Tag: 2024

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Movie Review

Night Swim (2024) Movie Review

Night Swim – Movie Review

Discover the chilling horror of Night Swim, a suspenseful movie that delves into the dark secrets of a new home.

ABC Film Challenge – Horror – N

Director: Bryce McGuire

Writer: Bryce McGuire, Rob Blackhurst (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A family moves into a new home, unaware that a dark secret from the house’s past will unleash a malevolent force in the backyard pool.

Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Night Swim starts when the Waller family, Ray (Russell), Eve (Condon), Izzy (Hoeferle) and Elliot (Warren) move into a new home. They are looking to settle down as Ray needs to step away from his professional baseball career due to an illness. The new home has a swimming pool, which can offer some therapy he needs.

However, each member of the family suffers a strange incident in the pool, which doesn’t make too much sense. It leads to the family conducting an investigation and the family learning a much darker secret about the home.

Verdict on Night Swim

Night Swim is a horror thriller about a family who buys a new home to start a fresh life. However, they discover the house has a curse connected to the pool and they have been targeted as the next victims. They must figure out how to end the curse before it is too late.

This movie has an interesting story behind the spooky goings, even if most of the haunting stuff doesn’t hit the scare factors. We get the typical investigation, which dives into something much deeper. It is the pure horror side of the film which suffers, nothing feels scary, a few peekaboo moments, which you can see coming a mile off. It might well have something else going on, but that side of the story seems to fall flat and we are left with an uninteresting horror that doesn’t hit any marks.

Where to Watch

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Final Thoughts –Night Swim struggles to dive into the horror enough.

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Movie Review

Hard Truths (2024) Movie Review

Hard Truths – Movie Review

Hard Truths is an emotionally charged film featuring strong performances, exploring human strengths and weaknesses amid family conflict and grief.

First Reaction – Hard Truths is a powerhouse of performances in an emotionally driven story.

Director: Mike Leigh

Writer: Mike Leigh (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Ongoing exploration of the contemporary world with a tragicomic study of human strengths and weaknesses.

Runtime: 1 Hour 37 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Hard Truths starts as we meet Pansy (Jean-Baptiste) and her family, Curtley (Webber) and Moses (Barrett). She constantly worries and complains, while her husband and son accept it. Elsewhere, her sister Chantelle (Austin), and her family are dealing with problems in different ways.

As the anniversary of Pansy and Chantelle’s mothers’ passing is coming and the two must arrange to visit her grave. The two are very different, but somehow have a connection to give Pansy the only calm in her life.

Verdict on Hard Truths

Recap

The movie follows a bitter, depressed and angry woman who takes out her frustrations on everyone in her life. Her sister has a different look at life, and the two clash when it comes to visiting their late mother’s grave.

Best Parts

The story shows how easily people can see life differently. It shows a positive and a negative point of view, showing how people deal with things in different ways. The performances are fantastic, and it hits home that you can affect other people’s lives around you. This is hard-hitting to match the title, showing everything people are trying to make it through.

Final Thoughts – Hard Truths is a fantastic performance-driven powerhouse.

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Movie Review

The Surfer (2024) Movie Review

The Surfer – Movie Review

The Surfer follows a man confronting local bullies while returning to his childhood beach, showcasing his struggle and desperation.

First Reaction – The Surfer takes us down a spiral of madness to unlock the truth.

Director: Lorcan Finnegan

Writer: Thomas Martin (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A man returns to the idyllic beach of his childhood to surf with his son. When he is humiliated by a group of locals, the man is drawn into a conflict that keeps rising and pushes him to his breaking point.

Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Surfer starts when a man known as the surfer (Cage) returns to him hometown to show his Kid (Little) what life used to be about. However, upon arrival he meets a new group of surfers run by Scally (McMahon) who don’t accept outsiders.

When he confronts them, he begins getting tested by the local authority not helping him. However, he has a bigger secret and uses him past breaking point to rid the beach of the troublemakers.

Verdict on The Surfer

Recap

The movie follows a man trying to buy a house in his hometown near a local surfer spot. However, he clashes with a ruthless gang of surfers who don’t welcome outsiders. They push him to his limits as he prepares to stand up against the bullies controlling the area.

Best Parts

The spiral the man goes through is interesting to watch; it shows how quickly his life gets out of control in a way he can’t handle. Nicolas Cage is fantastic in the role and keeps us wanting to see the desperate life going on. It does a great job of showing the gang having control and not wanting to let new people into the area.

Worst Parts

The movie doesn’t do a good job of showing what is actually happening with the gang and what is motivating them. It teases at a few things, but leaves more unanswered questions.

Final Thoughts – The Surfer sends us down a strange and unusual journey.

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Movie Review

September 5 (2024) Movie Review

September 5 – Movie Review

September 5 examines the moral dilemmas faced by a broadcasting team covering the hostage crisis during the 1972 Munich Olympics.

First Reaction – September 5 is an interesting point of view of the tragic events.

Director: Tim Fehlbaum

Writer: Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, Alex David (Screenplay)

Cast

  • Peter Sarsgaard (Jarhead)
  • John Magaro (Overlord)
  • Ben Chaplin (Murder by Numbers)
  • Leonie Benesch (Pot Luck)
  • Zinedine Soualem

Plot: During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, an American sports broadcasting team must adapt to live coverage of the Israeli athletes being held hostage by a terrorist group.

Runtime: 1 Hour 35 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: September 5 starts when ABC sports broadcasting team Roone Arledge (Sarsgaard), Geoffrey Mason (Magaro) and Marvin Bader (Chaplin) jump on a story. During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, a terrorist group hold Israeli athletes hostage. The TV crew look to break the story and expose what has been happening.

However, during the broadcast, they find themselves facing morale dilemmas and knowing they are the biggest studio covering the story. But it might come at a cost, as their reporting could have given the terrorists the advantage.

Verdict on September 5

Recap

The movie follows the broadcasting team trying to break a massive story of the real hostage situation during the 1972 Olympics. They push to break barriers to make sure they get the story and are left in the middle of the consequences of their decisions.

Best Parts

The movie builds an interesting dynamic between what is right and what is best. It shows that reporting the story was important, but it could have caused negative reactions. The idea we watch nearly everything from the studio is interesting too, as we only hear the reports from the ground, which also keeps things interesting to watch.

Worst Parts

The tragic events are already well portrayed in many other films, whether it be the documentary, or up close and personal telling of the events. This doesn’t do much to show the barbaric actions of the terrorists and enough of the spotlight on why this happened.

Final Thoughts – September 5 gives us another fascinating glimpse into the tragic events.

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Movie Review

The Good Fight (2024) Movie Review

The Good Fight – Movie Review

The Good Fight depicts a former fighter’s struggle with alcoholism and the quest for redemption before losing everything.

First Reaction – The Good Fight is the routine redemption story.

Where to Watch

The Good Fight (VOD Release 12/2/25).

Director: James Edward Holley

Writer: James Edward Holley (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: After a series of bad decisions threaten to destroy his family and career, Luke must look inside himself and decide what’s really worth fighting for.

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Good Fight starts when former fighter Luke (Stinnett) sees his life spiralling out of control. He has a drinking problem, which is tearing his family apart. Elsewhere, his boss, Chief (Holley), pushes lawyer Michael (Schneider) to help him sort his life out.

When the final straw is drawn, Luke must decide what he wants to do in the future. He has one last chance before he loses everything and faces jail time.

Verdict on The Good Fight

Recap

The movie follows a former fighter who has spiralled into a drinking problem. He is about to lose everything and his loved ones do what they can to support him. However, he is facing a test to save his life before it is too late.

Best Parts

The redemption story is strong, as we are used to seeing it, and it works well in moving things along. Elsewhere, the performances are strong throughout, too.

Worst Parts

While this has a good redemption story, it leaves you questioning why Luke kept getting away with his multiple offences for so long. In another world, you would question why they weren’t locked up earlier to protect innocent people from their behaviour.

Final Thoughts –The Good Fight follows the traditional redemption story.

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Movie Review

Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) Movie Review

Kung Fu Panda 4 – Movie Review

Kung Fu Panda 4 features Po on a self-discovery journey as he mentors a new warrior while facing a formidable sorceress threat.

First Reaction – Kung Fu Panda 4 is more of the same without being stronger than the rest.

Watch Kung Fu Panda 4 Here.

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ABC Film Challenge – Franchise Movie – K

Director: Mike Mitchell, Stephanie Stine

Writer: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, Darren Lemke (Screenplay)

Cast (Voice Talents)

Plot: After Po is tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace, he needs to find and train a new Dragon Warrior, while a wicked sorceress plans to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished to the spirit realm.

Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Kung Fu Panda 4 starts when Po must find someone to mentor and pass on his wisdom. However, a new threat leads him to join forces with Zhen and search for the evil Chameleon. The unlikely partnership searches dangerous lands to fight new enemies to stop its power search.

However, the journey will test Po and lead him down a new path of self-discovery. It puts him through the toughest test he has faced and gives him a new direction to deal with.

Verdict on Kung Fu Panda 4

Recap

The movie follows Po as he searches for an apprentice to pass on his wisdom. However, he soon discovers a new enemy, one that is deadlier than anything he has faced before.

Best Parts

Po’s journey is interesting as we see how he has evolved through the years of training. The movie brings back old favourites and lets us learn about their changes while also adding a new threat that is his biggest challenge yet.

Worst Parts

There are a lot of jokes which miss, the humour doesn’t click, and it can hold of the bigger story. For the most part you can see the target audience for the humour, but it didn’t do enough to make a wider audience laugh at moments.

Final Thoughts –Kung Fu Panda 4 has moments of fun but feels more like a 101 sequel.

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Movie Review

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024) Movie Review

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim – Movie Review

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a welcome additional to the universe.

First Reaction – The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a welcome additional to the universe.

Director: Kenji Kamiyama

Writer: Jeffrey Addiss, Will Matthews, Phoebe Gittins, Ary Papageorgiou (Screenplay)

Writer: J.R.R. Tolkien (Characters)

Cast (Voice Talents)

Plot: A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and traitorous lord of Rohan seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan, and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg.

Runtime: 2 Hours 14 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim starts when Wulf attacks Helm Hammerhand in vengeance for killing his father. The King of Rohan will do anything to protect his kingdom and his daughter Hera. However, the battle will cost more than imagined, leading to the battle for control.

Hera must make a difficult decision to help stop the bloodshed and save her people too. However, her decision means going against everything her father promised, but to protect her people, she will do anything for the greater good.

Verdict on The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

Recap

The movie follows a war between two sides in a determination to control Rohan. It follows the son wanting vengeance for his father’s death and the daughter of his target refusing to back down.

Best Parts

This brings us another epic story in the Lord of the Rings environment and gives both sides strong motivation for battle. It makes sense the son wants vengeance, and it was simpler idea which both sides need to protect their people. The animation is beautiful and fully embraces the world and the fantasy creators involved.

Worst Parts

The big question comes from whether we needed more from the Lord of the Rings world. I feel unless you have really invested in the world, certain things would come off confusing.

Final Thoughts – The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a beautifully animated trip into the world.

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Movie Review

Crispy (2024) Movie Review

Crispy – Movie Review

Crispy is a horror film about teenagers lost in the forest, hunted by a cannibalistic killer, failing to deliver compelling scares.

First Reaction – Crispy is a slow horror that wants to capture the found footage concept.

Director: Joe Leone

Writer: Joe Leone (Screenplay)

Cast

  • Luke Ryan
  • Colson Branum
  • Jessica Frew
  • Saoirse Tiernan
  • Kerwin Johnson Jr

Plot: A witty teen leads a group of his friends into the woods on an expedition to locate an allegedly lost “treasure” – despite the warnings of his telepathic sister – and soon the crew gets lost and is stalked by a cannibalistic killer.

Runtime: 1 Hour 16 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Crispy starts when teenager Ricky (Branum) takes his friends Tate (Murphy), Damien (Ryan) and Melanie (Tiernan) into going on a treasure hunt. Ricky believes there is a treasure in the forest and they reluctantly agree.

However, once they go into the forest, they get lost and lose signal. They must figure out how to escape and try to uncover what they have got themselves into. However, the forest has a disturbing secret.

Verdict on Crispy

Recap

The movie follows a group of teenagers who go treasure hunting in the forest. However, they get lost and are led to be hunted by something in the darkness. It becomes a race against time to escape before it is too late.

Best Parts

One of the few highlights of the movie comes from the character’s age. It doesn’t shy away from having younger teenagers put in danger, unlike most horrors revolving around teenagers, which typically focus on the 18-year-old group. This could be to capitalise on the Stranger Things age range against something supernatural or horror-related.

Worst Parts

While certain groundwork ideas are interesting, the rest of the film is not very compelling. There are about 15/20 minutes of the characters trying to get out of a hole, which doesn’t look challenging to get out of. Meanwhile, it is a lot of walking around the forest and a few shock moments. Most of which fail to capture the impact required.

Final Thoughts –Crispy wants to be a shocking found footage film, but fails to land the horror.

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Movie Review

Kraven the Hunter (2024) Movie Review

Kraven The Hunter – Movie Review

Kraven The Hunter feels like it is an older generation superhero movie, without an edgy style.

First Reaction – Kraven The Hunter feels like it is an older generation superhero movie, without an edgy style.

Director: J.C. Chandor

Writer: Richard Wenk, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway (Screenplay)

Writer: Stan Lee, Steve Ditko (Creators)

Cast

Plot: Kraven’s complex relationship with his ruthless father, Nikolai Kravinoff, starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.

Runtime: 2 Hours 7 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Kraven The Hunter starts when a teenage Sergei gets brutally attack by a lion and saved by Calypso performing a ritual on him. Sergei (Taylor-Johnson) becomes more powerful, deadly and insync with animals. He uses them to fight back against hunters who are taking lives. When Calypso’s (DeBose) friend is killed, Sergei connects and begins a new partnership.

Meanwhile, Sergei’s father Nikolai (Crowe) continues his ruthless ways, forcing Sergei to face off against him. Elsewhere, a bigger enemy is waiting in the shadows to take advantage of Nikolai stepping away from the life of crime.

Verdict on Kraven The Hunter

Recap

The movie follows a man who has animal like power after an incident. He uses the powers to fight back against criminals in a ruthless manner. However, this time it hits closer to home and he must fight to protect his family.

Best Parts

The motivation behind Kraven’s mission is what superpowers should be used for. It keeps it simple to eliminate dangerous people. Elsewhere, the mysterious Foreigner is interesting to watch complete their mission too.

Worst Parts

The core mission the character wants to complete are good, but most of the story is not as interesting as it could be. It lacks the edgy side it wants with the ruthless behaviour and doesn’t have the charm to fit the modern Marvel universe.

Final Thoughts – Kraven The Hunter lacks the edge the character feels like it could have.