May TV Finales - Black Lightning - Season Four/Series Finale

The fourth and final season of Black Lightning concluded this past week. Making it the first of two Arrowverse shows take take their final bows this TV season.

The DC Comics character Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning, premiered on The CW back in 2018.

The final season continues to follow Jefferson, now a high school principal in his second stint as the superhero Black Lightning, as he fights against local corruption in his community of Freeland. 

Cress Williams stars as Jefferson, alongside China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams, Marvin "Krondon" Jones III, Christine Adams, Jordan Calloway, and James Remar. 

I was mostly lost throughout the season as I lost interest in the show maybe partly though last season. Who knows, however the spin off that was once planned for Painkiller now is DOA.

The show struggled in the USA with poor overnight ratings this year, possibly leading to the spin off being canned way before it was set to take off.

I hoped for a bigger more enjoyable farewell season, but sadly it didn't really deliver. I am Supergirl really goes out with a bit more of a bang after six long seasons.

The May TV Finales have been a lot so far. There are a few more to come. 9-1-1 OG season, Mare of East Town and The Equalizer.

Stay warm this weekend Sydney and Melbourne chin up, six days to go.

Binged 2021 - Fisk

The ABC delivered a sleeper hit that aired in March/April with Fisk. I really don't know why I missed this whilst it was screening week to week, but the six episode comedy was an easy AF binge.

The Kitty Flanagan series revolves around the life of lawyer Helen Tudor-Fisk (Flanagan), who leaves Sydney after her career and marriage fall apart. Returning to Melbourne Tudor-Fisk takes a job at Gruber & Gruber, a small suburban firm specialising in wills and probate. Where Helen works alongside a number of misfits. Marty Sheargold as Ray Gruber, Julia Zemiro as Roz Gruber & breakout Aaron Chen as George.

Also featured in the six part, 30 minute series, John Gaden as Anthony Fisk, Glenn Butcher as Victor & as Helen's ex husband Bert La Bonté as William.

The series is a super easy watch, Flanagan and the cast all have great chemistry. It actually looks like the show was a bunch of fun to make. I am also hoping to catch up with the Wakefield series as well when all the US dramas simmer down. But for now Fisk is a 5 star watch! Get on it now on iView.

Return to Cinema 2021 - Those Who Wish Me Dead

Those Who Wish Me Dead is Angelina Jolie's return to cinema. Like most of us the return to cinema has taken us a while. This is a long way from Maleficent for Jolie.

Meanwhile Jolie is joined by Australian Finn Little as Connor, Jon Bernthal, Medina Senghore, and Jake Weber.

Directed by Taylor Sheridan (Sons of Anarchy, Yellowstone and Veronica Mars) Those Who Wish Me Dead follows a boy (Finn Little) who witnesses the murder of his father and goes on the run with a smokejumper (Angelina Jolie) in the Montana wilderness to escape a pair of assassins (Nicholas Hoult and Aidan Gillen). Meanwhile a bushfire is raging and shit is going down all over the shop. 

There is a lot happening in this film.

I was lucky enough to see this film at my local independent Palace Cinemas for $5 and putting a price on this action, thriller, adventure, drama (so many genres all in this film) I would say the price is right @ $5 per ticket.

The film literally jumps all over the shop but Jolie completely shines as the lead as does Finn Little.

So much drama compacted into 100 minutes. It's passable at 3 Stars.

May TV Finales - 9-1-1: Lone Star - Season Two Finale

9-1-1: Lone Star concluded its successful second season with a dust storm finale. Yes a full blown dust storm. In 9-1-1 tradition usually the season openers open with massive disasters so this has flipped it on its head, concluding with a massive dramatic ending. However unlike most series, there is no cliffhanger but a change of operating moving forward for the already renewed third season.

I enjoyed 9-1-1: Lone Star more than the parent show all the way up until the finale. I haven't seen it yet but the set up for the 9-1-1 season four finale looked awesome!

So 9-1-1: Lone Star didn't have the biggest and best closer, but I see a bright future for the third season. I also can not get enough of TK and Carlos. Best gay couple on TV hands down.

Honestly if you haven't discovered 9-1-1 or this the spin off Lone Star in Austin, Texas, get on it!

Two seasons deep and this might be Ryan Murphy's most consist series in a while.

Fox will be bringing this one back mid season next season, so a slightly longer wait for more TK and Carlos here we come.

Return to Cinema 2021 - Spiral

Spiral (also known as Spiral: From the Book of Saw) is the ninth instalment in the Saw film series. This time with an all star cast. Including Chris Rock, Max Minghella (The Handmaid's Tale), Marisol Nichols (Riverdale), and of course Samuel L. Jackson.

So basic plot, a Jigsaw copycat killer starts acting on particular police station run by Marisol Nichols. Rock also works at the station, whilst Jackson was his father.

James Wan and Leigh Whannell, serve as executive producers alongside Rock. As Chris Rock wanting to branch out into the horror genre. James Wan is one busy ass man.

Regular readers of this blog no I have ZERO time for gore porn so for a few good minutes in this film my head was in my scarf. Yes its finally winter in Fortress Australia. Why Fortress Australia? No one in, no out out, unless you are a cricket player or want to take part in this years Olympics.

So does Spiral take Saw back to its glory days? Nine films in it's a big ask but with talents like Max Minghella on board you would hope so. He delivers but Chris Rock is just loud and annoying for a good 80% of the time he is on the screen.

In these troubled cinema times though the film has already made budget meaning the sequel is definitely on the way. Yes a sequel and spin off TV series are now apparently in the works.

So the storyline was average at best, Rock was horrible, Jackson was hardly present and the torture scenes were hard to watch. At least in this film it felt there was more of a storyline and not just gore, gore, gore.

It is hard to pass with Rock's character (the main character) being so dislikable. Not to mention some of the dialogue. It was basic at best.

2 Stars for giving it another go.

May TV Finales - Big Sky - Season One Finale

Last week (in the USA) saw a number of seasons/series conclude. Prodigal Son, City on a Hill and Zoeys Extraordinary Playlist. Now it's time to look at Big Sky. Already renewed for a second season, the ABC crime drama thriller by David E. Kelley based on The Highway series of books has been a rare hit this 2020–21 television season.

Starring John Carroll Lynch, Dedee Pfeiffer, Ryan Phillippe, Katheryn Winnick, Brian Geraghty and Omar Metwally. Although spoiler alert, Ryan Phillippe bails out early on.

I have to say I enjoyed the series more when I believed it was going to be a 10 episode first season/mini series.

The second half of the season (when it returned from a two month break) felt a little forced. The first half of the season with the girls in the truck was way more interesting/compelling compared to the Yellowstone light secondary storyline.

The show was a massive hit for ABC (in the USA) placing just behind Shonda hit series like Grey's and Station 19 as one of its most popular drama series.

That said the show will join Grey's and Station 19 on Thursday nights in the USA. I will be interested to see if all shows return late September taking the US series back to their OG scheduling. A September through May season.

Big Sky in Australia airs on Star/Disney+.

May TV Finales - Prodigal Son - Season Two/Series Finale

Prodigal Son is the latest series to get the axe. All season two episodes now airing on Binge juts as season two/the series concluded.

This is yet another Greg Berlanti series (one of few that live outside the The CW) making him almost as busy as Ryan Murphy. Actually he may be busier. Now Blindspot, Sabrina and Prodigal Son are done he already has a number of new series on the way. Including a new Green Lantern.

The show centered around Malcolm Bright, whose father, Martin Whitly, also known as the killer the Surgeon. 

Malcolm (in his younger years) was responsible for his fathers arrest. In the present, he is now a profiler with the NYPD. Malcolm finds himself drawn back into constant contact with his father as he must both use Whitly's insights to help the police solve horrible crimes and battle his own inner demons. 

The show starred Lou Diamond Phillips, Aurora Perrineau, Frank Harts, Michael Sheen, Bellamy Young, Keiko Agena, Halston Sage, Tom Payne, Dermot Mulroney and last but not least Catherine Zeta-Jones.

So the show had a stacked cast and Berlanti behind the series. So what lead to the cancellation? Well first up, low ratings. The show also had little buzz while not being overly critically acclaimed.

In a crowded market of cop shows this wasn't the biggest series currently airing on network US TV.

I enjoyed the first season, however season two was a bit of a drag. I think the lower episode count helped, however if this was on Netflix with a ten episode count per season it may have lived on.

RIP Prodigal Son.

May TV Finales - City on a Hill - Season Two Finale

Another absent series in 2020 City on a Hill returned for an eight episode season two run at the end of March. Airing in Australia on Stan this will be on of the last Showtime series to air on Stan ahead of Paramount+ launching in Australia.

Starring Kevin Bacon, Aldis Hodge, Amanda Clayton, Cathy Moriarty, Kevin Dunn, and Jill Hennessy, the series has yet to learn its fate for a third season. However will fairly OK live ratings (for Showtime standards) I have a feeling we will be seeing more of Kevin Bacon on the small screen.

The series has had fairly decent reviews over the two seasons. The two season Showtime crime series is set in Boston in the early 90's.

Decourcy Ward (Aldis Hodge), Jackie Rohr (Kevin Bacon) lead again in this short, but tight run of episodes.

Showtime will see a return of The Chi and Black Monday this coming week following the end of this smaller title.

Dexter will also return to Showtime where in Australia you will need Paramount+ to watch this upcoming reboot. Back to City on a Hill, if you haven't discovered this series yet it's not essential viewing but still a higher standard than a number of other US network dramas.

Will it get renewed? Hold tight, an announcement should be made soon...

Return to Cinema 2021 - June Again

June Again is in Cinemas now!

Family matriarch June (Noni Hazlehurst) escapes her aged care home to run a muck with her adult children, Ginny (Claudia Karvan) and Devon (Stephen Curry), who have had some hiccups in their lives since June's battle with dementia had taken a turn for the worst.

I honestly expected very little with this Aussie feature film. I am a huge Claudia Karvan fan (Bump was honestly one of the best things Stan has done since it launched) whilst generally loving Aussie films.

The Dry, High Ground and Penguin Bloom have delivered outstanding Aussie films this year. June Again can now join this list, as it was extremely enjoyable and family friendly. It had huge heart as well as showcasing some damn fine local talent including mega star Nash Edgerton.

3.5 Stars.

May TV Finales - Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist - Season Two Finale

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist has just concluded its second and possibly last season on NBC.

In Australia the musical comedy-drama series airs weekly on Stan alongside other US dramas like All American and Clarice. So from an American network series point of view the Aussie streaming service has a bit of The CW, NBC and CBS.

For the past two seasons Jane Levy has starred as Zoey Clarke who has a non DC CW superhero kind of power.

The series also stars Skylar Astin, Alex Newell & Mary Steenburgen whilst Peter Gallagher and Lauren Graham starred in the first season.

Will the show be given a lifeline for a third (most likely final) season? I reckon in the next 48 hours we will know as all major US networks are renewing and cancelling like mad.

There was no real big cliffhanger if you watched the episode already, it did tie up a few loose ends, so it could very well have been its literal swan song.

I found this scene enjoyable for the most part until the show took a break in between Feb/March. I feel the show lost its way a little after the break as well as lost viewers.

The show is NBC's worst performer as far as dramas are concerned so for all the few Zoey fans out there I wish you luck. However along with Prodigal Son this could be a two and done series saying farewell this week.

May TV Finales - Mayans MC - Season Three Finale

Mayans M.C. is the spin off of Sons of Anarchy the Motorcycle Club series that concluded in 2014 just shy of 100 episodes.

Just 30 episodes in the Sons' rivals-turned-allies, the Mayans Motorcycle Club just concludes its third season. With an almost 90 minute season closer J. D. Pardo as Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes continues his reign as one of TV's hottest bad guys with a heart on TV.

The series was recently renewed for a fourth season, which will air sometime in 2022.

The series has had a lot of bloodshed across the season with multiple crazy ass story arcs throughout the season.

Now for an in-depth review/recap of the episode go to my favourite TV blog, TV Line. These guys keep a hella tight blog.

For now on FX we will look forward to the third and final season of Mr Inbetween (starting in a few weeks), hope Atlanta with Childish Gambino returns soon, hope Ryan Murphy gets his series American Horror Story and American Crime Story ready to air whilst staying with Ryan Murphy enjoy the last few episodes of cult hit series Pose.

FX actually do have a solid line up currently. Mayan's MC adds a bit of action to a diverse line up or series.

May TV Finales - Supergirl - Mid-Season Finale

It's the sixth and final season of Supergirl. The season is scheduled to continue on August 24, 2021, after Superman & Lois finishes its first season.

Kara Zor-El / Supergirl debuted on CBS back in 2015, now it's ending on The CW or Foxtel/Binge in Australia.

The final season will consist of 20 episodes, so 7 down we will have to wait till August to see the final 13 episodes.

Another series set in the  Arrowverse, Supergirl follows Arrow (the lead show) in concluding its rather long run. Currently 113 episodes have aired, characters have come and gone, so it's time to say goodbye. 

Melissa Benoist (Glee) stars as Kara, alongside Chyler Leigh, Katie McGrath, Jesse Rath, Nicole Maines, Azie Tesfai, Julie Gonzalo, Staz Nair and David Harewood. Australian Peta Sergeant will also join the final season.

Spin off series Superman & Lois will continue next TV season, however alongside Black Lightning, Supergirl will take her final bow towards the end of 2021.

The series has started off fairly soft. With flashbacks, a younger Cat Grant (maybe the OG best part of the show, oh Calista Flockhart!) and Supergirl's father in some other dimension.

It's a little weird however I will look forward to seeing how the show does decide to tie up all its loose ends.

My strong TV prediction for the next TV series and Arrowverse is Legends of Tomorrow also takes it's final bow whilst The Flash is also looking shaky with two other cast members taking off.

If you are yet to give Supergirl a go, you have till late August to watch 113 episodes. GO!

Return to Cinema 2021 - Fatale

Fatale is the latest of those films studios had in the can held to be drip feed to the cinema chains in the case of filming go slow. COVID gave us that go slow. So we get the straight to video on demand (or in the old days, straight to DVD/video) Fatale.

With a strong cast Hilary Swank (also a producer), Michael Ealy (Secrets & Lies - US edition, season 2) and Mike Colter (Luke Cage) I was expecting more. The trailer also is put together well enough to draw viewers in.

As NSW residents close in on their Dine & Discover vouchers expiring soon, it's a must not to let that money go to waste. So at some cinemas a $25 Discover voucher will equal two tickets. Bargain!

OK so is this worth on of your two valuable Dine vouchers? Yes and no. Predictable, yes, engaging, well yes, however for a film just under two hours in length, it felt long.

Fatale will win no awards, probably end up on some streaming service in a few months and be largely forgotten. But if the weather prediction is right and it's getting cool. Maybe give this B grade (or it could even be C grade) thriller a go.

Just passing at 2.5 Stars.

Return to Cinema 2021 - Without Remorse

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

Without Remorse is on the side of so many buses right now heading around Sydney right now. 

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Jack Kesy, Brett Gelman, Lauren London, Colman Domingo and three Aussies, Guy Pearce, Luke Mitchell and Todd Lasance.

The Amazon action thriller film loosely based on the 1993 novel of the same name by Tom Clancy was released back on April 30, 2021.

The plot follows John Kelly, a U.S. Navy SEAL who sets out on a path of revenge after his pregnant wife and unit members are killed by Russian hitmen.

Originally produced and set for a theatrical release by Paramount Pictures. Like so many films recently it  was delayed then acquired by Amazon Studios. Amazon have had a decent run of original programming. Them, Homecoming, The Wilds and Tell Me Your Secrets have all been hits. Both critical and water cooler chatter. As streaming figures are hard to come by, I measure a streaming show/movies success by the amount of workplace chatter. Hearsay yes, but with a ratings system it works.

Apparently the film had been in development since the novel was published in 1993, with various actors, including Keanu Reeves and Tom Hardy, approached for the role of Kelly. 

After over 20 years in development hell, Jordan was announced as the lead role in September 2018, filming began in Berlin in October 2019 until the following October. Wow one year to produce a now made for TV film.

Following the credits, it's interesting to learn, in September 2018 following the announcement of Michael B. Jordan's selection to play John Kelly said he would also appear in Rainbow Six. Which is intended  to be sequel to Without Remorse.

Like all action films you could guess some of the plot points and ways the film plays out. However it was mostly entertaining with good action sequences. It's a simple pass, 2.5 Stars.

TV incoming...

Along with a range of May season/series finales, a number of my favourite shows are returning in coming weeks.

First up another one of the 2019/2020 unfinished shows returns. Dynasty is back this week with Season 4. I think if you looked at the US ratings alone, you would have never expected the show to make it this far. But with a saucy Netflix deal worldwide, Dynasty and the Carrington's are back baby!

Stargirl recently renewed for a third season will begin its second season early August.

Black Monday returns for Season 3 and The Chi for Season 4, Sunday May 23rd.

Local series, Mr Inbetween (also getting some love in the USA) returns for it's third and final series with a double opener Tuesday May 25th.

Love, Victor will be back for it's more "adult" second season mid June.

Physical stars Rose Byrne and will air on Apple TV+. The first season, kicks off mid June will a triple episode opener.

Elite, everyones favourite Spanish series is back for season 4 the same Friday as Physical. Friday 18 June is going to be busy.

Return to Cinema 2021 - Wrath of Man

Wrath of Man is the latest film directed by Guy Ritchie. Based on the 2004 French film Cash Truck, this is Ritchie's fourth directorial collaboration with Jason Statham.

Alongside Statham, Holt McCallany, Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Hartnett, Laz Alonso, Raúl Castillo (Looking), DeObia Oparei, Eddie Marsan, and Scott Eastwood (Clint Eastwood's son) also star. Even Post Malone makes an appearance.

So if you liked the John Wick films or Nobody, Wrath of Man is for you. The basic plot is H (Statham), a cold and mysterious stranger, is hired by a cash truck company responsible for moving hundreds of millions of dollars around Los Angeles each week. 

You see the opening sequences turn of events from a number of different perspectives which annoyed the guy at the cinema who looked after us. However I enjoyed The Affair's style approach to this action film.

My father also said the resident ABC film critic was not a fan, however for all the depressing, emotional films at the Oscars, it is time for a popcorn film.

If you like action, go out and use your Dine & Discover vouchers. 3 Stars. I'm being super kind on a Sunday.