Marcel The Shell With Shoes On (2022) - Movie Review

With how many films I actively seek out regardless of it sparking any initial interest for me personally, especially at this time of the year, trailers don’t really register with me these days. I don’t pay much attention to them outside of the context of the cinema, and even then, I usually just end up seeing the same two or three on repeat for a good few weeks’ worth of sessions.

The trailer for this film, though, is a major exception to that. As much as I'm starting to realise that getting me to cry over a piece of media isn’t that difficult to do, being the big softy I am, I can’t recall another instance where I got to that stage just from the trailer. Because of that, this is one of those situations where, even if I weren’t going out to see every movie I can, this would still be a priority to check out as soon as possible. And when I finally did… I… I get the feeling I’ll be processing this one for a while.

Halloween Kills (2021) - Movie Review

Something about this film’s mere existence is bothersome, without even getting into the content. After how cleanly the 2018 film dealt with the franchise’s continuity baggage, and how it managed to tell a story that felt just right when put next to the original, the sheer notion of continuing from there feels off. I don’t like the idea of this turning into the very clutter it trimmed out last time, and unfortunately, quite a bit of this feels like clutter. And yet, even with that in mind, I still can’t bring myself to hate, or do much of anything but be satisfied with what I got. Confused yet? Yeah, me too, so let’s try and sort this mess out together.

The Land Of Steady Habits (2018) - Movie Review

Well, this certainly makes for a change of pace. Ben Mendelsohn, an actor I’ve covered numerous times before on here depicting some of the worst kinds of people imaginable, has taken a step into mid-life crisis dramedy. Not gonna lie, after seeing him in Una, I don’t think it’s even possible to see Mendelsohn on-screen without a rolling chill down the spine.

But it’s because of these very situations that typecasting is understood as such a negative practice, and it’s not like anyone really wants to be most associated with the power-hungry, callous and fucking despicable characters Mendelsohn is mainly known for these days. So, really, seeing him in a different setting should turn out to be a good thing, especially since it seems to be a really damn good fit for him.

Brain On Fire (2018) - Movie Review

When making films based on real events, one-in-a-million stories are a safe go-to. And considering a certain level of medical curiosity prevails in the film industry (this is why mental conditions are easy Oscar hopefuls), putting the two together can mean shedding cinematic light on disorders and diseases that the layman hasn’t heard of before. From early-onset Alzheimer’s to anaesthetic awareness to, as this particular film focuses on, anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, these types of medical conditions can serve as an empathic gateway, giving audiences a look at the perspective of someone going through something that few others have.

Kong: Skull Island (2017) - Movie Review

Japan has a certain monopoly on classic city-shredding monsters, what with the king of monsters Godzilla and his rogue’s gallery well and truly ingrained in the popular consciousness. But damn it all if the West doesn’t have its own colossal champion which also represents quite a few milestones for the art of cinema: The big bad gorilla King Kong. Whether it’s the ground-breaking effects work of the 1933 original, the years-in-the-making passion project of Peter Jackson’s 2005 version, to the 1960 introduction between the beasts in King Kong Vs. Godzilla, the Eighth Wonder of the World has quite a colourful history. I’ll admit that I’m not as big into giant monster movies as I probably should be, but I am at least willing to hear it out… even if the trailers didn’t exactly instil hope for this one. So, as we delve into the next step in yet another cinematic universe, how does it hold up? This is Kong: Skull Island.

Me And Earl And The Dying Girl (2015) - Movie Review

You know the phrase “You can’t judge a book by its cover”? Well, in keeping with our innate fear of that which is strange and/or different, this is something we still do, myself included. Namely, every so often, a film title will pop out and make me go “Um… no.” purely on how the name sounds. This isn’t even a matter of a name sounding weird; after all, I looked at The Human Centipede initially because it sounded so bloody weird. Rather, because some films invoke images of lame that will no doubt irrevocably paint my opinions. Today’s film, based on the title alone, had better be a cinematic remake of Earl Sweatshirt’s epaR or I will be colossally disappointed. Then again, this has gotten some rather lofty accolades since its initial release, and I am in the middle of my year-end catch-up of as many other releases from the past year as possible, so it was inevitable that I would look at this film at some point anyway regardless of my misconceptions.