Some movies just blow you away. Whether it’s because of a great story, superb acting or stunning visuals (preferably all three, of course), there are films out there that just leave you staring, with eyes wide and an open mouth, in an almost childlike bewilderment. Avatar did that to me, as well as some entries…

As we enter the homestretch of 2022, the never-ending debate over good sequels vs. bad sequels vs. Hollywood-has-no-creativity gets a new entry – Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. I don’t know how people from that third group keep getting into this debate, but we really need to change the locks. With those cranks out…

I love movies. I always have. All sorts of movies, from totally weird shit like Eraserhead from David Lynch all the way down to Harry effing Potter, I love ‘m all. The one category of films that brought me by far the most pleasure over the years is the Big, Loud, Dumb Action-movie. There’s just…

When I think back over my ‘career’ as a teacher and journo, hardly anybody asked to see my qualifications or took the trouble to check my references. I certainly landed my first job as a trainee reporter without the slightest sniff around. I also expected to be given a form of ID to help reassure…

The original Orphan was a “real slice of trash deserving of a long shelf life,” as our own Matt Cale wrote in his excellent review of the crafty and relentlessly entertaining 2009 thriller. “Or at least until Esther rises from her watery grave for a sequel.” Thirteen years later, we finally have that sequel (actually…

Technology is already turning people into mindless dicks. Take the smart kettle, a piece of hi-tech hardware that enables someone to use a phone to get it to boil. It can be switched on during a homeward journey because, you know, life becomes unbearably stressful if you have to wait two minutes for hot water.…