Joeblade

Short reviews

  1. King of New York

    Solid, grimy 90s crime drama that also now delivers a big nostalgic hit. Star turns from everybody except David Caruso.

  2. Tremors 4: The Legend Begins

    Look, it’s a franchise that knows exactly what its fans want, and routinely delivers just that and no more. Four films in, you’re probably on board with it.

  3. Into the Forest

    A slow and thoughtful apocalyptic drama that sees two sisters learning to survive on their own. Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood are almost hypnotically good.

  4. Drive

    Ryan Gosling’s silent, soulless schtick is less impactful than it used to be, but Drive remains a beautifully shot, beautifully scored masterpiece, expertly performed

  5. Wind River

    Spectacularly filmed and there’s also a decent crime thriller in here in between Jeremy Renner’s mumbling, but nothing really all that surprising.

  6. Strings

    A brilliantly-inventive mythic fantasy where the strings on the marionettes are an acknowledged part of life. Visually stunning and technically impressive; loved it.

  7. The Fall of the House of Usher

    A perfectly respectable adaptation, but Vincent Price is pretty much carrying the whole thing.

  8. Muppet Treasure Island

    Possibly one of the more overlooked Muppet films but unfairly so: It’s Tim Curry in a Muppet film, what stronger recommendation do you need?

  9. A Simple Plan

    A solid 90s crime thriller that’s narratively straightforward but with lots of chewy characterisation. Also, a bonus Gary Cole.

  10. Wayne’s World

    It has aged about as well as can be expected and let’s just leave it at that.

  11. Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words

    A fascinating documentary on Bergman told largely through her diaries and own home movies. Quietly riveting.

  12. Mary and Max

    A pitch-black dark comedy from Australia that’s dry, funny, charming and sad all at once.

  13. The Limehouse Golem

    A solid Ripper Street-style murder mystery. Nothing too challenging, but gets a long way on some magnetic performances from Bill Nighy and Olivia Cooke in particular.

  14. Tremors 3: Back to Perfection

    At this point the films feel more like hobbies than anything else, but the cast is enthusiastic and everyone’s having fun so who cares.

  15. Spider-Man: Homecoming

    Tolerably functional, immediately forgettable.

  16. It

    Mixed feelings; wished they’d focused more on the actually-terrifying psychological horror and less on the CGI, and there’s awkward and unnecessary sexualisation. Overall, a misfire.

  17. Beyond Skyline

    Surprisingly decent sci-fi action that goes in unexpected directions. A dumb, fun Friday night film to watch with a takeaway.

  18. Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders

    Not the best-quality animation, but still an affectionate revisit of the 60s series with a lot of charm, particularly with West, Ward and Newmar returning.

  19. Hellmouth

    Heavily-stylised horror from the writer of Pontypool. Fairly incomprehensible, but anything starring Stephen McHattie gets a pass from me.

  20. Hunt for the Wilderpeople

    So charmingly touching and funny it practically made me angry.

« Previous PageNext Page »