My Review of Lizzie (2018)

 

Written by Bryce Kass

Directed by Craig William Macneill

Lizzie: "Men don't have to know things, Bridget. Women do."

Later on this year, I intend to cover Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story but before I do such a thing, I thought I'd cover this movie. Funnily enough, two of Ryan Murphy's alumni are in this one.

First up would be Chloë Sevigny herself. She got to play Lizzie Borden herself and it's a take that's relatively sympathetic to the infamous axe murderer. Prior to the murders themselves, time was spent getting to know Lizzie as a person.

As a person, Lizzie was something of a social oddity. Her father, Andrew (Jamey Sheridan) saw her as nothing more than an embarrassment and the two of them had an openly combative relationship. Andrew didn't exactly endear himself by killing her pigeons and serving them as dinner either.

Lizzie's relationships with other family members weren't as great either. Lizzie might have been more cordial with her older sister, Emma (Kim Dickens) but she was openly hostile to stepmother, Abby (Fiona Shaw). There was also a rather venomous hatred between Lizzie and her uncle John Morse (Denis O'Hare). The latter in particular was rather misogynistic towards Lizzie.

As for the most complicated relationship of the piece - there was Lizzie's relationship with Irish maid Bridget Sullivan (Kristen Stewart). The movie did explore a romance between the two that eventually devolved in light of events. 

The movie depicted both Lizzie and Bridget being responsible for the deaths of Abby and Andrew. The latter had also been abusing Bridget, which did give her a motive to assist Lizzie. Of course both women got away with the crime before going their separate ways.

- The movie made it clear that Emma suspected Lizzie and Bridget of the crime but that she didn't want her sister punished. John was also considered a suspect.

- The photograph of Lizzie's mother, Sarah was actually a photo of the real life person. 

- Standout music: Alfredo Catalani's Ebben? Ne Andrò Lontana From 'La Wally', Act I.

- Chronology: Six months beforehand and then the murder itself on August 4th 1892. Lizzie died at the age of 66.

Lizzie (2018) turned out to be a decent portrayal of the infamous axe murderer. Solid script, direction and performances overall helped with this one.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of My Adventures With Superman: "Into The New World"

 

Written by Serena Wu

Directed by Jen Bennett 

Superman (to Bizarro): "Your choice will change the future in ways you and I can't imagine."

It's been two years since the second season finale and with the possibility that the show might not get a fourth season, this opening episode certainly kicked off a bit of a mission statement.

First of all, we've got a really lovely Core Four with Superman, Supergirl, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. I mean we had that since last season but it's very apparent in this opening episode and it was a nice way of freshening up the show's dynamic. 

Throw in a nice Halloween subplot and the return of Sam Lane, the crux of this episode focused on Project Calliban. It brought our Core Four together to investigate and it also introduced us to Bizarro. 

As a character, Bizarro has been tackled a lot in recent years with each version going for the sympathetic route. This show will be no different in that regard with Superman and Bizarro even teaming up against other baddies during the big scuffle.

Now what about Lex Luthor? Last time he threw his lot in with Amanda Waller and Slade Wilson. During the final scene of this episode we were getting the origin of Cyborg Superman as Lex found a use for the badly wounded and barely alive Hank Henshaw.

- Supergirl got taunted by Brainiac over her new perspective and there was the use of Dr George Otto Binder who raised Brainiac with love.

- Both Jimmy and Kara dressed as characters from Challengers Of The Unknown. Clark really liked Halloween.

- Both Superman and Supergirl got costume upgraded and the opening credits were also upgraded.

- Chronology: A while since the events of the second season.

Into The New World was a good opening episode. The Core Four dynamic worked very well and I really liked the use of Bizarro and set up for Cyborg Superman.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of It's Only The End Of The World (2016)

Written And Directed by Xavier Dolan 

Martine (to Louis): "I don't understand you. But I love you. I love you. No one will take that away from me."

Six movies into this director and I've encountered one that didn't quite click as it should've. It's a bit of a shame but I guess it was inevitable. On paper, the idea was good. The execution just didn't come together as well as previous efforts have done.

Focusing on a playwright named Louis (Gaspard Ulliel), we got to see him return home to his family after twelve years and it's a very tension filled reunion. Along with the distance of time since last seeing them, Louis's also hiding the fact that he's got a terminal illness.

Louis's family included his mother, Martine (Nathalie Baye), younger sister Suzanne (Léa Seydoux) as well as older brother, Antoine (Vincent Cassel) and thd latter's wife, Catherine (Marion Cotillard). Louis got to have moments where he would have individual conversations with each of them.

Catherine made the effort to try and fill Louis in on her family life with Antoine but the latter was convinced that Louis had no interest in their lives. Throughout the entire, Antoine was completely hostile towards his younger brother.

There's fraught moments with Suzanne and Martine as Louis tried to reconcile with both of them. An entire family lunch started off well but descended into chaos. Wanting to see an old family home brought up a lot of bad feelings for everyone.

The last few moments are brutal and frustrating. Louis never came clean to his family about having a terminal illness and his last memory of them was Antoine trying to physically assault him. It's a very nihilistic ending to the movie that didn't sit well with me.

- The movie's based on the 1990 play by Jean-Luc Lagarce. It had a French only cast this time around. Louis had a lover named Pierre, who had died.

- Since the movie's release, both Gaspard Ulliel and Nathalie Baye have sadly passed away.

- Standout music: Camille's Home Is Where It Hurts.

- Chronology: Takes place known only as "Somewhere" but was filmed where Dolan films his movies in general.

It's Only The End Of The World had a great idea and I'll credit Xavier Dolan for trying to adapt a complex play. It's just his weakest film so far, in spite of a great lead performance from Gaspard Ulliel.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Mommy (2014)

 

Written And Directed by Xavier Dolan 

Steve: "We still love each other, right?"

Die: "That's what we're best at, buddy."

I'm back on my Xavier Dolan catch up and oh look, it's another movie that delved into the theme of mother's and sons. After I Killed My Mother, what else could he possibly say on the matter?

If this movie was anything to go, apparently a lot. In this film you've got Diane "Die" Després (Anne Dorval), an advice columnist and widow with a volatile son named Steve (Antoine Olivier Pilon). Let's just say their whole relationship was dysfunctional as fuck to watch.

Steve's got a history of violent outbursts and Die's no better as she physically lashed out at him during one particularly heated confrontation early in the movie. In a lot of ways, it did feel like she was enabling her son's worst impulses.

Then there's the neighbour, Kyla (Suzanne Clément). She had a husband and daughter of her own but she lost a son and she ended up being pulled into Die and Steve's orbit. There's a moment in the movie where I thought her interactions with Steve were going to seriously cross a certain line but it didn't. I was a bit relieved about that.

As the movie went along, Kyla seemed to be like a second mother (or substitute father) for Steve. That was something that Die almost seemed to encourage given the time the three were all spending with one another. Then there was Steve's attempts to take his life during a trip to the supermarket.

The movie did a good job of showing Die running out of options in order to help her son. Having him committed was the only one she had left. There's something devastating about her being all alone with Steve incarcerated and Kyla opting to move to Toronto. As for the final scene with Steve, that was certainly a way to end things.

- S-14 allowed low income families to have loved ones placed in hospitals without regard for fundamental justice. Steve has ADHD and an attachment disorder.

- There's a rather aspect ratio used for this film that took a little getting used to.

- Standout music: Counting Crows Colorblind, Ludovico Einaudi's Experience and Lana Del Rey's Born To Die.

- Chronology: Set in 2015, depicting a fictional outcome of the Canadian federal election.

Mommy (2014) continued a popular theme in Xavier Dolan's work and arguably in a darker manner than his debut film. It's a very strong film with three very compelling central performances and no easy answers given to the volatile mother/son relationship at the heart of it.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Thirteen Ghosts (2001)

 

Written by Neal Marshall Stevens And Richard D'Ovidio And Robb White

Directed by Steve Beck

Dennis: "Did I say there's a petting zoo downstairs? No! There are ghosts downstairs, Arthur!"

Yesterday I reviewed the much better 13 Ghosts (1960), so today it's the turn of the much inferior remake from 2001. Make no mistake, this one verged on being a right stinker.

Opening with the seeming death of ghost hunter Cyrus Kriticos (F. Murray Abraham) during a junkyard mission gone wrong. For Cyrus's assistant, Dennis Rafkin (Matthew Lillard), his mission went awry and most of his team were killed.

That was the opening scene. From that point onwards, there was a focus on Cyrus's nephew, Arthur (Tony Shalhoub), his children Kathy (Shannon Elizabeth) and Bobby (Alec Roberts) and the housekeeper, Maggie Bess (Rah Digga). Arthur's a widower and the loss was still pretty raw for him.

Inheriting his uncle's house from the lawyer, Ben Moss (JR Bourne) put him in a position where he'd be confronted by the exact number of ghosts as the movie's title. There's a machine that needed thirteen ghosts and it turned out that someone wasn't dead after all.

Uncle Cyrus and his partner, Kalina Oretzia (Embeth Davidtz) were determined to get a family sacrifice in order to activate the machine and access a powerful device and it almost worked as well. If only Arthur hadn't figured out how to be a better father and thus foiling Cyrus's great scheme.

Unlike the 1960 version where some of the characters were a bit more likable, this version had characters who were either bland or annoying or both. I can't think of a single I liked in this one at all.

- The ghosts varied from a First Born Son, a Torso, a Bound Woman, Withered Lover (Jean), an Angry Princess and a Torned Prince to name a few.

- James Gunn apparently did some uncredited rewrites on this film. It's definitely not his best work.

- Standout music: Tricky's Excess.

- Chronology: Arthur had been a widower for a while. Jean had died in a house fire.

This was a largely dire remake from the early 2000s. Thirteen Ghosts straight up just sucks when you compare it to the 1960 version. I almost regret bothering with this one. It's not worth your time.

Rating: 4 out of 10 

My Review of 13 Ghosts (1960)

 

Written by Robb White

Directed by William Castle 

Buck: "You really are a witch, aren't you?"

Elaine: "Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies."

I opted for some 1960s horror last night and went for this one. It was something of an interesting choice. A family inherit a house and some of the former occupants still linger around the place. As they do.

The family in question are Cyrus Zorba (Donald Woods), his wife Hilda (Rosemary DeCamp) as well as their children Medea (Jo Morrow) and Buck aka Arthur (Charles Herbert). The house was bequeathed to them by Cyrus's deceased uncle, Dr. Plato Zorba and came with a maid named Elaine Zacharides (Margaret Hamilton).

For most of this movie, Buck assumed that Elaine was a witch and she did nothing to correct him on the matter. In fact, she went out of her way to confirm his assumptions. At the very least, she was involved in occult activities with Plato and lawyer Benjamin Rush (Martin Milner). Yup, this was a house full of ghosts.

The one who seemed the most perceptive to the ghosts was Buck himself and he took great delight in telling his parents about the ghosts in question. There's also a subplot involving missing money that Plato had, which had Benjamin working with Buck to try and find the money. There's also a rather half baked romantic subplot with Benjamin and Medea that added little to proceedings.

Anyways the ghosts themselves are a lively enough lot. There's thirteen of them as the title promised and it's up to Elaine to try and keep them in line. Of course, it was the deceitful Benjamin that became the thirteenth ghost after his treachery and attempts to kill Buck came about. 

As for the ghosts, I liked that the ending implied they weren't gone and that only Buck and Elaine were aware of that. Buck in particular seemed rather gleeful about the idea of them sticking around. The last scene with Elaine ended it on a suitable note.

- William Castle provided the opening and closing moments trying to convince audiences that ghosts were real. He convinced me.

- There's a 2001 remake of this movie that I intend to watch later this month.

- I liked the use of the blue and red filters at different points in the film to confirm the ghosts.

- Chronology: Set during a few days upon Cyrus and his family moving into that house.

Not the spookiest ghost story I've seen but 13 Ghosts certainly made for a strong supernatural horror fest. If William Castle can't convince you of the existence of ghosts, then no one will. 

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of The Sheep Detectives (2026)

 

Written by Craig Mazin

Directed by Kyle Balda

Lily (to the flock): "Our shepherd was murdered! And we shall solve the crime!"

What would happen if you traded Babe for sheep and threw them into a Knives Out style adventure? You'd get this absolute delight of a movie and be happy for it.

Hugh Jackman has played many an interesting role in his career but we can add shepherd George Hardy to that list. He's a simple who had testy relationships with various people in his village but enjoyed nothing more than reading detective stories to his sheep. Then he's murdered and it's up to his flock to solve his murder

Yup, that's the premise of this movie. What about George's flock then? They're sort of led by Shetland sheep Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) but there also Cloud (Regina Hall), Sebastian (Bryan Cranston), Sir Richfield (Patrick Stewart), Mopple (Chris O'Dowd), Zora (Bella Ramsay), twins Reggie and Ronnie (Brett Goldstein) and Wool Eyes (Rhys Darby). There was also young lambs such as Daisy (Aroop Shergill), Oliver (Jasper Ambrose) and Pickle (Ishi Agrawal). Not to mention a winter lamb (Tommy Birchall) that was the outside of the group.

What about the actual humans of the movie? Well, you have got a somewhat well meaning but bumbling local police officer named Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun). It was up to him to solve George's murder but he really needed assistance of the woolly kind and I mean he needed it a lot. It did take him a while to get a clue.

Looking at the suspects, it was kind of obvious that journalist Elliot Matthews (Nicholas Galitzine) would turn out to be the killer as well as George's long lost son. Even I knew that long lost daughter Rebecca Hampstead (Molly Gordon) would be innocent in spite of the evidence initially against her along with Lily not believing her at first. The winter lamb on the other hand believed in Rebecca's innocence from the get go.

The rest of the human characters took fun turns. Fellow shepherd Caleb Merrow (Tosin Cole) initially seemed like a nice guy but was in cahoots with local butcher Ham Gilyard (Conleith Hill). The Reverend Hillcoate (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) had a guilty conscience but helped George for a price while standoffish innkeeper Beth Pennock (Hong Chau) harboured feelings for George he didn't reciprocate.

It's a good mix of of fun but flawed characters. All of whom did present as reasonable upon the reveal that George had sold a patent for curing sheep that was worth millions. Throw in a fun supporting role from Emma Thompson as George's lawyer, Lydia Harbottle and a good time was had here.

- The winter lamb was eventually named George by Lily. Lily was named after the human George's dead wife.

- Rebecca not only kept her father's land and sheep but she also bought Caleb's sheep as well. The Sheep believed they could turn into clouds.

- Standout music: The Proclaimers I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles).

- Chronology: Set in the English village of Denbrook. Rebecca was in America and Elliot had been in South Africa before they arrived in Denbrook.

I really enjoyed this one. The Sheep Detectives was so much fun with a great voice cast and a great human cast to boot. It's genuinely funny, it's genuinely good natured and sweet and while I figured out who the killer was early on, building to the reveal was expertly handled.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

Doctor Who - Christmas Cancelled + Show Tendered

This was not the blog post I wanted to be writing today but alas, here we are.

The moment has been kinda prepared for.

The BBC confirmed several important things today in relation to the show's future.

• Christmas special has been officially cancelled and there was no script in place. 
• Russell T. Davies and Bad Wolf Productions have exited the show.
• The show will be put out to tender with further details to be confirmed in due course.
• The animated show for CBBC will still be going ahead.

Where do I begin with this one? I hate to admit it, but I sort of saw it coming. The last few weeks were giving no progress on the Christmas special and RTD seemed reticent to talk about the show at all. I had hoped that maybe the special would be delayed until Easter 2027 but being cancelled, I'm not gonna lie - it's a genuine disappointment and the first time in very long time, it does feel like the show could be danger of not coming back for a long time. I'm not sure if RTD's Instagram post offered much reassurance either.

Over the last few years, Doctor Who has undeniably divided audiences with many creative choices. Whether it's things like bigeneration, the Timeless Child or the show's hit and miss handling of societal topics, for a good portion of the audience, the show has simply stopped being fun. I've liked some stuff in recent years but even I can't defend a lot of the more controversial choices that have negatively impacted the show and driven away casual audiences.

When the show comes back, it needs to strike a good balance between being educational but also entertaining and accessible to a wider audience. Everything is going to be key - a new streaming partner, a new show runner as well as casting and so on. Either the show will come back in a blaze of glory or it really will be the end for now.

I'll always talk about the show on here whenever I can. That's not gonna change. Allonsy.

My Review of Tip Toe: "Episode 5"

 

Written by Russell T. Davies

Directed by Peter Hoar 

Leo (to Stephanie): "I think something bigger is coming."

I was dreading watching this episode and for good reason. I knew it was the one where Leo was going to die and I knew that it was going to be Clive's fault and make no mistake here, it's 100% Clive's fault. Not Leo's and not Zee's as I've seen some online say.

Yes, it was a bad idea for Leo to step into Clive's house when tensions were still there and there were inebriated football hooligans in the mix. Zee's heart was in the right place but she shouldn't have pressured Leo to go into that house.

Again, the blame solely should be on Clive and those hooligans, including the absolutely deplorable Roddy. The latter outed George to everyone, outed Saul as a sex worker and even tried to humiliate Clive for the latter helping Regime. Roddy instigated everything and brought out the absolute worst in Clive.

Prior to Leo's death, there was a point exchange between him and Stephanie. The latter pointed out Leo's habit of treating others like they're idiots and she wasn't entirely wrong. Leo overestimated Clive and those hooligans and everything went to shit so badly.

I had to turn away when the actual murder took place itself. I've seen enough depictions like that in movies and television but this was certainly brutal to watch. The hate from Clive, Roddy and those lads. The horror in Leo's final moments. The devastation that Saul, Zee and Stephanie had. Even Marie, George and that neighbour's reaction as well. That moment floored me.

I will say that RTD's angrier political leanings were handled brilliantly with this show. He's not wrong about the growing sentiment of homophobia, transphobia and so on and even that final flashback with Leo and Stephanie reinforced what Melba has said in the first episode.

- Clive and Roddy got life sentences, the other lads got shorter sentences. Marie moved away with Saul and George.

- Saul eventually married and had three kids while George got hooked on drugs. Zee became a teacher and named herself Sarah.

- Curtis sold Spit & Polish, which became a pizzeria while Stephanie travelled and Melba was grief stricken by Leo's death.

- We didn't find out what happened to Mikey, Hanna and Judy and we didn't get to see their reactions to Leo's death.

- Standout music: M83's Solitude.

- Chronology: The day of Leo's death along with the flashback being set two years beforehand.

What an incredible finale. Absolutely devastating piece of television with utterly sublime performances from everyone involved. Give it all the awards.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Tip Toe: "Episode 4"

 

Written by Russell T. Davies

Directed by Peter Hoar 

Leo (to Clive): "If I have to live next door to you, I am scared. If that's what you think of me, I am so scared. You ... You terrify me."

That overwhelming sense of dread I've been feeling with this show. Not helped with that opening scene with a terrified Leo, Stephanie and Zee/Flo trying to protect themselves from a bunch of football louts before thr inevitable happened.

Going back to recent events though, there was the issue of Clive being in Leo's house and wanting answers about both George and Saul but mainly the former. It took Clive almost an eternity to realise that Leo had done nothing inappropriate towards George and even then, Clive still had that trace of doubt in his mind.

I loved watching Leo challenge Clive's idiotic prejudices at every turn throughout the episode. I especially Leo berating Clive for making him and every gay man having to tip toe around straight men. Once again, there was moments where it felt like Clive could've maybe had his mind opened.

He listened to Leo's story about how gay men can't change back to being straight and the gay lads who took their own lives during COVID. Clive being a denier of that and HIV wasn't a shock to me but I loved Leo raking him over the coals for it. It felt like he was almost getting through to Clive.

Clive didn't blow up on George for being gay or Saul webcamming. He even went to Spit & Polish to try and understand the gay world. He even stepped up to defend Regime/Martin after the latter was attacked. Leo's many outbursts even seemed to get through to him. Then that one social media message likely set everything back.

It was risky of Zee/Flo to contact George the way she did but the upside was the latter getting to interact with queer people closer to his own age and getting a chance to be himself. George even got to help Zee in picking a name for herself. She chose Flo by the way. It's just too bad that Beryl sent that image when she did. That was such a misguided thing for her to do.

- I liked that Saul doesn't care that Mikey shamelessly flirts with him. It was kind of sweet that he invited Mikey to hang out with his friends.

- Both Judy and Stephanie warned Leo to move house. Leo didn't listen to them. We also met Stephanie's daughter.

- Leo talked about meeting Curtis when he was 44. I hated that Clive tried to use Curtis to make a point to Leo.

- Clive almost got off to one of Regime's videos before stopping himself. Marie spotted the word "Flo" on George's back.

- Standout music: Madison Beer's yes baby and Livin' Joy's Dreamer.

- Chronology: A day before the events of that scene and then the day itself.

This was one hell of a penultimate episode and I'm almost hesitant to watch the finale, knowing what's going to happen to Leo. Saying that, I got to see this one through.

Rating: 8 out of 10