Sunday, April 30, 2023
Saturday, April 29, 2023
Get Outta da House Cinema 2023 - Mafia Mamma
Mafia Mamma was my ANZAC Day film escape!
Based on an original story by Amanda Sthers, starring Aussie legend, Toni Collette as an American woman who travels to Italy following the death of her grandfather, who she finds out was a mafia Don. Monica Bellucci plus Sophia Nomvete also star.
The film has a really bad Rotten Tomatoes rating, while also not taking in the biggest box office, however it's damn fun! The story goes...
Middle-aged writer Kristin is dealing with her son leaving for college, her sexist boss, and her recently discovered unfaithful husband. During this difficult time, Bianca, her estranged grandfather's trusted advisor, contacts her with news that he has passed away and she must attend his funeral in Italy.
Despite initial hesitation, Kristin is convinced by her friend Jenny, who is an outspoken lawyer, that this trip could be just what she needs to start healing herself. However, things take a turn for the worse when the funeral transforms into a violent gunfight, and Kristin discovers that her grandfather wished for her, his last living descendant, to assume the role of boss for the most powerful Mafia family in Calabria.
Friday, April 28, 2023
Thursday, April 27, 2023
Fall Finales: Perry Mason - Season 2
Perry Mason return for its second season early March on Tuesday evenings in Australia, on Binge. Its another HBO series that gets its play on Mondays in place of the usual Sunday HBO screening. Replacing it will be The Whitehouse Plumbers a new five part mini series.
Perry Mason is Matthew Rhys, while also receiving mostly positive critical reviews, with praise going towards the cinematography, production design, and performances of its cast, particularly Rhys.
Diarra Kilpatrick (who recurred in season 1) as Clara Drake, this season has been upgraded to series regular.
Katherine Waterston, Hope Davis, Sean Astin, Tommy Dewey, Paul Raci and Jen Tullock also joined the season two cast.
Wednesday, April 26, 2023
Stay in da House Cinema 2023 - Ghosted
I guess not all Apple TV+ content can be good. Ghosted is currently sitting at 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 4.1/10. That is fairly kind to be fair. Maybe the score is mostly for Chris Evans?
Launching on Apple TV+ on April 21, this action-adventure comedy film directed by Dexter Fletcher, stars Chris Evans and Ana de Armas. Adrien Brody, Mike Moh, Amy Sedaris, Tim Blake Nelson, Tate Donovan also star. Alongside a pile of cameos from, John Cho as the Leopard, Sebastian Stan as God, Ryan Reynolds as Jonas and Nurse Jackie's Anna Deavere Smith as Claudia Yates.
Look its a red hot mess of a film, with a super slow start, lame action scenes, tick the boxes off the checklist standard action film sequences, but Chris Evans is nice to look at.
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Groovin' The Moo 2023 was LIT!
With a huge line up, a muddy field, Groovin the Moo was back for 2023. With FATBOY SLIM and ALT-J headlining the festival. I opted to leave a little early after a HUGE set from LUUDE.
My highlight for the day was however GENESIS OWUSU. On the radio, I heard his live set was epic. I believed it, I liked his music, however I was blown away! SO EPIC.
Great also to see locals CONFIDENCE MAN and USA SLAYYYTER was a real hoot! Also exciting to see my number one track of 2022, Miss ELIZA ROSE!
Here are some highlight tunes below. TV and movie reviews back soon y'all!
Monday, April 24, 2023
Sunday, April 23, 2023
Saturday, April 22, 2023
Fall Finales: Beef - Season One
Beef is said to be a miniseries created by Lee Sung Jin.
Steven Yeun and Ali Wong as Danny Cho and Amy Lau, two people whose involvement in a road rage incident pits them against each other.
Also starring in the ten episode rampage, Joseph Lee, Young Mazino, David Choe, and Patti Yasutake.
All episodes landed on Netflix on early April. It took me a minute to get through all ten with a large number of my weekly shows keeping me busy. That said this time next month, two times 9-1-1's will be done, Fantasy Island done and dusted, Station 19 and Fire Country's fire stations will be shut, The Equalizer will rest until October along with The Flash possibly having his last run.
Beef has had acclaim from critics who praised Yeun and Wong's performances, as well as the writing and directing. A basic plot for the ten episodes is following, a near accident in a parking lot turns two strangers into enemies. The tit-for-tat relationship that develops leads to escalating acts of revenge as Amy and Danny learn about each other's identities and families and become more and more involved in each other's lives.
Now it was said to be a miniseries however Lee Sung Jin has planned the show to last 3 seasons: “There are a lot of ideas on my end to keep this story going. I think should we be blessed with a Season Two, there’s a lot of ways for Danny and Amy to continue. I have one really big general idea that I can’t really say yet, but I have three seasons mapped out in my head currently.
Friday, April 21, 2023
Fall Finales: The Mandalorian - Season 3
The third season of The Mandalorian included a guest appearance by LIZZO. Yes, Lizzo!
Also starring Pedro Pascal The Mandalorian, a bounty hunter traveling to Mandalore to redeem his past transgressions with his adopted son Grogu and being aided on their journey by fellow Mandalorian Bo-Katan Kryze.
Set after the events of Return of the Jedi (1983), the eight-episode season premiered on the streaming service Disney+ at the start of March, concluding this week. Apparently a fourth season is in development.
Thursday, April 20, 2023
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Stay in da House Cinema 2023 - Murder Mystery 2
I was really late to the Murder Mystery boat. The 2019 Netflix film with Adam Sandler + Jennifer Aniston.
Murder Mystery 2 landed right at the end of March, so I am only a few weeks late with the sequel.
In the sequel we see Sandler & Aniston head to an exotic island, followed by an action packed trip to Paris.
Adeel Akhtar plus John Kani reprised their roles from the first film. Mark Strong, Mélanie Laurent, Jodie Turner-Smith, Kuhoo Verma, Enrique Arce, Tony Goldwyn, Annie Mumolo and Zurin Villanueva all come along for the sequel.
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Fall Finales: Last King of the Cross - Season One
Last King of the Cross has landed during a packed time of Australian series landing. Just today another trailer for the first Disney+ Australian title, The Clearing.
Paramount+ has now screened all ten episodes inspired by the autobiography of nightclub owner John Ibrahim and his experiences in Sydney's Kings Cross. Following John Ibrahim's journey from early poverty to later success, Lincoln Younes stars as John Ibrahim.
While Tim Roth stars as Ezra Shipman, Callan Mulvey as corrupt Detective Sergeant Brian Crellan, Claude Jabbour plays the brother, Sam Ibrahim, Aussie standard star Matt Nable is Anthony 'Big Tony' Stone with Maria Tran as Madame Tien. Man Madame Tien does not fuck around!
It's nothing really new after The Golden Mile Underbelly featuring Firass Dirani as Ibrahim.
Monday, April 17, 2023
Get Outta da House Cinema 2023 - Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a fun little romp! As we sit halfway through the school holidays, this could be the fun action/adventure/fantasy heist film.
Based on the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, it is set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. With a diverse all star cast featuring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, and Hugh Grant, the filming took place in Iceland and later Northern Ireland.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves has received positive reviews from critics and has grossed over $128 million worldwide. Not bad for a video game/board game conversion.
Sunday, April 16, 2023
Saturday, April 15, 2023
Fall Finales: Unstable - Season One
So unlike the funny and relatable Wellmania, Unstable is not at all funny, the pilot for example was really average.
Streaming on Netflix starring 9-1-1 Lone Star's Rob Lowe along his son John Owen Lowe, this is one Netflix title to avoid!
Landing at the end of March, this father-son comedy in which socially shy son Jackson (John Owen Lowe) begins working for his successful and admired, but eccentric and narcissistic-adjacent, father Ellis (Rob Lowe) at his high-tech bio research facility in order to help save him from spiraling further following the death of his wife.
I am hardcore back into Netflix right now. Beef is a great nightly binge, which I hope to conclude next week. However for now this is how Unstable begins...
Eccentric Los Angeles biotech CEO Ellis Dragon suffers a mental decline following the death of his wife. His CFO Anna Bennet worries that his erratic behavior and loss of focus at work jeopardizes the company. She has Ellis' estranged son Jackson, an aspiring flautist living in New York, come to Los Angeles to help Ellis recover from his downward spiral. Jackson resents his father for disregarding his ambitions and pressuring his son to be more like him.
The two briefly reconcile during a company karaoke event, after which Jackson plans to return to New York, but he is forced to stay when Anna and Ellis reveal that Ellis has held his company-issued therapist captive in his basement for attempting to extort him.
Friday, April 14, 2023
Fall Finales: Wellmania - Season One
Wellmania is the latest Aussie series to the streamers. Following Class of 07, Last King of the Cross and the epic Love Me on Binge.
Created by Brigid Delaney and Benjamin Law for Netflix. Based on Delaney's memoir-reportage hybrid, Wellmania: Misadventures in the Search for Wellness, it follows Liv Healy (Celeste Barber), a 39-year-old woman who struggles with a major health crisis as she tries various methods to reclaim her well-being.
The series launched globally on Netflix late last month. Upcoming next month, Five Bedrooms returns for a fourth (maybe final) series while RFDS will finally commence filming its second season soon.
I'm not on the socials, so Celeste Barber is a little new to me. Old to me is Benjamin Law. The Family Law was an exceptional series on SBS.
Netflix has had a number of titles land recently. Look out for a post on the seriously unfunny, Unstable, along with the extremely fun Beef with Ali Wong and Steven Yeun.
Spoiler alerts AHEAD!!!
After a trip to the hospital, Liv scrambles to get to New York City in time for her launch over her family's protestations. Gaz and Dalbert's wedding reception is a smashing success due to Liv's sense of fun.
Dalbert really is a drip, but played by super hot Remy Hii. While Gaz is returning Aussie Lachlan Buchanan from series like Station 19.
Liv arrives back in New York in time for the launch, but she is thrown off by a panic attack when she can't find her late father's watch. A frantic phone call to Dr. Singh reminds Liv of the tremendous progress she made in a matter of weeks.
Back in Sydney, Lorraine is struck by a car and Gaz attempts to contact Liv from the hospital. Liv ignores Gaz's phone calls as she walks onto the set of her TV show and proclaims, "I'm well."
So I totally reckon a second season will be on the cards. Celeste Barber is a total local talent. So good, so on point, so many great pop culture, Aussie cultural references in this little Aussie success story. After Love Me succeed on the drama front, Wellmania is 100% the king (or queen) of Aussie comedy!
Thursday, April 13, 2023
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Fall Finales: Love Me - Season Two
Love Me (styled: LOVE ME) has just had its second season stream on Binge. Landing on Good Friday eve, we see Nicole da Silva (Wentworth) join as Amy.
Alongside da Silva, Hugo Weaving, Bojana Novakovic, William Lodder, Sarah Peirse, Bob Morley, Heather Mitchell, Celia Pacquola, Mitzi Ruhlmann and Shalom Brune-Franklin all star in the Melbourne based series.
Its very Melbourne, its very much focused on relationships (the good and the bad) while also having some cost of living real estate porn.
Love Me is a story about love, loss and relationship complexity for the father, daughter and son of a contemporary, middle-class Australian family. Triggered by the death of the disabled mother, cared for by the father at home for some years, the three stumble in their lives, eventually finding themselves and each other.
Season one was a favourite of mine. It came in third against some tough competition for that seasons TV.
Will a third season be produced by Binge/Foxtel? Time will tell. Colin from Accounts was outstanding also, so Binge now a good run of titles. Love Me however is the type of show that can keep running to see if Bojana Novakovic as Clara Mathieson & Bob Morley as Peter will have their child they are trying so desperately for. In the last episode there was a very good attempt. Concluding on another sex scene.
Tuesday, April 11, 2023
Monday, April 10, 2023
Get Outta da House Cinema 2023 - Creed III
Creed III is a passable film, mainly due to Michael B. Jordan. This being his directorial debut, the sequel to Creed II (2018), the third in the Creed film series, and the ninth overall in the Rocky film series.
Alongside Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Wood Harris, Mila Davis-Kent, Florian Munteanu and Phylicia Rashad.
In the third film of the series, the accomplished and recently retired boxer Adonis Creed (Jordan) comes face-to-face with his childhood friend and former boxing prodigy Damian Anderson (Majors).
Creed III is the first film in the series not to feature Sylvester Stallone reprising his role as Rocky Balboa, though he is credited as a producer.
The film received positive reviews from critics and has grossed around $262 million worldwide. With sequels and possible spin-offs in the works this will not be the last boxing film in this series we will see.
Sunday, April 9, 2023
Fall Finales: The Last of Us - Season One
So I have finally finished, The Last of Us. The post-apocalyptic drama based on the 2013 video game developed by Naughty Dog. Set in 2023, twenty years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and collapses society. A little like the last few years us humans have lived.
Following Joel (Pedro Pascal, The Mandalorian), a smuggler tasked with escorting the immune teenager Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across a post-apocalyptic United States.
Also featured in season one Nico Parker as Joel's daughter Sarah, Merle Dandridge as resistance leader Marlene, Anna Torv as Joel's partner Tess, Gabriel Luna as Joel's brother Tommy, Lamar Johnson and Keivonn Montreal Woodard as brothers Henry and Sam, and Melanie Lynskey and Jeffrey Pierce as resistance leader Kathleen and her second-in-command Perry.
This is the first HBO series based on a video game, The Last of Us premiered on January 15, 2023. Running for nine episodes I have avoided spoilers since mid March.
Saturday, April 8, 2023
Friday, April 7, 2023
Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Fall Finales: Class of '07 - Season One
Class of '07 is the latest Australian comedy television series. Well The Last King of The Cross is crime drama, Wellmania is a comedy series and Love Me is drama. Man O Man there is some Aussie content around right now. MAFS is like so yesterday!
Created by Kacie Anning, and starring Emily Browning, Megan Smart, and Caitlin Stasey. The eight episode comedy series landed on Amazon Prime Video on St Patty's Day 2023!
An apocalyptic tidal wave hits during the 10-year reunion of an all-girls high school. The group has to find a way to survive on the island peak of their old high school campus, while dealing with old high school drama.
The all-female ensemble comedy series was filmed in and around Sydney. It kicks off with Zoe (Emily Browning) appears on Australian dating show The Match.
When she is rejected she goes on a rant against the man rejecting her culminating in her releasing a dove which accidentally defecates in her open mouth. The moment goes viral leading Zoe to cut herself off from society for 6 months staying on an isolated property her father owns.
When water suddenly starts bursting from the ground Zoe seeks higher ground and accidentally stumbles across her ten year high school reunion. The other women believe that Zoe's warnings about the flash flooding are another example of her dramatics and ignore her with disastrous consequences.
Tuesday, April 4, 2023
Monday, April 3, 2023
Get Outta da House Cinema 2023 - John Wick: Chapter 4
John Wick: Chapter 4 is the latest pre-Easter blockbuster. Grossing $244 million worldwide and become the fifth highest grossing film of 2023, thus far! With a wet week ahead, limited competition, I think the fourth chapter will 100% hit $300 million by the next time I check.
The sequel to John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, comes well before the whole COVID thing hit in 2019. So I kinda should have had a quick recap before heading into the close to three hour action, shot em up.
This is the fourth installment in the John Wick franchise. Keanu Reeves returns as the titular character, alongside Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Scott Adkins, and Ian McShane. and incredible singer, turned kiss ass action hero, Rina Sawayama.
In Chapter four , John Wick sets out to get revenge on the High Table and those who left him for dead.
The film heads to filming locations in France, Germany, New York City, and Japan. Both Japan and Germany are damn epic with some monster action sequences. Sometimes right in the middle of dance floors.