Emancipation  ★★★★ EMANCIPATION is a redemption of sorts for Will Smith. His 2022 Best Actor Oscar for King Richard was tainted by his loss of self-control at the ceremony when he physically assaulted host Chris Rock. That act won’t be forgotten, but his role in Antoine Fuqua’s historical drama is […]

Redemption of sorts for Smith

Prey for the Devil  ★★½ THE most interesting aspect of the horror film Prey for the Devil doesn’t really have much to do with horror. The film is set largely at a training school for exorcists which also maintains a hospital for the criminally insane, conveniently providing a ready supply of […]

Possessed are on tap

The Pale Blue Eye  ★★★ THERES only one part of The Pale Blue Eye that is true. The poet Edgar Allan Poe did attend the prestigious US Military Academy at West Point. But he did not help a former detective solve a series of cadet murders in 1830. The basis […]

Blue Eye worth a watch

The Fabelmans  ★★★½   HAVING made 34 feature films over five decades, including some of the most iconic titles in cinema history, Steven Spielberg is entitled to be a little indulgent in his 76th year. His latest, The Fabelmans, is based on the master director’s life and family upbringing, starting […]

The World according to Spielberg

Speak No Evil  ★★★½  DANISH psychological horror/drama Speak No Evil is as nihilistic in attitude and story as they come. You may not feel that for much of the running time, but the last 20 minutes provides gut punch after gut punch until the final uppercut leaves you down for […]

Nihilistic as they come

My Policeman  ★★★ I’M starting to think Harry Styles isn’t getting a fair go from many quarters. He isn’t the only musician/singer to also try his hand at acting – and he’s certainly not the worst. But almost every review of films in which Styles appears seems to make a […]

Styles has some style

The Reef: Stalked  ★★½  IF YOU’RE going to make a shark movie perhaps it’s best to make it in Australia. The Reef: Stalked is a decent effort that benefits from trying to do something a little differently. The main character suffers a traumatic event – out of the water – […]

Stalked on land and water

Watcher  ★★★ AMERICAN actress Maika Monroe first came to wider attention in 2014 when she appeared in It Follows and The Guest. To date she’s made about 20 features with 2022’s Watcher featuring probably her best performance. It’s a psychological thriller that also provides strong and telling commentary on the […]

Watcher worth a watch

Maneater  ★★ MY possibly pointless interest in all shark movies continues. Maneater is one of the latest and it joins many others in being barely average in quality, acting and thrills. At least there are plenty of characters available for the shark to chomp into, albeit very unrealistically. Of most […]

C&W shark hunter out of tune

A Man Called Otto ★★★ TOM Hanks has a lot of fun playing against type in the American remake of A Man Called Ove. In A Man Called Otto Hanks plays the archetypal grumpy old man whom we eventually discover actually has a heart of gold. Otto Anderson is a […]

You say Ove, I say Otto

Top 10 Horror Films of 2022: 1. The Sadness (Taiwan) 2. Men (UK) 3. Bones and All (US) 4. X (US) 5. Project Wolf Hunting (South Korea) 6. Piggy (France) 7. Barbarian (US) 8. Sputnik (Russian) 9. Bodies, Bodies, Bodies (US) 10. The Menu (US)

Top Horror of 2022

The reviewing and editing team (i.e. yours truly) wish you all a Happy and Safe New Year and recommend the following films from the year 2022: 1. The Banshees of Inersherin 2. Mass 3. The Forgiven 4. Sundown 5. CODA 6. Bones and All 7. The Batman 8. Both Sides […]

Top 20 of 2022