Hocus Pocus 2: This Time With More Alexas

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The Sanderson Sisters return again.

I found this film to be mostly charming, I liked the updated humour and thought that the Sisters interacting with modern technology was a lot of fun. The film definitely benefits a lot from making the Sisters front and centre for this new instalment as it gives them a lot of time to shine. This is doubly good as the new lead of the film Becca, played by Whitney Peak, is incredibly dull and forgettable and the originals are needed to step in and save the film from her.

I think the stand out stars of this film were Sarah Jessica Parker’s Sarah, Sam Richardson’s Gilbert and Doug Jones’ Billy. Sarah Jessica Parker brings such a warmth and child like sense of wonder to her role that really helps to separate her character from the other Sanderson Sisters and makes it hard to root against her. Richardson is always very easy to warm to and that is no less true here, he has great chemistry with Jones and the two should get their own spin-off. The return of Billy could have felt in many ways just a nostalgia grab, but Doug Jones really does add a sense of agency to Billy and gives him an arc that adds weight to his return which really does work well.

My main issue with the film is the ending wherein the Sisters are basically redeemed and then killed off, seemingly setting the stage for Becca and her pals to become the new witches going forward. Now this sucks on multiple levels, firstly they shouldn’t have been redeemed the enjoyable thing about these characters was in how cartoonishly evil they were at times, secondly the seeming replacement characters are dull and have no soul or personality, and finally these films are about the Sanderson Sisters so to get rid of them from the franchise would be hugely folly.

Overall, still a good time but the ending spoils it to an extent.

Pros.

The humour

Jessica Parker, Richardson and Jones

It does justify its existence

Cons.

The ending

The new trio of leads are just awful

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Tales Of The Jedi: Life And Death

1/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

We follow Ashoka’s baby years.

Star Wars really is starting to get desperate, the content mine is well and truly running dry. Who thought a show about a baby Ashoka was what was needed to get people into this universe, worse yet it is the flagship opening episode for a new animated Star Wars series and honestly after watching this it makes you want to turn off from the series.

Honestly this is just a bad twenty ish minutes of TV as nothing of note happens and then at the end of it all they say that Ashoka is a Jedi for taming an animal which just feels forced in to try and get a reaction from the audience. The animated side of Star Wars has long been obsessed with Ashoka as a character but this is really starting to take the biscuit.

Overall, who wanted this?

Pros.

It is short

Cons.

It is boring

It feels needless

It is a weak opener for the series

It is a slog to get through

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American Horror Story NYC: Thank You For Your Service

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Gino, played by, Joe Mantello is abducted by the killer and Dr. Wells, played by Billie Lourd, further explores the origins of her mystery virus.

I am still quite enjoying this season of AHS I think that the mystery is interesting and that both strands of it are coming together nicely. I am keen to keep watching as I want to know where it is all heading.

Moreover, I liked that this season is really hitting on how hard life was for LGBTQ+ people in this time and place and showing how the cops not only don’t want to know but actively at times hate them. I think the scenes wherein Adam, played by Charlie Carver, was detained by the police simply for speaking out about his experience and held without merit were both infuriating and also moving.

Where this season is losing me is like all Ryan Murphy series the fact that many scenes just boil down to softcore porn. Now, I don’t mind this when these scene service the plot in some way, but more often than not it just feels stuffed in to both pad for runtime as well as to titillate Murphy and Co.

Overall, the second episode continues to further the mystery in interesting ways, but the constant forced sex scenes are holding it back.

Pros.

The mystery

The performances of Lourd, Tovey and Mantello

A degree of unpredictability in what might happen next

The ending of the episode

Cons.

The needless sex scenes

Pacing issues

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The Storied Life Of AJ Fikery: To Live And Love In Small Town America

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The story of a man, played by Kunal Nayyar, from small town America whose life begins anew when he adopts a child.

I thought in many ways this film was beautiful, it told a story of life and love and renewed hope when things seem bleakest, in these current times we can all do to be reminded of this. I would say it was happy throughout but that would be a lie as it is a sad ending, however, in that way it is reminiscent of real life, good times and bad.

Moreover, Nayyar was fantastic. Admittedly this is the first role I have seen him in outside of The Big Bang Theory but if this is anything to go by that show was heinously wasting his talents as a dramatic actor, in addition he also had great chemistry with his on screen love interest played by Lucy Hale. Hale for her part here managed to be charming and warm throughout, which as many of you who are long time readers of mine will know is high praise indeed as I think Hale’s career so far has painted her as a bad actor through and through.

My main criticism of this film would be that it tries to add in a lot of needless drama and mystery towards the end by pitting Christina Hendrick’s character against Nayyar as she wanted the child he adopted. Not only does Hendrick not really need to be in this film, as it would work well without her character at all, but also this subplot doesn’t fit the rest of her characters established personality within the film and feels shoehorned in for the sake of petty drama.

Overall, a sweet film.

Pros.

Nayyar

Hale

It is sweet and effecting

It tries to reflect the duality of life and death

Cons.

The needless drama towards the end

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House Of The Dragon: The Lord Of The Tides

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Families are brought round the dinner table to try and mend fences

I thought this was a slower episode for sure but I did like the fact that it highlighted Rhaenyra, played by Emma D’Arcy and Alicent, played by Oliva Cooke used to be friends. There are moments in the episode where you almost think maybe this is all going to work out okay, maybe they can put their difference aside and be friends again, but then you realise the show that you are watching.

I thought Ser Vaemond felt very villain of the week like and it was clear from the offset that something bad would happen to him. However, I can’t complain too much as this storyline did give us an immensely satisfying Daemon, played by Matt Smith, moment in which he cuts Vaemond head in two and also allows for Viserys, played by Paddy Considine, to have one last strong moment and go out on top.

Overall, a fun episode but certainly not the best of the series.

Pros.

Daemon splitting heads

Viserys going out on top

Reminding us of the friendship between Rhaenyra and Alicent

Cons.

It is a bit slow

Sir Vaemond felt like a villain of the week

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Barbarian: Stay Out Of Basements, Learn A Lesson

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A rental house with a mysterious woman, played by Matthew Patrick Davis, living underneath it turns into a life or death struggle for several of its occupants.

I thought this was quite a smart art house horror film. Clearly there was more to it than a lot of the generic genre fare that comes out in the multiplexes these days, in many ways it reminded me of the films of Jordan Peele, smart horror wherein the themes and broader societal comments become almost more important than the horror itself.

However, I also did think this film had a number of good scary scenes, particularly the death of Bill Skarsgard’s character, as well as the flashbacks with Richard Brake. I think this film can be quite scary when it wants to be and the monster of The Mother is easily a new one for genre diehards to latch onto. I enjoyed that they never fully explained how the Mother was the way she was, because whilst they do say she is the product of copious inbreeding, that doesn’t explain her ability to withstand so much violence done to her by the main characters and then just carry on again in the next scene, there has to be more to it.

The one thing I didn’t much care for was the mid movie twist wherein after the seeming death of our two main characters we then meet AJ, played by Justin Long, an actor turned predator. During our time with him the film goes to great lengths to talk about career ending allegations and guilt, but I feel like all of this has been done better and said in a more timely manner. Not to say that this is no longer and important conversation, it is, but it has really missed the fever pitch when these sort of debates were happening all the time. In addition the way the film handles these topics and conversations lacks any kind of grace or nuance and sometimes feels a little in bad taste.

Overall, a good film for the most part with a few baffling choices made that drag it down somewhat.

Pros.

The monster

The mystery

The ending

Cons.

The MeToo stuff

It doesn’t fully make the most of its premise

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Andor: Narkina 5

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Andor, played by Diego Luna, goes to prison.

I think this was probably the worst episode of the season so far, mainly this was because nothing really happened. At least in last week’s episode, which I also didn’t hugely like, they set up fun stuff for down the line in this episode we get precious little. On the one hand we get Andor serving his prison sentence, which other than meeting Andy Serkis’s character who does have a few good moments, is fairly dull we know it is just a matter of time until he breaks out, but it doesn’t happen in this episode. On the other hand we have yet another dinner party scene with Mon Mothma, played by Genevieve O’Reilly, which is just more of the same that we have seen before.

We do get some interesting scenes even if they are far between such as the Empire cracking down on Cassian’s friends, which the episode ends on, as well as Vel, played by Faye Marsay, returning on the hunt for Cassian. Plus added Saw Gerrera, played by Forest Whittaker.

Overall, a fairly boring episode with a few brief moments of excitement here and there.

Pros.

The Empire finally coming after Cassian

The return of Vel

Saw Gerrera is back

Cons.

Cassian’s storyline is boring

So is Mon Mothma’s

It feels like killing time

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Prey For The Devil: Watch Out For Old Men With Long Tongues

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A nun, played by Jacqueline Byers, sets out to become an exorcist.

Before I get into all the ways this film was lazy trash I just want to give it one thing and that is the fact that it does have a number of good effect scenes where we get quite creepy and disturbing things coming from the possessed little girl, played by Posy Taylor.

Okay, let’s crack on with all the ways in which this film highlights the very worst of the sub-genre. The worst sin of this film is its script which is paper thin, ridiculous to a laughable extent and so incredibly predictable that you might as well stay home and guess how this film will turn out, not only will you be right and save money, but you will also have to give up a lot less of your time. Around about the time the little girl turned out to be the main characters daughter, a moved which is sign posted almost from the get-go, is when I mentally checked out of this film.

There were also a number of moments wherein this film was supposed to be scary but that it actually went the other way and was funny. This can be best seen during the early part of the film where an old man attacks our lead and has a tongue that just flies about the room and then he starts dancing with her, this to me was in no way scary and was in fact actually hilarious is this film supposed to be a horror comedy?

One last thing to note is that the girl power message of this film of breaking the system and that women can do anything men can do feels like it belongs in the nineties, it is horribly trite and overdone and feels almost like the film is overcompensating for something else, but I will let you decide what that is.

Overall, an incredibly weak possession film, but shockingly not the worst I have seen.

Pros

Colin Salmon

It is watchable

Cons.

The script

It is laughable at times when it is trying to be scary

The girl power stuff is incredibly ham-fisted and awfully handled

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Slayers: A Torturous Existence Surrounded In Mediocrity

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A group of influencers hunt vampires.

Originally I was quite on board with this film, I liked Thomas Jane’s character and I thought the comedy/commentary was pretty on point, and then it has to go and ruin it all by just becoming another generic vampire film.

I think the worst thing about this film for me is that it boils down to the same old same old, some vampires and slayers attack one another until one comes out on top, there is nothing fresh about that. Moreover, a lot of the characters other than Jane’s are deeply unlikeable and irritating: though maybe that is on purpose. For the most part any film about influencers is best avoided.

The horror is not really there at all, the atmosphere is more jokey than anything else and yes they do have a little bit of gore but really that is nothing too shocking, it’s all fairly tame.

Overall, yet another generic vampire film.

Pros.

Jane

The comedy/commentary

It is short

Cons.

The characters are unlikeable

You have seen it before

It is deeply generic

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Terrifier 2: More Isn’t Always Better

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Art, played by David Howard Thornton, is back at it again.

I have been looking forward to this for a long time, and my expectations were both met and not met at the same time.

I liked that the gory carnage of the first film continued on and if anything this film was even more ambitious taking things to a whole new extreme. However, therein lies an issue I have with this film, if anything the violence goes way beyond what the first film had and does cross into a place of being gratuitous and nasty. I think the gross out spectacle of this film is put before everything else and as the film gets carried away with its larger budget it never stops to think about how far is too far.

In terms of story we get more of a classic slasher narrative here than we did in the first film, we are introduced to new final girl Sienna, played by Lauren LaVera, and she and Art do battle. I liked LaVera’s performance and saw quite a lot of a young Jamie Lee in her, I think that if she sticks around within the genre she can easily become a new and beloved scream queen in time. I would say however, that the plot of this film falls apart in the last twenty minutes where things just happen and nothing really makes sense. The film is badly paced and does go on for too long, as you reach the end of the film where the narrative starts to eat itself you are quite ready for it to just be over.

Overall, more doesn’t mean better.

Pros.

LaVera

Art is still a great villain

I liked that this film deepens the lore

Cons.

The violence borders on the tasteless at time

The third act falls apart and then sets fire to the whole film

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