Twisted Metal is my latest catch up from when I went to the USA mid-winter. This was advertised everywhere near my downtown LA hotel.
It did help we stayed near the Peacock Theatre. Twisted Metal was explained to me as a hella-fun, post-apocalyptic action comedy series.
Based on the vehicular combat video game franchise of the same name published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Starring the handsome AF Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Joe Seanoa, Will Arnett and Thomas Haden Church.
John Doe (Mackie), is a talkative milkman with amnesia, is given a mission to traverse the desolate United States to deliver a mysterious package with unknown contents.
He faces a life-altering opportunity but must confront ruthless marauders in deadly and destructive vehicles to secure a chance at a better future.
The series was released on Peacock late July, with all 10 episodes streaming on Stan in Australia. It has no commitment online for a second series. However the way episode ten SHNGRLA goes down, it leaves it wide open!
No doubt this would also have been on of the most popular Peacock series to date. It ticks a lot of boxes!
Spoilers incoming, ALERT, ALERT, ALERT!!!
During a showdown at a racetrack, John and Quiet defeat Stone and leave him with the option to commit suicide.
Sweet Tooth tries to get Stu to kill Mike, but Stu shoots Sweet Tooth instead and leaves him for dead. John and Quiet return to New San Francisco and deliver the package to Raven.
John attempts to bring Quiet into New San Francisco but is not allowed to. He announces that he won't enter either, but Quiet shoots him to force him to be taken into New San Francisco and leaves. A month later, John is bored with his life in the settlement, and Quiet is stealing deliveries from milkmen and giving them to people outside settlements.
John says that he wants to leave, and Raven takes him to his childhood home. She tries to convince him to stay, but he insists on leaving.
Raven has John held at gunpoint and tells him that he will be her driver in a tournament with other cities to win the ultimate prize from Calypso. Outside the city, Quiet's car is hindered by a team of masked women; their leader reveals that she is John's sister. Stu and Mike relax on a beach and are surprised when Sweet Tooth arrives; he kills Mike and drags Stu away.
Even Neve Campbell makes a long awaited return to the small screen after her earlier Party of Five days.
This was ten episodes of pure fun. I totally enjoyed this.
So if you have a Stan subscription and need something new to watch. Give this little beauty a go!
The Creator is my latest step into the cinema for 2023. As the year heads to the silly season, it's time for some science fiction.
The Creator is produced & directed by Gareth Edwards, who co-wrote the screenplay with Chris Weitz.
Starring Tenet's John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson, Allison Janney, and Madeleine Yuna Voyles.
Set in a future impacted by war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, follows an ex-special forces agent who is recruited to hunt down and kill the "Creator", who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war by destroying mankind itself, but must choose whose side he is on when he discovers what the weapon actually is.
Los Angeles has been bombed, killing over a million, while Asia is called New Asia.
Is America depicted as the baddies in this war/sci-fi picture?
The film was originally titled True Love, later changed to The Creator.
Filming began on January last year, wrapping on May of the same year. Meaning with all these strikes, the film pipeline is generally a year or so ahead. So we should still have blockbusters for some time.
The Creator has received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising its visual effects, direction, performances and its approach to the subject matter. AI is interesting with this film being way more fresh than the recent overdone superhero picture Blue Beetle.
Whilst it wasn't perfect it was good to see Allison Janney in a different role. With short hair even.
Ahsoka, another Disney+ finale this week following Only Murders in the Building. Disney+ is also ready to hit launch on Loki season two today.
Star Wars: Ahsoka, is yes another set in a galaxy far, far away!
Said to be a miniseries, however there is chatter for a second season.
This is also another spin-off from the series The Mandalorian (2019–present), taking place in the same timeframe as that series and its other interconnected spin-offs after the events of Return of the Jedi (1983), while also serving as a continuation to the animated series Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018).
Ahsoka Tano investigates an emerging threat to the galaxy following the fall of the Empire, while being joined by some newcomers. Rosario Dawson stars as Ahsoka Tano, reprising her role from The Mandalorian.
Ahsoka was billed as an eight episode miniseries, from August till October 3. However there is some talk of a second season from star Dawson.
Ahsoka was created for the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2020), voiced by Ashley Eckstein, and made her live-action debut in the second season of The Mandalorian.
The latest Star Wars TV series has received positive reviews from critics. Now to the finale after the trailer. As usual SPOILER ALERT!
Part Eight: The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord commenced with confronting the Jedi, Elsebeth is gifted Mother Talzin's sword by the Great Mothers, while Bridger constructs a new lightsaber using spare parts from his late master, Kanan Jarrus.
After their ship is damaged by a fighter attack, Ahsoka, Wren, and Bridger make their way on foot to the Chimaera, which has docked with the Eye of Sion, but are confronted by Elsbeth and the Night Troopers, whom the Great Mothers keep resurrecting after they are killed.
Wren uses the Force to help Bridger jump onto the Chimaera while Ahsoka kills Elsbeth. The Eye of Sion jumps to hyperspace, leaving Ahsoka, Wren, and Huyang stranded on Peridea. As Thrawn and the Great Mothers arrive over Dathomir, Bridger escapes and reunites with Syndulla and Chopper.
Ahsoka, Wren, and Huyang join the Noti and make their new home on Peridea, watched over by Anakin's spirit. Hati joins the bandits, while Skoll is guided to a mountain by a statue of the Mortis Gods.
So I enjoyed this visually but think like the Marvel series, there is a little too much quantity with the quality and interest in the overwhelming number of series starting to fade.
With the writers strike over, content might be light for a bit, but viewers may be starting to tire of the same old, same old lightsaber fight scenes over and over again. Just my opinion.
I'm off to a few movies this weekend, so expect a change of gear from the small screen to the big screen over the weekend, early next week.
Starstruck is back on ABC iView for a third season. The BBC comedy series created by Rose Matafeo, co-written with Alice Snedden, directed by Karen Maine.
The 30 minute comedy series stars Matafeo, Nikesh Patel and occasionally Minnie Driver.
Last June the series was renewed for a third season. Series three landed on iView recently, however this was a quick long weekend watch in-between my regular week-to-week series. Like Billions, Tommy's version of Power, Res Dogs concluding, Only Murders in the Building and the latest Star Wars series.
This refreshingly unpredictable rom-com has always been a showcase for its creator/star Matafeo as her character, sardonic New Zealander-in-London Jessie, comes to accept the unthinkable: She’s fallen in love with famous actor Tom Kapoor.
Recently Matafeo was awarded a performer of week praise for her acting in the fourth episode of this season. Set two years after their breakup when Jessie’s new beau, Liam, joins her mates for a cabin getaway "Matafeo bares her full range".
Look for me, nothing will beat the OG first season of Starstruck, however there is something that just keeps me coming back. It's a super easy watch. It does have some funny one-liners from time to time. However season one was definitely the most amusing.
In the past I simply smashed seasons one and two of Only Murders in the Building. Now I'm up to date, I can just watch this like any other series, week to week. Good news too for fans of the show, it has already been renewed for a fourth season at Hulu.
Season three landed early August. This time, Charles, Oliver & Mabel investigate a murder behind the scenes at a Broadway show.
We had regulars Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez return, with Paul Rudd & Meryl Streep. joining the fun this season!
Season three concluded on Disney+ in Australia last night, or Hulu in the USA.
So how did it go down on Opening Night, the season finale? SPOILER ALERT!
The trio plan on getting evidence to force a confession out of Donna. Fortunately for them, Loretta received the missing hankie from Dickie.
On opening night, they lure Donna into the theater's office, where she admits that she poisoned Ben's cookie. After they show her the hankie with Donna’s own lipstick, she claims that she also pushed Ben.
Donna asks that she be allowed to see the play before getting arrested, revealing she has stage four lung cancer. Before the play starts, Howard tells Oliver that Jonathon cannot perform, so Oliver takes the stage as the lead role.
During the play, Loretta tells Dickie she is his biological mother. Mabel sees Donna talk to Cliff, who then goes in Jerry's room. As Mabel goes after him, she realizes that it was Cliff who pushed Ben instead of Donna.
Not wanting to go to prison, Cliff nearly jumps from above the stage, but is stopped by Donna. After the curtain call, Donna and Cliff are led away by the police.
At the play's after-party, Oliver reads Maxine's review, which is a rave. Dickie, Loretta, and Tobert all have upcoming gigs in Los Angeles, but the trio decide to stay in New York, promising to visit.
Sazz comes to celebrate and tells Charles they need to talk. As the party continues, Sazz enters Charles' apartment and is shot by an unknown assailant.
So we leave season three with Jane Lynch's Sazz bleeding out on Charle's floor.
So with Glee long over and Sazz dead, will we find out more about Jane Lynch's stunt double character in season four? Time will tell. We got Paul Rudd's "first" death at the end of season two, so who knows.
This has been a huge hit for Hulu. The show has attracted big stars, great reviews plus buzz amongst TV lovers, like myself.
So if you need a new series in your life, Only Murders in the Building is streaming now on Disney+.
Blue Beetle is the latest superhero movie after I missed a couple of Marvel ones at the cinema. Based on Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle, this film has big heart, however just not that much going for it.
This is the 14th instalment of the DC Extended Universe starring, Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle, Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, Raoul Max Trujillo, Susan Sarandon, and George Lopez. Yes that is right Susan Sarandon. I know right! Sarandon in a superhero film! Thats said she did star in the one and done FOX series, Monarch.
Blue Beetle premiered in mid-August in the US of A, while Australia got it last month. However the film emerged as a box-office bomb. Grossing only $127 million worldwide against a production budget of $104 million and became the lowest-grossing film in the DCEU.
So I can't see a sequel being given the green light anytime soon.
The film did have big heart, it just didn't really go anywhere over its two hour runtime.
Like it just took a long time to get to the final big fight.
It was also a little predictable.
I wanted to like this film a lot more than I did. I am a fan of Cobra Kai (despite the fact it maybe should have ended a season or two ago) so Xolo Maridueña is handsome AF and easy to watch.
That alone, even with the inclusion of Sarandon just wasn't enough to save this, the latest in a long run of superhero films getting a little tired.
The Marvels will be interesting for Marvel as I think the steam is really slowing down for these big budget, special effects heavy two hour romps.
The Other Black Girl's first season landed on Disney+ (in Australia) mid last month.
This ten episode first season based on the 2021 novel of the same name by Zakiya Dalila Harris, focuses on Nella Rogers, who is an editorial assistant at Wagner Books and the only Black woman working for the company until the hiring of Hazel-May McCall.
Following the hiring of Hazel, strange occurrences lead to Nella discovering the truth about Wagner's disturbing history. The story is inspired by Harris' own personal experiences working as an editor and addresses various forms of racism in the corporate world.
Nella Rogers is an editorial assistant at Wagner Books, a successful publishing house located in New York City.
She often feels lonely, undervalued, and marginalized as a result of being the only Black woman working for the company. Nella is excited when Wagner hires Hazel-May McCall, another Black woman, and the two quickly bond and become friends. Shortly thereafter, Nella receives a mysterious message instructing her to leave Wagner Books.
Cracks form in Nella and Hazel's friendship after Hazel's advice gets Nella in trouble with her boss and Wagner's employees begin showing favoritism towards Hazel. This makes Nella question whether Hazel is purposely sabotaging her in order to advance herself. Eventually, Nella begins uncovering Wagner's dark history and sinister secrets.
Rotten Tomatoes gives TOBG an 87% approval rating, while the finale leaves us wondering will there be a second season? Who was on the end of that phone call?
I enjoyed these short little episodes packed with great music and sassy one liners. Not to mention some serious pop culture references.
If you need a new series to add to your dance card, maybe The Other Black Girl from Hulu could totally be up your alley. Creepy, a little, nice to see Hunter Parish from Weeds on the small screen again, yes. Disney+ in Australia serving up decent little series month in, month out!
