My Review of The Midnight Club (2022 Netflix Miniseries)

 

Written by Mike Flanagan And Leah Fong And Julie Bicknell And Elan Gale And Jamie Flanagan And Chinaka Hodge 

Directed by Mike Flanagan And Michael Fimognari And Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr. And Axelle Carolyn And Viet Nguyen And Morgan Beggs

Dr Stanton: "We look forward to helping you write your own ending."

After going down an original path with Midnight Mass, it was back to book adaptations for Mike Flanagan's fourth horror show for Netflix and this one was something a bit different. Imagine a slightly maturer version of Goosebumps and Are You Afraid Of The Dark? That's what you get with this show.

Focusing on a hospice for dying young adults named Brightcliffe, you've got a slew of younger characters all coping with life ending illnesses as they navigate the limited time they have left, form friendships and oh yes, The Midnight Club. That title had to come in somewhere.

The title of course referring to the fact that our eight young adults meet up during Midnight in the library to tell each other ghost stories that are somewhat thinly veiled thoughts and feelings on the person telling them to a point. Some of these stories are better handled than others but if you like witches, ghosts, devil pacts, serial killers, time travel and so on, there's plenty to enjoy in that regard.

The young adults themselves are a likable bunch. The recently admitted Ilonka (Iman Benson) had thyroid cancer and was actively seeking a previous Brightcliffe patient named Julia Jayne (Larson Thompson) who was cured through supernatural means. It's a bit of an obsession with Ilonka throughout the show, putting her at odds with Brightcliffe's Dr Georgina Stanton (Heather Langenkamp) as well was making her an easy mark for the manipulative Shasta (Samantha Sloyan).

With secret cults factoring into this show, there's also some ghostly encounters in Brightcliffe that Kevin (Igby Rigney) can see while the other patients have their own shit to deal with. Abrasive Irish amputee Anya (Ruth Codd) worked as a brilliant foil to Ilonka and had two of the most moving stories in the show before her untimely death.

As for the rest of the kids, Cheri (Adia) was a rich girl with a penchant for lying, Spencer (Chris Sumpter) was a gay man who had AIDS, Amesh (Sauriyan Sapkota) had feelings for Natsuki (Aya Furukawa) and Sandra (Annarah Cymone) ended up being misdiagnosed. For protagonists, they're younger than previous shows but they're likable enough that the show works with them.

In terms of the adults though, both Stanton and Shasta are the main ones, largely servicing the Five Paragon plot that ended on a cliffhanger. There was also Ilonka's well meaning foster father, Tim (Matt Biedel) while gay nurse Mark (Zach Gilford) was an ally to Spencer, though a bit underused as a character.

- Episode titles for this show were The Final Chapter, The Two Danas, The Wicked Heart, Gimme A Kiss, See You Later, Witch, Anya, Road To Nowhere, The Eternal Enemy and Midnight.

- Mike Flanagan alumni who also appeared in guest roles included Rahul Kohli as Vincent, Henry Thomas as Freedom Jack, Alex Essoe as Poppy Corn, Katie Parker as Aceso, Robert Longstreet as a janitor and Michael Trucco as Frederick.

- The geek in me was happy with the references to the likes of Doctor Who and The X-Files. William B. Davis from the latter show also appeared as Mirror Man.

- Originally this show (based on the Christopher Pike book of the same name) was intended to be a two season show until Netflix cut it short. 

- Standout music: There's a good 90s soundtrack through the series. 

- Chronology: This show was set in the mid 1990s, especially given Mark's love for Interview With The Vampire.

The Midnight Club admittedly would be the weakest of Flanagan's horror adaptations for Netflix but not because it's bad. It's just that the ones that preceded it were much stronger than this one, which does plenty to get into. Overall, it's worth the ten episodes but you'll need to read Flanagan's Tumblr for closure.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Doctor Odyssey: "Oh, Daddy!"

Written by Joe Baken And Byron Crawford 

Directed by Crystle Roberson Dorsey

Robert: "I'm honoured to meet my brother's better half and clearly his better looking half."

Brian: "Well, not quite half."

After last week's episode solidifying a throuple scenario for Max, Avery and Tristan, this episode was for the gays and introduced a throuple that would be more impacting on Robert. Though that wasn't a negative impact.

Robert's younger brother, Craig (John Stamos) boarded The Odyssey for Gay Week and with him came two lovers - Brian (Cheyenne Jackson) and Riley (Johnny Sibilly) for good measure. All three being recovering alcoholics and throughout the episode, all three being shown to genuinely love each other. That wasn't the issue for Robert.

The issue instead was the fact that it appeared that Craig appeared to be going off the wagon and when he hit his head, there was a lot of alcohol in his bloodstream. The actual reason behind it though was a bit more unexpected than a simple relapse but at least the episode ended with Robert and Craig on better terms with each other.

Of course they weren't the only ones focused on during Gay Week. There was a straight couple who had their baby,a bunch of TikTok influencers who got quite a bad dose due to sweet potatoes and there was Marsha (Caldwell Tidicue). For Marsha, her wig caught fire but it led to a defiant performance at the end.

As for the throuple this week - Avery was the only one who wanted to maintain the arrangement. Both Max and Tristan got cold feet and for very similar reasons too. However going by next week's trailer, there will be bigger consequences to that one night stand that Avery wanted a repeat performance of.

- Max is a daddy, Avery a femme, Tristan a twunk, Robert a silver fox, Corey a twink and Rosie a masc. 

- Tristan really laid it on thick about his love for Avery, complete with a comparison to Tikka Masala crisps. Did him and Vivian break up between episodes?

- Standout music: Marsha lipsynched I'm Coming Out to close out the episode.

- Chronology: Not long from the events of the previous episode. 

Oh, Daddy! was fun but definitely could've been a bit gayer, lol. No, the guest throuple were great but there was a bit of a missed opportunity with the recurring LGBT characters and the main throuple soured quicker than expected. Max and Tristan's rivalry even got out of hand in this one.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of The Polar Express (2004)

 

Written by Robert Zemeckis And William Broyles Jr.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis

The Conductor: "Seeing is believing but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see."

A few days ago, this movie turned twenty years old. It's a movie that I've watched in more recent years in the lead up to Christmas. It's a tale all about belief and what happened when a child lost their belief in Christmas.

The child in question being an unnamed boy (Daryl Sabara) who on Christmas Eve found himself invited onto the titular train with a bunch of other kids. Those kids included the know it all (Eddie Deezan), the girl (Nona Gayle) and the lonely Billy (Jimmy Bennett), all of whom have their moments in the movie.

On board the train, there was the officious Conductor (Tom Hanks). He was a stickler for tickets and when the girl lost hers, she almost lost her place on the Polar Express. It took some death defying attempts from the boy to make sure his new friend didn't lose her place.

Of course it wasn't the only problems for them. The train separated, there was a frozen lake setting and it took a while for Billy to feel a part of the group. As for the know it all, he was more interested in showcasing his knowledge about trains for a fair portion of the movie.

The trip to the North Pole though was where the magic really came through with this film. We got to meet Santa Claus (Hanks), children got their presents and the boy's belief in Christmas was certainly renewed.

The kicker of the movie being the plot about no longer hearing bells when you stop believing in Santa Claus. It's a sad but logical conclusion for everyone. Everyone except for one boy of course, who by the end of this movie never lost his regained belief in Christmas.

- Tom Hanks also voiced an adult version of the boy and a Hobo in this movie.

- Although he's referred to as Hero Boy, the main character is actually called Chris according to book sources.

- Standout music: The Polar Express, Spirit Of The Season, Hot Chocolate, When Christmas Comes To Town and Believe.

- Chronology: Set during Christmas Eve and decades later into the boys future.

The Polar Express is a sweet, Christmas movie. It's a lovely movie with a lovely group of characters and a nice look into believing in Christmas for as long as you can. I can see why it's endured so much as a movie.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Midnight Mass (2021 Netflix Miniseries)

 

Written by Mike Flanagan And James Flanagan And Elan Gale And Dani Parker And Jeff Howard 

Directed by Mike Flanagan 

Father Paul (to the congregation): "Good morning. I know I'm not who you expected to see. Just know I'm only here to help and I look forward to meeting you all."

With his first two miniseries, Mike Flanagan had fun adapting haunted house material, so with this third show being more of an original piece (though very Stephen King inspired), we got something very different altogether.

While I'm definitely a Catholic myself, I wouldn't say I'm particularly devout. The exploration of faith in the small community of Crockett Island through the eyes of several characters on the other hand was certainly an eye opener.

The island itself was missing it's elderly Monsignor Pruitt but gained the much younger Father Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater) instead. He was determined to get the church full again and along with the overzealous Bev Keane (Samantha Sloyan) and a "miracle", the young priest succeeded but at a very terrible cost to everyone, including himself. 

Now the miracle itself was that Father Paul was actually a revived Pruitt and he wasn't the only one feeling the effects. You had Mildred Gunning (Alex Essoe) ageing backwards before her daughter, Sarah's (Annabeth Gish) eyes while Leeza Scarborough (Annarah Cymone) could suddenly walk again. What was going on here?

Well, it turned out that the miracle was actually vampirism and that Father Paul was saved by an "Angel" that was really an ancient looking vampire not dissimilar looking to Nosferatu if I'm being honest. Though this vampire was a lot quicker on its feet when it attacked male protagonist Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford) and made him into a vampire.

Riley's story made up a lot of the first half of the miniseries. He was a venture capitalist who spent time in prison for manslaughter and had a testy relationship with his parents Annie (Kristin Lehman) and Ed (Henry Thomas). The latter in particular the most.

Riley did get several great scenes, particularly with his former childhood sweetheart Erin Greene (Kate Siegel), the latter who lost her unborn baby halfway through the series. There's a profound conversation both characters have about their own views on death. Erin's in particular served as a poignant bookend to the miniseries.

As for the rest of the characters, I did have tremendous amount of sympathy for town alcoholic Joe Colle (Robert Longstreet) but one of the best performances in the series came from Muslim Sherriff Hassan (Rahul Kohli). There's a scene in particular he had with Sarah that was one of the most compelling performances in the series and there's a genuine sense of despair for him when his son Ali (Rahul Abburi) got caught up in the madness of the miracle.

While both previous Flanagan shows weren't exactly shy about the death count, this one really upped the ante in that regard. Excluding Leeza and Riley's younger brother, Warren (Igby Rigney), it's a miserable ending for everyone on that island. Maybe the bleakest ending so far from this particular creative.

- Episode titles for this series were Book I: Genesis, Book II: Psalms, Book III: Proverbs, Book IV: Lamentations, Book V: Gospel, Book VI: Acts Of The Apostles and Book VII: Revelations.

- This show and the character of Erin Greene was referenced in the 2016 movie, Hush. I wrote a review for it on here last week.

- Carla Gugino has a voice role as Judge on the series. She's not physically seen in the series.

- Sarah is the only gay main character in this series. There's some hints of her love life in the second episode but mostly she's the doctor on the island.

- Standout music: Nearer My God To Thee is eerily used in the finale.

- Chronology: It's very much present day, though a four year gap between Riley's sentencing and release. Not to mention both Lent and Easter.

I have to admit that this was really something intriguing. A nice change of pace with Flanagan going all in on an original idea. Midnight Mass benefitted from a shorter run and while that ending was relentlessly grim, the series overall worked for me. 

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Superman And Lois 4x07: "A Regular Guy"

 

Written by Katie Aldrin And George Kitson

Directed by Gregory Smith 

Clark: "My name is Clark Kent and I am Superman."

Three years ago when Supergirl aired its final episode on the CW, the show decided to have Kara Danvers out herself as the Girl of Steel to Cat Grant. Three episodes before the series finale, Superman has done the same, though not entirely by choice.

With the locals in Smallville increasingly aware of his true identity, Clark tried his damndest to put the genie back in the closet and he almost succeeded. Then Candice's idiot father made an unwelcome return and Clark pretty much had to out himself as Superman in front of everyone.

Of course Lex was involved in using Candice's father but most people weren't buying Clark's attempts to hide his identity anyways. He really wasn't fooling anyone, especially embittered teenage boys. However taking control of the narrative was where Lois came into her own.

Bringing back Janet (who's actually related to Jimmy Olsen. How did I not know that?) was a good way for Clark to get his side of the story out there. It also led to a nice final scene reunion with Jimmy (Douglas Smith) and I'm hoping this wasn't the only appearance for him.

Jimmy was mostly in flashbacks, trying to get Clark to join the softball team with mixed results. Clark either kept missing or being late for games and tried to downplay his actual skills. It even got to a point where Jimmy worked out he was Superman and Clark had to make him think otherwise.

I really do wish we had seen Jimmy much earlier in the show in general but if this was his only appearance, it's a nice enough one for the character. Clark and Jimmy's friendship fractured in flashbacks but by the end of this one, it did seem to be on the mend.

- Nice reference to Bibbo's bar by Jimmy in flashbacks as well as Clark doing a story on Intergang.

- There was a Kyle/Chrissy subplot about a dream house that Lois and Clark ended up helping with.

- No Lana, Sarah, John or Natalie in this one. Will we see them again before the finale itself?

- Chronology: Not long since the events of the last episode.

A Regular Guy certainly worked for a good coming out as Superman story. The flashbacks were good and hopefully there will be an interesting aftermath. Has Lex lost a tactical advantage now?

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of The Penguin: "A Great Or Little Thing"

 

Written by Lauren LeFranc

Directed by Jennifer Getzinger

Sofia: "Oswald Cobb: man of the people."

It's been a hell of an eight weeks. On paper, this felt like yet another Batman adjacent show in the space of a decade that could've gone either way but in reality, it might be the best Batman adjacent show to date.

I really wanted this finale to stick the landing after such an impressive build up and it certainly managed to do that. There was some genuinely shocking moments and even the one moment I expected to happen all season still managed to be shocking. What the actual fuck, Oswald?

Let's talk about Victor Aguilar, shall we? Rhenzy Feliz has been incredible throughout the series with him being more than able to hold his own with the acting heavyweights here. I knew Victor wasn't making it out of the series alive. I even knew that Oswald would be the cause of his death. I don't actually like being right but even I didn't guess the nature in which Victor would die.

Victor spent most of this season constantly having Oz's back and because Oswald allowed himself to behave like an actual human being in front of Victor, the poor lad ended up dying as a result. Sofia was telling us all season that Oswald was a monster. She was absolutely spot on in that assessment.

Speaking of Sofia, I did worry that destroying Oz's relationship with his mother would've sealed her fate. He managed to turn the tables on her with Zhao and it did look like he was going to kill her. In fact, I'm really shocked that he didn't.

I do think having her framed for all of his crimes this season and having her sent back to Arkham was a suitably nastier fate than death. On the plus side, at least we know that we'll see her again and now that Selina Kyle has made contact with her, I can't wait to see these two sister cause absolute chaos.

Then there was Francis Cobb. I knew she knew that Oz killed Jack and Benny, I just knew it. I didn't expect that she initially considered getting Rex to kill Oz before changing her mind. Her stabbing of Oz before ending up in a vegetative state was also shocking. 

Even when Oz claims to love someone, he can't help him. He's punishinh Francis by keeping her in her current state in his new penthouse. Also having Eve cosplay as Francis added an even creepier layer to that whole dynamic. Oz came out on top but he better watch his back because he's making even more enemies for himself.

- We might not have physically seen him but I did cheer when the Bat Signal lit up during the last scene. 

- Bella Real has set up an anti crime squad and I bet we can guess who'll be heading that up, yes?

- Mackenzie Bock also returned to arrest Sofia while Julian rejoined Arkham to be close to her. He's a bit clingy, isn't he?

- Monroe's was the bar that Oswald set up his new operations. I wonder will it become the new Iceberg Lounge.

- Standout music: A nice cover of Nirvana's Where Did You Sleep Last Night while Sofia set her own home on fire.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off and also a nice lead in for The Batman Part II.

A Great Or Little Thing (Oscar Wilde reference) absolutely stuck the landing as a finale. A brilliant way to end this series as well as a fantastic set up of sorts for a certain sequel. Everyone involved should be proud of this show.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Gladiator (2000)

 

Written by David Franzoni And John Logan And William Nicholson

Directed by Ridley Scott

Maximus: "Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is that not why you are here?"

With Gladiator II coming out in less than a fortnight, I was definitely overdue a rewatch of thr first movie. A movie I confess I haven't watched since it's release in 2000. Yes, it's been that long. Does it hold up?

To that second one, yes, yes it does. I had forgotten how enjoyable this movie was and how great a director Ridley Scott can be with the right material. It's also a movie where both Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix give some of their best career performances. 

For Crowe, he's in the role of protagonist Maximus Decimus Meridium, a Roman General, fresh from victory and on the cusp of becoming the regent of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). Unfortunately for Maximum, there's the problem of Aurelius's son, Commodus (Phoenix).

Commodus was desperate to succeed his father's rule and if he had to kill his father to do it, that wasn't an issue for him. If he had to get Maximus and the latter's family killed in order to further secure his succession, he'd do that too. If it also meant intimidating his own sister, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and her son, Lucius Verus (Spencer Treat Clark), he'd do that too.

Actually there wasn't a lot that Commodus wouldn't do to be successful but unfortunately for him, Maximus was a bigger threat that wouldn't go away. Worse than that, he was a threat building up on allies like fellow slave Juba (Djimon Hounsou), Lucilla and Senator Gracchus (Derek Jacobi) to name a few. 

By the time we get to the final act, there's a fairly tense fight scenes between both Maximus and Commodus. It's a scene where the latter grimly realised how much support he truly had before his great defeat. As for Maximus, he certainly entertained before getting his own final send off.

- Other brilliant performances in this movie were from Oliver Reed, Tommy Flanagan and David Schofield as Antonius Proximo, Cicero and Senator Falco.

- Some of the dialogue was add libbed and Crowe was famously critical of a lot of the dialogue from the movie. 

- Standout music: Hans Zimmer's soundtrack is superb with highlights being The Emperor Is Dead, Strength and Honour, Reunion, Am I Not Merciful and Now We Are Free.

- Chronology: Based on the figures in this movie, it's around 180 AD.

Gladiator has certainly age well as a movie. It's an entertaining blockbuster with some liberties taken but with also a great series of performances and action sequences throughout. After watching this again, I'm looking more forward to that sequel later this month.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Oculus (2013)

 

Written by Mike Flanagan And Jeff Howard

Directed by Mike Flanagan 

Kaylie (to the mirror): "Hello again. You must be hungry."

Delving a bit earlier into Flanagan's horror resume and there was this one from over a decade ago. I remember seeing it a few years ago, so I thought I'd watch it again. A lot of Flanagan's beloved tropes are certainly present with this one.

For instance we've got a family in a house and a split timeline. Only it's not the house itself that's the problem but rather a mirror that seems to bring out the absolute worst in everyone involved. Notably the parents to begin with question.

The parents in this case being software engineer Alan Russell (Rory Cochrane) and his wife, Marie (Katee Sackhoff). The mirror ended up driving both of them towards madness that they became a danger to their children Kaylie (Karen Gillan/Annalise Basso) and Tim (Brenton Thwaites/Garett Ryan Ewald). 

Needless to say, both Marie and Alan don't survive the movie and their violent deaths would obviously have a knock on effect for the adult versions of both Kaylie and Tim. The former regaining possession of both their childhood home and that mirror and she had a theory to prove, whether Tim liked it or not.

The dynamics between Kaylie and Tim are the strongest part of the movie. While Tim's desperate enough to try and leave the past behind and rationalise his parents death, Kaylie was determined to prove the mirror's culpability in her family being destroyed. Truth be told, Kaylie should've steered well clear from revisiting the past.

With doppelgangers, flashbacks to the past, a dead fiancee (James Lafferty) and the mirror presenting itself as a supernatural threat, every possible bad case scenario played out. It's a grim ending to an overall grim movie with the surviving family member paying the price.

- The movie is based on Flanagan's short movie - Oculus: Chapter 3 - The Man With The Plan.

- Kate Siegel appears briefly as Marisol Chavez, another victim of the mirror. 

- Other victims of the mirror included Alice Carden in 1943 Wisconsin and a Philip Lasser in 1754 London.

- Chronology: The flashbacks in 2002 and the present day scenes in 2013.

I'll admit that Oculus might a bit confusing in parts and not as strong as some of Flanagan's later material, but there's a lot to like here. Mainly the performances from Karen Gillan and Brenton Thwaites, both of whom are on great form.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of The Haunting Of Bly Manor (2020 Netflix Miniseries)

 

Written by Mike Flanagan And James Flanagan And Diane Ademu-John And Laurie Penny And Angela LaManna And Rebecca Leigh Klingel And The Clarkson Twins And Leah Fong And Julie Bicknell

Directed by Mike Flanagan And Ciaran Foy And Liam Gavin And Yolanda Ramke And Ben Howling And Axelle Carolyn And E.L. Katz

Dani: "It's you. It's me. It's us."

Following the mass success of The Haunting Of Hill House, I'm not surprised that for seconds, Mike Flanagan went for another creepy homely setting. Only this time, the setting was UK bound, albeit with some US influence too.

The influence being our protagonist Danielle 'Dani' Clayton (Victoria Pedretti) who finds herself escaping her own past trauma by moving to London and being interviewed by rich guy Henry Wingrave (Henry Thomas/Duncan Fraser). She ended up getting the au pair gig at the titular Bly Manor, having to look after the children Miles (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth/Thomas Nicholson) and Flora (Amelie Bea Smith/Christie Burke).

As kids, both Flora and Miles turn out to be a handful, constantly acting strangely and generally stressing the shit out of Dani before it's later revealed in the miniseries that their strange behaviour was largely influenced by the many ghosts that haunt Bly Manor. Yup, this place was a real hotbed for spooky goings on dating all the way to the late 17th century.

Ghosts in particular that proved to be a major problem included the antagonistic former valet/conman Peter Quint (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and the Lady In The Lake/Viola Willoughby (Kate Siegel). The former's toxic relationship with the previous au pair, Rebecca Jessel (Tahirah Sharif) was as anti couple goals as you could get, not to mention his frequent possession of Miles was even creepier in context of his own abused backstory.

The penultimate episode pivoting it's focus on Viola Willoughby and experimenting with a black and white format made for the best episode of the bunch. That episode was so good it could've been it's own movie if I'm being perfectly honest. Also the way both Dani and Viola would eventually tie into one another certainly ended the show on a bittersweet note.

Then there's Dani herself. She's the closest to a protagonist the miniseries has and her flashback episode involving former childhood sweetheart Edmund (Robby Atal) was another highlight. Dani's romance with gardener Jamie Taylor (Amelia Eve/Carla Gugino) was a beautifully written love story, played to perfection by Victoria Pedretti and Amelia Eve.

As for other characters, there was a sort of bubbling romance between housekeeper Hannah Grose (T'Nia Miller) and chef Owen Sharma (Rahul Kohli). Hannah's story, particularly in the fifth episode had the show really lean into the non linear timeline and ultimately, it's her along with Dani that ended up breaking the Bly Manor curse.

- Episode titles are The Great Good Place, The Pupil, The Two Faces Part One, The Way It Came, The Altar Of The Dead, The Jolly Corner, The Two Faces Part Two, The Romance Of Certain Old Clothes and The Beast In The Jungle.

- The season actually had Carla Gugino physically appear in only the first and last episodes as the older Jamie but provide voiceover for every episode.

- Katie Parker also appeared briefly as Viola's younger sister, Perdita in the penultimate episode. She did everything to replace her sister, only to be killed by the latter's ghost.

- Yes, it's an adaptation of Henry James's The Turn Of The Screw, albeit with some creative changes.

- Standout music: The Newton Brothers deliver again, particularly with the Main Titles, Perfectly Splendid, I Couldn't Sleep, It's You It's Me It's Us and Love Story. Not to mention O Willow Waly of course.

- Chronology: Bly Manor, outside of London in both 1987 and the late 1600s as well as North California in 2007 for Flora's wedding.

As a follow up series, I did enjoy The Haunting Of Bly Manor. Granted some of the American actors doing English accents did slightly jar a bit. However, the main stories managed to engage and the flashbacks for Dani, Peter, Hannah and Viola were among the best material along with the Dani/Jamie love story.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Doctor Odyssey: "I Always Cry At Weddings"

 

Written by Ryan Murphy And Joe Baken 

Directed by Paris Barclay

Max (to Avery/Tristan): "To a good threesome."

It took the show six episodes and plenty of passive aggressive sniping but yeah, it decided that threes were better than twos. A month ago, I might have hated this plot and I still don't see it ending well but at this point, this show desperately needed a jolt. This was it.

Throughout the episode we were getting insights about Max, Avery and Tristan's views on marriage. In fact, this episode revealed a lot about Avery's own past experience on that particular front and it wasn't an experience she was keen on repeating. 

Anyways, by the time we get to the final five minutes of the episode, Avery was the one to initiate the actual threesime itself. Max showed some tiny hesitation (given his previous experience with one) while Tristan was a bit too eager to get stuck in. Of course being network, the raciness was more implied before the episode ended.

As for the rest of the episode, Country singer Kelsea Ballerini guest starred in this one as an overanxious bride named Lisa. Add an overbearing mother (Margo Martindale), a horrible case of ringworm, a promiscuous groomsmen and a groom who ended up committing suicide and this was a wedding that didn't happen.

In some ways this story felt smaller scale and personal and might be the best use of guest characters so far in the series. Lisa in particular seemed to be following a similar pattern to her own mother while Eric's story was tragic but had some ambiguity to it as well. Was he closeted? Did his sex addiction really overwhelm him? 

- Max, Avery and Tristan got to have fun playing a role in the rehearsal dinner when Lisa was too sick. 

- Captain Massey certainly seemed to be a sucker for love while Corey, Rosie and Spencer continue to get more focus.

- Standout music: Given the title, of course Going To The Chapel factored into this one. 

- Chronology: It seemed like a fair amount of time passed between episodes.

I Always Cry At Weddings gave a bit more bite to a show that's been too tame for its own good so far. I'm mixed on the threesome plot but at this rate, it was kind of needed. Likely won't end well though.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Jawbreaker (1999)

 

Written And Directed by Darren Stein

Courtney: "I killed Liz. I killed the teen dream. Deal with it."

From the minute this film starts, it's influences are obvious from the get go. Someone clearly liked Heathers a decade prior and thought of this underrated cult classic. The someone being Darren Stein of course.

You've got a popular clique made up of ruthless uber bitch Courtney Shayne (Rose McGowen), her dim witted lackey Marcie Fox (Julie Benz) and the beautiful Julie Freeman (Rebecca Gayheart). Oh and Liz Purr (Charlotte Ayanna). Together try made the Flawless Four at Reagan High School.

As friends, they weren't exactly the greatest of people to their peers or even to themselves. A birthday prank saw Liz being silenced with a jawbreaker, only for that sweet to end up being the very thing to kill her. How do the rest of the group react?

Well, with Courtney, she's happy to stage a sexual assault and frame a random stranger (Marilyn Manson) in order to avoid answering for her accidental crime. Marcie went along with Courtney and Julie showed some semblance of a conscience by wanting to do the right thing by Liz.

Then there was the bookish Fern Mayo (Judy Greer). Courtney could've killed her but instead remade her into her image as Vylette to replace Julie within the group. Then when Vylette got a bit too much, Courtney diminished her quite brutally. However with this movie, what went around came back around too.

With the only Detective on the case, Vera Cruz (Pam Grier) being somewhat ineffectual at her job, it was up to Julie, Fern and drama guy Zach (Chad Christ) to be the ones to take Courtney. Of course the prom was the perfect place to do it and it's a glorious comeuppance for a delightfully nasty character.

- There's a great supporting role from Carole Kane as Ms. Sherwood.

- Not only was Julie Benz in this movie but Ethan Erickson who played Courtney's jock boyfriend, Dane was another Buffy The Vampire Slayer link to this movie.

- Standout music: Imperial Teen's Yoo Hoo and Shampoo's Trouble.

- Chronology: It was very much a 90s movie.

While I don't think Jawbreaker quite hits the heights of Heathers or even later (though not as dark by comparison) movies like Mean Girls, it's a certainly an enjoyable one. 

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of The Haunting Of Hill House (2018 Netflix Miniseries)

 

Written by Mike Flanagan And Liz Phang And Scott Kosar And Meredith Averill And Jeff Howard And Charise Castro Smith And Rebecca Klingel

Directed by Mike Flanagan 

Hugh (to Steven): "Your mother. She was not crazy. Neither was your sister, neither is your brother and neither are you. It's that house."

For the last few days I've been quietly watching this miniseries from 2018. Yes, it took me six years to see what the fuss was about and I truly get it. This miniseries was extraordinary. Maybe one of the best things that Netflix have ever made.

Alternating between two different timelines, you've got the Crain family renovating the Hill House that they've also chosen to stay in before they flip the property. Unfortunately for them it's a cursed house with far too many spooky goings on and when the matriarch, Olivia (Carla Gugino) died in the house, it was something that continued to impact everyone involved.

For her husband, Hugh (Timothy Dutton/Henry Thomas), it irreparably damaged his relationship with his children right into their adulthood. He essentially checked out as a father with their aunt Janet (Elizabeth Becka) having raised them. Throughout the miniseries he attempted to reconnect with them and by the finale, he made a sacrifice in order to save the remainder of his family.

As for the children, let's break it down by order. The oldest one, Steven (Michiel Huisman/Paxton Singleton) tried to get over the trauma by writing a book (much to his siblings chagrin) and avoiding having children with his wife, Leigh (Samantha Sloyan). That didn't necessary work in his favour but as the show progressed, he faced the things he tried to ignore about himself and the house.

Second child Shirley (Elizabeth Reaser/Lulu Wilson) struggled with keeping control, her marriage to Kevin (Anthony Rivuver) and running a funeral home. There was also residual family resentment and a secret fling with Ryan (James Lafferty), all of which blew up as the series progressed.

Middle child Theodora (Kate Siegel/Mckenna Grace) had a gift of feeling that often sent her into distress but out of the siblings, I think she was my favourite. Her relationship with Trish (Levy Tran) was nicely developed over the series and like her siblings, she does have a very strong arc.

Then there's the twins - Luke (Oliver Jackson-Cohen/Julian Hilliard) and Nell (Victoria Pedretti/Violet McGraw). Their stories were definitely laced with more tragedy than their older siblings. Both haunted by different things (Bent Neck Lady, Bowler Hat Man, etc) and both seemed to stuggle the most. Even Nell having some happiness with Arthur (Jordane Christie) was short-lived.

As for Luke's story, he struggled with addiction, hit rock bottom multiple times, came close to death quite frequently but unlike his twin, whose death happened early in the show, he managed to just about come out the other side. There's a trauma conga line this guy goes through with his mother, Olivia going through an even worse one throughout the season.

Last but not least, there were the Dudleys - Clara (Annabeth Gish) and Horace (Robert Longstreet), caretakers of the house. Mostly they provided exposition when telling each Crain family a bit about Hill House's awful history but they're also a tragic couple, dealing with loss, including their children and there's something cathartic about their ending too.

- Episode titles are Steven Sees A Ghost, Open Casket, Touch, The Twin Thing, The Bent-Neck Lady, Two Storms, Eulogy, Witness Marks, Screaming Meemies and Silence Lay Steadily.

- The Red Room served as many different rooms to every family member without them realising it until the finale explained it.

- The show is based on Shirley Jackson's novel of the same name but it's a very loose adaptation of the source material.

- The show had a follow up of sorts with The Haunting Of Bly Manor, which I plan to watch next.

- Standout music: From the soundtrack by The Newton Brothers, I'd say Main Titles, Hill House, The Red Room, Haunted Past and Beginning Of The End Movement IV.

- Chronology: Alternating between 1992 and 2018 in California throughout the series.

I genuinely loved The Haunting Of Hill House. Yes, it took me way too long to watch it but I'm glad I finally did. Utterly brilliant from start to finish, stellar performances from all of the main cast and the perfect blend of family drama, chills and horror.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Superman And Lois 4x06: "When The Lights Come On"

 

Written by Kristi Korzec And Brent Fletcher And Todd Helbing

Directed by Ian Samoil

Lex: "What are you thinking?"

Amanda: "Well, the first thing we need to do is get you a killer suit."

Now we're into the second half of this season (and it's going by so fast), you'd think losing the chance to be in his daughter and grandson's life would make Lex reevaluate his choices. Nope, he's just going to double down on them even more.

Determined to relocate LexCorp to Smallville just to antagonise the Kent family, Lex's overt fixation on getting even had even Amanda McCoy questioning his judgement. For a moment, I thought she was going to abandon him. Then that last scene happened instead.

Amanda went from trying to make Lex see some sense to actively encouraging his vendetta. She suggested a killer suit. Lex bloody well needs one because even when his strength and powers are dampened, Clark can beat the shit out of him.

That fight scene between Clark and Lex under the red lighting might be one of the best onscreen sparring we've seen with these two in Gheorghe 80+ years of history. Both of them really went for it and while Lex could partially claim a "moral" victory, he underestimated his opponent yet again. Better get that suit rather sharpish, Lex.

Of course, while Lex got his ass beat by Superman, he also made enemies out of the Smallville residents too. He couldn't get Aidy Manning to sell her farm for 10 million and his attempts to get Lana taken out by Otis failed due to a baseball bat wielding Sarah. Yeah, it really wasn't Lex's week anyway you look at it.

As for the Kents themselves, Lois had no problem filling Amanda in on Elizabeth while Clark resorted to hair dye to combat the salt and pepper look. As for the Kent Boys, they did either too much, too little and took Sarah to Greece while she planned for a life outside Smallville. I think the reduced episodes have done wonders in striking a balance with the teen stuff for this show.

- Everyone in Smallville knows that Clark's Superman and now he knows they do too. Coach Gaines even tried to get the Kent boys back on the football team.

- Amanda's clearly being written as someone who has romantic feelings for Lex. The latter's also clearly aware of it too.

- With all this talk of being human, I do wonder if this show will have Clark retire as Superman with Jonathan and Jordan sharing his legacy.

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

This was another strong episode. When The Lights Come On absolutely delivered with that fight scene between Clark and Lex as both Tyler Hoechlin and Michael Culditz really went for it. Im at the point of looking forward but dreading each episode as we get closer to the end.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Oz The Great And Powerful (2013)

 

Written by Mitchell Kapner And David Lindsay-Abaire

Directed by Sam Raimi

Glinda: "A carnival magician's going to put on a show."

Oz: "I'll put on the show of a lifetime! The likes of which the land of Oz has never seen! Magic! Mystery! Prestidigitation! It'll be my greatest trick yet."

With Wicked Part 1 coming out in a fortnight, I knew I had to go back and watch this prequel from eleven years ago. It has it's critics but it was a hit and quite frankly, there's plenty to admire with it.

Being a prequel, you are getting the origins of the deceptive wizard and to no surprise, in Kansas, Oscar Diggs (James Franco) pissed off a lot of people with his antics before his escape in a hot air balloon got caught in a tornado and he ended up in Oz of all places.

Yes, a man called Oscar ended up in Oz and the first person he encountered was a witch named Theodora (Mila Kunis). She was convinced that he was the prophesized wizard that would free the people of Oz from the Wicked Witch. Theodora's sister, Evanora (Rachel Weisz) was more dubious of Oscar's actual abilities.

Of course Oscar was more interested in the benefits of being a wizard rather than the actual helping to free Oz in general but soon he formed a team with a winged monkey named Finley (Zach Braff), a China Doll named China Girl (Joey King) and eventually the meeting of the Good Witch Glinda (Michelle Williams). 

For a team, they make for a motley crew along with other characters such as Sourpuss (Tony Cox) and Master Tinker (Bill Cobbs) also added into the mix. The main threads of course being the sisters with Theodora manipulated by Evanora into embracing her greener disposition. While Theodora's full on raging over Oscar's rejection of her, it's Evanora who was the worst of the bunch.

I do think that both Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz play these roles so well and both seemed to relish being truly over the top. In between their antics, there's a romance bubbling between Oscar and Glinda but it's by far the weakest element of the movie with both Franconand Williams lacking the chemistry to pull it off.

- Yes, there's allusions to the likes of the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion in the movie.

- Like The Wizard Of Oz, the Kansas scenes aren't in colour. It doesn't work as well here but it's a nice enough nod.

- Standout music: Mariah Carey's Almost Home is quite nice to listen to.

- Chronology: 1905 Kansas before heading into the wonderful world of Oz.

Oz The Great And Powerful served as a decent prequel movie. It's certainly vibrant and colourful and tried it's hardest to capture the spirit of the 1939 classic and feel like it could fit in that continuity. The witches steal the movie from their divisive leading man if I'm being honest.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Hush (2016)

 

Written by Mike Flanagan And Kate Siegel

Directed by Mike Flanagan 

The Man (to Maddie): "I can come in anytime I want. And I can get you, anytime I want. But I'm not going to. Not until it's time. When you wish you're dead... that's when I'll come inside."

I should warn you that you're going to be seeing a lot of Flanagan related posts as I'm going through his Netflix shows at the moment and also some of his movies. This one in particular really stood out.

Released on Netflix, it was on the app, taken off and now has resurfaced digitally. Given the title, I almost expected a silent movie. I kind of got something in between with the protagonist of the piece. 

The protagonist being a deaf and mute horror writer named Maddie Young (Kate Siegel). For some reason Maddie's living in the woods while also trying to finish her latest novel, given the critical acclaim of the previous one. She's also brushing up on her culinary skills and friendship with Sarah Greene (Samantha Sloyan). The latter also wanted to brush up on her sign language.

Anyways things take a very dark turn when it's actually dark in the woods and a serial killer named The Man (John Gallagher Jr) killed poor Sarah and then took an overzealous delight in terrorising Maddie during the majority of the movie, making it impossible for her to get away from him.

Worse still for Maddie was that even Sarah's well meaning but unfortunate boyfriend, John Stanley (Michael Trucco) couldn't outsmart The Man. He did to his credit to give Maddie an advantage but it didn't quite take. 

The last few minutes between Maddie and The Man definitely ramped up the tension. You had Maddie thinking through every scenario for freedom before having to face off with The Man in her own home. The ending's pretty fucking tense but it certainly was the highlight of the movie.

- Maddie's book was Midnight Mass, which Netflix released as a seven part series in 2021. Siegel literally played Erin Greene in that show.

- There's a brief appearance of Maddie's sister, Max (Emma Graves) via video chat before the main event itself.

- An alternative black and white cut known as The Shush Cut exists for this movie.

- Chronology: Presumably the present day for this movie. 

Hush is a fantastic film with an excellent premise, a fairly unique protagonist within a setting that's a horror staple. Everything just works with a brilliant performance from Kate Siegel and ingenious use of certain things (a flash alarm for example) in an attempt to stay alive from a very ordinary killer. 

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of The Penguin: "Top Hat"

 

Written by Vladimir Cvetko

Directed by Kevin Bray

Oz (to Francis): "You deserve the best and I'm gonna get it for you. I promise. And I ain't gonna quit til I do."

Oh, Oswald, talk about promises. We know he loves his mother but it's a love that doesn't entirely bring out the best in him either. I've loved watching Oz and Francis's relationship unfold over the season but it's also undeniably toxic one too.

In flashbacks, you've got the young Oz (Ryder Allen) being somewhat jealous of the attention Francis (Emily Meade) gave his brothers Jack (Owen Asztalos) and Benny (Nico Tirozzi). In fact, Oz's jealousy of his own brothers quite frankly led to their deaths.

In some ways I'm not surprised that Oswald was responsible for making himself an only child but it does add another dimension between him and Francis. Was there a part of her that knew what he did? Is that why she made him promise to make her happy? I kind of think so.

Speaking of Francis, an absolutely sublime performance from Deirdre O'Connell this week with her scenes with Sofia. Watching Sofia trying to work out Francis while also witnessing one of her episodes made for quite an intense scene. It's clear Sofia viewed Francis as responsible for Oz being the monster he is but at the same time, a lot of Francis's words affected Sofia too.

I do love that yet again, Sofia did get the upper hand with Oz by blowing his operation sky high. That was after Oz had gotten his own upper hand with Sal's death. I'll admit if the episode has a minus, it's in the somewhat anticlimactic way that Sal was wriiten out. Sal really didn't get enough time to savour getting one over on Oz.

Saying that, Oz really isn't in a good position either. Sofia has his mother, blew up his operation and managed to get her goons to capture him. For Oz's sake, he better hope that he's got a Plan B before Sofia finishes him off for good.

- We finally met Rex Calabrese (Louis Cancelmi) in flashbacks before Oz disposed of his brothers.

- Sofia had Gia committed to a children's home and seemed perturbed when she realised the latter was cutting herself.

- Julian really will do anything Sofia tells him to do but would he have been fine with her if she had harmed Gia?

- Victor was still alive and trying to get more muscle for Oswald while shit was going down.

- Standout music: Nice use of Islands In The Stream at the start of the episode.

- Chronology:  The flashbacks had to have been in the 1980s considering that Oz told Francis that Jack and Benny went to see Beetlejuice.

Top Hat definitely gets points for those flashbacks and that scene between Sofia and Francis. It's a top notch penultimate episode as the ante got well and truly upped between Oswald and Sofia. Sal's death could've been better done but that's a minor quibble.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Speak No Evil (2024)

Written And Directed by James Watkins

Ben: "Why are you doing this to us?"

Paddy: "Because you let us."

Sometimes the people you make friends with on holidays are the type of people that you should never contact once the holiday is over. That's definitely the moral of this movie as one couple discovered how much of a nightmare another can be in their own surroundings.

The sane couple in question were Americans named Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben Dalton (Scoot McNairy). Work had relocated them to England and while on holiday in Italy they ended up meeting English couple Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi). At first, it seemed like a couples match made in heaven. Even the kids got along with each other.

Then Louise and Ben along with their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) made the mistake of spending the weekend at Paddy and Ciara's farmhouse where the latter couple kept giving red flags. The biggest ones, not just in relation to their lack of boundaries but also surrounding their mute son, Ant (Dan Hough). 

As the movie progressed, Louise was the one to mostly realise that something was amiss with Paddy and Ciara and tried to get Ben to leave with her and Agnes. They nearly got away too until Agnes toy bunny provided an obstacle for them to return and have to deal with Paddy's erratic behaviour.

By the time we get to the third act of the movie, it's revealed that Ant wasn't Paddy and Ciara's son but one they kidnapped after stealing from and murdering his real parents. They also cut out his tongue and the same fates were intended for Louise, Ben and Agnes. At this point, this was where the movie got rather unhinged.

I never quite imagined James McAvoy would fully embrace the horror baddie but he absolutely went for it as Paddy dropped all pretences and tried to kill the American couple. It's a delightfully nutty performance but while Paddy might have embraced his craziness, this didn't end well for him as this time both him and Ciara picked the wrong couple to try and kill. Let's say he absolutely got his just desserts.

- This Is a remake of the Danish-Dutch film of the same name that came out in 2022. I'll have to watch sometime.

- The original film being inspired by a Danish and Dutch couple. Ant was also Danish and there was a Danish couple at the start of the movie.

- Standout music: Let's just say James McAvoy gave a very memorable rendition of Eternal Flame and that's putting it mildly.

- Chronology: Present day in both Italy, London and Devon.

Speak No Evil from what I can tell (having not seen the original) is definitely a worthy remake. Purely for the delightfully unhinged performance that James McAvoy does give in the film and the remote surrounding adding to the tension overall. A great horror film in a year that's had quite a few of them.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

You're Getting The F Of A Lifetime

Yes, it's been several months since I've last done this and the next one likely won't be until January (excluding the 2024 In Review blog). Um, here goes.

911: I spent a few weeks properly catching up on the sixth and seventh seasons and while I missed the chance to talk about them as they were airing (minus that Buck story), I won't with this eighth season. The first five episodes had a shit tonne of bees, a plane that Athena had to stop from crashing, Bobby as a technical advisor on a show and the temporary tyranny of Captain Gerard. Then we had a totally batshit Halloween episode where Buck disturbed an old corpse and paid for it immensely throughout. This show does revel in it's absurdity. 

911: Lone Star: Again, I played a game of catch up with the third and fourth seasons of this show. However my focus will be on the first five episodes of this fifth and final season. So far, it's off to a good start. I mean there was a poison cloud, both Marjan and Paul competing for Captain, Judd returning as a probie, Tommy's relationship with the pastor ending and Owen getting a temperamental horse to boot. There was also TK and Carlos going through some marital strife as well but they seem to be on better terms during the last episode.

Agatha All Along: After the success of WandaVision, there was a part of me that wondered if Disney+ had left this show too long for audiences to care. I was wrong because audiences certainly cared as Agatha Harkness and Billy/William Maximoff/Kaplan made for quite a team with a great rapport between Kathryn Hahn and Joe Locke in this nine episode series. Plenty of magical hijinks, Easter Eggs, flashbacks and some strong supporting performances from Patti LuPone, Aubrey Plaza, Ali Ahn and Sasheer Zamata. Easily one of the best Disney+ shows the MCU has done.

Kaos: Falling victim to Netflix's increasingly cancel happy ways, I knew this show was doomed from the start with the lack of hype surrounding. By that way, that's a shame because it's a rather good take on Greek mythology in a current day setting. The stories range from Olympus, the real world and the underworld. There's great performances from several actors (including Jeff Goldblum being a man child like Zeus) and a few nicely done love stories and some great LGBT rep to boot. Yeah, it's worth watching but the cliffhanger will annoy you for the obvious reason.

Only Murders In The Building: Even though this show does weekly episodes, I always leave it until the season has wrapped up and binge watch it in a few days. That's exactly what I did with this fourth season, which focused on the death of Jane Lynch's stuntwoman Sazz. In this season we also had some Hollywood glamour with Eugene Levy, Zack Galifianakis and Eva Longoria playing the movie versions of Charles, Oliver and Mabel respectively and I liked that the show managed to split the time between New York and LA this season. Add in a subplot about another group of renters, Jan's return, Oliver and Loretta getting married, Donna's love for Zack, Paul Rudd as an Irish stuntman and this was another top notch season. Even the killer reveal was decent enough.

Rivals: Oh Disney+. It took them a while to realise that being a glorified babysitting app for kids wasn't going to be enough to sustain them. Going all in with Hulu/Star was necessary but also, so was making original adult content. This adaptation of Jilly Cooper's racy book of the same name certainly helps a bit. There's sublime performances from the likes of David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Alex Hassell, Nafessa Williams and Bella MacLean to name a few. There's plenty of shagging, back stabbing, one upmanship and general madness while set to a 1980s backdrop with the likes of Thatcher and the AIDS crisis playing their part in this delightful show. If Disney+ don't renew this for a second season, then they better adapt more from Jilly Cooper's books and soon.

• Yerin Ha has been cast as Sophie Baek, the love interest for Benedict Bridgerton as Season 4 of Bridgerton has now gone into production.
• The next 911 spin off may be set in Hawaii but that has yet to be confirmed. It's currently a rumour.
• Season 3 of Yellowjackets has wrapped production and will be released on Showtime/Paramount+ in early 2025.
• And Just Like That Season 3 has also wrapped production for a 2025 release on Max.
• Marvel fans will have six shows on Disney+ in 2025. Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man (January 29th), Daredevil: Born Again (March 4th), Eyes Of Wakanda (August 6th), Ironheart (September 3rd), Marvel Zombies (October) and Wonder Man (December)
• Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis will play sisters in upcoming Amazon series, Scarpetta. The show has been ordered for two seasons.
• HBO have renewed Industry for a fourth season.
• Netflix will be releasing second season of Squid Game on Christmas Day.
• UK audiences will have two Christmas specials of Call The Midwife to enjoy over the festive period on BBC1.
• Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny will be the main cast for the second season of Beef for Netflix.
• Kathy Bates version of Matlock has bagged an early second season renewal by CBS.
• Expect a crossover between Abbott Elementary and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.
• Family Guy will release a Christmas special on Hulu from November 25th.

My Review of Mr Malcolm's List (2022)

 

Written by Suzanne Allain

Directed by Emma Holly Jones

Lord Cassidy: "Becoming a suitable bride is quite burdensome. I almost feel as if I'm being trained up to become a wife."

Selina Dalton: "I know. God forbid someone decided to enter a marriage based on love."

Lord Cassidy: "What a wonderful thing to say."

If the success of Bridgerton wasn't enough to sate your Regency hype, then perhaps this rather modest and sweet natured movie might also help. It's got quite the goings on in.

First of all, you've got the titular Mr Jeremy Malcolm (Sope Dirusu) himself. He wants a wife and not any woman will do. He's got a list of things any potential wife must tick off and if you don't, then you may end up being an unintended caricature.

This was the fate of one Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton). She didn't meet Malcolm's List and found herself a source of mockery. Now, Julia didn't take that lying down. By her own logic, revenge was the order of the day and Malcolm was going to get a taste of his own just desserts.

For this to happen, Julia needed help and she enlisted her dandyish cousin Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and childhood friend, Selina Dalton (Frieda Pinto) to execute plan. The plan being for Malcolm to fall in love with Selina and for the latter to hit with a list that he wouldn't meet.

It's a very petty plan but it's one that also took some fairly predictable albeit enjoyable twists. Of course Malcolm and Selina would fall in love with each other. Cassidy saw it coming and actively rooted for them while Julia herself seethed over the prospect and tried to sabotage the budding romance.

Of course while Julia might have been resentful of her friend finding love with the man who embarrased her, she got the secondary romance with Captain Henry Ossery (Theo James). That in turn did soften her resolve towards Malcolm and Selina as the movie sped towards a romantic ending for the lovers. 

- The movie was based on a book by the same name with the author having adapted the script.

- Oliver Jackson-Cohen wanted to play Lord Cassidy as a gay man and he more or less did, despite the director not totally going with it.

- I liked the use of caricatures for the closing credits of the movie. It was a nice touch.

- Chronology: 1818 Regency London. 

Mr Malcolm's List turned out to be a nice, frothy and feel good Regency romp. While not exactly as pulse racing as a certain Netflix show, there's a lot to enjoy with her. Both Sope Dirusu and Frieda Pinto are on winning form with the central romance that some of the more predictable moments are charming for it.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

 

Written by Caroline Thompson And Michael McDowell

Directed by Henry Selick

Santa: "'Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems in a place perhaps you've seen in your dreams. For the story you're about to be told began with the holiday worlds of auld. Now you've probably wondered where holidays come from. If you haven't I'd say it's time you begun."

Is it a Halloween movie? Is it a prelude to Christmas? Did I pick the right time to actually review this one? Those are not the most earth shattering of questions but a "yes" to all three of them. 

Let's get into the story itself. You've got a fantasy world called Halloween Town with every imaginable monster in it and it's up to the Pumpkin King Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon) to organise the annual celebrations for Halloween. Except he's tired of the same old routine.

Fortunately for Jack, the discovery of a tree shaped door led him into the world of Christmas but trying to get his community to embrace the idea of Christmas wasn't a successful. Jack had a solution for that - kidnap Sandy Claws aka Santa (Ed Ivory). It wasn't exactly the best plan he could've had.

Of course it was met with obstacles, including assistants who took a while to actually get the right guy. Not to mention when Jack decided to do a swap with Santa, the latter ended up being in danger by Oogie Boogie (Ken Page), a villainous bogryman. Still this movie served as a learning curve for Jack.

With Christmas not being his area of expertise and Jack almost being killed as a result, the lesson here was that Jack was better in his Halloween later. Then there was the romance with ragdoll Sally (Catherine O'Hara).

Sally's a good love interest for Jack and something of a mischievous one too. Her various attempts to be free of her possessive creator Doctor Finkelstein (William Hickey) had her resort to attempting to kill him and he absolutely deserved it. By the end of the movie, Sally did get free of him and both and Jack declared their love for each other.

- Tim Burton developed the story, initially as a three page poem for Walt Disney Feature Animation.

- There are alternative scenes on the DVD release for the movie.

- Danny Elfman provided the singing voice for Jack Skellington.

- This was the first Disney movie not to be traditionally animation with it being more stop motion. 

- Standout music: This Is Halloween, Jack's Lament, Making Christmas, Oogie Boogie Song and Finale/Reprise.

- Chronology: Both Halloween and Christmas within this movie as well as a look into the real world.

The Nightmare Before Christmas truly is a delight. It's enjoyable during Halloween, Christmas and in between. Great characters, great songs and a nice love story. What's not to like?

Rating: 8 out of 10