Where Movies Meet Mumbling #1
a brand new weekly ramble where i recap news, reviews and other mumblings about the world of film and tv
I’ve always really enjoyed talking about Film and Television but I’ve never been sure on the most interesting way to articulate those views. I hosted a Film and Television radio show whilst at University (RIP The Reel Deal), I’ve hosted a couple of failed podcasts (with one coming back soon!) and I studied the subject at an Undergraduate level, but its been slowly building up my writing portfolio in the last few months that I’ve actually found to be the most satisfying. Journalism in those areas has always been a really cool pipedream but I’ve never been sure that’s my future path. Whilst getting to do junkets and experience press screenings would be undeniably a really amazing opportunity, I’ve always wondered how much that would take away or change my experience as a fan of consuming both Film and/or Television. However the more I write and the more lovely feedback I get from my writings (Thank you so much to anyone that’s said anything!), the more I think that maybe I should take it a little more seriously and see where it goes.
That’s why I’ve decided to start trying to do a weekly informal ramble about all things Film and Television. Introducing…
Where Movies Meet Mumbling
Neat News
I know you’re all reading this and thinking what is Danny’s HOT takes on the latest bits of Film and TV news or maybe you’re just thinking could someone just neatly put the interesting bits in a condensed form (if that’s the case, you should probably just check out DiscussingFilm on X as they kind of have that on lock). In this section, I just pick out some of the stuff I’ve found interesting for you to consume! You’re welcome world..
Matt Reeves completes The Batman Part 2 script - It’s been a while since The Batman hit our screens (2022!!!) and we were all introduced to the incredible performance of Robert Pattinson as everyones favourite dark knight but we finally have an update on the sequel. In case you missed it, there have been a lot of changes to DC since the initial film came out with James Gunn and Peter Safran now in charge and with that change has come many many many many many rumours about what’s going to happen to R-Batz. Personally, I am really interested to see what happens with this especially with Superman around the corner (this Friday AHHHH!). The Batman Part II flies into cinemas on 1 October, 2027.
Slow Horses Season 7 Confirmed - The most consistently released TV show on Television has been confirmed as having a Season 7. It literally only began in 2022 and it’s already released 4 seasons with a 5th coming out later this year. Fair play Gary Oldman. For those that don’t know the show, it’s on Apple TV+ and it follows a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents and their obnoxious boss, the notorious Jackson Lamb as they navigate the espionage world's smoke and mirrors to defend England from sinister forces.
Filming has begun for Dune: Part 3 - It’s Dune Messiah’s turn for an adaptation! It would have been incredibly hard to miss the first two Dune films with both being absolute behemoths in the Box Office as a result of some stellar visuals and strong performances (Love you Timmy Chalamet) so it was always inevitable that the third one was going to be made. I’m still not really sure where I stand on the first two films from an enjoyment perspective but there’s no denying that they’re both incredibly well made films so I am interested to see what they do with the next one. I also think it’s interesting that they’ve decided to call the latest adaptation in the franchise ‘Dune: Part 3’ rather than the original name of the book ‘Dune: Messiah’. The film is expected to arrive in theatres in December 2026.
Weekly Watched..
Here’s some of the bits I’ve watched in the last week that I recommend!
Heads Of State - This is the brand new action film on Amazon Prime starring John Cena and Idris Elba. It follows U.S. President Will Derringer (Cena) and British Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Elba) as they find themselves on the run and working together to thwart a global conspiracy that threatens the entire free world. It’s a really fun, silly action film and I probably would watch a sequel if they produced one. There isn’t much to this story and I think it could have easily not worked as well if it wasn’t for the strength of Cena and Elba’s performances. A lot can be said about John Cena’s transition from WWE superstar to on-screen star but I think he genuinely has the best range out of any of the stars who have done that transition (I am looking at you Dwayne Johnson) and is an absolute delight to watch in this film. I still think his best performance is in Daddys Home 2 though.
Love Island UK S12 - I am currently working my way through the latest season of Love Island UK and although most of the islanders are low key awful people, it’s still making for quite an entertaining watch. The show has really had it’s ups and downs over the years with some darker moments that really haven’t shed the show in a good light but I think there’s still a good show in there somewhere. This year, virtually none of the contestants are truly that into each other and seem more focussed on fighting with their fellow Islanders. It’s not clever TV but in a time where a lot of the stuff we see in the news is quite scary, I think it offers quite a nice escape.
Doctor Who (Matt Smith) - I had an overwhelming urge to rewatch some older Doctor Who recently having had various conversations about how reboots/remakes/restarts/revolutions/resolutions/reimagines have really changed peoples perceptions of popular franchises and I have to say I’m really enjoying it. I think it’s likely that I end up writing a longer article but from what I’ve watched so far, so many of the storylines are fantastic. I particularly enjoyed The Dream Lord episode (Amy’s Choice) and think Matt Smith is so good in the lead role. It’s a shame he’s not done anything as fun since (I know he’s done House of Dragons but I’ve never watched it!). I also think you can’t talk about the Matt Smith era without mentioning the soundtrack because it really helps carry the show. Great stuff.
Other pieces you may have missed..
A Few Feelings on Failed Franchise Momentum (Jurassic World: Rebirth and Ironheart) - https://theblahblahfilmclub.substack.com/p/a-few-feelings-on-failed-franchise-momentum
(Now You See) Me Really Like this franchise (Now You See Me and Now You See Me 2) - https://theblahblahfilmclub.substack.com/p/now-you-see-me-really-like-this-franchise
Do people still watch films in 3D? (Elio) https://theblahblahfilmclub.substack.com/p/do-people-still-watch-films-in-3d
Brad Pitt, Fast Cars and there's not much more to it... (F1)
https://theblahblahfilmclub.substack.com/p/brad-pitt-fast-cars-and-theres-not
Elsewhere..
Outside of all things Film and TV, I ran the Lordshill 10k this week, my first true road race. I was really chuffed to get a time of 52:52 having got a time of 1 hour 7 in my 10k attempt back in November. I was hoping to get a little faster but had a slight aggravation of injury showing that I am indeed now an elite athlete with running injuries and all that. I am really proud of how much I am coming along with my running as a hobby and I am interested to see where it goes next!
Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time!
DH xx