Favorite films

Pinned reviews

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  Smile 2 2024

  ★★★★ Watched 17 Oct 2024

  Plodding at times, certainly overlong and not as good as the sublime original, 'Smile 2' still delivers the goods despite taking its sweet time to click into gear. After a bombastic cold open, the film shifts its focus to central character Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) - a showbiz diva with enough trauma and baggage to make Amy Winehouse squirm in her grave. We are planted into her world as she attempts to resurrect a career plagued by personal (mostly self-inflicted)…

Recent reviews

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  Place of Bones 2023

  ★★½ Watched 22 Jan 2025

  Silly but serviceable B-movie Western that shows an affinity for the genre. The cast deliver campy, overwrought performances but look like they're having a good time - Heather Graham is always watchable. The film also has a crafty sting in the tail that takes it into horror territory.

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  Strange Darling 2023

  ★★★★½ Watched 21 Jan 2025

  A vicious and sexy serial killer film that is immersed in the mood and aesthetics of its genre, while skillfully manipulating narrative convention and structural norms. Reminded me of 'In a Violent Nature', another seminal 2024 horror film that was boldly directed and brilliantly subversive. The twists are perhaps not as Earth shattering as some of the hype suggested but there are still some deliciously nasty surprises woven into its fabric. Slick, sleazy and visually stunning with absolutely barnstorming performances from Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner. Class.

Popular reviews

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  Talk to Me 2022

  ★★★★½ Watched 04 Aug 2023

  The RackaRacka boys more than deliver the goods in this brutal, unnerving, full blown sensory assault. It transcends teen horror tropes, with a tight, unpredictable script and superb direction, allowing story and characters to develop whilst maintaining a pertinent sense of dread. The film strikes a perfect tonal balance, with the overriding darkness and intensity offset by compelling subplots and flashes of biting humour that you would expect from the frenetic Philippou brothers. The horror elements are uncompromising and deftly…

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  Flux Gourmet 2022

  ★★½ Watched 13 Jun 2022

  Absurd, indulgent nonsense, albeit with moments of inspired cinematic genius from the director. It's a visually stunning, wildly imaginative film no doubt, but also one that will likely test the tolerance levels of all but the most ardent admirers of Peter Strickland's work.