Cinema Effect

It's time to return to Westworld... Oh wait sorry. HBO cancelled that show. I meant Westeros of course. Because the first Game of Thrones spin-off has arrived. House of the Dragon follows House Targaryen at the height of its power. But naturally during this window of time, it would probably be an understatement to say it looks like some cracks are beginning to emerge, as family beefing and other p...

We deserve a medal! Because the Cinema Effect crew has now watched and reviewed every film in the Ocean's Saga. To cap it all off is the franchise's 2018 reboot/sequel, Ocean's Eight. Can you believe Danny always had a long lost sister?! And her name is Debbie?!! I swear I'm not making this up. Well anyway, with Danny maybe or maybe not dead (most likely due to George Clooney's fee), Debbie exits...

Jaws is a film about a great white shark named Bruce. Bruce lives in the ocean and mins his own business. One day, Bruce thought he saw a juicy meal. Perhaps a yummy Sea Lion. After taking a few bites, he realised it was actually a human swimming in his territory. Following this honest mistake, the humans of the local island community decide to invade Bruce's home. They stop at nothing to hunt Bru...

This is Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder. It's a Vietnam War film. Except it's actually about the making of a Vietnam War film. Expect it's actually a hilarious satirical comedy about the making of a Vietnam War film. But you already know that of course. The movie works extraordinarily well not just because the jokes fit perfectly with the established subject matter and characters. But because the ste...

Jane Campion welcomes you to 1850s New Zealand in her acclaimed film, The Piano. Holly Hunter is Ada, a mute mother who travels with her daughter all the way to Kiwi Land to live with her new husband, Sam Neill. She just happens to be a very talented pianist, and insists on dragging the instrument across the world. Harvey Keitel is also there, and what follows is a bizarre love triangle that left...

This week's film is pretty ancient y'all. So ancient in fact, it was originally banned by the Nazis! Fritz Lang's M hit German theatres in 1931, and at the time of its release was revolutionary for its contributions to sound in cinema, as well as the noir genre. As a collection of spoilt Gen Zers, it's fair to say some of us weren't totally captivated by the experience in 2022. But there's no doub...

It's time to dive into yet another heist movie starring Danny Ocean and the famous cast we've come to enjoy watching despite still not knowing any of their character's names. This time around the crew's old pal Reuben (who had like four minutes screen time in the previous entries) gets absolutely wrecked by Al Pacino, and they all feel bad enough for him to target Pacino's brand new hotel. In an e...

This week we're taking on another Best Picture winner with Kathryn Bigelow's modern warfare drama, The Hurt Locker. War in the Middle East is something we have seen a lot less of in cinema compared to other conflicts, simply because it is ongoing. But this film is on a mission to make up for that by showcasing the hellish reality for soldiers on the ground in Baghdad. Right from the start the view...

Have you ever considered the possibility of children's cells being manipulated pre-birth to ensure certain characteristics. It's a complicated issue. And one that Gattaca deals with quite extensively. In this world, anyone who wasn't genetically engineered to be near physically perfect has formed part of the new underclass. But Ethan Hawke's Vincent won't stand for that, and is hell bent on becomi...

As a result of Hollywood studio MGM being gobbled up by Amazon, Ron Howard's latest film got shat out on Prime Video. It's called Ocean's Thirteen... whoops I mean Thirteen Lives. And it's a biographical drama all about the Thai caves rescue operation from 2018. A bunch of Thai boys got trapped deep in a cave system for a couple of weeks with no way out. Remember that?! If you're unfamiliar with e...

Mr. Daniel Ocean's gang of thieves is back. And this time they have to repay old mate Terry from the first film. Imagine pulling off the greatest heist of all-time, and then a couple years later being asked by the guy you robbed to pay it all back! With interest!! But luckily it turns out they do, in fact, have a plan. Prepare for quite a ride with this movie's often unclear plot, but still very e...

Clint Eastwood returns to his iconic role of The Man with No Name. Except this time he must navigate 1970s San Francisco. And... he actually has a name. Detective Harry Callahan investigates the increasingly violent threat of a psychopath on the loose who goes by the Scorpio Killer, and put a stop to him by any means necessary (even if it means ignoring all rights of the accused). So, is the film...

This week we are reviewing Pride & Prejudice. Not to be confused with the BBC mini series from the 90s starring Colin Firth. Or the 2003 version set in... modern day Utah?! No, this is the 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel directed by Joe Wright. Sparks fly when Keira Knightley meets super rich Mr. Darcy. But Keira doesn't just like the man him for his bags of cash, while Mr. Darc...

Matt Reeves is now a double friend of the show (huge congrats to him) as this week we tackle his 2010 horror remake, Let Me In. In 1980's New Mexico, mysterious murders are committed. And Owen gets a new neighbour in the form of a kinda weird young girl with a secret. That's a pretty poor synopsis, apologies. But I refuse to spoil the movie as IMDB does! Anyway, it's pretty good... at least on the...

Steven Soderbergh makes his Cinema Effect debut as we begin to tackle his iconic series of heist films, starting with Ocean's Eleven. George Clooney plays Danny Ocean, a career criminal who plans to lead some of Hollywood's most recognisable names on a cunning mission to steal over $150 million from Las Vegas's top casinos. The film is certainly a modern classic of the genre, featuring a lot of fu...

Scarface is a Brian De Palma film from 1983 that a lot of people like. Al Pacino is in it. He plays Tony Montana aka Scarface (which he's never called in the movie). The character is an immigrant who dreams of becoming a drug lord. He succeeds. But surprise, surprise it's not all it's cracked up to be. There is also a video game based on Scarface. Which is why we chat about your submissions for th...

One of our favourite filmmakers working today returns to the show! Denis Villeneuve helms an incredible cast and crew in his 2015 outing, Sicario. Emily Blunts joins a mysterious U.S. task force, with Benicio del Toro and lead by Josh Brolin, aimed at deescalating the war on drugs along the Mexican border. But as the film progresses it becomes clear there is some shady stuff going on, as motivatio...

Martin McDonagh's In Bruges is a delightful film which integrates humour into its dark tone masterfully. The movie takes place in, you guessed it, Bruges. But where the hell is Bruges? It's in Belgium, duh. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson predictably deliver expert performances as two hitmen hiding out in the city after a job goes awry. And shout-out to Ralph Fiennes for being an absolute treasu...

We're not a real movie podcast until we've talked in-depth about Bong Joon-ho's best picture winner, Parasite. So why not go all out, and get a couple of guests in to get a mix of perspectives. I shouldn't need to give a synopsis. If you listen to this show, you've probably seen it. It's the highest rated film on Letterboxd for God's sake! In this very episode, the film's exploration of class is a...

The time has come to finish off the Alien franchise with its sixth and final main entry (AvP be damned), Covenant. Why is it called Covenant, I hear you ask? Because the narrative centres on yet another new star ship and its crew. While there's your pretty standard Xenomorph threat (actually it's a PRAETOmorph, sorry Jayden) and subsequent action sequences, the film does hold some surprising conne...

Stephen Chow directs, pens, and stars in his beloved martial arts comedy, Kung Fu Hustle. A man who dreams of becoming a Kung Fu Master really badly wants to join the notorious Axe Gang in 1940's Shanghai. But those people are pretty evil, and another destiny awaits him. With action, choreography and stunts which would make Tarantino envious, and the film's whacky sense of humour, it certainly sta...

Two weeks in a row of comedies! What is going on?! We need a bit of levity in the films we review on the show from time to time. And that is something we can always get from John Hughes' movies. Especially Planes, Trains and Automobiles. In this 80s classic, John Candy and Steve Martin are two strangers who are trying to get home in time for Thanksgiving (which proves to be way harder than it soun...

Who asked for a reboot of Chip 'n Dale? Certainly not us. But Disney+ needs original content, and here we are. But thankfully, this brand new film starring the Rescue Rangers is pretty delightful. Chockful of fun gags, pretty amazing cameos, and memorable performances, the movie really works. And it flies by with its 90 minute runtime. Not to mention its clash of styles is something to behold, fea...

The Alien franchise returns in the modern era with its 2012 prequel, Prometheus. But not only is the series back, it's original visionary Ridley Scott returns to the helm for the first time since the late 1970s. The film follows yet another star ship crew. But this time they're on a mission to discover the origins of mankind. The movie partially divides us, as there are a lot of interesting ideas...

Classic 1974 film Chinatown stars Jack Nicolson as a Los Angeles private detective. After being dragged into some shady events, he takes it upon himself to expose the truth and solve the mystery behind the city's water supply woes. Spoiler alert: the villain is greed and corruption! The movie's screenplay is regarded by many as one of the greatest ever, and is taught in film schools everywhere. Bu...