Movie Review - Companion

Director: Drew Hancock
Genre: Science Fiction/ Thriller
Runtime: 97 minutes
Year: 2025
Starring: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Rupert Friend, Harvey Guillen
 
Description: A weekend getaway with friends at a remote cabin turns into a chaos after it’s revealed that one of the guests is not what they seem.
 
Review: “Companion” is a crazy genre mix full of plot twists and ingenious jokes. So it goes without saying that the film is best enjoyed without any prior knowledge.
 
A group of young people go away for the weekend to a remote house, where things don’t go as planned. The sweet, somewhat naïve Iris is tagging along with her new boyfriend Josh to spend it with his friends. It becomes clear early on that the film is set in a near future. AI has taken off an become an integral part of society. Josh has a self-driving car, that is operated by his voice. The on-board computer does the rest. It takes a bit longer to realize that there is more than a hint of unease in the relationship between Iris and Josh. While she idealizes their relationship as a model of romantic perfection, he is more of a rough-and-ready type. When Irisi indicates that she is a little nervous about meeting his his friends, who don’t really like her, Josh dismisses her concerns with a lighthearted ‘everything will be fine, just don’t be weird’.   
 
The tone is set for the weekend when they arrive and here to come are many plot twists. And when you think there can not be anymore surprises, there are. Jack Quaid is really good I his role, as a bit of a jerk to the mostly likeable characters he usually plays. But a round of applause for Sophie Thatcher. What a wonderful performance!
 
I really loved this film, it’s unique and original and just kept surprising. And Thacher really stole the show. But please, go see this film without watching the trailer.
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5

TV Show Review - The Boys (Season 3)

Season: 3
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Crime
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2022
Starring: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Anthony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Jensen Ackles, Paul Reiser, Colbie Minifie, Claudia Doumit, Giancarlo Esposito, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capon, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell     

Description: A group of vigilantes sets out to take down corrupt superheroes who abuse their superpowers.

Review: “The Boys” are back, and it takes another stab at all the insanity of the previous two seasons. The series still manages to strike the right (and sometimes painful) chord in a hilarious, satirical way. This third season is gory and never before, but also has the strongest emotional core. Layered, sharp and at times moving.

It begins with a Butcher we haven’t seen before: sober. Hughie working for the FBSA in order o do something against the supes from the inside in a more normal way. In short, the Boys are no more. Still, the superheroes manage to fuck it up well again in the eyes of the member of the Boys and yet soon find each other again.

Still it is abundantly clear that Homelander is the greatest danger. Seeking validation, but never more broken and dangerous, he enters the field of supervillain with confident strides with threats to wipe out entire states. Actor Anthony Starr has never been as scary as he is in this season. I haven’t hated a character as much as Homelander, since Joffrey in “Game of Thrones”.

The two main storylines are that of an increasingly unstable Homelander and that of Butcher who thinks he has found a weapon that can work agains his threat. In addition, there are about sic subplots that “The Boys” also juggle. Extraordinary, it manages to keep them all interesting. Extremely clever and above all unprecedentedly efficient.

Of course there is also the necessary satirical moments based on real life. For example, cancel culture is riduled, Black Lives matter and the LGBTQ+ community are discussed and even a Pepsi commercial is imitated almost exactly. There is also the obvious reference to Trump supporters among the fans of Homelander. So every episode is crammed with references, social commentary and satire.

The biggest newcomer in season three is Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy, who is truly a highlight. Seeing him as a hero for many season in the TV-show “Supernatural”, he now plays a supervillain. Just as sleezy and fake as Homelander, only more old-fashioned. The characters of Butcher, Black Noir and A-Train get more depth.

“The Boys” does it again, it seems like the show is getting better by the season.

Movie Review: Scream

Director: Matt Bettenelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillet
Genre: Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Melissa Barrera, Jack Quaid, Jenna Ortega, Mikey Maddison, Dylan Minnetti, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Sonia Amar, Marley Shelton, Skeet Ulrich
 
Description: 25 years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, California, a new killer dons the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past.

Review: I was thinking it with the fourth film, thought it with the fifth as well: we really don’t need this (and I don’t understand the title, why isn’t it “Scream 5”?). Where I really like the original film, also liked number 2 and even enjoyed 3 even with it not being that great, number 4 just wasn’t good. It was a simple cash grab. But this fifth installment is different.

A requel, as one of the characters in the film explains it, is both a reboot and a sequel. You introduce a whole slew of characters and supplement them with the original ones. The idea is that the original characters don’t survive and the newcomers continue the franchise. Whether all these rules always apply remains to be seen. But the fact is that 25 years after the first “Scream” film renewed the horror genre, this fifth film is constantly self-deprecating. But I still would have named it “Scream 5”.  

This time, main character Sidney Prescott is replaced by Sam Carpenter (honoring director John Carpenter in a way). She hasn’t spoken to her sister Tara for a few years, but she resurfaces after Tara falls victim of a new Ghostface killer, in a somewhat lackluster opening scene. It’s no spoiler that Tara’s group of friends then run into the killer one by one. Sam and her boyfriend Richie would prefer to escape the situation but decide to track down the killer. They seek help from former sheriff Dewey Riley, living alone after his now ex-wife Gale Weathers is the host of a morning show. Sidney has put all the traumatic experiences behind her.

For the most part, we follow the new characters. It takes a while for the old characters to enter the stage. And of those three, it’s David Arquette’s Dewey that gets the biggest and best part. He is excellent.
In putting those new characters at the front, directors Matt Bettenelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillet don’t shy away from bold plot twists and choices, without omitting the humor. Constantly, they play with the conventions of the genre, delaying jump scares and having the characters slam doors of kitchen cabinets of refrigerators with the expectations that there is a murderous creep behind them. In addition, many of the newcomers have links to the original characters. And of those new characters Jenny Ortega and Melissa Barrera, as sisters Tara and Sam, are the strongest and most interesting.

This is the first “Scream” film not directed by Wes Craven, since he passed away in 2015 and I think he would look at this movie with a smile (the even named a character after him). Even though “Scream” can’t avoid some clichés, the film (as are all the others) is very self-aware and does a lot of things right too. And when I thought it was going to be un unneeded terrible sequel, “Scream” is by no means a bad movie. I really enjoyed it.

Rating: 3/ 5

TV Show Review - The Boys (Season 2)

Season: 2
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Crime
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2020
Starring: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Anthony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Elisabeth Shue, Tomer Capon, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Aya Cash, Shawn Ashmore, Giancarlo Esposito

    
Description: A group of vigilantes sets out to take down corrupt superheroes who abuse their superpowers.

Review: Before I started watching this show, I wasn’t very enthusiastic, since we get so many superheroes in movies and now also TV. I had just finished “The Umbrella Academy” which I really liked because it had a different take on it. And the same goes for “Watchmen”, which also took a very different route. But after reading all the positive reviews, I decided to watch “The Boys” and I loved the first season. It was a wild rollercoaster filled with blood and gore, great characters and surprisingly good storylines. I enjoyed the dazzling combination of conflicting interests, cutting edge action and hopeless situations.
This second season builds on the hopeless efforts of an unorthodox group of vigilantes to end the evil Vought International and The Seven, a team of superheroes that works for Vought and is mainly allowed to show up for photo sessions and interviews. They barely fight actual crime, although that’s supposed to be their main task. In reality, it’s all about making money though smart marketing strategies. Vought’s leadership is ruthless when the image of these heroes is compromised, because they earn gold from the merchandise and promotions.
To Vought’s frustration, it’s been rumbling within The Seven for a while now. After they fell into disfavor in season one, A-Train and The Deep are eager to rejoin The Seven. The arrival of the unpredictable and mysterious new hero Stormfront gives the team new dynamic. However, her plans are not immediately clear. She behaves completely different from the good and seemingly incorruptible other members and that makes Vought and Homelander quite nervous.
Besides the fuss within The Seven and the rebellious behavior of Stormfront, the megalomaniac and physically invulnerable Homelander is especially busy with the sudden arrival of ‘super-terrorists’. He considers himself the leader of America, a protector of America. His own hypocritical interests and manipulative manners drive Homelander to murder all of them. His unstable behavior gets even worse when at the same time he decides to interfere more intensively with his son’s upbringing.
The counterbalance in the series is formed by the undercover fighters of the CIA, the titular Boys. The unstoppable Butcher has his own reasons for pushing his boys to the limit in their almost hopeless battle against the powerful, perhaps unbeatable superheroes. This season it will become more clear where his hatred of The Seven and Homelander in particular comes from. And Hughie tries to restore his relationship with Annie, also known as The Seven member Starlight. Something for which he regularly has a hard time with Butcher.
These and other storylines are key and interweave into one of the most original series of the year. The viewers won’t have difficulties in understanding the motivation for the different characters, although the methods used are doubtful. The main motive is clearly survival in a world where danger is almost ubiquitous. How do you successfully fight against demigods, especially when they dismiss murder and innocent victims as an afterthought without ethical objections? And not unimportantly, how do you preserve your humanity in this bloody battle?
The start of season 2 is a bit slow, but eventually the writers manage to deepen the story without stopping the progress of events. You get to know more about certain characters and new ones are introduces. MM was probably my favorite this season, since with Butcher being less present at the start, he unintentionally becomes the leading figure for the boys. I also loved the dynamic between Frenchie and Kimiko. I also realized that Queen Maeve is one of the best characters on the show. She is not pure evil, because she still knows the difference between good and bad. Maeve probably started out just like Starlight, but she is so deep into it all now, it’s hard to go back. The addition of two new characters Stormfront and Lamplighter was very welcome. Stormfront is a really well-written character and perfectly portrayed by Aya Cash. Lamplighter is only in a few episodes but Shawn Ashmore really impresses. And I wished he would be around longer. But the one that really stands out is Anthony Starr as Homelander. He was already a dick in season one, but he is even a bigger dick here. If that were possible. Starr really took in that role and he is a really good actor. Because I constantly want to slap him in the face, when he probably is a really nice guy in real life.
The only negative for me is probably the roles of The Deep and A-Train in this season. The Deep’s storyline isn’t all that interesting and A-Train doesn’t have a lot to do.
I was very pleased with season 2 of “The Boys” and the ending really looked promising. I’m glad I decided to watch this show, because it’s so good.

TV Show Review - The Boys (Season 1)

Season: 1
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Crime
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2019
Starring: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Anthony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Elisabeth Shue, Tomer Capon, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Simon Pegg     
Description: A group of vigilantes sets out to take down corrupt superheroes who abuse their superpowers.

Review: Seven superheroes. Four guys. Lots of severed limbs, broken bones, crushed eyeballs and bloody scenes. And I’m not even talking about the borderline humor, drugs and a Jesus-like appearance. It’s all very gutsy, but it made me very happy.
Where superheroes are not only dominating cinemas, TV land has also many shows focusing on people with superpowers. And you have to be really good to impress nowadays. It has to be game-changing to stand out. Luckily for us, Amazon brings us “The Boys”.
In short, “The Boys” is about a group of people who, because of the superheroes, lost something or someone in their lives. They fight against ‘The Seven’, who are the seven most famous, most idolized and richest superheroes on earth. Because being a superhero is not only about having special powers, but is mainly about the media. What is the best pose (when am I the sexiest), which charity do we support (and do we get the most money for), with which minority group am I going to be photographed, in which population groups are we the least popular, and so on. Behind this huge façade is the company Vought, which is run by Madelyn Stillwell.
In The Seven there is Homelander, the superman of this world. Nobody is stronger than him and he is charming and kind to the outside world. But deep inside, he is the worst of them all. Others are A-Train, Transluscent, Queen Maeve, Black Noir, The Deep and Starlight. Starlight, aka Annie, is new. Her biggest dream has always been to be one of The Seven. And now she’s in, only to find out the real truth behind it all.
On the other side we have Hugh Campbell, the innocent guy who loses his girlfriend due to one of The Seven. He gets in touch with Billy Butcher, who leads a small group that fights against Vought.
Karl Urban plays Butcher and he is far out my favorite character on the show. He is so good and I love his accent. He is rugged, a no-nonsense loner who has been through an awful lot. And he nails it. Anthony Starr shines as Homelander, who you just want to slap in the face constantly. He is so unbearable. I haven’t felt like this about a character since Joffrey on “Game of Thrones”.
They where a little off with Madelyn Stillwell’s character. Although the performance by Elisabeth Shue us really solid, the character doesn’t always make sense. Most of the times she is super vicious and always five steps ahead. But there are moments that she makes dumb decisions and that was out of character and didn’t make sense to me. I think the writers didn’t know what to do with her.
I love how this series looks at superheroes differently and uses these adored characters as the actual villains. And the outsiders are the actual heroes.
“The Boys” is a fantastic shows that takes the term superhero into another direction that we haven’t seen before yet. And I love it.