top of page

WELCOME


North By Northwest (1959) Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVTeUcPjThc/?igsh=Y3ZscXhia3l2MXF0 There are certain filmmakers so iconic, that the mere mention of their name evokes a wealth of images, characters, and names. The legendary Alfred Hitchcock is arguably the best example of this very notion. There are a number of Hitchcock films one can rattle off immediately upon hearing his name, chiefly, of course; 'Psycho' - I'm sure you can all relate to that particular example. This film is p

Ridley Coote
Feb 282 min read


The Investigation Of Lucy Letby (2026) Dir: Dominic Sivyer
The case of Lucy Letby is one of the most shocking and disturbing in modern British crime history, and has garnered the attention of many as the aftermath has continued to unfold. This documentary, directed by Dominic Sivyer, dropped om Netflix in early 2026, and looked to dissect what has become an increasingly divisive case, despite the evidence. I always worry about how documentary films will present cases like this, and my worries were no different on this occasion either

Ridley Coote
Feb 272 min read


Night Swim (2024) Dir: Bryce McGuire
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVQ8_yiDReH/?igsh=MW5xMHh2dmwxZXA2Mg== Blumhouse has produced some of the strangest, best, and worst, horror films of the century to-date, but what you can always count on them to do is to take a chance on a unique story. Well, the premise for this 2024 horror, directed by Bryce McGuire, was certainly out there. To be totally transparent, I thought this was one of the dumbest premises for a horror movie I'd seen in some time. It rem

Ridley Coote
Feb 272 min read


Virus Cannibale (1980) Dir: Bruno Mattei
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVJLLfDDOKR/?igsh=bDBoMGU3YjBwbXB2 Directed by Bruno Mattei, this Italian and Spanish horror film has more names than I could comprehend, which made deciding what to list its name in this review rather stressful, so, in the end, I settled for the original one. I had no idea what to expect from the film, aside from zombies, but I was hoping for something a little camp and a lot of fun - like so many classic zombie films of the Eighti

Ridley Coote
Feb 242 min read


Sorry, Baby (2025) Dir: Eva Victor
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVGmVOmDTiF/?igsh=dTBxMTFyOThrbnZu This A24 produced drama, directed by and starring Eva Victor, caught my eye pretty much immediately upon its domestic release, after receiving some very good reviews. I knew that it featured some emotionally challenging content, but I didn't know what that would look like, as it pertained to its presentation in the film. I had hope that it would be addressed in an empathetic, yet matter-of-fact way

Ridley Coote
Feb 233 min read


Bound (1996) Dir: Lily & Lana Wachowski
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVEIiHuDRZP/?igsh=MXV1c3owbWwxcXRveQ== This 1996 crime thriller, directed by Lilly and Lana Wachowski, had been floating around on my watchlist for a little while, before I finally got around yo watching it. It holds a very respectable set of ratings and scores online, which was, of course, very encouraging, and the inclusion of Jennifer Tilly, an actress I have a soft spot for, thanks to the 'Chucky' franchise, only helped matters

Ridley Coote
Feb 222 min read


Send Help (2026) Dir: Sam Raimi
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVBhRvejdf1/?igsh=Y3I4eXozd3o0bjU2 Many of you will know the name Sam Raimi from the 'Spider-Man' films, which might make the idea of him directing a horror film slightly strange, but for those of us familiar with the original 'Evil Dead' trilogy, the concept of a new Raimi horror film was extremely exciting. A string of positive early reviews certainly encouraged me, but, regardless, I was fairly confident I would, at the very le

Ridley Coote
Feb 212 min read


Dawn Of The Mummy (1981) Dir: Frank Agrama
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DU_CmBcjWAL/?igsh=MW5od3Ryc3V1dmp5ZQ== I love a classic horror, and I'll usually go out of my way to find one to watch more often than not. On this occasion, it was this 1981 horror, directed by Frank Agrama, which has a little bit of a cult audience in the classic horror community. I knew essentially nothing about the film beyond what I have just mentioned, and really had no expectations, beyond hopefully some fun mummy violence. I

Ridley Coote
Feb 202 min read


Last Breath (2025) Dir: Alex Parkinson
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DU8TS15DRa4/?igsh=MWgxdXBvcHRhd2Freg== This deep-sea survival thriller, directed by Alex Parkinson, is a feature film retelling of the events in a 2019 documentary of the same name. It details the harrowing events of a deep sea diving mission that went very wrong, and the fascinating truth behind the film was what attracted my attention to it the most. Reviews were, generally speaking, fairly good, but not exactly mind-blowing, so m

Ridley Coote
Feb 192 min read


The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) Dir: Wes Anderson
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DU54ctqDQdd/?igsh=MWMwdHd1ZnBubmt1Mw== When people think of Wes Anderson, there is usually one film that people name first, and its this 2014 comedy adventure, which is probably considered to be peak Anderson, in style and quality, for the majority of people. It's certainly the most famous example of his work, with the only potential challenger being his adaptation of 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' . It had been a number of years since my last

Ridley Coote
Feb 182 min read


Saw X (2023) Dir: Kevin Greutert
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DU3EXSNjRg7/?igsh=MXdpZ2oyOGN0dm02eg== Having blitzed my way through the previous films in the infamous extreme horror franchise known as 'Saw' , it was finally time for me to watch the most recent film in the franchise, which was once more directed by Kevin Greutert, who had done a few of the previous films. This one, incredibly the tenth 'Saw' film, was set between the events of the first two 'Saw' films, which surprised me a lit

Ridley Coote
Feb 173 min read


Rushmore (1998) Dir: Wes Anderson
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DU0tY2AjZ0l/?igsh=MTZwOTY5MTVjZmdrcA== In my roundabout way of exploring the popular filmography of Wes Anderson, I have inadvertently left some of his earliest films until last. I finally got around to watching this 1998 comedy; the sophomore feature film effort by the acclaimed filmmaker, shortly after visiting an excellent Anderson-centric exhibition in London. The film is considered a cult hit, and another very solid step on the

Ridley Coote
Feb 162 min read


Wuthering Heights (2026) Dir: Emerald Fennell
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUyDp5EjJxB/?igsh=MTVpYzNyZGVjcTZxaw== Emerald Fennell's adaptation of Emily Brönte's classic literary work; 'Wuthering Heights' , seemed to evoke drama and contention even before the first trailers were released. I already held very mixed feelings about Fennell's previous film; 'Saltburn' , and the worrying and frustrating media and marketing for this new film worried me greatly. Prior to the film's release, the director made a num

Ridley Coote
Feb 153 min read


The Wager (2023) By David Grann
"Was God seeing the things they did out here? Bulkeley still sought solace from The Christian’s Pattern, but a passage in it warned, 'Hadst thou a clear conscience, thou could not fear death. It were better to avoid sin than to flee death.' Yet was it a sin to want to live?" If there's one way to peak my interest, it's by combining history, in this case of the maritime variety, and true crime. The case of HMS Wager was as infamous as it was sensational at the time that its ha

Ridley Coote
Feb 153 min read


The Valley Of Fear (1915) By Arthur Conan Doyle
"The temptation to form premature theories upon insufficient data is the bane of our profession." This, the seventh book in Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic collection of Sherlock Holmes adventures, is one of his lesser heralded novels, certainly when compared to the other major mysteries, such as 'A Study In Scarlet' and 'The Hound Of The Baskervilles' , but was no less an intriguing proposition to me, particularly having read the six previous collections to this point. "Medioc

Ridley Coote
Feb 142 min read


The Darjeeling Limited (2007) Dir: Wes Anderson
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUvh8diDd9D/?igsh=MXRubWJscGdvNDJwOQ== When the time came to watch this 2007 road-trip comedy, I had already seen most of Wes Anderson's distinctive and popular filmography, but this was one of the few I had yet to see. I honestly knew very little about it, but I was also aware that Wes has his hallmarks - an emotional core, dry comedy, and a very recognisable filmmaking and visual style. With the film's positive critical reception,

Ridley Coote
Feb 142 min read


Shelter (2026) Dir: Ric Roman Waugh
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUssKvujY9F/?igsh=dmt2Mm1sNngyYm84 Typically speaking, I would not normally be bothered about seeing a Jason Statham film at the cinema - no offence Jason. His films tend to be on the more "switch your brain off" side of the cinema spectrum, and that doesn't always appeal to me, certainly not enough to go to the theatre for it anyway. However, in this instance, I must admit, my interest was peaked by the trailer for this Ric Roma

Ridley Coote
Feb 133 min read


Ginger Snaps (2000) Dir: John Fawcett
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUqZu2jjVds/?igsh=c3V1c2k2OGRvcmFh Although I have tried to prioritise watching newer films this year, anyone who knows me, or who has read my reviews, will know that I have a lot of time for cult classics, particularly of the horror variety. This John Fawcett directed teen horror has been on my watchlist for a very long time. I had seen several stills from the film over the years, which only made me want to watch it more, and I cou

Ridley Coote
Feb 122 min read


Primate (2025) Dir: Johannes Roberts
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUn3eq7DY7q/?igsh=MTlpYms4dTNuNTQwaw== Sometimes you just want to switch your brain off for ninety minutes, and that's kind of what I wanted to do with this Johannes Roberts directed horror film. There is just something inherently freaky about a killer primate - I think it's the almost human aspect of them; the bipedal, opposable thumbed, problem-solving intelligence of them. I wanted to see if that would be shown and exploited in a

Ridley Coote
Feb 113 min read


Isle Of Dogs (2018) Dir: Wes Anderson
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUijedtDcXf/?igsh=MWt6dnp4Zmc5dWdwcw== This 2018 animated comedy, from the iconic Wes Anderson, is the filmmaker's second stop motion feature film, with his first being the beloved 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' from nine years earlier. This effort is far less well-known than that aforementioned modern classic, but those who have seen it, seem to like it a lot, which was certainly encouraging. By the time I watched this, I had seen the vast m

Ridley Coote
Feb 92 min read
NEVER MISS A NEW POST
bottom of page