Category Archives: Movie Reviews

Paddington in Peru – Movie Review

Posted on by
2

TL;DR – While it has not reached the heights of its predecessors, it was still a joy to be back in this world.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Paddington in Peru Review –

Few films series have hit such high expectations as the Paddington series, especially after just two films. Paddington 1 will always hold a special place in my heart because of getting to watch it with friends at a drive in one day and the joy that came with it. I don’t think I need to tell you about Paddington 2, given its impact on the film landscape. I mean, it was an entire plot point in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. But can they make it a hat trick? That is what we will find out today.

So, to set the scene, there have been a lot of changes to the Brown household. Henry (Hugh Bonneville) has a new boss, Madison (Hayley Atwell), who has told him he has to embrace risk. Judy (Madeleine Harris) has begun looking for a University, Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) has gone full-teenage and spends all his time in his room, and Mary (Emily Mortimer) is struggling with the coming empty next. But Paddington (Ben Whishaw) has just gotten his British citizenship and passport, which was just in time because The Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman) of The Home for Retired Bears in Peru writes to let everyone know that Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) not well. The Brown family rush to Peru, but when they get there, they find out that Aunt Lucy is missing and only Paddington might know where she has gone.

Continue reading →

Better Man – Movie Review

Posted on by
3

TL;DR – A fascinating look at a pop icon that takes some wild swings that don’t always pan out.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film

Warning – contains scenes that may cause distress.

Better Man Review –

Today, we look at one of the oddest films that I watched in 2024. On the one hand, this was a very boilerplate biopic that explored the life of pop icon Robbie Williams. However, they also make massive artistic choices throughout the film, most notably by depicting the focus of the biopic as an ape. This was a fascinating choice, but did it work? And that is the question we will explore today.

So, to set the scene, Robbie Williams (Robbie Williams/Jonno Davies/Adam Tucker) had spent most of his life growing up in the small town of Stoke-On-Trent. Living with his mother Janet (Kate Mulvany) and Nan Betty (Alison Steadman) after his father Peter (Steve Pemberton) left to try and be an entertainer. He hasn’t done well at school because he has these lyrics in his head and a drive to be famous. It’s a good thing that his first big break has just strolled into town as Nigel Martin-Smith (Damon Herriman) is looking for boys to be part of a new band, Take That, which is Robbie’s chance to get out of this town and make something of himself.   

Continue reading →

Robot Dreams – Movie Review

Posted on by
7

TL;DR – A warm winter hug while the winds blast all around you.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Robot Dreams Review –

One of the many strengths of animation is how easier it is to translate across cultures and languages. There are a lot of examples, maybe most notably, that show that with sound localization, the skies are the limit. But what if not even the language was a barrier?

So, to set the scene, it is 1984 in New York, and Dog sits alone at night eating his microwaved meal. In his loneliness, he sees an ad for a companion robot, and phone orders it right away. One building montage that would put Ikea to shame later, and while pigeons watch, Robot is created. So, Dog takes Robot on a tour of the city, but things go wrong on a trip to the beach when Robot breaks down, and Dog can’t get to him.

Continue reading →

Civil War – Movie Review

Posted on by
7

TL;DR – A deeply haunting film that engaged you so you could not look away, even though you wanted to.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that viewed this series.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Civil War Review –


Today, we look at a film that I didn’t know if I was going to review or not. It had awkward screening times when it had its theatrical release, and the election happened, and things felt a little too real to dive into a film like this. However, as the year came to a close, I felt like this was one of the films of 2024 that I had to watch to be able to understand the year that was.

So, to set the scene, in the not-too-distant future, The United States has devolved into civil war again, with the forces of the so-called central United States government based out of Washington DC up against the Western Forces of Texas and California. It is a chaotic time, with competing narratives as to what is happening and scarcities of resources like water putting pressure on everyone. In the midst of all of this are the photographers who are documenting the war, including veteran photojournalist Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst), who has been doing this long enough to know when a suicide bomber is coming. Everyone can see that DC is going to fall, and rather than being on the frontlines, Lee and her partner Joel (Wagner Moura) want to go into the Capital and interview The President (Nick Offerman) before he is murdered by whatever faction gets to the Capital first. The only problem, well one of many problems for them, is that the road from New York to the Capital is fraught with fighting, damage, and military forces looking to blow up anything that moves.    

Continue reading →

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – There are some interesting moments here, and the cast is having fun, but the story feels more contrived than anything else.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that viewed this film.

A storm approaches New York.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Review –

The Ghostbusters Franchise has taken some turns in the last 40-odd years. In many ways, it has shifted from being at the forefront of the genre to being utterly indicative of their time. The question I have is if this new entry will tread along the same tired lines or try to do something new.

So, to set the scene, back in 1904, firefighters in New York stumbled across a peculiar scene when investigating a fire, where the room was frozen and not burnt. In the present, Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), Callie Spengler (Carrie Coon), Trevor Spengler (Finn Wolfhard), and Phoebe Spengler (Mckenna Grace) are trying to hunt down the Hell’s Kitchen Sewer Dragon. But when Nadeem Razmaadi (Kumail Nanjiani) brings an old Mesopotamian ghost trap to Dr. Raymond “Ray” Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), little does he know what he just unleashed on the world.

Continue reading →

Earth Abides: Forever is Tomorrow is Today & Full Season – TV Review

Posted on by
6

TL;DR – A beautifully contemplative end to a fascinating series.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Stan service that viewed this series.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Year 20.

Earth Abides Review –

One of the interesting little gems that I found towards the end of the year was an exploration of life and death in the aftermath of absolute tragedy. What do you do when you are alone in a world that was once teaming with life? Do you survive? Do you pack it in? Do you reach out? Or do you close yourselves off from everything? These are the questions we ask in the ruins of the old world.   

So, to set the scene, twin tragedies have struck the small community of San Lupo. First, Heather (Aleksandra Cross) has returned home alone after a long sojourn north without Raif (River Codack). Even worse, after twenty years, the virus returned, and soon, many members of the town became ill. Sadder for Ish (Alexander Ludwig) and Emma (Jessica Frances Dukes), one of those affected is their son Joey (Elias Leacock), whose shoulders much of the future was resting on. We will be looking at the episode and season as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.   

Continue reading →

Kneecap – Movie Review

Posted on by
1

TL;DR – Sex, drugs, and rap, with a dash of politics, violence, and only one reference to the Pope

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film

Arlo flips the bird at a government helicopter.

Kneecap Review –

Today, I start the process of catching up on all the films of 2024 that I missed on the first release, and the first one off the bat is a film out of Northern Ireland or the North of Ireland, depending on your perspective. I was drawn to this film because it is about the Irish language, which should be a part of my heritage, given my ancestry, but it is a gap that I want to explore today.

So, to set the scene, in the tumultuous world of Northern Ireland, contestation of politics can be everywhere, even in language. It is here where so-called ceasefire babies grew up. In this world lives Naoise “Móglaí Bap” Ó Cairealláin (Naoise “Móglaí Bap” Ó Cairealláin), Liam Óg “Mo Chara” Ó Hannaidh (Liam Óg “Mo Chara” Ó Hannaidh), and JJ “DJ Próvaí” Ó Dochartaigh (JJ “DJ Próvaí” Ó Dochartaigh). They are dealing with a multitude of issues, like Naoise’s father, Arlo (Michael Fassbender), living undercover after faking his death. In the shadows of the Irish Language Act debate, the three find themselves coming together for a drug-filled night of music-making. Where they discover a way to bring the Irish language to a new generation.

Continue reading →

Kraven the Hunter – Movie Review

Posted on by
3

TL;DR – An abysmal end to the Sony Spider-Man universe filled with tepid dialogue, poor action, and confused priorities.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – Thankfully, there is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Warning – Contains themes that may cause distress.

Kraven looks into a broken mirror.

Kraven the Hunter Review –

Well, we have come to the end of the Sony Spider-Man universe without the Spider-Man experiment. We got Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius, Madame Web, Venom: The Last Dance and now Kraven. Unfortunately, there were more misses than hits, and some of those misses were a disaster. But can the final film in the experiment stick the landing? Spoiler alert: no, no, it cannot.

So, to set the scene, after the loss of their mother, brothers Sergei (Levi Miller) and Dmitri (Billy Barratt) are whisked out of school by their assorted criminal father, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe). He took them to Ghana to learn how to be men by hunting. But when the lion finds them first, Sergei is attacked and dragged off. Left for dead, things looked grim until a young girl, Calypso (Diaana Babnicova), gave him a potion from her grandmother that was mixed with the lion’s blood in his system to heal him and give him powers. Escaping from the clutches of his father, Sergei, now going by Kraven (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), makes his mission to hunt down poachers and other criminals, including mob bosses hidden away in Siberian gulags.

Continue reading →

Nosferatu (2025) – Movie Review

Posted on by
9

TL;DR – This is a film that is both deeply compelling but also profoundly unsettling. You want to look away, but something keeps drawing you back in.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

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

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Ellen screams.

Nosferatu Review –

Few films have the legacy of Nosferatu. This story has been foundational to the horror genre generally and vampire films specifically. Nearly every movie in this genre either references the original Nosferatu: Eine Symphonie des Grauens or consciously does not reference that film. But when you are working in a space shared by Bram Stoker, F. W. Murnau & Werner Herzog, you must bring your a-game, and I think Robert Eggers did.

So, to set the scene, Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) has newly married the love of his life, Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp), but his finances mean that he has to live under the kindness of his friend Friedrich Harding (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Wanting to give the world to his new love, Thomas takes up a job as a real estate agent in his town of Wisborg under the auspices of Herr Knock (Simon McBurney). It is here that he is given the job to travel all the way to Transylvania to meet with a reclusive Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) to sign a property deed. Everyone advises that he should not go, but go he does, not knowing he has fallen into a dastardly trap.  

Continue reading →

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – Movie Review

Posted on by
4

TL;DR – A fun blast of nostalgia and charm, but not much more than that.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film

A crimes lead back to Wallace.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl Review –

One of the great joys, when I was a kid, was being stuck in my mother’s university library, bored out of my brain, but then discovering they had this VHS collection of wired animated stop-motion films. It was my first jump into the world of Aardman, and I have always looked forward to a new entry whenever they come out. Indeed, Chicken Run is still in my Top 10 Animated Films of All Time. Well, today, we get to dive into the latest entry and back into the world of Wallace & Gromit.

So, to set the scene, it has been years since the dastardly Feathers McGraw was apprehended by the eccentric inventor Wallace (Ben Whitehead) and his loyal beagle Gromit. Now, the two live together in a house full of inventions, but inventions don’t tend to pay the bills. That is when Wallace comes up with Norbot (Reece Shearsmith), a smart gnome that can clean and tidy gardens. But when Feathers McGraw spots this from their zoo jail cell, soon a plan of vengeance most foul is afoot.

Continue reading →