28 Years Later

Official Australian release date: 19/6/25. Viewed: 22/6/25.
Director: Danny Boyle
Actors: Alfie Williams, Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes
Genre: Horror / Thriller
Rating: MA

’28 Years Later’ continues the fast-zombie series, coming 23 years after ’28 Days Later’ and 18 years after ’28 Weeks Later’. We have a whole new cast, living on a small island just off the coast of north-east England, as the UK remains quarantined from the rest of the world. We meet Spike (Williams) and his parents, Isla (Comer) and Jamie (Taylor-Johnson), as Spike is now old enough to go hunting-and-gathering back on the mainland. Everything obviously goes well…

The start is a flashback to the outbreak of the rage virus and helps re-establish the infected/zombies. Then things settle into a survivor thriller, with a bit of a different pacing. The score is good, but the soundtrack is very odd and seems mismatched – I guess on purpose. The same can be said for some of the red “dream” footage and old war footage – while trying to foreshadow or illuminate history repeating, it’s a little distracting at times. Same for some of the grainer (apparently from iPhones) footage, meant to be similar to the ow-budget original film – contrasts a fair bit with the real footage.

Even though the pacing and tone is different from the other 2 films, it’s quite quick (just under 2 hours) and does a good job of setting up the imminent sequels. All the actors are good – always nice to see Fiennes, as Dr Kelson here – with the main family of 3 having plenty to work with. Some gruesome moments, but nothing as iconic as the helicopter from last time. Some questions posed, some answered and an intriguing ending.

Overall: Non-standard zombie sequel, will be back for more

Gav’s Rating: 3.5 stars 

Ballerina

Official Australian release date: 5/6/25. Viewed: 16/6/25.
Director: Len Wiseman
Actors: Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Ian McShane
Genre: Action
Rating: MA

‘Ballerina’, or effectively ‘John Wick 3.5’, is another stylish assassins killing assassins entry in the series. We see what shapes Eve (de Armas) as a child, ending up in the care of the Director (Huston) & the Ruska Roma. From there it’s a pretty simple training montage and learning curve for Eve. We have cameos from de-aged/hair-dyed Winston (McShane) and the Chancellor (Byrne), as well as Charon (Reddick).

De Armas is good and walks a fine line between being a kick-ass fighter/dancer with no fear, and showing some vulnerability and emotion. She certainly takes some beatings here, but dishes out even more. She doesn’t seem as invulnerable as John Wick, but since it’s the same universe, it does seem like she can take more damage/injuries than any regular human. Plenty of inventive deaths in this one, particularly a few with grenades, flamethrowers and more ice skate deaths than there’s been since ‘Sudden Death’!

Has a bit more humour and wittiness than some other ‘John Wick’s, and is relatively short at 2 hours. The final act set all in a lakeside town in Czechia is all a bit farfetched, and this is where Reeves has his cameo, but it certainly ups the ante and body count. While there’s a small, not-that-surprising twist, it all wraps up well. Wouldn’t mind seeing more of Eve & John together in additional films.

Overall: Another stylish over-the-top kill-em-all

Gav’s Rating: 3.5 stars 

 

Dangeous Animals

Official Australian release date: 12/6/25. Viewed: 10/6/25.
Director: Sean Byrne
Actors: Hassie Harrison, Jai Courtney, Josh Heuston, Rob Carlton
Genre: Horror / Thriller
Rating: MA

‘Dangerous Animals’ is an Australian made horror, with a refreshing take on the “killer shark” trope – that being that there’s not a specific shark that is the antagonist (like ‘Jaws’, ‘Deep Blue Sea’, ‘The Shallows’, ‘The Reef’, or ‘The Meg’), but rather sharks are just themselves, being used as the weapon of choice by a serial killer. In that respect, this has more in common with Australia’s preeminent horror series, ‘Wolf Creek’.

The start sets the scene well, and leaves no doubt that Tucker (Courtney) is messed up and unequivocally the bad guy. There’s comedic relief from Dave (Carlton) as Tucker’s boat neighbour, and we’re then introduced to American backpacker Zephyr (Harrison) and Moses (Heuston), both on the Gold Coast living up the surfing lifestyle. As Tucker’s living out his fantasies, we’re left to wonder how Zephyr will escape. There’s a good amount of tension, without being insufferable.

There’s some humour, some grisliness and blood, but noting too gratuitous, and minimal focus on sharks, who are filmed with some reverence. Lots of nice scenic shots of the Gold Coast and it’s good to see an Australian director and famous Australian actor make a local film. Courtney particularly relishes his bogan-gone-off-the-rails role, and gives a good excuse to have some Aussie classics in the soundtrack. The final act is great, and while the body count could’ve been higher, it’s a quick fun ride.

Overall: Taught & semi-plausible - more than can be said for most horror films!

Gav’s Rating: 4 stars 

The Phoenician Scheme

Official Australian release date: 29/5/25. Viewed: 4/6/25.
Director: Wes Anderson
Actors: Benicio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Mathieu Amalric
Genre: Drama / Comedy
Rating: M

‘The Phoenician Scheme’ is a semi-crime-caper and half family drama (but not in ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ style), but all Wes Anderson. We effectively follow 3 characters – eccentric, semi-shady millionaire Zsa-Zsa Korda (Del Toro), his semi-estranged/soon-to-be-nun daughter Liesl (Threapleton) and Korda’s assistant Bjorn (Cera) as they travel around fictional Phoenicia putting together a complicated infrastructure deal.

The start is both shocking and bleakly funny, making Korda an arrogant antihero, who’s balanced out well by Lisel and her wanting to do good in the world. While supposed to be set in Syria (i.e. ancient Phoenicia), was actually filmed in Germany! It’s both nice to see famous faces, but also annoying that we don’t get to see too many actors shine, as there’s so many that want to be in an Anderson film that we get less than 10min of screentime from Hanks, Cranston, Ahmed, Dafoe, Murray, Abraham, Ayoade, Wright, Johansson & Cumberbatch.

While it looks as stylish as ever, with great set design and score, there’s some annoying cuts and edits. It feels rushed at times, trying to get through 5 acts in the 100min runtime. While it has humourous moments, felt like it needed more proper laughs and warmth. All the actors are solid, with Del Toro having fun, but seeming to imitate how Hanks would’ve played the role at times. Pleasant ending.

Overall: Not Wes’ best or worst

Gav’s Rating: 3 stars 

Bring Her Back

Official Australian release date: 29/5/25. Viewed: 31/5/25.
Directors: Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou
Actors: Billy Barrat, Sora Wong, Sally Hawkins, Jonah Wren Phillips
Genre: Horror / Drama
Rating: MA

‘Bring Her Back’ is a slow-reveal horror, directors the Philippou brothers once again finding the darkness in the Adelaide hills, following their first film ‘Talk To Me’. We follow teenagers Piper (Wong), who’s mostly blind, and her brother Andy (Barrat) as they’re placed in foster care with Laura (Hawkins from ‘The Shape of Water’), and her other adopted son, Oliver (Phillips). Somethings not quite right from the outset, but it is a bit hidden to start with and is only unsettling for the first 40min or so.

The backstory is slowly given to us in glimpses, and Hawkins does well to make Laura not an evil mastermind, but rather just a terribly-misguided grieving mother. All the actors are superb, with Andy and Piper being making you really care about them and Oliver having one of the best blank stares you’ll ever see. That said, there’s a few really gruesome scenes that the camera doesn’t shy away from and make you squirm – they’ll definitely stick with me!

It's a pretty tight 1 hour 40min, and while the body count isn’t too high, the tension and shocks/grossness of most of the final 40min are very well done and make this a pretty unique Aussie horror film. The ending is mostly satisfying – looking forward to seeing what the brothers do next.

Overall: Memorable horror mystery

Gav’s Rating: 3.5 stars  

 

The Surfer

Official Australian release date: 15/5/25. Viewed: 25/5/25.
Director: Lorcan Finnegan
Actors: Nicolas Cage, Julian McMahon, Finn Little, Nic Cassim
Genre: Thriller / Drama
Rating: MA

‘The Surfer’ is an Australian film (albeit with an Irish director and American star), set in southern Western Australia, so we get plenty of great scenery, beach vistas, Aussie soundscapes and gratuitous animal shots – I think they had everything but a koala! Cage plays the nameless “surfer” (funny when he says near the end: “I have a name”, and then you realise the audience doesn’t know what it is!), who’s been in the USA and wants to move home and take his son (Little) surfing. He runs into Scally (McMahon), a self-styled surfing guru/cult leader, who makes this more difficult than it should be.

At first you don’t like any of the locals (I swear most Aussies aren’t like this!), as what starts off as local protectionism slowly turns more sinister. There’s also a homeless man (Cassim), which sets up a nice plot twist as Cage does Cage and spends lots of time doing the wide-eyed/mouth open Cage stare, presumably due to heat stroke. There’s a fair bit of “what’s real and what’s not”, which is pretty well stitched together at the end. Basically, Cage is gaslight by Scally, his acolytes and local cop (Rosniak). Good to see Tapsell as one of the few regular people here.

It has some almost-funny moments, but mostly it’s all a bit wry. There’s definitely some gross bits, and while the tension does build, it’s not really fully as weird, violent, or chaotic as other recent Cage films (i.e. ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massie Talent’, ‘Colour Out of Space’, ‘Dream Scenario’). Score is ok, with soundtrack almost non-existent. Great to see more Australian locations on screen. Good, without being great.

Overall: Surfing is suffering (in this case)

Gav’s Rating: 3 stars  

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

Official Australian release date: 17/5/25. Viewed: 17/5/25.
Director: Chris McQuarrie
Actors: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales
Genre: Action / Adventure
Rating: M

‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ is the 8^th and possibly final film in the franchise. Pretty impressive that Tom Cruise has been steadily making these for 30 years, without over-saturating the market. This is a direct sequel to ‘Dead Reckoning’, with Ethan (Cruise) in possession of the key to stop the malevolent AI called “The Entity”. This means he comes out of the shadows a bit, and interacts with the US President (Bassett) and General Sidney (Offerman).

The plot means Ethan has to retrieve something from a sunken submarine, which is arguably the tensest scene in the film, as well as possibly the most unbelievable, but is expertly done. We also get to see the team from the previous film back – long-timers Luther (Rhames), Benji (Pegg), Kittridge (Czerny), plus returnees Grace (Atwell), Paris (Klementieff) and antagonist Gabriel (Morales). The best call-back though is Donloe (Saxon) and how he’s important to the story. As much as it’s all about Ethan, it's always good to see the IMF team in action.

Similar to the last film, it’s shot around the world – London, Norway, South Africa. The stunts in the bi-planes flying over the South African coast are particularly stunning, and amazing to know that Cruise is literally hanging on those planes himself. While perhaps not as cohesive as ‘Fallout’ or ‘Dead Reckoning’, at 2 hours 45min there’s plenty of action to get through. Less espionage, and more “convince the armed forces not to blow each other up”, making sure the stakes are high. Less trademark-Tom-running than usual, but plenty of fight scenes, bomb diffusions and stunts galore.

Overall: Solid ending if it is, more great action set pieces

Gav’s Rating: 4 stars  

The Correspondent

Official Australian release date: 17/4/25. Viewed: 5/5/25.
Director: Kriv Stenders
Actors: Richard Roxburgh, Rahel Romahn, Julian Maroun, Yael Stone
Genre: Drama
Rating: M

‘The Correspondent’ is from the director of ‘Red Dog’ and ‘Danger Close’, and is based on the true story of Peter Greste (Roxburgh), the Australian journalist working for Al Jeezera in Cairo in 2013, during the Arab Spring uprising, when he & colleagues Fahmy (Maroun) and Mohamed (Romahn) get arrested. The film starts well, setting up some of the protests and why Greste is there, but not really delving much into the wider politics of what’s happening in Egypt.

It’s all filmed in Australia, as we don’t see much of Egypt, due to mostly being inside prison blocks. The film only follows Greste, often consciously claustrophobically so, as he tries to comprehend what’s happening to him and how to navigate his way out, without compromising his journalistic integrity. Having Fahmy and Mohamed in the same predicament, albeit not foreign nationals, helps him share his burden at times, but also adds complications.

Part courtroom drama, part psychological horror, it’s a slow-burn at 2 hours, with a mostly-happy ending – even if it’s mostly inexplicable as with the initial arrests – that’s sobered by the on-screen statistics that close the film. All the actors are good, with Roxburgh carrying the weight of the situation on his face and shoulders, and Kate (Stone) fleshing out some of his past guilt in flashbacks of his time with her in Mogadishu.

Overall: By no means fun, but well-made true story

Gav’s Rating: 3.5 stars 

Thunderbolts*

Official Australian release date: 1/5/25. Viewed: 30/4/25.
Director: Jake Schreier
Actors: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lewis Pullman
Genre: Action / Sci-Fi
Rating: PG

 

‘Thunderbolts*’ is a great MCU film, probably mostly due to it mostly being a non-Super Hero film, and thus feeling more grounded and (semi) realistic. Even though this film follows ‘Captain America: Brave New World’, other than a few mentions, it’s not a direct sequel – almost-required prior viewing are ‘The Falcon & the Winter Soldier’ and ‘Black Widow’. The heart of the film’s plot is following Yelena (Pugh)’s search for meaning and family, and dealing with her past. It doesn’t help that she’s working as an off-the-books operative for Valentina (Louis-Dreyfus), head of the CIA.

It's a good set-up how Yelena, Ava/Ghost (John-Kamen), Antonia/Taskmaster (Kurylenko), Bob (Pullman – looking like his dad), John Walker (Russell – not looking that much like his dad) and Alexi/Red Guardian (Harbour) end up together, and how they overcome their initial instincts to fight each other. Bucky/Winter Soldier (Stan) has a significant role, as does Val’s offsider Mel (Viswanathan) – as they all find something they’ve been missing when they all come together, no matter how begrudgingly. Without any spoilers, the set-up of “The Sentry” and then the unveiling of his powers is handled well, with a bit of an ‘Inception’ vibe.

It's quite quick – under 2 hours (before the credits), with both mid- and post-credits scenes worth staying for, and the black and white newspaper titles are great. The story of the “Thunderbolts” name is good and builds naturally – and I won’t delve into the “*” here, other than to say it’s obvious in hindsight. While it has some dark moments – deals with depression quite well – there’s still plenty of jokes and fun moments. Very strong performances elevate this film, Pugh and Pullman in particular, with neither playing a stereotypical part. Bring on Phase 6!

Overall: Great misfits saving the day against all odds

Gav’s Rating: 4 stars

Warfare

Official Australian release date: 17/4/25. Viewed: 26/4/25.
Directors: Ray Mendoza & Alex Garland
Actors: D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Joseph Quinn, Cosmo Jarvis
Genre: Action / Drama
Rating: MA

‘Warfare’ is based on a true story and follows a squad of US Navy Seals in Iraq in 2006. The film takes place over a short period, <12 hours, and after a funny intro, we get introduced to the characters – primarily Ray (Woo-A-Tai, from ‘Reservation Dogs’), Elliot (Jarvis, from ‘Shogun’), Sam (Quinn, from ‘Stranger Things’), Frank (John Smith, from ‘Sharp Objects’) and Erik (Poulter, from ‘We’re The Millers) – as they hole up in a house in an Iraqi town in support of a larger operation. Nothing happens for 30min, so we get to learn something about most of them.

Then things start to escalate, and holding position quickly turns to trying to evacuate. This is all close-quarters, tightly filmed fight scenes, with no real respite. When things explode, we hear the ringing in the ears/semi-silence, and stay with the squad as they deal with the aftermath – there’s no edits to later on, just the reality of the moment. Some interesting war tactics I’d not seen before, including the “show of force” from the planes and how they use the tanks.

This is a tight 95min – lean and nothing wasted. It’s not a typical war film – there’s no central protagonist, no hero’s journey, no glorification. It’s all just dirt, explosions, and pinging bullets. Closest film I can think of to this is ‘Black Hawk Down’. The ending is good, as the entire battle is effectively pointless – which is the point, as arguably all war is. Good performances from the cast, who come across as both young and out-of-place – like that entire war was.

Overall: Gritty and realistic war day-in-the-life

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars   

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie

Official Australian release date: 27/3/25. Viewed: 20/4/25.
Director: Peter Browngardt
Actors: Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Peter MacNicol, Fred Tatasciore
Genre: Comedy / Sci-Fi
Rating: PG

‘The Day the Earth Blew Up’ is apparently the first fully-animated Looney Tunes theatrically-released film ever (i.e. no live action Michael Jordan or Brendan Fraser here), which is hard to believe seeing as Looney Tunes have been around for 95 years! This is a kids film, but very much aimed at adults who grew up watching Looney Tunes too. We follow Porky Pig (Bauza) and Daffy Duck (also Bauza) as they try to get jobs, then try to stop a zombie outbreak, then try to stop an asteroid – yep!

The film mashes together a lot of inspirations – ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’, ‘Dawn of the Dead’, ‘Armageddon’ – as it effectively has 3 distinct acts to make it to the 90min runtime, a lot different to 6min shorts! The montage of baby Daffy & baby Porky being adopted by Farmer Jim (Tatasciore) is funny and heart-warming and grounds the film – “sticking together” becoming a theme, figuratively and literally. The zombies are kid-friendly, being turned by chewing gum and say “chew”, not “brains”. Petunia (Milo) comes in to help them with the gum issue. A preposterous premise, even more so when we find out the purpose behind it!

The animation is great – very nice to see traditional 2D animation – the jokes are sometimes juvenile and faux extreme violence, as is standard for Looney Tunes, with the exaggerated situations, emotions and explosions all part of the charm. We took ages 3, 5, 7 and 9, so it wasn’t too scary, even though the advisory is: “mild crude humour, science fiction themes and animated violence” – fair. Daffy & Porky work well together, but I was hoping for a Marvin the Martian and Bugs Bunny cameo. Hopefully for the next one! Lots of laughs, with the best joke being Daffy’s “do you have any idea how hard it is for male ducks to lay eggs?”

Overall: Fun, absurd, alien Daffy & Porky adventure

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars   

Sinners

Official Australian release date: 17/4/25. Viewed: 17/4/25.
Director: Ryan Coogler
Actors: Miles Caton, Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, Jack O’Connell
Genre: Horror / Drama
Rating: MA

‘Sinners’ starts in a church, but doesn’t spend too long explicitly focusing on religion, god and the devil – but does explore these themes in the semi-segregated world of 1932 Mississippi. We start with Sammie/“Preachers Boy” (Caton) and then are introduced to his notorious cousins who have just returned from Chicago – twins Smoke & Stack, both played by Jordan, who clearly relishes the run he gets to have. He plays them both subtly different enough that you can tell who’s who.

It all occurs in one day, with the first hour setting the scene well, as we’re introduced to ex-girlfriends – Mary (Steinfeld) and Annie (Mosaku) – plus Slim (Lindo) and Cornbread (Miller), who are brought in to help Smoke & Stack open up their “Juke” bar. Key to everything is Sammie, his guitar and the blues. We’re then introduced to Remmick (O’Connell), who is a charming Irishman, hiding a sinister secret.

I won’t spoil the twist, but it doesn’t take long for the film to turn to a horror, and does well to start off with a bit of tension and suspense and then go full blown bloody action/fight/gore. Holding it together is the great soundtrack and score, with the music great throughout. Just over 2 hours, but never boring - solidly wrapped up, some great scenes. Stay after the initial credits, as there’s a ~5min final scene.

Overall: Different take on a standard horror trope

Gav's Rating: 4 stars   

Novocaine

Official Australian release date: 3/4/25. Viewed: 15/4/25.
Directors: Dan Berk & Robert Olsen
Actors: Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Betty Gabriel
Genre: Action / Comedy
Rating: MA

‘Novocaine’ is a fun take on the “one-man-fighting-lots-of-baddies” genre, with Nate (Quaid) having a “genetic disorder” which means he can’t feel pain (but he can still bleed a lot!). The film has a nice first act, establishing Nate Cain (hence the nickname) and his unique existence as an assistant bank manager, his gaming friend Roscoe (Batalon) and romantic interest Sherry (Midthunder).

It all kicks off when Nate’s bank is robbed by Simon (Nicholson) – a very dislikable villain, well done – and Sherry kidnapped, so Nate takes it upon himself to rescue her. Detectives Mincy (Gabriel) and Coltraine (Walsh) have nice cameos, but otherwise we pretty much follow Nate as he chases and gets beat up by 3 bad guys – and finds inventive ways to not die! The injuries start off plausible, and get progressively worse and worse.

It’s pretty fast-paced at 110min and the added love story is nice – we need more Midthunder ‘Predator’ films – and Quaid seems to be having lots of fun, although I’m sure most is stunt doubles, and his character isn’t too different from Hughie in ‘The Boys’. Good score and soundtrack – if you like ‘John Wick’ and ‘Nobody’, you’ll like this, but it has much more humour. I laughed quite a few times, but there’s still some pretty graphic/bloody moments too! Predictable ending, but solidly done.

Overall: Fun, bloody take on the action hero

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars   

  

Dog Man

Official Australian release date: 3/4/25. Viewed: 5/4/25.
Director: Peter Hastings
Actors: Pete Davidson, Isla Fisher, Lil Rey Howery, Ricky Gervais
Genre: Animation / Comedy
Rating: G

‘Dog Man’ is in the school holidays with the nephew and nieces – surprisingly better than I thought it would be! The other surprising bit – I didn’t realise it’s actually supposed to be a dog’s head on a man’s body! Very fast-paced start, as we’re introduced to the animation style, Dog Man (director Hastings puling double-duty and vocalising Dog Man’s barks/howls), his boss, the Police Chief (Howery), reporters Sarah (Fisher) & Seamus (Boyd) and the bad guy, Petey the cat (Davidson).

The plot is quite simple, similar to ‘Despicable Me’ in parts (and Godzilla!), as Petey creates Lil Petey and starts to develop a heart – but not before multiple attempts to hurt Dog Man, where he’s thwarted, in montage. There’s a fun little backstory to Flippy the fish (Gervais), before he becomes key to the final act – always good to hear Gevais’ voice! Lots of visual gags, not least the descriptions on the building – I assume these are borrowed from the books.

At a tight 85min (plus the 5min ‘Bad Guys’ short film at the start), it’s pretty vibrant and funny, with quite a few laugh-out-loud moments for the adults (I loved the “yippee-ki-yay-flippy” joke) and lots of silly jokes for the kids. Importantly, there’s plenty of heart thanks to Lil Petey and Dog Man and their “do-gooding”, and Petey’s arc. Not the best kids movie ever, but enjoyable.

Overall: Bumped up from a 3, as the kids said 4 stars.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars  

 

A Working Man

Official Australian release date: 27/3/25. Viewed: 31/3/25.
Director: David Ayer
Actors: Jason Statham, Jason Flemyng, Maximilian Osinski, Arianna Rivas
Genre: Action
Rating: MA

‘A Working Man’ is the second Statham-Ayer collaboration after last year’s ‘The Beekeeper’ and doesn’t adjust the formula too much – Levon Cade (Statham) is a former paratrooper and is now retired, working construction in Chicago this time, when the daughter of his boss, Jenny (Rivas) gets kidnapped. Even though he doesn’t want to get involved, he obviously does and thus begins his one-man-war against what turns out to be Russians.

Even though it’s all about Statham beating up bad guys, there’s a solid support cast – Joe (Pena) his boss, Gunny (Harbour) as his former army pal, Merry (Gie) as his daughter, Dutch (Ajufo) as the maybe-OK drug dealer, and the Russians – Dimi (Osinski), Yuri (Ninidze) and Wolo (Flemyng). All add enough to make this not one-dimensional. There’s a few breathers, but otherwise it’s Cade making his way through the ranks to find Jenny.

It feels quite quick, at just under 2 hours, and has plenty of good hand-to-hand fight scenes and the obligatory big shootout finale. It’s no ‘John Wick’, but Statham has his own style and charm, and Jenny helps by not being just a victim. Since it’s based on a series of books, not all the bad guys are killed, so I’m expecting sequels – which I’ll probably watch.

Overall: A good Statham-by-numbers

Gav's Rating: 3 stars  

Black Bag

Official Australian release date: 13/3/25. Viewed: 16/3/25.
Director: Steven Soderbergh  
Actors: Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Tom Burke, Regé-Jean Page
Genre: Thriller / Drama
Rating: M

‘Black Bag’ is a tight, mostly psychological spy thriller. We have George (Fassbender) & Kathryn (Blanchett) who are married, but both work for MI6 of some British Intelligence agency. We start with a seemingly benign dinner party where we meet the other key characters and their co-workers – Freddie (Burke), James (Page), Zoe (Harris) and Clarissa (Abela). All are on the same “side”, but each have their own secrets and agendas.

Fassbender plays a similar, semi-emotionless character to ‘The Killer’ – but he doesn’t have to do any assassin work here. Overall, there’s not much action, or ‘Mission: Impossible’ style spy tropes – has more in common with ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’, as it’s all about who’s manipulating who and why. We eventually get to a potential stolen weapon, with Arthur (Brosnan) making a small appearance.

The film’s score is mostly a catchy synth number and keeps things semi-light, as the stakes seem medium, but never quite end-of-the world. Things move pretty quickly – all done in 90min – and we get to the end of a week at another dinner party, where everything is resolved. Nothing revolutionary, but engaging performances from the 6 lead actors, great London/English scenery and a little twist.

Overall: Fast, psychological spy thriller

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars  

 

Mickey 17

Official Australian release date: 6/3/25. Viewed: 12/3/25.
Director: Bong Joon-ho  
Actors: Robert Pattinson, Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yuen,
Genre: Sci-Fi / Comedy
Rating: M

‘Mickey 17’ is a different type of interstellar sci-fi, as you’d expect from Joon-ho – we’re at some unspecified point in the future where humankind has the ability to travel to distance planets, as well as having the ability to back-up memories and 3D-print humans after the die. This is where Mickey (Pattinson) comes in, as he signs on to the colonisation attempt of the planet Niflheim as an “expendable”. The back-story in the first 30min of how he got to be on this distant planet is both funny and a little sad, but establishes Mickey (#17) as a naive but nice guy, in love with Nasha (Ackie).    

The film’s score is always slightly mournful, ensuring that we know the humour is a little dark or bleak. Especially when we see who is leading the expedition – Marshall (Ruffalo) and Ylfa (Collette), who both appear so fake, they come across exactly as delusional evangelical cultists. Ruffalo particularly relishes the role, and perhaps has some fake teeth in? Good to see him having fun. Timo (Yuen) is Mickey’s friend from earth, with a bit of a twist – but no where near as many twists as ‘Parasite’.

Whilst not overly original, the film doesn’t waste any effort in explain the unrealistic sci-fi components – it’s takes them as read, assuming we’ve seen these tropes in plenty of other films before. The inhabitants of Niflheim are an interesting flea/elephant/bison hybrid that seem semi-realistic, but would’ve been interesting to see them as animatronic puppets & not CGI. What’s most interesting is how you sometimes forget the different versions of Mickey are the same actor – credit to Pattinson. Ending is a slight letdown.

Overall: Slightly different, semi-bleak space comedy

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars  

 

Captain America: Brave New World

Official Australian release date: 13/2/25. Viewed: 14/2/25.
Director: Julius Onah  
Actors: Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Tim Blake Nelson
Genre: Action / Sci-Fi
Rating: M

‘Captain America: Brave New World’ is the 4^th Captain America film, and the first Cap film post-‘Endgame’ and post-‘Falcon & the Winter Soldier’ (and the first Cap film in 9 years!) meaning it’s Sam Wilson (Mackie)’s first film outing as Captain America and not the Falcon. Giving him Torres (Ramirez) as the new Falcon/his sidekick is a nice touch. Think this is MCU film #35, and surprisingly has a lot of links back to MCU film #2, ‘The Incredible Hulk’ (the 2008 version with Edward Norton), as well as ‘Eternals’, finally dealing with the giant Celestial in the middle of the ocean.    

Just as Norton was replaced by Ruffalo, this time General Thaddeus Ross is played by Harrison Ford, as William Hurt has now passed. The main villain is also returning from that film – Sterns (Blake Nelson), who I believe is “The Leader”, even though I’m not sure that’s ever mentioned. We also have Sidewinder (Esposito), as he’s been typecast and has to be a bad-guy in everything! The screentime is almost shared equally between Mackie and Ford, as you can tell Ford is having fun playing the new President and being in a big popcorn movie again. The plot is not bad, more of a political/conspiracy thriller (in-line with ‘Falcon & the Winter Soldier’) and less of a super-hero film, with Sam still having no powers – even though he does have upgraded wings/suit.

While no ‘The Winter Soldier’ or ‘Civil War’, this is certainly not one of the MCU’s worst – it’s <110min before credits (no mid-credits scene for some reason), has some great action/fights, some good ariel combat, a strong cast and some little jokes here and there, all while keeping the pacing up. Ford is good to watch and only turns into the red Hulk in the final 25min or so, therefore it doesn’t turn into a drawn-out CGI slugfest. While not progressing the overall MCU narrative too much, it does help set-up what’s going to happen over the next 2 years.

Overall: Enjoyable action thriller, not just CGI fluff

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars  

We Live In Time

Official Australian release date: 16/1/25. Viewed: 27/1/25.
Director: John Crowley
Actors: Florence Pugh, Andrew Garfield, Grace Delaney, Lee Braithwaite
Genre: Drama / Romance
Rating: M

‘We Live In Time’ is a very simple love story, but told in an engaging way that keeps you on your toes. We follow Almut (Pugh), a chef, and Tobias (Garfield), an IT guy for Weetabix, and their relationship – but the film doesn’t start when they first meet and, thankfully, doesn’t spend much time on the will-they-won’t-they. We then bounce around a few times and you have to figure out where in the timeline they’re at.

It's effectively just the 2 of them for most of the film, with some other supporting characters, including daughter Ella (Delaney) and Al’s sous chef Jade (Braithwaite). When they do get to the “how they met” part, it’s quite funny. There’s also a few quite intense scenes, with Pugh not afraid to get naked. While there’s some funny moments, it’s not really a rom-com, as Al gets an illness, providing the motivation and eponymous “time” that frame their actions.

Good to see it all filmed in and around London. Doesn’t overstay it’s welcome at 105min, it’s an assured film showcasing two actors at the peak of their powers, with Pugh particularly on a roll the past few years. Their chemistry is great and they bring all the emotions, which you also feel!

Overall: Touching romantic Pugh/Garfield masterclass

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars  

 

A Complete Unknown

Official Australian release date: 23/1/25. Viewed: 26/1/25.
Director: James Mangold
Actors: Timothee Chalamet, Edward Norton, Monica Barbaro, Elle Fanning
Genre: Drama / Biopic
Rating: M
 

‘A Complete Unknown’ is not the first Bob Dylan biopic, but does a good job of just focusing on his early years as a recording/performing artist when he gets to New York, from 1961–1965. Dylan is portrayed excellently by Chalamet and you sometimes forget it’s not a documentary! We follow his first relationships, with Joan Baez (Barbaro) and Sylvie (Fanning), and arguably as importantly, how he meets his folk music heroes Woody Guthrie (McNairy) and Pete Seeger (Norton).

Director Mangold (of ‘Logan’ fame) knows what he’s doing, having also directed ‘Walk The Line’. In this film, Johnny Cash is played by Boyd Holbrook and a few great cameos. While not focusing solely on having the audience listen to Dylan songs, we do get to hear/see a few of them from this period, which is impressive if it’s actually Chalamet (& Barbaro) doing their own singing! All the actors are good, especially Norton with his prosthetic nose, and also a notable effort from Grossman (Fogler).

There’s obviously some artistic licences/liberties taken, and Dylan is left feeling as enigmatic as ever. Plenty of funny moments, and some great set design make it look exactly like 1960s New York. As good as, if not better than, ‘I’m Not There’, mostly thanks to the great acting and singing performances.

Overall: Well-made biopic of a legend

Gav's Rating: 4 stars  

The Brutalist

Official Australian release date: 23/1/25. Viewed: 19/1/25.
Director: Brady Corbet
Actors: Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones, Joe Alwyn
Genre: Drama
Rating: MA

‘The Brutalist’ is both a simple film and a very complex film. On one hand, it’s about a man, Laszlo Toth (Brody) immigrating from Hungary to the USA after WWII and trying to get his wife, Erzsebet (Jones) to join him in Pennsylvania where he’s designing a building. But then, at 3.5 hours, it’s also an examination of everything happening in post-war-America – racism, homelessness, drugs, religion, power and wealth inequality. It really covers a lot of ground for the perspective on the Toths – even more impressive seeing how long it take Erzsebet/Elizabeth to appear in the film!

There’s a now-novel 15min intermission, after 100min, which is good – time for a frozen Coke! – and makes the whole film feel faster somehow. While not immediately obvious, the film does turn to be about brutalist architecture when Laszlo is taken under the wing of millionaire Harrison (Pearce) and his son Harry (Alwyn) and commissioned to make his vision of an auditorium/chapel/gym come true. Even though the place Laszlo is supposedly creating his building is near Philadelphia, it’s actually filmed on location in Budapest (where the Toths have come from). Also good to see the real-life marble quarry in Italy.

It's worth noting the Laszlo’s story isn’t based on a true story, but are a conglomeration of other 1940s/1950s architects. It’s impressive that the drawings/models/designs/sets are original and not copies of real-life buildings. The film looks great, the score is good, and while some scenes may be too long (particularly a few very confronting scenes!) it otherwise moves along relatively briskly, with no subtitled years to tell us where we’re at. All the actors are captivating and their dialogue and (often questionable) decisions propel the film, with Brody and Jones both great and Pearce superb. At it’s core, the film asks – who’s actually the titular brutalist?

Overall: Won’t be surprised if this wins the Oscar

Gav's Rating: 4 stars  

Wolf Man

Official Australian release date: 16/1/25. Viewed: 18/1/25.
Director: Leigh Whannell
Actors: Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Matilda Firth, Sam Jaeger
Genre: Horror
Rating: MA

‘Wolf Man’ is Whannell’s follow-up to 2020’s ‘The Invisible Man’ and is another remake of one of the original horror films, 1941’s ‘The Wolf Man’. We’re introduced to Blake and his father Grady (Jaeger), living in the remote Oregon wilderness (actually filmed on New Zealand’s north island, hence the beauty!) where there’s stories of an “animal-borne disease”… We then skip forward 30 years to see adult Blake (Abbott), his wife Charlotte (Garner) and their daughter Ginger (Firth), who then travel back to Oregon.

The film does well to focus primarily on these 3 main characters, with few others given screentime – only a couple of establishing scenes in the city, before they’re in the woods. Once they are, things happen quickly – much like the film, which is only 100min. There’s not heaps of jump scares, but really good use of prosthetics and practical effects (i.e. limited CGI) for the transformation, which borrows a bit from ‘An American Werewolf in London’.

There is still plenty of gross/squirmy moments, some of which are new to the werewolf story. It’s good to only have 4 characters to follow and it effectively all unfolds on one night. It’s held together by the connection of the 3 family members as they try to navigate the attack. Very dark (literally) in parts, giving more effect to his heightened senses. By no means a redefining of the werewolf character, but not a waste of time either.

Overall: taught non-CGI werewolf thriller

Gav's Rating: 3 stars  

Nosferatu

Official Australian release date: 1/1/25. Viewed: 2/1/25.
Director: Robert Eggers
Actors: Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgard, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Genre: Horror / Drama
Rating: M

‘Nosferatu’ is Eggers’ 4^th film and continues his examination of the darker side of humanity. I haven’t seen the original Nosferatu (from 1922) since high school, but I believe this is not a direct remake, but more a retelling, set in 1830s Germany, but filmed in Romania/Czechia. We follow newly-weds Ellen (Depp) and Thomas (Hoult) as they deal with Count Orlok/Nosferatu (Skarsgard) occupying their dreams/nightmares.

When Thomas is sent to Transylvania to close a house sale, Ellen moves in with friends Friedrich (Taylor-Johnson) and Anna (Corrin), where she relapses into having “fits”, so doctors Sievers (Ineson) and Franz (Dafoe) are called and get on the case. It’s not overly gory, but there’s definitely some blood, violence and a few gross moments. The final 45min or so are quite hectic and the ending is somewhat predictable but also well-executed. Doesn’t feel like the film goes for 130min.

Every actor is great, with Dafoe having fun, Depp showing all the torment on her face, and Skarsgard literally unrecognisable. As per the original, the use of shadows, black/white and colour, in concert with the score, is really-well done and means there’s always something to capture your attention. While possibly not the best ever vampire film, it’s enjoyable and fun to watch.

Overall: Fun and mesmerising vampire retelling

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars