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Showing posts from April, 2023

Evil Dead Rise Review

  Certificate: 18 Running time: 96 minutes  Starring: Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, Nell Fisher Directed by: Lee Cronin The story: When a group of siblings discover a mysterious book, they have no idea of the hell that is about to be unleashed upon their unsuspecting family. The verdict: For the majority of my life I have avoided horror films like the plague. The few I had the misfortune of watching growing up, did their job aptly by horrifying me. So if anyone had told me that one day I’d count horror as one of my favourite genres, I’d have laughed (albeit nervously). I mention the above because when I first saw the trailer for Evil Dead Rise, I was transported back to my pre-horror self. The trailer was terrifying enough - this might be a step too far I thought. Who was I kidding though? Of course I found myself seated in a screening,  ready to watch through my fingers if I had to.  Evil Dead Rise opens with one of my favourite title reveals

Rye Lane Review

  Certificate: 15 Running time: 82 minutes  Starring: David Jonsson, Vivian Oparah, Karene Peter, Benjamin Sarpong-Broni Directed by: Raine Allen-Miller The story: Two twenty- somethings, both getting over breakups in their own way, find a connection over one fateful day in South London. The verdict: Forget your multiverses and multiple timelines, set aside your blockbuster budgets and CGI - sometimes what an audience really needs is a simple story done really well. And Rye Lane is just that and a whole lot more.  Yas and Dom’s day begins with a meet-cute in some unisex toilets, of all places. Dom is crying and wants privacy, Yas points out that it isn’t the most private of places and just like that the audience is immediately on board with this likeable pair.  What follows is a day of getting to know each other as they navigate their newly broken hearts. With the crying and the pain of broken relationships, Rye Lane might sound like a melancholy affair but oh how it’s not. I grinn

Winne the Pooh: Blood and Honey Review

  Certificate: 18 Running time: 84 minutes  Starring: Nikolai Leon, Maria Taylor, Craig David Dowsett, Chris Cordell  Directed by: Rhys Frake-Waterfield The story: Pooh and Piglet seek revenge after their friend Christopher Robin abandons then to go to college. The verdict: Filmmaking is no easy business. You need lots of funds and lots of sandwiches, and all manner of other things. With that thought in mind, and knowing the independent roots of this project, I tried very hard throughout this to look for the positives. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey opens with an animated sequence which is actually really well done. A narrator sets the scene and everything has a very storybook like feel. We then switch to live action as we meet Christopher Robin returning to the One Hundred Acre Woods with his wife. There is an underlying feeling of foreboding and the audience eagerly awaits the moment Christopher Robin will be reunited with his childhood friends - so far, so good.  At this poin

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Review

  Certificate: 12A Running time: 134 minutes  Starring: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, RegĂ©-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Hugh all Grant Directed by: John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein The story: A group of adventurers embark upon a quest to retrieve a lost relic.  The verdict: I am of the opinion that the world needs more fantasy films and so what could be better than a film based on the most quintessential of fantasy games - Dungeons and Dragons.  Chris Pine leads our story and he is in winsome mode as a bard along with Michelle Rodriguez as his no nonsense, Barbarian best friend. They are joined by Justice Smith as an insecure sorcerer and Sophia Lillis as a distrustful Druid.  As with the game, the film brings together a ragtag team of characters all with their own unique personalities, abilities and backstories. With this blend of characters, it is easy for everyone to have a favourite to root for and overall I really liked the chemistry between the intrepid