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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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,

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

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

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

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

Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUdSNc8jZyP/?igsh=MXhtM3VkamJ2bDYwZg== This cute little independent comedy, directed, written, and produced by Hikari, best known for their work on the popular series; 'Beef' , was a film I was very excited for this year, particularly when I saw that I had the chance to see it at the cinema. It looked like a real heartwarmer, and one that was very much up my alley. I was particularly keen on seeing another modern Brendan Fraser role

Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUatW-3DXdx/?igsh=MWdvN2tlbjJvb296Zg== As I've explored the varied and expansive world of classic horror films, there are a few filmmakers who stand out more than others. John Carpenter is perhaps the most obvious one, but the other is David Cronenberg; arguably the master of goopy and gross body horror. His work on 'The Fly' is particularly notable, but this early film had been on my radar for some time too. I really wasn't too su

Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUTGo3tjUOR/?igsh=OWY3bjVqeXIwOHQx Described as a 'state-of-the-nation satire' , this comedy directed by Park Chan-wook; one of the best South Korean filmmakers ever, was high on my cinema watchlist from the moment it was announced. I had absolutely loved Park's 2022 romantic thriller 'Decision To Leave' , as well as his infamous 2003 revenge film; 'Oldboy' , so my anticipation for this latest film was extremely high. I was already

Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUQhdUVDcpO/?igsh=MWo4ZzFtaHBmajBmaw== So many popular Western films have taken inspiration from, or have directly adapted, Japanese cinema, so I think it's always good to go back and watch the films that came first, if only for comparison. On this occasion, I chose Takashi Shimizu's cult classic supernatural horror film, which terrified audiences in Japan, before getting Hollywood treatment. It was inspired by the hugely successful