Feud | Season 1 (Bette and Joan)

Oh dear Ryan Murphy is back and he delivers FX/Fox their next drama in the form of Feud. Like Scream Queens it is camp and aimed straight at the gays.

After seeing this up in many train stations across Sydney I was intrigued and launched myself into Feud. Another anthology series by Murphy and like American Horror Story and American Crime Story a new story/characters will be featured in each season.

The show has already been given a second series set to focus on Charles and Diana and will receive an additional two episodes equally a season of ten episodes.

Bette & Joan like The Blacklist Redemption will only be a limited eight episode run and hopefully Murphy will be focused enough to deliver a solid series.

FX is currently on a high with breakout hits like Atlanta and Murphy's other critical and award winning hit American Crime Story. American Horror Story continues to excite it's loyal fans and Legion the latest comic book series despite not rating well has been well received by critics.

Whether or not Feud will be Murphy's next stellar hit time will tell, but it is great seeing Lange and Sarandon on the screen together, not to mention the fabulous Catherine Zeta-Jones.

So far I have to say Feud is an interesting new tale and I series I will definitely see until the end credits of episode eight.

Rain, Rain, Rain and MORE Rain

Yes it's almost been two straight weeks of rain (on and off) here in Sydney and I have to say I am well over it. But on the other hand I am enjoying not feeling guilty about catching up and being almost up to date with all my shows.

Like hell WENTWORTH returns next month (early April to be exact), FUED has started it's eight episode first season run and THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF SYDNEY is delicious camp fun.

Foxtel real does have a good run of drama on at present.

On the other hand Netflix are about to upload another Marvel hit series IRON FIST and SENSE8 returns early May. THE GET DOWN will air it's second half of the first season early next month and HOUSE OF CARDS returns late May.

It's all good with scripted dramas and apparently the USA will spit out over 500 scripted series in 2017.

When will the rain in Sydney cease? Who fucking knows but at least there is some entertainment on the old idiot box.

I'll hopefully have another film review for y'all later this weekend.

Silver Screen in 2017 {Logan}

So you thought Deadpool was violent and the new norm for superhero "adult" films. Well Logan, the final Wolverine and maybe X-Men film is here. It's violent, it's extremely hardcore and there is amongst the violence some awesome action.



I'm not sure I believe this will be the last X-Men movie I see in my lifetime as this is already a critical and box office smash. Opening weekend and it's already the talk of the movie town. King Kong, or Skull Island has a massive task ahead of itself this weekend and opening weekend.

Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart both look like this should be their last superhero outing and frankly after years of Wolverine on the big screen I am just about done with this character.

So is Logan worth all the hype? Yes and No, and NO don't take your kids to this film, when I say it's violent I mean it is seriously graphic, heads flying off, Logan's claws killing anything in there sights and Laura/X-23 is extremely angry for a young lady.

Look it's tense, it's extreme, it's a serious look at people heading into America from the south and then looking to flee to safety in Canada. Sound familiar? Sound current?

It's also LOOOONNNNNNGGGG, in parts it seems to be going forever and ever and some plot points are examined for way too long, we get it, Logan is angry, X-23 is angry, it's an angry time and place in 2029.

But in all honesty this is a millions times better than the last and less than thrilling X-Men outing.

Logan is going to do HUGE business NO MATTER what critics, bloggers, reviewers say.

4 Stars for Jackman's final take on Wolverine.

The Blacklist: Redemption

Spin offs sometimes work and crossover TV is the new black but does The Blacklist: Redemption have what it takes to get a second season? At this stage the short and easy answer is NO. But politically NBC may roll over as The Blacklist is easily one of their biggest and most successful series at present.

Like FOX did with Star and gave it the benefit of doubt and a second series I feel NBC will do the same here. Star is outstanding and diverse but it is not the ratings killer that Empire was but with the same creator it's political to keep Lee Daniels on side no doubt. Like Ryan Murphy at FOX/FX it's no wonder Scream Queens got a second season (maybe even a third) when his other projects like American Crime Story and American Horror Story and ratings and critical hits.

Famke Janssen has starred in some of my favourite shows over the years, Nip/Tuck and How to Get Away with Murder plus a string of films but her character Scottie is no Red and that is what the show lacks. Ryan Eggold is handsome enough as Tom Keen (also Scottie's son, but she doesn't really know that fact yet) and after his is he a good guy, is he a bad guy routine on The Blacklist it's nice to see him breakthrough and be able to expand himself further in this short eight episode mid season filler.

With The Blacklist on break until this little show wraps up it's going to be interesting to see with DVR viewings if this show will rise up above 10 million viewers per episode again. The show has currently been sold to Netflix for apparently two million per episode!

Let's see where this spin off will take us, it's a short eight episode run and with two episodes airing already we are 25% through the series already.

Look our for reviews on FUED (Ryan Murphy's next series) and AMERICAN CRIME, the third in the series and again a nice short eight episode run.

Silver Screen in 2017 {Rings}

Did we need another American Rings film? Well maybe not and this was only scary in the last 30 minutes but it took me back to a younger me and for that I am not going to shit on this film too much.



Rings is the 2017 reboot after The Ring Two back in 2005. So around 12 years later is a video tape (and for younger readers that is the technology before AVI files and Blu Rays + DVD's) still scary?

Not really is a very short answer. This film was super dull in the start and with no Naomi Watts or Simon Baker there is no star power in this film.

That said there is a gap in the horror market lately with loads of serious as fuck dramas about and a dull as fuck movie about Hollywood with a shit tonne of singing.

So what do I rate Rings? Well it's hard not to pass it as it was a bit of fun and when the mystery comes full circle it's kind of ok. It's been panned critically and I haven't seen a super low Rotten Tomatoes score like this in a while, so I'm going to be nice and pass it @ 2.5 Stars.

Let's hope there is something a little more scary on the way to the cinema in 2017.

Silver Screen in 2017 {The Great Wall}

So this could have been a great BIG pile of shit and well it was and it wasn't. I haven't liked Matt Damon in a while but he was bearable in this role, surrounded by some terrific Chinese stars in The Great Wall.



Look when you it all comes down to it this is an action film with a stunning setting of The Great Wall and really it's in the action sequences this film comes alive.

When the action is absent from the screen it sort of lacks something, well almost everything as the dialogue is fairly piss weak.

Zhang Hanyu is the hottest gentleman in the film and get this he is 52!

Look this will not be everyone's cup of tea and frankly without some impressive dragon/beast slaying scenes I would have left disappointed but overall it looks a million bucks (in parts and actually the budget was 150 million dollars) and really it's an action film so what do you expect?

3 Stars.

Silver Screen in 2017 {Manchester by Sea}

The outstanding run of movies continues (back home at least, not that there was anything wrong with Guardians and the Batman Lego film I took in whilst in Thailand) with Manchester by Sea.



Casey Affleck is striking in a weird way, he is one of those rugged guys who looks good but could be scary within the same five minute period.

He plays a deeply damaged guy who lives a very dull life, well that is the first part of the film, then it takes off, the film is deep and like Jackie deals with varying different stages of grief.

Jackie did this extremely well with Natalie Portman a divine leading lady and Casey Affleck (winner of Best actor) is equally as good as this damaged lead.

I won't give too much away except Michelle Williams should probably not be in this poster due to her small role in the film. Particularly in the current time line and not the foul mouthed flashbacks.

Yes there are flashbacks galore and the current time line is like a jigsaw puzzle the viewer puts together to work out why Casey is why he is.

I enjoyed this outstanding drama a lot, it made me thought, it touched me and it was an honest look into the way men deal with grief and shit going down. Talking and expressing emotions is sometimes not looked kindly upon from society. Whereas I love a good cry in a movie, to a Sia song, whenever, wherever as Shakira once sang.

And that is the point of this film, men dealing with death and family issues.

Young Lucas Hedges is also terrific as Casey's nephew.

Manchester by Sea is an outstanding drama and one well worth investing in, 4.5 Stars.