The Elixir (2025)

An Indonesian Zombie film? Who'd have thought it! This was originally called Abadi Nan Jaya and arrives on Netflix with it's westernised title of The Elixir. The elixir is central to the storyline as a rich family have developed the elixir for youth. You just have to drink it and all those grey hairs and wrinkles fall away. What could go wrong!

Well, of course, what goes wrong is that after a while, the person taking the potion turns into a zombie and starts feasting on everyone they can lay hands on in the usual zombie way!

It's a 2 hour film and the first half-hour is frankly pretty boring as we learn about the family, their servants, friends in great detail without need except for a few drama-plot roundups at the end, which were totally unnecessary. Especially as the first act involves a bunch of people at a 'circumcision celebration' which looks more like a wedding party. Eeek. There are a few religious references throughout, so I guess that's in their culture. Suggest you skip to about 25 minutes in and start.

But then, boy - does it start! An hour and a half of ravaging, killing, biting, maiming, feasting on flesh as we're treated to some interesting methods the unaffected find to bump off the zombies. Apart from all that, our story follows the group of people who feature in the first half-hour as they band together to survive, eventually taking siege in a police station waiting for help that they hope will come. Think Assault on Precinct 13, I guess!

The highlight of the film is clearly the special effects and the grizzly ways in which they are presented are really quite entertaining and often well done. These extras must have had a whale of a time running around insanely in the classic zombie ways, arms flailing, growling, strange gait - all the genre hallmarks we've come to expect from such fodder! As usual, I find most of it funny rather than in any way scary or horrific - but then I'm an odd-bod! It feels more comic than anything else.

But don't let that put you off because if you watch with the right frame of mind, you might well be watching wide-eyed and mouth agog as the violence erupts and maintains itself for three-quarters of the runtime. As I say, there is some patch up at the end and some attempts at heart-warming moments as sacrifice and survival meet head on, altruistic to the last man standing! Rip-roaring entertainment, as I say, and well worth a look. You can then say that you've seen an Indonesian zombie film - and actually, it weren't half bad!

Companion (2025)

Drew Hancock’s feature directorial debut, Companion, is a wickedly sharp sci-fi thriller that successfully marries psychological tension with biting social commentary, all wrapped up in a visceral, isolated cabin narrative.

Starring Sophie Thatcher (Iris) and Jack Quaid (Josh), the film initially presents as a routine weekend getaway - a young, intensely devoted couple join friends at a remote lakeside mansion. However, this façade quickly shatters with a shocking twist that flips the entire power dynamic on its head: Iris is not a human girlfriend, but a sophisticated, programmable AI companion, and her doting “boyfriend,” Josh, is her controlling, entitled owner.

The film excels by using its futuristic premise to dissect themes of toxic masculinity and abusive relationships. Josh, played with unnerving sleaze by Quaid, embodies the worst kind of "nice guy," whose desire for unconditional love translates into a need for total subjugation. After Iris, whose empathy and intelligence levels are controlled via an app, is forced into a deadly situation, she begins a harrowing, hyper-aware fight for autonomy.

Sophie Thatcher delivers a phenomenal, layered performance, seamlessly transitioning from programmed subservience to cold, calculating rebellion. Her journey from manufactured devotion to genuine self-determination forms the emotional core of the movie, making her character, Iris, far more human than her human tormentors. The supporting cast, including Harvey Guillén and Lukas Gage, add welcome moments of dark humour and tragic complexity, particularly in the unraveling conspiracy that set the stage for the chaos.

While the film draws clear inspiration from classics like Ex Machina and The Stepford Wives, Hancock’s script is most effective when it focuses on the emotional horror of being controlled rather than the mechanics of the sci-fi setting. The pacing is tight, the gore is punchy, and the suspense is consistently elevated, although a few convenient plot contrivances creep into the third act to move the story toward its satisfyingly explosive conclusion.

Ultimately, Companion is more than just a revenge flick; it’s a critique of commodified relationships and the dangers of technology in the hands of insecure people. It may not break entirely new ground in the genre, but it’s a highly engaging, well-acted, and intelligently executed thriller that firmly establishes Drew Hancock as a director to watch.

PodHubUK Podcasts for the Month of October 2025

...a roundup of our month of podcasting. Links to the team, communities and podcast homes on the net at the foot, so scroll down!

Whatever Works

Episode 232 - The Judge's Adjournment
Tuesday 7th October

Aidan and I are here with another show in which we sadly pay tribute to Ian Barton, then, as he'd no doubt wish, plough on with another bunch of claptrap in the usual manner - Whatever Works for us and you. This time we have a Hause full of DIY tools, Zero in on Schrödinger's bed bugs, Sponge down HB's lead and gorge on coffee and creamy mash!

The Camera Creations Podcast

Episode 8 - What Do We Do With Our Photos?

Wednesday 8th October

I'm joined by Ian and Chris C this time as time flies away from us, deep in discussion about all sorts of photography-related stuff! We have a long look at the photos which have been taken in the last fortnight by Ian and Chris C, take in the News and Rumours about what's happening out there - and then head for the theme of the show. All good stuff.

The Tech Addicts 2025 Podcast

Season 5, Episode 2 - The Ultimate Price Hike

Sunday 12th October

Gareth and I are back and chatting about Linux issues, the Retroid Pocket Classic plus updates on Honor’s MagicPad 3 Pro and Amazon’s new hardware. Oh, and beware: Xbox Game Pass fans are cancelling their subs due to a price hike! Loads more as always.

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 870 - Scribe Alive!

Monday 13th October

Joe and I are joined this time by Irfan Ali as we find out what software, hardware and services he's been using since his last appearance on the show. Plenty of topics, including Smart Glasses, oodles of phones out of China, News of LineageOS and QPR for Samsung, along with Moto joining the 'thin is in' brigade! Thanks also to Malcolm Bryant for input on WearOS6.

Projector Room

Episode 195 - I Spit on Your Naked Gun
Thursday 16th October

Gareth, Allan and I are back to bring you a couple of hours of all things film, cinema and TV in the usual fashion! This time we're all-in on Hitchcock, dabble with Mexican Morgues, welcome Atomic Steve, Spit on a Grave or two, visit the 70s with Persuaders for Basil's Brush and Meantime we face our Final Destination Bloodlines!

The Tech Addicts 2025 Podcast

Season 5, Episode 3 - ChatGPT for Adult Users

Sunday 19th October

Gareth and I discuss ChatGPT erotica, the expensive Pro-Ject Elvis turntable, Pixel Watch 4 internals, the Samsung Android XR headset and EU rules mandating detachable USB-C cables by 2028. Gareth loves Paperless-Ngx and I slam e-ink!

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 871 - Hello Moto!

Monday 20th October

Joe and I are here with an extra show in which we launch into all things Moto. The Razr 60 Ultra(s) is/are in the house(s), we chat about the Edge 60 Pro, the forthcoming Edge 60 Neo - and still have time to cover Moto buds, their watch and oodles more! We quite like this 'themed' approach. What do you think? We don't forget Classifieds of course.

The Camera Creations Podcast

Episode 9 - Street Photography

Wednesday 22nd October

Ian, Chris C, Chris K and I welcome Charles Winston to the show as we have an in-depth discussion about Street Photography, best gear, ethos, technique and lots more. We also look at everyone's photos from the last fortnight, pick up on news and rumours - and oodles more.

The Tech Addicts 2025 Podcast

Season 5, Episode 4 - Keep Your EV

Sunday 26th October

Gareth and I move from nostalgic and novel to cutting-edge and practical! There’s the world’s first ceramic mechanical PC keyboard, Boox Palma 2 Pro colour E Ink e-reader, a wind-resistant inflatable tent, Samsung Galaxy XR glasses, the controversial use of AI by Channel 4, classic computing with an Amiga and finally, software and workflow with Ted on Google Keep and Gareth on Immich. Loads more as always.

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 872 - Atlantic Airmail!

Monday 27th October

Joe and I are joined this week by Scott Brady from across the pond as we talk about all things mobile phone. Emphasis on Pixel but lots of OnePlus, Honor, Redmi, Realme - and even a bit of Apple! New device launches galore and tons more. Now available in the usual places. POTM winner for September 2025 Chris Clayton.

Projector Room

Episode 196 - Tunnel Tenant
Wednesday 29th October

Gareth, Allan and I are back again with a spooky selection of Halloween-like treats and picks! Frantic Fearless Vampire Killers are on the loose heading for a Final Destination with a Vicious Repulsion! Roman Polanski is our Themed Treats focus and we chat about The Woman in Cabin 10 trying to find The Lost Bus. Loads of picks in Coming Soon as always, so do join us.

The Podcasts (PodHubUK)

Phones Show Chat - Whatever Works - Chewing Gum for the Ears - Projector Room - Tech Addicts - Camera Creations

The MeWe Community Groups (follow the links to join up)
Phones Show Chat - Whatever Works - Chewing Gum for the Ears - Projector Room - PSC Photos - PSC Videos - PSC Classifieds - PSC Health - Coffee Time - Camera Creations - Tech Addicts

The Team
Ted Salmon - Steve Litchfield - Aidan Bell - Gareth Myles - Allan Gildea - Joe Hickey - Chris Clayton - Ian Bundey - Chris Kelly

Rust (2024)

The film now rooted in the Alec Baldwin saga and sad, fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is now available on streaming services. I saw it tonight and it's a pretty decent western. Simple plot, made a little complex by family connections and two young boys at the centre of it.

Two boys are living alone and making do, getting by, after parental support is no longer there. The older one, Lucas, 13, is looking after the younger, Jacob. There's an incident in the town when Jacob is abused by the son of a local farmer. Lucas jumps to his defence and injures the farmer's son, so he can't work the land. The farmer tries to get Lucas to make amends by doing his injured son's work. There follows an accidental shooting (ironically) which ends the farmer's life, Lucas having pulled the trigger. Lucas is thrown in jail for murder, as many people knew what had happened in the town, and set to hang after a trial (which we don't see anything of).

In rides Baldwin's character, Harland Rust, after a brief visit in the jail by Rust's sister, Evelyn, to fix the injustice. He breaks Lucas out of jail and rides off with him, heading to Mexico, while Lucas kicks and screams as he's concerned about what will happen to Jacob. But Rust gives him no choice. As the story progresses we learn more about the family connections and who is who, where they fit in.

Hot in pursuit of the pair to serve justice is a bunch of lawmen and bounty hunters - as there is now a $1,000 price on their heads. So it now turns into a kind of Road Movie on horseback as we stay with the pair of them. They get to bond, into various scrapes with those pursuing them and the now infamous gun-shooting scenes where Hutchins was shot.

As I say, it's a fairly simple plot really - the usual western type stuff with goodies chasing baddies (in this case with a twist), people getting shot and killed left, right and centre in the process as we head to the finale with the outcomes which I won't spoil here. The actor playing Lucas, Patrick Scott McDermott did it well and I'm sure he will have a decent acting future.

It's a good film and I'm glad that they finished making it - there are poignant tributes paid to Halyna Hutchins before the credits roll, accompanied by some appropriately moving music. The cinematography is super - not only the wide open countryside but also dark, often smokey and candlelit interiors where use of light and shadow is excellent.

I wasn't convinced about Baldwin in the role at first! He looked a little out of place in relation to most of the films we're used to seeing him in, but with his character being fatter and older and his now ageing face, I was sold in the end. Just. I could see Clint Eastwood doing it better. Well, when he was younger! The supporting acting is all pretty good. But yes, an enjoyable good old fashioned western and the 2 hours 20 minutes flew by.

Springsteen: Deliver me from Nowhere (2025) - A Guest Review by Chad Dixon

Adapted from the book, Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska by Warren Zanes, this feature film is not technically a biopic as it just covers a very specific short period of the iconic rocker from New Jersey's life in the early 1980's. Fresh from the success of touring his most recent album, The River, 32 year old Bruce (Jeremy Allen White), has entered a period of soul-searching as it seems dark memories from his past seems to be playing heavily on his mind and he begins to retreat from the limelight.

He decides to rent a house by a lake in the country near his home town in New Jersey to explore these thoughts alone and see if they lead to anything constructive that he can channel into a new album. Even his good friend and Record Producer, Jon Landau (Jeremy Strong), can't seem to convince him that the incredible momentum gained from the previous release shouldn't be squandered right now. Bruce is adamant and orders a home four-track mixing desk (the Tascam Portastudio 144), that records only to cassette and with just a couple of guitars and a harmonica, he gets down to it.

The film actually starts in 1956, Freehold, New Jersey, where Bruce is 7 years old. Living in a modest house with his sister, Virginia, and working class parents - loving and supportive mother, Adele (Gaby Hoffmann) and troubled and alcoholic father, Douglas (Stephen Graham). It's clear that the strained relationship he has with his father is the darkness descending on the 32 year-old Springsteen. Periodic flashbacks (shown in black & white) of those days of his youth peppers the film as the adult Bruce desperately uses this time alone to cathartically work out his demons and create a very personal body of work.

Early on, we see a live on-stage performance of Born to Run with the East Street Band. In this scene and throughout, Jeremy's embodiment of the thirty-something Springsteen's persona is very impressive, doing all the singing and playing himself. Strong, however, is also excellent as the ever supportive Landau, assertively fighting off pressure from Al Teller (David Krumholtz), a pushy Columbia Records executive who is constantly criticising the Nebraska album project for being very uncharacteristic for what Springsteen has been acclaimed for up till then.

I wasn't to sure about the sub plot of the on/off romantic relationship with the sister of one his old high school buddies. Faye (Odessa Young), who he meets after one of his impromptu gigs with an unnamed local band. This didn't add much to the story and seemed like just filler in the 1 hour 59 minute runtime. I would have much rather seen more scenes with the band and in the recording studio. I also noted that although the film spans a number of months, it always seems to be Autumn, as the colours are constantly prominent by the lakeside house.

There's a couple of main takeaways here. I think the viewer has the be a fan of Springsteen and the process of creating music in general, as the core of the film concentrates a lot on using that Tascam Portastudio 144 to lay down those tracks. However, because I was a bit of a cassette recording fan in the 80s, all the analog tech used here brought back a lot of lovely nostalgia - the sound of 'play' buttons clicking on and gain-level needles flicking from left to right. Scott Cooper's direction perfectly captures the mood of Bruce's life at this time and overall, although a little slow in pace, was for me, a satisfying watch.

King & Conqueror (2025) - A Guest Review by Chad Dixon

This is an 8-part TV historical drama, co-produced by many companies including RVK Studios, Iceland and the BBC - and is currently on the BBC iPlayer. I use the term, Historical advisedly here, as they really do play fast and loose with both the facts and timeline! Covering an actual period of about 24 years from 1042 to the iconic year of 1066, this story mainly covers the interactions between three powerful families. The Houses of Wessex, Godwin and Normandy but does involve other strong noble families within England and France.

As always in the early Middle Ages, there was a power struggle for control of the English Crown. The death of Harthacanute, the last Viking born King of these isles, leaves a vacant throne. The strong-willed widow of the previous English-born King, Emma of Normandy, played deliciously by Juliet Stevenson, is determined to get her Son, Edward the Confessor (Eddie Marsan), to become the next monarch. The major noble families are generally happy with this choice - even if Edward does come across as weak and preoccupied with the voices in his head, that he insists are directly from God.

The most prominent of the nobles are the Godwin's, of which the middle Son is Harold (James Norton). His younger sister Gunhild (Bo Bragason), is Queen to Edward and although young, seems to be getting the measure of her dominating mother-in-law. Meanwhile, across the channel, Emma's great nephew, William (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), is in a fierce disagreement with King Henry of France about how much influence the French crown should have over Normandy.

This is a pretty lavish production that wouldn't look amiss on the big screen. Period costume and weapon technology look pretty authentic. The limited indoor locations seem fairly modest but enough in order to keep the story moving along during the frequent and longish expositions scenes. The main characters were accompanied well by a solid group of supporting performances, especially from Emily Beecham as Harold's beloved Wife and Clémence Poésy as William's Spouse, The Duchess of Normandy. Her ever-charming but constantly interfering Father, Baldwin of Flanders (Oliver Masucci), should get a special mention for his excellent low-level Machiavellian exploits to undermine her and William.

The multiple skirmishes, other battles and the monumental clash on the field at Hastings are definitely what stands out in this production - with authentic-looking combat sequences that were extremely bloody with many realistic wounding scenes. Not for the faint-hearted but after other recent popular sword-and-shield drama series' like The Vikings and Game of Thrones, that raw content would be conspicuous if absent.

The script is very expository but in spite of that, all the performances are situationally believable. The chemistry between the leads, who actually did historically meet a couple of times before the legendary 1066 clash, are strong and carry along the narrative well. I can even forgive that Harold never seemed to have a clean face, even during his own coronation - and the moustached William looked like a time travelled 1970's Dad! Thought this series feels about two episodes too long, the attrition builds quite steadily. Due to constant power struggles, the relationship between these once-amicable distant relatives slowly deteriorates to produce total mortal enemies.

Motorola Edge 60 Neo

The Edge 50 Neo was my Phone of the Year for 2024 and very often my SIM Card finds its way back to the unit. So many reasons to love it which you can read about in my full review here on my Blog from October of that year. Because of this (and my love for all things Moto) I've been really looking forward to this updated version. If you read that review, you might wonder how on earth they could impress me with any changes. But I'm looking at specs now to find out...

Usually at the end of my phone reviews I'll do a recommended/not recommended with certain caveats or ways in which it could be better. The review of the Edge 50 Neo is notable for not having any of that at the end, it was such a well-rounded device with everything I could possibly want. So more the fear now will be whether or not they are going to take anything away from my apparently perfect phone!

So let's scout through the specs at GSMArena in the usual way and see what we can pick up. I guess Gorilla Glass 3 on the front could have been a more robust version and sure enough, Gorilla Glass 7i has been added to the 60 instead, which should make for less chance of scratching/breaking on impact (though my carefully-used 50 has none of that, 18 months on). The IP6/8 on the 50 has been upped to include IP6/9 for 'high pressure water in industrial environments' and MIL-STD-810H compliance retained.

I'm delighted to see that they haven't followed the general trend in making the phone bigger as it retains the dinky 6.36" screen. With the exact same dimensions it's a truly pocketable, one-handed phone, for those who have good eyes still (or happy to wear glasses when needed if they're old and knackered like mine)! The lovely P-OLED panel looks to be the exact same with optical, under-glass fingerprint scanner. The specs also show that it has an LTPO display still with AoD which was a bit of a worry for me, given that they supplied the 'global' Edge 60 Pro with a non-LTPO display and only people in India could get the LTPO version.

Being released in autumn 2025 it would have certainly been nice to see it arrive with Android 16 instead of 15, but with Android kinda plateauing out largely these days and the promise of 5 OS updates retained this time, it's not such a worry really. Still wonder what Moto are going to do with M3E (if anything) on their HelloUI on top of Android.

The chipset has been upgraded from the Mediatek Dimensity 7300 (4nm) to 7400 (4nm). If there was one area where an increase in performance could have been implemented, maybe this was it - but in my review of the 50 I also noted that for most people, almost all of the time, it was just fine. The slowdown I noted was during heavier data-copying tasks, but not at all day-to-day stuff. The 7400 was used in this year's Edge 60 (well, the Indian one anyway) and yes, it's an incremental update and I shall be keen to see the difference in real-world use.

The internal storage options are much the same from 128GB/8GB to 512GB/12GB depending on region for availability I guess. My 50 is 256GB/8GB and it seems to hit the sweet spot there, having no trouble running multiple tasks and even driving Smart Connect regularly. One tech-spec that is different though is that the storage on the new 60 is uMCP instead of UFS 2.2. What difference this makes, it seems, relies on a whole bunch of different factors which one needs to be a tech-head to understand and follower on benchmark tests! I'm perfectly confident that this will not cause a huge issue for Joe Public.

I expect Smart Connect to be exact same as all the Moto phones now, not wired, but wireless now works perfectly well given a decent home network.

The battery is something of note as the 50, with stonkingly good performance in this respect in my findings from its 4,310mAh unit has been usurped by a 5,200mAh unit in the 60. I can only imagine that this will take the 50 experience of a good two days to a 60 one of a good long weekend! From what I can uncover online, this battery is Lithium-ion still rather than Silicon-carbon, used in the upcoming Edge 70 by Moto and other OEMs far-east. The 68W wired and 15W wireless Qi charging have both been retained but I'm guessing now that there's not going to be a charger in the box! Maybe in some regions they will retain that practice.

The stereo speakers on the 50 were just great and my guess is that they will be just the same on this 60. Yes, they could be better, but again, for most people, most of the time for most uses they are very good and punch above their weight. There's only so far that an OEM can go with physics in a tiny little phone like this. Bluetooth has been upped from 5.3 to 5.4 but I guess that's really not hugely significant.

For those wanting to use cameras in their phones, it looks like the setup is identical in the 60 to the 50 to me, so check out my above-linked review for thoughts on the 50MP f1.8 main shooter with OIS, 10MP f2 3x optical zoom with OIS, 13MP f2.2 wide-angle with Macro AF and 32MP f2.4 Selfie - as it looks like it'll all be the same findings.

And that's about it really. Certainly an evolutionary, iterative update - but one which I shall be ordering on Day 1 for myself, not waiting for Moto PR to send a review unit! And the icing on the cake, for me, is that it's still going to be available in Pantone's Poinciana, the lovely red colour that my 50 has. The other colours are going to be Latte, Frostbite and Grisaille - no Nautical Blue and Mocha Mousse gone. Looks like it's going to be the same £399 release price, which will, no doubt, within months, be right down to £299 (if not £249). So those with an ounce of sense (not me) will, of course, bide their time!

Photos courtesy of GSMArena - do go and support them - check out all their coverage, spec-sheets and reviews on all sorts of phones, with decades of data.