Category: Television Reviews

DreamWorks’ Abominable and the Invisible City Truly Shines When…

The folklore in Abominable and the Invisible City has been expanded upon, and just how Yi, Jin, and Peng has to face next is familiar.

Abominable and the Invisible CityAvailable on Peacock, Hulu
and Family Channel (Canada)
Spoiler Alert

Although Abominable and the Invisible City started off very weakly, the build up to what Yi, Jin, and Peng must protect takes on similar vibes as Lilo and Stitch TV series. But instead of finding each experiment their forever home, what this trio must do is to keep the magical creatures safe from others like Burnish. But at the end of the film, this villain turned over a new leaf; his role is to provide help when requested.

This television series is a decent continuation but I didn’t find enough to say it’s good because every episode ended with Yi soothing some savage beast with her violin playing. The joy didn’t come until the mid-way point, where it got serious about looking at what can sometimes go on in a modern Chinese family. This one has a touch more drama, and it’s comparable to what has been explored cinematically in Turning Red and Everything, Everywhere All At Once.

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Regarding The Winchesters, Four Terrifying Episodes Later…

The bouncing between their courtship of who will become The Winchester family and adventure is nothing new.

The WinchestersSadly, the timing of last week’s The CW’s The Winchesters didn’t celebrate All Hallow’s Eve with a special. Instead, it concerns other ghosts, but they’re not the type to be frightened over. Instead, it’s the trauma. This prequel has a lot of the classic Supernatural direction which I adored before it jumped the shark. Even though the focus is on two young adults trying to figure out what’s going on in their hometown, there’s a greater concern which I’m just waiting for the series to eventually manifest.

The Wild West vibe Dean Winchester instils as that narrator is perfect. He’s on his parents’ lives as though he were there, watching it all unfold. It’s possible Jensen Ackles will fully reprise his role. For now, he’s merely a voice as he reflects on how his mom, Mary Campbell (Meg Donnelly), has been the guiding force and the true hunter in this family.

As the pilot episode revealed, she’s motivated to keep on dealing with those monsters that go bump in the night, because her father, also a monster hunter, was trying to figure out what their master agenda is. But after John Winchester (Drake Rodger) comes home to Lawrence, Kansas, to resume a normal life, he gets caught in this conspiracy and decides it’s better to help than hide. He’s a complete neophyte, and it’ll be up to Mary to teach him.

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Jack Osbourne’s Haunted Homecoming. He’s Ready to Sing!

I’m liking this limited series which concerns the spooky encounters from Jack Osbourne’s younger life.

Jack Osbourne's Haunted HomecomingOn Discovery Plus

Jack Osbourne is finally returning to his roots, and we get to learn why he’s embarked on a career in searching for ghosts and ufos. It’s not about dealing with sordid family history, but instead in finding answers to why he’s become a magnet of sorts. I’m glad his latest, Haunted Homecoming, gets to explain that past, and it’s very appropriate to catch on All Hallow’s Eve weekend.

It’s the type of show which helps validate why he’s the star behind other programs like Portals to Hell and The Osbournes, We Want to Believe. Unlike these other shows, what’s presented here feels a lot more personal. We’re not dealing with those famously haunted places. Instead, it’s in what lurks at the places he often frequented during his youth. Despite what one reality tv show tried to imply, he’s a lot more normal than we realise. And where he went after school speaks a lot about his character. Although three episodes were only made and five locales are visited, I hope he’ll extend this series to include even more moments of his life.

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Craig Charles Has 10 UFO Conspiracies. Truth or Fiction? Series in Review and Episode Guide

Craig Charles of Red Dwarf fame joins forces with astrophysicist and journalist Sarah Cruddas to look at UFO Conspiracies, past and present.

Craig Charles UFO ConspiraciesOn select Streaming Services

Craig Charles (Lister from Red Dwarf) wants to believe, but he can’t do it alone in UFO Conspiracies. There’s some humour involved in this investigative television show on Sky. He joins forces with astrophysicist and journalist Sarah Cruddas to look at various cases, past and present. What’s presented only reminds longtime ufologists about those cases of ongoing debate.

These two work in a makeshift office and don’t have field agents to report in. Instead, what this show offers is something akin to Fact or Faked. Maybe they’re in this bungalow because they fear the Men in Black are coming. The fact it’s “undisclosed” says something. Video cameras are everywhere, and they can be hacked into when they are computer networked machines. In the way this series is filmed, I suspect it’s partly scripted.

I admire the later episodes when the two hosts put together the puzzle pieces. It’s rare to find any paranormal reality programming that’s similar to Beyond the Series. Their investigation into the Phoenix Lights is perhaps the best, since it offers material I do not recall presented elsewhere. To my knowledge, not even Ancient Aliens went into the depth as they did concerning who had seen these UAPs up close.

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Breaking Down Jack Osbourne’s Night of Terror. It Isn’t With UFOs.

Jack Osbourne isn’t hanging up his proton pack just yet. He’s need night vision goggles to find unidentified aerial phenomena in Night of Terror: UFOs.

night of terrorStreaming on Discovery Plus

When Jack Osbourne is not chasing after ghosts in Portals to Hell, he’s scanning the skies for unidentified aerial phenomena in Night of Terror: UFOs. I like the fact he’s interested in everything paranormal, but I’m still reminded of who he once was when The Osbournes (2005) introduced him to Reality TV.

If most of that series was indeed manufactured for entertainment only, then I suspect he turned that around to create his own programs based on what he’s keen on. Jack’s passion is captured on video for all to see. But as for becoming an authority in the same vein as Loyd Auerbach or Nick Pope, something must make him change how he studies this world.

Thus, in Night of Terror, his approach is to simply witness it first-hand. This entertainment producer takes Jason Mewes and Jamie Kennedy to the Uinta Basin region of Utah to find proof of the existence of aliens and UFOs. Sadly, they don’t have any close encounters of any kind they can take home to tell the kids about. Nor do they witness a “Tear in the Sky,” which is better than what this piece of reality TV programming offers. What they manage to digitally record is either too fuzzy or granulated (they’re using consumer grade night vision technology) to say they have undeniable proof.

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When Will We See The Rings of Power? The Challenge With LotR on Streaming.

All I can hope for is that Amazon Prime is committed to producing Rings of Power in full.

rings of powerSpoiler Alert

The only issue I have with Amazon committing to bring more Lord of the Rings to life concerns what parts of J. R. R. Tolkien’s appendices are key to the shaping of The Rings of Power? I appreciate the fact the X-Ray feature links to additional material to help folks understand the source, and if its supposed to segway to the films, its not teasing at anything yet!

This multimedia company is promising to produce five seasons. As long as they can deliver the episodes on a timely basis, I’ll be watching. I don’t mind a soft ten month break, but any longer can be tough.

As a casual fan, the ring-verse which portends the future can’t be altered; we know the finale–about how the One Ring must be destroyed to save all of Middle Earth in the main series, which takes place in the far off future. As for The Hobbit, there’s no Sméagol–I’m fairly sure he isn’t born.

To see how it all begins is based on the indexes and notes Tolkien scribed. However, not everyone wants to read the unfinished tales and compendiums to understand where everything fits. And I’m glad showrunners John D. Payne and Patrick McKay are attempting to unpack all of this scholar’s works into a serialised format.

The first two episodes are heavy. A lot of introductions are needed to bring fans back up to speed, and what we see has to establish who are the good guys and the bad. Or, in this work’s case, is fated to fall to the might of Sauron when he returns.

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