Thriller
Pig Review
Whoever said ‘You catch more flies with honey than vinegar’ (a honey salesman, probably) was surely referring to Nicolas Cage’s arc in Michael Sarnoski’s directorial debut Pig. Marketed (wrongly, or perhaps sneakily) as a swiney John Wick, this is a film that shows its subject as much tenderness and care as Cage’s character shows every ingredient he uses in its grand finale. For those expect...
Coming Home in the Dark Review
COMING HOME IN THE DARK is the first feature length film from emerging director James Ashcroft. It’s mostly based on a short story by Owen Marshall. The film is deeply set in New Zealand. From the landscape to the accents, there’s a real feeling of location throughout. The film tells the story of a family on a road trip through beautiful New Zealand. Hoagie (Erik Thomson) and Jill (Miriama McDowe...
Candyman Review
CANDYMAN is phenomenal. It’s confronting. Bloody, creative. It’s a wonderful mix of horror, melodrama, and comedy. I’m used to horror being either a fun, schlocky kill fest. Or a cerebral tale, filled with symbolism, and ultimately a social commentary. CANDYMAN is both. Now, CANDYMAN had some big shoes to fill. The original ‘Candyman’, released in 1992, is one of my favourite horror films. I wat...
Reminiscence Review
REMINISCENCE is set in a near-future Miami, that is a dying, semi-flooded city. The United States is in political and economic trouble, with corruption being an everyday reality. The poor are struggling, and the rich have bought-up the best places to live, literally known as the Dry Lands. Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman) is an investigator who helps clients find missing objects and remember importan...
The Ice Road Review
Liam Neeson is on thin ice as he attempts to rescue miners trapped in a diamond mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories after a curiously preventable explosion causes the mine to collapse. He and his small entourage have just 30 hours before the oxygen supply is depleted to deliver a wellhead and enable the miners’ escape. The passage is precarious though – they must traverse The Ice Road (a ...
Old Review
I don’t think M. Night Shyamalan understands what people actually liked about The Sixth Sense and it seems like no one’s bothered explaining it to him in 20 years. I say this as someone who still has not seen Split (I’ve heard it’s the exception to the rule that has plagued the better part of two decades of his filmography) but who has developed a great fatigue for Shyamalan’s perception of his ow...
Black Widow Review
It’s been over 10 years since Natasha Romanoff first appeared kicking Tony Stark’s butt in the boxing ring in Iron Man 2 (2010). They’ve had a decade to craft her story, so how does it stand up in the franchise? With little more than passing comments hinting at her dark past in previous Marvel flicks, BLACK WIDOW is one of the stand alone Avenger flicks I was most excited to see....
Fast & Furious 9 Review
Cipher enlists the help of Jakob, Dom’s younger brother to take revenge on Dom and his team.
Army of the Dead Review
After a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, the city is walled off and abandoned to the undead. While the displaced citizens hunker in rundown refugee camps outside the perimeter wall, a veritable army of the dead throngs the Strip. Not to worry, though: a quick tactical nuke will soon be taking care of the problem. That is rather inconvenient for billionaire Bly Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada), as he has $200...
A Quiet Place Part II Review
I don’t appreciate jump scares, Mr Krasinski. I expected as much from A Quiet Place: Part II, but there is still much to like about this sequel to the very successful 2018 monster feature that created a silence in the cinema I hadn’t experienced since seeing The Strangers by myself. Would this new installment garner the same shut-the-hell-upness among its audience? Mostly yes. Part II opens ...
Spiral: From the Book of Saw Review
The SAW movie franchise was the horror hit of the ‘noughties. From 2004 to 2010, seven movies were released. This was an annual gift to fans who loyally visited the cinema to follow the punishing machinations of John Kramer, the serial killer known as Jigsaw. In 2013, the eighth film, JIGSAW was released. Now, in 2021, we have been delivered the ninth instalment, SPIRAL: FROM THE BOOK OF SAW. Mov...
Those Who Wish Me Dead Review
Those Who Wish Me Dead is the new feature from Taylor Sheridan, who knocked it out of the park with his screenplays for Sicario, Hell or High Water and Wind River (the latter of which he also directed.) It stars Jon Bernthal, Aidan Gillen, Nicholas Hoult and a little lady (you probably haven’t heard of her) called Angelina Jolie. From the trailer I was expecting a Hollywood rendition of Firewatch ...