Album of Week - grentperez - {Backflips in a Restaurant}

 

Summer Streamin' 25 - Reacher - Season Three

In the recent third season of Reacher, this is based the novel from the series, Persuader. Where Reacher hurtles into the dark heart of a vast criminal enterprise when trying to rescue an undercover DEA informant whose time is running out. 

There, he finds a world of secrecy and violence and confronts some unfinished business from his own past.

Reacher has streamed weekly on Amazon Prime Video for the past few weeks. Based on the Jack Reacher book series by Lee Child, it stars Alan Ritchson as Reacher.

Who is a self-proclaimed hobo and former U.S. Army military police officer with formidable strength, intellect, and abilities. During his travels, Reacher crosses paths with dangerous criminals and battles them.

Ahead of the third season premiere, the series was renewed for a fourth season. While, a spinoff series, Neagley, is currently in production. Aimed to stream in 2026. No news when Reacher's fourth season will stream.

However from all accounts this is a popular title streaming on Prime. One of few services you can continue to stream without issues when travelling. Disney+ sometimes gives you titles Australia cannot access yet, while Apple TV+ and Prime are mostly similar. That is what I have noticed anyhoo.

Now to that BIG finale. Titled, Unfinished Business, read below for spoilers and that's a wrap on my Summer Streamin' 25 blog series. SPOILER ALERT! Below the trailer.

Quinn's henchmen ambush the ATF team and eliminate them all, but Reacher, Duffy and Villanueva eliminate the henchmen and save Zachary, while sparing one of Quinn's drivers to sneak back into Zachary's home. 

Reacher fights Paulie until he gets Paulie to kill himself after rigging the LMG at the front gate. 

Duffy saves Teresa from the buyers, while Villanueva finds Richard. Reacher eliminates Quinn's henchmen in the house one by one, leading Quinn to kill the buyers, take their money and take Richard hostage. 

Quinn is confronted by Zachary holding him at gunpoint with the toy gun, which falls apart, leading Quinn to fatally shoot Zachary before escaping without the money or Richard. 

Quinn is confronted outside the house by Russian mafia debt collectors. Reacher and Neagley offer them the buyers' money in exchange for Quinn and they accept. 

Reacher reminds Quinn about Kohl before executing him. In the aftermath, Reacher says farewell to Neagley and Duffy, Richard takes his father's leftover cash before disappearing, Duffy returns Teresa to her grandmother before resigning from the DEA, she and Villanueva pay their respects to Eliot's parents, Villanueva reunites with his wife, and Reacher rides off on a motorcycle from Zachary's garage.

The main event in the finale was that Racher/Paulie biff. It was a HUGE ongoing fight scene, that went for a large chunk of the episode. It has been hugely popular online with it becoming its own WWE moment.

For me this was pure escapism. Prime seems to love its macho male action series like this, Jack Ryan and The Boys. With The Boys and Upload wrapping soon and Citadel in production hell, Amazon will most likely stick to Reacher (and potential spin-offs) for sometime.

I do look forward to seeing Neagley's first season land next year.

For now that is Summer Streamin' 25 all wrapped up. I also caught up with Fallout but will save that for my next TV blog series. Man that was a wild ride!

See you soon!

Film Influencer 2025 - Flow (Latvian: Straume)

Flow could very well be my favourite animated adventure film of all time!

Directed by Gints Zilbalodis, written and produced by Zilbalodis and Matīss Kaža. The Latvian, French, and Belgian co-production, features no dialogue and follows a cat trying to survive along with other animals in a seemingly post-apocalyptic world as the water level dramatically rises.

As the world seems to be coming to an end, teeming with the vestiges of a human presence. Cat is a solitary animal, but as his home is devastated by a great flood, he finds refuge on a boat populated by various species, and will have to team up with them despite their differences. 

In the lonesome boat sailing through mystical overflowed landscapes, they navigate the challenges and dangers of adapting to this new world.

Know I assumed the cat was a lady, however according to Madman's YouTube post for the trailer, the cat is a he!

Production of Flow started in 2019, and lasted five-and-a-half years with the animation done using the free and open-source software Blender. 

Jacques Tati and Future Boy Conan served as inspirations for the film. No storyboards were used for the production and there are no deleted scenes.

Flow premiered last May, at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, and was released in Latvian theaters last August. 

The sweetest, most wholesome film has received critical acclaim and broke several Latvian box-office records, becoming the most-viewed film in Latvian theaters in history. 

At the 97th Academy Awards, Flow won Best Animated Feature and also nominated for Best International Feature Film as Latvia's submission, becoming the first film from Latvia to win and receive a nomination at the Academy Awards, and also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film; both statuettes were later put on display at the Latvian National Museum of Art.

This was an exceptional 84 minutes in the cinema. I honestly highly recommend this if you can find it these school holidays.

Avoid the drama of the woke decline of Disney's live action red hot messes and see a real, beautiful and unique film.

Flow is outstanding, so beautiful, so sweet, so refreshing. AMAZING

4.5 Stars

Friday Flash(back) - The Cat Empire - Bird in Paradise

Album of the Week - Offical Music Videos

Album of Week - OLD MERVS - {Old Mervs}

Summer Streamin' 25 - Severance - Season Two

Severance has finally returned for season two. Where Mark (Adam Scott) and his friends learn the dire consequences of trifling with the severance barrier, leading them further down a path of woe.

The second season reunites its ensemble cast of stars including Emmy Award nominee Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Zach Cherry, Jen Tullock, Michael Chernus, Dichen Lachman, Emmy Award winner John Turturro, Academy Award winner Christopher Walken and Academy and Emmy Award winner Patricia Arquette, and welcomes new series regular Sarah Bock.

I was late to the blockbuster Apple TV+ series. However by catching up late there was little wait for me to go from season one to season two.

The first season received 14 nominations at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards and Creative Arts Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series and acting nominations for Scott, Turturro, Walken, and Arquette; it won for Main Title Design and musical score. 

The second season finally landed mid-January, concluding yesterday. When it was renewed for a third season. So what went down in this mind blowing Apple TV+ original? SPOILERS BELOW the season trailer.

This may very well also be the last in my Summer Streamin' 25 series. Unless I can finish Reacher season three on a bullet train whilst here in Japan, living my best life LOLZ!

Through video recordings, Mark's outie asks his innie to rescue Gemma from the testing floor after he completes the Cold Harbor file; otherwise, Gemma will die. 

Mark's innie storms off after he realizes he is being asked to sacrifice himself and Helly. 

Dylan returns to read a letter from his outie deferring his resignation request to his innie. Mark arrives on the severed floor, completes the Cold Harbor file and receives a celebration from Milchick and a marching band. Helly distracts Milchick and traps him in the bathroom while Mark searches for the hallway to the testing floor. 

In the Cold Harbor room, Gemma is tasked with disassembling the crib Mark built for their baby. She responds without emotion, to the delight of Dr. Mauer and Jame Eagan. 

Drummond summons Lorne to sacrifice a lamb, but discovers Mark attempting to break into the exports hallway. He tries to kill him but is stopped by Lorne. Mark takes Drummond hostage with him in the elevator to the testing floor but accidentally kills him during the transition. 

Mark finds Gemma and they escape to the severed floor. Mark guides Gemma through the exit door but returns to Helly.

In Cold Harbor, the tenth episode and season finale of the second season along with 19th overall episode of the series we finally got some answers, a big cliffhanger, then finally the news the show would return for a third run.

Mark (Adam Scott), Devon (Jen Tullock), Cobel (Patricia Arquette), Gemma (Dichen Lachman), Helena Eagan AKA Helly (Britt Lower), Dylan (Zach Cherry), Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman), Dr. Mauer (Robby Benson), Jame Eagan (Michael Siberry), Lorne (Gwendoline Christie) & Mr. Drummond (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson) will all return. 

Find out where the series ranks in my Summer Streamin' 25 RATED in a few days time. Can you believe that's almost a wrap for Q1, 2025? WTF!

Oh it's amazing in Japan too right now. Kyoto full day one today. Tokyo and more to come. Might share some photos if they are cute enough.

Sayonara/さよなら