My Review of Bring Them Down (2025)

 

Written by Christopher Andrews And Jonathan Hourigan

Directed by Christopher Andrews

Ray (to Michael): "I want you to bring him his fucking head!"

Decided to watch anotheg Irish movie last night and this was one that went under the radar upon its releaae last year. In fact, it was my sister who suggestef seeing it. 

Splitting the narrative, the movie opened with rural shepherd Michael O'Shea (Christopher Abbott/Youssef Quinn) being responsible for the death of his mother, Peggy (Susan Lynch) and wounding former girlfriend, Caroline (Grace Daly/Nora-Jane Noone). 

In the present, he's got a volatile relationship with his Irish speaking father, Ray (Colm Meaney) and there's a rivalry of sorts between Michael and Caroline's husband, Gary (Paul Ready) and her son, Jack (Barry Keoghan). The latter's friend, Lee (Aaron Heffernan) also doesn't help matters.

Halfway through the movie, there's a dispute of sheep with Michael's flick being slaughtered by Jack. There's also a rather brutal scene involving Michael having to kill his own dog to relieve it's suffering that I wasn't prepared for. It's easily the most harrowing moment in the whole film.

Anyways the sequences of events played first from Michael's perspective and then it played from Jack's. Jack was heartbroken over his parents getting a divorce, though it was clear he preferred Caroline to Gary. Keoghan did play the role with an endearing enough innocence.

Then there's the climactic fight between Michael and Jack. Both men fought dirty and one of them came close enough to death. Sympathy was afforded to both men with Michael even apologising for the events at the start of the movie. Oh and for an American, Christopher Abbott managed a decent Irish accent.

- Originally Paul Mescal had been cast for the role of Michael but dropped out due to filming Gladiator II. Barry Keoghan replaced Tom Burke.

- Not only did Christopher Abbott deliver a convincing Irish accent but even sounded believable when speaking Irish in his scenes with Colm Meaney.

- Standout music: Michael Chapman's Among The Trees.

- Chronology: Present day and the movie was filmed in Wicklow.

Bring Them Down turned out to be a strong enough movie. An intense battle between two families with old grudges rearing their head in brutal fashion. Both Christopher Abbott and Barry Keoghan did a great job.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Knock Knock (2015)

 

Written by Eli Roth And Guillermo Amoedo And Nicolás López

Directed by Eli Roth

Bel (to Evan): "I'm glad we knocked on your door."

Okay, when it comes to Eli Roth as a writer and director, he's not that much better or worse than Rob Zombie. There's sometimes traces of brilliance and a lot of times, frustration and questionable writing for women.

This film somewhat encapsulated that to a tee. Remember when Quentin Tarantino delivered three female revenge films with both volumes of Kill Bill and Death Proof. Perhaps Roth was hoping for the same results here. 

You've got Keanu Reeves as architect Evan Webber. He's married to sculptor Karen (Ignacia Allamand) and the have two kids and a cute little dog named Monkey. The wife and kids are away for the weekend, which left Evan alone to look after Monkey, watch his shoulder and be terrorised by two unhinged women upon stupidly letting them into his house.

The women in question were Genesis (Lorenza Izzo) and Bel (Ana de Armas). They tricked Evan into believing that they were sent to wrong neighbourhood. Evan for the most part tried to be helpful by letting them dry off, giving them tea and repairing Genesis's phone. He also called them a cab.

Unfortunately for Evan, he doomed himself by falling for their obvious attempts of seduction and had a threesome. When he did manage to get rid of them, they returned to terrorise and sexually assault him. They also kept accusing him of being a paedophile, despite the fact that Evan wasn't.

I'll admit this movie really will test anyone's patience. Usually in these revenge thrillers, the woman has a good reason to go after the men they go after. Genesis and Bel were just psychopaths who purposely terrorise innocent men in order to break up their marriages for no reason. 

As characters, they're just straight up evil. Evan was foolish for letting them in but none of what's inflicted upon him was something that he deserved. The movie's ending in particular just rubbed me up the wrong way.

- Eli Roth was married to Lorenza Izzo at the time of this movie being made. 

- This movie is a remake of the 1977 psychological thriller, Death Game.

- Standout music: Goyele's Winter Nights.

- Chronology: Took place over the course of two days. Evan's 43 and Father's Day factored in for half the movie.

Knock Knock (2015) would just turn out to be a frustrating movie with okay-ish performances from everyone involved. It's a film that trivialised sexual assault towards men with some one dimensional villains in both Genesis and Bel.

Rating: 5 out of 10 

My Review of The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

 

Written by Aline Brosh McKenna

Directed by David Frankel

Andrea: "But what if this isn't what I want? I mean what if I don't wanna live the way you live?"

Miranda: "Oh, don't be ridiculous. Andrea. Everybody wants this. Everybody wants to be us."

With a sequel due in theatres in less than a month's time, I just knew that I had to go back and watch the original itself. Can you believe it's been nearly twenty years since this movie? A part of me didn't but then I watched and realised how it's very much a product of its time.

Instead of Vogue and Anna Wintour, you've got Runway and the similarly fearsome editor in chief, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). This was a woman who'd terrifying even the hardest of men and also inspired the fiercest of loyalty to boot. Two things that our protagonist of the piece felt for Miranda.

The protagonist being aspiring journalist Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway), who found herself working at Runway as the number two to the recently appointed number one Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt). I'm talking assistants here. Emily's both trying her best to be helpful to Andrea while at the same time deriding the fact that the latter had no interest in the fashion industry.

Andrea's lack of interest in fashion led to that cerulean speech from Miranda that gave someone as fashion unconscious as myself food for thought. I felt personally attacked during that scene. Anyways, Andrea forming a friendship with fashion director Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci) did result in a bit of a makeover.

If there's only thing this film completely failed at, it was it's attempts of trying to make Anne Hathaway look dowdy before the character glow up. She's stunningly beautiful and Andrea had a chef boyfriend in Nate Cooper (Adrian Grenier) and an admirer in journalist Christian Thompson (Simon Baker). The latter in particular was rather helpful in getting Andrea a certain manuscript for her.

As the film progressed, there's a shift between Andrea and Miranda. Both women were more alike and while the latter could admit it, the former didn't seem like the idea. Saying that, Andrea made the right career decision and it was one that even Miranda respected her for making. Even Emily grew to grudgingly respect Andrea by the end of this movie.

- The film's based on a novel of the same name by Lauren Weisberger. That novel had two sequels to it.

- Andrea was run ragged trying to get the Harry Potter manuscript. A year after this movie came out, I remember the queue in my town for that book.

- There's some nice supporting performances from Tracie Thoms, Richard Sommer and Daniel Sunjata to name a few.

- Miranda's actually British in the book but American here. She's got twin daughters and was getting divorced towards the end of the movie.

- Standout music: Madonna's Vogue and Jump as well as KT Tunstall's Suddenly I See.

- Chronology: Andrea worked for Miranda for less than a year before changing to a new place.

The Devil Wears Prada easily could've veered too much into a parody of the brutality of the fashion industry but it hit the correct mark instead. Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci are all excellent. It's genuinely funny from start to finish.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Wasteman (2026)

 

Written by Hunter Andrews And Eoin Doran

Directed by Cal McMau

Taylor: "I just want to see my boy again."

Last year I caught up with Starred Up, which I really enjoyed as a movie. I wanted to venture into another British prison themed movie and this recently came to my attention. I've also watched both leads in other things over the last few months.

First of all, there's David Jonsson. He's playing a man named Taylor, who's about to be paroled. Taylor's also got a fourteen year old son named Adam that he's never met. On top of that, Taylor's a drug addict who gets his stash from the likes of Gaz (Corin Silva) and Paul (Alex Hassell).

I should mention that Taylor's a barber too and seemingly the only one in the prison. That's relevant later in the movie as his new cellmate Dee (Tom Blyth) would want him to utilise those talents to take out the competition. Dee's the main problem here for everyone.

He's a problem for Gaz and Paul as Dee was muscling in on their drug trade. Dee suffered the consequences of trying to be the top dealer of the prison. Dee being beaten up also meant that Taylor bore the brunt of his attempts to take over the drug trade. Of course Dee also had to threaten Adam to get Taylor in line.

Throughout the movie, Taylor's a man that's been constantly pushed around and it made sense that his former partner didn't want him anywhere near Adam. I did think he was going to kill Gaz and Paul in order to protect his estranged son. The fact that he went for Dee instead was better.

Dee's not a remotely sympathetic character. There's no nuance or attempts to explain why he's the way he is. He did work well as an antagonist with Tom Blyth serving as a perfect counter to David Jonsson's more earnest Taylor. There's also something suitably karmic about Dee's ultimate comeuppance.

- The film got a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer.

- This movie was the director debut for Cal McMau. 

- Standout music: Jamie XX's Kill Dem and A Guy Called Gerald's Voodoo Ray.

- Chronology: Taylor spent thirteen years in prison before getting his early release.

Wasteman (2026) was a movie that really relied on both David Jonsson and Tom Blyth to deliver, performance wise. Both of them easily did that. It's a strong, gritty enough prison drama and a promising debut from Cal McMau.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Psycho Killer (2026)

Written by Andrew Kevin Walker

Directed by Gavin Polone

Satanic Slasher (to Jane): "What I hope to help you come to grips with. No matter how many times you replayed what happened, the outcome is inescapable."

If there's a contender for one of the worst horror movies of 2026, then I definitely think this will be on many a list. Once again, a good idea mired by some absolutely horrible execution.

There's a killer named The Satanic Slasher (James Preston Rogers). Hes also known as an infamous serial killer named Richard Joshua Reeves. Reeves had quite the reputation, including Satanism. Is this slasher Reeves or a copycat killer?

That was for Highway patrol officer Jane Archer (Georgina Campbell) to figure out. The death of her husband Mike at the start of the movie made things personal for her. Jane was determined to bring the Satanic Slasher to justice. Just about everyone else seemed more of a deterrent to her cause.

Of course Jane didn't let any doubters get in her way.  She was willing to cross States in order to get her killed and with a little help, she actually did track him down. There was also a scuffle between the two of them in a motel room and Jane also discovered that she was pregnant.

The pregnancy reveal added a little stakes into the mix and things led to a Satanic cult led by Mr Pendleton (Malcolm McDowell) and a final showdown at a prison where the Satanic Slasher literally wanted to open the gates. What should've been an exciting conclusion to this cross state event was a damp squib.

- The project had been in development since 2007. At one point, Fred Durst was poised to direct it.

- Georgina Campbell certainly seems to be a modern day horror queen. This movie was in theatres the same time as Cold Storage.

- Standout music: Cole Simon's Do You Dare.

- Chronology: Took place during 2007 in Kansas, Nebraska, Pennsylvania before ending in Death Valley, California.

Psycho Killer (2026) was such a disappointment for a movie. The idea was great and Georgina Campbell did the best she could but it's such a dire movie. Some okay kills but not enough to make this a worthwhile experience.

Rating: 4 out of 10 

My Review of Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come (2026)

 

Written by Guy Busick And R. Christopher Murphy

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin And Tyler Gillett

Faith (to Grace): "I'm really not used to people combusting all over me."

In 2019, Radio Silence gave audiences Ready Or Not with Samara Weaving as beleaguered bride Grace MacCaullay. It was a massive hit, which meant a sequel had to happen. I think the problem with this sequel might have been timing.

Perhaps it was too long between movies because I'm genuinely mystified as to why this follow up hasn't hit like the first one. Maybe it's also the fact that while this one added more mythology, it just didn't feel big enough for audiences to return for seconds. If you haven't seen it, you're missing out.

Anyways, Grace didn't have time to process the fact that the Le Domas family tried to kill her on her wedding. Nope, she ended up in hospital, was under suspicion of murder and then reunited with her younger sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton). Oh and both sisters are kind of mad with one another as well.

On top of all of that, both Grace and Faith ended up being kidnapped by the other families, whom like the La Domas clan are also under the same deal with Mr Le Bail (James Vanderbilt) as they were. Elijah Wood popped up as Le Bail's neutral party lawyer while also laying out the rules.

Grace and Faith had to be handcuffed and hunted by six families during another game of hide and seek. If they survive until dawn, they're free. If they don't, the winning family would be seated at the highest table and practically control the world. Needless to say the families in question were desperate to kill those sisters.

The most memorable family of course are Danfoth family. Homicidal twins Ursula (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Titus (Shawn Hatosy). They're an absolutely brilliant counterpart to both Grace and Faith. While Grace and Faith's relationship gradually repaired as the movie went on, the exact opposite happened with Ursula and Titus. Oh and there was another wedding that wouldn't have looked out of place on Game Of Thrones.

The other families aren't as well developed but they do get some very funny and often brutal deaths. I had to laugh at the sheer incompetence of Ignacio El Caido (Nestor Carbonell) as well as his embittered daughter, Francesca (Maia Jae). The latter's unbridled hatred for Grace led to one of the best fight scenes in the movie and set to one hell of a song as well.

- The families fighting for survival were Danforth, Cing, Rajan, El Caido and Wilkinson. Kevin Durand played the head of the latter.

- The movie really upped the Satanism but while we got plenty of human deaths, the goat survived. Grace also got a black wedding dress during her near marriage to Titus.

- Originally the director pitched a different movie with sisters before this idea got made into this sequel.

- Grace's look is a homage to Buffy Summers. It was recently revealed that Kathryn Newton was going to be a part of Buffy The Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale.

- Standout music: Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse Of The Heart.

- Chronology: Takes place from where the first movie left off. Grace and Faith are three years apart in age and hadn't seen each other in seven years.

I really wish this movie was doing better because Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come in my opinion turned out to be a great. A brilliant double act with Samara Weaving and Kathryn Newton, fun villains, more lore building and some batshit deaths. I had so much fun with this one.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Sleepwalker (2026)

 

Written And Directed by Brandon Auman

Sarah: "I haven't sleepwalked since I was a kid but it's never been like this."

In another timeline, Hayden Panettiere would've been in Scream 7 but in this timeline however, she was in this tepid horror thriller that was a mash up of domestic family drama and not so well executed scares.

The movie started with frazzled separated mother, Sarah Pangborn (Panettiere). She had her son Holden (Laird LaCoste) but was coping with both her daughter Aimee (Corinne Sweeney) and estranged husband Michael (Justin Chatwin). Both are in a coma. Both are haunting Sarah's dreams.

In flashbacks we learned that Sarah and Michael had a volatile marriage with the former being abused by the latter. Sarah eventually decided to leave Michael and the latter retaliated by trying to take their children. This resulted in both Michael and Aimee being in comas.

As the movie went along, Sarah wanted to pull the plug on Michael and fell out with the latter's sister, Joelle (Mischa Barton). Sarah was also living with her mother, Gloria (Beverly D'Angelo) and succumbing to sleepwalking, which ended in the latter's death.

I'll be honest, the more this movie went on, the more exhausting and clichéd it got. We saw supporting characters die, Michael being an evil force, wanting to own Sarah even in death and then, the movie ended on a drab note.

- It's a remake of a 2024 short movie from the same writer/director.

- There's a use of medium character but she didn't make it out of the movie alive.

- Joelle was also seeing Michael in her dreams but the movie didn't do anything with it.

- Chronology: Present day America.

I wanted to like Sleepwalker (2026) but it's such a lifeless, dull slightly of a movie with everyone practically sleepwalking through the whole thing. Don't bother with this one.

Rating: 4 out of 10