Knock At The Cabin (2023) - Movie Review

Like with M. Night Shyamalan’s last film Old, the premise here is the kind of high-concept story that wouldn’t look out of place in an SF anthology series like The Twilight Zone. While vacationing in a remote cabin in the woods, couple Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge) along with their adopted daughter Wen (Kristen Cui) receive the titular Knock from four strangers (Dave Bautista, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Abby Quinn, and Rupert Grint). Under the impression that the world is about to end, they tell the couple that there is only one chance to avert the apocalypse: One of the family has to die, and it has to be by a loved one’s hand.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) - Movie Review

In response to the myriad of fan theories about the secret meanings behind the Beatles’ music (backmasking, “Paul is dead”, that kind of shit), John Lennon wrote the song Glass Onion, which would be included on the group’s self-titled White Album. It’s basically a troll set to music, referencing other Beatles songs to give fuel to the people who think that they intentionally put in all these cryptic messages in their art... when in reality, it meant pretty much fuck-all. Many layers, but all of them see-through right down to the core: a glass onion.

Army Of The Dead (2021) - Movie Review

Now that Zack Snyder seems to be in a better place creatively, I think it’s time to check out his other feature that came out this year. But while the build-up to Justice League involved years of socially-driven momentum right up to the release of the Snyder Cut, part of me has always been more interested in this effort of his. As much as I love just about anything to do with superheroes, combining two other genres that I adore (heist flicks and zombie flicks) was bound to grab my attention, regardless of who was behind it. And after how much ZSJL genuinely impressed me, I’m actually excited to see if he can deliver on what might be the single most tempting feature-length release that has taken place since I started this blog. No pressure, Zack.

My Spy (2020) - Movie Review

In 2008, when Dwayne Johnson’s star as an actor was beginning its initial rise, Peter Segal’s take on the classic spy show Get Smart gave The Artist Who Wants Us To Stop Calling Him The Rock a proper shot at the mainstream, beyond his previous stardom as a wrestler. A little over a decade later, Segal seems to be on a similar tear, stepping back into the comedic spy game with Dave Bautista, the latest success story in that WWE-to-the-big-screen transition and, between crowd-pleasers like his work as Drax The Destroyer in the MCU and critical darlings like his opening role in Blade Runner 2049, this should be a slam dunk. Unfortunately, this latest attempt at carving out Bautista’s place in a more family-friendly lane is a major fizzler.

Stuber (2019) - Movie Review

It’s mismatched buddy cop flick time again. He’s a cop with visual impairment who is trying to juggle work and family. He’s an Uber driver who finds himself on the ride of his life. And when the two meet, hijinks ensue. It’s the same ‘human brick wall paired with meek funnyman’ formula that gave us Central Intelligence a few years back, a film where the casting is one of the only consistently good things about the whole production. Thankfully, today’s feature manages to keep that casting boost while giving them a story that… well, it ain’t the best, but it lets the two leads do what they do best.

Bushwick (2017) - Movie Review

The plot: When Lucy (Brittany Snow) steps off the subway into Bushwick, New York, she unknowingly enters a war zone. A new civil war has broken out, with unknown military factions fighting on the streets, chaos and gunfire turning what was once home into a battleground. After being rescued by ex-Marine Stupe (Dave Bautista), Lucy sets out to find her family and, hopefully, make it to the demilitarized zone and escape this carnage.

Blade Runner 2049 (2017) - Movie Review

Blade Runner isn’t just a good film or even a great film; it is one of the few genuinely important science fiction films. Setting in stone the cyberpunk/neo-noir aesthetic that would give franchises like The Terminator their most iconic moments, its approach to both world-building and thematic context is one of the first real instances of the wider mainstream audience seeing that maybe there’s something to ‘genre’ films beyond just visceral nonsense. It took me a couple of viewings for it to really sink in, and I wouldn’t call it one of my all-time favourites or anything, but it’s a film that I have an entire truckload of respect for. This is one of those situations where making a sequel could turn out disastrously badly, much like most other attempts to make a follow-up to a decades-old film. 

However, after seeing director Denis Villeneuve make a triumphant step into the realms of SF with Arrival, which is still one of the single best films of the last several years, I have enough faith in him to pull this one off. Probably helps that not only is writer Hampton Francher returning from the original but he’s also aided by co-writer Michael Green, who helped give us Logan, a film that I am slowly starting to develop an even greater understanding of and appreciation for. Maybe this will turn out okay; it’s already being heralded as one of the greatest sequels of all time. Will I agree or will I have to be the bearer of bad news? Get out your torches and pitchforks, because I can already tell this is going to get ugly.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) - Movie Review

 

Out of all the Marvel Cinematic Universe we have gotten so far, from the politically-driven thrills of Captain America to the Objectivist musings of Iron Man, 2014’s Guardians Of The Galaxy still stands as my personal favourite of the lot. Hell, my defence for Suicide Squad likely came from how much it reminded me of Guardians in both tone and intent. Apart from what people have come to expect from a modern Marvel film, like the pitch-perfect casting and the industry connections to some of the greatest effects wizards working today, it also opened the gates for a more bizarre and kitschy brand of superhero story, one that director/co-writer James Gunn was more than apt to tell.

 

Despite how late this review ultimately is, with the film in question being out for quite a while before I finally got around to it, I was definitely eager to see just how it would measure up to the original that I hold in quite high regard. Once again, this is the year that sees fit to kick audiences square in their expectations, so here’s hoping for a solid project.