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.