4th post: The Haunting of Hill House

 

4^th Blog post for Uni assignment – The Haunting of Hill House

 

My previous blog posts have contained a TV series from Disney+, a movie from Netflix and a TV Series from Prime, so please feel free to have a look if you’re wanting some inspiration for watching something different! Previous blog links are as follows: Marvel: Agents of SHIELD; Deadpool; Lucifer.

 

I feel this would be a good place to review a TV series currently showing on Netflix.

 

Now, I love action, comedy and various genres of movies and programmes but I’m not too keen on Horrors… So, when this was recommended to me as a “horror”, I was apprehensive at first.  However, I must admit, I was gripped with the Haunting of Hill House from the start.

The Haunting of Hill House

 

This TV series mixes past and present as it focuses around a young family who buy a run-down old mansion with a view to renovating and selling to make enough money to build their own house. However, not all is as it seems… Early into the program, it’s clear the house needs more and more work done to it forcing the family to stay longer…. The more they are exposed to this seemingly normal house, the more things appear to be happening to the family. The young children start having nightmares, the family experiences some strange paranormal activity but they think nothing of it at first and just put it down to being a spooky old house…. Little do they know what is really going on!

 

This series embarks on a journey showing the impact of the trauma of their childhood experiences and how it follows them into adult life and how each of the 5 children coped differently with their unique experience. With flashbacks to the past leaving you with many moments of “Ohh what happens next!” will leave you wanting to binge watch! Despite the family going their separate ways, they are all forced back together to finally confront what really happened in the past!

 

I highly recommend watching at night, with the lights off to enjoy the chilling atmosphere. The acting of both the adults and their younger versions from the past will ensure you grow to love their characters and work out exactly why this close family became so separated by their childhood nightmares! Some twists in the storyline make me admire the writers' ability with this series. All will become clear towards the end!

 

This series comprising 10 episodes first aired in 2018 and contains mild scary moments (a few jump scares…) but nothing too bad. The jumping from the past to the present works very well in this series and leaves you wondering where the story will take you. This is the first in a series of “Haunting” programmes with there being another stand-alone series “The Haunting of Bly Manor”. However, that may be a review for another day… Hope you enjoy and as always, if you have any recommendations for me, please comment!

If you wish to find out more information on Netflix or to subscribe, you can do so by clicking here.

3rd Post: Lucifer

 Welcome to Blog Post number 3

 

If you are a returning visitor, welcome back! If you are new to the blog, I hope you enjoy and feel free to comment on anything you would like reviewed, I’m always open to suggestions for something good to watch! You can visit my previous blog posts by clicking the following links: Marvel: Agents of SHIELD; Deadpool.

 

Having reviewed a series on Disney+ and a movie on Netflix, time to go for a series on Prime Video…

 

Only the first 3 series of this are available on Prime but no point going straight to series 4 without knowing what you’re in for!

 

Lucifer…. Better known as the Devil himself.

 

Lucifer Morningstar

Having been around since 2016, it’s clearly a popular program having made 5 series’ so far with a 6^th and final series on the way.

 

Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis), deciding to leave his home/workplace (Hell…) and reside in (ironically…) the City of Angels, Los Angeles to gain a better understanding of Humanity. With the ability to persuade people to reveal their deepest, darkest desires, he quickly finds his way into life as a consultant for the LAPD. Teaming up with Detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German), they set about solving crimes together and having the use of Devilish powers to effectively persuade people to confess their sins, is a bonus.

 

Being the Lord of Hell himself, he’s used to punishing and torturing people for their crimes but is taught the way of the Justice system by Detective Decker and is then able to control his rage and bring people to justice the way they should be.

 

From early in the series you can see the relationship developing between the characters, especially between Lucifer and Chloe leaving the question “Will they? Or won’t they?” but with Lucifer’s drink and drug lifestyle and the inability to lie to Chloe who appears immune to his powers, his honesty can sometimes be his downfall.

 

Lucifer has one particular “minion” who resents the decision Lucifer makes to leave Hell after the chaos that causes and follows him from Hell to LA to bring him back. Mazikeen (Lesley-Ann Brandt) plays a pivotal role as Lucifer’s chief torturer who instantly forms a relationship with Chloe’s young daughter Trixie which effectively makes her more human and less devilish minion!

 

This program has a more mature nature but very mild innuendos. Some scenes may be scary for younger viewers (ie when Lucifer puts on his real face!) but nothing too major. Some interesting storylines in this series and the twists between relationships as the series’ progresses will find you wanting to see what happens next. Thankfully, with there being 3 series, you don’t have to wait long from the finale of 1 series to the first episode of the next!

 

Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more content!

If you wish to find out more information on Prime Video or to subscribe, you can do so by clicking here.

Next up: Deadpool!

 

Welcome to Fat Gandalf’s Online Streaming Review.

 

If you are a new visitor to my blog, welcome and you can visit my previous blog post by clicking the following link: Marvel: Agents of SHIELD.

 

If you are a returning visitor, thank you for your continued support!

 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing… I missed a trick by not making my first blog post about the inspiration behind it…

 

I must admit, despite being from 2016, this is a movie that I never tire of watching. I remember vividly going to see it in the cinema and it’s the only film I’ve ever seen where the entire audience laughed from the opening scene, right through the Credits at the end!

 

Blog number 2 is a movie some of you may have already seen but based on past feedback about “Fat Gandalf”, it’s possible many of you haven’t seen quite simply the best Marvel Superhero movie ever…

 

Deadpool

 Deadpool begins where all you see is a masked character sitting in a taxi catching a ride without any real knowledge of who he is, why he’s there or what he’s doing. This is where the fun comes in…. Unlike most movies, Deadpool plays a part to the audience watching the movie before jumping off a bridge and launching into a furious attack on some armed villains in a van on a busy road below (cue some spectacular kill scenes in slow motion!) The movie jumps back, mid fight, to provide some background as to who he is and how he got to the taxi at the start.

 

Sounds confusing but bear with it… This forms the story that leads you to realise how he became Deadpool and his quest for vengeance over the person that turned him from a good looking (apparently….), wisecracking mercenary to being on the receiving end of an experiment that turns him into an unstoppable, fast healing superhero with quick wit! Hell bent on revenge for turning him into the hideous looking creature now known as Deadpool, the story embarks on an incredible journey tracking down his foe in some weird and wonderful ways.

 

Filled with humour, gore, innuendos, fantastically unique kill scenes, and some classic tunes, I honestly believe this movie will be one you’ll watch more than once (please note, this is NOT one for the kids despite being Marvel!)

 

Available on Netflix to watch if you have a subscription. If not, free trials are available if you fancy watching one night. Only 1 hour and 49 minutes long so good if you have a spare couple of hours, highly recommended you watch the full credits as well! Also, tune in at the 20-minute mark for the special Fat Gandalf mention! :o)

 

Thanks again for reading! Another blog coming soon with another review on a different platform….

If you wish to find out more information on Netflix or to subscribe, you can do so by clicking here.

First up, Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

 Hi and thanks for visiting my blog.

 

Firstly, the name… Many people will think of Gandalf as the pointed hat wearing grey cloaked Lord of the Rings and Hobbit character… Gandalf… Whereas, Fat Gandalf relates to the lovable character Buck from Deadpool who is referred to as “Fat Gandalf” during a memorable scene early in the first Deadpool movie. This kinda stuck with me as I can relate to his image!

Gandalf the Grey

Buck (Fat Gandalf)

So, onto the purpose of this blog… Well, as most will know, lockdown due to COVID has had a particularly adverse effect on the world of cinema… So, no more going out to watch movies upon release… No socialising down the local pub… How many nights have been spent with your partner asking, “What do you want to watch tonight?” – in my case, usually followed by “I don’t know, what do you want to watch?”. I’m hopeful this blog will provide a guide into something different to watch. Something you may not have thought of before.

 

Part 1… Well, being a big Marvel fan, we came across Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Now this has been available for years (since 2013!) and how have I never watched this before? The traditional good versus bad (S.H.I.E.L.D. versus Hydra) has something for everyone. Action, adventure, romance, comedy (give it time…), drama, suspense – and it’s this that leaves you wanting to watch the next episode! Led by Agent Phil Coulson, it brings together a highly trained team of experts in the battle to keep the world safe from evil. Like other programmes, you may find yourself waiting a few episodes to get into the feel of the program but I found myself getting to the end of an episode and wanting to keep watching for the next one. This left me thinking “OOoh what happens next!” You’ll find yourself growing to love the characters when you realise hidden storylines between many of the characters which will all suddenly make sense as the series progresses!

 

This is a must watch if you’re a Marvel fan or even if you find yourself wanting to watch a short episode rather than a full length movie. I’m currently nearing the end of Season 3 and would be further along if there was more time in the day!

 

Available on Disney+ if you have a subscription to this platform. If not, and you can afford to, I would recommend as Disney+ has many good value programmes and movies available. I will continue to blog about other platforms and hopefully provide inspiration if you’re struggling for something to watch! Tune in next time for another review of a popular movie on another streaming platform…

 

Thanks and feel free to comment if you have any suggestions for me!

If you wish to find out more information on Disney+ or to subscribe, you can do so by clicking here.