Category Archives: Movie Reviews

The Mongoose – Movie Review

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TL;DR – Good intentions, but sloppy execution.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this film.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

A reed carse racing down the highway towards the camera.

The Mongoose Review Introduction

Today we are looking at a film at the crossroads. On the one hand, we have the incredibly important subject matter: we send soldiers off to war and then don’t care much about them once they become veterans. However, the film is exploring this important issue through the lens of a comical action film. It is a combination that we will see is destined to fail because those two impulses want to take different paths.

So, to set the scene, we open as a red sports car blasts down an Arkansas highway while being chased by every cop car in town, dodging spike strips with ease. Ryan “Fang” Flanagan (Liam Neeson) is running from his past, both the dead body back in Kentucky and what happened in Afghanistan. Now, he is running, and he has the police forces of multiple states after him, and the outcome does not look good as he approaches Texas.

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Apocalypse Z: New World (Apocalipsis Z: Nuevo Mundo) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – The follow-up doesn’t quite land as well as the first, with odd story choices and issues weighing it down.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this film.

A cruse ship used as quarantine.

Apocalypse Z: New World Review Introduction

Yesterday, we explored the first in the series of Apocalypse Z films as a man and a cat made their way through a fallen Spain to get to safety. I quite enjoyed it; not revolutionary, but a solid zombie romp. Also, cat. Now tonight is the time to see if the sequel can match that same level of intensity.

So, to set the scene, the Canary Islands fells like the furthest you could be from trouble, but after the spread of the TSJ virus across the world, it might be the last place in Europe that has not succumbed to the disease. But supplies are now running desperately short, and there is a constant threat of the virus jumping into the refuge. Things are desperate enough that the government is risking a mission to Madrid to find supplies. Roberto (Carlos Alcaide), due to his parents and poor judgment, is about to become an example of the military judiciary, but he has one chance to avoid prison: Project Ithica. But there are many agendas going along this trip back to the mainland.

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Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End (Apocalipsis Z: El principio del fin) (2024) Review – Exploring the Past

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TL;DR – A solid Spanish zombie film, with good tension, a capable lead, and strong worldbuilding.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no end-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that was used to view this film.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

Zombies swarm.

Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End Review Introduction

Tonight, as we are spooky season adjacent, I thought I would dip into a horror film and the new Spanish Zombie film was recommended to me. It was at that point that I remembered that I had planned to watch the first film in the series but never got around to it. Well, there is no time like the present to fix that.

So, to set the scene, it is the new year in Spain and Manel (Francisco Ortiz) and Júlia (Iria del Río) are on their way back from visiting Manel’s family when a traffic accident changes their lives. A year later, things are a bit tense as a virus has the EU thinking of closing borders. Life is moving on, as the cases are ‘contained’ in Spain, but there is fear that collapse is on the horizon, and important people are being moved out to the Canary Islands for some reason.

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The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999) Review – Exploring the Past

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TL;DR – While it is a film where you do need that nostalgic hook to get the most out of it, I do have to admit there is still a charm there.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no end-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to view this film.

Elmo gets sucked through a portal.

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland Review Introduction

Today I am looking at a film that was a direct request from one of my friends. Was that friend in an exhaustive haze at the end of a long convention? Probably. Will we need to dive back in time to before the Y2K bug? Yes. Have I ever watched this film before? Absolutely not.

So, to set the scene, Elmo (Kevin Clash) is looking for his blanket (it is behind him; the children yell), who is his best friend (I am not sure that is healthy). After a Blanket-Best Friend song, there is a segue to an impromptu percussion party in the laundromat. On the way home, Elmo is trying to comfort Zoe (Fran Brill) with animal impressions because she can’t go to the zoo. After a series of unfortunate events, the blanket ends up in Oscar the Grouch’s (Caroll Spinney) trashcan, and Elmo could not wait for Oscar to return home and gets accidentally sucked into Grouchland.

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The Birthday Gift (Das Geschenk) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – An amusingly chaotic film of a birthday party that falls apart, one disaster after another.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix subscription used to watch this film.

All the adults look down at a fallen child.

The Birthday Gift Review Introduction

When I sat down to watch a film tonight, I knew it had to be a comedy, because this had been a week, a very, very, very long week. I needed a film to capture some chaotic fun, a series of calamities of humorous effect. For this, I decided to make a trip up to Germany, where a birthday party becomes a disaster.

So, to set the scene, we open on a house in a complete state of disaster. 18 hours earlier, the whole family and assorted children were descending on Marlene’s (Jeanne Goursaud) House to celebrate her son Theo’s (Levin Wopp) 9th birthday. He has been bullied due to some health issues growing up, and Marlene hopes this party will help him find some new friends. Though she probably should not have invited some of the terrors, little serial killers. It is a wave of disasters that descends on an unsuspecting house as personalities, world views, surprises and woefully inappropriate presents arrive. There is a reason I run my presents for my nieces and nephews by my siblings beforehand.

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Wildwood – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A stunning work of art that moved my soul.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

Cherry blossoms in Portland by the river.

Wildwood Review Introduction

Today I get to talk about one of the most interesting films I have seen in an age. A film brimming with artistic talent, emotion, and an impact that with me long after the credits rolled. It is a movie that reminds me why film exists: to delight, to confront, to uplift, and to bring the tears.

So, to set the scene, Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) is at that teenage age where she is trying to isolate herself from those things that seem childish because now, she is an adult, apparently. While also simultaneously rebelling against her parents’ wisdom, a juxtaposition that is only found in teenagers. Her parents (Jake Johnson & Maya Erskine) get Prue to watch her baby brother Mac (Arthur Knight), but he can not go outside. Fast-forward to Prue taking Mac on a tour around Portland, Oregon. It is a delightful day, bar the unfortunate appearance of Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay), oh and a murder of crows stealing Mac from the playground and taking him into the Impassable Wilderness, the one place her parents told her not to go.

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Clayface – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While there are moments of brilliance and a real commitment to body horror, a flaw in the central premise and some very clunky dialogue hold it back.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen looking at his reflection.

Clayface Review Introduction

In today’s review, we are looking at a film that is in many ways an experiment: are audiences willing to sit through a hard body-horror exploration of the comic book world? That might indeed turn out to be a hard sell. Indeed, the character of Clayface has gone from being completely off my radar to having two or three different versions in the last few years alone. However, the DCU is not afraid of some experiments, but will it be the Joker or Joker 2?

So, to set the scene, Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) is the talk of the film scene in Coastal City, even earning his first Academy Award nomination. However, when he is back in Gotham City for publicity, the city he and his best friend (Joshua James) grew up in, they head out to the club. The music is bouncing, the lights are flashing, and the dancing is good. But while his friend tries to warn Matt, nothing stops the actor from dancing and spending the night with Theresa (Ruby Sear), the girlfriend of local crime lord Markos Szabo (David Dencik). After finding them in bed together, he promptly rips Matt’s face apart before bribing everyone involved to make the problem disappear. Matt is ruined and without hope when he sees a news report of the work Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie) is doing with nanobots, and maybe there is hope for him still.

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Street Fighter (2026) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A complete mess of a film, with conflicting targets, wants, vibes, and narratives all colliding together in whatever we got in the final product.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

1993 World Warrior Tournament II banner.

Street Fighter Review Introduction

If you had asked me a year ago if I was excited for a Street Fighter film, I probably would have looked at you oddly. The original was a bit of a camp mess, and video game adaptations in general have not been kind. However, the more we heard about this film, the more the dial shifted, and I became genuinely intrigued to see whether they could pull off such a chaotic premise. (Editor’s note: I was optimistic here before I watched the film; it does not go well for me)

So, to set the scene, for a long time, Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) and Ryu (Andrew Koji) were best friends, inseparable. That is until fate tore them apart in a way that only best friends can be ripped asunder: the death of their master Gouken (Don Lee). Many years later, in 1993, the next World Warrior Tournament is upon the world, and Chun-Li (Callina Liang) is on a mission to reunite the former friends and get them to fight. Still, none of them knows just what M. Bison (David Dastmalchian) has cooking in the background.

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Other Mommy – Movie Review

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TL;DR – Great production cannot save a profoundly hollow film from falling like a thud.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a post-credit sting that you do not have to stay for.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Warning – Contains scenes with flashing lights.

A soft toy vulture on the top of a ball pit.

Other Mommy Review Introduction

Today we look at a film that is an odd duality. From the outside, this is a strongly constructed movie with a strong cast, engaging editing, strong cinematography, and an interesting spin on the supernatural monster mythology. It is also an insipid, hollow, dull exercise that turns a ninety-minute film into a slog.

So, to set the scene, on the surface, the Martin family of Ursula (Jessica Chastain), Russ (Jay Duplass), and little Bela (Arabella Olivia Clark) are the perfect unit. Maybe mum works a bit too much, maybe dad should have more going on in his life beyond painting miniatures, oh, and maybe Bela should not see Other Mommy (Jessica Chastain) in her closet at night.

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The Love Hypothesis – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A very straightforward romantic comedy, with a touch more going on under the hood than you would first suspect.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this film.

The gang looks in shock at a kiss.

The Love Hypothesis Review Introduction

Today we are looking at a truly interesting film. On the surface, it is a very well-executed, if straightforward, romantic comedy. Two oddball characters who have nothing in common find love through the prism of shenanigans. We have gotten Solo Mio, One Night Only, & Finding Emily with the same underlying structure this year already. However, the moment you dig even a centimetre under the surface, it becomes one of the more fascinating films I have seen all year.

So, to set the scene, Olive Smith (Lili Reinhart) is not having the best day when some expired contact lenses make her whole world blurry on the day of her graduate school interview. But disaster averted, Olive makes it into Stanford University, where she meets her bestie Anh (Rachel Marsh), her unrequited crush Jeremy (Nicholas Duvernay), and roommate Malcolm (Jaboukie Young-White), which is good because Olive is all alone in her life outside of university. The one thing Olive wants is to work in Dr Thomas Benton (Arty Froushan)’s lab, and he just let her know that he will be teaching in Stanford for the next month. It is a major opportunity, or a walking disaster waiting to happen. Which is what is happening when she cons Anh into thinking she is in a relationship, so Anh feels okay dating Jeremy, which leads to her maybe kissing ‘Dr Evil’ Dr Adam Carlsen (Tom Bateman) to keep up the ruse, and shenanigans follow as Dr Carlsen agrees to set up the pretence of a relationship for the review committee … making a love hypothesis.

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