Heart of Stone has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 29%. Is it really that bad?
Well yes and no.
Gal Gadot shines in this spy action thriller film directed by Tom Harper.
Alongside Gadot, Jamie Dornan, Alia Bhatt, Sophie Okonedo, and Matthias Schweighöfer all star. Legends Glenn Close and BD Wong also have small roles.
Heart of Stone follows an international intelligence operative who must embark on a dangerous mission to protect a mysterious artificial intelligence system known as "The Heart." She is tasked by the peacekeeping operation known as Charter to keep the object safe from falling into enemy hands.
Filming took place in Europe last January to July. With Heart of Stone being released on earlier this month.
While the film has received generally negative reviews from critics, the action scenes, have been deemed it too similar to the Mission: Impossible film series. While critics praised Gadot's performance.
It sounds like Netflix are trying to create their own Mission: Impossible franchise with Heart of Stone. It has been in the top 10 movies here in Oz for some time now. So maybe it works?
Filming commenced in the Alpin Arena Schnals (South Tyrol) in late January last year. Then London in March, followed by Reykjavík, Iceland in April, back to London in May, then finally in Lisbon, Portugal.Filming wrapped on late July, 2022.
I couldn't see a budget online, however this would have cost a mint!
Was the big budget worth it? Well it has been watched in multiple countries by millions, so it could possibly keep a few Netflix subscribers hooked.
Now this was FUN! With a couple F! Red, White & Royal Blue is just the romantic escapism we need right about now!
Directed by Matthew Lopez in his feature film directorial debut, this is based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Casey McQuiston.
The plot, follows a love affair between the son of the president of the United States and a British prince, played by Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine.
Also starring Clifton Collins Jr., Sarah Shahi, Rachel Hilson, Stephen Fry, and Uma Thurman, YASS Uma THURMAN!
In 2019, Amazon Studios announced the film's development with Greg Berlanti as a producer. Lopez was announced as director and co-writer with Malawer in 2021.
Filming took place in England June - August, last year, with Red, White & Royal Blue premiering at the BFI IMAX in London last month. Landing on Amazon Prime Video streaming, a few weeks ago.
So if you are looking for some romance, eye candy (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and a few giggles. This could be your perfect late winter @ home film.
I haven't had much luck with streaming films this year (another action film review will land Wednesday) but this is honestly good. I probably would have enjoyed watching this film in the cinema.
Uma also looks a million bucks as the President of the US of A! I love the close Texas election result. Could this be a crystal ball for 2024's big election?
This was fun, easy to watch, light hearted AF, a 4 star fun filled film.
Nancy Drew has less than 400K viewers for its 13th episode and final ever episode on The CW. Paramount+ in Australia.
This was the third Nancy Drew television series, following The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977–1979) and a 1995 Canadian-American version.
The series is narrated and led by the amateur sleuth Nancy Drew (Kennedy McMann), alongside Leah Lewis as George Fan, Maddison Jaizani as Bess Marvin, Tunji Kasim as Ned Nickerson, and Alex Saxon as Ace.
We also see Party of Five vet Scott Wolf star as Carson Drew. Orignally landed with its first season back in October, 2019.
Last March the series was renewed for a fourth and final season which streamed on Paramount+ early June. The series concluded late August, or Friday morning (yesterday). Below includes SPOILERS so beware!
Saving the town required apparent soulmates Nancy and Tristan to sever their spiritual connection, following the discovery that they’re only linked because she murdered him in a past life.
Ace saved Nancy by tethering himself to her, but the process literally cost them their souls, making it impossible for either to be reincarnated. It also destroyed their death curse, allowing them to enjoy the remainder of their last lives together.
As for the rest of the Drew Crew, George got into Northern Seattle Legal College; Nick accepted an engineering position under Tom Swift (remember that short lived series?), while Jade also landed a gig in Swift Enterprises’ PR department, courtesy of Zenzi; Bess is embarking on a global expedition to replenish the historical society’s destroyed artifacts, while Addy is running for local office; Carson and Jean are preparing to welcome their new baby girl.
I smashed seasons one to three back to back. I did find parts of this season a little of a chore to watch. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't great. I am really not surprised it did get cancelled on the newly purchased The CW. Like Riverdale I feel this series really had run its course. Next up we will head back to the cinema. With a twist though.... the at home version. Yes the streaming services have served up some big films of late! Its catch up time!
Riverdale has now ended after 137 episodes, seven seasons, multiple random AF storylines, the teen drama is now officially RIP.
Mocked from season two onwards, at times this has been a tough watch. With Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead Jones getting up to god knows what.
It marks one of the final The CW series airing out a long run. When the writers strike a handful of original runs will air on The CW, however nothing like peak CW with all the Arrowverse shows, Riverdale, Nancy Drew and Dynasty.
The series starred NZ hottie KJ Apa (Archie Andrews) Lili Reinhart (Betty Cooper), Camila Mendes (Veronica Lodge), plus Cole Sprouse (Jughead Jones).
Last March, the series was renewed for a seventh and final season, which streamed in Australia (weekly) on Netflix between late March 29 and last night. Big finale night last night, this morning. And Just Like That... Season Two and the series finale of Nancy Drew! So how'd the series conclude? Well the ratings weren't great! However SPOILERS BELOW! Yes this season the team went back in time? I know right!
In the present day, Betty, now 84, reads Jughead's obituary, and tells her granddaughter Alice that she wants to go back to Riverdale one last time. That night, she wakes up to see teenage Jughead, who offers to transport her back to the last day of senior year.
She finds that Mary bought her own dress shop and married Brooke, Alice divorced Hal, became a stewardess and later a pilot, and remarried, travelling the world, while Polly gave birth to Juniper and Dagwood and lived a long happy life, but retired from burlesque dancing.
At school, she discovers Toni became class president, and Fangs and Midge married after one of his songs became a hit single, but Fangs died after his tour bus crashed, though the money from his songs took care of Midge and their daughter indefinitely.
She finds Kevin studied musical theater writing at NYU, and Clay literature at Columbia, and they lived together in Harlem, with Clay eventually becoming a professor and Kevin starting a theater company, and died at 82 within a few weeks of each other.
She also finds that she, Archie, Jughead and Veronica are in a polyamorous relationship. Reggie is revealed to have played for Kansas State, joined the Lakers, and worked at his family's farm until his parents died, after which he sold the land and became the basketball coach at Riverdale High, and had two sons who run the used car dealership.
At the Babylonium, she finds Veronica moved to Los Angeles and ran a film studio, winning two Oscars, eventually buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
At the Dark Room, she discovers Cheryl and Toni moved out west, lived as artists and activists, had a son named after Riverdale and passed away peacefully, while Julian enlisted and died in Vietnam, Mr. Weatherbee and Mrs. Thornton eventually married, and Frank and Tom were killed by Chic.
At Thornhill, Archie reads the group a poem commemorating their time together, and at the end of the night, proposes that he and Betty may end up together, but she reveals he settles in Modesto, has a family, becomes a construction worker and writer and is buried in Riverdale next to his father.
Before leaving Riverdale, she visits Pop Tate's grave, as he died the beginning of their senior year. She reveals Jughead was the editor of a successful comic, Jughead's Madhouse Magazine, and that she was editor of several successful magazines, and never married, but adopted a daughter.
She returns to the present, and returns to Riverdale, now a ghost town, dying peacefully outside Pop's.
In the Sweet Hereafter, Teenage Betty exits the car and walks into a functional Pop's, greeting her high school friends and sitting in a booth with Archie, Veronica and Jughead. Outside, Jughead gives closure to the series and notes that the gang will stay together, forever seventeen and happy, in the afterlife.
So the ending was much better than the lame ass 50's episodes previously. All 19 of them. I cannot believer they dragged out this season to 20 episodes. Something we will not see in the 2023-2024 network TV season, well that is if there is one!
Riverdale has tried to be cutting edge, dip into musical Glee moments whilst also being something to everyone. In the end the audience was so low it was almost nothing to nobody. It had a good first couple of seasons, however the constant genre bending, Sabrina popping by after her series was cancelled by Netflix.
I enjoyed seeing a ripped Archie shirtless, however the plot lines to lead to his chiseled body were so paper thin by the end. The attempt at covering all aspects of sexuality on network TV this season was also a little on the awkward side.
That said this was a sweet finale, an ode to friendship, high school and the people we meet in our short life time. You may say hello to someone, walk along with them for a while, then it ends. It was a decent finale, however this show should have really ended years ago. Good for the actors and writers I guess. Where will they end up next? That will be interesting!
And Just Like That... season three has been ordered! HBO Max or now just MAX, has a number of series still awaiting renewal or cancellation news, however not the Sex and the City reboot. It'll be back once the writers/actors strike is done and dusted!
It was originally set to be a miniseries, however the second season premiered late June, will a third run in the works.
The revival/sequel of the HBO television series Sex and the City sees the OG ladies plus some new faces make their transition from a life in their 30s to a more complicated reality of life/friendship in their 50s.
So And Just Like That... we landed at the anticipated season 2 finale. Which previously had announced that Kim Cattrall will officially return as Samantha for a cameo. Was it worth the wait?
Well it was one of the most publicised parts of the whole season. I for one felt ripped off. However on a whole, I have to say I did enjoy this season more than the first.
It was an easy, breezy, have on in the background, have on after a long day kinda show. No thought required, just enjoy the male eye-candy, the fashion, the music. Also a bit of the gossip and the relationships of folks heading into their 50's and beyond.
Binge has a lot to offer right now, along with former series that are available to BINGE! Where will this finale/series feature on my Winter Watchlist Warmers RATED. Come back this time next month for my full list of series from Winter. A warm, winter!
So maybe next year, Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and co will once again grace our screens. Until then, And Just Like That... it's bedtime, night, night!
