Joe Bloggs About Films

Growing up, there was a good amount of horror/thrillers to choose from – but none more so impactful or impressionable, for my generation, than the 'Final Destination' series. Having originally been penned as a potential episode of 'The X Files', co-writers James Wong and Glen Morgan repurposed the story into the feature that we all love today – and the franchise has never looked back. The concept...

Marvel’s latest entry 'Thunderbolts*' is a much needed, and frankly brilliant, return to form. It wasn’t at the top of my anticipated list, but its certainly left its mark. Unlike most of the recent MCU releases, this feels raw and sincere with its narrative - whilst also being incredibly fun. The film tackles darker themes which allows for some excellent character exploration of its leads. It’s a...

Alex Garland teams up with Ray Mendoza for their new release 'Warfare'; bringing to the screen Mendoza's real life experience as a Navy SEAL during the Iraq war.. and it is brutal. This boots on the ground, real life/real time viewpoint makes this film stand out higher than any other war film you may have seen before. It is nerve-racking, anxiety inducing, as well as feeling extremely real due to...

Ryan Coogler's 'Sinners' is arguably the filmmakers most ambitious, yet impressive, to date. Diving into American history, the film fully explores those themes of oppression and freedom, whilst also leaving its mark with its bite. It's a film that sets itself apart from the rest due to the execution and talent both on screen and off. Michael B Jordan is tremendous in the dual role of twin brothers...

The directorial debut from Alex Scharfman 'Death of a Unicorn' is a bit of a mixed bag. It has some genuine thrills and comedic moments, but at times it feels that the movie doesn't know what it wants to be and thus doesn't fully stick the landing. The stand out in this one is its fantastic ensemble, including Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Richard E. Grant, Téa Leoni and highlight Will Poulter - all of...

Jack Quaid stars as Nathan Caine; the man who feels no pain within Dan Berk and Robert Olsen's latest release 'Novocaine' - and my goodness is there a lot of fun, and blood, in this one. As action comedies go, this is quite a fresh and original concept. With no pain to worry about, there's also no fear for Quaid's character, as he goes on a one man mission to save the girl of his dreams. The film...

'Last Breath' is the terrifying and extraordinary true story of how deep sea diver, Chris Lemons, was left stranded 100 metres under the sea, with only his back up oxygen to save him. While this story maybe familiar to its audience, its the way in which director Alex Parkinson executes bringing this story to the big screen that is the most impressive. Filming techniques such as wide shots that is...

Returning to the FBI's basement to talk about yet another episode of The X Files. Joined in this revisit by fellow X Files enthusiast Tom Grant-Ward, as we discuss the controversial and only 'banned' episode of the show; Home. Premiering in October 1996, the episode was met with a mixture of applause and disgust due to the graphic nature of the episode and its themes. Horror fans loved it, your av...

Bong Joon-ho returns with his latest release 'Mickey 17'. The film follows Mickey, an expendable worker, that is sent out on dangerous missions and dying for research purposes. I do love some good sci fi - and 'Mickey 17' was neither good, nor bad, its somewhere in the middle that is basically 'ok'. Which given how the trailer made this look like it would be pretty special, it is underwhelming com...

Everyone's favourite serial killer is back... this time younger. Dexter returns to the small screen for the prequel series, aptly titled 'Original Sin', in which fans get an insight into the development of the killer with the code. Its not a show that I was overly keen to watch, nor very excited for - but boy, was I wrong to prejudge. The aesthetic and feel of the show is captured wonderfully, ins...

'The Monkey' couldn't ask for a better set of names attached to the project. Stephen King, the man behind the original short story and an all-round mastermind within the horror genre; James Wan, responsible for some of my all time favourite horrors; and Osgood Perkins, fresh off the back of the successful and unsettling 'Longlegs' from last year. It's a recipe for success, you might say - and 'The...

Captain America returns to the big screen with 'Brave New World'; the latest entry into the once great, now Meh-CU. And it was just fine. The film finally gives audiences the first feature length for Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson, now firmly with his hand around the shield, as he looks to investigate a conspiracy surrounding the new president Thaddeus Ross. Though the film's leads are genuine stando...

From the creative team behind 'Barbarian', comes another very clever thriller that brings an AI twist to the cabin horror subgenre. 'Companion' delivers on a number of levels; the outstanding performance from lead Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quad too in here is devilish and psychotic, the script is tight, but its the films themes of consciousness, technology, as well as controlling relationships, that r...

Following the films premier at the 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, along with its recent Oscar nomination, Adam Elliot's 'Memoir of a Snail' is finally making its way to cinemas worldwide; and it is simply excellent. This mature themed, tragicomedy presents the whirlwind journey for lead character Grace Pudel, from childhood to adulthood, all beautifully and perfectly captured t...

Everyone's friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man returned to the big screen in 2007, with the franchises biggest, and darkest story yet... and ultimately, the worst of the bunch. Though 'Spider-Man 3' delivered at the box office, becoming one of the highest grossing films ever at the time, it was severely criticised by fans and critics, entering into meme territory (thank you, Bully Maguire) thanks to...

'Wolf Man' reunites Leigh Whannell with Universal Pictures, as he once again brings a classic monster into a modern and contemporary setting. Whannell is a writer and filmmaker I have followed since his breakout with 'Saw', and so having him attached to bringing universal monsters to the big screen is a huge win in my eyes. 'The Invisible Man' was a big success, but sadly 'Wolf Man' doesn’t leave...

The highly anticipated 'Squid Game 2' dropped on Netflix over the festive period, bringing audiences back to this world, as more participants enter these wicked and mysterious games. The first season was an overnight sensation, and catapulted the show to becoming a pop culture icon. Now with season 2, the stakes have been raised, as Seong Gi-hun re-enters with the motive of stopping the games once...

Robert Eggers brings us his take and vision on the silent picture from 1922, ‘Nosferatu’, and my goodness it is VERY good. Starting as a passion project back in 2015, Eggers has delivered on bringing audience a terrifyingly gorgeous picture that will lock you in a trance from minute one. The tone and atmosphere are impeccable, as well the stunning sets and costumes, on top of some staggering cinem...

As 2024 comes to a close, it's time to once again unveil my top 10 favourite films of the year! A massive thank you for all the support this year for the podcast - we officially hit 20k downloads this year (which I'm pretty chuffed about) so again, thank you - it means the world! Catch you in 2025.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is Kraven the Hunter, the latest and possibly final entry in this messy Sony-verse of Spider-Man characters. The bar was quite low on the back of the last few releases from Sony, however, Kraven does have its moments that shine. The main highlights from this release is the performance from Taylor-Johnson, who makes Kraven his own, whilst still bringing in that intimidating pre...

Celebrating its 40th Anniversary, Joe Dante's 'Gremlins' is still a film that is adored by all - and a huge staple within pop culture. The film manages to balance the tones of comedy and horror equally to excellent effect, setting it apart from all the rest of horror/comedies - which is one of the many reasons it still is hailed all these years later. Not to mention everything you see is shot on c...

After 24 years, Ridley Scott brings audiences a chance to re-enter the Colosseum for another round, with 'Gladiator II' - and I was indeed entertained. Following the now older, and more hench, Lucius from the first outing, the sequel reminds you what made the first film so epic and mesmerising, whilst also looking to create something new for this current generation. There is that feeling of famili...

Regarded as one of the best superhero films ever, 'Spider-Man 2' took the world by storm with an even bigger story that brought in a tonne of action, along with a superb character study of everyone's favourite nerd, Peter Parker. Whilst the first Spidey flick is still very near and dear to me, the sequel also sits high in that list due to its deep dive into Peter as a character, and the struggles...

A24 have given audiences something we never thought imaginable; Hugh Grant playing a villain.. and a very interesting one at that! 'Heretic' pits Grant against two members of the Mormon church, played excellently by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, as what seems to be a simple chit chat over religion, soon spirals into a devilish game of Cat and Mouse - courtesy of everyone's favourite gentlemen, H...

Released in 2012, along with a tonne of great films that year, was Josh Trank's found footage superhero thriller 'Chronicle'. The film was a huge success at the box office, jumping straight to number 1 and throwing Trank in the mix of exciting up and coming directors. Upon its initial release, I wasn't too fussed on the film - however, revisiting the film so many years later - I can safely say I w...