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TV SHOW REVIEW

Ű BY MARK MATHEN VICTOR

Showrunner : Haley Z. Boston Cast : Camila Morrone, Adam DiMarco, Gus Birney, Karla Crome, Jeff Wilbusch, Ted Levine, Jennifer Jason Leigh,

N ETFLIX’S Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen certainly lives up to its name, delivering a bag of bad things with its moody story, with some proving to be great for what creator Haley Z. Boston set out to do, while others are just bad. The series, co-executive produced by Stranger Things ’ Duffer Brothers, opens with Rachel Harkin (Camila Morrone) and Nicky Cunningham (Adam DiMarco) travelling to the rich Cunningham family’s extravagant cabin for their wedding and the odd experiences they face throughout the one-episode journey. For the rest of the miniseries after the couple arrives at the cabin, told through the present, fast-forwards and flashbacks, Something Very Bad eventually culminates in an event that is exactly what its title says. Built to test patience Though it is marketed as a horror series, Something Very Bad is closer to slow-burn horror and outside of its first two episodes, it certainly takes its sweet time to crawl past the blood-smeared finish line of what it teased in the very opening shot at the start of the first episode. On that front, it is immediately obvious that Something Very Bad was not necessarily made for mainstream horror fans, as it tests the patience of its audience and only works best for viewers that buy into its mood, themes, odd characters and even odder dialogue. As the series opens with how it ends, Boston structures the story towards how it gets to the end – rather than what happens moment-to moment. This is a double-edged sword: On one hand, the approach allows the writers to put in a constant,

Victoria Pedretti E-VALUE 5 ACTING 6 PLOT

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From left: Nell (Karla Crome), Portia (Gus Birney) and Jules (Jeff Wilbusch) are three-sixths of the

dysfunctional Cunningham family.

Slow-burn wedding horror

The schism between Rachel’s very real anxieties and

o Uneven miniseries pursues mood over scares

willingness the theatrical experience, last year releasing a sing-along version of its popular animated film K-pop Demon Hunters in cinemas. During the pursuit of Warner Bros Discovery, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos also said the company would continue to release Warner Bros movies in cinemas and honour the traditional 45-day window of exclusivity. Narnia was originally scheduled to be released for two weeks in Imax cinemas, starting on Thanksgiving. Gerwig lauded Netflix for opting to offer the film more widely. “I cannot wait for people to see the film in cinemas on Feb 12 and on Netflix on April 2,” Gerwig said. to embrace low-level tension that slowly ramps up, but on the other hand, those moment to-moment scenes sometimes feel poorly thought out. Something Very Bad also stretches its relatively simple premise thin, has plot threads that are unexplained, nonsensical scenes that feel like an afterthought and twists that take away from the experience rather than add to it, with the biggest twist – an allegory on passed-down family and generational trauma – being very likely to split audiences on whether it was good or terrible. Marriage anxiety at altar Notwithstanding its shortcomings, Something Very Bad ’s strength lies in how its horror is less about blood, gore, ghouls and what-have-you, but rather horror shaped around the idea of marriage. Rather than the common narrative of “Let’s drop our recently married young leads into a haunted house to test their bond”, Something Very Bad

the oddities around her wedding only works due to Morrone’s performance. – PICS FROM NETFLIX

increasingly surreal event. The supporting characters, who are largely the fiance’s family, add to the escalating tension even if they are archetypical of a cuckoo, dysfunctional family. Something Very Bad is not without flaws, but for what it sets out to do by asking for patience and rewarding it with nothing short of a mood-heavy, psychologically-driven horror story, it is decent. Just do not let its opening lull you into thinking it is a series with constant scares.

uses thriller and supernatural elements to explore commitment, doubt and the fear of choosing the wrong partner to great effect by placing Morrone’s Rachel at the centre of the story to manifest Boston’s take on getting cold feet or marriage anxiety. This is further aided by Morrone’s flawless performance. Carrying the series’ psychological core, the burgeoning actress sells Rachel’s paranoia very well. Never tipping into dramatic exaggeration, Morrone grounds the character in an

DiMarco’s Nicky (left) is a very flat character –he is neither as complex as his fiancee Rachel, nor as entertaining as his family members.

Netflix to give Greta Gerwig’s Narnia wide theatrical release

NETFLIX recently said it would put filmmaker Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew movie in wide theatrical release next year, where it will play exclusively for more than 45 days – a first for the streaming service. Written and directed by Gerwig, the film is the first adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s 1955 book, which explores the origins of Narnia. It will be released in cinemas on Feb 12, 2027 and made available on the streaming service on April 2. This marks a departure for Netflix, which typically releases movies exclusively on its streaming service. There have been some

AMC Entertainment chairman and CEO Adam Aron said the nation’s largest cinema chain would “throw everything we have” to support Netflix. “We are in their corner fully. We are and will be all in,” Aron wrote on the social media platform X. – Reuters

exceptions, including for movies with the potential to win an Academy Award. Movies must debut in cinemas to be eligible for consideration for an Oscar. Netflix said it opted for a wide theatrical release for Narnia because of the series’ broad appeal across generations and geographies. Cinema owners applauded Netflix’s decision. “This is welcome news. Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew is a movie audiences will want to see on the big screen. Now they’ll have that opportunity,” Cinema United president Michael O’Leary said in a statement. Netflix has shown an increasing

Gerwig poses on the red carpet at the 82nd Venice Film Festival. – REUTERSPIC