My Review of Poltergeist (1982)

 

Written by Steven Spielberg And Michael Grais And Mark Victor

Directed by Tobe Hopper

Carol Anne: "They're here."

There are still classic horror series that I have yet to cover for this blog. This was a movie that yet again, I've seen several times but never got around to reviewing for here. Until now of course.

Haunting movies are no more iconic than this one with the focus being on an ordinary family terrorised by restless spirits in their home. The family being Steven (Craig T. Nelson) and Diane Freeling (JoBeth Williams) and their children, Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke), Robbie (Oliver Robin) and Dana (Dominique Dunne).

The focus was mostly on youngest child, Carol Anne. She was communicating with a static television and both her and Diane went into denial mode when the chairs stacked themselves on the kitchen table. Then Carol Anne went missing.

In fact, it was the ghosts who had taken her into a portal inside the closet. For a good chunk of the movie, you had both Steven and Diane at their wits end trying to get Carol Anne back. This brought in a slew of experts to help out the distressed family.

The most memorable of all these experts was of course Zelda Rubenstein's Tangina Barrows. She's the most helpful of the bunch, succeeding in actually getting Carol Anne back to her family. Rubenstein's performance was also the one that stood out the most in the film.

As for the rest of the movie, it's still great but somewhat meandered a bit. There's a few moments in the film where it could've ended but it kind of went on just to further highlight how dangers the spirits of that particular house were. 

- Some of the scenes included the hurricane sequence and that face removal one.

- There's two sequels and a remake that came out in 1986, 1988 and 2013 respectively.

- Standout music: The eerie use of The Star Spangled Banner.

- Chronology: Set in the planned community of Cuesta Verde, California.

Poltergeist (1982) definitely deserves it's plaudits as a movie and it's definitely a defining piece of 1980s cinema. It does lag a bit in the third act but overall, it's a favourite.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of House Of Wax (2005)

 

Written by Chad Hayes And Carey W. Hayes

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serrra

Carly: "Please don't kill me."

This remake was released over twenty years ago and it's only in the last week that I've actually watched the bloody thing. This isn't one of those movies that I wished I had watched sooner but it's not a regret watch either.

It's also a reminder that this cast were a mixed bunch. Chad Murray Michael was on One Tree Hill while Elisha Cuthbert was largely known for 24. It would be a few months before Jared Padalecki would step into the world of Supernatural and Paris Hilton was one of the biggest reality TV stars of the 2000s.

On paper, I can see why these people were selected to make up the principle cast for this remake. Cuthbert was the heroine of the piece, Carly Jones while Murray played her feckless brother, Nick and Padalecki was her nice enough boyfriend, Wade Felton.

Hilton herself was the best friend character, Paige Edwards who ended up getting pregnant by her own boyfriend, Blake Johnson (Robert Ri'chard). Needless to say that the majority of this group don't make it out of the alive and are subjected to genuinely deaths involving wax. Wade's fate in particular was horrifying to watch.

A large portion of this movie was about Carly and Nick's relationship. They were both at odds with one another but as their friends were getting gruesomely killed off by a rather creepy family, led by Bo and Vincent Sinclair (Brian Van Holt).

Both Bo and Vincent took great delight in terrorising Carly and her friends as well as the not very helpful Dalton Chapman (Jon Abrahams). There's a rather fiery final showdown, the death of a sibling duo and an ending that confirmed a family lineage lived on. No e of which will really shock anyone.

- There was another Sinclair. Lester (Damon Herriman) made it out of the film alive. The Sinclairs had a disturbing flashback at the start of the film.

- Although it's a remake, there's no real connection to the 1953 version of the movie.

- Standout music: The Prodigy/Juliette Lewis's Spitfire and Joy Division's New Dawn Fades.

- Chronology: Set in the 2000s itself.

House Of Wax (2005) might be in the middle ground of 2000s remakes of classic horror movies. It's not a horrible remake (cast are fine, gory scenes do land and so on) but it's not a great one either. Mostly mediocre.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Thunderball (1965)

 

Written by Richard Maibaum And John Hopkins And Kevin McClory And Jack Whittingham And Ian Fleming

Directed by Terence Young 

James Bond: "That gun, it looks more fitting for a woman."

Emilio Largo: "You know much about guns, Mr. Bond?"

James Bond: "No, but I know a little about women."

I'm definitely into my stride with Sean Connery's version of James Bond and there's a comforting familiarity with how he plays with the character.

Once again, SPECTRE are the focus of villainy. There's operative Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi). He wanted to hold NATO to ransom with the use of atomic bombs and he's something of a petty man throughout the film.

There's also Count Lippe (Guy Doleman). He had French Air Force pilot François Derval (Paul Stassino) murdered and replaced by Angelo Palazzi. Derval also took his face, so Stassino was technically on double duty for this film.

As intriguing as Lippe was as a potential baddie, he's not a character who went the distance. He rather quickly killed off by SPECTRE agent Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi). She was Largo's right hand woman and a pretty effective one to boot.

Of course, James had his own female love interest with Largo's mistress, Domino (Claudine Auger) betraying her villainous paramour in order to help Bond. Domino had some promise but she's somewhat relegated to a damsel in distress until she got her revenge.

Villain wise, Largo's not as dynamic as some of the previous ones. He's got an okay enough rapport with Bond and his death was certainly deserved. As for Bond and Domino, not the most dynamic but decent enough.

- This was the last film that Terence Young directed for the franchise. First one where Ian Fleming had a writing credit.

- There's a lot of cool underwater sequences in this movie.

- Standout music: John Barry's Thunderball.

- Chronology: Largely set in the Bahamas for the majority of the film.

Thunderball might not be my favourite from the Sean Connery era of James Bond but it's a solid enough entry nonetheless. The opening alone was one of the most amusing moments in the film.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of To Catch A Thief (1955)

Written by John Michael Hayes

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock 

John Robie: "For what it's worth, I never stole from anybody who would go hungry."

What can I say? I was in the mood for a Cary Grant movie and went with this one he did with Alfred Hitchcock and Grace Kelly. I made a good choice here.

A romance meets crime thriller in which Cary Grant was well cast as retired cat burglar John "The Cat" Robie. Although it turned out that John didn't like that nickname or the black cat who frequently appeared in the film.

John was also less keen on the fact that he was being framed for a string of new burglaries that lacked his panache. He was eager to clear his name and avoid the police. He also happened to be paired with a beautiful blonde woman.

This would be where Grace Kelly stepped in. The daughter of a rich widow, Frances Stevens was quite the cool customer for John. They flirted like mad and maddened each other at different points. They clearly had feelings but almost their mutual pride sabotage themselves to boot.

There was also the complication of Danielle Foussard (Brigette Arbur). She had her own complex history with John and there's a display of jealousy when both Danielle and Frances share a first meeting with John caught in the middle of both women. It's a simmering but slightly underdeveloped love triangle between the three of them.

Then there's a masquerade ball that almost saw the downfall of the Cat himself. John nearly got the better made of him before the real Cat of the piece. I don't think the reveal was too shocking or even their motives but it did work well enough as a resolution to clearing John's name.

- The movie was based on a book of the same name by David Dodge.

- Jessie Royce Landis who played Frances's wealthy mother, Jessie had some genuinely brilliant lines. A delightful foil for both John and Frances.

- Cary Grant initially retired from acting before being cast in this film.

- Chronology: Set in the French Riviera. John's former gang were called the French Resistance. He was likened to Robin Hood at one point in the film.

To Catch A Thief is a playful and romantic thriller. It's sexy, flirty and funny in parts. Both Cary Grant and Grace Kelly are on such a fantastic form. I'd highly recommend this one.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of The Whisper Man (2026)

 

Written by Ben Jacoby And Chase Palmer

Directed by James Ashcroft 

Amanda: "If you're lonely, sad and blue. The Whisper Man will come for you."

My second new streaming movie release in less than a week to watch and it's another disappointment. I almost switched off halfway through but I persevered. Honestly I wouldn't recommend this one at all.

I do like a good detective thriller with a twist and this one on paper sounded good but the results were pure tedium. Adam Scott took centre stage as a grieving novelist Tom Kennedy with his young son, Jake (Acston Luca Porto) as they moved to the hometown of Tom's deceased wife.

They also moved into a rather creepy house where both Jake and Tom talked of imaginary friends. There was also a serial killer back in the 1990s called The Whisper Man, aka Frank Carter (Michael Keaton). Frank of course did get caught by Detective Peter Willis (Robert DeNiro).

Anyways, to get to the point of this episode - Jake went missing and it was revealed that both Peter and Tom were father and son and had an estranged relationship. Peter was working with fellow detective Amanda Beck (Michelle Monaghan) in order to find Jake.

There's some time spent on a serial killer fanatic named Norman Collins (Hamish Linklater). He's creepy enough but not the killer/kidnapper. Nope that's Francis Jr (Owen Carter) and he ended up having the worst kind of family reunion with his infamous father.

Speaking of fathers and sons, everything about Jake, Tom and Peter felt predictable throughout. Peter was absent father because he was a good detective and his only way to make things up for Tom involved getting Jake back. I guess it's up to Tom not to make the same mistakes his father did.

- It was based on Alex North's book of the same name. The Russo brothers are producers on this film.

- The Whisper Man had a creepy rhyme and left messages for his victims families.

- Standout music: R.E.M's Shiny Happy People.

- Chronology: 2026 in Garretton.

The Whisper Man made for a dull and lifeless crime thriller. Even Adam Scott and Robert DeNiro felt like they were bored for the most part. I'd avoid this one to be honest.

Rating: 4 out of 10 

My Review of Lanterns: "The Weenie"

 

Written by Breannah Gibson

Directed by Geeta Vasant Patel

John (re Hal): "The ring's always been mine. That asshole's been keeping it warm."

Lianna: "Then go get it, John Stewart."

Oh boy. This episode really did seem determined to have a wedge between John and Hal and I think it might have succeeded. It's like everyone around them who isn't Kerry seems determined to get the pair of them at odds with one another.

Let's start with Sinestro, huh? He's only given one scene but when he wasn't being cryptic about the Manhunters, he was dripping paranoia into Hal's earlier about John being his replacement. It also worked rather well.

Then there's both Lianna and the Stewarts. If John demonstrated any sympathy or pity for Hal, they were determined to stamp it out. Bernadette, John Sr and Lianna went the extra mile to make John turn on Hal. The quote I selected for this review also came back to bite John.

Hal wasn't best pleased when an encounter with Not Hector Hammond (Jason Manuel Olazabal) had that particular exchange between John and Lianna played back to Hal. On the plus side, this episode almost went out of its way to tell us how wrong everyone else was for wanting Hal to retire. Hal was figuring things out that everyone else wasn't.

For example, he clocked that Hector wasn't Hammond but Gutierrez and he clocked John's lack of emotion when Zoe was blown up. Yeah, Zoe turned out to be a Manhunter and she's definitely not dead. Hal also then left John to crash into a pole. 

Hal might not hate John but he was definitely angered by the latter keeping too many secrets from him. Did Hal maybe overreact in that last scene? Of course he did but it made for a great end to this particular episode.

- John ended up having to draw William naked before he slept with Zoe again. Does William know he failed to kill Zoe?

- I'm hoping the name drop for Hector Hammond means that we'll be seeing him in the finale, if not earlier.

- Kerry really was from Gotham. Hal double checked. Billy also owned the local bar as well as being a lawyer.

- There's a genuinely funny moment in this episode with John telling Hal his Disneyland story. Less funny was what happened to that poor cow.

- Standout music: Wunderhorse's Midas during the closing credits.

- Chronology: 2016 for the whole episode and we're still in Nebraska.

The Weenie provided some answers and raised a lot more questions as it went along. It was also a true test with Hal and John as a team and right now, things are far more tense between the pair. Great ending though and next week's episode looks chaotic.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Goldfinger (1964)

 

Written by Richard Maibaum And Paul Dehn

Directed by Guy Hamilton

James Bond: "Do you expect me to talk?"

Auric Goldfinger: "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!"

Ah, I'm into a halfway point for Sean Connery as James Bond and so far, I'm seriously enjoying his era as the iconic spy. Yes, it's definitely not the politically correct of eras but it's got an undeniable charm to it.

James did want to have a nice vacation for himself but soon enough, he was publicly humiliating gold obsessed baddie Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) and bedding the beautiful Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton). In one of the most iconic scenes in a James Bond movie, poor Jill got a rather unfortunate but on point, theme wise death scene that's left a cinematic lasting impression.

Jill's death certainly created a growing enmity between Bond and Goldfinger and there's also the addition of Jill's twin sister, Tilly (Tania Mallet). She wanted revenge on Goldfinger but she was a crap shot and found herself victim to hat throwing henchman, Oddjob (Harold Sakata).

While Jill and Tilly were hit and miss as characters, one woman who left an impression was Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman). A name like that alone will make a character hard to forget but really, it's down to performance and Honor Blackman gave the most memorable one here.

She really went toe to toe with Sean Connery and matched him pretty well. The back and forth between James and Pussy was brilliant to watch. Pussy started off being Team Goldfinger before switching sides by the third act. Even Pussy herself wasn't immune to James's dubious charms.

As for Goldfinger, he's another strong villain in this early era with Gert Fröbe on strong form. Goldfinger's a suitably repugnant baddie and came close a few times to properly killing James. Like his villainous predecessors, he's also given a suitably over the top death to boot.

- There's more scenes with Leiter, Miss Moneypenny, M and Q (Desmond Llewelyn). Moneypenny really wanted to cook James dinner but he declined.

- Orson Welles was originally considered for the role of Goldfinger.

- Standout music: Of course it's Shirley Bassey's Goldfinger. How could it not be?

- Chronology: Bond was in Miami Beach to begin with before going to London, Switzerland, Kentucky and Fort Knox.

Goldfinger (1964) continued the streak for Sean Connery's Bond with strong movies, villains, great stunts and girls. Speaking of girls, Honor Blackman really did stand out in the best way possible as Pussy Galore.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Juno And The Paycock (1930)

 

Written by Alfred Hitchcock And Alma Reville

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock 

Captain Boyle: "Well, isn't all religions curious? If they weren't, how would you get anyone to believe in them?"

In movies that I didn't know existed, there's this one. Every Irish person would be familiar enough with playwright Sean O'Casey. Chances are that you'd have studied one of his plays in secondary school. This was not the one that I had studied though.

Having Alfred Hitchcock adapt this particular play however was an interesting choice. You've got an Ireland during its own civil war and the focus of course was on one particular family in the slums of Dublin.

The family were the Boyles. There was Captain Boyle (Edward Chapman) and his wife, Juno (Sara Allgood). They had two adult children - Mary (Kathleen O'Regan) and Johnny (John Lawler). The Captain wasn't a man seen in a positive light by his family.

Granted, it was an earned reputation as Captain Boyle spent more time getting drunk than providing for his family. There was a family inheritance that was set to solve the Boyles money woes but an error from Charles Bentham (John Longden) scuppered that hope for the Boyles.

On top of that, the Boyles were a family falling apart. Mary's rejection of a former fiancée Jerry Devine (Dave Morris) had led to an unwanted pregnancy from another man. Captain Boyle didn't exactly take being a grandfather well. Then there's Johnny himself.

Johnny had already lost an arm due to the Civil War and by the end of this film, he had lost his life. Juno had also lost her faith, her homely possessions and her son. There's a really harrowing scene with Juno that ended this film on a grim note. 

- Barry Fitzpatrick who appeared in the stage production had a small role as an Orator in the film.

- There's an exceptional performance from Maire O'Neill as pub owner Maisie Madigan. There's a woman who knew how to clear a debt.

- Sean O'Casey would go on to inspire Alfred Hitchcock's work on a specific character for The Birds.

- Chronology: Slums of Dublin during the Irish Civil War. 1922.

Juno And The Paycock (1930) was an interesting first time watch for me. There's some strong performances from Edward Chapman, Sara Allgood and Maire O'Neill respectively. Alfred Hitchcock's depiction of a certain time in Irish history was tackled well enough.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of From Russia With Love (1963)

 

Written by Richard Maibaum And Johanna Harwood 

Directed by Terence Young 

James Bond: "There's a saying in England: Where there's smoke, there's fire."

In the early days of Bond, there wasn't huge gaps in between sequels and this coming out a year after Dr. No certainly helped things along nicely.

Back for his second outing as James Bond, Sean Connery really was making the role very much his own. Bond's actions in Jamaica with Dr. No were about to have some major consequences for him.

The consequences would come in the form of an unwitting femme fatale named Tatiana Romanova (Danielle Bianchi). She was a Soviet clerk who found herself coerced into a role in Bond's potential downfall by SPECTRE No. 3 Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenye). Above Rosa of course was Kronsteen (Vladek Sheybal). He was certainly quite the chessmastet of the whole film.

Bond's romance with Tatiana was sizzling enough, though the former had no problem striking the latter when he realised she was part of an elaborate trap for him. It's definitely one of those scenes in earlier Bond films that's aged rather horribly.

A film dedicated to the villain getting revenge on Bond though certainly had it's moments. Kronsteen had the plan of using a Lektor cryptography device from the Soviet Union's consulate in Istanbul to get the better of Bond. James also had Donald Grant (Robert Shaw) as a physical challenge. He made a pretty good one too.

Of course Kronsteen and Klebb made for better villains. Both were suitably nasty characters and both of them got rather appropriate deaths. This film also introduced portrayed Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Anthony Dawson) aka SPECTRE No. 1 himself. It's a pretty strong debut for that character.

- The film ended by letting audiences know that James Bond would return in Goldfinger (1964).

- Anthony Dawson (aka Blofeld) previously appeared as Professor Dent in Dr. No. Eunice Gayson also played Bond's girlfriend, Sylvia Trench.

- Standout music: Matt Monro's From Russia With Love.

- Chronology: Istanbul, London, Belgrade and Istria to name a few places.

From Russia With Love was a great follow up to its predecessor with the perfect cocktail of great villains, action, romance and spy hijinks. I can see why this was a favourite of Sean Connery's.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of The Runner (2026)

 

Written by Mark Gibson

Directed by Kevin Macdonald 

Maia: "Who is this? Why do you have my son's phone?"

Caller: "Because I have your son."

The way everyone has been talking about this latest movie release from Amazon Prime, you'd swear it was the future villain entry at the Academy Awards. Is this the worst movie of 2026? Im not sure to be honest.

I can't pretend it's a good movie either but the ire towards it's lead Gal Gadot has certainly reached fever pitch. Last year, she undeniably gave one of the worst performances as the Evil Queen in Snow White (2025). What she did here was nowhere near as bad as her rendition of All Is Fair.

Set in London, Gadot's a prosecutor named Maia Marten and she's a mum to a diabetic boy named Noah (Rory Wilmot). Maia's day was about to go from mundane to stressful when she answered a mystery caller (Damian Lewis). 

The caller in question wanted her to kill a witness for a court case that was about to start in an hour. Of course Noah was used as leverage in order to get Maia to cooperate. The poor kid was even put into a diabetic coma just so Maia would realise the caller wasn't messing about.

Most of this film was Maia making a mad dash around London, getting injured, stealing phones, having her own phone stolen and attracting police attentiion at the same time. I guess it was a way to make Maia seem relatable while revealing that she killed her abusive father.

Of course Maia would make it to the hotel in time to kill the witness and save her son. The twist was expected in regards to the identity of the caller and Maia's deception in order to get him to slip. It's rather neatly resolved.

- Maia had a love interest named Ted (Alfred Enoch) but he's given very little screen time and only appeared at the end.

- Noah hated football and Maia called him "monkey". Maia's mother also went to prison for her.

- Standout music: Blondie's Heart Of Glass.

- Chronology: Present day London and set during the course of an hour.

The Runner (2026) at worst would be a rather mediocre and slightly inept thriller of sorts. It's also unintentionally funny because it's rather inept. I'm not gonna praise Gal Gadot's performance but I can't demonise it too much. It's a bad movie but there's worse out there.

Rating: 5 out of 10 

My Review of Dr. No (1962)

 

Written by Richard Maibaum And Johanna Harwood And Berkely Mather

Directed by Terence Young

Dr. No: "The Americans are fools. I offered my services; they refused. So did the East. Now they can both pay for their mistake."

James Bond: "World domination. The same old dream. Our asylums are full of people who think they're Napoleon. Or God."

A few weeks ago, I thought to myself that I wanted to take on a movie franchise with a lengthy number of films. I also thought I'd go with this particular franchise, which is on the cusp of announcing it's next actor for the next ten to fifteen years worth of movies.

Going back to the very beginning, there was Sean Connery as 007 aka James Bond himself. He certainly set the bar for the character, himself and his successors and this film certainly got things off to an interesting start for the character.

James Bond definitely would be seen as the ultimate straight male fantasy character. He's a secret agent, can handle himself in fights, drives a cool car and uses cool gadgets when needed. He's also a great seducer of women and this was apparent in some of his encounters in this first film.

He didn't have to do a lot to seduce secretary Miss Taro (Zena Marshall) and get her arrested afterwards. That was certainly a moment highlighting Bond's coldness with women. Then there's his relationship with the main girl of the film - Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress).

It's a bit better explored, following the memorable way in which Honey herself was introduced. There's was some insight into her tragic family past, an interesting use of Tarantulas and of course, some genuinely sizzling chemistry between Connery and Andress.

As for the film's main - Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman). He's a reclusive member of SPECTRE and a man deeply resentful of his talents not being appreciated. He's a great villain and a wonderful foil for Bond himself. He also got one hell of a gruesome demise. The ending on the other hand was more on the tender side of things.

- SPECTRE stood for Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion. Dr. No had no problem explaining they to James Bond.

- Other prominent characters include Felix Leiter (Jack Lord), M (Bernard Lee), Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell) and Quarrell (John Kitzmiller) to name a few.

- Standout music: Monty Norman's Under The Mango Tree. Both James and Honey bonded over that song.

- Chronology: Predominantly set in Jamaica.

For the start of a sixty year plus movie legacy, I'll admit that Dr. No felt like a modest but entertaining start to James Bond on the big screen. Sean Connery commandeered the role quite easily. The action and romance nicely complimented each other and our titular villain was a success.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Rear Window (1954)

 

Written by John Michael Hayes

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Stella: "Intelligence. Nothing has caused the human race so much trouble as intelligence."

Now I've seen this one a few times and the other day, I found myself revisiting it. There are a lot of Hitchcock movies that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime. This obviously would be one of them.

You've got James Stewart confined to a wheelchair for the entirety of this film giving one of the best performances. In this film, he's a photojournalist named L. B. "Jeff" Jefferies. His injuries were work related, so he's basically under glorified house arrest and he's bored.

In his life, he's got a beautiful girlfriend named Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly). She's a model and went out of her way to treat Jeff to a nice dinner while also broaching the topic of them moving in together. Jeff wasn't so keen on the idea of such a thing. Lisa isn't a role that seemed exciting but as the movie went along, Lisa got some moments of true perception in relation to women and jewellery. There's a good point to it.

There's also the nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter). She's more of a fun character who's happy to challenge Jeff at different points while maintaining his physical health and recovery. I liked her character and would've been happy to have had more scenes with her.

Then there's Jeff's neighbour, Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr). The latter was seen hosting a party with a slew of colourful characters and then he killed his wife (Irene Winston). Or did he? Jeff was convinced of his guilt while others like Lisa and Lt. Thomas "Tom" J. Doyle (Wendell Corey) were less convinced that a murder even happened.

Of course, Jeff would be vindicated in his beliefs but it certainly didn't happen straightaway and Jeff's actions did put both himself and Lisa at risk. It's almost surprising that Jeff didn't end up being killed, though Thorwald certainly tried to. Saying that, Jeff probably could've handled the whole thing a lot better than he did.

- The movie was based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 story It Had To Be Murder.

- Thorwald's party guests included Miss Lonely Hearts (Judith Evelyn), Miss Torso (Georgine Darcy), songwriter (Ross Bagdasarian), Miss Hearing Aid (Jesslyn Fax) to name a few.

- Standout music: Leonard Bernstein's Fancy Free.

- Chronology: Mid 1950s in Greenwich Village, New York.

Rear Window (1954) has undeniably has earned it's place in cinematic history. It's one of Alfred Hitchcock's best films and for good reason and it's one of the best performances from James Stewart. It's a tense film but also very amusing in parts.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Coyote vs. Acme (2026)

 

Written by James Gunn And Jeremy Slater And Samy Burch

Directed by Dave Green 

Kevin: "Acme has knowingly been making dangerous products for years."

Ah, the movie they tried to seal up in the vault and never to be released. Well, after one hell of an uphill battle, it finally got itself a release but was it worth it? The answer would be yes.

As a kid, I loved the antics of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. The gag might have always been the same but it never failed to make me laugh. Of course there are limits and the Coyote was getting fed up of Acme products constantly failing to kill that Road Runner.

This was where the human element of the film emerged. You had a law firm that specialised in cases for faulty Acme products. Coyote in particular sought out the attorney, Kevin Avery (Will Forte) in order to sue Acme for their shoddy products. This was a case that would test both characters.

While Kevin had the help of his intern/niece, Paige (Lana Condor), those working at Acme were determined to get this case shut down and had no issues resorting to extreme measures in order to do so. Kevin had to deal with Acme Corporation lawyer Buddy Crane (John Cena) among a lot of other characters to boot.

There's a history lesson in a missing scientist - Dr Lorre and the fact that Acme have been using their cartoons in experiments that many such as Daffy Duck, Tasmanian Devil and Bugs Bunny were terrified to talk about. Not only that but there's also the fact that Coyote was using the court case in order to smoke out Road Runner.

If I said the actual trial was the best part of the movie, I don't think anyone would disagree with me. The bad guys won but only to have their dark secrets later exposed but not only that, there's the beautiful stakes of Coyote and Road Runner's relationship played out. I got a little emotional seeing a particular moment that beautifully encapsulated their whole dynamic. That genuinely surprised me.

- Eric Bauza pretty voiced all of the animated characters in the film. Project Sisyphus was key to the trial itself.

- Other human actor/characters included Martha Kelly, Luis Guzman, P.J. Byrne, Tone Bell and Kenneth Choi.

- The closing credits had a nice dedication to everyone who supported getting the movie into theatres.

- Chronology: Flashbacks to 1992 with the present day being 2022 in Albuquerque.

I'm so glad that Coyote Vs. Acme got released. Even if it hadn't been a good movie, it deserved to be seen by audiences alike. However, it's a genuinely great film with some brilliant performances from everyone involved. I also think it was a nice way to see out the summer releases this year.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Batman: Knightfall - Part 1: Knightfall (2026)

 

Written by Jeremy Adams

Directed by Jeff Wamester

Bane (to Batman): "You are always hiding from the people closest to you but you can't hide from destiny."

I gotta be honest, I'm actually surprised it took DC this long to have done an animated version of the classic Knightfall storyline. However, I'm not shocked that they've made this into a three part saga. It's wise of them to do such a thing.

Anyways, we open with a gang trafficking vulnerable people only for Jean Paul Valley/Azrael (Pablo Schrieber) to pop up and kill the majority of them while fighting Batman (Anson Mount). Then we had Jean Paul break down, being horrified by his powers and Batman taking him in to harness his powers for good.

Then there's our villain of the piece - Bane (Michael Mando). A good portion of the movie was dedicated to his origin story. We had the death of his mother (Adriana Isabel) and the sadistic prison warden (Bayardo de Murgula). The latter wouldn't live to regret his monstrous creation and his death was very much deserved.

Bane's a character that has had mixed results in both live action and animation. I can say that this might be one of the more successful takes on the character. You can sympathise with him as a child for the harsh treatment he was subjected to. You can also understand the envy he had towards the Wayne family and Gotham City and you can definitely be horrified by his actions upon arriving in Gotham.

Bane being both a towering force and an excellent strategic mind was where this first part was an undeniable. Freeing various baddies from Gotham to overwhelm both the GCPD and Batman was a success. Bane almost came close to killing the Tim Drake (Jack Griffo) version of Robin twice in this film. Even Alfred Pennyworth (Simon Temple man) wasn't safe from Bane.

The actual confrontation between Batman and Bane was absolutely brilliant. The way Bane deconstructed Batman's character and the sheer brutality of that back snap and public humiliation at the very end. This absolutely raised the bar for this animated adaptation. I really hope they can maintain this quality for the next two films.

- Villains we saw in this film were Scarecrow, Firefly, Mr Freeze (no voice actors), Riddler (David Dastamalchian), Ventriloquist/Scarface (Jeff Bennett), Mad Hatter (Jason Flemyng), Victor Zsasz (Andrew Morgado) and Catman (Luis Bermudez).

- Allies in this movie included Dr. Shonda Kinsolving (Toks Olagundoye), Commissioner Gordon (Bruce Boxleitner), Harvey Bullock (Mick Wingert) and Renee Montoya (Jessica Camacho). Dick Grayson (no voice actor) and Jason Todd (Max Mittelman) in flashbacks.

- Some of Jean Paul's backstory was referenced but not fully fleshed out. I really liked his scenes with Tim.

- Chronology: Unspecified timeline but we did see a lot of Bane's life in Santa Prisca before he appeared in Gotham.

The first part of this Knightfall saga might be one of the best adaptations of a DC animated movie. Easily one of the best uses of Bane as a character, an exhausted Batman, an inspired Robin/Azrael team up and a brilliant cliffhanger ending.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

DCU Blog - August 2026 Edition: MOT Completes Filming, TBII Films And Jimmy Olsen Goes To HBO Max

Well, this has certainly been a month for DC, hasn't it? There's filming news galore and much more.

Man Of Tomorrow (July 9th 2027) has completed filming. A trailer will likely surface in December.

The Deathstroke And Bane movie is getting closer to getting greenlit, according to ViewerAnon. Alan Ritchson was in talks for a role.

The Brave And The Bold is supposedly further along and might start filming next year. I'm a bit sceptical on that one tbh.

Is Adria Arjona playing Maxima or Wonder Woman? We're still none the wiser but I know which one I think it is.

The Batman Part II (February 18th 2028) has been filming in the UK for nearly two months. Some scenes have involved a wintry setting and one scene where Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) was rescued by Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis).

Cristin Milioti has confirmed that she won't be back for The Batman Part II in a recent interview.

An official trailer has been released for upcoming DC animated show, Get Jiro.

Paramount executives intend to keep both James Gunn and Peter Safran running DC Studios if the merger goes ahead.

The first episode of Lanterns has been viewed by over nine million across platforms. It's already a hit for HBO.

Dynamic Duo (June 30th 2028) has a reported $90 million budget.

Nathan Fillion will reprise his role of Guy Gardner in both Man Of Tomorrow and the Mister Miracle animated show. He'll also appear in Lanterns.

Entertainment Weekly have confirmed that both Waller and Paradise Lost are no longer a priority. Booster Gold may be revived with a new creative team.

Skyler Gisondo will reprise his role of Jimmy Olsen in upcoming HBO Max show, The People V. Gorilla Grodd. The Daily Planet staff actors will reprise their roles along with Jimmy Tatro, Arian Moayed, Mary Holland, Eduardo Franco, Dan Perrault and Andrew Leeds. Filming is about to start.

My Adventures With Superman has yet to be renewed for a fourth season but the producers seem confident it will be.

The WB-Paramount right now is also stalling some future DC projects. The sooner it's resolved, the better.

Supergirl has completed it's box office with $125.8 million, making it the lowest grossing DC movie since 2004's Catwoman.

And that's a wrap up for this month for DC news. 

My Review of Lanterns: "OutKast"

 

Written by Vanessa Baden Kelly 

Directed by Stephen Williams 

Lianna (to John): "This is when most candidates ask 'why me?'"

Ooh, this episode certainly has provoked discussion this morning. Certain comic book fans didn't love and others saw it as a much needed character piece with a pointed commentary on lived in black experiences. I would veer more into the latter way of thinking.

We knew from the opening episode that John was being trained to be a Green Lantern. His trainers being his parents and their methods were freaking extreme. John getting a rifle and a Green Lantern costume for his fifth birthday, walking a dangerous street at night when he's not even a teenager and the whole William Tell bit as well. His parents went too hard on the preparation for him.

If anything John's mother, Bernadette (Jasmine Cephas Jones) really pushed John. John was more artistically inclined than fighter focused but that didn't stop him joining the Marines, making some mistakes before the inevitable happened. He got the calling.

I liked that the episode was somewhat framed as an interview between John and Guardian Lianna (Laura Linney). Lianna got John to reveal some uncomfortable truths as the discussion of succeeding Hal Jordan factored into things. Hal was a source of frustration for the Stewart family and the Guardians themselves.

It was also Lianna who had put the idea of John becoming a Green Lantern into Bernadette's head. Lianna had tried to amend for John Sr being rejected as a potential Lantern. Giving the family a diamond didn't exactly help matters and it seemed Hal became the target of frustration while John was being primed for the role.

The first meeting between John and Hal in the former's childhood home was expertly done. Hal was sweet as pie to Bernadette and John Sr but made it clear to John that he had no intention of being replaced. I did like that John essentially just laughed it off. What else could he have done in that scenario?

- John's thing for birds was explained by Bernadette using them as a way to motivate him into training harder. John also hates cheeseburgers.

- John did get into an art school and that was where his interview ended up happening. His brothers are Marcus and Aaron.

- Hal's interfering with human affairs wasn't seen as a good thing with the Guardians. The Guardians also didn't understand race issues.

- The show is definitely being strategic with it's CGI. We don't see Lianna from the front when she shifted into her true form.

- Standout music: OutKast's Gasoline Dreams at the end of the episode.

- Chronology: Mostly 2016 but a lot of glimpses into John's past. 

OutKast proved to be a thought provoking origin story for John Stewart. I can sort of see why it might not appeal to everyone but I liked it. For the DCU, it's an interesting way to go with the character and it added another layer to the John and Hal relationship.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of The Love Witch (2016)

 

Written And Directed by Anna Biller

Richard: "Who are you? What are you doing to me?"

Elaine: "I'm the love witch! I'm your ultimate fantasy!"

Feminist witch themed movie, anyone? This was my second choice for a movie yesterday and it was a rather interesting experience. I've seen much acclaim for this movie over the years but this was a first time watch for me.

Set in the present day but paying tribute to 60s horror, you've got the titular witch herself. She's a woman named Elaine Parks (Samantha Robinson) and she's recently widowed. Actually, it's obvious from the start that she murdered her husband, Jerry (Stephen Wozniak). There's no ambiguity about that whatsoever.

Anyways, Elaine relocated to California and moved into a nice big house while working as an artist. She quickly befriended Trish Manning (Laura Waddle), a woman who had very different views on romance and was happily married to Richard (Robert Seeley). Trish wouldn't end the movie that way.

Elaine on the other hand was desperate to meet her mate and used love spells to attract both Richard and another guy named Wayne Peters (Jeffrey Vincent Parise). Richard and Wayne having big feelings for Elaine was a turn off and her rejection of both men (coupled with her not actually being good at casting love spells) saw both of them die rather horribly.

Richard's death in particular was somewhat of a beginning of the end for Elaine. Not only did she have to deal with Trish's wrath but her romance with Detective Griff Meadows (Gian Keys) ended up falling to pieces and she had actual feelings for him.

Elaine and Griff's romance was definitely the most intense part of the film but when he became wise to her, there was no going back. Even rescuing her from an angry mob didn't soften Griff and he ended up being brutally killed. The ending was definitely something to behold. 

- Elaine used a witch's bottle frequently in the movie. She even supplied them to a local store.

- There was some focus on Elaine's mentor, Barbara (Jennifer Ingrum) and the rather lecherous Gahan (Jared Sanford). We also saw a handfasting ritual and learned witches were barely tolerated.

- Standout music: Giselle DaMier's Fairy Lady.

- Chronology: Present day in Arcata, California.

The Love Witch (2016) definitely deserved it's acclaim. It's a beautiful nod to a bygone era of horror with a feminist twist that worked well. Samantha Robinson was incredible here.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)

 

Written by John Kamps And Arne Olsen

Directed by Bryan Spicer

Ivan Ooze: "Taking over the world is one thing. Finding good help to run it for you, that's the killer."

What can I say? I fancied a nostalgia trip and this was something that I've not watched in a long time. I forgot how unbelievably cheesy this movie was and nope, that's not a criticism.

I was obsessed with this show as a kid, specifically the first few seasons. I'm not necessarily sure when I dipped out of it but this era in particular still had two of my favourite characters as Rangers and I did like the others who replaced some of the original cast.

Let's look at the Rangers - there's Tommy Oliver/White Ranger (Jason David Frank), Billy Cranston/Blue Ranger (David Yost), Kimberly Hart/Pink Ranger (Amy Jo Johnson), Rocky DeSantos/Red Ranger (Steve Cardenas), Aisha Campbell/Yellow Ranger (Karan Ashley) and Adam Park/Black Ranger (Johnny Yong Bosch). Theyre a likable bunch of friends and current heroes of Angel Grove.

The movie opened with our heroes taking s skydive with bullies Bulk (Paul Schrier) and Skull (Jason Narvy). Needless to say, the latter two didn't stick the landing and ended up on a construction site. The same site that would attract show villains Rita Repulsa (Julia Cortez) and Lord Zedd (Mark Gitner).

However if you were expecting Rita and Zedd to be the main baddies of this one, you might be disappointed. Instead they're trapped in a snow globe when they foolishly released and underestimated Ivan Ooze (Paul Freeman). It didn't take much for Ivan to literally steal the show from those two or to get both Goldar (Kerry Casey) and Mordant (Jean Paul Bell) in line.

I'll give Ooze his dues. He moved very fast as a villain. He gave the Rangers a run for their money and he quickly neutralised both Alpha 5 (Peta-Marie Rixon) and Zordon (Nicholas Bell). This also meant cutting the Rangers off their power source as well.

There's a fun journey with the powerless rangers on Phaedos as they met with Dulcea (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick). During that time, they fought off bird creatures, got cool ninja costumes, were assigned new animals and got their powers back. Those scenes are the best within the movie itself.

Of course there was also returning to Earth and defeating Ivan Ooze. It's the usual fun, bombastic way that you'd have seen per episode and it's rather fitting defeat. There's also a nice subplot with a young boy named Fred (Jamie Croft) that added a further human element as his teaming up with Bulk and Skull also saved lives.

- The animals assigned were ape (Rocky), wolf (Billy), crane (Kimberly), frog (Adam), bear (Aisha) and falcon (Tommy). Dulcea turned into an owl at one point.

-  There's a mid credit where Rita and Zedd got out of their snow globe prison.

- Standout music: Red Hot Chilli Peppers Higher Ground.

- Chronology: Ivan Ooze was trapped for 6000 years. Not as long as Rita once was but still a rather long time.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, it's certainly as cheesy as I remember it to be and I wouldn't have it any other way. A fun nostalgia trip with a very fun and very purple themed baddie.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of The End Of Oak Street (2026)

 

Written And Directed by David Robert Mitchell

Greg: "Is that a fucking dinosaur?"

Denise: "It is."

Catching up with a few of the remaining summer blockbusters, I caught up with this one yesterday afternoon. Was this a rejected pitch for a one off Jurassic World film? It certainly felt like it.

Anne Hathaway has had an interesting 2026. There was Mother Mary, which ended up being hit and miss but she came back swinging with both The Devil Wears Prada 2 and The Odyssey. This movie however would fall back into the hit and miss category.

In this movie, she's a writer named Denise Platt and she's on the brink of divorcing her husband, Greg (Ewan McGregor). They've also got two children named Audrey (Maisy Stella) and Brian (Christian Convery) and a dog named Starbuck. They live on Oak Street. That's the basics of this particular family unit.

Add in an irate named Mel (P.J. Byrne), a local event and a missing dog and it was from then onwards that things actually got a bit weird in this movie. I should say prehistoric as dinosaurs suddenly started showing up and then there was some time travelling antics to boot.

I should admire this movie's ambition. The idea was good and when the Platt family weren't being separated and fighting for their lives from dinosaurs, Denise realised that she didn't want to get a divorce after all. There's a bit where it looked like Greg had been killed off until he wasn't.

Another point I'll give the movie would be that it didn't neatly try to resolve things. While Denise and Greg worked things out and the former got herself a book out of the events, Oak Street itself was still stuck between prehistoric times and wormholes. I guess it would suggest a follow up.

- The movie's title ended up being the title of Denise's book. Greg was delivering pizzas upon losing his job.

- Originally, this was called Flowervale Street before the title change.

- Standout music: Pat Benatar's Hit Me With Your Best Shot and Roxy Music's More Than This.

- Chronology: 1982 on Oak Street in Flowervale, Michigan. Then a time jump to two years later.

I'm really not sure about The End Of Oak Street. I kind of liked it but I also kind of didn't. It's a diverting summer blockbuster but it also felt like a parody in parts. I'll probably revisit it at some point and have a clearer view on it.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of The Crucible (1996)

 

Written by Arthur Miller

Directed by Nicholas Hytner 

John Proctor: "Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them you have hanged! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!"

As we head into autumn, more horror themed film of old will crop up on this blog. Also, historical ones like this movie for example. 

It's been on my list of films to watch for a while. Well, it's a second viewing as I saw it over twenty years ago when I was younger. Anyways, let's take a trip to Salem, shall we?

There's a group of young girls, with the emphasis being on the chicken blood drinking Abigail Williams (Winona Ryder) and possible witch herself, Tituba (Charlayne Woodard). The dancing of the young girls would be spotted by Reverend Samuel Parris (Bruce Davison) that all hell would break loose.

His daughter Betty (Rachael Bella) became deathly ill and the town was quickly falling into the paranoia of witchcraft. In particular, Ann Putnam (Frances Conroy) assumed the worst and Tituba herself was subjected to harsh cruelty when her involvement in the opening scene was revealed.

Tituba got a small bit of focus before disappearing from the rest of the story. A huge emphasis was on landowner John Proctor (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his wife, Elizabeth (Joan Allen) being accused of witchcraft themselves. Their servant, Mary Warren (Karron Graves) had been one of the afflicted girls and the Proctor accusations stemmed from a vengeful Abigail.

Reverend Hale (Rob Campbell) seemed to be the only one on the Proctors side and there was a moment where it seemed like both John and Elizabeth might have been dealt with excommunication. The ending of this film depicted the hangings of John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse (Elizabeth Lawrence), and Martha Corey (Mary Pat Gleason), ending the movie on a harrowing note.

- Arthur Miller wrote the play in 1953 and adapted the screenplay for this film.

- Daniel Day-Lewis met his wife, Rebecca Miller while making this film.

- Standout music: Shakmah Winddrum's The Yanvalou Chant.

- Chronology: 1692, Salem in Massachusetts. 

The Crucible isn't an easy movie to get through. It's pretty tough in places, highlighting the depths of what paranoia can do to one small town and how quickly townspeople will turn on each other for a myriad of reasons. A great film, tackling this particular subject matter.

Rating: 8 out of 10