My Review of Lurker (2025)

 

Written And Directed by Alex Russell 

Oliver (to Matthew): "I guess that means you're like my best friend."

Catching up with movies, this one's due to make its debut on HBO Max this month. It's been on my list for a while and it's a tale about toxic friendships.

You've got two men. There's aspiring singer/musician Oliver (Archie Madekwe) who definitely wanted to have a huge career but found himself surrounded by too many yes men. To be fair that wasn't something Oliver seemed to be that bothered about for most of the movie.

On the other hand, there's also retail employee Matthew Morning (Théodore Pellerin) and to be fair, the movie was more geared towards his obsession with Oliver than anything. Matthew was desperate to be a part of Oliver's life, no matter what.

At first, Matthew succeeded in doing just that. He bonded with Oliver over obscure music, got the backstage pass and found a way to make himself vital by helping Oliver with his documentary. Despite the fact that some of Oliver's crew were a bit wary of him, things were going Matthew's way.

Where it went wrong was Matthew reluctantly agreeing to let his former co-worker Jamie (Sunny Suljic) into Oliver's world as well. This brought Matthew's jealous side and it had been up to Shai (Havana Rose Liu) to tell Matthew that he was no longer part of the group.

Of course Matthew wasn't going to accept that and created a scenario that forced Oliver into taking him back into the group. There's a real battle of wills between Oliver and Matthew but the latter made a point about wanting it more. Matthew wanting it more might have compromised his morality but it certainly got the desired results throughout. 

- Matthew's only family figure was his grandmother, who appeared in a few scenes. Despite the premise, Matthew was seemingly straight.

- Oliver didn't have supportive parents when it came to his music career. He also feared being misunderstood the most.

- Standout music: Oliver's Love And Obsession was fitting considering the events of this movie.

- Chronology: Mostly set in Los Angeles but there was a trip to London and the movie ended with Oliver being a Grammy nominee while promoting his documentary at a film festival.

For the most part, I rather liked Lurker as a movie. We've done these toxic/obsessive friendship tropes and there's certainly blurred lines between how Matthew viewed Oliver throughout the whole film. Good performances from the leads help it.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of The Drama (2026)

 

Written And Directed by Kristoffer Borgli

Emma (to Charlie): "Do you live around here?"

Well, I've been waiting a bit to watch this one. It's garnered a bit of a reputation but was it as good as everyone said it was? Funnily enough, it was.

I'm actually surprised they didn't try a Valentine's release for this one because it would've been perfect. Anyways you've got a couple named Emma Harwood (Zendaya) and Charlie Thompson (Robert Pattinson). Their journey to the altar was draught and that's an understatement.

Their meet cute stemmed from Charlie faking an interest in a book that Emma was reading in a café. It was also during their first encounter that it was revealed Emma was deaf in one ear. Charlie assumed it was since birth. The real story on the other hand was a lot worse.

With Charlie and Emma about to get married, there was a dinner with their friends Mike (Mamoudou Athie) and Rachel (Alana Haim). The dinner took a dark turn when they all confessed to their worse deeds. Emma admitting that she originally planned a massive shooting wasn't on my bingo card.

I'll admit that genuinely shocked me when she went into detail and while Rachel's reaction was one that most people would have, the latter would get progressively annoying as the movie went on. In particular, at the actual wedding itself, Rachel delivered the type of speech that would kill any friendship stone dead.

As for Charlie and Emma, the latter's confession which came with flashbacks of her being an anti-gun activist during her high school years created a lot of tension. Their wedding day couldn't go without Charlie getting punched by a co-worker's boyfriend. As for the ending, well we did get another meet cute, so maybe Charlie and Emma will be fine.

- Misha (Hailey Gates) was the co-worker that Charlie attempted to kiss when he was having a meltdown about Emma.

- Charlie cyberbullied a kid, Mike used an ex-girlfriend as a human shield and Rachel locked a disabled child in a trailer overnight.

- Emma's father was in the military, adding more context to her story. Charlie's grandparents were also alive.

- Rachel's cousin Sam (Anna Baryshnikov) was a victim of a school shooting but survived. I didn't like the way Charlie accosted her.

- Standout music: Mackeeper's Pieces Of You.

- Chronology: Set in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Two years timeline.

I really did like The Drama (2026) a lot as a movie. There's genuinely great chemistry with Zendaya and Robert Pattinson. They're wonderful to watch and i can't wait to see how they will interact in two other movies coming out this year.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Drive-Away Dolls (2024)

 

Written by Ethan Coen And Tricia Cooke 

Directed by Ethan Coen

Jamie: "I've had it with love. I know bards and troubadours are high on it, but I don't believe it's relevant to the modern twentieth soon to be twenty first century lesbian."

Last week, I made a booboo and watched Honey Don't! before I watched this one. Not that it mattered because they're separate stories, despite the link that was Margaret Qualley.

In this movie, she's a much different character named Jamie. Jamie had issues with fidelity and it led to her relationship with Sukie (Beanie Feldstein) coming to an ending. Sukie got to keep the dog. Sukie didn't want the dog. Sukie's also not someone to mess with when she's mad. 

Anyways, Jamie spent most of the movie with her friend Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan). The latter was planning a trip to Tallahassee and she wasn't amused with Jamie being inquisitive about her sex life. It turned out that Marian hasn't had it in a while since a former conservative ex-girlfriend.

Now the big thing about this movie actually started off with a character named Santos (Pedro Pascal) who got a horrible death when he tried to flee away with a mystery briefcase. That briefcase also ended up in the car that Jamie and Marian were currently driving in. Needless to say, that put both women in considerable danger.

Enter the danger in the form of a motley trio consisting of Chief (Colman Domingo), Arliss (Joey Slotnick) and Flint (C.J. Wilson). These men were determined to get that briefcase back and while two of them underestimated Sukie, it didn't take too long for them to catch up with Jamie and Marian. It also took very little for one of the men to go rogue as well.

As for the briefcase, what was the big deal? Well it turned out that it contained certain toys shaped from something that Gary Channel (Matt Damon) didn't want made public knowledge. He got his item back, Jamie and Marian got a million bucks and we met the latter's aunt for a very funny final scene.

- The alternative title was Henry James's Drive-Away Dykes. Jamie made a point of not being an avid reader.

- Miley Cyrus had an uncredited role as Tiffany Plastercaster. We should've gotten more of her.

- Standout music: Linda Ronstadt's Blue Bayou and The Liverbirds Peanut Butter.

- Chronology: 1999 in Philadelphia, Tallahassee and Massachusetts.

I had great fun with Drive-Away Dolls. A chaotic road trip with two likeable characters, a fun commentary on love in many forms and a great use of certain actors. 

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of They Will Kill You (2026)

 

Written by Kirill Sokolov And Alex Litvak

Directed by Kirill Sokolov 

Lily (re Asia): "Our offering is on the loose, be on the lookout. I just dropped her picture in the group chat."

Halfway through this film, I was struck by the most obvious realisation. I had already seen this before. I saw it when I had watched Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come. This film pretty much had the same premise. Did that bother me? Not really tbh.

The film started with Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz) trying to protect her younger sister, Maria (Orefile Moloi) from their abusive father. Asia ended up in prison and Maria's life ended being a lot worse as a direct result.

Of course, Asia would get out of prison, take on the name of Isabel in order to secure a job at The Virgil. The place was run by Lilith Woodhouse (Patricia Arquette) and her husband, Ray (Paterson Joseph). It was a place that also had a few guests that would surprise Asia.

The guests being Kevin Sullivan (Tom Felton), Sharon Vanderbilt (Heather Graham) and a few others. Not only did they try to kill Asia but they're also members of a Satanic cult and they themselves couldn't be killed. Asia herself certainly tried to kill them but they refused to die.

On the plus side, she did reunite with her sister Maria (Myha'la) but both sisters were at odds with one another. Maria had joined the same Satanic cult and needed to make a sacrifice in order to solidify her loyalty to Satan (James Remar). 

The film certainly skimmed over Asia and Maria's abandonment issues and while the outcome was expected, I loved the madcap insanity that led to it. That and the fact that Satan was a talking pig's head was rather amusing. There was so much fun to be had with this one.

- The movie was broken up into various chapter titles. There's a nice supporting role for Angus Sampson as Asia's private investigator/lawyer.

- Patricia Arquette's Irish accent was not good. 

- Standout music: Dead Man's Bones Lose Your Soul.

- Chronology: A ten year time jump between the first scene and the main event. The Virgil was set in NYC.

They Will Kill You was a riot. Satanism, Tarantino style violence, sisterly relationships and awful corrupted people. Oh and a talking pig's head. I had a lot of fun with this one.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)

 

Written by Aline Brosh McKenna

Directed by David Frankel 

Miranda: "I always knew that you would end up doing something great."

Andy: "You forgot I existed."

Miranda: "Right, but... before that, I knew."

Ah, the legacy sequel. For every Top Gun: Maverick, there are others that don't fare well. Then there's this sequel. I can't believe it's been twenty years but it has and the gang are back for this second offering.

Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), the fearsome icon she may be found herself at something of a disadvantage in this sequel. She might still have Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci) and new assistants in Amara (Simone Ashley) and Charlie (Caleb Heaton) but there were two people missing from her life that the events of this movie reunited her with.

Those women being Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway) and Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt). A rather public faux pas saw Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman) bring the former to something help Miranda with the running of Runway. The timing was great for Andrea, given that she just lost her job and was on the verge of writing a book about Miranda herself.

Then there's Emily. She's the senior executive at Dior and she was more than happy to help Miranda as long as it benefitted her. I've had a soft spot for Emily and the grudging admiration that Emily and Andrea have for each other was once again a lot of fun to watch. Emily also had a rich love interest in Benji Barnes (Justin Theroux).

Now, let's have a deep dive into Miranda as a character. She's a fearsome character but this was a movie that tried to deconstruct her with very mixed result. Was Miranda really a thing of the past? Was Emily justified in trying to take Runway from under her? Was Andrea really going to turn down so much money in order to profess her loyalty to Miranda?

I think both Emily and Miranda mostly had the measure of each other and I liked that Miranda also spoke sense into Andrea while giving Nigel his moment to shine. There's also a nice subplot involving Lucy Liu's Sasha that did lead into Miranda and Andrea's newly changed dynamic by the end of the movie. Print media might be struggling but there's clearly some fight in it.

- While there are plenty of cameos from the likes of Lady Gaga, Donatella Versace etc, people like Anna Wintour, Sydney Sweeney and Conrad Ricamora had their scenes cut.

- Andrea and Miranda had love interests in Peter (Patrick Brammall) and Stuart (Kenneth Branagh). Emily had two kids. Irv's son, Jay (B.J. Novak) didn't seem to care for Miranda.

- Miranda was the subject of certain memes and Andrea got her own assistant in Jin (Helen J. Shen). I also liked the return of Lily (Tracie Thoms).

- Andrea really was still living in a modern apartment twenty years on from the last time we met her.

- Standout music: Lady Gaga/Doechi's Runway, Miley Cyrus/Brittany Howard's Walk Of Fame and The Marias No One Noticed.

- Chronology: Twenty years since the first movie. Set in New York and Milan. 

Well, I'll admit that this was something of a sequel. The Devil Wears Prada 2 won't beat out the first movie in terms of quality but it turned out to be a much better handled return than I expected it to be. A good commentary on the industries respectively and some genuinely funny/sweet moments, I don't think we'll have to wait another twenty years for next one.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Honey Don't! (2025)

 

Written by Ethan Coen And Tricia Cooke

Directed by Ethan Coen

Honey: "Sorry, I think I left some lipstick down there."

MG: "It's okay, that's the only place I ever wear it."

One of a few films of last year that I didn't get through to watching, I remedied that yesterday and I had a good time with it. I'm not gonna say that I'm a hardcore Coen brothers fan but I've seen some of their movies and they're generally enjoyable.

Of course in recent years, both brothers have directed separately and it would appear that Ethan Coen wanted to a lesbian trilogy of sorts. Out of order, I'm reviewing the middle bit I guess. I guess I better find Drive-Away Dolls soon.

Anyways one of the currently popular collaborators with Ethan Coen would be Margaret Qualley. She's cast as the titular Honey O'Donahue. She's a lesbian private investigator that quite frankly feels like she's from another time altogether and got displaced into current day Bakersfield. I mean, she doesn't feel like a modern day person.

Saying that, her problems do seem universal enough with the death of Mia Novotny (Kara Peterson) forming a huge component to this movie. There are bodies dropping all over the place and there's also a rather sinister looking Reverend named Drew Devlin (Chris Evans). He's also a cult leader, who seemed to enjoy seeing himself while having sex with various women.

There's a subplot with the Reverend pissing off high ups and his sexy tunes with the charismatic Chère (Lera Abova) and getting killed as a result. I genuinely thought he was going to be the big bad of the movie, especially when Honey's niece Corinne (Talia Ryder) went missing.

The actual baddie turned out to be a better choice. Of course Honey's love interest, MG Falcone (Aubrey Plaza) would be the one responsible for Mia's murder. The chemistry with Qualley and Plaza definitely helped with this plot along with Honey herself finding another bad girl to tangle with by the end of this movie.

- Charlie Day popped up as Detective Marty Metakawich, who didn't get that Honey liked women. There's also a subplot where Honey confronted her father, played by Kale Browne.

- Billy Eichner also appeared as Honey's client, Mr. Siegfried. He was convinced his boyfriend, Colligan (Christian Antidormi) was cheating on him. He was correct.

- Standout music: Brittany Howard's We Gotta Get Out Of This Place, Margaret Qualley's Odd Wad Wankers and Wanda Jackson's Honey Don't.

- Chronology: Present day Bakersfield, California.

Honey Don't! I guess did make for a good lesbian B noir movie. Everyone's on fine form but it's Margaret Qualley seemed to have the most fun out of everyone. I enjoyed this one.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Half Man: "Episode 2"

 

Written by Richard Gadd 

Directed by Alexandra Brodski 

Ruben: "Just say the words."

Niall: "I need you."

I think this show will end up causing me a damn heart attack. It's the ultimate stress test and if the first episode didn't push that, this one sure as fuck did. I actually fucking gasped a few times.

Time moved faster in the flashbacks while going backwards in the present day. Flashbacks first though. Niall had the perfect chance to loosen Ruben's hold on him and he did the exact opposite. College can be stressful but adding Ruben into the mix was a powder keg waiting to go off.

Niall was warned by Lori not to contact Ruben. She knew that he wasn't a good influence on her. Given the events of this episode, it's even more frustrating that Niall ignored his mother's perfectly sound advice. Things really had the potential to go well for Niall had he not contacted Ruben.

There was his flatmates Joanna (Kate Robson-Stuart), Celeste (Philippine Velge) and Alby (Bilal Hasna). Ruben's presence caused tension between Joanna and Celeste and the worst case of crossed wires saw poor Alby getting badly beaten by Ruben. That scene was fucking horrific to watch and actively made me hate Ruben on the spot.

Let's talk about Alby, shall we? I fucking loved him as a character and the chemistry between Mitchell Robertson and Bilal Hasna was wonderful. I saw some say that Alby was pressuring Niall to come out but I didn't see it that way. Alby genuinely cared about Niall and like most characters, he recognised the toxic hold that Ruben had over him.

That same hold made itself too apparent in the present day when even Lori recognised that Niall had feelings for Ruben. The present day stuff led to Ruben's appearance and the reveal that Niall was marrying Alby (Charlie de Melo). Alby's reaction to Ruben's presence was rather telling. Even I was disturbed by Niall practically needing Ruben's permission to marry Alby.

- Alby still had serious facial scars in the present day due to how badly beaten up he was by Ruben. His full name was Albert Franklin Safadi.

- Ruben gave Celeste a lot of drugs, spat on Joanna and smashed up the kitchen. He was also reacting to his father having a child with another woman.

- Celeste called both Niall and Ruben "Porridge Nan" at different point. Niall was visibly upset by his "Student" mug being smashed. Alby likened Niall to a performer. 

- Alby was a fan of E.T: The Extraterrestrial and The Great Escape. Bob Geldof, not so much.

- Standout music: Yazoo's Only You, New Order's Blue Monday and Simple Minds Love Song.

- Chronology: 1989 at Glasgow University for most of the episode while the episode ended with Niall saying "I do" to Alby. 

Well, that episode was both terrifying and electrifying in equal measures. Last week, I praised the performance of both versions of Ruben and Niall and that should go without saying here. On top of that, I've got to praise both Bilal Hasna and Charlie de Melo, both of whom were on excellent form as Alby. 

Rating: 8 out of 10