VOD: The School For Good And Evil (dir: Paul Feig, 2022)

"Probably best to keep good and evil apart.  Less messy."

This YA novel adaptation is essentially an unashamed two-for-the-price-of-one Hogwarts at which young good and evil future fairy tale students are trained to maintain the balance of those forces; two village friends are transported to the titular academy but separated into (seemingly) the wrong factions and the battle to define what is good/evil commences as well as a battle against an emerging ancient enemy.  Ultimately, the film is a somewhat charmless and strained affair, with performances pitched at the hysterically arch level that is wearing over the film's ridiculously long run-time.  Fantasy/fairy tale references are stuffed in at every opportunity, the puberty/sexual metaphors are blunt, and for a female-led-and-targeted film the gender stereotyping is jaw-dropping.  Not even Charlize Theron and Michelle Yeoh save this one, which might appeal to very young girls but will prove quite a chore to anyone else.
 

VOD: Blackout (dir: Sam Macaroni, 2022)

"How many six-foot-three Ken dolls just show up with bumps on their head, within a hundred-mile radius of Toussaint, south of north of the border?"

Josh Duhamel wakes up in a Mexican hospital with post-traumatic amnesia (but soon discovers he has 'special skills') and finds himself being hunted down in the hospital by a local Cartel as he tries to find his identity, the truth and also survive in this underpowered action-thriller.  Essentially, the film is a rather basic  extended fight sequence set in various locations within the hospital; Duhamel growls his way through the bone-crunching fights and sells them quite effectively, Nick Nolte barely makes it through his lines, and the film offers nothing beyond its low-bar remit.  John Wick and John Woo hang heavy over this film which does not come anywhere close to these but delivers straightforward uncomplicated action for undemanding genre fans.
 

VOD: The Curse Of Bridge Hollow (dir: Jeff Wadlow, 2022)

"This is so going on TikTok!"

A family moves from the big city to a home-with-a-past in a small safe rural town just in time for Halloween and its local Stinky Jack festival, and as the unhappy teenage daughter hooks up with some local misfit/paranormal high-schoolers, spooky events are triggered, Halloween decorations become animated (bats, front-lawn witches and zombies, etc) and havoc ensues.  This is a very-young-teen by-the-numbers inoffensive comedy-horror (uptight father, bad-cook mother, one-dimensional comedic townsfolk) that clearly strives for a Goosebumps vibe but has neither the lightness of touch - dialogue scenes often feel laboured - nor any real thrills.   A couple of moments land well - reactions to an animated Grim Reaper figure appearing in an old people's home, Wayans chainsawing his way through a skeleton football team - but overall the idea is stronger than the adequate execution here.

 

VOD: George Michael Freedom Uncut (dirs: David Austin and George Michael, 2022)

"Music was my very controlling lover."

Originally a TV documentary in 2017, this was the project that George Michael was working on shortly before his untimely death, now expanded to feature film length.  Bookended by beautifully elegiac versions of Fastlove and A Different Corner, this is a classy and considered documentary that is polished but has occasional candid moments.  With unusually sincere personal talking-heads comments from stars who worked with Michael (including Naomi Campbell, James Corden,  Liam Gallagher, Elton John and Stevie Wonder), the early/Wham! era is dispatched in the first ten minutes, but what the film then goes on to do particularly well is put the global megastardom brought by the Faith album into context, notably in America and its ensuing backlash, and the personal crisis that prompted the bitter wrangle for musical independence from Sony.  The personal tabloid-fodder journey through the years is by now familiar, leaving the viewer wishing for more about the creation of the music itself, but Freedom Uncut is a poignant reminder of an extraordinary talent that does its job well.
 

VOD: X (dir: Ti West, 2022)

"What's your American Dream?"

X is Ti West's latest unapologetically old-school in-your-face horror from the A24 stable that opens with the police finding a number of bodies in a remote farmhouse back in 1979, before the film loops back to tell the story of an ill-fated bunch who set off to make a sex film on location at the aforementioned farm in Texas owned by a very odd elderly couple.  West is a confident film-maker, and X is meticulously crafted in storytelling and execution to nail the 70s/Chainsaw Massacre/giallo vibe, making for a simple and efficient horror-thriller.  The kills are presented in an unsettlingly understated and controlled manner on screen, giving the film a distinctive weird off-kilter feel as the mix of religion, sex and death becomes increasingly uncomfortable and events spiral out of control in what is a well-made straightforward horror piece.
 

VOD: Mr Harrigan's Phone (dir: John Lee Hancock, 2022)

"We didn't read that book.  Maybe we should have."

The familiar Stepehen King setting of Maine is the location for earnest and worthy Netflix short-story adaptation.  From the outset, the film is comfortably familiar King territory; here, an elderly billionaire (played with a still gravitas by Donald Sutherland) befriends a young church reader Craig (sensitively portrayed by Jaeden Martell) and hires the boy to read to him, but after the senior's death, iPhone messages seemingly from him continue to appear.  This is a gentle, sombre and contemplative meditation on the more emotive King themes of separation, death and emerging technology (placed at the dawn of modern smartphones) set to a melancholy rites-of-passage story.  It is a simple tale, told elegantly, that does not resort to sensationalism or chap theatrics, which may test the patience of some viewers, but this film is a thoughtful and engaging if somewhat obvious piece overall.

FILM: Halloween Ends (dir: David Gordon Green, 2022)

"What have you done?"

The obvious question about this David Gordon Green trilogy-closer is: trick or treat?  If 2018's Halloween was seen as a triumph, and Halloween Kills problematic for some fans, Halloween Ends is likely to prove even more divisive, but as the film that has finally got me back into a cinema post-pandemic and as a decades-long fan of the franchise, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It is easy to see why the Friday-night-popcorn crowd will not give it much love: for the most part the film uses both Laurie and particularly Michael sparingly (but purposefully), legacy characters that had been re-introduced from the original films get little to do, it does not go full slasher until the (relentless) final act, and occasionally the editing/storytelling feels a little choppy (trimmed in final edit?).  However, Halloween Ends needs to be seen in the context and themes of this particular trilogy as a whole, fully embracing its themes of survivors, guilt, community impact of a tragedy and the making of monsters by focusing on a different story four years on from Kills which is then gradually and smartly intertwined with the main familiar narrative.  Pleasingly there are times when it is difficult to see where the film is heading as opposed to a typically formulaic genre film, and there are nice nods for fans to films in the Halloween franchise that are non-canon to this trilogy (notably 4, 5 and 7) as well as the original two films.  The whole affair is bolstered by a terrific performance from the ever-reliable Jamie Lee Curtis, excellent work from Andi Matichak as Laurie's granddaughter (who arguably has the most interesting character arc in the film) and solid support from Rohan Campbell as key newcomer Corey.  Halloween Kills certainly does wrap up this trilogy of films, and David Gordon Green's interesting and sometimes bold choices have shown that with smart storytelling and an investment in character and thematic development it is possible to breathe new life into a seemingly limited genre and franchise.  As they say, evil never dies, and a personal preference would be for a contemporary adrenalised reboot of the Myers story along the lines of Snyder's Dawn Of The Dead, but for now Halloween Ends brings fitting closure to the original Laurie/Michael story.
 

VOD: Hocus Pocus 2 (dir: Anne Fletcher, 2022)

"Quick! To the Forbidden Wood!"
"But it is forbidden!"

This belated Disney+ Original sequel to the beloved 1993 Halloween favourite kicks off in 17th-Century Salem with the Sanderson sisters' backstory, hitting the ground running with an energy and lightness of tone right from the start, before moving swiftly onto our new trio of modern-day high-school protagonists as they inadvertantly resurrect the legendary witches, whose mission is to survive beyond sunrise and gain ultimate magic powers.  The level of constantly-present panto-style camp is just about acceptable - even a slightly eye-rolling parody of an Elton John favourite raises a wry smile - and like the original film it captures the spirit of Halloween effectively for the youngsters but with subtle updating that works well, such as the witches' early visit to a superstore.  The return of the three original actresses as the Sanderson sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy) is the real selling point here, and the actresses are clearly having a (slightly over-the-top) whale of a time.  The female-centric approach in the film is clear, and the new trio of children are acceptable enough, but this film misses the innocent charm of the originals.  Ultimately, this is a reasonable modern upgrade to the original Hocus Pocus; it does not match the fun or sweetness of the original, but it is a solid family-friendly sequel that does its job effectively.

 

VOD: Jurassic World Dominion (dir: Colin Trevorrow, 2022)

"You never get used to it."

With Trevorrow back at the helm, this second-trilogy closer is definitely an example of how to go out with a bang.  Evident from the start, this film largely eschews the popcorn entertainment approach - although there are certainly plenty of blockbuster action thrills on offer - for something more dramatic and character-driven, making it feel much more weighty and impactful, with issues, emotional ties and often a sense of real jeopardy to the fore.  Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard (the stars of the previous two World films) here are seen to play more realistic and credible characters with aplomb, and of course it is an absolute joy to see Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum reunited and thankfully being integral to the film rather than providing nostalgic cameos, enabling their strength as actors to really contribute to the film's success.  Storywise, Dominion is an interesting synthesis and advancement of characters and ideas from across the whole series, cleverly setting up the present character worlds from the two separate series before bringing them together triumphantly: like The Force Awakens and Top Gun Maverick, this film manages to create an effective link between old and new casts.  Whereas Fallen Kingdom felt like two mini-movies stapled together, Dominion interleaves its stories to mostly good effect, even if some characters and situations feel a little underserviced owing to the sheer weight of content being juggled here.  This film is also notable for its extraordinary integration of high-quality CGI creatures into lively and complex action sequences and a range of landscapes not previously seen in the series - the Malta/raptors sequence in particular is fantastically well-realised on screen.  Dominion may not be as pure and streamlined as the first Jurassic World movie, but it provides a fitting end to the (whole?) series and is hugely entertaining on both a visceral and nostalgic level.
 

VOD: My Best Friend's Exorcism (dir: Damon Thomas, 2022)

"We love scary things!"

Welcome to the movies' version of the late 1980s, so expect A-ha and Tiffany to play in the opening minutes in this lightweight teen comedy-horror from Amazon.  Two best friends with differing home backgrounds go for a lakeside weekend with their two mates (and a token stereotypically gauche boyfriend in tow), mess with a Ouija board, try drugs, go skinny-dipping...and one of them happens to get possessed by a local demon of legend.  Cue Exorcist-style vomit, skin lesions, levitation and inappropriate language/behaviour as the possessed girl becomes increasingly taken over by the malevolent spirit, the friendship falls apart and all can only be saved by the titular exorcism by a religious bodybuilder called - yes - Christian and the power of being BFFs.  It is decently played and made, touching on issues of importance to teenage girls such as body image and friend relationships with some sensitivity (including possession as a metaphor for sexual assault, which is handled surprisingly well).  If there is a problem, it is that the film nails the serious horror and drama moments, and the occasional comedic line lands to good effect, but the two do not seem to fit well together, seeming as if it should have focused on one direction.  Nevertheless, My Best Friend's Exorcism is a small film that delivers quite well.

 

VOD: Anything's Possible (dir: Billy Porter, 2022)

"You're perpetually nice.  There's nothing wrong with that."

Playing like the trans equivalent of Love, Simon, Anything's Possible is one of those films in which a pair of older-looking, good-looking privileged (here, non-white) students and their friends negotiate senior year and college applications alongside their own developing relationship, as a cis guy (Khalid) and trans girl (Kelsa)  fall in love.  It covers all the expected YA tropes - social media, first date, first kiss, friendship fallouts, etc. - led with charm, thought and sensitivity by Eva Reign (as Kelsa) and Abubakr Ali (Khalid) and a notably strong performance by Renee Elise Goldsberry as Kelsa's mother.  Any negative issues feel slight and glossily resolved, but ultimately the film is sweet and low-key, with a heartwarmingly sentimental ending to a pleasant and unsensational story.