REVIEWS
Cinema, Blu-ray/4K, Streaming and VOD Releases - Reviewed By Fans For Fans
OTHER MOMMY
OTHER MOMMY - Jessica Chastain pulls double duty as a distant mother and an evil doppelganger that seems intent on stealing her daughters affections and so much more. Our review of a film that aims for sustained terror but only trips itself up every time it tries to convince you that Jessica Chastain smiling is supposed to be scary.
HOPE
HOPE - The long, long awaited epic sci-fi/action mash-up finally arrives onscreen telling the tale of a small South Korean town coming under threat from a destructive and terrifying alien force. Iain MacLeod reviews a film that while being undeniably exciting and entertaining also manages to be one of the most frustrating films of the year. Head over to the site to read the full review.
HER PRIVATE HELL
Nicolas Winding Refn makes his long awaited return to cinema with the dreamlike sci-slasher HER PRIVATE HELL. Sophie Thatcher stars as an actress who crosses paths with a leather clad serial killer and Charles Melton’s GI stalking the streets looking for his missing daughter. Iain MacLeod reviews what should have been an enticing return to form but instead turns out to be an empty, vapid experience in self-indulgence.
RESIDENT EVIL
Zach Cregger takes creative control of the horror franchise, steering it into new territory that should please both longtime fans of the games and of his own highly successful works. Iain MacLeod reviews a video game adaptation which satisfies for the most part before descending into farcical chaos.
LEVITICUS
Adrian Chiarella’s Australian horror detailing the horrifying effects of a biblical curse affecting the lives of a young queer couple. Iain MacLeod reviews a mostly effective horror that is at its best, and most terrifying, when it concentrates on its real world aspects as opposed to the supernatural.
TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA
Jane Schonebrun’s fun, meta take on the slasher genre arrives onscreen, exploring a young queer director’s obsession with the titular franchise and its reclusive Final Girl played to great effect by Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson. Our review of a film that attempts to marry an academic approach to the genre with its more base elements to mixed effect.
THE END OF OAK STREET
THE END OF OAK STREET REVIEW - Director David Robert MItchell returns from the wilderness with the tale of a time shifted neighbourhood besieged by dinosaurs. Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor struggle to survive and keep their family together in this rip-roaring adventure that has a real bite and dark edge lacking in most summer blockbusters.
ICE CREAM MAN
ICE CREAM MAN - Looking for the worst film of the year? Here it is! Eli Roth returns with a truly terrible film that struggles to raise any feeling at all in the viewer apart from boredom. Iain MacLeod reviews an extravaganza of a plotless, unfunny and boring film where the most horrifying elements are the shoddy AI scenes.
THE ODYSSEY
THE ODYSSEY REVIEW - Homer’s bestselling novel is finally adapted for the screen in Christopher Nolan’s ambitious big budget blockbuster. Our review of a film that not only delivers on spectacle but also provides much thematic heft to make it the most exciting and satisfying blockbuster in ages. Also contains enough horror elements to keep you excited.
EVIL DEAD BURN
EVIL DEAD BURN - The Deadites return, in the darkest and goriest entry yet, to wreak havoc on a grieving and unsuspecting family who have a secret that the demons are very interested in. Check out our review of a mostly successful sequel that paves a new way forward in its own brutal and sadistic fashion.
NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE
NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE - Nirvanna, not Nirvana, return to the screen with Matt and Jay time travelling to 2008 in one last effort to achieve fame, causing all manner of mayhem in the past and the present. Iain MacLeod reviews this instant cult favourite that ropes in the public and makes a mockery of copyright rules and time travel.
THE FURIOUS
THE FURIOUS - Kenji Tanigaki’s tale of Miao Xie and Joe Taslim taking on evil child kidnappers is the best martial arts film in years. Iain MacLeod reviews and finds a film that takes action cinema to new, astonishing heights with all kinds of weapons including fists, arrows, microphones and a big bald mans big head.
LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS
LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS - This snappy coming-of-age lesbian comedy Australian animation is a riot of 2D colour, with a riot-grrl punky all female cast. Nina Romain reviews this likable sci-fi spin on a woman finding her true place in the universe.
DISCLOSURE DAY
DISCLOSURE DAY - Steven Spielberg’s much anticipated return to sci-fi and alien encounters fails to capture the magic of his earlier classics. Iain MacLeod reviews and finds a film that fails to capture the imagination of the viewer in several ways and feels completely irrelevant to today's film blockbuster landscape.
BACKROOMS
BACKROOMS - Liminal horror goes mainstream as Kane Parsons mysterious and dangerous world makes the jump from YouTube to cinema screens. Iain MacLeod reviews a striking and eerie debut that more than delivers on the promise of its web series and suggests a new direction for horror cinema.
NORMAL
NORMAL - Don’t let the title fool you, Bob Odenkirk’s shoot ‘em up directed by Ben Wheatley is anything but. Iain MacLeod reviews this off kilter action flick that does just about enough to differentiate itself from the one time comedians other action films that have given his career such a shot in the arm.
OBSESSION
OBSESSION - Be careful what you wish for as a young man's crush on his best friend takes a truly unsettling and terrifying turn in Curry Barker’s OBSESSION. Iain MacLeod reviews the film that will please his online fans as well as a new legion who will find much to admire in this expert mix of cringe inducing comedy and truly unnerving horror.
HOKUM
HOKUM - Struggling author Ohm Bauman visits the Irish hotel so beloved by his deceased parents only to discover the local legend of a malevolent witch could be the least of his worries. Iain MacLeod reviews Damian McCarthy’s latest film, that proves he is one of the genres most exciting talents with one of the scariest and most entertaining films of the year.
MOTHER MARY
MOTHER MARY - Anne Hathaway plays the titular and literally haunted popstar in need of a dress from her estranged friend played by Michaela Cole in David Lowery’s underwhelming attempt in melding horror and pop music together. Iain MacLeod reviews a film that plays everything in a timid coy fashion that becomes severely patience testing.