapted the screenplay for this film.

- Daniel Day-Lewis met his wife, Rebecca Miller while making this film.

- Standout music: Shakmah Winddrum's The Yanvalou Chant.

- Chronology: 1692, Salem in Massachusetts. 

The Crucible isn't an easy movie to get through. It's pretty tough in places, highlighting the depths of what paranoia can do to one small town and how quickly townspeople will turn on each other for a myriad of reasons. A great film, tackling this particular subject matter.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Joyful Noise (2012)

 

Written And Directed by Todd Graff

G.G. (to Vi): "Who cares if I've had a few little nips and tucks? God didn't make plastic surgeons so they could starve!"

My initial thoughts upon deciding to watch this film last night was this: did I really need or want to watch a Christian Pitch Perfect? It wouldn't be my usual bag but I went with it nonetheless.

You've got a Southern town of Pacashau, Georgia. You've got two very different women who naturally clash and then there's the whole choir themselves. Anyways, back to the women.

Whoever decided to cast Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah as sparring partners deserves a raise. I'm stating the obvious here but they're excellent to watch on-screen. A delightful spiky chemistry between two very different women, but both of whom had their heart in the right place.

Dolly Parton played G.G Sparrow. She was the wife of the choir director, Bernard (Kris Kristofferson). Bernard died at the start of the movie and G.G soon found herself looking after her wayward grandson Randy Garritty (Jeremy Jordan). She also had to accept a new choir director.

This was where Queen Latifah came into things. She played the more prim and proper Vi Rose Hill. Vi had two teenage children named Olivia (Keke Palmer) and Walter (Dexter Darden). Both Olivia and Walter would get involved with Randy. Olivia romantically and Walter in a more social context. Vi also had an estranged husband named Marcus (Jesse L. Martin).

Anyways the main plot of this movie was the choir constantly losing, clashes between both Vi and G.G. before they managed to find some common ground. There's a slew of fun characters like Courtney B. Vance's apathetic Pastor Dale and choir choreographer, Earla Hughes (Angela Grovey). There's a certain plotline with her that's really funny and was resolved with a happy ending.

- Other actors who appeared include Shameik Moore, Chloe Bailey and Karen Peck.

- I'm surprised to learn that this was Dolly Parton's last film. She wrote songs for the film.

- Standout music: Not Enough, Man In The Mirror, I'm In Luv With A Stripper, Higher Medley and He's Everything.

- Chronology: 2010s, Pacashau in Georgia with a trip to Los Angeles.

Joyful Noise doesn't have the best of scripts but it's an engaging enough film with lively performances from both Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah. The music numbers aren't bad either.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

X-Men '97 - Episodes 16-19 Reviews

Yeah, we're down an episode compared to the first season. There's the return of certain characters and the much anticipated conclusion to the Apocalypse storyline.

Episode 16: Danger.exe

If you liked Polaris earlier in the season, then you'll like this episode. She basically traded X-Factor for the X-Men and helped the latter team against a sentient Danger Room. Storm got to be Headmistress while Professor X travelled back to Genosha with Cyclops, Jean Grey and Beast. Oh and Apocalypse decided to play dirty by resurrecting Gambit. 7/10

Episode 17: Strange Land, Savage Heart 

Keeping with the returns, this one saw Grayden Creed back and on trial by mutants themselves. This put Rogue and Nightcrawler in an awkward position of trying to help someone who doesn't deserve their help while at the same time, it was nice to see Colossus and Illyana. Creed provided some context into his hatred for Mystique and Sabretooth with a suitable comeuppance for him. 6/10

Episode 18: The Dead Man's Hand 

The return of Gambit. Well, a dead looking and possessed by Apocalypse version of the guy. This meant a trip to New Orleans, a team up of X-Men and X-Force and Gambit's past with Candra, which made her the X-Ternal. There's a moment where Cable lost his support from both Jubilee and Sunspot and a proposed alliance for X-Force and X-Factor. 6/10

Episode 19: Survival Of The Fittest 

The second season finale and it ended the second on a solid enough note. There's a super powered up Rogue in a bid to bring Gambit to his normal self after Cable's actions actually brought about Apocalypse rather than preventing. By the end of this episode, there's a return to a status quo, one character sacrifice for two others to be together. Oh and a credit sequence with Mystique. She's going be a bigger problem next season. 7/10

Season 2 of X-Men '97 is currently streaming on Disney+.