Binged 2021 - The Haunting of Bly Manor

I didn't love The Haunting of Hill House, I can't even recall when I watched it, it could have been throughout the blur that was 2020. However following my absence this week, I did finish The Haunting of Bly Manor the other day.

This is the second entry in Flanagan's The Haunting anthology series. Acting as a follow-up to the 2018 series mentioned above. It features a number of Hill House's same cast, but the two series' narratives are not connected.

Landing on Netflix in October, 2020 I was knee deep in Normal People on Stan, Wentworth concluding its first part of the 8th season and whatever I could get my hands on.

The Haunting of Bly Manor follows the events occurring in a countryside manor in the United Kingdom. With the arrival of a young American hired as an au pair for the two children living at Bly. Whilst being unaware that the manor is haunted. 

It stars Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Amelia Eve, T'Nia Miller, Rahul Kohli, Tahirah Sharif, Amelie Bea Smith, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, and Henry Thomas; Pedretti, Jackson-Cohen and Thomas returned from Hill House as different characters, as did Kate Siegel, Carla Gugino, and Catherine Parker in recurring roles.

There are no plans at this stage for a third haunting story however the critics love these series and the show was a hit again in its second season.

I enjoyed this way The Haunting of Hill House, it wasn't perfect but it felt like bloated than the first season. Cutting an episode in the count also helped binged this bad boy nice and quick. If unlike me you still have access to a Netflix log in, give it a go if Horror is your bag.

(Mini) Monday Spotlight: Returns next Monday

Well for a one off special at this stage. My other blog features another long running series, the Sunday Spotlight. In 2021 I kicked off early, thus far featuring Luca Brasi, South Australia's finest, Sia, Perth's best named band Psychedelic Porn Crumpets and finally the Foo Fighters.

So on Monday we will shine the spotlight (right here) on the wonderful Robbie Miller. His debut album was recently the feature record on Double J.

As we head into March there will be more film reviews on the way, more TV posts and from time to time the old favourite (Mini) Monday Spotlight.

Until next time, peace.

Return to Cinema 2021 - Minari

Minari (Korean: 미나리, lit. 'water dropwort', [minaɾi]) is simply delightful. Honestly this makes me want to fight for the survival of cinema. Seeing this beautiful movie on the big screen is an experience I hope generations to come can also experience.

Starring Glenn from the Walking Dead, AKA Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Youn Yuh-jung, and Will Patton. The film was written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung, a semi-autobiographical take on Chung's upbringing.

Minari centres around a family of South Korean immigrants who try to make it in rural America during the 1980s.

Minari has been nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. For Alan Kim as David alone, the film is a winner in my books.

If you are looking for a good drama, with some amazing determination at the heart of the film, Minari is just a perfect night out at the cinema. Or morning session, if you know me, you know I love a 10am screening.

With Australian films doing so well at present, The Little Things (which I still need to see ASAP) dominating screens, it's important also to seek out these important smaller films.

Steven Yeun was fantastic in Burning, however alongside the beautiful Han Ye-ri as Monica Yi, Yuen shines in this role.

I loved this film, 4.5 Stars.

Return to Cinema 2021 - Bridesmaids

*Originally released in 2011, screened at Westpac Open Air

As Westpac Open Air cinema prepares to close for another season, it was time to revisit one of the best films ever made. Yes ever, 2011's Bridesmaids.

Has anyone not seen this remarkable film directed by Paul Feig and written by Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig.

It was produced by Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, and Clayton Townsend. 

Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Ellie Kemper, and Wendi McLendon-Covey, Chris O'Dowd, Rebel Wilson and Matt Lucas, all star in this five star film.

The film has a budget of $32.5 (US) million, eventually earning over $288 million worldwide, the film is a certified hit.

If you haven't seen this film, I'm sure it's on Stan or otherwise it's on some digital renting platform, so do yourself a favour, have a laugh and forget the troubles of 2021.

Also go visit Westpac Open Air in the last few days, The Dry or old school Bond Casino Royale. Just get there it's truly iconic Sydney.

Until next time.

Binged 2021 - Industry

Binge in Australia has just added HBO/BBC Two title Industry. Season one is an easy eight episode watch. The series has already been renewed for a second season.

The UK (although with a very American feel) series follows a group of young graduates competing for a limited set of permanent positions at Pierpoint & Co, a prestigious investment bank in London.

Lena Dunhan directs the pilot so it's no surprise the series is packed with sex and nudity.

The show explores the graduates from all walks of life compete over the limited amount of full-time employment opportunities and focuses on Harper Stern (Myha'la Herrold).

Harper is a black upstate New York native who uproots her life to pursue success at the London branch of Pierpoint despite not having graduated from where she claims to have graduated.

Other graduates at Pierpoint include, Hari Dhar, a state-school graduate and child of Urdu-speaking immigrants; Augustus "Gus" Sackey, a gay black British graduate of Eton and Oxford; Robert Spearing, a white working-class Oxford graduate who is eager to please but taken by surprise by the change in social mores concomitant with high finance; and Yasmin, a privileged, well-connected child of Lebanese parents with an underachieving, drug-addled boyfriend.

All the characters (like most HBO shows) have flaws. The show is addictive whilst being fast paced loaded with sharp dialogue in line with Succession.

HBO needed another decent series on its books now Insecure is also set to conclude either this year or next.

Industry like Betty was annoying to have to wait for Binge to decide the series was worth Australians to view.

I would strongly recommend this series to anyone looking for something new to add to their list of series to catch up on.

Return to Cinema 2021 - The Prom

The Prom is the latest offering on Netflix from Ryan Murphy. It follows Ratched as well as the very average Netflix film The Boys in the Band.

The Prom got a small cinema release in Australia as well as playing a few outdoor cinema venues. 

Adapted to the screen from Matthew Sklar's 2018 Broadway musical of the same name, starring an all star cast. Lead by Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Keegan-Michael Key, Andrew Rannells, Ariana DeBose, Kerry Washington, and introducing Jo Ellen Pellman as Emma Nolan.

The Prom commenced streaming on Netflix on December 11, 2020, so I gave this a minute before starting it. However I was pleasantly surprised, unlike some of the critics.

I still don't know how I feel about Netflix made movies. The movies in Australia is in real trouble. Like serious trouble. If you care about experiencing movies on the big screen, support independent cinemas HERE.

The Prom tackles some big issues, has some fabulous musical numbers and really showcases a different side of Nicole Kidman and Kerry Washington. This was fun and easy viewing. 3 Stars.

February/March TV Finales - Your Honor

Your Honor is limited series, streaming now on Stan. Starring Breaking Bad king, Bryan Cranston whilst being adapted from the Israeli TV series Kvodo (Hebrew: כבודו‎).

The ten episode thriller premiered back in December, 2020. With a chain reaction plot based on when the teenaged son of a prominent New Orleans judge accidentally kills another teen in a hit-and-run. The judge urges him to turn himself in to the police, but changes his mind when he learns the victim was the son of a local mafia kingpin. The judge's attempts to dispose of the evidence leads to tragic consequences for another teen.

Joining Cranston, Michael Stuhlbarg, Sofia Black-D'Elia, Carmen Ejogo and Isiah Whitlock Jr., Hope Davis, Lilli Kay, Amy Landecker, Tony Curran, Keith Machekanyanga, Lamar Johnson and Benjamin Flores, Jr. and The Affairs Maura Tierney also rounding out an all star cast.

Only taking a week off around the Australia Day holiday, this has been a welcome Sunday night addition to Stan. Showtime (in the USA) has had limited hits of late. With Shameless being drip fed over the couple of months, City on a Hill returning late next month whilst a reboot of Dexter is on the cards in 2021.

Bryan Cranston plays a Michael Desiato who is put in the most awful position. The final is bold, to the point and ultimately a bit of a tragedy.

The show unravels for a number of characters, who are all mostly unlikable. This tradition of shows having mostly unlikable leads is a bit tough. You as the viewer don't know who to root for.

If you have missed Your Honor over the previous weeks on Stan, maybe give the ten episodes a binge. It's high class drama based outside New York or LA which is also a nice change.

February/March TV Finales - The Stand

Amazon Prime in Australia grabbed onto the latest CBS All Access series, The Stand. So here comes my new TV BLOG series, February/March TV Finales.

CBS All Access had a go in Australia with Ten All Access, it was a bit of a fail. In the USA I think it's a bit of a bigger deal. Shame Stephen King's latest miniseries, The Stand is nowhere near as a big as HBO miniseries The Outsider (which sadly will not get a second season) despite the fact it has an all star cast.

James Marsden as Stu Redman, Alexander Skarsgård as Randall Flagg / "The Dark Man", Whoopi Goldberg as Mother Abagail, Amber Heard as Nadine Cross and Greg Kinnear as Glen Bateman.

Alexander Skarsgård got naked in the finale so that was GOOD!

The mini series commenced in mid December, running weekly and consistently through its 9 episodes.

The show was also filmed in beautiful BC. Vancouver, British Columbia to be precise. Vancouver really looks amazing on HD TV.

Stephen King is literally everywhere right now, It Chapter I & II was something to be seen at the movies whilst Castle Rock just concluded and Creepshow is still airing.

Was this my favourite, no, also I am not sure why 1994 series was only four episodes. However did we need a show that centers on a pandemic resulting from a mishap at a military biological research station which allows the escape of a lethal strain of influenza in 2020/2021? The show however moves away from the pandemic to good vs evil, Skarsgård vs Goldberg.

If you need a show to watch instead of the Australian Open and horror/survival series are your thing, maybe get an Amazon trial.

Up next on the idiot box, The Prom and Your Honor concludes.

Return to Cinema 2021 - Synchronic

Synchronic played at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019, in 2021 it gets a COVID style cinema release.

Starring the fantastic Avenger Anthony Mackie and 50 Shades of Jamie Dornan.

So the plot goes

Steve (Mackie) is a ladies' man and Dennis (Dornan) is married with two children. In their work as paramedics on the late shift they begin to encounter a series of people who are either dead or in a strange state. After some exploration they discover it relates to a new designer drug, Synchronic.

Steve discovers he only has six weeks to live and decides to buy up all the Synchronic in town to protect others - only to discover that what he has is a time travel pill that may help to find his partner's missing daughter.

Steve chronicles how the pill works with different forms of ingestion effecting different scales of time travel as he tries to discover what happened to the missing daughter.

It's a literal trip. It's part crime thriller, part sci-fi horror mystery. The genre bending got a bit for me however critics and timing wise (a little over an hour and a half) made it a passable film.

Also Mackie should be more of a star, he does really light up the screen whenever he enters any scene. 2.5 Stars.

Return to Cinema 2021 - Greenland

* In Australia Amazon original film, now streaming on Amazon Prime.

Greenland is actually receiving decent reviews around the place whilst doing OK at the global box office. Grossing over $47 million worldwide against a production budget of $35 million. In the USA Greenland was released via video on demand in December, 2020. Streaming  on HBO Max and Amazon Prime, which is where it streams in Australia now. It was still released theatrically in other territories, beginning with Belgium on July, 2020.

Starring Gerard Butler (who also co-produced), Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd, Scott Glenn, David Denman, and Hope Davis. 

The film centres around a family who must fight for survival as a planet-destroying comet races to Earth.

We have all been here before, however this time instead of twisters, volcano's or tidal waves, it's comets from space.

During a global pandemic do we need something else to fear? I remember watching a German show with a similar tale to tell last year during the lockdown closed period.

I am not great at watching films at home. I get distracted, stuck into my washing or watch the film in parts. It took me three sittings to watch Greenland.

Whilst it was impressive I would say I would probably have enjoyed this at least thirty percent more at the cinemas. This is why we need now more than ever to support cinemas. Whilst watching something at home is nice, seeing it in a large space, with good air con and great sound. Nothing compares.

Greenland was OK, could have been better under different circumstances. 2.5 passing stars.

Binged 2021 - Sweetbitter

Sweetbitter is one of those hidden thirty minutes two season wonders on Stan. Based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Stephanie Danler, the series originally aired on Starz (Power etc) in the USA. 

The series was canceled after two seasons. Sweetbitter follows Tess, who shortly after arriving in New York City, lands a job at a celebrated downtown restaurant. 

Swiftly introduced to the world of drugs, drinking, love, lust, dive bars and fine dining, she learns to navigate the chaotically alluring, yet punishing life she has stumbled upon.

The show is sweet and short at 14 total episodes. Six episodes season one, eight the second and final.

It is bitter Ella Purnell as Tess as she explores life, sex and work in big, bad New York City. I worked in a restaurant environment in North America, so in a way I related to this series. Kitchens create a high tension, fast paced work environment. With everything done to time, it's no doubt the waiters are on something to get through shifts with challenging customers.

Sweetbitter might not be perfect, however its a nice watch if you need something not to full on in the background. Stan is of course where you will find it, All American streaming weekly and this week new series Clarice. Wow, go Stan!

Return to Cinema 2021 - Wrong Turn (2021 film)

Wrong Turn or maybe known Wrong Turn: The Foundation is a reboot while being the seventh instalment of the Wrong Turn film series.

Starring a bunch of unknowns, Charlotte Vega, Adain Bradley, Emma Dumont, Dylan McTee, Daisy Head, Bill Sage and Matthew Modine. Here is the trailer.

Wrong Turn was one of those horror movies in the early 2000's that then saw a load of straight to DVD/streaming sequels. So I was surprised a new version was coming out in these COVID cinema times.

So this could have been as violent as some of those nasty Saw and Hostel films, however it was a lot more restraint than it could have been.

The film was highly unoriginal being the seventh version of this tried and trusted tale, however I was never bored as the action and the pacing of the film was fairly well done.

You got the feeling they made out The Foundation members were almost Trump, QAnon fans. The pop culture, cultural references were one of the differences I noticed. 

If horror is your thing this might be a good one for you as I cannot see many more horror films on the horizon given Candyman and the Halloween films are on ice for now. Not to mention The Quiet Place Part II.

Wrong Turn 2021 remix, gets a pass, 2.5 stars.

Binged 2021 - Selena: The Series

Selena: The Series (Spanish: Selena: la serie) is a biographical drama streaming now on Netflix. Part One landed early December, 2020 whilst the second part is set to premiere on May 14, 2021. At least I have something to catch up on once the majority of US network shows hang up their boots for 2021. At least until September when they may return...

The nine episode first part tells the story of Tejano singer Selena's rise to fame and the sacrifices she and her family must make along the way.

The story of the Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla, from her childhood to her rise to fame, along with the difficult and heartbreaking tough choices she and her family make to hold on to love and music. Starring Walking Dead star Christian Serratos as Selena and Ricardo Chavira as her father Abraham Quintanilla the series does feel a little B grade in comparison to big Netflix series like Bridgerton. However it definitely has soul.

I was not aware of Selena's music ahead of hitting play on episode one, however as a music lover I always have a soft spot for music based stories.

Some episodes drag whilst most move fairly quickly from the tour bus to live performances to family dramas. If you are up to date on your current shows maybe give Selena: The Series a go.

Binged 2021 - It's a Sin

Sadly there is not much on at the cinemas at present, so it's time to Binge! First up to Stan and the five part heartbreaker, It's a Sin.

The miniseries by Russell T Davies follows a group of friends, mostly in their late teens and early twenties, who move to London in 1981 and have their lives turned upside down by HIV/AIDS, spanning a decade until 1991.

It premiered in Australia on Stan late January when we would normally be watching the Australian Open. Not this year!

Starring Years and Years lead vocalist Olly Alexander, Omari Douglas, and Callum Scott Howells starring as Ritchie Tozer, Roscoe Babatunde, and Colin Morris-Jones respectively. 

The show is heartbreaking whilst also being full of joy, music during a very tough time for the gay community. I watched a documentary (also on Stan) recently on the Reagans and like COVID-19, AIDS/HIV was very new to the medical world.

We have come so far, yet still there is more to do. It's a Sin is an exceptional piece of TV. It's been a big summer on the streaming services for content, so free to air. Come on time to pull your socks up!

More binged content coming soon. It's the weekend, enjoy!

Binged 2021 - Pennyworth (Season One-Two (part I))

After getting back into Batwoman recently, I decided to connect with Pennyworth. Like Gangs of London before it, the violence in this series in intense.

Another side of the Batman story by DC Comics we meet Jack Bannon as Alfred Pennyworth. Yes another origin story. A very gritty origin story. With so much violence 

Starring Jack Bannon alongside Ben Aldridge, Emma Paetz, Ryan Fletcher, Hainsley Lloyd Bennett, Paloma Faith (yes the singer) and Polly Walker.

The second season was confirmed and green lit in October, 2019. Filming commenced in January 2020. However, filming was paused in March 2020 due to the COVID-19.

The second season premiered on December 13, 2020. for its opening four episodes. These episodes continue Jason Flemyng as Lord James Harwood continuing to attempt a Donald Trump, Capitol building episode.

Season two will be another 10 episode affair whilst introducing Simon Manyonda as Lucius Fox. I'm fairly hooked on the Alfred origin story, seeing Bruce Wayne also mince around London in his earlier days.

This one might be for the Batman hardcore fans but still a decent watch.

Return to Cinema 2021 - The Marksman

Liam Neeson returns for the second COVID action thriller film following Honest Thief in 2020. The Marksman follows a rancher and former Marine (Liam Neeson) living in an Arizona border town who must help a young boy (Jacob Perez) escape a Mexican drug cartel.

The film has received mixed reviews from critics. However when you go to a Liam Neeson film, what do you expect? 

Honest Thief had a lot more action than this slow burn. It really took a while for this film to move out of first gear. The road movie across multiple US states had very few action moments, however the finale was mostly entertaining.

If you have seen all the awesome Aussie content currently screening (The Dry, Penguin Bloom and High Ground) maybe give this one a go.

2.5 Stars.