VOD: Carry-On (dir: Jaume Collet-Serra, 2024)

"Airports turn people into such d**kheads!"

Opening with a decidedly unfestive stop at a shady Christmas tree lot, Dreamworks' action-thriller is set on Christmas Eve at LAX, as a low-level airport security guard (Taron Egerton) is blackmailed by the bad guys to waive checks on single bag (containing a deadly nerve agent) in exchange for the life of his pregnant girlfriend. The premise is hardly original, with Die Hard and Nick Of Time being clear touchstones, but here the characters and drama are given much more time and thought to develop before the more action-orientated second half kicks in, which makes for a surprisingly talky film but is an effective strategy.  The airport setting is used and shot to very good effect, the script is quite well written (in spite of a frequent reliance on Idiot Plot that can be forgiven and is overtaken by the dramatic momentum), and the whole enterprise is delivered by a strong performance from the reliable Taron Egerton, who delivers on both the vulnerable charm everyman front and the physical action elements, countered nicely by Jason Bateman as the controlled villainous go-between.  The stakes are raised effectively as the film progresses, making Carry-On an entertaining, efficient and suitably silly action-thriller with a pleasing side-order of actual drama.

 

VOD: That Christmas (dir: Simon Otto, 2024)

"Absolutely love bridges!  They're like roads...that hover!"

Directed by Simon Otto (animator on the How To Train Your Dragon franchise) and co-written by Richard Curtis from his children's books series, Santa needs to 'fix' Christmas for the inhabitants of the little town of Wellington-on-Sea as a Christmas Eve blizzard derails their various plans in this delightful feel-good Netflix animation.  The film is animated and scripted with a real sense of energy, and the place has a real feel of an idyllic old-school seaside town combined with a fresh modern animated look that evokes another festive favourite, Arthur Christmas.  The diverse voice cast is terrific, with standouts Jack Wisniewski as young Danny and Jodie Whittaker as his newly-divorced working mum.  As well as the effectively interwoven and engaging stories and characters, little details and moments are fun, such as the snoozing father at the school play, the turkeys evading a fox and even Nessum Dorma karaoke!  With its homely messages about family and community, pitched perfectly for the whole-family audience and a winning balance of comedy and heartfelt sincerity, That Christmas is destined to become a real festive favourite.

 

FILM: Gladiator II (dir: Ridley Scott, 2024)

"You have something."
 

The seemingly-indefatigable Ridley Scott delivers his belated sequel that offers real blockbuster spectacle and goes bigger and bolder than its 2000 original,  from its extraordinary epic opening battle to the final showdown.  It has a fairly simple story that is told cleanly and clearly, with its beefed-up family ties and Roman politics paying off well in the final act.  The topline actors - Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal and a returning Connie Nielsen - are all excellent here, with Mescal proving to be very capable of carrying the lead role both emotionally and physically, with many strong supporting performances to enjoy also.  If anything, the only real issue is that this sequel relies a little too heavily on the first film in its visuals and story arcs, but this familiarity certainly does not detract from what is a hefty and very entertaining cinematic experience.

VOD: Red One (dir: Jake Kasdan, 2024)

"I love the kids.  It's the grown-ups that are killing me!"

Not quite as terrible as its brief theatrical run critical reception would suggest, Santa Claus is kidnapped and his about-to-retire Head Of Security (Dwayne Johnson) teams up with a notorious lone-wolf bounty hunter (Chris Evens) to get him back by Christmas Eve in Amazon's preposterously big-budget attempt to make a family-friendly festive action-thriller that does not quite hit the mark.  Oddly, the casting and pairing of Johnson and Evans works well, with Evans playing the 'innocent abroad' role well and Johnson playing the straight man effectively enough.  The AntMan-esque size shenanigans are well executed, but there is a lot of over-scaled, hollow and empty CGI bloat on display and often the talky earnest dramatic scenes bring the pace down to an absolute crawl, as does a lengthy Krampus mid-section detour.  The heavyweight lead cast - also including Lucy Liu and J.K. Simmons as a weights-crunching Santa - play it straight and serious and are as reliable as would be expected, but overall the film falls awkwardly between comedy/pastiche and genuine action/drama and makes perhaps the fatal error of erasing the magic and charm of Christmas for a somewhat dour and almost militaristic take on the mythology.
 

VOD: Subservience (dir: S.K. Daley, 2024)

"We're all mad here."

In a near-future where synths, sorry, sparks are part of the everyday workforce, a stressed husband with two young children and a hospitalised wife awaiting a heart transplant acquires the latest model of an AI housekeeper, Alice, who becomes self-aware and overly-attached to the husband with deadly results.  It is an unashamed mash-up of Season 1 of TV's Humans and Megan, with a dash of The Terminator and even Fatal Attraction thrown in for good measure.  Whilst the film looks glossy and is shot nicely, with the eye-candy casting of Megan Fox as Alice and Michele Morrone (365 Days) as the husband, a sequel-baiting ending plus an ever-present nagging feel of over-familiarity, the film is functional but delivers adequately on the premise.
 

VOD: Nutcrackers (dir: David Gordon Green, 2024)

"So funny I forgot to laugh."

This wintry December-set family drama sees city high-flier Mike (Ben Stiller) happily living the single life, until the tragic death of his sister and her husband finds him charged with looking after his four young rambunctious and almost feral recently-orphaned nephews back on their ramshackle farm whilst finding them a new home.  With David Gordon Green directing and Ben Stiller and Linda Cardellini (as the attached social worker) taking the adult leads, it is surprising that none of them make any real impression, as the film grinds along in a slow and somewhat dreary manner, never really doing much beyond its simple premise, and with lethargic scenes of what feels like a lot of dull improvisation, culminating in a family performance of their unique take on The Nutcracker to the townsfolk that barely ignites and unsurprisingly makes Uncle Mike realise that there might be more to life than his career.  Homer Janson has some nice moments as the eldest of the four brothers, but overall the film comes across as a rather flat emotionally.  A snippet of audio dialogue at the very end of the credits rounds off the final event.
 

VOD: The Snow Sister (a.k.a. Snososteren) (dir: Cecilie A. Mosli, 2024)

"You need to see where you're going, not just where you are.  Always where you're going."

This charming, sweet and emotional Nordic Netflix festive drama follows a young boy, Julian, who at Christmas is suffering with the recent death of his older sister and its effect on family and friends, as he encounters a strangely upbeat and chirpy young girl, Hedwig, who helps him to reconnect in the week leading up to Christmas Day.  Every step of the script and on-screen presentation is designed to the limit to tug at the heartstrings, from the cute-children casting to the gorgeously melancholic score and the snowy Norwegian Christmas-sensory-overload moments, all of which make the film work beautifully, filtering the world, feelings and experiences through the eyes of the children.  The two young leads play their characters delightfully, especially Mudip Gupta as Julian giving an exceptional child performance.  Told with a simple and beautiful clarity, the heavyweight theme of (childhood) bereavement is handled with great sensitivity and, ultimately, hope for the future, in what is quite simply a beautiful jewel of a film. 
 

VOD: Harold And The Purple Crayon (dir: Carlos Saldanha, 2024)

"Come! Join me, so that we may rule over this land, man and woman."
"No, thank you."

After an intriguing and delightful animated prologue, Harold and his, er, magic purple crayon go to the Real World in the form of a man-child (Zachary Levi) with his humanised-form animal friends Moose (Lil Rel Howery) and Porcupine (Tanya Reynolds) in order to look for their Old Man narrator who has grown suspiciously quiet of late in their cartoon world.  Crossing paths with widowed mother Terry (Zooey Deschanel doing Zooey Deschanel) and her son Mel (a lovely performance by young Benjamin Bottani), their adventures play more like a kids' film for adults rather than a straight children's film.  The central conceit of using the crayon to create real objects is visualised on-screen very effectively indeed, and the film's handling of death is quite touching, all held together with a solid performance from Zachary Levi in this kind of role as expected.  Overall, Harold And The Purple Crayon is a passable mid-level entry in what has become a crowded genre.
 

VOD: I Saw The TV Glow (dir: Jane Schoenbrun, 2024)

"They can't hurt you if you don't think about them."

A late night low-budget cult TV show, The Pink Opaque, reveals a supernatural world that exists beneath teenage fans' suburban lives in this festival crowdpleaser from A24, as we follow seventh-grade loner Owen through the traumas of his teenage years and beyond.  A downbeat study of emotional repression, the increasing bleeding of the fictional world into Owen's reality and its shattering adult consequences is handled effectively, as are the lo-fi TV-show sequences, but the conceit of the dayglo otherworld is interesting but feels underused and underdeveloped on screen.  This indulgently wispy indie-teen tone poem has a dreamlike quality that captures teen angst and American small-town suburbia in a wistful and reasonably effective manner, with Justice Smith's morosely muted performance almost suited to this role.  It may be a big old metaphor for depression and mental illness with a positive outcome, and the only real mis-step is a music club scene that veers into self-parody with its sung performances, overwrought lyrics and eye-rolling dialogue.  The film never feels as if it delivers fully on its premise, but it is quite interesting nevertheless.
 

VOD: Dear Santa (dir: Bobby Farrelly, 2024)

"What is going on here?  This is insane!"
 

Awkward, dyslexic new-kid-in-town Liam, complete with warring parents, writes his letter to Santa but unfortunately addresses it to Satan, who visits the boy and grants him three wishes in exchange for his soul.  As simple and silly as the high concept suggests, Jack Black plays Santa/Satan with gruff relish and a hefty helping of his usual schtick, and Robert Timothy Smith is quite endearing as the boy, with the pair playing well together on screen.  The film seems at odds with itself, being very predictable (it even has the over-used Bad To The Bone on the soundtrack) but also delivering a couple of unexpectedly heartbreaking moments.  Mild swearing and a silly fart-joke scene aside, the film does not quite seem to know where to pitch itself; if the film had the gleeful bite of a Bad Santa or Gremlins it might have engaged more, but as it skews younger it grinds along in a rather twee and cautious fashion.

VOD: Violent Night (dir: Tommy Wirkola, 2022)

"Jesus Christ!"
"Nope...just jolly old Saint Nick!"

On Christmas Eve, a dysfunctional wealthy family's mansion becomes the target of a gang of thieves - posing as caterers - who do not bargain on coming up against David Harbour playing an alcoholic, embittered and disillusioned version of Santa in this full-blooded festive action-thriller.  Inevitably, a variety of Christmas decorations and wintry objects are deployed as weapons - you will never look at a Nutcracker in quite the same way again - and the film is quite a peculiar experience as both the Christmas-movie and action elements are played straight and with sincerity, fused without one making any concessions to the other (often in the same scene).  Harbour is inspired casting, playing his usual fine line between serious drama and dour comedy - his scenes with the young girl are charming - and John Leguizamo chews the furniture in the lead panto villain role.  Oddly, the whole concept works better than perhaps it should, even if the overall end result is entertaining but forgettable.
 

VOD: Hot Frosty (dir: Jerry Ciccoritti, 2024)

"Well, I was made of snow, and now I'm made of...not snow!"

With even the title inviting cynicism, and the unashamed fusing of elements of Jack Frost, Edward Scissorhands, Starman, The Snowman and George Of The Jungle (!), if taken in the right mood this is one of the more enjoyable recent festive rom-coms by a long way.  Set in the small town of Hope Springs, a down-at-luck diner owner Kathy (Lacey Chabert) is given a 'lucky' scarf which she puts on a muscular snowman in the town square and he subsequently comes to life in human form (Dustin Milligan); Kathy takes in the naïve and childlike Jack Snowman, and the film follows his relationship with her and his effect on the townspeople.  The film benefits from a very self-aware and affectionate script, with tongue-firmly-in-cheek and a nice balance of festive-movie trappings and sincerity.  Like the film itself, Christmas movie veteran Lacey Chabert (Family Guy's original Meg!) knows exactly how to play the humour and the more emotional moments, and Dustin Milligan is absolutely charming as the child-man-snowman (his reaction when Kathy bites the head off a snowman cookie is priceless!), with the whole cast clearly invested in the tone to good effect.   Putting aside the gender politics - suggesting that all women really want is a gym-honed man-child they can mother - the resulting mix gives rise to a good-humoured and utterly silly festive feel-good romp, with plenty of gags (including some unexpected funny daft jokes) and a surprisingly sincere message about making the most of what we are given and the time that we have. Even the bloopers and silly moments that play alongside the end credits are quite good fun.

 

VOD: The Bikeriders (dir: Jeff Nichols, 2024)

"Everyone wants to be part of something."

Inspired by a photographic coffee-table book about a late 60s/early 70s Midwest motorbike 'club', The Vandals, The Bikeriders at times plays like a more adult version of The Outsiders.  The story is told economically in order to focus on the characters, and it mostly looks very stylised and placed in a good way, almost as if every (relentlessly centred) shot could be a good-looking still image (no irony intended) as per the source material.  It explores its biker counterculture and its period setting effectively, from its portrayal of small-town life to the freedom and brotherhood offered by the lifestyle, but the ultimate hook here is the powerplay dynamics between newcomer Benny (Austin Butler), Kathy (Jodie Comer) and the older club leader and family man Johnny (Tom Hardy).  Butler does his soulful pretty-boy Depp-Junior-alike role to good effect, Hardy is a strong brooding senior powerhouse and Comer here is an absolute treat, acting as the viewers' delightfully-chatty entry into this particular world.  The film is a visually good-looking time capsule that is enjoyable to watch, even if ultimately it has little to say.
 

VOD: Kneecap (dir: Rich Peppiatt, 2024)

"The Troubles?  I'VE got f**king troubles!"

This fictionalised account of a pair of Belfast rappers who become the unlikely champions of their native language was a big Sundance audience favourite, and it is easy to see why.  Setting out its stall right at the start to represent Northern Ireland away from its filmic stereotype, it opens with an energetic rave-and-drugs sequence (that is also nicely humorous), which gives way to a  DJ-ing Irish-language teacher placed in the orbit of the hip-hop-loving youngsters, with their collaborations blowing up via gigging and social media and attracting attention both welcome and unwelcome with their pro-drugs/anti-British sentiments.  In spite of heavyweight themes of political freedom, culture under threat, family and disenfranchised youth as well as the divisions that still pervade, the film is warm-hearted, funny, dynamic and well-made and the leads - playing themselves - are immensely engaging.
 

VOD: MaXXXine (dir: Ti West, 2024)

"I would not accept a life I do  not deserve."

The trilogy closer from Ti West (after X and Pearl) sees the action move to 1980s Hollywood where adult star Maxine Minx tries to break into the big-league mainstream with a horror sequel whilst Tinseltown is in the grip of The Night Stalker's murderous spree and her own (family) past starts to catch up with her.  The film revels in recreating its time period and the seamier side of the business and does so to good effect.  It has a fun 80s-throwback score from Tyler Bates alongside a selection of 80s bangers, with context provided by iconic references from video rental stores to the PMRC music battle.  Mia Goth again delivers strong work in creating another character in the series, supported by many recognisable faces.  Made with confidence and clarity, the film may not be as shocking as it might have wanted, and the finale might be somewhat eye-rolling in stretching its links to the other movies, but it is an interesting swansong for a fairly unique series.
 

VOD: The Merry Gentlemen (dir: Peter Sullivan, 2024)

"You need a doctor, because this place is on life support."

Netflix delivers another seasonal rom-com with this tame Magic Mike meets The Fully Monty at Christmas mash-up.  It virtually writes itself, as a young dancer Ashley has to raise $30,000 in ten days to save her family's failing small-town bar/club from closure.  Hitting on the idea of an all-male dance revue in a single spectacularly-contrived scene, with an conveniently instantly-available quartet of ordinary local guys (bartender, diner owner, taxi driver, carpenter) who are buff and can dance, the film soon becomes little more than an excuse for former teen-girl heartthrob Chad Michael Murray as the sensitive handyman to get his shirt off at regular intervals, with Britt Robertson as Ashley powering through the nonsense with reasonable commitment, especially when the romantic sub-plot between the two lead hurtles out of nowhere and the tiny revue becomes inexplicably popular.  Daft and rigidly formulaic, this simple festive rom-com drifts by harmlessly. 

 

VOD: Meet Me Next Christmas (dir: Rusty Cundieff, 2024)

"Let fate decide."
 

Netflix kicks off the 2024 holiday season's movies with this good-looking and affable rom-com.  A charged chance encounter at a snowbound airport lounge on Christmas Eve leads to a promise to meet up one year later at a Pentatonix (American vocal harmony group) concert in a year's time, if fate dictates, giving rise to a story that echoes Serendipity and a trek through Christmassy New York for an elusive ticket to the sold-out gig.  The scenes (adverts?) with the actual band are fairly wince-inducing, but the film is saved by very appealing lead performances from Christina Milian and Devale Ellis, and whilst the film veers wildly between different tones - ranging from tear-jerking to uber-camp to typical rom-com set-ups - the lead characters are perhaps a little more rounded than usual for the genre.  Easy on the eyes and ears (plenty of laid-back Christmas tunes) and easy to watch, if you can tolerate the cheesier and more bizarre moments, the charming leads sell the frothy through-story well, all leading to a heartfelt ending that absolutely delivers.   

VOD: Rebel Ridge (dir: Jeremy Saulnier, 2024)

"One mind, any weapon."

Aaron Pierre stars in this Netflix action-thriller that sees a small town's corrupt local police force seizing former Marine Terry's money for a trumped-up misdemeanour, which would have been used to secure bail for his cousin, leading to a one-man battle against the bad guys.  Essentially an extremely subdued 2024 update of Rambo but with minimal action and violence, the film plods along at its relentlessly steady pace and never really delivers on its premise.  Aaron Pierre is capable both in measured ex-marine and  fighter modes, and Don Johnson is solidly unpleasant as the town's chief of police.  The first extended part is a fairly effective slow-burn thriller set-up, with the second half working out why the town became so corrupt and Terry meting out vengeance, but even a late-in-the-day one man versus the entire town/police force face-off fails to lift the film above sincere but plodding.
 

VOD: Bad Boys Ride Or Die (dirs: Adil el Arbi and Bilall Fallah, 2024)

"It's like redneck Jurassic Park in here!"

Following the surprisingly effective (and belated) third Bad Boys movie, this fourth entry sees Marcus and Mike's deceased police captain framed on corruption charges, internal corruption puts the duo on the run, Mike having to make an impossible choice, Marcus making an amazingly rapid recovery from a serious health scare and the remnants of the trustworthy team facing down the bad guys in an abandoned amusement/water park.  Will Smith mostly plays it straight and delivers effectively, Martin Lawrence - especially in the first part - gets saddled with some excruciating comedy lines, and Jacob Scipio (Mike's estranged son) gets a couple of brief but very well-executed fight scenes.  As usual, this neon-soaked film looks terrific - especially in UHD - and the story has potential although the writing is not as sharp as the previous film.  Perhaps reducing the lame attempts at comedy - we get it, they are older now - including the silly end-credits clip - might have made this a stronger entry in the franchise.
 

VOD: Back To Black (dir: Sam Taylor-Johnson, 2024)

"I ain't no f**king Spice Girl!"

With the rise and horrifying fall of the tragic star still relatively fresh, this Amy Winehouse biopic is respectful enough to the point of merely hinting at the sad depth of her troubles.  An excellent cast does its best with some awkward dialogue, with Jack O'Connell giving the standout performance as her cocky but destructive soulmate Blake - here Danny Dyer via Dermot O'Leary - and Lesley Manville touching as her beloved grandmother, whilst Marisa Abela plays Amy with a largely unexpected softness.  The film positions Winehouse as a mix of child-like waif and an old-out-of-time jazz-loving soul as she starts out, both dismissive of, yet utterly dependent on, the feckless men in her life.  Her songwriting is used a a literal record of her life experiences, and the film does a good job of contextualising some of the key numbers.  Camden is used well as her stamping ground backdrop, but Amy's parents remain oddly shadowy figures.  The Shangri-Las are purposefully referenced as evoking the tragic melodrama that became Winehouse's later life, but what maybe should have been sharp and harrowing to watch plays more like a 2000s re-run of The Rose. 
 

VOD: Time Cut (Hannah Macpherson, 2024)

"We're not altering the future, we're just giving it...a little makeover..."

Bearing some similarities to 2023's Totally Killer but filmed first, a miserable teenager jumps back in time twenty years via a mysterious machine in a barn and tries to prevent her sister's murder at the hands of a masked killer.  Whereas Totally Killer was skewed towards daft comedy-horror, Time Cut goes for the YA teen girl emotional tropes - cue 2003 fashion makeover, bonding with the (teen) sister she never knew, Avril Lavigne on the soundtrack and the hilarity of dial-up internet.  It is all rather insipid and low-powered, leaving little impression and with an ending that abandons its own earlier considerations of timelines and paradoxes.  
 

VOD: MadS (dir: David Moreau, 2024)

"What's happened?  Why are you being all weird?"

A young party guy comes across a mysterious injured hysterical young woman by the roadside, but as he takes her to get help it sets in motion a chain of events that sees him steadily losing grip on reality - drugs-fuelled, or an experimental viral pandemic? - in this semi-experimental French psychological thriller/horror.  The story is told in near real-time, with a freeform use of camera (lots of lengthy shots off-tripod) following the characters to create a sense of intimacy and immediacy.  The experimental style with its hallucinatory and nightmarish use of visuals and sound (including a Pink Floyd-ish score) keeps the film veering between interesting and patience-testing, in what may be seen as a post-pandemic response movie.  Where the film falls down is that it reaches a natural conclusion just over half-way through, the remainder veering into familiar territory that is perhaps less interesting and adds very little.

 

VOD: Woman Of The Hour (dir: Anna Kendrick, 2024)

"Everyone's risky."
 

Based on real events, this unsettling Netflix drama sees Anna Kenrick directing and starring as a struggling Hollywood actress in the 1970s, who goes on a TV dating show and is matched with a photographer who also happens to be a serial killer.  Kendrick impresses in the lead role as always, and her direction is clear and offers some nice touches.  The thriller aspect of the film plays well, even if the set-up is rather unsubtle.  It has a straightforward three-act structure: backstory, the TV show, and a third act which is possibly the most interesting as it becomes largely a two-hander and a shift into an unexpected resolution.  The film offers little beyond its basic central concept, but it is well delivered and the sombre and bittersweet coda has a real shocking impact.

VOD: Hundreds Of Beavers (dir: Mike Cheslik, 2024)

"!"

In possibly THE cult hit of recent times, truly fuelled by festivals and word-of-mouth, applejack Jean (a cider-maker) sees his orchard and business destroyed by beavers, so he sets out into the snowy wilderness to get revenge, finds a love interest and becomes a fur trapper to impress her father.  Fusing lo-fi animation and greenscreen with live action, it is a relentless stream of very silly sight and sound gags, many of which are laugh-out-loud funny.  The silliness is compounded by having the beavers and other animals played by people wearing childishly exaggerated costumes, as the beavers and nature inflict a barrage of slapstick indignities on our hapless protagonist who can never catch a break.  The film bowls along without dialogue, accompanied by a whimsical silent-movie-styled score.  The first act is probably the funniest, and the second act drags a little, but all credit to Ryland Brickson Cole Tews's clowning skills and  to all involved for keeping up the madness and inventiveness right to the end.

Hundreds Of Beavers is every bit as utterly daft and entertaining as its reputation suggests. 
 

VOD: Margaux (dir: Steven C. Miller, 2024)

"Ow!  So much ow!  Babe!"

In this high-concept hi-tech thriller, spring break in a luxury smart house for a group of box-ticking college friends turns into a battle for survival when the home's next-generation AI turns against them.  The film looks pretty and glossy, the connected/online/learning-AI gimmick is used purposefully, and the Final Destination-lite kills are adequate enough, in spite of the occasional low-end CGI.  

The film makes a point about how society blindly accepts AI, but surprisingly it says little more than 1973's classic Demon Seed.  The plot generally bears little scrutiny, especially when it descends into third act silliness, but there is plenty going on with a couple of twists on the usual formula.
 

VOD: The Sadness (dir: Rob Jabbaz, 2021)

"This is your new life..."

Championed by Damien Leone (of Terrifier fame), this Taiwanese film sees a photogenic and likeable young couple (well played by Berant Zhu and Regina Lei) facing a mutating viral pandemic that turns people into depraved killers.  After a gentle opening, it does not take long for the full-on gory mayhem to start, like an extreme Tom Savini let loose on the 28 Days/Weeks Later series.  The film is deliberately unpleasant and over-the-top violent to watch, shot through with an unsettlingly sombre and bleak tone.  The set pieces are executed well, notably an early claustrophobic subway train carriage massacre.  This is a simple and efficient example of the sub-genre, making its point about mankind's primal urges in a clear and unsubtle manner.  The third act runs out of steam and the ending is downbeat, but overall The Sadness is one of the stronger entries in the virus/zombie arena. 

 

VOD: Late Night With The Devil (dirs: Colin and Cameron Cairnes, 204)

"I'm very excited for you to see it unfold before your very eyes!"

The BBC's infamous Ghostwatch had a poltergeist invading a TV studio during a live broadcast. Late Night With The Devil sees a failing late-night American chat show (Night Owls With Jack Delroy) and its tragic host in a desperate bid for ratings glory during Sweeps Week with a Halloween episode that conjures a demon.  After a nicely-crafted prologue that sets out the characters and the show's story well, the legendary episode is played out in full, complete with 1970s stylings, mise-en-scene and (pre-widescreen) TV format presentation all recreated faithfully and convincingly, although the black-and-white widescreen in-studio footage during the commercial breaks jars a little. It is all driven by a very watchable and well-judged performance by David Dastmalchian, aided capably by the studio guests, a psychic, a sceptic, a parapsychologist and her charge, a strange girl survivor of a satanic cult who is (allegedly) possessed by a demon (tying in with the 1970s obsession with The Exorcist).  It perhaps loses a little credibility towards the end with its Halloween III nod, over-the-top effects and the host's stylised unravelling grip on reality, but at its heart, the film has a simple and somewhat slight conceit that is delivered well overall.

 

VOD: Natty Knocks (dir: Dwight Little, 2023)

"What's a payphone?"

This seemingly by-the-numbers low-budget horror-thriller has a lot of the genre trapping in play - small town, Halloween Eve, burning a 1970s 'witch', present day son taking revenge on the children/grandchildren of the persecutors - mixed with fan-pleasing stunt casting of Bill Moseley, Danielle Harris, Robert Englund and director Dwight (H.) Little.  In spite of its genre familiarity, there is an effort made to make the story reasonably grounded, with divorcing parents and the effect on children, possible domestic abuse and 'teens' who actually talk like real teenagers.  It feels like there is a lot going on its lean running time, there is a subtle atmospheric music score throughout by Misha Segal, and whilst the movie offers nothing that is really scary, it is quite interesting to see how the story plays out and how all the elements (just about) come together.
 

VOD: It's What's Inside (dir: Greg Jardin, 2024)

"What the f**k?  Is this real?"

The psychological thriller gets a real modern twist, as a group of social-media-savvy college friends reunite at a lavish mansion for a wedding, and one of them - a tech pioneer - brings along a machine for a 'game' that enables them to swap bodies and to guess which person inhabits which body.  Not only does jealousy, deception and using other friends' bodies for sex make for a delicious dramatic mix, but a game-changing moment creates a serious life-changing dilemma for the gang.  Its rapid-fire dialogue and content demands attention in order to follow what is going on once the bodyswapping starts, and the initial shallowness of these vapidly-anonymous characters - exposed by the emptiness of their talk and lives - gives way to revealing their selfishness and self-centred needs.  The playful musical soundtrack is fun, and the energetic cast sells the nonsense for all they are worth.  The film might have benfitted from spending a bit more time with the characters before the bodyswapping starts, and the mid-section certainly is rather confusing, but it is nevertheless an interesting take on the body-swap conceit.  
 

FILM: Terrifier 3 (dir: Damien Leone, 2023)

"You're disgusting!"

Happy Christmas!  With a mid-October cinema release slot, Damien Leone's third entry in the Terrifier series makes an obligatory nod to Halloween (when the first two movies took place) but is mostly set in the days before Christmas whilst moving forward five years, enabling the film-maker to juxtapose Art the Clown's bizarre atrocities with warm, cosy and familiar Christmas holiday settings, which the film does to good effect.  The film wears its genre inspirations well, from 80s slasher franchises and Italian nightmare horrors to 2000s torture porn, and the film looks good on the big screen/widescreen, perhaps more interesting cinematically than the second film if not as tight narratively (and a shoehorned in mystical backstory that makes the Thorn storyline from Halloween 6 look plausible).  The sound design and physical/make-up effects teams obviously had a ball, with sound effects foregrounded unpleasantly and gore effects that push the film to its limits, particularly the 'shower scene' from the trailer and the very lively finale showdown.  Particular credit should be given to David Howard Thornton as Art The Clown, who gives another excellent performance of precise mime that makes the character work better than a lot of horror villains, with most of the other characters doing a decent melodramatic job of chewing the furniture.  The Terrifier films are (definitely) not elevated horror but heightened horror, and as provocative indie slasher films, they deliver effectively enough.   

 

VOD: Kill (dir: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, 2024)

"He's killing everyone!"

Indian commercial cinema has come a long way in recent years, and this hit action thriller will delight fans of the John Wick series.  Here, an army commando (an impressive feature debut by Lakshya) attempts to rescue his beloved (Tanya Mariktala) from an arranged marriage whilst travelling by overnight train to New Delhi.  After this brief and simple set-up, our hero has to contend with a ruthless gang of bandits, a runaway train and a very unpleasant lead villain (Raghav Juyal).  Lakshya commands the screen with smooth moviestar charisma and easy physical fighting skills, proving to be the film's main asset.  The film almost seems to come to a conclusion forty-five minutes in - when the title screen finally appears! - but it simply paves the way for an extraordinary relentless revenge-fuelled and even harsher second half, with significant losses on both sides.  There are obvious echoes of recent hits like Bullet Train and Train To Busan (without zombies), but the smartly-filmed and well-edited claustrophobic confines of the carriages and corridors emphasise the danger and physicality of the situation.   Given its title, the film certainly does not hold back on the violence - there are lots of stabbings in this film - but Kill has real drive, energy and a pulpy feel that make it a must-see for action/thriller fans.

 

VOD: The Boy And The Heron (dir: Hayao Miyazaki, 2024)

"How could you do something so cruel?"

After his mother dies in a dramatic hospital fire opening to this long-gestating movie, young Mahito relocates to the countryside with his industrialist father and his pregnant new wife, where a mystical heron guides the boy on a fantastical spiritual journey.  This gentle and contemplative film wanders along at a steady pace, with simple but beautiful animation, the charming and elegiac music score by Joe Hisaishi that contributes much to the feel of the film, and the starry English dub works fine. Like the best of Miyazaki/Ghibli, it offers real imagination on the screen with hints of bigger issues not too far away (war, mortality, family, philosophy and the journey of life),  Quirky characters give flavour to the often tranquil moments, from the comedically malevolent heron to the elderly retainers on the country estate.  The film is full of story and visual ideas, perhaps a shade too long but a delight nonetheless.
 

VOD: The Strangers Chapter 1 (dir: Renny Harlin, 2024)

"Why are you doing this to us?"

The Strangers perhaps relied more on claustrophobia and cinematic technique rather than a strongly-developed story, and this largely redundant thriller prequel offers more of the same but less effectively, as a young couple on a trip stop to eat in a small backwoods town, develop car trouble and have to stay in a remote woodland AirBnB, only for the familiar masked home invader trio to show up. Cue weirdly-behaving townsfolk, lots of shots of backlit trees at night and Moonlight Sonata, and a lot of this film feels very familiar both generically and touchstones from the original movie.  It plods along and is adequately (if unexcitingly) executed, delivering everything you would expect and nothing more, with even the 'shock' mid-credits scene being utterly predictable.  With the threat of a 'To Be Continued' screen, as two further entries to make this a new trilogy were filmed alongside this one, the world is hardly likely to be holding its breath for their release.
 

VOD: Sting (dir: Kiah Roache-Turner, 2024)

"I'm much too drunk for this...!"

With France offering Infested and the Arachnophobia remake on the way, Australian production Sting offers the arrival of a space-spider in a meteor shower during an ice storm which is 'adopted' by a emotionally-isolated girl, but it grows rapidly and terrorises the pets and residents of a New York apartment building.   The slow first act sets up the central family's dynamic well if in a somewhat dull manner, but the interest level picks up a little as the evolving spider becomes more voracious and graduates from attacking animals to the humans.  Sting is made competently and acted adequately, although the whole film is perhaps too slow-moving for its own good and does nothing really new within its genre confines, right down to the very final shot/reveal.
 

VOD: Infested (a.k.a. Vermines) (dir: Sebastien Vanicek, 2024)

"What are you doing with a glass?  Just hit it!"

In this French spider movie, the residents of a brutalist gloomy suburban apartment block face off against a growing invasion of poisonous spiders as they are put into quarantine after young bug-collector Kaleb acquires a desert spider that escapes and multiplies.  Unusually for the genre, the film has a gritty urban setting and a mostly young adult cast, led by a committed performance from Theo Christine.  The very active use of camera works well in some of the action scenes, whilst in others it merely looks jumbled and not aided by streams of dull dialogue and a persistently dark mise-en-scene, especially in the final act that resorts to a lot of shouting in near-darkness.  There is a genuine attempt to move away from typical Hollywood style in order to show how supposedly ordinary people would react in this situation, with its limited effects work used sparingly but purposefully and effectively.  The film is moderately interesting if underlit and occasionally over-melodramatic take on the bug/invasion movie. 
 

VOD: Inside Out 2 (dir: Kelsey Mann, 2024)

"It's not about who Riley is.  It's about who she needs to be."

Any worries about this sequel to the beloved Disney/Pixar hit are dispelled quickly with a punchy and captivating opening scene that places the viewer quickly back into the familiar interior/exterior world of Riley, now a teenager (thirteen years old), with the onset of puberty ("People, it's the apocalypse!") setting up an interior renovation and introducing a new set of characters/emotions.  The new emotions are good value, as they consign the originals to The Vault, from which they have to escape and find Riley's Sense Of Self, driving the movie forward and giving room for new ideas.  Andrea Datzman provides a beautiful yet unobtrusive music score, and the whole film is necessarily more layered and detailed that the original, if perhaps lacking a little in the emotional highs by comparison but providing an entertaining and energic romp that follows the first film well.
 

VOD: In A Violent Nature (dir: Chris Nash, 2024)

"Did you really think this was gonna work?"
"What?"
"This whole thing that you're doing."
"I don't know. It's worth a try, isn't it?"

This notorious indie slasher/horror gets straight down to business with the removal of a cursed amulet from a derelict woodland fire lookout, which brings about the resurrection of masked killer Johnny, who goes after a group of campers.  The USP here is that the film largely follows this classic set-up through the point of view of the killer - imagine a camera literally following behind a Jason or a Michael Myers.   The film eschews a music soundtrack and uses lengthy and unusual shots for the genre (such as bird's-eye and extra long shots), which emphasise the isolation and immediacy of the lurking danger, together with the claustrophobic feel generated by Academy ratio.  Johnny's slow, steady trudging through the woods has a hypnotic menace (that some will find repetitively dull), observing the victims just out of their sight plays well, and a couple of the kills are realised spectacularly on-screen with unpleasant relish.  The film does tread a very fine line between being a 2024 homage to the masked-killer-in-the-woods story and an interesting experiment in re-presenting the classic slasher genre, with the latter just about winning.     .
 

VOD: Apartment 7A (dir: Natalie Erika James, 2024)

"The neighbours here are awfully friendly."

Attempting a prequel to a stone-cold classic is always a risky business, as this mid-1960s set story takes on a very minor character from the original Rosemary's Baby and delivers not always successfully.  A young female dancer/singer suffers a terrible injury during a stage performance, and after subsequent humiliating failed auditions is taken in by a quirky elderly couple who offer her an apartment in their building for free, but as her health and success rises, the residents have another (familiar) fate in store for her.  The film tries hard to recreate the 60s style and unnerving tone of the original (with the occasional American Horror Story vibe thrown in for today's audience) but frequently it falls short, and apart from the showbiz theatre thread, it offers little that is interestingly new.  Although not a remake as such, the film still clings to the original film for dear life, so today's audience seeing it fresh might get more from it.
 

VOD: Killer Heat (dir: Philippe Lacote, 2024)

"I am Greek."
"My dog is more Greek than you are."

Amazon/MGM's Greek-set thriller - from a Jo Nesbo story - finds Levi (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) as a dissolute ex-pat PI hired to investigate the death of the son of a wealthy shipping/crime family in a suspicious free-climbing accident, hired by the weary sister-in-law Penelope (Shailene Woodley) to probe the death further and coming up against her husband, the surviving unpleasant twin brother Elias (Richard Madden).  The three usually strong lead actors surprisingly struggle to inject life into their characters in the bland by-the-numbers story and dialogue they are given, not helped by Gordon-Levitt's dour gumshoe-lite voiceover and the overall flat pacing.  Not even the (oddly unsunny) locations make up for this rather dull tale.  Even the finale reveal is heavily-signposted and comes as no surprise as the very limited scope of the story offers no other real place it could go.

 

VOD: Tarot (dirs: Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg, 2024)

"Does anyone else feel like this is a bad idea?"

A group of college students rent an isolated mansion to celebrate a birthday, discover a creepy old hand-made set of tarot cards in the basement, break the rule of using some else's tarot deck and subsequently find their readings coming true in excruciatingly literal fashion with Final Destination-style deaths ensuing.  The actors attempt to inject some youthful energy into their rather dumb roles, and presumably these characters are environmentally-conscious, as there is little evidence that they can operate a light switch, making the whole film a murky slog to watch.  With such a mindnumbingly simple and insulting premise and story, Tarot generates very little more than a frequent rolling of the eyes.
 

VOD: The Last Breath (dir: Joachim Heden, 2024)

"Don't drink and dive, buddy - it's dangerous!"

As the underwater/shark movie revival continues, The Last Breath starts off with a brief Jaws-like World War II-set attack off the Virgin Islands and the sinking of a battleship, before shifting to modern-day explorers finding the sunken wreck; cue a group of blandly stereotypical old college friends diving to the boat and being picked off one-by-one by sharks and injuries...and that is about it.  The underwater work - and there is plenty of it - is solid enough if repetitive, dialogue is relentlessly dreary, but the film does manage to present some quite interesting survival dilemmas and choices for the characters.  However, with the first attack coming halfway through the movie and brief/swift jeopardy sequences, endless slowly swimming murky ship corridors is mostly not very gripping.  You will not win any prizes for working out who will survive to the end in this below-average genre entry.

 

VOD: Monkey Man (dir: Dev Patel, 2024)

CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF THIS BLOG!

"In the great tapestry of life, just one small ember can burn down everything."

Dev Patel plays The Kid, the titular fighter-for-pay Monkey Man, who infiltrates the ranks of a criminal organisation on a revenge trip that goes badly wrong and finds himself the one who is hunted.  The film takes its time to build the world  and that of Monkey Man that fuses a gritty India-set contemporary tale with a well-laid backstory, modern-day politics, spirituality and mythology very deftly.  Whereas the first act delivers pure action, a more contemplative second act gives the film depth that pays off well in the bruising finale. Visceral action/fight sequences and a fast-cut car chase at times feel a little John Wick via John Woo (which is not a criticism!), but Dev Patel's directorial debut (as well as acting and co-writing here) is bold, rich, stylish and vibrant, his on-screen performance as committed and nuanced as ever, all delivering an extremely watchable slice of very smart action-thriller entertainment. 

 

VOD: The Union (dir: Julian Farino, 2024)

"Don't let the pretty face fool you. I'm from the street!"
"Yeah? Which street is that? Sesame Street?"

Mike (Mark Wahlberg) is an ordinary construction worker who gets pulled unconvincingly into the world of glossy cartoon espionage via an encounter with an old girlfriend Roxanne (Halle Berry) in this typically silly Netflix actioner.  Wahlberg finds a sense of everyman resignation that comes across well, whilst Berry is adequate but never feels like a good fit for the role.  The saving graces in the supporting performances are the mighty J.K.Simmons as the spy gang's leader and Lorraine Bracco as Mike's mother.  The London setting used for most of the film is used well, with a couple of picturesque European locations used to bookend it.  The Union is an efficient and functional lightweight actioner that may convince younger viewers but no-one else.

 

VOD: Boy Kills World (dir: Moritz Mohr, 2024)

"Some things are hard to forget."

Boy Kills World is one of those movies that has cult status written all over it.  With his family killed when he was a child in an annual ritual societal event, The Culling, Boy is taken in and trained by a shaman and trained as an assassin, and as a mute/deaf adult he takes his bloody revenge.  The film hearkens back to the hard-boiled Asian action fight-fest movies that influenced Tarantino.  The insane action and violence displayed on screen is leavened by a strange cheesiness, largely created by Boy's inner-voice narration that mimics a videogame character, some darkly comic moments, a contrapuntally whimsical soundtrack and a Hunger Games-styled exaggerated ruling dynasty.  As the adult Boy, Bill Skarsgard - in the physical shape of his life - convinces as the purposeful killing machine and successfully engages without using speech.  The blood-soaked one-on-one final act showdown is relentlessly brutal, and overall Boy Kills World is a peculiar little film that works satisfactorily on its own terms within its own videogame-styled surreal little world.  Look out for the brief but interestingly-played end-of-credits scene.

 

VOD: Unicorns (dirs: Sally El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd, 2024)

"Everything comes at a price.  It just depends what price you are willing to pay."

Opposites attract as down-to-earth single father mechanic Luke (Ben Hardy) takes on a night-time driving job and finds himself falling unexpectedly for an Asian drag artist Aysha (Jason Patel) in this gritty but romantic British love story.  It is generally a thoughtfully-crafted and well-written film, with the clashing cultural and sexual identities - together with the slow-burn developing central relationship - handled in a gentle but honest and open manner, balancing humour, drama and emotions well.  Ben Hardy displays his usual excellent level of character work and detail in his grounded performance, paired with a rounded and nicely-judged loquacious performance by Jason Patel.  As events take a more melodramatic turn in the final act, it may have benefitted from a simpler focus on the burgeoning relationship, but overall this is a small, intimate and sincere movie.
 

FILM: Alien Romulus (dir: Fede Alvarez, 2024)

"You guys are insane!"

Having taken on one major cult franchise with 2013's Evil Dead, Fede Alvarez goes a similar route here with this so-called 'interquel' (i.e. set between the original Alien and Aliens): fan-pleasing to a fault, faithful callbacks and smart modern upgrades.  Here, a group of young people escape from a Weyland-Yutani mining colony for a distant planet, but they need cryotubes from a decommissioned space research station, and their presence triggers a chain of events they could not have imagined...even if the fans know what to expect.  It is faithful to the original, but it is also clearly aware of the prequels/sequels.  There is plenty going on, with lots of jeopardy along the way, and any worries about the possible YA-Alien direction are dispelled quickly in this gritty, sweary and violent world.  In fact, the youngish cast does a good job with selling the material, notably Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson (Rye Lane), Archie Renaux and Isabela Merced.  Alvarez's pereference for physical effects pays off handsomely, and there is plenty of sci-fi eye candy through, from the lived-in aesthetic of the sets to the epic space vistas.  One surprise major callback to the original film (that plays a surprisingly significant part here) is handled well and has been kept very quiet.  The finale has everything but the kitchen sink thrown at it, and an attempt to fuse an element of the wider mythology with - of all things - Alien Resurrection is both bewildering and possibly a step too far.  Overall, Romulus is a lively, bold and back-to-basics sci-fi thriller that mostly delivers well. 
 

VOD: Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes (dir: Wes Ball, 2024)

"You gotta stop thinking about the way things were, and start thinking about the way things are."

Wes Ball takes the directorial reins of this kick-off for a new Apes trilogy, with the story picking up generations after the time of Caesar (but with his legacy still being felt), following a young male ape Noa as he crosses paths with a seemingly-feral human girl Mae in his quest to find and rescue his family from a gang of ape raiders.  Part coming-of-age tale, part-exploration of the apes' ideologies and continuation of the man vs apes saga, sound storytelling is realised through an extraordinary fusion of seamless FX technology, effective character-building and a dollop of genuine emotion.  The film is beautifully shot and scored throughout, led by an excellent mo-cap performance by Owen Teague as Noa.  There is a deliberate contrast between the dynamic action set-pieces and the stillness and near-silence of the scenes that display how nature has overtaken civilisation that almost wallows in the melancholy of what man has lost. Not only does the film tell the central story of Noa's journey well, but it also offers an interesting third act challenge and sets up future films.  The big set-pieces undoubtedly deliver, but it is perhaps the more reflective nature of this particular film in the series that scores highly.   
 

VOD: Challengers (dir: Luca Guadagnino, 2024)

"This is getting brutal."

In this sporty love-triangle, Zendaya plays Tashi, an ex-tennis pro who has coached her husband (Mike Faist) to success but who is going through a crisis of confidence, and fate puts them in the path of his former doubles partner and love rival for Tashi (Josh O'Connor).  Trying to cover and fuse the tennis and relationships elements is handled well, with an effective balance struck between the signature delicacy and intimacy of Guadagnino's films and the urgency of the tennis play scenes.  Both composition and editing are used to create meaning frequently to very satisfying effect.  The deliberate sexualisation and objectification of the players is used here very purposefully - their bodies are weapons both on-court and off.  Zendaya proves to be very accomplished in a proper adult role, O'Connor is as detailed and charismatic as ever, and lesser-known Faist displays an interesting stillness in his performance.  The overall feel of the movie may be a bit leisurely and the abrupt time-hopping can get a little irritating, but this study of inter-relationships within the trio is certainly interesting to watch and well-played by the leads.
 

VOD: Imaginary (dir: Jeff Wadlow, 2024)

"I mean, none of this even makes sense!"

After a murky and confusing opening that sees a woman being terrorised by a creature in the dark, a young children's writer moves back into her childhood home with her husband and stepchildren (cute kid and antagonistic teen) only to find that her now-angry childhood imaginary friend has abandonment issues and latches onto the little girl.  There are lots of ideas in play and a number of elements that have genuine potential, but they never quite gel and engage, and unfortunately the film's low budget did not seem to furnish lighting and script editing.  It is a very dreary film to watch, with little happening of any consequence, a runaround-in-the-dark third act and a general air of disinterest in what is essentially another dull and undercooked Blumhouse stick-a-family-in-a-house cheapies.  
 

VOD: Elvis (dir: Baz Luhrmann, 2022)

"All showmen are snowmen."

This sprawling, time-hopping musical biopic focuses on the close but difficult long-standing relationship between Elvis (Austin Butler) and his manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), the man who launched and guided his career for better and worse, from Elvis's spiritual musical awakening as a boy to the remarkable comeback special and the sadness of the declining final years.  The film swings wildly between inventively-edited montages to melodramatically-written soap opera, with less of a focus on the music that might have been hoped for.  In spite of a relentless feel of being glossily manufactured similar to Bohemian Rhapsody, the first half particularly does a good job of conveying Presley's roots in R&B and soul/gospel music (together with the tensions it created in 50s segregated USA) that pays off in his reinvention in later years.  This is unquestionably an excellent showcase for Austin Butler's talent, but as Parker this film has one of Tom Hanks's less convincing performances.  This film is interesting as it follows some of the machinations and decision-making that led to the inconsistencies in Elvis's career and legacy, but the man himself feels a bit short-changed by the movie.