For It Is Man's Number: June 2025

Monday, 30 June 2025

Mubi Monday: Ali & Ava (2021)

Some people can still feel lonely when surrounded by crowds of people. Some people can hide that loneliness as they work hard to make the day better for other people. Some people only start to realise how lonely they have been when they meet someone who makes them feel seen. Ali & Ava is a film that looks at loneliness, in a number of ways, but also looks at class, culture, and what it takes people to connect at a time in their lives when they may feel very weighed down by accumulated baggage from their past.

Written and directed by the fantastic Clio Barnard, the most basic summary of Ali & Ava is that it's about, well, Ali (Adeel Akhtar) meeting Ava (Claire Rushbrook). Ali has to come to terms with the fact that his marriage is over, but he still urges his wife to be cautious as she looks to begin/continue a new relationship with someone that others may deem an unsuitable match. Ava is a single mother, having to spend some of her time tip-toeing around a son, Callum (Shaun Thomas), who is still struggling to deal with the death of his father. When Ali and Ava meet, they start to become fast friends, which means they may want to take things to another level. It's just a shame that not everyone around them will root for a happy ending.

Barnard really does great work in this territory. She has the ability to present British characters from working class backgrounds that never feel exploited, treated in a patronising way, or used to simply present a lesson about the crushing inhumanity of the societal mechanisms that have been built over time to grind down bodies and souls with equal consistency. None of the characters here feel like they are there just to be pigeon-holed, they're just very real people who happen to live with less opportunities and more hardship than others may have.

Barnard is helped by the fact that her lead cast members are so good. Both Akhtar and Rushbrook easily hold your attention while acting separate from one another, but it's crucial that they seem to give each other a boost to make them shine brighter when keeping one another company. Thomas may just be the angry young men causing tension for most of his screentime, but he does it well, and presents an ugly pushback against happiness that helps to keep willing for everything to improve for Ali & Ava. While not being given too much to do, Ellora Torchia, Vinny Dhillon, Macy Shackleton, Ruby Lowther also do good work, as does everyone else helping to populate the small pockets of personal space shown here.

Nothing is overdone, from the performances to the way everything is presented, and Barnard keeps everything grounded while also delivering one or two moments that are surprisingly cinematic. Ali being a bit of a DJ allows for some bursts of lively music here and there, as well as some interesting shots that show him enjoying a dance move or two in an isolated spot that he uses for his own "silent disco".

It won't ever feel like essential viewing, but you may be very glad that you made time for it as the end credits roll, especially when you realise how much more time you could happily spend in the company of two characters who do such a great job of uplifting one another.

8/10

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Sunday, 29 June 2025

Netflix And Chill: Strays (2023)

A comedy so memorable that I actually watched it about a year ago and couldn't bring myself, at that time, to write a full review for it, Strays is a fun concept that I'm sure will amuse many. It didn't work for me though, at least not as well as I hoped it would.

Will Ferrell voices Reggie, a cute little dog who finds himself a stray when he's abandoned by his loser of a human owner, Doug (Will Forte). Reggie soon meets Bug (Jamie Foxx), Maggie (Isla Fisher), and Hunter (Randall Park), other strays who help him adapt to life on the streets. It takes him some time to realise just how awful his owner was though, but eventually he gains some clarity. That's when he comes up with a plan to get home and, well, bite Doug's dick off.

If you like some of the cast members here then you're bound to find a few laughs. Will Ferrell plays Reggie with the kind of comedic innocence that he's done before, and it works well. Foxx is tough, but a very good friend, while Fisher and Park grow close to one another in a way that is obvious to everyone but themselves. Other voices come from Rob Riggle, Josh Gad, Sofia Vergara, Jamie Demetriou, Jimmy Tatro, and a few other fun performers. Forte is enjoyably loathsome, making his apparent destiny something that viewers will really look forward to, and there's a random and very amusing cameo from Dennis Quaid just being a version of Dennis Quaid.

Writer Dan Perrault throws in a lot of obvious gags (things revolving around peeing, pooping, or humping whatever looks humpable), and there's an entertaining sequence that has the dogs tripping after eating the wrong kind of mushrooms, but I will give him kudos for committing to a couple of the darker punchlines in ways that were slightly unexpected.

Josh Greenbaum has about three features under his belt by now. This is the least of them. While not inept or absolutely awful, it's disappointingly . . . basic. That might be down to the fact that this was done in live-action, because it would be a much better fit for some kind of animation, but it's also obvious that Greenbaum consistently makes the most obvious and uninspired choices for source material that is middling, at best.

I laughed a few times, and I was grossed out by one sequence that led to an inevitable poop-centric set-piece, but, overall, this feels like a film made about 30-40 years too late. Oh, dogs pee on things to claim them, hahaha, dogs hump lots of things, hehehe, dogs do poop a lot sometimes, hohoho. If you're going to fill your film with old standards then you need to find new or interesting ways to frame them. This doesn't.

4/10

Saturday, 28 June 2025

Shudder Saturday: Founders Day (2023)

Here is another horror movie from brothers Erik and Carson Bloomquist (the former directing, both of the having written the screenplay together), and I think it's clear that they are only able to deliver movies that hang around the level of average. Look, that's more than I could do, and it's more than a lot of other people could manage, but it's a shame that nothing in their filmography shows a spark of something better.

Founders Day is a slasher movie. It's set in a small town as a local election looms, which means many of the residents are already viewing one another with some suspicion and bitterness as they clash over priorities for the community. One young woman (Allison, played by Naomi Grace) is traumatised by a murder that she witnesses, but she may feel worse before the final scenes, especially when it becomes obvious that the killer may have a special plan for her.

There are very small germs of decent ideas here, but none of them are developed in a way that makes them feel worthwhile. People becoming increasingly divided in this age of polarising political stances, politicians making use of any tragedy to spin their image into a more positive one, and a very Hot Fuzz narrative that shows how things are being done for the greater good ("the greater good"). These could have made for a decent little slasher, especially if there was a good sense of fun alongside the commentary, but it falls flat. The Bloomquists don't have any sharpness to their writing, and they also forget to make the kills fun and inventive enough to distract from weaknesses elsewhere.

Grace is pretty good in her role, but she's one of very few highlights. Olivia Nikkanen isn't bad either. Catherine Curtin and Emilia McCarthy are both underused, despite doing solid work, but I can't say I was very impressed by Devin Druid, William Russ, Amy Hargreaves, Jayce Nartok, Andrew Stewart-Jones, or anyone else. Not that they were bad (okay, maybe some of them were bad), but they're unable to do anything to improve upon dialogue that feels one foot away from tame TV movie stuff.

I admire the fact that people tried to make use of another calendar date for some masked killer shenanigans, and a good enough concept can keep me easily amused if enough little touches are sprinkled throughout to tie in with the central theme and iconography, but Founders Day probably wasn't the best event to try and liven up with a killing spree. Others might have done something better with it, but we're left with this . . . and this is about as much fun as standing in a polling booth and reading the list of candidates before finally using your pencil to mark down who is getting your vote. Okay, it's a BIT more fun than that, but not by much.

4/10

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Friday, 27 June 2025

The Premiere (2025)

It's a real compliment to the cast and crew of The Premiere that when I discussed it with others immediately after seeing it last weekend I couldn't figure out how much of it was improvised and how much of it was scripted. There are a number of strands running throughout, and a proper arc for the main character, but every interaction and moment feels absolutely natural and realistic.

Sam Pezzullo plays Sam, a man who has a dream. That dream revolves around staging a musical adaptation of the movie Scream. He just needs the right cast. And he needs to be able to collaborate with others. And money is an issue. Oh, he'll also need to ensure that all of the legal issues and permissions are in order. Sam doesn't care about any of that though. He knows that he has a vision, and nothing will stop that vision being shared with others.

With Pezzullo also co-writing and co-directing with Christopher Bouckoms, it's clear that he's the real heart of this film, just as it is clear that both of these creators have a perfect sense for mining the comedy of the premise. Things get silly and ridiculous, but they're also grounded in something that feels absolutely plausible. My only complaint is that I wish we'd had even more of the songs, and seen them more completely staged and choreographed, but the more I thought about The Premiere after it ended, the more I came to realise that I'd absolutely loved it.

All of the performances are perfect. I'll namecheck Christina Brown, Alan Ceppos, Wendy Federman, Lisa Gallo, Jacqueline Murphy, and Marissa Ruben (most of the other main cast members listed online), and it was a pleasant surprise to see them all working at the same level as Pezzullo, when it comes to displaying that mix of authenticity and on-camera awkwardness you get in many documentaries. Pezzullo may steal the entire film, and his character is the focus for almost every minute of the runtime, but he also doesn't overshadow anyone else, with each supporting character getting at least one or two opportunities to really shine.

A knowledge of Scream is preferred, of course, but those who dislike slasher movies could always read a very brief plot summary as a primer for this. That film is a starting point, but things soon grow and develop as we get to know the various characters, see the tensions rising, and appreciate the many brilliant set-ups, punchlines, and running gags. The end result is one of the best mockumentaries I have seen in years, absolutely fantastic stuff on a par with the comedy gold standard set by Christopher Guest and co.

*note - Sam Pezzullo tried to file an injunction to stop any reviews mentioning the tension and problems arising from his attempt to stage a musical of an IP he had no permission to adapt. His request was denied.

9/10

Thursday, 26 June 2025

Psychonaut (2025)

In case you didn't know it, a psychonaut is someone who explores the human mind. That's how literal and straightforward this movie is, all about a young woman who ends up entering the mind of her dying girlfriend in search of the one essential memory that could save her life. Things do get muddled up, because travelling through a mind and a mass of memories isn't something neat and tidy, but Psychonaut never twists and turns quite as it should.

Julie Batelaan is Maxime, AKA Max, the young woman who ends up desperate enough to try out some experimental treatment that could save the life of her girlfriend, Dylan (Yasmin Blake). The treatment has been created by Samantha (Fiona Dourif), although identites become fluid and blurry as memories start to crash like waves against the shores of the here and now. Meanwhile, a vengeful figure (Lloyd Hamwijk) seems determined to barge into memories where he shouldn't be present.

It's a surprise to find that this isn't the first film from director Thijs Meuwese, but less surprising to find that it's the first feature from co-writer Lawant. Some lovely black and white cinematography, helping the whole thing to feel very noir in between moments when the sci-fi element comes to the fore, and the strength of the acting from the leads isn't enough to make up for the lack of any proper tension or momentum. And the occasional splashes of colour don't help, although it differentiates between the main environments that the characters are moving through. Someone with a bit more creativity, and perhaps a slightly bigger budget, would have been able to use colour much more effectively, maybe even helping key memory touchstones to stand out from the rest of the monochromatic limbo.

Both Batelaan and Blake are very good. The odd thing is that Dourif should be better. She's not bad, but she's nowhere close to being as good as she has been in other projects. This might be as much to do with how she's wasted as it is to do with her actual performance, which feels a bit out of sync with how everyone else is. Hamwijk gets to spend most of his time looming over proceedings, and does well enough, and it's worth mentioning that everyone does well to work with a screenplay that doesn't always serve them well.

Not terrible, but surprisingly boring, considering the premise, and without seeming to say enough throughout the 87-minute runtime (it feels much longer than that), Psychonaut sadly remains a frustrating display of unfulfilled potential throughout. Kudos to Jasper Verkaart for his visuals, and well done to whoever did the casting, but I can't recommend this. The noir style doesn't stick, the science isn't used in an interesting enough way, and, one or two scenes aside, the drama lacks any major impact.

4/10

Wednesday, 25 June 2025

Prime Time: Killer Crocodile (1989)

An aquatic creature feature ripping off (*cough* sorry . . . homaging) the absolute king of the aquatic creature features, Killer Crocodile is a dubious delight from director Fabrizio De Angelis, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Dardano Sacchetti.

A group of people are exploring some waterways. They want to take photographs and check the local environment, which is why they become very interested in an area that has had a lot of toxic waste dumped into the water. There's also the titular killer crocodile, which means people start going missing until the group is whittled down to just a few survivors who will need to find their own "smile you sonofabitch" moment.

While there's not too much to discuss here, this isn't a film layered with extra commentary beyond the most superficial use of environmental damage to get our characters into place, Killer Crocodile is a bit more fun than some other movies that have come through the Italian movie industry, homage sub-division. The crocodile itself often looks too silly, but there are one or two shots that have it not looking too bad. Ideally, everyone involved should have worked harder to keep the thing as a hidden threat, but that's not really the approach that these films take.

Richard Anthony Crenna, Pietro Genuardi, John Harper, Sherrie Rose, and Ann Douglas are all potential ingredients in one lavish meal for the big croc, and they're generally bland and not given enough to do when not being put in peril, Ennio Girolami is a more experienced hunter type, and Van Johnson and Bill Wohrman are crooked locals. None of the cast are great, but they're in line with what you might expect from a film called Killer Crocodile.

Riz Ortolani provides a derivative score, there are people credited for things like special effects and script supervision (despite overwhelming evidence against the presence of either), and the entire feature is one that you'll either already know you want to see or not. I had enough fun with it that I will watch the second film, filmed at the same time as this, but I could happily rattle off a list of much better films in this sub-genre. That includes pretty much every monster movie from William Grefé.

If you're after some undemanding cheese then check this out. If you're after something half-decent then feel free to ask me for a list of recommendations, whether you want your deadly predators in the water, on the land, or even in the air.

5/10

Tuesday, 24 June 2025

28 Years Later (2025)

With Danny Boyle back in the director's chair and Alex Garland back on writing duties, it's safe to say that 28 Years Later was one of the films I was most looking forward to seeing this year. That level of expectation also brings some anxiety though. What if it just ended up being not very good.

28 Year Later is not very good. It's pretty brilliant. And it's nice to see marketing that, for once, ends up helping to mislead people and tie in to the main themes being explored (perception and misplaced faith being the elements that stood out to me).

It is, as you'd guess from the title, 28 years since the rage virus first took hold of people in the UK, as shown in a wild and horrific opening sequence. Europe managed to fight it back, leaving the UK as an isolated infected zone. Small pockets of people have come up with ways to survive, including one group living on Holy Island, which is separated from the mainland by a causeway only usable when the tide isn't high. This is where young Spike (Alfie Williams) lives. He's about to be taken to the mainland by his father figure, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), and he'll go through the ritual of his first kill. Meanwhile, Spike's mother, Isla (Jodie Comer), is very ill. Maybe Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) can help her. But Dr. Kelson seems preoccupied with gathering corpses and burning them. Everything also depends on Spike surviving his "hunting trip".

Although I haven't seen any Danny Boyle film that I've not enjoyed, 28 Years Later feels like a bit of a statement announcing his return to bold and adult content after the sweetness and light of Yesterday (a film I enjoyed way more than most people). The opening sequence alone is more disturbing than many other horror movie moments, and there are more grisly times ahead. That's all front and centre, however, as Boyle and Garland start to guide viewers on a journey that moves from the visceral horror to more emotional moments. Rage remains all around, sometimes visible and sometimes not, but the vacuum it creates is soon filled with memories and sadness. And memories aren't the same for everyone, depending on how you have viewed certain events.

I could spend hours dissecting a number of key scenes here, but let's just say that it's a testament to the power of the work that this proves to be so moving and thought-provoking, after ensuring that the requisitie scares and tension have been delivered. Not everyone will appreciate the directions that the movie goes in, but it's impossible to deny the confidence and boldness of the vision.

Williams is basically the lead of the film, and he's absolutely fantastic in every moment that he's onscreen. Strong when he needs to be, but vulnerable as he's pushed along a very steep learning curve, he's simply a great choice to be the heart of the film, newcomer or not. Taylor-Johnson is fine, and it's certainly easier to appreciate his casting when his character becomes a bit less likeable (I just can't put my finger on it, but Taylor-Johnson would rarely be my first choice for most of his acting roles). Comer works hard around a wobbly accent that wasn't really necessary for her character, but the rest of her performance is as good as you'd expect, and Fiennes gets to enjoy portraying a character who looms large over events even before people actually get to meet him. Most of the other performers play infected individuals, and play them well, although Edvin Ryding has a good couple of moments as a soldier named Erik and Jack O'Connell turns up in a scene that will ensure viewers either love or loathe how this instalment ends.

You get some fun camera tricks (although I couldn't help thinking that one gimmick feels like the same kind of thing that had Uwe Boll being harshly criticised just over 20 years ago), a great selection of music supplied by Young Fathers, and production design and set decoration that consistently help you to view the UK as a place with a very low population and a very high threat level. While I also enjoyed the second movie in this series, this feels like a return to the high of the first film. I'm intrigued to see where things go next.

9/10

Monday, 23 June 2025

Mubi Monday: Grand Tour (2024)

Although I keep forgetting how much I enjoy his work, I've been a fan of Miguel Gomes since I saw his wonderful and dreamy Tabu. I've not kept up with the entirety of his career, but I have mostly been pleasantly surprised when I stumbled upon another film helmed by him.

Grand Tour feels like a bit of a travelogue, at least throughout the first half of the movie. It then uses the differing experiences of two main characters to show how we can all go on a very different journey through life, even if we're seeming to walk along the very same paths and trails. Gomes may make you wait a while until things look to be heading towards some kind of resolution, but patient viewers are amply rewarded.

Gonçalo Waddington plays Edward, a civil servant who finds himself with an extreme case of cold feet on the day he is due to marry Molly (Crista Alfaiate). He decides to do some travelling instead, but his "holiday" is tinged with fear, paranoia, and a sadness regarding his actions. Molly follows in Edward's wake, and is often amused by his misadventures, but Molly also connects with others in a way that Edward does not.

Having co-written the screenplay with three other collaborators, Gomes does a very good job of exploring some weighty themes with a light touch that helps the 129-minute runtime to pass by breezily enough. The black and white cinematography is gorgeous throughout, and there are occasional splashes of colour interrupting things, and it was a great idea to focus on Edward in the first half of the movie before then allowing us to spend time with the much more pleasant and upbeat Molly.

Waddington and Alfaiate are both very good in the lead roles, the former stuck in the midst of his negative aura while the latter flits here and there like a reflected sunbeam that wavers whenever a cool breeze creates a ripple through the shadows and light. Other people come and go, but very few make a strong impact. They are very much weaving in and out of a story made for two. Lang Khé Tran does very good work though, as does Cláudio da Silva, both becoming an important part of Molly's journey.

Those familiar with the concept of the Grand Tour itself will find even more to enjoy here, the juxtaposition of varying experiences showing us differences created by gender, personality, intent, and whatever historic baggage is carried around. Gomes delivers a treat here that actually pairs very nicely with the aforementioned Tabu, and it's something that is able to work on a number of different levels, from the superficial sight-seeing imagery to the deconstructive commentary on traditions and global history.

9/10

Sunday, 22 June 2025

Netflix And Chill: Prisoners (2013)

Another day, another film that I delayed watching for over a decade, despite strongly suspecting that I would love it. Prisoners is written by Aaron Guzikowski, directed by Denis Villeneuve, and stars Hugh Jackman, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Viola Davis, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Melissa Leo, and David Dastmalchian in a number of main roles. That's a hell of a cast, and Prisoners is a hell of a film.

A dark and downbeat crime thriller, this is the story of two girls (Anna, played by Erin Gerasimovich, and Joy, played by Kyla-Drew Simmons) who disappear. Their parents obviously fear the worst, but there may be a chance for a good result with Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) on the case. It doesn't take long for the police to haul in a prime suspect (Alex, played by Paul Dano), but things are complicated by the fact that he has the mental age of a small child. He's clearly guilty though, at least according to Anna's father, Keller (Hugh Jackman). Which leads to him coming up with his own plan to get information when the police have no choice but to release Alex back into the care of his guardian (Holly, played by Melissa Leo). Keller has an empty building available to him, a hankering for some violent retribution, and a variety of ideas that he think will force Alex to tell him where his young victims are.

The first thing worth noting here is that this isn't quite as great as it could have been. Guzikowski's screenplay leaves characters repeating themselves too many times, and it feels heavily indebted to a couple of crime thrillers helmed by David Fincher. Mind you, if you're going to be influenced by other art then you may as well be influenced by some of the best, and that is certainly the case here.

Villeneuve is happy to go along with the same mindset. This is a dark world, with almost every scene accompanied by a heavy downpour once the young girls have gone missing. Making important decisions about what to show and what to heavily imply, Villeneuve keeps things riveting for those who can handle the subject matter, helped by the fact that the direction and screenplay seem to keep a tiny portion of hope dangling in front of our faces like a carrot to help us avoid being beaten with the stick.

In terms of the acting, it's hard to be critical of those doing fantastic work with what they're given. It's just a shame that some of what they're given isn't the best material for them. This applies especially to Gyllenhaal, who is made to repeat one or two playbook lines in a way that I know is supposed to show him just wanting to de-escalate situations and get him away from emotional victims as quickly as possible, but is then shown so committed to his job that it feels at odds with that robotic "auto-pilot" mode we've seen elsewhere. Jackman is allowed to go to level ten righteous anger and stay there for the duration, Bello starts to medicate, and both Davis and Howard are used well to show the complex emotions of loving parents wanting answers about their child, no matter what it might take. Dano is absolutely fantastic, even if he doesn't say much, and Leo ends up stealing one or two scenes, while Dastmalchian comes along later in the movie to deliver another reframing of the whole narrative (this happens two or three times throughout the film, with Villeneuve and Guzikowski as interested in making viewers question themselves as they are in the journey of the characters onscreen).

It falls short of greatness in a couple of small ways, but Prisoners is very good stuff indeed. It's basically what you'd expect from a director as good as Villeneuve working with a cast of this calibre on a story about grief, pain, well-honed detective skills, and revenge.

8/10

Saturday, 21 June 2025

Shudder Saturday: Best Wishes To All (2024)

From what I can gather, Best Wishes To All is a feature debut from director/co-writer Yûta Shimotsu. It's a damned impressive one, and one that brings to mind a number of other titles (although nothing feels too familiar as the tone of the film settles into something enjoyably strange and chilling).

Kotone Furukawa is a young woman who goes to spend some time with her grandparents (Masashi Arifuki and Yoshiko Inuyama), only to discover that they have quite the dark secret in their lives. Only . . . maybe it's not so secret. Maybe it was just being kept secret from their granddaughter, until she was ready to find out all about it.

I'm not going to name the films that popped into my head while watching this, but horror fans should find it unavoidable to consider the influences of Takashi Miike and Demián Rugna on something that works the grotesque and macabre into something that also feels so placed in the here and now. The small village setting may be more isolated, but the repercussions spread out far beyond this one area, and the fact that a couple of key scenes take place in broad daylight show a welcome step away from the look and feel of many other fantastic Japanese horrors we've seen throughout the years. There's also a hint of M. Night Shyamalan here, but maybe that's just me thinking of one particular film from him, which may just be a coincidental comparison point due to the main premise.

Furukawa does well in her role. It's interesting that none of the main characters are named. Viewers get to watch them as nothing more than interconnected family members, for the most part, and that is in line with everything being explored here (family history, sacrifice, beliefs/traditions passed down for generations). Furukawa has the most development here, as you might expect with her being the lead, and it's rewarding to compare her starting point with how she acts in the finale. Both Arifuki and Inuyama are entertainingly strange, having their own fun in ways that bemuse and unsettle Furukawa, and their age and vulnerability help make them more interesting than they otherwise might have been. There are some others onscreen, but the main one to mention is a friend played by Kôya Matsudai, another great performance alongside those strong leads.

Shimotsu directs with a confidence that belies the fact this is a debut, but they are also helped by the cast, and the sparse, but no less substantial, screenplay co-written with Rumi Kakuta. This delivers effective frights, as well as some occasional tension, but also manages to maintain a light enough touch as it explores strained family relations in a nightmare scenario that works to regress a young woman back to the frightened little girl she once was.

8/10

Friday, 20 June 2025

There's A Zombie Outside (2025)

Having seen a couple of shorts written and directed by Michael Varrati, I was looking forward to this. Although this is Varrati's feature debut, he has made an impact on the horror scene that makes it easy to assume that he already has a handful under his belt (and the amount of TV work he's already managed would help to reinforce that assumption).

There's A Zombie Outside is another film nicely summed up by the title. Ben Baur plays an actor named Adam, and his life starts to fray at the edges when he starts noticing, yes, a zombie outside. Is the zombie really there, or is it a hallucination stemming from an independent horror movie that put Adam and the zombie together in an unexpected way?

It's difficult for me to find the right way to discuss There's A Zombie Outside. The plot takes a couple of enjoyably interesting turns, there are individual scenes that work really well, and Varrati definitely knows how to deliver independent horror content onscreen with an impressively consistent layer of polish. The zombie is used in the way that zombies so often are, make of that what you will, but the end result is ultimately lacking something. Adam's journey never feels as if it will reach any particular destination, and doesn't even feel as if he's moving for most of the runtime (despite changes of location). It's quite telling that the runtime feels overlong, despite clocking in at 75 minutes.

The fact that this is a film as steeped in a LGBTQ+ gaze as it is steeped in the horror tropes adds another layer to help it stand out from the crowd, and adds a bit more to the weight that Adam is carrying on his shoulders. While there are other characters surrounding our lead, the movie stays very much focused on Adam, his mental state, and where the sightings of the titular zombie could lead him.

Baur does well in the lead role, convincingly on edge as he starts to display behaviour that worries those around him. Phylicia Wissa is also very good, if sadly a bit underused, in the role of the level-headed Taryn, and there are fine performances from Danny Plotner, Ty Chen, William Lott, and Francisco Chacin, as well as an enjoyable came from the wonderful Tiffany Shepis. Having a couple of podcasters played by a couple of podcasters, however, is not something that usually wins me over (although it worked out well for them, as I just decided to check out their podcast).

Varrati is a considerable talent, even if this didn't fully work for me, but due credit must also go to Andrew J. Ceperley, credited here as a producer, composer, cinematographer, editor, and visual effects supervisor. I just wish that everyone had managed to deliver something a bit more impressive and memorable. Varrati clearly has something to say, but I don't think he says it as effectively as he maybe thinks he has. Or it's very possible that I just missed a small Rosetta Stone that would have unlocked the whole thing for me.

5/10

Thursday, 19 June 2025

Bystanders (2025)

I was a bit wary when Bystanders started, understandably. It was a debut feature from director Mary Beth McAndrews. It was also the debut feature of writer Jamie Alvey. And, more worryingly, Alvey had one of the main roles onscreen. Okay, none of these things needed to be viewed as red flags, but we all know that they can be. I had no need to worry though. Bystanders is a wild ride, although I can understand why some might be put off by the mixture of real darkness and entertaining glee.

Things start with a horrible bit of abuse. Some young women are drugged and sexually assaulted by a group of young men. The women are then told to run away, given a head start before the men hunt them down and kill them. Abby (Brandi Botkin) is one of these escaping women, but she has the good fortune to bump into Gray (Garrett Murphy) and Clare (Alvey), a loving couple who will go out of their way to cause great pain and harm to abusive men. Men like Cody (Bob Wilcox) and his friends.

Alvey may not get things quite right with handling some of the subject matter here, but she certainly settles into a more satisfying rhythm when mining the dark comedy of the premise (which is, essentially, all about tables being turned and predators becoming prey). Selfishly or not, she allows the best exchanges to occur between herself and Murphy, but there are decent snippets of dialogue shared around the rest of the cast members.

McAndrews directs well enough to distract from some of the obvious shortcomings. While this is obviously a fairly low-budget feature, it's presented with enough care given to the sound and picture that you don't spend much of the runtime complaining about being unable to make out precisely what is happening. The occasional edit and shot composition falls a bit short of the mark, but overall I'd have to give McAndrews due credit in what she has been able to do with quite limited resources.

The cast also help by doing decent work throughout. Botkin is someone you want to see make it through to the end credits, Wilcox and his posse are those you want to see NOT making it (or, at the very least, not making it there in one piece), and both Murphy and Alvey are a whole lot of fun for almost every minute that they're onscreen.

It feels indebted to numerous other films without hitting you over the head with homages and winks, there's a commentary on the pervasiveness and complicity of abusers who often face little, or even no, consequences in society, and the third act is extremely satisfying as major scumbags get their comeuppance. That opening sequence is a tough moment to get past though, and it may prove to be too much for some, or may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle when the film then starts to thread the dark comedy running through the rest of it. Consider yourself suitably warned, although I hope more people are able to enjoy it as much as I did.

7/10

Wednesday, 18 June 2025

Prime Time: Cutting Class (1989)

A slasher movie so apparently unmemorable that I completely forgot I had already seen it until checking my IMDb and Letterboxd resources, Cutting Class is a mildly amusing diversion for those after unsophisticated fun. Maybe the lapse in memory was just down to my film-addled brain. Or maybe I don't consider a film fully watched until I've written more than a paragraph about it.

My original thoughts ran as follows: "Jill Schoelen, Donovan Leitch, and Brad Pitt are the main young stars in this fun slasher, and Roddy McDowall is as watchable as ever in one of the main adult roles. It doesn't go far enough with the dark comedy, and there isn't quite enough decent bloodshed, but it remains enjoyable enough."

That may be brief, but it remains a perfectly fine encapsulation of my opinion on this film. Someone is starting to murder a number of teachers and pupils at a high school. The main suspect seems to be Brian (Donovan Leitch Jr.), who everyone knows spent some time being treated for a slight case of potential insanity. Dwight (Brad Pitt) might also have that killer instinct though. This makes things a bit awkward for Paula (Jill Schoelen), a young woman caught in between the two of them.

The one and only feature directed by Rospo Pallenberg (who did some great writing for director John Boorman, but also ended up assisting on the infamous stinker that is Exorcist II: The Heretic, this is also the film debut for writer Steve Slavkin. It's obvious what the thinking behind this was. Everyone wanted in on some of that slasher movie money, even as the appetite for the sub-genre was waning considerably after the peak of a few "golden years".

I would say that Pallenberg got lucky with his casting of a pre-stardom Pitt, but the whole cast actually does a decent job. Pitt is good fun in his role, a typical high school hunk with enough potential anger issues to make him a suspect when the murders start, and Schoelen is an appealing female lead. Leitch Jr. has to overact wildly, but that's par for the course in every slasher movie that presents someone who is either obviously a killer, or so obviously a killer that they couldn't possibly be a killer (if you know what I mean). Brenda James is another attendee of the school, and good friend of Paula, Roddy McDowall is the lecherous Mr. Dante, and Martin Mull is Paula's father, seen at the start of the film bidding farewell to his daughter as he goes on a hunting trip that will lead to one misfortunate after another, to put it mildly.

There's no visual artistry here, nor are there any set-pieces to help it stand out from the very crowded field it is in (and as the third act played out I also realised that I used to always confuse this with Graduation Day), but horror fans used to going into such things with suitably low expectations should find themselves consistently entertained from start to finish. Which is more than some lower-tier slasher movies manage.

6/10

Tuesday, 17 June 2025

Black Theta (2024)

I spent a large part of my weekend attending the online version of the Soho Horror Film Festival, perfectly timed to provide films and "company" for horror fans who might also want to celebrate Pride, due to their own identity or, as is the case with myself, due to being an ally who also likes to check out a whole load of new movies whenever the opportunity arises. Here's the main site to keep an eye on all things related to the Soho Horror Film Festival, as well as SoHome Horror, and the next few weeks will see a number of blog entries taken up with reviews of the features I watched over the past few days. I won't guarantee that I loved everything scheduled, and there is certainly a case to be made for the fact that many within the LGBTQ+ community could find a lot more to appreciate (in terms of familiar experiences, journeys, and fears), but I'll do my best to at least get some word out there on every film I watched. And I made sure to watch them all, of course.

Starting off with someone spending a long time chatting on the phone before a knife-wielding killer enters the picture and looks ready to make a killing, Black Theta is an obvious homage to the Scream movies. It manages to be more than just that though, thanks mainly to a sharp script and some fun performances.

Writer-director Tim Connolly also stars as Andy, a young man who finds that his life is defined by one dark and dangerous night that he somehow managed to survive. While trying to process his feelings and regain some sense of normality, Andy soon endangers all those around him.

While it seems to be a very basic film, on the surface anyway, Black Theta has an interesting number of layers. You get the obvious nods and gags, some of which work brilliantly (including an opening scene that shows someone becoming frustrated with a voice-operated remote control in a scenario that has happened to me all too often), you get the characters and geography nicely set up for when a slasher starts the slashing, and you get the conversations between people who have very different approaches to dealing with the worst that life has thrown at them.

Considering how many jobs he has behind the camera (as well as writing and directing, he's credited as producer, composer, one of the cinematographers, and the editor), Connolly makes for a decent lead. He's easy to like, he's funny, and he's pretty believable. Emma Nossal plays the young woman, Jenna, who ends up getting becoming a friend after they meet in a group therapy session, and she's just as good as Connolly. And then there's William Hinson, playing a housemate named Luke. He's not as good as the other two, but has an enjoyably calm presence, at least until things descend into full mayhem. Kieler Avery does well in a supporting role, as do Chris Avetta and Kate Cummings, and there are a lot of other people all jostling to enjoy what could be their fifteen minutes of fame.

It's also a pleasant surprise to see that the killer, and the iconography of the killer, feels as if there's been some attempt to find even the smallest bit of originality to sprinkle throughout all of the more familiar beats.

There are plenty of flaws here though, and I don't want people to forget that this is every inch the low-budget indie. There's not much blood and gore, Connolly doesn't do nearly as well in the role of editor as he does in the role of writer (109 minutes feels far too long for this kind of thing, especially with some obvious pacing issues in the first half), and a large cast of potential victims makes it harder to care about them when that potential is finally realised.

Thankfully, the good certainly outweighs the bad. That script helps a lot, the thematic strands being woven together into the narrative rope are a major plus, and it all bodes well for whatever Connolly might do next, especially if he gets a higher budget to work with.

7/10

Monday, 16 June 2025

Mubi Monday: The Eight Mountains (2022)

To give The Eight Mountains the most basic summary, it's the story of two friends through the years. One is Pietro (played in youth by Lupo Barbiero, as a teen by Andrea Palma, and in adulthood by Luca Marinelli). The other is Bruno (played in youth by Cristiano Sassella, as a teen by Francesco Palombelli, and in adulthood by Alessandro Borghi). The two are shown growing closer and further apart, depending on how life is going for them, but they certainly form a strong enough bond in childhood to make their lives feel inextricably linked.

I wanted to make sure that I got that out of the way, mainly because I didn't necessarily view the film with a critical eye. I viewed it as if looking through a kaleidoscope at an old photo of me and a childhood friend. So much of this will resonate with people who have had at least one close friendship like this, and I hope that most of us are lucky enough to experience that.

Based on a book of the same name by Paolo Cognetti, this is co-written and co-directed by Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch, a married film-making duo who seem to have many interesting features worth exploring (with the former having directed more while the latter has spent much more time in front of the camera). The two seem to have a real understanding of the mood that they want to capture, hugely helped by leads who can say so much while simultaneously keeping a reservoir of emotion and thoughts just below the surface.

Every incarnation of Pietro and Bruno feels natural and authentic, which is why I went out of my way to name all of the main players bringing them to life. While it took me a while to warm to the pace and tone of the movie, I could invest in the leads from the very first scene. Elisabetta Mazzullo and Surakshya Panta also play a couple of important characters, and both do good work, while Filippo Timi is used sparingly to create what feels like the linchpin for the whole thing.

That's about all I can say though. The film worked on me so effectively that I couldn't rate individual aspects as I usually might. The Eight Mountains is all about friends who become family, and what that means as you start going through tougher patches in life that create division, distance, and different priorities. Kids become firm friends and never want to be away from one another. As they grow up it soon becomes clear whether or not they will stay compatible, which means keeping that friendship by either staying close or ensuring that you give one another space. And then you start to appreciate a variety once you're an adult. The person who has your confidence, the one who can help you through tough times, or even just join you for a drink or two in any nearby drinking establishment. That's the same person you may not see for years at a time, but when you do finally reunite it's as if you haven't been apart. The same old conversations flow easily enough, and there's an additional bonus of being able to cover the new ground that has appeared in the intervening time.

I'm being quite upbeat here, and choosing to selectively pick my own highlights from this, but it should be noted that this isn't all sunshine and rainbows. There's some pain and darkness here, even if it's mainly discussed and described by characters presenting a brave face to those who care for them most, but it's a testament to the handling of the material, and the performances, that the end result is so bittersweet in a way that keeps the amount of sweet outweighing the amount of bitter.

8/10

Sunday, 15 June 2025

Netflix And Chill: Straw (2025)

Taraji P. Henson is someone I really like. She's a fantastic acting talent, and I keep wishing that she would get more roles fully deserving of her talent. I decided to be optimistic when I saw Straw being advertised. Written and directed by Tyler Perry, it looked to be a film in need of the right person strong enough to carry the weight of it all on their shoulders. Henson is able to carry that weight, but it's not easy when Perry continues to add to her load.

Henson plays Janiyah Wiltkinson, a single mother having a really bad day. She's struggling to pay the bills, including her rent, struggling to maintain a decent quality of life for her sick daughter (who needs medication for a condition that leads to her having seizures), and struggling to keep hold of her job, where she's ruled over by a tyrannical asshole named Richard (Glynn Turman). Things go from bad to worse when Janiyah tries to get her latest paycheck from her boss, one that she needs to cash immediately at a local bank, and it's not long until police are involved when people mistakenly assume that Janiyah has plans to rob the bank.

Whatever you think of his films, and I've not been the biggest fan of the few that I've seen, it's hard not to admire the massive success that Tyler Perry has had. He makes films for a large audience of people who have largely been ill-served by the mainstream movie business, and he knows the details and specific cultural touches that will resonate with black American viewers. Others are welcome though, and there's plenty in Straw that anyone can identify with, whether it's the constant struggle to remain financially solvent or the pain that comes from working under a power-hungry little dictator. There's a hint of Falling Down about this, as well as a hint of Dog Day Afternoon, and a dash of The Negotiator, which should be a description that lets you know whether or not you will enjoy it at all.

Henson is superb in the main role, even while asked to keep her performance at an eleven and repeat certain phrases like a mantra as her character becomes more and more bewildered by the situation she finds herself in. Sherri Shepherd lends great support in the role of Nicole, the bank manager who wants the whole situation to end peacefully for everyone involved. Teyana Taylor and Mike Merrill are a good pair of police officers, the former strongly identifying with the difficulties that Henson's character has faced, Anthony E. Williams has a small, but vital, role as a very bad police officer, and Turman spends every moment of his screentime making himself as thoroughly unpleasant as possible. There are many others in the cast (including Sinbad, Ashley Versher, Rockmond Dunbar, Diva Tyler, and Shalèt Monique), and it's also good to see that Perry can work hard to put together convincing numbers when our lead is in a busy public area or surrounded by crowds.

There are some negatives here though, and I don't want to give the impression that I loved this. I liked it, although even liking it was tricky on a few occasions. It's hard to watch something that is so unrelentingly overwrought for most of the runtime, and it's hard to accept an important plot point that is highlighted towards the end of the film in a way that makes you realise that Perry has been slightly cheating us. As much as I knew how things would turn out by the very end of the film, one bit of deliberate obfuscation was sorely disappointing for how much it felt like what it was: an easy way to add emotional weight to the last act. Things also aren't helped by the fact that our lead spends so much time being unaware of how everything could be viewed by others that it makes her seem wilfully ignorant.

Still . . . it's Henson. In a lead role that at least makes some use of her formidable talent. That may not be enough to keep some viewers pleased, but I was happy enough.

6/10

Saturday, 14 June 2025

Shudder Saturday: WolfCop (2014)

I remember hearing mixed things about Wolfcop when it first came on the scene. I have subsequently heard that the sequel was an improvement, but I am not the sort of person who would be able to watch any sequel without having watched the first film first. I am not a lunatic.

Written and directed by Lowell Dean, this is a fairly simple tale of a cop (Lou Garou, played by Leo Fafard) who seems to be very close to losing his job. He would much rather spend his time getting drunk than solving crimes, but things change when he ends up involved in some black magic ritual one night. That gives him the "gift" of lycanthropy, which turns him into the titular wolfcop. The bad news is all the extra fangs and hair. The good news is that he actually seems to become better at his job.

Although it's hampered by some of the acting, as well as the moments that feel planned more around the low budget than the set-pieces, there's a lot to enjoy here. The mix of tired tropes used to define our main character and his situation are mined well to show the full transformation, and everything plays nicely into a finale that is both clever and entertainingly cute.

Fafard may not be the best lead ever, but he leans into an amplified set of behaviours that play into the ridiculousness and comedy of the premise. Amy Matsio does a bit better as his partner, Tina, Sarah Lind gets to play her character, Jessica, as a sultry riff on Little Red Riding Hood, Aidan Devine is pretty good as the Chief Officer, Corinne Conley has good fun in her role, and Jonathan Cherry, arguably the most familiar face, also seems to be having a good time with the material.

Dean may not be able to smooth off all of the rough edges, but that just adds to the appeal of the whole thing. And while it's mostly a bit technically crude and visually ugly, all the stops are pulled out for a couple of fantastic highlights. The actual werewolf transformation sequence is up there with the best of them, a genuine contender that should appear on any ranked list of "best movie werewolf transformations of all time", and there are some brilliant gore gags that focus on spray and splatter ahead of realism.

I think I fall in line with many other horror movie fans who wanted this film to live up to the full potential of the premise. It's slightly disappointing, particularly in the first half, but the best parts of it easily make up for the lesser moments. If the sequel is the improvement that everyone says it is then I am pretty much guaranteed to have a great time with that. In the meantime, I won't rush to rewatch this one, but I am glad to have finally made time for it. It may not have had me howling with laughter, but it kept me fairly amused, and it tried to deliver at least one or two moments that felt quite unique. It also has one of the best taglines ever.

6/10

Friday, 13 June 2025

Y2K (2024)

I admit that I expected the worst when I pressed play on Y2K. I hadn't heard many people saying good things about it, and I wasn't sure I could trust the praise that came from some people who seemed to revel in the nostalgia inherent in the premise. Thank goodness I never let such things put me off though, and now I can be one of the few other people encouraging others to give this one some time.

It's a very certain New Year's Eve. The new century is approaching, and the news has a lot of talk about the millennium bug, with some people warning about it and others reassuring everyone that all will be well. Eli (Jaeden Martell) and Danny (Julian Dennison) are two high-school friends who are more concerned with spending some time at a cool party, where Eli can hopefully spend some time in the company of the cool and gorgeous Laura (Rachel Zegler). The partying and celebrations end up rudely interrupted, however, by a "glitch" that causes all computers, and any piece of tech, to rise up and attack the humans, aiming to ultimately enslave them as a power source.

The directorial debut of Kyle Mooney, who already has years of acting experience under his belt, this is a horror comedy co-written by himself and Evan Winter that can be nicely summed up as the result of people rewatching Maximum Overdrive far too many times before then wondering how it would play out if the laughs were intentional. It's very light and silly from the very first scenes, setting up an onscreen world akin to any seen in John Hughes movies of the 1980s, and just gets sillier when the robo-carnage begins, which is all well and good when the film-makers themselves know how wonderfully absurd the whole thing is.

Martell and Zegler are decent leads, and Dennison delivers another performance that ensures he'll keep being cast as the young man who can be relied upon to deliver a healthy dose of fun and self-confidence. Daniel Zolghadri and Lachlan Watson play two supporting characters who start off feeling a bit too underdeveloped and mildly irritating before turning into people you don't mind spending some time with, Eduardo Franco continues to be someone I now enjoy popping up in anything, Mason Gooding cements his "scream king" reputation with another solid turn, and there's a fantastic cameo appearance I won't spoil here, despite the fact that most of you will already know all about it.

The pacing works well, especially as the characters desperately try to escape one threat after another, the soundtrack is full of some great tracks from a quarter of a century ago, the practical effects are entertainingly lo-fi and absolutely in line with the tone of the whole thing, and this is entertaining fun for those who go into it with an open mind. I laughed more times at this than I have laughed at some recent outright comedies, and the third act delivered a level of cheesiness that will work on those who retain any fondness for the music and memories of the turn of the 21st century. In fact . . . I kind of loved it.

8/10

This week - a film guaranteed to not get top Marx from Tyler, and Dave gets a pleasant surprise from the fact that not one but TWO of his co-hosts have actually read the source material for one of the movies discussed. Wild times. Here we are - https://raidersofthepodcast.blogspot.com/2025/06/synaptic-rotation.html We're also here - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/raiders-of-the-podcast/id1250657197?i=1000711988462 And everywhere here - https://linktr.ee/raidersofthepodcast

Thursday, 12 June 2025

The Woman In The Yard (2025)

Another film that gives you a title that is all you need to know about it, The Woman In The Yard is all about, well, a woman in the yard. She's not up to anything. She doesn't help to cut the grass and tidy up the area. She doesn't set up a stall and start some unexpected yard sale. She just sits there, covered by a dark shroud, and causing some upset for Ramona (Danielle Deadwyler) and her two children (played by Peyton Jackson and Estella Kahiha). And they were already upset by the kicks and punches delivered upon them by life.

It's been a few years now since Jaume Collet-Serra helmed a film that was properly good (although I am very much aware that most people liked Jungle Cruise a lot less than I did), he seems to do one every five years or so that allows him to retain the goodwill of most film fans, and this isn't one of his better features. He's not helped by a screenplay from Sam Stefanak that makes it painfully obvious that this is his feature debut. The required atmosphere isn't established well enough, nor is it maintained throughout the runtime, and the third act is the kind of "oh look, aren't we being clever?" nonsense that will have most viewers rolling their eyes. There's a good idea for a short film here, but it's overstretched to 88 minutes.

Despite not being given great material to work with, Deadwyler does well enough in the lead role. She's given decent support from Jackson and Kahiha, as well as Russell Hornsby (playing David, who appears in a number of flashbacks), and Okwui Okpokwasili is allowed to sit there and emanate menace as the titular woman. It's a real shame that all of these performances are mired in a film so undeserving of them, despite the assumed best intentions of all involved.

This wants to use the horror movie trappings to explore grief and mental health, in a way that has been managed so successfully by other titles I could point you toward right now, but it forgets to deliver enough substance. We don't really get to know the characters before the woman in the yard appears, there's a disappointing lack of full-blooded horror to make up for what it lacks elsewhere, and the third act shows a real lack of confidence and clarity as the film-makers try to tie everything up neatly before the end credits roll.

I wanted this to be much better, particularly for Deadwyler. Every unfolding minute just made me feel worse and worse though, knowing that I was wasting my time with something that was competently made, from a technical standpoint, but ultimately weak. It also doesn't feel like it makes the point that it really wants to make, certainly not with any weight behind it anyway. A lot of the individual elements are far from terrible, but everything is put together to create a finished product that feels amateurish and completely mishandled.

4/10

Wednesday, 11 June 2025

Prime Time: The Accountant 2 (2025)

I enjoyed The Accountant. It was a perfectly fine vehicle for Ben Affleck, although I could immediately see others would be unhappy with it (considering the autism = superpower aspect of the plot). I didn't think it needed a sequel though. And I don't think I have ever spoken to anyone else who was impatient to see more adventures for the main character.

But here we are.

Things start with Ray King (J. K. Simmons) getting himself into a sticky situation that will lead to Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) enlisting the help of Christian Wolff AKA The Accountant (Affleck). The situation requires more than one capable killer though, and Christian reluctantly enlists the help of his brother, Braxton (Jon Bernthal).

Do you remember The Accountant? Think about that carefully. I had already forgotten the specifics. I remembered that Affleck and Anna Kendrick starred in it, I remembered how Affleck's character was defined, and I remembered some deaths. I'd forgotten that Simmons and Addai-Robinson were in it, I'd forgotten that Bernthal made an appearance, and I forgot how The Accountant communicated with a colleague who would help him with jobs/information. A quick refresher helped me get my bearings when this sequel started, although I would say that it's far from essential, especially with the sad absence of Anna Kendrick this time around.

Director Gavin O'Connor returns (still looking to top his best work from the past two decades, the double-whammy of Miracle and Warrior), as does writer Bill Dubuque, but the two men seem comfortable to be a step away from the origin story that had to be part of the first film. There's a sense of fun this time around, and the characters are self-aware enough to keep the whole thing as something you laugh along with, as opposed to laughing at. The slightly twisty plot is really just an excuse to put Affleck and Bernthal in some scenes that can have them bickering before the violence begins, and that's easily enough to make this a superior sequel.

Nobody else feels worthwhile here, be they a goodie or a baddie. It's the Affleck/Bernthal show and both of them do fantastic work, delivering the kind of chemistry and banter that will have most people immediately wanting another adventure for their characters. Addai-Robinson has to be the straight arrow, and she does well enough, Simmons is present just long enough to kick things off, and there are supporting turns from Allison Robertson, Robert Morgan, Grant Harvey, Andrew Howard, and, best of all, a kickass Daniella Pineda.

There's nothing spectacular here, nothing to make it feel like essential viewing, but it's all done well enough to make it worth your time. There's a third act that feels not too far removed from the finale of some special The A-Team episode, which I view as a good thing (others may not), an amusing capper to things, and the sense that there IS potential for this to lead to something else even better. Nobody felt as if The Accountant needed a sequel, but a lot of people will be wanting to see another instalment after enjoying this.

7/10

Tuesday, 10 June 2025

Until Dawn (2025)

While I am currently trying to pester my partner into allowing me ownership of a sexy and slim PS5, I am very much aware of the fact that I barely have time to play the many videogames I have owned for years already. That includes Ghosts Of Tsushima. It includes some of the more recent Resident Evil games. And it includes Until Dawn, which I once spent about half an hour on. It's not that I disliked it. It's great. As are the other games mentioned. I just don't often have the time required for games that benefit from complete immersion and focus, which is why I end up playing some pinball or Tony Hawks levels instead.

What I am trying to make clear right now is that I don't have much experience, or knowledge, of the Until Dawn videogame. I know how it starts though, and I know that a bunch of young adults end up in an isolated location that starts to present them with a variety of horrors.

The main characters here are Clover (Ella Rubin), Max (Michael Cimino), Nina (Odessa A'zion), Megan (Ji-young Yoo), and Abe (Belmont Cameli). They end up in the middle of nowhere while Clover tries to retrace the steps of her missing sister, Melanie (Maia Mitchell). It isn't long until something scary starts happening, but any fear they experience is exacerbated by the realisation that they're also stuck in a timeloop that starts over whenever they die. Is there a way to stop the cycle, and does it have anything to do with Dr. Hill (Peter Stormare)?

While I have seen some complaints from videogame fans who didn't like the direction taken by this, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Not only did it feel as if it at least tried to stay aligned to the essence of the game, certainly in the opening act, but it turned into something bloodier and more twisted than I thought it would be. Writers Gary Dauberman and Blair Butler work well together, sketching out the characters and premise succinctly enough to pack a healthy amount of scare sequences into the 103-minute runtime, and director David F. Sandberg continues his run of movies that show him to be a very capable pair of hands, if perhaps rarely great (his previous best feature also being written by Dauberman, Annabelle: Creation).

As for the cast, they all know that they're in the film to be put through the wringer. I have seen Rubin in a number of films now. She can do well in the right role, although she doesn't quite feel like a strong enough lead for this. She's not bad, but it's only in the third act that it becomes easier to root for her while the odds against survival grow exponentially. Cimino and Cameli are perfectly fine, I guess, but they're outshone by both A'zion and Yoo, who just have a bit more screen presence, perhaps due to them simply not being as generic as the "himbo #1 and himbo #2" casting calls for their male counterparts. Stormare has fun with his role, and his presence is one of the elements creating, and maintaining, an essential link between the film and the videogame.

From the little I know of the videogame, and I've made clear how little that is, I liked the way it was adapted into a feature. There's still some familiar visuals, the timeloop serves as a way to make everything feel similar to a more standard videogame premise (although it should be noted that Until Dawn is celebrated for NOT being a standard videogame), and things are put together with a healthy balance of fun and frights. Despite the criticisms of some who wanted something more faithful, this is quite a fun crowd-pleaser. AND it makes me want to carve out some more time in my schedule to finally fully play through the game.

8/10