As it was with past franchises, a second part of a narrative always feels a little… awkward. But Dune: Part 2 delivers the same quality and mystique as the first part. Following the events of Dune (2021) Paul Atreides finds himself among the Fremen, the natives of the planet Arrakis, hiding out from the Harkonnens,…
Review: Bob Marley – One Love
Musical biopic with a mystical edge. Could have been a little longer? It is the mid-1970s, and Jamaica is in turmoil since gaining its independence from the United Kingdom. Musical sensation and icon of the country, Bob Marley, plans to put on a show to lessen hostilities. But is his chilled demeanour more naiveté than…
Review: Argylle
It is so flashy but ultimately tiring. An author becomes hugely popular with a series of spy novels. But when a real spy organization is threatened by the alarming comparisons to their real-life operations… she is about to go on a globe-trotting adventure of her own. Director Matthew Vaughn exploded onto the scene with Layer…
Review: The Holdovers
Quirky characters, moving stories, heartache, wrapped in a cosy and familiar blanket. 1970 Christmas time, a boys boarding school must house the kids who have nowhere to go for the festive period. This task is given to one of the faculty’s older and most curmudgeonly teachers. Can any of these reluctant individuals find sympathy in…
Review: Poor Things
Beautiful, surreal, hilarious, dark, compelling. So very nearly perfect. Bella Baxter, a creation of a surgeon who creates weird chimera lifeforms, wants to be free of her “father’s” trappings and explore the world. She galivants off with a debauched lawyer, to start a journey of self-discovery. Poor Things has got a lot of coverage and…
Review: Night Swim
Haunted house? No, haunted swimming pool. American family the Wallers look for a new home, and come across one that even has a swimming pool. This would help the father, Ray, who is in need of physical therapy… But is there something evil lurking in the waters? With production studio Blumhouse and James Wan’s names…
Best and Worst of 2023
2023… It has been a difficult year for me personally, and I welcomed the increase in cinema this year since the pandemic as it was a means of escapism and distraction. But it has also been a difficult year for cinema! The start of the year (in the lead up to award season) saw several…
Review: Ferrari
Director Michael Mann can be hit or miss, but Ferrari is definitely a hit. Enzo Ferrari, owner of the most prestigious brand of race cars in Italy after the end of the war, is faced with bankruptcy if he cannot get more interest in his cars. Compounding this, his business partner and estranged wife, and…
Review: Rebel Moon: Part 1 – A Child of Fire
Rebel Moon had everything going for it, but the results are extremely disappointing. A tyrannical, galactic organisation threatens a farming world. But one citizen is not all she appears to be and vows to repel the attackers by assembling a team of rogues. Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire is the first…
Review: Godzilla – Minus One
Blockbusters weren’t always rollercoasters, and this film harkens back to the old days. At the end of World War II, a Japanese kamikaze pilot not only dishonourably flees combat, but also witnesses a terrifying sight: a gigantic monster that threatens all of Japan. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, and produced by Toho Studios, the original studio…