Categories
Movie Review

The Faculty (1998) Movie Review

The Faculty – Movie Review

First Reaction – The Faculty is a great fun horror sci-fi movie.

Where to Watch

a
JustWatch

ABC Film Challenge – High School/College – The Faculty

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Writer: Kevin Williamson (Screenplay)

Writer: David Wechter, Bruce Kimmel (Story)

Cast

Plot: When Casey Connor, Herrington High School’s newspaper photographer, witnesses the murder of a nurse and sees her alive again, he decides to investigate the bizarre happenings.

Runtime: 1 Hour 44 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Faculty starts when students Delilah (Brewster), Casey (Wood), Zeke (Hartnett), Stokes (DuVall) and Stan (Hatosy) learn something is happening to their teachers. Coach Willis (Patrick) leads the teachers in a transformation, as they prepare to take control of the students next.

An alien parasite has infected the teachers, and the students must fix things before the infection spreads across the country. It becomes a race against time, and they don’t know who they can trust as they come from different backgrounds and social groups.

Verdict on The Faculty

Recap

The movie follows a group of high school students who must put their differences aside to fight an alien invasion. However, the invasion has targeted their teachers and spread across the town, leading them to race to save their loved ones.

Best Parts

We get a reimagining of Invasion of the Body Snatchers here, with creative ideas on how to make the characters adapt to the changes. It includes a twist on the test scene from the legendary The Thing and keeps us guessing who to trust throughout the movie. There are brilliant special effects when it comes to the blood splatter, transformations and reactions. This also has an incredible cast who have nearly all gone onto even bigger things having wonderful careers.

Final Thoughts – The Faculty is a brilliant sci-fi horror that stands the test of time.

Categories
Movie Review

Sing Sing (2023) Movie Review

Sing Sing – Movie Review

"Sing Sing explores resilience through a prison theater group, highlighting the transformative power of art for inmates coping with long sentences."

First Reaction – Sing Sing shows the impact of long term prison sentences and how people cope.

Watch Sing Sing on Amazon Prime.

ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nominations – Q (Adrian Quesada, Original Song).

Director: Greg Kwedar

Writer: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Divine G, imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men in this story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art.

Runtime: 1 Hour 47 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Sing Sing starts as we meet prisoner John Divine G Whitefield (Domingo). He is locked up for a crime he never committed and has found a purpose in a theatre group. John works with the other inmates facing lifelong terms in prison sentences.

The men come together to put on a show. They put aside their differences to make something meaningful in their limited time. However, they do face problems they never expected.

Verdict on Sing Sing

Recap

The movie follows a man who helps leads a prison theatre to help the inmates deal with their time locked up. He puts together a new show and brings the inmates together to help them express themselves after their mistakes.

Best Parts

The movie proves that people can always come together to make something special. It doesn’t matter if they have been locked up or are innocent facing a life they don’t have outside the walls. This has wonderful performances and shows this is a therapy, not a show stealing moment.

Worst Parts

The movie doesn’t put enough focus on the crimes they may or may not have committed.

Final Thoughts –Sing Sing has a good message about coming together.

Categories
Movie Review

Coda (2021) Movie Review

Coda – Movie Review

Coda is a touching drama about Ruby, a teen balancing musical aspirations with her responsibilities to her deaf family and fishing business.

First Reaction – Coda is a brilliant drama.

Watch Coda on Apple TV.

ABC Film Challenge – High School/College Movies – C

Director: Sian Heder

Writer: Sian Heder (Screenplay)

Writer: Victoria Bedos, Stanislas Carre de Malberg, Eric Lartigau, Thomas Bidegain (Original Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: When the family’s fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her musical passion and her fear of abandoning her deaf parents.

Runtime: 1 Hour 51 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Coda starts when teenager Ruby Rossi (Jones) wants to follow her dreams in music. However, her parents Jackie (Matlin) and Frank (Kotsur), along with her brother Leo (Durant), are deaf. They run a small fishing boat and struggle with everyday life.

Ruby has been allowed to sing in the school show. However, it means more time away from the boat, and as the only person who can hear, she is needed to run the boat legally. She is left with a difficult decision, as her family doesn’t want to lose everything they have worked for.

Verdict on Coda

Recap

The movie follows a teenager in a deaf family who sees an opportunity for a better life but it means leaving her family behind. She is torn between her dream of music and a fisherperson’s life.

Best Parts

The story of a teenager left with a difficult decision about her future of chasing dreams or supporting her family. This is a brilliant story and addresses a lot of the problems that the deaf community faces in life. It shows everyday routines completely different to what we expect and even a job they are skilled at being put at risk. The performances are brilliant, and you can see why it was covered in awards.

Worst Parts

The randomness of the subtitles, sometimes the deaf conversations are subtitles, other times they are not.

Final Thoughts – Coda is a brilliant drama about chasing dreams and family support.

Categories
Movie Review

Nickel Boys (2024) Movie Review

Nickel Boys – Movie Review

"Nickel Boys" explores the friendship of two African-American teens enduring abuse in a reform school, based on Colson Whitehead's novel.

First Reaction – Nickel Boys is an important, impactful journey.

Watch Nickel Boys on Prime

ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nominated – N

Director: RaMell Ross

Writer: RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes (Screenplay)

Writer: Colson Whitehead (Book)

Cast

Plot: Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, “Nickel Boys” chronicles the powerful friendship between two young African-American men navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida.

Runtime: 2 Hours 20 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Nickel Boys starts when two African-American men, Elwood (Herisse) and Turner (Wilson), meet at a reform school. They live in a world where the Civil Rights Movement has been happening, meaning they still get treated differently by some white people.

The boys are sent to the school because of a crime they never committed, leading to them learning to adapt while managing the abuse they face. While there they learn more of the horrors their ancestors experienced while growing up in America.

Verdict on Nickel Boys

Recap

The movie follows two African-Americans who are forced into a reform school for crimes they never committed. They suffer abuse and record their time in the school. However, they form an unlikely friendship, giving them strength to survive the horrors.

Best Parts

The movie is shot from the character’s point of view, meaning we rarely see the character on screen. It places us in their shoes so we can experience their journey. This gives it a bigger impact for the audience to understand how difficult it would have been at that time. The performances are brilliant, and the engaging storyline keeps us wanting to know what happens next.

Final Thoughts –Nickel Boys is a moving, impactful story.

Categories
Movie Review

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992) Movie Review

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth – Movie Review

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth keeps up the gory concept and spends more time on making the leader iconic.

First Reaction – Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth keeps up the gory concept and spends more time on making the leader iconic.

Director: Anthony Hickox

Writer: Peter Atkins (Screenplay)

Writer: Clive Barker (Characters)

Cast

Plot: An investigative reporter must send the newly unbound Pinhead and his legions back to Hell.

Runtime: 1 Hour 37 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth starts when investigative reporter Joey Summerskill (Farrell) begins investigating the story of the previous films. She finds herself getting an unlikely connection to Pinhead and his legion of the undead.

Joey works with Terri (Marshall) to look into her ex-boyfriend J.P. (Bernhardt), who has a connection to the occult items. However, they are not prepared for what they discover, which causes the evil to be unleashed on the world again.

Verdict on Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth

Recap

The movie follows an investigative journalist explores the secrets the Pinhead and the mysterious box. She makes connections who might not be more, but is not prepared for what they are about to unleash.

Best Parts

Once again, the franchise excels in the practical effects and keeps everything feeling uncomfortable, bloody and gory throughout. There is a bigger story behind the figures from the underworld and how people are using them

Worst Parts

This might well dive into the deeper origin of the characters, but it doesn’t do much to establish the ones we are following trying to solve things. It feels more like a slower quick spin franchise release, less of what made the original better, but making the leader more iconic.

Final Thoughts –Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth maintains the biggest gore effects but lacks a story.

Categories
Movie Review

Cold Storage (2026) Movie Review

Cold Storage – Movie Review

Cold Storage is a chaotic horror film about a fungus outbreak, featuring a former agent and young employees racing against time.

First Reaction – Cold Storage is big, chaotic, and never holds back.

Director: Jonny Campbell

Writer: David Koepp (Screenplay)

Cast

  • Joe Keery
  • Georgina Campbell
  • Liam Neeson
  • Lesley Manville
  • Sosie Bacon

Plot: When a highly dangerous fungus escapes from a secret laboratory, a former bioterrorism agent is called back into action. Alongside two young employees, he must confront an invisible and out-of-control threat.

Runtime: 1 Hour 39 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Cold Storage starts when a fungus from space spreads causing chaos. However, Robert Quinn (Neeson) and Trini Romano (Manville) led the containment, which they believe has put under control. Years later, the bunker has been turned into a storage facility. Travis (Keery) and Naomi (Campbell) are preparing for the night shift.

When the secure bunker gets a breach, the pair begin investigating. However, they are not prepared for what they will discover, and Robert returns with unfinished business. It becomes a race against time to prevent the chaos from being released on the world.

Verdict on Cold Storage

Recap

The movie follows the government’s planned containment of an infected disease spiralling out of control. It shows them being contained and a storage facility being opened in the same building. However, the disease escapes and begins to spread, leading to a race against time to survive.

Best Parts

The movie uses the chaotic virus spread concept and doesn’t hold back. It highlights the dangers of containment, instead of elimination and things in space. The performances are fun and embrace the chaos, with some of the bigger names looking like they are having a lot of fun. In the end, this is pure chaos in all the right way. It never holds back and adds the military cover ups.

Worst Parts

There are a lot of flashbacks, which at times are annoying, and the zooms into the infection spread are used way too often.

Final Thoughts – Cold Storage is an outrageous, chaotic and outlandish horror.

Categories
Movie Review

Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) Movie Review

Hellbound: Hellraiser II – Movie Review

Hellbound: Hellraiser II dives deeper into the lure of the characters but struggles to bring the horrors to life.

First Reaction – Hellbound: Hellraiser II dives deeper into the lure of the characters but struggles to bring the horrors to life.

Director: Tony Randel

Writer: Peter Atkins, Clive Barker (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Kirsty is brought to an institution after the horrible events of Hellraiser (1987), where the occult-obsessive head doctor resurrects Julia and unleashes the Cenobites and their demonic underworld.

Runtime: 1 Hour 37 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Hellbound: Hellraiser II starts when Kirsty (Laurence) tries to recover from the horrors of the first film. However, Doctor Channard (Cranham) investigates the case and brings Julia (Higgins) back to life. He works with Julia to help her recover fully and unleash the evil on the world.

Meanwhile, Kirsty prepares to battle to save herself from the evil coming for her. However, Julia is more prepared for Kirsty this time, meaning the battle with the Cenobites is going to be a lot deadlier than before.

Verdict on Hellbound: Hellraiser II

Recap

The movie picks up in the aftermath of the original. Kirsty is recovering from the event, but her doctor brings Julia back to life, because of his obsession with the occult. Now she is back to continue the deadly path for the Cenobites on Earth.

Best Parts

The effects are still amazing, proving the practical effects of looking and seeing horrors involved in the events. We also dive more into the lure of the Cenobites, which is interesting to see unfold.

Worst Parts

While the outside of the movie looks good, it doesn’t get enough into the scares you would imagine. Elsewhere, it can gloss over bigger plot points and wants to hold onto the previous characters, which it feels like it has finished with them before.

Final Thoughts –Hellbound: Hellraiser II is a bloody sequel with more lure, but fewer scares.

Categories
Movie Review

Hellraiser (1987) Movie Review

Hellraiser – Movie Review

Hellraiser is a brutal, bloody horror movie.

First Reaction – Hellraiser is a brutal, bloody horror movie.

Director: Clive Barker

Writer: Clive Barker (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A woman discovers the newly resurrected, partially formed, body of her brother-in-law and lover. She starts killing for him to revitalize his body and escape the demonic beings that are pursuing him after he escaped their underworld.

Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Hellraiser starts when Kirsty (Laurence), Larry (Robinson) and Julia (Higgins) move into Larry’s childhood home. However, Larry’s brother Frank (Chapman) had been occupying the home and was involved with a mysterious puzzle box. Meanwhile, Julia had been having an affair with Frank before he vanished.

Now, the family has moved into the home, and they have become the targets for the demonic creatures from the underworld. Julia’s obsession with Frank leads her down a dangerous path to reconnect with her lover, one she might never return from.

Verdict on Hellraiser

Recap

The movie follows a dysfunctional family as they move into a new family home. However, their secrets cause a bigger stir when demonic figures return for something from them. It sees one begin picking up strangers in hopes of bringing her former lover back to life.

Best Parts

When it comes to body horror and make-up effects, this is one of the greatest horror movies ever made. It is head and shoulders above many others and showcases the talent people had to create things terrifying throughout the movie. There is also a much more complex story going on, which leans into more horror close to home.

Worst Parts

The body horror is going to be too much for some, which even in the more twisted concept and smarter storytelling, will be all people see.

Final Thoughts –Hellraiser is one of the best body horror movies with a smarter story.

Categories
Movie Review

You’ll Never Find Me (2023) Movie Review

You’ll Never Find Me – Movie Review

Discover the mysterious world of 'You'll Never Find Me' in this captivating movie review. Dive into a story filled with suspense and unexpected twists.

ABC Film Challenge – Horror – Y

Director: Josiah Allen, Indianna Bell

Writer: Indianna Bell (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Patrick, a strange and lonely resident, lives in a mobile home at the back of an isolated trailer park. After a violent storm, a mysterious young woman appears at his door seeking shelter from the elements.

Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: You’ll Never Find Me starts when a lonely resident Patrick (Rock) gets a visit from a young woman (Cowan). She needs help and he offers her shelter and safety. However, there is an unease between the two as she fears he wants something more and he doesn’t know why she is in the area late at night.

With a storm raging outside, the two try to get comfortable with each other. However, the strange events continue to occur, causing more tension between the pair.

Verdict on You’ll Never Find Me

You’ll Never Find Me is a horror mystery following a stranger arriving at a lonely man’s cabin. It creates an uneasy tension between the two as they are both unsure of the other. However, as the night continues, they learn the truth of what is happening.

This movie keeps you on the edge of your seat. It has an opening sequence which feels a lot like ‘Barbarian’ even though things go in a different direction. The tension can be cut with a knife as the movie constantly keeps you questioning what is happening before the final reveal. It is a true masterclass in set up and delivers an ending you would never imagine.

Where to Watch

a
JustWatch

Final Thoughts – You’ll Never Find Me creates a tension ready to cut with a knife.