Review Predator: Badlands (2025): Entertaining enough, once you can find yourself to let go of the earlier parts!

genre: action, adventure, science fiction

After Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers, I was really psyched for what writer/director Dan Trachtenberg would bring us. He gave us a fresh take on the Predators and expanded on the lore. Then I saw Predator: Badlands, and I didn't know what to think. 

The first time I watched it, I was heavily disappointed. This part was very much unlike what had come before. The once super impressive alien has now been reduced to a weaker and more emo version of the original. Normally, I would write my review and be done with it. But because I didn't want my disappointment to dictate the review, I decided to give the film a second chance. So I watched it again.

This time, I found myself enjoying the film a little more. It's like a coming-of-age story for a younger Yautja who has to prove himself to his clan and his father. His father has no fate, but his brother Kwei believes in him and sacrifices his life so that Dek can flee and survive and, once and for all, show everyone what he is made of. The death planet, Genna, is full of challenges, and Dek learns some valuable lessons. Tonally, this part in the franchise is very much a Disney movie, including cute creatures. It's the opposite of what Predator should be about. But here we are. And yes, it took me some time to appreciate this. But once you do, you will find some solid entertainment.

That being said, I don't want them to continue this route. We need to go back to predators being menacing and dangerous. I don't see the point of likable predators unless they are fighting monsters who are worse than them. The kiddyifying of the Predator is stupid. I am all for expanding on the lore. But not like this. Here they are making a joke of beings who aren't to be messed with.

Overall, the film is entertaining enough, once you can find yourself to let go of the earlier parts. Otherwise, you will have a hard time accepting the demystifying of the Predators.

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Filmography Liam Neeson

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Listed here are all the titles Liam Neeson was involved in as an actor.

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1978 Pilgrim's Progress

1979 Christiana

1981 Excalibur

1983 Krull

1984 The Bounty

1985 Lamb

1985 The Innocent

1986 The Mission

1986 Duet for One

1987 Suspect

1987 A Prayer for the Dying

1988 Satisfaction

1988 High Spirits

1988 The Dead Pool

1988 The Good Mother

1989 Next of Kin

1990 Darkman

1990 The Big Man

1991 Under Suspicion

1992 Shining Through

1992 Husbands and Wives

1992 Leap of Faith

1993 Ethan Frome

1993 Ruby Cairo

1993 Schindler's List

1994 Nell

1995 Rob Roy

1996 Before and After

1996 Michael Collins

1998 Les Misérables

1999 Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

1999 The Haunting

2000 Gun Shy

2002 K-19: The Widowmaker

2002 Gangs of New York

2002 Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

2003 Love Actually

2004 Kinsey

2005 Kingdom of Heaven

2005 Batman Begins

2005 Breakfast on Pluto

2005 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

2007 Seraphim Falls

2008 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

2008 The Other Man

2008 Taken

2009 Five Minutes of Heaven

2009 Ponyo

2009 After.Life

2009 Chloe

2010 Clash of the Titans

2010 The A-Team

2010 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

2010 The Next Three Days

2011 Unknown

2012 The Grey

2012 Wrath of the Titans

2012 Battleship

2012 The Dark Knight Rises

2012 Taken 2

2013 Third Person

2013 Khumba

2013 Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

2014 The Nut Job

2014 The Lego Movie

2014 The Prophet

2014 Non-Stop

2014 A Million Ways to Die in the West

2014 A Walk Among the Tombstones

2014 Taken 3

2015 Run All Night

2015 Entourage

2015 Ted 2

2015 A Christmas Star

2016 Operation Chromite

2016 A Monster Calls

2016 Silence

2017 The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature

2017 Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House

2017 Daddy's Home 2

2018 The Commuter

2018 The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

2018 Widows

2019 Cold Pursuit

2019 Men in Black: International

2019 Ordinary Love

2019 Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker

2020 Made in Italy

2020 Honest Thief

2021 The Marksman

2021 The Ice Road

2022 Blacklight

2022 Memory

2022 Marlowe

2023 Retribution

2023 In the Land of Saints and Sinners

2023 Wildcat

2024 Absolution

2025 Ice Road: Vengeance

2025 The Naked Gun

2026 Cold Storage

4 Kids Walk Into a Bank †

Hotel Tehran †

TBAThe Mongoose †

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Review Phenomena a.k.a. Creepers (1985): A Dario Argento Classic!

genre: giallo, slasher, thriller, horror, mystery

Phenomena, a.k.a Creepers, is a film I have watched many times, but for some reason, I have never done a review for it. Not sure why. But I can honestly say that this is definitely one of the better works created by Dario Argento.

Even for Argento, this is a weird one since he combines the usual giallo stuff with supernatural elements. And thanks to good acting from Jennifer Connelly, it works.

Please watch/listen to our thoughts on this film.

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Review Ghost Train a.k.a. Goegiyeolcha (2024): Not scary, nor creepy!

genre: horror

Somebody on Facebook suggested this film, and when I watched the trailer, it did look promising! So we decided to check it out and were immensely disappointed!

Please watch/listen to our thoughts on this film. 

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Review / Rant 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026): Too much package!

genre: horror, apocalyptic, zombie

We didn't like 28 Years Later. We were hoping for a continuation of the story from the first two. But they went in a different direction. So what are our thoughts on this one? Sigh...It's slightly better. Like 1 percent. 

Please watch/listen to our thoughts on this film.

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- 28 Years Later

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Review Don't Come Home a.k.a. Ya Klap Ban (TV Series / 2024): Not what you expect!

genre: thriller, mystery, horror, science fiction, drama

A mother and her young daughter flee to their family's abandoned mansion but soon find themselves haunted by paranormal incidents that lead to the little girl's mysterious disappearance.

This might give the impression you are dealing with a pure horror show. But this is not the case. This drama is a blend of several genres. 

Please watch/listen to our thoughts on this mini series.

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Review Days Gone (PS4) played on PS5: Underrated!

genre: openworld, stealth, horror, action, adventure

It took me a couple of attempts to get into Days Gone. Not because it was bad. But mostly because I was very critical since early reviews were pretty negative. And let me tell you that those reviews are wrong. Very wrong!

At one point, I realised that Days Gone was all about the single-player experience, where even the side missions mattered. There are around 150 main missions. This approach is quite different from many other triple-A titles. But I got it. Even if you weren't invested before. The game forces you to be. And once you are. You are hooked. I sure was. 

Deacon St. John, also known as Deek, might be a heavily flawed character. He is one you can stand behind. His moral code is above approach. I liked playing him. Especially when he is dealing with freakers. They aren't zombies, but infected people who have been mutated. That being said, I personally viewed them as fast-moving zombies. 

As far as I know, this is the first action/adventure game where you have to deal with hordes. They are truly terrifying. Especially when you are low on resources and ammo. And that is truly exhilarating.

But the game teaches you to be careful. This is where stealth comes in. A mechanic I am very fond of. In this game, though, it's one you have to get used to since it will make your life a lot easier.

Does this mean this is the perfect game? Far from it. The way it's structured, you are forced to follow a certain pattern before you can progress. This means a lot of repetition is involved. But some elements can put things upside down. For example. I was in the middle of clearing an ambush camp and suddenly noticed a few freakers showing up who destroyed some of the goons on their path. I myself very wisely chose to hide until they left the scene. Turns out that there was a horde near the camp. And the freakers decided to take a stroll. To my advantage. But there was also an example where I wasn't prepared for them at all and had to fight for my life. And ended up dying. So there is a level of unpredictability going on that keeps things fresh.

Gameplay-wise, Days Gone is almost your typical open-world game where humans, freakers and animals are out to kill you. This brings me to navigating this world. Since you are a biker, your favourite form of transportation is your bike. Take care of your bike, it will take care of you. I personally liked riding my bike in this world. And like the horses in the Red Dead Redemption franchise, your bike is integral to the game. You can use it as a save point, which is very handy since the world is big. But you can also use it to store weapons and items.

Since this is a world where items and food are rare, it's advisable to use stealth whenever you can. It's basic but effective. And for someone who loves stealth, I loved taking out enemies as silently as possible. Later in the game, it becomes harder to remain stealthy. But you gain more weapons and skills as you progress, which gives you an edge at one point.

But the main attraction, the hordes, is what makes this game stand out. Defeating them is hard. You will find out real quickly once you encounter them. You aren't supposed to fight them early on. It is possible to take on some small hordes, although it will be taxing for your resources. Later on, you will get the tools you need to destroy them. And that is where the real fun comes in. In this video, I am dealing with the Chemult Station Horde. Yes, I could have done better. Which I did later on. Once I realised you could attract the freakers. Then again, crafting items takes up a lot of resources, so you do need to keep collecting and farming them before you do anything. If anything, this video demonstrates that you can deal with them as long as you keep your head cool.

One main complaint about the game that people have is that it's too long. Well, I do think that the game consists of a lot of padding. Then again, I have platinumed the game and still have a lot of hordes to defeat. So you can come back to the game and test your skills. But yes, in general, don't expect to be able to finish this game quickly.

Also, I need to mention a bug I encountered towards the finale. I fell through the map. Reloading the checkpoint didn't fix the issue. I had to restart the game and then go quite a few missions back in order to avoid the bug. In a game where you already have so many missions to complete, that did take a toll on my nerves.

Overall, this game deserved better, much better. It has far more to offer than the initial reviews let on. Yes, that probably was due to the fact that it takes a bit to get introduced to certain mechanics. To be fair, this is also the case with Red Dead Redemption II, but somehow, people are rarely negative about that game. In my opinion, this game is very much worth your time and attention. So do try it when you get the chance.

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Review Murderbot Season 1: Almost perfect!

genre: science fiction, comedy, drama

Murderbot is based on a book series called The Murderbot Diaries written by Martha Wells.

Don't you hate it when you are watching a show that takes forever to get to the point? Well, Murderbot has none of this. Every second counts. How did they manage to do this? By sticking to 30 minutes per episode.

Please watch/listen to our thoughts on the show.

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Review Tulsa King Season 3: Underwhelming and ocassion bad!

genre: crime, drama,

When Tulsa King was announced, I was a little hesitant. Because I had no idea what to expect. But then I watched it, and I loved it. Season 1 is awesome. The second one already showed signs of some issues, but I was still liking it. This third season still can be considered decent, as in, it doesn't feel like a waste of time. But at the same time, I was never wowed like I was with the first two seasons.

I like it when shows introduce characters who were once villains and then turn into anti-heroes. Tulsa King is full of them. But then you have people like Jeremiah Dunmire, played by Robert Patrick, who are so evil, you kind of know they are going to end up. And for me, most of the fun concerning this show was the surprise element. Sly and his crew are in a predicament. How are they going to get out of it? Then the general comes up with something brilliant, and you can't help but laugh. In this season, though, they didn't even try. 

I also like it when established characters show progression. Most characters have little arcs that seem logical and make sense. But then you have a character like Tyson, whom I really liked in the first season but I now find highly annoying. He is a very slow learner. Dwight keeps teaching him the same thing, but does Tsyon learn? It's almost like Dwight has given up and is just happy that Tyson doesn't screw up as much as he used to. Then there is Margaret, played by Dana Delany. She was stronger in previous seasons. Now she seems very in love with Dwight, which honestly seems out of character. First, she barely wanted to deal with him. And when she got closer, she was intrigued. But like smitten and almost second in command? Sorry, that is something I find a bit much.

Season 3 plays it too safe, and I think that was a mistake. The show was at its best when they were the underdogs, but somehow still managed to get out of nasty predicaments. There haven't been down in the slumps for a long time. 

Overall, the writing really needs to improve. We'll see in season 4, since I read it has already been renewed.

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Quick Review Heweliusz: Very Engaging Mini Series!

genre: drama, disaster, history

In 1993, the Polish ferry MS Jan Heweliusz capsized off the coast of Rügen in the Baltic Sea. Out of 65 passengers and crew, 56 died in the disaster, making it the largest peacetime maritime disaster in Polish history.

Please watch/listen to our thoughts on this mini series. 

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