Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Review

The third and purportedly last season of the Picard spinoff leaves you in no doubt that it's firing on all cylinders from the start.

With the revelations that most of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast would be returning for this final run, there was an inherent danger of this run of 10 episodes being nothing more than a nostalgia lap.

But having seen six of the ten episodes, those involved have done more than that to ensure it doesn't lapse into some kind of fan service - and in doing so, have easily recovered from a faltering second season that lost its way very early on.

In this latest, Picard is content with life back at his chateau and at a chance with a relationship he'd longed for. But affairs of the heart have to be put on hold when he receives a coded distress call from Dr Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden, kicking ass from the very beginning) that hints of real danger both to her and the wider universe.

Lured into action and co-opting William Riker (Jonathan Frakes, in a sardonic turn), Picard soon finds himself at the centre of something he least expected - and potentially out of his depth with catastrophic consequences looming.

The thing with Star Trek: Picard Season 3 is that it knows exactly what it wants - and its confidence of execution comes through on every level.

But while there are epic sequences that feel very cinematic, for a large part, the story is still grounded and intimate for reasons a little too spoilery to reveal ahead of the premiere but are more obvious after episode 1 has aired.

Star Trek: Picard has always been about Jean-Luc Picard's mortality and reflections on life already gone, and this latest season builds on that even though the first season essentially took away his humanity and mortality to a degree. There are surprising moments in the story, and conflicts you'd not expect to occur do - but what comes through is the depth of history between these shared characters and the ease with which the actors still interact with each other.

There's no denying in parts that early on, the series feels a little like it's chopping and changing as it loops between narratives, and it's hard to shake a feeling the female characters are somewhat shunted to the side as the show goes on - and while there's a distinct feeling the show is divided into chapters of pockets of characters interacting with some cracks papered over dramatically, it's still superior sci-fi fare. (You will however feel some of the central mystery is overboiled, overwrought and a touch repetitive without necessary resolution over six episodes - and it's hard to shake a feeling that MacFadden who made such a memorable entry becomes more and more shunted as the season progresses.)

Among the newcomers to this season is Todd Stashwick's Captain Liam Shaw who makes a memorable entrance and then continues to build on an absolute pearl of an arc he's gifted by the writers. Having Jeri Ryan's Seven paired as his first officer proves to be a fruitful combination which leaves you wanting more of their previous adventures. Ryan also delivers an at times tortured and conflicted performance that soars.

It's no spoiler to say for the most part, you can see where the characters are going, but there are moments of reintroductions which surprise and later on, there is more than just a feeling of nostalgia as it's clear where the story has evolved the returnees and not just brought them in for the sake of it.

Much of Star Trek: Picard Season 3 is about placing characters in impossible situations and seeing how they react - but not once is it done overdramatically, it's done in more of a grounded way that feels true to the characters and their past.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 represents a high point if this truly is the end. It's a series that delves deep into conspiracies, flourishes in its relationships and proves that good sci-fi doesn't have to always push the envelope, just deliver what it needs to.

Episodes 1-6 of Star Trek: Picard Season 3 were viewed for the purposes of this review.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 begins airing on Prime Video on Friday February 17.

Dog: Neon NZ Review

Dog knows exactly what it wants to do - the pitch is right there in front of an audience.

Channing Tatum, a dog and a road trip to a fallen comrade's funeral. It's all laid out in that simple synopsis - and it's cemented by the opening credits which provide a snapshot of the relationship between the dog Lulu and its military owner, who's died.

And yet for a film whose premise isn't exactly earth-shattering, or whose denouement is never in doubt, Dog makes the conventional road seem appealing enough for its 100 minute run time.

Tatum is Jackson Briggs, a former Army Ranger, who's been cast aside from the service due to a combination of post traumatic stress disorder and also a brain injury that could leave him prone to seizures. Desperate for money, and scrabbling to make ends meet after working at a gas station, Briggs is offered a shot at redemption - if he can take the hot-headed pooch Lulu to his former Ranger's funeral.

But Briggs is not the only suffering from PTSD, as Lulu isn't exactly an easy passenger in the planned road trip.

Episodic in structure, and oddly atonal, Dog is a film that isn't quite sure that it wants to be.

On the one hand, it offers plenty of Instagrammable vistas with Tatum's Briggs posing next to a dog as they trek across America to make the funeral; but on the other, it sees the dog attack a Muslim in a hotel because that's what it's programmed to do. Add into that mix a run in with a pair of hippy hillbilly weed dealers in the hills, a hipster duo of mediums who Briggs tries to have a threesome with, a section with a veteran dog handler and lot of Briggs talking his feelings out to Lulu while driving, and you can see how the film's patchwork quilt of ambition doesn't quite match with its execution.

Tatum doesn't exactly challenge himself here - both in front of and behind the camera, but he does allow a degree of vulnerability to creep into his portrayal of Briggs aimed at clearly tugging the heartstrings of the audience. 

dog is easy viewing in extremis, however one can't help but feel that the story could have been beefed up into a more interesting way of tackling PTSD, one which doesn't have every single beat signposted from a great distance away. Its muted catharsis is a victim of this, and epilogue scenes feel somewhat unearned, relationships repaired when they seemed damaged by assumption early on and a lack of drama within. It jumps to conclusions rather than fully concentrating on the journey and ultimately disengages the audience that may be looking for more swoon-worthy shots of tight T-shirts, rugged jawlines and pet pooches.

Dog isn't a bad film at all, despite an obviously mawkish sentimental end - it's just one that's confused in its execution and in its audience expectations as well. It's not exactly ruff, but it's not as smooth a ride as its very simple premise initially lays out.

The Batman: Neon NZ Review

Cast: Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, Andy Serkis, John Turturro

Director: Matt Reeves

Broody, bleak, bum-numbing and brilliant, Matt Reeves' dark take on The Batman proves to be the Darkest Knight ever.

But whether that's too much for some raised on a more palatable Batman lore is an intriguing question in this tale of incels, city-wide corruption and one man struggling to stem the tide.

Following Year Two of the Batman's fight against the crime raging in Gotham is Robert Pattinson's emo, weary and pasty moper of Bruce Wayne, a Wayne whose floppy fringe covers part of his face and who looks vaguely disgusted at the state of the world. He even keeps a journal of each night's activities, pondering on what was as the soundtrack blears Nirvana's Something in the Way track from the screen.

When the mayor of Gotham is murdered, the Batman's on the case, along with Commissioner Jim Gordon (Wright, wearied and yet venerable to watch) as they fight prejudice against the Caped Crusader from within. But when Riddler announces his presence in the crime, and promises to blow the No More Lies of Gotham sky high, suddenly everything feels much more personal to R-Batz's Batman.

Drawing more from the Detective Comics, the Death in the Family comic series and actual detecting as well as eschewing the usual origins tale, The Batman ramps up the dour moodiness early on, delivering set pieces that are more about an atmosphere of unease than spectacle and settling into the Seven and Zodiac Killer-influenced grime and a Saw-laced veneer that infects the crime-ridden streets of Gotham.

In truth, while the conclusion of the noir mystery isn't exactly difficult (or original) to uncover, a final act destruction turnaround feels disappointingly turgid and rote in its inclusion, most of what transpires during a near 3 hour outing is immensely watchable - once you surrender to the film's rhythms. In fact, Reeves manages to deliver some subversion of the expected tropes of the genre, while never losing sight of the immersion of the Bat-world.

Pattinson is controlled in his Bat-delivery, quietly channeling the disaffected disdain for the world around him and the effects of nihilism on his never-ending quest. He's mopey in extremis, and at times is a little on the vacant side but when it comes to delivering furious anger and barely-controlled rage, the contrast is obvious and explosive.

While Zoe Kravitz offers more charisma as Selina Kyle, she's still an object within the film, as the camera milks her sexuality, as Batman watches her undress, and as her role in a club plays out. It's an interesting paradigm in a film that concerns watchers and stalkers, but never fully seems to condemn them.

Of the villains, Paul Dano's unhinged Riddler is nothing short of chilling and disturbing, tapping into social media concerns and current day exploitation of incels, the extremists and the maligned masses hidden in America's underbelly - it's a horrifically timely approach. But he's disturbingly good in a film which calls for the darkness to be brought to the fore, and proves an effective and sparingly used foil to Pattinson's Batman.

Outside of the main cast, praise must also be heaped on Michael Giacchino's score, which helps turn some of the more stylised graphic novel based sequences into moments which feel more real rather than existing to solely make the film look cool. 

Ultimately, The Batman is a sickeningly slick piece of work - it may take a little too long to go where it's going, and its choice of commentary may not totally be fresh and new, but as it commands your attention, it becomes like the grime you get under your nails - You're not sure how it got there, but it's resolutely there, and you just can't seem to shake it.

Magic Mike's Last Dance: Movie Review

Cast: Channing Tatum, Salma Hayek Pinault,
Director: Steven Soderbergh

Magic Mike is back again for one last dance.

However, depressingly, this threequel is entirely flaccid and utterly lacking in any kind of sizzle - both intellectually and physically.

Even if director and writer Steven Soderbergh deserves praise for building a world that made a one-dimensional character of a stripper into a fully formed human being, this riff on Pretty Woman seems to be bereft of anything other than a lead in to an extended dance sequence finale that feels tame by comparison to its past.

Down on his luck after the pandemic ripped the heart out of his furniture business, Tatum's Mike Lane is bartending. Chancing upon potential divorcee Max Mendoza (Hayek Pinault) at a charity event, Mike's pulled back into the world he once inhabited after he's offered thousands to dance one last time for her.

After a sultry display of his former talents, the next morning Mike is whisked to London by Max to help her deal with her estranged husband and re-engage a theatre Max has become the owner of. Deciding upon a show for female empowerment, Max enlists Mike to do the business...

Dealing more with choreography than outright titillation, Magic Mike's Last Dance is more concerned with mashing up the Magic Mike live show and the Magic Mike talent search than any kind of real coherence or plot.

Tatum has obvious charm as the stripper with a heart of gold, but he lacks the chemistry with Hayek Pinault's feisty Max who seems to be a mouthpiece for feminism but who baulks at letting her young daughter enjoy it.

With a voiceover from Max's daughter that aims to dabble philosophy with the ethics of dancing and its history, Soderbergh tries to coat the whole affair with intellectualising, but ends up sucking the life out of proceedings and rendering it all a somewhat of a theory lesson than a movie outing. It's a dissertation more than a dance off, and even the haughty weariness of Max's butler can't save proceedings from collapsing into a slump as the film wears on.

Feeling like some kind of muted Full Monty, Magic Mike's Last Dance won't offer what the audience expects - and while the word "Last" is in the title, it's highly unlikely Tatum's done with this. 

At one point in the film Tatum's Mike skirts across the stage in a pair of soled shoes. The irony is that in the entire movie, these are the only moments of soul that emerge from this utterly disengaged and woefully inadequate movie.

Mrs Harris Goes To Paris: Blu Ray Review

Cast: Lesley Manville, Jason Isaacs, Isabelle Huppert, Alba Baptista
Director: Anthony Fabian

You've seen the likes of Mrs Harris Goes To Paris before.

Feelgood heartwarming fare that's aimed at the older end of the cinema-going audience, it's the kind of English fare that gets rolled out on Christmas telly when everyone's stuffed to the gills and just wants something easy and non-challenging to watch.

Normally, while that would be a way to dismiss a film, with Mrs Harris Goes To Paris, it becomes its winning sentiment, a pervasive sense of wholesomeness that sees you through the sentiment and obvious mawkishness when it comes.

Manville is Mrs Harris, a recently widowed cleaner whose world is changed when she sees a Dior dress at a client's house and sets her heart on earning enough to travel to Paris to purloin one. But when she finally gets to her destination, she finds herself a fish out of water as snobbery starts to batter her - will this Cinderella go to the ball?

It doesn't take much to make you realise where Mrs Harris Goes To Paris is going, and the journey is entirely predictable fluff that can all be set out from the opening frame. But sometimes, there are rare films that force cynicism into submission, revel in their goodness and prove the predictable is permissible.

Mrs Harris Goes To Paris is one such film - thanks largely to Manville's considerable charm. Her downbeat approach to the role keeps everything grounded in a kind of reality that allows the fairytale elements to grow and flourish; her character's inherent Britishness when it comes to cultural conflict and her unerring sense of goodness wins over not only the characters in the film but an audience as well.

It may be the tale of a working class lass done good, and it may well be up there with the Full Monty for its predictability, but Mrs Harris Goes To Paris' feelgood factor shouldn't be discounted here - it proves to be its winning touch in a cynical world populated by hollow blockbusters and CGI fare. It's English escapism at its most primal - and don't be surprised if you fall for its charms, no matter how fleeting they may be.

The Woman King: Blu Ray Review

Cast: Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, Thuso Mbedu, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, John Boyega

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood

Hailed as a cinematic moment for representation (which in of itself is depressing for 2022), Gina Prince-Bythewood's The Woman King is a based on history story that dips into melodrama for its emotion, when it doesn't really need to.

Set in the West African kingdom of Dahomey in 1823, the film centres around the all-female warrior group the Agojie, a brutally effective band trying to help John Boyega's King Ghezo prepare for war with their neighbours.

Led by Viola Davis' General Nanisca, the troupe is focused only on war and conflict, with contact with men banished and training the only thing they observe. But with Nanisca needing new recruits to train, Mbedu's Nawi finds herself under their command when her father kicks her out for refusing to marry.

Nanisca and Nawi end up at loggerheads with conflicting viewpoints on life coming sharply into focus - but will the Agojie be torn apart by this fight?

The Woman King starts off superbly with some tautly choreographed battle elements feeling like anything Braveheart could muster. Fearsome, revered and focussed, the women are truly terrifying and led with Davis' intensity, the movie wastes no time on showing the cost of dedication and the price of shuttering oneself off.

Yet it lapses into an obvious melodrama as the conflict between Nanisca and Nawi heads down very familiar routes. Fortunately, while this can be seen a mile off, it helps that Davis' powerful performance and Mbedu's steely determination make this watchable enough fare.

The script follows a very familiar route - training montages, conflicts, betrayal and coming-of-age edges. It's a little too formulaic, even if what's injected into the proceedings feels fresh and different.

With a script that's unafraid to discuss and show sustained rape, there is a boldness here that's worth saluting, but the emotion sometimes feels like it's lacking - even if Lashana Lynch's more human turn proves to be more compelling in her relationship with Mbedu's Nawi, you can still spot what's coming a mile off.

Ultimately, whilst it's depressing that in 2022 the female-led and female narrative-led elements of The Woman King have to be saluted, the formidable force of innocence vs traumatised life makes for an engaging cinematic experience - albeit one whose story feels paradoxically cliched and yet somehow (thanks to the power of the lead actors) fresh at the same time.