TV & Streaming

COMING soon to Net ix is a new dark fantasy series with a huge budget of $165 million – called e Sandman, it comes from mind of Neil Gaiman, the writer behind American Gods, Good Omens and many others, and the new series has a seriously huge budget.

If there’s one thing that Net ix does well, it’s helping you escape into another world.

From e Witcher to Sabrina, the streaming service knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat and in between realms.

Now, e Sandman looks set to be no exception, and the highly anticipated 2022 release has the budget to back it up.

Based on the bestselling Neil Gaiman comic book series created for DC, the story centres on the immortal embodiment of people’s dreams – and we’ll give you one guess what his name is...

Morpheus. Bet you didn’t see that one coming, right?

He’s also called the Sandman but we think his given name is way more fun.

DC Comics explains that the story centres on a ‘vast hallucinatory landscape housing all the dreams of any and everyone who’s ever existed’. It continues: “Regardless of cultures or historical eras, all dreamers visit Morpheus’ realm – be they gods, demons, muses, mythical creatures or simply humans who teach Morpheus some surprising lesson.” e series is sure to thrill fans, with a typical Gaimanesque premise of a magical gure having more than a few aws. Or, as a synopsis for the series reads: “ e Lord of Dreams has been summoned, and captured, by mortal men. Once free from his captivity, this eternal ruler of Dreams will realise that his troubles are only just beginning.”

And if those troubles were money-related we certainly see why, because the series budget was $165 million.

Still, the cost is a small price to pay if the series is as successful as other fantasy stories on the platform, with e Witcher reaching 76 million households in its rst few weeks, as Digital Spy reports.

And, in comparison, e Witcher had about half the budget of e Sandman, at $70-80 million for the rst season.

e new series set to star Tom Sturridge as the Sandman, Gwendolyn Christie as Lucifer, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Asim

Chaudhry as Cain and Abel.

Writer Gaiman is also determined to keep you entertained throughout the series, with the writer explaining that each episode is as varied as the characters.

“You watch Episode 1 and think, ‘Oh, I get this thing: it’s like Downton Abbey, but with magic,” he told Empire.

“ en you’ll be wondering, ‘What the hell is this?’ by Episode 2, when you’re meeting Gregory e Gargoyle in e Dreaming. Episode 5 is about as dark and traumatic as anything is ever gonna get, then you’ve got Episode 6, which is probably the most feelgood of all the episodes.”

New dark fantasy has biggest ever budget

Finance crisis sees Meghan Markle dropped

AS we reported last week, Net ix has been having a tough time nancially. eir stock prices are falling to a new low, and subscribers are rapidly leaving the streaming service due to a sharp hike in subscription prices and dwindling quality of content, prompting the streamer to cancel some shows and lms to save costs. Meghan Markle’s animated series Pearl happens to be one of them.

Founded by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Archewell Productions announced Pearl last year, where Markle would serve as executive producer.

e series would revolve around the escapades of a 12-year-old girl whose journey is inspired by the stories of various women in history.

Markle had previously said: “Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges”, where the series was meant to celebrate “extraordinary women throughout history”.

While Net ix has cancelled Pearl, they are continuing their partnership with Archewell Productions on the documentary series Heart Of Invictus, focusing on the injured veterans competing in the Invictus Games in e Hague this year.

Besides Pearl, the streamer has also cancelled other animated children’s series like Boons and Curses and Dino Daycare. e streaming service saw a sharp fall in subscribers in April 2021 and is anticipating two million other subscribers to quit their subscriptions by July 2022. is has led to a $50 billion decrease in Net ix’s market value, causing the streamer various problems.

After a successful 2021 with shows like Squid Game generating massive revenue, Net ix’s ambition for expansion grew exponentially. ey began investing in creating more content to tap other demographics, including subscribers in India and Africa.

However, the streamer’s decision to increase subscription prices in the United States, Ireland, the UK, Canada and Australia has proved to be detrimental. It led to a massive loss in the subscriber base who are now moving to other competitive streaming services like Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu, etc.

Net ix has recently laid o writers and journalists from its editorial fan site Tudum owing to the website’s nancial loss in the rst quarter, aiming to curtail nances.

5

super movies to watch right now on Netflix

A psychological thriller from 2020 that dives deep into the surreal. I’m inking of Ending ings de nitely won’t be for everyone, but it connects you to the frustrations of the young woman (Jessie Buckley) at its heart, who grapples with breaking o` her seven- week-relationship with her boyfriend Jake (Jesse Plemons). While it overstays its welcome a little, I’m inking of Ending ings always keeps you on your toes, with atmospheric cinematography and strong performances from Toni Collette and David ewlis as Jake’s fairly odd parents. Fans of director-writer Charlie Kaufman will be pleased.

Two movies named e Call came out in 2020. Watch the South Korean one, a time travel thriller revolving around, yep, a phone call. Twenty-eight-year-old Seo- yeon nds a phone buried in a closet in her childhood home. It rings -- and the caller, it turns out, is living in the same house 20 years earlier. Twists right up to the nal moment, plus a wild cat-and- mouse chase that alters the past and present make this a must-watch.

is taut 2018 thriller set in the remote Scottish Highlands is far from an idyllic getaway. Prepare for a full-on nerve-wringing nightmare that its protagonists are desperate to wake up from. Vaughn and Marcus set out on a lads’ weekend hunting trip, but after a night of drinking, they nd themselves facing events they never could have planned for. Calibre lives up to its name, delivering a slick package of grim, gripping drama. Let the full force of this one wallop you.

e fth lm on Angelina Jolie’s directing CV turned out to be her best. Based on Cambodian author and human rights activist Loung Ung’s memoir, the 2017 biographical thriller recounts the horrors Ung su ered as a child under the rule of the deadly Khmer Rouge. With an empathetic lens framing a shocking story from the perspective of a child, First ey Killed My Father is a unique war movie made with control and nesse.

If you’ve had a bad day, this might be the movie for you. When the police refuse to help with a robbery, nursing assistant Ruth and her weird neighbour Tony take matters into their own hands. e 2017 I Don’t Feel at Home in is World Anymore spots the idiosyncrasies of everyday life, before escalating its story into dark places with even darker humour. With a touch of Coen Brothers’ air, its perfectly packed 96 minutes will leave you surprisingly emotional.

The Civil War in Kilkenny 25th April to May 03rd 1922

The opening salvos of the Civil War had yet to be red. is did not happen until June 28TH 1922, when the Four Courts in Dublin was bombarded by the National Army. ere was military activity in Kilkenny in the last week in April when a large force of Army Executive invaded the city on the Monday night April 25th into Tuesday morning. e citizens were greatly perturbed to nd that these forces had taken possession of business and strategic positions throughout the city. Business however continued as usual, people began to gather at an early stage to discuss the situation that had arisen. ere was great activity on the part of the invading force. Young men visited various shops commandeering food supplies, cooking utensils, sacks to be used as sand bags, mattresses etc., and were conveyed by lorry to the various premises occupied by them. is was the rst indication the public had, that the invaders planned a prolonged stay. It was understood the invading force were made up of various panels from Tipperary, Waterford and Kilkenny. Many of the young men came from Kilkenny city itself. What was it all about was the question passing through the minds of the citizens. Whatever was going to happen would happen at 9 o’clock that evening. e stage being set, developments were not long delayed. At least twelve buildings were occupied by the Executive forces by the early hours of Tuesday morning. e workhouse, the Imperial Hotel, Arthur J.Wilsdon’s premises. e Working men’s club in Kieran Street, the Belfry and Round Tower of St Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny Castle, John O’Rourke’s premises in Green Street, Mr John Lacey’s residence at Greens bridge. City Hall, e forge at St Canice’s steps, and the Police barracks in Parliament and John Street.

PREMISES TAKEN OVER

Shortly after 11 0’clock a party of regular soldiers from the Military Barracks marched in the direction of Greens bridge and were soon in action. e rst position of the occupying force to be attacked was the residence of Mr John Lacey of Greens bridge. is house to which a licensed bar is attached was recently purchased for a big price from John Kerwick of the Parade by John Cleere of Johns Quay who intended to open the grocery and licensed business there. Without much ado the attack was opened, it did not last very long but such was the intensity of the ring the outside of the house was dotted with bullet marks. e interior also showed evidence of considerable

damage from ri e re. e position was made so hot for the occupants that they surrendered in quick time. ey were then made prisoners and taken to the military barracks. e regulars then proceeded to dislodge the occupants of Mr. O’Rourke’s premises at the other side of the bridge. A machine gun was placed in position on Greens bridge and trained on the premises, and almost immediately the place was surrendered and the occupants taken prisoners. After a lull of about an hour, ring between the rival forces was resumed at about 6.30 on Tuesday evening and was continued with great intensity up to about 10.30. During the evening the Executive forces evacuated the City Hall. On resumption of operations regular soldiers attacked John Street Barracks and after a brief but erce encounter the barracks was surrounded and the occupants taken prisoners. Earlier in the afternoon a regular soldier was wounded in the face, a second regular In early May 1922, nearly two months prior to the official beginning of the Civil was wounded during the John street attack by a sniper. War, Kilkenny anti-Treaty IRA units took over 15 buildings in Kilkenny City, During Tuesday night or early Wednesday, Parliament most notably St Canice’s Cathedral and Kilkenny Castle. Barracks , St. Francis Abbey Brewery, and the Workhouse building were evacuated by Over the next three weeks,The Kilkenny Observer in conjunction with Cois Executive troops. Many of them succeeded in gaining Céim take a closer look at events of the time entrance to the Castle and their comrades. Practically every vantage point around the city was occupied by forces from G.H.Q. and there was considerable sniping including St. Canices’ Tower. Now a ri e shot resounded from the Tower then an answering volley from another point. is continued for hours with an occasional burst of machine gun re. It was reported on Wednesday that a young Kilkenny lady occupied a position as a sniper. On Wednesday an incident occurred in High Street, when three young ladies, members of Cumann na mBan were held up by two soldiers as they entered the General Post O ce. ey were escorted into the Post O ce and detained for some time. About to be searched and questioned an o cer gave the order for their release. e ladies were Miss Una Egan, Miss Stallard, and Miss Dooley.

Part two of e Civil War in Kilkenny continues next week

A 1922 photograph of Cleere’s Bar on John Bridge shows owner Joh Cleere and his son John Jnr Armoured car ready for action at Kilkenny Military Barracks A photograph of Cleeres Bar on Greens Bridge

During the fighting, the Executive forces evacuated the City Hall. On resumption of operations regular soldiers attacked John Street Barracks and a er a brief but fierce encounter the barracks was surrounded and the occupants taken prisoners

A pidgeon that insisted on getting its photo taken

The Gleeson family Andy Bateman Trish Rhatigan

Eamon Doran