Late to the party, we take a dive into a suitably nautical companion-piece to the similarly unbearably tense Fall, finding that this underwater two-hander at least manages to stick its landing.
Taking inspiration from Alien and The Thing, André Øvredal's throwback horror trades in rich gothic vibes, doing more than anybody could have possibly expected from this foregone conclusion of a part-story.
As either the dying breath of the old DCEU or the first breath of the new James Gunn-era, this superhero origin romp proves to be way more fun than expectations had led me to believe, thanks to a distinct lack of universe-ending cataclysms and an overabundance of incredibly charming characters…
If you fancy a trip out to the cinema to see a well-acted but contrived celebration of corporatism…well Air was a few months ago. You’ve left it too late and now you have to watch this smoking pile of wreckage. Gran Turismo, a film about (and presumably by) delusional, greedy idiots.
Jason Statham, Shark Puncher, returns. As do his rather large aquatic friends. And all wrangled by, of all people, Brit Indie Weirdo Ben Wheatley. However, sadly for those wondering what an enormo-budgeted creature feature directed by the creator of Kill List and In the Earth would look like… you’ll still have to wait…
Swimming around in a dangerous pool of sharks - Disney's Elemental and Sony's Spider-Verse, and now Turtles jumping on board - Universal's Teenage Kraken pretty much sunk without a trace, landing on Premium Rental whilst the echoes of its last theatrical showings die out.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Movie Review
by Tom Davies
Mutant Mayhem, quite surprisingly, succeeds at revitalising the forty-year-old franchise with both charm and excitement, and might well be the best the Turtles have ever been.
Keeping up a strong tradition of Australian horror, first timers Danny and Michael Philippou put together a creeping tale of ghosts, possession and addiction that makes up for a lack of daring with an excess of competence.
It’s finally here – Greta Gerwig’s enormo-marketed film finally arrives in cinemas in a blitzkrieg of promotional activity usually reserved for, well, nothing that has gone before really. It would be a massive shame then if the film didn’t live up to the hype…
Likely to win ALL the awards, even by Academy judges who can't be bothered to sit through it, certainly the only way to watch this level of spectacular sound and fury is on the biggest IMAX screen you can find.
Taking a belated look at Wes Anderson's latest, disappointingly indulgent, ensemble curio, we also had the opportunity to visit the 180 Studios Exhibition and dining experience, which was a lot more fun.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (IMAX) Movie Review
by Cas Harlow
THE blockbuster event of 2023 lands, with Cruise closing out his series with an epic Part 1, gearing up to be the biggest Mission ever - READ OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Movie Review
by Mark Costello
Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford return, without their cinematic parents of Spielberg and Lucas, for one last hurrah. But some superb character work and a poignant, wistful theme of the inexorable march of time and progress can’t paper over the creaking action set pieces, an underwritten narrative and some bizarrely poor VFX…
The death of the old? The birth of the new? DC's long-gestating, repeatedly delayed, baked in controversy adaptation of the seminal comic story, Flashpoint, is almost entirely relying upon the return of Michael Keaton's '89 Batman to get people on board - and it's not a bad gamble.
After the massive and surprisingly great course correction that was Bumblebee, has the Transformers franchise finally found itself on solid ground and ready to deliver some half-decent giant space robot action? No. No it hasn’t…
Benjamin Millepied's directorial debut, Carmen, teams up In the Heights' Melissa Barrera and Aftersun's Paul Mescal for an impassioned tale that feels just a little bit too detached to have any indie impact.
The highly anticipated sequel to one of the best Spider-Man movies of all time is an even more epic ride, maturing the characters, developing their bonds, and dishing up the perfect blend of fast-moving action, imaginative style, stomping soundtrack and sharp wit.
Rodriguez's Hypnotic is every bit as nonsensical as you may have already heard, proving a real trudge to get through, possibly made better by the fact that it's often unintentionally hilarious. And Affleck? Did you learn nothing from John Woo's Paycheck?
Everything you could possibly want from a grungy grindhouse mash-up of John Wick and Overlord, Sisu sees a retired 'nobody' unwillingly drawn back into slaughtering a whole bunch of Nazis, and it's bloody good entertainment.
Momoa's having a blast, Cena thinks he's playing an entirely new character - for the better - and even Theron is halfway redeeming herself, but, apart from a suitably insane Hot Wheels Tracks-inspired extended finale, this "Part 1" is less fun than the first HALF of the any of the last six Fast & Furious flicks, and feels desperately padded out and expanded to suit the bloated plans for a Fast X trilogy.
Master Gardener continues Paul Schrader's loose thematic trilogy following on from First Reformed and The Card Counter, providing a solid indie lead role for Joel Edgerton with juicy, slimy, support from Sigourney Weaver.
Following Hereditary and Midsommar, two dissections of extreme grief draped in the clothing of horror movies, you might expect that Ari Aster could be going for the hat trick of familial loss. Aster knows that, and he wants to use that anticipated reaction to mess with you. If Beau is Afraid has only one message, it’s that Ari Aster wants to mess with you.
Mark Dacascos Interview (Brotherhood of the Wolf) - AVF EXCLUSIVE
by Cas Harlow
Cas Harlow interviews Mark Dacascos to find out how he made the transition from martial arts champion to Hollywood action star and talk about his pivotal work with Christophe Gans
James Gunn closes out his Guardians tri-and-a-half-logy with a surprisingly heartfelt and even more surprisingly dark and personal chapter about this beloved band of bickering brothers.
Could it be that, after fifty years, we finally have a new adaptation of one of the most exciting books ever written as purely enjoyable as Richard Lester's? Listen, anything has got to be better than whatever it was Paul W.S. Anderson made.
The Book of the Dead returns to wreak havoc on yet more unsuspecting flesh, this time in Lee Cronin’s fifth franchise entry. What new tortures can be wrought now the cabin in the woods has been left far behind?
Like watching someone play an elaborate life-and-death stakes Escape Room internet game, Missing is a surprisingly competent follow-up to the throwaway titled, equally effective high concept gimmick that was 2018's Searching.
The moment we (and I include Nic Cage in that “we”) have all been waiting for. Nic Cage as Dracula. And it’s as deliriously brilliant as you could hope. The rest of the movie? Well now that’s a bit more… I’m trying to think of a Dracula pun here…Batty? Foggy? It’ll come to me.
Do-do-do do-do DO! … That’s the Mario jingle. I’m not just going insane. Anyway, Mario is back and he’s the most producty product who ever producted. But shove a weird-looking mushroom in my mouth, I sort of don’t really mind that much.
Cliche Club is an enthusiastic extended trailer of a "movie", proving that, if he's out as the next Bond, Henry Golding can at least be counted on to fill the straight-to-streaming Liam Neeson void.
One of those films that is most tolerable in trailer form, the Spanish animated production, Mummies, is a painful watch redeeming only in its ability to distract kids.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves Movie Review
by Mark Costello
Despite its very obvious Games of Thrones meets Guardians of the Galaxy vibes, this fourth big-screen adaptation of the original legendary role-playing game displays enough charm, wit and good, old-fashioned fun to easily entertain. Even if there’s little else about it to remain long in the memory…
If you had a blast with the previous John Wick outings, spending the best part of three hours watching him kick, stab, shoot and nun-chuck his way through another cast of increasingly grandstanding players will be a similarly fabulous ride.
Brandon Cronenberg's third feature lands with justified fanfare, pushing boundaries, and blending horror and dark sci-fi themes like only a Cronenberg would.
The welcome blast of fun and humour into the dour DC Cinematic Universe that was the first Shazam! continues with this sequel from returning director David F. Sandberg. And while still charming thanks to the family dynamic and its core cast, it sadly doubles down on the worst aspects of the first film… namely everything else…
Despite an award-winning director, award-winning star and award-winning writer, Marlowe - foolishly not based upon an actual Raymond Chandler / Philip Marlowe book - is a frustratingly banal neo-noir crime thriller that feels like one big, fat missed opportunity.
A Quiet Place co-writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods pull off a surprisingly engaging, blisteringly lean sci-fi survival flick on a comparative nothing of a budget, and it's better than anything 'jurassic' in years.
Everything Everywhere All At Once wins big at the 2023 Oscars
by Ian Collen
The film took home seven awards, including Best Film, Directing and three out of the four main acting awards, with All Quiet on the Western Front also picking up four wins.
Idris Elba's DCI Luther makes a belated Big Screen debut, delivering a preposterous but bloody entertaining serial killer thriller that's perfect for night in viewing now it's landed on Netflix.