In 2012’s Magic Mike, Channing Tatum‘s titular performer lamented that he didn’t want to be a “40 year old stripper”. The irony isn’t lost some decade on where Tatum’s Mike, having seemingly failed at his planned custom furniture business, has to fall back on his expert set of skills. And, as we would expect, the […]
Read More
I’ll be the first to admit it; I still pop in the older Harry Potter games on both the original PlayStation and PlayStation 2. My love for both the films and books aside, I simply love existing in this world and exploring the nooks and crannies that Hogwarts has to offer. So you could imagine […]
Read More
Telegraphed in both its title and opening sequence, Spoiler Alert braces its audience for an unhappy ending from the get-go. But, as much as Michael Showalter‘s handkerchief-ready drama adheres to a familiar structure within the “terminal illness romance” genre – ala The Fault in Our Stars or Holding the Man – the film thankfully isn’t […]
Read More
Darren Aronofsky has always been one to push the extremities of his characters’ limit throughout his career. Whether it be physical or psychological, they have all suffered past their breaking point – often to their own demise – and The Whale similarly submits to this trend, looking at an eating addiction spurned from depression. From […]
Read More
If the horror genre has taught us anything it’s that cabins are never going to be the cosy, safe getaway that each inhabiting character tends to think it will be. But even in the realms of the horror genre, Knock at the Cabin, the latest from genre auteur M. Night Shyamalan, has a few tricks […]
Read More
Forspoken is a fantasy adventure with a lot of heart and soul at its core. While some of its magic gets lost in translation, the expansive open world, unique controls and intriguing combat system help the game feel fresh more so than not. The cinematic scope of the story and main missions give it a […]
Read More
The original Dead Space, released in 2008, still holds up as one of the greatest sci-fi horror games of all time. But 2008 also feels like a long time ago in gaming terms. As a result, Dead Space’s remake feels like that same relevant experience, made all the more satisfying thanks to minor gameplay choices […]
Read More
The Fire Emblem series has seen consistent success for its various gameplay implementations and winding narratives that seem to steer the franchise forward in both new and exciting directions. Fire Emblem Engage might be the latest entry in the franchise, but makes dedicated choices to bring the series back to its roots, instead focusing primarily […]
Read More
Director John Swab, a gritty aesthetic, and the gruff likeability of Frank Grillo have proven a welcome parcel over the last few years, and following on from both Body Brokers and Ida Red is Little Dixie, a formulaic but no-less investing thriller that exists in a rough, dirty reality. Though there’s plenty of genre tropes […]
Read More
Vampirism has often been utilised in genre features as a metaphor for an addiction of sorts. In Brad Anderson‘s Blood, screenwriter Will Honley (Escape Room: Tournament of Champions) furthers not only the addiction thematic, but blends it with the notion of chronic illness, what that can do to the afflicted’s caretaker, and a mother’s instinct […]
Read More
Whilst it’s fair to be tired of the “elevated horror” tag that so many genre pieces aim for nowadays, and the attachment of the-little-studio-that-could A24 only fans the fire, one needn’t worry with Talk To Me, an Australian-made horror effort that’s been acquired by the aforementioned studio for US distribution following wild reactions out of […]
Read More
There’s complexity within the rather simplistic narrative of Other People’s Children, Rebecca Zlotowski‘s affecting French drama about a certain definition of motherhood. Headlined by a captivating Virginie Efira, last seen dominating Paul Verhoeven’s controversial Benedetta, Other People’s Children focuses on her Rachel, a 40-year-old teacher – single and childless – whose blossoming relationship with Ali […]
Read More
When you have a film led by such reliable talent as Richard Gere, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon and William H. Macy, it’s understandable to believe that the hands you’re in will guide you to a safe destination. And perhaps that’s the problem. Maybe I Do is entirely too safe to make any lasting impression beyond […]
Read More
There’s a lot to be said about mental health – and here, specifically, obsessive-compulsive disorder – within the short minutes of Just Right. So much so that you can’t help but wish Camille Wormser‘s charmingly off-centred comedy was expanded to feature length, but, as it stands, it’s no less funny and affecting as a commentary […]
Read More
It goes without saying that the topical interest in Kristen Roupenian’s 2017 short story “Cat Person”, which ran in The New Yorker, before going viral online, is ripe for a filmmaker to adapt and expand. Unfortunately, director Susanna Fogel can’t quite secure a grip on proceedings, clumsily handling the film’s tone and undermining its central […]
Read More
The wealthy whites and their easy skewering is a narrative mentality that we have been witness to in a variety of practices as of late. But unlike The White Lotus and The Menu, two of the most recent examples of such a temperament, Brandon Cronenberg‘s Infinity Pool pushes further past being just a little wicked […]
Read More
There’s a lot to digest within the 158 minutes of Todd Field‘s ambitious Tár, so much so that lead Cate Blanchett practically devours it whole and spits out a venomous toxicity in return. It’s an, at-times, icy black comedy and a tragic character study melded within the cancel culture mentality and the #MeToo movement. It […]
Read More
Up until this very day, Persona 4 Golden holds a very special place in my heart. I’m not a huge fan of the JRPG genre as a whole, but more so titles within the genre. As a result, Persona 4 Golden stands as my favourite Persona game to date and my favourite game on the […]
Read More
While Persona 4 Golden stands as one of my favourite JRPG titles of all time, I feel as though I never gave Persona 3 Portable a fair chance. This time around, I was delighted to find that this entry holds up in many ways, thanks to its deep and nuanced combat and dark story, even […]
Read More
Don’t let the title fool you, What’s Love Got To Do With It? has nothing to do with Tina Turner. Instead, the titular question is a rhetorical of sorts that documentary filmmaker Zoe (Lily James) ponders when she hears that her life-long best friend (Shazad Latif‘s Kaz) is interested in an arranged marriage, and subsequently […]
Read More
A brutal movie to endure, Elijah Bynum‘s Magazine Dreams speaks to the strive for physical perfection within men and how such toxicity can consume them from the inside out. On that outside, Killian Maddox (Jonathan Majors in a demanding, raw performance that should already be favourited come award season next year) has the type of […]
Read More
Sometimes an artist’s vision is best conveyed through the use of metaphorical imagery. Reiki Tsuno is not one of those artists! Leaning bombastically far into literal chaos and absurdity, Tsuno’s Mad Cats is a high-art-meets-low-brow martial arts extravaganza that embraces melodramatic nonsense – and is all the better for it. When he receives a message […]
Read More
Whilst it isn’t always moving at a tolerable pace, nor does it necessarily answer the questions it raises throughout, Rachel Lambert‘s at-times dreamy dramedy Sometimes I Think About Dying still manages an emotional resonance as it tackles social anxiety and the feeling of disconnection that can stem from such. Daisy Ridley – in a beautiful, […]
Read More
The unexplained corpse of a white woman at the feet of three Black gentlemen doesn’t look good. Four dead white women looks even worse, and it’s a situation at the centre of Mahogany Drive that writer/director/star Jerah Milligan navigates with precise wit and a social commentary that doesn’t quite travel where we expect it to. Before […]
Read More
If there’s one thing you can rely on when it comes to the romantic comedy genre, it’s that if there’s a wedding involved Jennifer Lopez can’t be too far from the fray. The reliable superstar knows how to play the genre game, but if any audiences are concerned that Shotgun Wedding will play things a […]
Read More
An elephant graphically defecates on its unsuspecting handlers, before stomping about in an uneven state amongst a storm of fornicating bodies. An aspiring actress urinates on the face of a willing movie star in a coked-out stupor. A tuxedoed lounge singer seductively croons about petting her girlfriend’s genitalia. A party reveller bounces around on a […]
Read More
“It’s an ugly book, full of selfish people who only care for themselves” isn’t exactly the sterling praise one would reap upon something as treasured as “Wuthering Heights”, but it is how author Emily Brontë’s work was described by her older, more traditional sister Charlotte upon finishing it; or, at least, that’s how Frances O’Connor […]
Read More
Right from the opening of M3GAN it’s obvious what type of film Gerard Johnstone‘s A.I. horror-lite is going to be: one that doesn’t take itself remotely seriously, has its wink poised at the audience, and knows you can’t think it’s ridiculous any more than the creators already do. If its trailer didn’t already clue you […]
Read More
Originally scheduled for an early release starting in January of 2022, the sudden pulling of Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre from the theatrical schedule certainly didn’t bode well for a film that, from all appearances, seemed like a certified success. Yes, it wasn’t uncommon for films to shift during the time period due to the […]
Read More
Kiddo, a short film written and directed by Brett Chapman, is an oddity, to say the least. And that’s meant in the most complimentary of fashions, as the supremely bizarre, always unsettling outing announces itself as an original, individually interpreted horror film that’s likely to sit differently (and divisively) with its audience. In fact, it’s […]
Read More