Reviews

The Fall Guy is a blast.

Although it is undoubtedly too long that's pretty much it's only downside.

Aside from some weird choices like the hallucinations!

Other than that the stunts are great the message to the academy that an Oscars for stunts is needed is hammered home and the humour is pretty much spot on for a film of this kind.

Ryan Gosling is perfectly cast and Emily Blunt can portray feelings with just a look as a great actor should.

The supporting cast all do their best and the post movie credits give the stunt team their time in the sun.

This is a movie for everyone, it's easy to follow and just pure fun.

Mad Max: Fury Road gets a high score because it's one of the greatest modern action movies.

The stunts are breathtaking, the CGI highly rendered and the acting strong.

The story is very simple which is why I didn't quite give it a 10 but this film is mainly about the action scenes. And what scenes they are!

The film starts with a long non stop action sequence that sets up the story through short flashbacks, weird baddies and an attempted escape by Max and a daring attempt to get away by Furiosa that leads to the main story brilliantly.

The editing is superb, the colours vibrant when needed and beautifully blue and dark at other times which raises the atmosphere amazingly well.

This is an action movie that's gorgeous at all times.

The costume department must have had their greatest job ever designing the outfits which are over the top and so right for the theme of the film.

This is an action packed modern classic.

Abigail is a film that entertains and offers a lot of blood and some humour.

However it does have a few flaws and some well worn horror tropes.

It doesn't reinvent vampires at all but there's nothing really wrong with that other than there's nothing new here.

Radio Silence gave us great splatter with the excellent Ready or Not and lot of that similar gore is used here, many times.

The jump scares don't really work and I wouldn't say this was a scary movie but it's a fun thriller to watch and switch your brain off with.

There's nothing that really keeps you guessing and there's a long build up to the reveal of Abigail being a vampire which is a bit daft because it's literally on the poster.

I remember watching from Dusk till Dawn and being blindsided by the vampire twist!

Back then it really worked.

But there's just too much information available about many films these days and they should have kept it under wraps a bit more because the build up has no tension.

But despite all that it's still worth a watch.

Lamb is an outstanding Icelandic film about a farming couple who are grieving the loss of a child.

The quiet pair are living with the sadness and still performing their work as a way to keep going.

Birthing Lambs is something they regularly carry out but one day something else is born from one of these lambs.

It's hard to explain any of the plot without giving things away so I'll just outline why this is a good film.

The acting is sincere and at times unsettling as you don't know what's actually going on or going to happen!

This is a unique and weird movie but all the better for it.

It's great that A24 are getting these sort of films more eyes on.

Not for everybody but if you just go with it this is a very well done film and for me it's something I would recommend to most.

Severance is a science fiction thriller series that certainly for me ranks amongst the best shows I've ever seen.

Acting wise this show is pretty much perfect, all characters get their chance in the spotlight and all have stories I want to know more of.

This show keeps you guessing and reveals just enough to keep you hooked and not frustrated.

Some sci fi programmes are way to vague in a bad way that just stretches the show out to fill time.

Severance doesn't ever feel like that and I hope season 2 is as breezy with its pacing.

The first couple of episodes are maybe a tad repetitive but I get that it's all to set up the innies world.

But never mind that, this show is seriously top notch and deserves a wide audience.

I'm eagerly awaiting series 2.

Infested is a brilliant film.

From a first time director it's a fun and tense little horror movie.

Definitely not one for real arachnophobia sufferers. There's a LOT of spiders in this movie.

Some real nasty ones.

The setting of a French housing project gives a grim atmosphere throughout the movie and the spiders thrive in this environment.

There's a bit of personal drama between Kaleb, his sister and his friend Jordy.

And this adds a little bit of heart to the story.

All the characters are one's we care about.

Despite Kaleb's misguided purchase of a very deadly spider that kicks things off.

There's plenty of jumpy moments of fun and spidery chases and tense walk throughs of 8 legged crawlies hanging on walls and ceilings.

Whilst there's nothing really groundbreaking here it's a well done thriller that keeps you hooked.

The ending battle was for me a little weak but overall this is a must see for any horror fans.

It's a good bit of entertainment.

Exhuma was a movie I was looking forward to seeing and had avoided learning anything about before I saw it.

I was mainly hopeful because of the cast.

It starts pretty strongly with a feeling of class from the acting to the production values.

The story wasn't clear at first but then I got my hopes up as the first grave is dug up.

However this part of the story seems to be wrapped up quite quickly with the cremation scene and it then delves into Korean and Japanese history with strong anti Japanese feeling.

Now I'm not familiar with the history of these countries to a great extent so maybe a bit of this stuff wasn't for me as an Englishman.

But I completely understood it, It was just an unexpected turn of the story and then the film devolves into some weird thriller full of special effects (admittedly well done) that would fit into more of a comic book style horror.

It's incredibly disjointed.

If anyone compares this film favourably with The Wailing, ignore them. The wailing is far far superior.

This film is worth a watch but don't expect a classic horror movie.

I fell for the hype.

I rented Dagr on YouTube and I am very disappointed. This is such a bog standard found footage film it feels like I've already seen it!

How any filmmakers can produce something this generic is beyond me.

And well, if you're going to copy something copy something good at least. Maybe even try putting a new spin on it.

This is just lazy film making. I get it's ultra low budget but don't then try getting us to believe it's on a Blair Witch level of creativity. It's not. Far from it.

The acting is terrible. Yep I get the YouTubers are probably supposed to be annoying but the whole thing just feels like a joke.

There's no actual tension. Not even a decent jump scare to give us something to feel.

There's so many better movies about strange cults. Watch one of them instead.

Even though it's not amazing itself if you want to watch a modern take on British cults this year then try Lord of Misrule. Again it's not amazing but it's far better than this.

Late night with the devil is a truly great attempt at making something very different for horror fans.

Whilst the concept has been done and done amazingly well with the BBCs Ghostwatch back in the 90s (I was a teenager and must admit for about 20 seconds I was worried it happening) this is a well made version of a fake documentary of a fake TV show.

The set design is brilliant, the acting very good. Especially when you look back after watching and realise every characters motivations (including the audience).

The story is decent and creepy and there's a sense of anticipation that turns into intrigue and then tension as it goes along.

Maybe the ending won't be for everyone and I didn't expect it to take such a route but just because that's not what I expected it doesn't mean it's not good.

One thing that would have made this better is if it was aired on TV instead of being a movie. And without much hype. Possibly over two episodes. Then it would probably have gone down as a classic piece of television history.

However it's still a fun, engaging and at times scary movie.

Let's hope we get more attempts at something as different as this.

Brilliant.

Lowlifes didn't offer me any surprises when it came to the main plot but definitely has a few unexpected moments along the way.

It's hard to discuss without giving away too much but I wanted to add a little review just to bolster the ratings really as the filmmakers and actors deserve it.

This is a low budget feature but the cast put a lot in and make you root for or hate the relevant characters.

It's acting that hopefully sees the main players get more work in the future.

The action/horror moments are gory and tense and hit the spot of what's hoped for in a slasher movie like this.

It's a little gem of a film that I hope gets watched by a good number of people.

Immaculate is a movie that bucks the trend of the 2 hour plus films we're seeing a lot of lately coming in at around 80 minutes without the credits. And this works well for the pacing and simple to follow story.

Sydney Sweeney really does do a great job as she's pretty much in every scene of the film.

There's no co star as such.

The story of a nun who found God after a serious accident as a child is nothing new but it clips along at a great pace entertaining us along the way with some evil kills and suspense and one well done jump scare.

The ending is absolutely superb. A lot of movies, not just horror movies don't nail the ending but Immaculate does and then some!

Blood soaked and screamy it is a fully satisfying conclusion to the story.

I've never played Fallout the game, I've heard of it but new nothing about its content.

So I went into this series blind.

Maybe for me that was the best way, as I can just enjoy it for what it is.

Or maybe I'm missing little references from the game.

But I can look those up and delve more into the lore.

As for the TV show I can honestly say I'm impressed.

The colours, feel and story were all top notch in tone.

The acting from Walton Goggins meant he was perfectly cast as the Ghoul/Cooper and the duality of his character was brilliant.

Ella Purnell was also superb in her role. No silly feminist politics just great action scenes and wide eyed wonder and bewilderment at what she was seeing and finding out.

Give this show a try.

Very entertaining.

Dune 2 far far exceeds the reach of number one and also its ambition.

Of course this one needed setting up but the first part just didn't do it for me.

Part 2 however is a completely different story.

The story was expanded and the lore of Dune delved into further in a very good movie with mostly outstanding visuals and some great action as well.

The acting is of a high quality across the whole cast.

Each doing their part to keep things serious and dramatic without stepping into cheese.

I'm now looking forward to part 3 whereas before I wasn't interested at all.

I've not read the books or seen the original simply because it never bothered me to watch them.

But to get me excited for the next part shows this film has done its job of being a superior sequel.

The Childe starts strongly with an action scene full of blood and creative kills.

Then it just keeps getting better.

There's not a single dull moment in this movie. The characters are either sympathetic, hilarious, evil and fun and sometimes all of that!

There's brilliant car chases, epic fights, bloody shootouts and a lot of daft foot chases to get you shaking your head and smiling at.

The plot is only unravelled in small parts until the final scenes and keeps you guessing.

Which is a huge reason to watch.

It's not just an action movie with sewn together scenes of violence. It actually has a great plot driving the action.

The Professional character is truly hilarious and could probably have his own film made as a spin off.

Brilliant.

Well this film certainly starts out strongly (despite some cheapish special effects).

It has a brilliant novel idea but that soon gives way to some really awful story decisions and ventures then into attempts at jump scares (not that I'm usually against those) and gross out scenes that have been done so so many times and better before.

The acting is pretty lacklustre.

It's confusing to me why these characters aren't in absolute terror from the first time they see what emerges from the wall in the basement.

The middle of the movie sags badly with poor pacing.

Which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so poorly executed.

Terrible script and unconvincing acting.

The ending is so obvious as well. I don't like being that person who says they saw it coming, but this time it was pretty easy to work out.

There's a high class film in here somewhere but unfortunately it seems they missed the chance by going for silly scares instead of taking a more subtle and creepy route.

The film One Cut of the Dead is genuinely one of the best movies I've ever seen. And yes I've seen plenty.

This film shocks and surprises in so many ways.

Please go in as much as blind as possible to what it's about.

Fortunately that's how I came to see it.

And what a fun time I had watching it.

Seriously funny, clever and tense.

It has it all and is a love letter to making movies with a low budget and lots of constraints.

This is no ordinary zombie movie and it's all the better for it.

But you'll still get loads of blood, zombie kills and chases.

This is a film of so many parts and each is needed and drives the story forward.

It also has a great heart at its core.

Watch enjoy and laugh.

Along with 'You won't be alone' The Witch (or VVitch) is a truly brilliant take on a story about witches in the woods.

The fact this is filmed with an olde English dialogue definitely lends this movie a sense of authenticity.

Alongside acting of amazingly high standards.

Each character portrayed with such power.

Anya Taylor Joy breaks out quickly in this role as a downtrodden young woman living with a family of highly religious and abusive people.

A young woman who wants to "Live deliciously".

The story is strong and the tension is there all the way through the film as even seemingly innocent childhood games and nursery rhymes have deeper darker meanings than expected.

This isn't an easy watch but it's a classy one and entertains for the entire running time.

And there's a killer ending!

Roadhouse 2024 is a perfect example of an entertaining movie.

The stunts are outrageous, the script daft and the acting is stupid.

But all of it is intentional and therefore it makes for an excellent evenings entertainment.

Jake Gyllenhall is perfectly cast and looks to be having so much fun playing Dalton in this reboot.

A reboot that has a few nods to the original but fortunately also does its own thing.

There's bad bikers, dirty cops, evil businessmen and loads of rowdy patrons of the Roadhouse club.

All great enemies for Dalton to deal with, with his fists and feet!

The fight scenes are all entertaining and this is a movie I recommend for a night in when you're not in the mood for something serious.

Don't let any negative reviews enter your head. Just sit back and watch this brilliantly exciting film.

You are not alone is a movie made for those with patience.

Something I've not always got but this one kept me hooked.

Despite some repetitive story beats.

However its slow burn works building up considerable tension and horror at times.

This has a fair amount of gore and isn't for the squeamish the way it's used.

Innards are torn out and flesh removed in graphic fashion.

The story is pretty simple but does have some scenes that caught me off guard in the way it was done, which left me frustrated that I didn't see it coming!

All of the acting is top notch and the filth and grime gives the film real atmosphere.

That atmosphere is relentlessly grim though so be warned.

This is one of the best Witch movies ever in my opinion.

I watched the original Shogun on VHS when I was a teenager (a long time ago) and was hugely impressed.

This updated version trumps it.

Something remarkable airing on the Disney channel, which apart from the The Bear doesn't happen a lot!

Cosmo Jarvis plays a brilliantly flawed British sailor stranded in feudal Japan.

His portrayal is gruff, funny and realistic in his fish out of water role.

All of the supporting cast are absolutely fantastic as well.

Giving the Anjin some funny looks and some angry responses when required.

This series doesn't glamorise the outdated and barbaric practice of Sepukku which is great to see. But it also doesn't shy from it. It happened.

The colours of the Samurai blue uniforms/armour is very realistic and the battle scenes are brutal and to the point.

I'm very excited to see the rest of the series.

This great little werewolf movie definitely deserves more than 5.9 and therefore I'm giving it an 8. It's probably around a 7 to 8 anyway when context is added.

That context being it's a low budget movie and to achieve what it does it earns a higher rating.

The acting is decent throughout and the story easy to follow but not so simple that it's boring. It flows nicely along.

The special effects are mostly very good and the use of gore is something that is in my opinion necessary in a werewolf movie.

The werewolf scenes both hidden and more explicit are handled well, with a scary cross of human and animal that's pretty feasible all things considered!

There's plenty of action, some great tension and lots of fun to be had watching this film.

Judged on its own merits as a lower budget werewolf film it soars brilliantly, being better than most of genre efforts.

But there's no substance.

This is a terrible film in all ways.

I had heard of it getting bad reviews but hadn't read any myself but now I wish I could had.

This film isn't worth watching even out of curiosity. It's bad.

The acting from the villain should mean he never gets hired for anything with a budget over £100 ever again. Truly awful performance he should be embarrassed by.

The action scenes weren't entertaining in the slightest, no tension or any real sense that the characters were in danger at any point.

The special effects weren't special, the story was boring and had no other strands to it. It was so linear and obvious.

Just simply an awful movie and it makes me fear that the studios really are run by some absolute jokers who employ people for the wrong reasons to write this crap.

Oh and please, please stop with the political nonsense. Being shoehorned into every single film. It's beyond belief now.

Don't watch this, otherwise you'll feel dumber. It's killed a few of my brain cells I swear.

Damsel from Netflix is a movie mostly aimed at a teen audience but is watchable for all.

I'm not a fan of many fantasy movies and I was very worried that this would be a woke awful film when my missus suggested watching it as she's a fan of dragons and stuff!

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

The dragon in question was very well rendered and genuinely nasty and angry for good reason.

A good 20 minutes could have been shaved off though to make this a more rip roaring adventure.

Millie Bobby Brown does a fine job with what script and direction she is given but a bit more of a fight with the humans would have been great.

Overall a six means it's watchable if you're bored and stuck for things to watch.

Now I'm not against remaking almost any film.

But I have to be honest and admit most of them really are a huge let down or even worse completely rubbish.

The originals are still always out there though so they don't erase those memories for me.

However Oldboy might be one of the worst and completely unnecessary remakes of all time.

It might have been nice to introduce such a masterpiece Korean movie to those who simply refuse to read subtitles, but perhaps this is the film they deserve for that?!

Josh Brolin is simply awful here. His acting as a drunk at the beginning of the film nearly made me turn off the movie as it was so comical and not in a good way.

Samuel L Jackson is given little to do other than act like a comic book character that's wildly out of keeping with the tone the movie should be setting.

Sharlito Copley.... Ha ha ha ha. Awful. Terrible. Bad. Very bad.

A baddie you just aren't scared of or can take seriously.

Maybe this is what the director Spike Lee wanted but if he did then he's losing his mind.

Copley should spend the rest his career apologising for this performance.

Elizabeth Olsen doesn't have much to do really. Which is ridiculous seeing as she's a very important part of the story.

The Hammer scene from the original doesn't even try to match it or do it better here.

It's actually a joke how slow and bad it is watching the stuntmen take it in turns to attack.

Awful, awful film.

If you have any love for cinema watch the amazing original.

If you like watching bad acting and terrible remakes watch this but don't say you wasn't warned.

Poor things is a very funny film.

But the humour is pretty repetitive as it goes on.

Visually this movie is stunning. It definitely offers up feelings of a bygone age yet has added strange out of place elements like a steam powered horse/horseless carriage.

Yet although they're out of place you kind of just accept it along with the rest of this crazy version of the Europe.

Each segment of this movie has its own decent moments but some are better than others.

For me the ship scene dragged a bit too long.

Emma Stone deserves the Oscar this year.

I hope she gets it because she literally lays herself bare here!

The reason I'll give a respectable 7 is because this film is definitely funny and entertaining. Also it nails the ending.

Which is quite a rare thing these days!

I probably will never watch it again but I would recommend everyone should give it a go.