Heated Rivalry - Season 2: Ryan and Fabian Cast Among Others

With Season 2 (and possibly Season 3 if rumours are correct) of Crave's Heated Rivalry currently filming, the cast continues to expand. Another couple pairing have been cast.

Clearly adapting elements from Rachel Reid's book, Tough Guy, it was announced today that Daniel Diemer (Percy Jackson) has been cast as Ryan Price. I've seen a few actors fancast for this role but not Daniel Diemer. I like his casting.

OF course with the casting of Ryan Price, there was also the casting of his other half. Shaheen Jafargholi (EastEnders, Wreck) has been cast in the role of Fabian Salah. With these two men cast, that's four couples for the show to explore in it's second season.

While Daniel and Shaheen's casting for Ryan and Fabian were announced today, nearly two weeks ago, other casting had been revealed.

• Emily Hampshire as Vanessa
• Edvin Ryding as Luca Haas
• Robert Naylor as Wyatt Hayes
• Sabrina Jalees as Farah Jalali
• Priyanka as Tarek

These new additions will join returnees Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie, Francois Arnaud, Robbie GK as well as fellow newcomers Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie. Executive producer Jacob Tierney has promised more casting to be revealed soon.

Heated Rivalry is currently filming. Season 2 will premiere on Crave, HBO Max and Sky from Spring 2027.

My Review of The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2015, Lifetime Series)

 

Written by Gregory Small And Richard Blaney And Barbara Nance And Jason Grote And David Simkins

Directed by Steven Kay And Russell Mulcahy And Howard Deutch And Constantine Makris

Lizzie: "Lizzie Borden took an axe, she gave her mother 40 whacks; when she saw what she had done, she gave her father 41." 

Last week, I reviewed the TV movie from 2014 and curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to watch the Lifetime TV series. Fortunately, it was only one season and eight episodes. This was something of a mixed bag.

Picking up on a post trial for Lizzie Borden (Christina Ricci) and her sister, Emma (Clea DuVall), things between the siblings were well and truly tested between them. They were women, free of their parents and husbands but Lizzie was largely seen as an oddity with the community of Fall River.

Getting away with parricide did little to sate Lizzie's clear bloodlust. Throughout the eight episode show, Lizzie managed to stack up quite the body count. Most of her victims were people who unwisely went out of their way to antagonise both her and Emma. Some of them arguably even deserved Lizzie's wrath.

This show did try and didn't really succeed in trying to frame Lizzie as a bit of a feminist icon. She used murder to rescue dogs from their cruel owners, children from abusive parents and a working girl from her pimp. She'd also kill some people she initially helped as well.

Then there's her relationship with Emma. As the show progressed, they became more distant and sabotaging Emma's chance of marriage definitely didn't help Lizzie. Michelle Fairley did appear as Boston gangster matriarch Aideen Trotwood. She's one of the few characters to pose a genuine threat to Lizzie but she's introduced a bit too late in the day.

It's clear as day that Lifetime wanted this to run for a few seasons. The premise of serial killer Lizzie Borden murdering her way through her hometown had some potential but it lost a bit of steam as it went on. Christina Ricci was the best thing about it.

- The most prominent male character was Cole Hauser's Charlie Siringo. He's a thorn for the Borden sisters until he wasn't.

- While the TV movie avoided anything Sapphic, the show very briefly teased the idea of Lizzie and Adele (Kimberly-Sue Murray).

- Lizzie and Emma's half brother, William (Andrew Howard) seemed like he was going to be a prominent antagonist but was killed off in the first episode.

- Chronology: Not long after the trial in 1893. Lizzie moved to another town in the penultimate episode while Emma was sectioned.

The Lizzie Borden Chronicles was a marginally better follow up to Lizzie Borden Took An Ax but only marginally. It loses steam towards the end and Christina Ricci's best efforts and natural charm can only do so much to keep it watchable.

Rating: 5 out of 10 

My Review of Lanterns: "Trust Fall"

 

Written by Vanessa Baden Kelly And Chris Mundy

Directed by James Hawes

John: "I'm sorry, gentlemen but you're about to torture a man who don't know shit."

Second episode in and we've got a winner here. For those who were right to be concerned that this show might be too grounded for its own good, this episode should give a lot of relief.

The Manhunters are the big threat to the season and they could literally be anyone. John got a hell of a history refresher on them when he ended up being taken by Antaan (Paul Ben-Victor). The latter didn't trust Hal but he didnt do a lot to win John's trust either.

Already I've seen online speculation that Antaan might be Atrocitus and right now, I'm definitely not ruling that possibility out. He very well could be. He definitely has a similar backstory to the infamous villain. I could see it being a mid season reveal if that's the case.

Keeping with John, this episode had Hal attempting to teach him how to fly. John created a cute little bird that lasted most of the episode, even when John didn't have the ring on him. John also had the chance to retrieve Hal's Lantern and suit and even feed Earl. I was rather surprised upon learning what Earl. Let's just say that Earl's the type of pet you'd expect Poison Ivy to have rather than Hal.

Then there's Hal himself. I am loving this version of the character. Kyle Chandler has done a great job in making Hal into a likable asshole. This episode he was stealing corpses, interrupting meetings, getting himself shot by William Macon's men and ending things by paying a certain character a visit.

The certain character being Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen), currently imprisoned on Oa. The latter might have had one scene but he left a great impression. He did little to get under Hal's skin by alluding to John being a bigger threat to him than the Manhunters. I could really feel the history between the pair of them.

- Kerry likes to read and she's from Gotham. Is she related to Kate Kane, given they share a surname? Who is William's benefactor?

- MCU Disney+ shows could learn a lesson because we didn't have to wait for the finale to see Hal in his suit.

- Mogo was mentioned. He formed part of Hal's password. I'm also loving this odd rapport between Hal and Billy.

- Zoe was revealing a lot to John about her motives for being married to William. Will she turn out to be a Manhunter?

- Hal noticed the lack of patients when he was being discharged.

- Chronology: 2016 Rushville and Oa for the final scene between Hal and Sinestro.

Trust Fall really hit the ground running. We got a lot of lore in this one and the Hal/John dynamic continues to be a joy to watch. The Manhunters plot has me gripped.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Toy Story 5 (2026)

 

Written by Andrew Stanton And Kenna Harris

Directed by Andrew Stanton 

Woody: "I don't know, Jessie. Toys are for play, but tech... is for everything."

And I've now come to the finish of this movie series and it's been a blast. Four really great previous and a rather decent spin off movie to boot. Did this fifth entry keep up the momentum? It sure did.

Once again, the toys (except a certain few) are owned by Bonnie Anderson (Scarlett Spears) and Jessie has assumed the deputy role in order to keep Bonnie entertained and the other toys in line. It's a natural for Jessie's character. Also, this was very much Jessie's movie. 

We had an opening flashback to Jessie's own history with her former kid, Emily. With the arrival of frog themed tablet named LilyPad (Greta Lee), Jessie now had to deal with Bonnie wanting friends and getting upset when her attempts to connect with other girls didn't initially pan out.

Early enough into the movie, both Jessie and Bullseye ended up on a farm. Jessie befriended the very real horse, Daffodil and an odd girl named Blaze Manoukian (Mykal-Michelle Harris), who loved animals and still played with toys. It's pretty clear that Blaze would be the perfect friend for Bonnie and it was up to Jessie to try and get the two to make friends while working through her own issues.

Jessie had a good rapport with new toys such camera Snappy (Shelby Rabara), Atlas (Craig Robinson) and toilet training toy, Smarty Pants (Conan O'Brien). They're a lively bunch of characters, with the latter helping Jessie to get over her issues with technology.

Speaking of technology, let's talk about LilyPad. She started off being rather antagonistic towards Jessie and enjoyed messing with both Woody and Buzz as well. As the movie went along, she realised she got it wrong with Bonnie and even helped save the day with the use of a whole army of Buzz Lightyear toys to boot.

By the end of the movie, Bonnie and Blaze ended up becoming the best of friends and there was a peace of sorts between toys and technology. Yes, it's a little simplistic, Woody hasn't too much to do, the Buzz/Jessie romance could've had more to it but overall, there's a lot to recommend here.

- A credit scene revealed that Zurg was alive. If that's not the main plot for the inevitable sixth movie, what will be?

- Woody had a bald spot, Forky/Spoon were married as were Buzz/Jessie and the latter found out that Emily named hsd daughter after her.

- Standout music: Taylor Swift's I Knew It, I Knew You.

- Chronology: Not that long from the fourth movie.

Toy Story 5 had all the right ideas for trying to tell a story about the pitfalls of children being dependent on modern tech. It fumbled the idea a bit but it's an engaging entry with a nice focus on Jessie and LilyPad made for an amusing antagonist of sorts.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Lightyear (2022)

 

Written by Angus MacLane And Matthew Aldrich And Jason Headley

Directed by Angus MacLane 

Zurg: "I'm going back, Buzz! I'm going to matter again! And you will have never existed... So... Prepare to Die."

Buzz: "Not today, Zurg!"

Before I watch the fifth Toy Story movie, there was this movie to watch. Yup, Buzz Lightyear got himself a solo outing and on top of that, he also got to be voiced by Chris Evans to boot.

Yes, this one was a film within a film where Buzz was a real life Space Ranger who had missions of his own to complete. He also had a best friend named Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba) and she was a great friend to have. 

However due to various time shifts, Buzz kept seeing Alisha at different points in her life. There was a point where Alisha married another woman and then there was Izzy Hawthorne (Keke Palmer). Yes, Buzz had gotten to the point where Alisha had a fully grown granddaughter who wanted to be just like Alisha.

Throw in a robotic cat named Sox (Peter Sohn) and some crew members such as Mo Morrison (Taika Waititi) and Darby Steel (Dale Soules) and this was something of a motley crew of characters. As a team, they're a fun bunch that take a while to fully work well together.

As for the villain of the piece. It's Zurg. No, wait, it's an older version of Buzz himself and he's voiced by Josh Brolin. Older Buzz wanted to change the events of the movie itself. Younger Buzz having learned some lessons here, well he didn't want to change anything.

Things played out in an expected manner. Buzz and company saved the day, older Buzz was defeated and a new team was formed to go off and take on new missions with the Space Ranger Corps being revived. It's a satisfying ending for this crew.

- Credit scene did reveal that Zurg actually survived. That wasn't too shocking.

- I'm not surprised that there were complaints about Alisha having a wife. I am annoyed because it was a subplot that was handled well and the movie didn't deserve negative press for it.

- Standout music: Boston's Smokin'.

- Chronology: Set in a far away future setting. At some point, sandwiches become very different and with less bread.

While I definitely would rank it lower than any of the movies from its parents series, Lightyear (2022) in itself was a perfectly decent movie. It told a simple enough adventure, had some likable supporting characters and overall, I found it fine.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Toy Story 4 (2019)

 

Written by John Lasseter And Andrew Stanton And Josh Cooley And Valerie LaPointe And Rashida Jones And Will McCormack And Martin Hynes And Stephany Folsom

Directed by Josh Cooley

Rex: "Does this mean... Woody's a lost toy?"

Buzz: "He's not lost. Not anymore. To infinity..."

Woody: "...and beyond."

I genuinely thought with the third movie that this movie series had come to a natural ending. However this fourth movie proved there was a lot more to tell.

Remember in the first two movies that Bo Peep was more of a supporting player but then she was absent for the third one? Well, she returned for this movie and in a much bigger role that would ultimately challenge Woody's stance on being an owned toy for good.

The film opened with a flashback that had Woody unsuccessfully trying to stop Bo Peep from being sold off after Molly had grown bored of her. Nearly a decade later, it had emerged that Bo Peep and her sheep had become a lost toy and it was something that Bo Peep liked a lot. It was something that of course caused some tension with her and Woody.

What brought Bo Peep and Woody back into each others lives was of course Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw) and her parents taking a road trip and Woody trying to stop Bonnie's newly made toy Forky (Tony Hale) from wanting to be in trash. It's an amusing enough subplot with Woody confessing his whole toy history to Forky. It didn't initially help that much as Forky didn't want to be a toy.

Woody and Forky's antics did lead them to the "villain" of the piece - Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) and her creepy puppet minions. Gabby Gabby was more a nuanced baddie in the sense that she never mistreated Forky, took Woody's voice box to improve her odds of getting a new kid and ultimately succeeded with the latter after making peace with everyone else. There's no proper comeuppance for her at all, except for a brief rejection by the granddaughter of an antique shop owner named Harmony (Lila Sage Bromley).

As for the rest of the movie, Buzz took on the leadership role during Woody's absence and once again, he led a rescue mission. There was some speed bumps with duck and rabbit duo named Ducky (Keegan Michael-Key) and Bunny (Jordan Peele) and motorcyclist toy Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) but they're fun characters to watch overall.

Now, I think the most divisive but of this movie was Woody's decision to become a lost toy. He certainly did for love with Bo Peep and there's something rather touching in handing over the reins to Jessie but I'm a bit mixed on this decision. I didn't love it, in spite of my enjoyment of the movie.

- Bo Peep's sheep were called Billy, Goat and Gruff. It was a three headed sheep. I thought Giggle McDimples (Ally Maki) was a fun supporting character for Bo Peep.

- There's voice roles for Patricia Arquette, Jay Hernandez, Bill Hader, Flea (Red Hot Chilli Peppers), June Squibb, Carol Burnett and Mel Brooks to name a few.

- Standout music: Randy Newman's I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away.

- Chronology: Not long from the third movie but also nine years since Woody and Bo Peep last saw each other.

If Toy Story 4 happened to be the weakest of the bunch, then it's still a rather top notch movie with some great new characters added into the mix. Woody's new fate, it's a mixed bag for me, I won't lie but not enough to down vote this one.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Toy Story 3 (2010)

 

Written by Michael Arndt And John Lasseter And Andrew Stanton And Lee Unkrich

Directed by Lee Unkrich

Woody: "So long ... partner."

Confession time. Last night was the first time I have watched this movie and after seeing it, I can actually see why the likes of Quentin Tarantino thought it was the right one to end this series on. It felt like the perfect final chapter.

The movie started off with Andy going to college. Instead of going to Molly, the plan for Woody, Buzz and company was to be put in a box and sent to the attic. It was a plan that everyone seemed somewhat on board with. Of course, plan tend to go awry.

Instead of heading to the attic, Woody, Buzz and company ended up in Sunnyside Daycare Centre where they were the playthings of sone really rambunctious children. That wasn't the worst part but it was still pretty bad.

The worst part was the villain of the piece. A stuffed bear named Lotso (Ned Beatty) had been rejected by his owner, ended up at Sunnyside and made it his mission to assert a hierarchy. This included henchmen like Ken (Michael Keaton) and Big Baby (Woody Smith). Ken getting involved with Barbie (Jodi Benson) did give him a last minute redemptive arc.

Lotso on the other hand was somewhat harder to redeem. Being replaced by his owner did a number on him and he was quite scary in parts. Although the worst thing he actually did was have Buzz reset to his factory settings for a good portion of the movie. Buzz being returned to his usual self did make for a fun use of the Spanish language.

As for the rest of the movie, there's something quietly heartbreaking about Andy making the grown up decision to give his toys to Bonnie (Emily Hahn). It's a real changing of the guard moment between the two. On the other hand, the movie did a good job in setting Bonnie up as a new owner for Woody, Buzz and company.

- Bonnie's toys included Mr. Pricklepants (Timothy Dalton), Trixie (Kristen Schaal), Dolly (Bonnie Hunt), Buttercup (Jeff Garlin), Peas-In-A-Pods (Charlie Bright, Amber Krone and Brianna Maiwand) and Chuckles (Bud Luckey).

- Sid became a garbage collector, there's romantic tension between Buzz and Jessie and the likes of Bo Peep and Wheezy weren't present.

- Standout music: Randy Newman's We Belong Together.

- Chronology: Andy was now off to college, so it was over a decade since the previous movie.

Toy Story 3 felt like the perfect ending to this entire saga. A beautiful closing to a wonderful film. Okay, I've got two movies and a prequel to watch but this was perfect. I love it.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Toy Story 2 (1999)

 

Written by Andrew Stanton And Rita Hsiao And Doug Chamberlin And Chris Webb And John Lasseter And Pete Docter And Ash Brannon

Directed by John Lasseter

Jessie (to Woody): "You never forget kids like Emily, or Andy, but they forget you."

My memory might be a lot more hazy because it's definitely been a long while since I've seen this movie. It practically felt like I was watching a new movie. 

Anyways, we've got Woody, Buzz and company having moved into a new home with their owner Andy, his mother, baby sister and dog, Buster. There's an infamous scene in this movie that's been meme'd to death that really packed a punch.

Yes, it's the scene where Woody's arm ripped and Andy suddenly didn't want to play with him anymore. This film was heavy in pointing out that children get older, lose interest in their toys and that even toys don't last forever. It's not subtle but it's definitely effective.

Woody's attempts to rescue a penguin toy named Wheezy (Joe Ranft) put him in the cross hairs of toy collector, Al McWhiggin (Wayne Knight). The presence of Al introduced characters such as Jessie the cowgirl doll (Joan Cusack), prospector doll Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammer) and horse Bullseye. It turns out that Woody was rather famous and these new characters made up his Roundup gang.

In some ways, this movie had a reverse dynamic between Woody and Buzz. The latter mobilised everyone into trying to find Woody. There's a subplot involving another Buzz toy and the villain, Evil Emperor Zurg (Andrew Stanton) that's a little undercooked but amusing.

Getting back to Woody - I really loved his dynamic with Jessie, Stinky Pete and Bullseye. Jessie in particular was a fun foil for Woody and Stinky Pete turned out to be a better villain than Al if I'm being honest. Stinky Pete also got a rather fitting comeuppance while Jessie and Bullseye got a new home.

- Heimlich (Joe Ranft) and Flik (Dave Foley) from A Bug's Life both appeared during the credits.

- We met Mrs. Potato Head, some aliens and Tour Guide Barbie in this movie.

- Standout music: Sarah McLachlan's When She Loved Me.

- Chronology: A few months from the first movie, despite the four year release gaps between them.

Toy Story 2 turned out to be a very good sequel. I liked learning more about Woody's past and this was a great debut for Jessie as a character. Woody and Buzz's friendship was another strong point of the movie.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Toy Story (1995)

Written by Joss Whedon And Andrew Stanton And Joel Cohen And Alec Sokolow And John Lasseter And Pete Docter And Joe Ranft

Directed by John Lassiter

Buzz: "Excuse me, I think the word you're searching for is "Space Ranger"."

Woody: "The word I'm searching for - I can't say, because there's preschool toys present."

I have been meaning to review this particular movie series but first, a confession. I've only seen the first two movies and that was a long time. Not only do I need to refresh my memory on them but I've got three other film and a prequel movie to watch. What fun.

I do have good memories of seeing this one when I was younger. It's such a simple idea. There's a boy named Andy Davis (John Morris). He's just turned six and he's got a lot of toys. His favourite being a cowboy named Woody (Tom Hanks). This was something both Woody and the other toys were aware of.

The other toys being Bo Peep (Annie Potts), Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), Slinky Dog (Jim Varney), piggy bank Hamm (John Ratzenberger), binoculars Lenny (Joe Ranft) and Rex (Wallace Shawn) to name a few. You can tell there's some slight resentment towards Woody being the favourite. Then there's Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen). His arrival changed everything.

The arrival of Buzz put Woody in second place as Andy suddenly had a new favourite toy. Woody couldn't get his head around the idea of being replaced and had Buzz thrown out the window. Woody would end up having the same done to him. That's where things got interesting.

Both Woody and Buzz clashed a lot in a bid to get back to Andy but for a good portion of the movie, both of them were at the mercy of the toy destroying Sid Phillips (Erik von Detten). I forgot how much of an evil terror Sid was as a character and there's something rather horrifying in seeing the creations he made out of his own toys. He did get a much deserved comeuppance though.

As for Woody and Buzz, both of them came to some big realisations and both knew they needed to work together in order to reunite with both Andy and their fellow toys. They very nearly didn't and when they did, it certainly felt earned.

- Buzz's implied "replacement" at the end of the film was of course a puppy.

- This movie had a hint of romance between Woody and Bo Peep but the arrival of a certain character from the next film onwards put a stop to that.

- Standout music: Randy Newman's You've Got A Friend In Me.

- Chronology: Set during Andy's sixth birthday, a family move (Laurie Metcalf voiced Andy's mother) and Christmas.

I really do love Toy Story. It's such a delight film with a simple story, an unlikely friendship and a genuinely heartfelt bunch of moments as well as a few slightly uncomfortable ones. To the sequels (and prequel) and beyond.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Lizzie Borden Took An Ax (2014)

 

Written by Stephen Kay

Directed by Nick Gomez

Lizzie: "My father has so many enemies. I think someone might try to hurt him."

A few weeks ago, I watched the Chloe Sevigny take on this infamous killer and going backwards, it was time to see Christina Ricci's take on Lizzie Borden. Well, her and Lifetime. The results were something else.

Eschewing the seriousness, queerness and even scares, this definitely felt like a camp amateur version of events. Lizzie's father, Andrew (Stephen McHattie) was disapproving of his daughter's unconventional attitude to life and her stepmother Abby (Sara Botsford) assumed the worst of her.

Lizzie seemed to have a better relationship with her sister, Emma (Clea DuVall) and a friendship of sorts with actress Nance O'Neil (Andria Wilson). Any hint of anything deeper between Lizzie and Nance wasn't present and the same between Lizzie and maid, Bridget Sullivan (Hannah Anderson). The latter being more of a disappointment here.

Anyways, Lizzie killed both Abby and Andrew while Bridget was scrubbing the windows and she was almost careful enough about the deed. Except for the bit of blood that got on her nice blue dress. That was enough for the Marshall Hilliard (Shawn Doyle) to have her tried for murder and for doubt to emerge in regards to Lizzie's innocence.

I know she did it and a large part of the community suspected she killed her parents too. Emma seemed to alternate between wanting to believe that Lizzie didn't kill their parents to having to face the horrible truth about her sister.

The whole affair lacked the weight it needed because Lifetime wanted to camp the shit out of this. More annoyingly, the use of music might be some of the most intrusive I've seen in a movie. It ruined a lot of the big moments if I'm being honest.

- This movie did well for Lifetime to commission a miniseries titled The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, which was released in 2015.

- There was no John Morse in this version and there was some hints of an incest undertones between Lizzie and Andrew.

- Standout music: The only bit that worked was the use of that nursery rhyme.

- Chronology: 1892, Fall River in Massachusetts.

I appreciate camp as much as the next person, but I definitely think that Lizzie Borden Took An Ax veered into it in a way that simply didn't work. Even Christina Ricci's natural charm couldn't save this one. It's a huge mess of a television film.

Rating: 5 out of 10 

My Review of Lanterns: "Pilot"

 

Written by Chris Mundy And Damon Lindelof And Tom King

Directed by James Hawes

Hal: "There's only one question. Are you afraid?"

We've been on a journey to get a Green Lantern show and now that it's finally here, I still can't believe it's actually here. This was quite the opening episode.

It opened with a much younger John Stewart watching Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) on television where the latter talked about being a member of the Green Lantern Corps. Then there was that William Tell moment between John and his father (J. Alphonse Nicholson) and that was pretty messed up scene to watch.

Cut to twenty years later where a grown up John (Aaron Pierre) has actually joined the Corps and Hal's his mentor. Hal's methods are just as volatile and it's pretty clear that while Hal might like/respect John on some level, he's not totally keen on training up his successor either.

Anyways the main action of this episode had both Hal and John ending up in Nebraska where a murder had taken place. It was one with alien involvement and Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) wasn't totally happy with the Green Lanterns investigating on her turf.

In fact, both Hal and John kind of botched up her investigation into the unusual Waylon Sanders (Chris Coy). Hal's way of exposing Waylon as an alien was certainly reckless but it did manage to get results. It also didn't take long for both Hal and John to start getting involved in Kerry's family life.

I found it interesting Kerry's husband Billy Macon (Jason Ritter) and the latter's father, William (Garrett Dillahunt) immediately ingratiated themselves into Hal's orbit. William in particular was a bit of a fanatic, so there's definitely a future clash between him and Hal waiting in the wings.

Then there's John's involvement in the Macon family. He unwittingly slept with William's wife Zoe (Poorna Jagannathan) and William knew about it. Do William and Zoe have an open marriage or does William have a future revenge lined up for John? It was definitely one of the stranger moments from the pilot.

As for the central mystery - let's jump to a decade where a bearded John reunited with Kerry and it was revealed that Hal was dead and his ring was missing. Is Hal really dead? I'd say it's 50/50 at the moment. I'm not entirely convinced he is, at least not for now.

- Things we saw the ring being used for included bubble wrap, counterfeit money and a bottle opener. Hal got his ring from a dying Abin Sur.

- The title sequence was a pretty modest one. Nice but nothing to write home about.

- Kerry and Billy's son, Noah (Cary Christopher) also appeared briefly in the episode. John doesn't eat meat or drink.

- Does Hal really believe there's 22 Harry Potter movies? He must have been joking about that one.

- Standout music: KC And The Sunshine Band's Boogie Shoes.

- Chronology: Took in the years 1996, 2016 and 2026. Mostly in Rushville, Nebraska. Hal became a Green Lantern in 1986.

The Pilot opened the show on a good note. There's an instant and classic buddy cop chemistry between Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler. I can see why they were cast as their respective characters and the main mystery has promise.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of My Adventures With Superman: "The Return"

 

Written by Karen Graci

Directed by Jen Bennett 

Lois: "Marry me, Clark Kent."

Clark: "Of course, Lois Lane."

Was this another finale or a series finale? Right now and like a few DC animated shows, this has yet to be renewed for a fourth season. I do hope it gets one. This season alone turned out to be so good.

Picking up from the last episode, we've got Jonathan, Lara and Kara doing their best to stop the Eradicator. Unfortunately the latter was able to multiply himself, which did make it a lot harder for the trio to keep him down.

On the other hand, there was also Clark still being powerless. His demonstration of compassion with Bizarro was enough to get the Head Steward to show Clark a solution. Yup, you've got living sun Rao and let's just say that Superman came back in glorious form.

The last few minutes against the Eradicator had a brilliant team up of Superman, his children, Supergirl and Bizarro all working together. Once again, Superman tried compassion but the Eradicator chose death over wanting to change for the better.

As for the last few minutes, I liked the family time Superman and Lois got with Jonathan and Lara before the latter two went back to their timeline. Then there was the proposal itself. It was a cute way to cap off the season.

- I liked that Lex/Jimmy had an understanding with each other and that Slade even let them work together. What did Lex see out in the stars?

- Kara agreed to be friends with Jimmy. We also got Krypto and Bizarro resumed his ice cream job.

- The white, blue and gold Kryptonian armour did look good on Superman but I hope it's not a permanent look for him.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

The Return was a good ending for this season of the show. It kind of works as a series finale but I think one last season would be a nice way to cap the series off altogether.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of The Last House (2026)

 

Written by Matthew Robinson

Directed by Louis Leterrier

Jason: "What if something out there is keeping us trapped?"

Last night, I caught up with something a bit more on the sci-fi side of things. I also chose one of Netflix's most recent of releases, focusing on a family that would be trapped in their home for most of the film.

The family in question were Jason (Wagner Moura) and Anne (Greta Lee) Delgado and their kids, Graham (Noah Alexander Sosnowski) and Ruth (Riley Chung). It was an ordinary day when the rain came down and no one could leave their homes.

I mean no one could get out of and back into their homes and even trying to break out was impossible. This meant that Jason, Ann, Graham and Ruth had to try and adjust to being trapped indoors with the only essentials they had to hand. Let's just say having two DVDs presented some limitations for entertainment.

As the movie would go on, Ruth was seeing patterns and mysterious creatures that no one in her family would listen to. There's also a sad subplot involving the death of the family dog (i really didn't like that scene) and the family having to eat Graham's fish, find ways to attract other animals through a convoluted trap and using the soil under the floorboards to grow vegetables.

These were innovative ways to survive under the strangest of circumstances and enough time passed for older versions of Graham (Gabriel Chung) and Ruth (Emma Ho) to be present. It was during this part where the monsters were becoming much harder to ignore and the chance to finally get out posed it's own challenges.

For the most part I liked the use of the creatures. Their origins were vague enough, they were used sparingly onscreen and managed to be menacing enough. While the Delgados did manage to get out of their house, I don't think the ending signified a win for them as such.

- Jason was an unemployed engineer who also loved fishing. Ann was the one who grew the vegetables in the house. Arden Cho narrated as an older Ruth.

- The original title for this film was 11817.

- Standout music: The Cure's Close To Me.

- Chronology: Set in a Seattle suburb. The Delgados were trapped in their house for five years.

The Last House (2026) did go on a little bit longer than needed but I thought it was a pretty solid film nonetheless. Nice performances from the leads, some solid tension and convincing looking creatures dod help with this one.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Big Baby (2025)

 

Written And Directed by Spider One

Kate: "It was Big Baby."

This was one of the most random of movies that I chose to watch this week. On paper, it read like a cheap knock off and on-screen, it wasn't much better.  Kind of.

The lead of the piece would be a horror screenwriter named Adam (Brandon Scott). The film started with him watching a horror podcast that was slating his latest film. Those guys, called Vampire Greg (Jordan Elsass) and Steve Strange (Radek Lord) really went to town on how much of a bad screenwriter they thought Adam was.

Adam took it personally and even confronted them publicly over their brutal review. His girlfriend Kate (Krsy Fox) tried to be supportive but it was almost lost on Adam as he tried to come up with a franchise idea, which he did.

This resulted in Big Baby (Adam Marcinowski), who honestly seemed like a thing veiled version of Jason Voorhees to me. Adam would dream about his creation, learn more about him while dealing with the real life violence of Big Baby. All of a sudden, a lot of people started to end up dead.

Adam's obsession with his own creation had him trying to finish the story as quickly as possible. Of course this led to a very violent showdown between him and Kate and only one of them could survive it. Adam's solution for ending his creation made enough sense.

- The movie ended with the horror podcasters reviewing the events of Big Baby.

- There's appearances from David Howard Thornton, Cameron Cowperthwaite and Chaz Bono to name a few.

- There was something of a backstory with one of Adam's friends that was a former writing partner of his that I wished had been explored a little deeper.

- Chronology: Present day America.

Big Baby made for a middling experience. It's got a good premise but it's a very undercooked film and the landing didn't really stick either.

Rating: 5 out of 10 

My Review of The Invite (2026)

 

Written by Will McCormack And Rashida Jones

Directed by Olivia Wilde

Piña (to Joe/Angela): "I think we only get a few chances at meaningful relationships, usually we move to different people, sometimes we can have a new relationship with the same people. But I think this relationship is over."

One of the few hits during the summer this year that didn't fall into either the horror of blockbuster category. If there were doubt about Olivia Wilde's directing prowess following her previous movie, this one proved that she's absolutely got it.

Focusing on two couples living in the same apartment building, the thing that would bring them together would be an awkward invite to a not so well planned dinner party. It also didn't help that one guest couldn't eat the majority of the food on offer.

The couple who decided to host this disastrous dinner were former musician Joe (Seth Rogan) and his wife Angela (Olivia Wilde). Actually it was Angela's idea to host this dinner and Joe hated every moment that came from it.

The couple they were hosting were sex therapist/divorcee Piña (Penelope Cruz) and her widower boyfriend Hawk (Edward Norton). Piña and Hawk both fascinated and rubbed the wrong way both Joe and Angela throughout the entire movie. In fact, Piña and Hawk's sex life was a source of contention for Joe. Let's just they're very loud and Joe might not be entirely unreasonable in finding that tiresome to listen to.

What happened throughout this disaster area of a dinner was a lovely deconstruction of two very different couple. Joe and Angela are an outwardly car crash to see unfold and it very much seemed like this movie was going to end with them seperating. Arguably, it probably should've but it didn't.

On the outside, both Piña and Hawk seemed like one of those annoyingly in sync with each other couples that are grating to watch. However, while they're more stable as a unit compared to Joe/Angela, there was still some cracks between them. Unlikely enough to split them up but enough to prove that no couple's perfect either.

There's a brilliant flow of tension, movement and dialogue from all four characters and the exposure of certain rituals made for an amusing examination into desirability for all of them. I actually couldn't get enough of watching all four characters. 

- Joe and Angela have a twelve year old daughter. That daughter's definitely aware of their fighting. Angela and Hawk bonded over rugs.

- Piña and Hawk admitted to having sex with other couples and initially wanted to with Joe and Angela before things got awkward.

- Based on Cesc Gay's book The People Upstairs.

- Hawk's real name was Howard and everyone went nuts for Piña's flan. It was the only thing everyone seemed to enjoy.

- Standout music: Sade's By Your Side.

- Chronology: Took place during the course of one evening and mostly in Joe and Angela's apartment in San Francisco.

One of the best movies this year. I really loved The Invite (2026). Fantastic performances from all four leads, razor sharp dialogue, beautiful deconstruction of two very different couples and excellent direction from Olivia Wilde. Highly recommend this one.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

MCU At D23 2026: X-Men Cast News And More

Last month, Marvel made something of a splash at SDCC and now it was time for them to do the same at D23. 

First of all, the biggest news of the night was revealing some of the cast for X-Men. Three were already revealed over the last fortnight but four other cast members were revealed last night at the event itself.

• Sadie Sink as Jean Grey 
• Kit Connor as Cyclops 
• Samara Weaving as Emma Frost
• Christopher Abbott as Professor X
• Adam Driver as Mister Sinister
• Inde Navarrette as Rogue
• Maya Boyd as Storm

Obviously there are more cast members that will be announced over the next weeks and months. The movie will hit theatres from May 5th 2028.

Also being promoted at D23 was of course the upcoming VisionQuest, starring Paul Bettany as Vision. This miniseries completes a trilogy that includes both WandaVision and Agatha All Along and will feature the debut of Ruaridh Mollica as Thomas Shepherd (aka Tommy Maximoff/Speed). The eight episode miniseries will also feature James Spader, James D'Arcy, T'Nia Miller, Emily Hampshire and Todd Stashwick to name a few. The miniseries will premiere on Disney+ from October 14th and was created by Terry Matalas.

Last but not least, there was another new trailer for Avengers: Doomsday (December 18th) but it didn't really reveal anything too groundbreaking from the last one we had. Obviously the focus was on Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom and various characters going up against him but that was about it. 

What was your favourite MCU related moment at D23?

My Review of Carrie (2013)

 

Written by Lawrence D. Cohen And Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

Directed by Kimberly Peirce

Sue: "No! Carrie please don't hurt me."

Carrie: "Why not? I've been hurt my whole life."

Last week, I reviewed both The Rage: Carrie 2 and Carrie (2002) and neither of them held a candle to the original. Suffice to say, this one doesn't either. It's also no better or worse I guess. Just rather lacklustre by comparison.

On the plus side, you've got both Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore as Carrie and Margaret White respectively. Both are well cast and both do their best with the material that's on offer here. Neither are able to elevate it though.

Again, Carrie's a social outcast under the guardianship of her religious mother. She's a figure of ridicule and scorn by the needlessly mean spirited Chris Hargensen (Portia Doubleday) while finding an ally in Sue Snell (Gabrielle Wilde) and Miss Desjardin (Judy Greer). 

As this is the the third film version of this book, events played out as they were expected to play out. Carrie went to the prom with Sue's well meaning boyfriend, Tommy Ross (Ansel Elgort) and then Chris and Billy Nolan (Alex Russell) had to ruin her special night.

The prom scenes and it's aftermath are handled well enough. There's the usual comeuppance for Chris and Billy and a rather dramatic ending for Margaret. Then there's Sue being pregnant, which certainly complicated things between her and Carrie.

The Carrie and Sue plot was a nice twist for this version of the movie. As for Carrie, this one seemed to imply that while everyone else believed her dead, she was actually alive. I didn't mind that for the character.

- An alternative scene included Sue going into labour with Carrie's arm grabbing her. It turned out to be a nightmare.

- This is the only film to actually feature Sue being pregnant. Both 1976;and 2002 versions didn't.

- Standout music: Lord Huron's End Of The Earth.

- Chronology: Set in 2013, Maine.

Carrie (2013) isn't the worst modern day remake of a classic movie. It's on a par with the 2002 effort and both Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore do a solid job here.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Soulm8te (2026)

 

Written by James Wan And Ingrid Bisu And Rafael Jordan And Kate Dolan

Directed by Kate Dolan

Aubrey: "I'm not your enemy. We don't need to be pitted against each other."

Sara: "Don't try that girl power shit with me."

Following the failure of M3GAN 2.0, the general consensus seemed to be to just to relegate this movie straight to streaming and forget it ever happened.

Don't get me wrong. I do think that if this went to theatres, it likely would've bombed but it's actually not a bad movie. It's just very predictable from start to finish. You will literally see everything coming a mile off.

Anyways, you've got your grieving widower protagonist David (David Rysdahl). He works for a tech company that are testing the Soulm8te companions. David's boss, Ben (Arty Froushan) got David to sign up to test one named Sara (Lily Sullivan). Everything you would expect to happen did happen of course.

David played around Sara's software in order to make her feel more authentic. David also had sex with Sara while developing feelings for co-worker, Aubrey (Claudia Dormit). Sara didn't exactly take that particularly well.

The more the movie went along, the more independent thought Sara had for herself. This meant Sara getting insanely jealous over David and Aubrey, including the latter being ruined and nearly killed by Sara. Sara also took a neighbours baby in one of the few genuinely unsettling scenes in the film.

The last few minutes did have an interesting final confrontation between David and Sara. The actual final scene did prove that once again, technology can't be shut down permanently as David realise when he saw a familiar face under a new guise.

- Lily Sullivan played the other android, Lydia. Lydia had black hair but David recognised her immediately.

- This movie is set in the same universe as M3GAN though there's no explicit references.

- Standout music: Sara might have gone homicidal but her version of The Cardigans Lovefool was excellent.

- Chronology: Present day American setting. A year had passed during the last scene.

Soulm8te might be one of the most predictable films I've seen this year but it's oddly charming in it's way. Lily Sullivan did elevate the material and she's great as Sara. It's not an innovative look into AI or an erotic thriller but it's watchable at least.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

American Horror Story: 13 - Everything You Need To Know

I've been holding this one off for a while. After months of speculation, American Horror Story: 13 finally has started its big promo blitz and there's a lot to get through. Spoilers aplenty here.

Let's break down the basics first, shall we?

• Charlie Carver and Ned Martel are the executive producers and main writers for the season. Ryan Murphy has co-written the first and ninth episodes and directed the first.
• There are 13 episodes for the new season, but shorter episodes than usual. Between 25 to 30 minutes long.
• The season will open with a triple bill from September 24th, then another triple bill, three double bills and a single episode until October 29th. It's airing Thursdays at 9pm on FX/Hulu.
• Frances Conroy, Gabourey Sidibe, Leslie Grossman, Billie Lourd, Kathy Bates, Seth Gabel, Zach Villa and Mat Fraser will reprise their roles of Myrtle Snow, Queenie, Coco St Pierre Vanderbilt, Winter Anderson/Mallory, Delphine Lalaurie, Jeffrey Dahmer, Richard Ramirez and Paul the Illustrated Seal respectively. Ariana Grande had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.
• Season 13 will not be the final season. Season 14 is in development. However this might be the last crossover event style season.
• The season is mostly set in New York but will take in other timelines, locations and feature some controversial female figures from history. The Apollyon building will serve as the main setting.

Now, let's have a look at the main and recurring cast for this upcoming season, shall we?

• Joey Pollari as Ben DeSoto. The main protagonist of the season, driving the narrative for all the big returns. He sees the number 13 in various places. He's a nurse going by the trailer.
• Paul Anthony Kelly/Fedor Steer as Mr Nas. The main antagonist of the season. Likely the Devil, going by Ryan Murphy's interview with Vogue magazine.
• Evan Peters as Kai Anderson. Seemingly his main role this season. He'll also be reprising Tate Langdon/Rubber Man and James Patrick March and other past characters. Tate and Kai will share a scene together.
• John Carroll Lynch as Twisty the Clown. Yup, he's back. Why? No idea, but must be prominent enough role to get a character poster.

• Jessica Lange as Constance Langdon. She's back and living in the Apollyon. Also expect to see Lange reprise Sister Jude, Fiona Goode and Elsa Mars. Oh and she's gonna sing this season.
• Sarah Paulson as Cordelia Goode. Our supreme is back and also Paulson will be reprising about six other past roles this season.
• Angela Bassett as Marie Laveau. The Voodoo Queen is back and in a much bigger role than last time.
• Emma Roberts as Madison Montgomery. Yes, back and undoubtedly a certain line will be uttered again. The eleventh episode will be a big one for her.
• Jamie Brewer as Adelaide Langdon. Another surprise return and she could be reprising Nan too.
• Mena Suvari as Elizabeth Short/Black Dahlia. This one is more mystifying to me but I'm sure there's a good reason why she's around this season.

• Madelaine Petsch, Elle Chapman and Tig Notaro in undisclosed roles.
• Berto Colon as Joe. He's the Doorman at the Apollyon and his scenes are largely with Constance Langdon.
• John Waters as Mr Phibes. He's a phlebotomist. That's it really.
• Avantika as Ophelia. New Coven member.
• Alex Consani as Morwenna. New Coven member.
• Orlando Jones as Papa Legba. A recast, following Lance Reddick, who passed away in 2023.

And that's our principal regular, recurring and guest cast members. There's a few glaring omissions but it could be a case of actor unavailability or perhaps Murphy and company want some surprises to remain hidden until transmission. This feels like a very ambitious season and it could've been a way to end the show altogether. Saying that, I'm glad it's not the end.

AHS13 Trailer: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_DGQ0EpPdds

American Horror Story: 13 will air Thursdays at 9pm from September 24th on FX, Hulu and Disney+ respectively.

My Review of Final Destination Bloodlines (2025)

 

Written by Jon Watts And Guy Busick And Lori Evans Taylor

Directed by Zach Lipovsky And Adam Stein

William Bludworth: "I intend to enjoy the time I have left, and I suggest you do the same. Life is precious. Enjoy every single second. You never know when... Good luck."

My marathon of this franchise has finally led me to this movie and can I just say, this was really good? It's like the writers looked at what worked with Halloween (2018) and Scream (2022) and implemented it here.

This felt like a legacy sequel with a backstory on one particular character realised quite well. Let's take a trip to 1969 to begin with. That's where this film and now it's making me want a future movie to be a period setting. Anyways, it's there where we met Iris Campbell (Brec Bassinger). She's rather significant to things.

She was the one having visions of a sky restaurant she attended with her boyfriend, Paul (Max Lloyd-Jones). It was on the brink of collapse and it was in that very restaurant she saved a boy named J.B. (Jayden Oniah). That boy would grow up to be William Bludworth (Tony Todd). Iris on the other hand would go the Laurie Strode 2018 era route.

Yes, Iris would have children such as Howard (Alex Zahara) and Darlene (Rya Kihlstedt) and she'd do a fantastic job in alienating them. Howard and Darlene would find their own partners and go on to have children of their own. In particular, Darlene's estranged daughter, Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) would inherit her grandmother's (Gabrielle Rose) visions and then see her grandmother die in a grisly manner.

Stefani was the protagonist of the piece and it was to her to keep her family alive. This included her brother, Charlie (Teo Briones) as well as cousins Julia (Anna Lore), Bobby (Owen Patrick Joyner) and Erik (Richard Harmon). Out of all of them, Erik somewhat stood out the most, given how combative he was with Stefani.

Throwing a nice link to the second movie, the subplot of one of the survivors temporarily dying in order to close up the loop came into play once again. Of course, by the end of the film there was no survivors but at least the Campbell family felt a little more fleshed out compared to past films.

- This was Tony Todd's final appearance in the franchise with the movie dedicated to him.

- Looking at the writers, I just realised one of the writers as also a writer on the recent Scream movies.

- Standout music: Natasha Burnett and Garfield Wilson's version of Shout.

- Chronology: 1969 for the Iris introduction and 2024 for the main events.

Final Destination Bloodlines proved me wrong and also proved that there might be some life left in this franchise. It learned the best lessons from recent requels and delivered an incredibly strong entry. I'm now looking forward to the next one.

Rating: 7 out of 10