Immortals of Aveum: PS5 Review

Developed by Ascendant Studios
Published by EA Originals
Platform: PS5

A first person shooter that's wrapped up in the hokum of different coloured magic, Immortals of Aveum offers a refreshing change in the genre - it's simply a game that does what it says on the tin and has a good time letting you do it.

Ascendant Studios' mix of steampunk edging and shooting away against marauding invaders is wrapped up in a story that's pretty simple to follow.

It's the story of sorcerer Jak who joins an elite order of battlemages to save a planet on the verge of abyss after his family and friends are attacked by invaders. It's not exactly rocket science, but as it spins its tale of Jak, a Triarch who can muster all three different colours of magic, it never loses sight of some truly stunning imagery and some impressively simple gameplay.

Sure, there's plenty of shooting boxes to unlock magic bits, and using colours to solve puzzles, but Immortals of Aveum is actually a fairly disposable game that requires little from its players, but offers many vicarious pleasures when it comes to picking it up and getting into it.

Jak looks a little like Jamie Tartt from Ted Lasso and with some of his spiky impudent dialogue comes across a little spoiled, but Suits' Gina Torres adds haughtiness to balance proceedings and together they make for good companions throughout.

Immortals of Aveum does have plenty of skill trees to open up thanks to three different colours of magic to wield, and that does occasionally count against it in that at times it feels like an unnecessary grind that punishes the player rather than rewards.

But very occasionally a lack of ability to focus where you're firing frustrates, and Immortals of Aveum's imprecise combat can lead to things going south quicker than perhaps they should.

Graphically the game soars. In HD, it bursts with colours, with some blending together to make oil-slick soaked lens flares that light up the screen. Blue, red and green may not be the most original of colours to behold, but Ascendant Studios have made them soar - and the game's world feels vibrant on all levels.

Ultimately, Immortals of Aveum may be sadly lost in an end of year release cycle of madness, but it's worthy of your time and investment - it may seem a little shallow at times, and choose a middle path, but when it has such a good time doing it, it seems disingenuous to criticise the enjoyment that can be garnered from it.

Telemarketers: Review

A chaotic and ramshackle three-part documentary, Telemarketers feels occasionally drawn out in its back end as it investigates an American telemarketing scam that's as shocking and entertaining as Wolf of Wall Street.

Starting off as an expose of telemarketing, but becoming something else, the series follows the exploits of Sam Lipman-Stern, a worker at the Civic Development Group, who from 2001 would cold call members of the public to solicit donations on behalf of the police force.

Lipman-Stern taped the antics at the call centre, given its population consisted of drugged up members of the public and former criminals, all unable to find work anywhere. Looking at times more like a fraternity than a workplace, the staff got to party as long as they managed to hit targets, which they frequently did.

However, Lipman-Stern and a fellow employee Patrick J Pepsas decided to investigate what happened to the money after discovering that most of the donations were kept by the company's founders.

As the duo go further down the rabbit hole, the series becomes more about the duo and less about the company involved - and it's here that Telemarketers starts to retain more of its shabbier edges and the shaggy dog elements of the story sadly come to the fore.

A bloated second episode contains some great revelations but as the focus of the camera switches from the front to the behind of it, it becomes less interesting and a little more unfocussed. Though a fascinating coda finds AI has an involvement as technology deepens and scams become more sophisticated.

Stranger than fiction it may be but with hoarier edges, Telemarketers feels like its story is looking at the wrong subjects. Thankfully both Lipman-Smith and Pepsas make for good bedfellows and companions on this 20 plus year journey.

There's a chaotic energy to Telemarketers and while parts of it may leave you wishing someone had done a more expeditious edit at times, the journey is well worth taking.

Telemarketers is streaming now on Neon NZ.

Gen V: Review

The Boys world is an obvious one to draw inspiration from.

This latest spinoff (following the animated Diabolical and three series of at time puerile mayhem from The Boys itself) settles definitely for The Kids are not All Right as it heads to Godolkin University where Supes go after their parents have dosed them with Compound V early on in their lives.

Mixing the usual college tropes of fitting in and finding your way in life, Gen V initially leads with freshman Marie (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina's Jaz Sinclair) who discovers her superpowers when she gets her first period - to devastating effect.

Enrolled in Godolkin U by a mysterious benefactor, Marie is thrown into a world she does not know - one ruled by social media, and by on-site student rankings. Her roommate, Emma (Lizzie Broadway) doesn't want her to just hide away, even though her super power gives her the chance to make a YouTube show that's a middling success.

However, along with a group of other teens, Marie and Emma are thrown into a conspiracy when it's revealed corporate shenanigans from Vought are taking place on campus - what is the mysterious Woods so often whispered about?

Gen V takes the teen predilections of consent, bulimia, cutting, overbearing parents, social media bullying and bundles them all up into an awkward mix that produces compelling results.

There's nothing new here in terms of teen concerns, but thrown through the Boys' own prism of blood, gore and grossness, it's given a fresh spin for a series that occasionally fumbles its way and at times doesn't quite know what it wants to say.

One character is able to flex between being male and female, which clearly appears to be The Boys' commentary on the trans and non-binary debate afflicting much of society, but then doesn't seem to know what it wants to do with them. Equally a couple of the rest of the group's characters feel underwritten and a touch underdeveloped in places.

But Sinclair's freshness and Broadway's innocent loveability help Gen V through some of its more familiar tropes. The idea that Vought is up to no good is not a new one, and it's not exactly handled differently from the conspiracies that are riddled through the main show's DNA, but Gen V still manages to feel watchable enough.

Gen V may well expand The Boys' universe to positive effect and it's worth taking the ride with this fresh group but its satire, while, very familiar a lot of the time, lacks some of the more caustic edges of the main show in its first season - however, given the grounded way it's played out and the likeable leads, it's more than worth enrolling in this college.

Gen V begins streaming on Prime Video on Friday, September 29 with 3 episodes.

The Creator: Movie Review

Cast: John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Allison Janney, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Ralph Ineson
Director: Gareth Edwards

If The Creator has one thing to offer amongst its painfully obvious Vietnam and Free Tibet aesthetics and its very familiar storytelling edge, it's that Gareth Edwards is a visionary when it comes to world-building.

It's just a shame that the story elements that inhabit that world don't quite do enough to paper through the cracks of what transpires.

Set in the year 2070 against a backdrop of the west declaring war on AI robots after they wiped out millions in a nuclear attack, Washington's ex-soldier Joshua is recruited to try and find a weapon the Americans believe the simulant robots have created to end the war.

Joshua is damaged, having lost his wife (Chan) and unborn child in a missile strike by the USS Nomad, a skulking ship that haunts the skies and rains down death on suspected AI havens in New Asia where simulants and humans live side by side.

Pulled back into the war against his will, Joshua finds his allegiances questioned once he discovers the weapon - a young girl (Voyles)...

The Creator has much going for it.

Its sci-fi visuals are utterly stunning, a masterclass of blending the future with the near present in a way not really glimpsed since Neill Blomkamp's District 9. Its mix of robots looking like Alex Garland's Ex Machina, along with Blade Runner-esque environments mark it out as a creative high, especially when considering the lower end of the budget the filmmakers have had to work with.

From a newsreel in its opening which sets the scene to the FX-work, The Creator is a game-changer.

Unfortunately not all of that game-changing ethos permeates much of a familiar narrative, complete with colonisation edges and ham-fisted allegories to US invasions of Vietnam and a desire globally to destroy parts of Tibet. Rice fields and their inhabitants are blasted and napalmed by the US, simulants wearing Kasaya Robes are wiped out with nary a moment's consideration - the message is delivered in a none-too-subtle approach that marks out The Creator's flaws.

Equally, most of the characters within are not richly drawn out. Washington has only a limited sense of range here and most of that is confined to surrogate dad out of his depth moments with the young girl as well as a few comedic moments peppered throughout. Janney's military leader could have been ripped off the pages of Avatar and thrust into any jigsaw of the narrative - and Chan is reduced to a somewhat ethereal role throughout, confined to flashbacks of the Hallmark nature.

And yet as Edwards tries clumsily to mix both the spiritual and the human, he fumbles some of the character arcs, and too often in proceedings situations are simply defused by blowing up the obstacle in the way - it's lazy and begins to grate after two hours.

The Creator wants desperately to have something vital to say about what it means to be human, what tolerance is and how we can all live as one, but unfortunately, much like the simulants in the film, it's only an approximation of some very familiar sci-fi tropes and trappings.

That's not to say The Creator is a disaster by any stretch of the imagination; its world-building is rich, its visual story-telling is impressively and thrillingly shot - this rich vision of the future may lack some of the parts needed, but it's almost more of the sum of its own parts.

Stylebender: Movie Review

Director: Zoe McIntosh

Dark Tourist director Zoe McIntosh's take on the fighting icon that is Israel Adesanya purports to be an intimate look at the UFC champion, but early on nearly wobbles in the ring before going on to be something that's more about the need for companionship and brotherhood.

With access to Adesanya over five years, in which time he rose to the title of UFC middleweight champion, McIntosh has a ringside seat into what makes the man tick - and emerges with an intriguing portrait of the psyche of a formerly bullied boy and an occasionally insecure champion in the making.

It's fascinating stuff, and while McIntosh falters badly in her treatment of Adesanya's 2021 rape comments by never challenging him on camera about it and allowing others to do so, there's an odd feeling that for this one moment alone, she's got too close to her subject.

But open access to his coach Eugene Bareman and comments from his parents lay out a complicated yet familiar relationship between mentors, friends and family. Clearly torn by being beaten by his parents when he was young, Adesanya bears the marks of trauma to full effect and long sequences show him undergoing therapy or talking about the effect on his life and trajectory.

Equally, the relationship with Bareman is one of both friendship, fraternal instincts and a pushy manager - but throughout the bond shines in McIntosh's examination of what makes brothers. Frank discussions are aired when needed and shine a light on a complex yet loving familial bond.

Central to all of this is Adesanya himself, unveiling layers you wouldn't expect of the almost arrogant MMA fighter in the ring. Full of puffed-up bravado and dance-led performance, his sensitive side comes more to the fore here as he reveals bullying from early days in Rotorua, his love of dancing and performance and his almost-petulant approach to fighting.

In all of this, McIntosh stitches together fight footage, weigh-in confrontations, scenes of Adesanya bigging himself up in a mirror with bon mots and assertions - it's a fascinating paradigm that's been placed on screen. And for those who know nothing about the Nigerian-born fighter beyond the headlines, it's an engrossing journey.

Crisply edited and sharply shot, McIntosh pulls together an energetic portrait of an enigmatic man, leaving a documentary that, while occasionally failing the odd insight, brings together a truly compelling and fascinating look into what makes a champion tick - their foibles, their failures and their highs.

Living: Neon NZ Review

Cast: Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood, Alex Sharp

Director: Oliver Hermanus

An adaptation of the 1952 Japanese film Ikiru, and blessed with an almost melancholy and ghost-like performance from Nighy, Living's subtle pleasures come from a story washing over its audience adjusting to its rhythms.

Opening with a 4x3 aspect ratio and sequences of bowler-hatted worker drones catching the train to their London offices, Hermanus delivers an England struggling to recover in the face of the second World War. Bowing to tradition, the film follows the story of Nighy's civil servant Mr Williams, the head of a Council hall team aimed at holding people up in red tape and bureaucracy.

Given a terminal cancer diagnosis, Williams goes AWOL from his routine, determined to suddenly shake himself out of his ennui and zombie-like state. Finding a friend in a former office colleague (played by Sex Education's Lou Wood), Williams tries to live out his final days in ways he should have embraced earlier in his life.

"If only to be alive like that for day" may be one of the sentiments espoused by Williams, but it's also the film's winsome message, aimed at making us all reflect on lives gone past and time spent in the present.

Yet there's melancholy a-plenty here and sadness lurking in more than just Nighy's terrifically nuanced performance. Whether it's the newcomer to the County Hall office wondering if the bureaucracy and delays proffered to the people should be his future, the beleaguered writer who delights in debauchery unable to find his muse or the lively companion who brings Williams out of his state, there's plenty of commentary here on how Brits live (or didn't) after two World Wars.

Hermanus crafts a film that takes its time to sink in, but allows the quiet moments to soar and his star to rightfully claim an Oscar nomination as best actor.

Nighy's rarely been this commanding in a role, ironically one which requires a softer edge and an emotional turn for a man whose life has been lived doing what he's supposed to, but not what he ought to. It's a subtle difference and one which Hermanus exploits well throughout this emotional, sensitively-handed and excellently helmed movie.

Doctor Who 60th anniversary trailer confirms Toymaker return, offers more Meep mayhem

The BBC has launched a new 2 minute look at Doctor Who's 60th anniversary episodes and finally confirmed Neil Patrick Harris' character in the trio of specials.

While the majority of the footage concentrated on David Tennant's 14th Doctor and his reunion with former companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), it also offered a first shot of Ncuti Gatwa's 15th Doctor in a blink and miss it final shot.

Harris has been confirmed as playing the Toymaker, a character first faced by William Hartnell's first Doctor some 57 years ago when he faced off against Michael Gough's The Celestial Toymaker.

The trailer also offered more footage of Beep the Meep, a character from the 1981 cartoon series The Star Beast which premiered in Doctor Who Weekly. The furry creature is voiced by Harry Potter's Miriam Margolyes.

There's still no official word yet on the transmission dates of the episodes.

Watch the Doctor Who 60th anniversary trailer below.

No One Will Save You: Movie Review

Cast: Kaitlin Dever
Director: Brian Duffield

A mix of trauma and the alien invasion / home invasion genre, Brian Duffield's near no dialogue No One Will Save You is a film that scores highly for ambition, even if parts of its CGI seem dated and dodgy.

Dever plays Brynn, a girl who lives alone and is seemingly ostracised by her community. Isolated and with hints of a tragedy in her past, Brynn suddenly finds her world upended when aliens invade her home one night.

In a desperate race for survival, Brynn finds her own community overrun and the possibility that in this case, survival is down to her.

While dialogue is sparse in this film with only a handful of words spoken throughout, No One Will Save You's desire to riff on A Quiet Place is obvious from the start, and its debt to genre fare like The Invaders and Close Encounters of the Third Kind is clearly evident.

Dever makes the most of the visual storytelling elements of the movie, with Duffield's direction settling on the usual genre tropes and occasional jump scares. It does wear a little thin in the run up to the finale but thankfully a clever mechanism and a smart storytelling pace helps No One Will Save You to feel something different and unique for the genre.

Mixing in the elements of tragedy from Brynn's past and piecing it all together in a must-unravel ending makes No One Will Save You a film that's worthy of discussion. Sadly, some of the grey aliens, while a nod to the classic aliens of 80s paranoia, look shoddily executed in the CGI and take away from some of the good work done by the film.

But in moments when the tension's ratcheted up highly, No One Will Save You shines - a reminder that creativity can wield results, and that Dever is a star with mainly facial expressions and full physical commitment giving life to more than just what's playing out in front of her.

No One Will Save You is streaming now on Disney+

What's on Neon in October

Here's everything streaming on Neon in October.

Our Flag Means Death S2 (October 6)

Our Flag Means Death is based (very) loosely on the true adventures of 18th century would-be pirate Stede Bonnet. After trading the seemingly charmed life of a gentleman for one of a swashbuckling buccaneer, Stede became captain of the pirate ship Revenge. Struggling to earn the respect of his potentially mutinous crew, Stede's fortunes changed after a fateful run-in with the infamous Captain Blackbeard. To their surprise, the wildly different Stede and Blackbeard found more than friendship on the high seas... they found love. Now, they have to survive it. 

Starring Taika Waititi, Rhys Darby, Samson Kayo, Vico Ortiz, Ewen Bremner, Joel Fry, David Fane, Kristian Nairn, Con O'Neill, Matthew Maher, Samba Schutte, Nat Faxon, Leslie Jones, Madeleine Sami, and guest stars Minnie Driver and Bronson Pinchot. 

The Gilded Age (October 30)

The Gilded Age was a period of immense economic change, of huge fortunes made and lost, and of fierce rivalry between old money and new. Nowhere is that rivalry more apparent than on East 61st Street, where Marian Brook and her thoroughly old money aunts, Agnes van Rhijn and Ada Brook, live opposite the stupendously rich George and Bertha Russell. The Russells are both fiercely ambitious, he financially, she socially, and they are determined to reach the highest echelons of New York. 

Starring Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Denée Benton, Jacobson, Taissa Farmiga and Blake Ritson. 

Raised by Refugees S2 (October 19)

When a 14-year-old Pax is presented with the Smirnoff fuelled adventures high school has to offer (definitely not talking about academics), Pax is confronted with a choice, dive into the adventure, or stay firm in his religious beliefs and be a 'good Bahai'. Pax's parents, Afnan and Safia quickly realise that dealing with an adolescent boy in a western society makes escaping a conflict-stricken country seem like a cake walk. Meanwhile, Mahan's social gains are sky-rocketing and Masood creates havoc with an uninvited house guest. 

Starring Kenus Binu, Pax Assadi, Kalyani Nagarajan, Reza Ghaddami, Adam Lobo. 

Designing Dreams S2 (October 17)

Designing Dreams, returning for a second season, is a television series about New Zealand architects and architecture. One leading architect per episode take series host Matthew Ridge to visit three of their favourite New Zealand houses designed by other architects. These homes can be big, small, new, old, urban, rural whatever but what they have in common is inspired conception, technical brilliance and lasting architectural significance. The featured architects also discuss and visit some of their own houses and buildings – projects close to their heart showcasing their signature styles and aesthetic qualities. Season two sees Matthew Ridge exploring New Zealand with architects Dave Strachan, Sally Ogle, Stacey Farrell, Anthony Hoete, Rafe Maclean and Hugh Tennant. 

The Food Crisis (October 2)

"Why does food cost so much and what can we do about it?" is the deceptively simple question award- winning documentary maker Bryan Bruce sets out to answer in an investigation that takes him from the wheat fields of Canterbury to an ultra-high tech indoor farm in South Australia. For much of the documentary, Bruce travels New Zealand listening to frontline food producers: farmers, millers, and growers as well as retailers and exporters. He also chats with a supermarket boss, doctor, economists, school, and a market garden expert to both fully understand the problem and touch on potential solutions. 

Found (October 19)

In any given year, more than 600,000 people disappear in America. Gabi Mosley and her crisis team make sure there is always someone looking out for the forgotten missing people. But this everyday hero is hiding a chilling secret of her own. Starring Shanola Hampton. 

The Irrational (October 11)

World-renowned behavioural science professor Alec Mercer uses his unique expertise in psychology, body language and emotion to help solve difficult cases. By making observations no one else can and studying every scene in new ways, there's no case too tough for his brilliant mind to crack. 

Shining Vale (October 16)

Shining Vale is a horror comedy about a dysfunctional family that moves from the city to a small town into a house in which terrible atrocities have taken place. But no one seems to notice except for Pat, who's convinced she's either depressed or possessed - turns out, the symptoms are exactly the same. 

Starring Courtney Cox, Greg Kinnear and Gus Birney. 

Fear the Walking Dead Season 8B (October 24)

In the second half of the final season, Madison sets her sights on transforming PADRE into the safe haven the stadium was meant to be. However, in doing so, the island attracts some unwanted attention. 

MOVIES

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (October 12)

An epic adventure unfurls as a diverse group of skilled thieves is reluctantly brought together. Tasked with a dangerous heist, they must navigate treacherous dungeons, lethal traps, and magical adversaries. As their motives intertwine and loyalties are tested, the line between honour and survival blurs. Set in a rich fantasy realm, the film explores themes of camaraderie, deception, and self-discovery. Starring Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez.

The Fabelmans (October 5)

Loosely based on Spielberg's youth, Fabelman starts making his own films at home, much to the delight of his supportive mother. A charming cinematic experience unfolds as the young filmmaker captures his family's quirks and dynamics. Staring Gabriel LaBelle and Michelle Williams. 

Champions (October 7)

The hilarious and heart-warming journey of a former minor-league basketball coach who, after a series of mishaps, is ordered by court to coach a team of players with intellectual disabilities. Initially sceptical, he soon realizes that together, this team can go further than they ever imagined. Starring Woody Harrelson, Kaitlin Olson, Ernie Hudson and Cheech Marin. 

What's Love Got To Do With It? (October 19)

Documentary filmmaker Zoe follows her childhood friend's journey to Pakistan to marry a 

stranger chosen by his parents. 

Starring Lily James and Emma Thompson. 

Assassin Club (October 3)
In his ultimate assignment, a top- tier assassin is entrusted with eliminating seven global targets. Shockingly, he realizes they're skilled assassins hired to eliminate him. To outlive the perilous game, he must unveil the puppeteer orchestrating the lethal conspiracy, navigating a treacherous world of shadows, strategy, and survival. Starring Henry Golding and Noomi Rapace.. 

Mafia Mamma (October 31)
A mild-mannered suburban mum travels to Italy to oversee her deceased grandfather's estate. When she unexpectedly inherits his mafia empire she finds herself stuck in the middle of a deadly mob war. Guided by the firm's trusted consigliere, she hilariously defies everyone's expectations, including her own, as the new head of the family business. Starring Toni Collette and Monica Bellucci. 

Little Monsters (October 1)

Finnick is a little monster determined to scare humans out of his house. That all changes when he meets a girl who isn't afraid of him. When inexplicable events begin to happen in the city. Finnick and his new friend will have to team up and work together to solve a mystery and save the city. 

What's on Shudder in October

Here's everything that's streaming on Shudder in October.

V/H/S/85 – Shudder Original Film 

Streaming Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ 

Film Premieres Friday 6 October 

The next installment in the infamous found footage anthology franchise, V/H/S/85 is an ominous mixtape blending never before seen snuff footage with nightmarish newscasts and disturbing home video to create a surreal, analogue mashup of  the forgotten 80s.

Starring Freddy Rodriguez, Dani Deetté,  Justen Jones and Rolando Davila-Beltran.  

Creepshow – Shudder Original Series 

Streaming Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ 

Series 4 Binge Premieres Friday 13 October 

Based on the 1982 horror comedy classic, Creepshow returns for a new season and is still the most fun you’ll ever have being scared. Executive produced by showrunner Greg Nicotero  (The Walking Dead), Creepshow is a comic book coming to life in a series of vignettes, exploring terrors ranging from murder, creatures, monsters, and delusions to  the supernatural and unexplainable. You never know what will be on the next page… 

The Puppetman – Shudder Original Film 

Streaming Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ 

Film Premieres Friday 13 October 

The Puppetman is a convicted killer on death row. He has always maintained his innocence saying it was an evil force cntrolling his body as he slaughtered his victims. Now Michal,  the killer's daughter, begins to suspect that there may be some  truth to her father’s claim when those around her begin to die in brutal ways. All hope rests on her shoulders to break The Puppetman's curse. Written and directed  by Brandon Christensen and starring Michael Paré, Caryn Richman, Alyson Gorske. 

Night of the Hunted – Shudder Original Film 

Streaming Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ 

Film Premieres Friday 20 October 

When an unsuspecting woman (Camille Rowe, No Limit) stops at a remote gas station in the dead of night, she’s made the plaything of a sociopathic sniper with a secret vendetta. To  survive she must not only dodge his bullets and fight for her life, but also figure out who wants her dead and why.

When Evil Lurks – Shudder Original Film 

Streaming Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ 

Film Premieres Friday 27 October  

Shudder’s first Spanish-language Original from Demián Rugna (Terrified) is a rural possession thriller revolving around tmeless horror concepts and adding contemporary twists. Set in a remote village, two brothers find a demon-infected man just about to give birth to evil itself. After warning the neighbors in town, they decide to get rid of the man but merely succeed in helping him to deliver the inferno. Starring  Ezequiel Rodríguez, Eduardo Salomón and Silvia Sabater. 

Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor – Shudder  

Original Film 

Streaming Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ 

Film Premieres Monday 30 October 

In 2021, a group of internet sleuths travel to the remote Carmichael Manor, deep in the woods of the Rockland County, NY, site of the infamous 1989 Carmichael family murders which have gone unsolved to this day. What they discover are secrets that have been hidden away for decades and a terror that has been lurking in the shadows long before Hell House LLC. 

The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula – Shudder Original Series 

Streaming Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ 

Series 5 Premieres Tuesday 31 October 

Horror’s new icons The Boulet Brothers are on the hunt to find the world’s next drag monster superstar in this brand new, star-studded fifth season of their hit reality competition show.  

With new competitors, their challenges, special effects makeup, costumes, and performances, it promises to be truly  terrifying and out-of-this-world. 

NEW ADDITIONS TO SHUDDER’S FILM LIBRARY 2 October 

Two Witches 

An aging and malevolent witch intercedes in the lives of two young women. 

Hell House LLC: The Director’s Cut 

Stephen Cognetti presents his Director’s Cut of one of the most popular found footage horror films of the last decade. The special edition has eight additional minutes of footage, director’s intro, deleted  scenes, cast auditions, a location scout of the Abaddon Hotel and outtakes. 

Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel 

It’s been eight years since the opening night tragedy of Hell House, LLC and still many unanswered  questions remain. Thanks to an anonymous tip, investigative journalist Jessica Fox is convinced key  evidence is hidden inside the abandoned Abaddon Hotel.  

Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire 

The Abaddon Hotel will once again be open to the public. Russell Wynn has taken his audience interactive show, Insomnia into the abandoned hotel that is rumored to be haunted.  

9 October  

Dog Soldiers 

A routine military exercise turns into a nightmare in the wilderness of Scotland.  

Night of Fear 

An insane sadistic hermit stalks and captures those who get lost in his part of the woods. A young woman  whose car broke down is about to find out what he does with them next.  

Walkabout 

Two city-bred siblings are stranded in the Australian Outback where they learn to survive with the aid of  an Aboriginal boy on his “walkabout”: a ritual separation from his tribe. 

October 16 

Lockdown Tower 

The inhabitants of a tower wake up one morning to find that their building is shrouded in an opaque fog,  obstructing doors and windows - a strange dark matter that devours anything that tries to pass through it. 

October 23 

Audition 

A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a  new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.  

What's on Netflix in October

Here's what's on Netflix in October.

Beckham (October 4)

BECKHAM – a four-part documentary series telling the unseen, unheard and unfiltered story of one of the most recognisable and scrutinised athletes of all time.

The Continental: From the World of John Wick: Review

In some ways, The Continental faces a major dramatic dilemma.

In a miniseries that follows the ascent of a young Winston (Colin Woodell) destined to be the man in charge of the hotel made famous in the John Wick film franchise and portrayed by Ian McShane in his later years, the show is robbed of any tension it may hold around its charge.

Equally, it faces the prospect of undoing much of the goodwill and fervent love of its fans by fleshing out a mythology that possibly works better as unknown.

And finally, the show faces the unenviable prospect of how to top the fight and action sequences that have become synonymous with the franchise and its central star Keanu Reeves.

So it's no surprise that with all that crushing weight of expectation on its shoulders, The Continental: From the world of John Wick yields extremely mixed results - and some very limited pleasures.

Set in a parallel New York City in the 1970s, Woodell's Winston is drawn into the conflict between Mel Gibson's chaotic Cormac and his own brother Frankie. Initially choosing to not be part of it, Winston's hand is forced - and his ascent to the top of the Continental begins.

Running over three nights, and with two different directors, The Continental: From the world of John Wick has distinctive flavours as its action DNA merges with a more verbose and character-led show. Its opening and closing chapter, helmed by Albert Brooks, bookends much of the proceedings with action, while episode two's Charlotte Brandstrom's more character-led piece still brings the action but provides more of the meat of the dramatic sandwich.

Spoiler restrictions prevent revealing too much about the show, but suffice it to say fans of the John Wick world will likely get plenty of vicarious kicks from the kick-ass action moments, a pair of Matrix-styled near mute twins that echo Reeves' own monosyllabic edges and from seeing the world expanded.

But the drama feels muted and cliche in parts, with much of the brash American stylings of Mel Gibson's Cormac feeling more like someone chowing down on the scenery and revelling in the cheese rather than feeling like a more rounded menace. He stands out viciously in proceedings - and not in a good way.

Everyone has something to gain and lose in The Continental, and it's perhaps to the writers and creators' credit that each of the initially outlier characters proffer much to proceedings as they orbit Winston's world. 

Credit has to go to the diversity of this cast as well. Without revealing too much, this is a series that gives everyone their moment to shine - and usually via action sequences as well. Tightly choreographed work that appears visually inventive at times combines with a gritty action ethos that's as rewarding on the small screen as it is on the big.

With expert needle drops throughout, an incredible sense of style in the production, and runtimes that edge over 90 minutes per episode, a lot of craft and behind the scenes work has gone into The Continental's visual flourishes and vistas. It's evocative, grimy and desperate in places, even if the outcome does feel a little inevitable.

Early character moments for Woodell channel the cheesiness of James Bond and with lines like Gibson's Cormac remarking how it should be named The Incontinental, the occasional low-bearing fruit feels like slim and unwarranted pickings. 

Much more successful is the way this Wick-ipedia is expanded and built on - and certainly, the last episode makes a bold claim for one of the best action finales of any show or film on screen in 2023, with satisfaction guaranteed where it has been found left wanting earlier on.

Ultimately, The Continental: From the World of John Wick requires a bit of patience and a fair degree of investment to build to gain a slight reward for its concluding episode - the journey's admittedly a slog in places, but the ultimate destination if you're a fights and action movie nerd is just about worth it.

The Continental: From the world of John Wick begins streaming on Prime Video from Friday September 22.

2nd Chance: Movie Review

Director: Ramin Bahrani 

Richard Davis is an intriguing subject for 2nd Chance, a documentary that's about altruism initially but soon devolves into something a little more objective as it examines its charge.

The first time we glimpse Davis is as he shoots himself in the chest while wearing a bulky shirt - it soon transpires this is a bullet-proof vest test and it's not the first time he's done it.

Initially there's a kind of ghostly fascination and perhaps hope that each test will fail, but Davis soon emerges as a somewhat divisive and dismissive character whose quest for self-aggrandisement comes more at the cost of those around him than himself.

99 Homes' director Bahrani makes a jocular approach to proceedings, splicing in archive footage both of Davis blasting himself but also footage of his own homemade movies that big up both his ego but also his ambition to save lives after he was involved in an alleyway robbery.

Mixing both shadiness from his past as well as pride over how his invention guaranteed so many a present, Davis is an interesting character no less - but Bahrani stops from fully diving in and questioning his subject when further truths come out.

An elongated section on the failure of the company's Zylon bulletproof vest feels like a wasted opportunity leading only to bankruptcy and a sense of "Oh well" from its founder, and this is perhaps Bahrani's weakest moments - allowing the subject to eclipse too much of his effect on others.

There's also the horror of one man benefiting from the war on terror, the impact of 9/11 and the gungho approach of criminals, but again Bahrani's less interested in his narcissistic impacts and more concerned with once over lightly when it counts.

Ultimately, 2nd Chance shines a light on someone who ordinarily wouldn't have got the spotlight - but whether they emerge victorious is too much on Bahrani's approach, and his desire to play his cards close to his vest prove to be a little too opaque for viewers.

2nd Chance is now streaming on DocPlay

Fort Solis: PS5 Review

Developed by Fallen Leaf
Published by Dear Villagers
Platform: PS5

It's a classic sci-fi trope, one that's been deployed a billion times before - a base goes dark during a storm, necessitating a visit from unsuspecting souls just before things go utterly chaotic.

You've seen it many times - from the small screen efforts of Doctor Who to the big screen thrills of the likes of Alien, if done effectively this can be chilling and intense.

Fort Solis manages that in equal measures, but to limited effect. 

Despite some stellar visuals and some impressive vocal work, Fort Solis is at heart a walking simulator set on the red planet of Mars in an isolated mining facility. A third person game with you taking on the role of Jack Leary as he responds to an alarm, Fort Solis is more about the journey and the experience, rather than the direct thrills and chaos of a familiar story.

Taking its time to build up atmospherics and deploying them with relative aplomb, Fort Solis is more about exploration than direct payoff. Ultimately, that can be frustrating as the player plods from one moment to the next, buoyed by a system which demands tasks be done in a certain order to achieve results.

In many ways, this is a character piece strengthened by some incredible visuals that feel both otherworldly and also yet strangely familiar. QTEs and button prompts make up most of what transpires here and it's frustrating there's no way to run when needed. But yet that's not what the heart of Fort Solis is - it's about the experience, and feels more like a TV serial given how it plays out and the pace at which it goes.

If you're expecting a Dead Space, then you're out of luck here - Fort Solis is more about psychological impacts and gameplay mechanics than simple jump scares.

To that end, and thanks to its brevity, Fort Solis is a game that impresses and frustrates in equal measure. Stunning visuals set with a pedestrian pace are only successful thanks to great character acting within.

There's life on Mars, definitely, it's just not quite at the pace you'd have felt was promised from the trailers and premise - but it's ultimately worth exploring and enjoying.

It’s Time to Party in Crash Team Rumble Season 2

The party never stops when Crash Team Rumble Season 2 launches 13 September! Get ready for all new ways to play - new modes, maps, a new hero, and new power - all releasing during Season 2. Grab your friends and hop into the brand-new Party Mode, a 4-player co-op remix that gives fans a fresh take on Rumble. Throw down on two new maps, fraught with danger and new strategies to uncover, and prepare for the arrival of Ripto, who is crashing the party from the Spyro universe!

Party Mode Brings Fast Paced Co-op to Crash

For players looking to take a breather from competitive matches, Season 2 delivers with Party Mode! Assemble a team of 4 and unwind in 5 distinct mini-game rounds, each with their own challenges. You’ll need to work together as a team to accomplish each task, while simultaneously collecting clocks that increase your remaining time! Master each Party Mode Wave and you may even unlock a secret Boss Wave, the ultimate test of skill for Crash veterans. Every round, your team’s score is calculated based on how quickly you complete each goal, so you’ll need to practice minimising your time, and maximising your score!

Dragons Beware, Ripto is Crashing the Party

Say hello to your new king. Ripto is back to cause mayhem and mischief as the newest Booster to join the hero roster! Wielding his sceptre, he controls the battlefield with a myriad of deadly and powerful spells. Blast your foes away with huge fireballs, summon lightning to strike enemies into the ground, and conjure huge tsunami waves to leap into the air. In the hands of a skilled player, Ripto can combine his abilities together to create devastating combos. Be on the lookout for his release later during Season 2!

Duke it Out in Two New Maps

No season would be complete without new arenas to throw down. Season 2 brings even more new maps to the table than Season 1, with Waste Deep and Jazz Junction releasing soon. Explore the dangerous sewers of Waste Deep, littered with Cortex’s diabolical experiments. Be the first to activate the relic stations on this map to wreak some mad scientist havoc on the enemy team! Later in the season, players can also rumble on Jazz Junction, a night-time map amid a jazzy jamboree. Boogie with the local musicians and equip game-changing masks to turn the tides of a match. It’s a hectic and playful arena, where no match is ever the same!

Season 2 is live today, complete with an all-new 100 tier Battle Pass! Progress through either the free or premium track, and unlock new skins, cosmetics, music, and more. The Season 2 Premium Battle Pass is included with the Crash Team Rumble Deluxe Edition, or available via separate purchase for 950 Crash Coins for Standard Edition owners. Completing all 100 tiers of the Season 2 Premium Battle pass will also reward you with 1000 Crash Coins total.

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre: Neon NZ Review

Cast: Jason Statham, Cary Elwes, Aubrey Plaza, Hugh Grant, Josh Hartnett, Eddie Marsan

Director: Guy Ritchie

It's hard to know exactly what director Guy Ritchie wants to achieve with Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, a movie that's been languishing in the vaults since 2021.

Seemingly shelved amid fears over having Ukrainian bad guys at the time of the Russia war of Ukraine, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre seemingly lacks the flair and flamboyant style of Ritchie's direction and settles for a more restrained and almost constricted take on the Mission: Impossible / James Bond riff it settles on.

Centring on Jason Statham's Orson Fortune, a government contractor and leader of a group of operatives who are tasked with stopping a billionaire arms broker from selling a MacGuffin, the film's mix of spy shenanigans with low-key comedy and formulaic action sequences feels like it's a more muted affair than you'd expect.

Statham seems laid back in extremis throughout, and while his banter with Cary Elwes' prim and proper team leader Nathan has a little more than a class vs crass frisson, he appears to be mostly on auto-pilot throughout.

Thankfully, a more lively Plaza and a positively game Grant enliven proceedings, with the former using her usual quip delivery to breathe life into some of the cliches and with the latter riffing on a Michael Caine-esque villain clearly having a ball throughout.

Granted there is some of the trademark Ritchie wordplay early on, but there's a feeling that more pizazz could have been injected into the script with the Josh Hartnett actor character element feeling like it was a wasted opportunity. It's entertaining in parts, but it's more entertaining fluff than anything deeply memorable.

It's not that Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is a disaster by any stretch of the imagination. It's a perfectly passable relatively rote spy thriller that hints at a sequel at the end but never quite provides the urgency and vitality of a first outing to leave audiences crying for one.

Blue Beetle: Movie Review

Cast: Xolo Maridueña, George Lopez, Susan Sarandon, Bruna Marquezine
Director: Ángel Manuel Soto

There's a lot of heart in Blue Beetle, the latest DC superhero film outing.

But there's also a lot of formulaic fare as well in this immigrant-survival tale that's dressed up as an origin story of the Blue Beetle, and its central hero Jaime Reyes.

Returning from college full of hope, Jaime Reyes (an amiable and earnest but borderline bland Maridueña) finds life is not as good as he expected - his father's had had a heart attack, the family business has gone broke and they're about to lose their rental. 

When he stumbles into the life of Jenny Kord (Marquezine), he accidentally fuses with an ancient scarab that's been hunted for decades by the scheming Victoria Kord (Sarandon, wickedly described as Cruella Kardashian at one point) who's usurped the family business for nefarious means.

Suddenly, gifted Iron Man-like Superhero powers (complete with an automated AI system), Reyes finds his family targeted and his very existence in danger.

Blue Beetle makes a good fist of its family ethos - and its examination of the Mexican migrant lifestyle. 

From the rich and poor divide to the impact of gentrification and the onward march of technology at whatever cost, there's much here that makes Blue Beetle relatable enough fare - without just following a Latino hero narrative throughout. 

Some solid early world-building provides the stakes which are infinitely more grounded and personal than the usual world-ending fare which comes so easily to the superhero genre as a whole. But where Blue Beetle falls down is in the taking of some of the familiar tropes and throwing them into the mix.

A rote CGI-led smash and grab final fight is nothing more than two robots fighting each other like Transformers cast-offs and the origin story is nothing spectacular or different to what's gone before.

Yet Blue Beetle occasionally transcends some of that to present a superhero film that has subtitles and a blast of cultural infusion in among the chaos that feels stretched out at times. The stakes are less high in this tale than is usual, and the lens is firmly planted on a community oft ignored (both in front and behind the camera).

The story is inherently one of survival, of immigrants coming out of the woodwork to do the right thing no matter what the cost, and much of the subtext sparkles through the usual CGI trappings and bombast that heads up the film's denouement and mid-film confrontations.

Ultimately, while it ends with a direct bait for a sequel that may never happen now the DC Universe is being rebooted, most of what Blue Beetle does has an anarchic and approachable charm as it tells a Latino family tale that just happens to be a superhero story.

Red Dead Redemption: PS5 Review

Developed by Rockstar Games / Take Two Interactive

Published by Rockstar Games

Platform: PS4 / PS5

Rockstar Games' western Red Dead Redemption may at times feel like a Grand Theft Auto game transplanted into the Wild West, but there's plenty of ambition in this port over of the 2010 action-adventure game.

The story of bounty hunter John Marston who's brought in to hunt down Bill Williamson, but whose job goes a little wrong and he ends up near death. Nursed back to life by local rancher Bonnie, Marston plots his revenge.

It may be that Red Dead Redemption was the Game of the year back then but a lot of this port over feels somewhat dated - particularly on the graphics front on the next gen. But it plays well, with some of the familiar elements of a Rockstar game and the open world epic edges.

There are a few control issues here and there, including the handling of horses and the shooting mechanic sometimes goes awry. 

Yet the package here includes the DLC in the form of the Undead Nightmare expansion and no multiplayer (for obvious support reasons) so it is what gamers may expect for the next generation release.

It's to be realised the game doesn't quite live up to its next gen potential but a lot of Red Dead Redemption still shines in its gameplay and ambition, meaning it's an enjoyable enough experience for those who've not yet spent time in the Red Dead world or for those who simply jumped into Red Dead Redemption 2.

What's on Disney+ in October

Here's what's on Disney+ in October

Goosebumps (October 13)

"Goosebumps," the chilling new series inspired by R.L. Stine's worldwide bestselling Scholastic book series, is set to debut on Disney+ Friday, October 13. From Disney Branded Television and Sony Pictures Television, the 10-part series will launch with a five-episode drop as part of Disney+’s “Hallowstream” celebrations, with subsequent new episodes streaming weekly. A premiere date teaser and new images were also released.

 “R.L. Stine’s ‘Goosebumps’ franchise is a pop culture phenomenon that holds a special place in the hearts of people of all ages,” said Ayo Davis, president, Disney Branded Television. “We are delighted to bring this spooky new series to audiences everywhere in a big way on Disney+, which we hope will not only captivate new audiences with its elevated thrills and chills, but also lifelong fans nostalgic for the stories that are a staple of their generation.”

 Plunging viewers into a world of mystery and suspense, the new “Goosebumps” series follows a group of five high schoolers as they embark on a shadowy and twisted journey to investigate the tragic passing three decades earlier of a teen named Harold Biddle — while also unearthing dark secrets from their parents’ past.

 Published by Scholastic, "Goosebumps" is one of the bestselling book series of all time, with more than 400 million books in print in 32 languages. The new television series draws on elements from five of the most popular middle grade books including “Say Cheese and Die!,” “The Haunted Mask,” “The Cuckoo Clock of Doom,” “Go Eat Worms!” and “Night of the Living Dummy.”

“Goosebumps” stars Justin Long (“Barbarian”) and Rachael Harris (“Lucifer”), alongside newcomers Zack Morris (“EastEnders”), Isa Briones (“Star Trek: Picard”), Miles McKenna (“Guilty Party”), Ana Yi Puig (“Gossip Girl”) and Will Price (“The Equalizer”).

6 October 

Marvel Studios’ Loki: Season 2

Disney+ Original Series

Premiere

Marvel Studios’ "Loki” Season 2 picks up in the aftermath of the shocking season finale when Loki finds himself in a battle for the soul of the Time Variance Authority. Along with Mobius, Hunter B-15 and a team of new and returning characters, Loki navigates an ever-expanding and increasingly dangerous multiverse in search of Sylvie, Judge Renslayer, Miss Minutes and the truth of what it means to possess free will and glorious purpose.

13 October

Goosebumps

Series Premiere

Goosebumps, the chilling new series inspired by R.L. Stine's worldwide bestselling books, follows a group of five high schoolers as they embark on a shadowy and twisted journey to investigate the tragic passing three decades earlier of a teen named Harold Biddle – while unearthing dark secrets from their parents’ past.

5 October

The Boogeyman

Disney+ Premiere

“The Boogeyman” is a horror-thriller from the mind of best-selling author Stephen King. High school student Sadie Harper and her younger sister Sawyer are reeling from the recent death of their mother and aren’t getting much support from their father, Will, a therapist who is dealing with his own pain. When a desperate patient unexpectedly shows up at their home seeking help, he leaves behind a terrifying supernatural entity that preys on families and feeds on the suffering of its victims. “The Boogeyman” stars Sophie Thatcher (“Yellowjackets”), Chris Messina (“Birds of Prey”), Vivien Lyra Blair (“Obi-Wan Kenobi”), Marin Ireland (“The Umbrella Academy”), Madison Hu (“Bizaardvark”), LisaGay Hamilton (“Vice”), and David Dastmalchian (“Dune”). Rob Savage directs from a screenplay by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods and Mark Heyman. Warning: Some flashing-lights scenes in this film may affect photosensitive viewers.

6 October

Aaron Carter: The Little Prince of Pop

Star Original

Premiere

Aaron Carter: The Little Prince of Pop dives deep into the life of pop singer Aaron Carter. Carter became a mainstay of the early 2000s pop scene, touring the world as a child solo artist with chart-topping hits like “I Want Candy” and earning the title “The Little Prince of Pop” from Michael Jackson. Just a few years after his rise to fame, Carter began a cycle of mental health struggles, experienced family turmoil, and grappled with addiction ― culminating in his untimely death in November 2022.

30 October

Coco Reo Māori

Disney+ Premiere

Coco Reo Māori’ adds to the collection of animated films from Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios developed in the Māori language version by Matewa Media directors Tweedie Waititi and Chelsea Winstanley – including ‘Moana Reo Māori’ released in cinemas in 2017 and now streaming on Disney+, and ‘The Lion King Reo Māori’ and ‘FrozenReo Māori’ both released in cinemas in 2022 and now streaming on Disney+.

About Coco: Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colourful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Héctor, and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history.

Also in October…

4 October

Special

Mickey and Friends Trick or Treats

Series

The Ghost and Molly McGee: Season 2

6 October

Star Original

Trap Jazz

Bobi Wine: The People's President

Shorts

Camping Out

Fiddling Around

When the Cat's Away

Chips Ahoy

Wynken, Blynken and Nod

Old Macdonald Duck

Inferior Decorator

11 October

Disney+ Original

4ever

Star Original

International

Nothing: Season 1

Series

Chibi Tiny Tales (Shorts): Season 3

Me & Mickey (Shorts): Season 2

13 October

Star Original

Sound of the Police

18 October

Star Original

Living for the Dead: Season 1

Series

Primal Survivor: Extreme African Safari: Season 1

Puppy Dog Pals: Season 5

20 October

Disney+ Original

Werewolf By Night In Colour

24 October

Star Original

My Home Hero: Season 1

25 October

Star Original

International

The Lions of Sicily: Season 1

Series

FX's Reservation Dogs: Season 3

Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper: Season 1

Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge: Season 2

27 October

Disney+ Original 

LEGO Marvel Avengers: Code Red

Special

Explorer: Lake of Fire

New Episodes

Ahsoka: Season 1 Finale 4 October

Only Murders in the Building: Season 3 Finale 3 October

The Kardashians: Season 4 New episodes weekly on Thursdays

FX’s Welcome to Wrexham: Season 2 New episodes weekly on Wednesdays

FX’s What We Do in the Shadows: Season 5 New episodes on Wednesdays, finale 11 October

The D'amelio Show: Season 3 2 x new episodes on Wednesdays, finale 18 October

Solar Opposites: Season 4 5 x new episodes 4 October

The Worst of Evil: Season 1 2 x new episodes on Wednesdays, finale 25 October

Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun: Season 2 2 x new episodes Saturdays and Sundays, finale 15 October

Tokyo Revengers: Season 2 New episode 3 October

Alice's Wonderland Bakery: Season 2 4 x new episodes 11 October

Kiff: Season 1 5 x new episodes 18 October

Pupstruction: Season 1 7 x new episodes 4 October

Marvel's Spidey and his Amazing Friends: Season 2 2 x new episodes 4 October

It Lives Inside: Movie Review

Cast: Megan Suri, Mohana Krihnan, Siddhartha Minhas

Director: Bishal Dutta

Proffering a different face to horror in the form of the American Hindi experience, director Bishal Dutta's tautly told tale of demonic intervention is a solid enough and atmospheric outing that veers close to doing something different in the genre, but ultimately holds back.

Suri is Samidha, a teenager who's beginning to reject her heritage and family as she tries to acclimatise to high school life. Ostracising herself from her former best friend Tamira, Samidha finds herself inextricably drawn back into her world when Tamira claims there's a demon in a jar.

In a scene reminiscent of Carrie's cruelty, Samidha mocks her best friend, smashes the jar and inadvertently unleashes the Pishach demon, which latches onto her....

There's a coming of age tale here, wrapped in the trappings of a culture clash, and while Dutta keeps proceedings tight, there are moments when it feels like the film's holding back or budgetary constraints have stopped it upping some of the more disturbing elements for the finale.

As a result, some of the scares feel rote and very familiar, even if they are well enough presented on screen.

It Lives Inside may start off by being a commentary on what it is like as an outsider and the acclimatisation into American culture, but ultimately, it ends up falling into the usual horror tropes albeit one with a solid and watchable enough lead.

There's enough tension where there needs to be in It Lives Inside and clearly the allegory of the American journey and the internalised culture clash is there for all and sundry to see, but while the film delivers enough jolts and provides a different take on the usual coming-of-age fare glimpsed within the genre, there's a distinct feeling that outside of a sensationally well-crafted finale, the film could have taken a few more risks to end up more memorable and less perfunctory.

Elemental: Disney+ Review

Cast: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Catherine O'Hara

Director: Peter Sohn

Pixar animation is at its best when its themes are its most relatable. and its unique take on the familiar heartfelt.

So it's somewhat disappointing to say that Elemental takes a familiar concept of a couple from two different lives connecting and does little knew with it - despite some spritely animation and some flashes of vibrant visual genius.

With its message of burn your light bright no matter what, Elemental is a mix of an immigration story and racial segregation as it centres on Ember (Lewis), the daughter of two fire elements who've moved to Element City for a new life.

Despite her father's prejudices against others that are not his kind, the family has been burning a life for themselves in FireTown, where they run the local store, servicing their community. As Ember is groomed to take over the store, she begins to realise she can't keep her temper in check, threatening her future. Things are further complicated when local city inspector and Water element creature Wade (Mamoudou) threatens to close down the shop for violations.

Determined to ensure the family legacy, Ember embarks on a quest to stop Wade from filing his complaints at city hall. But as the pair slowly bond despite their differences, a threat emerges to Fire Town that could literally snuff them all out.

Overcoming prejudice, following your own light burning within and immigration racism all meld together for a sweet and occasionally slight love story in Elemental.

It's not that the Pixar latest fails, more that it stumbles quietly on its somewhat overlong path to its denouement. There's a nagging feeling that even over the 100 minute run time, there's a sagginess which can't be shaken from writing that forgets the pep in its step and sacrifices the early zing for something a little more hoary and familiar.

There's no denying Elemental's heart, but despite some vibrant animation and some clever sight gags throughout, there's nothing truly memorable about Pixar's latest, and its messages, while all very well-intentioned, are too obvious and too unexplored to be truly deep and meaningful.

While that perhaps is a sign of the times, and maybe overt racism needs to be called out more these days isn't really up for debate - but whereas the likes of Zootopia and Inside Out explored many similar themes, Elemental takes the same tropes and frustratingly does little new with them.

Perfectly pleasant it may be, and perhaps the world-building would indicate Pixar shorts will be delving back in again in the future, but ultimately Elemental is less a whole, more a sum of its parts. It's frustrating because there is real potential for this world, which is wonderfully realised and beautifully executed.

What emerges though is something sweet and sadly slight, but ultimately not as memorable or emotionally involving as a new Pixar film should be.

Worth catching beforehand though is the short Pixar film, Carl's Date which is a sweetly positioned tale of love later in life, of betrayal of those who've passed and of course, features the return of the lovable but dim dog Dug. 

A Haunting in Venice: Movie Review

Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Yeoh, Kelly Reilly, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey

Director: Kenneth Branagh

A distinctly more maudlin approach to Poirot A Haunting in Venice may be, but at times this would-be frightfest is dreadfully moribund in its execution, stifled as it is in its spooky atmospherics.

This latest finds Branagh's Poirot jaded and disengaged with life. Reclining atop a Venetian building, the great detective languishes, his brain withering from disinterest in cases around him.

When Tina Fey's writer Ariadne Oliver (feeling very much like her Only Murders in the Building character Cinda Canning) comes waltzing back into Poirot's life and demanding he attend a seance on All Hallow's Eve, Poirot finds himself closer to death in more ways than one.

There's much to be said for Branagh's take on Poirot, but in truth this latest outing feels like a list of cheaply executed scares that puncture the pedestrian proceedings, but provide little paranormal panache.

While Branagh's eye for the camera work this time focuses more on the disorienting details and the gloominess of the palazzo building he finds himself in, there's a little too much reliance on either the soundscape or the atmospherics to keep audiences engaged.

Outside of Michelle Yeoh's lively take on a medium, most of the cast feel constrained and muted as they tackle murder within the walls - even Poirot's usual wordplay is cut back as the character grapples with the possibility of death, the effect of trauma and the very real chance he's wrong about what's going on.

Tonally A Haunting in Venice seems right to release in the run up to the Hallowe'en celebrations and is far as it can be from the genuine sparkle that inhabited the earlier Poirot films.

Yet it never quite shakes off its solemnity to provide something stunning - it may work as a cautionary tale about predilections with legacy and the afterlife, but too much of A Haunting in Venice relies on cheap atmospherics to make its point, rather than the stellar wordplay and use of its incredible cast.