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I watched HBO Max’s Rooster — and Steve Carell’s character rules the roost in another great comedy series
5:00 am | March 11, 2026
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets HBO Max Streaming | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

I've really enjoyed following Steve Carell's career over the years. Whether it's his iconic role as Michael Scott on The Office or his much more serious performance as Alan Strauss in Hulu's The Patient, I've been consistently impressed by what he does. In HBO Max's Rooster, Carell plays Greg Russo. He's the author of a series of books following a main character called, you guessed it, Rooster. Russo had gained a fandom through that character even though he's not as successful himself, with painful emotions coming to the surface as he returns to the same arts college, Ludlow, where his wife left him 25 years ago.History repeats itself at this, frankly, cursed college. Russo's daughter, Katie, works there, and she's having her own relationship drama. Her husband Archie has left her for a student, with whom he was having an affair, and everybody knows about it. Archie is played by Ted Lasso's Phil Dunster, who perfectly encapsulates Archie's self-serving attitude. Much like Dunster's outstanding performance as Jamie Tartt in Ted Lasso, though, he's layered and will find a way to charm you despite all of that. Despite his many, many flaws, it's not impossible to see why Katie married him in the first place. On his first day, Greg meets college president Walter Mann, played by the always wonderful John C. McGinley. If you liked him in Scrubs, you'll certainly enjoy him here too, as he plays quite the eccentric character with some very strong opinions about the college and the people in it. Every scene involving him is brilliantly awkward, and the cast is a real selling point here.Given the strained relationship between Katie and Greg, it's hard for him to comfort his daughter, but he does his best anyway. She immediately tries to embarrass him when he gatecrashes her lecture, and is critical of the fact that he's there to check up on her, even though he insists he's just there to guest lecture.Greg makes his disdain for Archie very clear from episode one, positioning himself as a caring father despite the rampant self-deprecation and awkwardness we often see from him. Scenes between Greg and Archie are among my favorites, and they are played very well by Carell and Dunster.But there's more to Rooster than just this, and Greg ends up getting into all sorts of unwelcome situations during his time at Ludlow, which was meant to be a simple guest lecturing gig, after all. These include an unfortunate appearance on the news, run-ins with local law enforcement, and criticisms from students about some of the narrative choices in his novel, especially the over-reliance on sex appeal. Not all of the topical jokes worked for me, but humor is subjective, so perhaps you'll enjoy those more than I did. It definitely segues into slapstick when it doesn't really need to.

Charly Clive and Phil Dunster in Rooster

Charly Clive and Phil Dunster play a couple whose broken marriage is the talk of the campus. (Image credit: HBO Max)

Outside of the comedy, though, the series does do serious moments well. Katie is terrible at emotional vulnerability, using sarcasm as a shield, and Greg doesn't quite know how to navigate that. He just isn't as cool and collected as Rooster, despite his efforts to emulate him. Greg ends up having a tequila-induced heart-to-heart with Dylan Shepard, a bubbly faculty member played by Danielle Deadwyle, where we learn more about his failed marriage, so the series is character-driven from the get-go. They clearly have chemistry too, making me keen to see how it unfolds over the next nine episodes.Rooster has all the ingredients for a fun weekend watch. With quick episodes that are easy to watch, the Sunday time slot is ideal for this show. Episodes are released weekly, and you can easily slot this into your streaming schedule if you want something light that still gives you plenty to think about.I did find the way Rooster was filmed a little jarring, but honestly, it didn't take away from the great performances and the important themes explored. It's a fun addition to HBO Max's library, showcasing Carell at his best, where he effortlessly blends humor and seriousness.

Rooster is available on HBO Max in the US and Australia, and Sky Comedy in the UK.

Project Hail Mary review: Ryan Gosling’s new sci-fi movie is a mesmerizing and profoundly moving near-masterpiece that needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible
4:00 pm | March 10, 2026
Author: admin | Category: Computers Entertainment Gadgets Streaming | Tags: | Comments: Off

Light spoilers follow for Project Hail Mary.

Project Hail Mary (PHM) is a movie I've been itching to see for some time. The second book penned by sci-fi author Andy Weir to be adapted for the big screen — the first being 2015's extremely well-received The Martian — PHM has all of the ingredients necessary to similarly be critical and commercially successful.Sometimes, though, said components — the cast and crew, production, and translating a story from page to screen, to name just three — don't gel as well as they should. Color me relieved and delighted, then, that Amazon's latest silver screen vehicle is not only an emotionally resonant and eye-popping visual experience, but also a near-perfect masterpiece that's a shoo-in for 2026's best movies list.

Save our stars

Ryland Grace holding up a knitted Earth in front of some school kids in Project Hail Mary

Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, an unassuming teacher sent on a mission to save our Sun (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

A direct retelling of the nonlinear narrative in Weir's 2021 hard sci-fi novel namesake, Project Hail Mary introduces us to Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), a junior high school teacher and infamous former molecular biologist.Waking from a coma, a disoriented and amnesiac — and, after surveying his surroundings, understandably panic-stricken — Grace finds himself aboard a spaceship 12 light-years from Earth.

Project Hail Mary's overarching narrative is one built on hope, optimism, collaboration, and companionship

Eventually, Grace remembers why he's here: the Sun is dying. In fact, all but one of the galaxy's known stars — Tau Ceti — are waning at an incredibly rapid rate. Consequently, Grace has seemingly been sent on a one-way mission to discover the root cause of this cosmic phenomenon, learn why Tau Ceti isn't affected by it, and — potentially — find a cure. Fail, and the catastrophic ice age will engulf our world in approximately 30 Earth years. No pressure, then.

Ryland Grace and Eva Stratt watching an experiment with a group of people in Project Hail Mary

Grace is hired by European Space Agency head Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller, right) for the titular mission (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

At a time when the real world seems bleak, PHM's dystopian premise might be the last thing we need right now — and yet, its overarching narrative is one built on hope, optimism, collaboration, and companionship.Sure, its first act doesn't indicate that'll be the case. Indeed, it plays out like a survival thriller as Grace resigns himself to his fate — that being, getting drunk and living out his days until his supplies run out — rather than embrace his status as Earth's unlikely hero.Expository flashbacks, which shed more light on the cosmic mystery at large, as well as Grace's personality, backstory, and role in trying to solve said enigma, also paint a vivid picture ofPHM's disaster movie sensibilities, and the supposedly insurmountable task facing our overwhelmed and lonesome protagonist.

Ryland Grace sitting in the cockpit of his spaceship in Project Hail Mary

With no prior astronaut experience, Grace essentially spends the first act lost in space (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

As I alluded to, however, one of 2026's most exciting new movies isn't an emotionally cold or haunting sci-fi tale like Moon or another Gosling-led film in Blade Runner 2049, but rather a surprisingly funny one, especially once Project Hail Mary becomes a buddy adventure (more on this later). The integration of humor won't surprise fans of Weir's works and/or anyone who's seen The Martian, which is similarly multi-genre to PHM in its make-up. The same can be said of directing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller's previous works (The LEGO Movie, 21 Jump Street), which have surprising emotional depth amid their riotously funny moments.

Gosling is given ample opportunity to showcase his aptitude for comedy

Still, Project Hail Mary highlights Gosling's impeccable comedic timing — a talent that, until his performances in recent flicks including 2024 megahit Barbie and 2025 action-comedy The Fall Guy, was severely underutilized. Thankfully, Gosling is given ample opportunity to showcase his aptitude for comedy in chucklesome scenes laced with physical, deadpan, situational, and miscommunication-based humor. Needless to say, Gosling is as much a tour de force in PHM's quieter and dramatic moments as its amusing and action-oriented ones. Films of this emotional magnitude and multi-tonality require a certain caliber of actor to anchor them — without one, movies can easily fall apart. But, with its lead star firing on all cylinders, Project Hail Mary has enough emotional thrust to catapult it into the stratosphere.

A Rocky road trip

A close-up of Rocky, an alien known as a Eridian, in Project Hail Mary

Rocky is the newest addition to the throng of adorable aliens we've seen on the big screen (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

As any experienced vehicle operator will say, though, you can never have enough fuel in the tank — and, from an emotive perspective, that's where Gosling's adorable alien co-star comes into play.Indeed, as Project Hail Mary's first trailer and subsequent teasers showed, Grace soon learns he isn't the only one trying to crack the case. Indeed, Rocky (voiced by puppet designer/performer James Ortiz), an eyeless, arachnid-like extraterrestrial, is on the same mission to save the star that its home world, Erid, orbits.

Rocky and Ryland Grace laughing in Project Hail Mary

Rocky helps to bring out the best in his new human companion (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

Rocky doesn't appear until the start of the film's second act. Once he does, though, PHM's story subtly shifts from an introspective solo flick to an intimate two-hander as an unlikely yet deeply warm friendship — one that unmistakably becomes the film's emotional core — forms between Grace and his instantaneously lovable new bestie.

Grace and Rocky's bromance is one that evokes the very best on-screen human-alien friendships

A far cry from the uninspiring bond between Jakub Procházka and Hanuš in Netflix's 2024 sci-fi flick Spaceman, Grace and Rocky's bromance is one that evokes the very best on-screen human-alien friendships. Think E.T. and Elliot in E.T: The Extraterrestrial, Han Solo and Chewbacca in Star Wars, and Lilo & Stitch in their eponymous animated and live-action films, and you'll get a sense of how integral Grace and Rocky's dynamic is to Project Hail Mary's entertaining yet perilous plot.

Ryland Grace looking at an alien planet while on a space walk in Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary is a feast for the eyes (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

And fraught with danger it most certainly is. Eye-bulgingly beautiful and electrifyingly euphonious as PHM is — believe me, you'll want to see this in IMAX or on the biggest Dolby Atmos-supported screen you can — our unlikely heroes' quest is terrifyingly treacherous.

There won't be many films this year that'll restore your faith in humanity like Project Hail Mary will

Nowhere is this more apparent in Project Hail Mary's tentpole set-piece, which sees Grace and Rocky embark on a high-stakes and life-threatening mission that'll go a long way to solving their celestial conundrum. It's an intense, nail-biting action sequence that, combined with Greig Fraser's (Dune, The Batman) visually powerful cinematography and Daniel Pemberton's (the Spider-Verse movies) heart-pounding, otherworldly score, gripped me from start to finish. I'm not afraid to admit that the final 45 minutes, which include the aforementioned extended scene, had me choked up on more than one occasion, too. No spoilers, but if you welled up or cried watching poignant sci-fi movies like Interstellar and The Iron Giant, or even feel-good genre fare like The Martian, I'd bring some tissues with you.

My verdict

It's the sign of a spectacular movie when you never glance at your watch, so it won't shock you that I consider Project Hail Mary to not only be a spellbinding genre epic, but also a contender — even at this early stage — to be one of the best films of the year.Okay, the story occasionally strays into predictable territory, but that's the only fault I found with what I expect to be the latest addition to the sci-fi movie pantheon. An edge-of-your-seat, spacefaring comedy-drama that'll resonate through its 'ordinary individuals doing extraordinary things' narrative lens, there won't be many films this year that'll restore your faith in humanity like PHM will. In the words of Rocky himself, go see this "amaze, amaze, amaze" movie as soon as you can.

Project Hail Mary arrives in theaters on March 19 (UK and Australia) and March 20 (US and everywhere else).

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man review — new Netflix movie manages to destroy the best British TV show of the 2010s in less than two hours
5:00 pm | March 5, 2026
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Netflix Streaming | Comments: Off

Cast your mind back to 2022, when BBC smash hit period drama Peaky Blinders was wrapping up its sixth and final season. Loveable local gangster Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) was tricked into believing that he was about to die from syphilis, making himself a recluse in the process.

However, this was all a lie, with Tommy tracking down the doctor responsible but failing to kill him. In this moment, Tommy learned the ultimate lesson of grace, and his legacy was forever changed (and more importantly, left on a high).

At least, this was the case until new Netflix movie Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. We've picked up with who's left of the gang in 1940, with Tommy's now grown-up eldest son Duke (Barry Keoghan) involved in a plot to foil the Second World War. In short, he's helping the Nazis distribute counterfeit money across the country, making him rich to the tune of £70 million in the process.

But never fear! It's Tommy to the rescue... well, at least after he's done dithering over whether it's the right thing to do. Duke's aunt Kaulo (Rebecca Ferguson) and Tommy's sister Ada (Sophie Rundle) are on hand to try and coax him back to Birmingham, and I bet they wish they hadn't bothered.

The biggest problem with The Immortal Man is how overwhelmingly depressing it is. The first half struggles to get itself going, with the second half abruptly ending in unnecessary tragedy.

If you're looking for jaunty fights, slick laughs and Tommy back on fighting form, you've come to the wrong place. Netflix has instead penned a funeral to the show we once loved, and simultaneously paved the way for an incredibly uninspiring sequel series.

I'm not joking when I say that I never want to watch Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man again

It breaks my heart to be the bearer of such bad news after an agonizing four-year wait, but let's dig deeper into what's gone so wrong. More than anything else, it's the actual storyline that The Immortal Man has chosen to flesh out.

Fans have been waiting a long time for a spectacular Tommy Shelby comeback, wanting more of the same explosive energy that we got during the original series run. Instead, Tommy has become a man who is incredibly unsure of himself.

He's got good reason to be, as fans will find out in the first 20 minutes. But sadly, this all makes for incredibly drab viewing. It's easy to sum the entire movie up as this:

The first 45 minutes is Shelby continuous saying "No, I can't possibly go back to Birmingham" to the few people on hand to listen. The middle 25 minutes is Tommy at his best, punching and shooting layabouts who don't respect their elders. For the final 40-odd minutes, we're back to misery, as Tommy has all but given up the ghost.

Our original crew has practically dissipated before our eyes, too. By the time The Immortal Man closes out, we're largely left with new or B-plot characters, none of whom we actually give a damn about. That's not amazing news if the BBC does intend to develop a sequel series in the future…

In essence, it's out-and-out dread, which isn't exactly what you want to sit down and stream after a long week. Tommy's ending in season 6 was much more fitting too, and I really wish it remained his final hurrah. The Immortal Man ends suddenly, sadly, and with little resolution for the characters we dedicated almost a decade to.

Not everybody else is a great fit either

The Peaky Blinders gather around a dimly lit table

Stephen Graham is onscreen for all of 5 minutes. (Image credit: Netflix)

When we talk about period dramas, the term 'iPhone face' is sometimes bandied about. This describes someone who looks so modern that you just know they've seen an iPhone, therefore is not a successful fit for a story set in the past. Barry Keoghan suffers from something I'm going to term 'iPhone haircut'.

Sporting an on-trend fade and more sticker-style tattoos than I could count, Keoghan's styling completely takes us out of the 1940s moment. Thanks to Saltburn, Eternals, Master of the Air, The Banshees of Inisherin, Crime 101 and the upcoming four Beatles movies, the man is absolutely everywhere, so perhaps it was already going to be difficult to buy him as anyone other than a modern actor.

Even so, it speaks to the disjointed feeling that The Immortal Man hosts, a patchwork of old and new that sits in a no-man's land in between. There's light to be found in the dark, including multiple touching tributes to Helen McCrory's character Polly Gray and, ironically for something so bleak, the best lighting in a Netflix movie I've possibly ever seen.

On the whole though, these minor wins don't make up for the dull and depressing bigger picture. My advice? Watch The Immortal Man's trailer before binging Peaky Blinders season 1-6 all over again. Trust me, it's a much better use of your time.

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Stream Vladimir at your own risk — there’s not a messed up, steamy or uncomfortable new Netflix show quite like it
11:01 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Netflix Streaming | Comments: Off

There has never been a better time to be Rachel Weisz, or indeed, a Rachel Weisz fan. Since The Favorite in 2019, she's been in a string of steamy TV sessions from Prime Video's Dead Ringers remake in 2023 to brand new Netflix show Vladimir, based on the hit novel of the same name.

I could wax lyrical about how refreshing it is to see a woman over 50 consistently and unashamedly explore her sexuality onscreen until the cows come home, but the projects Weisz is picking are so much more than that. For one thing, Vladmir is possibly the most uncomfortable binge watch of my entire adult life.

Let me explain. Weisz's character, simply know as The Protagonist (let's call her P for clarity) is a professor at a university with her husband John (John Slattery), who has been suspended after numerous sexual assault allegations against him have come to light.

At the same time, new professor Vladimir (Leo Woodall) arrives on campus — and despite them both being married, P becomes infatuated with him, fantasizing about the idea of Vladimir whenever she can.

It's a morally conflicting watch, making it something you can barely tear your eyes from. Much like P, we can't fight the pull of overwhelming desire, but we know what's unfolding is abhorrently wrong at every level. For that alone, I think Vladimir is the first truly unmissable TV show of 2026.

In Vladimir, sex has never been more sordid or scandalous

Netflix invites us to "descend into sexy madness" while watching Vladimir, and that's an incredibly apt summary. P is clearly an academically smart and well-educated woman, but when it comes to her moral compass, she's operates like a clueless teenager.

It's hardly a spoiler to say P throws her family, career and sanity out of the window in order to objectify and clamor over Vladimir while he shows very little signs of reciprocation. When we meet him, he's a true family man, putting his daughter and marriage to fellow troubled colleague Cynthia (Jessica Henwick) before professional ambition.

I like that there's no real reason for P self-sabotaging, as we often don't understand those who choose to in real life. She hates John for putting her in such a precarious position, but equally uses him as a vessel to act on her feelings for the version of Vladimir she's created in her head.

You might think this sounds like a modern feminist icon, shunning the conventions of marriage and professionalism in order to be fully liberated by sex and passion. However, her stance on the female complainants against her husband puts an end to this, with P making it clear that she believes the women in question are just as at fault.

We're left with a complicated soup of unadulterated mess to sift through, making us critically engage in ways we're normally afraid to... and this is our real breath of fresh air moment.

Content is arguably taking the safe route, trying not to ruffle any feathers or give viewers any pause for thought. There's a reason why the likes of Virgin River and Sweet Magnolias are championed by Netflix, and with Vladimir, it's going against the grain.

Don't get me wrong, it's an incredibly uncomfortable binge

Leo Woodall pins Rachel Weisz to a bookcase

Reality, or an illusion? (Image credit: Netflix)

Don't get me wrong, though... you'll likely find Vladimir an incredibly tough watch. Not just because the subject matter is morally dubious, but because the new Netflix show really turns up the spice.

Almost all of the 8 episodes feature a hot and heavy sex scene, and showrunner (and original author) Julia May Jonas has spectacularly nailed the spice. Nothing is gratuitous or unnecessary, and desires are explicitly explored with nothing off-limits. Honestly, it's all you could ever ask for.

By this point, it hopefully goes without saying that Weisz is completely mesmerizing, and she's head and shoulders above the additional cast. In a way that brings Notes on a Scandal, Misery and Fleabag together, she frequently breaks to fourth wall to talk directly to viewers, yet it remains difficult to understand exactly what she's going to do next.

Jonas frequently distorts P's imagination and reality, combining them into the same indistinguishable scene. Vladimir is an incredibly easy binge watch too, with all 8 episodes coming in under the 30-minute mark. It's all like taking a medicine you know isn't really any good for you.

Sure, John inserts himself too heavily into the story when he's the last thing we care about, but everything else about Vladimir is sexy from start to finish. Sexy is often unhinged when you take off the rose-tinted glasses, and this is truly a warts-and-all experience.

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Young Sherlock review: TV’s most famous detective is finally more than just a canny crime solver in this electric new Prime Video show
5:00 pm | March 2, 2026
Author: admin | Category: Amazon Prime Video Computers Gadgets Streaming | Tags: | Comments: Off

Have you ever seen the meme of an old British lady called Brenda shouting into a street microphone: "You're joking... not another one? Oh for God's sake, I can't stand this." Well, that's how I feel about adaptations of Sherlock Holmes.

After Benedict Cumberbatch took the role on in the self-titled BBC series, I didn't think that the fictional detective could be bested. However, new Prime Video series Young Sherlock has proved me wrong. We leave the comfortable familiarity of 221b Baker Street behind for Sherlock's (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) younger years, following his antics at Oxford University when brother Mycroft (Max Irons) gets him a job as a porter after a brief prison stint.

There, he meets eventual enemy Moriarty (Dónal Finn), together working to uncover a mystery that intimately involves Sherlock's family, especially his sly dad Silas (Joseph Fiennes). In a nutshell, it's the Holmes family as we've never seen them before.

It shouldn't feel ingenious for a snapshot of Sherlock's teen years to feel like a unique idea, yet it feels like something we've never watched before. Why? Unlike Netflix's Enola Holmes series, which focuses on an adapted version of Sherlock's sister, Sherlock himself becomes more accessible by digging deeper into the family history from his perspective.

Add Guy Ritchie's signature action and explosive energy into the mix, and you've got a solid end product that's vibing on pure adrenaline. Everything from the production design to casting of Young Sherlock is on point, and if we never got another detective adaptation again (which won't happen), we'd be going out with a bang.

Sherlock's stale story gets an electric revamp — think Peaky Blinders meets Fight Club

The first rule of Fight Club is not to talk about fight club, but I'll be recommending Young Sherlock to anybody who will listen. When I first watched the above trailer, I didn't really understand the show's intended motive. Why make something about teen Sherlock who seemingly likes punching people as much as he enjoys reading books?

Now I've seen the series, I see how surface-level the trailer actually is, and perhaps the fact so much has been withheld is the sign of a trailer well done. Understanding what made the man is at the key of the Prime Video show, turning him from an aloof intellectual prodigy into a vulnerable young man full of emotion, care, and reason.

The elephant in the room is Sherlock's mother and sister, reimagined as Cordelia Holmes (Natascha McElhone) and Beatrice, who we see in flashbacks. While Enola Holmes went in a different direction, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books make little mention of Sherlock's family, meaning creatively, they're there for the taking.

Cordelia is the key to understanding Sherlock's mind, with Tiffin's leading man prepared to lay down his life to protect her. Their minds work in the same way, and they're as enthused by the adventures and dangers of life as each other. They are kindred spirits, and yin and yang who fit lovingly together in a world that doesn't want to understand them.

Sherlock's relationship with Moriarty has drastically changed too. Instead of fiery villains, the pair are more like The Chuckle Brothers of the detective game. In hindsight, it's a shame to think that this connection ever changed, and perhaps with time, Young Sherlock can reinvent that. For now, the impeccable double act is a refreshing as a cool glass of water.

Young Sherlock's firing on all cylinders, from script to set design

Gulun and Sherlock look through a broken window

Don't discount Zine Tseng. (Image credit: Prime Video)

The Gentlemen and MobLand taught us that Ritchie knows how to pack a punch on the small screen, and with a bigger studio budget comes bigger risk-taking. In Young Sherlock, they all pay off, taking us cross-continental on a journey across Constantinople, Oxford and the Parisian streets of the French Revolution.

These are all big set pieces, with my favorite in particular a trip to the Folies Bergère cabaret hall in episode 6, complete with every bombastic detail you could imagine. It's this sense of well-rounded craft that elevates the entire production, having through through the broadest scope to the most insignificant prop.

A special shoutout must be made to the theme tune, which is a compliment I seldom get to give these days. If the scenes played prior to its use haven't got you pumped up, you'll be wanting to throw yourself into a detective-filled mosh pit by the time it's over.

The stellar performances, the whistle-stop pace and dialogue being flawlessly executed at a million miles a minute are a heady mix. Sherlock's 'mind palace' is shown in a completely new light, with action sequences never committed to half-heartedly.

It's shows like Young Sherlock that rejuvenate your excitement about what TV can achieve, the impressive direction entertainment and design can collectively take. As far as I'm concerned, throw all the money at Ritchie that he wants if he keeps producing projects as dazzling as this.

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‘Make way for the best TV show of 2026 so far’ — Paradise season 2 on Hulu continues to knock an apocalyptic nightmare out of the park
8:00 pm | February 20, 2026
Author: admin | Category: Computers Disney Plus Gadgets Hulu Streaming | Tags: | Comments: Off

It's at times like this when I wish I could review TV via TechRadar's YouTube channel, as I'm struggling to form words after binging Paradise season 2. What would actually convey my thoughts is a series of stunned noises and facial expressions, perfectly communicating how my mind has happily turned into post-apocalyptic soup.

Last year, season 1 became one of Hulu and Disney+'s most-watched TV shows during its first few weeks, stunning everybody by transforming from a unsuspecting zero into a globally successful hero. The social media furore is going to pick straight back up where it left off, and I'm already confident that season 2 will be one of the best TV shows of 2026.

So why all the hype? Paradise has a tight craft and a strong understanding of the story it wants to tell... and frankly, it's all a nightmare that could easily become a reality. Couple that with a stellar cast who never put a foot wrong, and you've got a bold and striking end product.

Season 2 only makes all of the above more apparent. As Xavier (Sterling K. Brown) leaves the bunker behind to try and find estranged wife Teri (Enuka Okuma), we meet medical school dropout turned Graceland tour guide Annie (Shailene Woodley), who has to hide out in the King's mansion for the three years after the Doomsday event.

For me, it's our new cast who really make this season sing. Yes, we have to trudge over existing character history like we're trying to pass the time by sharing war stories in an underground bunker. But not only is this gripping in small doses, but the biggest intrigue comes from understanding the backstory behind the new kids on the block.

While some of these help put the pieces together for Xavier and Teri, others will flat-out make you sob. Sinatra (Julianne Nicholson) can't be forgotten either, and I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her.

We've got to thank Shailene Woodley and Elvis Presley's estate for how impeccably Paradise season 2 begins

There's no world where I imagined Riley Keough (who is now the sole trustee of her grandfather's estate) letting Hulu and Disney+ near-destroy Graceland to recreate it as a set for the main location in Paradise season 2, but clearly, pigs have flown.

The move is probably the most jarring change across the new episodes, and I'm surprised that the mansion hadn't been looted earlier. If you've ever wanted to fly to Memphis to do the tour (would recommend), you now don't have to leave your living room.

Put the absurd and surreal background of hiding there during Doomsday with Annie's personal plight and resilience, and opening episodes of season 2 are catnip. I won't lie — I'd forgotten how brilliant of an actor Woodley is, wearing her heart on her sleeve and her snotty tears all over her beautiful face. There's no way her eyebrows would have remained that pristine, but we'll move past that.

Without spoilers, the new characters are the ones who really pack the emotional punch. They're now the biggest variable in a world reconstructed to benefit the few, so any sudden tragedy or buried trauma is the ultimate sideswipe. It's incredible how quickly you become invested in people you know very little about, and Paradise season 2 makes sure they will all break your heart.

Everything else is like a duck to post-apocalyptic water

Secret service agents surround a man

You'll see a lot of flashbacks like this. (Image credit: Hulu)

For most of both seasons, I haven't had a single clue what was going on — but to quote K.C and the Sunshine Band, that's the way I like it. There's an unexplainable rush to being swept up in something that's so much bigger than you are, but you seldom understand. It also helps that we're not the ones having to live through a climate apocalypse, even when its relatability pushes it too close to home.

Xavier and Sinatra are spearheading the tension from opposite sides, and both Brown and Nicholson slip seamlessly back into their season 2 roles. There's a greater sense of danger for them both, but also each teeter on the brink of total exposure. With one snap decision, either could shift from good to evil and back again, and the unpredictability is a thrill in itself.

Paradise season 2 is an all-rounder, as a teacher might say on parent's evening. High-value production, a tight story, well-developed narrative arc that's clearly going to end after season 3 (though this is currently unconfirmed), cast fully sending their performances to the depths of insanity, and Graceland's own horses successfully surviving at surface level. There's truly nothing else you can ask for.

It's very rare that a TV show gives me a sense of giddy excitement, like a child whizzing around on a teacup at Disneyworld, holding candy floss while trying not to puke. But Paradise season 2 effortlessly manages, and it's ridiculous how excited I am about something that resembles a 2020s retelling of Threads.

Frankly, you'd be a fool not to stream it — but get ready to gasp, scream and cry your way through it, with the tiniest ray of hope peeking through the volcanic clouds.

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The Mortuary Assistant is my top Shudder recommendation in February – here’s why I liked it so much
3:00 pm | February 15, 2026
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Streaming | Comments: Off

The Mortuary Assistant is now streaming on Shudder and playing in select movie theaters, and you may have already seen a few bad reviews for it. But I had a great time with this adaptation.

It can certainly be daunting when you're adapting a beloved video game for the screen. Markiplier's Iron Lung performed very well at the box office lately, even if it was met with poor critic reviews overall. But the audience turnout proves people are interested in game adaptations in general, which is good news since they keep coming, and Exit 8 will soon be following in its footsteps.

When it comes to The Mortuary Assistant, I think it's best to go into it not expecting an exact replica of the video game. Approaches like that worked for The Last of Us, but here, I actually liked the fact that it doesn't follow the game to the letter. It's very much an adaptation and companion piece to the game, which I highly recommend you play.

Director Jeremiah Kipp told me that The Mortuary Assistant's game developer was ‘enormously supportive’ of the movie, and it certainly shows. While the movie does deviate from the game slightly, the location, vibe, and the character of Rebecca are portrayed incredibly well indeed.

We learn a lot more about Rebecca's character here as she spends a night shift at River Fields Mortuary. It's clear she is devoted to her job and neglects other areas of her life, especially when it comes to the demons of her past. Willa Holland gives a great performance here as someone who seems to be more comfortable with the dead than the living, as she continues to ignore and stuff down the things that have happened to her.

The Mortuary Assistant's creepy Mimic character, with white cracked skin and dark eyes

The Mimic is one of the most iconic creatures in The Mortuary Assistant. (Image credit: Dread XP)

Unfortunately, this leads Rebecca to be haunted by an actual demon, which does a very good job at tormenting her. Fan favorite manifestation The Mimic, steals the show here, as it appears to terrorize Rebecca during her terrifying shift. The creature design really is good here, and we're left wondering what is real and what is not, bringing us up close and personal to Rebecca's terror and hallucinations.

Rebecca is finishing her apprenticeship with mortician Raymond Delver (Paul Sparks), and these are the two characters we follow throughout the movie. He is ultimately in charge of finding employees he believes capable of combating the demons located there, and Rebecca is his latest colleague to be met with the horrors.

I do think audiences would benefit from playing the video game too, as it can provide more context. I'm not sure if those who know nothing about the game would get quite as huge a kick out of this, as part of what made this exciting for me was already being a huge fan of the game.

Like many horror movies, there is unfortunately an over-reliance on jump scares at times, and this is a point that is sure to divide audiences. Whether you love them or hate them, you can be the judge of how effective they are.

All in all, this is a strong adaptation, and there's lots for fans of the game to enjoy, especially if you're keen to expand on the lore and backstory. Don't go into this expecting a shot-for-shot remake of the game, and instead, it should be treated as a very worthy expansion.

If you're looking for a great supernatural horror with plenty of scares, and a deeper exploration about character's traumas, this is definitely the movie for you. Director Jeremiah Kipp revealed that "a filmmaker needs a deep personal connection to the material", and you can definitely feel that here.

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How to Get to Heaven from Belfast review: Derry Girls creator is 2 for 2 as new Netflix show pairs Irish wit with unhinged trauma — and it works
11:01 am | February 12, 2026
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Netflix Streaming | Comments: Off

Back in 2023, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lisa McGee on the BAFTA red carpet the night she won for Derry Girls season 3. It was one of the highlights of my career to date, but after watching her character Saoirse (Roisin Gallagher) flee for her life from the awards in new Netflix show How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, I'm starting to wonder if McGee felt the same way.

The Derry Girls creator was always going to have all eyes on her when it came to her follow-up show, and I'm pleased to report it's an absolute belter. This time around, McGee is blending eerie tragedy and crime-style mystery into her signature blend of Irish wit and charm, and together, it goes down like a spoonful of sugar.

At its core, best friends – screenwriter Saoirse, mum Robyn (Sinéad Keenan) and reclusive mummy's girl Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne) – are told that an estranged friend from their school days has died after falling down the stairs. When they get to the wake and discover Greta (Natasha O'Keeffe) might not be dead after all, they open a can of worms bigger than they could ever have imagined.

When I say you are going to race through these eight episodes because they're so addictive, I mean you won't even move to get another drink. After a doozy of an opening episode, I almost resented the plans I had that meant I had to leave my TV screen unwatched. That's the power of McGee, people... it's almost witchcraft.

The critical eye in me has to really pick this apart... yes, it could have been easily condensed into six episodes and I'm not too sure how much I love one of the most significant sub-plots. But for the most part, I'm breathing a sigh of relief that great Irish telly is back once again (and this is possibly the most Irish show I've ever seen).

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast isn't Derry Girls, but it won't let you forget where Lisa McGee started

Think about Bad Sisters, Big Little Lies and Orphan Black all getting together and having a little Irish TV baby, and you've got How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. McGee's latest work has much darker undertones than we're used to, touching on everything from murder and the occult to witness protection and false arrests. Even the intro titles are creepy enough to send a shiver running down your spine.

While these are topics you'd rarely joke about, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is teeming with natural laugh-out-loud moments. Our lead trio are just as hilarious as they are charismatic, making them the ideal characters to deliver McGee's exceptional script with the timing and wit it needs.

This is where it's most similar to Derry Girls – but if anything, the new Netflix show is almost an ode to it, ramming in Easter eggs wherever you look. Everything from subtle dialogue references to the cast mural that now sits in the center of Derry is there, and that's before you get to cast appearances from the likes of Saoirse Monica-Jackson, Art Campion and Father Ted legend Ardal O'Hanlon.

The comedy is strong enough to stand on its own, but I loved reminiscing on some of my favorite Derry Girls scenes as How to Get to Heaven from Belfast went along. Again, it's something that shouldn't work but does, and it's a testament to McGee's craft that she's managed to pull off intertwining the two shows.

As McGee said the night I interviewed her, "I'm Irish, so I can talk quickly." It's this snappy and dynamic pace of storytelling that makes any of her work feel so electric, meaning we can power through the scenes that don't quite work and not feel hard done by. It's such a creative leap that it was almost a given that there would be imperfections, but like all good things, the pros far outweigh the cons.

The soundtrack is any 2000s kid's dream – and almost a character in its own right

Saoirse, Dara and Robyn stand on a grassy hillside

It's giving ITV crime drama. (Image credit: Netflix)

It took watching How to Get to Heaven from Belfast for me to realize that we've scarcely had any dramas centering on 2000s school culture. The 80s and 90s have been done to death, with the 70s not too far behind. Even the 2010s to now are well represented thanks to shows like Euphoria.

But for some reason, the 2000s has been a blind spot... until now. Much of Saoirse, Dara, Robyn and Greta's backstory takes place during their high school days in 2003, and boy has production paid attention to the all-important details. Classic McGee motifs like diary writing and shifting boys at house parties are all present and correct, but the day-to-day culture of the early naughties almost feels refreshing.

This best comes to life in the (frankly, exquisite) soundtrack that I hope somebody at Netflix eventually turns into a Spotify playlist. We've got Liberty X, 'The Ketchup Song', and copious plays of 'Sound of the Underground' by Girls Aloud in multiple episodes (though their featured discography is not limited to this).

In peak humor, we've also got B*Witched's 'C'est La Vie', which had me both roaring and subconsciously Irish dancing within seconds. How lucky are we to have a talented creator who doesn't take themselves or their work too seriously? Where else can we have a payoff that resembles Popstars: The Rivals?

I will go as far as to say that How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is my best TV show of 2026 so far. It's not perfect, but the smorgasbord of cultural and craft references we're getting are a feast for the eyes and ears, and I'm thrilled McGee's talents will be appreciated on a global streaming service. Let's keep funding her work until the money runs out, please.

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‘Wuthering Heights’ review: Emerald Fennell’s weakest film yet isn’t as steamy as you think it will be — if it was a spice, it would be flour
7:41 pm | February 11, 2026
Author: admin | Category: Computers Entertainment Gadgets Streaming | Comments: Off

It's rare that I don't know where to start when it comes to writing a movie review, but there's a first time for everything. I'll just give the bad news to you straight: like a vet's trip to get your old pet put down, "Wuthering Heights" is about as spicy as a plain meal at Nando's, and as basic as the restaurant choice.

But we knew this going into it, didn't we? We've had the collective debate about the death of modern literacy, the outrage about the casting choices and Emerald Fennell's outright refusal to include the Emily Brontë novel's original themes of race and colonialism. They're all necessary conversations and causes for concern, and I agree with them.

On the other hand, I also agree with freedom of interpretation and creative license. I'm a huge fan of Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, so it made sense that Fennell was the director who could reinvent a classic into something jaw-dropping, pushing the boundaries of how we interpret a classic tale.

Alas, we've actually ended up with something superficial that can be commercially marketed, inspiring 10-second TikToks instead of critical thinking. Add two and two together, and you get boring... the most mortal sin in cinema.

From the impeccable first trailer with Charli XCX's Everything is Romantic remixed into it (as it's better than the entire movie, I'll link it below for you to enjoy), "Wuthering Heights" sold itself as lustful yearning confirmed to get you hot under the collar. I thought this would make it messy and overbearing – but I never expected it to be as dull as dishwater.

From teaser to feature, something's gone wrong

If I'm completely honest, I so badly wanted to fall head over heels for "Wuthering Heights" just so I could spite the masses who hate it. Perhaps I'm as petty as Fennell's version of Cathy (Margot Robbie). But that dream wasn't to be, so let's dig deeper into what didn't work.

Here's the infuriating part – you can completely buy the chemistry and sense of longing happening onscreen, even the unhinged behavior that makes up being driven made with selfish desire. But you'll struggle to care about any of it.

Working with deeply unlikeable characters needs a master at the helm, and I wonder if Fennell is too focused on translated her own personal experience of reading the book as a young girl. In essence, what's happening in the movie might mean a lot to her, but not to anybody else.

A friend of mine described "Wuthering Heights" as a two-hour Taylor Swift music video, and I think she's nailed it. We're looking at something that could easily have been featured on The Life of a Showgirl, laced with vibrant colors and ostentatious production design shaped by period drama Instagram.

While the costuming is easily the star of the show, production often reveals Yorkshire to actually be on a soundstage, with props so 2D you'd fear squashing them into cardboard mulch if you got too close.

Charli XCX's tailor-made album for the film is in scant supply too. The orchestrated soundtrack is hauntingly melodic, but I was promised some electro-pop bangers in between this snoozefest, and I only counted three.

Heathcliff holds Cathy by her corset

Everything isn't always romantic. (Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Then there's the wayward casting. Perhaps somebody like Mia Goth, Mia Wasikowska or Elle Fanning might have been a better fit for Cathy than Robbie, who can never truly shift that beautiful Gold Coast glow. Her performance is solid and she's clearly done the groundwork for it, but full suspension of belief doesn't follow.

I've got a lot more time for Jacob Elordi's Heathcliff, especially after his riveting role of The Creature in Frankenstein. He sells the hard done by Yorkshire grafter better than anybody else, but the press tour had helped solidify our yearning for him. Holding Robbie's dress, making sure she doesn't get soaked in the rain and taking the time to answer every endless press question thrown his way... yeah, that's a man raised right.

While Hong Chau's Nelly Dean remains constantly stone-faced and Shazad Latif's Edgar Linton looks like he doesn't even know he's in a movie, I'm bowled over by Martin Clunes' Mr. Earnshaw. It's hilarious for a Brit to see the Doc Martin star scold Elordi and crawl on a dirty floor for coins, but God does he pull it off. Both cruel and captivating, we definitely don't spend enough time with him during "Wuthering Heights'" 132-minute runtime.

Owen Cooper and Charlotte Mellington are the exceptional ace up Fennell's sleeve though. Matured and emotional beyond their years, they reel us in during the movie's opening 20 minutes with such vulnerable honesty that I almost had a tear in my eye. Thank you Netflix and Adolescence for giving us a star being born in Cooper.

But surely it's erotic... right?

Cathy and Heathcliff embrace

Get ready to see this sort of pose a LOT. (Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Where "Wuthering Heights" removes the socio-political context of Brontë's novel, it fills out with a 50 Shades of Grey approach to what's left. Again, this leaves a bland taste. Aside from one truly erotic scene – Fennell seems to pull her lust off best when she stops just shy of sex – nothing is sexy, shocking, or particularly inviting. If you want sexual scandal, try Rivals on Disney+.

As I said in the headline, if this film was a spice, it would be flour. You can't market something solely on the promise of hedonistic lusting and then deliver something you'd actually feel comfortable watching with your parents. I doubt it would even have made ripples 20 or 30 years ago. But sure, Elordi will get some cheers when he takes his top off.

Will I be watching "Wuthering Heights" again? No. Do I remain a Saltburn truther? Yes. Will Fennell's latest make a shed-ton of money at the box office despite being widely panned? Absolutely. I've got a sneaking suspicion that Fennell kicks into full gear with original stories, so don't count me out of her work completely.

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I watched Chris Hemsworth’s new movie Crime 101 — and the heist thriller commits too many offences to be the Marvel megastar’s best non-MCU film
7:00 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Entertainment Gadgets Streaming | Comments: Off

Light spoilers follow for Crime 101.

Chris Hemsworth can't seem to catch a break away from the MCU.

Best known for playing Thor in Marvel's cinematic juggernaut, his CV largely reads like a list of critical darlings that underperformed at the box office (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Rush) and critically-panned flops (Spiderhead, Men In Black: International, and 2017's Ghostbusters). Sure, there have been successes, such as Netflix's Extraction franchise, but even those are considered to be unoriginal overachievers by plenty of people. Not exactly the consistent hitmaker some might have expected him to have become, then.

And so comes the turn of Crime 101, an action-heist thriller fronted by Hemsworth. At first glance, it looks like the kind of gritty and pulsating film that'll go down well with fans and critics alike, and be the big, non-superhero box office success that the Aussie actor needs. Enjoyable for what it is, though, Crime 101 commits too many offences to be a must-see film and/or an immediate genre classic.

To catch a thief

Mike Davis standing next to a car while wearing sunglasses and a suit in Crime 101

Chris Hemsworth plays Mike Davis, a careful but effective jewellery thief (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios/Sony Pictures)

Written and directed by BAFTA-winning crime genre fanatic Bart Layton (The Impostor, American Animals) and based on Don Winslow's short story namesake, Crime 101 introduces us to Mike Davis (Hemsworth).

An extremely meticulous and seemingly untraceable crook, Davis' penchant for committing armed robberies – often of the jewellery variety – along the Hollywood Freeway puts him in the crosshairs of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).

Davis is a walking contradiction in every sense of the word – and, by proxy, an incredibly interesting individual

When a routine diamond heist goes awry, Davis soon finds Detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo), who's hunted him for an extended period of time, hot on his trail once more. The only way to evade capture and set himself up for life, it seems, is to successfully carry out one last money-spinning crime. And, for that, Davis will need to employ the services of Sharon Colvin (Halle Berry), a disillusioned insurance broker who holds the key to his $11 million plan.

Detective Tillman standing next to a car as Detective Lubesnick sits on a wall nearby in Crime 101

Detective Tillman (left) joins Mark Ruffalo's Lou Lubesnick in pursuing Davis throughout the film (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios/Sony Pictures)

There's no question that Hemsworth has the charisma and acting qualities to be a leading man, which he's demonstrated as Marvel's heroic God of Thunder and Furiosa's the love-to-hate villain Dementus. It'll come as no surprise to learn, then, that he turns a potentially one-dimensional character in Davis into a fully rounded individual with real emotional depth and complexity

Okay, given his line of work, Davis has learned to become a enigma whose vulnerabilities only surface with people he's close to. Once the soul-shuddering moment that spooks him during the near-botched diamond robbery occurs, though, a window is opened into Davis' life and mysterious backstory that suggests he's not the run-of-the-mill thief you might expect.

Neither a master of his craft nor a perfect executor of a plan, and armed with an unexpectedly strict moral code that juxtaposes the criminal world he operates in, Davis is a walking contradiction in every sense of the word – and, by proxy, an incredibly interesting individual to accompany as Crime 101's story unfolds.

Davis and Sharon looking at each other in Crime 101

Davis enlists the help of Berry's Sharon Colvin (right) to land his next – and potentially last – score (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios/Sony Pictures)

It's the journeys that Davis and his fellow alienated individuals in Lubesnick and Colvin embark on, plus the broken systems they operate in, that makes Crime 101 shine as a character-led crime drama.

Crime 101 shines as a character-led crime drama

Whether it's Davis' faith being shaken by his near-death experience, Lubesnick's hands being tied by red tape and lacking the support of his law enforcing counterparts, or Colvin being overlooked by her peers due to her gender and age, Crime 101's core trio are all pushed to their breaking point.

Watching these individuals grapple with their conscience and fully transform into morally ambiguous individuals, especially once their worlds collide, is arguably the Amazon and Sony flick's best feature. My only criticism? That these engrossing interactions, which I was fully invested in alongside their individual arcs from the outset, aren't revisited as often as I'd have liked.

Under pressure

Maya sitting opposite Davis on a night-time date in Crime 101

Crime 101's romance-laced subplot between Maya and Davis is trite (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios/Sony Pictures)

Outside of these character interactions, Crime 101's story is as disappointingly derivative as they come.

Its action, while slick, kinetic, and at-times edge-of-your-seat viewing, is pretty par for the course. When you consider the Mount Rushmore of genre movies that Layton says Crime 101 was influenced by, especially from an action spectacle standpoint, I expected more from its rubber-burning set-pieces and gun-toting stand-offs.

I expected more from Crime 101's rubber-burning set-pieces and gun-toting stand-offs

The same can be said of Crime 101's romantic sub-narrative, which sees Davis fall for, and later date, Maya (Monica Barbaro) after they're involved in a car accident during its first act. Hemsworth and Barbaro have a mostly natural chemistry that bubbles with sexual anticipation, and its inclusion certainly adds some amorous spice that's missing from Winslow's original tale. Contextually, though, it's a storytelling addition that's hokey at best and, at worst, is an unnecessary distraction from the primary plot.

Ormon sitting in a diner with his bike helmet resting on a table in Crime 101

Despite Barry Keoghan's best efforts, Ormon isn't a villain who'll live long in the memory (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios/Sony Pictures)

Even Ormon, a belligerent, overeager, and violent criminal portrayed by the ever-excellent Barry Keoghan, lacks originality. A one-note pantomime villain, his inclusion is nothing more than simply being a deeply unlikeable, antagonistic foil to the multifaceted Davis, and play a vital role in Crime 101's nail-biting albeit formulaic final showdown.

Crime 101 feels like a throwback to movies that aren't made anymore – but maybe that's the point

And that's a pity, because Crime 101 could've saved face if said confrontation had built upon the suspense-riddled foundations that it had done a largely good job of laying throughout.

Sure, it's not the worst face-off in movie history, and it would be remiss of me not to mention that the Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures venture dispenses with the usually grim endings that the crime genre is renowned for. Spoilers notwithstanding, I respect that it wraps up many of its characters' individual stories in a satisfying manner.

Nevertheless, the slow but purposeful ratcheting up of the tension throughout its two hour and 20 minutes runtime doesn't get the payoff it deserves once things come to what should be a thrilling, high-stakes head.

My verdict

Crime 101 is a serviceable albeit puzzling film. There's a fair amount to admire about the first feature that Layton has directed that's based on a work of fiction rather than a real-life crime. That's especially true from a character-first perspective, with the action-thriller anchored by many strong performances.

Still, while it's commendable that it's a largely authentic retelling of Winslow's original tale, Crime 101 just isn't ground-breaking or genre-bending enough as it needs to be to stand out.

It's honorable that one of this year's new movies tries to evoke films of its ilk of yesteryear, and feels like a throwback to movies that aren't made anymore – but maybe that's the point. Filmmaking and storytelling has moved on so much since the crime movie genre's heyday of the late '80s and early '90s. Such big-screen offerings need to do or say something fresh and exciting to drive the genre forward. Put simply, Crime 101 doesn't.

Crime 101 arrives in theaters worldwide on Friday, February 13.

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