Off The Record - 5 - 2025

Stewart, Rastislav and Ken return for Off the Record, and speak on the memory of Ozzy Osbourne. Ken begins with a glowing review of 2020’s Rockfield: the Studio on the Farm; Ozzy, Tony Iommi and many others were interviewed for this documentary on the studio built by Charles and Kingsley Ward. The Welsh farming brothers provided the backdrop for Black Sabbath and other UK bands to create enduring pop and rock classics, and have weathered industry changes to continue operating.Stewart continues with a review of the 2023 sci fi thriller Simulant, a low budget affair that nevertheless utilized its actors and story to impress Stewart; he favourably compares this film to Blade Runner. Robbie Amell, Jordana Brewster, Simu Liu and Sam Worthington headline.Rastislav then brings more UK praise with his review of the Ricky Gervais series After Life (2019-2022). He enjoyed Gervais’ abrasive, uncompromising humour and observations of human nature.Moving to lesser picks, Ken reviews an early Mike Flanagan effort called Absentia (2011). While he found value in the character development between actors Katie Parker and Courtney Bell, he feels the low budget prevented Flanagan from creating a film with the intensity of his later releases.Stewart then expands on his Dead Like Me series review to administer last rites to its 2009 sequel movie Life After Death. Actors Ellen Muth and Callum Blue couldn’t enliven this finale to Stewart’s satisfaction.Rastislav concludes with his analysis of the recent Netflix sensation You (2018-2025), starring Penn Badgley, Victoria Pedretti and others. He felt the change in story backdrops kept the series from being consistently entertaining.

And if that wasn’t enough, Twisted Metal Season 2 leaves us with a bitter taste in Stewart’s mouth.

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