Winter Warmer Watchlist - The Last Anniversary - Miniseries

I've finally made my way back to The Last Anniversary.

Following Nine Perfect Stranger's random second season recently, Liane Moriarty is doing well on the small screen in 2025.

Directed by John Polson and is an adaptation by Samantha Strauss of the Liane Moriarty novel of the same name. 

It is executive produced by Nicole Kidman amongst other producers. 

Starring Binge favourite Teresa Palmer (also the lead in MixTape), Miranda Richardson, Danielle Macdonald, Helen Thomson, Susan Prior, Claude Scott-Mitchell, Charlie Garber, Uli Latukefu & Jeremy Lindsay Taylor.

Uli Latukefu is also currently starring as a lead in Amazon's action romp, Countdown.

So what's The Last Anniversary all about? Sophie Honeywell (Palmer) inherits a house on Scribbly Gum Island from her ex-boyfriend's great-aunt Connie. However the island has many secrets.

Apparently, Moriarty insisted that the novel be filmed in Australia, because according to producer Jodi Matterson the location where the book is set, on the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales, Moriarty considered to be a real character within the story.

Filming began in Sydney in November 2023, with the series streaming March till May this year.

It was an easy six episode watch. Filmed across beautiful sights around the Hawkesbury River.

Using great music across the six episodes, The Last Anniversary was a solid local production. Moriarty has now had a decent share of her books turned into series. With HBO apparently with the rights to Truly Madly Guilty.

I must say I enjoyed this more than Apples Never Fall that streamed on Peacock, in Australia Binge like The Last Anniversary.

Now we wait patiently for a third Big Little Lies and news of renewal for Nine Perfect Strangers. Nicole Kidman is 100% in demand right now!

Film Influencer 2025 - The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Marvel is back! Taking on the new Superman. The Fantastic Four: First Steps landed last Thursday.

This is the 37th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the second reboot of the Fantastic Four film series. 

The film was directed by Matt Shakman from a screenplay by Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, and the team of Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer. 

Starring man of the moment, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn as the titular team, alongside Julia Garner, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatiss, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, and Ralph Ineson. 

The film is set in the 1960s of a retro-futuristic world which the Fantastic Four must protect from the planet-devouring cosmic being Galactus (Ineson).

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the first film in Phase Six of the MCU. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed over $218 million worldwide. A sequel is in development. Which guess what, you get a sneak peek at in the mid-credits as usual.

Unlike recent Marvel films, this was more about family and collaboration. The whole world needs to work together as one to defeat Galactus. 

Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal AKA the Silver Surfer, is one of the more interesting Marvel villains.

The movie also moved a hell of a lot quicker than most Marvel affairs. All done and dusted in under 2 hours. Including that mid-credits scene.

This won't win any awards (gosh I say that about a lot of the shit I see) but it did also set up Avengers: Doomsday. Yep the Avengers are back!

So the superhero genre has felt a little cooked, however Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps are starting to get audiences back to the big screen.

These films for me now are simply just an escape from the world. The 24/7 news cycle. The world being ruined by greedy old men. And to be honest some greedy old women, but mostly men.

Superheros are fun on the big screen, however on Earth it is beginining to feel like we need our own real life Fantastic Four.

For it's tight run time, star cast, I'll give it a solid 3 Stars.

Music Update V5.0

It's been a hot minute since I have done a music update from my other part-time blog. Yes part-time as when I'm off holidays, or need to focus on my TV. I result to just posting here. So for now, let's look at some of the fun happening over here, right now.

It feels the time when Triple J are celebrating their second Hottest 100 for 2025. Today is the celebration of Australian songs, however right now let me focus on the return of the Friday Flash(back). Season two has just kicked off with a month of incredible acts and albums.

From local favourites to Garbage, Morcheeba and Bon Iver. The Friday Flash(back) continues next Friday (August 1st, can you believe it!) with The Kooks! Yes The Kooks!

So let's look at the albums that shaped the Friday Flash(back) second season for 225.

Morcheeba - Escape the Chaos

Bon Iver - SABLE, fABLE

The Superjesus - The Superjesus

Garbage - Let All That We Imagine Be the Light

Lastly lets check out this week's brilliant feature record from Chris Lake. Chemistry has been a wonderful record to dance to this winter.

Sneak peek, here is a look at next week's feature record....

Winter Warmer Watchlist - The Hunting Wives - Season One

The Hunting Wives finally landed on Stan on Monday after being held by Starz in the USA for a hot minute! I finished it this morning. We need more erotic thriller/mystery/dramas in our lives. The Hunting Wives delivered just that.

Based on the novel by May Cobb, the eight episode series stars, Malin Akerman, Brittany Snow, Dermot Mulroney, Evan Jonigkeit, Chrissy Metz, Jaime Ray Newman, & Katie Lowes. 

While in the USA this low hyped series, landed on Netflix, Aussies we this series set in a fictional East Texas town on locally run and operated Stan. Sophie (Snow), a young woman and mom, falls into an affluent socialite's seductive orbit - where a circle of housewives who have dangerous secrets themselves - that culminates in her becoming a prime suspect in the death of a teenage girl.

Brittany Snow is Sophie O'Neil, a woman from Cambridge, Massachusetts who recently moved to Maple Brook, Texas for her husband's job. She randomly falls for Malin Akerman as Margo Banks, the leader of an elite socialite group of wives known as the Hunting Wives.

Jaime Ray Newman as Callie, the number two of the Hunting Wives and town sheriff's wife who also loved Margo. Evan Jonigkeit has a lesser role as Graham O'Neil, Sophie's husband who is an architect.

While George Ferrier as Brad, Jill's teenage son who is having an affair with Margo, Katie Lowes plays Jill, Brad's mother who is the wife the reverend and member of the Hunting Wives. Chrissy Metz is Starr, a working class single mother whose daughter Abby is dating Brad and is not part of the elite socialite group, while Dermot Mulroney as Jed Banks, Margo's wealthy husband and Graham's boss who is an oil tycoon and aspiring candidate for governor.

Sounds like a lot... Well it is! There is strap on's, full frontal (male) nudity and a few C bombs. It's chaotic and erotic all at once!

Spoilers ahead if you didn't speed watch The Hunting Wives like I did.

While Callie revels in her hero status, Margo discovers who's her blackmailer is. Meanwhile, finally released from custody, Sophie thinks the worse is over, but she gets thrown for a loop when she uncovers a deadly life altering secret that not only links together the events of Abby's murder, but also exposes the skeletons in Margo's closet.

The drama, the lesbian sex, the jailbait sex.

This could be one of my favourite Stan shows of 2025. Stream it now, its a damn easy watch!

Winter Warmer Watchlist - The Bear - Season Four

The fourth season of The Bear streamed all 10 episodes, on my Dad's 90th. So I am finally catching up with the Jeremy Allen White lead series.

He reprises his role as Carmy Berzatto, an award-winning chef who returns to his hometown of Chicago to manage the chaotic kitchen at his deceased brother's sandwich shop.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson, & Edwin Lee Gibson also return for the fourth season of the hit series for FX/Disney+.

The Bear began filming with the third season in February 2024, and was completed in early 2025. 

This season has had positive reviews from critics, though reception was more muted than prior seasons.

Earlier this month the series was renewed for a fifth season. So more The Bear is on the way, likely gaining more award nominations.

If like me you are not up to date with your stories, then don't read on cause we are diving head first into episode ten of season four!

Sydney confronts Carmy over his decision to quit. Carmy insists he is making the best decision for the restaurant, arguing that he became a chef to avoid facing his familial trauma, and that Sydney is pursuing the field for the right reasons. 

He tells Sydney she is the reason the restaurant is surviving, and that he believes in her more than he believes in himself. Richie interrupts them; he is initially flippant about the news until Carmy reveals he came to Mikey's funeral, but could not bring himself to attend. 

The two have an honest and heartfelt conversation in front of Sydney, where they admit the resentments they held towards one another in the wake of Mikey's death. 

Carmy tells Richie that he is retiring in part to learn who he is outside of the kitchen. Sydney ultimately agrees to take over if Richie is also given a partnership stake, which he accepts. Natalie arrives and tearfully embraces Carmy upon learning the news while Cicero's clock eventually reaches zero.

So will season five be the end? I think it needs to end. This season was fine, it's not a comedy people at the Emmy's, but I reckon a fifth and final season is in order.

Winter Warmer Watchlist - Adolescence - Season One

Adolescence is one of those water cooler Netflix series. One of those ones that come along from time to time, that everyone is talking about. Department Q recently was another one, Baby Reindeer last year and the list goes on.

The British have done well for Netflix, with this series earning loads of praise, while receiving thirteen nominations at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards

Created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham and directed by Philip Barantini. It centres on a 13-year-old schoolboy, Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), who's arrested after the murder of a girl in his school. Each of its episodes was shot in one continuous take.

So this came mid-March, so there may be no spoilers here as you all, probably watched this one already. It's part of my winter watchlist raid.

One month later, Deadline reported that Netflix and Plan B Entertainment were in talks about a second season of the series. It does feel like a miniseries however I could see now how a second series would go.

So what's the plot for this exceptional drama?

In an unspecific English town, armed police raid a family home and arrest Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old boy, on suspicion of the murder of his classmate Katie Leonard, whom the viewers later learn had rejected his advances and then mocked him online. 

Jamie is processed and held at a police station for questioning and then remanded in custody at a secure training centre. Investigations at Jamie's school and interviews by a forensic psychologist uncover Jamie's views towards women associated with the manosphere and mockery he has received on social media. 

At home, Jamie's family deals with the community's backlash against them as they work together to cope with Jamie's arrest and subsequent detention.

After three brutal episodes, the finale focuses on Jamie's families life on his dad's birthday.

Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller, Christine Tremarco as Manda Miller & Amélie Pease as Lisa Miller all play brilliant roles. Obviously Owen Cooper completely shines as Jamie. However this episode does so well at focusing on life for the family.

A year after the murder, the Millers have made attempts to return to normality as Jamie awaits trial. On Eddie's 50th birthday, his van is spray-painted by teenagers that attend Jamie's school. Eddie plans to take Manda and Lisa to the cinema later that day to lighten the mood, but they first go to a hardware store to buy something to remove the paint from the van. 

There, Eddie is further distressed by an employee recognising him and awkwardly expressing support for Jamie. Eddie buys some paint to recoat the van. Outside, he spots the teens who tagged the van and angrily threatens them before throwing the contents of the can of paint on his van out of anger. 

On the drive home, Jamie calls and announces his plan to plead guilty. At the house, Eddie and Manda come to terms with Jamie's predicament, blaming themselves for not paying attention to his online radicalisation. Lisa joins them, expressing support for Eddie's decision not to move the family, knowing their connection to Jamie would eventually catch up with them. 

They decide instead to rent a film to turn the day around, with Manda and Lisa leaving to prepare breakfast. Alone, Eddie breaks down on Jamie's bed. He tucks in a teddy bear, kisses its head, and apologises to Jamie for not doing better before joining his family.

This was so well acted, such an important topic for the creators to tackle. It was shocking, raw and real. I highly recommend this. The hype was real.

Film Influencer 2025 - I Know What You Did Last Summer

OK, so the Amazon series was axed after one season, however I Know What You Did Last Summer is back on the big screen after that short lived small screen version.

Filmed across NSW and LA, there even is a post credits scene, so stay in your seat people.

Last night's Friday 7pm session was almost sold out. It was a full crowd of young adults and a few older folk like me remembering the 1997 OG film.

So how does this film go down?

When five friends inadvertently cause a deadly car accident, they cover up their involvement and make a pact to keep it a secret rather than face the consequences. 

A year later, their past comes back to haunt them and they’re forced to confront a horrifying truth: someone knows what they did last summer…and is hell-bent on revenge. 

As one by one the friends are stalked by a killer, they discover this has happened before, and they turn to two survivors of the legendary Southport Massacre of 1997 for help.

I Know What You Did Last Summer is a sequel to 1998's I Still Know What You Did Last Summer & the fourth instalment in the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise. 

Starring Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon, Billy Campbell, Gabbriette Bechtel, and Austin Nichols, with Freddie Prinze Jr. & Jennifer Love Hewitt reprising their roles from the first two films.

Continuing with the plot, which takes place 28 years after the Tower Bay murders, when another hook-wielding killer appears and begins targeting a group of friends one year after they covered up a car accident in which they supposedly killed someone.

I Know What You Did Last Summer has mixed reviews from critics, however for me, the throwbacks to the OG film, the links to it's sequel, the set up for another film. I was sold by the final credits.

Freddie Prinze Jr. & Jennifer Love Hewitt have both changed so much since the OG film, however JLH does roll out that famous line from the first film.

There are a couple of cameos that even Marvel would say, OKKKKKKKKKK. The soundtrack is great too, with a range of current hits, including personal favourite, Leave Me Alone, by Reneé Rapp.

This is not a fresh take on the slasher film formula, however it was a bit of fun. I also did jump a few times.

So I slept well and went from planning to pass this, to giving it 3 Stars. No awards will be won, it might be forgotten, however I'd love to see where the cliffhanger finale sends the viewers.

With no new ideas left in Hollywood, a sequel is a must, come on Sony!

Winter Warmer Watchlist - You - Season Five/Series Finale

The fifth and final season of You landed around Anzac Day on Netflix. So yeah I'm a little behind!

So how does the final season go? Joe Goldberg returns to New York City to live a peaceful life, but the appearance of a woman, Bronte, and the need to satisfy his darkest needs will put his entire life in danger.

Penn Badgley returns as Joe Goldberg, with Charlotte Ritchie returning from the previous season; and Griffin Matthews, Anna Camp and Madeline Brewer joining for one final season. With Anna Camp actually playing twins!

The final ten episodes kick off 3 years after returning to New York, Joe Goldberg has become famous due to his relationship with Kate, who has become CEO of her family's company. He has his son Henry back, and has put Mooney's up for sale. 

Joe learns from Kate's paternal half-brother Teddy that a hit piece is going to be published about an old business deal Kate made, which would ruin her reputation. Teddy and Joe confront Reagan Lockwood, Kate's paternal half-sister, who denies involvement in the hit piece. 

Going through Reagan's identical twin sister Maddie's phone, Joe discovers that Reagan, Maddie, and Kate's mentor Bob are planning a vote of no confidence against Kate. Joe later fantasises about murdering Bob and is caught writing about it by Kate at Mooney's. 

While leaving, he meets Bronte, who had been breaking in and borrowing books from his shop. When Kate confronts Bob, he confirms he leaked the information to the press and reveals he knows about Kate's involvement in covering Rhys Montrose's death. 

Joe murders Bob and stages his suicide later that night. Upon visiting Mooney's again, Joe discovers Bronte sleeping there and offers her a job, telling her to never go into the basement. Later, Joe goes there, revealing he has reassembled his glass cage.

Yeah Joe has a new obsession in Madeline Brewer as Louise Flannery / Bronte. Yes she also has two identities. It's a lot! Spoilers below. However like Mayfair Witches, I am way behind on this one!

In the finale, after loads of drama, back stabbing, whilst the body count builds, Joe and Bronte begin to go on the run after Kate's recorded confession of Joe's crimes.

Bronte debating when to corner Joe. Joe plans to cross the border into Canada under a false identity provided by Will Bettleheim, including Henry in his plans. 

Joe and Bronte break into a vacation house for a night until they get the papers. The two take a romantic boat ride, and later while they're having sex, Bronte points a gun at Joe and demands to know how he killed Beck, but he refuses to tell her. Bronte then forces Joe to identify his contributions to Beck's posthumous bestselling book, using a copy she bought at a gas station earlier. 

Joe manages to contact Henry through Will, but Henry rejects him and calls him a monster. 

A fight ensues between Joe and Bronte outside after Bronte attempts to escape. Bronte calls 911 before Joe seemingly drowns her, and the police arrive. Joe kills a police officer while trying to escape, but is then cornered by still-alive Bronte. 

Bronte shoots Joe in the genitals, and he is arrested. Joe is sentenced to life in prison; Bronte rewrites Beck's book, removing Joe's additions, which becomes a best-seller; Kate, who survived the fire, leaves the company–which becomes fully non-profit under Teddy–and helps Marienne with her art and raises Henry; Nadia leaves prison and becomes a writing teacher; Maddie and Harrison are released from prison and are expecting twins. 

Joe, in prison, reads fan mail, continuing to think he's not the problem, but society.

OK, so that was a lot. The final ever episode had loads of loose ends to wrap. It mostly did well as yet another major Netflix series calls it a day. This year alone. You, Squid Game, Heartbreak High, Stranger Things and Outer Banks all to end in 2025.

Yes Heartbreak High might be big for us Ausie's, however that list above is fairly major!

Until next time, Penn Badgley is a total hot rat boy!

Emmys 2025 Nominations | Predictions

Severance, The White Lotus, The Last of Us & The Studio dominate as HBO and Apple TV+ reign supreme over in yesterday's nominations. I still need to watch the second season of The Last of Us, however I was exceptionally surprised at how wonderful The Studio was.

Here are my Emmys predictions in red & bold.....

OUTSTANDING DRAMA

Andor (Disney+)

The Diplomat (Netflix)

The Last of Us (HBO)

Paradise (Hulu)

The Pitt (HBO Max)

Severance (Apple TV+)

Slow Horses (Apple TV+)

The White Lotus (HBO)

LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

Kathy Bates, Matlock

Sharon Horgan, Bad Sisters

Britt Lower, Severance

Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us

Keri Russell, The Diplomat

LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA

Sterling K. Brown, Paradise

Gary Oldman, Slow Horses

Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us

Adam Scott, Severance

Noah Wyle, The Pitt

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

Patricia Arquette, Severance

Carrie Coon, The White Lotus

Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt

Julianne Nicholson, Paradise

Parker Posey, The White Lotus

Natasha Rothwell, The White Lotus

Aimee Lou Wood, The White Lotus

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA

Zach Cherry, Severance

Walton Goggins, The White Lotus

Jason Isaacs, The White Lotus

James Marsden, Paradise

Sam Rockwell, The White Lotus

Tramell Tillman, Severance

John Turturro, Severance

GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

Jane Alexander, Severance

Gwendoline Christie, Severance

Kaitlyn Dever, The Last of Us

Cherry Jones, The Handmaid’s Tale

Catherine O’Hara, The Last of Us

Merritt Wever, Severance

GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA

Giancarlo Esposito, The Boys

Scott Glenn, The White Lotus

Shawn Hatosy, The Pitt

Joe Pantoliano, The Last of Us

Forest Whitaker, Andor

Jeffrey Wright, The Last of Us

OUTSTANDING COMEDY

Abbott Elementary (ABC)

The Bear (Hulu)

Hacks (HBO Max)

Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Shrinking (Apple TV+)

The Studio (Apple TV+)

What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Uzo Aduba, The Residence

Kristen Bell, Nobody Wants This

Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary

Ayo Edebiri, The Bear

Jean Smart, Hacks

LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY

Adam Brody, Nobody Wants This

Seth Rogen, The Studio

Jason Segel, Shrinking

Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building

Jeremy Allen White, The Bear

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Liza Colón-Zayas, The Bear

Hannah Einbinder, Hacks

Kathryn Hahn, The Studio

Janelle James, Abbott Elementary

Catherine O’Hara, The Studio

Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary

Jessica Williams, Shrinking

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY

Ike Barinholtz, The Studio

Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons

Harrison Ford, Shrinking

Jeff Hiller, Somebody Somewhere

Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear

Michael Urie, Shrinking

Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live

GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Olivia Colman, The Bear

Jamie Lee Curtis, The Bear

Cynthia Erivo, Poker Face

Robby Hoffman, Hacks

Zoë Kravitz, The Studio

Julianne Nicholson, Hacks

GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY

Jon Bernthal, The Bear

Bryan Cranston, The Studio

Dave Franco, The Studio

Ron Howard, The Studio

Anthony Mackie, The Studio

Martin Scorsese, The Studio

OUTSTANDING REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM

The Amazing Race

RuPaul’s Drag Race

Survivor

Top Chef

The Traitors

OUTSTANDING UNSTRUCTURED REALITY PROGRAM

America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (Netflix)

Love on the Spectrum (Netflix)

RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked (Paramount+)

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (Hulu)

Welcome to Wrexham (FX)

OUTSTANDING STRUCTURED REALITY PROGRAM

Antiques Roadshow (PBS)

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network)

Love Is Blind (Netflix)

Queer Eye (Netflix)

Shark Tank (ABC)

OUTSTANDING HOST FOR A REALITY/COMPETITION PROGRAM

RuPaul Charles, RuPaul’s Drag Race

Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Kevin O’Leary, Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John & Daniel Lubetzky, Shark Tank

Alan Cumming, The Traitors

Kristen Kish, Top Chef

Jeff Probst, Survivor

OUTSTANDING LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES

Adolescence (Netflix)

Black Mirror (Netflix)

Dying for Sex (Hulu)

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (Netflix)

The Penguin (HBO)

OUTSTANDING TELEVISION MOVIE

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Peacock)

The Gorge (Apple TV+)

Mountainhead (HBO)

Nonnas (Netflix)

Rebel Ridge (Netflix)

LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES, OR MOVIE

Cate Blanchett, Disclaimer

Meghann Fahy, Sirens

Rashida Jones, Black Mirror

Cristin Milioti, The Penguin

Michelle Williams, Dying for Sex

LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES, OR MOVIE

Colin Farrell, The Penguin

Stephen Graham, Adolescence

Jake Gyllenhaal, Presumed Innocent

Brian Tyree Henry, Dope Thief

Cooper Koch, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES, OR MOVIE

Erin Doherty, Adolescence

Ruth Negga, Presumed Innocent

Deirdre O’Connell, The Penguin

Chloë Sevigny, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

Jenny Slate, Dying for Sex

Christine Tremarco, Adolescence

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES, OR MOVIE

Javier Bardem, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

Bill Camp, Presumed Innocent

Owen Cooper, Adolescence

Rob Delaney, Dying for Sex

Peter Sarsgaard, Presumed Innocent

Ashley Walters, Adolescence

OUTSTANDING SCRIPTED VARIETY SERIES

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO)

Saturday Night Live (NBC)

OUTSTANDING VARIETY SPECIAL (LIVE)

The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar (Fox)

Beyoncé Bowl (Netflix)

The Oscars (ABC)

SNL50: The Anniversary Special (NBC)

SNL50: The Homecoming Concert (Peacock)

OUTSTANDING VARIETY SPECIAL (PRE-RECORDED)

Adam Sandler: Love You (Netflix)

Ali Wong: Single Lady (Netflix)

Bill Burr: Drop Dead Years (Hulu)

Conan O’Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (Netflix)

Sarah Silverman: PostMortem (Netflix)

Your Friend, Nate Bargatze (Netflix)

OUTSTANDING TALK SERIES

The Daily Show (Comedy Central)

Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (CBS)

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED PROGRAM

Arcane (Netflix)

Bob’s Burgers (Fox)

Common Side Effects (Adult Swim)

Love, Death + Robots (Netflix)

The Simpsons (Fox)

Winter Warmer Watchlist - Mayfair Witches - Season Two

Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches is based on the novel trilogy Lives of the Mayfair Witches by Anne Rice.

Mayfair Witches stars Alexandra Daddario as Rowan Fielding, Harry Hamlin as Cortland Mayfair, Tongayi Chirisa as Ciprien Grieve, and Jack Huston as Lasher.

Joining season two is Ben Feldman as Sam Larkin, Rowan's former boyfriend, the CEO of a genetics startup & Alyssa Jirrels as Moira Mayfair, Rowan's cousin who has the power to read minds.

Mayfair Witches is the second television series set in the Immortal Universe, a shared universe based on Rice's novels, with the series in April 2025, being renewed for a third season.

In Australia I believe this streams on AMC+, however it's also streaming for free on ABC iView.

I am late to the party streaming the second season, so I avoided spoilers for a hot minute. If you are still not up to date, please stop reading now!

In their wedding chamber, Emaleth and Lasher talk about the upcoming birth of their Taltos children. 

Julien (in Cortland's body) gives Rowan drugged tea and is taken to an underground cell where she meets Ciprien and Polina, who were captured earlier. While Emaleth is in labor, Lasher is convinced to go to the woods with Julien and Ian for a ceremony, only for Ian to slit his throat and gathers his blood. 

Moira escapes from her cell and disguises herself as a Scottish Mayfair, finding out through her telepathy their horrific plans for Lasher & Emaleth children. 

Rowan, Ciprien and Polina escape and find Lasher in the woods. Rowan revives him with her healing powers while Ciprien & Polina call for back up. Moira meets up with Rowan and Lasher and reveals the Scottish Mayfair's plans. 

Lasher, Rowan and Moira confront Ian & Julien regarding the Taltos children. Ian threatens Lark's life, but Julien reveals the stitching spell has been broken leaving Scottish Mayfairs vulnerable. Lasher and Rowan fight off Ian & other Mayfairs, while Moira and Lark try to get the Taltos children. 

Amintha kills Lasher with an axe in the chest. Julien discovers Ciprien & Polina have taken the Taltos children and summons lightening, killing Polina. Rowan confronts Julien, only for him to disappear.

Rowan drinks Lasher's blood, gaining more magical power. 

Later, Lark states he cannot be a part of the "war" Rowan is preparing between her and Julien. Rowan makes a tea for Lark to drink so he can forget her & anything involving the Mayfairs. 

Rowan and Moira arrive back home in New Orleans, bringing back Daphne and Jojo from the thrall.

Outside the deteriorating First Street House, Rowan looks on while Julien watches from a distance.

I for the most part had no idea what I was watching this season. It was honestly all a blur. It is definitely not as good a series as Interview with the Vampire.

Interview with the Vampire will also be back, most likely before the third season of the Witches. With two years in between seasons one and two, season three is probably a few years away.

Seeya next time kids!

Film Influencer 2025 - Superman

Superman is back on the big screen and doing big business!

Written and directed by James Gunn, it is the first film in the DC Universe (DCU) produced by DC Studios and the second reboot of the Superman film series. 

David Corenswet stars as Clark Kent / Superman, alongside Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, and Isabela Merced. 

With less backstory (thank god!), the action starts early, with Superman proving to the world that he is their protector after billionaire Lex Luthor enacts a plan to turn public opinion against him.

Development on a sequel to the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film Man of Steel (2013) began by October 2014, with Henry Cavill set to reprise his role as Superman. Plans changed after the troubled production of Justice League (2017) and the Man of Steel sequel was no longer moving forward by May 2020. 

Gunn began work on a new Superman film around August 2022. In October, he became co-CEO of DC Studios with producer Peter Safran and they began work on a new DC Universe. Gunn was revealed to be writing the film in December. 

The title Superman: Legacy was announced the next month, Gunn was confirmed to be directing in March 2023.

The subtitle was dropped by the end of February 2024, when filming began in Svalbard, Norway. Production primarily took place at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, with location filming around Georgia and Ohio. Filming wrapped in July. The film takes inspiration from the comic book All-Star Superman (2005–2008) by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, among others.

Superman  is the first film of the DCU's Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. Superman received positive reviews from critics and has grossed $220 million against a $225 million budget. 

My review might not be so positive. It was long, CGI plagued and chaotic. However it didn't dwell on Superman's arrival to Earth, origin story or the usual half an hour of these Superman films.

Skyler Gisondo was excellent as Jimmy Olsen, who ended up via Lex's lady friend, saving the world. Sorry brief random spoiler alert. But it's not really just a straight up Superman film, it's filled with additional characters.

Superman is also flawed and gets smacked down on multiple occasions.

Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt / Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner / Green Lantern and 

Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl, whilst Aussie Milly Alcock has an uncredited cameo appearance as Superman's cousin Kara Zor-El / Supergirl ahead of Supergirl, the next DC film to land in 2026.

Look this wasn't anything new. Particularly after watching all four seasons of Superman & Lois on The CW, which actually moved forward, with Superman and Lois joined by two teenage boys.

This will continue to do good school holidays business. It's not a great superhero film, however it was like Jurassic World, a fun popcorn flick, that despite it's long run, the film breezed by!

2.5 passing stars for the latest Superman film.

Winter Warmer Watchlist - Motorheads - Season One

Motorheads landed Amazon Prime Video back in May. I finally finished it over the week. OK we need to talk about these coming of age teen DRAMA.

It might be a teen drama, however hunky Ryan Phillippe also stars alongside, Nathalie Kelley, Michael Cimino (SO HOT!) Melissa Collazo, Uriah Shelton, Drake Rodger, Johnna Dias-Watson, Josh Macqueen, Mia Healey, Matt Lanter, Sophia Esperanza & Nicolas Cantu. 

Love Victor's Michael Cimino really is a treat to watch on the small screen. He is just so handsome!

The series kicks off with Darren Bowders & Christian Maddox race in a street race for an undisclosed beat; Maddox easily wins and leaves. 

Seventeen years later, teenager twins Caitlyn and Zac Torres move to Ironwood, Pennsylvania, from Brooklyn with their mother Samantha. Ironwood is their mother's birthplace and the twins ask her if she has ever jumped off the bridge entering the town, which she admits. 

Cate says that she will jump from the bridge too, one day. They stay with uncle Logan, a former NASCAR driver and now owner of an auto body shop. Logan is struggling to make ends meet and is forced to let some of his mechanics go. 

At school, Cate and Zac quickly meet with their lost father's legend: he was the best street racer in town, until he mysteriously disappeared one day after a heist and a spectacular police chase. 

Zac befriends Marcel, an unpopular boy, and makes an enemy of the local street races champion Harris Bowders over Alicia Whitaker, Harris' on-and-off girlfriend. 

Meanwhile Cate meets Curtis, a loner caught in the war between his father — the Sheriff — and his criminal brother Ray. 

At a party at Alicia's home, Harris Bowders throws Curtis' motorbike in a lake and Curtis steals Harris' Corvette, which he had taken without his father knowing, and takes it to his brother's chop shop. 

Back from the party, the twins, Curtis and Marcel decide to repair their father's Dodge Charger, the UNB10, which Logan has been keeping in his garage since decades.

The series is a bit of a slow burn despite the eye candy.

I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't 100% into the series the entire run time of the ten episodes. However it was an easy watch, however the episodes could have been slightly shorter. The music used was brilliant and current.

I would be surprised if Amazon gave this a second season order. No spoilers but it does end on a bit of a cliffhanger.

Amazon is staying in it's lane by hedging bets on their action alpha male Jack Ryan, Countdown series along with these young adult series, like this, The Summer I Turned Pretty and recent We are the Lairs.

See you next time. We are finally at the mid point of winter 2025!

Film Influencer 2025 - Jurassic World Rebirth

Jurassic World Rebirth is a sequel to 2022's Jurassic World Dominion, whilst being the fourth Jurassic World film and the seventh instalment overall in the Jurassic Park franchise. 

With a fairly damn talented cast including, Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Ed Skrein.

David Iacono as Xavier Dobbs is handsome AF but has some of the worst lines in the film, along with some of the most cringe scenes. Back to my first film in a hot minute.

Work on the film began shortly after the release of Jurassic World Dominion, when executive producer Steven Spielberg recruited Koepp to help him develop a new instalment in the series. 

Koepp previously co-wrote the original Jurassic Park film back in 1993. Along with writing the sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park in 97. 

Development of Rebirth was first reported in January 2024. Edwards was hired as director a month later, and casting commenced shortly thereafter. Principal photography took place in Thailand, Malta, and the United Kingdom from June to September 2024.

Jurassic World Rebirth premiered mid last month, while being released to the general public earlier this month.

Receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film has still grossed over $390 million worldwide against a budget of $180 million, making it the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2025. So do film critics still matter if the box office says it's a huge success?

Yes Jurassic World Rebirth has become a bit of a hit! Jurassic World Dominion was a bit of a meh effort, so for me this was a huge improvement. There are less raptors, but more cross breed random dino's for a new, younger audience to enjoy.

For us older viewers, this was actually like one of the rides at Universal Studios. With every turn a new challenge.

So what's the basic plot of these humans chasing dino's? Again.

Set five years after the events of Dominion, Earth's environment has largely proven inhospitable to the remaining populations of dinosaurs and other de-extinct prehistoric animals.

The surviving creatures now reside in remote areas of the equatorial region, reminiscent of the environments where they once flourished. Zora Bennett (Johansson), a covert operative, is recruited by ParkerGenix, a pharmaceutical company, to collaborate with palaeontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Bailey) and team leader Duncan Kincaid (Ali) on a top-secret mission to infiltrate Ile Saint-Hubert, a forbidden island in the Atlantic Ocean, once used by InGen as a dinosaur research facility. It received mixed reviews from critics.

This was a real popcorn blockbuster, with a couple of jump scares and fun along the way.

3 Stars.

Winter Warmer Watchlist - Murderbots - Season One

Murderbot just finished streaming on Apple TV+ & is based on All Systems Red, the first book of the series The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells.

Starring Alexander Skarsgård as the titular character., the first season commenced mid-May, concluding yesterday.

Days before the finale, the series was renewed for a second season.

A media-obsessed private security construct (manufactured from cloned human tissue and mechanical parts), calling itself Murderbot, must hide its newly acquired autonomy, while completing dangerous assignments and being simultaneously drawn to humans and appalled at their weakness.

Alongside Skarsgård, David Dastmalchian and Noma Dumezweni, Sabrina Wu, Tattiawna Jones, Akshay Khanna, and Tamara Podemski also star.

So how'd Apple TV+ set up the second run?

Just when Murderbot's systems reboot, Corporation Rim technicians delete its memory and install a new governer module. 

At the same time, the PresAux team negotiates with company representatives in order to find the SecUnit. 

They offer to buy it and threaten with a lawsuit, but the company refuses and tells them that its memory has been wiped anyway. 

So Pin-Lee files an injunction to seize Murderbot for evidentiary reasons, while Gurathin manages to get access to the data that has been downloaded during the memory wipe. 

He locates Murderbot's personality files among Sanctuary Moon episodes. The team can keep Murderbot from being melted down, and Gurathin uploads its personality. 

The team invites Murderbot to live as a free agent on their home planet. Later that night, Murderbot attempts to leave but is intercepted by Gurathin, who tries to make it feel welcome. Murderbot insists that it needs to check the perimeter. When Gurathin relents, Murderbot thanks him. 

Posing as an augmented human, it boards a cargo ship as Mensah awakens and realises that it has left.

I for one, like Murderbot just wants to be alone and watch my shows LOL

Happy mid-winter!

Winter Warmer Watchlist - Poker Face - Season Two

Poker Face returned to Stan for its second season.

Ceated by Rian Johnson and starring Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a woman with the innate ability to detect when people are lying, who finds herself solving murders as she travels across the United States.

This could be US streamer Peacock's biggest series. Well Twisted Metal returns later this month, so the Anthony Mackie lead series will continue their solid winter programming.

Back in February 2023, the series was renewed for a second season, however we have no news on a third season as yet. Spoilers below about the finale, The End of the Road.

Alongside Lyonne, this episode stars Justin Theroux as "The Iguana" / Todd Tolocci, Lili Taylor as Agent Darville, Patti Harrison as Alex, Haley Joel Osment as Kirby Kowalczyk, Taylor Schilling as Agent Annie Milligan, Simon Helberg as Agent Luca Clark, Rhea Perlman as Beatrix Hasp & Adam Arkin as Mark Getzler.

Some of the finales casting did actually appear in previous episodes.

The twelfth episode & season finale is the 22nd overall episode of the series and was written by co-executive producer Laura Deeley, and directed by main lead actress Natasha Lyonne.

The series follows Charlie Cale, a woman with the ability to detect if people are lying, who is now embarking on a fresh start after criminal boss Beatrix Hasp cancels a hit on her. In the episode, Charlie and Alex reach Indiana to try and save Beatrix Hasp from a deadly assassin.

The episode received critical acclaim, with critics praising the episode's plot twist, performances, tone, directing, and set-up for next season.

So how does it all go down, While traveling to Greenville, Indiana to meet with Beatrix Hasp (Perlman), Charlie (Lyonne) and Alex (Harrison) are called by Luca (Helberg), who warns him that "The Iguana" might be following them, and it could be anyone. 

Charlie hangs up the phone before the FBI can trace her precise location; while Luca and Milligan ( Schilling) deduce she is heading for Indiana, there are over 50 safe houses in the state.

Charlie and Alex stop at a diner to eat. Charlie notices a suspicious man. When he yells at Alex, calling her "oyster girl", they flee the diner and he is tackled by other patrons. As they reach Hasp's house, Charlie investigates the area. Hearing Alex scream, she returns to the car, but finds her missing. In the house, she discovers the bodies of multiple federal agents and of Hasp. Alex appears, and Charlie deduces she is the Iguana.

Alex explains that she had killed powerful people across different circles in the world, but felt depressed and stagnant in her career until her agent told her about Charlie, who cannot be lied to and is the only one with a connection to Beatrix Hasp. Through meticulously controlling her reactions, she has been able to lie to Charlie and earn her trust. 

When she found that Kirby (Haley Joel Osment) was going to get married, she hired another assassin (Theroux) to kill him and find a patsy. Alex then killed the other assassin to cover her tracks, and framed herself to gain Charlie's sympathy. At the diner, she attacked a man in the bathroom by offering an oyster so that he would later recognise her, making Charlie believe he was the Iguana.

Alex prepares to kill Charlie, but the latter reveals that she caused a small fire in the kitchen, which alerted the authorities and allowed the FBI to find the safe house. Taking Charlie hostage at gunpoint, Alex flees in the Barracuda with the FBI in pursuit. Charlie goads Alex into playing Two Truths and a Lie: if Charlie wins, they both live and become nemeses, but if Charlie loses, Alex will drive them both off a cliff. Charlie wins the game, but the car's brakes fail. Charlie is able to jump out of the car and is pulled over the cliff by Luca.

Luca tells Charlie that she will be hunted by the FBI. Nevertheless, he lets her go with a warning that he will arrest her if he finds her again. At the bottom of the cliff, Milligan finds the Barracuda empty. Charlie and a stray dog are picked up by a trucker (Steve Earle) on the way to Wichita, Kansas.

Also starring in the second season, Giancarlo Esposito, Katie Holmes, Gaby Hoffmann, Kumail Nanjiani, Kathrine Narducci, Ben Marshall, Kevin Corrigan, Sherry Cola, Cynthia Erivo, Margo Martindale, B. J. Novak, John Mulaney, Ego Nwodim, & Sam Richardson.

So here is hoping for a third season? Well maybe, it did get a little tired throughout this season.

I must say I enjoyed the first season a little more. Both seasons however stream on Stan, NOW!

Winter Warmer Watchlist - Warm Props - Miniseries

Warm Props is another one of those SBS/NITV Digital Originals. It's NAIDOC week, so step into the world of Warm Props. The six episodes takes audiences behind the scenes with Charlie (Tehya Makani), who returns to a chaotic film shoot in her hometown in Western Australia and must then face her past as her narcissistic boss threatens the stability of her career and personal life. 

The heartening series is brought to life by acclaimed creator and writer Jub Clerc (Mystery Road: Origin, Sweet As), co-writer Kimberley Benjamin (Our Medicine, Big Backyard Quiz), directed by Clerc and Benjamin, and produced by Jodie Bell for Ramu Productions. 

Alongside Makani, the series stars Rarriwuy Hick (True Colours, Erotic Stories, Wentworth, Redfern Now) & Jillian Nguyen (Apple Cider Vinegar, Hungry Ghosts). 

When Charlie returns home to Broome and runs into someone from her past while she is in the middle of a chaotic film shoot and it threatens her career and her relationships with those on set. You can catch up on Warm props on NITV and SBS On Demand.

Rarriwuy Hick is a total legend. Her role as Ruby Mitchell on Wentworth, spanned 42 episodes across the final few seasons.

Next up for Hick, she will appear in the second prequel season of Mystery Road: Origin on ABC TV. Hopefully that will land later in 2025.

Until next time, hopefully I get off to see Jurassic Park or Superman soon. Yep, it's blockbuster season.

Winter Warmer Watchlist - Moni - Season One

The third and final new drama from SBS / NITV Digital Originals, Moni, is a gay Samoan man, returns to Sydney determined not to miss his sister Hana's wedding. But an unexpected arrival throws things into disarray.

After a decade living in the UK, Moni turns up at his sister Hana's wedding rehearsal in Western Sydney, where he is welcomed by the whispers of the Samoan community he escaped from.

Starring super sweet, Chris Alosio as Moni, Tina Leaitua - Moni's mother Tina, Ilaisaane Green as Moni's sister,  Hana, Maiko Taukafa, Maila Latukefu, Maua Fuifui, Julian Maroun & Ella Ganza.

Along with Moni returning home from London for his sister's wedding, but he is also arriving six months after the death of his mother, Tina.

Tina then appears to him,  first as an apparition, giving him life advice ahead of his sisters wedding.

This can be a bit awkward, but overall this is a sweet family drama with some hard hitting themes across the short six episodes. These new mini digital series could be a way forward for some more local content. Good news on that front though, The Twelve will finally return to Binge on August 4th! Hooray! That's a Monday streaming services folks!

Right now though, Moni streams on SBS on Demand.

Winter Warmer Watchlist - Such Brave Girls - Season Two

The BAFTA-winning dark comedy returns. Such Brave Girls streams on Hulu today in the USA, here in Australia we got six new episodes last week on Stan.

The easy UK watch returns with Josie (Kat Sadler) is on a never-ending quest for meaning, Billie’s (Lizzie Davidson) chasing a fairytale romance, and Deb (Louise Brealey) is hoping for a financial miracle. Expect bigger disasters, terrible choices, and more harrowing love stories as this family continues their impossible journey for a better life.

This show was really a wild watch the first season around. It's a little less shocking when you have an idea of what is coming. However it is still loads of fun. Not to mention a quick and easy watch!

If this winter you need comedy to warm up, look no further than Such Brave Girls. If you missed season one, its easy as to catch up and binge both all at once.

Coming up some even shorter SBS new series have just landed. I cannot wait to share my thoughts with you.

Almost halfway (officially) through winter!

Winter Warmer Watchlist - Gangs of London - Season Three

The gruesome Gangs of London landed on Stan back in March, however I just sat down to all eight bloody episodes of the third season.

Across three seasons, the British action/thriller series has received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its performances, narrative, and action sequences, though some criticism was aimed at its excessive violence.

So what are we (the viewers) in for in season three?

Anyone can fall as chaos erupts in London after a spiked shipment of cocaine kills hundreds, fan-favourite characters collide with new faces bound by blood ties, sparking brutal power struggles, unexpected alliances, and fierce rivalries.  

Former undercover cop turned gangster Elliot navigates his new role as a top-level criminal alongside the Dumanis, but the spiking throws their operations into disarray. The Wallaces, Luan, Lale, and the street gangs face devastating consequences as personal vendettas collide with professional power struggles bleeding into violent turf wars.  

In the ruthless fight for control of London’s criminal underworld, no one is safe. This was no accident — it was a calculated attack. But who’s pulling the strings? 

The main players are back, Sean Wallace (Joe Cole), his mother, Marian Wallace (Michelle Fairley), and brother Billy(Brian Vernel), while hunky Elliot Finch (Sope Dirisu), also stars.

Newcomers to season three include Andrew Koji as Zeek Kimura, Richard Dormer as Cornelius Quinn , T'Nia Miller as Simone Thearle, who is actually also, the mayor of London who targets organised crime in the city by starting a war on drugs.

Across eight episodes the bodies pile up sky high. There is loads of violence, guns and guts. There is even one scene (which if you watch it, you know) that is the most wild kill scene, I've seen in a minute.

Stan have done well to keep this little UK nugget on their service as an exclusive.

There is no word on a fourth season, however the ending leaves you on a mega cliffhanger!

This week Murderbot and Poker Face conclude, along with me catching up on some other series I missed earlier this year! Have a good (NAIDOC) week ahead. 

Winter Warmer Watchlist - Nine Perfect Strangers - Season Two

Why is Nine Perfect Strangers back you ask? Wasn't it a miniseries shot in Australia over Covid? Or is this another is Liane Moriarty novel turned miniseries going further than the book would on the small screen.

Created by TV royalty, David E. Kelley who brings nine new strangers connected in ways they could never imagine are invited by mysterious guru, Masha Dmitrichenko (Nicole Kidman), to join a transformational wellness retreat in the Austrian Alps. 

Over the course of a week, she takes them to the brink. Will they make it? Will she? Masha is willing to try anything in the interest of healing everyone involved, including herself.

Back in June 2023, it was announced that the initial miniseries had been renewed for a second season as an anthology series, which premiered back in May.

The second season received €10m from the German Motion Picture Fund (GMPF), which accounted for almost 25% of the €44.8m distributed by the Berlin-based fund in 2023. Furthermore, the production secured the maximum allocation of €7.5 million from Austria's FISA+ program, designed to attract international productions to the country. 

The second season is being developed as a collaborative effort between the United States, Germany, and Austria, with production led by the US' Fifth Season alongside Germany's Supernix and Austria's Supernix Austria.

Upon the second season renewal announcement, it was reported that Kidman is set to reprise her role with a new ensemble cast. Liv Ullmann, Murray Bartlett, Annie Murphy, Christine Baranski, Dolly de Leon, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, King Princess, Aras Aydın, Lucas Englander, Henry Golding, Mark Strong & Lena Olin also joined the cast.

I love King Princess and her tunes, however acting, not so much.

So will a third season be on the cards?

The eighth episode, which landed on Prime in Australia, ends on a whopper of a cliffhanger, leaving room for Kidman and Mark Strong’s characters to potentially return.

Mark Strong’s David Sharpe is the central focus of the sophomore ender, as he’s revealed to be the Zauberwald guest that’s linked to all of the others: His company, Signal Op, has damaged the lives of all the other retreat-goers in some form, like when Signal Op’s “smart bomb” killed Matteo’s entire family, or when Signal Op’s broadcast news channel aired the video of Brian’s meltdown on the Crabapple Clubhouse set. 

And when David is forced to confront all of these transgressions while under the influence of Masha’s new psychedelic technology, he promises to make things right by getting Signal Op out of the bomb-building business entirely and redirecting all of the company’s military-focused resources to charity and other wholesome endeavours.

To no one’s surprise, David backtracks on those promises once he’s sobered up the next day, telling Masha that it would be “laughably drastic” to divest Signal Op of its military contracts. “What a shame,” Masha replies — and she’s not done holding him accountable. 

Later, after all of the guests have left Zauberwald, Masha leaks the security camera footage of David’s night-before “I’ll never work with the military again!” breakthrough, and it takes no time at all for the footage to land on the news. (“Billionaire Acquires Conscience?” reads one chyron.) David’s furious with Masha, but she has no plans to rescind the videos.

One month later, Masha (who has since left Zauberwald in Martin’s possession) and David (who’s still very much a billionaire, despite the initial fallout from Masha’s footage) meet up at a McDonald’s in Bavaria, where David reveals that he wants to devote part of his company to psychedelic therapy… which requires Masha to sign a nondisclosure agreement. 

She’ll get a measly $100,000 out of it, but no equity or meaningful control in Signal Op’s psychedelic endeavours, so she’s not inclined to sign. David, though, has acquired some damning security camera footage of his own: Thanks to Martin, he’s now in possession of several video clips of Masha’s psychedelic therapy sessions going awry, including some incidents from Nine Perfect Strangers‘ first season, and he plans to release them if Masha doesn’t acquiesce. Plus, he assures her she doesn’t want a lengthy legal battle. He’ll win.

Masha does eventually sign the NDA, but she’s almost gleeful as she does so. She reminds David that they’re family — they’ll always share a daughter — and even if you don’t like your family, you can never truly get rid of them. So, she signs her name to the document, then pulls David in for a long kiss across the table. “I do,” Masha says with a smile.

The second season die tie up all its loose ends with this finale, the other Zauberwald guests, who I didn’t get into much here, left the retreat sufficiently healed, and maybe Masha and David’s new business entanglement can be left unexplored. 

Masha and David’s deal, could end up being a real possibility for a third season. I think in the States Hulu after renewing The Bear this week (also meant to be a miniseries) there is a real chance we will see Liane Moriarty's novel live on, on the small screen.

Until next time.

Winter Warmer Watchlist - Mix Tape - Miniseries

Binge's MIX TAPE stars Australian actress Teresa Palmer (The Clearing, The Fall Guy) as Alison and British actor Jim Sturgess (Across The Universe, Cloud Atlas) as Daniel. British actress Florence Hunt (Bridgerton, Cursed) and newcomer Rory Walton-Smith play the younger versions of Alison and Daniel.

This is the latest Aussie miniseries to stream on the now UK owned streamer, Binge.

Moving between their teenage romance in Sheffield, England in 1989 and the modern-day reality of their adult relationships, MIX TAPE follows Daniel (Sturgess) and Alison (Palmer), now living on opposite sides of the world, as they reconnect through a song from their shared past and explore their burning curiosity to understand if this is the love, and life, they were meant to have.

As it's an Aussie/Irish film, the ensemble cast also boasts a stellar lineup of international and Australian talent, including Sara Soulié (Conflict, The Man Who Died), Ben Lawson (Bombshell, Designated Survivor), Julia Savage (The Clearing, Blaze), Conor Sánchez (Hope Street, Ellis), Mark O’Halloran (Mary & George, The Virtues), Helen Behan (Malpractice, The Virtues), Jonathan Harden (Time, Blue Lights), and Siobhan O’Kelly (The Tourist, The Hardacres), Jacqueline McKenzie (Force of Nature: The Dry 2, Savage River) and Chika Ikogwe (Heartbreak High, Land of the Bad).

With the use of music, Mix Tape is adapted from a novel of the same name by Jane Sanderson and has a couple who fell in love in the late 1980s reconnect decades later whilst on opposite sides of the world.

The project was announced in August 2023, as a collaboration between Screen Australia, Screen Ireland and Binge.

The four-part series has been a fairly delightful watch over the past few Thursdays.

Mix Tape is produced by Australia's Foxtel Group and Aquarius Films, and the Irish company Subotica, with filming taking place in Sydney in May 2024 & Dublin and County Wicklow in Ireland in June and July last year.

Binge has served us some delightful Aussie content lately. Strife's second season was wonderful and I need to finish the Last Anniversary.

The Twelve is also hopefully due to return really soon.

For now, that concludes the first Aussie series for Winter Warmer Watchlist series.

Winter Warmer Watchlist - Ironheart - Season One

Ironheart has some damn good music throughout and it's also the first in the Q3, Winter Warmer Watchlist TV blog series.

Welcome along.

Disney+,/Marvel Comics are at it again. This time streaming a new series over just two weeks. Three episodes a week, a total of six quick episodes finished streaming last night.

This is the 14th television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) produced by Marvel Studios, via its Marvel Television label, alongside Proximity Media. 

Ironheart shares continuity with the films of the franchise. It sees MIT student Riri Williams return home to Chicago, following the events of the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), where she discovers secrets that pit technology against magic. 

Dominique Thorne reprises her role as Riri Williams / Ironheart from Wakanda Forever, starring alongside Lyric Ross, Manny Montana, Matthew Elam, Anji White, Jim Rash, Eric André, Cree Summer, Sonia Denis, Shea Couleé, Zoe Terakes, Shakira Barrera, Anthony Ramos, & Alden Ehrenreich. 

This is last television series and the conclusion of Phase Five of the MCU. How many phases are there can I ask? OK spoilers below the trailer, so only read on if like me you are done and dusted with Ironheart.

Years before, Robbins attempted to rob his father's mansion with John before escaping and splitting up, where he meets a hooded figure. The man assures Robbins that he can help him achieve his desire for power, respect, and wealth for himself, and Robbins accepts the deal and becomes the Hood. 

In the present, Robbins stands as the head of his family's business and mansion, although he only has a controlled Zeke as a companion. Unable to recreate N.A.T.A.L.I.E., Riri resists her family and friends' advice and goes to Robbins to find answers through his hood. 

Feeling empty, Robbins meets up with the stranger and accuses him of not fulfilling his end of the deal, which the man replies that he had given what he needed. 

Riri arrives at the headquarters and battles a reluctant Zeke, who allows her to hit him in his crotch, where he can reset and be free of Robbins' control. 

Riri confronts Robbins and demands his hood, but he warns her that what would cost her is not worth it.

The two battle, with Riri managing to take off Robbins' hood, leaving him wallowing in a pained state. As she is about to leave, Riri meets the stranger. 

The man introduces himself as Mephisto. Having observed her, Mephisto manipulates Riri by exploiting her grief towards Natalie, and she agrees to his deal as long as he does not go after her loved ones. 

At her garage, Riri sees a revived Natalie and hugs her, albeit with the marks of Mephisto crawling through her skin. 

While in a post-credits scene, Robbins asks Zelma for "Supreme-like help". So will there be a second season? On Wikipedia it's listed as a miniseries and the Marvel series have been going down the miniseries road for a while.

So will we see Riri and the great tunes return to Disney+ again soon? Time will tell. Two more finales today, one local, MixTape, along with the wild (maybe unnecessary) finale of the second season of Nine Perfect Strangers.

Stay dry team!

#RATED - Post Holiday Blues Streaming 25'

My summer streaming was off the chain, however my Autumn, into winter streaming went into catch up mode, following three weeks of bliss in Japan, Paramount+ ended up being the top dogs of the last three months.

The last few months saw a serious number of series finales. Planned or otherwise. Following their last respective episodes, several key network shows also fell victim to the axe.

Just yesterday Doctor Odyssey joined Rescue: HI-Surf as one and done network shows from the 2024-2025 TV season.

The Bondsman over at Amazon also fell victim to the axe quickly after it streamed.

So how did Aussie content fair these past three months?

Well Strife's second season on Binge was a mega easy watch with Asher Keddie excelling again!

Good Cop/Bad Cop was a surprisingly good little Stan/The CW co-production filmed in Queensland, whilst Stan continued to deliver with Scrublands: Silver and Ten Pound Poms.

The Survivors on Netflix may not be their Apple Cider Vinegar or Boy Shallows Universe for the next Logies, however if you liked The Dry, you'll enjoy this.

The Handmaid's Tale also wrapped with a sequel series already in the works, with HBO farewelling outrageous series, The Righteous Gemstones. Fresh comedy this season was in fine form, with Apple TV+'s The Studio being one of my series of the season. Overcompensating over on Amazon was also a surprising hit. Even getting some Charli XCX onboard!

So as winter settles in, its even more catch up TV ahead, along with a few finales this week. Irish/Australian miniseries Mixtape and Nine Perfect Strangers wrap this week, with Poker Face and Murderbot calling it a day next week.

So go waste your time with my previous quarterly RATED's!

Mega Summer 2023-2024 master list

#RATED - Fall Finales 2023

#RATED - Summer Slack Streaming (2023)

#RATED - Spring 2022 TV Finales

#RATED - Winter 2022 TV Finales

#RATED - Summer Slack (Dec-Feb) TV Finales (2022)

#RATED - Autumn 2022 TV Finales

#RATED - Autumn/Winter Binged 2022

#RATED - Sizzlin' Summer Streaming 23'

#RATED - Winter's Cumin' Streaming 24'

#RATED - New Financial Year 2024/2025 Streaming

#RATED - Summer Streamin' 24

#RATED - Summer Streamin' 25

#RATED - Summer Streamin' 24/25

Anyway, here are my top 45 shows following my post Japan blues streaming, below.

1. MobLand - Season One

2. The Studio - Season One

3. The White Lotus - Season Three

4. The Handmaid's Tale - Season Six/Series Finale

5. Overcompensating - Season One

6. Hacks - Season Four

7. Strife - Season Two (AU)

8. The Righteous Gemstones - Season Four/Series Finale

9. High Potential - Season One

10. Fallout - Season One

11. Good Cop/Bad Cop - Season One (AU/USA)

12. Abbott Elementary - Season Four 

13. Rescue: HI-Surf - Season One/Series Finale

14. Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue - Miniseries

15. Scrublands: Silver (AU)

16. The Survivors - Miniseries (AU)

17. Ten Pound Poms - Seasons One-Two (AU)

18. The Real Housewives of Sydney - Season Three (AU)

19. NCIS: Sydney - Season Two (AU)

20. Adults - Season One

21. SkyMed - Season Three

22. Sullivan's Crossing - Season Three

23. Doctor Odyssey - Season One/Series Finale

24. Dying for Sex - Miniseries

25. Mid-Century Modern - Season One

26. Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes - Miniseries

27. Yellowjackets - Season Three

28. Heartstopper - Season Three

29. Daredevil: Born Again - Season One

30. We Were Liars - Miniseries

31. The Rehearsal - Season Two

32. The Residence - Miniseries

33. Andor - Season Two/Series Finale

34. Power Book III: Raising Kanan - Season Four

35. The Equalizer - Season Five/Series Finale

36. Found - Season Two/Series Finale

37. Happy Face - Miniseries

38. Deli Boys - Season One

39. The Cleaning Lady - Season Four/Series Finale

40. 1923 - Season Two/Series Finale

41. The Stolen Girl - Miniseries

42. Bondsman - Season One/Series Finale

43. All American - Season Seven

44. The Walking Dead: Dead City - Season Two

45. The Ex-Wife - Season Two

Film Influencer 2025 - 28 Years Later

28 Years Later is the third instalment in the 28 Days Later film series, following 28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007).

Featuring Killing Eve's Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Alfie Williams, & Ralph Fiennes.

Plans for a third film began shortly after the release of 28 Weeks Later. The project had numerous delays over the years regarding conflicts over the franchise film rights, stalling it into development hell.

Development gained traction in 2024, when series producer Andrew Macdonald bought the rights to the first film back from Searchlight Pictures, which he then sold to Sony Pictures on the provision the studio agreed to fund sequels. 

28 Years Later marks the returns of Boyle, Garland and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle to the series, all of whom worked on the first film, with original star Cillian Murphy also serving as executive producer. 

It was shot back-to-back with its sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, set to be released in January 2026.

28 Years Later has received positive reviews from critics and has grossed $73.6 million worldwide against its budget of $60 million. So that is a rare profit at the cinemas these days!

So what is 28 Days Later about? It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. 

One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.

It is slightly gory, it feels at times like a video game, but it's actually gone some heart behind it.

Young Alfie Williams was excellent. I was impressed by this film after maybe missing the sequel, 28 Weeks Later, however I am sure I have seen the OG film.

I will look forward to the sequel film coming in January next year.

If you need to escape the school holidays madness, this gets a solid 3.5 stars.

Film Influencer 2025 - M3GAN 2.0

So after after a week or so off the cinema, I'm back and so is the murderous doll who captivated pop culture in 2023.

The original creative team behind that phenomenon—led by horror titans James Wan for Atomic Monster, Jason Blum for Blumhouse and writer-director Gerard Johnstone—reboot an all-new wild chapter in A.I. mayhem with M3GAN 2.0. 

Two years after M3GAN, a marvel of artificial intelligence, went rogue and embarked on a murderous rampage and was subsequently destroyed, M3GAN’s creator Gemma (Allison Williams) has become a high-profile author and advocate for government oversight of A.I. Meanwhile, Gemma’s niece Cady (Violet McGraw), now 14, has become a teenager, rebelling against Gemma’s overprotective rules.

Unbeknownst to them, the underlying tech for M3GAN has been stolen and misused by a powerful defense contractor to create a military-grade weapon known as Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno; Ahsoka, Pacific Rim: Uprising), the ultimate killer infiltration spy. But as Amelia’s self-awareness increases, she becomes decidedly less interested in taking orders from humans. Or in keeping them around. 

With the future of human existence on the line, Gemma realizes that the only option is to resurrect M3GAN (Amie Donald, voiced by Jenna Davis) and give her a few upgrades, making her faster, stronger, and more lethal. As their paths collide, the original A.I icon is about to meet her match.

Also starring the wonderful lead of the English Teacher, Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps as Gemma’s loyal tech teammates, Cole and Tess, and new characters played by Aristotle Athari (Saturday Night Live, Hacks), Timm Sharp (Apples Never Fall, Percy Jackson and the Olympians) and Grammy winner and 11-time Emmy nominee Jemaine Clement (Avatar: The Way of Water, What We Do in the Shadows). 

So is this camp, Chucky meets Terminator any good for a second time? Well my partner hated it, Rotten Tomatoes gives it a score in the high 50's. But for me...

I liked it. It is no longer a horror film, more an action-comedy.

M3GAN has some seriously brilliant one-liners. The action scenes look fairly well done with CGI.

This film honestly gives a full Kylie or Madonna era change with the genre bending (and body bending, dancing) M3GAN. It is not going to win any awards, get critics loving it, but take it for what it is.

A fun little escape from the 24/7 news headlines.

M3GAN 2.0 gets a solid 3 Stars.

Post Holiday Blues Streaming 25' - We Were Liars - Miniseries

We Were Liars is the latest teen psychological/thriller series based on the 2014 novel of the same name by E. Lockhart. 

This is yet another Amazon Prime Video original, that landed earlier this month. I'm listing this as a miniseries. There is a clear conclusion at the end of the series.

So what is We Were Liars about? The eight episodes, follows Cadence Sinclair Eastman and her tight-knit inner circle, nicknamed ‘the Liars,’ during their summer escapades vacationing on their grandfather’s New England private island. On the surface the Sinclair family is known for their good looks, generational wealth, and close familial bond, but after a life-altering accident, everyone, not just the Liars, seems to have something to hide.  

Starring Emily Alyn Lind as Cadence Sinclair Eastman,  Shubham Maheshwari as Gat Patil, Esther McGregor as Mirren Sinclair Sheffield, Joseph Zada as Johnny Sinclair Dennis; alongside Caitlin FitzGerald as Penny Sinclair, Mamie Gummer as Carrie Sinclair, Candice King as Bess Sinclair, Rahul Kohi as Ed Patil and David Morse as Harris Sinclair. 

So how'd it end? Maybe you read the book from ten years ago? If not SPOILERS BELOW! However this was an easy binge, if you start it, you just push through and finish it.

In episode eight, My Friends Are Lying in the Sun, though Cadence remembers the fire, she still does not know how the summer of 2016 ended. 

For her 18th birthday, Harris gifts her the black pearl necklace, which triggers an episode of flashbacks.

The Liars arrive to comfort her, but Cadence confronts them about abandoning her after the accident. 

Reluctantly, the Liars tell her the truth, that the three of them died in the fire and that she has been speaking to their ghosts. Horrified, Cadence tries to return the necklace to Harris, but he calls her entitled and tells her that he lied about the cause of the fire to protect the family. 

Instead of indulging his wishes and speaking to a reporter for a puff piece about their family, Cadence leaves the island, stating that she was once a Sinclair, but will always be a Liar.

OK sounds random? Well it was. It gives Gossip Girl, I Know What You Did Last Summer, any other teen drama with rich kids vibes. However it was a very simple watch. The Liars island and house is incredible. Of course they are all good looking, with one looking a lot like Sabrina Carpenter.

Maybe not Amazon's best series. But an OK watch all the same. Maybe the last Post Holiday Blues Streaming 25' post for the series, happy EOFY!!!

Post Holiday Blues Streaming 25' - Sullivan's Crossing - Season Three

Sullivan's Crossing just concluded with a double episode Monday evening.

The Canadian romantic drama series, From CTV, streams exclusively on Stan in Australia. It is a popular little series, very similar to Virgin River on Netflix. There are reasons behind this. Both shows are based on different series of novels by Robyn Carr, set in small towns, and feature female protagonists in the medical field who move to those small towns to process the trauma of their past – and, along the way, find love.

Earlier this month, the series was renewed by CTV for a fourth season! Praise be!

Season three of Sullivan’s Crossing picked up where season two ended with the fire at Rob's (Reid Price) diner and Maggie (Morgan Kohan) losing the baby.

Season three has placed a big focus on Rob rebuilding his life and Maggie getting over her grief to grow closer to Cal (Chad Michael Murray) - but not without tension. 

As for Cal, he finally made peace with his past, and his father. Elsewhere in the town, new romances were kindled with Sully (Scott Patterson) striking up a love connection with Helen (Kate Vernon), and Lola (Amalia Williamson) finding a potential match in Jacob Cranebear (Joel Oulette). 

Spoilers ahead if you didn't get to finish both episodes this Monday. Which to be honest I wasn't expecting a second episode this week. However after some research, it appears the trend is always ending on a double episode finale.

 

With a shocking cliffhanger that will obviously be the big storyline of Sullivan's Crossing season four. 

No one knew that Maggie had a husband - not even, it seems, her own father. Surely, had anyone else known, it would have come up previously. It's especially odd considering the fact that Maggie had been engaged to Andrew for the first two seasons and is now in love with and living with Cal in Sullivan's Crossing season three.

It seems as though this man, Liam, was someone to whom Maggie had been married briefly, and perhaps she didn't even know they technically were still married. S

he had mentioned earlier this season that he was just a summer fling, so maybe it was a wild night in Vegas she doesn't remember. It sure seems like it's something she should have mentioned to Cal before, though. Liam's sudden appearance is bound to cause problems. Likewise, there are those aforementioned questions about the other relationships.

It also seems as though Sullivan's Crossing season four may see a bit of a time jump. 

Nothing has been confirmed yet, however, it's hard to imagine the show without Scott Patterson's Sully being around. So, unless the upcoming season splits storylines between Timberlake and Ireland, it seems most likely that season four will pick up after he returns from his trip. 

My mum was completely shook at the finale. I thought the husband was her American ex, so it took me to reading an episode recap to figure out what the big shock was!

Either way, all is well that ends well is usually the case at Sullivan's Crossing. Yes there is drama, however, a resolution is always just around the corner!

Until next time, the Post Holiday Blues Streaming 25' series is almost done and dusted! Seeya soon, bye!

Post Holiday Blues Streaming 25' - The Walking Dead: Dead City - Season Two

The Walking Dead: Dead City is the first sequel to The Walking Dead television series, and the fifth series in The Walking Dead franchise

Airing on AMC in the USA, and Stan back home, The Walking Dead characters Maggie and Negan return to slay more zombies and meet fucked up humans along the way. Also a bear this season WTF. 

OK season one was better, season two has been a trainwreck. Like I mean the last few seasons of the Walking Dead & Fear the Walking Dead bad!

Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan reprise their roles as Maggie and Negan from the original series.

Joining them in this eight episode slog, Kim Coates, Keir Gilchrist, Dascha Polanco, Jake Weary, and Pooya Mohseni were added to the cast for the second season.

There is no news on a third season yet, which may not be good news. As fellow spin-off The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon has announced its return in September. Watch out for the spoilers below.

In the eight episode, The Dama and Hershel convince Maggie to finally kill Negan in order to finally move on; the Dama reveals that she had faked her death in the fire. 

Joined by a reluctant Perlie, Bruegel's gang attempts to ambush the Burazi, only to fall into a cleverly laid trap by Negan. 

Everyone aside from Bruegel and Perlie are killed by the Burazi and a herd unleashed by Negan. 

Negan captures the pair and brutally executes Bruegel after playing a game of eeny, meeny, miny, moe similar to the one that Negan played before killing Abraham and Glenn. 

Maggie stabs Negan to save Perlie, but is stopped from finishing the job with Lucille by the discovery that Ginny has died of her infection and reanimated. 

A devastated Negan puts the girl down while Maggie finally accepts that she needs to let go of her revenge and move forward. 

In the aftermath, Hershel remains with the Dama to continue her plans while a second wave of New Babylon forces arrives and is led to the methane by Benjamin Pierce. 

Maggie, Negan and Perlie vow to build a better future, recognising that the only way forward is together.

The ending and dying moments monologue is either setting us up for a third season or seeing the spin-off disappear into the sunset. I have a feeling the Walking Dead is totally running out of lives. Including zombie lives.

Tomorrow we will stay with Stan for the Sullivan's Crossing third season finale.

Post Holiday Blues Streaming 25' - The Ex-Wife - Season Two

Yet another another English trashy series, about missing kids, scandal, drama, this miniseries ended up continuing, it's The Ex-Wife, season two.

The British drama/thriller based on Jess Ryder's book of the same name, streams on Paramount+. 

The series stars Céline Buckens, Tom Mison, Jordan Stephens, Clare Foster, Adam Drew, Sam Hoare & with Katie McGrath replacing Janet Montgomery.

Again the second season consisted of four episodes. 

Again the series revolves around, Tasha (Buckens), Jack (Mison) & Jen (McGrath). 

The Stolen Girl was super trashy with this being equally almost as trashy.

The nicest thing about the second season is, it mostly revolves around Cyprus.

After three UK short series back to back, it's time to return to some US programming and hopefully find another Aussie series to watch. With Mixtape being a bit of an Aussie/Irish co-pro, it doesn't super feel like a regular local series. Can Channel Seven just hurry up and screen the third season of RFDS?

Like the second season finished early October 2023! Also the third season was filmed last year!

Anyone all eight series of The Ex-Wife now stream on Paramount+, alongside the brilliant MobLand, 1923, Tulsa King and Landman.