Cinema Effect

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...

Netflix has recently released The Mitchells vs The Machines, a new Sony Pictures Animation film. The plot follows a family of four as they mend their relationship, while simultaneously saving planet Earth from killer robots. In the same vein as Into The Spider-Verse, the art style has plenty of personality. But its other story and humour elements were slightly contentious amongst us. Plus, we deci...

It's time to get your weeb on, because this week we're reviewing Shinkai directed anime film, Weathering WITH You. Embark on a wild adventure with Hodaka, a runaway Japanese teen, as he continuously evades the police, causes a catastrophic explosion in the heart of Tokyo, and befriends a girl with weather powers. With this movie I think we can all agree on two things: it's very pretty, and the dir...

Marvel Studios just completed their second Disney+ original series, all about MCU characters Falcon and The Winter Soldier. The world has been in a bit of a mess since half of everyone got "Thanosed", and old mate Steve Rogers teleported to the moon. In the aftermath, the two titular characters work to stop a terrorist group called The Flag Smashers alongside some unexpected allies, and simultaneo...

We have officially moved past the original Bourne trilogy in our franchise reviews, which means it's time to talk about The Bourne Legacy. This spin-off stars Jeremy Renner as another government agent being hunted because of Jason's actions in The Bourne Ultimatum threatening to expose the Treadstone program. If you think that sounds cool, just wait until you watch the movie. Edward Norton is also...

Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann brings us his 2008 movie, creatively titled Australia. Nicole Kidman plays a British aristocrat who travels to Darwin and falls in love with Hugh Jackman. They find themselves having to transport 1500 cattle across the Northern Territory to save their land, all while a young boy who hangs around with them evades capture and discovers his identity. But don't forget...

Argo won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2013. Directed by and starring Ben Affleck, the film is based on a real CIA operation aimed at rescuing six US citizens from Iran in 1980, under the guise of a movie production crew. It's a fun thriller with memorable moments and performances from the likes of John Goodman, Alan Arkin, and Bryan Cranston. It does however take some liberties in its his...

The latest blockbuster to release worldwide is Godzilla vs. Kong, which we were fortunate enough to experience in a theatre! The fourth movie in the MonsterVerse sees these two titans of cinema history go head to head in a city destroying fight because... the title of the movie says so. There's plenty of action, characters, and cheesiness to break down in this one. Plus, we (sort of) definitively...

This week, Paul Greengrass once again directs the conclusion to the original Bourne trilogy, The Bourne Ultimatum. Still suffering from the traumas of his past life as an elite assassin, Jason embarks on a globe-trotting mission to uncover the truth behind his origins and who he was before Treadstone. There's a lot of great stuff to breakdown in this fast-paced thriller, so strap in! Plus, we give...

Black Swan is a critically acclaimed and audience beloved drama/thriller, centring on the Swan Lake ballet. Natalie Portman delivers an Academy Award winning lead performance as an immature dancer who must embrace her dark side to fulfil her potential on-stage. Director Darren Aronofsky doesn't disappoint at bringing his abstract and psychological storytelling to this film. Plus, we break down the...

For a third time we dive into the world of Paul Thomas Anderson, with his 2002 romantic comedy/drama, Punch-Drunk Love. Adam Sandler plays Barry, an anxious and lonely business owner who meets and falls in love with Lena (Emily Watson). But he must simultaneously deal with being harassed by Phillip Seymour Hoffman and his sex call scam. Let's break down the unique visuals, great direction, and liv...