Tag Archives: Movie Review

Heart of the Beast – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While there are times when you feel emotionally manipulated, I can’t deny that this film had a powerful effect on me, as each turn, setback, and revelation had me on the edge of my seat.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

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

A plane flies low over a valley.

Heart of the Beast Review Introduction

The last couple of years have been an odd time for David Ayer and me. I loved his The Beekeeper, a film that improves with each rewatching, and yet I loathed A Working Man, a film which was not improved by a repeat viewing. This was such an odd juxtaposition that was playing in my head as I sat down to watch his latest entry. But thankfully, I think we spent more time in the former than the latter territory.  

So, to set the scene, James Belmont (Brad Pitt) is a now-retired Special Forces officer who lives a quiet life with his retired combat scout dog Odin (Uber). They both live with the scars of their former life, both external and internal. One weekend, Belmont flies the two of them up into the Alaskan wilderness to camp, fish, and enjoy nature away from other humans. Some unwanted surprise company aside, it was a great trip, until a storm blows in and they have to pack up early. But when tragedy strikes on the flight home, Belmont and Odin must hike over fifty miles through the unforgiving Alaskan countryside to make it to the nearest road, the only hope for rescue.

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Hope (Hopeu/호프) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – This is honestly one of the most bonkers films I have ever watched, both good [the action] and bad [the animation], and everything in between [the tonal whiplash].

Rating: 4 out of 5.

And/Or

Rating: 2 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Two men stand on either side of a creature sized hole that has been made in the wall of a building.

Hope Review Introduction

Today we are looking at a profoundly odd film, a film that bamboozles and weirds you out in equal measures. I will be honest: I spent the entire time I was watching this film on the edge of my seat, not knowing what would come next, good or bad. It constantly keeps you off balance, not knowing what will happen next.  

So, to set the scene, Ko Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min) is the police chief of Hope Harbour, a town in South Korea near the border with the North. Early one morning, he is called out of town by his cousin Ko Sung-ki (Zo In-sung), where they find a large bull that has been eviscerated by something larger than a bear. Concerned that a wild animal is this close to the town, Ko Bum-seok makes his way back into town to try and organise patrols to keep people safe, which is when explosions and screams cry out into the early morning.

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Runner – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While I had some fun, this is one of those films where you will either be in for the ride or bounce off it so hard.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

The Brisbane sign.

Runner Review Introduction

Today we are looking at Runner, which should not be confused with The Runner that we looked at last week. This is a bit of an odd film for me because I am reviewing a movie not just filmed in my hometown, but actually set in it. Which brings a lot of joy when you see them in locations I know so well, but then also a real disconnect when the geography makes no sense. Let’s see how that juxtaposition pans out.

  So, to set the scene, Hank Malone (Alan Ritchson) is an ex-Navy SEAL living in Brisbane, Australia. Hank is one year sober and works as a runner, bringing items usually legal, sometimes not so, from one location to another as quickly as possible. A good example of this is a parrot from one divorced partner to the other. The day was meant to be over until an emergency last-minute parcel arrives via plane from Honolulu. But this parcel, an organ, comes attached to Ben Bishop (Owen Wilson). They just need to get the liver from Brisbane to the Gold Coast hospital before the time runs out. It is a simple run, well, it should be, but that is when some black SVUs filled with gun-wielding bikies start hunting them down.

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The Runner – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A conceptually interesting film that does not have the legs to make it to a full feature length.

Rating: 2.5 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.

Gal Gadot running.

The Runner Review Introduction

Today we review a film with a very singular focus, a singular drive, it might be said. Where the title is not just a thematic exploration of the narrative, but a description of what we will be doing for the next ninety minutes. Such singular focus can work because you strip out every extraneous factor, but when you have borne your soul, you also have nowhere to hide.
  
So, to set the scene, Maia Marten (Gal Gadot) is a lawyer working in London who likes running, so much that she will fob off one of her clients to put another male runner in their place. But as she runs to the office one morning, A Caller (Damian Lewis) uses her son Noah’s (Rory Wilmot) phone. The kidnapper has two rules: Maia cannot talk to anyone else, especially the police, and two, Maia cannot bore him. She has an hour to kill a witness in her big case that only she has access to, or Noah dies.

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Fuze – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A profoundly fascinating heist film that never lets you settle as it shifts under your feet.

Rating: 4 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 bomb starts ticking.

Fuze Review Introduction

Sometimes you sit down and have a feeling that you need to watch something you have not seen in a while, and for me that was a good heist film. I love the tension, the precision, the action; every part of a good heist is a delight, and I think we got a good one today.   

So, to set the scene, it’s construction time in London, England, and when digging out the foundation of a building, the diggers hit something you don’t want to find: an unexploded 500lb bomb left from WWII. It is one of those things that can shut an entire city down, as people must evacuate the potential blast zone. The Army, under Major Will Tranter (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), has been brought in to deal with the bomb while the police evacuate the city around it. But with entire blocks of London evacuated, and no one watching, that leaves an awful lot of unintended valuables lying around, and a lot of false alarms going off while hiding what you are doing.

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GOAT – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While not a revolutionary story, the gorgeous animation and heartwarming fun make it a lovely watch.  

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 Glasshouse, the home court of the Thorns in Vinetown.

GOAT Review Introduction

It is the time of year when you feel a bit reflective and need to catch up with everything you might have missed throughout the year. There is one film from earlier this year that a lot of people have recommended that I needed to give a watch. It doesn’t hurt that my current sports team is also at the bottom of the ladder fighting for it all, which means it is a perfect window for today’s film.  

So, to set the scene, in a world filled with sentient animals, there is one sport that unites the world: roarball [basketball]. However, it is a sport only played by bigs; the smalls have to watch. Will Harris (Caleb McLaughlin) is a goat who has always dreamed of playing, but he is a small. It doesn’t help that the local team, the Thorns under Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Union), are at the bottom of the ladder. But when opposition player Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre) starts dissing the local team in Vinetown, their own home, Will steps up and scores on him. This creates a viral moment that team owner Flo (Jenifer Lewis) uses to get more people in seats, but no one was expecting them to do well. The team had other ideas.

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The End of Oak Street – Movie Review

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TL;DR – This 80s homage film triumphs on one important facet: Anne Hathaway fighting dinosaurs.  

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.

A dog looks up to see a weird light.

The End of Oak Street Review Introduction

Now, if you know me, I make absolutely no apologies that I am a dinosaur fiend when it comes to media. Give me your Jurassic Parks, your Dinotopias, heck, you want to add dinosaurs to Star Trek, I am here for it. But if you are going to add dinosaurs to a film, they can’t just be a token addition; they need to mean something, and thankfully that is not an issue today.

So, to set the scene, in 1982 there is a quintessential suburb in America called Flowervale that does all the stereotypical things. They have block parties, the kids ride around on their bikes, and neighbours get upset with dogs pooping in their yards. On Oak Street in this suburb lives the Platt family: wife Denise (Anne Hathaway), husband Greg (Ewan McGregor), daughter Audrey (Maisy Stella), and son Brian (Christian Convery). They are the perfect nuclear family on the surface, but in private the cracks in Denise and Greg’s relationship are threatening to become a gorge. But all of that changes one night when the lights start to flicker, everyone’s ears pop, and odd noises start coming from the forest. That’s when the screams start.

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The Dink – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A delightful romp across the court

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

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

Dusty losses it on a pickleball court.

The Dink Review Introduction

Have you ever had just one of those weeks when nothing catastrophic happened in your life, but each and every aspect of your life is difficult for some reason? It is one of those weeks when you need to sit down and watch something with joy, something with fun. With that in mind, I thought it was time to sit down and watch the latest Jake Johnson joint.

So, to set the scene, Dustin ‘Dusty’ Boyd (Jake Johnson) grew up as ‘The Hammer’ and smashed his way into the world of tennis. That was before an injury cut short his promising career. Now Dustin teaches little kids at his dad’s (Ed Harris) tennis centre, boring the children and antagonising those using the Pickleball courts. Tennis is the king, but pickleball is on the rise, and they want more and more courts. Thus, there is only one solution for this dilemma: a duel.    

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Minions & Monsters – Movie Review

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TL;DR – Whether you like this film or not will depend on whether you think the Minions are charming or the death rattle of the end of Western Civilisation.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There are several mid-credit scenes.

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

Minions & Monsters Review Introduction

Over the years, I have been a strong proponent of how much I do enjoy the Despicable Me universe, even if Despicable Me 4 did start to show its age. Part of that is the chaotic energy that is infectious, the bright colours, and a heavy helping of quality slapstick comedy. It doesn’t hurt that I don’t have kids, so I only have to watch them once. But can a spin-off of a spin-off have the power to work? This is what we will look at today.

So, to set the scene, we open as a new museum is opening in Hollywood, looking back at some of the greats of cinema history, for example George Lucas (George Lucas). But the tour group was perplexed to see a statue of two Minions sitting in the exhibition. Well, the tour guide (Allison Janney) said, it is time to get an education about the history of Hollywood. The Minions have one goal: to find a big bad to work for, but one of the Minions, James (Pierre Coffin), had more of a creative side. When they end up in Hollywood, James finds his moment working with Max (Christoph Waltz), a noted film director. But to make James’ magnum opus, they needed a monster, and well, the Minions might have the evil spell book to pull that off.

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Backrooms (2026) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – This is a film built almost entirely on its vibe, and that is exactly why it works. Every small detail has been crafted to leave the hairs standing up on the back of your neck for the entire runtime.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Score – 4 out of 5 stars

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

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire.

Backrooms Review Introduction

If you have ever dabbled in the online spaces, then you have probably come across the internet phenomenon that is the Backrooms. A slightly too illuminated or not illuminated enough office block that goes on for eternity, where things are just not quite right. It has the distinct visual style of being both familiar and also profoundly off-putting. Well, this has been bouncing around the World Wide Web for a decade or so, and one of the creators in the space has taken the jump to the big screen, so let’s take a look.   

So, to set the scene, in the 1990s, Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a generally frustrated seller of tired house furniture. He wanted to be an architect, but for many reasons, he could never make that work. The Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire is bleeding him dry with all these electricity bills, which Clark knows are wrong because he might be currently living in the store after his wife kicked him out. He has been working through this with his therapist, Dr Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve), but nothing seems to stick. But then, one night, when he was sleeping in the store, he heard some odd electric noises from the basement. Going to investigate, nothing seems out of the ordinary until something caught the corner of his eye. An echo, a strip, a remembrance of a door that should not be there. It is an odd office-like space with yellow carpets and inconsistent fluorescent lighting. However, the deeper Clark goes, the weirder it gets.       

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