12th Jan2024

‘Night Swim’ Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Gavin Warren, Amélie Hoeferle, Jodi Long, Eddie Martinez, Elijah J. Roberts, Rahnuma Panthaky, Ben Sinclair, Ellie Araiza | Written by Bryce McGuire, Rod Blackhurst | Directed by Bryce McGuire Released in 2014, Bryce McGuire and Rod Blackhurst made a proof-of-concept short film called Night Swim. Citing inspirations such as Jaws, […]

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09th Jan2024

‘Skater Zombies: The Villain’ Short Film Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Richie Jackson, Jacques Grimbeek | Written and Directed by Eileen Yaghoobian In a post-apocalyptic world only populated by skateboarders, a quietly spreading synthetic drug is transforming female users into skater zombies. Following on from the 2022 short Skater Zombies that offered a taster of this world, Skater Zombies: The Villain changes gears to shine […]

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20th Dec2023

‘Godzilla Minus One’ Review #2

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Minami Hamabe, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Sakura Ando, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Yuki Yamada, Yuya Endo, Kisuke Iida, Sae Nagatani, Ozuno Nakamura | Written and Directed by Takashi Yamazaki Nearly 70 years since Godzilla first appeared on-screen, the king of the monsters has headlined almost 40 feature films along with a few TV shows. […]

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19th Dec2023

‘Next Goal Wins (2023)’ Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Michael Fassbender, Kaimana, Rachel House, Oscar Kightley, David Fane, Beulah Koale, Will Arnett, Elisabeth Moss, Uli Latukefu, Chris Alosio, Lehi Makisi Falepapalangi, Rhys Darby | Written by Taika Waititi, Iain Morris | Directed by Taika Waititi Released in 2014, Next Goal Wins was a phenomenal documentary from directors Mike Brett and Steve Jamison which followed […]

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18th Dec2023

‘Epic Tails’ VOD Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Sonja Ball, Josh Widdicombe, Rob Beckett, Mark Camacho, Giovanna Fletcher | Written by David Alaux, Eric Tosti, Jean-François Tosti | Directed by David Alaux In the peaceful Greek city of Yolcos, Pattie (Sonja Ball) is a mouse who dreams of becoming a hero like Jason (of And The Argonauts fame). Her opportunity comes when […]

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08th Dec2023

Rewind: ‘Anima’ Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Thom Yorke, Dajana Roncione, Frida Dam Seidel, Joseba Yerro Izaguirre, Jean Michael Sinisterra Munoz, Takuya Fujisawa | Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson In between feature films Phantom Thread and Licorice Pizza, Paul Thomas Anderson directed a 15-minute musical film that was released on Netflix in June 2019. This accompaniment to Thom Yorke’s titular album […]

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07th Dec2023

‘Alice in Terrorland’ DVD Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Lizzie Willis, Rula Lenska, Steve Wraith, Jon-Paul Gates, Nigel Troup, Rikki Kimpton, Lila Sarner, Nikol Atanasova | Written and Directed by Richard John Taylor Considering he has already released three films in 2023, writer/director Richard John Taylor (Haunting of Pendle Hill, Huntress of Auschwitz) continues his busy streak with this take on Alice In […]

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06th Dec2023

Rewind: ‘Next Goal Wins (2014)’ Review

by James Rodrigues

With the Taika Waititi-directed feature-film version of this story coming to cinemas soon, here’s our review of the original 2014 documentary of the same name, Next Goal Wins from directors Mike Brett and Steve Jamison. In 2001, American Samoa made history by receiving what was then the worst loss in football history during a qualifying […]

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22nd Nov2023

‘Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles’ Review (Amazon Prime)

by James Rodrigues

Featuring: Anthony Field, Murray Cook, Greg Page, Jeff Fatt, Jackie Cannizzaro, Evie Ferris, Lachlan Gillespie, Tsehay Hawkins, Caterina Mete | Directed by Sally Aitken Described as The Beatles for toddlers, The Wiggles are an Australian musical group who were once the country’s top entertainment earners – making more than stars like Russell Crowe and Nicole […]

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21st Nov2023

‘Flashback’ Review (Netflix)

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Jemma Moore, Amar Chadha-Patel, Haley Bishop, Malik Ibheis, Maya Graham, Teddy Linard, Scroobius Pip | Written and Directed by Jed Shepherd A yoga instructor, after a violent attack at her home, sees flashbacks of her life and begins a frantic race through her past to try to save her boyfriend. Fresh off his segment […]

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14th Nov2023

‘Butchers Crossing’ VOD Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Nicolas Cage, Fred Hechinger, Jeremy Bobb, Paul Raci, Xander Berkeley, Rachel Keller, Amber Rose Mason | Written by Gabe Polsky, Liam Satre-Meloy | Directed by Gabe Polsky Kansas, 1874. In a letter to his father, Will Andrews (Fred Hechinger) details his decision to leave Harvard and travel west, searching for a purpose while exploring […]

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14th Nov2023

Rewind: ‘Passing’ Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, Alexander Skarsgård, André Holland | Written by Rebecca Hall, Nella Larsen | Directed by Rebecca Hall After a career delivering tremendous performances, Rebecca Hall steps behind the camera for her feature debut as writer/director. Unfolding in black-and-white from the opening logos, the story begins with muffled voices and smudged visuals […]

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02nd Nov2023

FilmBath Festival: ‘Poor Things’ Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Vicki Pepperdine, Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael | Written by Tony McNamara | Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos Ever since he made a splash with 2009’s Dogtooth, Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos has been considered an exciting voice in cinema, resulting in accolades and award nominations for his disturbing and absurdist […]

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01st Nov2023

Rewind: ‘Veronica (2017)’ Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Sandra Escacena, Bruna González, Claudia Placer, Iván Chavero, Ana Torrent, Consuelo Trujillo, Ángela Fabián, Carla Campra, Chema Adeva | Written by Paco Plaza, Fernando Navarro, Coral Cruz | Directed by Paco Plaza Opening the film on 15th June 1991, [REC] co-director Paco Plaza sets the scene with a distressing phone call where a panicked […]

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27th Oct2023

‘Bite’ VOD Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Shian Denovan, Nansi Nsue, Annabelle Lanyon, Stuart Sessions, Anthony Ilott, Noah James, Jack Loy, Jimmy Vee | Written by James Owen, Tom Critch | Directed by James Owen After a failed theft at a dog fighting ring, con artist couple Nina (Shian Denovan) and Yaz (Nansi Nsue) must escape a dangerous criminal pursuing them. The […]

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27th Oct2023

‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Russell Crowe, Franco Nero, Ralph Ineson, Daniel Zovatto, Paloma Bloyd | Written by Michael Petroni, Evan Spiliotopoulos | Directed by Julius Avery In 2020, Screen Gems acquired the rights to the story of Father Gabriele Amorth, the Italian priest who reportedly performed over 100,000 exorcisms for the Vatican. Ángel Gómez was originally hired as […]

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26th Oct2023

‘8 Found Dead’ VOD Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Jenny Tran, Alisha Soper, William Gabriel Grier, Aly Trasher, Eddy Acosta, Tim Simek, Rosanne Limeres, Patrick Joseph Rieger, Laura Buckles | Written by Jonathan Buchanan | Directed by Travis Greene Opening his feature debut across a long stretch of road, director Travis Greene showcases the isolated location where the story will unfold. Arriving at […]

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26th Oct2023

Rewind: ‘Tetsuo II: Body Hammer’ Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Tomorô Taguchi, Shinya Tsukamoto, Nobu Kanaoka, Sujin Kim, Hideaki Tezuka, Tomoo Asada, Iwata, Keinosuke Tomioka | Written and Directed by Shinya Tsukamoto After kickstarting his career with 1989’s Tetsuo: The Iron Man, writer/director Shinya Tsukamoto returned to the Japanese body horror series 3 years later with Tetsuo II: Body Hammer – an unconnected sequel which […]

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17th Oct2023

Rewind: ‘Funny Games (1997)’ Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Ulrich Mühe, Susanne Lothar, Stefan Clapczynski, Arno Frisch, Frank Giering | Written and Directed by Michael Haneke An innocuous sight opens this feature from writer/director Michael Haneke, as a car travels while containing the Schober family – made up of husband Georg (Ulrich Mühe), wife Anna (Susanne Lothar), young son Georgie (Stefan Clapczynski), and […]

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11th Oct2023

Rewind: ‘Tetsuo: The Iron Man’ Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Tomorô Taguchi, Kei Fujiwara, Nobu Kanaoka, Shinya Tsukamoto, Renji Ishibashi, Naomasa Musaka | Written and Directed by Shinya Tsukamoto After spending his youth creating short films and entering experimental theatre, Shinya Tsukamoto made an indelible mark on Japanese horror cinema with his feature debut, Tetsuo: The Iron Man. The writer/director/producer/editor also appears on-screen as a […]

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09th Oct2023

‘Blackberry’ Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Jay Baruchel, Matt Johnson, Glenn Howerton, Kelly Van der Burg, Laura Cilevitz, Martin Donovan, Saul Rubinek, Stephanie Moran | Written by Matt Johnson, Matthew Miller | Directed by Matt Johnson Loosely adapting Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff’s book Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry, director/co-writer […]

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04th Oct2023

Rewind: ‘Cruising’ Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Richard Cox, Richard Cox, Don Scardino, Joe Spinelli, Jay Acovone, Randy Jurgensen, Barton Heyman, Gene Davis | Written by William Friedkin, Gerald Walker | Directed by William Friedkin Within the filmography of the late William Friedkin, one of the most controversial works he delivered was Cruising. Set during […]

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