I've only watched the 1st episode, and am bitterly disappointed. It's trying too hard to be something that it is not. The comedy is too forced and simply doesn't work.
Now, I am going to watch the Terry Gilliam film as I love that! One of my all time favourite movies... which is probably why I dislike this cheap knock-off TV series.

I really enjoy The Roundup franchise, its fast , paced, simple fun. That said, I'm not quite so enthusiastic about the latest film Punishment.
What makes these films work is simple fast paced, frenetic action combined with top class choreography. This film certainly has most of these elements but it doesn't work as well. Why?
Perhaps its biggest short coming is its not especially cohesive. It builds and diffuses its much needed pace.This is not helped at all by jumping between geographical locations and complicating the team dynamic.
The main character behaving like a medieval vassal, getting on his knees at one point to beg to keep a case, didn't impress either. Nor does, the at times, rather lame humour,that feels tacked on.
On the upside what remains is moderately entertaining but its not enough to really see this iteration shine.
In summary, not every film in any franchise can be a winner. The Roundup: Punishment is not awful but its not all that good either.

Kalki 2898 AD is copy & paste scenes from Mad Max + Star Wars + Dune + Blade Runner 2049.
The budget of this movie is 600 crores & still it has worst VFX.
**And let's not forget that the lead actor of this movie Prabhas still can't act to save his life.**
This movie has very weak & generic story, screenplay is pointless, and totally cringe/amateur acting from lead actor. Enough with the too many slow-motion scenes. Too many pointless cameos. Kalki 2898 AD is totally disappointment. Don't Waste your money on this.
**Kalki 2898 AD is another "Miss Fire" for Prabhas!**
END OF DISSCUSSION!

The mythology that underpins this is a fascinating combination of humanity and adventure that director Nag Ashwin presents entertainingly - if maybe a little haphazardly - here. We start with a battle from history where the defeated "Ashwatthama" is condemned to a life of fruitless immortality. His only chance of redemption will come when he is called upon to protect an unborn child - the final reincarnation of Vishnu. At this point we don't know when this will happen, nor what these dangers might be - but skip forward six thousand years and we find a world where the planet is under the control of the "Complex". An alien looking enterprise that is systematically robbing the planet of it's nutrients and minerals under the control of the "Supreme Yaskin" (Kamal Haasan). Things are especially perilous times for women capable of childbearing as they are being genetically manipulated to produce a serum from their foetus that is implanted into "Yaksin" to grant him his own form of (tube free) immortality. Meantime, we are introduced to the legendary bounty hunter "Bhairava" (Prabhas) who has something of the "Han Solo" to him, and who is working to get the million credits required to get into the "Complex". There is one further enigma amongst all of this ordered chaos. She is "Sum 80" (Deepika Padukone) as she is pregnant - and naturally, too. Needless to say she is much prized by the "Complex" but after some careful planning, she manages to escape the clutches of it's scientists and make a break for "Shambala" where legend has it, she will give birth to a very special baby. In hot pursuit is the malevolent commander "Manas" (Saswata Chatterjee) who has mobilised an whole army of unsavoury types to track her down - and with a prize of 5 million for the person who delivers her, well "Bhairava" is soon in on the chase too. If he can help this woman, perhaps "Ashwatthama" can fulfil his destiny? Now this is long, and at times it loses it's way a little with the oddly positioned entertainment numbers spliced into the drama, but for the most part - particularly after the interval - this is quite an action packed hybrid of Hindu folklore combined with elements of "Dune" (especially much of the scoring), "Avatar" and featuring a guest appearance from "Skeletor's" big chair from "Masters of the Universe" towards the end. I wouldn't have said the acting is all that remarkable, but Prabhas provides a charismatic effort, the dialogue generally works efficiently and the production design is creatively effective at mixing the futuristic with the ancient. There's no getting away from it's reliance on CGI, and that doesn't always work, but the story is sound and clearly designed to give us more down the line as the ancient gods line up against the pillagers of the planet - with the very future of mankind to play for.

# Kalki 2898 AD: A Visionary Blend of Mythology and Sci-Fi
In the ever-evolving landscape of Indian cinema, "Kalki 2898 AD" emerges as a groundbreaking spectacle that pushes the boundaries of storytelling and visual artistry. Directed by the visionary Nag Ashwin, this ambitious project weaves together elements of ancient mythology and futuristic science fiction, creating a tapestry that is as thought-provoking as it is visually stunning.
## A Tale Across Millennia
Set in a dystopian future, "Kalki 2898 AD" draws its core narrative from the depths of Hindu mythology, specifically the Mahabharata. The film follows the prophesied hero Kalki, played by Prabhas, on a journey to restore balance to a world teetering on the brink of chaos. Ashwin's screenplay masterfully bridges the gap between the ancient and the futuristic, creating a narrative that feels both timeless and urgently relevant.
## Visual Splendor and Technical Prowess
One of the film's most striking aspects is its visual presentation. The production design team has crafted a post-apocalyptic world that is both believable and awe-inspiring. From the gritty, lived-in feel of rebel hideouts to the sleek, oppressive architecture of the antagonist's strongholds, every frame is a feast for the eyes.
The visual effects, while occasionally uneven, often reach heights of breathtaking spectacle. Scenes of futuristic cityscapes and epic battles showcase the film's ambition and the technical capabilities of Indian cinema. Santhosh Narayanan's score complements the visuals perfectly, adding emotional depth and excitement to key moments.
## Star-Studded Performances
The cast of "Kalki 2898 AD" reads like a who's who of Indian cinema, and for the most part, they deliver. Prabhas brings a mix of intensity and vulnerability to Kalki, though his character development feels somewhat uneven across the film's runtime. Deepika Padukone shines in her role, bringing strength and emotional resonance to her character.
However, it's Amitabh Bachchan who steals the show with a commanding performance that anchors the film's more philosophical moments. Kamal Haasan's appearance as the antagonist Yaskin is brief but impactful, leaving audiences wanting more.
## Ambitious Storytelling with Room for Improvement
While the film's ambition is commendable, its execution occasionally falters. The pacing in the first half can feel sluggish, with some scenes stretched beyond necessity. The narrative complexity, while intriguing, sometimes verges on convoluted, potentially leaving viewers struggling to keep up with the intertwining plotlines.
However, the film hits its stride in the final act, delivering a series of revelations and set pieces that are truly exhilarating. The climax not only provides a satisfying conclusion to the immediate story but also tantalizes with hints of a larger cinematic universe to come.
## A New Benchmark for Indian Cinema
Despite its flaws, "Kalki 2898 AD" represents a significant leap forward for Indian cinema. Nag Ashwin's vision in blending mythology with science fiction opens up exciting new possibilities for storytelling in the industry. The film's willingness to tackle complex themes and its technical achievements set a new benchmark for what is possible in Indian filmmaking.
## Conclusion
"Kalki 2898 AD" is more than just a movie; it's an experience. While it may not be perfect, its ambition, visual splendor, and the questions it poses about destiny, technology, and the cyclical nature of good and evil make it a must-watch for fans of both Indian cinema and science fiction. As the first installment in what promises to be an epic saga, "Kalki 2898 AD" lays a foundation that leaves audiences eagerly anticipating what's to come.
**Rating: 4 out of 5 stars**
Bold, ambitious, and visually stunning, "Kalki 2898 AD" heralds a new era for Indian cinema, blending mythology and futurism in a way that's never been seen before on the silver screen.

I worked in sports broadcasting for 30 years, including at the Olympics in Atlanta when a story of a similar nature to this one broke around the bombing in Centennial Park. Even though we’d moved on a few decades since this scenario, there are still similarities that ring true between this representation of what might have happened in the studio gallery of ABC and what happened in 1996. They are off the air and everyone is getting some rest after a long day when news begins to filter through that there have been gunshots. The programme producer Geoff Mason (John Magaro) summons help from his boss Marv (Ben Chaplin) and from his boss Roone (Peter Sarsgaard). With information limited and their access to an interpreter even more so, they recruit the services of the versatile Marianne (Leonie Benesch) and jury-rigging their comms, wheeling an half-ton camera out onto the concourse and fighting internal battles to avoid the all-powerful news division from muscling in on the operation, this team have to live on their nerves and instinct as they try to convey this breaking news to their population watching at home. It’s quite interesting that a quick flick around the channels available to them reveal they are the only people broadcasting so they press on doing what their journalistic instincts tell them to - and it has to be said, with great ingenuity as walkie-talkies and hard-wired kit were all that was available and official sources were obviously not obsessed with keeping the media briefed as it transpired that “Black September” had killed one and taken another eleven Israelis hostage. Tim Fehlbaum does well to keep the pace taut here as the day’s events unfold, and to give us an illustration of just how tough it was to verify sources whilst trying to stay one step ahead of the competition from people who might not have had the boots on the ground, but who did have ownership of the satellite. One of the reasons that they were the only live broadcaster was that the principal European broadcasters (RAI, France Televisions and the BBC) had already discussed the dangers of the terrorists actually watching the closed-circuit feeds available throughout the Olympic village, and so their sports teams were not broadcasting anything useful. Sadly, that isn’t something that dawns on these guys as the penny begins to drop that they are essentially providing the captors with some external coverage of the authority’s activities in/around the building. Unfortunately, for me, the sort of biggest, best, first, hyperbole that now follows rather undermined what could have been a really quite compelling look at how live television has to react in fluid situations like this. The dialogue starts to become peppered with disparaging remarks about their hosts’ competencies and a certain unpleasant arrogance starts to emanate from this team. Technically, they resort to the radio, in German, rather than co-ordinate with others on site and when the cops finally show up to, admittedly rather heavy-handedly, tell them to get off the air - the emphasis seems to be more about the police with guns invading the control room rather than the irresponsible producers with weapons way more powerful (and useful to to their antagonists) cocking it up. The denouement is also a testament to just how crucial it is to take your time and get your facts straight.
 - and sometimes even the most plausible sources aren’t reliable. In the end, there may be no winners. The anachronism of all of this happening whilst there’s some sport going on elsewhere isn’t wasted here, nor is the inventiveness of those from a professional sport background who put something to air for which none of them had been trained. The world was, indeed, watching though most of the 900 millions were not watching ABC Sports outside of the USA - just a few in Munich whom we all wish weren’t.

'September 5' is based upon a true story, one that I had somehow not really known about - despite being into sports, albeit not a big Olympics guy. The event in question did ring tiny bells in my head pre-watch, but oddly not as much as other Olympic events would have.
As such, I didn't actually know how this story was going to play out. That was actually very beneficial, as I was moving up and down with all the dramatic and disturbing developments. This film portrays its plot tremendously, they set the perfect vibe and pace throughout.
The acting is also of good quality. John Magaro is the one who impressed me most, though Peter Sarsgaard, Ben Chaplin and Leonie Benesch are also excellent. It's fascinating to see it all from the media's perspective, especially in terms how they broadcast; e.g. the onscreen graphics.

It’s invariably disappointing when a movie you’ve been looking forward to seeing doesn’t live up to expectations. But such is the case with the latest offering from writer-director Tim Fehlbaum. This re-creation of the day when Black September terrorists took members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage at the 1972 Munich Summer Games, sadly, misses the mark on many fronts. As told from the perspective of the ABC sportscasting crew covering the story, the film comes up short in conveying the sense of urgency and immediacy associated with this human tragedy, which was broadcast live around the globe and is said to have attracted more viewers than Neil Armstrong’s 1969 moon landing. While the picture is to be commended for its apparent authenticity and insights at capturing the events and mood inside the broadcast headquarters, much of the narrative nevertheless descends into a talky, overly technical take on what was transpiring around the TV crew, not a particularly effective way of depicting the nature of an event that shook the world and inevitably changed the way on which crisis situations are reported. While I certainly was not looking for sensationalist treatment here, I also wasn’t expecting to be bored by its clumsy, underwhelming chronicling of circumstances that had the globe on the edge of its seat. The depiction of this scenario, including the coverage of the particulars of that day, as well as examination of the myriad moral implications involved in their televised presentation, fail to captivate viewers on the same way as the events themselves did. I personally remember this fateful day quite well as one that became indelibly etched into the memory of an impressionable 15-year-old – and one that played a critical role in my eventual decision to pursue an education and career in journalism. Because of that, perhaps I expected too much from this release. Perhaps I had unrealistic hopes that an entertainment vehicle could live up to the compelling journalistic portrayal of an event such as this. Either way, though, that doesn’t make up for the disappointment associated with the telling of this story. In a world plagued by as many catastrophes as we experience these days, one could argue that we needn’t be reminded of those that are now behind us. But, if we choose to embrace the notion of “never forget” associated with such traumatic incidents, it behooves those behind such painful commemorations to make sure that their impact unmistakenly comes through, something that is definitely not the case with this offering.

Paddington in Peru is the first of the trilogy not written and directed by Paul King. King chose not to return and moved on to Wonka instead, but he pitched the idea for the third Paddington film and executive produces. Emily Mortimer also replaces Sally Hawkins as Mrs. Brown while Mr. Curry (Peter Capaldi) doesn’t appear at all.
Paddington receives a letter from The Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman) at the home for retired bears that his Aunt Lucy is acting differently and misses him terribly. He makes his way to Peru with the Browns only to discover that Aunt Lucy has gone missing. Now he must endure uncharted territory in the jungles of Peru if he ever wishes to see her again.
Meanwhile, the home of the Brown family has changed drastically. Judy (Madeleine Harris) spends her time recording travel vlogs and choosing where she intends to go to college. At the same time, Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) is an inventor who uses his gadgets to assist in his video game-playing laziness.
Mary (Mortimer) is already feeling the wrath of empty nest syndrome. At the same time, Henry (Hugh Bonneville) stresses over whether or not he can adapt to the action-oriented demeanor of his new boss. The trip to Peru is seen as one last vacation as a family before everything changes for good.
Once in Peru, Paddington discovers a clue that seems to point to Aunt Lucy making her way to a place called Rumi Rock. But Paddington and the Browns will need a boat to get there. Enter Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas) and his daughter Gina (Carla Tous).
The humor in Paddington in Peru feels like it’s been amped up a bit in comparison to the previous two films. Most of the humor is still physical comedy and is a result of Paddington being clumsy or not understanding his surroundings. But the film makes it a point to showcase the fact that something is fishy with Olivia Colman’s Reverend Mother from the start. It becomes the film’s longest-running gag.
Hunter Cabot is haunted by the ghosts of his ancestors. The Cabot bloodline is a greedy bunch and unfortunately, that trait plagues Hunter despite his best efforts. He tries to live by the fact that his daughter is his biggest treasure, but the temptation has always been there and Paddington reawakens something awful in him.
Antonio Banderas is essentially Burger Beard from The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water as Hunter Cabot, but with more depth. Banderas portrays five or six different Cabot ancestors including a woman. He is silly and goofy, but he’s also one of the film’s biggest antagonists.
With a screenplay by Mark Burton (Paddington 2, Early Man), Jon Foster, and James Lamont (both Foster and Lamont worked on the 2019 CGI animated TV series The Adventures of Paddington) with a screen story by Paul King (director of Paddington 1 & 2), Simon Farnaby (co-writer on all three Paddington films), and Mark Burton, Paddington in Peru can be watched as a standalone adventure or as a third film in a trilogy.
There are throwbacks to the previous films (the hard stare, the mid-credits scene being a homage to Paddington’s prison friends, etc), but it doesn’t take away or add anything per se to the main story Paddington in Peru is trying to tell. Someone could start with this film and enjoy it for what it is before seeing the first two films.
Paddington in Peru goes in predictable directions, but the film plays off those expectations masterfully. You know where the story is going to go from the start, but when those big moments come you are still invested and you still cry. The Paddington films have never shied away from embodying what heartfelt and touchy-feely truly mean. If your heartstrings are ever in need of a tune-up, a Paddington film will get them humming like new guaranteed.
The Paddington films have always embodied an unparalleled sense of wonder and happiness; being content with the smallest things. Paddington in Peru is no different, but there’s an even bigger emphasis on how big the world is outside of our comfort zone and kindness above all else. Paddington in Peru is a heartwarming film about embracing your inner bear and discovering how precious home is.

With "Paddington" now happily ensconced with the "Brown" family, and replete with his own British passport, all is going swimmingly until he gets a letter from distant Peru. The mother superior of the retirement home for bears (Olivia Colman) is concerned that "Aunt Lucy" is losing the plot a bit. Conscious that they are gradually drifting apart, mum "Mary" (Emily Mortimer) decides that what they all need is the excitement of a trip - so off they head to the jungle. That's where they encounter "Capt. Cabot" (Antonio Banderas) who runs a local river boat with his daughter "Gina" (Cala Tous) and who agrees to take them on their cruise. They arrive at their destination only to discover that the elderly bear has gone missing and they are soon amidst some mischievous machinations that might take them on a perilous journey to the famed El Dorado. Thing is, of course, with a legendary treasure to be found, "Paddington" isn't quite sure whom he can trust as the trail leads him deeper and deeper into the wilderness! It's a fun adventure this one but it is a bit slow, the humour isn't so plentiful and the plot is a little derivative with not enough bear and too much of "Jungle Cruise" (2021) meets "Sound of Music" (1965) to it. I thought Banderas and Colman rather hammed it all up a bit and there also wasn't quite the cosiness of the family-led escapades with much less opportunity for Dame Julie Walters to get actively involved. The narrative is all just a bit disjointed without the charm of the two earlier cinema outings for Michael Bond's character. It's still a watchable and enjoyable enough family film, but I am not sure I shall recall it for long. Stick around for the credits - there's a nice wee cameo in there from you know who.

When “Iman” (Missagh Zareh) gets a promotion at work, he hopes it will lead to his family of wife “Najmeh” (Sohelia Golestani) and daughters “Sana” (Setareh Maleki) and “Rezvan” (Mahsa Rostami) being relocated to better accommodation so that the girls can finally have rooms of their own! He is now to be an investigator for the state, a stone’s throw from the judiciary, and an important job. He discovers quite quickly, though, that his is really little more than a rubber-stamping position for the prosecutors who are enforcing Iran’s increasingly Draconian laws. His workload is only increased by the evident volume of civil disobedience, and for his own protection he is given a gun. At home, his wife is conscious this new job will heap additional pressure on the family and that it’s more important than ever that they keep their noses clean. Their daughters are going to school and college and are experiencing the horrors inflicted on protestors at first hand. This becomes even more poignant when their friend “Sadaf” (Niousha Akhshi) is caught up with brutal consequences. With “Iman” more disconsolate about the compliant nature of his new job family life becomes strained. Then the gun goes missing. They tear their home apart but no trace. Has he left it somewhere? Has it been stolen? The shame that will be heaped upon him, not to mention the three years in jail, should he not find it. He begins to conclude that the thief must be one of his family, and so resorts to ever more extreme measures to force the culprit to own up. When that takes them all to his home village, things starts to come to an head that tests everyone’s mettle and challenges that which all of them have hitherto cherished. The drama itself is tautly paced and becomes almost visceral as the exasperation and panic sets in amongst parents who realise that nothing is now as it was. It’s also supported by some fairly ghastly UGC from mobile phones depicting the actions of the police as they clamp down on the women who are rebelling against the restrictiveness of what they see as an ever more oppressive theocracy that reduces them to positions of little better than slavery. The plot isn’t without it’s holes, and I found the denouement all a little bit unsatisfactory for a number of reasons, not least what auteur Mohammad Rasoulof allows the character of “Iman” to become, but it’s still a compelling critique of how even the most loving of relationships can come undone when pressure, hatred, fear and mistrust are allowed unfettered into an home that’s embedded within the infrastructure of a corrupt and savagely dogmatic regime.

I liked the show. Well executed and actors do a great job, but I wanna say something about it which inlcudes spoilers so if you haven't watched it yet, stop reading my review from here...
So, I watched this show and according to it, I came to a conclusion that those boys were very bad and basically monsters and the story with sexual abuse was made up and when they got life imprisonment without parole, I was happy about it, HOWEVER! After this show, I watched the documentary "The Menendez Brothers (2024)" which is a documentary about those brothers with real footages and interviews and actual footages from the court and watching that documentary I came to conclusion that those boys were telling the truth and they were really sexually abused and they didn't deserve life imprisonment. To be honest, I'm conflicted and don't know which one to believe, but I'm more proning to a real documentary rather the show.

The struggle to overcome addiction is indeed a noble one, and it’s been the subject of many fine films over the years. The same is true of movies that explore individual efforts to get one’s life back on track by returning home to one’s roots, both as a way of finding oneself and healing. And, in the latest effort from writer-director Nora Fingscheidt, viewers get some of both of these cinematic motifs, based on the fact-based memoir penned by author and journalist Amy Liptrot. The film follows the odyssey of London-based biologist Rona (Saoirse Ronan), whose wild child tendencies and descent into alcoholism cost her a promising career and a loving relationship with her significant other, Daynin (Paapa Essiedu). But, after successfully undergoing a 12-step program, she decides to return home to the Orkney Islands just off the coast of Scotland to recover and regroup. While there, however, she must confront the ghosts of a past that may have contributed to the development of her substance abuse, most notably dealing with her separated, dysfunctional parents, Annie (Saskia Reeves), a born-again, sometimes-overbearing fundamentalist Christian, and Andrew (Stephen Dillane), a bipolar sheep farmer who has some questionable habits of his own. In telling this story, Rona’s experiences are presented in nonlinear fashion, mixing flashbacks with her period of recovery, a commonly employed approach used in films like this. However, despite Ronan’s phenomenal performance, some truly poetic script writing and the picture’s gorgeous cinematography of the windswept Scottish landscape, the film’s back-and-forth narrative can at times be confusing (and annoying), not to mention repetitive. What’s more, save for some of this story’s unique particulars, the material at times is rather predictable – indeed, almost clichéd -- when it comes to pictures in this genre, offering little in the way of groundbreaking insights. That’s unfortunate, because, with a little fine-tuning in these regards, this could have been one of the year’s better releases. However, as it stands now, the finished product sometimes feels like it gets in its own way, and that’s caused “The Outrun” to be treated more like “The Also-ran” instead of a bona fide awards season contender, one whose strengths, unfortunately, have been generally overlooked or ignored. This is a story that definitely deserved better, and it’s a shame that it didn’t get it.

Saoirse Ronan totally nails it with her amazing performance in this intense addiction-recovery drama, making it super powerful and engaging.

If you are fan of the very adaptable Saoirse Ronan then you'll probably love this - she throws just about everything into the role of "Rona". She has returned to her mother's home in Orkney to recover from a fairly torrid time of booze and drugs in London. The timelines are threaded together to drip feed us the causes of her current predicament whilst looking at her own efforts to get - and stay - clean. Of course, there are domestic issues at home too with her father suffering from bi-polar disorder and her mother having turned to religion which add to the turbulence of her life. In the end, she takes a job working on a remote island for the RSPB trying to find an example of the once plentiful but now rare corn crake. With the weather closing in on her small cottage and her determined to get well again despite the familial pressures, the woman has her work cut out for her. Can she stay the course or is a relapse inevitable? It is a strong effort from Ronan here, and Andrew Dillane also delivers quite effectively as her dad - especially once the film has got up an head of steam and the characters more fully develop. The photography of this sometimes beautiful and other times bleak environment adds really well to the overarching sense of the claustrophobic as the story plays out. Her self-imposed isolation flying in the face of her naturally more gregarious personality. It doesn't try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to the treatment techniques and struggles involved here, but it does provide us with a powerfully character-led drama that must have cost a fortune in hair dye and doesn't offer any rose-tinted solutions.

Strange, subdued sound effects.
Yet another show where the characters’ motivations are long-winded, tedious philosophical, contrived ideals.
Was the lead character (the one from the future) male or female?

As a Terminator story, the status quo. A basic evolution. As 2024 animation, solid and clean, but certainly not creative top end. However, its main problem was a script decision to place the father in a non-descript room with the AI for almost the entire story. So much damn exposition; lazy, tedious and boring storytelling.
If you are invested in the Terminator IP and have Netflix it is worth catching at barely 3 hours of content, but I wouldn't go out of your way to watch it 🤷 ♂️.

"This animated series mixes woke social engineering, with a heavily feminised cast, sitting alongside a bland story that simply re-imagines tropes, that have played out in various Terminator productions."
Half of the above statement is true and the other half is bigoted bullshit. There are numerous successful and acclaimed anime series with female leads going back decades. Ghost in the Shell released in 1995 for goodness sake. The bigotry mind-virus is real and it's rotting people's brains. I truly fear for the future of our species.
As for Terminator Zero - it's boring, contrived, boring, dragged out, boring, and nonsensical. I opted to watch the English version after my last outing with Asian media (Alice in Borderland) left me wondering if the subtitles were just dog !@#$, but even Timothy Olyphant's smooth voice can't save this nonsense. The subtitles don't even match the English sometimes!
Zero takes us to an alternate Terminator reality in which a Japanese AI is built in secret to combat the coming threat of worldwide annihilation by Skynet. Five episodes in and I still have no idea how Malcolm Lee is having these prophetic "knightmares". Yes, it is as stupid as it was in the DCEU. Terminator has never had a paranormal or pseudoscience twist to my knowledge. Even Malcolm's AI creation, Kokoro, cannot comprehend his prophetic visions.
The best thing this season has done so far is Kokoro's writing, and maybe that's the "woke engineering" MovieGuy whines about, because nowadays, acknowledging the past and how things like poverty and crime and our classist society is all engineered by us to discriminate against those we deem lesser than is too much reality for some to digest. They'd rather cling to notions about gods and their superiority to women and people who don't look or act like them.
I enjoyed Terminator: Salvation and Terminator: Dark Fate. Salvation gave us a look into the future that we rarely see in Terminator media and Dark Fate gave us Mackenzie Davis, a dead John Connor, and an internet full of raging fanboys who couldn't accept it as an alternate story. It also gave us some cringy dialog and Natalia Reyes who just didn't stick the landing with her big future war speech, but I can say that without resorting to bigotry and misogyny. Reeling it back in - compared to these two, Zero is just too boring.
The most fun I've had with Zero is the robot cat and then watching everyone get annihilated at the start of episode 5. It takes 20 seconds, which was 10 seconds too long, but I'll give it a pass. They really wanted you to feel something for those pixel kids.
_Boy, do I miss the days when we understood the need for censorship against irrational hate speech._
---
I'm back with an update! The final two episodes finally answer our burning questions and offer some interesting twists, one of which I hope they don't explore further because it makes ZERO sense. Episode 7 gives us the backstory we should have gotten 4 episodes prior. The writers could have pivoted off of this story and given us something a lot better than what we got. Also, that explanation of MCU time travel was overly convoluted.
Wasted potential and wasted time. That's what Season 1 of Terminator Zero is.

The aptly named Terminator Zero, offers fans of the franchise, nothing new.
This animated series mixes woke social engineering, with a heavily feminised cast, sitting alongside a bland story that simply re-imagines tropes, that have played out in various Terminator productions.
I found myself thoroughly bored and disengaged, by the end of the third episode.
In summary, innovative storytelling should be front and centre. Simply dropping the Terminator story into a Japanese setting but doing nothing remotely new or interesting, isn't going to cut the mustard.
NOTE: Please ignore any trolling of my reviews. Speaking for myself, I've never felt the need to malign someone else's review because I'm confident enough in my own opinions to let my reviews stand or fall, on their merit. Thanks all.

Hounds of War is a somewhat better than average B grade military action flick.
Its suggestion that the US is complicit in terrorism, is rather boldly honest but any claim the political establishment in that country has recognised this shortcoming or moved to address it, is far fetched.
Action in this film is reasonably well done. Lots of gun play and polished fight scenes, keep this film rolling along. Frank Grillo is as likeable as ever and not a bad choice, for the lead in a film of this kind.
In summary, Hounds of War meets the conventional action flick criteria and even manages to offer up a naive, if hopeful message, about the US's role in the world today. Certainly worth a look.

The movie is too short and fast paced compared to the original work in manga and compared to all those previous matches in the anime. It felt like a recap movie than as a standalone movie.
Disappointed a lot like any other Haikyuu fan. I wish it gets reanimated as a series. I highly suggest u to start read the manga first and see this movie as a recap. 😓😓 Disappointed in the studio as they didn't justify the manga.

After an astonishing run of success in the Harutaka High School Volleyball championships, "Karasuno" school must now face their rivals from "Nekoma" and the film depicts, in almost real-time, the ebbs and flows of that game whilst providing us with a narrative of the characters in each team and of their relationships with each other in "peace time" - past and present. The animation of the game is lively and at times quite visceral. Each player has their set task within their own team - they must continually evolve their tactics on the court as each pushes the other to new standards, to move quicker or jump higher. One team is much more aggressive and forceful with the ball, the other much more adept at controlling the pace and hopefully frustrating errors from their opponents - and the exhausting dedication required to play as well as the emotional trials faced is well captured as the story reaches it's denouement. It's based on a series I haven't seen, but unlike many of it's contemporaries, this film provides for enough of the backstory via flashback and narration to give us enough information to be able to treat this more as a stand alone story within the confines of the match itself. The style of artwork is very two-dimensional with precious little effort gone into activating the crowd beyond the audio, but the close up nature of the facial and athletic imagery as well as the soundtrack give the thing quite an intensity and show just how team sports can be character-building and to an extent, even life affirming. Tough old game volleyball, too!

In spite of a few shortcomings, I mostly liked The Convert.
Firstly, there's Australian actor, Guy Pierce. Pierce who is, in my opinion, fantastic. Its been quite a while since I've seen him in anything, I'd personally consider worthwhile, so this film made for a welcome change.
Another upside, is a reasonable, if overcooked story (I'll come to that) which offers insights into early colonial life in New Zealand. In particular, it taps into the conflict between Maori tribes (the native people) and the newly arrived colonists.
It's not a bad tale but as is often the case, it overplays its hand. The colonists are depicted as largely narrow minded, racist bigots. Its fair to say there was indeed racism (and still is). Its also true, however that the reason there are no pure Maori left in New Zealand, is because they integrated with the new arrivals.Its a bit hard to overstate the race card, when you stop to consider this fact.
That said, there remains a heck of a lot to like here. Great performances, convincing characterisations and action that's a little implausible, at times, but still well done and generally entertaining.
In summary, The Convert, in spite of a few shortcomings, is a quality production, that's definitely worth a look.

This rather sumptuous historical drama starts off with a caption that tells us we are all taught from history books about men and war. That appears to serve the purpose of excusing what comes next from at attempts to reflect what little is actually known of Katherine Parr. She was the final wife of England's Henry VIII and was known as a woman who favoured the translation of the bible from Latin into English to broaden it's access by the people. She (Alicia Vikander) quickly finds a powerful enemy in Bishop Gardiner (Sir Simon Russell Beale) who strives to prove the point of her friend, the rabble-rouser, Anne Askew (Erin Doherty) that it's important to the clergy and, indeed, to the King himself (Jude Law) that the interpretation of God's word is left to those more qualified - and certainly more adept at controlling the message it might convey! With Askew's life in constant danger, the Queen tries to help and that brings her cat and mouse game with Gardiner to an perilous head for a women married to a distrusting man who still obsesses about having another son as as spare to Prince Edward (Patrick Buckley). What Karim Aïnzou has managed here is to create something that looks authentic. The attention to the detail is lavish and depicts court life in quite a potent fashion. From singing to savagery in seconds being quite the norm. The thrust of the story itself, though, is thin and really struggles to pad out the two hours. There are too many lingering close ups, the pace of the thing is glacially slow and even the most basic of the aforementioned history books tells you what does happen in the end, so the attempts at jeopardy - though they do sometimes illustrate that being queen offered her little protection from the scheming plotters eyeing the secession - falls a bit flat. Though I did quite like the idea of the denouement, it's not remotely plausible and that rather sums up this disappointing drama that's very heavy on the speculation and doesn't really give Vikander much meat to put on the bones of a story about a women caught up in the dregs of this despotic Tudor reign.

In the interest of full disclosure, originally I had not intended to watch this film, a decision I’ll freely admit was governed by my politics, especially after reading several mistaken early reviews claiming that the picture presented a “sympathetic” look at its protagonist (a conclusion that, in hindsight, truly escapes me). However, I changed my mind after hearing about the recently announced Oscar nominations bestowing accolades on Sebastian Stan for lead actor and Jeremy Strong for supporting actor for their performances in this picture. And it was through that viewing experience that I realized I should not have let my politics get in the way of my screening decisions. Director Ali Abbasi’s fourth feature outing is truly one of 2024’s surprise stand-outs, one that certainly deserves more attention and recognition than it has received. This “origin story” about the meteoric rise of New York real estate mogul Donald Trump (Stan) in the 1970s and 80s candidly illustrates how he became the individual he is today under the tutelage of lawyer Roy Cohn (Strong), the infamous, underhanded political fixer who rose to prominence as Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s “trusted” associate during the 1950s Congressional anti-Communist hearings. Cohn, a man who would stop at virtually nothing to get his way for himself and his clients, groomed his impressionable apprentice on how to do the same for himself in business and in life, developments chronicled here in unreserved detail. In that sense, then, one could probably best characterize this offering as “instructive” about the nature of the man who went on to be elected to a second term as President, despite his many obvious and highly public failings. This story is brought to life thanks to the superb (and largely overlooked) screenwriting of Gabriel Sherman in only his second feature film outing, along with the picture’s fine editing, spot-on period piece production design, and outstanding performances of its two principals, particularly Strong. While the film indeed presents an excellent depiction of Trump’s apprenticeship in the business world, it could have been stronger when examining his personal life, particularly his stormy courtship of and arm’s-length marriage to wife Ivana (Maria Bakalova) and his rocky relationship with his family, both of which could have used some bolstering. Nevertheless, “The Apprentice” genuinely is one of the year’s best releases. It’s just a shame that more viewers didn’t see it before the last election.

Donnie Baby!!! Cool film about rich people doing rich people shit. But wait! It's the president of the EEUU.
Great performances. Nice period specific film effects. Not sure how accurate it is but I assume 100% if the greatest country in the world tried to stop its release.

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://talkingfilms.net/the-apprentice-review-sebastian-stan-and-jeremy-strong-shine-in-a-provocative-bold-donald-trump-biopic/
"The Apprentice will leave no one indifferent. By crafting a provocative, uncompromising narrative about Donald Trump's early days, Ali Abbasi and Gabriel Sherman confront audiences with a raw, unsettling view of a man who shaped politics, business, his country, and the world with intense controversy and questionable morals.
The exceptional, award-worthy performances from Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong elevate a bold script unafraid to incriminate a former - and perhaps future - POTUS in multiple ways, revealing shocking events from his life and career.
It's a biopic that challenges the audience to reflect on the choices we make every day and just how far we're willing to go to achieve our dreams."
Rating: B+

I was really quite disappointed with this. It focusses on the rise of Donald Trump, and in that role Sebastian Stan proves quite effective at mimicking some of the famous mannerisms of the man himself. The facial expressions and the habit of repeating himself to thrust home his point are well captured by this performance. The rest of it, though, came across as little better than crude, occasionally violent, speculation centred around his relationship with the celebrated, and much feared, attorney Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) whose thinly disguised homosexuality proves to be a more telling indictment of a New York that was beginning to come to terms with AIDS. Trump's rise from wealth to greater wealth and prosperity is skirted over too superficially with little meat put on the bones of his property acquisitions, developments and battles with an Ed Koch-led city hall, and it's all presented a bit too episodically weakly. Maria Bakalova acquits herself well enough as Ivana but as to the drama concerning the rest of his family, that's undercooked and I struggled to identify the accent(s) that seemed to be coming from his mother (Catherine McNally) as the importance of that torrid family unit struggles to impact on the story. For me, Strong steals his scenes and delivers well as the manipulative and scheming lawyer with few scruples, but the rest of this is all a bit of a soap that will probably polarise opinion as effectively as does Donald Trump himself.

**The Penguin: A Gripping Journey into the Ruthless Rise of a True Villain**
I am writing this review after just finishing watching the first and probably only season of "The Penguin" today. For me, it's an 8/10 (which, on my scale, is a very good rating, though on IMDb that’s more like a 9/10). It’s an HBO series. While it’s not perfect (but what is, really?), I think the series is very, very well done. I don’t expect there to be a second season, nor is there a need for one; it works perfectly as a standalone miniseries.
The series builds on the movie The Batman (with Robert Pattinson in the lead role) and follows the Penguin’s rise to power, bridging the story between that movie and the planned sequel.
I can only recommend it — but I ask you, if it doesn’t grab you right away, please at least watch through the third episode and then decide.
You don’t necessarily need to have seen The Batman either, since the Penguin appears only as a side character there, merely a capo in Gotham’s mafia. The series does reference a few events from the movie (such as some neighborhoods flooding after a terrorist attack), but, as I said, you don’t need to know the specifics to follow the plot. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to have seen the movie, especially since it’s quite good.
It’s also worth mentioning that we're dealing with an anti-hero here who is, essentially, a villain. I won’t go into more detail on that — it’s part of the experience to discover this character’s nature, and perhaps to be as deceived by him as the other characters in the series are by the Penguin’s manipulations.

Season 1 has no business being as boring as it is. Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019) is more exciting than this.
Yep, that's my review!