Netflix And Chill: The Night Comes For Us (2018)

A film that you could easily mention in a dictionary to help illustrate the definition of the word “savage”, The Night Comes For Us is a fast and frantic run from one brutal action sequence to another. Writer-director Timo Tjahjhanto knows how to deliver genuinely astonishing spectacle, helped by a cast more than capable of the physicality that’s required.

When he saves the life of a young girl (Reina, played by Asha Kenyeri Bermudez) after massacring the rest of her village to teach a harsh lesson about stealing Triad money, Ito (Joe Taslim) has a sudden attack of conscience. He no longer wants to be in the violent life that he once considered a natural fit. Nobody gets to just leave though, especially if they have killed other Triads to make their escape. Many people are then instructed to kill Ito and Reina, including Arian (Iko Uwais), a former gang member who was also once a close friend.

It's hard to single any one person out here, despite Taslim being the lead and Uwais arguably being the most recognisable of the main cast members nowadays, but those who get a decent amount of screentime deserve some recognition of how much they help to maintain the believability and steamrolling momentum of the central premise. Although some characters have different styles, sometimes helped by different weaponry they have to hand, everyone is motivated by sheer survival instinct, flailing around and aiming for a death blow as fists and feet and blades blur around them. Taslim doesn't try to paint himself as anyone who suddenly deserves our sympathy, but his one decision that changes things for everyone around him is enough to have us rooting for him as he does everything he can to ensure the safety of one young girl. Uwais is calm and cool, for the most part, but starts to fray at the edges when his character arc is about to be completed. Sunny Pang is a boss man who orders others into battle, Julie Estelle is very good as another cool and skilled killer (simply known as The Operator), Zack Lee gets to steal a couple of moments as a drug addict who finds some redemption in a fight that has him greatly outnumbered, and both Dian Sastrowardoyo and Hannah Al Rashid are a lot of fun as Alma and Elena, a very dangerous duo who work together to maintain the edge against those who often underestimate them.

I've generally enjoyed everything I have seen so far from Tjahjanto, although this is a reminder that I need to explore much more of his filmography. I think he generally does better with action than he does with horror (although many enjoyed Macabre much more than I did), and there are moments in most of his films that will have you wondering just how they were shot as you pick your jaw back up off the floor. He's a huge talent, undeniably so, but must also be helped by a very talented team around him.

Cinematographer Gunnar Nimpuno does well just to keep up with the action and bloodshed, editor Arifin Cu'unk shows a number of memorable moments without interrupting the flow of any major sequence, and composers Aria Prayogi and Fajar Yuskemal deliver an audio track worthy of running parallel to the visual spectacle. As for the makeup department, special effects, stunt team, etc . . . every single one of them delivers top notch work. Even the continuity department must have been kept on their toes as they kept track of the injuries and bloodstains.

A few of the early scenes don't work as well as they could, due to the story really coming together as various characters come into the storyline, but the majority of this is about as perfect as you want a full-on, full-blooded, action film to be.

9/10

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Shudder Saturday: The Ugly Stepsister (2025)

I don't always start my own reviews by directing people elsewhere, but The Ugly Stepsister already has an excellent write-up from Christianne Benedict here. And you can stay subscribed to her blog for many great insights.

An ugly and violent take on the classic tale of Cinderella, The Ugly Stepsister is an astonishing and confrontational feature debut from writer-director Emilie Blichfeldt. It uses the template of the fairytale to explore the pressures on those who are judged by their femininity and beauty, but it also twists things in a way that brilliantly subverts the dynamic conjured up by the title.

Lea Myren plays Elvira, the fairly quiet and unappealing young woman who seems destined to keep living in the shade of her beautiful step-sister, Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss). Elvira's mother, Rebekka (Ane Dahl Torp), sets out to change that, however, after the death of her husband means that their fate and fortune relies on Elvira transforming into someone who will capture the eye of Prince Julian (Isac Calmroth). A process of painful transformation begins that will affect Elvira's mind as much as her body.

Myren is fantastic in the central role, delivering a performance that shows her personality and demeanour changing in line with her physical changes. Næss is also very good, able to maintain a real presence throughout the film even as she is effectively sidelined for a large part of the second half of the film. She may not be in every scene, but her shadow looms over the unfolding events, as well as Elvira. Torp has some fun in the role of such a fiercely driven mother, becoming more and more desperate and ruthless as her and her daughter start to share the same insanity. Calmroth is fine, but the other one to really praise is Flo Fagerli, playing Alma, the OTHER stepsister who keeps herself very much in the background of the whole thing until stepping up, with a clarity and kindness lacking elsewhere, in the very last scenes.

Often displaying the events onscreen in beautiful Earthy tones, apart from sharper and unflinching scenes that show our character enduring another bit of body modification, The Ugly Stepsister is quite a gorgeous depiction of ugliness and unpleasantness. It can be viewed through a few different filters, but the central message remains a cautionary tale about the lengths some people feel they have to go to in order to reach, and maintain, impossibly high standards. There's always some way to find fault with someone though, whether investigating their body or their spirit, or both, and what really matters is how you view and treat yourself while others go on about their daily lives. There's no real reason for Prince Julian to seem like any kind of prize here, aside from the obvious financial gain and status boost, but so many young women are instructed to find a prince, any prince, that he and his friends all automatically saunter through life with a lot less pain and effort than those starting from a lower rung on the social ladder.

Blichfeldt has found a great way to reshape and reinvigorate a classic text, and it's clear that there are many other ways she could have added to each main sequence. She knows exactly how to make the most of the premise though, creating a growing sense of discomfort and pain (because, yes, viewers cannot help but empathise with the pain that Elvira is enduring as it continues to build without relief), and benefits from the cinematography of Marcel Zyskind, the score from John Erik Kaada and Vilde Tuv, and the consistently excellent work of everyone else on both sides of the camera.

A very high recommend, especially if you're a fan of gothic fairytale fare, and I absolutely cannot wait to see what we get next from Blichfeldt.

9/10

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RoboCop 3 (1993)

After my surprisingly positive reaction to RoboCop 2 when I (re?)watched it a few weeks ago, I decided to make a rewatch of RoboCop 3 a top priority. I have definitely seen this before, and I definitely didn't like it. But I went into it with an open mind and a good helping of optimism.

It's Robert John Burke in the main role this time around, and things are still not great in Detroit, which has now been acquired by OCP. OCP isn't the same old OCP any more though, having itself been taken over by a Japanese corporation now holding a controlling share of the stock. As Detroit residents are mistreated and turned out of homes that can then be demolished and turned into more profitable enterprises, growing unrest from civilians becomes such a strong force that it eventually affects the police. But will they continue to work as the strong arm for capitalist bullies, or will they follow RoboCop's lead and develop a moral conscience?

While he cannot match Weller's performance, Burke is very good in the lead role, and he does well with the physicality of the role. Nancy Allen reprises her role for a while, Remy Ryan is good as a talented kid, Nikko, who can also use technology to help those around her fight back against the authorities, Jill Hennessy is the aptly-named Dr. Lazarus, and it's fun to spot familiar faces like CCH Pounder, Bradley Whitford, Stephen Root, and Daniel von Bargen in the supporting cast. Bruce Locke has some very memorable moments as Otomo, most easily described as a kind of robo-ninja, and Rip Torn gets to join in with the fun for a few amusing scenes.

Directed by Fred Dekker, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Frank Miller, RoboCop 3 is a decent, but flawed, bit of sci-fi action fun with the kind of satire and social commentary that fans of the first two movies should expect. Like many perfectly fine sequels, the biggest problem it has is not being up to the high standard of the first film. That is all, although it was received so poorly when first released that it pretty much killed Dekker’s directorial career stone dead. 

There's nothing here to shout about when it comes to the technical side of things. The visuals lack some flair, but aren't awful, and the few moments that feel like highlights still pale in comparison to the highlights from both of the previous movies. It's obvious that the budget wasn't there for an epic vision, but it's hard to be sure that Dekker and Miller had any epic vision in mind, as the story we get is much more interested in re-establishing a connection between RoboCop and some real humanity than providing more glimpses of the dystopian future setting.

Yes, a few  moments feel unintentionally silly, either due to the plotting or the wonky special effects, but I ended up enjoying the messy mix of capitalist brutality fighting against community warmth. There’s no prime directive to say that you should watch this, but I don’t think that it’s anywhere near as bad as its reputation would suggest.

6/10

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Babes (2024)

I totally understand when opinions seem to vary wildly when we see the many "greatest films/films you must see"lists covering specific years that have just gone by, but I was very surprised to see so many people seem to miss, or completely overlook, Babes. Not only is this one of the best comedies of 2024, it's one of the best comedies I have seen in years. I hope this small corner of the internet can allow me to praise it highly enough that others get to discover just how wonderful it is.

Ilana Glazer is Eden, a good friend to Dawn (Michelle Buteau). The pair have been friends for many years, and the film starts with them having to rush to the hospital as Dawn goes into labour with her next child. Eden is happy enough without her own children, but that situation is about to change in a major way, all thanks to a handsome man named Claude (Stephan James). It's not too long until Eden is considering how to cope with her situation, but she starts to discover that Dawn cannot always give her the time and energy that she needs from those she considers more family member than friend.

Co-written by Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz, both doing excellent work, and directed by Pamela Adlon, smoothly transitioning from helming some TV work to her first feature, Babes is a perfect balance of big laughs and nicely-crafted emotional moments. It has a central message that can be found in many other movies, one about the joys and importance of motherhood and family, but it sets itself apart from the crowd by also delivering the equally important message that family doesn't necessarily mean people you are related to by blood. You can make your own family. Your friends can be family. And the family that you make of your own choosing can be much better for you than the options that you are simply given from birth.

As well as being such a talented writer, Glazer delivers a brilliant comedic turn in her lead role. She's matched by Buteau, who shares a lot of the runtime until division keeps our main characters apart for a while. Not only are both leads great with the material, whether delivering laughs or being serious, but they both feel like they really have been friends since they were children (not surprising as they have apparently been friends for 20 years). It's the kind of onscreen chemistry that elevates everything. James makes a strong impression with his relatively small amount of screentime, Hasan Minhaj is very good as Marty, the husband of Dawn, and there are very enjoyable cameos from John Carroll Lynch (as a doctor as concerned with his own balding as he is concerned with his patient) and Oliver Platt (playing a dad very much aware of his own shortcomings). 

The 104-minute runtime allows for perfect pacing as things move between the jokes and the more heartfelt moments of authentic emotion, there are one or two good needle drops on the soundtrack, and you'll spend the end credits hoping that there's a future where we get to spend even more time with these characters. Babes isn't perfect, but I'll be damned if I can think of one specific imperfection worth mentioning right now. You should all see it. You can thank Glazer and co. for delivering something so fantastic (no pun intended). Then you can thank me for recommending it to you.

9/10

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Prime Time: Another Simple Favor (2025)

The simple addition of one word to give the title of this sequel could be seen as a relatively amusing and clever bit of work. Or it could be seen as unimaginative and lazy. Considering the film itself, I am going to go with the latter option.

I enjoyed A Simple Favour when I caught up with it about six years ago. The leads did good work, and it was a pleasant distraction. I have never spent any time since wishing that it had a sequel though. But it seems that director Paul Feig wanted an excuse to spend more time with the characters played by Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, which explains why writers Jessica Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis came up with this load of nonsense. 

Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) is trying to boost her book sales and stay relevant, which makes a surprise reappearance by Emily Nelson (Lively) both a blessing and a curse. Emily is out of prison on appeal, which means she can go gallivanting around Italy as she prepares to marry Dante Versano (Michele Morrone). For reasons that never quite make sense, Emily wants Stephanie to be a major part of her wedding, which allows both ladies to be put in danger when people start dying.

Lively is the star draw here, revelling in her callous and bitchy persona (even if the first half of the film seems to think it will be hilarious and shocking to have her overusing the word c**t), but it's always good to see Kendrick able to give some shading to her perky and sparkly onscreen persona. Alex Newell is fun as an eager agent, Henry Golding returns to the role of Sean Townsend, but with much more alcohol and bitterness added this time around, and there are a few decent moments for Allison Janney and Elizabeth Perkins. Morrone isn't great though, which is in line with most of his acting performances, and both Taylor Ortega and Elena Sofia Ricci feel sorely wasted. I could mention one or two others, but why bother putting more effort into this review than seems to have been put into crafting the narrative of the film?

Look, it's sometimes hard to really explain the full range of reactions to a movie. I thought that Another Simple Favor was pretty rubbish. It never made sense, it never had any actual tension, and there were too few laughs scattered throughout the screenplay. I wouldn't ever choose to rewatch this. BUT, mainly thanks to Kendrick and Lively, I still kind of enjoyed some of it. Despite the awful plotting, despite the fairly flat direction from Feig, there was some fun to be had here. Not much, but enough to save me from feeling pained.

I'm sure everyone enjoyed spending some time in Italy, and I hope they all enjoyed each other's company, but it doesn't translate to any more fun for viewers. Some of the scenery is nice. It starts to look less nice when blocked by unfolding events that are as irritating as they are illogical. 

You might end up liking this more than I did, despite me somehow still ending up not judging it too harshly (and, trust me, this is me not being harsh), but I would suggest that you do yourself a favour and just pick something else to watch ahead of this.

4/10

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I'm Still Here (2024)

Although some people may not know how it feels, there are times when you can feel unsafe in the country you inhabit. Times when political change and the installation of a dangerous dictator can lead to citizens being taken away without any firm evidence of their crimes. They might reappear one day, but they also might not. This has happened in far too many countries on far too many occasions. One of those countries is America right now in 2025, but one of those countries has also been Brazil, which is the setting for this film.

Starting off back in the 1970s, but exploring the repercussion of a chain of events that started in the previous decade, I'm Still Here shows what happens to a family when a loved one is spirited away by mysterious authority figures. Everyone is put on high alert, of course, and there's a mixture of curiosity and grief pervading the home, but there's also sometimes a real strength revealed in the one person (in this case Eunice Paiva, played mainly by Fernanda Torres) left to hold everything together and maintain some sense of normality in the middle of a sudden and unexpected nightmare. 

Based on a memoir by Marcel Rubens Paiva, adapted into screenplay form by Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega, this manages to be upsetting and effective without ever seeming to sensationalise anything. One main sequence shows the horror and upset of having your home violated by people looking for a nominated target, but everything else is simply showing a woman trying to do what is best for her family as she also tries to get some answers to one or two very important questions.

Director Walter Salles hasn't made too many mistakes in a directorial career that now spans about four decades, but this may be his best film yet. It's hard to put a finger on why it works so well, perhaps the subtlety of the narrative and the central performance somehow, paradoxically, make it feel like the important central messaging is being delivered through a megaphone. Or maybe it's just how sady relevant it seems right now. Either way, I'm Still Here is a history lesson that needs to be watched by those who we can only hope don't want to see it repeated.

There are great performances from absolutely everyone onscreen, but it's Torres who gets to hold our attention for most of the runtime, and she does it with ease. It's such a great performance that it's hard to remember anyone else as the end credits roll, although I will also be sure to praise Fernanda Montenegro (the older incarnation of Eunice) and Selton Mello (Rubens, the husband who is taken away one night, leading to the void that the characters, and the entire film, then explores in different ways).

Some people can actively fight against injustice while it is happening. Some people dedicate their lives to highlighting and getting reparations for those who have been the victims of such injustice. And some people can do no more than try to survive. That's enough. If you're country has become intolerant to you, or people that you love, and you're scared, vulnerable, and unable to figure out any way to strike back at power-hungry abusers . . . just stating "I'm still here" is often enough to inspire and support others in a similar position. That may not have been the main point of this film, despite the title, but it's definitely something worth remembering.

9/10

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Mubi Monday: Matt And Mara (2024)

There's not much to say about Matt And Mara, although I am very much aware of the fact that I have started previous reviews with a similar sentence before wittering on for ages and ages. This feels a bit lighter and more inconsequential than anything I have viewed in a while though, although that doesn't mean that I disliked it.

Mara (Deragh Campbell) reconnects with an old friend, Matt (Matt Johnson), at a time when she is struggling with some aspects of her life. Mara has spent a lot of time teaching students about writing, whereas Matt has become a published author. The two used to be inseparable, the kind of people defined by others as a duo rather than one individual, but will they be able to be back in that space once again? Will they even want to?

Written and directed by Kazik Radwanski, from a story by Samantha Chater, this is your basic low-key indie fare, relying on the charm and interplay of the two leads while the world around them quickly moves out of focus. There's tension, but it's the kind that arrives from two people having moved to two very different places in life, and the second half highlights the biggest differences between our leads, showing how their friendship always contained, and was perhaps strengthened by, fundamental division in how they dealt with other aspects of life and relationships. 

Campbell is very easy to like in her role, and able to show herself distracted by her own thoughts while in, or contemplating, some minor moments in her life that she considers to be major. Johnson gets to be a bit more inconsiderate and outspoken, but he's generally still likable enough. Both have worked with Radwanski in most of his other films, and I wouldn't be surprised if some easygoing improv had been encouraged to make the onscreen rapport more authentic. Mounir Al Shami has a small, but important role, and he does good work in what appears to be his feature film debut.

There could have been more said here, that's the main criticism. A film about friendship that could have shown just how important that can be, especially at times when friends are there for you more than family. It instead just hits some predictable moments though, and that feels like a real wasted opportunity.

It's better than the two other Radwanski films I have seen (How Heavy This Hammer and Anne At 13,000 Feet), but not by much. I guess that he's happy enough moving around and around in the same small pond, but I'd love to see him step way out of his comfort zone one day. Ironically, much like the characters he has given us onscreen, a push from someone else may lead to him doing something that feels a bit more daring and impressive.

6/10

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Netflix And Chill: Havoc (2025)

It gives me no amount of pleasure to say that Havoc is quite awful. It's a bad movie, a disappointing action movie (one or two set-pieces aside), and easily the worst film yet from writer-director Gareth Evans.

The plot is quite simple. Tom Hardy is a cop, Walker, who ends up working to untangle a very bad situation when some young robbers are framed for the murder of a very powerful Triad gang leader. Hardy has a relatively new partner, Ellie (Jessie Mei Li), along for the ride. They want to get to the robbers while they're still breathing, but it's a situation complicated by the fact that Walker hasn't always been a clean and well-behaved cop, and he has some colleagues who would also benefit from the robbers being taken out of the picture.

Having unnecessarily transformed Cardiff into some non-specific American state, as far as I can tell, and then dealt with COVID delays and reshoots, I wonder if there was ever a point when Edwards wondered if this was really worth all of the potential hassle. I would say that it wasn't. I've already seen comments from others who have loved it, but I would politely, yet strongly, disagree with all of them. There's nothing here that feels truly worth your time, especially when you can simply check out the past works from Edwards, or even find better action films tucked away in the Netflix archives.

Hardy is fine in the lead role, delivering the awful dialogue with an accent and manner that is in line with the neo-noir shading. Li doesn't do as well, probably because the rookie partner is a much less interesting figure (and often there for one main purpose). Quelin Sepulveda and Justin Cornwell remain easy to root for, despite the fact that we first see them fleeing from cops in a sequence that ends with someone getting a large kitchen appliance wedged into them. Sunny Pang does well in a role that allows him to be manipulating those around him, Yeo Yann Yann is a vengeful mother, and Timothy Olyphant overcomes the weak material with his sheer Olyphant presence. Forest Whitaker is wasted in a small role, as are Luis Guzmán, Richard Harrington, and Michelle Waterson, the latter playing a skilled assassin who consistently proves to be the biggest threat to our lead.

I don't mind nonsense dialogue and plotting that is unoriginal and unexciting, as long as the rest of a film delivers. If you're not going to give me fleshed-out characters or a decent screenplay then at least ensure that the action is top-notch. The action here is not top-notch. There's a fantastic sequence at about the halfway point, an extended fight in a club, and that opening chase at least starts the whole thing off with an energy and sense of momentum that isn't maintained throughout, but that is it. As for the rest of it, the close combat is spoiled by a juddering camera effect, meant to add to the feeling of impactful hits, and poor editing choices (although, to be fair, Edwards still shoots action far better than many others). And as for the shooting, let's just say that there were times when I wondered how many characters in this movie would have been more at home in a legion of Stormtroopers, that's how bad most of them aim.

I am happy for those who enjoyed this. I just wish that I could count myself among them. Havoc could have worked well if it only had one or two mis-steps to move around, but it ends up being an entire collage of poor decisions and miscalculations. It's not enough to turn me completely away from Evans, but I'll be hoping to see a major improvement in whatever his next feature is.

3/10

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Shudder Saturday: Shadow Of God (2025)

Whether it's completely incompetent or just slightly mishandled, Shadow Of God is an awful movie that should not have been allowed to come to fruition. It's clear what happened. Someone thought "aha, we'll do an exorcism movie, but the main spirit to be exorcised could be god." And that's all they really had. Because there's nothing else here, beyond that one idea, that makes any good impression.

Mark O'Brien plays Mason Harper, a super-exorcist, the kind of exorcist that other exorcists ask to help them out on the biggest exorcisms. Things take a turn for the strange when Mason's father, Angus (Shaun Johnston), turns up. Angus has been out of his life for many years, mainly due to him being dead. Different people have different interests in the end result of this, but it will all boil down to just how Mason and Angus deal with one another.

Director Michael Peterson isn't a first-timer, which is a big surprise. I even quite enjoyed one of his previous features, Knuckleball. I haven't previously encountered the work of writer Tim Cairo, but he has a similar number of projects under his belt. Both of these men should have known better than this, and both should have either spent a lot more time on honing the central idea or just accepting that it wasn't strong enough.

Things aren't helped by the leads either. O'Brien isn't very good, sadly, and never feels like anything else but an actor trying hard to deliver his lines. The same goes for Johnston. Adrian Hough does a bit better with his role, although the screenplay wastes the opportunity for his character to be much more interesting than he is, and Jacqueline Byers is very good in the role of the sympathetic, and potentially due-to-be-endangered, Tanis Green.

If I'm feeling charitable then I guess some may find enough to enjoy here, if they're after a film that hints at roads it never commits to driving down. There's not enough full-blooded horror, not enough to make you care about the characters, and the philosophical Gordian knot at the heart of it all is actually just two bits of drying string that unwind and snap with the application of the slightest pressure. I cannot recommend anything here, and I have been trying to think of one decent audio and/or visual highlight. 

There have been many bad exorcism movies over the years, as well as a few very good ones, and this sadly joins that list of failures. Just how bad is it? Well . . . I'd probably choose to watch The Exorcist: Believer ahead of having to rewatch this. THAT'S how bad it is.

2/10

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Thunderbolts* (2025)

I had to once again force myself to be optimistic when I prepared to watch the latest entry in the ever-expanding MCU. It wasn't too difficult though. The trailer looked decent, I liked the cast, and this felt like something a bit more fun, in the right ways, when compared to the few other Marvel movies that we've had over the past few years. I hoped to be distracted and entertained. I didn't expect to find myself enjoying something that so deftly blended fun, action, and some interesting exploration of depression and/or addiction.

Here's the very basic summary. Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen), and Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) end up teaming up on a mission that has them encountering the mighty . . . Bob (Lewis Pullman). Bob is someone of great interest to Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss), the director of the CIA who wants to gain more power, maintain control, and avoid an ongoing pesky potential impeachment.

Perhaps this is the result of assembling an equally eclectic team behind the camera, but Thunderbolts* feels like the proper breath of fresh air that the MCU was so desperately in need of. Despite most of these main characters being featured in previous movies or shows, throwing them together, and developing the narrative and team dynamic in a way that feels natural and well-handled, leads to a great result. Writers Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo use the main characters well, and without really changing them too much to fit into their new roles (reluctant heroes), while Jake Schreier shows a real knack for delivering hugely satisfying moments of cinematic joy in the midst of something that still feels more personal and smaller in scale than many of the features that preceded it.

Pugh is the nominal lead, and this is made clear in a witty and impressive opening sequence, but most of the other cast members get a chance to shine (perhaps John-Kamen being the exception there, due to being the only one who has the super-power of phasing through objects, making her inherently less present than the others). Everyone certainly does enough to warrant their inclusion though, and it's great to watch them be misfits who also happen to have some well-honed skills. Stan gets to look tough, and has the coolest moment in the entire movie, Russell continues to be a great fit for a slightly more complex character than expected, and Harbour delivers a lot of the laughs. Pullman is a wonderful addition, especially in the moments that show him stuck within his own darkness and bad memories, and both Louis-Dreyfuss and Geraldine Viswanathan (playing her assistant) bring their usual level of excellence.

This is what we've been missing from Marvel for a little while now. It's blockbuster entertainment with a mix of characters that you care about, enough spectacle to make it feel well worth seeing on the big screen, and an exploration of themes that feel like more than just set-up and pay-off for the rest of the movies. I'm sure I missed some references and Easter eggs here, but I was consistently entertained, as well as being very impressed by the way the screenplay gave us quite a literal look at the mindset of someone who has spent a long time burying their soul within an deepening and darkening abyss of self-loathing and self-harm. 

Maybe I'm being too kind to something that just feels even better in comparison to a whole lot of inferior features, but there's a chance that Thunderbolts* is just actually that good. I'll lean towards the latter idea, of course, but am happy if people consider the former option. This doesn't feel cheap, it doesn't feel like a temporary place-holder, and it doesn't feel anywhere close to what would be considered lower-tier MCU fare.

8/10

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Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

Great soundtrack? Check. Robin Williams being absolutely wild with his comedic DJ routines? Check. A standard battle of wills between the old and the new? Check. When I sat down for this long-overdue revisit of Good Morning, Vietnam, a film I believe I probably last watched on VHS, I thought I knew what I was getting. Because I still remembered it, the "highlights" anyway. Or so I thought. There was quite a bit here that I'd forgotten, and I'm here to now remind other people about some of those things.

Based on the story of Adrian Cronauer, a radio DJ who spent some time trying to raise the morale of the troops in Vietnam, this was one of only two films written by Mitch Markowitz, although some of his TV work feels like a good practice run for this kind of thing. You could also argue that a lot of the film was made up by an unleashed Williams, who Cronauer claimed made him seem a hell of a lot more fun than he was in reality, but let's give due credit to Markowitz for crafting something with a great balance of comedy, drama, and enough room for a supporting cast to move around without being thrown offscreen by the tornado tearing through many scenes.

When he is given his new job, Cronauer soon finds himself butting heads with Lt. Steven Hauk (who tries to advise him on both comedy and the permitted playlist) and Sgt. Major Dickerson (J. T. Walsh), but he also has some immediate firm friends in the shape of Edward Garlick (Forest Whitaker) and Marty Lee Dreiwitz (Robert Wuhl). When he falls for a local woman named Trinh (Chintara Sukapatan), Cronauer ends up teaching an English class just to try getting closer to her, which leads to him befriending her brother, Tuan (Tom T. Tran, credited here as Tung Thanh Tran), which leads to him getting himself in even more trouble.

Director Barry Levinson knows how to make the most of what he has here, and everything I mentioned in the opening paragraph is a strength for the film. The plotting is quite formulaic, but in an enjoyable way, Williams is on great form, and that soundtrack holds up as one of the best. There's enough scene-setting to remind everyone that we're in Vietnam, but it helps that there are only really a few main locations used throughout the majority of the runtime (the DJ area/military offices, a bar, the English class). There's also enough Williams to ensure that everyone knows this is a Williams movie, but the supporting cast are given some superb moments to help them stand out.

Whitaker is a real delight for every moment that he's onscreen, and he's the one helping to bring out the best in our lead while also reminding him of what he's really doing it all for, and Kirby, as unthinkable as it may seem, almost steals the entire movie with a comedic performance that is all the better for it not being played comedically (his character isn't funny, not intentionally, but he's constantly laughable). Sukapatan is fine, Tran is really good, and it's always a pleasure to watch Walsh onscreen, especially when he's delivering the kind of barely-controlled anger that he has here. Wuhl is good, Noble Willingham is enjoyable in his few scenes as the sympathetic Gen. Taylor, Richard Edson has the benefit of being onscreen alongside Kirby, adding to the comedy, and there's an amusingly camp turn from Cu Ba Nguyen as businessman/bar owner Jimmy Wah. I would not have believed that this was his first film acting role if I hadn't just quickly scanned through his filmography online.

Admittedly a bit tame compared to other films set during the Vietnam War, this is a nice way to shine a light on the whole debacle from a different angle. Making arbitrary rules and regulations about comedy and music is indicative of how arbitrary some (many?) of the military edicts are, especially during a conflict as chaotic and misjudged as the one in Vietnam. 

You'll probably revisit this one day while wanting to enjoy some classic Williams schtick, but you may be as pleasantly surprised as I was by all of the main supporting cast members, especially Whitaker and Kirby.

8/10

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Prime Time: Armor (2024)

There was one thing that I was almost sure of when I finished watching Armor. Writers Cory Todd Hughes and Adrian Speckert were at, or very close to, the very start of their careers. And it turns out that I was right. This is the first feature to make use of a screenplay written by them, and it already makes me sad to think of anything else they might do.

Jason Patric is James, an ex-cop now driving an armored truck with his son, Casey (Josh Wiggins). James hasn't been the same man since the death of his wife some years ago, and he has an alcohol problem that we're made aware of in a subtle scene that shows him drinking vodka in the morning before also using it to fill his "water bottle". Things get tense for James and Casey, to put it mildly, when their truck is attacked by a small group of skilled robbers, headed up by Rook (Sylvester Stallone).

This is truly awful and inept stuff, sold simply on the names of the leads. And it's all the worse for anyone who has seen the far superior Armored. The dialogue and characterisations are both laughable, and the direction from Justin Routt, who also seems very inexperienced (although this isn't his debut), does nothing to detract from that major weakness. I would say that someone else could have improved this material, but that's doubtful, considering how ridiculous this is.

Patric is fine when he gets to take stock of the situation and start trying to figure out ways to survive, but that's after he has to be the kind of functioning alcoholic who somehow drinks vodka all day long without nobody noticing, and without it affecting his driving skills in any way. Wiggins is bland, but also does fine. Stallone gets to do the kind of elderly statesman of muscledom part that he's decided to heavily lean into nowadays, and Dash Mihok and Josh Whites are decent enough in supporting roles. There are also others onscreen, but none of them feel worth mentioning.

I won't spoil anything for anyone who still wants to give this a go, but the finale really underlines just how careless and ridiculous the whole thing is, with character developments and choices made that feel completely illogical. There's an attempt to give the whole thing a bit more meaning that falls flat on its face, and I dare say that all but the kindest and most undemanding movie fan will feel as if they've been treated like a complete idiot.

Patric needs to have a word with his agent, it's been far too long since I saw him in a role that made the best use of his talents, and Stallone probably needs to stop overruling his agent (because, let's face it, Stallone does whatever he wants to do, and this was probably an easy payday for him because he has enough of a presence throughout the film without his scenes necessarily requiring a lot of allocated shooting days in the production). As for Hughes, Speckert, and Routt . . . I'm sure that they'll get more work, and they may start to improve. I'm equally sure that I won't be rushing to see whatever else they do next. I guess that's another two things I was pretty sure about when the end credits rolled.

2/10

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Santosh (2024)

There's an unusual premise at the heart of Santosh, but it's not unusual enough to seem fantastical. The film starts with Santosh (Shahana Goswami) dealing with the consequences of the death of her husband. He was killed while working as a police officer in India, and one way for Santosh to ensure that she retains her home, as well as some other benefits, is to be trained by the police and effectively fill the vacancy created by the death of her husband. She goes for this option, and is soon caught up in an investigation to find the killer of a young girl.

Written and directed by Sandhya Suri, who has only two other features and one short to her credit, Santosh was a film that came to my attention a couple of months ago, due to it receiving a fair bit of praise from film critics and film fan friends of mine. I hoped to enjoy it as much as many others, but wasn't sure if it would be as understandable to me as it would be to those who may be more familiar with the people and culture of India. Thankfully, I heartily agree with those who love it.

Looking at misogyny, corruption in the police force, and the caste system that continues to permeate all through India, Santosh is a bold and effective cry of anger aimed at a damaged, and damaging, system. The fact that we're following a female lead, and everything is presented through the gaze of a female writer-director is probably essential in showing the constant barrage of language and behaviour that can work against societal change.

Goswami is fantastic in the lead role, naive enough to be surprised as she starts her job, but quick to figure out how to deal with the situation around her in a way that can hopefully allow her to get results without upsetting too many of her superiors. There are a number of other important characters onscreen, but Sunita Rajwar, in the role of Geeta Sharma, casts the largest shadow over everything, playing a career woman who knows much more about how the system works, and how to at least create the image of a good result while so many factors conspire against that.

There's even more here than I have mentioned, not least of which is a proper ongoing murder investigation that allows our lead to follow firm clues and piece together a puzzle, and it makes this an experience that I'm sure will prove to be richly rewarding on a rewatch. Seeing how attitudes change, unpicking the language that reveals the horrible misogyny (e.g. officers who berate a man for killing someone he could have "just" raped, a horrible sentence made all the worse because of it being uttered with a tone of exasperation), and seeing how the entire system is stacked against the few individuals who might want to do their job properly and conscientiously makes for an enthralling and thought-provoking experience. The fact that it manages to avoid being unwatchably bleak, yet never shies away from the worst of the darkness being shown, is a testament to Suri and her cast.

9/10

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Mubi Monday: Shanghai Blues (1984)

It's 1937. War is beginning. One man (Kenny Bee) decides to leave his performing arts job to become a soldier, but he still has a joyful meeting with a woman (Sylvia Chang) as they shelter together under a bridge during an attack on Shanghai. They agree to reunite in ten years, which will be proof of their commitment to one another. Life has other plans though, of course, and Shanghai Blues shows us the struggle as these two try to reconnect, often not realising their close proximity to one another. And things are further complicated by another young woman (Sally Yeh) who takes a shine to our male lead.

Directed by the legendary Tsui Hark, who has an eclectic filmography full of superb hits and fun misses, Shanghai Blues is a strange blend of melodrama and slapstick moments. The comedy sequence generally don't work, although I am saying that as someone who has never warmed to the particular style of comedy often found in films from Hong Kong and China, but there's a light touch throughout that proves to be surprisingly effective as it allows viewers to watch things play out with the feeling that things don't have to end in disaster. 

Writers Chan Koon-Chung, Szeto Cheuk-Hon, and Raymond To work together well, each one apparently bringing their own "specialty" to the mix (romance, action, and comedy) to craft something well-paced, full of energy, and jumping from one comedic beat to the next. While I should note that this is not an action film, it has a number of individual moments and elements that make use of choreography and threat in line with some action movie set-pieces, not least of which is the returning soldier who is there to step in when a young woman is being harassed by grabby potential rapists.

Bee, Chang, and Yeh all do well in their roles, although they're hampered by a screenplay that forces them to remain oblivious to crucial developments until everything is set up for the big finale. There are a number of other characters revolving around, and affecting, our leads, but they always feel like nothing more than temporary roadblocks to be moved out of the way by the third act.

The 103-minute runtime helps, as do the score and cinematography. It may be far from perfect, but this is a romantic drama that feels lush and grandiose throughout, as well as being well-balanced between moments of peril and a feeling of safety and cosiness. If you don't mind the particular style of comedy displayed in numerous scenes then you'll like it a lot more than I did, but I can still say that I had a good enough time with this, thanks mainly to the likability of the leads and the fun and frantic events unfolding around them to ensure that things don't go smoothly en route to a fine romance.

6/10

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Netflix And Chill: Superbad (2007)

Did I have any specific reason for suddenly wanting to revisit Superbad? Yes. I wanted a reminder of the time when I enjoyed the work of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The pair of them have been receiving a fair bit of praise recently for their latest TV show, The Studio, and I don't know what others have seen in that show that I am missing. It's smug, absolutely relies on some great cameos to make it work, and feels like what you would get if someone wanted to make The Player, but with no teeth and someone in the lead role who has 1000% less charisma and presence than Tim Robbins. But I seem to be in the minority with that opinion. Ah well, I knew I could revisit Superbad with a sense of optimism. It may have been some time since my last viewing of it, but I hoped that it held up.

Phew. It holds up. There are issues with some of the language and attitudes, but that's par for the course with almost every teen movie. This holds up a LOT better than many others I could mention.

Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are besties about to go on different life paths after high school. That inspires them to do try their hardest when they get a surprise invite to a party that should have both alcohol and girls present. Although they have to supply some of the alcohol, which they hope to do with the help of their friend, Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), owner of one fake ID that has him named as McLovin. As they try to get the alcohol and make their way to Becca (Martha MacIsaac) and Jules (Emma Stone), our young leads end up plagued by problems. There's a robbery, a couple of friendly cops (played by Rogen and Bill Hader), and a guy named Francis (Joe Lo Truglio) who drives as poorly as he interacts with others in his own age group. 

There's nothing really special about Superbad. It's a typical teen movie, in many ways, but also avoids feeling too familiar because of the moments that choose to focus on the co-dependent nature of the friendship between Seth and Evan. It IS funny though, which is a big bonus, and the timing worked out well for it becoming a fantastic showcase for a wide variety of performers. Although not his first feature, director Greg Mottola also did a lot of TV work, some of which had him working with a number of the main individuals featured here.

Hill and Cera have a great rapport with one another, the nervous energy and crudity of the former nicely complementing the quiet anxiety of the latter.  Mintz-Plasse is almost a combination of the two of them, with an extra helping of unfounded confidence added in to the mix, and having the three of them approach their teen troubles in their own unique ways helps to make the film more interesting and fun than it otherwise would be. Rogen and Hader are a blast as the friendly young cops, MacIsaac is sweet enough, Stone is very cool and adorable, and Lo Truglio is a lot of fun as he helps to fill out a large supporting cast that also includes Kevin Corrigan, Dave Franco, Martin Starr, Clark Duke, and a few other familiar faces.

If you don't like any of the main players involved with this then I would advise you to give it a miss, especially if you have somehow never got around to seeing it before now. If you think you don't like some of the main players, but also remember a time when you might have found them much more enjoyable and entertaining than they are today, then you may want to put it on your viewing schedule. I'm glad I did, and I could happily rewatch it any time. It almost felt like a cool drink of water after tolerating the disappointing comedic desert of The Studio.

8/10

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Shudder Saturday: Dead Mail (2024)

I really enjoyed Dead Mail. REALLY enjoyed it. I have two main concerns that make me hesitant to recommend it to everyone else though. One, it's a bit too similar to some other films released in the past few years (in terms of style and structure). Two, it's one of those films that will suffer from being pushed on people as a horror when I'm pretty sure it's much more in line with some standard thriller fare. Of course, I am often the first one to push back against genre labels, viewing them more as handy indicators of what type of film you may be getting instead of rigid parameters that something needs to stay inside, but it's always worth pointing out the subtle distinction that may lead to a film being less appreciated by people who maybe expect it to be something that it isn't.

The second feature to be both co-written and co-directed by Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy, and it features a number of cast members they clearly seem to enjoy working with (considering many of them featured in their feature debut, and a number of them feature on the subsequent film solo directed by McConaghy), this is an intriguing and stylish thriller that makes use of a non-chronological approach to keep viewers interested in seeing how the various pieces fit together.

Everything starts with a man (Josh, played by Sterling Macer Jr.) crawling towards a mailbox. He is chained, clearly being held as a prisoner by someone. His scrawled message gets collected before his captor can get to work on the mailbox, which leads to the "letter" being investigated by Jasper (Tomas Boykin), a man with a reputation for great detective skills that often return lost or mis-sent items to their rightful owners. Some may assume that the message is a hoax, but Jasper soon starts to suspect that there's something to it.

Playing out like many other detective thrillers, with the one main difference being that it's a postal worker attempting to unravel things here, Dead Mail is an enjoyable journey through the minds of the various characters who get involved with the central mystery. Boykin's character is a conscientious and smart man who does his job with little fanfare or reward, aside from personal satisfaction. Macer Jr. gets to portray someone obsessed enough with his own project that he doesn't notice a selection of red flags that someone else starts waving in his face. Micki Jackson and Susan Priver are enjoyably typical workers/colleagues who eventually end up picking up on a few clues left behind by someone else, and John Fleck brings an entertaining extra serving of strangeness to the whole thing.

I'm still hesitant to recommend this to others though. But, because I should "put my money where my mouth is", I'll overcome that hesitation by simply recommending it to everyone who has had their interest piqued by this review. If you like detective work shown in films, if you like some retro aesthetics, and if you might enjoy a plot that also makes room for a look at developments in the world of synthesiser sounds . . . you could end up enjoying this as much as I did.

8/10

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Sinners (2025)

As everyone knows, certainly everyone who grew up in the 1980s and was so educated by Footloose anyway, singing and dancing can be sinful. Some people would rather that we didn't do it, especially when we can instead spend time being thankful for the meagre morsels of happiness that life allows us. I was awaiting one such morsel when I sat myself down to finally see Sinners, a film I knew I wanted to see on as big a screen as possible, especially after that lovely video from Ryan Coogler that discussed both aspect ratios and his absolute love of film. The fact that I didn't love this as much as so many others shouldn't stop you from also going to see it on the big screen. It's certainly a spectacle, it's often a real audio and visual treat, but it's also apparent that there's ambition here unmatched by the final product.

William B. Jordan takes on two roles here, playing twins named Smoke and Stack. After making some money in Chicago, they have returned to their hometown to open a juke joint, where they will encourage people to drink and dance, accompanied by the music of Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) and their talented cousin, Sammie Moore (Miles Caton). The opening night looks to be eventful enough, with Stack being confronted by Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), Smoke reconnecting with Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), and Sammie hoping to get time to connect with the married Pearline (Jayme Lawson). It's going to get more eventful, however, when Remmick (Jack O'Connell) and a few cohorts turn up, looking to connect their fangs with the jugular veins of those inside the juke joint.

Written and directed by Coogler, Sinners is a bit of something for everyone. If you're a fan of Michael B. Jordan then you get double the Michael B. Jordan, and he's great in both roles. If you want some vampire action then you get it. If you want some energetic music sequences then, oh boy, you really get it. It's a shame that Coogler didn't just dive right into making this a musical. It comes very close to being one anyway, but you can tell that people seriously considered the balance of everything here. There's also some solid drama, as well as a comment on those who have been othered by society banding together to become stronger and less afraid. The problem that Sinners has is that Coogler doesn't quite get the mix right. This feels like an accomplished first or second feature, considering how much he tries to cram in to the film. There's even a coda that would have arguably worked better as an extra short provided as some supplementary treat when they film hits the home market.

It gets a lot right though, and delivers satisfyingly adult content in a world that seems intent on diluting every work of art in order to appeal to that mystical four quadrant demographic. Sinners is sexy, occasionally very sexy. It's intelligent. It's thoughtful. There are some good gore effects deployed when we get the vampire action. And it has a rhythm and bass thrum running through it that allows the score and soundtrack to help propel the narrative in a way I haven't felt since the equally-admirable-but-less-successful Babylon, which, interestingly enough, feels like it would make a nice bacchanalian pairing with this. There's one sequence that is already a strong contender for scene of the year, and I say that as someone who doubts that this film will make my own personal Top 10 when such things are due to be considered.

It helps that there isn't a weak link in the cast. Jordan easily holds his own alongside Jordan, and it was perhaps inevitable that in a film like this he would be the only one capable of matching his own cool and charisma. Caton, a young singer (and now also a guitarist, after learning it for this role) making his acting debut, stands out as a talent to keep an eye on, especially if he keeps getting roles that allow him to win over audience with his amazing voice. I always feel that Lindo is overlooked by too many directors out there, with the exception of Spike Lee, and I'm glad to see that he's typically great in a role that makes very good use of him. Steinfeld and Mosaku bring different ways of showing their strength opposite different Jordan characters, both getting at least one impactful emotional beat, and Lawson feels authentic in how she responds to the music and energy around her. O'Connell gets the most obviously fun role, which he does well with, and the rest of the cast includes Saul Williams, Yao (AKA Thomas Pang), Helena Hu, Li Jun Li, Omar Benson Miller, and David Maldonado.

Sinners wants to be so many things, including a decades-spanning epic in the style of at least one other sexy vampire tale I could mention. The fact that it doesn't hit every target that Coogler is aiming at doesn't make it a bad film, and doesn't make it a waste of your time. It's just a shame that it may end up leaving some people (like myself) a bit unsatisfied when thinking of the many ways the ingredients could have been adjusted to improve the end result. Although, having just said that, I was VERY satisfied with a certain moment that happened near the very end of the movie, something that felt cathartic and also clearly underlined a point about monsters not needing to be fanged and/or supernatural.

7/10

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Gemini Man (2019)

Three years before Will Smith spectacularly self-harmed Will Smith in front of millions of viewers, Will Smith starred in a film which had him trying to avoid being caused harm by . . . Will Smith. Many might have tried to call Gemini Man a prescient film when it was released, but nobody could have seen just how prescient it ended up being.

A high concept written by David Benioff, Darren Lemke, and Billy Ray, and directed by Ang Lee, Gemini Man is an action thriller based around the sci-fi idea of cloning a top assassin to then kill and take over from that assassin when they have come to the end of their usefulness. Smith plays Henry Brogan, and younger images of him are used to portray Junior (aka the clone). Brogan ends up being targeted when he's due to retire, and he ends up on the run with an agent named Danny Zakarewski (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) as they attempt to stay one step ahead of the soldiers under the command of the ruthless Clay Verris (Clive Owen).

Although this film would have benefited from keeping the central idea a bit more of a mystery (I have mentioned it here because it's on the poster and was all over the marketing), it still manages to be quite good fun when delivering on the action front. Okay, viewers may get a bit impatient while they wait on Brogan to accept the strange reality of his predicament, but Lee and the writers try to keep everyone distracted with a fine opening sequence, a great late-night attempted ambush, and an extended gunfight that is inventive and thrilling. And that's without even mentioning the great moments that have Owen chewing the scenery in a turn that has him one step removed from Dr. Robotnik.

Smith is great in the lead role, and his familiar visage is used well for the younger version of himself. He's always convincing, and this feels like an a-list star doing their best to elevate b-list material. It's a gimmick film, but that gimmick is boosted by Smith's presence. Winstead is very good, and convinces in the action set-pieces, although she has to rely on Smith, sadly, and I still think she deserves a full-on action lead role with franchise potential (Kate came closest, but also seemed to quickly get lost in the sea of wannabe-Wickflicks). As for Owen, see my previous comment about him. It's no criticism. I love his performance here, and he seems to be having loads of fun in his role. The other person worth mentioning is Benedict Wong, playing a good friend/facilitator named Baron who wants to help keep our leads breathing.

It doesn't really matter how good the acting or the action is though. What matters is how convincing the film is when old Will Smith comes face to face with young Will Smith. I would say that, for the most part, it works well enough. Using a variety of tricks to hide his face for certain sections of the film, Smith the younger looks decent enough when finally allowed to be front and centre. There are a few moments that have him looking like a paused videogame character compared to the fully real humans alongside him, but they don't really unbalance the film. Until the very last scenes. I'm not sure if this was shot in reverse order or if the technology couldn't handle showing us this character in full daylight, but the very end of this movie has the worst computer imagery of the entire film, which makes it hard to get through the end credits while remembering the earlier highlights.

There are other mis-steps. Both main Smiths are a bit over-emotional when you consider their occupation, the timeline never feels quite right, and some turns in the third act feel a bit too hasty and implausible. I still rate this as a fun time though. It's not great, but it's good enough to help you pass a couple of hours.

6/10

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Prime Time: Identity (2003)

Sometimes people forget some really great movies. They're still around, and they're not derided, but they're not celebrated for being as great as they truly are. Identity is one of those films. It's a great film from James Mangold. It has a great cast. It's a whole load of fun. And you could argue that it was a precursor to the fancier and more sophisticated whodunnits that have achieved more success, and critical acclaim, in recent years. Am I implying that part of the reason for Identity being forgotten/overlooked nowadays is sue to a certain snobbery? Maybe. The film is trashy, but it's absolutely happy to revel in the trashiness while proving to be consistently entertaining for a perfect 91-minute runtime.

A bunch of people all end up at a motel on a dark and stormy night. They don't know one another, but someone seems to know them. People start to die, and each corpse has a motel room key assigned to it. Not necessarily the room that the deceased was occupying. The room keys signify a countdown. 10, 9, 8, you get the picture. The killer seems intent on getting their way until you can state "and then there were none."

Written by Michael Cooney, who seems to have been figuring out the best way to tell this story before he took a hard left turn into writing/directing movies about a killer snowman (Jack Frost and Jack Frost 2: Revenge Of The Killer Mutant Snowman), Identity is a load of pulpy clichés all treated with care and unnecessary seriousness by Mangold and his cast. And, let's face it, as good a director as Mangold is, his cast here take everything to another level.

Who should I spend time praising first? John Cusack before he stopped caring about his work? Ray Liotta having a fine old time, especially when he responds to any potential threat by reassuring those around him that he will shoot anyone or anything coming for them? Amanda Peet being sassy until she starts to pine for some orange grove that she hopes to see in the near future? John Hawkes getting much more screentime than John Hawkes usually gets in something so mainstream? Rebecca De Mornay? Clea DuVall? John C. McGinley? Alfred Molina? Jake Busey? Pruitt Taylor Vince? Nobody does a bad job, even if (in fact . . . especially if) they're allowed to chew the scenery for a while. The material can handle such grandstanding melodramatics, and everyone in the cast is happy to oblige. There are also small roles for Holmes Osborne, Marshall Bell, Leila Kenzie, Carmen Argenziano, William Lee Scott, and one or two others.

I know that I started this review by stating how great this is, and I know that people will have assumed that was hyperbole. They'll be waiting for a bit of balance here, some criticisms to show that I still have my faculties intact. Sadly, that's not ever guaranteed when it comes to me. If the big finale had been played out in a way that felt serious or earnest then the film would have failed completely (just look at something like Serenity), but Mangold and Cooney don't make that mistake. The ending is ridiculous. They know it's ridiculous. They also know that ridiculous can be ridiculously entertaining.

I love the script, I love the music by Alan Silvestri, I love the cinematography by Phedon Papamichael, I really do love everything about this. While I don't expect many to love it quite as much as I do, I implore you all to revisit it. Or, at the very least, remember it for the fine filmic fun it is. With respect to the fine Kenneth Branagh, I'll take this over any star-laden Poirot remake any day of the week.

9/10

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Black Bag (2025)

Here's another film from the long-retired director Steven Soderbergh. Coming along so soon after Presence, which was also written by the writer of this, David Koepp, it would be interesting to consider just how many movies we would get from him if he hadn't decided to duck out of the industry years ago and spend time resting on his laurels. 

George Woodhouse and Kathryn St. Jean (Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett, respectively) are a married couple who are both in the spy business. Their marriage is enviably solid, but things may get tricky when it looks as if Kathryn has been up to some treachery. In order to get to the bottom of things, George ropes in a number of friends (played by Tom Burke, Marisa Abela, Regé-Jean Page, and Naomie Harris) to help him. He'll either ask them for favours or interrogate them with a polygraph attached, but he'll do whatever is necessary to untangle the whole messy situation.

One or two moments aside, and even those could be tweaked, Black Bag is the kind of film that you could easily envision as a stage play. The plotting is smart, yet also keeps things slightly confusing in a way that is nicely in line with the murky world of spycraft that we're dropped in the middle of. Keeping track of everything should show you how it all works out plausibly, but it's one that I think may well require at least one or two rewatches to fully unpick.

Koepp does well to deliver a mix of characters who feel enjoyably different from one another while also feeling capable of doing what their job entails. He also ensures that the dialogue feels authentic for everything that our protagonists are discussing. I'm not saying that it IS, but it feels that way to a layman onlooker like myself.

Soderbergh loves a challenge, which is what I assume drew him to both this and Presence (that one being a haunted house movie from the POV of the presence, this one being a spy thriller with the emphasis on conversations and a look at the mindset of those who take on such work), and it's a good job that he is often up to the task of meeting those challenges. He has times when he misses, and I am one of those people who really disliked Presence, but his hit rate is pretty impressive, and there's usually always at least something of interest in even his weakest features.

Fassbender and Blanchett are both as excellent as you'd expect, and there's a nice little role for Pierce Brosnan that allows him to lift the film momentarily with a perfect mix of menace and that typical Brosnan charm, but it's interesting to see how well the supporting cast do to hold their own alongside the two more established stars. Burke, someone who doesn't always impress me, is brilliant, providing some of the funniest moments of the film in a way that doesn't move everything too far away from the main tone of the whole piece, Abela projects the image of someone very capable, but perhaps trying too hard to disguise her own intelligence, and both Page and Harris sink their teeth into roles that could have easily been all-too-forgettable.

Low-key throughout, but no less thrilling for it, this is top-tier cloak and dagger stuff. It might not be the very best example of this kind of thing, and I suspect one or two loose plot points that I may or may not be satisfied with on a rewatch, but there are times when it comes very close. 

8/10

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