in review

The Last House

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 16:13:31 -0400

A family of four are suddenly sealed inside their home with no way out, and must work together to survive against both their dwindling resources and the mysterious, looming threat that is keeping them trapped.

The premise for The Last House, a new movie showing on Netflix, made me hope for a good Hitchcock thriller, where it is more about what you don’t see than what you do. And, to begin with, this one started off good enough but sadly, fizzled out midway through as there was just not enough tension or palatable fear.

Throw in the fact the ending was nothing short of head-scratching, and the monster element a little weak, and what you have is, at best, a lacklustre attempt at a horror movie that falls short. Very short.

The Mitchells vs the Machines

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:07:04 -0400

So Sunday evening, at a loss as to what to watch given we were camped out on the couch, huddled under a blanket, staring out the window at the rain coming down in veritable sheets. I said to the OH pick something funny, silly, and quirky, thinking they’d find a decent enough comedy on Netflix but wasn’t quite ready for what they chose: The Mitchells vs the Machines!

As it turned out, The Mitchells vs the Machines was an absolute blast. I found myself smirking, then giggling then finally laughing so hard we had to stop play at various places, scroll back a frame or two, to catch a missed joke.

This film is hilarious. The in and out jokes never stop coming. It really is one laugh a minute, action-packed, family-friendly, chaos-induction, popcorn chomping, coming of age adventure.

If you haven’t already seen this then get sat down, grab a bag of your favourite snacks, and enjoy the laughs.

Silo: S3 E5

Sun, 02 Aug 2026 11:44:31 -0400

Finally, got to see this week’s episode of Silo and, wow, this is what we’ve all been waiting for. And finally, some action, and answers as to what’s been going on while we weren’t looking. We’ve had 4 torturous episodes of being spoon fed tiny snippets of information and background with, to be honest, what felt like a lot of unnecessary filler.

And suddenly, in episode 5? A whole load of missing threads are revealed and we get to see what’s happening. Though, not quite why, not yet. But that glimpse gives me hope we’re rumbling toward an explosive, if not, climactic finish.

Yay!

The Bombing of Pan Am 103

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 10:37:54 -0400

We started watching The Bombing of Pan Am 103 a BBC coproduction showing on Netflix. We’re 3 episodes in this 5-part mini series and, let me tell you, it’s gripping and tense in a documentary style way, with scenes of real footage intercut between the dramatisation of the event and aftermath.

This one is both a little chilling but nonetheless, compulsive viewing. And I was surprised by a number of things I learned last night that I never knew about about the crash and subsequent inquiry.

We’ll watch the last 2 episodes tonight.

The Gorge

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 11:24:12 -0400

In total contrast to how bored we were watching Reptile the other night, we were fully engaged with the horror-tinged action thriller, The Gorge, last night. The premise is comic-book to be sure, and the whole section they were actually in the Gorge was memorable. But only because we both sat there having a good laugh at said monsters.

But what made this fun and watchable were the two main characters, perfectly acted by Miles Teller and Anya Taylor Joy. It felt like they had good chemistry onscreen and the banter was fun and lightweight. While the action didn’t overwhelm the duo’s dynamics.

Grab a bag of popcorn and just enjoy this one for what it is, implausible fun.

Repulsive Reptile

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:19:33 -0400

Last night we watched the overly long movie, Reptile over on Netflix. At 2 hours plus this felt like it could have been 90 minutes and it would still have felt like it was too long. Why? An overly meandering storyline that, quite frankly, failed dismally to go anywhere. The conclusion stilted to the point it was left hanging in midair, unresolved. And the final scene? Bizarre by anyone’s standards of out there weird. That’s two hours of my life gone.

If I were you, I would slither on over to find something better, elsewhere.

P.I. With Sugar

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 13:52:54 -0400

Following on from watching Tehran, we started, or I should say, I started watching Sugar on Apple TV. The OH didn’t like it and, after about 10 minutes, left me to watch it on my own. I have to admit, I found it a little off to begin with but, stuck with it through to a second and then, third episode and now? I’m looking forward to seeing what all the fuss is about.

Certainly a different take on the Gumshoe Detective slash P.I. genre, with some big reveal coming and, given the clues, I think I know what. Talk about mash-up.

Will see how this one pans out.

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 14:09:33 -0400

We watched the last couple of episodes from S3 of Tehran last night and, let me say, it ended with a Bang!

A very satisfying bang at that.

The build-up through three season of this Israeli spy thriller has been expertly done, with twisty, savvy, politically-dripping storylines ripped from the headlines. What with guest appearances from Glenn Close and Hugh Laurie, the acting has been top-notch. The writing gripping. And the tension, absolutely nerve-wrecking.

But, is it the end? No. It seems not. There’s one more season coming next year. And I for one can’t wait to see what the ruthless Yulia has in store for our intrepid spy, Tamar.

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 10:55:06 -0400

As we have 3 months of Apple TV for free, we started binge watching one show after another. And, last night, watched the first few episode of the world’s worst TV show, ever: Star City.

I mean, come on people, every last character on this really show was speaking with a regional British accent that, quite honestly, had me laughing. Aren’t they all supposed to be, eh, Russian?

I think I was in some sort of cultural shock, or something. Hearing these people earnestly being cruel and vindictive in a harsh northern English accent, or delivering dead-pan sentiments of someone’s misconduct with a Glaswegian twang was just too much. Then, when, the erstwhile (boo, hiss) baddie, Anna Maxwell Martin as Lyudmilla Raskova, the head of the KGB surveillance department at Star City bleated on at someone, I lost it altogether.

At least in For All Mankind the Russian characters were played by various European actors who had those clipped vowels and accents that lent credibility to them being ‘Russian’. But in Star City?

It’s like we’re stuck in a dull rainy corner of Manchester or northern Leeds. Any minute we’ll hear the theme song to Coronation Street playing on a black and white telly in the corner of someone’s apartment.

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧