Cross the Netflix Stream

Gigi Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

Gigi (1958)

Rent Gigi on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the novella (paid link)
Written by: Alan Jay Lerner (screen play), Colette (based on the novella by), Niven Busch (uncredited)
Directed by: Vincente Minnelli, Charles Walters (uncredited)
Starring: Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan
Rated: G
Watch the trailer

Plot
In this musical, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training, weary of the conventions of Parisian society,begin a platonic friendship which leads to both of them developing feelings for the other.

Verdict
It's a love story with an unlikely introduction. The movie decries marriage as playboys employ courtesans instead of settling down. While common for the time, it's certainly a mark of a misogynistic time period. We follow the ebb and flow of this relationship as Gaston and Gigi navigate their complicated connection. While I find older movies difficult to enjoy due to style and conventions, this one was especially boring. It doesn't examine this dynamic, instead loudly proclaiming that a woman's worth can only be evaluated by men.
Skip it.

Review
This won the Oscar for best picture, but it came out the same year as Vertigo (1958), which wasn't even nominated. I would guess that illustrates more how advanced Vertigo was as opposed to how misguided nominations and voting were. From a modern standpoint, it's an egregious miss.

Our introduction is provided by Honoré Lachaille (Maurice Chevalier), an old man enthralled with young women. It seems especially egregious today as he sings, "Thank Heaven for Little Girls." It's a misogynistic time, and mistresses were common in 1900 Paris when this takes place. Honoré states men choose not to get married while women that don't, can't. It's wild and it makes this feel incredibly dated.

Gigi (Leslie Caron) is being trained by her aunt as a courtesan. She's young and carefree, but she doesn't like that any relationship she has is only a business transaction instead of true affection.

Leslie Caron plays Gigi

Honoré's nephew Gaston (Louis Jourdan) dumps his girlfriend when she cheats on him. He in turn embarrasses her, and the movie implies she fakes a suicide which is problematic on its own. Honoré congratulates Gaston on the first woman to attempt suicide over him. That's just gross. It's a complete lack of regard for women. This movie treats them as objects from beginning to end. While Gaston wants to leave the city, uncle Honoré pushes him to stay in Paris and embrace the part of the playboy despite how he feels. Granted mistresses were the most common in France in 1900, I wondered if this movie was some kind of strange wish fulfillment or a stereotype of France.

Gaston begins spending time with Gigi, and I could easily guess where that would go. Gigi's aunt wants to train her to be Gaston's mistress while he's away. When he returns, he insults her new style. It had to be that he liked her or and didn't like the idea of Gigi being just a courtesan. Gaston soon realizes that's it, and that he does genuinely like Gigi. Despite that, he proposes an arrangement with the aunt while also telling Gigi he loves her. Gigi rightfully thinks he's toying with her, and that he's just telling her what she wants to hear so he can get what he wants. Gigi does like him, agreeing to the arrangement despite her reservations.

Leslie Caron, Louis Jourdan play Gaston, Gigi

When Gaston takes her out, he's unnerved that people think she's only his mistress. Honoré jokes that she's such a good courtesan that she'll keep him entertained for at least a few months. Gaston rankles at the statement implying she's disposable and immediately takes her home. She's not sure why, thinking he's upset. All of this could have been rectified with a society that treats everyone like full fledged human beings, or at the least some communication about how Gaston or Gigi feel about each other. The big conclusion provides a happy ending for all, but by that point I was all but checked out.

I don't always care for older movies, the style and culture can be drastically different from the modern movies with which I'm more familiar. Likewise, the innovations early movies pioneered have been mimicked, copied, and improved. Usually I can see why an older movie was popular, but this is especially boring. This doesn't explore the dynamic or even comment on it. Women's only purpose is to provide value to men. I couldn't help but check the time frequently, thinking surely this has to be nearing the conclusion; no such luck.

Rumble Fish Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

Rumble Fish (1983)

Rent Rumble Fish on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the book (paid link)
Written by: S.E. Hinton (novel "Rumble Fish"), S.E. Hinton & Francis Ford Coppola (screenplay)
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Vincent Spano, Diane Lane, Diana Scarwid, Nicolas Cage, Dennis Hopper, Chris Penn
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
Absent-minded street thug Rusty James struggles to live up to his legendary older brother's reputation, and longs for the days of gang warfare.

Verdict
It's experimental and artistic, but you could also summarize it as just weird. Still, there's something charming about a movie that lifts a story about teenage problems into some epic story exploring freedom and captivity against the expectations of others. The style is over dramatic, but that's also the point. You can't argue that teenagers aren't dramatic, and this embraces the idea. I like this movie not because I think it's great, but because it's curious. I wish it were both.
It depends.

Review
Coppola described this as "an art film for teenagers." I don't know if that audience wants such an endeavor, but he achieved what he was after. This is shot in black and white with the performances feeling very theatrical. Unfortunately, this is more of a curiosity than required viewing.

How many times will characters say the name "Rusty James"? The answer is every chance they get, and it will always be his full name. Rusty James (Matt Dillon) is in some kind of street gang. His gang schedules a fight for that night. They may be unruly thugs, but they're serious about their fights. Spending time with his girlfriend makes Rusty James late to the fight, but he's soon in a battle with the rival leader. Rusty James tries to live up to the reputation of his older brother, the Motorcycle Kid (Mickey Rourke). His return during the fight causes Rusty James to get distracted and injured before Motorcycle Kid steps in to save him by taking a kid out with his motorcycle.

Nicolas Cage, Matt Dillon, Chris Penn play Smokey, Rusty James, B.J.

While the injured Rusty James recovers, we get in his head. It's a weird movie, and I wasn't sure it had a plot. There's definitely a performance element to this. The teenage gang presence seems very West Side Story (2021). This is a world divorced from reality, that or we're seeing this from Rusty James's perception. It would explain the hero worship the community has for the Motorcycle Kid as well as the way cops regard him. Everything seems shallow, but that might be the point. This movie talks about the perception of things, and what we're seeing might be just that. Motorcycle Boy is more of an idea that developed character.

Motorcycle Boy tells Rusty James a story about when their mother left and how their father went on a bender, his first. A young Rusty James was left alone in the house for three days. That's why he hates being alone. The way the story is told, the sound is mixed like some kind of voice-over narration. It's disorienting. As if this movie isn't strange enough already, Rusty James is beaten up and has an out of body experience, literally floating and observing characters. Motorcycle Boy saves the day because of course he does.

Only the rumble fish appear in color. The fish would fight their own reflections, and that has to be a reflection of the teenage gangs. They would fight even if it meant destroying themselves and the community.

Mickey Rourke plays Motorcycle Boy

It's a movie about perception, but whose? This is in black and white as Motorcycle Boy is colorblind, though it doesn't work like that. Motorcycle Boy and Rusty James are similar but the elder brother wants peace. Rusty James longs for gang warfare so he can showcase his skills and make a name for himself. He's riding Motorcycle Boy's coat tails. This is melodramatic, but that's in part how teenagers are. The world is about how seems and how they want it to be.

This story could be the myth or epic of Motorcycle Boy. It's just that this subject matter isn't usually elevated to that kind of story, but overwrought and dramatic seems like the perfect way to capture the teenage struggle. They always think each situation is a superlative.

Motorcycle Boy wants to create peace but can't find it himself. Rusty James tries to carry out his brother's wish, setting the fish free. It's definitely an 'art' movie.

Nikita Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

Nikita [La Femme Nikita] (1990)

Rent Nikita on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Luc Besson
Directed by: Luc Besson
Starring: Anne Parillaud, Marc Duret, Patrick Fontana, Jean Reno
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
In this French language movie, convicted felon Nikita isn't going to jail; she's given a new identity and trained as a top secret assassin.

Verdict
It's one of, if not the very first, female assassin movies. This details not just the preparation to be a spy but the set up for each job. Nikita tries to balance being an operative with living a normal life, and that's not an easy feat. It's one thing to train to be a killer, but it's another thing to actually commit to taking a life. We watch a feral woman along for the ride transform into someone with agency that eventually makes a distinct choice about her future.
Watch it.

Review
This very well could be, and likely is, the foundation for movies like Atomic Blonde (2017), Anna (2019), and Kate (2021).

A group of addicts knock over a pharmacy, and things deteriorate quickly, leading to a shoot out with the police. Nikita (Anne Parillaud), strung out, shoots a cop after the gunfire has subsided and her accomplices are dead. While in custody she attacks a cop. We're not sure if she's high or a psychopath.

Anne Parillaud plays Nikita

After her arrest, a mysterious government program recruits Nikita to be an agent. They've faked her death, and she can choose to join the program or die. If she agrees, they will train her as a specialist. It's safe to assume, these will be black ops missions. She gets one hour to decide. Instead she attacks her captor and gets into a hostage situation. She's subdued and detained again, but Nikita agrees to join the program.

Nikita is trained in a variety of subjects, including computers, firearms, and fighting. She's a quick study, but she seems almost feral. Her handler sees a lot of potential, but his bosses see a problem subject that isn't developing quickly enough.

Three years later and Nikita has had quite the makeover. I like how deftly this makes the time jump with an off handed remark about her birthday. What seems like a rare night out ends up being her first assignment. You'd think they'd allow her some prep time, but maybe this is another test and they want to see how she does when she's thrown into the middle of it. She completes the mission, but not without surprises and difficulties.

Nikita is released to live a cover life, but she must spring to action whenever the agency calls. She finds someone quickly and begins dating, but I'd think that would be inadvisable with her job. It's a vulnerability and a risk. How do you keep secret your job as an assassin?

Anne Parillaud plays Nikita

Her handler provides Nikita and her fiance tickets to Venice as an engagement gift, but the agency never does anything out of pure generosity. Nikita has to balance the job and a 'normal' life while on vacation. Her fiance keeps prying, wondering about her past and her refusal to talk about it. She has no answers, and they get into an argument while she's locked herself in the bathroom tasked with sniping a target.

Nikita's first big solo mission goes sideways, though it's not her fault. Things keep getting worse as she waits on whether the agency will tell her to proceed. A cleaner is called in, and while she's upset the mission didn't work out, Nikita is devastated at how many people die as the agency tries to erase the blunder. Her fiance has also figured out her secret. He urges her to flee, for her own safety and sanity. Nikita completes the mission and disappears.

While it's a slick action movie, it also examines the emotional toll of this work. Nikita can't live a normal life, despite her attempts. Even a run of the mill mission involves murdering someone. There's no way to know if they deserved it. When a mission goes bad, the death toll escalates rapidly. Nikita never wanted this. She chose it because it was that or death. Ultimately she choose to leave, it's the first choice we've seen her make solely for herself.

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)

Rent Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Gordon T. Dawson and Sam Peckinpah (screenplay), Frank Kowalski and Sam Peckinpah (story)
Directed by: Sam Peckinpah
Starring: Warren Oates, Isela Vega, Robert Webber, Kris Kristofferson
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
An American barroom pianist and his prostitute girlfriend go on a trip through the Mexican underworld to collect the bounty on the head of a dead gigolo.

Verdict
There's a price on Alfredo Garcia's head, but Bennie doesn't consider the cost. He thinks it's an easy job that will make him rich. It's nothing like he suspected. By the end the reward doesn't matter, because it can't make up for what he paid. Easy money is never all that easy. The themes are stronger than the movie proper.
It depends.

Review
A Mexican crime lord learns that Alfredo Garcia got his daughter pregnant, in turn putting a bounty on him. The boss is disappointed, commenting that Alfredo was like a son to him. Not long after, two Americans in suits are asking around Mexico about Garcia. They end up talking to piano player and fellow American Bennie (Warren Oates).

Bennie asks around and finds out Garcia died in a car crash. He heads back to the suit wearing Americans and makes a deal to get proof Garcia is dead. He negotiates a payment and operating expenses, and then he buys a machete. Bennie wears his sunglasses, even in bed. Why?

Isela Vega, Warren Oates play Elita, Bennie

He thinks he's found a payday. He knows Garcia is already dead, he just needs proof, but I doubt it will be so easy. There's a lot of money in the pot, and Bennie is only a subcontractor at best. The payout will change his life, but it's shady business. He takes his girlfriend Elita (Isela Vega) with him, and their luck is questionable. Immediately after he reveals the plan to her, they're attacked by bikers. Bennie's forced to disarm them, this job already messier than he anticipated.

Bennie made a deal with the devil. Now it's just a question of how much it will cost. The price keeps rising. Elita explicitly warns him about upsetting the status quo. There's a balance, and he's disrupting it. That doesn't come without consequences.

Bennie finds the grave, but he has to wait until night to rob it. He digs up the grave and then he's attacked. He wakes up in the grave half buried. The cost of the pursuit is ever rising. We had seen two guys in a station wagon traveling on the same road as Bennie. You could call it luck that Bennie finds the guys that took the head, but it's also a choice. He's so focused on the money that instead of extricating himself from this, he forges on. It's like gambling. He's down on his luck, but he feels a win coming. He knows the jackpot is close. The smart thing would be to bow out, but he's not thinking straight.

Warren Oates plays Bennie

On the way back, Bennie begins talking to the head. Is it a coping mechanism or a way to disassociate with what he's doing? He delivers it, but he asks the dangerous question. What is it worth? He wants to know what his suffering cost. We know there was a large disparity between what the head was worth and what he was paid. He was content with the payout when he made the deal but not anymore. By how much did he short himself? Was it worth it?

Alien³ Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

Alien³ [Alien 3] (1992)

Rent Alien 3 on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett (based on characters by), Vincent Ward (story by), David Giler & Walter Hill and
Larry Ferguson (screenplay by)
Directed by: David Fincher
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Holt McCallany, Lance Henriksen, Pete Postlethwaite
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
Returning from LV-426, Ellen Ripley crash-lands on the maximum-security prison Fiorina 161, where she discovers that she has unwittingly brought along an unwelcome visitor.

Verdict
This is an interesting idea that never fully develops. It's a bleak world, a prison planet after all, and having to fight an alien without weapons is creative. The problem is that this never develops enough tension. The alien should have torn through this installation much quicker. The bait and trap plan is mired by no sense of space. Previous movies succeeded by creating a sense of claustrophobia and impending harm. Despite the danger, we never really know how close to the edge for anyone is.
It depends.

Review
This was Fincher's directorial debut after commercials and music videos, though he later disowned it claiming studio interference led to a much different film than what he envisioned. Fincher's vision was a sprawling space epic. He followed this with Se7en (1995), The Game (1997), and Fight Club (1999).

This starts immediately after Aliens (1986), when Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) escaped the alien hive. Somehow a face hugger made it onto the ship, causing a fire that in turn sends escape pods to the nearby prison planet, Fury 161. Hicks and Newt don't make it. Ripley is the only survivor, and this is a planet of males only. She might be disruptive.

Sigourney Weaver plays Ellen Ripley

Ripley's first concern is determining what killed Hicks and Newt. She's hesitant to state the reason why, but we know. Telling anyone on this planet would only create panic, but it's easy to predict what's going to happen. We soon see an alien. When everyone else will figure it out is the question.

After a few people die, they know something is up, but they don't want to believe Ripley. Her story is fantastical. Soon they can't deny it, but the alien doesn't attack Ripley. It had the opportunity, and we've never seen an alien shy away from a kill. With no weapons, they're forced to create a trap and lure the alien into it.

There's very little tension for an Alien movie. There's the human threat against Ripley, which the movie never quite captures other than one ham-fisted scene. The alien is present, but what is it doing? I don't know why the alien gives them so much time to prepare. Is it just waiting for when the script says it should appear? While they manage to trap it, a deranged inmate frees it. That's quite convenient for the plot but terrible for the characters.

Sigourney Weaver plays Ellen Ripley

I wanted this to feel claustrophobic. They're trapped with an alien, and while this planet is bigger than a ship, the movie lacks those small, dark moments. Ripley determines why the alien didn't kill her before. Confidant it won't harm her, she begins hunting it.

I don't like the alien point-of-view shots. It robs the creature of mystique. We have these guys running all over the place, but each of them appears to be in the same corridor. They obviously aren't, but it's a muddled mess as we never now how close the alien is to attacking anyone. They plan to trap it, but the specifics remain unclear, and we can't figure out what's going on with no sense of space. A great concept in the second movie were the proximity alerts. It drove tension as we knew when the aliens were getting closer. That or a similar concept would have helped the mood tremendously.

Title Card

L'Atalante Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

L'Atalante (1934)

Rent L'Atalante on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Jean Guinée (scenario and, adaptation &, dialog &), Albert Riéra (adaptation, dialog)
Directed by: Jean Vigo
Starring: Michel Simon, Dita Parlo, Jean Dasté
Rated: NR [G]
Watch the trailer

Plot
In this French language film, newly married couple Juliette and ship captain Jean struggle through marriage as they travel on the L'atalante along with the captain's first mate Père Jules and a cabin boy.

Verdict
It's over ninety years old. Just as culture that long ago seems very different compared to now, movies are a reflection of that. I get why people would like this, and maybe part of it was the acclaim of the director. Marriage strife remains a timeless foundation for a story. At this point I just can't find the appeal, other than the overall story beats. The way it tells the story is outdated.
Skip it.

Review
A newly married couple exits the church, having just wed. The guests wonder why Juliette (Dita Parlo) didn't marry a local man instead of barge captain Jean (Jean Dasté). The couple plans to live on his boat, which immediately seems like a bad idea. It's an adjustment for everyone with a woman on board. It doesn't seem like a tenable situation; there's no way this setup doesn't lead to issues between them.

The very first night Jean pilots the boat while she's alone in their cabin. The first mate Père Jules (Michel Simon) relieves him, but why would he leave her alone? She's bored, and it's no surprise why.

Dita Parlo, Jean Dasté play Juliette, Jean

When Juliette explores the boat and wanders into Père Jules cabin, she marvels at all the trinkets he's collected on his voyages. Jean finds her in Père Jules room and throws a fit, destroying items. I don't know why Père Jules doesn't confront him unless he needs the job.

Juliette dreams of Paris, but that's circumvented. When she finally makes it to the city, Jean has another jealous fit. He forces her back to the boat, but she's obviously unsatisfied and sneaks back to Paris. He punishes her by leaving her stranded in the city.

What helps this endure is that marriage strife is timeless. The couple probably thought that love could conquer all, but it has a difficult time overcoming the barge. I'm sure too, many people have a proverbial barge in their marriage and are unwilling to adapt or change to the new life that is marriage. This movie came out only a few years after silent films were popular, that had to add to the popularity.

Title Card

The Sound of Music Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

The Sound of Music (1965)

Rent The Sound of Music on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the book (paid link)
Written by: Georg Hurdalek (with the partial use of ideas by), Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse (from the stage musical book by), Ernest Lehman (screenplay by), Maria von Trapp (uncredited, book "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers")
Directed by: Robert Wise
Starring: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood, Charmian Carr, Eleanor Parker
Rated: G
Watch the trailer

Plot
In this musical, a young novice is sent by her convent in 1930s Austria to become a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer.

Verdict
It's overwhelmingly sweet and touching. A nun is just what a family needs to heal after a loss, using music to reunite them. She's carefree yet compassionate, a contrast to the militaristic father. He's channeled his grief into order and regulation at the expense of his children. No one has dared to make his mistake clear, that is until Maria is tasked with caring for the children. On top of that, this features several captivating songs.
Watch It.

Review
This is based on the 1959 stage musical composed by Rodgers and Hammerstein and stage book by Lindsay and Crouse which was inspired by the 1949 memoir from Maria von Trapp.

The abbey doesn't know what to do with the young, spirited nun Maria (Julie Andrews) that loves to sing. When the von Trapp family needs a nanny to take care of seven children, the abbey hopes real world experience and the demanding task will teach Maria discipline.

The father, naval officer Captain Georg von Trapp (Christopher Plummer), seems like a difficult person as he contrasts with Maria's ideas of child care. He leads his children with military precision, while she believes they should get to be children. The Captain states she's the twelfth nanny, and that it's not his children but the fault of the nannies being unfit for the job. He wants her to answer to a whistle, like his children. Maria outright refuses, stating whistles are for dogs, not for children, and certainly not for her. She faces a tall order with an overbearing father and seven kids that want to driver her away.

Julia Andrews plays Maria

While the kids try to sabotage her, Maria is too tenacious for that. She already sees that the children are lonely and need someone to pay attention to them. She's going to win them over with kindness. Through that, she quickly befriends them by caring for them instead of trying to be a disciplinarian. The father is grieving his wife, and it's the children that are suffering. They desperately want their father's attention. They want him to care about them and invest in them.

It's a cute movie, and it's clear Maria is just what this family needs to heal. She can be the one the children turn to as the father must address his own grief. Maria refuses to back down, standing up to the Captain. When the Captain hears the children singing, something he forbade, he's moved and joins in. While Maria and Georg seem like a match, Georg plans to marry the Baroness. When Maria and Georg share a moment while dancing, the Baroness's jealousy grows. She plants seeds of discord and Maria, embarrassed and confused, leaves at once. The Baroness also doesn't like children, and it's easy to see where this is going. Georg already cares Maria, and she's unlocked something in his children no one else could. The Baroness just doesn't have the connection.

Christopher Plummer plays Captain George von Trapp

With Maria's departure, the children are heartbroken and shocked she wouldn't even tell them goodbye. She's convinced by the mother superior to return to the children's delight. The Baroness willingly and amicably steps aside and cancels the engagement as she realizes Maria is a better fit for the family. I thought the movie was setting her up to be the antagonist but instead of exacerbating the situation she leaves. That's a surprise. In the play Georg and the Baroness differed on how to deal with the Nazis. What happens next? Maria and Georg admit their feelings, wasting no time getting married.

The Nazis annex Austria. The Captain, opposing their ideology attempts to flee with the family. They're caught but they have a cover story about a performance that night the Captain had initially stopped. They attend and perform, fleeing again after they sing, and then hide at the convent. With help from the nuns they escape the Nazis.

It's a simple story that's incredibly endearing, exploring loss, grief, and how to process that. That's in stark contrast to the Nazi occupation that casts a pall over this. That implies a lot without stating it outright. This doesn't detail the exploits of Germany. Despite what the family accomplishes, they still must flee their home for safety.

Terminator Genisys Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

Terminator Genisys (2015)

Rent Terminator Genisys on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Laeta Kalogridis & Patrick Lussier (written by), James Cameron & Gale Anne Hurd (characters created by)
Directed by: Alan Taylor
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, J.K. Simmons, Matt Smith, Courtney B. Vance, Lee Byung-hun
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
When John Connor, leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline.

Verdict
It's not a bad action movie, there's just no way to escape the immense shadow of the first two movies, especially when this relies so heavily on them. Conversely, this is a terrible time travel movie that lacks a consistent logic. The movie does a lot, and that only detracts from what should be a relentless and unwinnable battle against a cyborg. Skynet must be defeated yet again. The first thirty minutes are homage to the original two films. The rest is a fight against the past that includes way too many contrivances and characters. The more I think about this, the less I like it. There are many unanswered questions and inconsistencies, and I suspect the answer why is some variation of to make a cool action movie.
It depends.

Review
This opens with a long voice over introduction, and we don't need it with this series. Who doesn't know what terminators are? Part of the fun in the first movie is not knowing what's going on. The voice over continues, providing yet another version of the John Connor legend while revising Terminator Salvation (2009).

The Terminator (1984) is the best of the franchise, but rewriting it and using it as the basis for another movie seems creatively lacking. The first part of this movie is the original with a twist. While I don't mind the idea, do we really need it? It's a strange concept as it uses many scenes practically unedited without adding anything. Then it throws concepts like the T-1000 from the second movie into the mix. We do see what happens immediately before the original movie when the machines and then the resistance send a terminator and a soldier back. That's only to introduce John Connor (Jason Clarke) to set us up for later.

Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) is sent back to 1984 to save Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke). The twist is that the timeline has been altered and Sarah already knows about the future and Skynet. She saves him along with her T-800 terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Somehow the timeline changed while Reese was going back, creating a nexus and giving him memories of two timelines. This movie makes up all kinds of things for the plot. Sarah was attacked when she was nine, and this T-800 saved her. To excuse the older looking T-800, we're told the flesh is human and ages.

Jai Courtney, Emilia Clarke, Arnold Schwarzenegger play Kyle Reese, Sarah Connor, T-800 "Pops"

It's an interesting setup, but why do humans keep thinking they can stop Skynet? This is the fifth movie, and they've yet to do it. How did Sarah know when Reese would arrive and that a T-1000 would also be sent back on this day? In the original movie the time displacement device was destroyed after Reese went in. In this movie we have two timelines, so we have to assume this Sarah is from the altered timeline, but if she is how would she know that Reese's appearance wouldn't be altered?

Sarah plans to time travel to 1997, but Reese tells her they need to go to 2017. How these altered timelines aren't more mixed up is simply movie magic. The dialog isn't great in this movie, with the pair sounding like bickering teens. Sarah's T-800, Pops, built his own time displacement device. They just needed the 1984 Terminator's microchip to run it. Despite the arguing, Reese and Sarah land on 2017 where the future has changed. Pops will stay behind and prepare for their mission in the future. With Sarah being the mother of John Connor, him not being born in 84/85 seems like a major plot hole. It seems like that too should create a magical nexus that severely changes everything.

In 2017 we have a cop that saw Reese and Sarah in 1984. He's regarded as deranged, looking for answers and credibility, but his plot could have been completely cut. This movie has too many characters.

Jai Courtney, Emilia Clarke play Kyle Reese, Sarah Connor

John Connor appears in 2017, and I immediately had questions. Behind the obvious of how'd he get there or when was he born, why would he have scars on his face? If the timeline was altered, which version is he from? It's got to be a trick. Reese and Sarah take a minute to doubt, but they're quick to believe him, a little too quick. It's especially egregious as this version of Sarah doesn't have a son!

I suppose it's fitting this movie becomes as convoluted, if not more, than the franchise. The simplicity of the first two movies fed into those plots. At this point, how many people have been sent back? We have four terminators, two when Sarah was nine as well as two in 1984, and Reese in this movie alone. Who knows if the other movies are a part of this timeline. If so that adds two from the second movie and two more from the third. These time displacement devices are working overtime.

T-3000 and T-800

Then, as always, the mission is to destroy Skynet. In this timeline, a terminator went back to 1997 to ensure the future of the AI by turning it into an app. It's no longer a military AI, but a social media program that will be installed across all devices; it's a Trojan horse called Genisys. The new terminator in this movie, T-3000, has nanomachines for blood. I like this better than the T-X in the third movie. This Skynet was also working on a time displacement device. While I don't know why, I do like the symmetry of this device starting the story and being the key to stopping Skynet. Well, stopping it until at least the next movie. Skynet for some reason casts itself as a hologram to show it physically aging as well as to taunt Reese and Sarah as they try to destroy it. I don't think Skynet would waste the resources for that.s

While this movie is better than Terminator Salvation or Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), it's an order of magnitude worse than the first two. If you're wondering who sent the T-800 to save Sarah when she was nine or the T-1000 that attacked her, we never get an answer. How does the T-3000 get to this timeline when Kyle had to hit a magical nexus point to remember both? It's ignored as this movie manipulates the plot as needed.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Rent One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the novel (paid link)
Written by: Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman (screenplay), Ken Kesey (based on the novel by), Dale Wasserman (the play version: "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by)
Directed by: Miloš Forman
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman, Brad Dourif, Christopher Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, Danny DeVito,
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A rebellious convict is sent to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation in 1963 Oregon and encourages his docile companions to take more control of their lives and defy the tyrannical head nurse.

Verdict
Most of the movie is McMurphy pushing against the rules and boundaries of a mental institution. He remains optimistic despite the circumstances, and this is also a look at freedom. McMurphy is forced to be there, many of the others are there voluntarily. Is he there as a ruse or should he be committed? It's a clash between the chaos of McMurphy and the order of Nurse Ratched. They can't coexist. The conclusion is tragic and heartbreaking, but it does leave us with a ray of hope. The institution represents the rules of life and the push to conform. McMurphy is the rebel, defying society's orders.
Watch It.

Review
Forman is best known for this movie and Amadeus (1984).

It's a mental institution and McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) has just arrived, sent for observation. He quickly states he's not crazy, he just doesn't like being in prison. He doesn't want to work had labor. McMurphy is charismatic as he entertains himself to pass the time. He quickly takes issue with how the nurses treat him and the other patients like children. McMurphy also resents the tyrannical Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). I get it, but she has a difficult job of trying to keep the residents in line. The only way to make that happen is an iron fist. McMurphy is a wildcard, another potential problem. He's the unruly class clown that lives to topple the order and routine she's created. She's portrayed as the antagonist, but I understand her perspective. McMurphy wants to cause problems for his own entertainment.

Jack Nicholson plays McMurphy

The difference is that McMurphy treats the other patients like people, urging them to live a life beyond the walls of the institution. He steals a bus and takes them out fishing. Because of that stunt, the doctors want to get rid of him, sending him back to a work detail. Ratched is the only one that wants to keep him, stating the hospital's mission isn't to abandon people. I wondered if she wanted to keep him so she could break him. It's a battle of wills. She's created an order, which is needed, but he's a disruption as he openly defies her. I'm thinking she wants to teach him a lesson.

Louise Fletcher plays Nurse Ratched

Part of this is conforming to society's rules. McMurphy defies expectations and conformity. Life would be easier for the nurses without him, but for the residents their lives are enriched. McMurphy is the only person that takes any interest in Chief (Will Sampson). Everyone else ignores him. Crazy is just a label, a mindset. Like McMurphy states, no one in the institution is crazier than anyone else walking the street. McMurphy's only there because he thought it would be easier than prison. The problem is that these people are detained and they shouldn't be. It gnaws at McMurphy that the patients are there voluntarily. They could walk out but don't, and he can't understand being imprisoned by choice.

McMurphy decides his way out is to escape. He plans a big party on the night of that has unexpected consequences causing McMurphy to snap. He cares about the patients, and that's why he put effort into creating experiences for them; something that was normal. He felt bad for them. McMurphy faces consequences for the party. At some point later, he's still institutionalized. We don't see him, but rumors persist. Did he escape? Was he 'cured?' When he finally returns to the ward, Chief is heartbroken at what he sees. He was planning to escape with McMurphy the night of the party. He's been waiting ever since for a second chance.

It's an incredible ending, bittersweet. It's a metaphor for life. It's the order of what the world tells us pitted against the inner rebel that lives inside us. McMurphy wants to have fun and defy rules while enriching the lives around us. It's a noble ambition, but McMurphy paid the price in the battle of wills. What this does and means is nothing short of amazing.

Dirty Dancing Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

Dirty Dancing (1987)

Rent Dirty Dancing on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Eleanor Bergstein
Directed by: Emile Ardolino
Starring: Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach, Cynthia Rhodes
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
Spending the summer at a Catskills resort with her family, Frances "Baby" Houseman falls in love with the camp's dance instructor, Johnny Castle.

Verdict
It's a seductive and sexy romance movie. We've got lovers bridging a class divide, the smarmy resort staff, wealthy guests, and lots of dancing. The movie makes me wish I could dance. It also has a great soundtrack. While it's an enticing romance, this provides enough character development to give the story a foundation. That and the chemistry between Swayze and Grey is easily evident. They're both forced to face their shortcomings and assumptions, though dance of course.
Watch It.

Review
This was Swayze's breakout role. Grey had gained acclaim with the previous year's Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986).

The soundtrack is one of the best selling of all time, mixing 80s rock with 60s pop. Dirty Dancing did for dance lessons what Top Gun (1986) did for military enlistment; both skyrocketed due to the movies.

In 1963, high school student Baby (Jennifer Grey) vacations with her family at a resort. We're also introduced to the bad boy dance instructor Johnny (Patrick Swayze) who can really move and doesn't like management. When Baby sees Johnny dancing in the staff quarters at an after hours part, she's instantly infatuated.

Jennifer Greyn plays Baby

The resort owner's son Neil pursues Baby, though he's a bit arrogant and off-putting. A womanizing waiter is after Baby's sister. He also got dancer Penny (Cynthia Rhodes) pregnant but refuses to accept any responsibility. Baby is involved in all of it. Johnny dispels her assumptions that Penny's baby is his, and Baby borrows money from her father to help out. What isn't immediately evident is that at the time abortion was completely illegal. That's why Baby's father later helping due to complications is such a big ask; helping after the fact was considered aiding. Penny finally accepts the money, and that ends up with Baby having to fill in for her as Johnny's dance partner. She doesn't know how to dance, forced to learn quickly. Johnny already doesn't like her, resenting her privilege. As he states, she used her father's money to play hero.

Cynthia Rhodes, Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze play Penny, Baby, Johnny

Cue a dance montage where Johnny trains Baby. It's no surprise they fall for each other, and his cold disposition soon warms. She was already enthralled. It's a fun romance movie with a lot of chemistry between Swayze and Grey. This high school girl falls for an older dance instructor that initially doesn't like her. I'm sure this type of story sells more than a few romance novels, but this also adds the dynamic of class at this resort. The patrons are rich, the staff are struggling paycheck to paycheck, and that's a point of contention.

Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze play Baby, Johnny

Later in the movie Baby stands up for Johnny when he's accused of stealing. He's awestruck anyone would vouch for him, especially one of the rich guests he initially dismissed. Baby broke that stereotype for him as he came to admire her heart and sympathy. Johnny's fired anyway for having a relationship with a guest. It's more of that class divide as management is posturing.

Johnny and Baby get a moment of redemption at the end with one last dance, the one they practiced through most of the movie. Baby's father apologizes to Baby and Johnny and everyone dances into the credits.

Citizen Kane Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

Citizen Kane (1941)

Rent Citizen Kane on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Herman J. Mankiewicz & Orson Welles (original screen play), Roger Q. Denny, John Houseman, Mollie Kent (contributing writer, uncredited)
Directed by: Orson Welles
Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Everett Sloane, Ray Collins, William Alland
Rated: PG
Watch the trailer

Plot
Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: "Rosebud."

Verdict
It's a highly regarded and very influential film, and that makes it worth a watch from a historical perspective. The core of the story is a man that has it all but never feels complete. We see him chase fortune, accolades, even women, but it's not enough. Framed with a mystery, the final scene answers the question while illustrating that Kane's pursuit of riches couldn't overcome his longing. Money isn't everything, and that's a powerful message that remains ever relevant. You have to remember when this came out. It was ground breaking at the time from the camera work to a story with twists and reveals. It's easy to see why this film left such a mark, though it may not seem as groundbreaking if you compare it to modern films.
Watch It.

Review
It's frequently cited as the greatest film ever. For the time period it was a giant leap forward in cinema from a technical and narrative standpoint. The film was inspired by media mogul William Randolph Hearst. In turn, Hearst wouldn't let any of his newspapers mention the movie. He definitely curtailed viewership of the film, which enjoyed a renewed interest when it was re-released in the 1950s.

Opening with a man in an opulent house passing away in bed, he drops the snow globe in his hand whispering "rosebud." We soon learn the man was Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles), as a news reel recaps his life and accomplishments. The tycoon created a newspaper and radio empire, even running for office. Reporter Jerry Thompson (William Alland) is tasked with finding the meaning of Kane's final word, "rosebud." Thompson begins by researching the man, going back to the beginning.

Orson Welles plays Charles Foster Kane

Kane was adopted, only because his parents wanted him to have a better life. They became quickly rich, nearly by a fluke, but his mother felt she didn't have the education or standing to raise him as part of the upper class which he would eventually be. She gave Kane to a banker to act as his guardian. Due to shrewd investing of the family's wealth, the banker made Kane incredibly rich by the time he reached adulthood.

Kane bought a newspaper, unconcerned about whether it made a profit. He focused on salacious headlines. While it was a departure from the newspaper's previous focus, it increased subscribers exponentially. This is when he begins his collection of statues and artifacts from Europe.

The next challenge Kane sought was political office. He runs for governor, seeking to represent the under privileged, en route to more important offices. Kane's bid ends short when his opponent capitalizes on Kane's affair with a singer.

Orson Welles plays Charles Foster Kane

We watch the spread of Kane's influence and power, but it seems like he's chasing control. He wants to succeed and it propels him far. When he loses out on the power of politics, he forces his girlfriend into an opera career for which she's ill suited. It's another attempt to build something, much like Kane built the newspaper and tried to build a political career. She wants to quit, but he forces her to continue, concerned about his own image more than hers. He names his estate Xanadu, but it's far from a paradise.

Even though a butler relates some importance the snow globe holds, we still don't know the origin of "rosebud." While Thompson never finds the answer, we do as Kane's staff sort through his collections in the basement. It's not the first movie with a twist, but it very well might be the most famous twist.

SPOILERS

Blade II Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

Blade II (2002)

Rent Blade II on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Marv Wolfman & Gene Colan (character), David S. Goyer (written by)
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Ron Perlman, Norman Reedus
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
Blade forms an uneasy alliance with the vampire council in order to combat the Reapers, who are feeding on vampires.

Verdict
The way to surpass Blade fighting vampires is to have Blade and vampires team up to fight an even scarier version of vampire. This is heavy on action, and it's not much more than a monster movie. This dumps Blade's struggle with being vampire and human, instead focusing on adding CGI to the fights. The villain is lackluster. There are facets to the character that could and should have been explored to develop him better. A hero is only as interesting as the villain they oppose.
Skip it.

Review
The sequel to Blade (1998), where Snipes plays a half vampire-half mortal that eliminates vampires.

In this movie, we're dealing with a monster worse than vampires, Reapers. Blade provides a quick voice over during the credits to summarize the first movie.

Blade is kicking butt and taking out vampires, which makes me wonder how any exist with how many we see him kill just in this sequence. Does he only work a few days out of the year? If he did this every day, vampires would be eliminated in no time. He's looking for his friend Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) who seemed like he died in the first movie, but this brings him back. Blade saves him, though he got a younger sidekick in the meantime, Scud (Norman Reedus). Scud seems like a character designed to appeal to a younger audience.

Wesley Snipes plays Blade

The vampire nation wants to offer Blade a truce. Blade was their worst enemy, but now they've found something worse, Reapers. They're a vampire variant that can affect and turn humans and vampires. Blade agrees to an alliance as it allows him access to the vampire world, places he's never been able to see.

Blade is teamed with the "Bloodpack," vampires that have trained for years to kill Blade. They're a unique looking bunch, and there's just a bit of tension between them and Blade who goads their leader Deiter (Ron Perlman) to attack. He refrains, but Blade does implant a bomb on the back of Deiter's head to keep him and the rest of the Bloodpack in line. Blade and the Bloodpack then go out hunting Reapers.

Ron Perlman plays Bloodpack member Dieter Reinhardt

The Reapers are the souped up vampires. They have fewer weaknesses, so of course the group goes right into the Reaper nest they conveniently find. This certainly makes vampires, by way of Reapers, more scary. The vampires experience losses but Blade continues to rampage. There's a lot of action to this, though much of it is also obviously CGI.

The big twist, if you can call it that, is that the Reapers were an attempt by vampires to create a super strain that instead got out of hand. Despite how fast spreading we were told the Reaper virus is, Blade takes care of them all quite easily. Eventually it's just Blade and the head Reaper Nomak. That's convenient. Blade wins to the surprise of absolutely no one. I just wish in the final fight Nomak had checked his watch and declared, "I guess it's time to end this." I got to that conclusion much earlier than the movie did.

The original and sequel are different movies. I like that Blade wrestles with both sides of who he is in the first one. He's a vigilante chasing monsters. With the sequel, it's more of an action movie with none of the character nuance. It doesn't have the grit of the first one as it's goal is to create scary vampires. I like the first one more, but it's really a factor of whether your prefer grit and story or polish and scares.

Law Abiding Citizen Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

Rent Law Abiding Citizen on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Kurt Wimmer
Directed by: F. Gary Gray
Starring: Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx, Leslie Bibb, Colm Meaney, Bruce McGill, Regina Hall, Viola Davis, Michael Kelly
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family's killers free.

Verdict
It's an intriguing thriller, certainly dark and disturbing. For a movie that feels smart, as long as you don't analyze it too closely, and like it has something to say while remaining a fun thrill ride, the conclusion feels like an equal and opposite mistake. This deftly engenders us to root for a criminal. Butler is charismatic in the role, and we know why he goes to these lengths. The justice system is broken, and he's compelled to expose the flaws. The final scene is the movie's muffled whimper that the bad guy shouldn't win, and it's a contradiction to the film we've been watching for two hours. It's easy and dumb. Up to that point the movie hadn't succumbed to such plot contrivances. The ending makes the rest of the movie worse.
It depends.

Review
While rumors circulated that Jamie Foxx demanded his character win in the end, there were various endings to the script by several writers. The movie filmed essentially in narrative order so the final scenes were ever changing. Gerard Butler was a producer and part of the group that decided to switch the characters he and Jamie Foxx's would portray before filming began.

A father playing with his daughter sets us up for what's next; a violent home invasion. Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) watches his wife and daughter killed in an act of completely senseless violence. The state prosecutor for the case, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), is only interested in his conviction rate. He doesn't want to try any cases that might hurt his record. Due to that he agrees to a plea deal for Clyde's case. Nick tells Clyde it's a victory for "us," but we know it's a victory for Nick. He makes a deal with Darby who was the one that perpetuated the violence. Of course Darby lied to save himself and put the other guy on death row. Nick goes home to his family while Clyde goes home to an empty house.

Gerard Butler plays Clyde Shelton

Ten year later and Nick is too busy with his job to spend time with his family. He's attending an execution, the man Darby testified attacked Clyde's family. The execution goes horribly awry to say the least. The movie intercuts the events with Nick's daughter's recital to heighten the impact.

The immediate question, is this Clyde out for revenge? Darby isn't smart enough nor does he have a reason. Clyde seemed like a mild mannered guy, but I suppose ten years imagining revenge will twist a person. Clyde kidnaps Darby. I wondered if his threats were a bluff, but no. Clyde goes all the way and kills Darby.

Jamie Foxx, Leslie Bibb play Nick Rice, Sarah Lowell

Part of the surprise is that Clyde knew the police would track him down and arrest him. That was part of his plan. During interrogation Clyde waives the right to a lawyer. Nick think he has a confession, but Clyde points out he doesn't. Clyde mentioned how he felt and what he thought, not what he did. Clyde knows what he's doing. He's crusading against the justice system. He agrees to confess for a new bed. Of course Nick makes the deal.

At his bail hearing Clyde chooses to represent himself. He proves he knows the law, citing cases and getting a bail when Nick argued bail should be denied. The judge agrees with Clyde and sets bail, but Clyde excoriates her for being willing to let a man like him go. She holds him in contempt, but he has a point. Clyde is teaching lessons and exploiting how the justice system is willing to make deals with criminals. Clyde agrees to confess to another crime, provided Nick makes yet another deal. Nick fails to live up to his word and gets a painful lesson. As Clyde points out, people need to be held accountable, on both sides of the law.

Gerard Butler plays Clyde Shelton

The thing is, Clyde is a psychopath. We shouldn't like him, but Butler is so charismatic that we root for the guy that's killing government officials as unlikely as that is. Each action is more destructive than the last. Clyde systematically eliminates key figures in the justice system while imprisoned, and no one has a clue how. Nick doesn't care about Clyde's civil rights if he can stop the deaths. He's bending the rules of justice, and that's exactly the point Clyde is making. It does seem outlandish that Clyde sets these different scenarios up and could correctly predict how things would unfold. We shouldn't worry too much about it as it's also part of the fun. The movie writes it off as Clyde being very smart.

The problem with this movie is that Clyde has been ahead the entire movie. The conclusion seems like a fumble on the three yard line. It's an easy cop out where Nick gets the upper hand by accident; some kind of plot contrivance. I suppose the movie didn't want to fully condone Clyde's actions of meting out a form of punishment, but the problem is that the movie had us on Clyde's side the entire time. The movie has been so smart, and this conclusion is too abrupt. Clyde does have a point, and the movie side steps that in the conclusion as it undermines the very message I thought the movie wanted to convey.

El Mariachi Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

El Mariachi [El mariachi] (1992)

Rent El Mariachi on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Robert Rodriguez (written by), Carlos Gallardo (writer)
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
Starring: Carlos Gallardo, Consuelo Gómez, Peter Marquardt
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A traveling musician is mistaken for a murderous criminal and must hide from a gang bent on killing him.

Verdict
It's a simple action movie, but what sets this apart is that it's an amateur film. In that sense, it's incredibly impressive. This was made on practically no budget. I can't believe what it achieves. It's an action movie involving mistaken identity with a musician that enters the wrong town. This movie is bleak, and the conclusion sets up a tale of future revenge.
It depends.

Review
This was Robert Rodriguez's debut movie. He did almost everything but act, filming for only fourteen days on a $7,500 budget. It's the lowest budget movie to ever gross $1 million at the box office. Rodriguez hoped for only a video release, but Columbia bought the distribution rights and spent money on post production work and marketing, a lot more than the original budget.

It's gritty with a low budget look. I didn't realize the budget was so low until I looked into it. A criminal, Azul, just out of prison and a musician arriving in town, "El Mariachi" unfortunately look a bit too much alike and both carry a guitar case. Azul's case contains guns while the other case has a guitar. Azul's boss Moco betrayed him and wants to stop Azul before he gets his revenge. El Mariachi is just looking for work, going from bar to bar.

Carlos Gallardo plays El Mariachi

Moco's goons see El Mariachi carrying a guitar case and assume he's Azul, while Azul is mistaken for another musician when he enters a bar. El Mariachi is new in town and just happens to fit he description. The problem is that his guitar case contains a guitar. Moco's guys shoot first and ask questions later.

El Mariachi finds shelter and romance, playing music in return for room and board. In the course of the day they switch cases to which El Mariachi uses to his advantage to fend off the goons. Azul and El Mariachi's paths continue to intertwine which leads to El Mariachi confronting Moco to save his girlfriend to disastrous results.

This movie boasts a solid story, but it's the lack of budget that makes it so impressive. How do you get a movie that looks this good for so little money?

25th Hour Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

25th Hour (2002)

Rent 25th Hour on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: David Benioff
Directed by: Spike Lee
Starring: Edward Norton, Barry Pepper, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosario Dawson, Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
Cornered by the DEA, convicted New York drug dealer Montgomery Brogan reevaluates his life in the twenty-four remaining hours before facing a seven-year jail term.

Verdict
Monty has one more night. He processes his anger, trying to find anyone else to blame but himself, but he knows it's his fault. He revisits old hangouts and spends time with his friends, but he can't avoid what's coming. The movie is this melancholy journey as the inevitable approaches. There's no reason to second guess or wonder what could have been. It's too late for that. Monty must pack up his life and say goodbye.
Watch It.

Review
An introductory scene shows us how Monty (Edward Norton) got his dog. The story proper starts with Monty sitting on a bench in a park with the same dog when a man approaches him trying to buy drugs. Monty states he's out of the business, implying he's been caught.

Next he's at his old high school on what appears to be a nostalgia trip. He's also there to talk to his friend Jacob (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who teaches at the school. Monty is going to prison, and this is his last day. He visits his father at the restaurant. In the restroom, he launches into his 'screw you' monologue. He's mad at the world but most of all himself for being caught. All of his emotions flood out, triggered by an expletive scrawled onto the mirror. He rants about nearly everyone in New York. He wants to blame anyone and everyone for his predicament. It's not about hate and the inhabitants in the city. Just to confirm why he's mad, the last name on his list is himself. He had it all and threw it away.

Edward Norton plays Monty Brogan

A flashback shows the day he was caught. The police knew where to find the drugs. They state his girlfriend Naturelle (Rosario Dawson) sold him out, but you can't trust cops. Monty doesn't know what to think. He knows someone ratted him out, but he doesn't want to think it could be her.

There's a long scene with Jacob and Monty's best friend Frank (Barry Pepper) talking about what makes men desirable. It's nowhere near as engaging as Monty's 'screw you' rant. I wondered if Monty would really be friends with Jacob. Is Jacob here as a contrast or to explore rules and laws as Jacob has a crush on his teenage student. It could be that he's a childhood friend that represents Monty's connection to and desire to hold on to the past.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper play Jacob, Frank

What would you do with one last night? Monty's nostalgic, visiting his old haunts in the city. He agrees to go to the club with his friends, but that's more for their benefit. Monty confesses his fears and regrets to Frank. His future is over, and he's not tough enough to survive prison.

Instead of this big time drug dealer, we're looking at a middle man. Monty is the working class of the drug world. He doesn't have the pull or connections to get himself out of this. He's forced to face his choices and weigh that against his future. He started selling to save his father's failing restaurant. Monty admits he should have quite sooner, but he was comfortable and he wasn't worried about consequences. Now he wonders what he could have or should have done differently.

Edward Norton plays Monty Brogan

The whole movie is a countdown. It's over the next morning. People offer him solutions and options, and Monty has to figure out if he'll indulge in those fantasies or embrace the inevitable. Even as his father drives him to prison, we see a man driving his son away forever. The dad's monologue expresses the hopes he still has for Monty. Despite the situation, there's optimism and he's proud of Monty yet. They both indulge in one last fantasy, and the way that unfolds has quite the impact as it explores how this will affect the rest of Monty's life. Ultimately Monty had already decided he was going to face the consequences.

Title Card

Whistle Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

Whistle (2025)

Rent Whistle on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Owen Egerton
Directed by: Corin Hardy
Starring: Dafne Keen, Sophie Nélisse, Sky Yang, Jhaleil Swaby, Ali Skovbye, Percy Hynes White, Michelle Fairley, Nick Frost
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A misfit group of unwitting high school students stumble upon a cursed object, an ancient Aztec Death Whistle. They discover that blowing the whistle and the terrifying sound it emits will summon their future deaths to hunt them down.

Verdict
This offers what you'd expect. Teens die throughout the movie as the scares and gore increase each time. There's the inherent tension of whether they'll defeat what's killing them or perish in the process. If you're looking for a mostly predictable horror movie, this provides that. It's by no means novel or unique story wise, but the whistle is an interesting starting point.
Skip it.

Review
We don't even know the names of these characters and this kid is already seeing evil spirits. What is happening? This demon sets this kid, Horse, on fire. To anyone else it looks like spontaneous combustion, as unlikely as it is. We skip ahead six months later with no exposition.

Transfer student Chrys (Dafne Keen) gets Horse's old locker, and the object Horse destroyed in the earlier scene before a demon killed him is in the locker. It's a strange whistle. She's just about to blow the weird object before she's saved by the bell. She and her cousin Rel (Sky Yang) ask their teacher about it. Mr. Craven (Nick Frost) realizes it's ancient, telling them he'll hold onto it. He plans to sell it, but he can't resist blowing the whistle.

Sophie Nélisse, Dafne Keen play Ellie, Chrys

This does a nice job of building tension, though it generates a lot of questions. We know the end result is death. Is that for holding the object or blowing the whistle? Where did Horse get it? This is standard horror movie fare, and it seems clear the kids will blow this whistle and meet the same fate. Now we know what happened to Horse, even if we don't know how.

Rel steals the whistle back before Craven dies. Of course one of the kids blows the whistle. Originally I suspected the person that blew the whistle would die, but I'm guessing even hearing it might be your end. Chrys and Ellie (Sophie Nélisse) find Horse's grandmother who traffics in the occult. She explains everything, and it's all quite convenient.

The whistle

The kids are marked for death, but how do you stop it? Chrys and Ellie get more answers after Grace (Ali Skovbye) and Dean (Jhaleil Swaby) die. It's possible to transfer the curse to someone else, but the pair also suspect if they die and revive themselves they can escape their fate. This gets more outlandish as it continues, relying on gore to keep the shocks going.

This offers exactly what I suspected. It's not a new plot, just a new method. Each death is more shocking than the last. Is it really possible to avert death once you've been marked? In the final scene we see the whistle intact yet again sitting in a locker. Why does the whistle keep appearing in this one locker, even after being destroyed? Maybe it's the locker that's cursed.

A mid credits scene shows what the latest student does with the whistle. I'm not sure why other than it's a great stinger. Logically, it's lacking.

The Crow Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

The Crow (1994)

Rent The Crow on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: James O'Barr (comic book series and comic strip), David J. Schow and John Shirley (screenplay)
Directed by: Alex Proyas
Starring: Brandon Lee, Michael Wincott, Rochelle Davis, Ernie Hudson, Bai Ling, Tony Todd
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
The night before his wedding, musician Eric Draven and his fiancée are brutally murdered by members of a violent gang. On the anniversary of their death, Eric rises from the grave and assumes the mantle of the Crow, a supernatural avenger.

Verdict
It's a more than competent revenge action movie, but it's the mystique around the film and lead Brandon Lee's death that makes a dark movie all the more ominous. A man returns to life for the sole purpose of avenging his death. This is a world that seems to be perpetually dark with sadistic criminals lurking around every corner. A man back from the dead doesn't even phase the local cop, he's just happy someone will mete out justice.
It depends.

Review
Based on the 1989 comic book series, Brandon Lee was fatally shot by a prop gun during filming which wasn't properly checked and cleared prior to use. He was only twenty-eight. Lee had finished most of his scenes, and the film was completed through script rewrites and a stunt double. Lee's death overshadows the movie. It makes his performance all the more engrossing as we know it's his last.

The movie opens with a voice over about a crow carrying souls to the afterlife. Sometimes those crows avenge wrongs. Then this cuts to a crime scene. Musician Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) and his fiancee were violently murdered the day before their wedding.

Brandon Lee plays Eric Draven, "The Crow"

A year later, Draven emerges from his grave, guided by a crow. He wanders to his still abandoned apartment complex where he experiences the crimes all over again. It's a dark film both in subject matter and look. The fact that the lead died during filming only adds to the melancholy. Both the actor and character died in this movie. Eric Draven is back from the dead with preternatural abilities, led by a crow to avenge his and his fiancee's deaths; to what end?

Draven as "The Crow" can't be killed and he can see through the eyes of his crow. He's an avenging angel, taking care of unfinished business by killing everyone involved in his death. The bad guys can't do much to stop him, and at first others think it must be some kind of joke. Soon enough they believe.

Brandon Lee plays Eric Draven, "The Crow"

The cop that investigated the original crime, Albrecht (Ernie Hudson), accepts that Draven is back rather well. Is he just a world weary policeman where nothing surprises him? He's just heard a guy came back to life to avenge his death and Albrecht doesn't even blink. Then again this is a city where it seems to be perpetually night time.

Ironically, Draven has killed the four people responsible and is ready to return to his grave when the big bad of the movie, Top Dollar (Michael Wincott), kidnaps a friend of Draven's to draw him out; either to stop his violence or try to steal his supernatural power. In the final battle Draven discovers Top Dollar's role in his death and finishes the last loose end despite having lost his powers.

Title Card

Quantum Leap (1989) Series Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Thu, 9 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

Quantum Leap (1989-1993)

Season 1 - 9 episodes (1989)
Season 2 - 22 episodes (1989-90)
Season 3 - 22 episodes (1990-91)
Season 4 - 22 episodes (1991-92)
Season 5 - 22 episodes (1992-93)
Rent Quantum Leap on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Donald P. Bellisario
Starring: Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell, Deborah Pratt
Rated: TV-PG
Watch the trailer

Plot
Dr. Sam Beckett finds himself trapped in time and travels through different periods of the past to help alter different people's futures for the better, never knowing who, where, or when he'll end up.

Verdict
Each episode is a new adventure as Sam leaps into a different person and time. He gets to experience various forms of discrimination firsthand. Sam happens to be a doctor, frequently placed in situations where science is primitive or no one will listen to him. This is an overwhelmingly uplifting series as Sam tries to save the world one person at a time. Through him, we see how unfair the world can be. His mission in part is to open people's eyes; both characters in the show and viewers. It's a wholesome show that has Sam literally walk a mile in another's shoes. While I enjoyed it, five seasons also felt sufficient. It's an easy watch, being a procedural.
Watch It.

Review
This is literally experience the world from another's perspective. In each episode Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) leaps into different people and times to right wrongs and save lives. That's his main goal, but the show wants us to think about society at large along the way as we see how people can be treated differently without cause. Each episode, he has to figure out who he is, what he needs to do to blend in, and most importantly what he must fix. Once that's done he's transported to a new body. He's frequently in tense situations that put him at the edge of serious trouble. I doubt he could blend in so well, though the excuse is that he's incredibly smart. Even then he'd lack a lot of context and all the mannerisms of his host.

The show's intent is to provide an alternative perspective, often engendering empathy for minority groups and people often considered other. Sam's a white man that's likely gotten a lot of breaks because of that. Experiencing what women and minorities endure is a shock for him. He's never had to pretend to get along, and his secondary goal is to force others to confront their poor behavior.

Season 1
The first episode introduces us to the future with hover cars, lights built into clothing, and a scientific experiment, the Quantum Leap Project led by Sam Beckett. He wakes up in bed with a woman with no memory of who he is or how he got there. It's 1956. He's not himself, inhabiting someone else's body. Sam has to fake being this person while figuring out what's going on. He doesn't remember his own past, but he knows the person in the mirror isn't him. It's easy to guess this is related to the experiment in the future that went awry.

Sam was working on time travel. His experiment worked, just not as he suspected. Through the episode he slowly remembers his past.

Al (Dean Stockwell), who worked on the project, can project himself as a hologram only to Sam. Together they try to figure out what's going on. They think Sam was sent here to right a wrong. The person Sam inhabits died. Sam has to prevent that. The only problem is that Sam has to pretend to be a test pilot, and he's not.

At the end of the episode Sam teleports to another body where he's in the middle of a baseball game. A cosmic force is putting him in different places. There's no guarantee he'll make it back to his own time and body.

S1E1: Scott Bakula plays Dr. Sam Beckett

The show could just as easily be the misadventures of Sam, unmoored in time and space. In the second episode he must stop a student from marrying an English professor, himself.

He's a rancher, a gangster, a boxer, a nerd, and even a black man in the 50s. In episode seven the show confronts racism head on. I was surprised at the bluntness.

Season 2
This season especially challenges prejudices, generating sympathy for groups that historically have been excluded.

In the first episode Sam and Al have to prove leaping is useful to secure funding. If funding is cut, Sam will be stranded. Sam's leap does just that, just not in the way the officials want. Sam's actions change the head of the committee who is more sympathetic to the program. The committee debated whether changing one life is enough.

The concept is fun enough, and this provides plenty of variation. I do wonder if the adventures will become routine or repetitive. How many times can you do this? While i typically prefer more intricate, serialized stories, the episodic nature of the series makes this easy to pick up and watch without having to keep track of many details.

In episode three, Sam deals with racists again. He's a World War II veteran returning to his rural home with a Japanese bride. In the next episode, Sam leaps into a woman for the first time and experiences more sexism than knew existed. The show seems progressive, even for today's standards. I wonder what it was like in the 90s.

In the fifth episode Sam plays a blind concert pianist. While the body is blind, Sam is not and can see. It's never clear how much of the hosts body constrains Sam's abilities. Usually it seems that Sam retains his faculties, even when he may not have the physicality of his host. In the next episode Sam has to save rock n' roll as a radio DJ.

S2E5: Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell play Sam Beckett, Al

In the eighth episode Sam plays a character with Down Syndrome, though the show uses a more derogatory term. Everyone treats "Jimmy" like a monster. They call him names, pick on him, and treat him absolutely terribly. Seeing it happen to Sam certainly changes the effect and heightens the discrimination.

The eleventh episode features a ghost. It's quite the mystery as even Sam and Al can't figure it out.

In the thirteenth episode Sam is a single mother that has to save her son from disappearing. We learn children can see Al, and Sam is a trained martial artist that defeats his 'son's' kidnappers.

In episode eighteen, Sam is a famous pool player. He has to use Al since Sam can't play pool. In the next episode he's a trapeze artist. I wasn't sure how he could perform that job unless he can use the inherent physical prowess of the body he inhabits, but he wasn't blind when the body he inhabited was blind. How can he become a competent trapeze artist in a couple of days? It's a stretch, and I get the show would only get bogged down in some of these details.

Season 3
Each episode Sam has to convince a lot of people to do things they don't want to while covering up that he's only posing as that person and knows too much about the future.

In the first episode Sam makes it home, and he's inhabiting his younger self. Sam wants to fix everything, but past episodes prove that doesn't always work out. He tries to stop his older brother from going to Vietnam, but it only scares everyone that he claims he can predict the future. In the next episode, he's in Vietnam with his brother's platoon. He wants to save his brother, and that's precisely why he's there.

In episode five Sam leaps into the body of a horror writer. He inadvertently gives a number of ideas to the writer's young friend Stevie - Stephen King. In the next episode Sam's a woman in a predatory beauty pageant. He has to stop another woman from succumbing to the demands of a predatory photographer.

S3E5: Scott Bakula

Episode seven explores the Watts riots. He's a black man engaged to a white woman. He has to prevent her death while convincing their families they need to stay in Watts.

Sam and Al are in a Scrooge type tale as they try to stop an industrialist from tearing down a Salvation Army in episode ten. In the next episode he's a teenage boy on vacation with his family. His father wants him to be more of a man while his older sister torments him. In episode twelve Sam leaps into a pregnant woman. He has all the symptoms and feelings of being pregnant himself. How can he be in someone's physical body and not feel what they feel? Al is stunned that Sam can 'feel' the pregnancy. This episode seems to indicate he's not just a consciousness in a foreign body, but he does look like that body from the outside. Did this episode shortcut logic for a plot?

In episode seventeen, he's in a glam band and has to prevent his host from being murdered. In episode twenty-two, Sam leaps into a patient that gets shock therapy that scrambles Sam's personality. He can't separate who he is with all the people he's inhabited. Apparently the mentally ill can see Al too, in addition to children and people with a mental pattern close to Sam's. It's a nice way to end the season, raising the stakes.

Season 4
It seems the first and last episodes in each season try to go bigger. To start this season Sam and Al swap places. Sam is the hologram and Al is the leaper trapped in someone else's body. An ill-timed lightning strikes causes them to switch places. That allows Sam to return to his his present and see the wife he had forgotten.

In the second episode Sam plays a baseball player that he thinks needs to get back to the big leagues. Sam diverts from the mission to help a teammate. It's an act that could prevent Sam from leaping, but he has to do the right thing.

In the fourth episode Sam teleports into a klan member. He doesn't like that one bit, nor does he like having to go along with it to survive. He nearly gets himself in trouble several times, but the episode ends with Sam taking a stand and forcing the klan to back down.

This show tackles heavy subjects. The sixth episode came out in 1991. I'd consider it progressive for 2021. Sam plays a rape victim. The difficult thing is that Sam doesn't know what happened, neither does the audience, but people don't sustain the injuries Katie has unless it's a violent altercation. Sam has to testify. Al manages to bring Katie in as a hologram. Initially Sam repeats Katie's words but soon it focuses on Katie as Sam drifts out of frame. It's troubling and powerful.

Sam is a chimpanzee test pilot in episode seven.

There's a reason Al calls Sam a boy scout. He's always on the morally and ethically correct side of things. I appreciate the wholesome message of the show. Sam is a gay Naval Academy cadet. He believes sexual orientation should have no bearing on his opportunities while the school wants to kick him out. Al is against gays in the military, but by the end of the episode twelve Al has changed his mind.

In episode thirteen a psychic knows who Sam is and what he's doing. That doesn't happen often, but it doesn't make things much easier as they're chasing a killer. The sixteenth episode takes place in the Bermuda Triangle. It's a fun myth to tackle. In the final episode, Sam jumps into a younger Al. It's a dire situation as Al is on trial. Those results could erase their relationship altogether.

The show remains consistent. It's a procedural with a unique premise that makes it an easy watch, but I do wish there was a continuing sub plot to add some depth. It could be Sam trying to regain memories or meeting people from his time as they're holograms. Four seasons in, I doubt Sam will ever get back. The odds are against him. The underlying core is this desire to treat people justly as well as truly seeing the world from someone else's perspective. It's refreshing for a show to be so inclusive.

Season 5
The final season also remixed the show's theme song. It's jarring after getting used to the original version.

I'm pretty sure episode one is the first time Sam has jumped into a historical figure. It makes sense why that doesn't happen. It's difficult to create a plot twist when you can't change history. Sam jumps into Lee Harvey Oswald. He doesn't know if he's supposed to stop the assassination or find out the truth. Creator Bellisario actually met Oswald. This two part episode was a rebuttal to JFK (1991), asserting Oswald was capable of acting alone. It's ambitious. While I didn't like the episode, I liked the premise.

This season features historical figures more often than previous seasons. It's a neat one off, but I wonder if the show went this direction to chase ratings. We also see Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley.

I've wondered how Sam inhabits bodies. What's this mix of his body and his host's body? In episode four he 'walks' despite inhabiting a host without legs. It appears as him floating. The show explains it away as the host's aura conceals him, but it's still a stretch. Then in episode five someone brings a gun from the past to Al's present. That makes no sense whatsoever.

S5E21: Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell play Sam Beckett as Elvis, Al

In episode seven, Sam returns to Jimmy from Season 2. It's the first time he's inhabited the same person twice. Sam also finds another quantum leaper. While he tries to make things right, she tries to make things wrong. I don't understand her origin or why she's evil other than a poor attempt to add drama.

Episodes eight, nine, and ten form a decades spanning trilogy where Sam inhabits different people to save Abigail several times. Sam jumps into a woman during the liberation movement in episode thirteen. Her husband is overbearing and deeply misogynistic. The husband states he's too old to change his ways, and Sam hits him with only if he believes it to be true. Only if he doesn't love his family enough would he not try to change.

Much to Sam's chagrin, he jumps into Dr. Ruth, a radio sexpert. He has to field uncomfortable questions, but part of the mission is Dr. Ruth helping Al. The fifteenth episode is contention for one of the worst. Sam leaps into a vampire.

This season has shown Al's lab much more often, though it's just a white, blank room. We also run into the evil leaper again. The problem is that it seems like a cheesy sci-fi plot. It's clearly a ratings grab.

Episode twenty breaks the show's rules. I thought Sam could only enter bodies that existing during his lifetime, but he jumps into someone during the Civil War. He has to ensure what's already happened, still occurs. What's the danger? Every other episode he has to right a wrong. In this one, he just has to make sure things happen as they did.

The final episode is an odd way to end the season, though the crew didn't know it would be the last season. This was a setup for season six where Sam would realize he's in charge of where his leaps take him. In this episode, he leaps to a liminal space where he sees people he's leaped into before with a bartender that knows about Sam. Sam has the choice to return home, but he instead makes a leap that will help Al. The text at the end of the episode was added after the show was canceled, stating that Sam Beckett never made it home, though the text misspells his last name as "Becket."

I like the premise of the show. Sam wants to make the world a better place and open people's eyes to the way the world should be. Being a procedural makes it easy to follow. I'd rank the seasons as 3, 2, 4, 1, 5. Three over two as it's more consistent and has a great opener. Four also has great episodes, but it also has some that feel sensational just for the sake of it. One is just too short, more of an introduction. The fifth season was easily my least favorite. It seems the season was trying for ratings by delivering several historical figures and some sci-fi cheesiness.

Greenland 2: Migration Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Wed, 8 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

Greenland 2: Migration [Greenland Migration] (2026)

Rent Greenland 2: Migration on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Mitchell LaFortune and Chris Sparling (written by), Chris Sparling (based on the characters created by)
Directed by: Ric Roman Waugh
Starring: Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roman Griffin Davis
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
The surviving Garrity family must leave the safety of the Greenland bunker and embark on a perilous journey across the decimated frozen wasteland of Europe to find a new home.

Verdict
This family faces the worst case scenario nearly every step of the way. It becomes ridiculous early in as the contrivance is beyond belief. I lost count of how many times they narrowly escaped death. The logic of the plot is dodgy at best, and the conclusion is predictable and emotionally overwrought. It's absurd from the beginning
Skip it.

Review
A sequel to Greenland (2020), the first movie was a race against the clock disaster movie where an extinction level event involving meteors was imminent. The government didn't reveal the severity, leading to a lottery for access to underground bunkers and in turn riots. The focus was on the Garrity family, but the movie fell into a lot of common tropes as it used marital problems as a means to add depth. The couple had no chemistry and the child seemed like a prop. I wouldn't have expected a sequel.

A quick voice over begins this movie acting as an introduction more than a recap. John Garrity (Gerard Butler) explores top side in a hazmat suit. Of course a storm appears instantly and he has to run to the bunker, barely making it back in time.

Five years after the first movie, the bunker inhabitants planned to stay underground for only three. At this point supplies are dwindling and above ground isn't habitable. That soon doesn't matter as the bunker falls apart quickly due to an earthquake. It's time to leave the bunker, though you're not supposed to go outside. It's a mad dash to the conveniently left life boats on the shore nearby.

Gerard Butler plays John Garrity

John and his family escape the Greenland bunker just as the secret exit only John knows about collapses. Outside they run through the chaos of people, tremors, and jets shooting up from the ground. People are ripping masks off of others, clamoring into the few life boats. John manages to get into one, but he has to shut other people out to ensure his family's safety. Just as they close the doors, a giant tidal wave wipes out everyone left on the shore. The events of this movie have incredible timing, the way only a script could plan it.

This really is everything that can go wrong will. Boat trouble, no destination, and then they run out of gas. Did the boat not have a fuel gauge? At that point, they hope currents take them somewhere. Only in this movie would they reach anything. They find a submerged London. They can't get into that bunker, start a riot, hitch a ride, have a meteor destroy that ride, then remember they have a contact in London to provide them shelter. Everything about this is so contrived. It's a typical end of the world, big action movie.

John has had a cough since the beginning that he's dismissed as nothing. When the family finds some amount of safety, that's when he reveals how serious it is. It's ridiculous. This movie is designed to keep hitting you with shocks and surprises. Be especially careful if you're a character without much development. You'll probably die. The family's plan hinges on the theory that there may be water and clean air in a crater. It sounds outlandish, and this movie is relentless in the trauma to which this family is subjected.

Roman Griffin Davis, Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Nelia Da Costa play
Nathan, John, Allison, Camille

Some of this movie is seeing how the world has changed. The English channel no longer exists, but we do see a Spanish galleon and a dinosaur skeleton where it used to exist.

This soon reaches a point where I'm in complete disbelief that all of these events and circumstances can affect this one family. The timing and contrivance is outrageous. The Garrity family is on the edge of every disaster that occurs. I've lost count of how many times they've almost died. When they meet a nice family in France, I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Nothing good ever happens in this movie.

There is a military unit defending the crater when they get close. Of course they face several obstacles on the way, but John's sob story that they've been through a lot works and they're allowed to pass. It's ridiculous. Everyone on the planet has been through a lot. What I don't understand is that if everyone knows this crater supports life, and it really does support life, why aren't they're so many people rushing it that they overpower the army? Even the way this ends is contrived, but that's in line with the rest of the movie.

Title Card

Lord of the Flies Mini-series Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Tue, 7 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

Lord of the Flies (2026)

Mini-series - 4 episodes
Watch the trailer
Based on: Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Created by: Jack Thorne
Starring: Winston Sawyers, Lox Pratt, David McKenna, Ike Talbut, Thomas Connor
Rated: TV-MA

Plot
A plane crash strands a group of British boys on an unoccupied tropical island where they gradually slide into anarchy as social conventions disappear and attempts at responsible rule divide them into warring factions.

Verdict
This proves how delicate the balance between civility and chaos truly is. On the island, fun and eventually bullying trump logic and proper planning. Nicky has great ideas but lacks confidence. Ralph is torn between doing what's best and succumbing to peer pressure. Jack gains followers through violence, bullying, and empty promises. He casts Nicky as an annoying adult, turning others against him. With each episode we see a small society slowly crumble. Peer pressure has an incredible pull. Initially, we can excuse their lack of preparations on being children, but when this becomes violent it's all the more shocking as mere children are the perpetrators. Once the situation tips, there's no stopping the momentum without any adults to step in.
Watch It.

Review
This is based on the 1954 debut novel of British author William Golding. Thorne was the co-writer of Adolescence (2025). I haven't read the book, so I don't have a basis for what happens in the story other than what I've gleaned from pop-culture.

The island setting is impressive, lending this a sense of credibility. In the first episode Nicky (David McKenna), soon to be nicknamed Piggy, wakes up in the jungle. It seems his plane crashed, and before long he meets Ralph (Winston Sawyers).

E1: David McKenna plays Nicky aka Piggy

Nicky has plenty of ideas to aid survival and he tries to establish order, but he lacks confidence and instead relies on Ralph. That order is soon challenged by Jack (Lox Pratt), the leader of the choir boys. Jack wants to be chief, with Nicky pushing for Ralph to lead. It's a bunch of children with all of the adults having died, so order is rather difficult. The kids are easily bored and distracted, unaware of the fully gravity of their situation. They don't like Nicky's rules and orders, though we know he's right. Ralph is torn between Nicky and wanting to be liked. Insulting Nicky is an easy way to get a laugh. There's the push and pull of kids wanting to do their own thing, and that soon leads to a forest fire.

Jack wants to feel important, making up for what he considers his shortcoming through imposing his will. He declares himself the hunter of the group, a situation that's faking it til you make it. He threatens anyone that opposes him which proves to be effective. Jack focuses on killing a pig to prove his might both to himself and everyone else. Jack and the other hunters that join his group soon find a pig. I felt sympathy for it. While the piglets escape, the boys encircle the pig and beat it to death. Their victory certainly doesn't seem glorious.

E3: Lox Pratt plays Jack

Jack's obsession with killing the pig leads to neglecting the signal fire. That's unfortunate as a ship sails by and misses them. Any time Jack is questioned or criticized, he lashes out and any semblance of order dissolves.

There's a lot of friction between Jack and Ralph. Ralph tries to do what's right for everyone, with Nicky's help, while Jack only serves himself. That widening rift is the slow decline of the small society. Jack makes big promises that the kids want to believe, hoping it will be true. It's why people follow him. He promises them fun, decrying all of Nicky's ideas. Jack just doesn't want to be shown up. He's managed to get through life by bullying others.

Jack's group has devolved into lawlessness. Of course Nick and Ralph pay the price. In the final episode they face a tough situation, it's tragic watching them crumble with the regime Jack has instituted. Nicky was too much of an adult, and it was easy for Jack to sway the others away. Jack has given rise to the rule of Roger (Thomas Connor), someone even more cruel. The children go from hunting prey to each other.

This follows the break down of society. The kids want a leader, and unfortunately they'll follow anyone that stands to take the position. We want to think that these are just kids, maybe that excuses the disorder and violence, and that this wouldn't happen to adults. Even adults are susceptible to following the person that assume the role of issuing orders. Society hangs in a delicate balance as this series show. Once you make the situation dire, people become desperate. By depicting that breakdown through children, it make this all the more tragic.

Each episode has a sequence showing close ups of the children's' faces. It's effectiveness in showing us how things change. While these are just children, scared and lonely, creating havoc, these children grow into adults with the same capacities. Fear proves to be the most dangerous emotion.

E1 Title Card

We Bury the Dead Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Mon, 6 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

We Bury the Dead (2024)

Rent We Bury the Dead on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Zak Hilditch
Directed by: Zak Hilditch
Starring: Daisy Ridley, Brenton Thwaites, Mark Coles Smith
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
After a catastrophic military disaster, some of the dead reanimate. Ava joins a body retrieval unit, searching for her missing husband.

Verdict
It's a zombie movie that's not really about zombies, focusing on the living left behind and the lack of closure. How do you cope when the future is instantly altered? Initially we think Ava seeks closure, one more look at her husband. Through flashbacks, we see their complicated relationship. When she learns the dead reanimate, she hopes for one last interaction with him; a moment of recognition in his eyes even if his body has deteriorated. Ridley delivers a great performance, but it's a movie about love and loss that adds zombies to set it apart and neither aspect of the story does enough.
It depends.

Review
The preface to the movie is an experimental military weapon in Tasmania that accidentally detonates, killing hundreds of thousands by leaving them brain dead.

Ava (Daisy Ridley) travels to an island as part of a body retrieval unit. Her husband was on the island. While she hopes to find him, seeking a moment of closure, the twist is that some bodies reanimate.

Daisy Ridley plays Ava

There's an inherent sadness to clearing out these houses. Ava is paired with Clay (Brenton Thwaites), and they see all these lives cut short as they move from house to house looking for bodies. That and we're waiting for the moment when we see a body that's reanimated. Soon enough we see a zombie standing in the corner, it's skin grotesquely gray. While it doesn't seem violent, the military isn't taking any chances.

Through flashbacks we see Ava's husband, her wedding, and glimpses of their relationship. He was on the southern area of the island at a resort on a business trip. Their marriage had hit a rough stretch. It seems she's seeking some kind of closure as their last exchange was heated.

While the retrieval unit is relegated to the North of the island due to violence in the south, Ava convinces Clay to take her south. He's found a Ducati motorcycle in a garage, eager to take it for a ride. He agrees more for the sake of the plot than anything else. They find a violent zombie, and a soldier, Riley (Mark Coles Smith), helps them dispatch it. Riley asks why they're in the south alone, but what goes unsaid is that he's a lone soldier. Where is his unit? When he's the one with a gun, you don't get the benefit of asking questions. He wants to write a report and separates them. Later he tells Ava Clay ran away, but his story seems dubious. Not that Ava has much choice but to follow Riley on the promise he'll get her to the resort.

Daisy Ridley plays Ava

Riley may be lonely more than dangerous. He offers to make her dinner, and it's a tense moment. He then asks her to dance while wearing his wife's clothes. They both get to pretend for a moment, forgetting what's going on outside and imagining their past lives.

We're never sure why some dead wake and others don't. One character supposes it's unfinished business. Maybe they would all wake up given enough time. Through this movie, Ava hopes to see her husband one more time. Then she hopes maybe he'll reanimate and she can at least see a facsimile. Maybe she'll see a glimmer of recognition in his eyes. She just wants one more moment, a chance to erase the fact that the last time she saw him they were arguing.

I would have liked the movie more if it ended one scene earlier.

SPOILERS

Title Card

Derry Girls Season Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Sun, 5 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

Derry Girls (2018-2022)

Season 1 - 6 episodes (2018)
Season 2 - 6 episodes (2019)
Season 3 - 7 episodes (2022)
Created by: Lisa McGee
Starring: Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Nicola Coughlan, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, Dylan Llewellyn
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer

Plot
The exploits of a sixteen-year-old girl, her family, and friends during the Troubles of the early 1990s in Northern Ireland.

Verdict
It's rare a show seems too short, and this show egregiously provides too few episodes. While it leaves me wishing there was more, it also makes the episodes provided all the more delightful. This elevates teenage problems to a level teenagers would consider appropriate, and everyone else would find ridiculous, while remaining funny and clever. The teens are more concerned with their own issues while the conflict in Northern Ireland continues. The running jokes only get better with each episode, and all of these characters are given a lot of depth. It's an ensemble comedy with a distinctly Irish humor.
Watch It.

Review
The girls live in Derry, hence the title Derry Girls. McGee planned from the beginning on only three seasons. The show is fictional, but this references actual events throughout, including the Troubles and the Northern Ireland peace process. The sound track is absolutely great, featuring period appropriate music.

This follows the daily difficulties of Erin Quinn (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), her cousin Orla (Louisa Harland), their friends Clare (Nicola Coughlan), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O'Donnell), and Michelle's English cousin James (Dylan Llewellyn) during high school while the conflict in Ireland continued. To them, that was just life, a back drop. It does add an underlying tension to everything that happens.

Season 1
It's funny and silly. The stakes are much higher for the girls than any reasonable person would assume, but that's also a part of being in high school. Those years seem so important. It's only later we realize it wasn't as dire as it seemed at the time. These kids don't have that distance yet.

S1E1: Nicola Coughlan, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Dylan Llewellyn play Clare, Erin, James

While the socio-political issues in Ireland contrast with teenage drama, this is an outrageous comedy. It's fun in the way you'd like to remember your high school years. The plights are typical high school: detention, finding a job, a Catholic school miracle, exchange student, vacation, and the school paper. Each of these characters is developed and distinct, even their families.

The series is colorful, irreverent, and fun. It's sweet in it's own way. All this happens against the backdrop of the Troubles, but teens, and many adults, think their plights trump everything else in the world. In that way, this is fitting. I just wish there were more episodes.

S1E3: Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Dylan Llewellyn, Nicola Coughlan, Louisa Harland, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell play Erin, James, Clare, Orla, Michelle

Season 2
In the first episode, students across the barricade try to find common ground between Protestants and Catholics. Finding differences is much easier, until they realize parents are a common factor.

A secondary plot in the second episode is Erin's mom Mary pondering the identity of Keyser Söze when she misses the end of the movie.

S2E6: Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, Dylan Llewellyn, Louisa Harland, Nicola Coughlan play Erin, Michelle, James, Orla, Clare

So much of the girls' time is spent trying to avoid trouble and only making the situation worse. This show only gets better with every episode. The nun at the school is fed up with everything, completely apathetic about her job and wanting to avoid the children in public as much as they want to avoid her. Then there's the boring Uncle Colm. He's so dull no one wants to be around him, but that's also what makes him so funny. Erin's grandfather Granda Joe blames Erin's father Gerry for everything, no matter how impossible it may be.

Season 3
To start the season, the girls unwittingly participate in a robbery. It seems outlandish for this show. Plot lines have been more grounded, but Liam Neeson makes a cameo as a policeman. They use Uncle Colm to thwart the police investigation. While it seems over the top, it's also incredibly funny.

S3E1: Dylan Llewellyn,Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Nicola Coughlan, Louisa Harland play James, Michelle, Erin, Clare, Orla

This keeps getting better, the way the running jokes stack with each episode only makes them funnier.

This season seems less grounded. While it's funnier when not constrained by the bounds of reality, the coincidences that occur defy belief.

The final episode ties in to the Good Friday vote that ended the Northern Ireland conflict. It's a fitting end to the show.

I had heard this was good, but it's better than I expected. It's funny and touching while capturing how intense high school seems. Each character and the family only adds to the fabric of this show, with tension and plot lines that feel real and appropriate. It's such a great show that deserves more episodes.

Send Help Movie Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Sat, 4 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

Send Help (2026)

Rent Send Help on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Damian Shannon & Mark Swift
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O'Brien
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
When an employee and her insufferable boss become stranded on a deserted island, the only survivors of a plane crash, they must overcome their grievances and work together to make it out alive.

Verdict
It's a bit of fantasy with an overworked and under-appreciated employee getting the chance to prove herself invaluable to her boss as the company hierarchy is instantly overturned. This is a wild ride that can be a bit gory as it leaves you wondering what's going to happen next. Will the pair overcome their differences to thrive or will attitudes and differences diminish their chances and end in death? It's up and down as they both hide their feelings about the situation, scheming to reach their goals.
Watch It.

Review
The hard working and dedicated Linda (Rachel McAdams) is not afforded any opportunity to advance as others take credit for her work. Linda has been waiting for a promotion for a long time, and she gets no recognition. She's valuable, but not liked. Part of the problem is that she's socially awkward, doesn't fit in, and thus turns people off.

The new boss Bradley (Dylan O'Brien) plans to use her work and then ship her off, first taking Linda and his vice presidents to Bangkok. We get both sides. She's great with numbers but she's not a people person. Linda is also a survival enthusiast. Somehow Bradley and his friends find her audition tape for Survivor. They're unnecessarily cruel, mocking her during the flight. Of course she's the only one working on the flight and found a way to save the company a sizable amount of expenses, but she deletes the work when she realizes they're laughing at her. They don't deserve her work if they won't respect her. Turbulence during the flight leads to a surreal scene with the vice presidents fighting each other to survive as the plane breaks apart. One of them chokes Linda, trying to oust her from her seat.

Rachel McAdams plays Linda

With the crash landing on an unoccupied island, Linda's survival skills will be quite useful. Initially she seems like the only survivor, but she finds Bradley somehow alive despite serious injuries. She puts her knowledge to use and creates a shelter for Bradley and gathers water. When he wakes, he immediately criticizes her stating she should be creating a distress signal. She rebuffs him stating she's the reason he's even alive. Bradley pulls out the boss card, telling her to watch how she speaks to him. On this island there is no hierarchy. I'm glad Linda realized that. Bradley still think she'll capitulate, and I enjoyed his comeuppance.

Linda triumphs in hunting a boar, though it was more gruesome than it needed to be. She's literally living her dream of being on the show Survivor. I wondered if this would end with Bradley discovering her value while she realizes she needs to be more sociable. This doe not fall into convention, aside from a camp fire scene where they share their pasts, revealing emotional vulnerability.

Bradley wants to act and take charge though he's unable, and she's doing everything for him. He even fires her as all he has to signify his importance is his title as boss. He's never done anything. He didn't build the company. Bradley leaves to start his own camp, soon realizing it's not as easy as he thought. He's never had to do any work at any point in his life.

Dylan O'Brien plays Bradley

This is a bit of wish fulfillment with Linda getting to prove to her boss how valuable she is in a life and death situation no less. She has had a glow up, island life I suppose. Bradley admits that he can't survive on his own, acknowledging all of his mistakes. Linda enjoys that, as she should. In turn, he gets the chance to save her life which feels overly scripted.

I kept waiting for Bradley to do something, with the movie teasing a stupid action out of spite. While it doesn't make sense as he's relying on her, she's also enjoying her freedom on the island and is in no hurry for a rescue. Linda likes this life, and she's important. How far will she go to stay? That tension comes to a point, and it proves just how wild this movie can be. They get into a knockout fight, leading to a big reveal. This is such a ride, you never quite know where it will go.

The Terror Season 2 Review

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Fri, 3 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

The Terror [The Terror: Infamy] (2018-)

Season 2: Infamy - 10 episodes (2019)
Rent The Terror on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Max Borenstein, Alexander Woo
Starring: Derek Mio, Kiki Sukezane, Cristina Rodlo, Shingo Usami, Naoko Mori, Miki Ishikawa, George Takei
Rated: TV-14
Watch the trailer

Plot
In this supernatural, semi-historical horror anthology series, each season is inspired by a different infamous or mysterious real-life historical tragedy.

Set during World War II, the second season focuses on the Japanese folklore of bakemono, which harasses a Japanese American community in Southern California.

Verdict
This doesn't just examine rifts between parents and children, also setting this against the backdrop of World War II and widespread xenophobia. Then there's the demon that's following the protagonists and killing people. It's a manifestation of the old traditions, creating a character for what the government is doing to American citizens when it imprisoned them. There's the contention between generations as a family tries to find belonging, both as immigrants and the second generation. By setting this in history, it provides the horror so much more depth and meaning.
Watch It.

Review
How you do you survive in a country that marginalizes your entire race? After Pearl Harbor anyone Japanese is deemed bad and moved to interment camps, despite living in America. Chester (Derek Mio) is second generation trying to find his place and figure out how to "be a man" but the old world isn't that far away. A demon terrorizes the camp, a Japanese myth from the old world that, in a way, is just as scary and marginalizing as what the U.S. government is doing to them. Both entities prevent them from transitioning fully to life in America.

This is set in the 1940s. Chester represents the duality of an immigrant trying to embrace a new country while balancing traditions and his family's former country. He's college educated and resents his father for not standing up to white oppression. Chester's father has had to capitulate to survive and provide. He didn't have the resources and opportunities Chester got.

E3: Derek Mio plays Chester Nakayama

There's also an eerie death in the first episode as the show has to live up to its name. That and some kind of demon that's terrorizing families and causing chaos.

After the Pearl Harbor bombing, anyone that looked Japanese was deemed guilty, even those living in America. Chester and his family are moved to internment camps. We see rampant racism. Even soldiers that were friendly with Chester now treat him as an other. In episode three Chester enlists to become a soldier, not because he's patriotic, but he wants to get out of the camps.

Chester's girlfriend Luz (Cristina Rodlo) is pregnant and his family is not overwhelmingly supportive. Over the season she and Chester's father grow closer. Luz's midwife just happens to be the demon, appearing normal, and that generates a lot of dread as no one realizes. The pregnancy ends as you might expect, and it's devastating.

Chester is caught in the middle, trying to do the best for himself while caught between his future and his family's past. He's in a country with plenty of opportunity, but clearly only if you're white.

Episode six follows an annoying formula for modern series. It explores the demon's background. I'd rather the series focus on the story and move forward. I don't know why so many shows take an episode to provide backstory and humanize an antagonist. If you wondered why this spirit seems to target Chester, this episode does provide answers. One is that the demon's name is Yuko.

E8: Cristina Rodlo, Derek Mio play Luz, Chester

The seventh episode seemed like it was winding the series down, but then in the next episode we learn that Chester had a brother that apparently has been just off screen the entire time. Chester must contact him for answers. This show feels like it's stretching to hit ten episodes.

Despite all the precautions Chester and Luz take, Yuko still finds them. Chester has a plan, but it has major flaws. Chester and his family conquer Yuko while finally getting to leave the internment camps, both the demon and their treatment by the government are monstrous and that's the point.

You could look at this as just a horror series, but setting this during World War II adds so much depth and history. For three years the U.S. imprisoned Japanese Americans without a trial as they lost property and liberty as a result of fear and racism. This series gives the monster a face.

Twin Peaks: The Return Mini-series

ward@fridaysonthefly.com (Ward) — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 02:00:00 -0400

Twin Peaks: The Return (2017)

Mini-series - 18 episodes
Rent Twin Peaks: The Return on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Mark Frost, David Lynch
Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Sheryl Lee, Michael Horse, Miguel Ferrer, Chrysta Bell, David Lynch, Robert Forster, Naomi Watts, Laura Dern
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer

Plot
This resumes twenty-five years after the inhabitants of the quaint northwestern town Twin Peaks were stunned when the local homecoming queen was murdered.

Verdict
Bringing back a beloved show for a victory lap rarely works, but this series is better than the original. Being Lynch, it's not just weird, it's fantastically weird. I feel like I'm always on the edge of figuring out how this world works; there are plenty of clues if only I could decipher them or put them in the correct order. To be able to amend a series twenty-five years later, and not feel like fan service is rare. To best the original is quite an achievement. It creates such an incredible mood. This series is a journey, and like most of Lynch's work, a lot is left open to interpretation.
Watch It.

Review
Despite season two referencing twenty-five years into the future, this season was not part of an overarching plan when the first two seasons of Twin Peaks (1990) released. For most of this season I had no clue what was happening, but that creates such a mood I was desperate to find out. While the original series was campy and weird, this season is strange, even unnerving.

Laura (Sheryl Lee) did say she'd see Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) in twenty-five years. Here we are. Good Cooper is in the lodge, this in between space, while Evil Cooper, under the alias of Dougie, is out causing trouble. We have a college aged kid watching a glass box in New York, and those scenes have such great tension. In the first episode Hawk re-opens the Laura Palmer case after a tip from the log lady. The first episode exhibits the suspenseful moments that I expect in Lynch movies with less of the camp from the original series. The original seasons were odd with little explanation. I wondered what insights this season would offer with Evil Cooper as the manifestation of BOB.

E2: Kyle MacLachlan plays Agent Dale Cooper

This creates such a great, creepy mood. It seems the black lodge will open again, giving Good Cooper a chance to get out while Evil Cooper states it wants to bring him back. He plans to prevent that. I don't know what power it has over him or how he can stop it. After I did some research I discovered Evil Cooper created a duplicate or decoy to take his place in the lodge. I didn't understand it, but Cooper leaves the black lodge and ends up in the glass box before ending up in the decoy, Dougie's body.

An almost catatonic Good Cooper stumbles around Dougie's life while Evil Cooper is detained after a car wreck. Good Cooper wanders around aimlessly, barely verbal. No one knows or cares that he has no agency. He inexplicably fails upwards, uncovering insurance fraud.

In episode six we finally see Diane (Laura Dern). She was just a name in the original series, Cooper's secretary who he'd send audio case notes to.

E5: Kyle MacLachlan plays Dale Cooper mistaken as Dougie Jones

Episode eight is a visual journey of explosions. It's very abstract and easily the most experimental episode of the season. That's saying something for a show like this.

People are out to kill Evil Cooper, and Evil Cooper has his people out to kill Good Cooper. Evil Cooper is double crossed, but in this world death never seems to be final. Meanwhile in Twin Peaks, Hawk finally stumbles upon how the clues the log lady gave him connect to Laura's case.

Good Cooper, still barely conscious, makes an enemy of the casino owners, the Mitchum brothers, after several jackpots on the slot machines. The brothers put a hit on him which is stopped when Good Cooper brings them a pie and a thirty million dollar insurance check. The Mitchum brothers thought Good Cooper cheated them, but it was another insurance agent that's being forced to implicate Cooper. Good Cooper is like Chicken Boo from Animaniacs. Society is gullible enough to believe he's onto something when he's operating on the level of a two year old. He stops yet a another murder attempt on his life by noticing the guy has dandruff.

It turns out the Evil Cooper, well his decoy Dougie, is married to Diane's estranged sister. This is the life Good Cooper has inadvertently assumed and no one realizes he's a fraud. By episode fourteen, the FBI realizes there are two Coopers. The Twin Peaks cops find someone important in the woods from the other dimension, though she has no eyes.

E13: Kyle MacLachlan plays Dougie Jones

Episode sixteen is wild. The guys Evil Cooper has tasked with killing Good Cooper get into an argument with a guy in the neighborhood who pulls an automatic weapon, starting a shootout. The Mitchum brothers are there too, at Good Cooper's house while he's in the hospital, and the FBI are staking out the house because Gordon asked them to find Good Cooper/Dougie. It's a ridiculous and fun confluence of events. Good Cooper finally wakes up with his memories intact, and it's crazy to think it's been nearly the entire season without him.

Cooper is back and this show connects Good Cooper to Laura from the original series. In the final episode Cooper finds Laura Palmer, but she claims not to be Laura. Even approaching the end, I had no clue where this could go. Cooper 'saves' Laura and finds her in the future. Is it an alternate reality? Cooper and Diane call each other Richard and Linda. Laura is Carrie.

Cooper saved Laura, and everyone is different. By trying to save her, he's only subverted one world for another. It seems the conclusion is that you can't beat evil. It's an unwinnable task. Cooper asks "What year is it?" a nod to where they are in space and time.

I'm always dubious of resurrected series, and this seems like a lot of episodes, but I really enjoyed it. This doesn't try to recapture or mimic the original series. It's an evolution of the show, employing modern television ideals with a focus on a serialized story. By it's nature this is a show that can be dissected to generate many conclusions. I didn't quite realize that Dougie was a duplicate construct, but after knowing that now, what I saw makes more sense. This show doesn't hold your hand, forcing you to decipher what's occurring. Not understanding the intricacies of the concepts doesn't hamper the show as the broad concepts are easy to grasp and this creates such a great mood.