Shotgun Wedding landed last Friday on Amazon Prime Video, it stars Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel, Sônia Braga, Jennifer Coolidge, Lenny Kravitz, and Cheech Marin.
Shotgun Wedding got a release in Singapore late year, but in Australia we had a slightly longer wait.
Since White Lotus Jennifer Coolidge has made quite the comeback. BTW how well is Lenny Kravitz ageing. Dude is 58!
This film is romance, mixed with action along with a side of twists and turns.
Tom & Darcy (Jennifer Lopez + Josh Duhamel) set off for their destination wedding on a private island in the Philippines.
Pirates arrive, demanding $45 million dollars from Darcy's wealthy father.
Then the action side of things kicks off. However Coolidge has time to get her comedy moments in.
The film had enough action to entertain the males, enough romance for the females, but most importantly enough laughs to keep the film fun.
It was a fast paced destination rom-com. Amazon are also on a bit of a streak right now. With Jack Ryan's third season being decent viewing. Along with a trip tomorrow to Three Pines.
Unlike yesterday's Tranfusion, Shotgun Wedding was seriously fun AF! 3.5 Stars!
Transfusion is available to stream on Stan now. It landed recently however took me a few sittings to conclude this dull watch. Think the recent Poker Face with Russell Crowe.
That said, Stan has had a stellar summer of programming. It hasn't even ended yet with Bad Behaviour to air on February 17.
However Stan's dream summer run does end (for now) with Transfusion. With decent acting from Sam Worthington + Phoebe Tonkin, this film never gets out of first gear. This moody action flick suffers from a lacklustre script, which contains no surprises.
This sombre Stan original film, Worthington plays Ryan Logan, a former sniper for the Australian Army who is struggling to adjust to normal society. He starts selling wine, trying to raise his son, whilst giving his best Liam Neeson B-thriller impersonation.
Also featuring Johnny (played Matt Nable, who also wrote/directed the film) a former SAS colleague comes along offering some easy, albeit illegal, work, you know the opposite is true: working for Johnny is going to be difficult and precarious, and we know Ryan will end up putting everything on the line for himself and his son.
An inevitable mishap involving Billy sends Ryan scurrying into a life of crime in order to get money – because formula, because algorithm, because he’s going to get In Over His Head
The plot just hums along in a very dull manner. I really wanted to like this after the fun Christmas film, Christmas Ransom, I enjoyed Black Snow whilst loving the third season of Bump.
So this was a disappointing effort from Stan, however you can't have all winners I guess.
I can't say much more about Transfusion without scoring it (like Poker Face) 1.5 Stars.
Another HBO Max bites the dust! We will no longer hear the sweet tones of Kristen Bell saying XOXO Gossip Girl.
The second season, premiered on December 1, by January, the series was cancelled after two seasons. Admittedly the second season was a red hot mess.
The cast is straight out of a H&M catalogue Jordan Alexander, Whitney Peak, Tavi Gevinson, Eli Brown, Thomas Doherty, Emily Alyn Lind, Evan Mock, Zión Moreno, Savannah Lee Smith, and Grace Duah.
Some OG Gossip Girl stars returned here and there, however nothing could save the series from the dreaded axe!
Streaming on Binge (like most otherwise HBO Max series excluding Hacks) Gossip Girl had shorter ten episode run this time around. Also with no break in the middle made the series speed by week to week.
In comparison to The Sex Lives of College Girls (which was funny and sleek), Gossip Girl just felt like a lot of woke pop culture references all thrown together. The plot lines got messy, the thropple, the over the top parents. Let's face it, it all got a bit too much in its second run.
I was looking for some bandwidth on my TV dance card, so I can happily say I am not too sad to see the end of another HBO Max series now set to be buried on streaming service menu's.
You know when a show ends, unless you have it saved on your watchlist, it just vanishes from all the promoted title tiles. Oh well if you need some bitchy rich kids walking around New York telling each others (and their parents - who pay for their lifestyles) secrets, give season two a go.
One good thing, the soundtrack this season was on point!
I'll take you to the movies next time. Until then, XOXO
Hulu strikes AGAIN or streaming locally (in Australia) on Disney+, The Dropout is a biographical crime drama miniseries created by Elizabeth Meriwether, based on the podcast of the same name hosted by Rebecca Jarvis and produced by ABC News.
The series documents the disgraced biotechnology company Theranos and its founder Elizabeth Holmes, played by Amanda Seyfried.
I am late to the party for this miniseries. It premiered on the streaming service Hulu on March 3, last year.
It has received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the writing and the performances of the cast. At the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, the series earned six nominations, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, with Seyfried winning for Outstanding Lead Actress.
It was also nominated for Best Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film and Seyfried won Best Actress at the 80th Golden Globe Awards.
The Dropout, follows the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and her company, Theranos. The show touches on experiences that likely motivated Holmes's deceptions and lies in a linear fashion, starting from her preteens and all the way to her exposure as a fraud.
Alongside Seyfried there is a damn fine cast. Naveen Andrews (The Cleaning Lady - season two), William H. Macy (Shameless), Laurie Metcalf, Stephen Fry and more joined this incredible cast.
I was super interested to see how Holmes and Balwani could pull the wool over everyone's eyes. It had The Chippendales crime wave to it too. Makes sense as they are both Hulu series, although there is murder in this one.
If you need a good, award winning series to slay these late summer hot nights, The Dropout could be for you.
Until next time, I went back to the movies along with Gossip Girl has ended its two season reboot. Laters.
Babylon is yet another blown out, three hour Hollywood picture that needs a radio edit ASAP!
No more long movies people. Not every long film draws folks in. Babylon has been a box-office bomb, grossing over $15 million against a production budget of around $78 million.
Now if that is not a sign long movies are too long in the tooth, what is? Yes Black Panther and Avatar were fine, but they had history and a loyal following. Standalone films like Babylon are dying out here!
Written and directed by Damien Chazelle, starring Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo, and Li Jun Li.
Babylon chronicles the rise and fall of multiple characters during Hollywood's transition from silent to sound films in the late 1920s.
Babylon opened in the USA December 23, just before Christmas by Paramount Pictures. The film polarised critics, who generally praised its cinematography, score, production values and performances, but were sharply divided on its direction, graphic content and runtime.
It received five nominations at the 80th Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, winning Best Original Score for Justin Hurwitz, and nine nominations at the 28th Critics' Choice Awards, including Best Picture.
So I love Margot Robbie. I just don't love long blown out, wank-fests. My 2023 wish for cinema is for shorter, more to the point films. No wild over the top rubbish, less sequels, spin-offs, more original ideas.
That said I am a little excited for Scream 6.
Babylon had moments of glory, it's just when you sit for over three hours those moments are easily forgotten.
I'll pass this one, but I really (like really) want a better year for cinema in 2023.
2.5 Stars. Mainly for Margot Robbie and Diego Calva.
Stan delivers yet another Christmas/holiday film with Christmas Ransom. The Stan original film premiered on December 1, so I'm a little late to the part but hey!
The NSW filmed holiday fun flick stars comedian Matt Okine (The Other Guy), TV Week Logie Award-winner Miranda Tapsell (Top End Wedding, The Sapphires, Love Child) and Ed Oxenbould (Bloom, Puberty Blues, Paper Planes).
Written by the same team that brought us A Sunburnt Christmas in 2020 the new film was filmed in Homebush, NSW. Probably right near Costco on Parra road!
The film takes place in a beloved toy store, Harrington and Sons. But it's not all happiness at the most wonderful time of the year, the store is hijacked on Christmas Eve by a pair of bumbling criminals.
The struggling owner (Okine) is held for ransom, but when a pair of shoplifting kids stumble into the heist, they are forced to team up with a heavily pregnant security officer (Tapsell) to save Christmas for everyone.
Christmas Ransom will also star Genevieve Lemon, Bridie McKim and young stars Evan Stanhope, Tahlia Sturzaker and Chai Hansen (The Newsreader).
Honestly this could have been a red hot mess, instead it was a load of fun. Honestly everything Tapsell does is gold! Okine is no stranger to Stan or long time Triple J listeners, like me.
He was never my favourite announcer but pretty good.
Chai Hansen is also hot AF as a side note.
So if you are missing Christmas already, give Mariah a break on the streaming platforms and throw Christmas Ransom on Stan on. It joins BMF, Your Honour, the latest original series like Bump (returning) and newcomer Black Snow.
3 Stars. This was actually a bit of fun. Back to the real cinema tomorrow with Babylon.
Fleishman Is in Trouble is a show that completely (in my eyes) went under the radar. The title lives in Australia on Disney+, it's a miniseries created by Taffy Brodesser-Akner based on her 2019 novel of the same name.
The miniseries was an FX on Hulu title which starting airing mid November, 2022, concluding just before NYE 22/23.
Toby Fleishman, the protagonist, is a recently divorced man in his 40's using dating apps for the first time.
As he begins to find successes he never found in his youth, his ex-wife Rachel disappears without a trace, leaving him with their kids.
As he balances looking after his children, a promotion at the hospital where he works, and all the women in Manhattan, he realizes that he'll never be able to figure out what happened to his wife until he can be more honest about what happened to their marriage in the first place.
It's a really wild ride across 8 episodes with a truly awesome cast. Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Eisenberg, Claire Danes and Adam Brody are the main four players, with Danes delivering some of her best work since Homeland.
Eisenberg does steal the show, mainly due to the fact he is the main star for the first chunk of episodes whilst Danes is MIA. Caplan narrates the story for a few perspectives. We get both sides of a complicated story. Or is it just the story of life, people growing apart and us weird ass humans growing older, into adults. Even though we want to remember the best parts of our younger lives.
In the finale we get big conclusions, life lessons, along with some exceptional performances. SPOILER ALERTS!
Libby goes back to Toby's apartment to update him, but he takes no interest in Rachel's breakdown and asks her to leave.
After taking the woman off life support at her husband's request, he begins finalizing the details of Hannah's bat mitzvah. She reveals that she does not want to go through with it, and Toby, understanding the importance forming her own tradition holds to her, indulges her and gives her her own coming of age ceremony.
He takes his children to the vantablack exhibit again, and this time, they stay inside.
Libby finally returns to her family and continues to fight with her husband, and attends a party Seth invites her and Toby to. As they realize the party is a front for Seth to propose to his girlfriend, Toby and Libby make up and discuss her idea for a book based on Toby's divorce.
The conversation soon transitions into her thoughts on how her life changed after she got married, and she returns home to her family and gets in bed with her husband, at peace. Toby returns to his apartment and decides to get a new one. As he looks out over the city, Rachel opens the door behind him and enters, exactly how Libby said she would end her book.
I'm a Peacock original mission of late. First Sick, as well as Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin, now to the actual one and done, 2022 reboot of Queer as Folk.
Hyper sexual is what first comes to mind as I sat through the first four episodes. Also mega woke too. All sorts of gays, trans and lesbians/non binary characters here on display. A big shift from the OG Channel 4 1999 British TV series as well as the Showtime series from all those years back with Brian and Justin.
Created by Russell T. Davies, the solo season/ series was released on early June last year.
The reboot however was canceled, after one season on September 23, 2022.
Set in New Orleans, the series follows a diverse group of friends who find their lives transformed in the aftermath of a shooting at a queer nightclub called the Babylon. The group struggles with vulnerability, addiction, grief, and relationships.
Was a reboot of a reboot required? Look add Kim Cattrall and Juliette Lewis into the queer mix? Maybe. It had an interesting tale to tell with a lot, lot more sex in the first four episodes.
The nightclub shooting overarching theme was maybe a little too close to home following the Pulse nightclub shooting, along with other incidents since.
Overall this wasn't bad, although maybe not all that necessary either. Cattrall may want to return to the Sex & the City, And Just Like That.. fold as this is one of her second series (remember Filthy Rich, streaming now on Disney+) to get cancelled after it's opening run.
Next up (speaking of Disney+) miniseries, Fleishman Is in Trouble. Let's see how long I take to smash out this one.
Sick sees Kevin Williamson return to the slasher film genre.
Starring Gideon Adlon, Bethlehem Million, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival mid September last year, while landing on streaming last Friday.
Due to the pandemic, Parker and her best friend decide to quarantine at the family lake house alone - or so they think.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Sick currently is sitting pretty at 91%. Sick is described as a smart, self-aware, and all too timely, this slasher co-written by Kevin Williamson is Sick in all the best ways.
I'm off once again to a horror film start to 2023. M3GAN first, now Sick.
An update on a recent Peacock title (Sick is of course a Peacock original film), Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin. I originally thought this was a one and done. Surprisingly with all the cancellations around. This actually got renewed! So we will see more of Bumper in Berlin! Heavens above!
Now to a score for Sick. It was a decent short and sharp, slasher picture! Clocking in around 80 odd minutes, no moments were wasted, so Sick scores a tidy 3.5 Stars.
The Sex Lives of College Girls is yet another show I had slept on! Now I can confidently say, I have completed both seasons in roughly one week! I know right! That is a lot of Sex + College Girls.
Created by Mindy Kaling + Justin Noble the first season premiered on HBO Max mid November, 2021.
The second season also commenced mid November, this time in 2022. Good news, last month, the series was renewed for a third season.
The series follows the lives of four 18-year-old freshmen roommates at the fictional Essex College in Vermont, covering their sexually active lifestyle as they deal with the struggles and hardships of college and adulthood.
The four college girls we spend the most time are played by, Pauline Chalamet, Amrit Kaur, Reneé Rapp and Alyah Chanelle Scott.
Joining the awesome foursome is, Gavin Leatherwood (Sabrina - Netflix reboot), Midori Francis, Chris Meyer, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino, Lolo Spencer, Renika Williams, Sherri Shepherd, Maya Rose, Rob Huebel, Nicole Sullivan, Conor Donnally, Sierra Katow, Mekki Leeper, James Morosini, Izzy Roland, Kavi Ladnier, Stephen Guarino, Matt Maloy, Donielle Nash, Najee Muhammad, Charlie Hall and Mitchell Slaggert.
This series was a wild, fun watch. Super addictive, funny, easy to watch. Loved it!
If you (like me) are late to the party, get onto Binge, hit play on The Sex Lives of College Girls and get ready to laugh your ass off! Fun!
M3GAN is my first film at the movies for 2023! Man did this shit all over a tonne of films from 2022!
M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a lifelike doll that's programmed to be a child's greatest companion and a parent's greatest ally. Designed by Gemma, a brilliant roboticist, M3GAN can listen, watch and learn as it plays the role of friend and teacher, playmate and protector.
When Gemma becomes the unexpected caretaker of her 8-year-old niece, she decides to give the girl an M3GAN prototype, a decision that leads to unimaginable consequences.
I'm happy to report a sequel is already in the works. Spoilers end here. You think Chucky was good, M3GAN is better. So much better. She dances, sings and KILLS!
M3GAN mixes with comedy with horror (which sometimes works, sometimes doesn't) starring Allison Williams, Ronny Chieng & Violet McGraw, with Amie Donald physically portraying M3GAN and Jenna Davis voicing the character.
Ronny was excellent as David Lin, Gemma's annoying boss at the toy company, whilst Violet McGraw was creepy as M3GAN's master Cady.
James Wan is on a winning streak with recent films. M3GAN continues his fine form!
The film was shot during 2021 in Los Angeles, California, and Auckland, New Zealand.
M3GAN has grossed over $54 million worldwide against a budget of $12 million, while receiving largely positive reviews from critics. Praising for its campy blend of horror and humor, satirical elements, and performances.
Bring on the sequel is all I can say!
An easy, 4 Stars for a fun night out returning to the cinema on a Friday the 13th for a creepy killer doll. Also M3GAN is a shit tonne smarter than Annabelle!
Emily in Paris has its third season premiered on December 21, 2022, I just finished smashing the past weekend.
Back in January 2022, the series was renewed for a third and fourth season by Netflix. So the third seasons cliffhanger will be resolved!
Darren Star is known for camp, fun dramas like Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990–2000), Melrose Place (1992–1999), Sex and the City (1998–2004) and Younger (2015–2021).
So Emily in Paris is easy, breezy summer viewing. Lily Collins is aspiring marketing executive Emily Cooper, alongside Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Ashley Park, Lucas Bravo, Samuel Arnold, Bruno Gouery, Camille Razat, William Abadie, and Lucien Laviscount.
Below the trailer, WARNING there are spoiler alerts about that big season three finale!
Gabriel renamed his restaurant after his grandmother Gigi, who arrives to help him and has a clear dislike for Camille.
Emily wants Gabriel to have a Michelin Star in the restaurant, and Luc contacts his ex Marianne, a food critic and takes her so she can taste the food and provide the star.
Alfie tells Mindy about Nicholas kicking Emily out from the party and she speaks to Nicholas on how she needs him to make sacrifices for her as well if they want a future together.
Sylvie is told by Laurent he wants to opens a club in Paris, with the help of one investor, Louis Deleon, Nicholas's father making her uncomfortable as she is not on good terms with him.
Julien gets upset when Emily gets involved in a campaign idea he worked on for a client, making him tell at her and walk away expressing his discomfort to Sylvie again and how he has received other job offers.
She apologizes for not doing something before and tells she will do something as she doesn't want him to be uncomfortable.
However, he is seen sending an email to someone anonymous expressing he has considered the job offer.
Mindy is waiting for Nicholas's as they planned going together to Gabriel's and Camille's engagement party planned by her parents, yet Benoit arrives and tells her he submitted a song he wrote for her into the Eurovision Song Contest and was accepted.
Nicholas and Mindy arrive on helicopter to the party interrupting Camille's father who was giving a speech.
Luc tells Emily that Gabriel will receive the Michelin Star, and in his excitement he tells Camille they should get married right there.
Gabriel says his vows but Camille interrupts him saying she knows Gabriel loves Emily and the only reason they are not together is because of the pact she made with Emily and yet she broke it because she didn't want to lose him.
She walks away crying and Alfie breaks with Emily telling her he suspected there was something between them and that he is no second choice. Emily and Gabriel confess their feelings to each other, yet Gabriel tells her the real reason why Camille got back from Greece is because she is pregnant.
The drama was HUGE, the truth bombs were wild, it was a classic TV finale. Bring on December 2023 when season four will hopefully land.
This was such a fun, easy, camp show to watch. In a world of bad news, shows like Emily in Paris give me hope. So light, so fluffy, not offensive, just good old fashioned fun. Yes it's silly, yes there are stereotypes, but whatever!
Emily in Paris streams all seasons, one to three on Netflix NOW!
Tulsa King was my surprise pick for Summer Slack Streaming. I picked it up late in the piece. I smashed eight episodes back to back. Then the ninth and final episode of season one dropped. Wow!
What a short, sharp series starring the one & only Sylvester Stallone. Created by Yellowstone/Paramount+ king content creator, Taylor Sheridan, Tulsa King packs a punch!
Paramount+ has delivered some decent local and international content, with even more on the way, including series like 1923 currently streaming.
Stallone plays the lead, a Mafia capo who just got out of prison and is sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he tries to set up a criminal organization. It premiered mid November, concluding just this Monday.
The series has already been renewed for a second season. And man did the finale set up a BIG second season.
Dwight "The General" Manfredi (Stallone) is a New York Mafia capo who's just finished serving a 25-year prison sentence. Upon release, his boss sends him to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to establish criminal operations there. Not knowing anyone in the area, The General seeks a new crew to help establish his empire.
With his "village people" crew Stallone sets up a big business operation in Tulsa, whilst also upsetting, romancing some of the locals.
I enjoyed Tulsa King, WAY more than I expected. The nine episodes were hella easy to get through.
If you need another summer series to add to the list, make it Tulsa King on Paramount+.
Black Snow starts in 1995, seventeen-year-old Isabel Baker was murdered. The crime shocked the small town of Ashford and devastated the Australian South Sea Islander community of Elizabeth.
In 1994, 17-year-old Isabel Baker (Talijah Blackman-Corowa) was murdered. The crime sent shockwaves through the small tropical North Queensland town of Ashford and devastated the Australian South Sea Islander community. The case was never solved, and the killer was never found.
25 years later, the opening of a time capsule unearths a secret that reopens the cold case and puts Detective James Cormack (Travis Fimmel) on the trail of the killer. Suspicion is cast over the entire town and fractures the harmony they have spent decades rebuilding. But can the killer actually be caught after all this time?
The six-part mystery drama centres around star Travis Fimmel (Vikings, former underwear model/hunk), Talijah Blackman-Corowa, Jemmason Power, Ziggy Ramo (singer who worked with Paul Kelly and more) & Molly Fatnowna.
Also starring in yet another excellent Stan original, Brooke Satchwell (Mr Inbetween), Alexander England (Alien: Covenant), Erik Thomson (Packed to the Rafters), Kym Gyngell (Wakefield) plus Rob Carlton (Total Control).
Stan has really served up a total treat here. Stan has been gradually releases decent summer viewing, ever since Poker Face the random Rusty Crowe landed. Then was Bump, now Black Snow with Transfusion set to come out later this month.
Black Snow is a co-production with Sundance Now in the USA. A couple more co-productions are on the way too, so keep an eye on Stan for more originals coming soon.
The six episodes sped by, so if you need a series to quickly smash now you may or may not be at work, Black Snow could be for you. It's easily one of the best Aussie dramas of the past few years. Well done Stan for bringing more great local content!
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan is one of those series already giving dear viewers an end date. In May 2022, before the release of the third season, it was confirmed the series would end after four seasons, possibly aiming for a 2023 date. A spin-off starring Michael Peña as Ding Chavez is in development. Peña will star in the upcoming fourth season.
The third season, premiered on December 21, 2022 so I was playing a bit of catch up following falling for Tulsa King along with various other shows that jumped the queue.
It's been a less than productive summer viewing season. I haven't caught up on anywhere near as much as I imagined before going on shutdown leave from my full time gig.
Amazon, have had limited shows of late that have struck my fancy. However Jack Ryan is one of those shows that has had massive gaps between seasons.
For example season two aired in its entirety back in late October, 2019.
John Krasinski, follows Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and Chris Pine playing Jack Ryan.
Who knows when season four will air, however for now Russia is the main plot point in season three. Some spoilers below.
Jack, Greer, Wright, Alena and Luka all work in concert to prevent the start of a third world war is the synopsis for episode eight, Star on the Wall.
Like previous seasons (I believe, from memory, they were literally years ago, like BC (before COVID) everything does fall into line, ends in a neat wrapped up Christmas present.
The show is a little predictable despite the spanners they try and throw into the mix. There are some obvious planned plot twists, however the main story is usually, USA good, everyone else bad.
Looking forward to seeing what Amazon offers up in 2023, I do want to catch up on Hunters before the second and final season concludes.
See you again soon for another Summer Slack Streaming post soon! Happy 2023!
Welcome to Chippendales continues Disney+/Hulu's good run of short run series. The biographical drama miniseries created by Robert Siegel inspired by the book Deadly Dance: The Chippendales Murders by K. Scot Macdonald & Patrick MontesDeOca.
Starring Kumail Nanjiani as Somen "Steve" Banerjee, the founder of Chippendales. The eight episode series commences in the 1970's in Los Angeles. Indian immigrant Somen Banerjee dreams of becoming a successful businessman much like his idol Hugh Hefner.
Adopting the name Steve, he leaves his job as a gas station manager to open a backgammon club "Destiny II". Meeting club promoter Paul Snider and his wife, Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten, Steve convinces him to join the struggling business.
After several failed gimmicks, Dorothy and Paul bring Steve to a gay bar, where he is inspired to transform their business into a male striptease show for women.
Renaming the club Chippendales, Steve enlists the help of Emmy-winning choreographer Nick De Noia while Dorothy suggests that the staff wear collars and cuffs based on the Playboy Bunnies. The club becomes a hit, but Paul clashes with Nick, who fires him as the show's emcee. Deeply jealous and controlling of Dorothy, Paul shoots her and then himself in 1980.
The true crime/stripper series wraps up five years later. Steve is now living in a village in Switzerland, but is still managing to run Chippendales overseas. In a flashback, Nick's shooter is shown to have confessed to the crime after being caught in a drug sting operation.
He ratted out Ray who is working with the feds for immunity to get Steve to confess. Not knowing the FBI wired the room, Steve confessed to Nick's murder and to three other murders that Steve hired Ray to do over the last five years.
While in prison now back in Los Angeles, Steve learns that he's being charged for RICO which means his company and assets are frozen by the government, putting his now ex wife, Irene and his now 7 year old daughter in financial ruin.
As Steve is sitting in his dark empty cell, He has a hallucination of Nick's ghost who gives Steve a piece of his mind from beyond the grave, by giving the realisation of all the damage he caused during the past 10 years.
At the conclusion of the series, Steve is shown to have committed suicide hours before his sentencing. Resulting in Irene being able to inherit everything, including Chippendales.
Who would have thought the world of male stripping would be some evil. This was an interesting little series with Kumail Nanjiani giving a great performance!
Murray Bartlett continues his golden run of TV role as Nick De Noia. This follows his amazing The White Lotus season one performance along with his recent role in Physical with fellow Aussie, Rose Byrne.
Welcome to Chippendales is perfect summer viewing. It streams now on Disney+.
The Flatshare is a British six-part television series based on Beth O'Leary's 2019 novel. Landing on Paramount+, almost one month ago, 1 December 2022.
Paramount+ has hit the ground running in Summer 22/23. With Tulsa King (in the middle of now), 1923 starring king and queen of screen, Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford along with the film Top Gun: Maverick.
The Flatshare has a fun plot, with great chemistry between Jessica Brown Findlay & Anthony Welsh as leads Tiffy and Leon.
Leon is a night nurse who lets his on bedroom unit out during the night shift 8pm-8am to Tiffany.
Tiffany escapes a toxic ex Justin, then while sharing (not how you think) Leon's bed.
The remaining cast include Bart Edwards, Shaq B. Grant, Shaniqua Okwok, and Jonah Hauer-King, with filming taking place in Bristol, Brighton and London.
The series was super sweet, great tunes along the way with some witty humour.
The best part of the plot is, it showcases how interesting dating, meeting new people, housing/rent affordability are in 2023.
The other plot line is secondary to the romance but Leon's dedication, lengths he will go to for his brother is super sweet too.
I can't recommend this series enough. Get your Paramount+ subscription sorted, get on it ASAP. I look forward to finishing off the next series, Tulsa King!
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is the sequel to the 2019 film Knives Out,. So back in my Cinema Slut days, I gave the OG 3.5 Stars.
Daniel Craig returns as master detective Benoit Blanc, this time heading to a fancy Greek island during COVID times. Did we really need a COVID murder mystery?
This time Benoit Blanc takes on a new case revolving around tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton, remember him) and Bron's closest friends.
The friends includes Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, plus Dave Bautista.
For me Janelle Monáe & Kate Hudson are the easy standouts.
Netflix began streaming the film just before Christmas. This followed a short run at the cinema while Avatar was dominating session times.
Like its predecessor, Glass Onion received critical acclaim, with reviewers praising Johnson's screenplay and direction, the performances of the cast, and musical score.
It was named one of the top ten films of 2022 by the National Board of Review, while receiving two nominations at the 80th Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for Craig.
I enjoyed this in my two sittings (yes it's over two hours in running time), I could have enjoyed it more in the cinema, but if a film is offered up free within your monthly Netflix fee, would you head to the crowded shopping centres, or just watch this in two sittings at whatever times suit you best? My times were way outside cinema playing times.
I enjoyed the twists and turns of this film. Janelle Monáe was outstanding (as usual) and right here, right now, I will be giving no spoilers for this whodunnit.
There are some stabs are my favourite childhood film/board-game Clue, while the political references, masks and COVID plot lines were a little annoying.
However all in all, this really was one of the best Netflix films I have watched to date. Saying that I am going for another 3.5 star rating to kick off 2023.
Hopefully 2023 will be better for cinema, both in the cinema and at home.
Kevin Can F**k Himself got dark in its second and final season. The finale was when it really took a dark turn, maybe for the worst for one of the lead characters.
Spoilers below, so if you missed the finale mid October, then stopping reading now. But first the trailer for season two...
Six months later after the moments of episode seven. Allison has moved to Danforth, Maine. Kevin has a new girlfriend named Molly, played by Erinn Hayes. While most of Worcester presumes that Allison is dead, after faking her own death.
Tammy visits Allison, having tailed her after she went missing, and reveals that Nick has died and that the department is dropping his case. Tammy quits her job and urges Patty to move away from Worcester with her; Patty refuses, and the two break up.
Pete, tired of Kevin's behavior, moves out to live with Lorraine in Florida, but he refuses to disclose Lorraine's address to Kevin. Kevin walks in on Neil and Diane kissing and mocks them; later at a bar, Neil retorts that he is sick of Kevin's mistreatment and tells him to leave.
Neil confesses his love to Diane, but she rebuffs him, stating it is not her job to make him a better person. Neil later moves out of Patty's house.
Allison returns to Worcester and warns Molly about Kevin's behavior. Allison then goes home and tells Kevin that she wants a divorce. Kevin is initially confused, and then reacts violently, threatening to ruin her life.
After Allison leaves, Kevin drinks heavily and begins burning Allison’s belongings; he calls Pete, Neil, and Molly to help him, but nobody answers their phones. After Kevin passes out in a drunken stupor, the fire spreads and engulfs the house, which is witnessed by the whole neighborhood, including Patty and Neil.
With Kevin dead, Patty sits on the steps of the now burned-down house and is joined by Allison; they tearfully embrace, and Allison reveals that she wants to stay in Worcester. They both watch the sunrise, ready for a new future without Kevin.
The finale was bitter sweet. It served as a good wrap up, whilst I will miss this series as this is one time creators got it right. It was a grand idea, however two seasons was long enough. Long enough for the story to be told, short enough that there could have been another season or movie length episode.
Summer Slack Streaming continues soon with the latest run of Jack Ryan episodes and UK hit comedy The Flatshare.
BMF (Black Mafia Family) is another Curtis (50 Cent) Jackson television series. After his work on Power (along with multiple spin offs) 50 Cent is becoming a real played in the TV/streaming game. BMF like other Starz originals streams in Australia on Stan. The firest season premiered on September 26, 2021, on Starz. After the series premiere, the series was renewed for a second season which is set to premiere on January 6, 2023.
I was late to the bandwagon for this series. After enjoying Power (also after being late to the hit series) I decided to give this one a go over my summer leave.
So what's BMF about? It is inspired by the true story of two brothers who rose from the decaying streets of southwest Detroit in the late 1980s and gave birth to one of the most influential crime families in this country.
Demetrius "Big Meech" Flenory's charismatic leadership, Terry "Southwest T" Flenory's business acumen and the fraternal partnership's vision beyond the drug trade and into the world of hip hop would render the brothers iconic on a global level. Their unwavering belief in family loyalty would be the cornerstone of their partnership and the crux of their eventual estrangement. Like all gangster/drug/crime related series is a story about love, betrayal, and thug-capitalism in the pursuit of the American dream.
Oh the American dream. Guns and multiple deaths. Yes don't get too connected to characters in this series. You may be disappointed to see them get killer off.
I am excited for season two to kick off next week on Stan, however if like me you haven't stumbled across this yet, geddit on it now (like I did).
Happy 2023 folks! More Summer Slack Streaming on the way as I also caught up with Kevin Can F**k Himself's second and final season along with Jack Ryan's third season and The Flatshare which is streaming now on Paramount+.
