True Detective is back! This time it's heading into the Night Country. The fourth instalment of True Detective, created by Nic Pizzolatto, landed mid-January on HBO, Binge in Australia. The season concluded whilst I was away, landing before the next two miniseries are set to air on HBO, The Regime and The Sympathizer.
Season four of the anthology crime series is set in the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska, and follows the investigation behind the disappearance of eight men from a research station.
High profile lead, Jodie Foster joins Kali Reis as Detectives Liz Danvers and Evangeline Navarro.
Night Country was created by Issa López, who serves as showrunner, writer, and director. It is the first season without the involvement of Pizzolatto; however, he is still credited as an executive producer. So was the new leadership, along with a series title an improvement on the second and third stories?
SPOILERS AHEAD! WARNING!
In episode six (the shortest of all True Detective seasons) Danvers and Navarro find a hidden underground lab where Annie was murdered, connected by tunnels to the Tsalal scientific facility.
They capture missing scientist Raymond Clark, Annie's former lover. Clark confesses Annie discovered the facility's bogus pollution data and their world-changing secret research. All the other scientists took part in stabbing Annie but it was Clark who finally smothered her to death.
He claims they didn't cut Annie's tongue, suggesting Deputy Hank did, but commits suicide before he can provide more evidence.
Peter receives support from Kayla and disposes of Hank's body with Rose's help, who warns him of lingering grief.
Danvers falls through ice into the ocean below, but Navarro saves her, each woman having a vision, Danvers of her long-lost son and Navarro of her dead mother. Danvers and Navarro find evidence linking a Tsalal cleaning lady and Indigenous women workers from the local crab factory to the researchers' attack.
The women admit that they discovered the secret lab and avenged Annie by forcing the researchers out into the cold, believing Annie's spirit punished them. Danvers and Navarro close the case, citing natural causes for the researchers' deaths.
Danvers leaks a video left to her by Navarro in which Clark has exposed the Silver Sky mine's pollution, leading to its closure.
Danvers is questioned about Otis Heiss's murder, with Hank as the prime suspect. When they ask her about Navarro's whereabouts, Danvers claims she has no idea where she is. Before closing the case, Navarro had promised Danvers to return but the ending does not confirm if she returns as a spirit or in mortal form.
This was honestly a bit whack. I did lose interest after episode two. The first episode was interesting, I was excited about the new turn for the show, however it just got annoying as the season rolled on. HBO has however renewed the show for a fifth season recently. Which truly is no surprise. Apparently the series received powerhouse ratings in the USA across all HBO platforms.
So will there be a big break between seasons again? All we know is Issa López will return for her second crack at the True Detective series.
Honestly HBO is off to a strong start to 2024 with The Regime starting next Monday followed by The Sympathizer, then likely the highly anticipated second season of House of Dragon. 2025 will see another Game of Thrones spin-off along with The White Lotus, The Last of Us and Euphoria apparently all returning. Now that is a strong ass lineup!
Directed by the visionary filmmaker Tran Thanh, Mai was the third and final film I saw whilst in Vietnam. It will also break up my big TV catch up week on finales. True Detective and Power Book III: Raising Kanan's posts coming this week.
So while in Vietnam if you are going to see two average Western films, you need to support the local box office over Tet too.
Mai tells the enchanting tale which transcends borders, inviting audiences into a world where love blooms in unexpected places.
The audience follows the journey of Mai, a devoted single mother navigating the complexities of Eastern Asian culture while yearning for companionship.
There is drama, both in the workplace, home and family. Poor Mai can not win.
We see the real life issue of problem gambling with the impact on the family left behind to pick up the pieces. We see children giving birth to children in heartbreaking circumstances. Mai has a tough life from the early years till the present day in the film.
Which is in post COVID Vietnam. Largely at a massage spa along with her not so friendly style Melrose Place housing.
There are some crazy moments in the film, however it was heads and tails above the recent Western films, I will not mention again.
Mai was good watch which also might assist a little more with my Vietnamese language skills.
A nice break from a tired Hollywood post writers/actors strikes.
I'm back from holidays so expect some backed up posts as I catch up with three massive Sizzlin' Summer Streaming 24' finales.
There was some damn fine titles wrap whilst I was living it up in Vietnam, returning for Taylor Swift's Era's tour.
Maybe I went for the best, the pick of the pack first, the series finale of Aussie hit series, Total Control.
The ABC Australian television political drama series which first aired back in October 2019.
The final season got the ABC out of the gat (in a BIG way!) mid-January. Other than the Newsreader, does the ABC have a bigger drama title than Total Control? The answer is simply, no.
The final episode aired earlier this month. The six episodes were released (free) on ABC iView, week-to-week. We started off when I was in Melbourne with the third season kicking off two years on since the explosive events of the second season. Outsider turned kingmaker, Alex Irving (Deborah Mailman), is now completely at home in the nation's capital. She's at the centre of power, holding the Government on a short leash, but it's taking a toll.
Rob Collins continues to shine throughout this season as Alex's brother. Whilst her son (played by Wesley Patten) is an excellent young talent. The use of (soon to be touring) Missy Higgins music also makes the series blockbuster!
In the series finale, the fate of Alex and Rachel Anderson's (Rachel Griffiths) political careers becomes clear in a final power play which will shape the future of Australia's democracy.
Griffiths shines as an anti-hero also. Her acting just gets better and better!
I loved this series. Every episode, even at times with long breaks between seasons. Yes COVID, yes everything else. With politicians barely working in this country at least they would have had unlimited access to Parliament House/regions around Canberra easily and freely.
Australia today is faced with the choice offered in this series. Two main political parties with little difference between them. Or independents who are held to a much higher regard, must do everything by the book or the media or Liberal or Labor takes them to task. It's a sad state of affairs.
The show at times was more like a mirror being held up to Australia. I loved this show so much, it really is one of the best Aussie shows of the last few decades. Alongside Wentworth, Deadloch and Get Krackin', this show was at all times, a delight.
Well done all involved. EXCELLENT! Maybe the Sizzlin' Summer Streaming 24' series of the first quarter for 2024.
Madame Web is getting slayed online by savage reviews. Will a pathetic box office performance like The Marvels follow? Are superhero films actually dead now?
Yep it's another Post Strike Cinema 24' release.
This is the fourth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU), directed by S. J. Clarkson starring 50 Shades, Dakota Johnson, alongside Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, Isabela Merced, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, and Adam Scott.
It has a big cast with stars from American Horror Story (returning soon BTW), Euphoria and Severance.
So what is Madame Web all about? Cassie Webb (Johnson) confronts her past while trying to save three young women and their futures from Ezekiel Sims (Rahim).
Opening on Valentine's Day there was no love in the air for the film from critics, while also receiving under 20% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Is it really that awful? Well yes and no. It's a big, bold re-entry spin-off from our usual beloved Spider-Man films. They are solid, big releases. However I feel times are changing and fast. Superhero films have been done to death. I am surprised they are bringing back the Fantastic Four.
Look this didn't have the big action scenes The Avengers did, while as a viewer it took a long ass time to get to the point of who Madame Web was along with what her powers were. The additional three future heroes storyline just felt like a set up for either an upcoming Amazon TV series or future film.
There are also product placements galore. Pepsi, Beyonce and more. The soundtrack however on the theme of Beyonce was fun. Britney and more early 2000's pop.
This will win a Razzie for sure.
I'll pass it, cause I actually didn't hate it as much as recent Ant-Man films. 2.5 Stars.
Argylle is a film I was going to wait for it to land on Apple TV+ however when in Vietnam and need to escape the heat, one will watch watch what English films are playing. Also it was Tet and not a lot was open. I was warned Lunar New Year would impact opening times in Saigon, however I never listened LOL
So what is Argylle? From the Kingsman dude (Matthew Vaughn) its another spy/action/comedy film.
The cast is varied and diverse. From singers to legends of cinema and T, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O'Hara, Henry Cavill, Sofia Boutella, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, John Cena, and Samuel L. Jackson.
With more twists than a cover of the classic tune, Twist & Shout, sees Argylle follow a reclusive author who is drawn into the world of spies and espionage after she realizes that a new spy novel she is writing mirrors real-world events.
Argylle opened earlier this month to generally negative reviews from critics, so maybe Apple is running out of hit films. Following award winning films and critically acclaimed films like Killers of the Flower Moon & Napoleon.
So was it any good or were the critics right? Well. It was OK.
The twists did come a little too thick and fast. Also you really need to take stock every few minutes. So John Cena and Dua Lipa are just in the film for show to portray the novel. Then this character is good, but that one is bad. Alfie the cat is computer animated or a real cat?
So I will pass this. The OG Kingsman film was fun. This had potential. I feel it slightly lost its way in the middle of the film. That said we are still coming out of films made through COVID, followed by the writers/actors strike.
Apple TV+ however is really coming up as one of the actual must have streamers. With hit series standing the test of time, some big movies mentioned above. Apple TV+ may not have reached the heights of Netflix or Disney+ I do believe Apple TV+ is more essential than Amazon Prime or Peacock.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith was a show I really, really, really wanted to love. Instead I thought it was just MEH
The 2005 movie turned series created by Francesca Sloane and Donald Glover, landed on Feb 2, on Amazon Prime Video.
The chemistry between Glover and Maya Erskine was MEH too. Plus Erskine really started to annoy me in PEN15. Now I think in general, she is just annoying.
The story goes, Mr. & Mrs. Smith follows John (Glover) and Jane (Erskine), a married couple who are secretly highly skilled assassins.
Now this show has been in the works for a good minute. Apparently it was filmed in mid-2022. So why was it held for so long? During all that strike time? Maybe because it was shit?
I really didn't love all eight episodes of this. The action was so-so, the leads had nothing really going on, so basically when the end credits rolled I was fairly happy.
That said I do still love Donald Glover, he is hella hot! Like seriously those shirtless scenes in this series! I was living for them and them alone.
More finales soon, True Detective, Total Control and Power all done whilst I am away. Posts limited from tomorrow. So happy Lunar New Year!
Bargain (Korean: 몸값) aired in South Korea on TVING from late October to early November back in 2022.
Directed by Jeon Woo-sung, starring Jin Seon-kyu, Jeon Jong-seo and Chang Ryul, in Australia the latest bat shit Korean series streams on Paramount +.
The series was adapted from the 2015 short film Bargain, directed by Lee Chung-hyun. With this being one of the shortest Korean series I have watched to date. With only six episodes, all around the 30 (odd) minute mark.
The series premiered at the 27th Busan International Film Festival and screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.
So we get organ harvesting, bidding and then an earthquake in this shonky "fake" hotel so our undercover cop, organ harvesters and bidders attempt to survive.
We have Jin Seon-kyu as Noh Hyung-soo, Jeon Jong-seo as Park Joo-young, Chang Ryul as Go Geuk-ryul, Shin Jae-hwi as Chang-soon, Park Hyung-soo as Hee-sook and Oh Min-ae as Lee Chun-nam.
This was some random ass shit!
In the series ender, there are survivors, however what do they survive to live in? Reviews have been fairly positive for this apocalyptic series, on TheGuardian.com, Lucy Mangan gave the series a four-star rating out of five.
It's definitely an original series, I will give the creators that. They also turned up the weird to a whole new level!
Bargain on Paramount + will not be everyones cup of tea. However if you are sick of cop shows, medical dramas, true crime, maybe give this a go.
Wait till the end credits conclude too as there is a little more to come. By little bit, a whole concluding scene. Update there is one and a bit more months of the Sizzlin' Summer Streaming 24' series.
Cruel Summer has recently been scrapped, meaning US network Freeform has no more scripted series on their roster. So the second season in this, teen drama mystery thriller anthology series is the last. Twenty episodes all up across two seasons, we are starting to see a pattern of two season wonder series.
This second season follows the rise and fall of an intense teenage friendship between two girls in 1999 and 2000. So we get the Y2K bug, gothic outfits, college girl dramas and a serious love triangle!
The second season begun in the US early June last year. I can't remember when it got added to Amazon in Australia. However I just concluded the ten episode run. So what happens in the second season with Megan, Isabella, and Luke?
Season two takes place between 1999 and 2000 in the fictional town of Chatham, Washington, and follows three teenage friends: Megan, Isabella, and Luke.
Megan, an aspiring coder, and her family welcome Isabella, a foreign exchange student, into their home for a year. Megan and Isabella develop a friendship that quickly becomes complicated when both become romantically involved with Luke, Megan's childhood best friend.
Within months, things unravel quickly when a leaked sex tape results in Megan and Isabella becoming prime suspects in Luke's murder. Finale SPOILER ALERT below. Read ahead at your own risk!
While the series annoyingly jumps from time period to time period, in January 2000, the unknown figure is revealed to be Brent. After an argument, Brent pushes Luke into the lake, where he apparently drowns.
So is Luke's death an accident after all? Steve looks for a way to cover this up as Megan and Isabella hide their involvement with Luke's disappearance. Megan puts up missing person fliers and later gets into an argument with Isabella resulting in her breaking off the friendship.
Then in summer 2000, Megan and Isabella are released from police custody after accusing each other. After Megan rejects Isabella's attempt to renew their friendship, the latter leaves town.
Megan is arrested when Myer comes into possession of the tape they made at the cabin with Isabella edited out. Out of guilt, Brent comes forward and turns himself in to the police resulting in Steve's arrest for his corruption and cover-ups.
On a plane to Ibiza, Isabella introduces herself to the girl beside her as Lisa and offers to be her tour guide.
Megan finds a security camera pointed at the dock where Luke was killed and discovers that Isabella returned there to find Luke barely alive before she purposely uses her foot to drown him and set his body adrift, leaving Megan devastated. It was the winning plot twist that made up for some serious filler ahead of this finale. In the end the series ending episode.
I couldn't have seen this midday movie style series returning for a third season with all that is happening with TV networks, streamers downsizing after having way too much content on the go.
This season however is filmed in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. I almost feel like they have used the same filming locations as The CW's Nancy Drew.
Either way both seasons of Cruel Summer stream now on Amazon Prime. Not Amazon's best series, not the worst either.
Force of Nature: The Dry 2 is brilliant. Straight up! I loved this film. Despite the delays in releasing this film, I enjoyed this way more than the trailer (featured below). I had lower expectations with the trailer, however the movie itself, excellent.
Clearly a sequel to the 2020 film The Dry, based on the novel Force of Nature by Jane Harper. We have one more book from Harper, Exiles which will hopefully also get a movie release based on the third and final Aaron Falk novel.
Eric Bana is Aaron Falk. Joining him, The Newsreaders Anna Torv, Deborra-Lee Furness, Robin McLeavy, Sisi Stringer, Lucy Ansell, Jacqueline McKenzie, Tony Briggs, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, and Propser's Richard Roxburgh.
The film will officially open this Thursday 8 February 2024, however there are always advance screenings. Particularly when the film was originally set to open back in August last year.
So what's the plot in the sequel? Five women take part in a corporate hiking retreat deep in the Victorian mountain ranges, one of the five is a whistle-blower and she disappears. Federal Agents Aaron Falk and Carmen Cooper join the search in the hope of finding her alive.
The Victorian bush walking scenes are magic, the spooky undertone of Falk's past also continue throughout the film.
This could be the best Aussie film of 2024. Big call so early on, I know.
This was grand! 4.5 Stars. Well done all involved, edge of the seat cinema! Plus beautiful scenery on the big screen!
Leopard Skin is the weirdest fucking show I have ever seen in my life. Don't ask me what I just watched, cause I'm telling you, I have NO idea! It begun streaming back in November, 2022 on Peacock.
This is my second random Peacock title in a minute. Following ted, this might be my last Peacock series for a bit.
The small player which hosts all NBC series along with their Peacock branded originals, is one of the smaller brands, with only a few hit shows under their belt. This one will be buried in menus for sure.
I found it on my overflowing Stan watchlist before all Peacock (new) titles moved to Binge.
So what's it about? Here is the trailer and allegedly what's it's about below.
Fleeing a botched diamond heist masterminded by crooked Judge Lasalle (The Walking Dead's Negan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a criminal gang (Nora Arnezeder, Gentry White, Margot Bingham) seeks shelter in the remote paradise of Playa Perdida, Mexico in the beachside estate where two intriguing women, Alba and Batty (Carla Gugino, Gaite Jansen) live.
Dark and humorous complications arise when they are joined by two dinner guests, documentary producer Max (Philip Winchester), his flighty girlfriend Maru (Amelia Eve) and the estate’s former housekeeper, Inocencia (Ana de la Reguera). When they are all taken hostage, murderous secrets, coldhearted betrayals and shocking desires bubble to the surface as everyone awaits their fate.
There is some lesbian loving, some full frontal nudity, however overall, this random series set in a beautiful home, is hella random. Damn I need to find some quality content ASAP!
Holidays incoming real soon. Like next Friday. So expect the posts to slow right down!
ted is the latest Peacock series. This is the third instalment in the Ted franchise. The series is a prequel to the feature films.
Seth MacFarlane, reprising his role as the voice of ted, with Max Burkholder, Alanna Ubach, Scott Grimes, and Giorgia Whigham all starring.
So it looks like Binge now has a deal with NBC/Peacock moving forward. Stan used to have Peacock exclusives like Twisted Metal, however like Showtime originals it looks like Stan needs to find overseas content elsewhere now.
The eight (seven episodes overseas) part/episode series premiered on mid-January. So this is a little catch up. However this was a mega in the back ground show. The first two episodes (one in the USA) was awful. Like real bad. So what's it about?
The series is set in the early to mid 90's. ted depicts the early life of a sentient teddy bear toy named Ted, as he lives with 16-year-old boy John Bennett and his family in Framingham, Massachusetts.
In addition to John and Ted, the Bennett household includes John's father Matty, his mother Susan, and his cousin, Blaire, who is living with them while attending a college nearby. ted is soon forced to attend school with John, getting him bullied and in all sorts of trouble.
Okay, long story short. This was not good. I remember the movies being for stoners. The TV series is exclusively for lighting up, kicking back and going down one stupid teddy bear hole.
Peacock, you need to deliver a little better than this to remain relevant!
