Saturday, October 31, 2020

#COVID-19 CATCH UP TV - Brave New World

Brave New World only landed in Australia mid this month, however if you were stateside you got it on my birthday, July 15, 2020. Landing on NBCUniversal streaming service Peacock as one of their first original titles. It sadly also becomes the first cancelled series.

Yes it's a nine episode one and done series based on the classic novel of the same name by Aldous Huxley. Starring Demi Moore, Alden Ehrenreich and Jessica Brown Findlay the series now joins many series in 2020 that have fallen under a more brutal axe. We have seen cancellations of renewed series be reversed like the final series of GLOW on Netflix.

Whilst today FOX wasted no time cancelling two of its summer series which ended up filling some fall gaps in the USA. Filthy Rich and NEXT (airing on Foxtel in Australia) have both been given the axe after 5 and 2 episodes respectively.

Back to the utopian society that calls New London home. So the show looks a million bucks (maybe one of the reasons the show has been scrapped) but it does lack substance.


The show has had mixed reviews at best and I wonder whether some of these new streaming services will have enough material in the bag to survive in the long time.

Apple TV+ is already extending peoples free subscription periods. I feel this is mainly due to the lack of content already rolled out by the tech company.

STAN has delivered some good content during this #COVID-19 CATCH UP TV season, however Brave New World is not the best offering, maybe give my new obsession PEN15 a go.

Friday, October 30, 2020

#COVID-19 CATCH UP TV - I Hate Suzie

I Hate Suzie is a British drama television series created by Lucy Prebble and Billie Piper, starring Piper as an actress whose life is thrown into turmoil when her phone is hacked and compromising photographs of her are leaked. 

The series premiered on Sky Atlantic on 27 August 2020, whilst in Australia it landed the day after, late August on STAN. Late August was a strange in Australia, it was mid winter, the gyms were finally back open in NSW so my TV time started to shrink again. However I was not to know content would also start to dry up. STAN had a smart technique of just picking up whatever content it could get its hands on to have something new on the weekly.


The first episode of this series sees Billie Piper totally frantic. The episode had me feeling super anxious. The mood and tempo of the series did however slow down after episode one.

I Hate Suzie will not be everyones cup of tea, however it is very different to a lot of the other sci-fi etc buzzing around at present.

Both Prebble and Piper have previously worked together on Secret Diary of a Call Girl and the play The Effect. Secret Diary of a Call Girl was a real throwback for me, I remember buying those on the DVD sale table.

I Hate Suzie streams NOW on STAN.

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

COVID-Cinema 2020 - Honest Thief

Honest Thief is the latest Liam Neeson action picture. Also starring Kate Walsh, Anthony Ramos as well as Aussie born Jai Courtney.

The thriller follows a former bank robber who turns himself into authorities, only to be set up by Courtney & Ramos. No spoiler alerts but the song bad boys, bad boys, what you gonna do.... came to mind with these crooked cops.

Honest Thief actually got a cinema release overseas (which is rare these days) and felt to me like Unhinged. A special plot, but a return to more regular B grade action films that can actually get an audience. For my mid Sunday session, it was actually fairly well attended. At least half the small cinema was full. This compared with one person (me) in the last three films, this is a solid result.


Clocking in at under 100 minutes, the film does not waste time with getting to its car chases and action sequences. I love how Liam Neeson and Jai Courtney just dust themselves off falling out of a level two hotel room window.

Honest Thief is nothing super original but it was a decent trip to the cinema. If B grade action films are your thing, which for me, they are!

3 Stars.

Monday, October 26, 2020

(Mini) Monday Spotlight: Great Gable

Celebrating the brilliant Great Gable from Bunbury, Western Australia has been a while coming. The four piece released their debut album Tracing Faces back on 7 August 2020. Yes it's taken me a while to feature Alex Whiteman, Matt Preen, Chris Bye, and Callum Guy. But better late than never.

Following three EP releases in 2020 their singles, All My Friends and Blur gained significant air play on  Triple J.

Great Gable have performed at Groovin' The Moo, Falls Festival, SOTA Festival, On the House Festival and Outfield Festival. The boys from WA have also played alongside Ocean Alley, The Jungle Giants, Thelma Plum, The Jezabels and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. 

Great Gable are also nominated for the West Australian Live Act of the Year at this years National Live Music Awards.

So let's discover your next favourite Australian act. Could it be Great Gable? See you next week for another great act under the (Mini) Monday Spotlight.


Sunday, October 25, 2020

COVID-Cinema 2020 - Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Amazon Prime dropped a Mulan sized bombshell this weekend with the release of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

Oh boy to be Rudy Giuliani right now. Starring Sacha Baron Cohen as Kazakh journalist & television personality Borat Sagdiyev, Baron Cohen this time around is joined by Maria Bakalova as his daughter Tutar.

Vice President Mike Pence is the main target, however its Rudy Giuliani causing all the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

The sequel to hit 2006 film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. This film comes at a time when the world is watching America shaking their heads and asking why?


Following Who is America? Baron Cohen gives to the small screen once again bypassing the major theatres. Following the Netflix film The Boys in the Band, I have been doing cinema different this weekend.

Now depending on which side of the political fence you sit on this may rub you the wrong way. Like if you read into QAnon this might not be for you or if you think indeed Trump is making America great again, maybe flick on some Fox or Sky News (after dark).

Borat has always been wrong and crossed lines but the second in the film series appears to really push the envelope. I enjoyed this film as it was a super easy watch and the headlines really drew me in.

Amazon Prime did well to score this. Surely this will help with subscribers numbers whilst Jack Ryan and The Boys have now concluded their recent seasons.

Cinema has 100% changed in 2020, from Netflix original films being considered second rate now to be former big screen giants landing exclusively on the small screen.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan rates 3.5 Stars.

Saturday, October 24, 2020

COVID-Cinema 2020 - The Outpost

The Outpost is the latest in my COVID-Cinema 2020 series.

With a steady stream of films now being released in Australia this is my second war film since the cinemas have reopened. The first was The Eight Hundred, a Chinese war film which I actually really enjoyed. So was this American story based on athe2012 non-fiction book, The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by Jake Tapper any good?

The film is about the Battle of Kamdesh in the war in Afghanistan. Starring hunky Scott Eastwood, Caleb Landry Jones as well as Orlando Bloom this film also ending up overseas hitting the Premium VOD in place of cinemas.

Set back in  2006, PRT Kamdesh (later renamed Combat Outpost Keating) was a U.S. Army outposts in Northern Afghanistan. The outpost was located in a remote valley surrounded by the Hindu Kush mountains. Not long into the movie you realise the base was regarded as a deathtrap for the troops based at the outpost.;

The troops stationed there faced regular Taliban attacks, culminating in one of the bloodiest American engagements of Operation Enduring Freedom. 


Throughout the film we meet some of the 53 U.S. soldiers & two Latvian military advisors based at Combat Outpost Keating. The final battle scene is huge where the US soldiers battle some 400 enemy insurgents at the Battle of Kamdesh.

It's bloody its fierce and at the end there is a respectful dedication to the real life soldiers who lost their lives during the battle. All extremely young which always seems to be the way with war. This makes it even more heartbreaking for the families left behind. The movies tries to give you a look into the lives the soldiers have left behind which adds to the emotion of the film.

If you enjoy a war film, this might get you back into the cinema. We need to support our cinemas folks, this is the third film in a row I have been the only one in the session. Yes it was an early Friday morning session, but folks let's do this. Save our local cinemas and keep some uni students within employment.

3 Stars.

Friday, October 23, 2020

COVID-Cinema 2020 - The Boys in the Band

The Boys in the Band is the latest Ryan Murphy Netflix production. This time it's not a series which is why it can be categorised under COVID-Cinema 2020. Like the new Borat film this weekend on Amazon Prime, cinemas are now being bypassed more and more often.

Based on the 1968 play of the same name by Mart Crowley, the first film version landed in 1970. So fifty years later, the film stars ta number of the cast from the play's 2018 Broadway revival. The good thing is the largely all gay characters are played by exclusively openly-gay actors.

This is a first gay characters are actually 100% played by out and proud men. Jim Parsons works with Ryan Murphy again after Hollywood. Whilst Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, Charlie Carver, Robin de Jesús, Brian Hutchison, Michael Benjamin Washington, and Tuc Watkins all star along side Parsons.

The film landed on Netflix on September 30, 2020. Take a look at the very bitchy trailer below.


I have to say this would have really suited the theatre. It had all the hallmarks of a play with limited setting changes and a very wordy script.

Parsons is getting a little type cast now, as a bitchy older, mean gay.

Bomer is handsome AF, however this did not help keep my attention for the entire film. It's just over two hours but did feel very long!

The big question is will Murphy's next Netflix project be any good. It's called The Prom and its out mid December this year.

The Boys in the Band might help prove the point I much prefer movies at the cinemas (call me old fashioned) but we have all had enough time at home in 2020 right?

2.5 Stars.

Thursday, October 22, 2020

#COVID-19 CATCH UP TV - American Vandal

Going back to 2017, it's over to Netflix with American Vandal.

Like Summer Heights High and Chris Lilley's work, this series is an American mockumentary. Airing for two seasons the show was canned back in 2018. Each season has a new story along with only eight episodes a piece.

Season One is based on a high school prank that left 27 faculty cars vandalized with dicks on them. Dylan Maxwell is accused of the crime by the school. However amateur film makers Peter Maldonado, with help from his friend Sam Ecklund, attempt to uncover who was behind the crime. Was it really Dylan Maxwell?

Season Two follows Peter and Sam at a Catholic private high school after their cafeteria's lemonade is contaminated with maltitol by someone calling themselves "The Turd Burglar." There is a lot of shit talk in season two. Replacing the talk of dicks in season one.


So is this worth a look? Well its a show for having on in the background at best. There is probably better stuff I could be watching but this was well and truly an easy watch. American Vandal has lots of poo and dick jokes making it perfect for a close to 40 year old who enjoys laughing at jokes mainly reserved for 14 year old boys with bad BO.

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

#COVID-19 CATCH UP TV - Normal People

Normal People was one of the talks of lockdown for binging TV. I have finally finished the twelve episode run on STAN.

The Irish drama was a BBC Three and Hulu co production with a fair amount of male full frontal nudity.

Based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Sally Rooney, the series follows the relationship between Marianne Sheridan (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell Waldron (Paul Mescal).

I struggled with the two leads as high school students, thankfully this was only for the first few episodes.


It's high drama and there are a lot of tears and feels. Was it worth it though?

The show originally aired on BBC Three in the UK in late April 2020, same as on Hulu. I can't remember when it launched on STAN but we have it now. You can stream it anytime or if you have watched it already, what did you think?

The series was nominated for four awards at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards.

So if you have watched everything else, maybe give this a go, it was a bit dramatic for me, however Ireland looked beautiful through the camera.

Monday, October 19, 2020

(Mini) Monday Spotlight: JessB

Jess Bourke otherwise known as hails from Auckland, New Zealand. Not only is NZ awesome for their recent Jacinda Ardern win, but they produce some awesome musical sounds. Lorde, BENEE, Evermore...

Now JessB. The rapper and former professional netballer has released two EPs (Bloom and New Views) while winning Best New Zealand Act at the 2019 MTV Europe Music Awards.

Recently JessB gave us her first mixtape, 3 Nights in Amsterdam with the awesome cover art below.

Working with Aussies Baker Boy, G Flip and most recently producer Kilter, JessB is getting a name (a good one) for herself her in Australia.

Her song Bump Bump featuring Church Leon was used on one of my recent Les Mills Spring classes. Yes Les Mills is also Kiwi. Good to see them bringing Kiwi music to the fitness masses.

So start the week off with some killer Kiwi beats, this is JessB. Remember the name!

                                        

Sunday, October 18, 2020

COVID-Cinema 2020 - Irresistible

I wanted to like Irresistible, a lot. Sadly in this political climate, where everything from face masks to flags is political. This completely misses the point and also hammered home the point I don't love Steve Carell.

I love Rose Byrne however her character was sadly absent for large chunks of the film. A brief overview of the story is a Democratic strategist who tries to help a local candidate win an election in a small right-wing town.

Now like most films, this film struggled with its release at the big screen. 


Initially set for cinema release in May 2020, delays happened, the it became another video on demand title as well a small cinema release.

With poor reviews and a very soft script light on laughs.

I will pass this for Rose, but really Hollywood, its time to stop being lazy, international films are getting wider release. Their stories are original and more interesting, Hollywood following COVID you really need to ditch sequels, superheros and lame remakes.

2.5 Stars

Friday, October 16, 2020

#COVID-19 CATCH UP TV - The Rise Of The Murdoch Dynasty

The three part The Rise Of The Murdoch Dynasty is much like the HBO series Succession, messed up. Power is a dangerous thing, especially in the hands of a Murdoch. Streaming now (free) on ABV iview, The Rise Of The Murdoch Dynasty breaks no new ground but reminds the viewer of Ruperts interference with democracy.


From Fox News to the News International phone hacking scandal the Murdochs have some very public issues that paint the family in a very bad light.

If you are a Daily Telegraph reader this will probably be of no interest to you, if you like facts and people in powerful people being held to account this is for you.

I have long disliked the News Corp influence in Australia, remember they helped elect Mr Tony Abbott. Thank god he got that job in the UK, they can keep him.

Streaming alongside some other quality programs like High Fidelity, The Heights and regular ABC series on ABC iview this is free for you to watch now.

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

COVID-Cinema 2020 - Dirt Music

 Australian movies are some of the only films getting a steady release throughout the COVID-Cinema 2020 period. The Guardian did a great piece over the weekend on the future of cinemas. With 007 and Wonder Woman now pushed back, again, it's not an easy business to be in with the lack of new content.

Tenet was an experiment, it seemed to fail and now as a movie fan I don't know how much longer the cinemas can keep it up.

Dirt Music however with its rough WA scenery is a film that puts the case forward for the big screen. With sweeping shots of the WA coastline and stunning landscape of the West. 

Dirt Music is not a great film, but it has great moments.


Julia Stone gets an acting part in this Tim Winton novel turned big screen effort.

The leads however in this Australian film are US actor Garrett Hedlund and Scottish star Kelly Macdonald. David Wenham is also a major player whilst Aaron Pedersen plays an unfortunately named character Beaver.

The landscape and the sheer beauty of the film is its strengths. I didn't love Kelly Macdonald whilst some scenes of survival were tough to look at (you'll know what I mean if you see the film) and like my last film Antebellum, I got a private screening. Yes I was the only paying person in the entire film.

So if overcrowded cinemas are a concern for you, don't let it be, my experience of actually going to a range of cinemas is, they are mostly empty!

I will pass Dirt Music but the film does have it's problems. Apparently it took a while for the project to get off the ground. This is not surprising with internationals cast in main roles and the filming locations would not have been easy.

2.5 Stars.

Monday, October 12, 2020

(Mini) Monday Spotlight: Stevan

Wollongong is where teen sensation Stevan hails from. Following state borders being shut off to the rest of Australia, Wollongong has become an area for Sydneysiders to escape the once great city for a weekend of fresh air and cafe culture.

Influenced by the likes of Bob Marley, Al Green and Stevie Wonder, Stevan is set to release another mixtape, Ontogeny, due to stream on November 20. This follows Stevan appearing on the second Cosmos Midnight record, a feature album over on my other blog, Flashing off the Record.

It's hard to believe Stevan has only recently graduated from high school, gone onto sign to the US label Honeymoon Records whilst also Stevan has became Astral People’s latest management signing sitting alongside Cosmo’s Midnight, Winston Surfshirt and Milan Ring.

His debut single ‘Time’ along with some of his early work can be discovered on his Unearthed profile 

Stevan is 100% one to watch, another great local (Mini) Monday Spotlight as we head into the final few for 2020.

Sunday, October 11, 2020

Room 104 Concludes (for good)

HBO has farewelled a number os series recently. Run (well it never really got off the ground, it was a one and done affair), Veep, Silicon Valley, Divorce whilst a number of hit mini series like I Know This Much is True and I May Destroy You have also wrapped.

With Room 104 concluding it looks like HBO has a problem with thirty minute series/comedies. I am hoping The Righteous Gemstones makes a return sooner rather than later. We all need comedy right about now.

So now to Room 104. 

Room 104 is an anthology series created by Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass. Debuting back on July 28, 2017, on HBO. HBO announced that the fourth season would be its last with it returning stateside late July, 2020. The series is now completed.

The series is set in a single room of an American hotel, exploring characters who pass through it in each episode. Each episode is a different genre from horror and thriller to comedy. Well that's how Wikipedia explains it and its true. With each episode ranging from out there to the believable there have been hits and a number of misses.


Its a show where you never really know what you will get per episode so you just have to dive in and hope for the best. Foxtel generally screens the series as it has the HBO monopoly in Australia. Season four is yet to air with the show sometimes held for no good reason.

Foxtel really picks and chooses what HBO shows it treats with the respect all series deserves. However Room 104 is definitely not HBO's best work.

The show however has had interesting episodes and the Mormon episode was 100% my favourite.

Farewell to another show taking a bow in this strange year known as 2020. Much like Room 104, everyday in 2020 continues to serve up something strange and at times unbelievable. Maybe the Duplass brothers are onto something...

Saturday, October 10, 2020

The Boys Season Two Finale

Are yes 2019 series The Boys has just aired its second season. Unlike the first it was drip feed to us week to week on Fridays. I get it Amazon have to protect its amount of content when filming is tricky now in 2020.

So the season commenced on September 4th with a triple episode episode. Then for the next five weeks it was a full on assault of this super wrong series.

Main superbad Aya Cash as Stormfront / Liberty (season 2) joined the Seven less well the Deep, the handsome and all grown Chace Crawford as Kevin/The Deep. A lot has changed since Gossip Girl days!


Okay so I have to admit I was a bit lost when I got back on board The Boys train. Not the A-Train aka Jessie T. Usher as Reggie Franklin but the show in general. I had given superhero shows a bit of a rest since I last finished Stargirl back in August.

Amazon has already ordered a third season, and a spin-off series is in development. Wow! That is a lot of The Boys.

The anti superhero hero show ups the game with Kiwi Antony Starr as John / The Homelander really taking evil to a new level. Karl Urban as William "Billy" Butcher drops more C bombs than ever before and takes violence to the next level.

This is not for the faint hearted, its a full on assault to the senses, but mainly the sights of heads crushing.

The finale (no spoilers here) was big, bold and set the scene for season three. Also is Claudia Doumit as Victoria "Vic" Neuman based on AOC in real life?

2020 has been really rough, we need shows like this to escape however the cover ups and potential conspiracies the Seven and Vought International are involved in.

So is The Boys season two worth a look? Well yeah it's wrapped now for 2020, so give it a go if you are ready for violence.

The Boys streams now on Amazon joining the latest spin off of the Walking Dead.

Friday, October 9, 2020

#COVID-19 CATCH UP TV - Emily in Paris

Emily in Paris is your new Netflix obsession. Launching last Friday (2 Oct) I was done and dusted by last night, Thursday. I know folks done in two days.

The ten episodes 30 (or less) minute season one is the easiest watch this Spring.

Created by Darren Star (Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990–2000), Melrose Place (1992–1999), Sex and the City (1998–2004), and Younger (2015–present)) this is yet another hit to his belt.

Starring Lily Collins as Emily, as well as Ashley Park, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Lucas Bravo, Samuel Arnold, Camille Razat, and Bruno Gouery.

Netflix has a hit on its hands. This needs a second series ASAP. With us all waiting for the final season of Younger, we need more Emily and her adventures in Paris.

Season one concludes with a really open ended conclusion. It's basically like to be continued...

You've seen all the hype online, your co-workers and friends are talking about it. Get on the #COVID-19 CATCH UP TV and watch some Emily in Paris. You may even pick up a French word or two.

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

#COVID-19 CATCH UP TV - Ratched

 So not really, #COVID-19 CATCH UP TV for Ryan Murphy's latest Ratched, I just forgot to write about it when I binged it over the weekend it landed back in mid September.

Based on Ken Kesey's 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the series stars Sarah Paulson in the title role of Nurse Rached.

Receiving a two-season series order we know Netflix has more Ratched on the way. When is the only question?


Like most Ryan Murphy series, this show had potential but it's more style over substance yet again. Judy Davis is terrific as Nurse Betsy Bucket not to mention another Aussie Alice Englert plays Nurse Dolly.

There is a large ensemble cast with the eight episodes racing by before your eyes. I found it a super easy watch with loads of eye candy. Sarah Paulson is also fantastic, the costumes alone need a full blog post. I read somewhere there was more teal than Wentworth LOL

Ratched like a lot of Ryan Murphy's new work is streaming now on Netflix.

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

#COVID-19 CATCH UP TV - The Comey Rule

Well technically not a #COVID-19 CATCH UP TV for The Comey Rule, however the two-part miniseries streamed on September 27, in Australia on STAN via Showtime in the US. STAN is really banking on Showtime's long list of hits of late. Billions, Black Monday, The Good Lord Bird and Penny Dreadful: City of Angels.

Sadly I believe STAN is set to lose its relationship with CBS/Showtime in the future, due to the relaunch of the dreadful streaming service Ten All Access, based on CBS (Showtime parent company) All Access.

Now that Trump has COVID it's hard to be critical and sensitive at the same time. Maybe this will be a game changer and he will learn some tough lessons? Maybe?

Well this two parter is based on the book A Higher Loyalty by former FBI director James Comey. Starring Jeff Daniels as Comey and Brendan Gleeson as President Donald Trump. No full disclosure Brendan Gleeson as President Donald Trump has no role in episode one, its a full assault though in episode two.

Episode one follows FBI director James Comey in the run-up to the 2016 election. Whilst episode two focuses on the early months of Donald Trump's presidency.

Jeff Daniels is great, but I think Trump has already been done to death. There are parts of the series that are actual media clips from his time in office as well as a number of big names like Holly Hunter playing real life characters in this real life nightmare we have been living since 2016.

This show came at a time when America was already divided with their respective minds made up on Trump or Comey. So I doubt this show will change anyone's minds on what went down between these two. You are either team Trump or team Comey. It's sad when the world has got to this point of being so divided with very little uniting us now. Even face masks have been extremely divisive since January/February of this year.

With so much news and facts (true or otherwise out there) this might be a show to avoid at all costs or take a look at. It's well done, however after reading it had a budget of $40 million I am not sure if that was all for the Trump make up?

If you watched the Presidential debate already and need something else before the Vice Presidential debate, this might be for you. The Comey Rule is streaming in Australia now on STAN.

Monday, October 5, 2020

(Mini) Monday Spotlight: Elderbrook

Meet today's (Mini) Monday Spotlight, it's Alexander Kotz AKA Elderbrook.

Based in London, England, Kotz's career began in 2015, releasing his first EP, which contained How Many Times.

Elderbrook's most notable song (to date) is the CamelPhat assisted, Cola. The song was nominated for the Best Dance song at the 2018 Grammy Awards.

Late September, Elderbrook finally gave us his debut record, Why Do We Shake in the Cold?. Following four solid EP's, Why Do We Shake in the Cold? features Something About You collaboration with UK dance stars Rudimental and My House.

So on this public holiday (in NSW, ACT and some other states) let's dance to a new dance record outta the UK. The (Mini) Monday Spotlight returns next week with Wollongong legend Stevan.


Sunday, October 4, 2020

COVID-Cinema 2020 - Antebellum

Antebellum is the latest in my COVID-Cinema 2020 series.

Starring Janelle Monáe, Eric Lange, Jena Malone, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons, and Gabourey Sidibe, the movie takes a strange plot twist. It follows a modern-day African-American woman who must escape from a 19th-century Southern slave plantation.

Antebellum was never released in US cinemas, opting to go down the Premium video on demand route mid September.

The film landed here in Australia this week. In time for school holidays and the long weekend in NSW.


OK this will not be everyone's cup of tea, its very political in a time when almost everything is political. Even Donald Trump going to hospital appears to be political.

Janelle Monáe is fabulous as Veronica Henley / Eden and Gabourey Sidibe as Dawn adds some sass and comedy to a dark film.

Like Get Out and Us before Antebellum this is a wild ride with a BIG plot twist. Once the plot twist is revealed its a wild ride.

I enjoyed this and was sadly the only one in my large cinema when I saw it. 4 Stars for Antebellum, screening now.

Saturday, October 3, 2020

Wentworth Season 8 Finale.

OK I have loved Wentworth from day one. However this season has been a major disappointment. With way too many characters to get their heads around, this season turned out to be more of an afterthought with not too much thought put into it.

The return of the Freak aka Joan Ferguson was very anti climatic. The explanation given for the escape from the grave was brief and left too long into the series. Viewers were questioning with the first three or so episodes, has Wentworth jumped the shark.

New characters Ann Reynolds (Jane Hall), Lou Kelly (Kate Box), Judy Bryant (Vivienne Awosoga), Reb Keane (Zoe Terakes) just added more storylines to an already packed series. Judy Bryant was particularly unpopular online, however in the finale her character really came to light.

The use as well of Marta Dusseldorp (Sheila Bausch) on all major marketing material was questionable too. Given the fact she only appeared in the last two episodes. And only for very brief parts. Her link to  Lou Kelly and Reb Keane became more obvious as the season rolled on.

That is the new characters, but we still had Jake, Will, Vera (and now Grace), Smiles (Linda) and Dr. Greg Miller and that is only the prison staff.

With all the inmates and Rita on the outside, this series just had way too much going on. Last season was meant to be the last and as much as there were enjoyable moments, I feel like the show should have gone out on a high or rebranded, rebooted again and started afresh.

Wentworth is streaming on Foxtel services now.