|
2/5
|
Red One
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
For a movie centred around the festive season and attempts to drive home the importance of joy, there’s very little on offer when it comes to the unnecessarily long 122 minutes of Red One.
Posted Nov 06, 2024
|
|
1.5/5
|
Venom: The Last Dance
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
Too moronic for it to earn the emotional weight it clearly wants to project.
Posted Oct 24, 2024
|
|
4/5
|
Lee
(2023)
|
Peter Gray
|
Lee tells the most formative, important years of its subject’s life without disregarding her prior efforts, with Winslet, once again, reminding us as to why she’s truly one of the greatest actors of her generation.
Posted Oct 23, 2024
|
|
4/5
|
He Ain't Heavy
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
It’s a dark experience that could trigger those that have battled addiction, or know those who have, but the ultimate peace the story commits to makes the journey worth the gloomy trek.
Posted Oct 18, 2024
|
|
4/5
|
Smile 2
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
A sequel that doesn’t suck? Get happy!
Posted Oct 18, 2024
|
|
4.5/5
|
Memoir of a Snail
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
Desolatingly beautiful in how it honours our existence and champions the stillness that so many of us avoid.
Posted Oct 18, 2024
|
|
2.5/5
|
Hellboy: The Crooked Man
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
A mixed bag that doesn’t do the character justice in terms of a budgetary story, but more than has enough of a worthy successor in the charming, hulking [Jack] Kesy
Posted Oct 10, 2024
|
|
4.5/5
|
Terrifier 3
(2024)
|
Harris Dang
|
Terrifier 3 is a stellar sequel that delivers the bloodletting, slicing, dicing and dismembering that gore-hounds will want, all jam-packed and stuffed in one succulent Christmas turkey. Highly recommended.
Posted Oct 08, 2024
|
|
3.5/5
|
Backspot
(2023)
|
Peter Gray
|
This is a cautionary tale that warns of the extremes of dedication, whilst proving a love letter to the art of cheerleading and the zeal it requires.
Posted Oct 07, 2024
|
|
2.5/5
|
Psychosis
(2023)
|
Peter Gray
|
[Submits] to an extreme eccentricity that, as off-putting it may be to some, is difficult to not be impressed by.
Posted Oct 07, 2024
|
|
3/5
|
The Problem with People
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
A gentle paced film that stands as easy Sunday afternoon viewing, The Problem with People succeeds mostly off the banter between Reiser and Meaney.
Posted Oct 05, 2024
|
|
2/5
|
Joker: Folie à Deux
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
Joker: Folie à Deux takes the biggest of swings, without question, and almost deserves respect for its blatant rebellion, but its indecisiveness in what it wants to do or say leaves us waiting on a punchline that limps rather than lands.
Posted Oct 02, 2024
|
|
3.5/5
|
Sharp Corner
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
It’s a psychological look at misplaced valiance that may take the scenic route towards its dedicated destination, but every stop on the way doesn’t take away from its own importance and delight in not necessarily answering the questions it asks.
Posted Sep 29, 2024
|
|
5/5
|
The Order
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
A meaningful action film that echoes today’s divisive identity.
Posted Sep 27, 2024
|
|
2.5/5
|
Ick
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
There’s fun to be had with Ick most definitely, but knowing what [Joseph] Kahn is visually capable of, as well as the intelligence it flirts with suggesting a script that could’ve had more to say, this trivial chiller proves a missed opportunity.
Posted Sep 26, 2024
|
|
2.5/5
|
Hold Your Breath
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
A vision wholly unrealised is the biggest downfall against Hold Your Breath.
Posted Sep 22, 2024
|
|
4/5
|
Eden
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
Arguably [Ron] Howard’s most exciting project in over a decade
Posted Sep 22, 2024
|
|
4/5
|
Emilia Pérez
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
In such a climate where original films feel as if they are fighting to be seen, something like this feels necessary and all the more revelatory, and not just because an openly trans actress is at its helm.
Posted Sep 18, 2024
|
|
3/5
|
The Deb
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
The Deb is a delightful musical production that, whilst not without its faults and familiarities, wins over with its heart in the right place.
Posted Sep 18, 2024
|
|
3.5/5
|
Better Man
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
[Michael] Gracey has honed a true energy to proceedings here, which proves enough for Better Man‘s wild storytelling choice to be enfolded by audiences willing to surrender to such chutzpa,
Posted Sep 16, 2024
|
|
5/5
|
Babygirl
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
This is kinky cinema at its most beautiful, and few tales of such erotic exploration have been as finely tuned and honestly performed as to what Reijn has created here.
Posted Sep 16, 2024
|
|
2.5/5
|
Queer
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
As much as the first half of the film may test the patience of viewers with its meandering, slow burn temperament of Lee’s infatuational personality, it’s the second half that will undoubtedly serve as the most divisive.
Posted Sep 16, 2024
|
|
3/5
|
Shell
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
Shell takes some big swings (where this story escalates to is truly wild), and though they don’t all land, you have to admire its audacity.
Posted Sep 15, 2024
|
|
2.5/5
|
Subservience
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
When the film feels as if it should embrace the guilty pleasure mentality of its set up – that being Fox going full Terminator – it never quite finds the right balance to earn any points as a cult-hit-in-the-making.
Posted Sep 14, 2024
|
|
4.5/5
|
Heretic
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
A truly riveting genre piece, Heretic opens up a wealth of fascinating conversation, as well as proving a near-perfect example of the genre.
Posted Sep 13, 2024
|
|
4/5
|
The Life of Chuck
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
A beautiful, weird celebration of life and all the moments that make one worth living.
Posted Sep 13, 2024
|
|
4/5
|
Saturday Night
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
There’s an inherent sweetness about and obvious respect to the show and those original performers present, and as obscene as some of the jokes are [...] you can’t help but be enveloped by its charm.
Posted Sep 13, 2024
|
|
5/5
|
Anora
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
Sean Baker has made something truly special with Anora. It’s masterfully tense, warm, tragic and hilarious in equal measure.
Posted Sep 10, 2024
|
|
4/5
|
Nightbitch
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
It’s quirky, yes, and a film about a woman turning into a dog has a layer of ridiculousness built in, but this is truly a meditation on motherhood, isolation and female rage, driven at the helm by a fearless Amy Adams.
Posted Sep 10, 2024
|
|
4/5
|
We Live in Time
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
A beautiful reminder of the simplicity of storytelling and the power of raw, inviting talent, We Live in Time knows exactly what it’s doing as it hits every emotional beat.
Posted Sep 09, 2024
|
|
2.5/5
|
Daniela Forever
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
It stumbles, without question, but at least it’s bold enough to dream big – even if it proves a restless experience.
Posted Sep 08, 2024
|
|
3.5/5
|
The Last Showgirl
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
Anderson sinks her teeth into Coppola’s creation, showcasing immense vulnerability, whilst maintaining a sense of camp likeability that has so often linked it herself to her career.
Posted Sep 08, 2024
|
|
5/5
|
The Substance
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
A bombastic body horror black comedy-cum-cautionary tale that takes the most wicked of pleasure in submitting to its exaggerated nature.
Posted Sep 08, 2024
|
|
3/5
|
Presence
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
Whilst Presence doesn’t always make the most of its premise, and I can imagine certain narrative beats [...] will prove the film’s biggest divisive ingredient, there’s still enough of an emerging, defined personality for it to have, well, presence.
Posted Sep 08, 2024
|
|
3.5/5
|
Unstoppable
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
Though it may not necessarily break new ground narratively, there’s no denying that this inspired-by-a-true-story drama has a distinct enough story to form its own personality, with the subject at its centre a figure worthy of praise and filmic focus.
Posted Sep 08, 2024
|
|
4/5
|
Hinckley
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
It’s a film that’s at once informative and entertaining, and having an outsider’s view like that of an Australian only benefits the storytelling aspect.
Posted Sep 07, 2024
|
|
3.5/5
|
Kneecap
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
Manages a sense of affability as it bridges the gap between politics and a crowd pleasing temperament
Posted Sep 07, 2024
|
|
3.5/5
|
The Blind Sea
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
The general storytelling aspect and its poignant throughline have an undeniable universal appeal that should speak to the hearts of anyone with a passion they’ve refused to cast aside because, to others, it’s out of their potentiality.
Posted Sep 07, 2024
|
|
3.5/5
|
The G
(2023)
|
Peter Gray
|
It favours psychological warfare and deliberately-paced plotting over an action aesthetic, but it’s a better film for it as it helps keep it grounded beyond its true story inspiration.
Posted Aug 21, 2024
|
|
4/5
|
Touch
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
The weaving worlds that Kormákur has created are gorgeously delicate and prove welcome in its ability to lose audiences within its serenity.
Posted Aug 19, 2024
|
|
4.5/5
|
Blink Twice
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
A film that’s best left discovered by uninformed eyes and ears – I guess we add this to the list of film titles to mute on X – Blink Twice, and all its unspooling nastiness, is an incisive thriller that truly announces Kravitz as an auteur to watch.
Posted Aug 19, 2024
|
|
4/5
|
Alien: Romulus
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
With Romulus, [Fede] Alvarez has effortlessly inserted himself into the timeline with a blend of old-school respect and new-school brazen.
Posted Aug 15, 2024
|
|
2.5/5
|
Jackpot!
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
The world built here opens itself up to much promise, but it all unfortunately settles in for the type of undemanding genre service we have come to expect from a streaming title.
Posted Aug 14, 2024
|
|
2.5/5
|
It Ends With Us
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
It can’t be denied that the audience that made [Colleen] Hoover’s initial words such a success are likely to lap up such mawkishness, but there’s a deeper, darker iteration of this story that could – and should – be told.
Posted Aug 07, 2024
|
|
3/5
|
Detained
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
Banks a lot of its narrative on coincidence, and it certainly asks a lot of its audience, but the confidence it has in gradually accepting its own ruthlessness allows this single-location thriller to elevate beyond its clear limitations.
Posted Aug 02, 2024
|
|
2/5
|
The Girl in the Pool
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
If ever a film leaned into being so bad it’s good, this is certainly a contender.
Posted Aug 01, 2024
|
|
2.5/5
|
Trap
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
A tighter pace and a clearer vision could have truly elevated this Hitchcockian-like thriller, but, ultimately, it’s one set up that doesn’t quite snare the intended interest.
Posted Aug 01, 2024
|
|
3.5/5
|
Deadpool & Wolverine
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
Undeniably crowd pleasing for the right audience, Deadpool & Wolverine caters to its fanbase and, in that regard, emerges truly victorious.
Posted Jul 23, 2024
|
|
4/5
|
The Way We Speak
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
A talky, compelling drama that speaks to the power of one’s conviction in their beliefs and, more importantly, respecting another’s differing opinion.
Posted Jul 23, 2024
|
|
5/5
|
Longlegs
(2024)
|
Peter Gray
|
Longlegs indulges in its rejection of mainstream pandering. It’s consciously structured to build anxiety with those that surrender to its nightmarish, passive mentality.
Posted Jul 23, 2024
|
>