My Review of The Avengers (2012)

 

Written by Zak Penn And Joss Whedon

Directed by Joss Whedon 

Loki: "The Chitauri are coming. Nothing will change that. What have I to fear?"

Tony: "The Avengers. That's what we call ourselves; we're sort of like a team. "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" type thing."

Loki: "Yes, I've met them."

Ah, yes. If there was a movie that well and truly told the world that MCU was going to be the most successful movie franchise of all time, it was time. Love him or loathe him, it's definitely down to a certain co-writer and director's influence. Not to mention the cast that made up this movie.

It's been so long since I've actually watched this movie, I had forgotten just how brilliant it actually was. The sheer scale and ambition as well as having the basis of the previous five MCU movies to build upon.

So, let's look at our titular team. All of them were introduced in previous movies while one of them got recast. As a team, they're not exactly happy to work together at first. In fact, there's a lot of clashing here, mostly down to their personalities but also some outside forces as well.

The rivalry between Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) couldn't be more apparent too. They really butted heads for a good portion of the movie, due to their differences but when push came to shove, they actually worked rather well together. What about the rest of the team?

Well, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) made damn sure that when she was under duress, she wasn't but she was instrumental in getting The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) on board as well as the movie exploring her complicated friendship with Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). As for Thor (Chris Hemsworth), he mostly got involved for family reasons.

Loki (Tom Hiddleston) hadn't been content being the main antagonist for his brother's first movie, he had to go and be one for the first Avengers movie too. I'm not complaining because he's a great choice of villain, working for a higher villain out there while coming to Earth to claim the Tesseract and almost succeeded as well. Both him and his Chitauri army. 

Through the entire movie, Loki's a delightful villain and got several cool moments with each of the Avengers, though he really underestimated one of them more than he should've. As for the S.H.I.E.L.D. side of things, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) were on good form but it's Agent Colson (Clark Gregg) who had some excellent moments before that outcome.

- Loki's bosses of sorts were The Other (Alexis Denisif) and Thanos (Damion Poitier). The latter is very briefly seen in a mid credit scene.

- Jenny Agutter, Powers Boothe and Enver Gjokaj appeared here. The latter two would end being prominent characters in Marvel's Agents Of SHIELD.

- Stellan Skarsgard also reprised his role as Erik Selvig from Thor, being under Loki's control for most of the movie. Oh Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) also appeared briefly. JARVIS (Paul Bettany) was also heard.

- Stan Lee popped up as part of a newspaper report segment, following the aftermath of the main events.

- A post credit scene had the Avengers go to a local Shawarma after Iron Man talked about it a lot.

- Chronology: 2012 New York City for most of the movie.

The Avengers (or Avengers Assemble) certainly got the ball rolling with these ambitious MCU team ups and as a movie, it's still incredible to watch over a decade later. Brilliant choice of characters for the start of this group, great villain choices, hints of bigger events to come and some genuinely stunning action sequences, character moments and funny one liners.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Creature Commandos: "A Very Funny Monster"

 

Written by James Gunn 

Directed by Matt Peters

Economos (re Project M): "Well, are you in?"

The Bride: "What else I gotta do?"

Wow, time really did fly by and in a month where we've been inundated with a lot to mull over with DC as well. After seven episodes, did this one manage to stick the landing? I think it just about did.

Of course, there's a bittersweet sting in the tail with Nina Mazursky. Arguably the sweetest character on the show, which was why her death hit that little bit harder. I know someone had to die but I can think of a more deserving character than Nina.

In flashbacks we saw that Nina was born to Edward and Lily Mazursky as a child whose lungs were on the outside of her body. Lily struggled to bond with Nina and eventually abandoned her. Edward on the other experimented with aquatic DNA, resulting in the version of the character we know of.

The rest of the flashbacks saw Nina being bullied by her peers until she couldn't take and fled to the sewers to unburden her own father. Then she attracted media attention, got caught and had to watch her father die. Overall, Nina didn't get a break here.

In the present day, Nina was the one also manipulated by the The Bride and Dr Phospherus to kill Princess Ilana with Weasel intervening. Unfortunately Nina ended up dead and we briefly believed the Princess was innocent. That was until The Bride realised she had been working for Clayface all along.

There's definitely reasons why James Gunn's depiction of women isn't always well received but I honestly think The Bride was his best character here and I was more than happy to see her deal with both the Princess and Eric Frankenstein the way she did. No wonder Amanda Waller gave her control of Project M.

- New members for Project M in Season 2 will include Khalis the mummy, Nosferata and King Shark (Diedrich Bader). Oh and G.I. Robot has a new body.

- A post credit scene showed Eric whinging about The Bride to another woman who gave him sparrow shit soup.

- Given that he has his own movie coming out, surely Clayface will revive himself. I assume Waller and Economos deployed a team to scoop him up. 

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off in Pokolistan. Nina was from Star City, home of Green Arrow.

A Very Funny Monster was a good ending to an overall fun series. As a teaser for the DCU, I think this R rated animated show worked decently enough but I can't wait to see what Superman (2025) will actually bring to the table.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Captain America: Civil War (2016)

 

Written by Christopher Markus And Stephen McFeely

Directed by Anthony And Joe Russo

Captain America (re Bucky): "He's my friend."

Iron Man: "So was I."

Or as I'd like to call this movie, Avengers 2.5. Despite some absences, this often felt more like an Avengers movie than the third part of a Captain America. It also pretty did a similar thing to Batman V. Superman, coming out two months after that movie. Did it do it better?

Honestly, not really. Overall,this movie felt like a culmination of the events from both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age Of Ultron but for me, this one doesn't quite hit the same height as the former and would be a tiny bit behind the latter as well.

The opening scene was rather good. There was something delightful in seeing Captain America (Chris Evans), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) going up against Crossbones (Frank Grillo). However he didn't make it out of this one alive but did manage to tip Steve off about The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) still being alive.

Bucky of course being the whole crux of this movie's conflict. You had Captain America, Falcon, Wanda as well as Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) on one side. However on the other, there was Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), a reluctant Black Widow, War Machine (Don Cheadle) as well as Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland). The latter side weren't exactly in Bucky's favour.

It probably didn't help that as the Winter Soldier, Bucky was responsible for the death of Howard Stark (John Slattery), while also being blamed for the death of T'Chaka (John Kani). The latter definitely wasn't on him and that alone would change the Bucky/T'Challa relationship by the end of the movie.

The actual "Civil War" really was watching your favourite Marvel heroes fight each other with both sides not really helping their respective causes. On the villain end of the scale, there was the introduction of Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl) who proved to be a rather effective baddie before being inevitably captured by the good guys. He's another character who successfully managed to break through in an otherwise very busy movie.

As for Tony and Steve, this movie really was a tester of their friendship and it felt like both could've tried harder to have seen the other's perspective. I did find myself siding with Steve a bit more but at least Tony seemed to show some remorse for what transpired between both sides. 

- The film featured Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman), had the return of Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) and a funeral for Peggy Carter. The credit scenes were good for Black Panther and Spider-Man fans.

- Alfre Woodard popped up here in a civilian role but would go on to play Mariah Dillard in Luke Cage shortly after this movie's release.

- There was definitely hints of Wanda and Vision (Paul Bettany) becoming a couple, even if they were on different sides within the second half of the movie.

- Both Thor and Hulk are off world, setting up Thor: Ragnarok.

- Joe Russo popped up as a murder victim of Zemo's and Stan Lee as a FedEx deliveryman.

- Chronology: Not long after the events of Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Flashbacks to 1991 and a few different locations in 2016.

While not my favourite of the Steve Rogers trilogy, there's still enough to like with Captain America: Civil War if I'm being honest. Some characters are introduced and immediately grab your attention and the fight scenes do look great, I can't deny that.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

 

Written by Christopher Markus And Stephen McFeely

Directed by Anthony Russo And Joe Russo

Steve: "I'm not gonna fight you. You're my friend!"

The Winter Soldier: "You're my mission! YOU ARE MY MISSION!"

Steve: "Then finish it. 'Cause I'm with you 'til the end of the line."

There's a certain trilogy from another comic book franchise in which in the middle part happened to be the most highly regarded part of it. This franchise should also have that acclaim because out of the Steve Rogers trilogy, this would be my favourite of the bunch.

Shortky after the events of The Avengers, you've got Captain America (Chris Evans) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) working together, albeit on separate missions. That's on Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) who still had Steve on a need to know basis with certain things.

Of course proving to be as much of a problem in the present day as they were back in the 1940s, Hydra have new acolytes doing their bidding. This was where Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) came into the forefront, working Hydra front within S.H.I.E.L.D. itself, including attempting to take Fury off the table. Did anyone really believe he was dead? I definitely didn't.

Anyways with Steve and Natasha having to deal with the next generation of Hydra in their midst, at least there was some allies in their corner. There was pararescueman Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie), who's easily the break out character of the entire movie. His rapport with everyone was fantastic but especially with Steve himself.

There's also Fury's right hand woman, Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and Agent 3 herself, Sharon Carter (Emily Van Camp). There's a hint of a love story here that most fans hated at the time (and still do). Aside from that, both characters are used pretty well within a rather stacked movie.

Getting back to the villains of the piece, The Winter Soldier himself, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). One of the best and sympathetic MCU villains, considering he's a victim of Hydra's brainwashing while Brock Rumlow (Frank Grillo) was a bit weaker as a baddie. 

Of course this movie certainly ended things on a complicated note between Steve and Bucky while also laying the groundwork for Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Let's just say, an icon made her debut here.

- The credit scenes introduced both Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Pietro Maximoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) while Bucky looked at himself in the Smithsonian.

- Stan Lee popped up as a security guard that wasn't pleased when a certain costume was stolen.

- Steve caught up with a much older Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) in hospital while Arnim Zola (Toby Jones) also re-emerged through AI.

- This movie had Steve get closure on his relationship with Peggy, hinted at attractions to both Sharon and Natasha and asked a lot about his love life in the 21st century.

- More great casting with the likes of Jenny Agutter, Danny Pudi, Alan Dale, Bernard White and Chin Han all popping up in good supporting/cameo roles.

- Chronology: The movie came out during 2014, so around the same time.

Without a doubt, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the best movie from the Steve Rogers trilogy. Everything just works (minus the Steve/Sharon subplot) but especially the complicated relationship between Steve and Bucky. I loved this one.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

 

Written by Christopher Markus And Stephen McFeely

Directed by Joe Johnston

Bucky: "What happened to you?"

Steve: "I joined the Army."

With a new Captain America movie about to hit theatres next month, it was past time to go back and watch the first trilogy. If this was anything to go by, this will be a fun rewatch. I forgot how good this first movie was.

It's World War II and our hero, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) isn't exactly the most powerful guy in his squad. If he's not getting bullied by fellow soldiers, he's looked upon with disdain by Colonel Chester Philips (Tommy Lee Jones). To be fair, looking at Steve, you'd have to wonder why the hell he's in the US army, even during this specific time period.

Of course, it's war time and everyone had a role to play and Steve wasn't endearing himself to Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), he also got selected for Abraham Erskine's (Stanley Tucci) Super Soldier Serum. Let's just say that Steve Rogers went from a weedy looking fella to Captain America in no time.

However for Steve, this initially being used as a corporate mascot for enlisting talks with pretty girls but the moment his only friend James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes (Sebastian Stan) went missing, Steve soon became a squadron leader that he was destined to be, saved his friend and won the respect of fellow soldiers. Those included the likes of Timothy "Dum Dum" Duggan (Neal McDonough) and so on.

As for the bad guys, well it was all about Hydra. Smaller scale threats like Heinz Kruger (Richard Armitage) took themselves off the table. That left more room for Hydra commander Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) and his scientist lackey Arnim Zola (Toby Jones). Both are fairly well realised baddies for the movie.

By the time the movie got to it's conclusion, Bucky was seemingly dead, both Zola and Red Skull were defeated, Vibranium was discovered and Steve went from being in 1941 to 2011, missing a vital date he had with Peggy. On the other hand, at least Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) was there to bring him up to speed.

- Yes, prior to appearing in Doctor Who, Jenna Coleman briefly appeared as Bucky's date.

- Dominic Cooper had a strong supporting role as Howard Stark. 

- We did get a brief look at a more comic book version of Steve's suit before they settled for the more practical one.

- Other noteworthy actors who appeared in this movie included Laura Haddock, Natalie Dormer, David Bradley, Kenneth Choi and JJ Feild.

- A mid credit scene had Steve being approached by Fury for a worldwide mission and then that trailer for The Avengers.

- Chronology: 1945 and 2011, taking in the Arctic, New York City and most of the USA.

Captain America has certainly aged well as a movie. It's a great first entry for Steve Rogers with the WW2 setting and respective villains working very much in its favour. It's not hard to see how Chris Evans was cast in the part as he's perfect with his debut outing as Steve Rogers.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Seconds (1966)

 

Written by Lewis John Carlino

Directed by John Frankenheimer

Emily (to Tony): "You see, Arthur had been dead a long, long time before they found him in that hotel room."

This year I do plan to watch more older movies and this was one that I've been wanting to watch for a good while now. I'm really glad I did because this has a great premise and a very dark ending.

The premise focused on middle aged banker, Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph). Arthur was in a marriage to Emily (Frances Reid) where the love had dwindled and his daughter was distant from him. He was bored and in desperate need to change things.

Thanks to a recommendation from childhood friend, Charlie (Murray Hamilton), Arthur was about to get the chance of a whole new life. Granted it was one that would cost him $30,000, involve extensive plastic surgery and oh, some rather devious blackmailing thanks to the Associates of the mystery company. 

Despite Arthur not liking being strong armed into it, he agreed to the procedure and soon became Antiochus "Tony" Wilson (Rock Hudson). Yes, he looked over a decade younger, became an artist, relocated and even got briefly involved with the mysterious Nora (Salome Jens). 

It seemed like Tony's new life was going perfect but then he made a total drunken fool out of himself during a social gathering he organised. That was a mistake that made him into a liability and Tony wanting another life also didn't help matters.

Now for me, it's the last scene that really sold this movie. It's a frightening culmination of Arthur/Tony's entire story and one that sadly made sense, given the lengths he went to get this life to begin with. It's a really chilling ending.

- Based on a book of the same name by David Ely. The movie in 2015 was selected by the National Film Registry for preservation.

- Yes, there was controversy for the full frontal female nudity that appeared in the movie.

- The depiction of plastic surgery on Arthur/Tony actually had real shots of a rhinoplasty operation.

- Chronology: Scarsdale, New York City and Malibu, California. Several months pass during the movie.

Seconds was certainly a doozy of a movie. The discontented protagonist given the chance of a new life, squandering it's potential and suffering the fatal consequences for it. Great performances from both Rock Hudson and Jack Randolph and that last scene as I said earlier was chilling.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of The Incredible Hulk (2008)

 

Written by Zak Penn

Directed by Louis Leterrier

Abomination: "Any last words?"

Incredible Hulk: "Hulk ... SMASH!"

Remember a time when the MCU Hulk wasn't Mark Ruffalo? Yeah, that was a thing if you cast your mind back to 2008 and the second movie of the MCU had a very different take altogether. That and a different actor of course.

Yes, it was Edward Norton who first played Dr Bruce Banner/Incredible Hulk in the MCU and sometimes I do wonder how things would've played out had he remained in the role. Saying that, I do like Ruffalo in the role that he's made definitive for him in the last decade.

Getting back to this movie though, Banner fled the United States and was hiding out in Brazil, generally trying to avoid General Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt), who wanted to weaponise him as the Hulk. He was also desperate to find a cure for his condition and almost came close to it in this movie.

Then there was Betty Ross (Liv Tyler). Yup, Bruce's former girlfriend and the general's daughter. She had gotten together with Leonard Samson (Ty Burrell) but was still willing to defy her father and help Bruce on his mission with cellular biologist Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) also chipping in to help.

Of course there was a snag and that was the villain of the piece. Yup, this was the movie that debuted Emil Blonsky aka Abomination (Tim Roth) and I gotta admit, he's actually a pretty decent foe during the first phase of the MCU. The fight scenes between Hulk and Abomination are rather decent to watch.

As for the end of the movie, needless to say it's not a romantic reunion between Bruce and Betty but at least they're on better terms than beforehand. Not to mention the final shot of Bruce's technique for controlling his rage was rather good.

- There's a scene where Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) approached General Ross in a bar to lay the groundwork for The Avengers.

- The Stan Lee cameo had the poor guy drink the soda that contained some of Banner's blood. It didn't agree with him.

- There's appearances/voiceovers from both Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno during the movie as well. 

- Chronology: The movie jumps five years after the opening scene and then a month after Abomination's defeat. It's set in New York City, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Bella Coola, British Columbia.

I had a lot of fun with The Incredible Hulk. It's held up pretty well as a movie and I think Edward Norton was great in the role. I'd go as far as to say that this would be one of the most underrated movies in the MCU.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Babygirl (2024)

 

Written And Directed by Halina Reijn

Romy: "I see myself as a..."

Samuel: "Power-hungry personality?"

Romy: "You think that's what I am?"

Samuel: "I think you like to be told what to do."

2024 was the year that tried to bring some sexiness back into adult movies and make them into award contenders. Luca Guadagnino tried to satisfy (and mostly succeeded) both bisexuals and the gays with Challengers and Queer (still have to catch up with it) but what about the straights?

Well, writer and director Halina Reijn took on the assignment and on paper, this definitely felt like it should've been a clear winner. For a lot of people it has been but for me, I hate to say it but it didn't quite work for me. I really wanted to like this one. I really did.

First of all, I will point out that in terms of onscreen chemistry, both Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson do their level best here and had the movie been less messy, I think it would've really worked. Sadly though, it didn't. At least not for me.

Anyways, Kidman played the role of CEO Romy Mathis. Her tech company was embracing AI and there was an intern scheme she got roped into. The intern, Samuel (Dickinson) ended up getting under her skin by crossing too many professional boundaries. This also resulted in an affair in which Romy took on a submissive role.

If you've ever seen the movie Secretary with James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal, then this movie felt like a reverse of that dynamic. Romy's affair with Samuel intensified to the point where another one of her subordinates, Esme (Sophie Wilde) knew what was going on and Romy's marriage to theatre director, Jacob (Antonio Banderas) almost came crashing down.

However by the end of this movie and despite the repeated threat of losing everything, Romy lost nothing. She fixed her marriage, got an orgasm from her husband, had Samuel transferred to another country and even put a co-worker in his place. Overall, there was no real consequences or stakes to any of the events itself. 

- Romy's oldest daughter, Isabel (Esther McGregor) was sympathetic to her mother because she had cheated on her girlfriend and could relate.

- Jean Reno filmed scenes but his role was cut from the film itself.

- Standout music: Sly Ferreira's Leash, appropriately enough.

- Chronology: Around the Christmas period in New York City.

Babygirl had potential but overall, for me, I don't think it came together. The script felt sloppy in parts, the last act could've definitely been fleshed out. I wanted to like it but it felt lacking for me.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Kraven The Hunter (2024)

 

Written by Richard Wenk And Art Marcum And Matt Holloway

Directed by J.C. Chandor

Sergei: "I stared Death in the face, and for the first time... I saw my true self."

Oh, Sony, you just never learn. For all the success of the Spiderverse animated movies and inadvertent success of a Venom trilogy, these Spider-Man adjacent movies have been more trouble than they're worse. The all too predictable failure of this movie really should put paid to any further films like this but I feel it likely won't.

Now, what exactly went wrong here? In some respects, there's a serviceable enough story but it feels like an executive at Sony saw the subversive of Cruella and thought they could replicate that with this character. There was potential for it to work but the idea didn't quite land as well as it should've done.

Our titular antihero, almost known as Sergei Kravinoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson/Levi Miller) found out that his mother died and his father, Nikolai (Russell Crowe) was less upset about that than he would've liked. Nikolai also liked pitting Sergei and his younger brother, Dmitri (Fred Hechinger/Billy Barratt) against one another and an incident with a lion saw Sergei putting some distance with his family for a good sixteen years.

In the present day, Sergei became Kraven the Hunter while Dmitri's penchant for imitation had him as a lounge singer. It also got Dmitri kidnapped by both Aleksei Sytsevich aka Rhino (Alessandro Nivola) and the Foreigner (Christopher Abbott). It also had Sergei reunite with Calypso Ezili (Ariana DeBose/Diaana Babnicova) as she too found herself up in events.

In terms of the villains of the piece, there's four of them. Both Rhino and Foreigner provider solid and physical threats for our antihero but it's the misdeeds of Nikolai that set off the whole chain of events. It's also Nikolai's actions that saw about a villainous turn for Dmitri in a reveal that we're not likely going to see play out in the future.

As for Calypso, she did get some decent moments in the movie but it's a more subdued version of the character. Even the comic book romance between her and Sergei was mostly played down, though she did save his life at crucial points, so I have to give points for that alone. As for Sergei he certainly embraced a certain look by the very last scene of the movie.

- There's no mid or post credit scene and considering how this movie has bombed, that was a wise decision. I'm surprised Dmitri revealing his chameleon powers to Sergei wasn't used as one.

- Both Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Russell Crowe have previous been in the MCU as Quicksilver and Zeus respectively.

- Standout music: Dmitri does perform a rather nice version of Harry Styles Sign Of The Times in his piano bar.

- Chronology: Present day and sixteen years in the past. Scenes in Africa, Russia and London.

Kraven The Hunter ain't a great movie by any stretch of the imagination but it's not an entire car crash. It just feels a tad pointless but the action sequences are decent enough, though it's surprisingly longer than expected. Keep your expectations to a minimum and you won't be too disappointed.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Creature Commandos: "Priyatel Skelet"

 

Written by James Gunn 

Directed by Sam Liu

Dr Phospherus (to girl): "It looks like I'm smiling but I'm not."

With this penultimate episode, a long standing (and somewhat tiresome) theory got debunked. For the billionth time, Matt Reeves will not be merging Robert Pattinson's Batman into the DCU. Mostly because from the vague silhouette we saw, James Gunn will cast his own actor for the role.

A few episodes ago, we did see the Dark Knight slaughtered in a nightmare future seen by Circe and here, Batman appeared in flashbacks just as Dr Phospherus was embracing his newly acquired criminal lifestyle. Before that though we saw a much different version of the man.

In early flashbacks, Alexander Sartorius was a scientist looking to cure cancer. He was also being financially backed by mobster Rupert Thorne (Benjamin Byron Davis), who murdered Alexander's wife and son before causing Alex's transformation into Dr Phospherus. Suffice to say, Rupert didn't live much longer than that.

As the flashbacks saw Phospherus climbing up the criminal ranks, the present day version had him bond with a little girl before heading to the castle to kill Princess Ilana Rostavic. What about everyone else? What did they get up to?

Well, you had The Bride and Nina hanging out in a brothel, killing metahuman punters and verbally sparring with Madame Gyurov (Shohreh Aghdashloo). Mostly that was The Bride but both her and Nina caught up with Phospherus as did Weasel. Now will they kill the Princess?

As for the rest of the episode, Eric Frankenstein got a plane to himself to get back to Pokolistan while Ricky Flag Sr was in a coma after being fucked up by Clayface. At least he had Amanda Waller by his bedside to encourage him back to the land of the living. Selfless to a fault Amanda was.

- Batman being relegated to a silhouette must mean they're still trying to decide what his actual look will be when he appears in live action.

- Shohreh Aghdashloo appeared in The Penguin as Nadia Maroni. Is it too much to hope she'll get a live action role in the DCU?

- That little girl that Weasel saved in flashbacks was a younger version of Ilana. I did laugh at him playing fetch with a bunch of wolves who were going to kill him.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off. 

Priyatel Skelet was a doozy. Even without the Batman cameo, this episode delivered a hell of a backstory for Phospherus and great subplots with everyone else. Can't wait for next week's finale.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Better Man (2024)

 

Written by Simon Gleeson And Oliver Cole And Michael Gracey

Directed by Michael Tracey

Robbie Williams: "Fame is a powerful aphrodisiac. It means even ugly people can get laid."

2024 was something of an odd year for musical biopics and while a certain one that came out around the same time as this might be getting award love, what about this one?

Robbie Williams has always been a popstar that's had an audience. He was the lovable cheeky chap from Take That who had that extra It factor his band mates didn't necessarily have and he seemed to appeal to every demographic without even trying. That's something that a lot of male popstars, especially today cannot boast about.

He's also had something of a tumultuous personal life and those tend to be the things these music biopics really thrive on, for better or worse. What set this apart from the usual biopics though was the fact that he was being played by a CGI chimpanzee, voiced by both Williams and actor Jonno Davies.

It's a wild choice and one I'm not entirely sure worked but it certainly kept my attention during the two hour plus movie. We go through Robbie's childhood with a father, Pete Conway (Steve Pemberton) who flounced in and out of Robbie to a more supportive family unit with his mother, Janet (Kate Mulvany) and grandmother, Betty (Alison Steadman). The latter in particular was excellent here.

Of course we also get to see Robbie audition for the boyband tha would change his life and meet fellow bandmates Gary Barlow (Jake Simmance), Mark Owen (Jesse Hyde), Howard Donald (Liam Head) and Jason Orange (Chase Vollenweider) along with their manager, Nigel Martin-Smith (Damon Herriman).

Being in a boyband only worked for so long and then there was the solo career. The movie was clever in how it used some of Robbie's biggest hits during key moments and there's some exploration into his working relationship with songwriter Guy Chambers (Tom Budge), rivalry with Oasis as well as his relationship with All Saints singer, Nicole Appleton (Raechelle Banno).

Yeah, the movie did examine the highs and lows of Williams life and career with the final few minutes ending the movie on a rather poignant note as Robbie did a duet of My Way with his father. It's a nice way to actually end this particular movie.

- The movie was mostly shot in Australia along with some Albert Hall filming for the recreation of the last scene. 

- US audiences can see this movie from January 10th.

- Standout music: The way songs like Angels, Rock DJ, She's The One and Let Me Entertain You are done well. Forbidden Road was also exclusive for this movie.

- Chronology: It started in the 1980s in Stoke On Trent, covering the 1990s and 2000 with the defining moments of Robbie's career.

Better Man definitely got points for it's oddball approach to the musical biopic. I'm not sure I would've had a CGI chimpanzee but it kind of works for the most part I guess. Overall I liked it. 

Rating: 7 out of 10 

Scream 7 - Full Cast And Release Date Announced

Despite being marred with controversy, the seventh instalment in the Scream franchise will be happening. Because once again, online discourse doesn't impact creative decisions from a studio.

First of all, the returning cast will comprise of Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and Mason Gooding. I'll be honest, I'm a little surprised with the return of Gooding but at least it's proof that the Radio Silence era movies aren't being ignored or potentially retconned.

I've included Patrick Dempsey as well for now in this line up. He's not officially been cast but I suspect he'll be announced closer to or during filming, which will start this month in Atlanta. Anna Camp has also joined as a neighbour of Sidney's. Horror fans will of course know her from HBO series, True Blood.

However along with returning faces, what about the newcomers who'll have to face off Ghostface (Roger L. Jackson)? Our new cast include Isabel May (1883) Asa Germann (Gen V),  Mckenna Grace (The Haunting Of Hill House), Sam Rechner (The Fablemans) and Celeste O'Connor (Madame Web).

The character descriptions for this new set of teen characters range from Sidney's oldest daughter (Isabel's character) as well as the boyfriend, the creepy neighbour guy, the heartbreaker of the group and the queen bee. The movie will be directed by creator Kevin Williamson from a script written by Guy Busick, who co-wrote the previous two movies with James Vanderbilt. 

Scream 7 will hit theatres from February 27th 2026.

DCU Blog - December 2024 Edition: Superman Trailer, Batman Delayed And Lobo Cast

Well, it wouldn't be DC without a month of delightful chaos and this month was certainly chaotic in the best (and slightly worst) way possible.

December 19th saw the first trailer for Superman (2025) released and so far, it's clocked in over 50 million views on YouTube. The general reception has been positive. It will be released in theatres from July 11th 2025.

Creature Commandos has been renewed for a second season. The first season concludes on January 9th on Max.

James Gunn has confirmed that The Brave And The Bold hasn't been delayed, in response to a recent interview with Andy Muschietti that implied it had been.

Filming for Lanterns will now take place in February. Aaron Pierre has talked about playing John Stewart in recent interviews. Nathan Dillon is also expected to appear as Guy Gardner as well.

The sequel to The Batman has been delayed and will now be released on October 1st 2027. It will get a new title.

Frank Grillo has talked about enjoying his DC experience in recent interviews. He'll next be seen in Superman (2025) and the second season of Peacemaker. 

Jenna Coleman has revealed in recent interviews that she's returning as Johanna Constantine for the second season of The Sandman. It'll be released on Netflix in 2025.

Development on a potential project for The Flash is on hold for the time being.

In the worst kept secret going, it's been revealed that Jason Momoa will play Lobo in Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow. The film begins filming January 13th for a June 26th 2026 theatrical release.

Rumours for the Teen Titans movie are that the movie (yet to be greenlit) will use the line up from the animated series 

The Dynamic Duo movie, featuring Dick Grayson and Jason Todd will be released in theatres on June 30th 2028.

Sgt. Rock is also rumoured to film in the second half of 2025. It will likely get a 2027 release date.

Mike Flanagan has written the script for Clayface and while the director has yet to be confirmed, filming begins in early 2025 for a September 11th 2026 theatrical release.

The fifth season of Harley Quinn will premiere on Max from January 16th.

James Gunn has recently followed Jurnee Smollett on Instagram. Is she a potential return for Black Canary, a new DCU casting or neither?

The Penguin managed to crack into the Nielsen's Top 10 and has earned Golden Globe nominations, including ones for both Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti. 

And that's your lot for 2024. It's been a bumpy but never boring year for DC and I have a feeling 2025 will be similar in that regard.

My Review of We Live In Time (2024)

 

Written by Nick Payne

Directed by John Crowley

Tobias: "So sorry, but do we know each other?"

Almut: "Oh. Yeah... No. Um... sorry... I... I, I ran you over."

My last film for 2024 and while there's a few I've missed that I will have to catch up with in early 2025, at least I'm ending this year on a good note. This one was rather good.

Told in a nonlinear format, we've got our couple - Weetabix guy Tobias Durand (Andrew Garfield) and former figure skater/Bavarian-fusion chef, Almut Brühl (Florence Pugh) and the chaotic romance between the two of them. I mean, it's really chaotic.

The movie started with news of Almut having ovarian cancer and not wanting to continue with an treatment, much to Tobias's dismay. Of course because of the format, the movie tended to go back and forwards with their love story.

There was the fact that Tobias was actually ran over by Almut that led to their meeting in the first place. Then there was casual dating and the two almost falling out over a difference of wanting children. Almut wasn't initially keen on being a mother and even I thought Tobias was a bit too full on with the idea so early into their relationship.

As the movie progressed, Tobias learned about Almut's former career, the latter ended up pregnant and they had a daughter named, Ella (Grace Delaney). They also had to tell Ella about Almut's worsening condition while Almut had one more career goal she wanted to achieve before her death.

The fact that Almut's death was never shown onscreen was an interesting choice. I'm not sure if I liked the choice or not but the final scene between Tobias and Ella as they remembered Almut and notably the way she cracked an egg was rather poignant.

- There's some nice supporting performances from Douglas Hodge, Adam James and Lee Braithwaite in the movie.

- As someone who has no issue eating the Bountys from the Celebrations box at Christmas, I did like seeing Almut do the same.

- Standout music: Romy and Sampha's I'm On Your Team.

- Chronology: Told over the space of ten years in England and Italy (for the Bocuse d'Or) in a nonlinear fashion. 

We Live In Time was certainly a tough watch. Both Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh had to contend with nonlinear storytelling but both of them did a great job in grounding Tobias and Almut's relationship. A sad but a lovely movie.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

2024: Year In Review

Funnily enough, this won't be my final blog for 2024 but it's probably the most important one I'll do as this year edges to the end.

Doctor Who (BBC1/Disney+): I'm not gonna pretend it was the show at its best but Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson made for a great duo as the Doctor and Ruby Sunday and I'll never not want this show to succeed.

House Of The Dragon (HBO/SkyAtlantic): It did have difficult second album syndrome and it also delivered on some genuinely shocking moments to boot. Both things are true.

Black Doves (Netflix): Kiera Knightley, Ben Whishaw and Sarah Lancashire in a six part Christmas set spy series and some unapologetic gay storylines. Of course this made the list.

Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story (Netflix): I don't know if this show has fully made future stars out of Nicholas Chavez and Cooper Koch but there's no denying that both of them delivered here nonetheless.

Douglas Is Cancelled (ITV): Steven Moffat managed to deliver one of his best works with this four part drama, backed up by brilliant performances from Karen Gillan and Hugh Bonneville.

Lost Boys And Fairies (BBC1): This compelling three part series about a gay couple wanting to adopt was another surprise hit during the summer. 

Ripley (Netflix): Andrew Scott can do no wrong and this black and white miniseries cemented that even when he was taking over another man's life.

True Detective: Night Country (HBO/Sky Atlantic): Although it could be a bit hit and miss at times, the long awaited returning detective drama managed to give Jodie Foster plenty to do in such a cold and murderous environment.

Mary & George (Sky Showcase/Starz): Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine as a scheming mother and son duo? Tony Curran never stood a chance as King James.

Bridgerton (Netflix): The third season of the show really delivered with the Penelope and Colin love story. I was gripped with it. Oh and bisexual Benedict.

The Jetty (BBC1): Jenna Coleman's foray as a world weary detective got off to an intriguing start with this flashback heavy/socially relevant four part series. Expect seconds, given the ratings for this one.

Fallout (Amazon Prime): Video game adaptations really are the rage and this one gave star turning performances from both Ella Purnell and Walton Goggins respectively.

The Penguin (HBO/Sky Atlantic): Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti have earned their nominations with this sublime spin off series. Sofia Gigante, the icon you are. Oswald too, in his own way.

Baby Reindeer (Netflix): Star making performances from both Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning in this unforgettable miniseries, especially the penultimate episode.

Shogun (FX/Hulu/Disney+): Not the easiest show to watch but undoubtedly one of the most fascinating and gorgeously shot shows of the year. I'm wary about it returning though.

X-Men '97 (Disney+): Behind the scenes stuff to one side, I'm impressed this show worked as well as it did as a sequel to the popular 90s animated series.

Dexter: Original Sin (Showtime/Paramount+): For a prequel, it's not amazing but it's definitely worthy of expanding the franchise for the moment. Patrick Gibson certainly has made the character his own.

Sweetpea (Sky Showcase/Starz): Ella Purnell on even better form as the meek Rhiannon Lewis turned serial killer. It's always the quiet ones.

Agatha All Along (Disney+): If ever there was a Marvel show made for the gays, it was definitely this one with Kathryn Hahn on fine form as the mischievous title character.

Gavin & Stacey - The Finale (BBC1): Yup, that last episode ended a seventeen year love story on a beautiful note. Cracking. The love story being Smithy and Nessa of course.

Superman & Lois (CW/BBC1): The fourth and final season delivered brilliant for our main couple and for a relentlessly vindictive Lex Luthor. That last episode made me cry.

Big Mood (Channel 4): Both Nicola Coughlan and Lydia West were on fine form in this underrated but not exactly laughs a minute sitcom. 

The Boys (Amazon Prime): Season 4 got super political, Frenchie got a boyfriend while Homelander and Billy Butcher continued to cause mayhem in their wake.

Big Brother UK (ITV2): Though not as quite as gripping as the 2023 series, at least Ali won the damn thing. I didn't mind the celebrity version either.

Grotesquerie (FX/Hulu/Disney+): It might not be the most original thing Ryan Murphy has ever devised but it's slow burn quality and leading performance from Niecy Nash-Betts certainly helped.

The Bear (FX/Hulu/Disney+): I'm not gonna lie, I found to be the weakest season yet but episodes like Napkins and Ice Chips were among the best television this year.

Interview With The Vampire (AMC/BBC2): The second season of this show really delivered with the Louis/Armand relationship, Daniel's new fate, Claudia's demise and Lestat re-entering the fray.

Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix): Perhaps a bit too YA for its own good, I did enjoy this spin off for The Sandman. Unfortunately, it's cancellation didn't come as a surprise to me.

Only Murders In The Building (Hulu/Disney+): Season 4 had fun with it's movie theme as Charles, Oliver and Mabel resolved to get justice for Sazz.

Creature Commandos (Max): If you enjoyed The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker then this R-rated animated show should appeal too. The needle drops can be a tad intrusive but it's a decent appetizer for the DCU.

Big Boys (Channel 4): Series 2 of this heartfelt sitcom certainly strengthened the friendships between Jack, Danny and company while letting other characters have their moments too.

Doctor Odyssey (ABC/Disney+): A nautical night time soap had the potential and it's there but more can be done with besides the triangle between the three leads. Needs more gay.

Say Nothing (FX/Hulu/Disney+): Talked about it yesterday but this miniseries on the Troubles was rather good.

My Adventures With Superman (Max): The second season introduced Supergirl and set up Lex Luthor nicely. 

What If (Disney+): It ended, introduced Byrdie and had some interesting team ups and consequences for The Watcher.

Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans (FX/Hulu/Disney+): Sublime performances from Tom Hollander, Naomi Watts, Molly Ringwald and Demi Moore in this brilliant second season of the anthology show.

Honourable mentions also included other comic book shows like Kite-Man: Hell Yeah! and the noir themed Batman: Caped Crusader. Both 911 and 911: Lone Star had their moments while both American Horror Story and American Horror Stories were on the disappointing side of things. There was Kaos at Netflix but rather short-lived, like many of their shows this year as EastEnders dealt with the fallout of Sixmas while setting up the 40th anniversary storylines. Not to mention Chucky ending on a cliffhanger as did the second series of Wreck and the salacious soapy antics of Rivals to boot. I enjoyed the final series of Inside No. 9 and Mr Bates Vs. The Post Office. I also plan to catch up with Industry, seeing as HBO keep renewing it.

What the hell will 2025 bring?

My Review of Mufasa: The Lion King (2024)

 

Written by Jeff Nathanson 

Directed by Barry Jenkins 

Taka: "You stole my destiny!"

I can't believe I'm about to say this but after the rather underwhelming photorealistic version of The Lion King from 2019, I'm genuinely surprised that a prequel I had written off as a desperate cash grab managed to be surprisingly entertaining. I'm shocked.

Serving as both a prequel to and a sort of sequel to the 2019 movie it spawned from, we open with Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter) being looked after by Pumbaa (Seth Rogan) and Timon (Billy Eichner) while Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyonce Knowles-Carter) are elsewhere. Kiara's worried for her parents but at least Rafiki (John Kani) has a story to entertain her for most of the movie's runtime.

The story of being about her grandfather, Mufasa (Aaron Pierre/Braelyn and Brielle Rankins) and it's a bit of a doozy. Yup, at a young age and involving a flood, Mufasa ended up losing his parents, Masego (Keith David) and Afia (Anika Noni Rose) but fortunately for Mufasa, he also fell into a new pride who mostly accepted him.

The pride consisting of ineffectual king Obasi (Lennie James), Eshe (Thandiwe Newton) and their son, Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr/Theo Somolu). Obasi didn't particularly care for Mufasa but Eshe and Taka did with the latter forming quite the brotherly bond with Mufasa. Actually, it's rather sweet in spite of knowing that it was eventually going to revolve as a relationship.

The arrival of the white lions led by Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen) gave the movie some genuinely nasty antagonists. Kiros was such a vicious character, he had no problem getting his own sisters to kill pride members who failed him. However the death of his son had him going up against Obasi's pride and in particular, Mufasa and Taka.

Add in the introductions of characters like Sarabi (Tiffany Boone) and Zazu (Preston Nyman) and this prequel felt completed. A love triangle between Mufasa, Sarabi and Taka had the latter betray everyone to Kiros before another flood took out the villainous lion and Taka then became known as Scar. Yes, we got an origin story for his name.

The rest of the movie then reunited Mufasa with his biological mother, paired him with Sarabi while in the present for Kiara, she learned that she now had a baby brother. It's a nice ending that also felt like a potential lead into another movie of sorts.

- James Earl Jones sadly passed away before the movie's release. Archive recordings of his Mufasa are heard at the start and the movie was dedicated to him.

- Milele, which was frequently mentioned in the movie became Pride Rock towards the end.

- Standout music: I Always Wanted A Brother, We Go Together and Tell Me It's You.

- Chronology: Not long from where the events of The Lion King took place. Pumbaa and Timon mentioned knowing Simba for six years.

I didn't have high hopes for Mufasa: The Lion King but I was pleasantly surprised with it. It's not quite as awesome (or contradictory) a prequel as Cruella turned out to be but I liked it more than it's 2019 predecessor and that I didn't see coming.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Nightbitch (2024)

 

Written And Directed by Marielle Heller

Mother: "Do you ever feel like the big secret is that we are gods? We fucking create life. We make life. We are so powerful. I bet men are terrified of us. I mean, look at you. You are this miraculous goddess growing bones as we speak."

When I first read about this movie, I thought it sounded absolutely bonkers. I felt the same way when I caught the trailer for it. Unfortunately when I watched the movie, it didn't quite live up to it's intriguing premise.

Amy Adams undoubtedly would be considered one of the most talented actors working today. With this movie, I do get the sense that she gave it her best shot and took the absurdity of the script in her stride and tried to make it work. 

Basically she played Mother to a toddler Son (Arleigh/Emmett Snowden) and it was made clear that while she did like being a parent, she also missed being an artist and seemed to be going through a creative dry spell. It also didn't help that Father (Scoot McNairy) was rather ineffective in helping, which led to a temporary separation between the couple.

During the movie, Mother started to get a bit further and found herself reading up about mythical transformations. As the film progressed and when she wasn't terrifying old artist friends, Mother was also turning into a dog and finding the experience to be very freeing for her.

On top of that, she also started treating Son like a puppy, killed the family and managed to get her artistic groove back. At first I did wonder if she was hallucinating actually turning into a dog before family flashbacks made it clear that Mother's transformation was a hereditary thing.

By the time the movie does and after a rather on the nose discussion about motherhood, creating life and so on, it does seem like everything worked out for out frazzled protagonist. I wonder how Father will react when does realise that both Mother and Son share that gene.

- The movie's based on the 2021 Rachel Yonder book of the same name. The rights were acquired before the book even got published.

- It got a wide theatrical release before ending up on Hulu this week.

- Standout music: Alexander McCabe's Riding Carousel.

- Chronology: It does seem to be a present day setting.

While I'll give it points for it's absurd take on motherhood and the points about creating life and being a mother, Nightbitch felt like it could've been a lot better. It doesn't outstay its welcome as a movie but I wouldn't exactly recommend it either. It's very average at best.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

Yes, We See You Now

Ah, yes. One final TV Jumble Blog for 2024 but not my last blog for the year. Anyways enjoy.

911: These last few episodes before the show cut to it's mid season finale were a mixed bag. I knew when Tommy was reintroduced as a love interest for Buck that he was unlikely to be a long term character but I was hoping he'd have lasted a bit longer and given a far less abrupt exit but oh well. On the other hand, Brad became an oddly entertaining foil for Bobby and Eddie finally ditched the mustache.

911: Lone Star: It did look like TK and Carlos were on the verge of splitting up over their opposite views of adopting the former's half brother and the latter's obsession with solving his father's murder. The latter scenario at least got a resolution while the former does seem to be up in the air. I gotta admit, despite some great work from Gina Torres, I really dislike the cancer storyline they've given Tommy and where it's inevitably going too.

Dexter: Original Sin: Four episodes into this prequel series that I don't see enough online chatter about and I'm rather enjoying it. Not enough to review episode wise but certainly enough to keep watching. I'll give Patrick Gibson his dues because stepping into Michael C. Hall's shoes as the vigilante killer was always going to be a hard task but he's done an admirable job so far. Having people like Christian Slater, Patrick Dempsey and Sarah Michelle Gellar also added to the cast has helped, though I do find the Laura Moser flashbacks and Deb's teen rebellion stories the weaker elements of the show. 

Say Nothing: FX coming in late in the year with this interesting enough miniseries, focusing on the Troubles in Northern Ireland and specifically IRA volunteer Dolours Price. In the seventies, Lola Petticrew gave a sterling performance while Maxine Peake fairly matched her in the nineties parts of the nine episode series. There's some great performances from the likes of Anthony Boyle, Tom Vaughn-Lawlor, Josh Finan, Damien Molony and Kerri Quinn to name a few.

Sweetpea: 2024 has certainly been a year for Ella Purnell and starring roles. First there was Fallout and now, this six part series where her downtrodden character, Rhiannon Lewis just snapped and became a serial killer. Not only that but she was also using her bloodlust to climb up the career ladder, get revenge on a former childhood bully and even had a love triangle that ended very bloody in the last few minutes of the show. I think Purnell actually gave her best performance in this show.

What If?: This show has been something of a mixed bag that even hardcore MCU fans have had no choice but to acknowledge it's hit and miss quality. This third and final season, which concluded today was definitely a mixed bag. Anything with the Exiles and the Watcher facing consequences for their own interfering was great. Some individual team ups I liked (Agatha/Kingo, Winter Soldier/Red Guardian, etc) but overall, I found this third season to be mostly okay. Points for adding Storm into the mix and there's potential with Byrdie as a character.

• The third season of House Of The Dragon will film next year but will debut on HBO in 2026. Season 4 will be the final season for the show.
• The third season of The White Lotus will premiere on HBO from February 16th.
• The third season of Euphoria will film in 2025 for a 2026 debut on HBO. It's expected to be the show's final season.
• The second season of The Last Of Us will premiere on HBO in early 2025.
• Sky have renewed both Sweetpea and The Day Of The Jackal for second seasons.
• Disney+ have renewed Rivals for a second season.
• Brendan Gleeson has joined the cast of Amazon Prime's upcoming Spider Noir series, starring Nicolas Cage in the title role.
• Filming for the final season of The Boys has begun but it'll be 2026 before it's released on Amazon Prime.
• The second seasons of Severance and Surface will premiere on Apple TV from January 17th and February 21st respectively.
• Not only will Dexter: Resurrection premiere on Showtime/Paramount+ during summer 2025 but a prequel series for the Trinity Killer, featuring John Lithgow has also gotten the go ahead.
• Filming for the final season of Stranger Things and the second season of Wednesday have wrapped. Both will debut on Netflix during 2025.
• Glen Powell's upcoming series, Chad Powers will premiere on Hulu during the Fall season in 2025.
• The third and final season of Squid Game will release on Netflix in 2025. The second season came out on Thursday.