Tag Archives: Thriller

Saltburn – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A torrid and often shocking affair, but one you have trouble looking away from.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Warning – Contains scenes with prolonged flashing lights.

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

Oliver reflected in the table.

Saltburn Review –

There can be a multitude of emotions that can wash over you when the end credits roll. Disbelief, boredom, shock, sadness, horror, resignation, frustration, and even anger. However, never in my time reviewing films have I ever had this particular set of emotions permeating through my mind. A combination of revelation, horror, shock, and sheer amazement. It is this film that we explore today.

So to set the scene, it is 2006, and Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) has made it into Oxford, but he didn’t have wealthy parents. He got in on a scholarship, which immediately set him apart from everyone else there. He longs to be part of the group, and being friends with local heartthrob Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) is the best way to do it. It is a tumultuous relationship, but when Oliver’s dad dies and he has nowhere to go over the summer, Felix invites him back to his family’s estate, Saltburn. A place where wealth is in excess and lives can be changed.  

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Old – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A film that is equal parts engaging and unsettling      

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Disclosure – I was sent a screener of this film

Old. Image Credit: Universal Pictures.

Old Review –

If there is one filmmaker who knows Hollywood’s very heights and depths, it’s M. Night Shyamalan. But no matter if his films work or not, they are always impeccable shot and are at least trying to be more than the sum of their parts. So when you hear that he is diving back into the horror world or at least the supernatural world, well, it makes you want to see at least what he has made.     

So to set the scene, we open in on a family as they make their way by coach to the Anamika Resort on some tropical island. While the parents, Guy (Gael García Bernal) and Priscilla (Vicky Krieps), put on a good show for their kids Maddox (Alexa Swinton) and Trent (Nolan River). This was, in fact, the last holiday before the parents separate, so they are trying to make it a good memory. While at the resort, the manager suggests that they all go to a private beach that they are only opening for select guests, all you have to do is walk through a small canyon, and you are there. It is a beautiful day at the beach, right up until a body floats ashore.

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Movie Review – Boi

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TL;DR – An odd little film that I don’t think every quite found its footing but left me feeling intrigued    

Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars

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

Boi. Image Credit: Netflix.

Review –

Back in my ¡Ay, Mi Madre! review I mentioned that I wanted to explore more of Spanish cinema, what I didn’t realise was just how quickly the next film would roll around. But less than a week later a thriller set in Barcelona arrived on my desk, and I knew I had to check it out. Well, Boi is many things and thankfully interesting is one of them. 

So to set the scene, Boi (Bernat Quintana) is starting his first day as a private chauffeur in Barcelona, but he has a lot on his mind. Including caring for his Aunt (Fina Rius) and a breakdown in his relationship with his partner Anna (Miranda Gas). All of this leads him to completely getting the time wrong of when his first clients were arriving in the country so he has to rush and bluff his way into picking up Gordon (Adrian Pang) and Michael (Andrew Lua) two Chinese businessmen from Singapore. But that is only the start of three very long days.

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Movie Review – A Simple Favor

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TL;DR – Crazy, absurd, ridiculous, tense, and an amazing ball of fun

Score – 4 out of 5 stars

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

A Simple Favor. Image Credit: Lionsgate

Review –

The tone is something that can make or break a film, and you would think it would be an easy thing to get right, but alas it can be a tightrope to walk at times. This is especially important when you are blending genres and still trying to make it feel like a constant whole. Today we look at a film A Simple Favor that walks that tightrope from absurdity to high strung tension and makes it look effortless. Now before we get into the review proper, I do want to say that I have not read the book so I will leave it to others more knowledgeable than me to let you know if it is a good adaption or not, and I’ll just focus on the film.

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Movie Review – Get Out

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TL;DR – Get out is a masterpiece in tension, cinematography and action, it is perfectly cast, amazingly directed, and deeply affecting.

Score – 5 out of 5 stars

Get Out. Image Credit: Universal.

Review –

Wow, I had no idea, absolutely none, about just how good this film would be, and from a first-time features director no less. Get Out is a masterpiece from the acting, to the cinematography, to the music, everything, seriously this is the first 5 out of 5 film for 2017. Now because of the type of film that it is I can’t really discuss it without immediately getting into spoilers, so because of this, and also because it has been out in the rest of the world for months, this is going to be a [FULL SPOILER REVIEW] so if you have not seen it beware that we will be holding nothing back and it will be best if you go in as spoiler free as possible, a sentiment not held up by the trailer it seems. So if you want a non-spoiler review let me just say no movie has affected me in this way in a very long time and I highly recommend it as it is a masterpiece of cinema. So with that in mind, this is your last chance because we go full spoiler now.

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