Written by: Linda Woolverton, Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue
Directed by: Joachim Rønning
Featuring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, Lesley Manville, Harris Dickinson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ed Skrein and Michelle Pfeiffer
Narrator:“Once upon a time, or perhaps twice upon a time, for you may already remember this story, there was a powerful Fey named Maleficent. For some reason, the mistress of evil and protector of the Moors was still hated after all this time. True, she had cursed the Princess Aurora. But that was before she found light in the heart of a human child and raised the girl as her own. After all, it was Maleficent’s love which broke that very same curse. But that detail was somehow mysteriously forgotten. For as the tale was told over and again throughout the kingdom, Maleficent became the villain once more.”
Critical Commentary
Released recently on 4K Blu-ray/DVD is the sequel to the live action remake of yet another Disney animated feature in the form of “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” (2019) which sees the return of the titular character in the form of Angelina Jolie who has been absent from big screens for over four years. This movie also marks one of five Disney remakes in 2019 which is an incredible proposition as they have all been successful to a lessor or greater degree which not only marks a nadir for this genre but it also speaks to the the power of the Disney marketing company and the lack of anything original in the theatrical space. How much you enjoy this movie will be dependant on a variety of factors some of which are related to each other, some are not which makes this a complicated evaluation.
What Disney and the makers of this sequel have attempted to do is to expand the Universe that all these characters inhabit by introducing the idea of a marriage for Aurora thereby giving her a future as well as introducing a new villain, I hesitate to use the word Trumpian but there it is and of course offering a backstory to the titular protagonist which overcomplicates the entire movie, sometimes asking more questions than its answers as well as overburdening a narrative that seems to create a third act that makes little sense even by fantasy movie standards. In fact by the time the obvious storyline becomes apparent it is possible audiences will have lost interest in what is actually occurring onscreen and when the Thord act begins with what must be the most boring CGI battle ever put to film the true lack of originality has made itself clear, not even the massively CGI Angelina Jolie can save the day, having lost whatever interest the character may have earned from the first movie.
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” is set five years after the first movie and the death of King Stefan. Aurora has reigned as Queen of the Moors and Maleficent as its guardian and protector. The neighbouring kingdom of Ulstead deems Maleficent a villain, and while King John wishes for peace Queen Ingrith has been secretly preparing for war; in the hidden areas of the castle, workers make weapons and ammunition out of iron, deadly to all fairies. From here the plot and narrative moves along at a slow pace that sets out the story which is so mediocre that it could have come from any number of movies from any number of genres which is rather disappointing on the whole.
What was enjoyable about the first movie was that there was some genuine fun, happiness as well as surprise which is lacking here, even the population of the faerie kingdom look a little been there and done that. The addition of a entirely new species that all resemble Maleficent all seem underdone as does their backstory which seems light and not thought out very well at all which seems like a missed opportunity.
Obviously Angelina Jolie is the lead here but this is a movie that has a very large and in parts an impressive cast including Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville adding the mighty Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michelle Pfeiffer all doing their best but there is a caveat to all this talent, that is most of these actors are either doing their jobs in front of a green screen or completely by themselves, I believe this all is reflected onscreen. Sure there was a huge amount of CGI in the first movie but I could see the heart in that movie but here I feel like it is overloaded with the volume turned up to eleven, I get the indication on screen that many of these actors were not even in the same room together when scenes were filmed as well as there being a massive amount of dialogue over the top of the action recorded or re-recorded much later on, especially the scenes where Maleficent meets her long lost people.
For me the highlight of the movie is the casting of Michelle Pfeiffer who of late has made a comeback of sorts appearing in some high profile movies, always making an impact as well as in most being morally ambiguous which for any actor is a gift, there have been no black or white parts they have all been shades of grey.
Maybe oddly this is still a recommendation as it does follow on from the first movie quite well, if you enjoyed that you will probably enjoy this although it does feel inferior especially in the last act.
Technical Commentary
Disney delivers a two-disc set with a BD-66 4K Disc and the 1080p HD Blu-ray in a hard, black plastic case.
Video
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” is released with a 2160p Ultra-HD presentation in HDR10. The upgraded color and detail look fantastic and is a noticeable uptick from the 1080p Blu-ray.
The first thing that’ll come to your attention will be the enhanced color spectrum. These colors are bold and well-balanced in each of the film’s darker settings. Colors of the green magical smoke or orange fire embers certainly stand out with varying shades of each respective color.
Audio
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” is released with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack and it sounds great. Like other Disney releases, you might have to adjust your volume a few notches higher to get the normal desired level, but once there, it’s a fuller and more robust sound experience than the Blu-ray’s 7.1 track.
Special Features
There are roughly 20 minutes of bonus features included on the Blu-ray. No extras appear on the 4K Disc. Nothing too much of note here other than some quick mentions of visual effects.
Origins of Fey (HD, 3 Mins.) – A short piece on the origins of Maleficent and her species.
Aurora’s Wedding (HD, 3 Mins.) – A brief look at the film’s big marriage scene that looks into the wardrobe, music, and more.
If You Had Wings (HD, 4 Mins.) – A look at the visual and practical effects of the wings in the film and how the complete the characters.
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil VFX Reel (HD, 2 Mins.) – Another all-too-short glimpse at the raw and finished visual effects of the film with some commentary.
Extended Scenes (HD, 4 Mins.) – Two short extended scenes.
Outtakes (HD, 2 Mins.) – Here is your standard montage of flubbed lines, missed cues, laughing and dancing from the set.
Music Video (HD, 3 Mins.) – Bebe Rexha performs “You Can’t Stop the Girl”.
“Agatha Raisin – Series One & Two” (2014 – present)
Thriller/Comedy
Running time: 123 minutes
Produced by: Barry Ryan, Michele Buck and David Walton based on Agatha Raisin by M. C. Beaton
Featuring: Ashley Jensen, Katy Wix, Matthew Horne and Jamie Glover
Agatha Raisin:“When confronted with someone who appears to be in a perpetual state of outrage, it is tempting for other people to wind them up. Besides, I have always found the most vociferous guardians of morality on matters of sex are those who aren’t getting any.”
Released recently on DVD is the comedy/thriller/whodunnit series “Agatha Raisin – Series One & Two” (2014 – present) based upon the novels by M.C. Beaton that moves the traditional detective story into a modern setting in a small village in the Cotswolds with an original character who used to run a PR company in the form of the titular Agatha Raisin.
Agatha is full of contradictions. In her professional life, she expertly helped clients navigate the treacherous waters of fame, but at the personal level she’s awkward and something of a dingbat, desperate to fit into her adopted community.
There are a few parts of “Agatha Raisin – Series One & Two” to really enjoy, firstly is the casting of the titular character with comedian Ashley Jensen who has proven over the years on both sides of the Atlantic that she knows how to tailor a performance for not only a given character but also the kind of project she is appearing in. Here she Jas to balance a person who is totally out of balance as a whole but is in control when she compartmentalises her own narrative which is one of the reasons to watch this series and why it is so successful. The fact that Agatha has visits from her pals in London assists not only the storytelling but helps to give the main character a true backstory without pushing it so that it becomes artificial. Of course the stories help as does the aspect of who is the killer in each story and of course we are exposed to different parts of small town life real or imagined it does not really matter or detract from the entire series.
Of course the fact that such a small town has such a high murder rate never comes into play as does the fact that the local constabulary are always incorrect in their conclusions but again does that hinder the enjoyment of this series? Not one iota, as it concentrates on what it means to be living in a small town, seemingly knowing more than the locals, although always relying on them to help in the solving of many mysteries.
If you enjoy eating a series that is not all doom and gloom, in fact is anything but, except for the odd murder, then this is the show for you. It is more or less violence free with a healthy does of humour and could be considered family viewing as it is on the low end of scary or offensive. It tells a story that is becoming more popular that is people leaving high stress jobs, busy cities for a quieter life, which some would argue does not really exist.
Episodes:
Series One
The Quiche of Death: A public-relations agent leaves London for a seemingly idyllic village in the Cotswolds, and soon finds herself a suspect in a murder case involving a poisoned quiche.
The Walkers of Dembley: Agatha and James must pose as a married couple and infiltrate a local rambling group, hoping to unearth a murderous secret.
Hell’s Bells: A woman is accused of strangling another villager to death with bell-rope. Agatha Raisin is hired to crack the case.
The Wellspring of Death: Roy lures Agatha back into the world of PR. She represents a local mineral water company — but a murder there throws a spanner in the works.
The Potted Gardener: On the eve of the village’s best kept garden contest many of the entrants’ gardens are sabotaged. Shortly afterwards James’ other half Mary, a keen contestant, is murdered, following a row between the couple. Since Mary’s garden was left virtually untouched Agatha initially suspects one of the other contestants, all of whom hated her, but switches her opinion upon meting Mary’s spoilt daughter and sole heir, Beth., being wrong on both counts. However a new lead is opened up on the discovery that Mary used to be a singer and music provides a clue to Agatha solving the …
The Vicious Vet: Agatha dates handsome vet Paul Bladen but next day he is murdered, injected with an overdose of horse tranquillizer whilst at Lord Pembury’s stable. Agatha spots that Pembury has a motive, as do Percy Parr, whose wife Harriet was seeing Paul, and spurned receptionist Chloe Mabbs. Then a villager about to divulge a secret about the deceased to Agatha is also killed in the same way. When the murderer kidnaps Agatha’s cat in an effort to get her to back off with her investigation this inadvertently provides a clue, enabling Agatha to solve the killings.
The Day the Floods Came: The day after Kylie Stokes’ wedding to Zac Leeson the bride is murdered and Agatha promises her mother Freda she will find the killer. There are many intrigues surrounding the bridal party, including Kylie’s affair with an older businessman whom she was seemingly blackmailing, a mysterious money gift given by Charlie Fraith and a jealous bridesmaid who apparently hated Kylie for stealing Zac from her . However it is an old photo in a local art exhibition which puts Agatha on the road to unmasking the killer.
Witch of Wyckhadden: Wrongly assuming it is a spa weekend Agatha attends a Special Paranormal Activity group at a forbidding castle, meeting local witch and clairvoyant Francie Juddle, whose taro card reading foretells Death though it is Francie who dies and Agatha discovers her murdered body clutching a card which reads Justice. Joined by her friends Agatha sees this as a sign for her to solve the crime and questions the castle’s staff and guests who recently contacted Francie. The dead woman’s sister Janine, who also claims to be clairvoyant, holds a séance to unmask the killer but it …
Murderous Marriage: Agatha’s wedding to James is interrupted by her first husband Jimmy, a down and out Agatha had assumed to be dead and who agrees to a divorce – for a financial price. Next day he is found dead and Agatha, seen arguing with him by incomer Karen Hardy, is the prime suspect. Roy’s sleuthing reveals that Jimmy was a blackmailer and an alcoholic who stayed at Hunter’s House, a rehabilitation clinic not far from the village.
Series Two
The Wizard of Evesham: Agatha Raisin returns to the Cotswolds. At an appointment with her new stylist, the hair wizard is found dead.
The Fairies of Fryfam: Looking to get away for a few days Agatha rents a cottage in Fryfam, a village where mythical fairies are said to live. Before Agatha can start relaxing, however, she is employed, by a local woman to prove that her wealthy husband is having an affair. But the husband winds up dead.
The Curious Curate: When a handsome and popular new curate is murdered, Sarah is arrested, and Agatha must dig into his unsavory past to clear her friend’s name.
Written by: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and Dave Callaham
Directed by: Ruben Fleischer
Featuring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin, Emma Stone, Rosario Dawson, Zoey Deutch, Luke Wilson and Thomas Middleditch
Tallahassee:“I have nothing against hippies, I just wanna beat the shit out of ’em.”
Critical Commentary
Recently released into cinemas is the horror/comedy sequel “Zombieland: Double Tap” (2019) a direct follow on to “Zombieland” (2009) released ten years ago, solidifying the talents of that cast, adding to a sub genre that had not been explored to the extent it has now and launching the cinematic career of Ruben Fleischer who would never really live up to the hype of this first hit, definitely making this his best movie to date. Now this sequel has arrived with all the original people returning as well as adding a few more recognisable faces that at times compete for screen-time which gives the effect of a piecemeal project that never really satisfies like the first one. That is not to say that this new movie is not enjoyable, it is, yet it feels like the plot, narrative and humour has not changed in ten years, all the familiar narrative devices are almost exactly the same, which was fun but predictable, something that good sequels are never guilty of.
What is surprising with “Zombieland: Double Tap” is that the entire cast has returned including Oscar winner Emma Stone who has not lost a comedic step in the intervening years, she is still fun as well as being a true talent having proved herself over almost every genre going with still so much to do. It is also great to see a grown up Abigail Breslin who since the double of “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006) and “Zombieland” has proven herself a mainstay of the horror genre and of course being an Oscar nominee herself. Both Woody Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg do their usual routines that they have been executing for years which is always fun to see, Harrelson is possibly the second best actor here and is also the lead which is something he sometimes shies away from but here he is in top form.
For some the idea of a zombie comedy might have started with the always watchable “Shaun of the Dead” (2003) but of course that have been around much longer with one of the first, and in my opinion the greatest example of this sub genre “The Return of the Living Dead” (1985) that proved it was possible to make a R rated horror comedy that would be often imitated but never truly surpassed even with all its garish 1980s framing. Written and Directed by Dan O’Bannon who would err on the side of horror as he was not a gifted writer of comedy would see this movie as a highlight of his career, even though he co-wrote the genre define “Alien” (1979). Of course even though there have been innumerable zombie comedies “Zombieland” represented a shift as it was more concerned with the human’s than it was with either the zombies or even surviving the apocalypse, these new characters thrived in this new environment, there was no existential angst or attempting to turn back the clock, it was obsessed with the good elements of a zombie apocalypse and what it would take to thrive in such an environment. We also were introduced to people that were all fun no matter where they landed on the serious spectrum.
Of course “Zombieland” was filmed and released during President Obama’s first term in office when the US after eight years of a Republican Presidency had pushed the country to the brink, there was some hope. The GEC was in full effect which for some was like an apocalypse, there were homes that were so far under water people left them abandoned, not only that but speculators were able to thrive in this environment even making a living and purchasing first cheap foreclosed homes. We see the kind of desolation in the surrounds in “Zombieland” as you might have seen in some streets in towns in the US. So if Romeros “Dawn of the Dead” (1975) was in part a comment on consumerism, then this movie could be said to have been one on the effects of GEC.
“Zombieland: Double Tap” is set ten years after the events of the first film, survivors Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita, and Little Rock have become experts in identifying and disposing of various zombies and set up their new home in the abandoned White House. Columbus decides to propose to Wichita, while Tallahassee rebuffs Little Rock’s hopes of starting her own family. The next morning, Tallahassee finds a note from Wichita and Little Rock, who have left due to Little Rock feeling Tallahassee still treats her like a child and Wichita’s fear she is too attached to Columbus. As one might expect this new movie becomes a road movie with surprises along the way which are both funny and frightening. I will not spoil anything but there are some plot twists along the way, they are all welcoming as is the conclusion and there is a post credit sting of sorts, fans of the previous movie will no doubt enjoy this as it does have a welcome cameo.
Not only is the director back for more but screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick return for the sequel, both have seen some high highs since the original having written both ‘Deadpool’ movies so it must have been a slam-dunk to have them return but like their ‘Deadpool’ sequel they seem unable to movie a plot forward to anywhere actually original. Sure they can construct a movie and write clever lines, they also seem to know how to construct character, but a plot seems to evade them, they do enjoy repeating themselves.
The most welcome addition in terms of the cast is definitely Rosario Dawson whose inclusion automatically makes this a must watch movie, Dawson adds to the cast in ways that only she is able to with her seriousness as well as her ability to seemingly effortlessly be funny at the very same time. Through the years Dawson has made anything she appears in better which is not something that many actors can say, she has star power to spare, in many respects she is a working actor but a true superstar that most any audience member will appreciate.
“Zombieland: Double Tap” is one of those sequels that in some ways does not have to do a lot to please audiences, on one hand if you liked the first movie then this one is almost exactly in the same vein, if you are new to the idea of a ‘Zombieland’ movie then everything is introduced and backgrounded for you so will not be missing too much. Not only that but new characters are introduced (and there are a few to be fair) quickly so the narrative movies along at a brisk pace, although the actual stakes as well as the plot are actually pretty thin on the the ground. The bottom line is this: you know exactly what you are getting when you pay your money for a ticket, there is no false advertising at all. In saying that could not help but think that it would have been pleasing for this to have some more originality and an actual continuation of the plot, I mean almost everything from the first movie is dropped here, which I found just a little lazy. However if you want a nice night out with some comedy and a few scares then you could a lot worse than “Zombieland: Double Tap”.
Technical Commentary
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment brings Zombieland: Double Tap to Ultra HD Blu-ray as a two-disc combo pack. The dual-layered UHD66 disc sits comfortably opposite a Region Free, BD50 disc inside a black, eco-elite vortex case with a glossy slipcover. At startup, the disc goes straight to an interactive main menu that changes screens when switching between the usual options while music plays in the background
Video
“Zombieland: Double Tap” arrives on Ultra HD, with improved contrast and brightness balance. Right from the start, the HEVC H.265 encode boasts vividly cleaner and more resplendent whites while allowing excellent clarity into the far distance.
Arguably, black levels display the most dramatic jump, looking richer and inkier with superb gradational differences of the various shades and in the many articles of clothing. Shadows are silkier and darker than its HD SDR counterpart without obscuring the finest details within the murkiest corners, providing the 2.39:1 image with a gorgeous cinematic quality. The HDR10 presentation, on the other hand, doesn’t show as drastic of a change in the colours although primaries comparably appear a bit more full-bodied and better saturated.
Audio
“Zombieland: Double Tap” arrives with a fully loaded IMAX-enhanced DTS:X soundtrack, delivering a few noteworthy upgrades over its DTS-HD counterpart.
Special Features
Aside from porting over two extras to the Ultra HD, the entire supplemental package can be enjoyed from the accompanying Blu-ray disc.
Netflix has released the trailer for “Miss Americana,” Taylor Swift’s new documentary which shortly gets a high profile Sundance Film Festival premiere ahead of a rollout on the streaming platform on January 31st.
The doco takes its title from a track from Swift’s 2019 album “Lover” and is a deep dive into Swift’s shift from apolitical pop princess to outspoken and politically-minded activist.
Lana Wilson (“After Tiller”) helms while Morgan Neville and Caitrin Rogers (“20 Feet from Stardom”) produce.
Featuring: Dan O’Bannon, Veronica Cartwright, Roger Corman
Mark Twain:“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
Recently released on DVD is the documentary “Memory: The Origins of Alien” (2019) a very original movie about the film “Alien” (1979) that aims to try and make some meaning out of it in a most unique way that reads as a piece of art itself.
“Memory: The Origins of Alien” is a very good documentary, of course it is at its core a movie about the making of another movie which means it would have been easy to turn this into a standard talking head and clip show which this definitely is not. Filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe does go in-depth about how Ridley Scott made the original 1979 now classic, this is not a collection of stories previously heard a hundred times before which for me is thankful, there have been enough of those produced over the decades. It has a number of complex and rigorously argued set of theses that all come together at the conclusion which once you view this movie you will agree is no easy task.
At various points, the story, direction, and production design of “Alien” are convincingly tied to mythology, religion, dream analysis, then-current developments in politics, the long history of colonialism and Egyptian art and architecture. H.R. Giger, who designed the creatures and planet where the Nostromo crew discovers them, was hugely inspired by the latter. Every detail of cinematography and design dovetails with the images and stories being presented, from the chiaroscuro lighting and black backgrounds that make the witnesses’ recollections seem to be occurring in dream space, to the way Philippe plays previously-seen snippets of interview footage on squarish monitors embedded in control panels that look like items on the bridge of the Nostromo.
This is a movie about impregnation, gestation, birth, and transformation. That’s why it doesn’t go through the plot of “Alien” chronologically, but instead weaves its strands around the idea of ancient, terrifying forces gathering power over many centuries, concentrating themselves in the minds of all of the people who worked on this movie, then exploding into the world.
Featuring: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham and Marc Maron
Arthur Fleck: “I used to think that my life was a tragedy, but now I realize, it’s a comedy.”
Critical Review
Released recently on 4K Blu-ray/DVD was the global phenomenon “Joker” (2019) which offers some kind of insight into a version of the origins of the titular character and Batman arch enemy as well as attempting to offer some insight into not only why this man became who he became but is a reflection of at least part of the world we inhabit today. As with the origins of this character the origins of this film are unique as well with some unorthodox people behind the camera as well as in front of which may help to explain why this film seems fresh especially after all the misfires that have been produced by Warner Brothers under their DCEU banner. There are few linkages to the wider comic book universe as well as no attempt at all to link it to any other comic book movie that has come before, with this baggage jettisoned what audiences are finding is something that requires little first hand knowledge but is still recognizable in the wider DC universe, although with a much harder edge as well as some true social and political commentary. The other major element, one that really makes the film watchable even if you either do not enjoy the political/social commentary, or agree with where the narrative takes the plot is the singular performance of the main actor, Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck who firstly devolves into someone he hates, then evolves into the identity of Joker, where of course he remains for the rest of his life.
Wisely the filmmakers, basically Todd Phillips, have taken the city of Gotham, transposing it to the beginning of the 1980s as well as making it a cypher of the then New York. At the time New York was known as a crime ridden, dirty place that was filled with crime, over 250 felonies a week were committed as well as rampant crime being the main form of employment for the underclass. “Joker” explores that as well as making it a motif for the background and foreground, almost everything has a layer of dirt, nothing is clean, in fact the same thing can be said for almost all the characters, especially Arthur and his mother who both hide secrets that are revealed by the end of the film. In terms of narrative this is an extremely busy film with multiple storylines that do reach their conclusion, but those elements are the weakest of the entire film, as is the shoehorning of the Waynes, which seems like something mandated, not natural at all. I would have been much happier if Bruce and his cohorts had been left out of this film completely, these all rang hollow, becoming distracting to the main plot which is completely fascinating made almost perfect because of the skill of Phoenix to break down a charater onscreen, then rebuild him in front of your eyes.
This film also owes a huge debt to Martin Scorsese in not only its portayal of Gotham as New York, but also in three of his finest films in “Mean Streets” (1972), “Taxi Driver” (1975) and “The King of Comedy” (1985) all quintessential New York films and perfect examples of character pieces built around Robert De Niro in his prime. What is refreshing is that Phillips and Phoenix have not just copied these examples but have used them as starting points to create something that is almost as good as advertised, the weakness is of course that this is still a comic book movie so it falls into some predictable tropes as well as far too much winking at the audience. In other regards “Joker” nods its heart towards David Fincher’s adaptation of “Fight Club” (1999), it can be no coincidence that this arrives twenty years after that similarly themed film, looking back it was far ahead of its time in response to the intervening years that have passed.
Of course the other main segment of this movie is the narrative that is used to wrap the plot up in which is a little murky to say the least. This film strives to encompass so many parts of todays society in terms of politics, religion, the media, social justice, mental health, homelessness, degradation, social media and of course the true power of personality that we see all over this film as well as all over the media landscape today. What the filmmakers have done is to wrap their story up into not only a comic book movie, but also a period piece and a character study that in some cases acts as a reinforcement for some of the more problematic movements existing in 2019 such as incels, personalty politics, fake news, the woke movement and of course one of the underlying issues in existence, social media.
No matter what your opinion is of co-writer/director Todd Phillips who up to now has been known for the broadest, crudest and the most male dominated comedies, here he has pivoted to take much of his past and pouring that into a drama that is still a fairly run of the mill comic book origin story. Many of the differences within the style of “Joker” are what make it compelling with the vast amount of wide shots, coupled with the use of the slow push in which offer an insight into the main characters mind. Not only that but we see long shots on the main character that drive home the idea that this is his story which are designed to also make the audience as uncomfortable as possible as he is deconstructed before our eyes. This is a finely honed film from its casting, to its use of mise en scène, costuming, locations, scripting and its (possible) setting within the DCEU, so the fact that it has been a worldwide box office phenomenon made on a relatively modest budget speaks to an audience crying for something that is contained within this story, Phillips and his crew have been able to expertly tap into this which speaks to the talent of the director as auteur.
“Joker” is ostensibly set in 1981 and is based around the character of Arthur Fleck who works as a clown-for-hire and lives with his mother, Penny, in Gotham City. The city is collapsing under unemployment, crime, and financial ruin, leaving segments of the population disenfranchised and impoverished. Arthur suffers from a neurological disorder that causes him to laugh at inopportune times, and regularly visits a social services worker to obtain medication. This is a very different origin story but does follow a heroes journey of sorts that is warped to fit this newish paradigm of story telling. Needless to say there is a point the narrative that folds in a Batman story as well as his origin which really is the only weak part of this film.
As I have mentioned one of the main reasons to seek “Joker” out is the central performance of Joaquin Phoenix who has proven himself through the years to be one of the greatest modern onscreen actors of modern times. Here Phoenix carries out exactly what he does best, that is take a unique possibly misunderstood charater, breaks him down then puts onscreen something truly unique even though we have seen the same character through many different incarnations. I have no doubt that there will be at the very least an Oscar nomination on the horizon for Phoenix. Wisely Phoenix is not left to carry the film on his own with excellent performances given by Frances Conroy as his mother, Robert De Niro in a scene stealing turn as a talk show host and up and coming Zazie Beetz as a somewhat love interest.
Whilst “Joker” has indeed dominated the box office as well as critic lists for the past three weeks it is by no means a perfect film, for all its commentary on a variety of issues it still remains a comic book movie, and an origin story with all that entails. We see the rise of the main character through adversity, the discovery of his true purpose as well the invention of a nemesis which really offer nothing new at all within the genre, which on the surface I found profoundly disappointing. All of the tropes from similar genres are there, you could even tick them off they are that predictable. There are, however a few elements that are present that make this a step above almost all other comic book movies, they are the obvious performance of Phoenix which is by the greatest singular performance in a comic book movie ever, by a lead. The other two elements are the relaxed but definite style by which this film has been produced, coupled with the distinct lack of special effects and CGI, lending this film to be adult oriented than many before it. Couple that with the obvious messages around social media, cult leaders and followers as well as the kind of politics that we find ourselves in, this new “Joker” not only deserves to be seen but in cinemas to gain the full impact of the themes and messages buried within.
Technical Review
Warner Home Video brings “Joker” to Ultra HD Blu-ray as a two-disc combo pack. Housed inside a black, eco-vortex case with a cardboard slipcover, the dual-layered UHD66 disc sits comfortably opposite a Region Free, BD50 copy. At startup, viewers are taken to a generic static screen with the usual options along the bottom and music playing in the background.
Video
The visually captivating HEVC H.265 encode beautifully and faithfully captures the dark, brooding moodiness intended by director Todd Phillips and cinematographer Lawrence Sher, boasting a slightly more vibrant array of colours throughout.
Shot on a combination of Arri Alexa cameras capable of up to 5K resolution and later mastered to a 4K digital intermediate, the freshly-minted 2160p transfer boasts slightly sharper definition for a majority of the runtime. All things considered, this is a gorgeous and recommended upgrade over the Blu-ray.
Special Features
The Ultra HD comes with the same disappointingly small set of bonuses as the Blu-ray.
Written by: Neil Gaiman based on Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Directed by: Chris Renaud
Featuring: David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Adria Arjona, Miranda Richardson, Michael McKean, Jack Whitehall, Jon Hamm and Frances McDormand
“You’re the best friend That I ever had I’ve been with you such a long time You’re my sunshine And I want you to know That my feelings are true I really love you You’re my best friend”– Queen
Released recently on DVD and Blu-ray is the BBC/Amazon event miniseries “Good Omens” (2019) the adaptation of the novel by the late Terry Pratchett and still alive Neil Gaiman who is the driving force behind this series that hots all the right notes which should please fans of the book as well viewers who have never heard of this beloved property. The last few years has seen Gaiman’s name almost becoming a household name with this series as well as the adaption of his masterpiece ‘American Gods’ (2001) into a US television series, which he is now producing after a bumpy first two seasons. However, with the backing of Amazon “Good Omens” shows what can be done with some excellent material as well as talent both in front of and behind the camera who are all committed to bring something special to the screen. It is evident that no expense was spared in mounting this production with a variety of locations, sets and special effects that do justice to the story of a boy making his way in the world with some suspect biological parents.
Over the past few years and especially since the advent of ‘peak TV’ there have been any number of high concept television shows that have missed the mark for one reason or another either they lacked the creative control behind the scenes, had plot issues, front of camera talent miscast and just took the eye of the central idea that made such projects appealing to begin with. However, in the case of “Good Omens” none of this is the case in fact on almost every level it succeeds as a quality original and searingly humorous take on a few stories that have existed in popular culture since the 1970s as well as poking fun at religions in a way only Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman could do. Of course, there are two main elements that make “Good Omens” such a success they are fairly simple, one is the direct involvement of writer Neil Gaiman in the material and the casting of the two leads in David Tennant and Michael Sheen as Crowley and Aziraphale who are as good as they have ever been. It assists both leads that this is not the first genre piece either of them have been in and so know instinctively how to balance their performances from the sublime to the ridiculous which “Good Omens” requires of not only the leads but the entire cast.
Set in 2018, the series follows the demon Crowley (David Tennant) and the angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen), longtime friends who, having grown accustomed to life on Earth as representatives of their respective masters, seek to prevent the coming of the Antichrist and with it Armageddon, the final battle between Heaven and Hell.
“Good Omens” is also in the hands of director Douglas Mackinnon who is one of the more successful, high profile and experienced directors working in UK television at the moment, he is one of the more obvious choices for this miniseries. Mackinnon has been working for the past four decades, he has directed some of the more iconic television series in that time winning awards as well as high viewership figures, something few of his countryman can say especially those that are not household names, he has also just shifted in to producing his own work which seems like a natural progression at this stage of his career. One of Mackinnon’s major strengths is marshalling high profile writers, with high profile actors and merging them with well-known properties to create interesting and compelling stories, all one has to do is look at his work on “Line of Duty”, “Doctor Who” and “Sherlock”. The other aspect that Mackinnon has in terms of his experience is an abundant use of special effects which are in full force in “Good Omens”, in fact this would be biggest use of CGI in his career and is for the most part executed excellently.
The rest of the cast is filled out with extremely experienced actors including Miranda Richardson, Michael McKean, Jack Whitehall, Jon Hamm and Frances McDormand who all have varying experience not only with television but with genre pieces as well, however in saying that they all are believable without winking at the camera at all, with this type of project there can be a tendency to do that. The surprise is relative newcomer Adria Arjona as one of the protagonists, Anathema Device who recently made a splash in the Netflix “Witcher” (2019) series. Here Arjona has to play a variety of aspects of her character, there is humour, action, drama and a myriad of other elements that need to coalesce throughout the series which culminate in a climax where she has to share the screen with some legends and she comes off as well as those actors maintaining her excellent performance throughout.
“Good Omens” is one of those properties that has been around for a while as the novel, it was also adapted for radio, so the inevitable big or small screen adaption was always going to happen. We can be thankful that although Terry Pratchett shuffled off his mortal coil that Neil Gaiman was so heavily involved so that the essence of the story as well as the humour was retained to create a piece of television that is actually very special something that is still unique in this day and age. What makes it fun viewing for people of most ages is that the show is primarily set in the fantasy/horror genre with a healthy amount of humour which is good natured and delivered by actors who all know where the line is and never cross it once. This is an expertly pitched series that is self-contained telling a story that almost everyone can identify with, it is about truths that many can recognise, not only that but it reaches a very satisfying conclusion.
Episodes
In the Beginning: The angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley meet for the first time at the Garden of Eden as Adam and Eve are expelled after Crowley tempted them with an apple. Fast forward to 11 years before Armageddon. Crowley is told to deliver the Antichrist to a satanic convent, where the baby will be given to an American diplomat and his family. However, a mix-up occurs and the Antichrist ends up with a middle-class English family, the Youngs.
The Book: Aziraphale assures his superiors Gabriel and Sandalphon that all is well with the Antichrist. A parcel delivery man is sent to gather the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; War, in the form of a war correspondent, receives an ancient sword. In 1656, the prophetess Agnes Nutter is burned at the stake by Witchfinder Thou-Shalt-Not-Commit-Adultery Pulsifer; Agnes causes an explosion, killing everyone present. Her book, The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, is left to her family and passed through the generations. In the present, Agnes’ descendant, American occultist Anathema Device, is charged with learning the prophecies and saving the world. Pulsifer’s descendant, Newton, meets Shadwell, a modern-day witchfinder.
Hard Times: Aziraphale and Crowley’s relationship is revealed through a series of historical events, ranging from Noah’s Ark and the Crucifixion of Jesus through 1960s Soho. Along the way, they cross paths in Ancient Rome, Medieval England, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Revolutionary France, and London during the Blitz, when the Nazis were seeking books of prophecies for Adolf Hitler. The two strike up an arrangement to each do some of the other’s work when possible, saving time and travel. In the present day, Adam and Dog find Anathema, upset at losing her book, and she discusses environmental issues such as the danger of nuclear power plants.
Saturday Morning Funtime: Adam’s dreams bring several magazine articles to life, including the appearance of Atlantis and the Kraken. His increasingly controlling behavior worries his friends. Aziraphale fails to convince Gabriel to stop Armageddon, and his superiors question Aziraphale’s loyalty after seeing proof of his meetings with Crowley. The angel Michael contacts Hell, causing trouble for Crowley, who tries to talk Aziraphale into leaving Earth together. The last two Horsemen, Pollution and Death, are summoned.
The Doomsday Option: Crowley races through London only to find the bookshop in flames, with no sign of Aziraphale. In Heaven, Aziraphale refuses to join the war and, determined to stop Armageddon, leaves without a body. He finds Crowley, who has salvaged the copy of Agnes’ book in which Aziraphale left information about the Antichrist, and they arrange to meet at Tadfield Air Base.
The Very Last Day of the Rest of Their Lives: Adam separates Aziraphale from Madame Tracy, and his friends defeat War, Pollution, and Famine, while Death takes his leave. Beelzebub and Gabriel arrive to ensure Adam starts Armageddon in accordance with the Great Plan, but he refuses. Aziraphale and Crowley suggest to their superiors that what they want may be part of the Great Plan, but perhaps not the Ineffable Plan. Both sides reluctantly stand down. Satan emerges but is renounced by Adam, who restores the world, including Aziraphale’s bookshop, Crowley’s Bentley, and the lives recently lost. Found guilty of treason by their respective superiors, Aziraphale is ordered to be destroyed by a hellish flame and Crowley is forced to enter a tub of holy water. To everyone’s shock, both survive.
Written by: David Benioff, Billy Ray & Darren Lemke
Directed by: Ang Lee
Featuring: Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen and Benedict Wong
Henry: [referring to Junior] “When I saw him, it was like I was seeing a ghost. Like every trigger I’ve ever pulled.”
Critical Review
Recently released on 4K blu-ray and DVD is the latest Will Smith potential blockbuster “Gemini Man” (2019) which was released last year and quickly disappeared with little or no fanfare which was a real shame for a projects that had been around for a few decades under not only different directors but a few high profile leading men. Somehow a studio thought that Ang Lee as director and Will Smith as the leading man would be the way to go, apparently audiences felt different with a budget of at least US$140 million while globally only making a fairly paltry US$160 million which is not a success in anyones book. “Gemini Man” central idea and gimmick is the idea of cloning, meeting the clone of oneself whilst merging that with a thriller which should have embraced the absurdity of that in a way that makes a comedy like “Multiplicity” (1996) fun. However what audiences get is a movie that is so po-faced that it embraces the banal of what these movies used to be, in fact “Gemini Man” feels like an action movie from the 1990s that looks great but feels like a retread, not a homage but a formula that has outstayed its welcome on many levels.
There is no doubt in my mind that the idea of this movie is a very good one, pitting a younger copy, in this case a clone, against the original older version, in this case Will Smith who has proven a variety of things over his career, that he can legitimately carry off action believably on-screen, that he can act opposite large scale special effects and that he can open a movie, something he did earlier in 2019 with the Disney animated adaption into love action “Aladdin” (2019). So far so good, then surround Smith with a very good supporting cast in Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen and Benedict Wong who all do their job well. Where this movie falls completely flat is not only the structure of the narrative but the pedestrian plot that serves no real purpose other than to frame the cloning maguffin as well as the technical achievements which for my mind have been concentrated on far too much especially the increased frame rate which was proved to be a non factor in terms of audience with the failed Peter Jackson ‘Hobbit’ (2012-2014) franchise.
“Gemini Man” is based around Henry Brogan, an aging former Marine Scout Sniper who now works as an assassin for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), disillusioned with killing, Henry retires from government service. While adjusting to retirement, Henry reconnects with an old friend, Jack, who reveals that an informant named Yuri told him that the man Henry killed was innocent. In retaliation for Henry knowing their deception, agency director Lassiter plans to kill him; Clay Varris, head of a top-secret black ops unit codenamed “GEMINI”. Clay dispatches his top assassin to kill Henry. Fighting him off, Henry realizes the assassin bears an uncanny resemblance to himself as a young man, with a similar skill set. When the injured assassin arrives at a safehouse, he is revealed to be Clay’s adopted “son” Junior. Although he is curious about his similarities to Henry.
I have to be honest but I would not have immediately associated Ang Lee with this movie, one is a thoughtful, artful and original director who has proven over the past four decades that he is one of the greatest non-American directors in history. Lee’s ability to not only tell stories over a variety of cultures while keeping them personal is one of his strengths, which he has used to not only deliver films that are critical hits but are big box office. However in recent times Lee has mis-stepped with three high profile projects in “Hulk” (2003), “Billy Lynns Long Halftime Walks” (2016) and now “Gemini Man”. What all these three movies have in common are challenging effects or cutting edge technologies that have taken centre stage instead of the narrative or plot which are the weaknesses in all three movies which reflects negatively not only on Lee but the screenwriters on each of these movies.
In terms of the actors there is no doubt that they have all taken their jobs seriously even with the ludicrous situations and dialogue which is not the greatest, odd considering the names on the script. Smith is as ever excellent but for my mind the movie comes alive when Benedict Wong enters the picture as Smith’s longtime friend, I was immediately interested when he turned up and lost interest when he exited, something that should have been noticed so to expand his part. As mush as I enjoy Mary Elizabeth Winstead it is obvious her part was invented to lend some femininity to the movie which is full of testosterone, window dressing is never a good look whenever it used no matter if it is a feminine, race or other aspect.
Its not all bad news as you will see it is a technically excellent movie that looks great, it also moves along at a breakneck speed which is no knock, it is let down by plot holes, inconsistent character behaviour and a complete lack of reality.
Technical Commentary
Paramount releases “Gemini Man” to 4K UHD in a two-disc 4K UHD Blu-ray + Blu-ray. Housed in a standard sturdy black two-disc case with identical slipcover artwork, the discs loads to animated main menus with traditional navigation options.
Video Review
The picture presented on this 4K disc is exceptional, it is a native 4K 2160p 60fps with Dolby Vision HDR. When “Gemini Man” is at its best, it’s bringing to the screen some of the most vivid and true-to-life hyper-realistic imagery you can expect to see. There are so many glorious moments where you feel like you could reach into the screen be in the same room with these actors. The amount of detail is staggering being able to see the smallest fine facial feature to the individual stitches in clothing.
Dolby Vision HDR kicks up the impressive imagery and with the combination of HFR, it easily surpasses the standard 1080p presentation. So on top of lifelike details and images, the lifelike colors explode on the screen. Vivid and rich primaries in addition to natural skin tones plus the added benefits of deep inky black levels and crisp whites create such a beautiful effect. When this film is at its best it’s like watching a live-to-air nature documentary.
However, 60fps HFR and Dolby Vision HDR highlight some of the notable CGI flaws of the production. Where HFR and Dolby Vision actually helped the CGI was in the aging effects for the younger Will Smith character Junior.
Audio Review
“Gemini Man” is given an engaging and intense Dolby Atmos audio mix to turn up and blast out your sound system. It’s mixed perfectly giving you pinpoint object placement across vertical and surround channels and is a real treat during the action sequences as bullets pop and zip throughout the soundscape! Dialog is on point giving each actor their due without any interference from outside elements. While the dialog keeps to the front and center background audio round out the channels.
Special Features
Gemini Man comes loaded with about an hour of bonus content that is actually genuinely decent informative stuff. The alternate opening is a cool juxtaposition showcasing their assassination abilities. Beyond that, we get what amounts to some typical EPK material with some solid looks behind the scenes in how they pulled off various aspects of the film.
Featuring: Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Tom Cavanagh, Wendie Malick and Lilah Fitzgerald
Released recently on DVD is the Lifetime Channels TV movie series “Darrow & Darrow” (2017-present) a mystery show created by Phoef Sutton whose influences can be seen within the show, pick any PG rated detective show and there we are. This is a show that has two main strengths, firstly the structure of the stories as well as the mystery elements which come together very well, then there is the cast led by Kimberly Williams-Paisley and ably supported by Tom Cavanagh who over the past five years has shown how important he is to any show, no matter the genre.
This is show that might not be as thoughtful, deep or pathos driven as say the “Jesse Stone” series but that is its strength which means it has a light heart as well as a feeling that it has been designed for families surely something Lifetime aims to embrace, so on that level alone it is a might success.
I actually recommend this DVD set as great family viewing as well as a great way to train younger viewers as to the way stories are constructed within the mass media.
Movie Synopsis
Darrow and Darrow: Claire Darrow is a single mom and a lawyer, who always wants to do right. When a close friend is convicted of stealing from an expensive jewelry store, it’s up to Claire to bring justice.
Darrow & Darrow: In the Key of Murder: Miles seeks Claire’s help when his sister, aspiring singer Phoebe (MacKenzie Porter) is arrested for the murder of her controlling, unpopular manager Terry. A damning phone call he made to his wife proves Phoebe may have been the last person to see him before shots were fired and he turned up dead. Claire and Miles look into the matter as even Phoebe’s colleagues sound recorder Jonah (Geoff Gustafson) and back-up singer Norah (Leah Cairns) believe that Phoebe may have cracked under Terry’s controlling behaviour.
Darrow & Darrow: Body of Evidence: Claire takes the case of Laura Graham (Jordana Largy) who is arrested and the convicted for her husband Tom Graham’s alleged murder after she herself reported him missing. It has been a year since the incident but her husband’s body remains missing and when the case is brought to Claire, she begins suspecting if he died at all. Claire now seeks to overturn the murder conviction and is assisted by the Laura’s former lawyer Guy Hanson (Matthew Harrison) who suggests there may be no leads to follow. As Claire works to develop the defense’s case, Miles goes through a period of questioning his career as the ADA, working for the prosecution. Meanwhile, Claire tries to downplay her growing personal relationship with Miles and Joanna strikes an unlikely friendship with Lou’s baseball coach, Coach Reed (Paul McGillion).
Featuring: Isabela Moner, Eugenio Derbez, Michael Peña, Eva Longoria, Jeff Wahlberg, Nicholas Coombe, Madeleine Madden, Danny Trejo and Benicio del Toro
Sammy: “There’s nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal.”
Dora: “There are a lot of things more dangerous than a wounded animal. A healthy animal, for starters.”
Released recently on Blu-ray and DVD is the live action adaptation of Nickelodeon’s television series “Dora the Explorer” (2000-present) in the thematically titled “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” (2020) which focuses on a young Latina girl in a very modern yet adventurous way as well as highlighting her experiance within her own culture as well as being influenced by a very international audience, it really is something unique that I find welcoming as a European who has had some South American exposure.
What is refreshing about this jump to the big screen is the way in which it has been thought out as well as casting a Dora who has energy, humour as well as the dramatic chops needed to pull this movie together and to lead it for almost the entire running time in the up and coming actor Isabela Moner last seen stealing the show in the above average dramedy “Instant Family” (2018). What could have been a junior version of either the ‘Indiana Jones’ or ‘National Treasure’ franchise instead has its own version of treasure hunting, action, drama and jeopardy without feeling like either a rip off, a parody or worst of all something that feels homogenized and too far from its source material.
Director James Bobin and co-writer Nicholas Stoller launch with the cartoon’s memorably theme tune. Within minutes, a six-year-old Dora (Madelyn Miranda) is breaking the fourth wall and asking the audience if they can say “delicioso” (in the original TV show, Dora would teach viewers Spanish words and phrases).
Dora has grown up in the rainforests of Peru, home-schooled by her parents (a zoologist and an archeologist, played by Eva Longoria and Michael Peña respectively). They are explorers, the film insists, not treasure hunters, in one of its gentle swipes at colonialism. Now 16 years old, Dora (Isabela Moner) is being sent to the city, aka Los Angeles, to attend high school with her cousin Diego (Jeff Wahlberg) while her parents search for Parapata, the lost Incan city of gold. A relentlessly cheery brainiac with a propensity to burst into song, she soon earns the nickname Dorka, turning up to a themed school dance dressed as her “favourite star” – the sun. Moner is a magnetic, sunny screen presence. Seeing Dora navigate the wilds of high school would’ve been entertaining enough, but a kidnapping places her and her classmates back in the jungle.
“Dora and the Lost City of Gold” is not a satire, nor is it an attempt to crossbreed Nickelodeon’s popular bilingual character, who made her first TV appearance in 2000, with “Mean Girls.” Even as it strikes a gently irreverent tone, the film also embodies its heroine’s positive energy: We understand that the world would be a better place if the rest of us were more like Dora, not the other way around.
The Indiana Jones-style high jinks that ensue don’t quite have the visual verve or breakneck pacing of that franchise, but they’re invigorated by the film’s cheekiness. Dora has to help a clueless classmate dig a “poo hole” in the jungle. Later, the kids are intoxicated by giant spores and hallucinate that they’ve become animated versions of themselves. There are jokes about neurotoxicity and dysentery. Somehow, it all works.
That’s because the film’s freewheeling, what-if quality never becomes meanspirited or gross. The director James Bobin has a casual style that serves the material well. This is a deceptively tough balancing act. Get too loose and the movie will turn into a bunch of limp comedy sketches; get too realistic, and it will lose any sense of what makes Dora such a beloved and timeless character. Like a child unwittingly navigating a jungle full of booby traps and deadly creatures, the film walks a treacherously fine line without ever seeming to break a sweat.
This is a movie for the entire family and definitely worth a watch if not a re-watch, I only hope that there will be more instalments.
Developed by: Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby based on ‘The Expanse’ by James S. A. Corey
Featuring: Thomas Jane, Steven Strait, Cas Anvar, Dominique Tipper, Wes Chatham, Paulo Costanzo, Florence Faivre, Shawn Doyle, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Frankie Adams and Cara Gee
Title Card: “In the 23rd century, humans have colonized the Solar System. The U.N. controls Earth. Mars is an independent military power. The inner planets depend on the resources of the asteroid belt. In The Belt air & water are more precious than gold. For decades, tensions have been rising Earth, Mar & The Belt are now on the brink of war. All it will take is a single spark.”
Released recently on DVD and Blu-ray is the fourth season of the critical hit for Amazon Studios in the form of the fourth season of the sci-fi television show “The Expanse” (2015-present). Based on a series of books by James S. A. Corey this show has gone fro strength to strength especially after being cancelled by the SyFy channel and picked up by Amazon, as well as being recently renewed for a fifth series, with plenty of material to come. It is often favourably compared to both the reimagined “Battlestar Galactica” (2004-2009) and “Babylon 5” (1993-1998) but possibly with better source material as well as the backing of one of the richest people in the world.
The show is set hundreds of years in the future, the Solar System has been colonized by humanity. The three largest powers are the United Nations of Earth, the Martian Congressional Republic on Mars, and the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA), a loose configuration of the asteroid belt and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.
There are so many reasons to check this show out, even though this is the fourth season it is worth going back and viewing the entire series to date. The acting from all the new faces is excellent, it is also very well directed and the special effects are among the best seen on any television show airing today.
I recommend this show highly, do yourself a favour and check out all the seasons then go and get this latest one.
Season 1
Chrisjen Avasarala, a United Nations executive, works to prevent war between Earth and Mars. Ceres police detective Joe Miller is sent to find a missing young woman, Julie Mao. James Holden is the unofficial captain of an appropriated gunship that becomes the main setting of the series. Naomi Nagata, Alex Kamal and Amos Burton are the crew.
In the first season, the space-freighter Canterbury and the Martian Navy flagship Donnager are destroyed by ships built by Jules-Pierre Mao, Julie’s father. The crew of the gunship Rocinante, with Miller’s help, investigates and eventually discovers a biohazard that kills off most of the humans on the asteroid Eros, including Julie.
Season 2
Martian Marine Bobbie Draper fights an inhuman figure on Ganymede and later becomes a protégé of Avasarala. The crew try to help a father find his daughter and, in the process, encounters and kills the figure that Draper fought, now known as a “protomolecule hybrid” developed by Jules-Pierre. A research ship, sent to Venus to investigate the crash of Eros, is stopped dead in the atmosphere and completely disassembled by the protomolecule.
Season 3
The UN declares war as Earth and Mars send science vessels to investigate what’s happening on Venus.
Season 4
A vast land rush begins now that portals to other habitable worlds have opened up. Earth begins to invest vast resources (that it had earlier stinted Mars and the belt) on the new earthlike worlds through the portal. In the outer worlds, the residents’ efforts to enhance life, particularly terraforming on Mars, begin to wane, since much richer worlds are now available, and investment “here at home” is not as attractive.
Episodes:
New Terra: As portals to numerous different solar systems with habitable planets are revealed through the Ring, UN Secretary General Avasarala orders the UNN to blockade a growing fleet of settler ships, as she, wary of another potential Eros Incident, maintains a cautious approach to the new worlds. Desperate to pass through the Ring Space, a convoy of Belter refugees from Ganymede attempts to run the blockade; most are destroyed or crippled, but the Barbapiccola makes it through, eventually landing on a Lithium-rich alien planet they christen “Ilus”. Avasarala taps James Holden, sending him as her special envoy to contact the Belter settlers on Ilus and identify any risk of Protomolecule exposure or other potentially cataclysmic event resulting from alien lifeforms. While orbiting Earth, Amos is contacted from prison by Clarissa Mao, and she thanks him for his kindness towards her during the trip back from Ring space. Holden, who continues to see/interact with Miller’s apparition, accepts the job, and leaves for Ilus. He is joined by the Rocinante crew, including Naomi, who wants to be able to land with her crew on Ilus; she begins a brutal drug regimen to alter her body composition so she can tolerate a planet with gravitational pull similar to Earth. While in the vicinity of Mars, Alex briefly reaches out to a depressed Bobbie Draper, but communication difficulties cut their conversation short. Similarly, Naomi reaches out to Drummer (who commands the OPA Behemoth as the only human warship in the Ring Space) as they pass through on the way to Ilus; Drummer states the Belters were foolish to attempt to live on the alien planet. Ahead of them, an Earth ship Edward Israel is ferrying an expedition by Royal Charter Energy (RCE), a corporation which has been granted an exploration/exploitation charter by Earth and Mars (but without any involvement by the OPA). As a heavy shuttle descends to “New Terra”, as it is known by Earth and Mars, it is destroyed near the landing pad, resulting in many casualties (including the expedition’s leader and also the ship’s medical doctor) and the loss of a great deal of supplies. Security Chief Murtry (who becomes the de facto leader of the RCE expedition) and some of the other surviving shuttle passengers (including exo-biologist Dr. Elvi Okoye) choose to remain on the planet, but almost immediately come into conflict with the Belters settlers (who are also suspected of bringing down the shuttle). The Rocinante crew arrives to find an escalating situation that results in an armed standoff, which is interrupted when a swarm of alien “bugs” attacks the compound.
Jetsam: Bobbie Draper struggles with the stagnating Martian job market as a veteran, working a menial job dismantling decommissioned warships; she is singled out as a suspect in a violent crime due to her record of military insubordination, and she experiences other harassment as well. When Avasarala visits Mars on a diplomatic mission, she invites Bobbie to a diplomatic dinner; Bobbie becomes offended when she perceives she was used as a prop to show Avasarala’s solidarity with Mars, and refuses Avasarala’s offer of work. Meanwhile, while living with her brother and his family, Bobbie becomes suspicious of a late-night outing by her nephew David; following him, she finds him “cooking” illicit “focus drugs” for a criminal gang; she ends David’s involvement by beating the crew who shows up to collect the drugs (and accidentally but without regret destroys the almost-completed batch). On Ilus, Holden and the Rocinante crew navigate the simmering tensions between the Earther and Belter settlers, while identifying the “bugs” as Protomolecule-based technology. Alex discovers that the drugs Naomi has been taking have not been as successful as she really needs to properly handle the gravity on Ilus, but she coerces Alex into keeping the information from Holden. Amos starts a sexual affair with Chandra Wei, Murtry’s second-in-command, and accompanies Murtry to the shuttle crash site, where Amos identifies the downing as a deliberate bombing. Murtry further antagonizes the Belter settlers, and after another standoff he kills a belligerent Belter named Coop, who made verbal threats. Holden explores a massive alien structure near the settlement; late one night, Miller guides Holden (accompanied by Alex) to remove a root growing through a panel. This seems to activate the structure, triggering a series of lightning strikes.
Subduction: On Earth, UN Home Secretary Nancy Gao resigns from Avasarala’s cabinet and runs for Secretary-General against Avasarala, on a pro-expansion platform, an approach diametrically opposite to Avasarala’s conservative caution. Avasarala’s aides uncover a nepotistic scheme that put Gao ahead in her career, which Avasarala orders leaked as political ammunition against Gao. On Mars, Bobbie’s nephew David is kidnapped by the criminal gang and forced to work off the debt incurred by her destruction of the drugs when she removed him from their operation; the gang offers to release David if Bobbie helps them steal military equipment from the shipyard where she works. Attempting to report the kidnapping, she is shocked to discover the ringleader of the gang is a Martian police detective, Esai Martin, who quashes her effort, pointing out he’s a decorated cop with a high conviction rate, while she’s a disgraced former marine no one will believe. Bobbie demands assurance that no weapons will be taken, then capitulates to save David, agreeing to leave a normally secure door open at her workplace so the criminals can steal military tech she’s been stripping from the decommissioned Martian warships. She is able to identify the people who show up to steal the gear as Belters. Esai keeps his word and releases David from his employment, but later extends an offer to bring Bobbie into his operation; she declines. On Ilus, another Earther-Belter standoff is interrupted when lightning activated by the alien structure strikes the settlement. The Belter’s power generation infrastructure is damaged, leaving them in the dark; Murtry isolates the Earther side of the camp and refuses to provide any aid or supplies to the Belters. Using electronic surveillance, Murtry identifies the group of hostile Belters who were responsible for the landing pad bomb, and has them executed in broad daylight. Naomi helps one Belter, Lucia, escape. Accompanied by Alex and RCE biologist Elvi Okoye, Holden finds another alien structure which became active following the lightning event; it is rotating rapidly, chewing up wide swathes of ground, and moving in the direction of the Belter camp. Despite Okoye’s protests, Holden orders Alex to destroy the structure with a torpedo from the Rocinante.
Retrograde: Since the truce between Earth, the Belt and Mars, Ashford has operated as an OPA peacekeeper, tracking down and neutralizing renegades. Meanwhile, Drummer is in command of Behemoth, which controls the Ring Space. They identify Marcos Inaros, an infamous OPA pirate (not unlike Ashford had been some years before the Ring opened), as the pirate responsible for capturing a UNN colony ship, Sojourner, and for spacing the Earthers aboard and stealing the ship and its cargo. With Earth and the UNN demanding the OPA take action against Inaros, Ashford and Drummer (who have resolved their differences and now cooperate with mutual respect) enlist several other OPA factions to capture Marco Inaros. Initially, the factions seem united in putting Inaros to death for violating the truce. Inaros appeals to Belter solidarity and makes the case that while the OPA members think they act in the interest of the truce, they actually only act in the interest of Earth. Ashford, Drummer, and other faction representatives hold a vote and ultimately set Inaros free, accepting his offer to forfeit his gains from the Sojourner and to sit on the sidelines. Privately, Drummer explains to an angry Ashford her decisive vote to free Marcos as a purely political move; if she had voted to kill Inaros over the objections of two major OPA factions, it might have sparked a civil war within the OPA; however, if Inaros breaks his pledge to remain on the sidelines, then no faction would stand against killing him. On Mars, Bobbie attempts to confess to her supervisor her cooperation with the theft of the military tech, but is disillusioned when he instead enthusiastically seeks to get involved in the scheme. Bobbie quits the job and is later arrested for her participation in the crime. She reaches out to Esai; the charges are dropped as she agrees to join his crew on a “full time” basis. On Ilus, violence breaks out as Naomi flees with the Belter doctor Lucia Mazur, who was complicit with the landing pad bombing; Amos creates a diversion by attacking Murtry’s forces and is captured, his life spared by Wei’s intervention. Naomi, her body becoming dangerously weak from the effects of gravity and failure of the drugs, attempts to get Lucía to the parked Rocinante; Murtry pursues them but is forced to retreat when Holden and Alex intervene, firing at the security team with the ship’s PDCs. Alex, Naomi and Lucia leave the surface and go into orbit on the Rocinante, while Holden stays behind, punching Murtry and taking command of the settlement as Avasarala’s envoy.
Oppressor: On Earth, Avasarala preps for her first public debate against Gao. Initially, Avasarala gains the advantage, playing up her role in neutralizing the Eros Incident, but her attempt to use accusations of nepotism against Gao backfires, and then the debate is cut short by a security threat; Avasarala is rushed out of the building on camera. The threat resulted from an unidentified ship approaching Earth. Initially claiming to be a civilian ship experiencing multiple system failures, it goes silent after altering course towards an Earth asteroid defense platform, and based on drive signature is identified as the Sojourner, the ship Marco Inaros had captured and claimed to have broken up to sell piecemeal. Avasarala promptly has it destroyed. On Ilus, Holden takes command of the settlement but is unable to resolve the escalating tensions between Belters and the RCE crews. Okoye pieces together Holden’s connection to the alien technology. Believing the settlement is in danger from reactivating alien tech, Holden attempts to rally the Earthers and Belters to put aside their differences and leave the planet, but neither faction budges, both unwilling to accept the risk of forfeiting their claim. In the orbiting Rocinante, Lucia learns from her husband (who is still in the settlement) that their daughter has disappeared; following an acrimonious conversation with him, and blaming herself for splitting up her family due to her involvement in the landing pad bombing, Lucia attempts suicide. Alex finds and saves Lucia, and Naomi counsels her to deal with her guilt, drawing from her own life experience as a lover and accomplice to Marco Inaros. Later, Alex discovers that an island on the far side of Ilus has exploded in what appears to be a massive fusion reactor failure, generating a gigantic shockwave that begins to speed across the planet’s surface.
Displacement: Alex and Naomi contact Holden, informing him of the massive explosion on the other side of Ilus, and warning of the impending effects: an earthquake very soon, followed by a dangerous shockwave packing winds in excess of 200 km/h, which itself will be followed some hours later by a catastrophic tsunami that will reach the settlement the next day, destroying the buildings and submerging at least a third of the continent. With this knowledge, the settlers finally agree to evacuate the camp, but the Belters only agree on the condition that Holden call for Avasarala to support their claim; Holden’s agreement to these terms further antagonizes Murtry. The explosion also activates the planet’s defenses, which shuts down the fusion reactors on the orbiting ships. When the Edward Israel dispatches a conventionally-powered shuttle to begin evacuations, it is incinerated mid-flight; evacuation from the planet becomes impossible. Holden and the settlers alter their plan, seeking refuge in the nearby alien structure, hurrying to get everyone there before the surrounding area is flooded. Anticipating further violent conflict inside the structure, Murtry reaffirms to Wei the prioritization of their survival over Belters, including Holden and Amos. On Mars, Bobbie joins Esai’s team as muscle. During a heist, their inside man turns out to have false information as his code fails to get them past a security door. Bobbie risks her life by going outside to climb a maintenance tower and disable the door’s hydraulics manually. Tracking Marco Inaros’s location, Ashford and Drummer identify an image of him on a Belter ship called the Pizzouza.
A Shot In The Dark: The settlers on Ilus split into different areas of the alien structure, with Murtry and the Earthers hoarding their resources from the Belters while Murtry minimally cooperates with Holden and bides his time. Murtry reveals to Wei that in order to maximize his profit from the situation, he has always intended to eradicate the Belters from the planet. Okoye discovers a condition spreading in the settler population: green micro-organisms are colonizing their eyes, which will lead to blindness. Several settlers are also killed by different larger, parasitic green slug-like creatures. The fusion reactors of the close-orbiting ships remain neutralized by Ilus’ defenses, and the low-orbiting Barbapiccola has mere days before atmospheric drag will pull it out of orbit to burn up in the atmosphere. Finding out that her missing daughter had made her way to the Barbapiccola, Lucia devises a solution to save the ship by tethering it to Rocinante. As information of Marco Inaros’s sighting on the Pizzouza makes its way to Earth, Avasarala coordinates an attempted capture. Rather than destroy the Pizzouza with a missile, she orders UNN marines to board the ship to capture Inaros alive, with minimal casualties. However, Inaros is not found; a firefight breaks out, followed by an explosion that destroys the Pizzouza, and kills everyone aboard.
The One-Eyed Man: After the destruction of Pizzouza, Drummer and Ashford both resign from their respective positions, upset that their information led to senseless Belter deaths. Ashford plans to hunt down and kill Marco Inaros independently and asks Drummer to join him, but she declines, weary of “politics”. On Earth, Avasarala is blamed and condemned for the Pizzouza fiasco, and her marine general resigns. At a memorial for the marines who died on the ship, Avasarala delivers a heartfelt speech referencing her own son, also an Earth marine who died in the line of duty, killed by the OPA. In a last-ditch gambit to salvage her re-election campaign, she leaks images of the environmental disasters on Ilus/New Terra, drawing public favor for her cautious approach to intergalactic settlement over Gao’s eager expansionism. However, Avasarala’s husband is alienated by her ceaseless political maneuvering and her use of their son as a talking point. On Mars, Bobbie becomes suspicious of Esai’s contact for a mysterious new job and opts out, trying to persuade him to drop the job as well. However, Esai is preoccupied with the potential payout, which would allow him and his family to migrate through the Ring to better opportunities. In orbit around Ilus, the crews of the Rocinante and Barbapiccola successfully tether the ships together in a feat of engineering, saving them from the planet’s gravity for a time. Stranded below on the surface of Ilus, Dr. Okoye determines that the large green slugs (which are literally crawling out of the walls all around the alien structure in which the floodwaters have the settlers trapped) secrete a powerful neurotoxin that kills humans on contact. To make matters even worse, all of the colonists are now blind, with only Holden immune. As blind settlers wander too far from their bases, more are killed by the parasitic slugs. Many begin to despair, with Amos in particular showing a major psychological toll though he bonds with Wei. Okoye determines that Holden’s immunity is the result of his cancer medication (which he must take for the rest of his life after he was exposed to radiation on Eros); she devises a cure, and is soon able to restore sight for the colonists. After a long absence, Holden has another vision of Miller, who screams at him.
Saeculum: Murtry orders his crew on the Edward Israel to fire a weaponized shuttle at the Rocinante, hoping to destroy it and the Barbapiccola. Okoye’s geologist friend learns of this plan and warns Alex in time for him to destroy the shuttle, though debris endangers Lucia and Naomi and damages the Rocinante. Unable to use half of their thrusters, Alex devises a plan to maintain their orbit by using the Rocinante’s railgun as a makeshift thruster. In the alien structure on the surface, Miller reveals that he has overcome his Protomolecule programming; now able to act independently, he seeks to end his tormented, ghost-like existence. He identifies the creatures who created the Protomolecule as “the Builders”, and tells Holden that he found a place on the planet that seems to “kill” the Protomolecule technology, explaining it essentially as unexploded ordnance fired at the planet by the race that destroyed the Builders. Miller leads Holden to a portal in the floor, which transports him to another structure on a different part of the planet, where they find a glowing circle of energy; Miller cannot see it, but Holden tells him it looks like “the eye of an angry god”. Hoping that he can both commit suicide (“If you can call this living”) and also deactivate the planetary defenses responsible for trapping the ships in orbit, Miller seeks to physically inhabit the technological network on Ilus, then deactivate both himself and the planet using the glowing circle. As Holden waits for Miller to integrate into the Ilus network, Murtry (accompanied by Wei) chases after him, seeking to neutralize Holden as the primary threat to the profitability of his claim on the planet. In turn, Amos and Okoye follow as well. As Amos exits the portal, Wei confronts him, and each tries to convince the other to stand down, but neither gives in. Amos reluctantly kills Wei, but is ambushed and shot in turn by Murtry as Okoye flees to find Holden. Hearing from Okoye that Amos was injured, Holden leaves her with the glowing circle before Miller can integrate. She witnesses Miller emerging from the material of the structure as a spiderlike mechanical being and explains Holden left, so Miller asks for her help. Holden confronts Murtry and, after a standoff, incapacitates and disarms Murtry, but spares his life, resolving to put him on trial for his crimes. After Miller is attacked by other mechanical beings operated by the planet, and Okoye hides under the glowing ring to escape a swarm of “bugs” (which fall to the ground, inert, upon contact with the phenomenon), he directs Okoye to maneuver his badly-damaged physical form towards the glowing ring, and Holden returns just in time to see the two of them fall into it.
Cibola Burn: Miller’s plan is a success, destroying himself while completely deactivating the Builder technology on Ilus; Okoye suffers an ominous vision after falling into the glowing circle, seeing something similar to what Holden sees during his passages through Rings. With the planet deactivated, the Ilus settlers are finally able to evacuate, although many of the Belters opt to rebuild their settlement on the planet now that the danger has been neutralized. Holden brings Murtry and a wounded Amos onto the Rocinante to return to Earth’s solar system, where Murtry and Lucia will stand trial for their respective crimes. However, after Naomi points out the similarities between herself and Lucia, Holden sets Lucia free, reporting that she died as a result of the suicide shuttle launched from Edward Israel. Heeding a warning from Miller, Holden finds a small sample of Protomolecule still on the Rocinante, which he removes and fires into the sun, using the sample as a proxy to say goodbye to Miller. After Amos recovers from his wounds, he visits the recently-recovered Murtry (who is in custody on Rocinante) and provokes him; when Murtry throws the first punch, a grinning Amos thanks him, then viciously attacks Murtry as revenge for having been forced to kill Wei. As the situation on Ilus becomes one of successful settlement and peace between Earth and Belters, Avasarala’s re-election campaign on Earth is ruined; Nancy Gao wins the election and prepares to take over as UN Secretary General-elect. On Mars, Bobbie attempts to stop Esai’s deal with a mysterious contact, but fails to prevent an ambush in which Esai and most of his crew are killed. Now certain of a wide-spread conspiracy to steal Martian military technology, Bobbie reaches out to Avasarala for help and to rejoin the team of the defeated leader, who as a lame duck laments Bobbie’s poor timing. Ashford tracks down Marco Inaros, independently discovering his connection to smuggled Martian military technology in the process, and boards Inaros’ ship. After a shootout, both crews are killed, and Ashford corners Inaros, only to be ambushed by Filip, the son of Inaros and Naomi, who is revealed as his father’s right-hand man. Inaros and Filip execute Ashford, then carry out their plan, using asteroids cloaked with stolen Martian stealth technology launched directly at Earth. Unknown to the Inaroses, Ashford recorded their conversation and trasmmitted it to an unknown party before being blown into space.
Featuring: Antonia Prebble, David de Lautour, Dan Musgrove, Esther Stephens, Todd Emerson, Pana Hema-Taylor, Xavier Horan, Sophie Hambleton, Reef Ireland, Ashleigh Cummings
Ted:“No rhinos around here mate: just a pig dressed as a ponce.”
“Westside” (2015-2020) is a New Zealand comedy-drama television series created by Rachel Lang and James Griffin for South Pacific Pictures. It is a prequel to “Outrageous Fortune ” (2005 – 2010), and chronicles the lives of Ted and Rita West.
Believe it or not there was a time when any kind of drama that was about New Zealanders that would or could air on New Zealand television was unthinkable unless it was a soap in the vein of Shortland Street (1992 – present) or going back further “Close to Home” (1975 – 1983). So it is amazing that after many television embarrassments as well as failures a show like “Outrageous Fortune ” (2005 – 2010) not only found a home but also was successful and well reviewed by almost anyone that seen it.
This new box set is not only excellent value but contains a run that is historically accurate reflecting the times that have gone before in a somewhat realistic way which is a change from some of the New Zealand made dreck currently airing on New Zealand television.
Episodes:
Series One
All That Impedes Thee from the Golden Round: Ted West is released from a 3 year stretch in prison to find out one of his former gang could be a snitch and Lefty has taken over the leadership role. Unhappy with how Rita and Wolf have been treated Ted sets about putting things right.
1975 – Is’t Far You Ride?: As Ted’s away on a job, a bored Rita pursues other interests. And Wolf’s act of vandalism starts a war with the Doslic neighbours. Ted’s jewellery tribute to Rita inspires Wolf to make amends to his mother, as Rita embarks on a bold plan to get her own career. But peace making Ted finds the Dallies have more to recommend them than wine . . . One of them has skills Ted can use to best his personal great white whale, the safe at a mine. But the job comes with unexpected complications and Rita will have to work the angles to save her husband, and achieve her dream.
Instruments of Darkness Tell Us Truths: Ted and Rita both champion good causes: a disco dancing overstayer and a mouse who needs to roar.
Our Poison’d Chalice: Another poisoned lamington leads everything in the family and the gang falling apart. Exploring a new line of business with notorious Marty Johnstone ‘Mr Asia’ unites them all back to what they know best.
Dire Combustion: The biggest job yet has explosive consequences for the Wests. Oh, and Wolf has a girlfriend.
But for a Wayward Son: Ted and Rita find Wolf has been doing the dirty, in more ways than one. But how to deal with their problem child?
Series Two
Episode 1: Rita West is reunited with love of her life Ted, but has lost a son. The gloves are off in the war with the Horsemen and there’s a storm in a teacup.
Episode 2: Rita helps out a friend from prison and Wolf get an upwardly mobile job. The Springbok tour creates employment opportunities for Ted and there’s a swingers’ party.
Episode 3: Ted goes after a wad of South African cash. A crime close to home has the Wests joining forces with the police and neighbourhood watch.
Episode 4: Wolf gets fired, which angers Rita and pleases his boss. Bert and Falani take a road trip to Hamilton to watch the infamous Waikato/Springbok game and switch sides twice, in the game that never was. Wolf enlists Sparky and Eric to go on a frozen fishing expedition for Evan. The long-suffering Ngaire seeks affection and romance, but could Mike McCarthy be a fatal attraction? Ted twiddles his thumbs and Rita surprises him with a job offer. And Phineas’ world comes crashing down when his mother dies.
Episode 5: It’s hectic times for Rita and Ted: a royal wedding – a funeral – forbidden love – a family feud – plus a Nazi.
Episode 6: Times are changing for Ted. Rita wants to expand her business and keep the peace between father and son. Wolf mixes business with pleasure.
Episode 7: Ted and the boys go hunting South Africans while Rita has a mess to sort out with her growing business and an explosive affair.
Episode 8: The wives financially support their men – which doesn’t go down well and the Springbok tour divides the gang and the country.
Episode 9: Rita’s in charge of her first big job and the stakes have never been higher but can she rely on those closest to her?
Episode 10: Ted gets one final crack at the South African money. Wolf’s at war with his parents and the rest of the country are at war with themselves.
Series Three
Episode 1: Rita and Ted return from their holiday to a rude surprise and Wolf gone. Rita distracts herself by waging war on the new neighbours, And Ted is dealt a blow he probably saw coming.
Episode 2: Lefty is a desperate man and Ted is dragged along for the ride. The gang has to look to the past if they have hopes of a future.
Episode 3: Wolf grows dissatisfied with his career, but it turns out that’s the least of his problems. A sexy blast from Rita’s prison past arrives with dangerous intentions.
Episode 4: Guilt over Evan is tearing Rita and Wolf apart. McCarthy feels compromised by his lady’s past. A fateful meeting at the forbidden dairy leads to fireworks.
Episode 5: Rita may have finally found her match. Fear forces Bilkey in too deep. A means to an end changes everything.
Episode 6: Bert is deceived and destroyed. Rita proves there’s no fury like a woman scorned. Wolf ups his game.
Episode 7: Wolf plays with the big boys. Rita gets under Cheryl’s skin. A last minute change of plans may cost everything.
Episode 8: Rita makes a deal with some devils. Mike buckles when his personal and private lives collide.
Series Four
Episode 1: Time on the inside puts Cheryl and Wolf on trial. Phineas’ manhood gets in the way of manning up. McCarthy strays far from the thin blue line.
Episode 2: The gang gets roped into the silly season. Ngaire comes home and she’s brought gifts. Cheryl’s Christmas cheer turns deadly.
Episode 3: Wolf holds Cheryl back from the edge. Rita suffocates in a full house and seeks help from a potential threat. Ted’s future looks crime-free and hopeless.
Episode 4: Rita rebels against Cheryl’s plan to go straight, Wolf struggles to leave his life of crime behind and Ted’s winning streak comes to an end.
Episode 5: Ngaire and Lefty explode. Eric’s love-life may not be in dire straits. Bilkey finds out all’s fair in love and war. And Ted’s bad attitude puts him and Rita in real danger.
Episode 6: Rita has her mind blown. Bert and Carol’s arrangement is threatened by a blast from the past. Ted makes a comeback, but it might all be for nothing.
Episode 7: Sparky’s love combusts. Memory lane leads Ted to old promises. Phineas comes clean over his dirty little secret. Round two for Rita leaves her wanting.
Episode 8: A grisly murder pits the gang against each other, Cheryl and Wolf are at each other’s throats over wedding venues, and Rita gives Ted an ultimatum.
Episode 9: Ngaire encounters a familiar face at Cheryl’s hen’s party while Wolf is lead astray by an old flame at his stag do. Phineas and Bert fight for Carol.
Episode 10: The Wests come together for Cheryl and Wolf’s wedding but the groom has cold feet, and the cops threaten to derail the nuptials.
Series Five
Episode 1: It’s 1987, and the parade down Queen Street for the NZ America’s Cup yachting team is in full swing. Ted and his guys are hiding out on a job, and Wolf and his boys have their own plans. Of course, nothing goes to plan.
Episode 2: Rita is dealing with trouble and strife both at home and abroad, as the repercussions from the two bungled robberies spread. It seems that the Wests have awakened an enemy considerably more powerful than even Rita’s iron will.
Episode 3: When an immovable object meets an unstoppable force all-out war is the inevitable result. As Ted lies in his hospital bed, Rita calls the troops to arms, to see off those responsible. Many innocent letter-boxes will perish as a result.
Episode 4: In which the ground literally moves, as Ted’s gang head down to Edgecumbe for their first job without their leader. Meanwhile, Cheryl brings a hippy into the West house, leading to a very uncomfortable visitation from the past for Rita.
Episode 5: A West family children’s birthday party for the 4-year old twins. What could possibly go wrong? Apart from the appearance of a gang of angry clowns, of course.
Episode 6: Ted does not believe in such a thing as a truce; or in playing a long game. Ted has suffered and Ted wants some payback for that suffering. Luckily for him, where there is a Rugby World Cup final at Eden Park, there is a way.
Episode 7: A plague has descended upon the West house. But even as she hovers near death there are still some things only a woman like Rita can sort out – like doing a deal with the devil, before they all drown in the deep blue sea.
Episode 8: The Wests are a family with a lot of secrets. Having these secrets is not the problem; keeping the secrets is the problem. Thus it is that Rita and Wolf go head-to-head in a game of mutually assured destruction.
Episode 9: The war that has been simmering under the surface, between Rita and Wolf, bursts into fruition as Wolf takes matters into his own hands.
Episode 10: October 1987. As the stock-market crashes around the West family and their associates an old dynasty crumbles and decays, while the next generation finds a home in which to forge the next one.
Featuring: Christopher Eccleston, Kate Winslet, Liam Cunningham, Rachel Griffiths and June Whitfield
Jude Fawley:“We are man and wife, if ever two people were on this earth.”
This month sees the re-release on DVD of the adaptation of the Thomas Hardy novel ‘Jude the Obscure’ (1895), a now classic that sits in the oeuvre of both the screenwriter, Hossein Amini, whose first project this was as well as director, Michael Winterbottom which at the time was his biggest and boldest project especially considering his own origins in the independent cinema world. This film, “Jude” (1996), would exemplify what has become a trademark of Winterbottom’s own style and method, those being originality, a lack of sentimentalism, trust and an eye firmly on the future. “Jude” also cemented Winterbottom as someone to keep an eye on as he not only had a talent for spotting subject matter, but also in working with established and up and coming talent in new and original ways, which he still does to this day, one needs only look at his work since in a variety of genres, mediums and narrative difference. This story also can be seen as being appealing to the director as this is the story of a stonemason who dreamed of becoming a scholar, but was crushed by the British social system, by fate and by his own luck.
Winterbottom has never been a director who looks for the easy answer in his work which explains his longevity as well as his varied movies from genre to genre and medium to medium which is the reason “Jude,” an angry saga that just barely manages to find a bittersweet ending by overlooking the novel’s final pages–which are even grimmer, if you can believe it, than the sad events we see on the screen. The novel argues that with society and conventional morality arrayed against you, there’s not much you can do, whether or not Winterbottom believes this or not.
The film’s tone is set in the opening black-and-white sequence, where Eduardo Serra’s photography places a premium on darkness as well as long shots which tend to up the atmosphere as well as a hint of what is to come in terms of the plot.
“Jude” as a film works on many levels, it is a great adaptation as it speaks to some of the elements that we face today, in terms of politics, society as well as technology where we see that perhaps Hardy was tilting his writing to the future without him even realising it. To say that this was a story ahead of Hardy’s time is easy to see, what is more complex is that the film itself was far ahead of its own time even though that was not even thirty years ago.
Not only that but the casting of Christopher Eccleston, Kate Winslet, Liam Cunningham, Rachel Griffiths and James Nesbitt was not only ingenious but would herald a group of actors, some of whom had already had some measure of success, but here would all prove themselves capable of handling very heavy and heady material without needing to try to hard to create a veneer of plausibility of a story that would be vital in Hardy’s oeuvre and his last full length novel, a travesty if ever there was one.
If you have not seen this film or not seen it in a while then it demands to be revisited, not only that it should sit in anyones collection, my only issue is that it would have been preferable on blu-ray.
Marvel Studios has premiered the second trailer for “Black Widow,” their first film for 2020, their first film of their planned ‘Phase 4’ of films and shows, and the first film in the wake of the ‘Infinity Saga’ coming to a close with “Spider-Man: Far from Home”.
“Black Widow” is primarily set in the year gap between ‘Civil War’ and ‘Infinity War’ as Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff is on the run whilst dealing with some old business from her pre-SHIELD days she was a KGB-trained spy and assassin.
Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, Ray Winstone and O.T. Fagbenle co-star in the film with Cate Shortland helming from a script by Jac Schaeffer while Kevin Feige is producing. The new clip shows off more of the supporting characters including villain Taskmaster.
Warner Bros. Pictures has released the second trailer for the Cathy Yan-directed “Birds of Prey” film, this time set to Bjork and showing off a first look at Ewan McGregor finally doing his Black Mask character’s dark visage.
Margot Robbie is reprising her “Suicide Squad” role of Harley Quinn in the film alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain, Chris Messina as Victor Zsasz and Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya.
Ali Wong, Robert Catrini, Steven Williams and Derek Wilson round out the ensemble, while Christina Hodson pens the script. “Birds of Prey” is set to be released in cinemas on February 7th.
Paramount Pictures has now released the first proper trailer from John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place Part II”.
Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family (Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe) must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence.
Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.
“A Quiet Place Part II” opens March 20th next year.
STX Films has released the final trailer for “Snatch” and “Rocknrolla” Guy Ritchie’s return to the crime caper comedy genre with “The Gentlemen” which opens January 24th.
Matthew McConaughey plays American ex-pat Mickey Pearson who has built a highly profitable marijuana empire in London. When word gets out that he’s looking to cash out of the business forever, it triggers plots, schemes, bribery and blackmail in an attempt to steal his domain out from under him.
Colin Farrell, Charlie Hunnam, Hugh Grant, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, Lyne Renee, Chris Evangelou, Eugenia Kuzmina and Jason Wong co-star in the film which Ritchie helms and wrote the script with Marn Davies and Ivan Atkinson.
The first proper trailer has arrived for Christopher Nolan’s new international espionage thriller “Tenet”.
Shot on a mixture of IMAX and 70mm, the film stars the likes of John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kenneth Branagh, Michael Caine, Dimple Kapadia and Clemence Poesy.
Filmed across seven countries, plot specifics are under wraps though the trailer does offer hints about the time-bending nature of the story. “Tenet” opens July 17th 2020.
Featuring: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler and Donald Sutherland
Roy McBride:“I do what I do because of my dad. He was a hero. He gave his life for the pursuit of knowledge. Because up there is where our story is going to be told.”
Released this week after on 4K bBlu-ray/DVD is the latest film from James Gray, “Ad Astra” (2019), a science fiction odyssey that harkens back to previous films within its genre, in particular Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968), as it aims to comment on mankind and its lofty aims to search the stars in hopes of gaining some greater understanding as to the purpose of not only our existence but life in general. “Ad Astra” also owes a debt to the classic Francis Ford Coppola masterpiece “Apocalypse Now” (1979) and of course Gray’s previous outing the massively underrated “Lost City of Z” (2016).
“Ad Astra”, the meaning of which is in an opening statement of sorts is part of the very essence of the film which as an audience member you will be reminded of time and again as the plot and narrative are interwoven so that they are almost indistinguishable from each other, much like an effect that is accomplished in “Apocalypse Now”. This film not only acts as a journey for the main character as he hops from Earth to the Moon to Mars and finally to the orbit of Neptune but for the audience as well. As the audience we are given bits and pieces of information throughout the running time so that we arrive both physically and mentally to a point where we attain knowledge that the main character has actually known his entire life but has kept such a tight control that it has effected him physiologically. This control is seen as a strength to others but has been a stumbling block which as he gains knowledge he becomes a more emotional being.
It would be simple to view this film as what it means to be a Father as well as a son, with that relationship taking centerstage around a sci-fi maguffin. However, there is so much more going on than that, it also encompasses elements of everyday life especially in terms of relationships and emotions. One of the key psychological elements of the movie is abandonment, which is played out by many of the characters as well as Earth itself in relation to the sci-fi aspect. Abandonment is a complex phenomenon in psychology that is thought to stem from childhood loss or trauma. People with the fear of abandonment may tend to display compulsive behaviors and thought patterns that affect their relationships, ultimately resulting in the abandonment they dread becoming a reality. Although Roy McBride thinks that he is in control of his life both internally and externally he creates a shell that nothing can penetrate, in a way this film over the course of its running time breaks down that shell, finally rupturing it so he is able to make connections, understanding himself and others in the process.
Although there are few female characters as well as few real non-white roles on the surface of it, in fact there are women throughout the movie that assist McBride in his mission, enabling the success of his journey all the way to Neptune. Many of the female characters in fact have a truth to give to McBride assisting his healing and revealing truths he could not have found out any other way. Not only that but the look of the future is multicultural as well see on the Moon as well as beyond which is something that is going to be accurate as move through this century.
“Ad Astra” is et in the near future, the Solar System is being struck by mysterious power surges of unknown origin, threatening the future of human life. After surviving an incident on an immense space antenna caused by one of these surges, Major Roy McBride (Brad Pitt), son of famed pioneering astronaut H. Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones) is informed by U.S. Space Command (SpaceCom), that the source of the surges has been traced to the “Lima Project” base. The Lima Project had been sent some twenty-six years prior to search for intelligent life from the farthest regions of the Solar System under Clifford McBride’s leadership, and disappeared sixteen years prior in orbit around Neptune. A SpaceCom officer informs Roy that they believe Clifford may still be alive, and he is tasked with the mission of travelling to Mars to try and establish communication with him.
This is a film that has been almost entirely designed by co-writer and director James Gray who is a classic filmmaker, using tropes, genres, themes and narrative tools from other major films, subverting those into what must be one of the most personal stories told in the sci-fi genre. There are no space battles, aliens, robots, A.I. or anytime else you may be able to think of in terms of the genre, it is the most personal story framed around familiar arcs. It is also directed to a point that each scene or frame is meticulously planned, there really is little use of obvious CGI except for some wide shots and the obvious opening, otherwise spacewalks, and landscapes seem real and physical, so there is use of the close up or mid shot which I found refreshing, it seems tangible as well as solid and thought out. As usual Gray produces a technically flawless piece of filmmaking, harnessing the talents of cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, composer Max Richter, costumer Albert Wolsky and so many more people into a film that any auteur would be proud of. Even so this is a precise film it sidesteps the feeling of coolness into coldness into something warm, mainly because of the combination of the performances, the special effects, the production and the plot, something many high minded sci-fi films could learn from.
Of course the central performance is that of Brad Pitt as Roy McBride who is as good as he has ever been, making this role his own playing it with real emotion not giving anything away but offering an honest performance that is not action hero, lothario or protagonist, but that of a husband and son, failing at both. For an actor who was seen as good looking as Robert Redford it is amazing to believe him in “Ad Astra” as the son of Tommy Lee Jones’ character, he operates with a worn face as well as a worn psyche. Speaking of Tommy Lee Jones who is seen mostly on video monitors but does have a key part especially in the third act, he threatens to steal the film as he offers one of the more serious and real performances of his career as the absent Father who casts a giant shadow over the entire film, mush like Brando did in “Apocalypse Now”, the difference being Jones is not interested in upstaging anyone, he has become that legendary Hollywood star who is happy to be the character actor of the film. In support the standouts for me are the great Donald Sutherland in a brief but important role and the fantastic Ruth Negga who is nothing if not one of the most talented actresses around.
“Ad Astra” is one of those films that we are told do not get made anymore, an adult drama that wraps itself up in themes and meaning of human life. The difference maybe is that it uses a genre in this case the sci-fi one to illustrate its points to audiences as well as offering a vehicle that might attract audience and not alienate them. Of course writing the film there are those plot points and themes that will be familiar to the sci-fi genre which gives audiences something to hang on to. The difference is where the personal themes and plot comes into play which for me was the most enjoyable part of “Ad Astra”. The fact that the narrative is also a road movie of sorts is also compelling with the realness of space reveal, it mundanity as well as its dangers come to the fore in a few key scenes that increase the tension so that we have long segments of life punctuated by action. Although the movie is linear in nature it is not told in real tie but does take real time into account so that we witness Mcbride breaking down on his trip from Mars to Neptune which does become harrowing, you feel he might not actually make it.
As the idea of abandonment is a central part of this film it is interesting to note how important mindfulness and psychology are interwoven into this film with McBride having to undergo testing by computers to evaluate his mental health, which does change from the start of the movie to the conclusion. This society we find ourselves in has recognised the importance of mental health in combination with physical health which shows a society that is progressive even as the Earth might be thrown back to a state of powerlessness.
Finally I recommend “Ad Astra” highly as one of the films of the year, it needs to be seen in cinemas on the largest screen possible, it manages to be a grand epic film while concentrating on what makes us human with themes that are universally recognisable, go see now.
Featuring: Michael Hutchence, Andrew Farriss, Tim Farriss, Garry Gary Beers and Jon Farriss
“Eternally wild with the power To make every moment come alive All those stars that shine upon you Will kiss you every night”– INXS, Mystify
Released this month on DVD/Blu-ray is the documentary “Mystify: Michael Hutchence ” (2019), which is primarily based on the celebrity as well as the personal life of INXS front man Michael Hutchence, the ups as well as the down, a few surprises are revealed which might explain some of the career as well as personal decisions he made before taking his own life over two decades ago. This is a documentary whose narrative is structured through three main ways, that is through archival interviews with the subject, archival video footage (as well as sometimes accompanying audio) and current interviews with people who surrounded Hutchence through his life looking back at certain time periods. The one great part of this new documentary is that the people that are left who want to talk about their interactions with Hutchence seem to be speaking the truth which exposes some parts of the titular singers life that have gone unsaid, this honesty offers a different picture of Hutchence’s life that may means his work as well as INXS’s music can be re-evaluated. I am not going to give the story of this documentary away as the impact of what occurs in the last third is not only shocking but actually gives an insight into what celebrity is now and what it was in the mid to late 1990s.
As far as documentaries go this is a very good example of a subject based one in that it not only explores what it takes to break through in popular music, but what it takes to do this from Australia (especially in the 1980s), the skill, talent and luck that needs to be present to offer music that is still around today even though it has been over twenty years since there has been an INXS album with the classic lineup. To be honest looking back at the music INXS created they really only produced one great album in the timeless, ageless ‘Listen like thieves’ (1985) and one massively successful album in ‘Kick’ (1989) which has sold twenty million copies worldwide. The fact that at least the first third has to tell an origin story of sorts that involves the band as much as it does Hutchance is the only real weakness of the narrative, this section is a little routine, charting the course of a band that as an audience we have not only seen in narrative film but also in other documentaries. However once we get past this aspect of the plot of the documentary and we see the very personal nature of the subject it becomes much more interesting and intense, we witness something never seen before, almost the truth of a man who struggles to figure out who he is which of course takes a dark turn after the events in Copenhagen in the early 1990s.
The past two years or so has been an excellent year for documentaries not only on streaming or DVD but also in cinemas, which is a trend that goes against what many people may have expected. However I find this to be exactly what should be expected especially with the concentration of so-called ‘fake news’ that now exists on the internet, coupled with what has been coming from the White House under the Trump Presidency. In fact there was a thought that cinematic documentaries might be a thing of the past especially with the success as well as saturation of Disney-fied blockbusters invading multiplexes, in fact audiences have been flocking to cinemas to seek out stories about real people making real differences in times and places where many others have been marginalised and made powerless by the people in charge in their respective times. Some of the great, as well as critically received, not forgetting making money documentaires at the box office are: “Wont you be my neighbour?” (2018), “Three Identical Strangers” (2018), “Jane” (2018), “RBG” (2018), and my personal favourite “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story” (2017) with so many more. What this says about audiences is that they will seek out true stories told in the relative first person that are not only inspiring but are direct counter programming to the politics of the day as well as the lies that are being produced by a President who is not only artificial but hate fuelled. My belief as a fan of documentaries is that this genre will only gain in popularity, with the coming years being a boon as well as revealing the importance of truth in the media as well as the importance of researching decisions made by the electorate. It is no surprise that the rise in fake news, Donald Trump, racism and may other hate fuelled elements has been answered by artists creating documentaries that prove there can be positive outcomes when people choose to buck the system as well as believing in others, differences, freedom and most of all, discussion.
“Mystify: Michael Hutchence ” covers a large portion of the life of INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence which features private home video and archive footage. Included in the film are recollections with voice-overs by Kylie Minogue, Michele Bennett, from siblings Rhett and Tina Hutchence, stepmother Susie, producer Nick Launay, Bono and INXS band members, composer and keyboardist Andrew Farriss, guitarist Tim Farriss, bassist Garry Beers and drummer Jon Farriss.
This movie offers an insight into what happens when a music act becomes something huge, what seems like an overnight success where one day they are unknown and the next they are popular in almost every country in the world. What many of these acts need to come to grips with is the time when they are not the ‘next big thing’ but struggle to find not only a new audience but keeping the one they had, this is something we see Hutchence struggle with for at least half this documentary. It comes into focus at the Brit awards when Hutchence presents an award to Oasis and Noel Gallagher says ‘a has been shouldn’t present an award to a going to be.’ There is nothing more poignant than the look on the face of Hutchence as well as the aftermath of that when he is asked about the event, he can offer no real answer that doesn’t sound like he can see where his music career might be headed.
As I have said one of the great strengths of this documentary is the participation of people who knew Hutchence initmately who talk about him and their time with him. The aspect I enjoyed most was the picture painted of a man who loved life, wanting to share it with someone he could be close to as well as love. Hutchence had a very feminine side which comes through in his best written music and we can see how he related to women and children in a very caring way. All in all this is a very positive documentary but does examine some of the most difficult parts of his life without sentimentalizing them to make a better picture. All of the participants share both positive and negative aspects of his personality which we all have. Of course the fact that he struggled both before and after the incident in Copenhagen shows that there was not just one reason he committed suicide which is how victims feel. The great thing is the success if this documentary will not rest on whether an audience knows the music or the man as it is a well constructed documentary although I could not help but feel that there was a lot left on the cutting room floor.
