Streaming
Midnight Mass: The Blood of Life
The isolated island community of Crockett receives a mysterious new head priest, full of secrets and a brand new testament under a very unusual Messenger of God.
Meet poor Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford), freshly released from prison and wracked with guilt over what got him there, a stupid drinking accident that caused the death of his ex-girlfriend. The last thing he wants to do is go back to Crockett and the judgment of the mostly religious community there, his disappointed family, and the nightmares of his ex’s death that plague him. But where else would have him? Resignedly on the ferry, he goes.
Riley’s dad Ed (Henry Thomas) isn’t the kind of man who talks very much at all, much less about his feelings, or his very real disappointment in his elder son. Riley’s teen brother Warren (Igby Rigney) has no idea what to say to him either, and just generally keeps mum. Riley’s mom Annie (Kristin Lehman) is accepting and loving, hesitant in how to help her eldest son but never wavering in her faith in the help of our lord Jesus. Mom seems to think a good heaping dose of the Church would set Riley right but is surprised to learn that the old priest of the Parish, Pruitt, has taken an extended leave of absence from the island, and his newcomer replacement Father Paul (Hamish Linklater) is young, charismatic, and bursting at the seams to tell the whole island about the gifts he brought them, most especially what he claims as a new testament under a messenger of God.
We’ll get back to that whole ball of issues in a moment, the other interesting characters of Crockett Island. Bev Keane (Samantha Sloyan) is the nightmarish overly polite and gently, almost lovingly condescending neighbor Christian woman you’ve ever loathed, the kind of person who explains away every last thing her Church may do wrong or contradictory because, after all, God works in mysterious ways. Pfft. Of course, Bev immediately ingratiates herself as the second to the new Father Paul in their services and is the first to start covering up his transgressions as they become more rampant.
Newcomers to Crockett Sheriff Hassan (Rahul Kohli) and his son Ali (Rahul Abburi) present a burgeoning problem to the plans of Father Paul and his shadowy companion, for they are both practicing Muslims. The practical side of investigating these so-called ‘miracles’ and strange happenings falls on Hassan’s shoulders, as he already struggles with barely-concealed racism and suspicion from his fellow islanders, and of course his son is being wooed away from him by the promise of actual, tangible miracles, but from a different whole faith and God. Father Paul definitely does not practice a traditional Christian faith and relies far too much on making use of the eucharist, the ceremony of the blood and flesh of Jesus Christ turning into bread and wine and, well, consumed.
Wade (Michael Trucco) and his wife Dolly (Crystal Balint) are lifers of the island and both in general interested in one thing, the advancement of their own family, specifically their daughter Leeza (Annarah Cymone), who happens to be in a wheelchair. And that happens to be the canny Father Paul’s first real miracle-with-a-cost that he demonstrates to the astonishment of the parishioners, after a heartfelt and rousing sermon, Father Paul commands Leeza to rise, to stand, and to walk. And lo, she does. What parents wouldn’t wholly dedicate themselves to a cause after seeing this happen to their beloved precious daughter? The fringe benefits of healing, and power, the ones that come at a mighty, currently unnamed, cost, are simply a nice bonus.
Joe Collie (Robert Longstreet) is the town drunk, and while his reasons for drowning his sorrows in the sauce might be understandable, absolution wears a very different face when it comes from Father Paul. While Leeza might be willing to forgive Joe, and even as Joe begins attending the newly-formed Al-Anon meetings on the island of course hosted by Father Paul, redemption might’ve been better sought from medical professionals, and not this newfound method of religious worship.
Dr. Sarah Gunning (Annabeth Gish) is the islands’ kind of all-around medic, and this is how she and Riley’s old friend Erin (Kate Siegel), also newly returned to the island, a few months pregnant but traveling quietly alone, met when Erin comes to the Doc for obstetrics. Sarah’s older mother Mildred Gunning (Alexandra Essoe) has many medical and mental issues, and Sarah struggles in their shared home, to take care of her addled mom and balance her own life. Then Father Paul takes it upon himself to visit one of his oldest parishioners, bringing the sacred host and wine with him to give directly to Mildred, who starts looking and acting so much better under his loving care.
The show is very much a slow slow burn, with a lot of the actual action taking place in the last two episodes. Much of the beginning and middle episodes feature two people just sitting alone, having quiet and seriously in-depth conversations about heavy subjects – grief and repentance, what happens when we die, the disasters that come as a result of addictions, how our actions’ consequences reverberate to those we love around us, faith and the foibles of man, and of course, the giving of oneself over to a higher power, for strength, and guidance, and love.
Except, for the higher power that Father Paul brought back with him, to share with his beloved flock of Crockett Island, while it may be extremely powerful and full of what could be considered miraculous magic, everything comes at some kind of a cost. And when the Messenger of God is finally revealed to the shocked denizens of Crockett at Easter Mass, with Father Paul rapturing on about rebirth as the bloody massacre begins in earnest, it’s faith, not in any kind of God or religion, but faith in each other, that may save a few hardy souls.
Question the wisdom of your religious leaders along with the rest of us in a fine slow-burn addition to the Flanaverse, Midnight Mass is on Netflix now!
“The Electric State,” now streaming on Netflix, is a science fiction adventure directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. The screenplay, crafted by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, is loosely based on Simon Stålenhag’s 2018 illustrated novel of the same name. The film boasts a star-studded cast, including Millie Bobby Brown as Michelle, Chris Pratt as Keats, and features voices from Anthony Mackie and Woody Harrelson. With a runtime of 128 minutes, the movie transports viewers to a retro-futuristic 1990s America, where a teenage girl embarks on a quest to find her missing brother amidst a landscape populated by sentient robots.
Despite its ambitious premise and substantial $320 million budget, “The Electric State” has garnered predominantly negative reviews from critics. Many have pointed out the film’s lack of emotional depth and coherence. For instance, The Guardian described it as a “bogglingly expensive dud,” criticizing its soulless storytelling and lack of artistic merit. Similarly, Vulture labeled the film a “$320 million piece of junk,” highlighting issues with direction, character development, and overall execution.
The narrative follows Michelle, portrayed by Millie Bobby Brown, as she ventures into a dystopian version of the late 1990s, accompanied by Keats, a smuggler played by Chris Pratt. Their mission leads them into an exclusion zone inhabited by defeated robots, all in search of Michelle’s younger brother, Christopher. While the film’s special effects have been acknowledged for their quality, these visual achievements are overshadowed by a storyline that many found lacking in engagement and originality.
Audience reactions have been mixed, with some viewers appreciating the visual spectacle and performances, while others echo the critics’ sentiments regarding the film’s shortcomings. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a critic score of 17%, reflecting the overall negative critical reception.
In conclusion, “The Electric State” presents a visually impressive but narratively deficient experience. Despite the high-profile cast and substantial investment, the film struggles to deliver a compelling and cohesive story. Based on the critical consensus and audience feedback, I would rate this film a 4 out of 10.
Nicholas Cage is not the Dracula we deserve, but the Dracula we need!
With Nosferatu dominating the box offices with all its gothic, avant-garde glory you may need something a little more light-hearted to cleanse the palette. 2023’s Renfield is a fantastic recipe of dark comedy, satire, and not a small amount of heart (beating or otherwise). Renfield has recently been added to Netflix UK’s menu; for us all to feast upon!
Both Nick (Hoult and Cage respectively) give fantastic performances as master and long-suffering servant, proving that toxic relationships take many forms. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) has been in the service of Dracula (Nicolas Cage) for ninety years. Renfield does everything short of cleaning the count’s iconic cape (it’s dry-clean only apparently) and he’s quite frankly sick of it.
After ninety years the duo’s options, and bank account, have become quite limited. This is why they are holed in an abandoned hospital in New Orleans. Renfield leaves most evenings to supply the ancient vampire with victims to drain blood, preferably of the pure variety. Hoult’s Renfield is a charming soft boy, a 6 ft 2 soft boy, who has some reservations about killing innocent people. He cleverly gets around this moral quandary by joining a support group for the victims of narcissistic abuse held in a local church and eh…dispatching the group members’ abusers to bring to his master. This works well until one night he gets tangled up with the criminal underworld on a ‘routine’ dispatching.
Awkwafina plays the pint-sized police officer with a foul mouth and a strict(ish) moral compass; Rebecca Quincy. Rebecca and Renfield cross paths and it’s up to them to save the city from both criminal and supernatural corruption. This results in many impressively choreographed fight scenes and not a small amount of blood, gore, and sarcasm! It’s strangely heartwarming to watch Renfield try to break the cycle of Dracula’s narcissistic abuse and create a place for himself in the world. As Rebecca states: sometimes you just fall under the thrall of a vampire for a few decades!
Nicholas Cage is every bit as fabulous and camp as you’d expect of a truly iconic Dracula performance. His delivery is as cutting and precise as his debonair velvet suits. One of the best things about the film is you can tell the cast is having fun with their characters, particularly Cage, I would bet my own soul that a lot of his lines were ad-libbed. Special shout-out goes to Brandon Scott Jones who played the painfully sincere narcissistic survivor group leader. Jones proves there is no part too small to make an impact!
Renfield takes the usual Dracula tropes and puts a hilarious spin on them. Asking the real questions like; do vampires need a verbal invite or will a ‘welcome’ mat suffice to enter a home? Quick someone page Buffy!
Even with the gratuitous gore and violence Renfield manages to be touching at times and ironically breathes fresh life into the reanimated corpses of both Dracula and Renfield.
Three and a half stars.
TW: Discussions of Sexual Assault.
I did myself a favour and watched the cult classic Jennifer’s Body (which I highly recommend you do, too). Watching this clever, funny, thought-provoking movie in 2025, it is hard to believe that it was a major flop when it was released in 2009.
‘00s nostalgia spurts throughout the film. From the frosted eyeshadow to the digital cameras, it’s enough to bring a tear to a millennial’s eye. However, not everything about the film is dated. In fact Jennifer’s Body is hailed today as a modern feminist classic.
This is particularly intriguing when remembering how badly the film bombed in 2009. Looking at Rotten Tomatoes scores, Jennifer’s Body has a rather pitiful 46% critic score and an even worse 36% audience score. Was this comedy-horror simply ahead of its time? Many believe so.
In pre-#MeToo 2009, Jennifer’s Body was marketed as a fun, sexy romp aimed at straight men. Sex symbol Megan Fox in the starring role as Jennifer, fresh from her scantily-clad Transformers fame, audience thought they knew what to expect from the actress. And Fox is wrist-achingly beautiful in the film; there is no doubt about that, but many complained she remained disappointingly fully clothed. There was also the promised same-sex kiss between Fox and Amanda Seyfrie,d which was framed more as an uncomfortable, confused, and tragic scene between two childhood friends rather than sexy.
In short, Jennifer’s Body was marketed for the male gaze, even with a female writer (Diablo Cody) and director (Karyn Kusama) instead of what it is, which was a commentary about the treatment of female bodies (the clue was in the title, really).
Many have theorised that the film is essentially a rape-revenge fantasy. The premise is (spoilers!) that Jennifer is kidnapped by an indie boyband after a gig. The group’s plan is to sacrifice young Jennifer to Satan in exchange for fame (obviously). Their plan goes awry when Jennifer lies about being a virgin, when she is not in fact even a “backdoor virgin”. This little lie causes Jennifer to turn into a creature-monster-succubus-type thing. This is a clear commentary on how women are only seen as useful or worthy if their virginity is intact. Also, how the music industry sacrifices young women to the altar of male lust.
Later that night, Jennifer appears at her childhood friend Needy’s (Amanda Seyfried) home drenched in blood and covered in bruises, with a vacant stare. After this, Jennifer begins to indiscriminately kill young men from her school.
I theorise that the film is cleverly inverting the expectation of young women being targeted. Jennifer is indiscriminate in her choosing of victims. A school jock, a sensitive emo guy, and a foreign exchange student walking home alone at night. She lures them to secluded areas with the promise of sex and tears them apart until they look like “lasagne with teeth”.
With Jennifer’s murder spree terrifying the small town, its young men are warned not to go anywhere alone. Johnny Simmon’s character, Chip, is even given mace by his mother to protect him on prom night.
Jennifer’s Body cleverly inverts many of the horror movie tropes. For example, the ‘nerdy girl’, Needy is not a virgin either. Needy and her boyfriend Chip actually have regular, no-consequence sex, which is unusual for a female character in a horror movie.
This cult classic may have died on its initial release but it was resurrected by the dashboards of Tumblr and feminist blogs. Seyfried even teased the possibility of a sequel soon. Suffice to say there is definitely more to Jennifer’s Body than meets the eye!
Upcoming NTR Junior projects
“Death of a Unicorn: A24’s Twisted Fairytale You Won’t Forget”
WonderCon 2025: A Faith Full Dickens Tale & The King of Kings Animated Movie
WonderCon 2025: Fade to Black Interviews
Top 10 Unexpected Movies Where The Bad Guy Wins
