Michael
@mjgamson
“Sober but social” -my new tagline It will still be tv, movie and book reviews, mixed with my odd views on other stuff along the way. And of course there will be the odd spelling mistake.
A Nice Indian Boy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 8/10 IMDb 4 Letterboxd Genuinely sweet movie, that got me in the feels.
The Sheep Detectives ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 6/10 IMDb 3 Letterboxd A fun easy watch, with a great voice cast, plus the adults all seem to enjoy themselves.
Cinema Trip 87 in 2026 The Odyssey ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 9/10 IMDb 4.5 Letterboxd Nolan is a master and his direction doesn’t disappoint here. Every penny of the budget is well spent. The casting is perfect. If I had one minor complaint, the sound drowns out dialogue in a couple of scenes.
The Fog (2005) ⭐️⭐️ What a mess. Not a single character has a character, there’s no build up or tension. It was like a bad made for tv movie. And that finally twist was just silly.
Heartstopper Forever ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A nice wrapping up of the series, it’s a little rushed because it’s a fourth season condensed into 2 hours. But it’s sweet and heartfelt like the rest of the show.
From Season 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Another season of head scratching wtf did I just witness moments mixed with a lot of huh?! Production is great, the occasional moments of gore are gruesome when they come. But with too many ideas, which lead to too many questions and with a season to go will we get answers…
Cinema Trip 86 in 2026 Minions and Monsters ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 7/10 IMDb 3.5 Letterboxd Beautiful and lively animation help bring this zany adventure to life. I loved all the nods to Classic Hollywood and even some of the silly gags made me giggle like a big kid too.
Who You Are s4x16 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Gellar has a blast being Faith in Buffy’s body, I love Tara is the only one to get it, even though she has never met her! It shows how fractured the core 4 have become. Dushku is also fab as Buffy. The church is a nice setting and we get some cool vamp staking!
The Prodigal s1x15 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The flashbacks in this episode are great, we get to see Darla turn Liam. And Angelus playing with his family. The main plot of Kate’s father is okay, even if the I still don’t trust you Angel starts to nag at little.
This Years Girl s4x15 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A great episode bring back and deals Faith, the dream sequences are great, I love her interaction with Buffy and Willow and great daytime fight. Nice to have Joyce back breifly and the smackdown they have is fun. Then SMG delivery of “five by five” is perfect!
I’ve Got You Under My Skin s1x14 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A great exorcist style story with a doozy of a twist! Also love they bring up how Angel is quite over the loss of Doyle.
I eat salmon a lot. But tonight’s rice spruced up with roasted pepper and mushrooms was bloody lovely.
Goodbye Iowa s4x14 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Adam while he looks cool is a tad goofy, hello floppy disk drive in the chest. Tara and Willows relationship continues to build nicely but The Initiative itself seems to running out of steam, like they never fully knew where to go with it.
She s1x13 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a decent enough episode, it’s starts light with the fun party, but then the over all message of the episode with guest star Bai Ling is a little heavy handied. I like Angel’s use of history to avoid the museum guards and pretending to be a tour guide.
The I In Team s4x13 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Season 4’s arc isn’t the best, but I do love how Buffy gets to irk the initiative. Dr Walsh’s plan to get rid Buffy is a tad rushed. Riley is still a little puppy dog, but I don’t hate him like some. And the small ways the gang is splitting is played nicely.
Expecting s1x12 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ The unexpected pregnancy has been done a million times and sadly the show doesn’t do anything new with it. Hell they even do it to Cordy again in Season 4. But the central Trio are fun and closing moment is a sweet one cementing the new dynamic.
A New Man s4x12 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This a is fun episode but has a lot depth to how Giles feels lost post the high school years. Head gets to have fun as a demon, love when he chases Dr Walsh in particular. Its shame is the last we see of Ethan.
But it wasn’t overly scary or creepy this time, it had so nice nods to Raimi humour. But it felt full of plot holes, and the Maguffin search felt clunky! I still had enjoyed, though if you stay for post credits scenes, I would you feel as eh?! As me and the few that stayed did. 2/2
Cinema Trip 84 in 2026 The Martian ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 9/10 IMDb 4.5 Letterboxd First time watch and I’m not sure why, because wow this was brilliant. Scott’s direction is slick. The plot never flagged, throwing you in thick of it from the get go. Damon is brilliant and back a fantastic support cast.
I took two body pics this weekend one from Friday morning and one this morning and I’ve genuinely no issues with either…which makes a change for me.
And it covers a lot of characters in the first 10 episodes, but interesting that there is no Lex Luthor. I love the anime style animation and the voice cast are great. 2/2
Somnambulist s1x11 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Jeremy Renner guest stars in this episode, which is a fun delve into Angelus past, which nicely plays into Angels current life. Kate finally gets it, and gets a doozy of a kill. Cordy gets some fun comedy moments and her reassurance to Angel at the end is nicely worded.
Doomed s4x11 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ The end of the world stuff has been handled better, though the twist about the demon’s is fun. Buffy’s change of heart with Riley seems too fast. I love the Spike finding out he can beat demons moment. Nice to see Percy from earlier seasons, even if he’s a meanie, to Willow.
Parting Gifts s1x10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A solid re-entry for Wesley, he’s still the dopey Buffy version, at this point. But it’s nice to have him back. Cordy trying to pass back Doyle’s gift is a fun plot, kissing everyone she can. Nice to have Wolfram & Hart back but why they pay 30k to pluck her eyes is daft.
Hush s4x10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spot on from start to finish. A simple concept done right. The humour and horror going hand in hand with each other. Everyone is given a perfect comedic moment. The Gentleman are creepy from how they look fantastic, and their movement is done so well.
Hero s1x9 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love this episode, taking a way a main character is always hard but the fact we only had 9 episodes to get to know and love Doyle. I also like how the episode closes on the video Cordy, filmed with him at the start.