Latest news with #JohnFranklin
Tom's Guide
11-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Netflix is losing a psychological thriller series that will keep you guessing — watch it now before it's too late
'The Terror' is one of several shows leaving Netflix this month as the streamer's deal with AMC comes to an end after just one year. I wrote about 'The Terror' when it was added to Netflix back in August 2024, and it only feels right to cover its departure especially since this dark thriller unfortunately never even cracked the top 10. Its lack of attention is likely because 'The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live' and the critically acclaimed 'Dark Winds' generated much more hype when several AMC shows landed on the platform around the same time. Still, I hope some viewers will find the time to stream 'The Terror' before it leaves on August 19, because this dark thriller is truly chilling. It's actually one of my favorite shows of all time, thanks to its gripping narrative, haunting sound design, and unforgettable performances that will stay with you for days. So, here's why you should binge all 10 episodes of 'The Terror' before it leaves Netflix U.S. next week. 'The Terror' is an anthology series, with season 1 serving as a chilling historical thriller inspired by the true story of the 1845 British Royal Navy expedition led by Sir John Franklin (Ciarán Hinds). The mission's goal was to discover the Northwest Passage, a shortcut through the Arctic, but the two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, become trapped in the unforgiving ice. As supplies dwindle and hope fades, the crew faces not only the brutal Arctic environment but also a series of terrifying and mysterious events. Amidst the creeping cold and endless white landscape, an unknown supernatural predator stalks the men, feeding on their fears and paranoia. Tensions rise as the crew confronts starvation, scurvy and mutiny, while supernatural forces blur the lines between reality and nightmare. Season 2, titled 'The Terror: Infamy,' shifts to World War II-era America, focusing on a Japanese-American community facing fear, prejudice, and mysterious supernatural forces during their forced internment. This season unfortunately never came to Netflix but it's still worth watching once you've finished season 1. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. 'The Terror' is one of the very few shows that made me feel genuinely off. When I say 'off,' I mean physically and emotionally uncomfortable even hours after finishing an episode, because somehow this show managed to get under my skin. That's a serious feat, especially since I love all things horror (and most horror doesn't scare me anymore). That's why I admire this dark thriller so much. 'The Terror' doesn't just focus on sending chills down your spine either, as it makes you care about the flawed characters and their fate. It's equal parts character drama and psychological thriller, with enough mystery to keep you hooked even when the darker horror elements take a backseat. Season 1 showrunner David Kajganich created a truly frightening tale, using unnerving sound design and the harsh Arctic environment to make this an isolating watch. It's all the more haunting knowing it's loosely based on a true story (minus the supernatural storyline). If you're expecting a grand finale, I would suggest lowering your expectations, because this thriller thrives on its somber tone. Much of the worst suffering happens away from the camera. Like the real-life explorers it's based on, we can only imagine the agony they endured in their final moments, and leaving that to the viewer's imagination somehow makes it even more haunting. Most of all, the show builds a slow, persistent feeling of dread that isn't quick to go away. I say this as a compliment: knowing what lies ahead, I'm not sure I could have made it through all 10 episodes on a second watch. Yet, the first time I started, I was completely captivated and couldn't stop watching. It truly is an incredible piece of TV. I'm not the only one who thinks so, considering 'The Terror' season 1 has 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's critics consensus reading: 'A thriller wrapped in a prestige drama package, The Terror makes for gripping, atmospheric supernatural horror.' Given this is an anthology series, I'd still recommend watching every season. Season 2 isn't as strong when it comes to storytelling, but it's still creepy and compelling. Rotten Tomatoes describes it as 'an exceptionally well-crafted ghost story that creeps under the skin and stays there.' Plus, the upcoming release of 'The Terror: Devil in Silver,' makes now the perfect time to dive into the series. The third season, based on Victor LaValle's novel, follows Pepper (Dan Stevens), a man wrongfully committed to a psychiatric hospital, where he confronts both inner demons and a malevolent force thriving on suffering. Remember, you only have one week to stream all 10 episodes of 'The Terror' season 1 on Netflix before it leaves on August 19. After that, you can stream season 2 on AMC Plus. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
ABC News
07-08-2025
- General
- ABC News
Donated 80-year-old letters from home to POW fill a gap in the Australian War Memorial's collection
For almost three years, John Franklin's family wrote him letters, not knowing if he was dead or alive. After the private in the Australian Army became a Japanese prisoner of war during WW2, his family back home in Bowral, NSW, refused to give up hope that their beloved boy would come home. Now, 80 years after they were written, 31 letters and telegrams sent by the Franklin family have been donated to the Australian War Memorial (AWM). Mr Franklin's niece, Rae-Maree Curtis, said she talked about the war with her uncle but only read the letters after his death. She has kept reading them for the 13 years they have been in her possession, and they still bring her to tears. "The letters reveal the agony of war," she said. The earliest letter to John was written by his father William in 1942, with no certainty that his son was alive, yet he apologised for missing John's birthday and suggested celebrating another time. "Every time I'm knitting a pair of socks I think of you, and I know you haven't any," his mother wrote in another letter. In 1943, the Japanese limited all telegrams to just 25 words. The Franklin family tried to condense all family news into fewer and fewer words. Private Franklin was one of around 2,500 out of more than 20,000 Australian POWs taken by the Japanese back to Japan to keep industry operating during the war. He worked in the Kawasaki shipbuilding factory — now better known for motorcycles — and coal mines. Around one-third of the total letters sent by the family made it to Private Franklin because the Japanese blocked correspondence and would not send the others on. Finally, in 1945, the family received a letter from John. "I feel as though I've been born and am starting life all over again. I feel pretty guilty for the worry I must have caused you, but everything is OK now. Don't try and send money or anything — but I'd give a fortune for a letter … I wish you could see me here puffing on a big cigar after a snack of donuts and coffee," he wrote. AWM director Matt Anderson said reading the letters was like "eavesdropping on an intensely personal relationship". "Through this gift — through these stories — he's telling the story of a prisoner … but through these stories he's reminding us to think of all of them — their hopes and dreams and what became of them when they came home." Mr Anderson said it was "very unusual" to have letters from family members to prisoners during the war. "Often, if soldiers kept a diary, they had to keep that diary hidden," he said. He was struck by the economy of words in the letters. "What would you say if you had 25 words to convey to your family everything you want to tell them?" he said. "They're a time capsule. "The most important thing we can do is to preserve them from this point onwards." The letters will now go through a process of conservation, curation, preservation, and digitisation as they are added to the AWM's private records collection. Curator Bryce Abraham is not aware of any other letters in the collection relating to soldiers at the Kawasaki factory. "It's really quite unique."
Winnipeg Free Press
12-06-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Gallery: Hudson's Bay Company artifacts at the Manitoba Museum
In better times, the Hudson's Bay Company made significant cultural donations, including more than 20,000 artifacts to the Manitoba Museum. The most famous is the 16-metre replica of the Nonsuch, the ketch that sailed into Hudson Bay in 1668-69, commissioned by HBC to celebrate its tercentenary in 1970. The museum's collection also includes brass tokens used as currency in the fur trade, a Plains hide dress and birch-bark canoe, and an array of other Indigenous and colonial objects related to navigation, exploration, retail and trade. Amelia Fay, Curator of Anthropology and the HBC Museum Collection at the Manitoba Museum, shows paintings that would have been on display in stores. Here's a small selection of items included in the massive collection. Branded items that would have been sold in the stores. Branded items that would have been sold in the stores. Late 19th or early 20th century beaded wall pocket, unrecorded Anishinaabe artist. Early 20th century Siberian wall pocket made from sealskin, unrecorded artist. Desk calendar, reportedly left at Fort Chipewyan by Sir John Franklin. Very large items sit covered in an alcove of the the HBC collections lab. There are drawers full of HBC blankets and sashes. Late 19th century binoculars owned by George Simpson McTavish Jr. Early 20th century beaded bible bag, given to George Fowlie in York Factory, unrecorded artist A beam scale from 1838, likely used at York Factory. Late 19th century copper trade kettle, a popular trade good brought in by HBC. The collection includes many handmade items of clothing. A beaded Bandolier. 1970s HBC blanket coat with fur trim.
Telegraph
22-02-2025
- Telegraph
The secret to visiting the most enigmatic region on Earth
In September 2024, Le Commandant Charcot, bearing a complement of excited passengers, nudged through pack-ice to become the first cruiseship to reach the North Pole of Inaccessibility, the remotest point in the Arctic Ocean from land. Three days later, she reached the geographic North Pole. That they penetrated so far in five-star luxury, a far cry from the hardships endured by explorers such as Roald Amundsen and Sir John Franklin, might diminish the Arctic's chiselled aura of remoteness. As do rising sea temperatures, which are reshaping its geography and accessibility. By 2024 the Arctic Ocean's sea-ice coverage had reached a historic low by extent. Yet this evolution of the icescapes and wild tundra above the Arctic Circle – outside of out-of-bounds Russia, which encompasses half the region – have opened new doors to opportunities to explore it. Just a few decades ago, the centre of attention was Sweden's Icehotel, first conceived in 1989, and a Christmas wishlist to visit Santa in Lapland. Now, there are wildlife cruises to see polar bears in the increasingly popular Svalbard archipelago and Astro-tourism is booming, driven by the sunspot phenomena Solar Cycle 25, which will yield wondrous northern lights sightings well into winter 2025/26. You can dogsled with the Inuit and learn their secrets of survival – ' coolcations ' also offer ever more unique and remote accommodation immersed in the wilderness.
