Number 23 of My Top 31 Horror Movies : Two American friends on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists : It’s impossible to quantify how much an effect AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON had on me whilst growing up, in love with the genre and especially the early days of Universal’s Horror Movies, such as The Wolf Man from the early 40s : From that opening pub scene when everybody just stops and stares at the two boys like their from another world, the pentagram hanging on the wall of the pub, Jenny Agutter’s Nurse Price (like many I crushed hard and still do) to Rick Baker’s ground breaking special effects An American Werewolf in London is quite simply Horror Perfection : my favorite scene in the movie (apart from when David changes of course) is the London Underground chase scene, it still freaks me out & scares me good & proper, and I do love the moments in the seedy adult cinema where Jack who’s slowly decaying introduces David his victims from the night before…. so good : with a budget of $6 Million An American Werewolf in London Won the Oscar for Best Makeup and became a box office success and has since become a Cult Classic, the film’s script from Landis is outstanding, so funny & cleverly dark at times, the film’s score including three tracks cut perfectly to their respectives scenes are bloody brilliant, these include Van Morrison’s Moondance, Bobby Vinton’s version of Blue Moon and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Bad Moon Rising : I always revisit this movie around Halloween and each & every time I applaud, scream and laugh my way through this horror gem from director John Landis ★★★★★
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When Enola Holmes Sherlock’s teen sister discovers her mother has gone missing, she sets off on her own adventure to not only find her but unravel a conspiracy around a mysterious young Lord : A DELIGHT FROM START TO FINISH Enola Holmes is fresh, inventive and SO MUCH FUN : the films energy is straight from the get-go as we watch Millie Bobby Brown’s Enola cycling through the English Country Side speaking into the camera ala Frank Underwood, narrating the story as she goes : first impressions IT’S WONDERFUL, from the bright colours, the costumes & the humor everything is so ALIVE : I loved the gorgeous sets (especially London), the encounters between Enola & the evil Linthorn are superb with sharp choreography, Burn Gorman doesn’t go easy on our heroine : the casting too is splendid with a few of my favourite actors delivering fun work such as Fiona Shaw’s Miss Harrison the boarding school head mistress (who’s utterly terrifying), Helena Bonham Carter’s mummy Holmes (is all sweet & cuddly) and Sam Claflin’s tough older brother Mycroft (boooooo), but without question the movie ultimately belongs to Millie who’s bright as a button humor & deliverance is terrific, her cheeky narration and glancing at the camera with those big eyes is MAGNIFICENT : I loved the way we see flashbacks of Enola’s times spent with her mother, growing up and learning martial arts and her clever deduction using scrabble pieces, her interation with Tewkesbury & Edith and of course the small screen time she shares with her older brother Sherlock played by Henry Cavill which is a delight but kept to a minimum (after all the story is about Enola and not Mr Holmes) : Enola Holmes is one of the BEST franchise builders for many a year, a real breath of fresh air with it’s star Millie Bobby Brown delivering a smart young detective for the 21st Century : the film’s a perfect blend of action, humor & romance that is brilliantly directed by Fleabag & Killing Eve’s Harry Bradbeer ★★★★½
Antonio Campos continues on from his 2016 movie Christine with another miserable, downbeat yet compelling piece of filmmaking : taking center stage in The Devil All the Time is the bible belt of West Virginia and some of it’s unsavory characters that all merge together over a time span of 15 years or more to create the backbone of the story the novel of which is written by Donald Ray Pollock who also in a rather poetic and wonderful way narrates the movie : it’s story is full of deluded, nasty characters and we get to meet some of them on our journey from Bill Skarsgard’s war torn, emotion driven father (that dog scene is heartbreaking), Pattison’s creepy peverted preacher (the crazy good speech after he receives the welcome food is haunting), the husband & wife serial killing team played by Jason Clarke & Riley Keogh to Harry Melling’s frightening turn as a preacher who’s bitten by a spider to crazy consequences : The Devil All the Time is not pretty, it’s over 2hrs of dark & bleak imagery but along with it’s sublime acting from it’s outstanding cast & great material it’s filmmaker Antonio Campos manages to grip you early doors and it’s utterly fascinating with how each & every character in the stories arc fit’s together like a jigsaw each of them slotting into place ready for it’s dramatic finale : so if you liked Winter’s Bone or The Place Beyond the Pines then The Devil All the Time is a must watch ★★★★½
Film trailers have a way of misleading the viewer and I for one think on occassion that’s a good thing, it’s quite refreshing to be surprised whether that be in a good or bad way and Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz directorial debut was certainly a surprise and not what I expected at all : ANTEBELLUM is set in Louisiana during the American Civil War, the base for the story is set around a plantation (that looks like the one used in Tarantino’s Django) which is run by the Confederate Army and the land around it is worked by Slaves including Janelle Monáe’s character Eden, the slaves are treated in barbaric fashion and as the film progresses Eden slowly discovers all is not what it seems : if this makes any sense at all Antebellum is one of those movies that I enjoyed but I also felt a little empty at it’s end : the film is thought provoking, it’s relevant, has some fabulous photography by the Uruguayan Pedro Luque & is well acted by the likes of Janelle Monáe & Kiersey Clemons yet it’s story should have offered more, maybe focussing on other members of the group being held, how they got to the plantation and not just focussing on Monae’s character and her attempt at freedom? everybody loves a good villain and I felt Jena Malone was wasted, such a talent at your disposal (use it) : overall Antebellum is not a bad movie, i’ve seen far worse and the duo of Bush & Renz have cleverly used their original story telling to not only entertain but also more importantly to continue the message that hatred still exists in society and it must be stamped out, yes the film or it’s deliverance may not work to everybody’s satisfaction but that’s life, movies are all about opinions and I have to say I enjoyed this provocative slice of horror ★★★½
Armed with only one word, Tenet, a secret agent known as The Protagonist is sent on a mission to stop the end of the world : Having just revisited the Christopher Nolan back catalogue I was intrigued to catch TENET in the cinema and on IMAX as the film itself was shot by Hoyte van Hoytema, the DP on this movie using both 70 mm film and IMAX : As an overall film experience Tenet is thrilling from start to finish, from it’s breathtaking european locations (you’d never guess that Nolan is a big fan of 007) and heart pounding score from the Black Panther maestro Ludwig Goransson to it’s cast including the likes of John David Washington, Robert Patterson & Elizabeth Debicki who are all mightly impressive, especially Patterson who in my opinion is the star of the movie : my favourite moments include the astonishing car chase, the opera scene which is chaotic but brilliantly shot and all the screen time Elizabeth Debicki & Kenneth Brannagh share, with Brannagh playing a Russian villain with a complex insanity that terrifies Debicki and in turn motors the heart of Nolan’s story : there were reports on my social media timeline that the sound/dialogue was poor, but in my experience it was the opposite, totally clear and incredible allround : IMAX showcases Nolan’s latest in a dazzling way, an intriguing mind melt with spectacular action blended with an exciting, facinating narrative, however I do feel that the film could have been 20mins longer, it seems some of the early exchanges could have benefited with it’s story being fleshed out a bit more : that being said If your a fan of Christopher Nolan’s movies then TENET is a must on the big screen, take your mask and enjoy the experience it’s truly worth it ★★★★
PENINSULA is Sang-ho Yeon’s sequel to his 2016 Zombie hit Train to Busan : Like most I really enjoyed Train to Busan and it’s animated prequel Seoul Station so diving straight back in to watch Yeon’s latest in Zombie mayhem was quite easy and deliciously excitable : Peninsula has a runtime of just under 2hrs and starts with a car heading for the harbour to catch a ship out of the chaos of the city, the car is carrying a Marine Captain Jung-seok, his sister and her child. When they reach and board the ship we discover that somebody on the lower deck has the infection and very quickly all hell breaks loose….. Sang-ho then jumps the story by four years and we find ourselves watching a tired, guilty looking Jung-seok living in Hong Kong drinking his way into trouble or an early grave : he then stumbles upon someone who offers him a way out of all this mess, a way of starting a new life by taking a team of soldiers back into the infected city to retrieve a truck full of money : Now although Peninsula is not quite as good as Train to Busan it’s still a blood good sequel with some real heart in the mouth action scenes, let’s face it the South Korean’s have mastered the action in movies better than most and the chase scenes once the team reach the city full of zombie’s and dispicable humans alike are quite spectacular : we also have a whole bunch of interesting new characters, the best of which are Joon and her younger sister Yu-jin who come to the rescue of Jung-seok whilst in the city, I also couldn’t stop screaming at the insanity of the prison scene Jung-seok’s friend finds himself in, it’s execution and the thought behind it terrifies me : Sang-ho Yeon’s sequel has plenty of violence and a jaw dropping finale and if like me you enjoyed the destruction laid out in Train to Busan then his latest Peninsula will make you weep with joy, the film has a pace to match a zombie’s stride and will have you baying for more by the time those end credits rise ★★★★
Ana Lily Amirpour’s A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT follows a lonely vampire going about her business in the Iranian ghost town of Bad City – I have now watched this movie 12 times (maybe more) and for me it sits comfortably in the bracket of essential viewing : from it’s mesmerising black & white style that sucks you in to the movie’s narrative, hypnotising and seducing you until it’s final scene, with it’s atmospheric backdrop’s of Oil Derrick’s, the deserted streets, the buildings and the Girl’s bedroom decked out with posters of pops stars of yesteryear, with Lyle Vincent’s photography descibed in two words “utterly stunning” : I also CRAVE the film’s soundtrack, it’s the GOAT with tracks from Federale, Radio Tehran, Bei Ru, White Lies and more…. that scene where White Lies “Death” is playing is one of the film’s coolest moments, I felt it had a really 80s tinge during that scene and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck rise like a python : Amirpour’s casting of Sheila Vand as the Girl was a masterstroke, Vand is like a magnet, her eye’s and demeanour engulf you allowing you to feel her character’s sadness but also her power, Arash Marandi’s performance as the guy who falls hard for the Girl is superb, the scene’s he shares with his onscreen dad are excellent and Mozhan Marnò gives a vulnerable & touching turn as Atti, the local prostitute : A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is one of them movies that you just have to see, it’s an acquired taste and not your conventional Vampire movie but it’s full of interesting themes, shot in gorgeous black & white, has subtitles for it’s Persian dialogue and includes a side portion of weird : Overall it’s one of them movies that I would certainly place high on my list of favourite vampire pics and would advise any film fan to BUY & WATCH this GEM on rewatch for 2,191 days : ps….. (if you like this pic then check out 2016’s The Bad Batch by the same director….. it’s sooooo goood) ★★★★½
A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father – Disney continue their live-action remakes of classic tales with MULAN directed by Whale Rider’s Niki Caro : Although I was looking forward to watching this at the cinema (possibly on IMAX) Disney had other idea’s and have just released Mulan on their Disney+ Streaming Service : Luckily for me my home cinema is not too shabby so watching my own TV fill up with magical color, jaw-dropping backdrops & visuals that stun you sideways my movie date for the evening truly was a quite magical experience : The movie itself is an improvment over the 1998 animated film allowing it’s director Niki Caro & the Aussie Cinematographer Mandy Walker to really show us, the audience the true scale of the sets & breathtaking action scenes in this live-action version : Of course Mulan has a truly legendary cast including Jason Scott Lee (who’s really good playing Bori Khan), the sublime & beautiful Gong Li, and veteran’s Tzi Ma, Jet Li & Donnie Yen but the real heart of the movie belongs to the energy weilding “Fairy Sister” Liu Yifei who has a screen presence that shines brighter than Mulan’s Phoenix, the scene’s that involve Liu and Gong Li’s characters were spectacular and amongst my favorites in the movie & I believe that Liu Yifei did most of her own stunt work and fight movements : Overall: I really enjoyed Disney’s MULAN it’s a gorgeous film about honor, family & friendship that works equally on the small screen as it would have on the big : Highly Recommended 精彩 ★★★★½
Full of doubt and a whole bunch of misgivings, a young woman travels with her new boyfriend to his parents’ secluded farmhouse – I’ve not read Iain Reid’s novel of the same name but will but will certainly check it out : I don’t think it’s possible to spoil anything about this movie so here’s my thoughts : (I think) the film follows an ageing Janitor who reflects about his long life and what could have been in the most Charlie Kaufman way possible : I’m Thinking of Ending Things contains the most awkward car ride in movie history where you find yourself not only disliking Jesse Plemons character Jake but also starting to question why this girl in the passenger seat played by Jessie Buckley is really with him, as it becomes obvious that she’d rather be elsewhere, the moment the girl recites a poem to Jake made me cringe, the girl’s reaction to the spittle on the corner of Jake’s mouth is uncomfortable and the flashbacks with the Janitor going about his daily chores were filled with a sadness & foreboding : When they finally arrive at Jake’s parents farmhouse I found the tour of the barn scene to be quite creepy and at times unsettling (those poor pigs) : But on a slightly lighter note Jake’s parents are played brilliantly by Toni Collette and David Thewlis who steal each & every scene with their eccentric & often humorous delivery and I love the little musical interludes, the dog named Jimmy and the Dairy Queen scene in particular : Overall I’m Thinking of Ending Things is brilliantly weird, mentally exhausting, strangely sad yet utterly consuming ★★★★½
Looking for a smile this weekend? then we got it covered…. Ben Stiller and the late GREAT Philip Seymour Hoffman sweating it out in 2004’s Along Came Polly from director John Hamburg – this particular scene has it all, it’s dialogue is crazy, the humor is gross-out at it’s most… well gross-out and it also showcases the brilliance of Hoffman in full flow, I still can’t believe he’s gone…. but take a load off and watch this 3 minute clip for a smile, a tear and at it’s finale a roaring belly laugh that may force you to dust off the dvd and watch the full thing 🙂
Ripley is rescued by a deep salvage team after being in hypersleep for 57 years during which time LV-426 has been colonized, but contact has been lost. A bunch of colonial marines along with Ripley are sent to investigate : Written and Directed by James Cameron ALIENS is the BEST MOVIE SEQUEL OF ALL TIME, it was filmed back in 1986 for $18 million (yep your reading this right) and in my opinion it even betters Ridley’s first movie for pure action, suspense and incredible effects : For my latest rewatch I decided to revisit the Aliens Special Edition which contains a VITAL 17 minutes of extra footage : those extra scene’s really do add to the great characters that we have grown to love and hate over the years, adding much more depth and filling some of the theatrical release plot holes such as Newt’s backstory, more stunning panning shots on LV-426, extra scenes involving the marines and more of Hudson’s badass humor : One thing that doesn’t get mentioned too much is the film’s terrific action score by the late composer James Horner, considering the time restriction and conditions Horner found himself in during filming his atmospheric, bruising and deliciously heart thumping score certainly left it’s mark, receiving an Oscar Nomination and contributes greatly to Cameron’s movie : One of my favourite scenes in the movie is when Ripley takes it upon herself to go and rescue the marines after Gorman decides to have a meltdown, it’s a hand in the mouth moment that’s exhilarating to watch as she’s straps Newt in and takes control of their vehicle, but in fairness each and every scene in ALIENS are so damn good : There’s no doubt if your a fan of the franchise and have not seen this special edition then and get out and buy a copy & of course it’s just another excuse to submerge yourself in some mind blowing scifi by one of the masters of the genre James Cameron ★★★★★
A young housewife in what seems to be a perfect marriage develops the irresistible urge to swallow objects and material – WOW just WOW Carlo Mirabella-Davis !! Swallow is a facinating directorial debut that gripped me from the getko, the energy that flows through Haley Bennett and into Hunter her onscreen persona is quite simply astonishing : When Hunter starts to Swallow my first impression was “Please don’t do that” I was angry, confused at why this young lady would do such a thing, why she would risk her life? But it got me thinking Hunter is trapped, innocent, has no friends or family and has nobody there to hug her close and tell her everything will be ok : If her lowlife controlling husband, bad inlaws and the swallowing wasn’t bad enough Hunter then decides to track down William a rapist from her past who’s played brilliantly by Denis O’Hare, their confrontation in William’s kitchen is so bloody TENSE I felt my heart pounding ready to burst out of my chest like something from Ridley’s Alien movie, such a simple, emotionally charged scene with these two brilliant actors nailing it : Overall Swallow is one of the darkest and most liberating movies of 2020, it’s a real thought provoking picture that will no doubt upset many, terrify others and quite simply blow the majority away with it’s raw, quirky style and captivating subject matter ★★★★½
A teenager’s weekend at home with her dad takes a turn for the worse when a group of escaped convicts decide to interupt their plans – From the fab duo of Milott & Murnion who in 2014 gave us the insanely good Cooties comes their new horror picture BECKY a home invasion movie that will no doubt upset someone, somewhere at somepoint – There is no question that this film is the darkest of the the duo’s three movies to date, you get a nasty performance by Kevin James who plays a neo-nazi convict, some blood thirsty Home Alone style action scenes that’s not for the faint hearted, a real eye-catching moment during the film’s second half and the star of the show Lulu Wilson who is quite simply wonderful playing Becky this teenage girl who’s loss of her mother has hardened her mentally and given her this moody chip on her shoulder that serves her well in trying to survive – My only criticism is that the film runtime could have been slightly longer to allow a bit more characterization which would have helped explain Becky’s relationship or lack of with her father Jeff played by Joel Mchale BUT nevertheless the film is a credit to Milott & Murnion a real heart-stopper, a violent exciting horror thriller that I will no doubt revisit again and again ★★★★
Cop Land, 3:10 to Yuma, The Wolverine, Logan and now FORD v FERRARI James Mangold’s thrill ride, a 7,000 RPM adrenaline fueled, pulsating ENERGY packed racing movie that sees Matt Damon deliver a career best, Christian Bale in infectious form, Caitriona Balfe delivering one of the film’s best moments and the race scenes WOW their pure dynamite – for me 2019 is the best year of the decade for cinematic treasures and this film continues the trend in leaving me speechless and rather emotional as I left my seat at the big screen – obviously the Le Mans track has changed through the years since the 60s so how on earth did James Mangold and his team recreate the movies focal point? it’s just mind boggling, the camera work by the Greek cinematographer Phedon Papamichael is sublime, his work in creating that claustrophobic yet thrilling car racing scenes is pure brilliance but for me the main reason this movie succeeds is it’s cast who are simply magnetic – what a movie and a ride you don’t wana miss on the big screen ★★★★★
























































































































































