My Review of Superman And Lois 3x13: "What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger"

 

Written by Brent Fletcher And Todd Helbing

Directed by Gregory Smith

Superman: "You're not a martyr."

Lex: "And you're not a hero. Just a fool in a cape."

Well, it's a good job this show managed to bag itself a fourth season because this would've been one hell of a cliffhanger to have things on, huh? A change is coming when this show does return in 2024 and the seeds are being planted right here.

With a massive cast reduction slated for next season and potentially two main actors not returning at all, this episode almost felt like a goodbye for a lot of characters. I mean some stories kind of ended but not really.

Take Kyle and Chrissy for example. They only started dating at the start of the season and now they're going to be parents. It's a nice development for the pair. Then there was Sarah, whose testy dynamic with Jordan finally came to an impasse where they decided to keep their distance from one another. For now, that's probably not a bad idea.

Then there's John and Natalie. They're heading to Metropolis to do more DOD stuff but not before John had sex with Lana. The show left it too late to properly pair John and Lana up and now it'll never happen. Though Lana did you with the idea of moving to Metropolis but would she really uproot her life to go there? 

As for Sam, we know Dylan Walsh isn't retuning at all next season, which seems foolish especially given that he's now Lex Luthor's hostage and this episode didn't have him saved by Superman or even Lois or Jordan/Jonathan. How do they resolve that next season without Dylan Walsh?

Speaking of Lex, he stayed out of sight until he had his henchwoman Gretchen seduce and snare Sam and brief flashbacks showed both him and Otis surviving Inverse Superman's attack. Then the latter got transformed into Doomsday.

The last five minutes of Superman and Doomsday were the best part of the whole episode with the former getting almost killed by the latter. Then the pair ended up on the moon and we now have to wat until next year to see how this problem gets resolved as Lex moves in on getting his revenge on Lois. Again, it's a good job this show got renewed for a fourth season.

- Lex kept killing Inverse Superman multiple times (with help from Otis and Gretchen) to get the latter to become Doomsday. 

- We got flashbacks to various scenes this season as Lois's voice was what got Superman to break free of Doomsday's grip.

- Coach Gaines reappeared mostly to mess with Jonathan. I had not missed that character.

- Chronology; Exactly 32 days since the previous episode.

What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger would have absolutely have made for a frustrating series finale but as a season finale, it's pretty great. Doomsday looked a tiny bit iffy but posed a believable threat and the action sequences were well done. I'm glad we have another season of this wonderful show to look forward to.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Cruising (1980)

 

Written And Directed by William Friedkin

Steve: "There's a lot you don't know about me."

This film was on my list for a while to rewatch, especially after doing a recent rewatch of American Horror Story: NYC. To say this happened to be a movie with a very mixed reception within the gay community would be an understatement. It's not exactly an affirming movie of sorts.

In fact, at the time of it's release and based on a novel from 1970 of the same name, Cruising was a movie largely criticised for it's misrepresentation of the BDSM community. Have watched it properly today, it's not hard to see where those criticisms stem from.

Saying that, in spite of its poor representation, it's also a vital piece of gay cinema, focusing on a serial killer targeting gay men and an undercover cop out to stop the killer. Of course, there's also a rather strange ending and the cop in question getting a crash course into a world they otherwise would've been perfectly oblivious to had they not been picked for this particular assignment.

The cop being Steve Burns (Al Pacino), a fairly average guy with a nice girlfriend named Nancy (Karen Allen)  but he has ambitions to be a detective. It was something his boss, Captain Edelstein (Paul Sorvino) was able to play on as Steve relocated to the Meatpacking District in order to scope out the killer.

While Steve poorly try to integrate himself into the gay community and night scene (his cluelessness somewhat sticking out like a sore thumb in various scenes), the only connection he managed to make was being friends with playwright Ted Bailey (Don Scardino) while basically pissing off everyone else.

As Steve tried to find the killer, he falsely believed a headstrong waiter named Skip Lee (Jay Acovone) was the killer, only for a rather unusual style interrogate involving a big cowboy slapping the shit out of Skip to prove otherwise. However the killer did make their presence known as the movie came to its odd conclusion.

The killer of course being a schizophrenic musical student named Stuart Richards (Richard Cox) who ended up getting stabbed by Steve in self defence before being arrested for the murders of the movie. What's odd about the movie's ending was watching a newly promoted to detective Steve back at his girlfriend's apartment, finishing off his shaving and staring at the camera, indicating something darker about him than when the movie started with him.

- The victims of the movie included Loren Lukas (Arnaldo Santana), Eric Rossman (Larry Atlas) and Martino (Steve Inwood). Ted would also end up dead with his roommate Gregory (James Remar) falsely accused of it.

- The source material for this movie was a book of the same name by The New York Times magazine editor Gerard Walker. though the protagonist in that was called John Lynch.

- The legacy of this movie has included some of Robert Mapplethorpe's work as wel as the documentary Interior: Leather Bar.

- Chronology: 1970s New York. At one point, Steve mentions being from the Bronx.

Cruising has certainly earned it's mixed reputation for gay cinema but it's a fascinating movie, albeit compounded by a rather frustrating ending. Still though, a great central performance from Al Pacino does make it a must see. 

Rating: 7 out of 10

Doctor Who - Series 14 Update: The Duchess Arrives, Melanie Bush Returns

Well, since the last time I've talked about Doctor Who, a lot has been revealed and I'm going to talk about them in the manner of most exciting.

Following her return in last year's special, The Power Of The Doctor, it was confirmed earlier this month that Bonnie Langford would again reprise her role as former companion, Melanie Bush.

Set to appear in the two part finale, written by Russell T. Davies and directed by Jamie Donoughue, this time Melanie will have a more active role with Langford even filming scenes with Ncuti Gatwa's 15th Doctor and Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday.

Details of the finale are a bit scarce but it does look like it's going to be something rather big and epic as filming for the upcoming series looks set to finish up within the next few weeks. 

Going back a bit, remember a few weeks ago when Jonathan Groff had been cast for a Regency episode? Well, there was also a bit about that episode's villain being a character named The Duchess.  None other than Indira Varma has been cast in the role.

This isn't the first time we've had Indira Varma in the Doctor Who universe. She previously played the role of antagonist Suzie Costello in the first series of spinoff show, Torchwood and it's a role she has reprised recently for Big Finish. 

Varma's casting is nothing new in this franchise as many actors have had multiple roles including Colin Baker, Peter Capaldi, Karen Gillan, Freema Agyeman and Bradley Walsh to name a few. Still though, I can't wait to see what Indira Varma does with The Duchess to make them a big threat to the 15th Doctor and Ruby.

Last but not least and circling back to the finale, we also have Lenny Rush cast in the role of Morris. Not much has been revealed about the character but he does seem to be an important part to the episodes currently being filmed as things are heading for wrapping up this series.

Some filming pics and behind the scenes have indicated another actor filming, fuelling speculation that there may be another returning character yet to be announced. If it gets revealed within the next few days, I'll edit this blog to include the news. Other than that, this concludes the roundup of news.

Doctor Who will conclude filming next month and will air/stream on BBC1 and Disney+ from November.

My Review of Last Ferry (2019)

 

Written by Ramon O. Torres

Directed by Jaki Bradley

Stranger (to Joseph): "Work on your lies little lawyer and friendly tip: no one goes to the meat rack any more."

After the massive misfire that was Fire Island (2023) I thought it was time to go and watch the movie with the same location in question, a similarly decent protagonist and in some respects, it's a case of more of the same. Except this movie came beforehand.

Anyways, our protagonist this time around was a gay lawyer named Joseph (Ramon O. Torres) who decided that he needed a hook up. His solution was to go to Fire Island for that, but he chose the off season, which was the least terrible thing to happen to him in this movie.

While brooding over his career future and a brief phone call to his mother, disaster them followed Joseph like a bad smell. The first being Joseph getting tricked into drinking drugged water and getting mugged by a guy and that guy would later try th same trick on someone a lot more prepared than Joseph.

Then in his drugged state, Joseph only went and witnessed a murder but before he could anything about it, the killer chased him and Joseph passed out. Fortunately for Joseph though, he seemed to have acquired a saviour of sorts named Cameron (Sheldon Best).

The movie then had Joseph staying with Cameron and the latter's friends but as characters, they're mostly harmless ciphers. Except for Rafael (Myles Clohessy) who spent most of his screen time generally being grouchy and drunk as the result of a break up. Needless to say both Rafael and Joseph didn't hit it off while Joseph and Cameron got a lot more intimately acquainted by the second half.

However any hopes of Joseph enjoying his badly timed vacation went out the window when it was revealed that Rafael was a killer and Cameron an accomplice/general enabled. Needless to say, Joseph nearly ended up dead but didn't and this movie ended on a rather weird and abrupt note.

- Ramon O. Torres who played by Joseph also wrote the script for the movie.

- Myles Clohessy who played Rafael did go on to co-write and direct Fire Island (2023). Tonally these two movies are very similar to one another.

-  Apparently the movie drew influences from The Wailing (2010) and Stranger By The Lake (2013).

- Chronology: The off season for Fire Island. 

Last Ferry has its moments as a movie and I think there's a solid central performance from Ramon O. Torres but it's also very undercooked with little development in the central threat itself. An extra few minutes and a clearer ending would've done wonders for this overall decent LGBT mystery.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 3x12: "Injustice"

 

Written by Michael Narducci

Directed by Sudz Sutherland

Lex (to Otis): "Grab my things. I'm a free man."

It really is a good thing that this show go renewed for a fourth season because waiting this long for Lex Luthor (Michael Cudlitz) to show up and not get to see the show deliver on him would've been so disappointing. One episode in and this is an intrigiing version of the popular villain.

Through the Supergirl show we had John Cryer on fine form during that show's fourth to sixth season, serving as an excellent foil and now we've gotten something different. Someone more physically threatening and with an almighty axe to grind as well.

Having spent seventeen years in prison for a crime he didn't commit didn't mellow Lex as a person. In fact he wasted no time in using force to get the Warden to play by his rules during his incarceration along with getting the prisoners to play ball as well. Oh and he's got revenge on his mind.

I found it rather amusing that the first thing Lex did was to walk all the way to the Kent farm by himself while flashbacks covered his prison spell. Hs eventual confrontation with Lois and Clark also meant that he meant business about her goong into retirement. 

Seriously, the acting between Michael Cudlitz, Elizabeth Tulloch and Tyler Hoechlin in those scenes were utterly fantastic. Having Lex around next season as a regular will definitely elevate the show. The bigger question though is how does both Lex and Otis survive a rat eating and feral Inverse Superman though. At least we won't have too long to wait for that answer.

As for the rest of the episode, Jordan was reckless with his identity, everyone was sick of covering for him (Sarah especially) and then he basically outed himself by not flying away after a tornado incident. Plot wise, it wasn't bad but everything concerning Lex was so much better. 

- Lex has a daughter in her thirties. They never revealed her name by the way. I wonder why?

- Kyle relaxong his treatment of Jonathan also caused some tension in the episode while George Jr realised Superboy/Smallvile Samaritan was from Smallvile.

- No John, Natalie or Chrissy this week and did I spot some flirting between Sam and Lana?

- Chronology: Some time since the events of Bruno's downfall.

Injustice made for a great debut outing for Lex Luthor and Michael Cudlitz played all of his scenes to perfection. A brilliant penultimate episode to set up the finale. I cannot wait to see how this season will end.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Rope (1948)

 

Written by Hume Cronyn And Arthur Laurents

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Brandon: "What are you doing?"

Rupert: "It's not what I'm going to do, Brandon. It's what society is going to do. I don't know what that will be but I can guess and I can help. You're going to die, Brandon. Both of you. You are going to die."

Continuing with the Pride Month related blogs and we have this classic from 1948, which might one of the earliest homoerotic thrillers from way back when and all in one setting too. Two rich boys, one murder, a party and the wrong guest invited. Yup, it doesn't get any thrilling than this one.

The rich boys in question being the rather sociopathic Brandon Shaw (John Dall) and his his musically talented but eternally stressed cohort, Philip Morgan (Farley Granger) open the movie by strangling to death their former classmate David Kentley (Dick Hogan). Then they hide his body in a chest and decide to throw a party as Brandon feeling the exhilaration of a kill wanted to push his luck that much further with Philip feeling the exact opposite.

Yes, while both men partook in a murder, the way in which both of them react to said murder was night and day. While Brandon felt nothing but joy and rationalise than any inferior human was worth killing, Philip spent the entire movie being a nervous wreck and making the pair of them look suspicious to all their guests.

Speaking of the guests, they all had their parts to play, especially given why Brandon specifically selected them for the strangest of parties. There was David's father, Henry (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) , his aunt Anita Atwater (Constance Collier), former friend Kenneth Lawrence (Douglas Dick) as well as David's lover, Janet Walker (Joan Chandler), who was an ex of both Kenneth and even Brandon. 

Of course while these characters and housekeeper Mrs Wilson (Edith Evanson) were all fantastic characters and unwitting pawns for Brandon's vanity, there was one person he would've been better off not inviting. Even Philip knew it was a bad idea and Brandon ignored him.

The person being of course, former prep school house master Rupert Cadell (James Stewart) whose very presence elevated what was already a fantastic movie. Brandon made the mistake of believing that Rupert's own commentary for acceptable murder would work to his advantage, only for Rupert and an increasingly erratic Philip to be his very downfall.

The movie raises the questions of intellectual superiority with people like Henry actively showing their disdain for Brandon's callous attitude to human life while Rupert was forced to regret his own unintentional part in encouraging both Brandon and Philip's experiment. For men who used rope to end a life, the uncovery of it along with gun shots into the air ended theirs too in a poetic final scene.

- Anita could read palms but didn't detect that Philip had killed her nephew though. Philip also knows how to strangle a chicken.

- The homoeroticism with both Brandon and Philip was off the charts as they largely squabbled like an old married couple. Both John Dall and Farley Granger came out later as well. Dall was gay along with writer Laurents while Granger was bisexual.

- The inspiration for this movie did come from a real life murder than happened in 1924, though it's adapted from a play from 1929.

- Chronology: I'm assuming the year of it's release. The film was set in Manhattan. Both Brandon and Philip never made it to Connecticut.

Rope is an absolute triumph in every sense of the word. One of the most experimental movies from Alfred Hitchcock and totally absorbing from start to finish. The performances from John Dall, Farley Granger and James Stewart are immense to watch. Gripping stuff.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Detecting BS, Royalty Early Days And Pop Starlets

Yes, it's been that kind of a month with the shows I've been playing catch up with.

Poker Face: The last decade has been great with streaming reminding us all how talented Natasha Lyonne really is as an actor. She was excellent in both Orange Is The New Black and Russian Doll but with this show, Knives Out creator Rian Johnson has brought out some of her best performances yet as cocktail waitress/human lie detector Charlie Cale with each episode putting her in a different location with a different cast while solving whatever the murde of the week happens to be. That being said, Charlie does have a tendency to attract chaos in her wake too.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story: With the main show due for release on Netflix later this year, the arrival of this prequel series had a lot to live up. The love story of Queen Charlotte and King George was the anchor for this show and both India Amarteifio and Corey Mylchreest absolutely delivered in their respective roles along with Arsema Thomas as the younger Lady Danbury. Add a secondary love between younger versions of Brimsely and Reynolds and moments where the show updated viewers on the current versions of Charlotte, Agatha and Violet and this was a winner. 

The Flash: After seeing the movie, there was also the remaining episodes of the show and the Cobalt Blue arc was not only a nice way to bring back Eddie Thawne, several other villainous Speedsters but it provided a solid ending to the series nonetheless. Barry and Iris finally became parents, Khione restored Caitlin and new Speedsters were created. The show hasn't been perfect and nine seasons might have been too long but overall, this was a good ending for the show.

Yellowjackets: I had watched the first season almost in a vacuum that I tried to give myself some breathing room before I started the second season. At least two weeks. Then I watched the second season and that too was like a vacuum. Now I agree it's not as strong as the first season and it seemed like certain plots were halted in favour getting Shauna, Misty, Natalie and Taissa to that centre to face off with Lottie and also reunite with Van too. Saying that, I liked new characters such as Lisa and Walter (Matt, not so much) while Callie and Jeff stepped up as characters and that finale death provided an interesting conundrum for next season. Not to mention learning more of Ben's relationship with Paul in flashbacks, the gory way Jackie's corpse was dealt with and the harrowing episode where Shauna gave birth. Actually I liked this season a lot.

The Idol: If there a show this year that can be summed by the following words "great premise, questionable execution" then the latest vanity project from Euphoria creator Sam Levinson and The Weeknd (who cannot act to save his life) would be it. On the surface this show wants to say interesting things about mental health and sexual exploitation and tries to do that with struggling pop starlet Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp). Two episodes in and some of the trashiest sex scenes committed to cable television, it's failing on every level. You'll feel for Jocelyn as a character but you'll also feel exhausted watching this series as well.

• The CW have gone on a spate of cancellations where even the likes of The Winchesters and Walker Independence were not spared.
• Jenna Ortega will have a producer role for the second season of Wednesday.
• Loki Season 2 will premiere from October 6th on Disney+ while the entire season of Echo will be released from November 29th.
• Filming for Agatha: Coven Of Chaos has wrapped while filming for Daredevil: Born Again has been halted until the writers strike concludes.
• The second season of House Of The Dragon has added Freddie Fox, Simon Russell Beale, Gayle Rankin and Abubakar Salim to the cast.
• Amazon have renewed Citadel for a second season.
• Kim Cattral has filmed a cameo scene for the second season of And Just Like That. 
• Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story will be the follow to Dahmer and will premiere on Netflix in 2024.
• The second season of The Last Of Us will air on HBO in 2025.
• 911 has been renewed for a seventh season but will air on ABC while 911: Lone Star will remain on FOX for its fifth season.

My Review of The Flash (2023)

 

Written by Christina Hodson And John Francis Daley And Jonathan Goldstein And Joby Harold

Directed by Andy Muschietti

Barry: "This can't be happening. I completely broke the universe."

Has there been a DC movie where the knives have been out for it as much as this one? It does feel so many people want this film to desperately fail that they themselves have failed to realise that this might be one of the better DCEU movies to date.

If you know the story of Geoff Johns infamous Flashpoint comics, you will get the general idea of where this movie was going but in some respects, level your expectations. This take is the more stripped back version of that but just as affecting. 

Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) has been The Flash for a number of years by now as well as the janitor of the Justice League (his words, not mine). The movie opened with a trip to Gotham where he saved a bunch of babies from a falling hospital while Batman (Ben Affleck) was assisted by Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) in apprehending a would be terrorist named Al Falcone (Luke Brandon Field).

However Barry's Flash antics are getting in the way of doing his job more effectively at STAR Labs while his father, Henry (Ron Livingston) has his appeal on the horizon. That also brought Barry into contact with budding journalist Iris West (Kiersey Clemons), whom he also wanted to take out on a date.

Anyways event get Barry thinking about his mother, Nora (Maribel Verdu) and despite being told by Bruce not to do it, Barry then makes the reckless choice to change his family's fate and yes, it doesn't pan out the way he hoped it would.

Instead Barry ended up in a world where his parents were alive and his eighteen year old (Ezra Miller) self was a bit of a carefree airhead. The movie's biggest strength was having both versions of Barry play off each other and Ezra Miller delivered in the dual roles with aplomb.

While both versions of Barry might have had their differences, they work well enough as a team when the invasion of Zod (Michael Shannon) revealed the lack of heroes in this new world, except for a retired Batman (Michael Keaton), who needed persuading to sign up. Well, Batman and a certain Kryptonian but not the one that Barry was hoping for.

Yes, instead of an emaciated Superman, we get Supergirl (Sasha Calle) filling in the role and while she's absolutely fantastic with what she's given, the role was a lot smaller than the marketing lead it to be. Likewise the same with Keaton's Batman but as someone who grew up with his iteration of the character, I was just happy to see him one last time.

Of course the battle with Zod as well as a returning Faora (Antje Traue) and Nam-Ek. The battle was a disaster, leading to a bigger one the more both Barrys (specifically the younger one) kept trying to change the outcome, resulting in the real villain making their last minute appearance in the movie.

I know many wanted a certain Speedster to be the one pulling the strings here but I thought the use of a corrupted Barry/Dark Flash actually worked better. It worked better thematically as it forced our Barry to undo his mistakes, get an emotional final scene with his mother, exonerate his father, bag a date with Iris, meet another Batman (George Clooney) and oh yeah, lose a front tooth. All's well that ends well though, right?

- Although they don't physically appear, Cyborg was referenced twice while Superman (Henry Cavill) was stopping a volcano and had a Speedforce appearance through footage from Justice League.

- The much debated cameos included Superman - George Reeves, Christopher Reeve and Nicolas Cage, Batman - Adam West, Supergirl - Helen Slater and the Jay Garrick version of The Flash. I actually thought they were fine. 

- As well as a new costume for this movie, we actually got to see a prototype costume Barry wore during the events of Man Of Steel. Barry 2 made a costume out of a Batman suit before the big fight with Zod. Both Barrys were also naked, shirtless, tied up and gagged quite a bit in the film.

- The post credit scene included Barry explaining the Multiverse to a mostly drunk Aquaman (Jason Momoa).

- Standout music: Pink Floyd's Time (from the trailers), Chicago's If You Leave Me Now as well as Benjamin Wallfisch's score music.

- Chronology: 2023 at the start and end of the movie but 2013 for the majority of the movie. Barry is 28 in the present day. 

The Flash might have taken a decade to actually make the big screen (between multiple delays, writers and directors and a TV show that ended after nine seasons) but the way was definitely worth it. The movie easily is up there with some of the best DC movies to date with a fantastic lead performance from Ezra Miller, great support from both Michael Keaton and Sasha Calle in their smaller roles and no, the ropey in parts CGI doesn't overall detract. A truly excellent movie that has its own chaotic fun exploring the Multiverse.

Rating: 8 out of 10

American Horror Story: Delicate - Additional Casting, Episode Titles And AHStories Season 3 Confirmed

A few months ago I did a blog in relation to the upcoming twelfth season of American Horror Story, titled Delicate. Since then, a lot has been revealed about the upcoming season. Notably it's ever growing cast.

Back in April, the first cast members to be revealed were Emma Roberts, Matt Czuchry and Kim Kardashian and their roles have been revealed to be Anna Alcott, Dex Harding and Siobhan Walsh with all three actors having filmed scenes out in public. Of course, more cast members have since been revealed.

Further cast members are Cara Delevingne as Ivory, Annabelle Dexter Jones as Adeline, Julie White as Mrs Preecher and Debra Monk as Dr Hill. Also cast but in roles that are undisclosed for now include Michaela Jae Rodriguez, Demi Moore, Odessa A'Zion while returning cast members will include Billie Lourd and Zachary Quinto.

While this upcoming season will also be New York based like the previous season, it will be set in the present day and based on a book, marking a first for the series along with Halley Feiffer being the sole writer for the season. The season will also have nine episodes.

The synopsis for the upcoming book Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine (due for release in August to coincide with the show airing on FX) details the protagonist Anna Alcott, an indie actor's quest to have a baby and has been described as a feminist take on Rosemary's Baby. Reading further into the synopsis, it also feels like Delicate might also share some similarities with past seasons such as Coven, Cult and Apocalypse. 

Meanwhile the third season of spin-off series, American Horror Stories has also began filming and will be back for nine episodes. I've posted a screencap of the titles and while it hasn't been confirmed yet, it's rumoured that the third season will premiere after the main show this time around. Casting for the upcoming season of the series hasn't been confirmed yet either.

Both American Horror Story: Delicate and the third season of American Horror Stories are currently filming and will premiere on FX/FX on Hulu and Disney+ later in the year.

My Review of Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse (2023)

 

Written by Phil Lord And Christopher Miller And Dave Callaham

Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos And Kemp Powers And Justin K. Thompson 

Miles: "Everyone keeps telling me how my story is supposed to go. Nah. I'm-a do my own thing."

Ah, the Multiverse lol. In terms of the big screen, it seems like the web slinger reigns supreme over it and with this sequel, the goodwill from both Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse and Spider-Man: No Way Home has well and truly paid off. I mean, this middle part of a trilogy really was something to behold.

The movie opened with Gwen's (Hailee Steinfeld) perspective as her Peter Parker had died and her police captain father, George Stacy (Shea Whingham) was determined to bring Spider-Woman in, forcing a very difficult confession scene between father and daughter.  This movie definitely felt as much as Gwen's movie as it did Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and that's understating it.

Yes, Gwen had tough times with her identity but she also got a rather cool opening fight scene with a Renaissance version of Vulture (Jorma Taccone) while meeting up with both the grouchy Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac) and the rather cool, Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman (Issa Rae). The latter served as something of a mentor to Gwen, though not without the two of them have a difference on how to handle the main topic of the movie.

The topic being Miles of course. Since we last saw him, Mile got himself a new look, was at odds with his parents over his big secret and also got himself an arch enemy named The Spot (Jason Schwartzman). At first Miles didn't take The Spot seriously but as the movie progressed, he realised he had underestimated his newfound foe.

Then there was the Multiverse shenanigans themselves. Miles and Gwen's reunion was sweet and there's still that underpinning of a potential romance between the two. However their scenes with both Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya) and Pavitr Prabhakar/Spider-Man India started off fun, only for Miles's random act of heroism to have its own far reaching consequences as the movie went into it third act and shock cliffhanger.

While Spider-Man 2099 could've worded it better about the real reasons of Miles's origins, the ending where Miles came face to face with an alternative version of himself who became the Prowler (Jharrel Jerome) was a fantastic way to end this movie. Let's just say, Spider-Man: Beyond The Spiderverse really will have to stick that landing.

- There was a nice supporting role for Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) and his daughter, Mayday as Gwen recruited various favourites to help Miles.

- The live action clips of Donald Glover, Peggy Lu, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield worked surprisingly well. I also liked the use of Ben Reilly (Andy Samberg) aswel as some of the animated TV series versions of the character.

- Standout music: James Blake's Hummingbird and Dominic Fike's Mona Lisa.

- Chronology: 16 months since the events of the first movie.

Now I'm not going to declare Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse to be the best Spidey movie ever but it's easily a Top 5 and it easily builds on what the first movie, upped the ante and surpassed it. I cannot wait to see how this trilogy will conclude in 2024.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse (2018)

 

Written by Phil Lord And Rodney Rothman

Directed by Bob Persichetti And Peter Ramsay And Rodney Rothman

Miles: "When will I know I'm ready?"

Peter: "You won't. It's a leap of faith. That's all it is Miles. A leap of faith."

With Peter Parker getting more than his fair share of live action and animation, it was time for the other most popular version of Spider-Man to get some love and this animated movie was the very thing to break Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) into the mainstream.

Initially starting off as a sleeper hit upon it's theatrical release, this movie's explosion on Netflix months later really shows that if you deliver the goods, audiences will come out and prove that more than one version of a beloved character can hit big time. This movie really did put Miles on the map.

Of course, it's not just Miles who really hit big here. While this movie definitely served as his origin story in a world where he's already encountered  the original Spider-Man (Chris Pine) take on both the Green Goblin (Jorma Taccone) and  the Prowler (Mahershala Ali), the biggest arc of the movie was his friendship with Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld).

Miles and Gwen have the strongest friendship throughout the movie, especially as the former eventually gained some powers of his own and then tried his level best to live up to the role of Spider-Man. All the while another version of the Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) came into Miles's dimension and served as a bit of a feckless mentor to Miles. He's a mess but fortunately gets better as the movie progressed.

As for the movie itself, its about the Multiverse and it was the one to do it before live action got in there. Along with Miles, Gwen and Peter, there was also Spider-Noir (Nicolas Cage), Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn) and Spider -Ham (John Mulaney) who also helped save the day from the main villains of the piece.

As for the villains, there was also Wilson Fisk (Liev Schreiber), Tombstone (Marvin "Krondon" Jones II), the Liv Octavius version of Doc Octopus (Kathryn Hahn) and Scorpion (Joaquin Cosio). Again it was a Multiverse and a team effort was needed from stopping Fisk from using it in order to reverse a previous pain of his own while the resolution of this plot will have consequences down the line in the sequel.

- There was some lovely scenes with Miles and his parents Jefferson (Brian Tyree Henry) and Rio (Luna Lauren Velez) throughout the movie. 

- Peter B. Parker's relationship with Mary Jane Watson (Zoe Kravitz) had broken down while Aunt May (Lily Tomlin) had died in his world.

- Standout music: Post Malone's Sunflower.

- Chronology: Present day Brooklyn. Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac) also appeared in a post credit scene.

Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse was a terrific debut for Miles Morales with a pretty straightforward story for the character and some lovely moments that worked narratively well throughout.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Fire Island (2023)

 

Written by Myles Clohessy And Emma Harrell And Phil Harrell

Directed by Myles Clohessy

Rafael (to Troy): "If I can't have you, no one will."

I said earlier in the month that I'd be doing more LGBT themed blogs for Pride Month and I meant. This movie wasn't even remotely on my radar until a few hours ago and I wish this was a positive review but eh, it's not gonna be I'm afraid.

Last year we had a romcom movie of the same name that had a nice positive buzz to it and a few months after it, we had American Horror Story: NYC, which had it's own Fire Island themed episode. Both of those were much more entertaining than what was on display here.

The movie opened with a young girl being killed by a mystery killer and then we cut to Troy (Connor Paolo), the closest to a protagonist the movie has. He's heartbroken over a former boyfriend who killed himself during the pandemic and it's the last bit that I take a little issue with.

Most movies and shows in the last three years have largely handled COVID as a main plot badly and here it's no different. Anyways, Troy got himself roped into visiting the titular island by his friends, comprising of a lesbian couple and a bisexual woman with her boyfriend, unaware it's a holiday they won't survive.

One by one, each of the characters are bumped off by a killer who's revealed to be some random guy named Rafael (Jonathan Bennett). Rafael's taken a fancy to Troy and wants the latter to stay with him. Troy's less keen on the idea and does make an effort to get away from his homicidal admirer. You can take a wild guess as to what eventually happened to Troy and it's the least of the movie's problems.

Now I'm all for more gay themed horror and while I'm not always expecting something a little deeper, this movie had some interesting ideas that it just badly utilised. The COVID commentary felt a tad too late and Rafael definitely lacked for a horror baddie. I didn't find him scary and he wasn't campy in a fun way either. However he did come out on top though, so he had that in his favour.

- Other characters in the movie included a creepy Irish guy spooking out Troy, an older gay couple named Jason and Wes (killed), a determined detective named Santino (also killed) and another friend group for Rafael to target.

- Nice shout out to Mean Girls, given the actor playing Rafael as well as a Batman reference because why wouldn't you?

- Connor Paolo can sing pleasantly enough and even played the guitar during a bar scene. 

- Chronology: It was set during the pandemic with characters wearing masks and talking about isolating at times in the movie.

Fire Island could've been an entetaining enough horror romp but it's largely a bit of a mess with most of the actors on autopilot (Connor Paolo being the only one to make an effort), the scares sorely lacking and yes, I know it sounds shallow but a little bit of guy on guy wouldn't have hurt either. I wouldn't say avoid but it's definitely not a must see either.

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 3x11: "Complications"

 

Written by Katie Aldrin And George Kitson And Brent Fletcher And Todd Helbing

Directed by Jai Jamison

Superman (to Bruno/Matteo, re Peia): "She wanted me to tell you she loved you both, forever and always."

I have to be honest, I actually expected Peia to die a few episodes back so the fact that she made it until nearly the end of the season/potential series was a miracle in itself. However this was the episode where she died and Bruno's dynamic with the main protagonists changed up too.

There was no way that siphoning anything from Inverse Superman wasn't going to end badly and for Peia it meant losing total control of her powers with her body being unable to handle it. The moment she inadvertently killed Dr Hook cemented her doom as well.

While Bruno went into full denial mode about Peia's fate, Matteo at least tried to help his mother and even Natalie was willing to help. In the end it took Superman to bring Peia out of harm's way so that she could let go herself and die peacefully. 

With Peia's death, Matteo getting a pardon and Bruno co-operating with the DOD, there's still the imminent appearance of Lex Luthor but right now, there's also Inverse Superman and he doesn't look a bit pleased. Better send him back to his own Earth next episode.

As for the rest of the episode, we had Lois undergoing a double mastectomy while Peia was breaking apart. There were plenty of emotional scenes with all the family and recovery aside, it does seem like this particular storyline's drawing to a happier close.

Last but not least, Kyle wasn't pleased with Chrissy not telling him about Superman but thanks to Lana, he did step up when Sarah began to spiral during the episode. It was one of the better handled Cushing side plots this week.

- Why I do get the feeling they're going to end the season on a Lex shaped cliffhanger that will never get resolved?

- Jordan managed to prevent a near fatal accident in Lois's operating room while freaking out over his X-ray vision.

- Sarah got a waitressing gig at the diner while Bazoomas got another shout out this week. Is there no Jitters in this universe?

- Chronology: Not long from where the last one left off.

Complications did manage to live up to its title but again, it hit all the right notes with even the Cushing side of things being pretty decent too. Just two more to go.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of The Little Mermaid (2023)

 

Written by David Magee

Directed by Rob Marshall

Ariel: "I wish I could be .... part of that world."

Disney Live Action adaptations have been a source of contention for a while now. Some see them as soulless cash grabs while everyone would concede that they're simply not as good as the animated versions that came before them.

I bring this up because this adaptation of The Little Mermaid definitely does fall into the latter category. While some online have made defending this movie into their life's mission and others have purposely misconstrued it in a negative light, the reality is that isn't a bad take on the beloved fairytale for a modern audience.

Halle Bailey's casting as Ariel has been a widely debated topic when it never needed to be in the first place. She's undoubtedly the best thing about the movie and a perfect fit for Ariel. Everything I liked about the character back on 1989, Bailey encapsulated perfectly for 2023. She's actually a revelation in the role. 

Ariel's story followed the same trajectory here as well. She's growing up and yearning for the world above the sea, much to the distress of her father, Triton (Javier Bardem). Saving the handsome Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King)  also informed her difference of opinions of humans, compared to her father and his mistrust of them.

Of course the divide between father and daughter on the topic of humans gave Triton's estranged sister, Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) the perfect opening to get Ariel on side. Same deal as the animated movie with a human made and mute Ariel having three days to get Eric to fall in love with her.

Fortunately for Ariel while Eric's adoptive mother, Selina (Noma Dumezweni) shared her own mistrust of the underwater world, there was Sebastian (Daveed Diggs), Flounder (Jacob Tremblay) and a gender swapped Scuttle (Awkwafina) to help push the budding couple together. Even Ursula's temporary transformation into Vanessa (Jessica Alexander) wasn't enough to deter the cross species romance.

There really aren't that many radical changes to the animated movie made here and even Ursula's fate is mostly the same, along with Triton's change of heart. Ariel and Eric end the movie and both the underwater and surface worlds are united. 

 - All of Ariel's sisters have had their names changed and there's a cross section of casting. They still don't do much, despite the long run time.

- Original Ariel herself Jodi Benson appeared briefly as a market vendor. I also liked Art Malik's character, Grimsby who was definitely shipping Ariel and Eric.

- Standout music: Part Of Our World, Poor Unfortunate Souls, Under The Sea and Wild Uncharted Waters. The less said about The Scuttlebutt the better.

- Chronology: Let's assume 1837 near the Carribbean.

The Little Mermaid might not be the best live action take on a Disney classic but there's actually a lot to like here. The underwater scenes are nice, most of the new songs work and Halle Bailey's performance definitely made sure this adaptation didn't sink. The original however will remain the best but this was worth the watch.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Thrive (2019)

 

Written And Directed by Jamie DiSpirito

Alex: "I'm glad you left your medication out."

Joe: "Yeah, me too."

It's officially Pride month so I thought it'd be appropriate if my first blog for the month was something gay themed and this short movie from a few years back was something I've been meaning to watch for a while.

Today seemed like the perfect day to do so and having finished it, it's a rather topical short film about a morning hook up with two strangers who end up bonding over something they both have in common. The thing being that both men are HIV positive.

The short movie takes place from the perspective of Joe (Taofique Folarin) who invited Alex (Ben Aldridge) over for sex and seemed eager to get rid of him when Alex suggested a coffee. However before Alex left the building, he confronted Joe about having HIV.

This wasn't a case for judgement but more empathy. Alex expressed interest in Joe telling him about being HIV positive before revealing that he was too, along with the fact that he had a long term boyfriend aware of his condition. 

What went from a simple hook up resulted in both Joe and Alex bonding over their experiences as HIV positive men that Joe agreed to that coffee date by the end of the movie, along with Alex devising an alternative way to revealing to someone about having HIV. I thought that scene in particular was quietly effective.

- Joe was an English student and Alex in digital marketing. The former has had HIV for a month while the latter for eleven years.

- I could be wrong but this short film might be have been one of the first gay roles that Ben Aldridge has played. Since then there's been The Long Call, Spoiler Alert and Knock At The Cabin.

- This movie really is short, clockingin at nearly 17 minutes long in one apartment.

- Chronology: I'm assuming 2019, given when it was released. It's available to watch on Mubi.

Thrive made for a solid short film with nice performances from both lead actors (as well as a nice but brief sex scene between Alex and Joe) while offering a somewhat different perspective to the topic at hand. It's worth a watch.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 3x10: "Collision Course"

 

Written by Max Cunningham And Max Kronick

Directed by Elaine Mongeon

Peia (to Lois): "I really wish things would've been different. In another life we would've been great friends."

The thing is, I definitely Peia was absolutely telling the truth there and given the Multiverse, there has to be a universe where both her and Lois are the best of friends. In this one though their differences were too hard for either one to ignore.

Lois wanted to be the better person and let Peia be the one to confess about her part in Moxie's death, even though Peia pointed out that Lex was a far greater evil than her or Bruno could ever be. With only three episodes left and a renewal not guaranteed, there's little time to cement that theory about Lex.

Anyways, Lois nearly had Peia on side but a visit from Matteo pretty much changed the game when the latter was able to slip Peia the cure. A cure that worked rather welland left the DOD in shambles as a direct result.

With the Mannheim family well and truly reunited and on the same wavelength as one another and Lex about to arrive, what about the rest of the episode? Well, a B plot about teenage partying took some  surprising turns this week.

Jordan spent too much time moping about Sarah and Junior getting close to one another but saving them from a car crash ended up putting Kyle on the right direction. Except for the bit where he was convinced that it was Jonathan with powers but a certain reveal from Clark soon tod Kyle more than even he was expecting to find out.

At this point, Kyle was the last regular on the show to be in the know and I'm surprised it was revealed the way it was but at least it's out there. Though needless to say, I'm not expecting him to react well when he realises that Lana, Sarah and Chrissy all knew before him.

- Candice returned for the kegger plot and Jonathan was probably the only one who didn't drink at the thing.

- The episode did open with Lois ringing the bell and saying "screw cancer" with her family there as support. Lana and Chrissy also had a meeting with Governor Kerry Wexler.

- No John Henry Irons or Natalie in this episode. 

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

Collision Course certainly threw in a few decent curve balls with the way the second plot of the week led to that reveal while the A plot also moves up a gear (what's to be done with Inverse Superman now Peia is cured?). I really hope these last three episodes can deliver.

Rating: 7 out of 10

DCU Blog - May 2023 Edition: The Flash Fan Screenings, CW Shows On Bubble And More

Yup, another eventful month for DC fans as we head towards the make or break movie making its debut, future castings and the possible ending of remaining CW Shows. Buckle in folks.

For the last week, fan screenings for The Flash movie have been taking place all over (including at Cannes) and the reception has been largely positive. 

Some cameos have been leaked but I'm not mentioning them here out of respect but the last few minutes of the movie will be unveiled upon screenings from June 12th onwards.

A final trailer was released, which revealed the return of Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth. Saoirse Monica Jackson and Rudy Mancuso have confirmed to be playing Patty Spivot and Albert Desmond respectively.

Meanwhile the trades have revealed that several actors have been considered for key roles for Superman: Legacy.

For Superman himself, the following actors seem to be in consideration - Nicholas Hoult (also rumoured for Lex Luthor), David Corenswet, Tom Brittney, Andrew Richardson and Jacob Elordi.

For Lois Lane, the actresses being considered are Samara Weaving, Phoebe Dynevor, Emma Mackey and Rachel Brosnahan.

Funko Pops are on the way for the upcoming Blue Beetle movie (August 18th). Carapax and Victoria Kord are the main antagonists.

Although it may largely depend on the success of The Flash movie, Andy Muschietti was a tad coy when asked about possibly directing The Brave And The Bold.

Mike Flanagan recently shut down rumours of directing a solo project focusing on Clayface. There's currently a Hollywood writers strike.

A trailer for Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom should be coming within the next few weeks.

Both Superman And Lois and Gotham Knights are on the bubble with both shows likely not to get renewed by the CW as they merge with Nexstar and reduce scripted content.

The CW have also passed on the Diggle spin off, Justice U.

Max (formerly HBO Max) have confirmed that The Penguin series will be a limited series. Filming had been halted due to the writers strike.

Netflix have confirmed the third season of Sweet Tooth will be it's last season.

That's it for this month. Join me next month to see what gets unleashed as the DCEU's final days beckon.

My Review of Superman And Lois 3x09: "The Dress"

 

Written by Kristi Korzec

Directed by Stephen Maier

Lois (to Clark): "How fast can you take off this dress?"

Who would've thought that an entire episode where a dress was the focal point would end up being one of the season's strongest outings yet? No, really, this episode caught me off guard.

With Lois's cancer storyline, the show has gotten that bit more mature in it's writing choices this season and we had a lovely sparkly red dress that Lois was going to a clothing run for reasons that made perfect sense with the story being told this season. 

It's a shame that award ceremonies like the Emmys will never acknowledge the acting of Elizabeth Tulloch for her work on this show because she's been knocking out of the park with this cancer storyline and had this been in a non genre series, she'd undoubtedly get a nod. 

However here, Lois was aware of her double mastectomy procedure and the effect it would have on her. A lovely conversation with Lana got her to open up about her fears to Clark and a series of flashbacks added context to the significance of the dress in question.

The last scene alone with Lois and Clark all dressed up and flying in the air has got to be one of the most beautiful moments with this iconic pairing in any medium. We all know Lois is going to live, but the episode never nder!ined her fears and the love between her and Clark was beautiful to watch. Again, both Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch have such effortless chemistry.

As for the rest of the episode, while the A storyline with Lois tugged at the heartstrings, the B plot with John Henry Irons and Bruno Mannheim was more frustrating than anything. Neither one of them came out of this episode looking good.

John took extreme steps to lord it over Bruno with keeping Peia away from him as well as trying to have Bruno arrested. Bruno retaliated by sending Henry Miller to kill John, only for Miller to get killed. Then there was also Matteo and Natalie getting closer again in spite of their feuding fathers. Yeah, this won't end well for the young couple.

- Jonathan and Jordan were at loggerheads with one another ver Kyle until Sarah managed to get them to hug it out. 

- Lois's dress origin involved her getting nominated for a Metty award (which she lost) while also resulting her decision to have her wedding to Clark at the Kent farm.

- No Kyle and Chrissy this week and Lois and Lana were planning a night out to Bazoomas (guess what that's a stand in for).

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

The Dress was an episode of two halves. The Lois plot being the strongest and most affecting of the hour while the John vs. Bruno plot being more frustrating than anything else (though we know Inverse Superman is being used as a means to cure Peia). Overall, stil a strong episode.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Death Proof (2007)

 

Written And Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Zoe: "So where's the maniac?"

Kim: "I shot him and his punk ass ran off."

Zoe: "You wanna go get him?"

Kim: "Oh hell yeah!"

Quentin Tarantino is one of the greatest directors of all time and also at times, a rather polarising person. As a director, he's found a niche and carved it out but often within that niche has found ways to experiment with things. The results can be varied but often enough, they're interesting to watch unfold nonetheless.

As a movie, Death Proof might be one of the less talked about films from Tarantino's filmography. It's also one of his most interesting and like both volumes of Kill Bill and Jackie Browne, it's one where his female characters are front and centre against a male antagonist where the latter eventually gets their just desserts. It's also a film of two halves with two separate groups of protagonist against a lunatic named Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell).

The first group include a radio DJ named Jungle Julia (Sydney Tamiia Poiter) and her friends Arlene (Vanessa Ferlito) and Shanna (Jordan Ladd) who end up in a dive bar where Julia has some fun at Arlene's expense involving a radio competition and the reciting of a Robert Frost poem. Needless to say, Stuntman Mike made an impression on the three women and got his lap dance from Arlene as a result.

However, Stuntman Mike made another impression too when he took patron Pam (Rose McGowan) into his stunt car and used the unique set up of the car to murder her while then crashing his car into Julia and her friends, killing them rather graphically to boot. On top of that, but not only did Mike survive the violent collision himself but he also managed ti get away with murdering four women with the lack of evidence. 

Of course while I don't think anyone would ever hail Tarantino as a feminist writer (something which even Tarantino himself would describe himself as), his movies do eventually tend to punish the bad man of the piece and Mike's biggest mistake was thinking he could get away with the sake idea twice. Let's just say he picked the wrong of women to target during his second effort.

The women in question being make up artist Abernathy (Rosario Dawson), actress Lee (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and stunt women Kim (Tracey Thoms) and Zoe (Zoe Bell as herself for reasons). As a group they're far more entertaining characters than the first group and unlike the first group, their encounter with Stuntman Mike does end in a much different way.

For example, there's some morning hangover banter between the foursome before poor Lee got stuck with Jasper (Jonathan Loughran) while the remaining three took the latter's car for joyriding hijinks. The same ones that involved a reckless game of ship mast and of course, them nearly getting killed by Stuntman Mike in the middle of the day.

However Stuntman Mike underestimated this group and by only trying to frighten them instead, he incurred their wrath. Needless to say, it didn't end particularly well for Stuntman Mike when the girls decided to give him a much needed lesson in manners. The last scene alone where they beat the living shit out of Stuntman Mike might be the one of the best endings for a Tarantino movie to boot. Couldn't have happened to a more deserving character.

- It wouldn't be a Quentin Tarantino movie if there wasn't gratuitous shots of women's feet and a cameo for himself. Eli Roth also briefly appeared in the first half of the movie.

- The movie was released as part of a double feature with Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror. A linking character to both movies would be Dr Dakota Block (Marley Shelton). Rose McGowan also played a different character in the other movie too.

- Standout music: Considering the director, the music's on point as usual but my two fave songs were Down In Mexico by The Coasters and Chick Habit by April March.

- Chronology: The first half of the movie takes place in Austin, Texas before a fourteen month time jump to Lebanon, Tennessee.

Death Proof works well as a double feature with Planet Terror but also well enough on it's own. It's not Top 5 Tarantino movie but it's one that I would put higher than some of his other more successful ones and one I find surprisingly underrated. It's also very talky but that's par for the course with this particular director though.

Rating: 8 out of 10