Happy Halloween! What better way to spend the night after getting hit by a flash storm, than seeing a local horror film. The Moogai opened tonight with select sessions at select cinemas.
Written and directed by Jon Bell, based on the 2020 short film of the same name. Starring the Australian version of The Office's Shari Sebbens, Meyne Wyatt, Tessa Rose, Clarence Ryan, Toby Leonard Moore and Bella Heathcote.
The Moogai had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival back in January 2024, I though thought Halloween was a way better time to check out the local horror picture.
The Moogai is about a young Aboriginal mother who believes that her child is possessed, and includes Indigenous Australian themes related to the Stolen Generations (a government policy of forced removal of Aboriginal children from their parents) and The Dreaming.
Moogai is the Bundjalung word for ghost.
So is The Moogai scary enough for a Halloween release? Well no, but it is a damn fine tale told for modern audiences of the shame of Australia's past. Which is indeed if you watch Ryan Murphy's long running series, American Horror Story, this could be titled Australian Horror Story. Our sad origin story.
I am currently binging the Australian version of The Office, where Shari Sebbens plays a much different role, so it was nice seeing her in a different role.
Meyne Wyatt is also great as Fergus.
For me this was short, sharp and to the point. Great new local flick, 3 Stars.
This British reality dating game commenced streaming in August weekly until late last month. The show is based on the American version of the same name, however there is a difference. Unlike the American show, nudity is not blurred as well as in the German version of this show.
Hosted by former UK X Factor contestant, Rylan Clark.
Starring a number of men with uncircumcised penises and ladies of all bodies, shapes and sizes. It's a very interesting watch on Paramount+. It's so trashy, but so easy to watch. All ten episodes stream right now.
The stars of the show (brave humans to bare all, more then even Big Brother up late!) are nudistsTiegan Rudge, Mike Durrant, Emily Ivy, Chrislove Brandt, Romeo Larmond, Dominik Herbert, Rico Hammett, Dan Ash, Lauren Beschi, Billy Field, Tiarne Butler, Jono Brown, Zach Schaefer, Monika Lara Smith, Leylah Linda, Sean Wepener & finally Joey Staerkle.
That is a lot of nude daters.
So there is some evictions, a $50,000 pound prize and some light drama along the way. It's fun, light hearted with loads of big pee-pees.
Once you get past episode three though, you sort of forget about the full frontal bits and focus on the random dates and evening events. Usually feature booze after long days in the Columbian sun.
Yes that's right they are not hanging around grey old England.
This was a hoot. I couldn't get enough. Turn it on, turn off your brain and chill, it's the end of a long ass fucking year.
The fourth season of the American mystery comedy-drama television series Only Murders in the Building commenced late August, on Disney+.
Starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, & Selena Gomez continuing to producing true crime podcasts that investigate murder cases in their apartment building.
Michael Cyril Creighton, Paul Rudd, and Meryl Streep all return from the season three.
In addition to Creighton, Rudd, & Streep, season four additions include, Zach Galifianakis, Kumail Nanjiani, Molly Shannon, Eugene Levy, and Eva Longoria. While Melissa McCarthy also has a show stopping episode performance. Finale spoilers that aired just now below. You have been warned!
So how does season four wrap? After we kinda found out the killer in last week's episode.
Charles and Oliver return to the Arconia to find Mabel being held hostage by Marshall in her apartment. While trying to figure out how to save Mabel, Charles realizes that Marshall committed Sazz's murder in 12 minutes by traversing the inner ledge of the building.
Charles and Oliver decide to do the same from Vince Fish's window while Marshall gets distracted by Vince and Rudy performing a "ding dong". Once they reach Mabel’s apartment, they confront Marshall. Marshall reveals that after Project Ronkonkoma, Sazz showed him her draft for the OMITB movie.
Envious of Sazz’s writing skills, Marshall stole Sazz’s script, then sold it as his own work. Sazz told Marshall she would tell Charles the truth, so Marshall, the son of a hunter, killed Sazz. Then, worried that Glen would oust him as Rex Bailey, Marshall killed Glen at the hospital.
Marshall then attempts to kill the trio, but they get saved by Jan, who shoots Marshall from Charles' window and reveals she was still hiding in the Arconia and knew everything, after which she gets arrested again.
A few days later, Oliver and Loretta hold their wedding in the Arconia’s courtyard. That same evening, a woman named Sofia Caccimelio (Téa Leoni) runs into Charles and Mabel and requests the trio to solve the disappearance of her husband, who the news proclaimed as dead, but they refuse. I am predicting, main plot line in season five next year?
The next day, Loretta tells Oliver that she will be moving to New Zealand alone as she cannot take him away from Charles and Mabel. Later, Charles, Mabel and Oliver find Lester the Doorman, dead in the courtyard’s fountain with his blood gushing into the fountain water.
So who killed Lester? Who is Sofia's rich husband? What did he have going on at Arconia? So many questions, all have to wait till next year. Disney+ has severed up so much quality TV lately. With two more finales to come this week. Agatha All Along & Grotesquerie both also conclude this week.
More TV tomorrow with the racy UK dating series, Dating Naked UK. Oh the foreskin!
The Old Man has just concluded its second season, before a huge finale week on Disney+ next week.
Based on the 2017 novel The Old Man by Thomas Perry, you can actually stream the first season now free in Australia on SBS On Demand.
The second season, premiered last month, concluding Friday evening. So a recap the the first season, Dan Chase is a former CIA operative and Vietnam veteran living off-the-grid in Vermont for thirty years. After killing an intruder who breaks into his home, Chase goes into hiding. He rents a room from Zoe McDonald, who becomes his forced partner while on the run.
FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence Harold Harper is called to apprehend Chase because of their complicated past during the Soviet–Afghan War. Working alongside Harper are his protégé, FBI agent Angela Adams, CIA officer Raymond Waters, and Julian Carson, a hit-man hired by Harper to kill Chase.
If you haven't watch the finale yet, look out SPOILERS AHEAD!
Chase is in dire need of an antidote after being poisoned, while Harper just discovered that Marion wants to convert Emily into a Chinese asset. Also news flash! Emily is alive after all. We see her side of her phone call with Chase when he thought she died, with Russian mercenaries storming in and shooting Hamzad’s sister dead.
Emily offers to give them what they want on Hamzad, and they stick her in a cell, ordering her to write down everything she knows. Her intel checks out, and a guard rewards her with a bottle of vodka, which she uses to clock the guard over the head and escape.
Marion reports to Harper that local fighters have seized control of the mine from the Russians, led by an American woman.
Harper realizes Emily is alive, & she’s now a target. He tells Marion he’ll do anything to save her, but Marion isn’t sure she can trust him.
Meanwhile, Zoe and Julian are in a car together when he offers her a deal: If she helps him kill Pavlovich, he’ll help her find Chase. As they approach a heavily guarded compound, Julian gets instructions from Harper: With Marion’s help, the Chinese delegates have ordered all security details to stand down, allowing Julian to slip in undetected.
With Zoe in the car listening along via earpiece, Julian heads into the compound, taking out two Russians on his way to Pavlovich. Zoe warns him that two more Russians are heading his way, & they left their car unattended.
Julian mows through Pavlovich’s bodyguards with ruthless efficiency, finally making it to Pavlovich himself. He then turns to helping Zoe, but she’s way ahead of him: She jumps into the Russians’ unattended car and heads for the last location keyed into the car’s GPS, convinced that must be where Chase is. And Marion informs Harper that the job is done, before having two large men escort him out.
Zoe rushes to the GPS location and finds Chase lying there dying. She gets instructions from Julian on how to administer the antidote, and she does, but it doesn’t seem to work. She gives him CPR, too, but there’s no sign of life. We cut to a wounded Chase waking up in bed, though, with Zoe assuring him they’re at a safe house where no one can find them. They enjoy a peaceful existence there, reading books and taking walks, and Zoe uses a local library’s computer to contact her son and let him know she’s OK.
It all seems perfect… a little too perfect, Chase thinks. One day, he sees a delivery truck pull up and leave a package at his mailbox. He approaches the package with great caution, but he opens it to find a burner phone and a slip of paper with a phone number on it, which he dials.
He and Zoe head to a greasy spoon diner, where they meet, Emily. Chase gives her a warm hug as he tears up, introducing her to Zoe.
Emily promises to tell him all about what happened to her. She needs his help. He hasn’t been seen since he went to see Marion, and Emily reports that Marion is using him to barter for control of the mine. Who controls the mine now. Chase asks?
He’s told Zoe about some of the violent things he used to do. He doesn’t want to go into Lou Barlow mode, but Emily insists it’s the only way to get Harper back. They owe it to him, too, because he sacrificed his life to save them. Emily thinks that Chase may not want Zoe to see what he’s capable of, as cars pull up to whisk them away. Oh, and Emily tapped Zoe’s phone to find out where they were hiding.
In the USA, FX has not officially renewed the show yet, however the finale of season two, setup us up for yet another season. My odds are on for a third season of this series that streams locally on Disney+ or SBS streams season one. I also just noticed SBS On Demand will stream the second season of Tokyo Vice which I am very excited about!
Snowpiercer has now concluded after a decent four season run on TNT, AMC and internationally on Netflix.
Based on both the 2013 film of the same name, directed by Bong Joon-ho, and the 1982 French graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette, from which the film was adapted.
Starring a solid TV ensemble cast across the four seasons including, Jennifer Connelly, Daveed Diggs, Mickey Sumner, Alison Wright, Iddo Goldberg, Susan Park, Katie McGuinness, Sam Otto, Sheila Vand, Mike O'Malley, Annalise Basso, Jaylin Fletcher, Lena Hall, Roberto Urbina. Steven Ogg, Rowan Blanchard, with Clark Gregg & Michael Aronov joining the cast for the fourth season.
Back in January 2023, it was announced that the fourth season would not air on TNT and was in the process of moving elsewhere. Finally by March 2024, it was announced that AMC had picked up the fourth and final season which premiered back in July, concluding last month.
The final season revolves around the rocket launch proving to be a trap and Snowpiercer is hijacked by soldiers from the International Peacekeeping Forces led by Admiral Anton Milius.
The train is brought to the Silo, a military bunker in Djibouti, where Doctor Nima Rousseau reveals to Melanie that his research team has developed a compound called Gemini that will cause CW-7 to break up and end the Freeze.
Nima's research is the source of New Eden's warm spot, but he requires Snowpiercer to spread Gemini around the world. Melanie agrees to retrofit the train and work on the project, but Milius and the IPF turn Snowpiercer into a virtual labor camp for the passengers.
Nine months later, New Eden has become a thriving community led by Ruth Wardell, Layton having stepped down in favor of a democratically elected town council. However, the peace is shattered by the kidnapping of Layton's daughter Liana by the IPF and the murder of his ex-wife Zarah.
With the support of the people, Layton takes Big Alice after Snowpiercer, leading to Layton and his girlfriend Josie being taken captive at the Silo where Wilford is revealed to be the mastermind behind Liana's kidnapping.
After his allies escape with Big Alice and a number of rescued Snowpiercer passengers, Layton forms a reluctant alliance with Wilford to rescue Liana and take down Milius. In a final confrontation with Layton, Wilford kills himself, but not before revealing that Nima is the one who had created CW-7 and caused the Freeze. At the same time, the people of New Eden investigate a series of strange happenings, including the disappearance of Sam Roche, finding a severed hand in the hills and the Snowpiercer passenger it belongs to, ghostly voices heard by Oz in the mountains, and finally the revelation that the IPF has planted bombs to bury the town.
Roche later reappears just in time to rescue Layton's family, having been captured by the IPF before managing to escape.
Nima takes control of Snowpiercer, ignoring Melanie's warnings that her data reveals that Gemini will cause atmospheric erosion and bring an end to all of the remaining life on the planet. Needing Big Alice in order to launch his rocket Icebreaker, Nima lays siege to New Eden.
Although Nima succeeds in stealing the train at great cost, Layton and many New Eden residents board Snowpiercer in turn and foil Nima's attempts to bury the town in an avalanche. Inciting a rebellion amongst the remaining passengers, Layton, Melanie and their allies confront Nima in a final battle for the future of the planet. Although Nima realizes the error of his ways too late to stop the rocket launch, Alex's sabotage of Icebreaker prevents an apocalyptic disaster.
Afterwards, everyone decides to settle at New Eden, although it's unknown how long the warm spot will last for with data suggesting that it may not be viable forever due to the damage that Gemini did to the atmosphere while creating it. As everyone celebrates, a patch of flowers is shown growing on a distant mountainside, suggesting that the Earth is already warming on its own and life is returning to the planet.
In the finale, finale titled Last Stop, Nima abandons Big Alice after removing the helm controls, leaving Melanie & Alex unable to use it to stop him.
Layton's forces fight through the train and Ruth is captured and taken to Nima who offers to surrender Big Alice once Gemini has been launched if Ruth will help him to restore order. Instead, Ruth escapes with the help of Z-Wreck and Sykes and rallies the remaining passengers into a rebellion.
Headwood is able to revive Rat, but Layton finally kills him with Boki's help. A vengeful Josie confronts Headwood, but can't bring herself to kill the mad scientist, regaining her compassion after recognising the other woman's own grief and trauma.
Now equipped with caterpillar tracks to travel across the ocean, Snowpiercer reaches the launch point. Finally realising his errors too late, Nima allows himself to freeze to death, but the launch of Icebreaker fails due to sabotage by Alex.
Reclaiming the train, everyone travels to New Eden where they decide to settle permanently, although it is unknown how long the warm spot will last for. For the time being, Snowpiercer will have to continue its revolutions in a limited capacity until it can be retrofitted to help power the town. As everyone celebrates, a patch of flowers is shown growing far away from New Eden, suggesting that the Earth is warming on its own and life is returning to the planet.
The flowers at the end of the episode look so fake, that it is a shame that was the last we see of Snowpiercer.
It was a decent, action-packed fourth season with the final two episodes definitely be the best of the season.
I am not 100% it needed an entire season, a TV movie could have summed up a lot of the plot from some of the middle filler episodes.
First starting deep in the COVID days, this show has seen me through around five years of TV series. From first discovering when there was nothing else to watch, to a time when TV is back in mass production.
Speaking of, next week has a pile of finales. Only Murders in the Building, Teacup, Grotesquerie and I might even finish Thou Shalt Not Steal on Stan. So until then. Laters!
Dead and Buried is yet another four parter on Stan from our British/Irish friends. This one comes from Virgin Media Television & BBC Northern Ireland Television.
Starring Annabel Scholey & Colin Morgan. Dead and Buried is created by Colin Bateman, it is a four-part adaptation of his play Bag for Life. It is directed by Laura Way.
So whats this stage play turned miniseries about? Some things are better laid to rest. Cathy's (Scholey) chance run-in with her brother's killer (Michael played by Colin Morgan) ignites a twisted quest for revenge.
I never watched Merlin, however some viewers may well recognise Colin Morgan from that fantasy series.
So this lives on Stan in Australia like a pile of UK miniseries that seem to land almost weekly.
It is nothing incredible, however the story is believable. How a simple catfish incident can lead to massive, life changing series of events.
I did enjoy this easy watch with zero special effects and a smaller ensemble cast.
If you need a little thriller to sneak your teeth into maybe Dead and Buried could be for you! Less finales this week, just The Old Man's second global season on Disney+ while Only Murders in the Building & Grotesquerie will wrap next week.
Incoming the final series of Cobra Kai continues on Netflix, Special Ops: Lioness returns for the second series and the final run of Somebody Somewhere also lands on Binge. So much TV to conclude 2024!
Smile 2 is gory and scary AF! Just in time for Halloween season, it's the sequel to the 2022 hit, Smile.
Written & directed by Parker Finn, the sequel stars Naomi Scott as a pop star who begins to experience a series of increasingly disturbing events as she is about to go on tour.
Starring Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Raúl Castillo, Dylan Gelula, and Ray Nicholson, as well as Kyle Gallner reprising his role as Joel, the cop BF from the OG film.
Like Smile, the film received positive reviews from critics. But what did I think?
Well I liked the music element of a tortured pop star on a hectic live touring schedule. However with the events of Liam Payne last night, the film may have had a rather rough release date. That said, this film turns up the horror and the gore from the OG film.
However the second half is rather confusing with an ending that just needs to be seen to be believed.
To be honest, this will not be everyone's cup of Halloween flavoured tea. The opening scene is hectic and extremely full on which leads to the events of the remainder of the film.
Horror is in with streaming services churning out horror shows like Binge with Teacup and new episodes of American Horror Stories and Disney+ with Grotesquerie. I need to take a look but Binge also just started streaming Hysteria! as well.
Smile 2 is violent, graphic and at times in intense. I felt shook at times, so it achieves its horror stamp. 3 Stars.
Last Days of the Space Age landed at the top of this month on Disney+, I got around to it after opting to watch Four Years Later first.
However this wasn't too bad either. Last Days of the Space Age focuses on three families in Perth, Western Australia in 1979 as the American space station Skylab crash-lands on earth just outside the city, as the city is gearing up to host the Miss Universe 1979 pageant.
Now I am not 100% sure this is a miniseries, however it gave those vibes. Along reminding me of Boy Swallows Universe too.
With a captivating soundtrack, the 8 part drama takes us back to 1979 when falling space station was dangerously crossing the skies ready to crash land anywhere without notice.
It would come to land around Esperance, over 700km east of Perth.
With an all star Aussie cast, the show explores loads of big issues. But first, back to the ace soundtrack featuring Olivia Newton-John, Plastic Bertrand, Chic, The Bee Gees, The Village People and ABBA.
Starring the return of Chicago Fire, Med or PD star Jesse Spencer alongside Radha Mitchell, Mackenzie Mazur, Deborah Mailman, Thomas Weatherall, Linh-Dan Pham, Vico Thai and so many more.
Good to see Disney+ (who make loads of cash, off Aussie subscribers) investing in a local production. It's been a hot minute since The Artful Dodger.
There is so much happening in this local series. Local power plant workers are striking against management, with Mitchell and Spencer married in the show however on opposite sides of the strike. Then their youngest daughter Mia (Emily Grant) just wants to surf like her grandfather Bob (Iain Glen), Mailman and Weatherall struggles with no inclusion of First Nations people in local history.
Weatherall (from the new Heartbreak High) is also harassed by the police force when there are local delinquency problems. Then there is the refugee story surrounding the local food vendors, the Buis ( Pham & Thai) who have deep sadness over the separation from an absent son. Their youngest and remaining son, Jono (Aidan du Chiem), therefore lives in his shadow in WA.
The other main storyline is the Miss Universe pageant. The Russian entrant Svetlana (Ines English) and her manager Yvgeny (Jacek Koman) also have their fair share of drama too, receiving (from the locals) racism, while also giving local journalist Mick (George Mason), a good news angel.
I feel like there is room for a second season, however I also think it achieved a lot over eight short(ish) episodes.
See for yourself, streaming Last Days of the Space Age on Disney+.
Reasonable Doubt follows Jax Stewart is a successful defence lawyer at an up-scale Los Angeles law firm.
After trying to heal from her wounds from last season’s arduous trial and deadly affair, Jax Stewart (Emayatzy Corinealdi) is attempting to get her life back on track.
That is until one of her closest friends reveals that she has killed her husband. Her friend is claiming self-defence, but an uncompromising prosecutor thinks otherwise.
Needing all the help she can get, Jax brings in ambitious defence attorney Corey Cash (Morris Chestnut) to lead the case, but things get tense very quickly. And Corey is yet another fine ass man in Jax's atmosphere.
Can Jax defend her friend, save her marriage and protect her energy while being catapulted into the biggest case of her career?
You'll judge Jax Stewart for her questionable ethics and wild interpretations of the law…until you're the one in trouble. This season it is her friend in the hot seat.
Then you'll see her for what she is: the most brilliant and fearless defence attorney in Los Angeles who bucks the justice system at every chance she gets.
The series is created by Raamla Mohamed for Hulu, or Disney+ in Australia. This marks the third Disney+ finale this week! Next week, The Old Man season two.
The second season premiered late August, following me joining the Reasonable Doubt fan club late for season one.
Also joining Chestnut cast in the second season, Melissa Ponzio as Lucy Wargo, Vaughn W. Hebron as Adrian Hunter, Kandi Burruss as Eboni Phillips & Essence Atkins as Dr. Brandy Michaels.
Reasonable Doubt is a sexy, fun legal drama. It is more sexy than How To Get Away with Murder and more addictive than Your Honour.
So as we get rainy Spring nights, with little on free-to-air TV, give this little number a go. I think you will like!
Nightsleeper is a six-part British television series made for BBC One, starring Joe Cole (Gangs of London) & Alexandra Roach.
The real time drama, the series is set on the fictional Heart of Britain sleeper train travelling to London from Glasgow. Two people who have not met before must work together to try to save the lives of the passengers.
Joining Gang of Londaon's Cole and Alexandra Roach are, David Threlfall, Ruth Madeley, Alex Ferns, Sharon Small, James Cosmo, Lois Chimimba, Gabriel Howell, Katie Leung, Leah MacRae, Adam Mitchell, Sharon Rooney, Pamela Nomvete, Scott Reid, Daniel Cahill, & Parth Thakerar.
Filming took place in Glasgow back in April 2023. So why on earth is Stan in OZ/BBC only streaming it now? That is a long ass turnaround. They didn't even have a writers strike in the UK.
The opening scene was filmed in Glasgow's Central Station. Filming was also done in and outside Victoria Station, London. The interior scenes of the National Cyber Security Centre were filmed at the City of Glasgow College's Riverside Campus.
It did feel very much like Apple TV's Hijack and then the ITV1 copy Red Eye from earlier this year. This time instead of a plane, the drama was on a plane!
Look this feels a little on the low budget side, however Joe Cole did shine in this UK series living on Stan. For me, Stan really needs to find a new content provider ASAP. These English filler series are fine, however there is no contending with Disney+ and Binge (whilst it has HBO content) in a time when people can and will drop streaming services.
Working in the transport industry, you would never want a Nightsleeper experience in real life.
Don't let me make up your mind, check out Nightsleeper for yourself now.
Tell Me Lies is back for a second season. I was late to the party for season one, then season two just dropped at the start of last month. Now after eight episodes, this high level college girl drama is over.
Sex, lies and betrayal, they are the main themes of Tell Me Lies season two. Based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Carola Lovering. The series is a Hulu original, however again in Australia, it streams on Disney+.
Starring Grace Van Patten, Jackson White, Catherine Missal, Spencer House, Sonia Mena, Branden Cook, Alicia Crowder, and Tom Ellis. Thomas Doherty from the recent Gossip Girls reboot, joins the cast, as does Jacob Rodriguez & Katherine Hughes.
The second series continues to follow the relationship/drama between Lucy Albright and Stephen DeMarco as it unfolds over the course of eight years after meeting at college. We kick off season two, returning to Baird for her sophomore year, Lucy tries to avoid drama, while also harbouring a troubling secret from Bree. Adopting a new look, Pippa tries to reinvent herself but is getting hate from Wrigley's football team. Stephen and Diana become Barid's new it couple.
There is no word about a third season, however there appears to be enough online hype, that the series may return for another season. Hulu has a fair amount of content on their plate right now, with the big runaway success being, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Yes I know I need to finish that ASAP!
Finale, Don't Struggle Like That, Or I Will Only Love You More continues to dial up the drama, however for me, I think I preferred the binge of the first season over week-to-week one episode at a time.
Lucy's drama in season two just all felt a bit too much at times. She is kinda annoying AF and Stephen. EEEHHHHH
Either way this is an easy watch with some eye candy along with classic tunes thrown into the soundtrack.
Tell Me Lies two seasons stream on Disney+ alongside English Teacher, Reasonable Doubt, Grotesquerie and homegrown series, Last Days of the Space Age.
English Teacher is a new comedy drama series created by Brian Jordan Alvarez, who also stars as main character Evan Marquez. It is not very Disney+ but FX titles, stream on Disney+ down under.
Now straight off the bat, this was excellent. Like easy top five for my Summer Streamin' 24 RATED post, early in 2025.
Alongside Marquez, Stephanie Koenig, Enrico Colantoni, and Sean Patton star in this stellar new series. Only landing at the start of September with a double episode. Sadly last night, it concluded after only eight episodes. I am actually praying this gets renewed. Hopefully receiving generally positive reviews from critics along with decent exposure on the Disney+ app, it will return!
What's it about you ask?
High school teacher Evan Marquez (Brian Jordan Alvarez) finds himself at the intersection of professional, political, and personal aspects of working at a high school. Spoilers about the finale below. You have been warned!
In the finale, it’s Evan’s birthday and turning 35. FB Malcolm talks him into going to a leather daddy bar, wearing a latex T-shirt and short shorts.
Then outta nowhere, Evan’s school friends are waiting there to party with him.
My favourite part of the episode was sports teacher, Markie runs into an old high school football teammate, and it takes a while for it to dawn on him that the guy is gay.
He does have a crush on Gwen too, who broke up with her boyfriend, then at the end of the episode, well...
Guidance counselor Rick is intrigued to learn about poppers. Then hunky Harry shows up.
Remember that kiss. Harry & Evan say an awkward hello, and Harry says he wanted to show up to support him on his birthday.
Scene stealer this episode, Gwen is getting drunker and more desperate, pestering the DJ to let her do karaoke.
She also gushes to Markie about how great he is. Sadly for Markie he thinks could be a green light to finally share his feelings for her.
In the bathroom, Malcolm takes credit for inviting Harry. Evan is as usual with him, unimpressed.
Gwen gets her hands on a microphone and stars singing a cappella about Gay Town City before getting yanked off stage.
Malcolm then takes the mike to pay tribute to Evan, singing an absolute classic, Mazzy Star’s Fade Into You. I absolutely love that song! Like love it! The first time I heard it, I was like WOW!
Awkwardly Malcolm, brings Harry up to sing with him, and Markie notices Evan is looking at them longingly, encouraging him to go up there. Evan does, it pasues a bit for dramatic effect, who will he choose, messy Malcolm or handsome AF Harry in the open relationship?
He marches up to them and kisses, Malcolm. BOO!
Evan later explains to a confused Markie that Malcolm has a special place in my heart. Then tells him. Malcolm left the party to go to an orgy.
Gwen then announces she is back together with her boyfriend Nick, giving Markie all the credit for reuniting them.
The episode ends with folks eating burgers and debriefing on the nights events. Such a me thing to have done in years gone by after a big night.
That finale was everything. The season was excellent as a whole. I can't say enough good things about English Teacher. That was EXCELLENT!
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, based on the acclaimed 2020 iHeart true-crime podcast, follows the infamous story of how an armed robbery on the night of Muhammad Ali’s historic 1970 comeback fight changed not only one man’s life but ultimately transformed Atlanta into the Black Mecca.
With a stellar all star cast, this Peacock true crime drama promises a lot. Kevin Hart, Samuel L. Jackson, Terrence Howard, Dexter Darden, Taraji P. Henson, Myles Bullock, Don Cheadle, Chloe Bailey, Melvin Gregg, Artrece Johnson, Jalyn Hall, Clifton Powell, Lori Harvey and Marsha Stephanie Blake all star in this 8 part miniseries.
The series reunites Taraji P. Henson with Kevin Hart after co-starring with him in Think Like A Man, Think Like A Man Too, and Top Five. Not to mention, it is Henson’s third collaboration with Terrence Howard, whom she had previously collaborated with in Hustle & Flow and the series Empire. Remember Empire. The trainwreck COIVD interrupted final run? Man that show went from top of the pops, to an easy to forget family dynasty series.
So what is Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist all about? Hustler, Chicken Man (Hart) hosts an afterparty to celebrate the fight with a guest list of the country’s wealthiest, the night ends with the most brazen criminal underworld heist in Atlanta’s history.
Suspected of masterminding the crime, Chicken Man is hellbent on clearing his name but must convince his old adversary, J.D. Hudson (Cheadle), one of the first Black detectives in the city’s desegregated police force, who is tasked with bringing those responsible to justice.
The limited series premiered early September, on Peacock with its first three episodes. Then week to week, until last week. It was a quick turnaround with this hitting streaming, with filming only commencing in February this year , in Atlanta, Georgia.
In Australia Binge (Foxtel) was smart getting in early and grabbing a new deal with NBC/Peacock. Originally Stan had the deal meaning they have legacy series like Poker Face, Dr Death and Bel-Air. This is a major loss for Stan. However Binge will need Peacock/NBC to bring the content with HBO new titles likely to disappear sometime next year.
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist is a star studded, big name, big crime series. It could have done with a few less filler episodes. However it wasn't all filler. The last few episodes were rather decent. Until next time, enjoy my new Summer Streamin' 24 series.
I ended up at the cinema way more this past week, than previous weeks. On Saturday morning, I checked in with an empty session of The Critic. Yes I was the only one in the entire cinema.
Yes it was windy, the tail end of the October school holidays but all tickets were $8 this weekend!
This British period thriller film, is directed by Anand Tucker and written by Patrick Marber, based on the 2015 novel Curtain Call by Anthony Quinn.
Starring Sir Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Ben Barnes, How to Get Away with Murder's Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai, and Lesley Manville.
Premiering last year at the Toronto International Film Festival, The Critic has finally got a 2024 release.
So how does The Critic fair up to critics and bloggers, film goers like me? Check out below the trailer.
But first a little more on the plot. Set in London in 1934, Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen) is the theatre critic for The Daily Chronicle. It's a right-wing tabloid newspaper owned and run by Viscount David Brooke (Mark Strong) after the death of his father.
Erskine delights in writing vitriolic reviews of plays that he believes fall short of his high standards, despite requests from Brooke to tone it down.
They are loads of gay themes in the film too with, Erskine and his secretary and lover Tom Turner (Alfred Enoch - HTGAWM) are arrested for homosexuality, Brooke dismisses him, along with other older employees.
The old restructure. In Australia though (particularly government) then tend to hang onto the old dead wood. Weird right?
Erskine plots and schemes for the remainder of the film, in an almost sinister fashion.
I wasn't expecting the film to take such a dark turn. Oh well. In the end it wasn't a long film, it did feel a little long with the story dragging a bit in the second half.
I enjoyed the film for the most part, however I feel if Jimmy Erskine was reviewing this in his vile style, he may not pass it.
However I saw this for $8, and I for the most part enjoyed the film. 3 Stars.
Last King of the Cross has just concluded its action pack second season. Following John Ibrahim's (Lincoln Younes) established empire in King's Cross, Ibrahim sets his sights on 1990s Oxford Street in Sydney. When Mardi Gras was pumping and lockout laws were something reserved for the Handmaid's Tale.
The second season commenced it's slightly shorter season late August. It's now done leaving with a real cliffhanger along with more drama tipped still to come.
Paramount+ used to have a lot more Australian dramas on offer, however with Five Bedrooms concluding and NCIS: Sydney also appearing on Channel Ten and CBS in the States, this is one of the only remaining, ongoing local dramas.
I enjoyed the look at my old haunt, Oxford Street this season as Ibrahim turned his eye to a new patch.
Ibrahim found himself against fellow club owner, Naveen Andrews as Ray Kinnock. While season two also brings popular actor, Luke Arnold as Dean Taylor. Arnold also stars in the recent SBS series, I loved Four Years Later.
This season really (towards the last few episodes) focused on a number of violent crimes. So it brings me to ask, is celebrating criminals on TV OK? Well it sure is popular, true crime.
Ibrahim has always positioned himself as a businessman, however in season two, he plays out more like a criminal.
The weakest link this series had to be the Kylie Sandilands connection. That was really off.
However seasoned actors like Younes, Andrews and Arnold made for a well rounded season, showcasing when Sydney used to have a nightlife, a pulse or as those in power call a "Nighttime economy".
Sadly Sydney's economy passed 10pm goes till sleep till the next day post COVID, lockout laws and the light rail construction.
Apparently Last King of the Cross was conceived as a 3 season kinda show, however with Paramount+/Channel 10 already doing their upfronts presentation, with no mention of a third season. We will have to wait patiently for news on a third run. Till next time!
Days out from the US election for 2024, comes The Apprentice. The biographical drama film directed by Ali Abbasi & written by Gabriel Sherman. What's it all about? MAGA king himself, Donald Trump's career as a real estate businessman in New York in the 1970s and 1980s. With Sebastian Stan playing DJT as per his number plate, the return of Succession's Jeremy Strong, Martin Donovan, and Maria Bakalova.
The Apprentice had its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival back in May, earning some hype and drama.
During the film, we see the early years of Trump's business career, the film focuses on the relationship of Trump and Roy Cohn (Strong), a New York City prosecutor known for working with Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Second Red Scare.
There are some full on scenes in this 2 hour plus film. It was well done with Sebastian Stan going from playing Tommy Lee in the Hulu miniseries Pam & Tommy, to Donald J Trump.
Jeremy Strong was truly outstanding too.
This was one interesting insight into New York in the 70's and 80's. With Trump's real estate empire built on lies and his fathers hard work.
I'm not going to lie, I had no idea what to expect going into this film, however I left with my expectations meet and exceeded.
2024 is getting a strong finish to the year at the cinema, with The Substance and Speak No Evil both recently impressing. Not to mention sweet indie film, Thelma.
I'm not sure what to see next, however for now, The Apprentice is well worth a look. 4 Stars.
OK, so I am Four Years Later is a miniseries as everyone it's listed as an eight-part Australian-Indian romance drama, plus SBS don't really do long running series.
It premiered on SBS before the October long weekend. My mum smashed it in an afternoon, as all episodes were available to binge on SBS on Demand. I was more restrained and took a week.
Four Years Later follows the love story of two residents from Jaipur, one of them being an aspiring doctor, whose families plan an arranged marriage. The doctor is almost immediately offered a medical traineeship in Australia, while the other resident (Sridevi) stays in India, resulting in the couple being separated for four years.
Filming of the eight-part romance drama series began in the Indian cities of Mumbai and Jaipur in January 2024.
Filming then moved to Sydney in February. Originally titled Four Years, the series was created by Mithila Gupta, who also wrote the series alongside Nicole Reddy and S. Shakthidharan.
The series uses both Hindi and English.
With strong leads in Shahana Goswami as Sridevi & Akshay Ajit Singh as Yash. They are joined by
Kate Box as Gabs, Taj Aldeeb as Jamal, Roy Joseph as Arun, Luke Arnold as Matt and Yohan Philip as Rohit.
You can read a more comprehensive review here of the lovely romance. However this is realistic, it's not all happy endings and happy-happy joy-joy.
The team behind this and SBS have done well.
Hoping SBS will have some more quality dramas in 2025!
Bad Monkey, is another Apple TV+ series featuring another Hollywood player. This time it's Vince Vaughn.
The black comedy/crime/drama series is developed & executive produced by Bill Lawrence. Based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Carl Hiaasen.
Alongside Vaughn, L. Scott Caldwell, Rob Delaney, Meredith Hagner, Natalie Martinez, Alex Moffat, Michelle Monaghan, Ronald Peet, and Jodie Turner-Smith all star.
Bad Monkey commenced mid-August, a little before yesterday's Slow Horses. So I have been busy on Apple TV+ series. So what's it all about?
Andrew Yancy (Vaughn) is a former police detective who has been reduced to conducting restaurant inspections in South Florida. A severed arm found by a tourist pulls Yancy into a world of greed and corruption that decimates the land and environment in both Florida and The Bahamas.
It's a little bat shit crazy, but by the finale We're in the Memory-Making Business, it all comes full circle, with a little look into a possible second season.
Currently Bad Monkey has not been renewed.
It all begins with a severed arm is discovered by a fishing boat off the coast of the Florida Keys. Ex-detective Andrew Yancy, suspended for having assaulted the husband of his lover, is tasked to deliver the arm to the Miami morgue.
The arm is identified by Dr. Rosa Campesino as having belonged to Nick Stripling and is returned to his wife Eve. Eve's step-daughter Caitlin believes she killed her father for his money. At a bar, Yancy witnesses Charles Phinney, the first mate of the boat where the arm was found, being shot dead.
On Andros Island, resident Neville Stafford consults with the local Obeah, Gracie, known as the "Dragon Queen", to put a curse on the developers seeking to replace his home with a resort. Christopher, the man developing the resort and Eve's new boyfriend, is revealed to have been the one who shot Phinney.
It is part crime, part comedy set in sun of Florida, USA.
The ten episodes breezed by so if you are looking for something new to watch, this might be up your alley. It's a mega series finale week with Fight Night concluding tonight on Binge and tomorrow morning The Last King of the Cross concluding on Paramount+.
Next Week the English Teacher, Reasonable Doubt and Tell Me Lies all conclude and all on Disney+.
Slow Horses is back for a fourth series, Spook Street, which commenced its six episode run last month.
Back in January, the series scored an early renewal, for a fifth series, which will be based on the fifth book in the series, London Rules.
Episode one one, kicked off with a bang! Literally, a suicide bomb goes off at the Westacres shopping mall in London, carried out by Robert Winters.
After Winters publishes a video confessing to the attack, a police force breaks into his flat, but three of them are killed by a booby trap. River confesses to Louisa that he thinks his grandfather, David, is suffering from Alzheimer's and becoming paranoid.
She encourages him to care for David, as David cared for River when he was growing up. Meanwhile, Marcus is struggling to kick his gambling addiction, Roddy claims to have a girlfriend, Standish has been replaced by the seemingly competent Moira Tregorian, and the PTSD-suffering JK Coe has joined Slough House.
At David's house, a man arrives at night, claiming to be River. David shoots and kills him, and then flees. Lamb is called to identify River's body by Emma Flyte, the new commander of the Dogs, and he does.
Lamb confronts Standish at her flat and learns that David is sheltering at her house and that River is still alive. River is seen to be alive and in the backseat of a taxi in France.
We get to the finale almost as quickly as the season commenced. Hugo Weaving as Frank Harkness, a former CIA operative turned mercenary, has been a great addition to this series.
We also find out in the finale, something rather major. River is taken to meet Harkness, who confirms River's suspicions that he is his biological father. Harkness offers to train River to be part of his organization, which River swiftly rejects.
The Dogs converge upon River's location at the same time as Louisa and Flyte. Harkness puts a live grenade in River's sweatshirt; Louisa throws it in the water, but Harkness escapes in the chaos.
River leads the pursuit of Harkness to the train station, where Harkness allows himself to be arrested.
Meanwhile, Lamb finds Chapman's body where he went to pick up his flight fund; Patrice, who has Chapman's phone, listens to a message left by Tregorian for Chapman saying that David is safe at Slough House.
Patrice ambushes Slough House, killing Marcus in a shootout before being subdued by Shirley and a returning Lamb. Coe talks Shirley out of killing a restrained Patrice before shooting him dead himself.
In the aftermath, Harkness negotiates his release by threatening to reveal to the public that MI5 and other security agencies hired his mercenary group to kill their targets over the years, having left letters at Molly's house addressed to Whelan and other heads of service that were set to be uploaded online within 24 hours of his arrest. River has David committed to a care home against his wishes, and joins Lamb for a drink.
We also get a sneak peak at season five. Making me think, if it's filmed already, when will it land on Apple TV+?
Apple TV+ has had a stellar run of late and next week, Shrinking returns for its second season. Remember how good season one was! And Friday Disclaimer with Cate Blanchett as Catherine Ravenscroft, a respected journalist and documentarian, long renowned for uncovering difficult truths lands!
So much TV, so little time. Why do I need work 35 hours a week? DAMN!
Joker: Folie à Deux was one of those films I was really excited for. The expensive marketing campaign worked. Every poster, thing I saw online made me want to see the film more and more.
The sequel to Joker (2019) also the final dark film of Joker series. Like the current Penguin series, DC is going all dark (and musical, well for the Joker) on their villains of late. What will the villains be like in the upcoming Ed Pat Batman sequel?
Starring Joaquin Phoenix (again) as Arthur Fleck/The Joker, with Lady Gaga joining as his love interest Lee Quinzel. Industry hottie, Harry Lawtey plays Harvey Dent, while co-star, Ken Leung as Dr. Victor Liu, a psychologist who gives his testimony diagnosing Arthur at the trial.
Zazie Beetz also reprises her role from the previous film, while Brendan Gleeson and Catherine Keener join the cast. Joker: Folie à Deux premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 4, upon its general release, it has received negative reviews from critics.
Some of these critics, criticised the musical numbers and screenplay, though the performances of Phoenix and Gaga received praise.
The musical numbers do become tiresome as the film clocks in, at well over two hours. I used one of these numbers to take a piss.
Overall the film is lacking purpose. As a large chunk of the film is filmed whilst Arthur/The Joker is locked up.
I remember loving the OG Joker film. It was dark, disturbing, scary in part, unique. However Batman and the whole comic book thing is really dead now. Following a few more Marvel films, the latest Marvel series, fatigue is real on these characters.
However DC is going dark, real dark. Reflective of a frightening, ever changing world we live in now.
I didn't hate this film, I liked Gaga, but it had major flaws.
If you want to read more from a younger viewer, there is a good review here. For me though after seeing multiple Gotham creations on the big and small screen, this wasn't the best but wasn't the worst. What will Gaga do next? The woman is unstoppable of late.
I can't pass this, if I am always bitching about aimless films with long ass run times. 2 Stars. Sorry crew.
So another Power Book closes. This time, Book II: Ghost. Commencing in the depths of the first year of CVOID back in September, 2020, this served as a direct sequel and spin-off to Power. Where, spoiler alert, lead Michael Rainey Jr. as Tariq St. Patrick killed his father, Ghost, from the OG series.
We also saw Mary J Blige, SLAY as Monet, however that came to a halt last week. Yep spoiler alert.
This week the body count grew in the series finale. Back in March, it was announced that the fourth season will be the series' final season and is split into two parts; part one premiered on June 7, and part two premiered on September 6.
The spilt season was slightly annoying, however the break wasn't too much of a punish. The main new cast member for season four, came with fourth season renewal announcement, Michael Ealy joined the cast. Recently seen in the Afterparty and the excellent first season of Reasonable Doubt.
So Stan are saying Power Book III: Raising Kanan returns this summer. While Power Book IV: Force will also conclude (likely in 2025) with its next season.
Apparently Power: Origins, another prequel is in the works.
Will we see Tariq St. Patrick with Tommy again in Chicago in the final Force season? There has already been on crossover.
So how long will the Power Universe live on for? This season of Ghost was fun, fast-paced and action packed. However this crime family is really winding down, the body count is rising up, so time will tell.
Stan do well out of these Power series, they also are struggling for content and Starz is an excellent producer of their current content catalogue.
Oh and welcome to the new series, Summer Streamin' 24. I know it currently doesn't feel like summer yet, however we did have the one hot week recently. Right? Anyway enjoy the long weekend. There is loads of new Aussie content to get around, Four Years Later, Last King of the Cross is wrapping next week and Last Days of the Space Age on Disney+.
It's almost time to say hello Summer 2024/2025! In the meantime here are the TV series I caught up with over a brief Winter, early Spring. Spring has truly sprung now. Also this is the first year in a while the US networks have had no strikes or COVID to contend with. So incoming it's a full US TV season.
However expect those series to feature next quarter. For now see where the two CW series, All American and it's Homecoming spin-off land below.
That said streaming platforms like Binge, Disney+, Apple TV+ and ABC iView are firing off loads of new and returning series.
Speaking of Aussie content, Colin from Accounts took out the RATED series last quarter, so let's check where ABC, Paramount+, Stan and Netflix's local series RATED this time around.
So much Australian content streaming right now too. For this new quarter we have Four Years Later on SBS, Return to Paradise on ABC & iView, Last Days of the Space Age on Disney+ and Last King of the Cross concluding on Paramount+ next Friday morning.
If you need more series to catch up on, below are my previous RATED's:
1. Fake - Season One (AU) 2. Poker Face - Season One 3. The Boys - Season Four 4. 9-1-1 - Season Seven 5. The Twelve - Season Two (AU) 6. Presumed Innocent - Season One 7. Critical Incident - Season One (AU) 8. Industry - Season Three 9. Land of Women (Spanish: Tierra de mujeres) - Season One 10. Bel-Air - Seasons One to Three 11. Interview with the Vampire - Season Two 12. Troppo - Seasons One to Two (AU) 13. Boy Swallows Universe - Miniseries (AU) 14. Under the Bridge - Miniseries 15. Return to Paradise - Season One (AU) 16. Elite (Spanish: Élite) - Season Eight/Series Finale 17. The Way Home - Seasons One to Two 18. Severance - Season One 19. All American - Season Six 20. Clipped - Miniseries 21. Silo - Season One 22. Evil - Season Four/Series Finale 23. Outer Range - Seasons One to Two/Series Finale 24. Red Eye - miniseries 25. The Bear - Season Three 26. Clickbait - Miniseries 27. The Perfect Couple - Miniseries 28. House of the Dragon - Season Two 29. Gangs of London - Season Two 30. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder - Season One 31. Fantasmas - Season One 32. All American: Homecoming - Season Three/Series Final 33. Star Wars: The Acolyte - Season One/Series Finale 34. Unstable - Season Two 35. Lady in the Lake - Miniseries
This is officially the last New Financial Year 2024/2025 Streaming post in the last quarters series. Concluding with the final ever episode of, All American: Homecoming.
Created by Nkechi Okoro Carroll, the spin-off of All American, which in June this year, the series was canceled after three seasons.
Where did it all begin on The CW? Well, Simone Hicks leaves behind her boyfriend Jordan (HUNK ALERT) in Los Angeles and attends Bringston University, a historically black college in Atlanta, Georgia where she decides to pursue her dreams of being a pro tennis player.
Also attending the school is Damon Sims, a fellow freshman who is navigating the college scene to pursue his dream of playing baseball for the university after rejecting an MLB draft to continue to play baseball for Bringston under the guidance of his coach, Marcus Turner. Also included is Amara Patterson, Simone's aunt, who teaches journalism at Bringston.
So how did, Homecoming close out? Simone Hicks’ story ended much like how it began: with a little drama on the tennis court, and even more drama off it.
When season 3 began, Simone found herself romantically caught between Damon Sims and Lando Johnson; this time around, the same quandary presented itself to our protagonist, as Damon made a return visit to Bringston just as Simone and Lando were poised to admit they loved each other.
Actually, Simone did tell Lando she loved him, but Lando, newly insecure after spotting Simone and Damon catching up with each other, told her he couldn’t trust her confession and walked away, leaving her heartbroken.
Later, though, after giving Cam a love life-related pep talk, Lando realised he was simply letting his own fears stand in the way of a real relationship with Simone. That evening, he met up with Simone and showed her a sweet slideshow of his own life, telling her that she’s filled it with beauty and joy.
Then at long last, Lando reciprocated Simone’s feelings of love.
Meanwhile, on the tennis court (not the footy field like the parent series, All American), rumours began to spread that Simone may have taken performance-enhancing drugs. However these were actually her cancer meds.
At first, Simone planned to keep her cancer battle a secret, even in a sports documentary chronicling the team’s recent success. But when Simone realised that even her own teammates were questioning what kind of substance she’d been taking, she decided to come clean about her breast cancer to her fellow players and to the journalist interviewing her, citing her hope that other young women may be inspired to listen to their bodies and advocate for themselves when seeing a doctor.
On the day of the conference finals, Simone seemed to dread the response she might get from the crowd and the other competitors, telling Lando and Amara that she wasn’t ready to face. When she stepped on to the court, Simone was instead greeted by thunderous applause and a standing ovation from her teammates, her tennis challengers and all of the Bringston spectators.
So while All American returns (to Stan, not Binge where this streams) for a 13 episode seventh season. There was an unresolved storyline, which unlike me, I knew this show in the current climate was lucky to even get a second season, a third was a miracle. But maybe the Homecoming writers knew this would be a series finale, Keisha’s love triangle with Cam and JR never fully sorted itself out.
On one hand, Keisha appeared to choose herself at the end of the episode, after noting earlier in the hour that she was constantly in a relationship and wanted to fly solo now.
On the other, she and Cam seemed to have some unfinished business together, especially after he served as her partner in her final dance exam. That scene was full on. It was an emotionally intense routine they performed together clearly mirrored their own romantic relationship.
Lando encouraged Cam not to let his fears keep him from being with Keisha, but last we saw, Cam and JR were in a bit of a standoff over her.
So The CW has two OG series left. Superman & Lois commencing with a double episode next week on Binge, for its final, fourth season. And as above All American returning TBA in 2025.
Looking at a calendar I feel Superman & Lois could come to a close this side of Christmas. Speaking of a new blog series for TV and the next quarter commences with Power soon. The RATED for New Financial Year 2024/2025 Streaming will also land soon. Can you believe it's October 1st 2024 already!
