The Screen Scribe

Review: Maul – Shadow Lord

May 4, 2026

“At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge.” Given that he had literally only this line and maybe one other in The Phantom Menace, I don’t think even George Lucas was prepared for the level of cult following Darth Maul would garner in the years after his demise…
Review: Rapid Fire Catch Up

May 2, 2026

Over the last several weeks I have travelled into deep space, wandered the post-heroic ruins of a fantasy world, watch Birmingham being bombed during world war 2, and witnessed a batshit crazy battle royal between mages and heroic spirits. I may not have been overly active here, but that is not to say I wasn’t…
Update

April 30, 2026

Hello Scribelings, I just wanted to jump on and give a quick update. I know content has been sparse the last five or six weeks. This has been for various reasons. Poor material to review. Concentrating strongly on my fiction work. The continued output burnout that I mentioned back in December / January. Personal reasons.…
Review: Secrets of the Silent Witch

March 2, 2026

Late last year I jumped on the Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End band wagon and didn’t look back. Quietly stated, philosophically intense, thematically rich, gorgeously animated, it scratched an itch I didn’t even know was there. Quiet, cozy anime (with flashes of superb, kinetic action scenes) that focused on pure, deep character work over bombastic narratives…
Side Notes: The History and Decline of Romcoms

February 27, 2026

In this month’s recommendations, I alluded to the fact that romcoms were basically relics of the Hollywood cinemascape. After some consideration, I decided to unpack this a little more. Dive a little deeper into the details, the history, and the eventual decline of one of the greatest cinema staples, the romantic comedy. The romcom has…
Recommendation: Friends with Benefits

February 25, 2026

2011 was arguably the last year of great cinematic romcoms, before they retreated to the obscure realms of online streaming, and invariably lost a great portion of their appeal, and inevitably, their quality. Before that exodus, they were confident, glossy, attracted big name stars, and were unapologetically sexy. Friends with Benefits is one such example.…
Review: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

February 23, 2026

It would be a fair assumption to claim that many…well, the majority of, Game of Thrones fans are still rather upset regarding how the final few seasons played out. In particular season 8. I would include myself in that for many years after, but lately I look back and can enjoy the show for what…
Recommendation: Crazy, Stupid, Love

February 20, 2026

Many would argue that the modern romcom is a dying breed in cinema, and they may be right. But over the last 15 years, Hollywood has still managed to produce some gems that are still top tier in the genre today. Crazy, Stupid, Love is one of those, a rare ensemble romantic comedy that juggles…
Review: Wonder Man

February 17, 2026

It’s no secret that I have been especially critical of the vast majority of MCU entries in the last few years. Captain America: Brave New World was simply a disaster. I am not even going to get into it. The Thunderbolts* had its merits and I genuinely enjoyed it, but it felt like the wrong…
Review: Shelter

February 9, 2026

Jason Statham has reached an interesting phase in his career. At this point, you know exactly what you are getting, but you also know that it can swing wildly in quality. In the past few years alone he has delivered the surprisingly enjoyable The Beekeeper, followed by the far blander A Working Man. So going…