Author: Richard Parry

Why You Didn’t Like … Archive

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Gavin Rothery’s Archive had everything needed for sci-fi greatness: stunning cinematography, brilliant performances from Theo James and Stacy Martin, and profound questions about AI consciousness that feel eerily relevant today. George’s obsessive quest to resurrect his dead wife Jules through increasingly sophisticated AI iterations creates genuine emotional investment and explores the ethics of creating synthetic life.
But then comes the ending, a devastating “it was all a dream” twist that obliterates 90 minutes of masterful storytelling. This isn’t just a weak conclusion; it’s a complete betrayal of audience trust that transforms a potential classic into a cautionary tale about narrative promises. Archive proves that even the most compelling premise can’t survive cinema’s most insulting trope. Read More …

Why You Liked … The Gorge

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The Gorge: More Than Meets the IMDb Score? Why do some “average” movies resonate so deeply? My latest Scene & Unseen tackles “The Gorge.” Despite a modest IMDb rating, this Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy sci-fi thriller is a cult classic in the making. It’s not just guns and monsters; it’s an unexpected US/Russian armistice and a powerful story of connection. I explore how two opposing operatives forge a bond, challenging indoctrination and making us question who the real monsters are. Discover the surprising depth and genre twists that make “The Gorge” hit different. Read/watch the full analysis now! Read More …

Why You (Might) Like … Disciples: Liberation

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Disciples: Liberation – It’s Me, Not You (Probably!)

It’s 2025, the Pope’s from Chicago, and I’m recommending a game I uninstalled: Disciples: Liberation. After 14 hours, I see its brilliance – a gritty story, fantastic characters (Avyanna & Orion!), and deep tactical combat. Yet, its army-building focus and specific challenge scaling weren’t my personal fit. This well-made tactical RPG deserves an audience, even if it’s not me. Hear my full “it’s me, not you” breakdown for why you might love what I couldn’t. Read More …

Why You Were Mildly Entertained by… Mission: Mehpossible — The Reckoning of Exposition

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Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning isn’t a bad film. It’s just a painfully average one that forgets what makes this franchise tick. With a slow start, undercooked villain, and action scenes that trade ingenuity for spectacle, it struggles to stand alone or satisfy as a sequel. Tom Cruise still delivers, and Hayley Atwell shines, but the magic of masks, heists, and clever cons is sorely missed. It’s decent popcorn fare, but as a Mission: Impossible entry? This one never quite detonates. Read More …

Why You Liked … Doom: The Dark Ages

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Doom: The Dark Ages isn’t just more Doom. It’s smarter, meaner, and surprisingly thoughtful. In this review, I break down why this demon-slaying metal opera deserves to be called a masterpiece. From its gloriously brutal combat to its unexpectedly strong character work (yes, even Doom Slayer has feelings now), it’s a game that proves story = plot + character. Also, shoutout to Thira’s full armour and her dad’s shirtless thirst-trap energy. Doom finally grows up a bit, and it looks damn good doing it. Watch (or read, if you want to count the Warhammer jokes). Read More …

Why You Liked … The Accountant

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A Different Kind of Hero: Ben Affleck plays an autistic accountant with a moral code, a kill count, and a calculator (and somehow, it works). With the sequel out now, I revisited The Accountant to explore why this unlikely action film still hits so hard.

This isn’t just about bullets and balance sheets. It’s about what happens when a neurodivergent lead doesn’t just survive the story, but owns it.

I dig into representation, justice, evolution, and why Christian Wolff might be the most quietly revolutionary hero we’ve seen in years.

📘 Bring your spreadsheets and your feels.
🧠 Read the full breakdown here! Read More …

Why You Liked … Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

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Remember that one wall-run Cal definitely should’ve made but instead yeeted himself into a ravine? Yeah. We all do. And yet… we kept playing. Why? Because this game slapped harder than a Wookiee with abandonment issues. It wasn’t just lightsabers and trauma (though: yes), it was heart, grit, and the kind of hope Star Wars had misplaced in a ditch somewhere post-Last Jedi. This wasn’t about becoming a Jedi. It was about surviving, healing, and Force-pushing stormtroopers off cliffs. And honestly? That’s the dream.

[Full review here — bring your feelings and maybe a stim canister.] Read More …

Why You Liked … May the Fourth

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2025 Edition. Despite Disney’s best efforts, there is Star Wars gold at the end of the rainbow. If you like reckoning with legacy, moral ambiguity, sacrifice, and found family, I’m here to make your Star Wars Day just as rosy as when A New Hope dropped way back in 1977… minus the bell bottoms we all pretend we never owned. Introduction People talk about Star Wars fatigue the same way they talk about superhero fatigue, as if it’s part of life now. Disney strip-mined Star Wars for all its joy in a relentless sequel churn. I’m positive one of the Bobs was to blame; they wanted shareholder value, but we wanted Star Wars. It doesn’t mean there aren’t chunks of good Star Wars left, though. To celebrate 2025’s Star Wars Day, I’m going to give you the best movie, series, video game, and book Read More …

Why You Didn’t Like … Plane

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Plane: the movie where the idea of “authenticity” is about as convincing as a safety briefing from a clown. You shouldn’t waste time on this movie, but you might be tempted to! It stars Gerard Butler, who won hearts and minds as Leonidas in 300, and Mike Coulter, who won hearts and minds as Luke Cage and Spartan Locke. I wanted to like this one. I hoped it might have the folksy charm of Butler’s outings like Gamer, but there’s no charm here. It all starts fairly badly; it’s clear the scriptwriters googled, “How do planes work?” and then used the top hit from a conspiracy site where the Earth is flat. Then they stacked on the usual Trifecta of Impossibility™—the plane without enough fuel, the convict transport, the storm of ages—and hoped we wouldn’t look too hard when our first double fatality happened Read More …

Why You Liked … Service Model

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The Future is Now, and It’s Not Great. Hello, valued consumer. I see you are engaging in anxiety brought on by literally everything. Would you like a soothing cup of tea? Good. Because today we’re panning for five golden things: Let’s begin. Sci-Fi, AKA the Original Horrible Prophecy Machine I finished Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Service Model, a book too close to prophecy to not be unsettling. There’s a lot this book made me think of, not least of which is that no one should ever call a robot Uncharles. Despite that, you should read Service Model. It’s charming, despite the doom. It’s funny, despite us all being dead. It’s prophetic, but the prophecy brings hope with it, and we all need some of that. Let’s begin. Science fiction has been a really good barometer of our future, and I’m not talking about flying cars or Read More …