Nowhere near as trashy as Sharknado, and nowhere near as classic as Jaws, Crawl is a fun Friday night B-movie and perfect for leaving your brain at the door and switching off for 87 minutes. The kind of film that arguably does not get enough of a wide-release these days, Crawl would normally be relegated… Read More Crawl
After the trials and tribulations director Rian Johnson faced in the wake of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, it is pertinent that his return is very much a smaller, lighter affair. Taking himself away from the space opera scene and the legion of angry fanboys who follow it, to the almost stage-like setting of a… Read More Knives Out
Just one year ago, director Ari Aster marked himself out as a talent worth watching with Hereditary. Now, with Midsommar, Aster has confirmed his status as royalty within the horror genre. If Hereditary was a tale of a family’s grief which soon delved into the supernatural, then Midsommar is a tale of a girl’s sorrow… Read More Midsommar
Ever since Terminator 2: Judgement Day was released back in 1991, the Terminator series has been on a downward spiral. After the mediocrity of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines & Terminator Salvation, followed by the travesty that was Terminator: Genisys it comes as no surprise that Terminator: Dark Fate wants to put those films… Read More Terminator: Dark Fate
Sequels are regularly billed as hard to pull off. Often, the first film in a series is a breath of fresh air, full of new ideas and bringing renewed energy to tired thoughts, and the theory goes that their sequels never live up to the hype. Well, Zombieland: Double Tap would like to remind you… Read More Zombieland: Double Tap
In 2014, Godzilla returned to cinemas with a film that garnered generally favourable reviews. The one overriding criticism being that we did not see enough of Godzilla himself, hidden away for the most part until the films brawling finale. Skip forward five years and Godzilla: King of the Monsters allays any doubts about how much… Read More Godzilla: King Of The Monsters
Weddings. They’re always the same, aren’t they? Uncomfortable photos, embarrassing speeches, family members pretending to get along, human sacrifice and devil worship. That’s the line Ready or Not draws in the sand early on, and you’re either in or out from that point onwards in this comically violent and darkly humorous survival-horror film which is… Read More Ready Or Not
Powerful, disturbing and chaotic. Three words that merely scratch the surface on what to expect when watching Joker for the first time. It’s a film that is deeply unsettling at times, while completely sympathetic at others and if it does nothing but make you feel wholly unnerved then it has accomplished what it set out… Read More Joker
Starring Mark Ruffalo and Anne Hathaway the first trailer for potential Oscar bait, Dark Waters has arrived.
From director Ari Aster, Midsommar arrives on DVD and Blu-ray on 28 October. A directors version of the film will be released on Blu-ray, while the theatrical version will be available on DVD and Digital Download formats.
It was only 15 years ago when Guillermo del Toro directed Ron Perlman in the first big-screen iteration of Hellboy. That was a film filled with imagination, joy and humour. Then 2008’s sequel Hellboy: The Golden Army delivered more of the same, this time with a little more action and a lot more confidence. Jump… Read More Hellboy
Reeling from the events of Avengers: Endgame, it’s fair to think that Marvel’s next outing would aim to answer some of the questions raised in the highest grossing film of all time. Instead, Marvel has taken the alternate route and hit us with a film that does not go out of its way to answer… Read More Spider-Man: Far From Home
It’s not hard to see how Fighting With my Family will play out. The true story of a young girl from Norwich who becomes a wrestling superstar in the behemoth that is the World Wrestling Entertainment, has all the traits of any other sporting underdog story. What Fighting With my Family has in spades though… Read More Fighting With My Family
High-concept horrors have been thin on the ground lately. The likes of Saw and The Cabin in the Woods hitting heights that others simply struggle to even compete with have left the horror genre with a small gap in the market. Step in Escape Room, taking the now popular real-life game to all sorts of… Read More Escape Room
Dark, brutal and just slightly disturbing – Destroyer is definitely not your lazy Sunday afternoon film of choice. Almost dystopian in its depiction of Los Angeles and the police force that governs it, Destroyer is a film that requires a hard heart and a strong emotional disposition at times, but with Nicole Kidman’s stirring performance… Read More Destroyer
Originally released in the summer of 1983, Cujo is a film which has firmly cemented itself as a pop culture powerhouse, but may be a film not many have actually seen. The film is familiar for many reasons; a rabid dog starts attacking people, a mother and her son stand-off against the dog and most… Read More Cujo
There are far too many times during Look Away when I found myself asking one simple question, why? Why am I watching this? Why was it ever made? Why would anyone sign up to star in this? These questions plagued me during the films dire 103-minute duration, so much so that I actually began to… Read More Look Away
Pleasingly fun and feeling very much like a kid’s adventure from the 80’s Amblin era, Shazam! is the kind of film the superhero genre needs at the moment. Another step in the right direction for DC and suddenly the superhero outlook looks a lot brighter.
Sitting proudly next to the recent remake of Stephen King’s classic, It, Pet Sematary 2019 is a new, much darker version of the story idolised in 1989 by director Mary Lambert and may well have set itself up as one of the years best horror films.
Creeping up on audiences so no one knew what to expect, Us is the second film from Jordan Peele and very much has the feel of a director settling into his groove and having the confidence to take his audience in brave new directions.
Admirably restrained in its approach, Hunter Killer is an enjoyable throwback to the type of action film that was so popular in the 1990’s. Taking its cues from the likes of Crimson Tide and The Rock, Hunter Killer is completely unoriginal but is utterly non-fussed by such comparisons.
With Bumblebee soon concluding its run at the cinema and enthusiastic talk of a sequel being at its peak, now is the best time to look back at the live-action Transformers films and see how the series stands up.
Feeling very much like a middle-of-the-road effort from Marvel Studios, Reign of the Supermen feels more like a film designed to connect different story strands from other films rather than act as a solid stand-alone attempt. Following on from 2018’s The Death of Superman, Reign follows events six months later and deals with the passing… Read More Reign Of The Supermen
Mysteriously advertised before its release, A Simple Favour is a rare example of modern Hollywood not overselling a film before it hits the cinema. This darkly comic tale in which Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively become unlikely friends, only for Lively’s beautiful ghost to pull a Gone Girl & suddenly go missing is wound by… Read More A Simple Favour
Lionsgate have released the first trailer for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, which sees John on the run with a $14 million price tag on his head.
In somewhat unexpected news, it was revealed yesterday that Jason Reitman would be directing a new Ghostbusters film which is set for release in the summer of 2020.
Be careful mentioning this in public company, but it seems that DC have finally sorted their house out. With the combined financial and critical success of Wonder Woman and the bloated but well-meaning Justice League, Aquaman arrives in cinemas with the consensus that these heroes can actually be fun to watch when given the chance.
To mark the 40th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s classic Alien, Park Circus is bringing the film back to cinemas from 1 March.
2019 is setting itself up to be a memorable year in film. There are superheroes galore, the end of the Avengers, shape-shifting clowns, doppelgangers and a hitman who must fight through one of the toughest cities in the world. There’s plenty of choice, but here are 12 films I am particularly looking forward to.
We all have that one friend who thinks he is smarter than everyone else. That one friend who thinks they know better, but actually doesn’t and because of this they always end up looking a bit stupid. Skyscraper is that friend. The annoying guy down the pub who revels in telling people they’ve got something… Read More Skyscraper
There are some films that are simply destined to stay with you. Broken Flowers, released in 2005 and directed by Jim Jarmusch is one such film. Ironically, I’ve only seen Broken Flowers three times – twice when it was released on DVD and once again just recently. Saying you’ve only seen one of your favourite… Read More Talking Films: Broken Flowers (2005)
Made just two years after Halloween, The Fog finds director John Carpenter high on confidence and full of the strut that classic film would bring to any up and coming director. The Fog is John Carpenter’s fourth feature-length film and sees the director not only learning his craft quickly, but also learning how to navigate… Read More The Fog (1980)
Sicario 2: Soldado feels like a film that very much borrows from other (better) films. Not strictly a copy of any one film in particular, it does however have the sensation of a film that lends many aspects in order to create its own dimly lit narrative. That is not necessarily a bad thing, and… Read More Sicario 2: Soldado
Like meeting up with old friends, Halloween 2018 is a wonderful experience. Everyone looks a little older and sure, there are some grey hairs to be found, but it always feels great to back in each other’s company. 40 years have passed since John Carpenter introduced us to Michael Myers and Laurie Strode and it… Read More Halloween
“The less you know the better” stated a preview in Total Film just the other month. That quote from director Drew Goddard, whose previous film was The Cabin in the Woods, rings true for the most part – but his latest effort lacks the surprise element of that landmark horror.
Dinosaurs are fun. We all know this. What we didn’t know was how terrifying they can be too.
The Purge films are an odd series both in concept & execution. The idea that all crime becomes legal for a 12 hour period in the United States seems both trite & astute at the same time.
Hitchcock levels of suspense” cries a quote for Searching as I look for a suitable poster for the new thriller from first time director Aneesh Chaganty.
Director: Sam Liu Starring: Jerry O’Connell, Rebecca Romijn & Rainn Wilson Rating: 12 Duration: 72 minutes Release date: 6 August (UK) We’ve been here before, twice in fact and this is now the third time DC have told the story of how Superman dies. 2007’s Superman Doomsday and 2016’s Batman v Superman both told the… Read More The Death Of Superman
Director: Christopher McQuarrie Starring: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill & Ving Rhames Rating: 12A Duration: 147 minutes Release date: 25 July (UK) There are few film franchises that deliver consistently high-quality adventures the way the Mission: Impossible films do. Since JJ Abrams reinvigorated the series with M:I 3, each of Ethan Hunt’s impossible missions have gotten… Read More Mission: Impossible Fallout
Video game to film adaptations have not had the easiest of rides. It all started back in the summer of 1993 when some bright spark thought that adapting the Super Mario. Bros was a good idea. The next few years saw the likes of Street Fighter & Mortal Kombat hit the big screen. A few… Read More Tomb Raider
Director: Franis Lawrence Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton & Jeremy Irons Rating: 15 Duration: 140 minutes Release date: 9 July (UK) Taut, suspenseful spy films seem to be a thing of the past. Much like the cold war scenarios that give life to Red Sparrow, films of its ilk are a rare breed, found as… Read More Red Sparrow
Director: Ron Howard Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson & Emilia Clarke Rating: 12A Duration: 135 minutes Release date: 24 May (UK) For one reason or another, the latest instalment in the Star Wars saga does not seem as highly anticipated as is usually the case for the popular franchise. There may be various reasons for… Read More Solo: A Star Wars Story
Director: David Freyne Starring: Ellen Page, Sam Keeley & Tom Vaughan-Lawlor Rating: 15 Duration: 95 minutes Release date: 14 May (UK) There is an over familiarity with the zombie genre now. What was once a niche sub-genre full of talented directors looking to make a name for themselves, now sees itself devouring popular culture like… Read More The Cured
Directors: Anthony Russo & Joe Russo Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth & Josh Brolin Rating: 12A Duration: 149 minutes Release date: 26 April (UK) You’ve got to hand it to Marvel, they really do have us all right where they want us now. After 10 years and 18 films, the 19th entry in the… Read More Avengers: Infinity War
Director: Adam MacDonald Starring: Nicole Munoz, Laurie Holden & Chloe Rose Rating: N/A Duration: 90 minutes Release date: 16 April (UK) The term “low-budget horror” is often tacked onto reviews as a way to get your quote onto a films poster. A term of endearment if you will. It’s normally a mark of a films… Read More Pyewacket
Director: Sam Liu Starring: Christian Slater, Vanessa Williams & C.Thomas Howell Rating: 15 Duration: 86 minutes Release date: 16 April (UK) It’s been two years since DC brought us the miserable and forgettable Suicide Squad. Their live action attempt was an example of everything that was, and still is, wrong with the DCEU. And in… Read More Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay
Director: Steven Soderbergh Starring: Claire Foy, Joshua Leonard & Jay Pharoah Rating: 15 Duration: 97 minutes Release date: 23 March
Director: Sean Anders Starring: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg & Mel Gibson Rating: 12A Duration: 98 minutes Release date: 19 March (UK) Some films don’t need a sequel, and yet sometimes we get one anyway. Daddy’s Home did its job and made people laugh, and the result of this is that it made enough money for… Read More Daddy’s Home 2
Director: Joseph Kosinski Starring: Josh Brolin, Miles Teller & Jeff Bridges Rating: 12 Duration: 129 minutes Release date: 12 March (UK) As far as true-life stories go, Only the Brave is a remarkable one. The story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, an elite crew who tackle wildfires across America, is the sort of enthusiastic chest… Read More Only The Brave
