Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu: Disney+ Movie Review

Cast: Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White, Steve Blum, Martin Scorsese
Director: Jon Favreau

The question of how to expand The Mandalorian's world hangs deeply like Damocles Sword over the cinematic version of the Disney+ series which began back in 2019.

Unfortunately, what emerges from this romp through the Star Wars galaxy is little more than an extended episode moulded into a TV movie of the week. And certainly, neither Din Djarin (Pascal, helmeted throughout save for 13 minutes) nor Grogu go through deep arcs or take their respective characters anywhere particularly new.

However, that's not to say that this adventure isn't widely accessible and offers a sporadically fun return to Mando's world.

In the ashes of the demise of the Empire, the New Republic is trying to chase down Imperial Warlords who are determined to revive the evil ways. It's into this that the Mandalorian and his childlike charge Grogu are thrust, taking on bounty hunter contracts for Weaver's Commander. Determined to track down the Ace of Staves from the New Republic's most wanted pack of cards, at the behest of a pair of Hutt twins, the Mandalorian and Grogu find themselves caught up in a scheme to free Rotta the Hutt (The Bear's Jeremy Allen White), a gladiator son of Jabba the Hutt.

However, what seems to be a simple job soon turns into something more complicated...

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu isn't exactly the creative film perhaps Lucasfilm were looking for when they decided to launch the first cinematic film since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker. 

It's not that it's entirely bad, more that aside from looking incredible in swathes of sequences on the IMAX screen, it doesn't really serve a wider purpose. Long-term fan Favreau has kept most of his enthusiastic edges reined in throughout (apart from a very familiar finale set piece) and delivers some impressive CGI-heavy action sequences, worlds filled with a myriad of creatures and a sense of expansion within the Star Wars universe. Characters from Star Wars: Rebels make an appearance and there's a genuine feeling the film's shifted from the insular Skywalker origins that began to be a creative albatross around its neck.

But a third act shift sees the already overlong movie suffering from a pace change that feels out of place - even if it does provide a chance for Grogu to shine and parallels to Yoda to emerge. 

Three seasons of The Mandalorian provided diminishing creative returns and it's hard to see how this latest will boost an adult audience, though families with small children will likely get some thrill from it. It's telling that Ludwig Göransson's score does a lot of the emotional heavy lifting that's missing from the story - and that Grogu is nearly acted off the screen by acclaimed director Martin Scorsese as a nervy, four-armed street food vendor.

In among the gunslinging and the father-son messages, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu begins to feel depressingly light - there's a feeling that perhaps this story belongs in a time and a galaxy far, far away.

The Blood of Dawnwalker: PS5 Review

Developed by Rebel Wolves
Published by Bandai Namco
Platform: PS5

RPGs have largely felt like they've had stale mechanics for a while - and in terms of storytelling, the narratives have all began to drift into each other, all a variation on a theme.

So it's refreshing to say that The Blood of Dawnwalker takes the mechanics and the staid narrative and drives some new ambition and idea into it.

Set in the 14th Century Carpathian mountains, in a world riddled by plague and also with famine nipping at the door, it's the story of Coen, a peasant whose life is changed when he encounters some local vampires known as the Vhrakhiri. With the creatures offering the humans an escape from a world that's on the edge of extinction, Coen soon finds himself converted to their ilk and driven by a desire for revenge, as well as blood.

After a fairly exciting prologue which hints at what's ahead for Coen, and introduces some of the combat, The Blood of Dawnwalker settles into familiar tropes and mechanics of the RPG world. From chopping wood for the family at night to various fetch quests, the game breeds a kind of familiarity for anyone who's ever had cursory interactions with their ilk.

It's no surprise you'll likely recall The Witcher 3, given the fact Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, the former game director for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, is in charge of proceedings. (And the fact Coen looks like kind of Alan Wake Geralt cross won't exactly harm that perception either.)

But make no mistake, The Blood of Dawnwalker is no lazy ripoff or addition to the genre, thanks to a 30 day and night timer that clicks down for Coen. With time ticking against him as he races to save his loved ones, the game bestows on players both a sense of foreboding and urgency as it plays out.

Whether it's making every decision feel like it truly counts or adding pressure to any side-quests you may choose to indulge in, this mechanic shakes up the gameplay and even brings a level of poignancy to the idea of a Dawnwalker, a vampire who can exist in night and day.  

Graphically, the game occasionally dips below its frame rate and there are a few moments when it feels like interacting with the world around Coen doesn't quite gel as it should. But the pull of the time deadline, which is split into 8 parts during the day and 8 parts at night means you're willing to forego some of the occasional drops.

The sharp focus of the gameplay means that every moment feels like it's dripping with potential and also opportunity. It also means no two players will have the same experience as priorities will differ over each mission and every twist and turn.

Combat deals with striking and blocking, with every move feeling like it's more urgent than just button-mashing as the time ticks away in the background. Whether it's draining blood from his enemies to regain health or scrapping away, there's a feral nature to Coen that befits the transformation he is undergoing and the life that has befallen him.

Coen himself benefits from a feeling of tragedy when his world falls apart and he's gifted the curse that will aid his quest and fuels his desire to defeat those who've oppressed his land, his family and his own future. It's here Rebel Wolves' writing comes to the fore and while interactions usually lead to further questions and dialogue options, it's worth noting that none of it ever feels surplus to requirements or like padding in any form.

There's a subtlety at play in The Blood of Dawnwalker that proves to be engaging for even casual fans of the RPG genre and the idea of adding in vampires to the mix is a potent one that the developers have used to their advantage.

What works most about The Blood of Dawnwalker is the fact the game feels like a real world. It's full of people who are suffering, who have a story and who have a say in the ultimate dispatching of those oppressing them - consequently, Coen feels of the people, rather than just a lone wolf who works for the people 

It may have plenty of familiar elements wrapped up in its gameplay, but The Blood of Dawnwalker:benefits from adding a burst of bloody freshness and ambition to a genre that's become tired and stale and less appealing as time goes on.

I Swear: DVD Review

Cast: Robert Aramayo, Shirley Henderson, Maxine Peake, Peter Mullan, Scott Ellis Watson

Director: Kirk Jones

There's plenty in I Swear which feels formulaic.

Beginning with a present-day event (meeting the Queen, before swearing at her) and then zipping back to his earlier years, this feel-good film about Tourette Syndrome sufferer John Davidson takes on a more poignant and tragic edge, given his recent appearance at the 2026 BAFTA Awards.

Yet, this at-times heartbreaking underdog biopic is extremely uplifting, thanks to a compassionate direction and an extraordinary performance from both its leads - Watson as the young Davidson and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power's award-winning Aramayo as the older version.

In 1980s Galashiels in Scotland, John is a happy boy. On the cusp of starting secondary school, he's the apple of his dad's eye, thanks to his goal-keeping prowess. But a few days into a new life, it all begins to unravel when involuntary tics emerge and his life devolves into mockery and ostracism at the hands of others - including a family break-up and a cold, clinical mother (Henderson) who's incapable of any empathy.

Things change for Davidson when he meets Dottie (Maxine Peake), a mother dying of cancer, who gives him the sympathetic support he's been denied by society.

What happens next is very easily telegraphed in the world of movie-making - a series of obstacles to be overcome, before inevitable success. (Though any success will feel bittersweet after Davidson's use of the N-word at the BAFTAs).

And while you'd expect a film about this subject to use the Tourette's as a punchline of absurdity thanks to its appearance at the most inopportune moments, every outburst is utterly demoralising and hard to behold.

If Watson is deeply moving as the younger version, Aramayo absolutely knocks it out of the park as the older Davidson. From hints of sadness and frustration behind his eyes to a physical performance which is difficult to watch, he is astounding, while never losing any of the likeable everyman who has a wicked sense of humour.

But rather than mocking Davidson, the film - and by default Aramayo - give him wide berth to show the reality of living a life like this, the isolation and the utter frustration at an inability to just have a normal day. This so easily could have been a film that made a mockery of its subject matter - instead, it becomes a touchpoint for discussion, a window into humanity and a relatably human story about dealing with what life's delivered you.

A truly moving and joyful experience that could have easily lost some of the film's back third, I Swear is the kind of life-affirming thing British cinema does so well so often. It throws open a window into a world we barely know, floods it with pathos and delivers something that's truly unforgettable.

Truxton Extreme: Xbox Series X Review

Developed by Clear River Games
Published by Clear River Games
Platform: XBox Series X

It's hard to believe that shoot-em-ups endure after so long - especially in a world where gaming has become more immersive, more story-driven and more visually rich.

Yet at their heart, the simplicity these games bring with them continue to be their USP - and along with nostalgia for the days back when, the genre continues to grow and endure.

The latest reappearance of an old franchise is the Genesis favourite Truxton, which last vertically blasted its way onto screens some 38 years ago. 

Retooled for the next gen consoles without losing any of its sheen, the game follows the simple method of dodging bullets, shooting enemies and trying to survive - as mentioned, it's simplicity itself and while there is a story mode which incorporates comics and episodic edges, the game really is just keen to continue to do what it needs to - provide bullet-filled levels of colourful chaos.

With power ups to collect and bombs to deploy which soak up both enemy health and on-screen bullets, the game makes use of its mechanics to provide a gameplay experience which is both enjoyable to endure and also offers up a challenge that's hard to sometimes beat.

It helps the package has included a range of modes, from the more forgiving Heart Starter mode to allow you to get used to it, an Arcade style which brings continual action and a 2-minute time trial which is about clearing the enemy away in record time.

Quite happy to do what it says on the tin, Truxton Extreme offers a solid blast of nostalgia to wile away the shoot-em-up urges. It may not deviate from what it has to do, but in truth, that's no bad thing.

Sword Art Online: Echoes of Aincrad: PS5 Review 

Developed by Game Studio Inc
Published by Bandai Namco
Platform: PS5

The world of Sword Art Online is of course a perennially popular one.

So the chance to jump back into that Manga-led world for a game that gives you your own protagonist and then lets you develop the world around you is going to prove enticing enough to many.

But the creation of this latest falls a little short in terms of its engagement with players even though you're one of 10,000 players trapped in a world created by someone else.The twist of course is it's a death game you've been pushed into and death in the game means death in real life too, upping the stakes substantially.

But a mechanic that slows you from levelling up and getting further into the game without a grind proves to be one of the game's more problematic elements, leading to growing frustrations with the game. 

Covering 100 floors and inserting you into the world may seem like a great proposition, but the lack of relative freedom inside the game means that it's very easy to feel like you're trapped in the world, rather than living within it. It's not helped by the fact that even though the world itself looks good, and occasionally spawns monsters for you to fight, it feels decidedly empty and unworthy of plenty of time spent within it.

This is a shame, given how well-populated the world of Sword Art Online as a whole is.

Quests and side missions in the game are also a hindrance too, with a need to level up beyond your means to progress. It's a real barrier for the game and the idea of completing one mission to then have to go back and grind before you can take on the next feels like a really disappointing mechanic to have to endure.

All in all, Sword Art Online: Echoes of Aincrad may deserve praise for deepening some of the Manga lore around it, but the lack of real progression ability and the need to replay and grind proves to be a fatal flaw in its execution - especially for the casual player who's not massively aware of the intricacies of the Sword Art Online world itself.

Star Wars: Zero Company: PS5 Review

Developed by Bit Reactor
Published by EA
Platform: PS5

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars games were everywhere.

Mostly focusing on multiplayer or racing games, the universe was scattered full of their ilk, capturing the vibes of what it was like to be part of either the Rebellion or the Empire.

But despite the joys of Star Wars: Battlefront, none of them fully fused the mix of story with campaign effectively well - aside perhaps from Star Wars: Outlaws, much overlooked and underappreciated.

So the latest game presents a curious proposition in a year when two Star Wars games are about to appear. However, adding in the idea of a turn-based game to a Star Wars universe jaunt has proved to be better than it ought to be and an improvement on anything the Star Wars universe has tried to innovate for years.

You play as Hawks, the leader of a ragtag group of mercenaries known as Zero Company, and a former Republic officer tasked with now protecting the universe from a growing threat. Set during the Clone Wars, Hawks and his group find themselves in substantial debt to one of the Hutt clan and forced to take jobs to pay it off before it's too late.

The story's not incidental to Zero Company and represents a kind of leap forward in terms of narrative that Star Wars games have been lacking for a while, but which delightfully seems to be making a welcome return to the gaming world.

But the bread and butter of Star Wars Zero Company relies on the strategy and successful outcomes of the missions played out during the game - and it's here that the turn-based tactics start to come together to form something cohesive and enjoyable - once you get past the idea that any Star Wars battle or mission would present a stop-start option for those competing in it.

As you progress, you can build up your squad, swapping out mercenaries to come and join your crew and expanding skillsets - it's a solid touch that allows time for you to bond with your compadres. And to further compound that bond, there's an option to build relationships within the team too, whether they agree or disagree with your choice of actions, giving the game a kind of democracy feel that's welcome and immersive.

Characters within the game also feel like they have different loyalties, leading to a general overview that covers all the moral bases. Whether it's Clone War troopers disagreeing with Separatist plans or subtle prejudices seeping to the fore, Zero Company makes great fist of fleshing out the entire world.

In terms of turn-based combat itself, it's fairly simple to pick up even if you've never played an XCOM style game before. With the ability to support your team members, extend zones where if enemies move you can shoot them and various other touches, the turn-based combat feels rich enough to achieve what's needed but also occasionally short enough to feel like you could lose it all within one go.

It's not all perfect though. Cutscenes when you head back to your base are repetitive and the same, leading to a feeling that the game's going through motions. And the camera being blocked during certain turns leaving you to guess whether your gang survived a threat is not a welcome touch either.

But all in all, Star Wars: Zero Company makes a great fist of the idea that the Star Wars universe can feel alive in ways you'd never expect. With an engaging story, different worlds and missions, and characters that feel real, this is one company you'll clearly be happy to fall in with.

Grand Theft Auto VI extended look reveals scale and size of game

Rockstar Games has revealed its first official extended look at the world of Leonida and Jason and Lucia in a 26-minute long showcase of Netflix.

The game, which releases on PlayStation and XBox on November 19, has been highly anticipated.

The extended look showed off the scale of the city, as well as some of the gameplay mechanics for the characters.

From getting fit to scuba diving, to sky-diving revealing the size of the city, the game also demonstrated the Bonnie and Clyde mechanics of Jason and Lucia as their story goes from simple one to crime-ridden chaos on the streets.

For more, watch the Grand Theft Auto VI extended look on YouTube below.

Caterpillar: DVD Review

Cast: Marta Dusseldorp, Anais Shand, Lisa Harrow, Matt Whelan
Director: Chelsie Preston Crayford

Set in the 2000s in New Zealand's capital Wellington, director Chelsie Preston Crayford's first full-length feature is clearly a personal passion project.

It follows three generations of the same family - there's single mother Maxine (A Place To Call Home's Dusseldorp), who's struggling to finance a film she's been pursuing for years; her daughter Cassie, an aspiring actress (Shand, almost a double for Crayford's looks) and matriarch Huia (Harrow), who's on the cusp of dementia and is obsessed by Monarch butterflies and wants to go to Mexico to see them.

In terms of plot, Caterpillar is light on developments outside of the home, with Crayford fixing her gaze on the internal dynamics of an errant mother and her struggling daughter, and keen to explore the parallels of how her own life was affected by the relationship she had with her own grandmother.

As a result, Caterpillar feels almost insular in its execution and less coherent in terms of drama and narrative than perhaps it could do.

And yet, there's a radiant beauty in this movie that plays out with subtlety, restraint and great heart.

Shand's excellent as the daughter, struggling to get her mother's attention and trying to find her own place in the world. While Dusseldorp has perhaps the more thankless role in proceedings given the perceived gaps and conflict within the family, the moments she shares with the two other protagonists sees the somewhat stereotyped creative character, pursuing it all whatever the cost may be, elevated.

Harrow has perhaps the more wistful role as her Huia struggles with the implications of what's coming while trying to never burden the family. It's a very familiar role and route that she pursues, but the narrative restraint that's bestowed upon the arc adds much to the heft. 

Yet the film's narrative failings are overcome by Crayford's eye for moments that stay with you after the movie's finished.

Whether it's a near perfect final shot that will emotionally destroy those who invest or the revelation of what chaos a Post-It note causes, there are plenty of eye-catching scenes within this to lift it from a female gaze to a director who has an eye for beauty in front of the lens.

There's a quiet dignity in Caterpillar and even if the drama comes crashing in at around the one-hour mark, the work done by the quartet of women involved does much to make it powerfully evocative and its considerations universal, no matter how occasionally insular and singular it feels.

Grand Theft Auto VI extended look

Rockstar Games is to reveal an extended look at its highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI on Thursday August 28.

The new look will premiere on Netflix Thursday, August 28 at 5 a.m. Australian Eastern Time (7am NZT) and will also launch on the official Rockstar Games YouTube channel and the Grand Theft Auto VI site at 11a.m. AEST (1pm NZT) on August 28.

The Dog Stars: Movie Review

Cast: Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, Jacob Elordi, Guy Pearce, Alison Janney, Benedict Wong
Director: Ridley Scott

If the post-apocalyptic genre has already been done to death in pop culture, The Dog Stars, from the 2012 novel by Peter Hellar, and Gladiator director Ridley Scott, shows no sign of that trend slowing down.

And while it does feel like it has so many elements of other films, TV shows and books within its mix, what Ridley Scott has created - aside from a genuinely inauspicious start - is a film that wrests fresh tension from familiar tropes and conventions.

Set in March 2035, the world has been laid waste by a flu virus. With vaccines no longer available or working, pockets of humanity have set up in spots around the world, defending themselves from marauding packs of feral hunters.

One such pocket is populated by Hig (a relatively solid Elordi), his dog Jasper and former US soldier and survivalist Bangley (Brolin, gruff, yet approachably warm). Hig, a pilot and mechanic, spends his time making runs for supplies in nearby Denver, fending off any would-be hunters and delivering supplies to the local Mennonites community, much to Bangley's chagriin.

But Hig is also circling a wave of grief brought on by the death of his wife before, suicidal tendencies and a glimmer of hope in the form of a radio message from Grand Junction, where he believes other survivors are. 

However, when tragedy hits Hig and Bangley's world, Hig sets out to see if the Grand Junction dream is the salvation he needs...

The Dog Stars mixes in elements of I Am Legend, 28 Years Later, Mad Max and The Last Of Us along with a large dose of humanity.

It's anything but wall-to-wall sci-fi action ripped from the zombie genre, preferring to slowly build a world (perhaps a little too slowly initially) that feels like it's been ripped from humanity's clutches.

There's a tenderness that Scott spends time creating, and with plenty of shots of Hig flying the skies, the scale of the loneliness becomes apparent without being subtly overstated. Yet there are moments of shocking brutality within that world, a constant reminder that surviving comes at a price, and these are carefully constructed by Scott to ensure the most tension comes from the briefest of action moments.

Elordi occasionally spends too much time moping and isnt quite strong enough fir the emotions needed, and while flashbacks reveal the reason for his misery, it doesn't quite convey enough of the gravitas of a man who's on the edge. He's better in interactions with Brolin's Bangley as their opposing world views rub gently against each other and clash - there's much here to be said about being a good man and being a practical one, and whether the two can co-exist. Brolin's the stand-out here and he works wonders with a more subtle approach to what could be a caricature. (And yes a contemporary theme of isolation vs connection in a post-COVID world goes without saying.)

Of the rest of the cast, Qualley and Pearce add a strong human element as a pair of other survivors - and while the romance between Qualley and Elordi's characters is telegraphed from a distance, Scott once again uses time to suggest a bond and a connection, rather than crashing them together. The West Wing's Alison Janney also deserves plaudits for an unbelievable appearance late in the film which sets up a truly memorable chain of events.

Ultimately, much more than just the sum of its parts and a screenplay that feels wildly familiar throughout, The Dog Stars cleverly inveigles its way under your skin, even though it's muted. Granted, there are themes of colonialism and guilt here, but at its heart, it's the well-told story of a man labouring under the desire to do his best in a world that's gone west, while battling with the spiritual and physical strength needed to survive.

Scott's delivered one of the most sincere films of the year, and inadvertent companion piece to the more meditative elements of the 28 Years Later series of films - and that's no bad thing at all.

What's on HBO Max in September

Here's everything that's streaming on HBO Max in September 2026.

HBO Original

Youth

Monday 21 September, only on HBO Max

Two-episode premiere, same day as the US (8 episodes)

Youth follows a 50-year-old divorcee navigating the highs and lows of dating, sex and love while balancing the demands of caring for her ailing parents and raising her not-quite-grown-up son. The series stars Sharon Horgan, Sharlene Whyte, Rupert Friend, Aran Murphy and Robbie Gee.

HBO Original

Siren: The Voices of Shelley Beattie

Wednesday 23 September, only on HBO Max

Same day as US (1 episode)

While searching the internet one day, Hollywood veteran Marlee Matlin came upon the story of athlete Shelley Beattie – a fellow deaf woman whose life felt eerily like her own. Both women had experienced adventure and fame, but also discrimination, abuse and addiction while navigating a hearing world. Siren: The Voices of Shelley Beattie, directed by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Irene Taylor, explores the parallels between the two legendary women in a haunting portrait of strength, beauty and resiliency.

HBO Original 

A Killer Story

Friday 11 September, only on HBO Max

Episodes drop weekly, same day as US (3 episodes)

A Killer Story examines a polarising murder case that spanned more than two decades and captured national attention. At the centre of the case is Dana Chandler, accused of killing her ex-husband and his girlfriend in 2002. Lacking forensic evidence, the murder case is litigated over three arduous trials with the series unspooling a complex tale of family conflicts, betrayal, prosecutorial misconduct, competing narratives and confirmation bias. More than a murder mystery, A Killer Story probes true crime obsession and the dangers of blinkered certainty in a case where the truth may never be known.

ID

OJ Unseen: Exploitation of Evil

Tuesday 8 September, only on HBO Max

Episodes drop daily, same day as US (4 episodes)

Never-before-seen footage from the making of Juiced - the ill-fated hidden-camera prank show featuring O.J. Simpson. An extreme experiment in the reality TV genre during a time that fused shock value and celebrity culture at any cost, for Simpson, the show was a misguided and desperate attempt to rehabilitate his public image. But just as producers were about to launch this ill-fated attempt to blend reality television with the crime of century, a mystery saboteur brought the whole thing crashing down from within. 

Adult Swim

Common Side Effects

Monday 7 September, only on HBO Max

Stream every episode (10 episodes)

Common Side Effects follows former high school lab partners Marshall and Frances who begin to unravel a conspiracy involving big pharma and the federal government to suppress knowledge of a rare mushroom that may hold the key to curing all the world's diseases. 

Adult Swim

SMILING FRIENDS (Season 3)

Monday 14 September, only on HBO Max

Stream every episode (10 episodes)

Created by Australian Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel, the series follows the employees of a small company dedicated to bringing happiness to a bizarre yet colourful world. The company consists of cynical Charlie and star employee Pim, each tasked with out-calls to cheer people up. There's also meticulous Allan who keeps things in order, mysterious Glep, and the unpredictable billionaire Boss who founded the company.

Adult Swim

YOLO (Season 3)

Monday 21 September, only on HBO Max

Stream every episode (8 episodes)

Created by Australian Michael Cusack, the series follows Australian party girls Sarah and Rachel who are looking for fun times, new experiences, positive vibes, and hopeful horoscopes in the bizarre town of Wollongong.

Warner Bros.

The West Wing (Seasons 1-7)

Wednesday 2 September, only on HBO Max

Stream every episode (20+ episodes per season)

Step inside the White House in the award-winning drama The West Wing, where politics, power and personal lives collide. With sharp wit and compelling storytelling, the series offers an insider’s look at the people working at the heart of the American presidency.

 

DOWNLOAD HBO MAX SEPTEMBER IMAGES

TITLES COMING TO HBO MAX IN SEPTEMBER

*This list may not be comprehensive and is subject to change

1 September

Little Singles (TLC)

DC Studios Showcase: The Official Podcast

Life of Crime 1984-2020 (HBO Original)

2 September

Chelsea Handler: Evolution (Max Original)

Expecting Amy (Max Original)

The West Wing, Seasons 1-7 (Warner Bros.)

3 September

An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong (HBO Original)

Oslo (HBO Original)

4 September

The Idaho College Murders: Catching Kohberger (ID)

Maria Full of Grace (HBO Original)

Primo (HBO Original)

6 September

Fired on Mars (Max Original)

The Fastest Woman On Earth (Max Original)

7 September

Collision (Max Original)

1000-lb Sisters, Season 9 (TLC)

Common Side Effects (Adult Swim)

8 September

OJ Unseen: Exploitation of Evil (ID)

Baby God (HBO Original)

9 September

Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television (HBO Original)

Not So Pretty (Max Original)

10 September

Body Cam, Season 11 (ID)

Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (HBO Original)

The Normal Heart (HBO Original)

11 September

A Killer Story (HBO Original)

Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth (HBO Original)

Real Women Have Curves (HBO Original)

13 September

Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020 (Max Original)

Kite Man: Hell Yeah! (Max Original)

14 September

SMILING FRIENDS, Season 3 (Adult Swim)

15 September

People Magazine Presents: Crimes of the 90s (ID)

The Slow Hustle (HBO Original)

16 September

Equal (Max Original)

Music Box: Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary (HBO Original)

17 September

Aussie Gold Hunters, Season 11 (Discovery) 

Signs of a Psychopath, Season 11 (ID)

American Splendor (HBO Original)

Confirmation (HBO Original)

18 September

Einstein and Eddington (HBO Original)

Temple Grandin (HBO Original)

19 September

Caleb Hearon: Model Comedian (HBO Original)

20 September

Scavengers Reign (Max Original)

21 September

Youth (HBO Original)

Young Love (Max Original) 

YOLO, Season 3 (Adult Swim)

22 September

I Am Evidence (HBO Original)

23 September

Siren: The Voices of Shelley Beattie (HBO Original)

Ren Faire (HBO Original)

The Other Two, Seasons 1-3 (Max Original)

24 September

Dinner With Friends (HBO Original)

Game Change (HBO Original)

25 September

Paolo (HBO Original)

911: Did the Killer Call?, Season 2 (ID)

Last Days (HBO Original)

The Sunset Limited (HBO Original)

26 September

Children of God: Lost and Found (HBO Original)

27 September

Toxic, Season 2 (ID)

Clone High, Seasons 1 & 2 (Max Original)

Only You: An Animated Shorts Collection (Max Original)

28 September

Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal, Season 3 (Adult Swim)

90 Day Fiance UK, Seasons 1-3 (TLC)

Darcey & Stacey, Season 4 (TLC)

Dirty Jobs, Seasons 8-10 (Discovery)

Ed Stafford: Left For Dead (Discovery)

Edge of Alaska, Season 3 (Discovery)

Expedition Bigfoot, Season 6 (Discovery)

Fright Club, Season 2 (TLC)

Ghost Adventures (TLC)

Ghost Adventures - Curse of the Harrisville Farmhouse, Season 22 (TLC)

Ghost Adventures - Horror at Joe Exotic Zoo (TLC)

Ghost Adventures, Season 23 (TLC)

Ghost Adventures, Season 29 (TLC)

Ghost Brothers: Lights Out (TLC)

Ghost Nation, Seasons 1 & 2 (TLC)

Little People, Big World, Seasons 19-25 (TLC)

Love In Paradise: The Caribbean, Seasons 1 & 2 (TLC)

Quiet in Class (Max Original)

Spooked Scotland (TLC)

The Dead Files, Seasons 10, 13-15 (TLC)

The Last Woodsmen (Discovery)

Zillow Gone Wild, Seasons 1 & 2 (Discovery)

29 September

Stockton On My Mind (HBO Original)

30 September

Miller Night Football (HBO Original)

Castle Impossible, Season 2 (Discovery)

Animal Kingdom, Seasons 1-6 (Warner Bros.)

Castle Impossible, Season 2 (Discovery)

Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print (HBO Original)

Menudo: Forever Young (Max Original)

Backrooms (September 25)

The hit movie Backrooms from director Kane Parsons and starring Chiwetel Eijofor and Reinate Reinsve will have its streaming premiere on Friday September 25.

The films follows a furniture store owner and would-be architect (Ejiofor) who gets lost in a world somehow connected to his store, filled with an endless network of interconnected rooms where time bends and the only thing scarier than getting lost is the sense that something is lying in wait. 

But when he doesn't show up for an appointment, his therapist wades in to rescue him (Reinsve).

The Sheep Detectives: Blu Ray Review

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Bryan Cranston, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Emma Thompson, Nicholas Galitzine, Patrick Stewart, Hong Chau
Director: Kyle Balda

Imagine a film that takes the talking animal genius of Babe and fuses it with the kind of chocolate box cosy crime dramas, such as The Thursday Murder Club, that have become the norm in this day and age.

In a nutshell, that's what the charmingly wholesome The Sheep Detectives is, a bucolic slice of simplicity that follows shepherd George, who carries two bottles of milk in a holster belt and lives alone in a field on the outskirts of the idyllic English village of Denbrook.

Each night, at the end of his day tending to his flock, George (Messiah-like and gruff with humans, but soft with his animals) reads detective novels to the wooly masses and unbeknownst to him, has a thrilled and captivated audience. When the sheep awake one day to find George slumped in a field, they suspect he has been murdered and raised on a diet of grass and crime stories, Lily (Louis-Dreyfus) sets out to solve the crime.

Chernobyl screenwriter Craig Mazin wastes no time setting up a whole ewe-niverse within Denbrook as he adapts German crime author Leonie Swann's 2022 book Three Bags Full. From the nosey shopkeeper to the malevolent-looking butcher, everyone's a suspect and in the style of Edgar Wright's Hot Fuzz, even the local law enforcement (Succession's Nicholas Braun) is clueless.

This is a story that very much conforms to the norms of the cosy crime world, raising the tropes and acknowledging them without subverting them, before ploughing it all through a wooly prism.

And yet, there's some darkness within the sentimental message of never forgetting those that are left behind. From outcast animals to the sheep's desire to simply stop remembering anything they don't like, along with ideologies on death and the negation of the horrors of farm life, this is a film that teeters on nightmarish moments - even if its key one is ripped directly from the most horrifying moment of George Miller's Babe.

Dame Emma Thomson delivers a perfectly pitched performance as a lawyer brought in to execute George's estate, but the real star of the film is the dialogue which has no qualms or compunction about mixing both silly word play with feel-good heartfelt sentiment.

It's perhaps a little too wooly in its duration, but this tale of a field full of Baa-Gatha Christie animals inspired to see their shepherd's killer put behind baa-rs is perhaps the sweetest intentioned film you'll see all year.

Fuze: Blu Ray 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.

Claws and Effect: Talking Marvel's Wolverine with Insomniac Games' project director Jess Reiner-Reed

Jess Reiner-Reed is a Senior Project Director at Insomniac Games currently working on Marvel's Wolverine. She has been a part of PlayStation Studios for over 15 years working on multiple franchises including Marvel's Spider-Man and God of War.  Jess is a lifelong gamer and a highlight of her career was leading the release of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales on the PlayStation 5.

She was in New Zealand for the preview day for Marvel's Wolverine and took some time to discuss the game, the expectations and the brilliance of Liam McIntyre's performance as Logan.

You've been working on this for quite a while now since 2020. Is it good to be killing again? Because, I mean, all your titles before have been previously quite family-friendly? Jess: Yeah, you're, you're very correct. When we're working on Spider-Man games, Spider-Man classically doesn't kill and he always has to web enemies to the side of a building or something. Now Wolverine can actually kill enemies,

GET THE DETAILS ON THE FIRST FEW HOURS OF MARVEL'S WOLVERINE HERE!

It's pretty bloody and pretty gory This is what the Wolverine fans will want. But was there any moments you thought we might need to pull it back a little bit?

We wanted to make sure that it was an authentic Wolverine experience. Once folks heard that we were making Marvel's Wolverine, they immediately go, "are they going to make it teen? Are they going to make it, uh, mature?" We wanted to make it authentic, which he does live in a brutal world. It's going to be violent, but Wolverine is not someone who glorifies violence. He's not doing it just for the fun of it. He's doing it because it, what he has to do. Through development, especially our animation team, they're coming up with a bunch of cool ideas, taking reference from many different places.

And there were some kills that we decided to take out that pushed it a little too far where it started to seem like, is he like playing with this enemy before they die? Is it seem like he's having too much fun? No, Logan's a more like efficient dude. That's just getting in there, getting the job done. So there definitely were times where I felt like, okay, that's not right for this character and not right for this game, so we're going to pull it back a bit.

There are a few scenes as well, where you sense that he is struggling with it. Is morality playing quite a big part in this version of your Wolverine.

Logan was part of Team X, this group that's trying to defend mutants. But at the start of our story, he left Team X abruptly a few years ago for some reasons that you find out through the story. And at the start of our game, he's just coming back to Team X. Even just being back in this setup is a conflict for him morally, of like, "do I want to be working in a group with these people defending mutants?"

Logan is trying to grapple with where does he stand when it comes to the, as you mentioned, the morality of defending mutants versus taking out the enemies.

Where do you start with a story like this? I mean, you mentioned earlier that it's an original story. There's a lot of canon material out there. So how hard is it to come up with a standalone idea and progress that rather than worry that you're going to cross over into areas that you shouldn't need to?

Good question. So there are so many decades of Wolverine and so many different variations across all the different types of medium. And the folks at Insomniac and Marvel Games are all super fans. 

Everybody has these different ideas of Logan. They're like, I remember watching the comics, excuse me, watching the cartoons when I was a kid. Or I only know Logan from the comics, etc.So we couldn't make everybody's Logan. We couldn't. That's too, you'd end up with just an amalgamation of nothing, right?

Same as you couldn't make everyone's Spider-Man really...

Exactly. You have to make, so early on, we worked with Marvel Games and put together like, what are the things that we need to get right? And what are the things that we really want to tell out of this story? We wanted to have an emotional journey that Logan is discovering his mysteries of his past along with the player. They're both figuring things out throughout the course of the game and really have the story mean something.

It's not just a game where you just kill things with claws. There's a whole narrative side of this and really understanding these characters. Long answer to your question is, we early on had to hone in on what's that clear vision of the story? And even when the trailers come out, of course, fans have ideas and they start saying things.

We always have to keep, what's the story we want to tell? And you asked earlier about different kind of moves in the game. We're always going, is this right for the story we're telling today? Because there's so many different things you could add in. You really have to refine it to what's right for the game.

It seems like you've evolved and tweaked the mechanics of combat and Spider-Man. There are a few kind of crossovers in terms of where gunfire is done and fighting stealth, but how did you go about making it uniquely a different vision for this one in terms of the combat?

With Spider-Man, he's more of a gadgets guy and he always has different gadgets and whatnot that he's able to throw out. When we started Wolverine, he has claws. He is not a gadget man, he's not tech guy. So we knew we wanted to nail claw combat. We knew we wanted to get his mutant powers really involved with the gameplay mechanics. Things like his healing factor and enhanced senses. And we went through a lot of play testing to make sure that we got those right. Overall, as long as we have at the end of the day that the player feels like they had some claws and they got that Wolverine fantasy, they get the destruction of the environment and stuff, then we nailed it. 

It feels like you've developed two versions of the game with the gameplay settings which allow less gore and less violence. So how does the less violent version of the game differ and how much extra work did that kind of cause?

With accessibility features at Insomniac, we developed those throughout development. So we're not thinking about those at the very end. We worked on those throughout, like as we're making the game and as we're refining the blood and working on the different visual effects, we were working on those accessibility features. So the accessibility features I mentioned where we have the low gore setting, which that's going to turn off any blood sprays during combat. It's also during gameplay and cinematics going to turn off any blood that ends up on the character or ends up on Logan. Logan's clothes still get ripped up, so you can still tell he's been in a tussle, but you won't have blood. And then we also have the option to turn off dismemberment. So Logan with claws, there's some arms that get cut off. I think some legs maybe get cut off. Those can get, you can turn that off if that's, if you're squeamish and that's not your thing. You can also turn off profanity in English only.

Logan, he's a swearing guy.That came in in the end in kind of the last year, because that's when you're refining, finalising all of your VO. And we couldn't mute the swears until we had completed VO. But then afterwards we were looking and going, "wow, he swears a lot." When we signed up to do, everybody's swearing. Sabretooth has quite the mouth on him. I'm so glad we have it for people that want to. I'm glad we, I'm really glad we did that. But that was definitely a new endeavour that I didn't realise until afterwards how many words we signed up to mute!

You mentioned Wolverine there, and Logan and the character. Talk to me about Liam and his performance. Is there just something about Australians that they seem to tap into the Logan aesthetic with Hugh Jackman as well. And Liam, is there something intrinsic to that, that nation that you think they've got?

There's definitely something about Liam!

I'm so glad we have Liam McIntyre as our Wolverine. So Liam is someone who has been so involved in the development the last few years. And for those that don't know Liam, he's a fantastic actor from movies, TVs, and he's done games in the past. He is a charming guy. He's really nice. And he's also super gamer, like he loves video games. Throughout development, he would come to the office, play builds of the game. He would talk to us about like different cool ideas for combat. He would get really excited on the mocap stage and like want to do his own stunts and everything. Liam's just been fantastic to work with. When we were auditioning all the different people for Logan, I think what Liam brought to the table was somebody who wasn't trying to do a fake Wolverine voice. Like he wasn't bringing a character.

He just naturally spoke and has kind of a gruffness, but also the nuance of some emotion we needed. When we did auditions, we didn't tell the actors that it was for Wolverine. It was for like Johnny Knifehands or something, kind of subtly not Wolverine! But there were other actors that came in and they were like, "hi, I'm Johnny," you know, like tough, like kind of silly. 

Liam brought a real honesty to the character. I can't imagine any other person playing Logan.

So was that, were those the moments that you feel he really nailed the character and that's when you thought we have our Logan? The voice he brings and being able to show anger, but also show a lot of kind of nuance in his facial expressions.

You've kind of keyed into it, but we did fully scan Liam's face. When we're capturing his performance, we're always getting all of the facial wrinkles and emotions.We scanned his teeth, like that is Liam on there. So I think it'll be pretty weird for him to play the game of himself.

Is this the first of a franchise do you hope for Wolverine? I love working on Marvel games. And right now, fully focused on just getting this one out the door in September.

Playing through, there's a lot more in common with Kratos and with God of War, did you draw on some of those elements from your past as well, the kind of conflict, but the rage and the fighting as well?

I can't say that, I guess, I think our team of developers takes inspiration from a lot of different, obviously all the different media, we're all huge gamers, and I'm sure there's inspiration from a lot of different bits. For me personally, there wasn't anything specific, other than just crafting, like honestly, with any games I've worked on, crafting a great story, married with, wow, this feels really fun to play, which I think the God of War games, I know do, and I get to continue to do that with our Insomniac games.

Can you tell us a bit more about the story, about what we can expect?

Yeah, so as we talked about story-driven adventure, I would say time, gameplay time definitely varies depending on whether you're doing a lot of different optional content. All of the nightmare trials, I can't say how many, but there's quite a few of them to be able to dig into. So I would say gameplay time definitely varies also depending on what kind of difficulty. And the team is still back there tuning, back there being back in the States tuning the game up. I'll be excited to see how peoples' playthroughs go in September.

What have you made of watching some people play? What are the bits that you've picked up that you hadn't expected to see?

Oh yeah, so we do so much playtesting at Insomniac. I've seen quite a few people over the years literally playing through this game. And I think some of the stuff that, are you saying like I'm surprised about, or was that what you were trying to get at?

Yeah, when you see people playing. What do developers make of seeing people actually playing their product?

I think the thing that I always clue in on is when people are making any kind of like emotion, like laughing or kind of smiling, like which parts you're after a combat setup or after like a crazy kill. For me, I love kicking enemies off cliffs with Hold Square. And then exactly like some people, when we do playtests and things, we have a camera that shows their facial expressions. I like seeing what stuff kind of brought them a little spark. Those are my favourite bits.

Are there any that surprised you? Any moments that you thought, I wasn't expecting that kind of connection with it?

Oh, that's interesting. I think some of the, I've seen some bits with the emotional scenes with Jean, which I, you know, I knew those were going to resonate with players. But when you actually, when you see people seeing it for the first time, because I've seen it for years at this point, those are pretty exciting to have people kind of start to uncover the story as a first-time player.

There will be a lot of people wanting to know if they're going to cross over if we're going to see Miles, Peter and maybe Logan at some point, I'm guessing you can't comment on that. 

I can, I can. I mean, I love Miles and I love Pete, but there's no crossover in Marvel's Wolverine. They do have a shared universe though. So we're in the 1048. There's some Easter eggs that people may notice, but there's no official crossover.

What are the moments that you're proudest of in the game?

I'm really proud of on the screen. I'm playing through the entire game in my head right now, just so you know. I just played through it last week before I came here. I'm just kind of playing through. Well, before I go into any specifics, I think one thing I am really proud of is that we're able to develop a game that Marvel fans are going to really like, but you don't have to be a Marvel super fan to enjoy this game. That's really important for me. I think for the team as well, is that folks coming into this don't have to have 50 years of prior Logan knowledge. We're going to teach you who these characters are. And if you just want to play an awesome roller coaster adventure, go for it, you're going to have a blast.

Or if you're a Marvel super fan, and you've watched every movie 30 times, you're also going to enjoy it. I'm really proud that we were able to kind of strike that balance. I think the other part I get really excited about are the different locations we got to go to.

 

After working on Marvel's Spider-Man for many years and being in New York, love it. It was really refreshing to have more organic spaces and talk about like, oh, footsteps in the snow, blood in the snow, you hit a guy into a tree and the snow falls off the tree. Cool. Like, we get to talk about foliage. And like, we had a team go out and take a bunch of pictures of different foliage for photogrammetry to bring that into the game. And also like getting to build up Madripoor and have that be a new, unique location.

I think as a developer, getting to explore some new spots was cool.

We heard you had been talking about a new foliage system you had to put in because of the weight of the characters interacting with the world around them, rather than Spidey being a light and lithe kind of character.

Yeah, exactly. We had technically called them bendy branches, but I don't know if they have a cooler name or something. But yeah, so like if so if Spider-Man is, you know, walking on something, he's very agile, but Logan is, you know, X number 100 pounds.So the branches kind of bend, etc. Yeah. So there's a lot of little bits like that, that kind of layer in to make this new game.

What would be an elevator pitch to people who've never played a game like Logan before?

Marvel's Wolverine is a story-driven rollercoaster adventure where you are going to follow Logan uncovering the mysteries of his past. And you are going to have a blast with claw combat and some other Marvel characters.

And just finally, it seems like the preview allowed us to pick up really on the kind of little moments you talked about. Such as the Trask soldier in one of the earlier fights, who Logan's about to take them all out and you just hear this little voice in the headphone going, "it's okay, I can do this."

It seems like you've put a lot of work into the NPC characters and their interactions with Logan as well.

I'm glad you noticed that. Throughout, I would say we wanted to make sure that the enemies are vocalising based on what's going on with Logan's position and things, because like I mentioned, you can go in stealthy and they're going to react a certain way versus just going in claws blazing type thing. But we also, with our NPCs in Madripoor, we have NPCs speaking different language to have kind of the different fabric of that area.I'm bad at the languages, but I believe it's Malay and Tamil and a few others. So that was cool. That was like a new thing we got to do is layer in different languages. 

 

And also with the Japan location, we worked closely with Sony Japan to make sure that it had some authentic feeling of what it would be like to be in Shinjuku. It does feel like Insomniac's always trying to look to ways to develop what they've already got and push new boundaries as well. Yeah, I would say, I mean, Marvel's Wolverine gets to be an evolution of what we've learned from Spider-Man, whether that's storytelling or tech or gameplay. 

 

That's the fun of game development is we keep figuring out new problems to solve, I guess. Like, okay, what are we going to solve this week? How are we going to figure it out? Cool. How are exit wounds going to work with bullet holes versus getting slashed with a sword? And yeah, every day is a different thing to solve!

Marvel's Wolverine releases exclusively on PlayStation from September 15.