Phantasm (1979) Review

This cult classic is certainly an interesting one...

The beginning is structurally very odd and feels a bit jumbled, but it soon finds it's footing and has heaps of intrigue which manages to keep you engaged throughout, revealing little details as it goes on but never fully explaining everything before delivering a sort of fakeout ending that links the film to themes of grieving and dealing with loss that gives it a psychological edge (which of course is dissipated in the sequels).

It's also got quite a good score on the go which is very reminiscent of music Goblin would produce for Dario Argento.

Characters do make some questionable decisions )particularly the main kid), The acting isn't the best and the atmosphere is inconsistent but Phantasm is a strange and enjoyable horror that's got a bit of unique vibe going for it which makes it clear why it became a cult favourite and spawned a franchise.

the Tall Man may not be the scariest of guys, but actor Angus Scrimm manages to give the character an intimating presence that certainly made an impact. ***1/2

Johnny English Strike Again (2018) Review

With this type of movie it's best just to go in and see how much fun you can have, cause at the end of the day these films are just a string of comedy set-pieces connected together by a very basic plot..
With that being said I certainly did get a few good laughs out of this, particularly in a sequence involving VR, although there was also a fair amount of comedy that fell dead on it's arse too, but may have got a chuckle out of child me.

So yeah I found the film to be  mildly amusing with a slight charm, but these films have never aspired to be more than just some pleasant passing entertainment and that's really all it is, just more of the same kinda of stuff rehashed with added elements like Johnny being out of touch and old school.

I guess you're enjoyment of this will come down to your connection to the character and sense of humour. I personally have attachment due to being a fan of the first movie when I was a kid, so even if there's barely anything to it, I've got no issues with a simple spy spoof that will have me smiling every now and again. **1/2

Venom (2018) Review

There's a good movie lurking somewhere in Venom's back gooey depths and it lies specifically in the fun Venom/Eddie Brock dynamic that serves to be the films main highlight. Tom Hardy is clearly having fun in his role which is why it mainly works well and serves to be enjoyable.
The CGI is also fine but does get a bit messy at times particularly in the climactic fight but I don't think the editing helped with that either.

My point though is that I liked the portrayal of venom here, It's just a shame that its' all wrapped in a bog standard story and some messy craftsmanship leaving you with a film that is kinda entertaining but mostly lackluster.

May have just been better if they just did a spider-man film with this venom, the problem with origin origin films is that the majority of them go down similar paths and they just don't end up being interesting enough, so I wouldn't call Venom outright bad, it's  just very meh. **1/2
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A Simple Favor (2018) Review

take some of the hunour and tone of Paul Feig's previous films and mix it with Gone Girl and this is what you get. A fun little thriller that is based on a novel from last year which looks a lot more serious than this film ended up being.
But it's the playful tongue and cheek tone that really makes this work especially with it getting a little farcical towards the end. Though I'm sure there are fans of the novel who are displeased with this deviation which is fair.

The film is ripe with twists and turns that keep it interesting, some more surprising than others and it does a good job of leading you  in a few directions to make you guess what going on before the big reveals finally come in, though it arguably maybe takes a tad too long for the reveals to come through as my interest did wane a little bit in the middle before getting hooked right in.

Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick both put on very solid central performances playing contrasting characters that both have things that their hiding beneath and the supporting cast was pretty good too.

In the end what you get is a solid thriller with an intriguing story and a good dose of humour that may not have the heft and weight of gone girl but still provides an all around fun time. Probably Feig's finest film to date.. ***1/2

BlacKKKlansman (2018) Review

Before this I only ever seen one Spike Lee film...the Oldboy remake. Of course that movie turned out to be trash but I was always curious to check out Lee's good stuff and luckily I got a glimpse of that with Lee's latest film BlacKKKlansman which turned out to be rather excellent.

The film is based on the true story of a black detective in the 1970's who with help from his team try to infiltrate and expose the local Klu Klutz Klan residing in Colorado springs.

Now though it is based on a true story there are of course creative liberties that are taken to make things more interesting but without sacrificing the stories validity or things Spike may be trying to say.

Spike also balances the tone here tremendously well consistently switching the line between serious and funny.The best example of this being the KKK, the way they are represented is often quite farcical and not in a forced way but just inherently with their words and actions, but then there are also times where what they say and do is deeply discomforting.

Spike also does a great job of comparing and contrasting the KKK with the Black power movement which again reinforces the ridiculousness of the former, though Spike also doesn't shy away from a few of the negative aspects that were prevalent in the latter.

Spike is also clear to remind us of the racial issues we face in the modern day with a very serious and hard hitting ending which many may argue as preachy but it's Spike just enforcing his point and wanting a change.

This is all also backed up by some great acting with a cast that includes John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier and Topher Grace among others all of who put on strong performances.

What Spike Lee has crafted here is great movie that has power and social relevance and whilst you can argue that certain scenes go on longer than they need to do, I personally found the film to be a compelling  experience from start to finish. ****1/2

Star Trek: the Motion Picture (1979) Review

The first in the original Star Trek film series and it's a very good one indeed.
Here Captain Kirk and his original enterprise crew reunite to investigate a huge strange energy cloud that is making its way towards earth.
It's a rather simple story but it's soaked in intrigue and kept me engaged throughout it's over 2 hour runtime as the mystery of the cloud and whatever lurks inside it are slowly unravelled.
It's almost devoid of any action which I've seen pop-up as a criticism but I really never found it a problem since I found the story compelling enough and helped by the fact that it's well acted by everyone.

There's also some great visual stuff on the go especially when they finally reveal what is hiding in the cloud with some solid set design and effects on the go, Yeah quite a bit of it look dated but it all still retains a certain charm to them and has some really cool bits.
I will admit that they do seem to stretch out a couple of these effects sequences longer than they maybe should have but i never found it much of hindrance.

But that's because it;s all accompanied by Jerry Goldsmiths fantastic score, the exact kind of majestic film score that helps keep you hooked and it's very clear to see why he ended up scoring a load of other Star trek stuff with even a slight variation of main theme from this film being used as the main them for the Next Generation series.

Overall the plot may be too thin and basic for a lot of people to enjoy but I still found it be very well executed and enjoyable making for a really solid bit of sci-fi. ***1/2

Diagnosis: Death (2010) Review

Here's a low budget New Zealand horror comedy featuring Rhys Darby, Jermain Clement and Brett Mckenzie from the  Flight of the Conchords TV Show. however despite being the main selling point they only feature in small roles which make up the best moments of the film.

As for the rest of the movie...well it's very messy but somewhat fun. It is pretty simple kind of mysery/ghost film, the pacing is all over the place and horror elements are very bare and generic but there are couple of good bloody moments in there towards the end.
There's also some awkward sexual stuff and speaking of awkward the acting from the two main characters is pretty clunky and some their interactions sound a bit unnatural.
I did enjoy the performance of the Suze Tye though who plays Nurse Magaret Bates she worked well and was fun in her role.

So yeah overall I think there's enough in there to find enjoyment, it's not that funny but still provides a couple of laughs and it's clunky execution is entertaining in it's own way. Just don't expect much from it. **1/2