Lee Cronin's The Mummy: Movie Review

Cast: Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, with Veronica Falcón.
Director: Lee Cronin

The latest iteration of the horror franchise takes on new meaning with the director of Evil Dead Rise at the helm.

The young daughter of a journalist disappears into the desert without a trace. Eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare.

Balls Up: Movie Review

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Paul Walter Hauser, Benjamin Bratt, Sacha Baron Cohen
Director: Peter Farrelly

A film from one half of the duo behind There's Something About Mary and Dumb and Dumber about a condom being launched in the upcoming World Cup doesn't really endow its audience with much hope.

However, in this borderline unfunny piece that salvages only a few laughs from unexpected moments, hope is abandoned within the opening sequence, which sees Paul Walter Hauser's marketing executive Elijah try to pitch a new condom for the upcoming FIFA festivities by unveiling the fact that it covers both the penis as well as the testicles.

As the room watches on as Elijah stumbles and fumbles his pitch to his own company, one of the assembled employees bemoans, "What is happening here?", a sentiment which soon becomes the key mantra for a film that sees a naked Benjamin Bratt swing on a rope while aroused and sees one man being forced to suck out a vampire fish which has gone up another's penis.

Depending on how you read the above sentences will very much lead you to your own conclusions about whether this is a movie for you. For those looking for humour, it is not; for those seeking broad debased laughs that are as scattered as they are scatological, they will be rewarded.

When Brad (Wahlberg) and Elijah (Hauser) score an own goal with their condom pitch, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory during a meeting with Brazilian authorities, they're fired. But having been granted a couple of VIP passes to the World Cup Final, they decide to go anyway.

However, during a last-minute pitch invasion by a drunken Elijah (Hauser's character is unsurprisingly uptight), the entire nation of Brazil turns on them after losing the game to bordering neighbours Argentina. Forced on the run, the "Os Stuipdos", as they're dubbed by media, try to flee the country with their lives.

Farrelly's sense of direction lurches from one absurd moment to the next, with nary a pause in the script for any serious laughs or character development. Having cut his teeth on broader fare, he's reticent to divert from the usual MO - but even this time, the gross-out laughs feel forced, fraught and fairly unfunny. 

While the banter between the bickering Brad and Elijah is brought to life well by Wahlberg and Hauser, the lurching script does too little with their obvious comedic potential and even throws in another Sacha Baron Cohen character that's forgettable. (One of the finer moments of the film sees the pair doing a karaoke version of Gotje and Kimbra's infamous song.)

Ultimately, this is one film that actually leaves you feeling exactly as its title intended - it's a Balls Up from beginning to end.

Balls Up is streaming now on Prime Video.

Solo Mio: Movie Review

Cast: Kevin James, Nicole Grimaudo, Alyson Hannigan, Kim Coates, Jonathan Roumie, Julee Cerda, Julie Ann Emery, Alessandro Carbonara

Director: Chuck Kinnane, Dan Kinnane

If you’re expecting a goofy Kevin James to bust out the larrikin behaviour in Solo Mio, you’ll be sorely disappointed.

In it, he plays sad-sack elementary school teacher Matt Taylor, who believes he’s found the one in Heather. After a pitch-perfect proposal in among the kids, he and his fiancée head to Italy for their wedding. But to Matt’s horror, he’s left at the altar, smiling and hopeful as his other half makes a run for it.

Deciding to carry on with the honeymoon in the mistaken belief that she’ll return to him, Matt becomes part of a travel group of other couples, all of which appear to be having their own issues. From a bickering duo who’s on their third go-around after divorcing each other twice to another who are both picking at each other, Matt finds he’s not sure he fits in.

But after a meet-cute with Gia at a local café, the pair strikes up an easy friendship that follows the usual pattern of opposites attract. Will Matt mend his broken heart and take up a new life?

Solo Mio isn’t interested in presenting a film that deals with the emotional depth and fallout of break-ups, unexpected or otherwise. It’s a strait-laced, faith-based film that’s aiming for the feelgood factor and is more likely to land with people untroubled by complications in life or in cinema.

That said, with some beautiful scenery around Italy and a depth from Kevin James that’s truly delightful and different, the film manages to balance some of the more uneven edges of what plays out – including the male duo that befriend and ill-advise him on his life journey.

Disappointingly, Alyson Hannigan is massively underused in a film that’s more around the hijinks of Matt and his buffoonish honeymooner buddies. Thankfully, the directors never resort to sending James to the kind of depths he’s explored before in the likes of Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

Solo Mio is a thoroughly pleasant film, the kind that grandparents would be happy to sit through – however, its lack of bite and emotional depth at times proves to be a major missed opportunity to provide a film with definite conflict and a hint more of investment.

Fuze: Movie Review

Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Sam Worthington, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Theo James
Director: David Mackenzie

The discovery of a World War II bomb at a building site in downtown London is the ticking fuse that lights a fire under Hell Or High Water director Mackenzie's latest - but thanks to choppy editing, most of the suspense is sucked from the premise.

As the police seal off and evacuate the area (led by Mbatha-Raw's deadpan Chief Superintendent), a military bomb defusal squad, led by Taylor-Johnson's clearly-got-something-to-prove Will Tranter steps in. But as soon as the area is cleared, a heist of a nearby bank begins...

Meshing the kind of cliffhanger twists you'd get in a pulpy Netflix "watch another right now" thriller with the kind of absurdism viewed in the likes of Trigger Point, Fuze deploys its propulsive touch to maximum effect - even if the final third of the film tries to pack more twists than you'd ever think plausible.

Some, however, work, but the ledger's very strongly stacked in favour of the deliberately deployed for the sake of the story.

But perhaps that's part of the proposed thrill of this - Mackenzie's movie doesn't stand still long enough to allow you to consider its contrivances. And certainly, the cross-cut editing, jumping from one scene to the next, allows you little time to deeply engage with the characters.

From scenes in a command centre which follow Exposition 101 to doubts at the bomb site via shady goings-on and thieves falling apart, Fuze ticks all of the genre tropes while using them to stack a story in a different way.

Yet, it's debatably a failure - albeit one that zips its way through perfunctory set-up and execution.

With cursory dialogue serving up pernicious pieces of back-story, the narrative falls into a trap of overloading the bases before showing all of its cards in one final go. It's a move that sadly doesn't work for bomb-thriller heist Fuze, proving this is more damp squib than highly explosive.

Samsung Unveils 115-Inch Micro RGB TV Featuring Next-Generation Colour

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has unveiled the incredible 115” Micro RGB TV, marking its New Zealand debut of the Micro RGB display and a bold new design direction for ultra-premium displays.

New Zealand’s first display to feature Micro RGB, a micro-scale RGB LED backlight behind a large 115-inch screen. This breakthrough display establishes a new benchmark for colour accuracy, contrast and immersive viewing.

Micro RGB Technology uses sub-100 μm red, green and blue LEDs that each emit light independently. This advanced display architecture enables incredibly precise light control and improved colour accuracy. Enhanced picture-processing technologies, including 4K AI Upscaling Pro and AI Motion Enhancer Pro,3 further refine brightness, smooth out motion and add clarity in real time.

“Micro RGB represents the pinnacle of TV display innovation, its cutting-edge technology, exceptional colour accuracy and truly immersive viewing experience is unrivalled,” said Tura Gim, Head of Consumer Electronics at Samsung New Zealand. “This new flagship model sets a new benchmark for premium display design, and we’re excited to bring this next-generation display technology to Kiwis.”

Ultimate Viewing Experience to Match Its Scale

The 115-inch Micro RGB model features Samsung’s most advanced Micro RGB innovations to date.
Powered by Micro RGB AI Engine Pro, Micro RGB Colour Booster Pro and Micro RGB HDR Pro, it leverages AI to enhance dull tones and refine contrast, delivering vivid colour and subtle detail across bright and dark scenes alike for realism and picture fidelity.

The display elevates picture performance with Micro RGB Precision Colour 100, delivering 100% of the BT.2020 wide colour gamut. Certified by the Verband der Elektrotechnik (VDE) for precise Micro RGB colour reproduction, it produces finely controlled hues that appear true to life on screen.

Glare Free That Redefines Daytime viewing

The 115-inch model also includes Samsung’s proprietary Glare Free technology, which minimises reflections, even in bright lighting conditions for a more comfortable and focused viewing experience. This impressive Glare-Free performance with a specially engineered low-reflection layer that disperses external light and reduces internal light-scattering without distorting picture quality. A new physical solution for reflecting external light sources, which is backed by AI gamma adjustment to add another layer of refinement.

Football gets even more exciting

As sport is intrinsic to the Kiwi psyche, Samsung also offers intuitive modes to personalise theviewing experience. For football fans, AI Football Mode Pro delivers a more exciting gameday experience through AI-driven picture and sound tuning to stadium-level quality. AI Sound Controller Pro lets you raise or lower the volume of the crowd, commentary, or background music, providing a personalised listening experience for TV shows and movies.

More details regarding the rest of the 2026 line-up will be announced in May 2026.

What's on DocPlay in May

Here's everything that's streaming on DocPlay in May 2026.

We’re warming up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup: Kenny Dalglish, the new documentary from Oscar®-winner Asif Kapadia, streams exclusively on DocPlay from May 14. 

The Scottish soccer icon, who played for Liverpool and Scotland, comes to life in a vivid portrait of his sporting and personal successes. Releasing forty years after the world-changing disaster, Chernobyl: Utopia in Flames is a gripping portrait of the 1986 nuclear explosion and its aftermath. 

Released by Neon in the US, Men of War offers a shockingly prescient account of how, in 2020, a ragtag group of American-led insurrectionists attempted to infiltrate Venezuela and overthrow the regime of Nicolas Maduro. Or spice up your life with three-part BBC series Spice Girls: How Girl Power Changed the World.

4 May

Chernobyl: Utopia in Flames (Exclusive)

A new four-part German production about the 1986 nuclear disaster: the true story of Chernobyl is even more complex, more human, and more shocking than we could ever have imagined.

14 May

Kenny Dalglish (Exclusive)

The new documentary from Oscar®-winning director Asif Kapadia (Senna), Kenny Dalglish offers an in-depth portrait of the Scottish soccer icon. 

18 May

Spice Girls: How Girl Power Changed the World

The must-see story of how five ordinary women became the Spice Girls. A three-episode series from the BBC.

18 May

Freddie: The Final Act

The story of the extraordinary final chapter of Freddie Mercury’s life and how, after his death, Queen staged one of the biggest concerts in history.

21 May

Antidote (Exclusive)

What is the cost of speaking truth to power? In Putin’s Russia, it could mean your life. An immersive and chilling documentary, Antidote follows in real time a whistleblower from inside Russia's poison program, a prominent political activist, and a Russian journalist forced to go into hiding. 

21 May

Men of War (Exclusive)

In May 2020, a ragtag group of American-led insurrectionists attempted to infiltrate Venezuela and overthrow the regime of Nicolas Maduro. 

25 May

This Is A Bomb (Exclusive)

In 1980, an ingenious boobie-trapped ticking time bomb - filled with 1,000 pounds of dynamite - was wheeled in the front doors of Harvey’s Wagon Wheel Casino in Lake Tahoe. Along with the bomb was a note demanding $3 million within 24 hours. While the bomb squad attempts to disarm the explosive, the FBI races the clock to deliver the ransom and simultaneously catch the extortionists. Nothing goes as planned, and each step uncovers darker secrets and suspicions of a deeper motive. 

Armageddon Expo 2026: Talking The Boys with Speciality costume designer LJ Shannon

Ahead of her trip to the Auckland Autumn Armageddon Expo, costume designer Laura Jean Shannon spoke about her work on The Boys, cosplay and also the one person she'd have killed to have met.

To get more on the upcoming Auckland Armageddon Expo, head to armageddonexpo.com.

Hi Laura, how are you? 
I am great but please call me Laura Jean or LJ! 

Have you ever been to New Zealand before?

I have not but I have always wanted to visit! I wish I could be there longer as the list of things I would like to see is endless, but I am thrilled for the opportunity to experience a small slice of your beautiful country. Someday I will return to tour the countryside but for now Hobbiton and Armageddon will be the highlights as I get to immerse into the Auckland vibe ...

How did you get started in costume designing and creation?

I guess it all started when I was a kid really, enamored by sci fi and fantasy films that I would pour over the designs of. I loved getting to escape into other worlds. I studied sculpture and graphic design in college but had a lifelong collection of clothing from around the world and always put things together in unique ways but ultimately, I found my inspiration in NYC in the 90’s post college when I moved there and started working as a Production Assistant in the Costume Department on Feature Films which lead to my designing indies like Requiem For a Dream.

You seem to have an incredible team around you in Team LJ Supersuits - how did all that start?

I am truly blessed with the best of the best. I always say, “I am only as good as the company I keep” and I truly mean that and take it to heart. I do my best to cultivate not only amazing artisans and makers but also amazing people who all share the passion I do for what we create together. It is a collaborative art form so I am so lucky I get to choose to collaborate with wonderful people.
Team LJ Supersuits specifically started with "Black Lightning". The Showrunner and studio were looking for a cinematic visual for the Supersuits but needed them to be able to be practically worn for a TV shooting schedule and budget.
We started small, Sarah, our concept artist and me in a literal closet at WB! We've since grown exponentially as the needs and the projects expanded and we morph and grow or contract as the projects ebb and flow. 

A basic build team on one show is around 30 people, but sometimes our team is 45 strong, sometimes 80, sometimes over 100 if you take into consideration all set teams on our combined shows. However, the core is about 16.

We obviously can't not ask about your work on The Boys - as there are some New Zealanders involved in Karl Urban and Antony Starr. Would you mind giving us a bit of an insight into how you created outfits for them and what their initial reactions to them were?

Ant is my Kiwi brother! Homelander was one of the very first characters I created with our Showrunner, Eric Kripke, for a pilot presentation to get our first season green-lit. The moment I met Ant I knew we had a force that would elevate not only the character but the show as a whole. Antony’s ability to morph into his character and express such a wealth of emotions with the smallest expressions is a true gift. He has incredible instincts that Eric Kripke trusts and they have a wonderful working relationship where the development of Homelander is a true group effort. Also, he is just a delight as a human being and I adore him as a friend.

Karl I met the day he came to meet with the fellas, Kripke, Seth and Evan, on the Sony lot… I knew as I stood on the stoop of the Point Grey offices chatting with him that he was the one.. he has grit and gravitas, what was needed for the role. I was not responsible for his costumes as I am an Associate Producer on The Boys and design the Supersuits but helped find awesome fellow Costume Designers to design the show at large. Carrie Grace created the iconic Butcher look in the pilot that has since lived on and been enhanced by Joyce Schure season 1, Rebecca Gregg Season 2 and Michael Ground seasons 3-5.

The Homelander outfit is so iconic and such a subtle twist on the Superman suit, did you ever think it would go on to be so embraced in its genre?

Thanks! The edict going into The Boys was to create a totally legitimate superhero universe of our own that could play with the big two, Marvel and DC, both whom I have designed for on some iconic shows and films. It was my job to make costumes that would be steeped in lore and nod to other iconic tropes from existing universes but that were grounded in our own universe that focused on science and nothing mystical. I loved that challenge and took it very seriously. 

I did think that Homelander would become iconic. I worked hard to get him to have all the things needed to become so from my end and the beauty of our show is that the writing sets the tone for excellence and then actors like Ant breathe the life needed into the supersuits to create something unique and special.

How do you feel now the series is ending - did you manage to sneak away any of the outfits from the show and do you have a favourite?

I feel honored and humbled and it is a bittersweet end. Bitter because it is the end of an era, sweet because what a brilliant era it has been! Wish I could sneak away some of the supersuits but alas, they are not mine to sneak, but I will always have them in my heart. I always say asking me which suit is my fave is like asking which of my children I love most, luckily I only have one child = but I love each of my superheroes with all my heart for their backstory and journey.

Cosplay is such a big thing on the convention circuit, what does it feel like to see people wearing the outfits you've designed? And conversely, what's been the best fan interaction you've had?

We LOVE the fans!!! We always talk in fittings about how exciting it will be to see cosplayers interpret our designs. It is a huge heartfelt moment when I see something that came from my brain brought to life by someone that was inspired by the work my team and I did together… 

I am at SDCC annually so there are lots of amazing stories I have of interacting with fans that continues to inspire me as a Designer and as a human being who believes in the greater conciseness, a hopeful future and the importance of camaraderie and acceptance. I have always believed that the genres of superheroes, sci fi and fantasy allow for us to expand our minds and belong to something greater. A shared experience by dreamers who fit best where they can be their true selves. 

I think cosplayers appreciate the opportunity to explore possibilities and being able to be a part of that makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

Are there any outfits you would have liked to have designed, and if so, which ones and why?

There is always something I would love to design but also- I do not really have design envy because I love seeing what other designers come up with and as artists we all inform each other in a lot of ways..

I have been so lucky to have the opportunity to design some cool shit (that's the technical term!) so, this question is a hard one to really have a response to as I love whatever I am doing when I am doing it so....The universe sends me where I am meant to be to design the things that then become my children and labors of love, so I am content! I look forward to seeing what unknown may be around the corner.

You've had a wonderful and varied career across films and tV, from the likes of Elf to Murderbot, is there any costume you've been part of that still sticks with you - and if so, why? And how do you begin with the initial concept of a design?

They are all a part of my DNA and I carry each one with me…

Recently I was interviewed for a book on Elf and put together a bunch of visuals to share of my process.. it was such a great walk down memory lane to pour through all of my process materials… luckily I am a pack rat and had a ton of analog files of things so much now is digital, it was nice to have all my handwritten notes and things on the sketches and Swatches. Murderbot was also one that will always hold a special place in my heart. It was awesome to have a shop that built things in-house and achieve such a unique tone with the sec-units…

Though each final product is unique and the build parameters differ for the needs. The initial concept of all designs starts with these basic steps:

1- meet with the Showrunner (TV) or Director (Film) and get their insights into the project and characters 

2- start getting a broad spectrum of visuals together for research based upon the flow of ideas I get 

3-create mood boards of the research visuals that resonate as a collage of ideas to inspire initial jumping off point for designs 

4-begin exploring basic silhouettes, shapes and ideas in thumbnails 

5-get feedback from Showrunner or director 

6- play with colors and textures in thumbnail stage still, dialing in several possible contender ideas 

7-figure out direction from thumbnails with feedback from the showrunner/director to create a rendering

8-start the build with the approved rendering of design 

How was working with Rhys Darby on Jumanji?

Rhys is the best! Have you read his children’s books? They are awesome ! We had to recreate the original costume I designed for “Welcome to the Jungle” for this third installment.

We had a challenging shoot for many reasons, our industry has tightened the belt, so even big budget blockbusters these days are feeling rather compressed and more difficult to navigate, thanks to truncated shooting schedules, coupled with location travel and some crazy weather, made for some intense days that made us feel like WE were IN Jumanji! 

I would often invoke Nigel Billingsley’s famous line in those moments and say to the team “WELCOME TO JUMANJI!” 

The Boys is obviously finishing, but you're back with the prequel series Vought Rising, what sneaks can you give us about the costumes for that please?

Well I am not allowed to give sneaks!!! BUT you can see our first looks of the main 4 that were released in the trades last August! You can see them on my instagram @LJSupersuits

Love getting to tuck into an origin story! 

We hear you're a bit of a self-confessed geek too, who would be your ideal person to hang out with at a convention and why?

True story…I have had the pleasure of hanging with some icons at cons.. one of my first cons I had just designed Scott Pilgrim vs the World and was asked to judge the Masquerade at SDCC (which I do yearly with my son- highlight of our year!) my fellow judge was Bob Blackman who designed Star Trek next Gen and MANY others.. yes, I am a Trekkie… it was such a delight to hear him talk about how some of the fans had better time and resources than us CDs get so some of the craftsmanship can be glorious!

But I guess I would have killed to meet Leonard Nimoy because Spock! Need I say more? 

Catch LJ Shannon at Armageddon Expo from April 25-27!