Reviews

If anyone can maintain a sense of politeness and relaxed temperament in the face of evil and hatred, it's Louis Theroux. "The most hated family in America" is one of the British interviewers more controversial documentaries, but it's also one of his most fascinating, providing an unfiltered look at one of the most abhorrent and repulsive communities I've ever heard of - The Westboro Baptist Church.

Infamous for their picketing of soldier's funerals, this "Church" goes above and beyond to be as disrespectful as possible and are unfortunately still active today. Theroux meets a number of their members, most of whom were born into it, and they seem like a fruity bunch to say the least. Even the kids are involved, which is the really sad part as they're basically being groomed into more hateful homophobes. While I wouldn't advise it, the Church's website still exists and is full of the sort of hate you'd imagine, including popular songs re-worded to become homophobic or just generally nasty.

There's points in the documentary where you even feel sorry for members of the church, especially the younger ones, but you can tell a few of them are just crack-pots or generally hateful people. Fred Phelps, who founded and ran the church up until his death in 2014, is also interviewed briefly here and almost immediately shows himself to be an angry, belligerent and extremely rude old man with a chip on his shoulder. I'm really not one to wish death on people, but honestly, Fred Phelps can rot in hell.

It's a tough watch and it's arguable whether or not Louis should've given these people another platform to spread their hate on in the first place, but if you're a normal human being, you'll see them for the hateful, loathsome people that they really are. It's sad that these people have dedicated their lives to spreading hate in the first place, but the fact that they make their children participate is the most shameful part of all.

This eerie Indonesian horror movie from Joko Anwar is a compelling, mysterious and beautifully shot take on the cursed, rural town trope. Has all the makings of a genre-indulgent Shudder Original, but it manages to maintain an interesting story too by pacing itself well.

The first five minutes hooked me straight away in what has to be one of the best openings to a horror movie I've seen in a while, especially in terms of how it's shot and lit. In fact, the camerawork is really well-done throughout, which is helped by the movie's unique-looking setting.

The plot follows a woman who, along with her friend, travels to a small secluded village that is under a curse causing all their babies to be born skinless. The protagonist's involvement in the curse is gradually revealed throughout the film and while it does become pretty convoluted, I think it's safe to say it's unpredictable.

There's lots of creepy imagery, elements of body-horror and more than a few throat-slits that are sure to leave you gulping nervously. There's a couple of cheap fake-out scares and a last-minute exposition dump that took away from the final act, but overall this a good horror movie. I've not seen Anwar's other film Satan's Slaves yet, but I'm definitely going to check it out since I enjoyed this.

Terrence Fisher's "The Curse of Frankenstein" was the Kickstarter for Hammer's still-iconic horror productions that ran for over a decade. Having also spawned six sequels of its own, this adaptation of Frankenstein was clearly very influential, but as with most tales re-told, it has a hard time living up to the original.

The cast are all great and there's some really compelling characters. Peter Cushing is brilliant as the talented, but ethically challenged, Baron Frankenstein and, unlike the original, there's a lot more focus on him than there is on his creation. Watching his work slowly consumes him makes it harder and harder to stay on side with the Doctor, as he stoops to more extreme lengths to get the job done and keep things quiet.

Christopher Lee takes on the role of the Monster this time and while his image is nowhere near as iconic as Boris Karloff's from the 30s, it's a lot more conventionally scary. The addition of colour helps, but he feels more grim this time around, with more violent scarring and uncomfortably pale skin. Robert Urquhart also stars as Paul, Baron Frankenstein's tutor turned lab partner. He's one of the only voices of reason trying to put a stop to the Baron playing God and the way their relationship develops throughout the movie is pretty interesting.

Overall I had a good time with this, I usually have a harder time getting on with older movies, but I was pretty much hooked from the start with this. The use of colour is great, it's shot really well and it differs enough from the original story to still be fairly unpredictable. Urquhart's very good and Lee's the perfect build for this take on the Monster, but Cushing's the real star of this movie by far.

Whilst it's not unwatchable, Quarantine is without a doubt an unnecessary remake and doesn't really do anything better than the Spanish original, Rec. It follows the same story and has more than a few scenes that are almost exactly the same.

Follows a reporter and her cameraman who, whilst shadowing some firemen, end up being quarantined in an old apartment building containing a deadly virus. The virus is contagious and the building's residents slowly succumb to it one by one, turning them aggressive and animalistic.

There's a bit more focus on the building's residents this time around, which would've been nice if most of them weren't annoying, forgettable or flat-out unlikeable. Jennifer Carpenter starts out decent enough, but she gets more and more frustrating as the film goes on. Also, having a familiar actress like her in the lead role sort of took away from the realism aspect that made Rec that much more scary, especially if you've seen Carpenter in White Chicks.

I really don't mind found-footage films and I'd even say I enjoy them, but the camerawork here was so shaky and mangled that it almost gave me a headache. The characters constantly shouting and talking over each other didn't help matters and honestly, the movie can be annoyingly loud at times. Even the kills feel second-rate because the camera cuts away from them way too fast.

Overall, Quarantine's short and engaging enough to not feel like a complete dud, but you're 100% better off watching Rec instead. There's one or two bits of decent gore outside of the kills, but nothing that's not been done before.

The Reflecting Skin is a 1990 coming-of-age drama that hides a devastatingly bleak narrative under it's pretty cinematography and sweeping soundtrack. Starts very strong, but has a couple of very frustrating scenes that leave you feeling more helpless than a Lars Von Trier film does.

The movie follows Seth Dove, a mischievous young troublemaker who, due to his impressionable nature, convinces himself that his English neighbour's a vampire. When one of his friends turns up dead, Seth initially suspects Dolphin Blue, the neighbour, of killing him, but the movie soon takes a turn for the sinister rather than supernatural. If you've not seen the film, stop reading here because there's some mild spoilers below.

I know a lot of people say this movie isn't a horror, but I'm definitely on side that it is. You're never shown anything too graphic or outright scary, but there's some seriously disturbing subject matter and a lot of the true horror is left up to your imagination. You know that kids are getting killed and you eventually find out who by, but you don't see it happen because the movie's from Seth's perspective, you only see the aftermath.

My major problem with the movie comes from the kidnapping scene, it's unsettling and genuinely hard-to-watch, but the fact that the protagonist, however young he's supposed to be, doesn't tell anyone or realise what's happening was pretty hard to believe. If that wasn't bad enough, after the body of the kidnapped boy is found, he still doesn't say anything and later lets Dolphin get taken too.

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and I'm surprised it's not more popular. There's no resolution or silver-lining to this movie's coating of dread, it's a downer through and through, but it's really well-made and features an early performance from Viggo Mortensen that, while nothing special, is still interesting to see - didn't expect to see him naked again though.

Housebound has everything you could want from a horror-comedy. It balances both genres perfectly without giving way to one over the other. The acting's good, the character's are genuinely interesting and it maintains it's unpredictability right through to the final act.

It follows Kylie, a young woman who, after unsuccessfully trying to rob an ATM, is placed under house arrest in her childhood home. Her mother, who she finds insufferable, insists that the house is haunted and not long after she moves back in, Kylie begins to suspect the same. Sounds like the set-up for a typical haunted house film, but give it a go and you're sure to be surprised.

Morgana O'Reilly plays Kylie and really sells the anti-social attitude. Her facial expressions were great and she bounces off the rest of the cast really well. Rima Te Wiata plays Miriam, Kylie's Mum, who's very sweet and loveable. She can be frustrating at times, but it really lends to the comedy. Glen-Paul Waru was by far my favourite part of the movie, playing Kylie's security contractor who takes an interest in the paranormal activity. He's really funny and endearing, without ever feeling out of place in the more horror-infused scenes.

I'd really recommend this one if you're looking for a good horror-comedy. Like a mash-up of The People Under the Stairs, Come to Daddy and Shaun of the Dead, so check it out if you liked any of those films.

The overly-pessimistic worldview at the core of this surreal, indie horror left a bit of a sour taste. I can normally get on with a film that might be a bit cynical, but the underlying allegory in "Vivarium" felt a bit basic and a little too miserable to enjoy.

The movie sees Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg play a couple who, on the hunt for a new house, go with a strange realtor to an even stranger neighbourhood for a showing. Once they arrive, the realtor disappears and they find themselves trapped in the pale-green, suburban nightmare. If that wasn't bad enough, they soon find a baby in a box that rapidly ages into one of the most annoying little brats I've ever seen in a movie.

Eisenberg's not my favourite actor, some movies I've really enjoyed him in, others he's almost insufferable. Thankfully, he doesn't really fall into either category here and just sort of cruises along while Imogen Poots does all the good bits. In fact, if it wasn't for Poots' performance, I think this would've been far less watchable, especially since it's pretty obvious what's to come as soon as you see Senan Jennings' character for the first time.

Jennings plays the kind of creepy, but mostly annoying, kid that Poots and Eisenberg are forced to raise. I can get past the shaky acting in some scenes because he's just a kid, but the multiple bouts of screaming were too much for me. One thing I will say, I didn't think I'd ever enjoy seeing a grown man body-slam a child, but there's something Vivarium's good for.

The logistics of how the movie's cyclical events unfold are all well and good, but there's no explanation as to why they're trapped there and being forced to raise this inhuman child. I think the film's too focused on getting the allegory across that it forgets to explain itself sometimes where it probably should.

You can work out where the film's going long before it even thinks about coming to an end, but it's surreal and intriguing enough to still be watchable. There's not much payoff which is unfortunate, but I'd say this is still worth the watch. One scene I did enjoy was when Poots chased the now-grownup version of the kid under the curb - the way he scampered away was pretty creepy and it really fit the surreal tone of the film.

One of the most fried movies I've ever seen. An obvious allegory for addiction comes in the form of a slimy, phallic, other-worldly creature called Elmer, that latches on to protagonist Brian. In exchange for human brains, Elmer injects a blue liquid into the back of Brian's neck, which causes him to promptly trip balls. It looks like a lot of fun to be honest, but the withdrawl symptoms and guilt wouldn't really be worth it.

It looks like your typical 80s schlock-fest and in a lot of ways it is, but there's just something about it that's so much fun. For one, Elmer's awesome and the voice actor, John Zacherle, sounds like someone from a cheesy anti-drug video. He's pretty gross looking, which isn't helped by the suckers down his front, but he has this weird relaxing feeling to him that comes from the soundtrack and voice acting.

Speaking of the soundtrack, it's great and the original music is really cool. The scene where Brian's room starts filling up with Elmer's blue liquid not only looked kind of pretty, but the soundtrack added a layer of euphoria that helps signify the scene as Brian's first, and best, trip, as everything that follows is pretty much a metaphor for him chasing the magic dragon.

The kills are pretty good, with a good few of them just being Elmer latching himself onto his victim's head, but the best kill comes when Elmer, who's hiding in Brian's pants, jumps down the throat of a woman about to give him a blowjob. It's a bit grotty, but it's funny and a good representation of this film's tone. It's set in New York City, but the soundtrack and lighting make it feel even more surreal, on top of the frequent hallucination scenes.

It's a fun movie to pick apart, but an even funnier one to sit back and enjoy. It's a bit out there and the premise and poster alone are probably enough to turn most people off, but I'd really recommend it as it's genuinely watchable underneath the cheap, 80s b-movie poster.

I've known about The Devil's Candy for a while now and just never really got around to watching it. After seeing how divisive some of the ratings were, I decided to finally check it out for myself and I'm glad I did. This metal-infused horror movie from Sean Byrne sees a painter and his family relocate to a new house, but shortly thereafter strange voices and visions take hold of him and his painting makes a turn for the satanic. Just as grim, but slightly more complicated, than Byrne's previous film "The Loved Ones."

To go into more detail would be giving away spoilers and I think this movie would be best seen going in blind, but be warned, some of the subject matter was a little grittier and more disturbing than I expected, but I wouldn't say it goes to far or anything. You could say it's a possession film, but it's not like any others I've seen and it feels very grounded in traditional Satanic themes.

There's also an awesome soundtrack here that fits the movie perfectly. In fact, you can see the musical influence all over this film, from it's metal-loving father-daughter duo, to the NECA bobble-head of Kirk Hammett that they keep on the dashboard. Also, the camerawork's pretty good and there's a slowness to it that helps build up a feeling of unease.

Overall, I had a good time with this. It's violent and dark enough, but leaves the most gruesome and disturbing parts up to your imagination. Ethan Embry is great as the painter and he has some really badass scenes, which is only helped by his grizzled appearance and tattoos. The movie does lay out most of the answers for you, but the devil's presence is pretty open to interpretation and never really honed in on, which I kind of liked. Worth checking out given the runtime, but I definitely wouldn't have complained if it was a little longer.

Chasing Amy is Kevin Smith's third movie and arguably his most mature one to date. It's still rife with his trademark, vulgar humour, but what sets it apart is how it fully commits to the romantic aspect and how universal the feeling's expressed by some of the characters are.

This is Ben Affleck's first appearance as Holden McNeill, a comic book writer who meets Alyssa, played by Joey Lauren Adams, an outgoing woman who seems to bring out the best in him. They get along great at first, but a wrench is thrown in the works when he finds out she's gay. It might sound like the grounds for a cheesy rom-com, but the complicated way it portrays relationships and the expectations you go into them with feels a lot more honest and heartfelt than just a love story with a happy ending.

Jason Lee returns, this time as Banky rather than Brodie, who lives with Holden and works with him drawing comics. Like in Mallrats, I thought he was by far the funniest of the central characters and Smith does a good job at developing his character a bit beyond the comic-relief. Jay & Silent Bob make what must be there shortest appearance, which oddly enough coincides with what must be Silent Bob's biggest word count in a single film - his story about Amy feels really sincere and is a nice change of pace from the slew of profanities Jay usually throws out on behalf of them both.

The camerawork's pretty simple, but Smith's style feels really defined and the costumes, sound design and settings all feel in line with the rest of the View-Askiewniverse. The car scene between Adams and Affleck was a favourite and there's some great acting throughout on both their parts.

It's not my favourite Kevin Smith movie in terms of sheer entertainment, but it's definitely the one that's stayed with me the longest in terms of the story and themes. There's a few nods to Clerks and Mallrats and it partially sets up the events of Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, which sees the return of a few of this film's characters.

Despite rehashing an uncomfortable amount of the first movie, Demons 2 still manages to the up the ante in a lot of places and is, in my opinion, a pretty good sequel, especially when it comes to horror.

Instead of a stylish, enclosed movie theatre, this movie's demonic fodder find themselves trapped in their apartment block. Demons 2 does a good job at utilising it's setting, not only does the building have it's own gym, but there's also scenes taking place in the parking garage, on the roof and even in the elevator shaft. Not to mention the individual apartments you get a glimpse of, most of which are decorated very well for the film.

The practical effects have improved in places, but other parts feel very much the same. There's still plenty of gore and violence and this time not even children or pets are safe. Manages to feel slightly grander in scale compared to the original, but it lacks the originality and consistent style. A favourite scene this time around was the child demon, who was genuinely creepy until a second-rate Star Wars creature burst out of his chest.

A few of Demons 1's cast returns here, but playing different roles. The pimp's back, this time as a gym coach that ends up feeling more like a drill sergeant as the film goes on. Ripper, the coke-sniffing punk from the original also returns, this time as the building's security officer. There's more characters this time round for sure, including a kid who's home alone; a pregnant couple about to have their child and yet another quadruplet of punks.

The movie still looks really good and the cinematography makes for some really great shots, most notably Sally running at the camera and the demons running down the stairwell. The lighting is a breath of fresh air because you can actually see everything your supposed to. There's two scenes I noticed where the camera was really janky and staggered which made me feel like I'd just stood up too fast, but fortunately they don't last long.

I said in my review of Demons that I liked how the movie doesn't stray from it's simplicity and I feel the same way about this. It does enough things differently from the first movie to feel exciting again, but it doesn't really overtake it in terms of enjoyability for me. Although, one thing I definitely enjoyed a lot more this time round was the soundtrack, which features acts like the Smiths and the Cult to name a couple. A lot of fun and would make a really good double bill next to it's predecessor, there's also a really cool reference to A Nightmare on Elm Street later on in the film which was a nice touch.

This was a nice surprise and definitely a new favourite. Directed by Lamberto Bava, son of giallo legend Mario Bava, this Italian horror film sees a theatre's audience under threat from an infectious demonic entity, which partially matches the events taking place in the film they're seeing. It's a simple premise, but it's executed well and makes for an easy watch.

The practical effects are admittedly dated in some places, most notably in the demons' appearance. They're really creepy looking from a distance, with their glowing eyes and sinister movement, but up close, they look a little less scary. Nevertheless, when it comes to the gore, this film's got it in pounds. Loads of cool death scenes and it doesn't skimp out on the blood or close-ups. One scene in particular I liked was when the demon teeth are shown coming through, pushing the human ones out - I'm curious as to how they pulled it off because it looked really gross and genuinely convincing.

Compared to other Italian horrors I've seen, I couldn't really pick up on any underlying themes or statements about the real world. Instead, this movie seems to revel in it's simple premise and focuses more on the gore and mayhem, which is fine with me.

The film also looks very nice and has some cool sets, costumes and cinematography which really pop out of the screen. The theatre's exterior is imposing, dark and feels out of place next to the scenes you see of the bustling, light-filled city - it still looks beautiful though and feels somewhat iconic with it's singular, white, neon sign. Similarly, the lobby of the theatre is also strange looking, but still eye-catching and decorative.

Almost like a zombie film set in a cinema, but with sharp-toothed, clawed demons on the prowl instead of the undead. Also, while it's a bit of a mouthful, I think the tagline's awesome. Feels very of it's time and goes full 80s at one point when one of the characters rides a motorcycle whilst wielding a samurai sword, slicing away at the titular Demons as he speeds about the room.

Overall, this was a really a good time and one of the most fun horrors I've seen in a while. It's got a wicked soundtrack, a hooking introduction and I think that the ending's awesome, the shot of the demons behind the metal barriers was really creepy. In fact, all the shots where you see the demons from afar, like when they're coming up the stairs in the theatre, look really cool and are the sort of scenes that would've terrified me if I saw this when I was younger

Really insightful documentary that assembles a lot of recognisable faces from the black horror community, from the instantly recognisable Kieth David; Get Out director Jordan Peele and the Candyman himself, Tony Todd, there are a number of influential, interesting voices to be heard here who all help to paint a picture of Black characters'/actors' experiences throughout the history of the horror genre. It starts by covering Birth of a Nation, so you know from the start that you're going to hear about a lot of films from over the years, but I think it's great because there's so many I haven't heard of that I now want to see, like "Abby" and "Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight." Overall this is quite a good documentary, it's narrators are all great and a few of them are pretty funny. Everyone's familiar with tropes like the black character dying first or being a shield/sacrifice for the white character, but this documentary shows you where these stereotypes started and in some cases, how they've dissipated over time.

I feel bad giving this such a low score given how good Samara Weaving is, she really fits the bill when it comes to films like this and she was mostly what kept me watching. "Mayhem" definitely lives up to its title, offering up plenty of violence and destruction over its runtime, but it's full of clichés, including the necessary gearing-up montage, and is ultimately pretty predictable.

The premise isn't the most original, it's already reminiscent of things like Battle Royale, Lord of the Flies etc., but to make matters worse, just a year before "The Belko Experiment" was released, another movie about trapped office-workers fighting each other to death. Steven Yeun is fine, he's not the best at selling the whole badass thing, but he has an okay on-screen chemistry with Weaving.

Overall, if you're a fan of Weaving then I'd say this is worth watching, I've not seen her in much, but she always manages to be the standout. Not on for long so would also make for a good background/Sunday-night watch

With a runtime of just under an hour, Rob Savage's "Host" sees a group of friends undergo a séance via Zoom. However, due to them not taking their supernatural endeavour seriously, a more malevolent force enters the picture and begins picking them off one by one. Think Unfriended, but a bit more concise and British.

Considering it was made under the restrictions of Lockdown, you can't deny it's a little impressive and while it's "web-call haunting" premise isn't entirely original, it's incorporation if Zoom helps it become a bit more relatable. There's not much room to make any performance shine, but all the acting's okay for the most part. The character's are also decent, I really didn't like Jemma, but I don't think you're supposed to.

The jump-scares are kind of annoying and I think the film would've been better off with just the one, but there general execution's still effective. The length helps keep things short and sweet, but you can only do so much with the computer-screen gimmick, and it has been done before.

Matthew McConaughey makes self-destruction look fun in this meandering stoner comedy from Harmony Korine. As free a spirit as he is, protagonist Moondog doesn't spend the whole movie smooth-sailing, he's thrown through the wringer in a pretty drastic way, but his resultant behaviour is what cements his near-mythical status.

Described by his wife, played by Isla Fisher, as being from another dimension, it doesn't take long to see what she means and while some of Moondog's decisions are definitely questionable, it's hard to not have faith in them. As well as Fisher, McConaughey his supporter by Korine's biggest cast yet including Jonah Hill, Zac Efron and Snoop Dogg.

Zac Efron's not in the film long, but he makes an impact as glue-huffing pyromaniac Moondog meets in rehab. Hill's accent isn't too solid, but his dialogue's hilarious, playing Moondog's agent (he writes poetry.) Snoop Dogg basically plays an extension of himself, he's still fun to watch though. Martin Lawrence also stars and there's a small, but incredibly fitting, cameo from Jimmy Buffet.

There's a lot of weed smoked in this film and you can tell McConaughey's pretty baked in all his scenes. It's definitely best seen under the influence, the plot's half-baked and the camera-work lingers a lot, which lets you catch up if you're a bit too far gone. Speaking of, the cinematography's also really nice and feels in line with Korine's equally sun-soaked Spring Breakers.

The soundtrack's awesome, as can be expected from Korine, and features a variety of genres and musicians, some of which are well-known and others not as much. Korine's no stranger to having obscure songs, sub-genres and musicians featured in his soundtrack's, but there's also hits from The Cure, Creed and Waylon Jennings. Buffet and Snoop are obviously featured in it too, including an original song for the film called Moonfog.

All in all, this movie's a good time and is one of the funniest film's I've seen from 2019. This is the McConaughey equivalent of going full Nicolas Cage and it just goes to show he can do comedy just as well as he can do drama. In the realms of stoner comedies, there's a surprising amount of underlying themes here like grief and love. Worth seeing for McConaughey alone and it's a very easy film to follow, but I'd definitely advise seeing it with a bud.

Different enough to stand out from the rest of the zombie fodder, this South-Korean zombie film is a mixed bag of interesting ideas and jarring tone shifts. It wastes no time jumping into the action and the film builds its pace from there. There's more than a few conveniences to the plot and some scenes just didn't make much sense - like them not hearing the helicopter right behind them and resorting to suicide right after securing a bunch of supplies. Nevertheless, it's still worth the watch if you're a fan of the genre.

The film can feel repetitive at times and there's a few cheap fake-outs. It's not hard to see the flaws in the film, but if you're just looking for a background watch or something relatively easy to get through then it is worth it. The acting's fine, though Yoo-Bin's character could've been developed a little more. I'm not a huge fan of the film's zombies, they're those sort of new zombies that's movement and noise is edited in post, making them unrealistically twitch and screech. There's better zombie films out there, but this switches things upa little bit and puts a modern, if a bit forced, spin on things.

I've been looking forward to seeing this since the trailer, the debate on whether or not it's a horror intrigued me and the divisiveness of the reviews made me want to see it for myself. Personally, I think it's a good film, just a little over-stuffed and unnecessarily surreal in some places. Speaking of, this is definitely Kaufman's weirdest film and I found it harder to get on with than Eternal Sunshine or Synecdoche, New York.

The film doesn't necessarily explain things to you, instead giving you the final pieces needed to put the rest of the film into proper perspective. It strings you along for most of the runtime, but the surrealisms and pretty camerawork keep you engaged until the payoff. I wouldn't say this is a horror necessarily, it has creepy moments, an eerie soundtrack and builds up tension really well, but the underlying themes and truth to what you're seeing is a lot more tragic than scary. It's a brooding film that ultimately paints life as a monotonous, regret-filled and relatively pointless endeavour, which I guess is pretty scary when you think about it.

The dialogue's very fast and filled with references to actors, films and authors that I didn't really know much about. There's a lot of existentialisms and ponderings on life that, on top of the fried stuff, make the whole film feel like a trip. The clues are there from the very start, so I'd advise paying close attention to the dialogue and try to take some of it more literally. I'm certain I've not got the full grasp of this film yet because there's still a few scenes that baffle me, most notably the girl at the Tulsey Town and the dog.

Collette's great as always, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry during most of her scenes. Together with Thewlis, they manage to feel like some sort of bad trip and balance the line between comedy and creepiness perfectly. But, when you start to clock what's going on, there scenes also take on a mostly tragic note. The reason I liked Buckley's performance so much is how she changes throughout the film, only slightly most of the time, but it begins to become more noticeable and was where I began to, barely, get what was going on.

Overall, the film looks and sounds amazing, but if you don't like being left up to your own devices in terms of figuring out the true nature of the story, you probably should steer clear. I'm not really a fan of having to put the pieces together myself, but the underlying sadness is an effective, hopeless gut punch that's a lot darker than Kaufman's more usual, sombre affairs. It's the sort of film that inspires feelings you wouldn't necessarily want to deal with, like guilt, regret and grief. I think there's a lot of other stuff in this that warrants more than a 8/10, but in terms of personal enjoyment, there's still a few parts to the film I wasn't a huge fan of/don't have a clue what was going on.

Far Cry 4's similarities to its predecessor are often brought up when comparing the games. Personally, I think they nailed the Far Cry formula with the 3rd game and I think the series has done better for sticking with said formula, only really changing up a few things beyond the characters and setting. With that being said, there's a number of things you can expect going into a Far Cry game, like a charismatic, almost-convincing villain, and while Far Cry 3 is the origin of a lot of the series' most-loved trademarks, Far Cry 4 cemented their reoccurrence and turned them into staples of the franchise, as well as birthing a few of its own.

Far Cry 4's story evolves from the previously seen "island militia warfare," and goes into a full-scale civil war set in a fictionalised version of Nepal. It sees a bunch of characters return, as well as introducing a load of memorable new ones, including Yogi & Reggie, two of my favourites. That being said, there's a few characters that feel a little boring, too over-the-top or just aren't memorable in terms of the series as a whole. Least of all though is Pagan Min, this game's semi-antagonist and one of the best examples of an empathetic villain in recent gaming memory.

The game lets you make a few choices that change up how the missions play out, their impact is oversold a little, but all of them are morally conflicting and there's ups and downs to whichever path you choose to take, including the golden one. There's somehow less to do than Far Cry 3 in terms of side activities, but it more than makes up for it with its lush, detailed world - in other words, it still manages to feel slightly more polished and higher-scale than 3.

The DLCs are unfortunately a miss for me, I thought I'd enjoy Valley of the Yetis at least, but even that I found a bit stale. Also, there's multiple guns in the game that are very fun to use, but only become accessible in the later parts of the game. My only other problems with the game are Amita, Sabal and Noore. Amita and Sabal are both pretty dislikeable and feel overly demanding and unempathetic to the player. Noore on the other hand was an interesting character and I'd like to have seen more of her, hence why I chose not to kill her, but the game still frustratingly kills her off.

Overall, Far Cry 4's got an immersive, unique world that's a lot of fun to explore. There's no shortage of side-activities after you finish the story, including the franchise's now-signature drug missions that see your characters trip balls on a, usually, fictional drug. The soundtrack's cool and used well throughout the story, including a cool usage of Should I stay or should I go that has a sort-of double meaning if you're aware of the game's pretty well-known secret ending.

While it doesn't quite pack the same punch as Kevin Smith's self-funded feature debut Clerks, Mallrats is still a more than worthy follow up and is the grounds for so much of the stuff going ahead in the View-Askiewniverse, including Jason Lee's comic-obsessed Brodie. It follows two friends, both recently dumped by the girlfriend's, who seek solace at their local mall, which is host to a variety of memorable Smith characters and easily misinterpreted, dirty store names.

Speaking of comics in particular, their influence on Smith and his films are established here a lot more than they were in Clerks, most notably in the form of a cameo from the iconic Stan Lee. The opening credits also feature original artwork of the cast as superheroes and it's very well done, including glimpses at what would become Bluntman & Chronic in Chasing Amy. The soundtrack is also worth mentioning, it's a little dated, but there are some good songs in there and it fits the tone of the movie.

Despite its bigger budget, there's still those seemingly random conversations and interactions that Smith is known for, including a great story about airplanes from Brodie. On top of the previously mentioned Stan Lee, the film also sees lots of Smith's other friends make appearances, including a cameo from Clerks' Brian O'Halloran, but the main cast includes Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams and Shannon Doherty. Michael Rooker also stars as the movies antagonist and it's always nice to see him, the film does a good job at making his scenes feel like he's a comic-book villain, which goes with their clear influence on the film.

Overall, you can still tell this is a Kevin Smith movie right from the opening voiceover. The premise itself, along with the wardrobe and dialogue, are all very much in line with Smith's established style at the time. It succeeds in terms of its cast, characters and comedy and features a bit more of Jay & Silent Bob. I don't enjoy it as much as some of Smith's other films, but I've still seen it more times than I'd like to admit and it's aged fairly well.

Harmony Korine's "Gummo" goes well out of it's way to shock, offend and provoke a reaction, there's a handful of disturbing scenes throughout and almost every frame has something, or someone, strange to gawp at. The soundtrack, visual style and set design all combine to make this film a very unique watch, if you can get past the oddities and the animal abuse.

There's not really a plot that runs through the movie, it feels more like Korine's taking you on a tour of this town, showing you it's residents and what they get up to. There's also a lot of eerie home-video footage intercut throughout, which helps make the film feel more authentic. The character's themselves are all strange and memorable, with Sol from the poster and the Bunny Boy being the most synonymous with the film. Watch the film at your own risk, I'd say it is slightly exploitative and it handles subjects like rape, disability, racism and pretty much anything else you can think of, without much care for political correctness.

The film is always grounded in reality, but it manages to feel incredibly surreal due to almost everything in it being out-of-the-ordinary for most people. Even it's soundtrack is one of the strangest mash-ups of music I've heard, going from the sludgy sounds of Sleep in one scene, to the upbeat tones of 1950s Buddy Holly in another. There's also a lot of satanic imagery throughout, including the opening title's font and the long, thin upside down cross, but it all fits with the soundtrack and nihilistic tone of the movie.

Korine was clearly trying to shock people with this, if not offend, but that didn't stop him from making a good movie and it works really well despite it's lack of narrative or plot. Everything that goes into the movie reflects the aimlessness and frustration's of its characters, making for a very bleak, hopeless watch. The fairly well-known bath scene is equal parts revolting and fascinating, especially considering this is the character, Sol's, norm, but at least it means he's not out brutalising cats.

Short enough to not lose steam and has a simple, easy-to-follow story that makes for a good casual watch, unfortunately though the movie suffers in terms of its writing, which is needlessly expositional and often abrupt. Most of the actors are okay, including Bokeem Woodbine and the now drastically more well-known Logan Marshall-Green, but some of the writing just isn't suited to the characters, actors or their delivery. The kills are adequately paced and I guess you could say you get a bonus few that you're not set up for, but they're not too creative considering they all take place in a single elevator. That being said, the film does feature a seriously brutal neck snap that was pretty crazy. Doesn't overstay it's welcome and is over before you can really pick apart some of the plot's less fine details, it's entertaining and the big reveal you'd expect from a Shyamalan-written story isn't as bad as some of his others.

The perfect blend of realism and fun comes in the form of this 5v5 online best-seller. Unlike most other warfare games based in reality, this game forces you to play tactically in order to win and you actually have to think about your next move. It features a host of operators to choose from and it's constantly adding more, up to 5 a year, which allows for a variety of playstyle choices. They all have interesting and unique backstories, customization options and loadouts, which means players must constantly adapt to new threats. Online play can be frustrating at first as the community is a fairly mixed bag, but once you get the hang of things you'll have pretty equal footing to most other players. It's been out for a while, so it may be a challenge at first if you are new, but once you start pulling in the kills and victories, you'll find out how satisfying a good match can be. Door-breaching, security-cam operation and barricading aren't very common in online shooters, but they help carve this game out from the rest by making each match a little different. Like a big game built solely around search-and-destroy from the CoD games.

I thought the reviews for this were based more on people's personal opinions of Piers Morgan, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Even next to a diagnosed psychopathic narcissist, Morgan manages to present himself as arrogant and slyly confrontational. His attitude would probably be excused if he was a good interviewer, but he's not and constantly interrupts the interviewee. It's a biased documentary that isn't long, or well-made, enough to revolve around the case that it does. Piers' questions are basic and he clearly had his mind met up before he even met Paris, but what's worse is his parting words with the killer's mother, which were unnecessarily cold and unempathetic. Also, the two experts who you cut to throughout the interview were being openly presumptuous and biased about both the case and the interview, they added nothing to this and just made it harder to make your own mind up, which is really what I want from a documentary. Neither the viewer nor Piers get to spend enough time with Paris here to really see the extent of his character. Paris is treated with a surprising lack of empathy, which surprised me since that was how he was described. He's undoubtedly evil, but Piers spends too much of the documentary trying to tell us that, which is pretty obvious from the synopsis alone.

Engrossing, emotional and ultimately endearing, Room follows a mother and son who, after spending 7 and 5 years respectively in the titular room, must re-adjust to family and society. Brie Larson is good as Ma and does an excellent job at portraying her anguish and grief. As the viewer you can only imagine what must be going through her characters' head, but it's Larson that really sells the distortion and her performance demands emotion. Jacob Tremblay is the most impressive by far, being only nine at the time of filming, who plays the son, Jack. It's really interesting to see Jack's perception of the room, or just Room, as it's the only place he's ever known. You'd expect him to be more open with the outside world, but his drastically sheltered life makes it a slow process as he's used to his creature comforts. Tremblay does a really good job at selling his emotional scenes too and I enjoyed his pieces of narration throughout the film. The soundtrack was okay, it worked really well for the emotional scenes, but some of it felt a little too grandiose for the scene's it was played over. William H. Macy's an amazing actor and whilst I feel he was the slightest bit underused, his character and role in the story still made a strong, emotional impact. The mother-son relationship that runs through this film's core is what makes it so endearing, despite their predicament, Ma still does her best to give Jack as normal a childhood as she can and she does her utmost to shield him from the real horror of their situation. Glad I finally checked this out as it's been on my radar for years, was definitely worth it and I'm looking forward to starting the book.