Until Dawn (2025)

Video Games are a mixed bag so this was always going to be a risky movie to sit through. I have never played the game and was not aware of the premise although the name did ring a bell but I couldn't have told you anything about it before seeing this film. Until Dawn is directed by David F. Sandberg who returns to the horror genre after directing the slightly disappointing Shazam! Fury of the Gods. 

The plot sees Clover and her Scooby gang of friends try and find Clover’s sister Melanie who disappeared and after getting some help from a gas station member of staff who definitely had nothing suspicious about him, end up in a house which appears to have been turned into a museum. All the gang are killed in record time and I was quite surprised but then they all wake up and have to go through it all again. There is a hidden secret of the house and the town where the scooby gang learn that experiments have been going on and people only last 13 times before they will disappear so they can't just keep going on and on and on. 

The cast is ok with Ella Rubin doing a good job of being the leader and her motivation to do some unwise things is understandable. Michael Cimino is slightly annoying as Max because he’s just there to be nice Clover because he fancies her. Odessa A’zion is another good performer as Nina and Ji-young Yoo did well with Megan and its a very underwritten role where she seemed to be there purely to show some moments of telepathy or something like that. I’m sure that Belmont Cameli is a nice guy but as Abel he is extremely insufferable and a complete moody so and so and I just wanted him to not make it but sadly they all do. Peter Stormare was the only person that I was aware of and that was purely because of his role in Prison Break.

There are some good things in this film. Firstly the premise of trying to survive until dawn and having to be proactive means that there is something going on and not just scenes of nothing. Another thing that works in the films favour are the deaths which is kind of the bare minimum I would expect from a horror film. I don't think I have seen as many people explode as I have done in this movie. The deaths are very good and there is one moment where Megan’s calf muscle explodes leaving her with only half a leg and then her stomach expands and thankfully it's not too graphic but enough to be horrific to stand out.

I must admit that I enjoyed this film a lot more than I thought I would. It wasn't anything spectacular but it did what it needed to do and did it quite well. The gore was appropriate although I would have liked someone to have brought a few more lights because it was hard to see things at times. I know that might have ruined the atmosphere but a decent cinematographer would have found a way. Compared to the video game is something I can't comment on but given how many of these video games turned into movies that I have seen I get the impression that this film was quite faithful to the video game. On its own merit the film works and that is all you can ask for. Definitely worth your time but I would wait for it to come out on streaming and when we get to Halloween. 

The Accountant 2 (2025)

The Accountant 2 comes nine years after the first film which saw Ben Affleck go through a film with no emotion and being quite handy with a gun. I’ll be honest that I thought it was ok at best but wasn't really crying out for a sequel especially nearly a decade after the first one but since we are in an era of belated sequels i suppose another one won't make much difference. The film starts with J.K. Simmons’ Ray King, killed after meeting Anaïs and Medina from the first film, is trying to find out who killed him and she enlists the help of Christian Wolff (Affleck) and he then enlists his estranged brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal) to help.

The thing about this film is that it's very hard to like. I was never bored and felt like it was a massive step up from the first one but I just found it almost impossible to connect with. There are moments that I enjoyed such as when Christian and Braxton take on the compound and in fact the second half of the film is much stronger than the first. The relationship between Christian and Braxton is one of the few highlights of the film. 

There isn't really as much to write about as I normally would about a film. It’s not terrible and it's not great, there is something there that makes me not hate it but I would be being dishonest if I said I would recommend this. Not sure that the film needed to exist but here it is and it’ll entertain some people when it eventually ends up on streaming. The film would definitely be improved if there were more J.K. Simmons, he always makes films more entertaining.

Warfare (2025)

Warfare is another film that I knew very little about. I saw a trailer and was quite intrigued by it so I went into this with the hope that this might be a hidden gem and that proved very much to be the case. The set up of the film is quite simple, a bunch of soldiers are on a surveillance mission in Iraq and then some insurgents start attacking them and the film follows this group of soldiers as they try and escape. The film is told in real time which is one of many reasons why the film is one of the most tense films that I have seen for a very long time. The film starts off with one of the most bizarre beginnings I can recall seeing for a very long time if not ever. As the film begins we see the music video for Call on Me by Eric Prydz and then cuts to a bunch of soldiers enjoying the video. On reflection, this is done on purpose because for the rest of the 96 minutes the film doesn't allow for anything approaching happiness or enjoyment so it's like the directors saying ‘enjoy this, cause this is as good as it gets’. 

There is a mixture of familiar names/faces and new people. Will Poulter immediately stood out to me having enjoyed his performance in ‘Death of a Unicorn’ and ‘Black Mirror: Plaything’ and you couldn't find three more different roles in a short space of time. He is really good at it and pulls it off very well. Another familiar face is Joseph Quinn who was one of the emperors in ‘Gladiator II’ and soon to play George Harrison in one of the Beatles movies, plays Sam who does start to fall apart (understandably so) as the action unfolds and like Poulter he delivers a solid performance and the thing with the entire cast of soldiers is that there isn't a weak one among them. They all pass convincingly as soldiers and this helps to create this world so effectively. Another reason why I loved this film was that it in a singular setting and I love films that do this although making it work is a completely different matter and the tension that runs through the film makes the film feel very claustrophobic.

This film is co-directed by Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland with Mendoza having served in the military and it's clear that the someone with military experience is involved because the way that the action unfolds feels like someone who knows every facet of the terminology used and with war films it's getting harder and harder to make these films feel special and yet this film was totally immersive and captivating. This is a superb film, it has a straightforward plot and yet it is told in such a way that I was never bored and thought that the performances along with the directing help create a scenario that no one would ever want to be in. Superb stuff.

Sinners (2025)

Sinners is one of those films that I saw purely because the trailer made me curious. I didn't know too much about it. This is despite the fact that trailers tend to spoil things with all the twists and turns which leaves you slightly disappointed and I feel robbed of those sort of moments. The plot sees twin brothers Smoke and Stack open up a juke joint after buying an abandoned sawmill from a racist landowner. Things seem to be going well until vampires turn up and start to ruin things.

It’s fair to say that Michael B. Jordan is really very good as Smoke and Stack. There is just enough to separate the performances but from start to finish he brings something amazing to the film. Smoke and Stack are always throwing money around and always seem to be in control but when things go wrong he is just as powerless as everyone else.

The true revelation of this film was Miles Caton. It's rare that an actor’s voice is so wonderful that you want to hear them read an audiobook, especially nowadays. Also I am hoping he was playing and singing because he does that very well. Even if he doesn't then his performance as Sammie is very good and even next to Michael B. Jordan he more than holds his own as a strong and likeable person. Hailee Steinfeld was perfectly fine as Mary but I thought that she didn't really have much of a character. They refer to her past relationship with Stack but there isn't much else. It isn't until Mary becomes a vampire that she has something to do and even then it's not very much. Delroy Lindo is as good as he always is and does provide some light hearted moments. There were more than a couple of people laughing when Delta says that he soiled himself. Lindo is one of those actors that always elevates whatever he is in. The character like Mary doesn't have a huge amount of backstory apart from his opening scene but he manages to make it seem like something substantial. Even though Jordan is the lead, the film has a wealth of supporting characters who help in different ways to make this seem like a big deal.

The success of this film comes down to the fact that it has several genres in one film. There is a racial undertone throughout and then it becomes a vampire film completely out of nowhere. Not knowing that this is a vampire movie means that you are more. The film seems to be plodding along and then Jack O’Connell literally runs onto the screen and turns two KKK members into vampires and it's at this point that the film becomes really good as its an singular setting and no hope of rescue even if rescue wanted to help. The film starts and ends with Sammie walking into a church with his broken guitar with his father wanting him to renounce his music and repent. I say ends but then as the credits start it seems that the film has ended but then the story moves to 1992 with a much older Sammie being reunited with Stack and Mary. It’s revealed Stack made a deal with Smoke. Stack would be allowed to live if Sammie got his freedom when Sammie is offered a chance at immortality he declines and there is a lovely moment when they all agree that that evening was the best night of their lives which is a weird thing to say considering what happened.

Going into this film knowing very little is the ideal way but if you have had the twist spoiled then I suspect that you will still enjoy this film because it never felt boring and shifts what in tones and yet it all comes together to make a film that keeps you guessing from start to finish and I wish more films would take this kind of risk because whilst it wont work every single time, it will lead to potential gems like this. This sort of film should be watched repeatedly and I’m glad that I went to see it at the cinema and it was a well attended screening for 1pm on a Friday afternoon.

The Amateur (2025)

The Amateur sees Rami Malek play Heller who is a CIA decoder who loses his wife when she is involved in a terrorist attack in London. After the CIA seems reluctant to move with any speed  he decides to go into business for himself and track down the people who were responsible for the death of his wife. He is assessed by Henderson played by Laurence Fishburne who decides that he isn't a killer and then Heller goes off before he is caught. The rest of the film is a sort of cat and mouse affair with the end goal of Heller getting justice.

As much as I like Rami Malek, I don't think he was particularly good as the lead. He was great in Oppenheimer where he has a supporting role and wasn't the worst thing in Bohemian Rhapsody but he was a bit disappointing in No Time to Die. He gives off that moody vibe but it seems to not work when he has to be the grieving husband. It was nice to see Laurence FIshburne in something good. I think the last time I saw him was in Megalopolis and he was wasted in that film even though he was one of the few good things in that dumpster fire. He does have a sort of mentor role but then briefly he does become someone who is after Heller but when that doesn't go to plan he disappears for the rest of the movie before having a heart to heart moment at the end of the film. Jon Bernthal was wasted a bit in this film. He has two blink and you’ll miss it moments at the beginning and then doesn't appear until towards the end before having a not really important scene with Malek. Bernthal plays unhinged very well and it would have been nice to see some of that in this movie but I suppose it would have taken the attention away from Malek.

The kills that occur at the hands of Heller are quite good and they are good because as Heller is told, he isn't a killer and he doesnt kill anyone with a bullet but in quite creative ways. Two of them do happen in the trailer but one a) isn't really at his hand and b) does come out of nowhere (a bit like the van). I like the fact that when he meets the guy who actually killed his wife, he goes through with killing him but handing him over to the authorities. Some might have an issue with this and feel like its a bit of a cop out but Heller isn't a killer and he becomes a better person by doing what he does. Another thing that might annoy some people is how Director Moore and his sidekick have been conducting illegal CIA operations. I thought it played into how Heller would do things and it felt like a satisfying end to the film.

This film is directed by James Hawes who previously directed the Anthony Hopkins led film ‘One Life’ and I think in some ways this film is better because the film does have some memorable moments which ‘One Life’ doesn't have. The Amateur is a good film to watch but its hardly original. Guy seeks revenge after the death of a loved one. It doesn't win on the originality side of things but it does what it does quite well. It is very Bond and Bourne but would have been a better film with someone other than Rami Malek. There is a sort of sequel bait at the end but I think that this film might be better as a solo outing.

The Penguin Lessons (2024)

The Penguin Lessons was a mystery screening that my local Showcase Cinema put on. The clue that they gave was ‘They met in 97 on the hour’. Now I have absolutely no idea where they got the clue from. The plot sees Steve Coogan play Tom Michel who arrives at an Argentinian school to teach English during a period of instability in the country. He travels to Uruguay and after meeting a woman at a bar they walk along a beach and discover a penguin covered in oil from an oil slick and when he tries to get rid of it, the penguin keeps coming back to him and when he returns to the school he uses it to help teach the kids. Meanwhile he befriends a cleaner and her granddaughter who is then kidnapped and he tries to do some good with the backdrop of political turmoil ever present.

I wasn't expecting very much from this film but it won me over in a way I was not expecting. First of all Steve Coogan is very good as Tom. He comes across quite grumpy and the oddball relationship he has with the penguin helps with the charm. There is a scene where Sofia is taken and he freezes partly out of fear because he clearly wants to do good but is scared of what might happen. This leads to a lovely scene between him and Maria where he confesses that could have helped but is forgiven. Sofia (Alfonsina Carrocio) connects with Tom because she reminds him of his daughter that he lost when she was hit by a drunk driver when she was 13. Vivian El Jabar is quite good as Maria because she is warm but has a stern streak where she can make you do something just by her tone. The three work well together and it's the closest the film gets to a family dynamic. Jonathan Pryce is also very good as the headmaster. He starts off somewhat of an eccentric person with rules and says ‘no pets’ but when he is told about the penguin, he performs a 180 in a surprisingly quick amount of time. Björn Gustafsson (Tapio) is a ‘friend’ of Tom’s in the story and pops up literally just walking into scenes to be a friend that Tom needs and I thought it was a small but very well performed role.

I don't mind admitting that I did get a bit teary eyed when the penguin died. It was so unexpected and the fact they held a funeral and all the students of Tom’s class as well as the headteacher and Tapio attend just as Sofia is returned to Maria. This was perhaps the closest that the film gets to sentimental schlok but I felt that the film had earned this and it wasn't over the top. It was a nice way to end the film after the penguin had died. There were two moments where Tapio and the headteacher are spilling their soles to the penguin  and it was another lovely moment which showed what impact the penguin had.

This story is based on the memoirs of Tom so its not clear how much of the memoirs have been removed from the overall story as its clear that the plot has been streamlined but it's close to 2 hours and I wasn't bored for a single moment and that is down to the story and also the performances from pretty much everyone. There isn't a weak performance at all. I really enjoyed this film because it managed to penetrate the cynical part of my brain and managed to charm me in a way that caught me off guard. I probably wouldn't have gone to see it based purely on the fact that the film’s premise but this was another example of the mystery screening gimmick working well because I am so glad that I saw this film. It made me feel good and it's been a while since I have felt really good leaving a cinema. 

WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME COOGAN???

Death of a Unicorn (2025)

Death of the Unicorn is one of films that I have been intrigued by purely because of the title. With it being an A24 film it was clear that the film was going to have more than a hint of strangeness. The plot of the film sees Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega play father and daughter who are on their way to weekend retreat when they hit what turns out to be a baby Unicorn and the magic properties that it has are utilised by the pharmaceutical family lead by Richard E. Grant but the problem is the parents of the unicorn want their baby back and they are not very happy. 

I really liked this film and the many reasons why. Firstly with a plot centred around Unicorns, the film should not work and yet it does. A key reason is the setting. I am a big sucker for isolated settings because it keeps the story contained and they can only work if the story is structured to cope with the restricted setting and it stretches the term isolated a bit because there are some scenes in the woods but it's still relatively close to the house. The film also benefits from the restricted cast and that may have been a budgetary decision but it helps because it means that the characters we see get enough screen time.

The film boasts an impressive cast list with Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Richard E. Grant & Téa Leoni. Jenna Ortega is very good as Ridley. She takes what was probably on paper a very whiny role and manages to make it a likeable one. Paul Rudd is likeable as Elliot who is just trying to do the best for his daughter after his wife passed away. Rudd is always likeable but he does fall into a supporting role for most of the film. To be fair they do have a good dynamic together and in the final act they feel like a father and daughter team. 

Will Poulter steals the show as Shepard, as a rich trust fund kid who has a new idea every five minutes. He is constantly being the funny part of the film and proves the humour when the more serious scenes happen. Richard E Grant is very good as the dad. Saying that Richard E. Grant is very good is a bit like saying there are seven days in the week. I think this performance is as good as the one in Saltburn. He starts the film at death's door to begin with but in safari gear and hunting unicorns by the end. That visual alone is worth the ticket price.

Téa Leoni is the weak link of the central cast. It’s not that she is bad but it does feel like the plot wouldn't miss anything if Belinda wasn't there. Belinda is a sort of cliched rich businesswoman who is just following the almighty dollar. 

Another reason why the film works when it shouldn't is the way the plot is structured. The family is not very nice and perhaps a bit cliched but I liked them enough to enjoy the film although happy when they got killed off. All their deaths were gruesome and perhaps what they deserved. The gore is another big thing I like because the deaths seem slightly over the top but the blood didn't seem computer generated or if it were then it was very well done. I would say that Belinda’s death was perhaps the most gruesome although Shepard’s was simple but still seemed tough

The film ends with what could be seen as a sequel bait ending with the trio of unicorns attacking the police car with Ridley and Elliot with the implication that they are there to rescue the father and daughter. I think that unless this leads to a sequel then the ending was a bit of a disappointment as it would have just been better for the film to end when the unicorns run off into the woods. Time will tell I suppose.

I really enjoyed this film as the film defies the odds and makes a film with unicorns at its heart a lovely and quite horrific film. A24 has a great track record and films like this show why. The cast worked really well together and the tone was pitched just perfectly. It just goes to show that you can make a successful movie about just about anything.