Cinema Effect

Studio Ghibli is no doubt a legendary force in the history of animated filmmaking, regardless of how you wish to pronounce their name. That's why it's so exciting to review Miyazaki's 1997 classic, Princess Mononoke. Ashitaka is our lone protagonist cursed by a demon and subsequently banished by his tribe. Accompanied by his amazing red Elk Yakul, he must embark on a quest to stop the conflict bre...

Our webslinger franchise reviews continue with Sam Raimi's 2004 sequel, Spider-Man 2. Peter Parker has terrible time management skills and feels he can't help significantly improve peoples lives as Spider-Man. So he gives it up and is immediately much happier. But when brilliant scientist Otto Octavius is turned evil by his (bizarrely) sentient robotic arms, a hero must step up to stop him. And I...

We welcome co-directors the Safdie brothers to Cinema Effect lore for the first time with their 2019 Netflix hit Uncut Gems. Howard Rattner is an obsessive gambler and jewel store owner in Manhattan who is in a lot of debt. That's all the setup you need in preparation to embark on an 135 minute viewing experience filled with constant chaos and stress. You've never seen Adam Sandler in a role like...

A film that seems to have found a following in the cult horror genre is American Mary. Released in 2012, the parents of the sibling directors remortgaged their house to help finance this movie. Was it worth it? Well that's up to you to decide... Who are we kidding, the movie isn't good. But I can't be bothered typing a summary here. Just hit play and we'll tell you all about the terrible audio, po...

Netflix is back at it again releasing an original picture from Antoine Fuqua, The Guilty. The remake of a foreign film and shot entirely during COVID (the director had to work on this movie entirely while in isolation), it follows Jake Gyllenhaal trying to stop and solve a kidnapping as an emergency services operator. The story is confined to a single set, and in essence involves the lead actor si...

Following a turbulent seven year production and multiple delays, a team of animators were finally able to bring their entirely hand-drawn anime film Redline to the screen. What's going on in this film you may ask? Well every racer in the galaxy wants to win the incredibly prestigious Redline. But a bunch of robots won't allow it, and will wage intergalactic war on the race itself. The art style co...

In 2002, Sam Raimi helmed a tentpole film in the history of the now incredibly saturated comic book genre, with his original Spider-Man. Tobey Maguire delivers a... divisive performance as Peter Parker, a dorky teenager who gets bitten by a radioactive spider. But you know the drill. After more reboots and interpretations of the character than anyone can keep straight, we go back to where it all b...

Steven Spielberg returns to the show as we review his 2002 crime biography, Catch Me If You Can. Based on true events, Frank (our mate Leo DiCaprio) is a very naughty young man who commits fraud and poses as an airline pilot, and surgeon, among other high ranking professions. But he's being chased across 1960's USA by FBI agent Carl (Jayden's favourite actor Tom Hanks). The story that follows capt...

Danny Boyle's Best Picture winning film Slumdog Millionaire released in 2008. A regular teenager from Mumbai performs incredibly well on 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?'. But how did he know the answers? Was he cheating? And why did he go on the show? All questions the movie answers, while providing the audience with an authentic look at suburban life for the lower class in India. And who could fo...

Prime Time is a new Netflix film which comes to us from Poland. Sebastian is a young maybe 20 year-old dude who decides to take a live television production hostage on New Year's Eve 1999. There's some great tense scenes in the movie, and it makes some bold choices in choosing to keep the main character's motivations vague, which we certainly had some thoughts about. Plus, we talk about all of you...

The trilogy reaches its climactic conclusion! War For The Planet Of The Apes tells the final chapter in Caesar's story, once again with Matt Reeves at the helm. With the Apes amid an escalating conflict with surviving human factions, tragedy strikes Caesar's family at the hands of The Colonel (Woody Harrelson), prompting our protagonist to embark on a journey of retaliation. This movie is packed w...

None other than Marty Scorsese (you may know him as Martin) returns to the show, as we analyse his 2002 crime epic Gangs Of New York. Back when the world was black and white in 1840 something, Daniel Day-Lewis' Bill The Butcher killed Liam Neeson and defeated his Irish gang in the street. But Neeson's fake son Leonardo DiCaprio survived and is all grown up now, creating a pretty standard revenge t...

Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain star in 2014's A Most Violent Year. In this crime thriller, Isaac delivers a sensational performance as New York City businessman Abel Morales, who finds himself pushed to his moral limits when under pressure from his competitors, business partners, and the law. This underappreciated film has a lot going for it in its story, characters, photography, and score. Chec...

We're actually doing it. American Psycho is a pseudo-comedy following wealthy "investment banker" Patrick Bateman, as he seeks to simultaneously hide and indulge both his seismic ego and uncontrollable desire to kill. Featuring some crazy hilarious moments and a breakthrough performance from Christian Bale, there may actually be more than meets the eye with this picture. And for an analysis long-a...

As we continue reviewing the modern Planet Of The Apes trilogy, it is with this second entry that Matt Reeves jumps on board as director. Dawn is set a decade after Rise, and in that time humanity has collapsed, leaving the Apes to thrive in their new community. But that changes when conflict arises with the human survivors. Join us as we fanboy over Reeves' story and visuals in the film, and in N...

The first film from Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's production company is 2018's Slaughterhouse Rulez, and they just happen to star in it as well. Slaughterhouse is a bonkers private school where all kinds of crazy stuff goes down. Not the least of which is a mutant monster outbreak, which our student and teacher protagonists must survive. It's very goofy, but there's no doubt plenty of fun to be had....

Netflix's first ever original Australian film is Cargo. Martin Freeman stars as a father roaming post-apocalyptic Australia in search of someone to take care of his daughter. Along the way he meets a variety of characters varying in morality and intrigue. This film was hit or miss in a lot of areas, but we always love giving appreciation to Australian productions and our local talent! But don't fo...

The time has come to review Pixar's latest film, a Disney+ Original titled Luca. In a world where shape-shifting Sea Monsters dwell on the coast of Italy, two boys who wish to explore the world forge an unlikely friendship. But to achieve their dream they must win a junior iron man competition to afford a "Faya" scooter. Plus, we discuss the new teaser for The Witcher: Season 2, and our most re-wa...

This week we dive deep into filmmaker Woody Allen's classical presentation, and foray into time travel, with Midnight In Paris. Owen Wilson is on vacation in Paris. He discovers he is able to travel back in time to the city in the 1920s, explore his favourite time period in history, and speak with his literary idols directly. How could you not be sold?! The film packs plenty of humour, wit, and na...

We kickstart our monthly reviews for the modern Planet Of The Apes trilogy with 2011's Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (it's a bit of a mouthful innit). In this origin story showcasing the beginning of the Apes' revolution on Earth, pre-defamed James Franco raises a hyper intelligent chimp named Caesar. Essentially Caesar goes on to be treated poorly by Draco Malfoy (who would've thought) and bring...

David Fincher is one of our favourite directors, and we're excited to now call him an "official" friend of the show. His 2014 thriller, Gone Girl, sees Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike starring in quite the mystery. When a man's wife goes missing, he is naturally suspected of foul play. But what actually happened to her? Featuring twists and turns, alongside Fincher's trademark visual approach, the e...

John Krasinski returns with the sequel to his beloved 2018 horror flick, A Quiet Place Part II. In this post-apocalyptic world, aliens with super hearing (but no sight) hunt all remaining human life. The only chance of survival for the Abbott family is to keep quiet, now with the additional help of Cillian Murphy! But since that they have a baby to take care of, that just became quite difficult. I...

Netflix presents Zack Snyder's latest film, Army Of The Dead. What happens when a zombie outbreak occurs in Las Vegas, and the entire city is blocked off from the rest of the world? Well you've got to send in a team of bad asses to retrieve the millions of dollars left in the city, for the heist of the century! Featuring the director's trademark visuals and a bunch of genre tropes, this movie did...

This week it's time to conclude our reviews for the Bourne franchise with it's latest 2016 entry, simply titled Jason Bourne. Matt Damon is back (sorry Jeremy Renner)! But this time he's outshined by other members of the ridiculously stacked cast. Unfortunately the story these characters are apart of is pretty forgettable compared to the original trilogy of films. However, there's still some fun t...

Steven Spielberg's 2002 sci-fi crime film, Minority Report, stars our podcast's most valued actor, Tom Cruise. Based on a Phillip K. Dick story, it's set in a future where a police program called Precrime is able to predict any murder before it happens, allowing Tom and co. to prevent these crimes just in time. But when the program predicts he himself will kill a total stranger imminently, he must...