In Review
Welcome to In Review! Check out the latest reviews across film, TV, theatre and so much more…
Film Review - A Quiet Place: Day One
Grab your popcorn, silence your phone, and sit down for A Quiet Place: Day One - just don’t expect it to leave you anywhere near as speechless as its survivors.
Film Review - Longlegs (SPOILER FREE)
Longlegs still manages to stand out despite the abundance of highly effective and artful horror we are afforded in the modern era.
Film Review - Twisters
Much like its predecessor, Twisters is an exhilarating Spielbergian spectacle which showcases the sheer vehemence of nature’s fury.
Film Review - Kill
If you like the Violence! Blood! and Guts! of a John Wick clone then your desires will be met in spades here.
Film Review - The Exorcism
To put it bluntly, The Exorcism is an atmospherically stagnant cinematic offering akin to a long walk down a windy beach to a café that isn’t open.
Film Review - The Strangers: Chapter 1
There's a decent helping of funny-bad horror movie moments that include a particularly saucy burger, the ol’ spontaneously exploding motorcycle trick, and a singular rat being treated as if it's the most terrifying creature on the planet, but the overall experience is about as satisfying as eating soup with a fork.
Film Review - Bad Boys: Ride or Die
At the end of the day this is a reasonably satisfying and serviceable entry in the series, a Jerry Bruckheimer production through and through, and possibly my second favourite behind Bad Boys II.
Film Review - The Teachers’ Lounge
This is ultimately a film about power and rebellion, and it is within the interplay of the two subjects that it shines.
Film Review - Boy Kills World
Just a month after the release of Dev Patel’s Monkey Man we get yet another thrilling directorial debut entering into the action subgenre - putting emphasis on crazy fight choreography - in Moritz Mohr’s brand new sci-fi bonanza Boy Kills World.
Film Review - Monster
Monster confronts viewers with an ambiguous ending, leaving us to decipher the truth of who really is the eponymous monster, but perhaps the objective truth is there are monsters in each and every one of us.
Fantastic Film Fest 2024 Review - Mami Wata
Mami Wata truly has the ability to spellbind, yet keeps its feet rooted in a deeply nuanced point of interest: an ever-changing reckoning with modernity.
Film Review - Monkey Man
Monkey Man tells the story of a nameless young man, referred to in the credits as “Kid” and using the self-applied alias “Bobby”, a fighter at an underground boxing ring in Yatana, as he attempts to infiltrate the ranks of the powerful upper class to enact violent revenge for the massacre of his village - a story that mirrors the Hindu epic of Hanuman, the white monkey.
Fantastic Film Fest 2024 Review - The Last Stop in Yuma County
Galluppi’s mindfulness in crafting The Last Stop in Yuma County truly shows what outstanding stories can come from taking a leap in the dark.
Fantastic Film Fest 2024 Review - Hood Witch
Hood Witch is redolent of self-importance, so deeply invested in its own world that it barely pauses to consider the viewer’s ability not to care about its mediocre characters and plot delivery.
Feature - Fantastic Film Festival Australia 2024 Program Launch/Immaculate
Fans of bizarre, esoteric and extreme films, who live around Melbourne and Sydney can rejoice, because it's that time of year - Fantastic Film Festival Australia is back once again.
Film Review - Love Lies Bleeding
Glass subverted my expectations repeatedly through her pairing of lesbians and gym bros, the supernatural creeping into the frame, and an unexpected experimental conclusion to the movie. Love Lies Bleeding is a bloody good thriller!
Film Review - Imaginary
Imaginary is a confounding experience, with absolutely none of the first draft wrinkles of the script ironed out.
Film Review - Force of Nature: The Dry 2
Force of Nature is an engrossing modern murder mystery regardless of whether you grew up in Victoria or not, and it does too many difficult things well to be dismissed
Film Review - Thanksgiving
Leaving little room for seconds, Thanksgiving reminds us to be thankful for the simple pleasures that horror brings, and not unlike the dishes that might adorn a festive dinner table, there's plenty of corn to go around.
Film Review - Saltburn
Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn is a frighteningly delicious and decadent dessert, one that you immediately regret eating, but cannot get off your mind no matter how hard you try.