VOD: 2036 Origin Unknown (dir: Hasraf Dulull, 2018)

"You will have many questions for me."

...or Katee Sackhoff In A Room And A Corridor.  Ambitious way, way beyond its means, and unfortunately drawing upon the monumental 2001: A Space Odyssey as its main source of inspiration, the film tries to deliver big ideas and events about AI, space travel and mysterious monoliths, sorry, cubes, that largely occur off-screen or on monitors with mid-to-low-end CG effects and an astonishing lack of people involved on-screen for such global and cataclysmic events.  The ever-wonderful Katee Sackhoff tries her hardest to wring anything out of the meagre script, but even then the lengthy 'dramatic' pauses and repetitions kill any sense of urgency or energy in a film that consistently underwhelms.

VOD: Booksmart (dir: Oliva Wilde, 2019)

"This isn't possible.  You guys don't even care about school."
"No, we just don't ONLY care about school."

Booksmart fully deserves all the praise it has received - this is a tale about two bright and ambitious best friends on the day before graduating from school that actually feels like it gets everything right.  It is genuinely hilarious, it packs in a lot of story and events across its running time, its poignant moments are sharp and well-observed, and the energetic pace never flags in terms of momentum or quality.  Kaitlin Deaver and Beanie Feldstein deliver probably the best on-screen female friendship since Muriel and Rhonda, and even the subsidiary characters are nuanced and memorable.  With an unbeatable message of the value of friendship and living life to the full, coupled with many laugh-out-loud moments (you'll never look at a toy panda the same way again!), Booksmart is a hugely entertaining, engaging and enjoyable film.

VOD: Victor Crowley (aka Hatchet 4 - Victor Crowley) (dir: Adam Green, 2018)

"Don't look.  It's bad."      

With Adam Green back in the director's chair, the fourth entry in this minor stalk-and-slash throwback Hatchet franchise is perhaps the weaker film in the series.  Taking some appropriate swipes at survivor/celebrity culture, a ten-years-after cash-in trip back to the swamplands at the same time as some wannabe film-makers accidentally resurrect Victor Crowley via the voodoo curse through the internet means it is time for more squelchy physical effects, lame one-joke characters and knowingly obvious set-ups, but this time round the humour is irritating and thin and the film looks and feels less polished.  Nevertheless, Kane Hodder remains a striking physical presence, and the finale is quite lively, but with nothing really new to say, Victor Crowley is an inessential franchise outing.

VOD: The Aeronauts (dir: Tom Harper, 2019)

"Doubt is there to be listened to."

The Aeronauts, with its historical story of balloonists trying to go higher than ever before, was clearly made for the big screen and, in spite of a couple of effective moments of peril in the second half, loses a lot in home viewing.  The visuals and effects are generally impressive, and elements of nature at its most beautiful - clouds, stars, snowflakes, butterflies - are all wonderfully created.  Harper's TV-directing experience feels evident in the two-people-stuck-in-a-basket sequences, and the script is a gift for viewers who like to play the 'guess the next line of dialogue' game.  Felicity Jones has some good moments as the showgirl-balloonist but is uneven, contrasting with Eddie Redmayne being Eddie Redmayne as the dedicated meteorologist.  Overall, this is ideal fodder for the older Sunday-matinee brigade, all very genteel and nicely made with not enough that gets the pulses racing.

VOD: Extra Ordinary (dirs: Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman, 2019)

"Do you ever have nightmares after you've eaten cheese?  You might have eaten...a ghost!"

With some bizarre parochial characterisations worthy of Father Ted and more than a touch of Garth Merenghi, Extra Ordinary is an unexpectedly delightful, extremely silly, surprisingly sweet and very funny Irish take on supernatural tales, as local driving instructor/medium Rose (a gloriously deadpan performance by Maeve Higgins) tries to rescue the potential-sacrificial daughter of her potential love interest Martin (spot-on silliness by Barry Ward) from the Satan-summoning clutches of a washed up Rockstar (in broad strokes by Will Forte) - now there's a plot summary!  It is all wonderfully daft, mostly played and written beautifully, and the movie certainly punches above its weight in the comedy stakes.

VOD: Frozen II (dirs: Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, 2019)

"We're calling this: controlling what you can when things feel out of control!"

For all its over-exposure, the original Frozen was a glorious take on traditional fairytale storytelling, and the delirious little-girl fan-fervour would always prove to be challenge to follow up.  Frozen II is a decent stab, this time going the more serious elemental/spiritual route that Disney often favours, and it delivers pretty well on many of the elements that made the first film so popular - strong female leads, beautiful visuals, ear-worm songs - but it lacks one crucial one - fun.  Frozen II is surprisingly serious in tone, and when it tries to let loose, it is hard sometimes to tell just how seriously to take it, such as an 80s-poodle-rock-style music video sequence that takes itself a little too seriously.  Like Monsters University and Toy Story 4, this is a solid, well-made entry but neither distinctive nor essential to any but its die-hard (young) fans.

VOD: Downton Abbey (dir: Michael Engler, 2019)

"Just like old times."

Downton's leap from small to big screen turns out to be one of the more successful transitions of its type in recent times.  It benefits hugely from assembling just about all of the TV show's main players, who are all served well here, and there is enough of a cinematic sheen to the gorgeous period visuals to make the move to film worthwhile.  What surprises is the pace and energy of the screenplay, which retains short TV-style scenes that drive the film along very effectively.  Faithful to what fans loved about the TV show but expansive enough to warrant a  movie-length outing, Downton Abbey is the cinematic equivalent of a big box of luxury chocolates and very enjoyable in its own right.

VOD: 21 Bridges (dir: Brian Kirk, 2019)

"It's the job.  It's what I do."

21 Bridges is set over one claustrophobic and tense night, as a coke-heist-gone-wrong leads to a lockdown of Manhattan island to catch the supposed villains.  The momentum never lets up, a range of immediately interesting characters are woven into the tight storyline, the rain-and-neon-soaked streets look wonderful, and the whole thing is driven by two absolutely top-notch performances by Chadwick Boseman and J.K. Simmons - whenever they share a scene, their performances are absolutely riveting.  Both accomplished and visceral, 21 Bridges is a real treat.

VOD: Ready Or Not (dirs: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, 2019)

"Don't take it personally - they're just trying to figure out if you're a god-digging whore!"


Ready Or Not takes a very simple premise - a newlywed is initiated into her hsuband's board-game-empire family by playing a lethal game of hide-and-seek on her wedding night as part of a bizarre tradition.  With a collection of nicely-defined characters and Samara Weaving investing totally in her lead role and the viewer rooting for her every step of the way, the film is deliciously dark fun, energetic and gloriously bloody.  Brian Tyler's music score is utterly sumptuous, design is beautiful, it makes its points about the rich very thoughtfully and both writing and directing are pin-sharp.  For horror fans, Ready Or Not is a hugely smart and entertaining romp that is enjoyable from start to finish.

VOD: Awaken The Shadowman (dir: J.S.Wilson, 2017)

"Look, I know we don't have everything they do, but I'm trying."

Suggestive of another stalk-and-slash killer, the Shadowman actually takes a more mythical/spiritual turn as a rarely-present character, but results in a rather dreary film.  The pacing is deadly slow - there is not a lot of interest in watching people walk across the room to deliver a line - the acting runs from low-key to no-key, and there is little along the way that really engages the viewer.  This is one of those movies where the intention is there, but the execution lets it down in pretty much every way..

VOD: My Spy (dir: Peter Segal, 2020)

"But there is one thing I'm good at."
"What's that?
"Kicking ass!"

My Spy managed a brief run in UK cinemas before the Coronavirus lockdown which denied it a US theatrical run, but this underpowered Amazon Original loses little on the small screen.  Like other action stars who tried the move into family-friendly comedy (Arnie, Stallone, Diesel), the comedy never catches fire as Bautista delivers the lines in a personable but relentlessly underwhelming manner - there are three laughs over a long 100 minutes.  Every single aspect of the storytelling is grindingly obvious and little convinces, although some of the (Canadian) autumnal shooting is nicely presented on screen.   My Spy is pleasant and well-meaning enough but simply not that entertaining or engaging.

VOD: Hustlers (dir: Lorene Scafaria, 2019)

"...and when would you say that things got out of control?"

This tale, loosely based on real events, of strippers turning the tables on their sleazy Wall Street clients and fleecing them for as much as they can get, is catered for well by this vivid, dynamic and entertaining telling on screen.  Hustlers is powered by a truly terrific performance from Jennifer Lopez, who absolutely commands the screen for every scene in which she appears, but there are other impressive turns to enjoy also from Constance Wu as Lopez's protégé and Julia Stiles as the hard-nosed journalist in particular.  The course of the story is unsurprising, and in spite of the abundance of female empowerment put forward, the film still asks the audience to sympathise with criminal activity, which undermines its core theme to a degree.  Nevertheless, Hustlers offers an entertaining ride, with some powerhouse performances, strong characters and engaging energy.

VOD: Malevolent (dir: Olaf De Fleur, 2018)

"Herman...take him to the shed...."

This standard low-rent British paranormal thriller is very much a game of two halves: the first half is a very drab and uninteresting affair offering little of consequence with barely anything that is cinematic or engaging, but the second half veers off into Eli Roth territory and becomes much livelier and far more interesting.  There are a couple of well-staged reveal shots, the female leads - Florence Pugh and a cast-against-type Celia Imrie - carry the film with solid work although the male actors offer considerably less, but the star of this show is an impressively-mounted soundscape.  Malevolent is a very mixed bag of strengths and weaknesses which will only really appeal to die-hard fans of the sub-genre.

VOD: Sea Fever (dir: Neasa Hardiman, 2020)

"Nobody wants to drown slow."

Most media critics are tagging this film as The Thing-on-a-boat, which it is,  (with occasional touches of Alien and The Abyss thrown in), but it has its own merits.  With eclectic funding and cast/crew, the film plays to its budgetary and location limitations very effectively, creating a sombre and almost embittered tone which is interesting for the genre.  Like clockwork, the real hits-the-fan moment at 45 minutes is very strong and well-realised, with the cast playing the character beats well.  A well-made entry in a well-worn sub-genre, Sea Fever is hardly revolutionary but it acquits itself well enough.

VOD: Why Don't You Just Die! (dir: Kirill Sokolov, 2020)

"Whatever a man does, what matters is that he's serious about it, right?"

This deliriously violent Russian movie marks a notable debut feature for its director, who is steeped in influences and uses them wisely and also displays a singular effective vision for the film.  At its heart the film is a Jacobean Tragedy for the modern age, opening with a seemingly ordinary young man ( a terrific performance by Aleksandr Kuznetsov as Matvey) with hammer in hand - DIY is not on his mind - with mayhem unleashed shortly.  Small flashbacks fill in the back story and break the claustrophic confines of the flat in which most of the film takes place, with sufficient twists and unexpected outcomes controlled carefully.  It channels Tarantino, Guy Ritchie, Timur Bekmanbetov, even David Lynch, and the film conveys the same madcap yet inventive abandon that combines wince-inducing violence and cartoonish comedy (often at the same time!) like Sam Raimi's Evil Dead 2.  It is not for the faint-hearted, and the energy dips occasionally, but this movie is an inventive late-night blast.

VOD: Zombieland Double Tap (dir: Ruben Fleischer, 2019)

"....but life is about more than just survival."

This solid sequel was just about worth waiting ten years for.  The returning cast and team deliver more of what audiences enjoyed about the first film, and it is enjoyable to see the core cast inhabiting those characters and relationships effectively again, with good additions from Zoey Deutch as the airheaded Madison and Rosario Dawson as the tough, self-sufficient Nevada.  The laconic tone is recreated nicely, and the balance between comedy and zombie-horror again plays well, but even with the addition of a 'new' type of zombie this film inevitably lacks the freshness of the original.  The scene shortly into the end credits and a short coda right at the end are worth watching if you are a fan of the original film.

VOD: Long Shot (dir: Jonathan Levine, 2019)

"I don't embarrass that easily."

Long Shot combines the ingredients of a Seth Rogen drugs/gross-out comedy with classic rom-com tropes and structures, resulting in an unexpectedly mature and successful piece of light entertainment.  As is typical with the genre, the central pairing is completely unrealistic and unbelievable, but by playing against type to a large extent, Rogen delivers on the dramatic elements and Theron nails some terrific comedy moments.  The plotting is familiar and the ending is somewhat anodyne, but the two leads really sell this movie that proves to be much better than expected.

VOD: We Summon The Darkness (dir: Marc Meyers, 2019)

"You girls be careful now."
"Why - you don't think we can fend for ourselves?"

This Frightfest favourite would clearly play very well to a late-night audience full of horror fans.  Made by people who have clear love and knowledge of the genre, and performed the a committed and unusually strong cast, there is fun to be had watching conventions being toyed with and a plot that does not always  follow usual trajectories (although ultimately perhaps not that surprising within its own restricted limits).  Played straight and with effective gore delivered, We Summon The Darkness is an entertaining and punchy romp for horror enthusiasts.

VOD: Jumanji The Next Level (dir: Jake Kasdan, 2019)

"Why would anyone try to fix that thing?"

Jumanji The Next Level is an efficient if fairly standard blockbuster sequel to the very successful re-boot, in that it delivers more of the same but bigger.  The new twists are minimal - mix up the avatar characters and throw elderly Danny DeVito and Danny Glover into the mix - but the addition of Awkwafina works well, Black and Gillan are very dependable, and Johnson and Hart are actually quite good fun with their new character impersonations.  The film is inevitably a little bloated, but it offers sufficient spectacle and is passably entertaining.