My Review of American Horror Story: 13 - Hell No

 

Written by Ned Martel And Charlie Carver 

Directed by Crystle Roberson Dorsey 

Cordelia (to Fiona/Marie/Papa Legba): "United we will defeat the Devil himself."

With only five episodes left to go, you'd think so, wouldn't you? Then again, it's the Devil and no matter how Avengers this season will get, there needs to be some major casualties. Cordelia going on about so much death should have some actual weight to it.

I liked how this episode started with Fiona and Cordelia actually bonding with each other. Being in Hell really seems to have given Fiona much to think about in regards to her past actions. For now, it does seem like she genuinely wants to help save the Coven against the Devil.

I'm glad this episode wasted no time in having the Coven realise they're up against the Devil and that Cordelia took the steps to fight fire with fire. Cordelia's trip to Hell and her scenes with Papa Legba (Orlando Jones) was brilliant. They both gave it their all but Cordelia had her trump card against Legba.

Papa wasn't pleased about Fiona being plucked out of Hell and less pleased when she stood up to him as well. In fact, he was outright furious with Cordelia and Fiona but also afraid of pissing off Satan himself. Saying that, it didn't stop him from suggesting Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett) being added into the mix, but only if someone volunteered to go to Hell.

This was where Queenie stepped back into the horrors of fast food service and who did she have to deal with? Yup, Madame Delphine Lalaurie (Kathy Bates) herself and while the latter's nastier racism was dialled down, Delphine was still a bit of a Karen in Hell. Queenie's method of dealing with Lalaurie was delightfully satisfying to watch. These last two episodes have been excellent for Queenie in general.

Now, where the episode lost some points for me was Fiona and Marie's banter. Marie in particular was almost too hostile to Fiona and Cordelia and it felt like the writers wanted to write some bitchy one liners for a moment where it wasn't earned. It was a good thing that Papa Legba got them all to focus on the problem at hand.

- I can't get over Kathy Bates getting her name in the opening credits this season and this was the only scene she ended up shooting.

- I really didn't like Morwenna blaming Voodoo, even if I could see why she leapt to such a conclusion.

- Myrtle got a mention as Cordelia apparently bit her as a child. Myrtle should be back next week.

- Of course this season was going to recreate the "knotty pine" moment. Points to it having Fiona trapped in an actual maze I guess.

- Is Queenie really Cordelia's favourite? That's actually really nice. Zoe and Misty aren't getting mentioned, are they?

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

Hell No certainly had it's moments and returns and callbacks galore. To be slightly controversial here, I do hope that the rest of the season doesn't have the Coven drown out the Apollyon story and that there's a good balance between both as they will inevitably intersect from next week onwards.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of American Horror Story: 13 - The Baddest Witch Of Them All

Written by Ned Martel And Charlie Carver 

Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon 

Fiona (to James): "In case you missed my point, I'm the baddest witch of them all and I don't need to dirty my hands with the likes of you."

For those who love the Coven side of things, this week's double bill certainly should've kept you well and truly fed. At the end of the previous episode, Cordelia Goode was absolutely dead. She remained that way for most of this episode to boot.

With Cordelia taken out, someone had to step up and take over things. Not the next Supreme but Madison certainly embraced a leadership role like it came naturally to her. She got Morwenna to work on Cordelia and then she paired off Queenie and Coco and Mallory with Ophelia.

Madison seemed to have some good instincts but it also didn't stop her from becoming Jeffrey Dahmer's first female victim. It's kind of funny that Madison died but also was revived a lot quicker than Cordelia. There was something oddly satisfying in how Queenie dealt with Dahmer, even in the midst of some very clunky dialogue.

Seeing the witches take on Zodiac and the Night Stalker had it's moments. Mallory in particular had a lot of rage towards Ramirez and used a certain trick of hers to give him his just desserts. Queenie's method for dealing with Zodiac also saw a use for Coco's power set as well.

Now, as good as Madison and company were with causing problems for the Cortez Devils, they weren't the reason those baddies were defeated. Nope, the much welcomed return of Fiona Goode (Jessica Lange) saw them all die quickly and horribly. Fiona got some good lines with James Patrick March before he was dispatched.

Leaving Fiona until the last five minutes was a smart move. She dominated the moment she stepped into the frame, made her presence well and truly felt and then she brought Cordelia back from the dead. Now, it's on to the mother/daughter reunion we've been waiting for this season.

- Even in the midst of a serious attack, both Madison and Fiona had time to smoke and even pass a cigarette to one another.

- I had to side eye the obvious reference to a certain Netflix show that Queenie didn't watch.

- Mallory telling Ophelia to keep the time travelling secret annoyed me. Mallory is gonna have to confess about that pretty soon.

- Coco's powers are so odd to me and even to watch them but the sugar spike her and Queenie subjected Zodiac to was executed well.

- Standout music: James Patrick March really does have lovely piano playing skills.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

The Baddest Witch Of Them All was the middle part of what should've been a trilogy. It presented a united Coven, the badass return of Fiona Goode and the demise of the Cortez Devils. It's not hard to see why this and the next one have been so well received.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Dracula (2025)

 

Written And Directed by Luc Benson

Vlad: "Do you think God will forgive us for loving each other so much?"

Elisabeta: "God is love. He understands. And if he doesn't - he can go to hell."

Did anyone want a French remake of Bram Stoker's Dracula? Well, even if you didn't, that's exactly what this movie more or less amounted to. 

It might sound like I'm complaining but I'm actually not. Well, not really. First of all, point to Caleb Landry Jones because he's one of the actors that I never would've considered for the role of Dracula but he's a very good choice here.

The movie started off with Vlad the Impaler. He's besotted with his lady love, Elisabeta (Zoë Bleu). He's off to fight the Ottoman Army and while that happened, Elisabeta tragically died and Vlad denounced his own religion and became Dracula.

Cut to the next four hundred years where Dracula was working over time to find a reincarnated version of his beloved. Of course that would happen upon eventually coming into contact with Mina Murray (Zoë Bleu). However, it's his interactions with Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid).

I love that Jonathan managed to avoid death by getting Dracula to talk about his love life. It certainly bought Jonathan enough time to escape as Dracula made the moves on Mina. Again, there's solid enough chemistry between the two of them.

Throw in some familiar characters but renamed - Dumont (Guillaume de Tonquédec), Maria (Matilda De Angelis), The Priest (Christoph Waltz) and Henry Spencer (David Shields) and you've got the usuals aiding or trying to stop Dracula. The conclusion isn't new but it's executed well.

- Those CGI gargoyles that were assisting Dracula looked rubbish but funny. 

- They really styled the aged up Dracula exactly like Gary Oldman's version.

- Standout music: Frederic Chopin's Nocturne No15 in F minor Op55 No1 DG.

- Chronology: 1480 AD Eastern Europe and 1889 Paris, France.

Dracula (2025) isn't the most innovative of takes of the infamous Count but it's engaging enough with a strong performance from Caleb Landry Jones and solid direction from Luc Besson.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Practical Magic 2 (2026)

 

Written by Akiva Goldsman And Georgia Pritchett And Kelly Marcel

Directed by Susanne Bier

Sally: "Here's the thing about magic. It won't be silenced."

This era of legacy sequels has now extended to 1990s movies that didn't do well in theatres but gained a cult following over time. While the Hocus Pocus sequel eschewed theatres and went straight to Disney+, Practical Magic 2 risked theatres with middling results.

Once again, we've got the Owens sisters - the extremely overcautious Sally (Sandra Bullock) and the fun loving Gillian (Nicole Kidman). Between movies, Sally lost her lover and stupidly decided to wipe her daughters - Kylie (Joey King) and Antonia's (Maisie Williams) memories of their powers. Needless to say, it was a decision that she would regret.

The birthday of Great Aunt Jet (Dianne Wiest) brought about the death of the dotty auntie and her funeral also had Kylie's lovely boyfriend Gideon (Xolo Mariduena) introduce himself to the rest of the family. Then Gideon ended up in a coma and both Antonia and other aunt Franny (Stockard Channing) would be confined to keeping him alive.

The rest of the movie had Kylie learn she was a witch, steal a left Book of Shadows and take a trip to England in order to save Gideon's life. This plot also put Kylie right in the hands of the movie's villain, Tom Lockland (Solly McLeod). Turned out he was an abandoned member of the Owens who needed Kylie to get his own power set.

Villain wise, Tom's generally okay. On the plus side, he isn't written as a straw misogynist but he's still rather underdeveloped as a baddie. It might have worked better had been part of a group of villains to pose a real threat to the Owens clan.

A slightly better new male character was Professor Ian Wright (Lee Pace). He's mostly helpful to both Sally and Gillian and there's a genuine spark between Ian and Sally that went exactly as expected. The whole movie ended on a note that seemed to imply none of the women no longer living in fear of a certain family curse.

- In the book, Antonia was a lesbian. That's not touched upon here. Franny also died towards the end of the film.

- Based on the 2021 book, The Book Of Magic.

- Standout music: Miriam Makeba's Pata Pata.

- Chronology: Supposedly 28 years since the first movie but that can't be right, considering that Kylie and Antonia are in their twenties. Also set in Massachusetts.

I wasn't sure I was going to like this but Practical Magic 2 turned out to be a rather pleasant sequel. Both Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman slipped into their roles and Joey King and Maisie Williams are good additions. The villain's underdeveloped though.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Insidious: Out Of The Further (2026)

Written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick And Jacob Chase

Directed by Jacob Chase

Elise: "If the dead rise, it'll be the end of the living."

This year, I started this particular horror franchise and nearly two months later since it's released, I've managed to catch up with the latest instalment.

I do wonder if there was a genuine regret in killing off Lin Shaye's Elise Rainier. It's safe to say that she's been the glue to this franchise and her centrepiece movies were somewhat the strongest in the franchise.

She's not entirely the centre of this latest one but her presence once again was both welcomed and felt organic enough to proceedings. The focus of course was on single mother and dental hygienist, Gemma Hall (Amelia Eve). Gemma's a fairly easy character to root for her.

The film opened up with her as a child (Charli Penton) witnessing the death of her mother, Ingrid (Laura Gordon). In the present day, Gemma's the only parent to Maya (Island Austin) and was dating a hunky cop named Nick Mendoza (Brandon Perea). Nick's also an extremely likable character.

The movie itself had Cyrus Lamb (Sam Spruell) trying to get out of the further by trying to use Maya as a vessel in order to get into the real world. Gemma's lucky to have her boyfriend, the assistance of Elise and of course, Clare (Maisie Richardson-Sellers). The latter in particular turned out to be a rather entertaining character to watch.

As a villain, Cyrus Lamb was a decent enough challenge for everyone concerned. His followers are also rather effective and there's a good sense of terror during the third act. Cyrus did make a strong impression in this franchise's growing list of villains.

- Keyface (Jasper Cleary) and Lipstick-Face Demon (Joseph Bishara) both appeared in the film. Doll Girl, Bride In Black and The Man Who Can't Breathe also appeared.

- Both Tucker and Specs sat this one out while the Lamberts were referenced.

- Standout music: Joy's How Come.

- Chronology: 1999 and 2019, Pittsburgh.

Insidious: Out Of The Further turned out to be another good instalment in this franchise. There's strong performances from everyone, including Amelia Eve . Looking forward to the next one.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

Doctor Who: Animated Spin-Off Has A Title/Tender Heats Up

It's a good job that I held off posting anything in relation to Doctor Who because in less than a day, two major news items surfaced in relation to the show's future.

First of all, that animated show (52 episodes, 11 minutes long each) has the title of Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew and will premiere on CBeebies from late 2027. The plot for the show has also been revealed.

Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew follows the Doctor, a young Time Lord, as he travels in his time travelling machine called the TARDIS with his friends Hannah, Beastie, and Toast-IE. They encounter several new worlds as well as villains like the Daleks.

I got to be honest. While I accept that it's aimed for kids, that animation looks horrible to me. I hope it lands for the intended audience.

Meanwhile for the actual show itself. There's Russell T. Davies providing more context for his recent era, following the release of his new book this month. I can't say he's really doing himself any favours in that regard.

There's also the fact that Jed Mercurio, the man behind series such as Line Of Duty and The Bodyguard has made a pitch for the show with Hat Trick Mercurio. STV Studios have also pitched and this would take future filming for the show to Scotland. Other pitches include two separate BBC Studios and World Productions.

This is excellent news and hopefully it'll mean that Doctor Who will be back sooner than expected. I'm rooting for Jed Mercurio as of now.

I'll post more updates as they come. 

My Review of For Your Eyes Only (1981)

 

Written by Richard Maibaum And Michael G. Wilson

Directed by John Glen

James Bond: "Oh, by the way, we haven't been properly introduced, Melina. My name is Bond, James Bond."

Took a tiny break but now I'm back into the Roger Moore era of James Bond and it seems like a return to basic was the order of the day. After the more science oriented Moonraker, that was probably for the best.

Once again, 007 has got himself into a pickle. The way this movie, he was on the brink of death. There's a bald guy in a wheelchair played by John Hollis who attempted to kill Bond. Of course this ended horribly for him in a scene that was unintentionally very cartoonish in it's execution.

There's also the death of two marine biologists and it's their daughter, Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet) who got to be the Bond girl in this film. There's decent enough chemistry between her and Roger Moore and of course, as expected, this film ended with the two of them in throes of passion. 

The villain itself, Aristotle Kristatos (Julian Glover) had an interesting trajectory here. He started seemingly as an ally to Bond before his true colours were revealed. His scheme involved planning to expand his fortune by selling the ATAC to the KGB. It was pretty straightforward enough as a plot.

There's also characters such as Hector Gonzalez (Aris Kristatos), Milos Columbo (Chaim Topol), Bibi Dahl (Lynn-Holly Johnson) Emile Leopold Locque (Michael Gothard), and Lisl, The Countess Von Schlaf (Cassandra Harris). All of whom are given sizeable amount of screen time and helped move the story along at a brisk enough pace.

- Charles Dance appeared in this film as Claus, who was the right hand man for Locques. Janet Brown and John Wells played Margaret and Dennis Thatcher respectively.

- The bald guy at the start was clearly meant to be Blofeld, wasn't he?

- Standout music: Sheena Easton's For Your Eyes Only.

- Chronology: Set in Greece and Spain.

For Your Eyes Only did take things somewhat back to basics and it's a fairly basic as a Bond adventure. I didn't love this but I didn't hate it either. It's okay I guess.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Lanterns: "Dirt And Stars"

 

Written by Chris Mundy And Damon Lindelof And Tom King 

Directed by Alik Sakharov 

John: "In Brightest day. In Darkest night. I'll embrace my fear. I'll do what's right. I choose the ring. I choose this fight. In service to this lantern's light."

Well, this was a finale, now wasn't it? For those wanting the big CGI battle, this was not the episode for you. For those who wanted John Stewart in his suit, this was not the episode for you. For those who wanted definite answers behind Hal Jordan's death, this one's for you.

Now, whether you like the answer remains to be seen. I'm not sure I entirely do myself. Hal's definitely dead and his killer was Kerry Kane. That slightly disappointed me. Though she accidentally kill Hal upon panicking about Noah's identity being made public.

Yup, turned out that Noah's a Manhunter and he wanted to avenge Zoe's death. He actually healed Hal when the latter got burned in a house fire but Hal's snooping into Noah venturing into that desert planet certainly put Hal in the firing line. 

Noah did show some actual conflict here. He took the fall for Hal's death in order to protect Kerry but he needn't have bothered. John did nothing to actually bring Kerry to justice. She did feel bad for what she did and that was it to be honest. 

Anyways, the rest of the episode had Sinestro trying to turn John and Halogram against one another but he forged a Lantern for John to charge the ring. The actual goodbye between John and Hal was pretty effective though.

There was also a nice scenes between both John and Guy where the former made it clear to the latter he won't be answering to the Guardians. John also created his own oath, which did feel right thematically for him. 

- Considering the ratings for the show, expect a second season announcement pretty soon.

- John's family took in Earl the plant. It's the least they could do, considering their role in John and Hal's conflict.

- Noah admitted to wanting to continue playing football and starting a family.

- Quick reminder that we will see John Stewart in Man Of Tomorrow, which will be in theatres from July 9th 2027.

- Standout music: Michael Kiwanuka's Hero.

- Chronology: I'm assuming this will be the last we see of Rushville. Hopefully next season implements more of Oa.

Dirt And Stars opted for the low key and measured efforts for a finale. I'd say, I was satisfied enough with this one. Season 2 honestly can't come quick enough.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of The Uprising (2026)

 

Written And Directed by Paul Greengrass

Ploughman: "I am no soldier. I am no priest. I'm just a farmer."

When is a movie about a historical figure not about said figure? When the movie in question didn't want audiences to know who their leading man was playing. Funny that. 

Spoiler alert: It's heavily implied by the end of this film during a particular volatile confrontation that Andrew Garfield was playing Robin Hood all along. Why the movie decided to keep that a secret until the last minute was a baffling choice.

For the majority of the film, Garfield was Ploughman and he was a man who lost his family and somewhat kick started the beginning of a peasants revolt against the King Richard II of England (Woody Norman). The young King was something of a merciless little shit.

Throughout the movie, the King only showed more cruelty and misery towards the peasants that not only did Ploughman try to make a stand against him but so did John Ball (Jamie Bell) and Wat Tyler (Cosmo Jarvis).

Both men are given as much screen time as Garfield's Ploughman and they're engaging enough to watch as the revolt escalated in many deaths. Tyler's death in particular really escalated the final act, which lead to Ploughman's real identity being revealed.

I actually think the reveal of Ploughman being Robin Hood was the best part of the movie, following his wrathful determination to be a living nightmare for King Richard II. It's a brilliant note to end an otherwise average 14th century movie.

- They did actually and very briefly retitle this film, The Uprising: The Rise Of Robin Hood. It didn't help that the Hugh Jackman movie also came out around the same time.

- There's some good supporting roles from Tom Hollander, Thomasin McKenzie, Stephen Dillane, Jonny Lee Miller and Katherine Waterson

- Standout music: Volker Bertlemann's Our Land.

- Chronology: 1381 England.

The Uprising (2026) might have fumbled it's marketing by not presenting itself as a Robin Hood tale but it's a movie that definitely got better in its second half and delivered the reveal in quite a satisfying way.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Buddy (2026)

 

Written by Casper Kelly And Jamie King

Directed by Casper Kelly

Freddy: "I hate Buddy, yes I do. I hate, I hate, I hate you. Stab your heart and kick your knee. Buddy, you're my enemy. Get an axe, chop off your head. I wish you were fucking dead!"

How about a horror film in which a popular 90s children tv icon got changed enough so the makers of this movie wouldn't get sued? Seems reasonable enough, huh?

Instead of a purple dinosaur, let's look at orange unicorn Buddy (Keegan Michael-Key) and his popular TV show Its Buddy. It's a feel good kind of world, as long as you do everything that Buddy asks of you.

If you're a child who doesn't feel like dancing or you ask too many questions, then Buddy's got a not so friendly side to his colourful personality that's all too bloody. Also if you happen to be a parent of a child you forgot about, you're the closest to an adult threat to Buddy's perfect world.

This would be where Grace (Cristin Milioti) fitted into the story. She turned out to be the real mother of child protagonist Freddy (Delaney Quinn) and while her husband, Ben (Topher Grace) was quick to dismiss her concern, Grace ended up being reunited with her daughter in a very violent children's world.

Yes, the violence I think would be a tiny step above the average segment of an Itchy And Scratchy sketch. Buddy had a very gleeful disregard for those who even mildly annoyed him and his true form was anything but cute.

I wouldn't say he's the scariest baddie but he's an effective menace as Grace, Freddy and other characters did their best to stay alive and Buddy's reign of terror. The ending was more unexpected than I thought it would be as well.

- There's some strong supporting performances from Patton Oswalt, Michael Shannon and Eric Bauza.

- There are eighteen kills with over half of them being human ones.

- Standout music: Tiny Lyn's The Wrong Place In Town.

- Chronology: Freddy was missing for years and her existence wiped from Grace and Ben until Grace started to remember her.

Buddy (2026) could've simply been a lazy horror pastiche of a certain purple dinosaur but it decided to try and be a bit more than that. It's a surprisingly effecting movie with strong performances from everyone involved.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of American Horror Story: 13 - The Return Of Devil's Night

 

Written by Ned Martel And Charlie Carver 

Directed by Crystle Roberson Dorsey 

James: "That's right folks. The Cortez Devils are dining out tonight."

If you were missing the Coven ladies and were also craving some chaos from the Cortez Devils, then this episode might have soothed your soul. The best part - there's more to come from this clashing of worlds.

Now I know at the end of his season that James Patrick March (Evan Peters) had declared an end to killing but this happens to be a new era and he's clearly working for Mr. Nas and if the latter wanted thirteen witches dead, then James was going to deliver on that front. Or at least give it a very good try.

Now, his crew comprised of real life killers - Richard Ramirez (Zach Villa), Jeffrey Dahmer (Seth Gabel) and the Zodiac Killer. I can understand bringing these figures back but alternatively, I think there was a missed opportunity not bringing past foes like Dandy Mott, Bloody Face, Margaret Booth or the Mai Tai Killer. Oh well, Chaos was still to be had. Did James actually kill our current Supreme?

Cordelia's been a bit of a doom and gloomer this season, something which Madison has teased her for while Queenie (Gabourey Sidibe) and Mallory (Billie Lourd) have expressed concern about it. Cordelia didn't exactly react well to when Morwenna (Alex Consani) started manifesting advanced powers. Morwenna also came across as obnoxious and annoying, which also didn't help things.

I do find it interesting that after taking both Madison and Queenie's words to heart, Cordelia attempted to communicate with her late mother. I genuinely thought that Fiona was going to show up at the end of this episode but it wasn't meant to be. Fortunately she'll be back next week and the Coven definitely need her right about now.

I think where this episode did lose points for me was that despite what James appeared to do to Cordelia, her "death" won't be lasting. She'll probably be back by the end of next week's first half of their double bills. Cordelia's gone up against much worse than Jams Patrick March.

- James likened a car that can drive itself to a Headless Horseman. He was a bit perturbed by Jeffrey's use of Grindr.

- Madison wanted to make s'mores and watch porn when it seemed like communication with Fiona had failed.

- Coco (Leslie Grosssman) has upgraded in her powers, though her pep talk to Ophelia wasn't helpful.

- Has Mallory filled Cordelia and the Coven in on the true events of Apocalypse? She seemed very shifty.

- Despite what Fiona did, I found it funny that Madison still admired her. Queenie on the other hand didn't share the same stance.

- Chronology: We were in New Orleams for this episode. No Apollyon or related characters appeared here. 

It's the first of a two part story of sorts. The Return Of Devil's Night was a welcome return of both the Coven and the Cortez Devils and I'm looking forward to the situation getting much worse in next week's episodes. The strongest of the three episodes that were released this week.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of American Horror Story: 13 - Date Night

 

Written by Ned Martel And Charlie Carver 

Directed by Jesse Peretz

Ben (to Ashley): "Why am I so fucking lame?"

Following the reveal that Ben DeSoto and Mr. Nas are indeed related, this episode only seemed to further double down on such a thing. It also decided to have Ben and Kira's not so best friend Ashley (Elle Chapman) have sex too.

I'm not gonna lie. I wish Ben was a gay or a bisexual character as we've had more than enough straight male protagonists in this universe. In the space of five episodes, Ben has undeniably not landed with some viewers in the same way that Michael Langdon had done when Apocalypse had aired. What's not working with the guy?

For me, it's his hook ups with women. They feel forced. Kira felt forced and she's given quite the scathing posthumous analysis by Ashley. Ashley herself actually felt deliberately forced. Throughout the episode, her connection to Ben was forced and I think I know why that was.

Again, lack of romantic/sexual chemistry between Ben and Ashley to one side, the latter instigated everything here. Yet again, for a protagonist, Ben possesses very little agency as a character. Ashley texted him to arrange a date, got him to open up about his 13 fear, being a foster kid and made sure to point out his tramp stamp. She completely drove the narrative.

Putting it bluntly, she's obviously working for Mr. Nas and Ben's on the cusp of actually figuring out his own origin story. I guess, technically, Ben still isn't the Antichrist but he's clearly got a role to play in Nas's overall plan, whether he wants to or not. I guess we will see Ben rebel against Daddy at some point.

I also gotta say, Ben must be either a flipping masochist or just a danger magnet because how does he attract both Kira and Ashley? Both wanted to control him, though Ashley seems to be subtle about it to Ben. Also thanks to spoilers to future episodes, it does seem like she won't be around for much longer. 

- Ben was born on Friday 13th, dead biological parents, overprotective neighbours looking out for him, six sets of foster parents and a woman named Martha who died on his 13th birthday.

- Do many straight men own a book by John Waters? Genuinely curious. Funny how Joey Pollari and John Waters have had scenes together this season. Maybe Ben could be bisexual after all. 

- Ashley encountered Piggy Man at a family wedding in 2020 and survived it. I think she was lying about being afraid of 13. I think she did a lot of things to deliberately get close to Ben. She also had skin graphs of pig skin.

- Joey Pollari was the only regular actor who appeared in this episode. That's never happened before. 616 was branded above Ben's backside.

- A few others survived the plane crash (which was near the Bermuda Triangle), including the pilot. Ben also called the parents of Kira's friends out of survivor's guilt and more dictator bones are being robbed.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off. Nas spied on Ben at the start of the episode.

Date Night might be one of the worst received episodes I've seen but I think I actually liked it better on second viewing. As long as the show doesn't repeat Michael's story through Ben and it seems like they won't, there's still potential here. It's a good showcase for Joey Pollari and some of his other assets. Look, I just like Ben DeSoto okay?

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of American Horror Story: 13 - Is That All There Is?

 

Written by Ned Martel And Charlie Carver 

Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

Elsa: "When it was over, I said to myself 'is that all there is to a fire?'"

Jessica Lange, the woman you are. For this episode, she got to play three different roles and while one of them wasn't for very long, she did with aplomb nonetheless. Aren't we lucky to have her back?

Elsa Mars should be in a Heaven of her own ideal but it seems like she's been dragged into Mr. Nas (Paul Anthony Kelly) storyline and providing a show for the Jezebel sacrifices. Yup, some of the most scandalous women like Eva Braun, Jezebel, Brigette Bardot and Margaret Thatcher (Jessica Lange) were revived, only to be sacrificed. Of course, Elizabeth Short met her maker once again.

This was also the opportunity to get Sarah Paulson to reprise some of her less popular characters in order to be chucked straight into Hell. I hope you weren't too attached to the likes of Hypodermic Sally, Tuberculosis Karen and Mamie Eisenhower because they really were just brought back to be killed off. Oh and when the numbers didn't add up, Ms. Venable was a little too happy to throw herself into Hell for the cause to boot.

There's no ambiguity with this episode. Mr Nas is Satan and poor little Ben DeSoto is his son. There's a deeper dive into that bit in the next episode. In this one, Ben was yet again drugged and gaslit by Mr. Nas, Constance and Mr. Phibes. It really wasn't his episode whatsoever.

Putting the Ben revelation to one side (I'll take my lumps there, that boy's pretty fucked up), I liked that this episode did a dive into both Phibes and Constance's motives for throwing their lot in with the Devil himself. Phibes thought of the big break he never got and Constance wanted to be a mother again. No wonder they were easily tempted.

I'll give Paul Anthony Kelly his dues for making a solid first impression as the younger Mr. Nas, though Fedor Steer isn't gone just yet. Paul's version of Nas was mostly in flashbacks with Constance but his scene with Ben was present day. Yet, he's not reached the 100 mark as of yet. Not long to go I guess.

- Paul the Illustrated Seal (Mat Fraser) was a part of Elsa's act. No real reason for him to be there to be honest.

- Jessica Lange did a decent English accent as Margaret Thatcher. I almost wished we'd seen a bit more of her.

- How many sons does Satan have? Did Ben grow up naturally or have an accelerated age rate like Michael did?

- Phibes got tricked by a trade and won't turn down certain acts or a drink. Maybe he'll get his biker movie after all.

- Standout music: Elsa got to sing Is That All There Is? Well, talk sing it at least.

- Chronology: It picked up exactly where the previous episode left off. 

Is That All There Is? did have fun sharply shooting through the thirteen leading ladies needed for this particular sacrifice. I'm glad we got the reveals for Constance, Phibes and Ben so quickly and there's some delightfully batshit moments within this particular episode.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of It Ends (2025)

 

Written And Directed by Alexander Ullom

Tyler (to everyone): "How long do you think we can keep doing this? Sitting here, driving."

Catching up with some recent horror and I was determined to make sure that my first post in October was also something horror related. Last night, I happened to watch this particular film.

You've got four friends - Tyler (Mitchell Cole), James (Phinehas Yoon), Day (Akira Jackson) and Fisher (Noah Toth). They're recent graduates, except for Tyler who enlisted during their year apart from one another.

In the car, the four spent time prying each other apart as they fill in each other on their lives and other relationships. James in particular mused on a future that would be unsatisfying for him and came across as the most antagonist of the group. James however was the least of the group's problems.

It turned out that the road they were on was actually was either to purgatory or Hell. Yup, our four main characters actually died and they're not the only ones on that road. For the rest of the movie, it's a case of each of these character making some kind of realisation until only one of them was left.

When the movie started, I actually thought that Tyler or Day were going to be the ones to actually survive but the former was written out halfway in the film. Both Day and Fisher have their moments of clarity.

Ultimate, it was James who was the last of the group. He's doomed to keep driving the car on an endless road but it seemed like he got a new friend during the very last scene. I'm not sure that's a positive, given the situation here.

- Tyler broke up with a girlfriend over not wanting to go to a pumpkin patch. Fisher had the opposite story and Day had tried to kill herself.

- James wanted to be put on ice. Funny how he got a worse version of that in this film.

- Standout music: Nile Osiris's Intro.

- Chronology: Time really lost meaning but it's split into character focus and miles clocked. Ended with over 1,100,000 miles.

It Ends (2025) turned out to be a thoughtful debut. I was expecting a more traditional slasher with this one but that wasn't the case. The main four are reasonably fleshed out. It loses points because I did find it lagging at times.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

DCU Blog - September 2026 Edition: Clayface Approaches, Lanterns Lights Up HBO And More

A slightly quiet month but an interesting one as certain productions move along for the DCU.

The final bit of promotion of Clayface (October 23rd) has kicked off. The film will be an hour and forty eight minutes long.

Matthew Lillard's character in Man Of Tomorrow (July 9th 2027) will have a biracial family. Speculation is that he's either Barry Allen or Ted Kord. Viola Davis may reprise her role of Amanda Waller.

The Bane And Deathstroke movie will be looking for a twenty something actor for Bane.

Robert Pattinson has explained it might be tough for his Batman to crossover into the DCU.

Mason Thames will voice Dick Grayson for Dynamic Duo (September 22nd 2028). Logan Kim will be Jason Todd while Lee Pace and Steve Buschemi will play Red Hood One and Two respectively.

Filming for The Batman Part II (February 18th 2028) has hinted at the Court of Owls factoring into events.

A Wonder Woman movie may be in pre-production. Meanwhile Adria Arjona is still being tight lipped about her DCU role.

Filming for The People Vs. Gorilla Grodd continues. Sara Gilbert has been cast in an undisclosed role. Maxwell Lord, Mister Terrific, Metamorpho and Hawkgirl will appear in the series as will Golden Glider and Murmur.

Sinqua Walls role in Man Of Tomorrow is rumoured to be a very physical one.

Supergirl might have tanked in theatres but it's managed to have found an audience on HBO Max.

Lanterns has proven to be a massive hit for HBO, clocking in over ten million and breaking into the Nielson Top 10. The finale airs October 4th.

Xolo Mariduena has talked about feeling humbled in regards to getting to reprise Blue Beetle for Man Of Tomorrow.

Superman (2025) is now streaming on Netflix.

And that's your lot for this month.

My Review of Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma (2026)

 

Written And Directed by Jane Schoenbrun

Kris: "I feel like there's about to be a jump scare."

A couple of months ago, I caught up with I Saw The TV Glow and found it's commentary on cheesy 90s cult TV shows to be a rather interesting backdrop to a coming of age story.

This time around, it was the turn of 80s camp related slashers to be put under the microscope. If you're a fan of Friday The 13th, The Burning and Sleepaway Camp, this movie had a lot to say about those movies. Specifically the latter and it's transphobia. 

Our protagonist was the generally likable queer filmmaker, Kris Williams (Hannah Einbinder). She grew up being a fan of the Camp Miasma horror franchise, in spite of its problematic elements. She was being given the opportunity to resurrect the franchise with a reboot. She was gonna it's transphobia problem.

On top of that, she was also determined to get the star of the original film - Billy Presley (Gillian Anderson) involved in the production. Kris wanted to basically give Billy the Jamie Lee Curtis treatment, though her bosses were less enthusiastic about the idea. 

The movie spent most of its time building towards the attraction between Kris and Billy. It moved at a pleasant pace with both women opening up to one another. Then the lines between the real world and the world of Camp Miasma began to blur into each other.

The use of that franchise's sympathetic antagonist Little Death (Jack Haven) while both Kris and Billy underwent their own sexual awakening actually worked pretty well. By the end of this film, Kris had a new movie to add to her favourite horror franchise and got to achieve a fan dream in other aspects too.

- There's some decent supporting roles from Patrick Fischer, Dylan Baker, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Quintessa Swindell, Arthur Conti, Eva Victor and Zach Cherry to name a few.

- There's a very clever use of both VHS and DVDs throughout the movie. A post credit scene has characters discussing a sequel.

- Standout music: Counting Crows A Long December and Sade's No Ordinary Love.

- Chronology: The cabin from the original movie that Billy lived was in the Pacific Northwest.

Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma isn't the most flashiest or even slashiest of horror films but it's an insightful enough deep dive into a specific type of horror. Both Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson make for a compelling double act here.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Run Sweetheart Run (2020)

 

Written by Shana Feste And Keith Josef Adkins And Kellee Terrell

Directed by Shana Feste

Ethan (to Cherie): "I'm gonna hunt you but if you make it through the night, I'll let you live."

The other night and out of boredom, I stuck on a random movie. A movie I knew nothing about and had no level of expectations going into. Sometimes doing such a thing can be a pleasant surprise. This was one of those times.

Ella Balinska was the lead here, in the role of Cherie. Cherie's a single mother and a lawyer. She's also set up on a blind date with the rather affluent Ethan (Pilou Asbæk). It's a date that was mostly going well, although with some early red flags.

Anyways the date took a violent turn off screen when Ethan attacked Cherie and with that, a motion of crazy were set into place. Cherie was forced into a game of survival or Ethan would go after her daughter.

At first this seemed like a regular run of the mill thriller but the supernatural side of things were hinted early on. Ethan's able to smell blood. This was something that Judy (Betsy Brandt) was able to tell Cherie about Ethan. Judy was also the very scared wife of Cherie's boss, James R. Fuller (Clark Gregg). In the least surprising moment, it turned out that James set Cherie up for failure.

Cherie did get some temporary help from her former partner, Trey (Dayo Okeniyi) and his new girlfriend and their friends. I really liked their characters and then they all got horribly killed when Ethan was revealed to be a vampire. That scene was played out pretty well.

The rest of the movie naturally built towards Cherie finding herself in order to give Ethan his just desserts. There's the inclusion of the First Lady (Shohreh Aghdashloo). She's a cool character, though added a little late into the mix. Either way, the final few minutes are really good and Cherie's moment of victory felt earned.

- This film premiered in 2020 at Sundance. It took Amazon Prime until 2022 to release it.

- Ethan breaks the fourth wall twice in the film. He also really hated dogs. Cherie ended up with a dog.

- Standout music: The Angels I Adore Him.

- Chronology: It's over the course of a night in Los Angeles.

Run Sweetheart Run made a surprisingly strong streaming movie. The themes aren't original but they're executed well and there's good performances from Ella Balinska, Pilou Asbæk and Shohreh Aghdashloo respectively.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Lanterns: "The Jordan Boys Legacy"

 

Written by Damon Lindelof And Tom King

Directed by Alik Sakharov 

Halogram: "What the fuck was Hal Jordan doing here?"

John: "I guess that's his boat over there. Let's find out."

Earlier in the season, we got the bsckstory of John Stewart. As we head into the finale, it was time to give one to Hal and it's not quite one from the comics.

As a kid, Hal had issues with letting things go. This included a baseball, which resulted in his team having to forfeit and Hal getting beaten up as a result. It also gave audiences the chance to meet his father, Martin (Jake B. Miller).

There's a tragic ending to Martin as a person that certainly informed a lot about Hal in the present day. Except for him being dead and his Halogram being not that dissimilar to a recording. A younger one though. Oh, Kyle Chandler had fun with this episode I bet.

Even as a dead man, Hal quickly was able to see through both John and Kerry. He even considered them as potential suspects in his death. He eventually ruled out John. Kerry not so much, which did concern me a tad. 

More importantly, Halogram eventually agreed to let John access the Vault where the two of them ended up on a dead planet. There was a boat journey that deliberately evoked the Underworld and saw John working through some of his family's bullshit. 

Then there was the return of Sinestro himself. Am I shocked that Hal broke him out of Oa? Would anyone be? Nope. I did like that both John and Sinestro did finally get to meet each other. It only took seven episodes.

- What the Hell was up with Noah's speech at his graduation? Did no one clock how off he sounded?

- Billy apparently makes a great dip. Even Kerry couldn't deny that. I hated that he assumed Kerry had moved on to John.

- Kerry called Hal "Tex", which Halogram seemed amused by.

- The episode stemmed from a small key that Martin gave Hal to keep the family legacy alive.

- Standout: Queen's Father To Son was used appropriately.

- Chronology: 2026 Rushville and the dead planet that had Manhunter skeletons. Hal's flashbacks were in 1975.

The Jordan Boys Legacy gave a sobering backstory to one Hal Jordan and Kyle Chandler certainly delivered one of his best performances in the show. It's a nice, albeit quiet lead into the finale.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Moana (2026)

 

Written by Jared Bush And Dana Ledoux Miller

Directed by Thomas Kail

Maui: "You're welcome."

It was a summer of mixed hits in terms of blockbusters and Disney seem to be almost half and half these days. With their live action remakes, they're either hits or misfires. This probably fell into the latter side of things.

Maybe it was the fact that it was less than two years ago, Moana 2 surprised everyone by being a decent sequel and hitting a billion. Perhaps it was too soon to do a live action version of the first movie.

The beats are essentially the same as what we got back in 2016. Catherine Laga'aia took on the title role of Moana and she's pretty likable as character in live action. Her story of course was the same beats, aided by her endearingly dumb chicken Heihei in order to retrieve a heart and magical hook.

This meant teaming up with shape shifting demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson). Johnson reprising the role for live action mostly works. His scenes with Moana and Heihei are the strongest as even a demigod can go on an important journey of discovery.

The visuals in this film are something of a mixed bag. Some are excellently brought to life while others clearly needed a bit more time in the editing room. It's not quite as bad it could've been a bit better too.

There's some good supporting roles for John Tui, Frankie Adams and Rena Owen as Moana's parents and Gramma Tala. Jermaine Clements reprised his villainous crab Tamatoa and he's generally good here. 

- A third animated movie is in the works, so this side of Disney will definitely have more exploration.

- Auli'i Cravalho has an executive producer role for this film.

- Standout music: Same from the animated movie, plus new song Along The Way.

- Chronology: The Polynesian island of Motunui. Te Fiti was also a living island while Te Kā was a volcanic demon.

Live action Moana isn't actually that bad. It's perfectly fine to watch and Catherine Laga'aia was very good as the title character. Even Dwayne Johnson isn't too bad here. I think I liked this more than expected.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Suspiria (2018)

 

Written by David Kajganich

Directed by Luca Guadagnino

Susie: "Why is everyone so ready to think the worst is over?"

About two years ago, I watched the 1977 version of this particular movie and I've been meaning to catch up with this remake. Watching the latest season of a certain show motivated me into seeking this out.

Luca Guadagnino as a director was coming off the success of Call Me By Your Name and this was an interesting follow up choice to make. The original movie is a highly regarded horror classic. Could Guadagnino at least compliment that with his own interpretation? He certainly gave it a good try.

The focus was on American dance student, Susanna "Susie" Bannion (Dakota Johnson). She had headed over to Berlin to join a dance academy where her dance moves had quite the effect on fellow classmate, Olga (Elena Fokina). Let's just say that things don't go very well for Olga following that particular moment.

In fact, things at that academy seemed to be quite sinister and it led to both Susie and Sara (Mia Goth) to investigating things. There's also another student in Patricia (Chloe Grace Moretz) who's given some needed focus and then there's Tilda Swinton herself.

She's been a long time collaborator of Luca Guadagnino and with this movie he awarded her three roles. Tilda got to play Madame Blanc, Mother Helena Markos and Dr. Josef Klemperer respectively. She certainly played all three roles with aplomb and did a brilliant job in making each of them stand out as well.

Of course, the most dynamic performance throughout the film turned out to be Dakota Johnson herself. Mostly when this film got to the Mother Suspiriorum part of things and her final scene with Klemperer. By far the best moments in this whole affair.

- There's a lot of the film dedicated to a Nazi Germany but it's relevant enough for certain characters.

- Jessica Harper, who was the protagonist of the original made a cameo appearance in this one.

- Standout music: Chloe Grace Moretz's Fairest Of The Season.

- Chronology: 1977 Berlin.

Suspiria (1977) doesn't quite hit the same craziness as it's 1977 counterpart but it's a damn great attempt nonetheless. There's some truly brilliant central performance from both Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton alike.

Rating: 7 out of 10