Phoenix FM Film Reviews

This week Mark reviews: The Rip - A group of Miami cops discovers a stash of millions in cash, leading to distrust as outsiders learn about the huge seizure, making them question who they can rely on. The Ice Tower - Jeanne, a 15-year-old orphan, witnesses the filming of a new adaptation for the fairy tale The Snow Queen. She becomes fascinated by its star, Christina, who is just as mysterious as...

This week Mark reviews: Hamnet - William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes, celebrate the birth of their son, Hamnet. But when tragedy strikes and Hamnet dies at a young age, it inspires Shakespeare to write his timeless masterpiece “Hamlet.” Predator: Badlands - A young Predator outcast from his clan finds an unlikely ally on his journey in search of the ultimate adversary. Giant - Prince Naseem “N...

This week Mark reviews: Song Sung Blue - Lightning and Thunder, a Milwaukee husband and wife Neil Diamond tribute act, experience soaring success and devastating heartbreak in their musical journey together. Peter Hujar’s Day - A conversation between photographer Peter Hujar and journalist Linda Rosenkrantz from 1974 sheds light on New York’s vibrant downtown art world and the introspective journe...

Presenter Spencer Carter and Film Critic Mark Searby sit down to discuss their favourite films of 2025. Will Spencer choose a Superhero movie? Or did he enjoy The Naked Gun the best? Will Mark still be gushing over Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein to make his number 1 pick? Or is there something else that he thinks is better?

This week Mark reviews: Marty Supreme - Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness. Sentimental Value - Sisters Nora and Agnes are reunited with their eccentric father, Gustav, a famous director who left many years previous. He returns to offer Nora the lead in his new film. Goodbye June - A fractured family must come together when sudden...

This week Mark reviews: Avatar: Fire and Ash - Jake and Neytiri’s family grapple with grief after Neteyam’s death. They encounter a new, aggressive, Na’vi tribe, the Ash People, who are led by the fiery Varang. As the conflict on Pandora escalates, a new moral focus emerges. Shelby Oaks - A woman’s obsessive search for her missing sister leads her into a terrifying mystery at the hands of an unkno...

This week Mark reviews: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery - Detective Benoit Blanc sifts through a series of suspects when a Monsignor turns up dead. Predators - Exploring the controversial American TV series – To Catch A Predator – that caught child predators in sting operations, leading to arrests, and the show’s eventual cancellation. Eleanor The Great - After a devastating loss, witty and...

This week Mark reviews: Jay Kelly - Famous movie actor Jay Kelly embarks on a journey of self-discovery, confronting his past and present with his devoted manager Ron. The Creeps - Two American youngsters who prepare to celebrate Monsterfest in a Finnish ski resort find themselves overrun by small creatures. Tinsel Town - A washed-up Hollywood action hero takes a role in a small English village’s...

This week Mark reviews: Christy - Just as Christy Martin is making historic strides in the world of female boxing, she’s forced to contend with a horrendous private life. Together - Years into their relationship, Tim and Millie find themselves at a crossroads as they move to the country. With tensions already flaring, an encounter with an unnatural force threatens to corrupt their lives, their lov...

This week Mark reviews: Wicked: For Good - Now demonized as the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba lives in exile in the Ozian Forest, while Glinda resides in the Emerald City enjoying the perks of fame and popularity. As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, she will need to reunite with Glinda to transform herself, and all of Oz, for good. Train Dreams - Robert Grainger, a logger and railr...

This week Mark reviews: The Running Man - Ben Richards joins a game show in which contestants, allowed to go anywhere in the world, are pursued by “Hunters” hired to kill them. Belen - A woman hospitalised for pain discovers she is pregnant. After a medical emergency, she faces criminal charges. With support from her attorney and women’s rights advocates, she fights for justice in a landmark case....

This week Mark reviews: Anemone - In Northern England, a man heads out on a journey into the woods to reconnect with the estranged hermit brother with whom he shared a complicated past that was altered by life-changing events decades ago. Frankenstein - A brilliant but egotistical scientist brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator...

This week Mark reviews: Bugonia - Two conspiracy-obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying the planet Earth. The Legend of Ochi - In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy girl raised to fear an elusive animal species known as ochi. But when she discovers a wounded baby ochi has been left behind, she escapes o...

The week Mark reviews: Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere - Bruce Springsteen’s journey crafting his 1982 album Nebraska, which emerged as he set about to record Born In The USA with the E Street Band. Sketch - When a young girl’s sketchbook falls into a strange pond, her drawings come to life. As the town descends into chaos, her family must reunite and stop the monsters they never meant to unl...

This week Mark reviews: The Twits - Two orphans join forces with a family of magical animals to save their city from the powerful Mr and Mrs Twit, the meanest, nastiest, smelliest people in the world. Borley Rectory: The Awakening - As the Bull family move into Borley’s Rectory, they start to experience strange noises and apparitions. Souleymane’s Story - A Paris food delivery cyclist and asylum s...

This week Mark reviews: Tron Ares - A highly sophisticated program called Ares, is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission. Good Boy - A loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner Todd, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human companion, the brave pup must fight to protect the one he loves the most. J...

This week Mark reviews: The Smashing Machine - The story of mixed-martial arts and UFC champion, Mark Kerr. Play Dirty - A ruthless thief and his expert crew stumble onto the heist of a lifetime. The Lost Bus - A wayward school bus driver and a dedicated school teacher battle to save 22 children from a terrifying inferno.

This week Mark reviews: One Battle After Another - When their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue one of their own’s daughter. Riff Raff - A former criminal’s ordinary life is turned upside down when his old family shows up for a long-awaited reunion. Elio - Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination, finds himself on a cosmic misadventure wh...

This week Mark reviews: The Glassworker - The life of a young glassblower in training and his relationships over the years, as his land goes through war and strife. Happyend - In near-future Tokyo, the threat of a catastrophic quake looms. Two school friends prank their headmaster before graduation, leading to the school installing a surveillance system. Sovereign - A father and son who identify a...

This week Mark reviews: The Long Walk - A group of teenage boys compete in an annual contest known as “The Long Walk”, where they must maintain a certain walking speed or get shot. The Golden Spurtle - In a Scottish Highland village, competitors gather for the World Porridge Championships. It is the final year under the leadership of Chieftain Charlie Miller, a competition which celebrates traditi...

This week Mark reviews: The Conjuring: Last Rites - Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren take on one last case as they try to help the Smurl family rid their house of a demonic force. The Phoenician Scheme - Wealthy businessman Zsa-Zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoon...

This week Mark reviews: The Thursday Murder Club - Four irrepressible retirees spend their time solving cold case murders for fun. But their casual sleuthing takes a turn when they find themselves with a real whodunit on their hands. The Colors Within - A girl who see’s colours in people’s hearts joins a band with two other people. The Toxic Avenger - A horrible accident transforms downtrodden jan...

This week Mark reviews: The Life of Chuck - Who is Chuck Krantz? That’s the question everyone wants to know. The Ceremony - Two troubled migrant workers in a Bradford car wash are dragged into an escalating moral crisis as night falls. Eddington - In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town Sheriff and a Mayor sparks a powder keg as neighbour is pitted against neighbour in Eddington, New Mexic...

This week Mark reviews: The Materialists - A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex. Inside - Transferred from juvenile to adult prison, Mel is taken under the wing of both Shepard, Australia’s most despised criminal, and Warren, a soon-to-be-paroled inmate. The paternal triangle that forms between them becomes their undoing. Fix...

This week Mark reviews: Freakier Friday - Tess and Anna discover that lightning may indeed strike twice as they navigate the myriad challenges that come with two families swapping bodies. The Kingdom - Lesia, a teenager, is taken by a man to a villa where he fugitive father and his men are hiding. As war erupts, leading to death and a chase where father and daughter bond. 40 Acres - In a post-apoc...