Category Archives: Movie review

Movie review: So Vam (2021)

24 Wednesday Aug 2022

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On face value, So Vam starts off as a tough watch due to its low budget restraints, but beneath its paltry appearance, there is an important and integral theme at play here.

At its core, the film is a stark and honest depiction of being ostracised by society as told from the LGTBTQ+ community. The tale is all the more stronger as its author and visionary is trans  filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay, who adds her own personal touch to finding her own community in an almost unforgiving world. Her directorial debut feature heralds a maturity that belies her age at 17 years, but her voice and position allows the truth of her experiences to shine through.

The scene is set in an Australian town where young gay guy, Kurt (Xai) feels he is constantly an outsider and often the victim of those who ridcule him for his identity. Kurt hangs onto the dream of one day becoming a drag queen, where he can showcase his talents on the stage and live in the big city. What he doesn’t expect is to find his tribe among the vampire kind.

When he is one day stalked and killed by a bloodsucker,  only to be brought back to life by a gang of rebellious vampires, hell bent on ridding the old world of bigotry and pain. It is here that he finds a kinship and with it a new found confidence. In finding his way though, he must equally find how his vampire ways must blend with his family and friendship ties. Can these two worlds exist or must he part ways with one over the other?

The Prognosis:

Director Mackay paints a perfect metaphor for transitions and change for a community trapped by their identity through the tale of vampire mythology. Despite its limitations, there is measure to be had here and a narrative that has been crafted with a learned voice. One that pays dividends to sit up and listen to, marking an exciting entry into the LGTBTQ+. With another film released this year (Bad Girl Boogey) Mackay clearly has plenty more stories to tell. It will certainly be interesting to see how she harnesses her craft further.

  • Saul Muerte

So Vam is currently streaming on Shudder Australia and serves as a great companion piece to Death Drop Gorgeous.

Movie review: Glorious (2022)

23 Tuesday Aug 2022

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For her first solo directorial feature, Rebekah McKendry has chosen a bold and interesting choice to play out her tale. Wisely the setting takes place primarily in one location which helps to keep budget to a minimum, but in doing so you are reliant on the talent on show. Thankfully, McKendry has the physical talents of Ryan Kwanten and the mental prowess of J.K Simmons on show to pull off the narrative.

Speaking of narrative, Glorious picks up with a broken and dishevelled Wes (Kwanten) after what appears to be a messy break up. Heavily hungover, he enters a public bathroom to shake off the blues and find a way back into Brenda’s heart, but what he doesn’t expect is to encounter the omniscient presence of Ghatanothoa (Simmons) coming from the adjacent stool.

This is no ordinary confrontation however; more one that was designed with Wes in mind to carry out a deed that Ghatanothoa relies upon. And with it, Wes is thrown into a world of torment and despair, forced to face his own failures and demons, to overcome them for the greater good. The question is, will he be able to prevail, or continuously struggle against it all and fail at his final hurdle. One thing is for sure Ghatanothoa won’t let it be easy for Wes, locking him shut in the public toilets, to literally sort his shit out.

The Prognosis:

There is a lot to pack into the short running time, but McKendry wrangles out some solid performances and makes the most of the meagre budget to pull out all the smoke and mirror acts throughout.

The effects are meagre but handled well with flashes rather than all out gore, and this again is a testament to McKendry’s ability to deliver a succinct film. 

  • Saul Muerte

Glorious is currently streaming on Shudder Australia.

Movie review: Day Shift (2022)

19 Friday Aug 2022

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On face value, Day Shift should be one of those movies that could hook you in with its premise that is essentially a spin on the buddy cop movie, but with vampire hunters instead of cops. It also boasts an intriguing cast with Jamie Foxx and Dave Franco as its leads and with a notable supporting role from Snoop Dogg. The style would try to tap in worthy horror comedies from the 80s but the result is a strange mix of genres that never quite mesh together and seem right,

Down-on-his-luck Bud Jablonski (Foxx), has been serving as a vampire hunter for the last few years in San Fernando Valley. All this time his wife and 10 year old daughter have been led to believe that he is a pool cleaner, and that his odd behaviour has started to take its toll on their relationship. Having already been thrown out of the Guild of vampire hunters because of his unorthodox approach, Bud is forced to go back with his tail between his legs and beg for another chance. Thankfully he is aided by his friend and renowned hunter, Big John Elliot (Dogg) who holds some sway with the company, but there’s a catch. Jablonski must team up with wet-behind-the ears Seth (Franco), a desk clerk who plays everything by the book and is employed to catch Jablonski breaking the rules, so that he can get kicked out of the Guild for good.

The extra barrier and darker threat to Jablonski finding his feet is that he has upset one of the head vampires of the valley, Audrey, now intent on bringing him down and ruining him.

The action sequences throughout the movie are nicely played, so hats off to director J.J. Perry who has crafted his work as a stunt coordinator for a number of high profile flicks including John Wick 2. His knowledge in perfecting stunts on screen really paid off with his delivery for his debut feature in the directors chair. 

The issues arise in the lack of chemistry trying to be perfected by Foxx and Franco, but in their defence, the dialogue and screenplay lets them down a little and often misses the mark in the final product. Often it feels like it is all too content in resting on the sizzle of other movies, that it neglects to have a personality of its own.

The Prognosis:

This is a middle of the road action comedy horror, that offers plenty of bang, but not enough substance to really have any lasting impact on its audience.

  • Saul Muerte

Day Shift is currently streaming on Netflix

Movie review: The Long Night (2022)

13 Saturday Aug 2022

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Fear the darkness inside you.

This is the bold tagline that director Rich Ragsdale and his creative team wish to instil fear into their audience with for his feature debut behind the lens. 

In order to evoke any sense of trepidation however, you must first look at two essential ingredients; chemistry and atmosphere. Both of which are sadly lacking here. 

It takes a full 30 minutes of wading through our two leads Grace (Scout Taylor-Compton – Halloween) and her boyfriend Jack (Nolan Gerard Funk – Truth or Dare) struggling to connect on screen. 

Grace is driven by the quest to find the parents she has never known. Following an ominous lead, the couple end up at a remote house surrounded by curious totems, shrugged off as a Southern thing and there’s no sign of their host. 

It’s not until Jeff Fahey’s cameo however as local Wayne, that things heat up and some gravitas is brought to the screen. It’s brief but enough to shake Taylor-Compton’s performance a little and give her more substance to the character. 

It is not quite enough though to ground this movie and propel the action forward despite the sinister looking satanic cult that have encompassed the property. These figures seemingly rely on their menacing presence and the odd mysticism to generate apprehension, but beneath their outer shell is a vacant entity; a symbol of the film as a whole.

Having said that, the movie does boast some nice imagery in places, a signature of Ragsdale’s eye for detail from his days as a cinematographer. It also has a worthy snippet from Deborah Kara Unger, who is always a welcome addition.

The Prognosis:

The Long Night offers a painfully slow descent into a nightmare that struggles to find its roots in terror.
There are moments of promise but all of this is squandered by lack of substance or flair.

  • Saul Muerte

The Long Night is currently available on DVD and VOD (iTunes, Google Play, YouTube Store, and Fetch TV) and released by Eagle Entertainment Australia.

Movie review: Nope (2022)

10 Wednesday Aug 2022

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Jordan Peele ventures forth with his third outing behind the camera following success with Get Out and Us, with a nod to the B-horror science fiction movies of the 50s. Set in an isolated part of inland California, siblings OJ and Emerald Haywood witness the death of their father when random objects fall from the sky. This prompts them to capture evidence of an unidentified flying object and probable cause of the strange happenings but may lead them to an unnerving discovery.

For me, labelling Nope as a horror film is akin to saying that fish and chips is a healthy eating option. Sure, Nope has jump scares, and blood, and people die, but nothing, and I do mean nothing, about this film makes it a horror flick.

That’s not to say that you won’t have a good time watching it-Daniel Kaluuya is the undisputed king of understated, brooding acting, and Keke Palmer is 100% joy on screen.
Personally, I was thrilled to see Michael Wincott again. As if his frankly ridiculously beautiful speaking voice wasn’t enough, he nails the role of ‘surly but genius cinematographer.

Speaking of cinematography, Hoyte Van Hoytema is behind the lens for this one (he’s they guy who shot Tenet, Interstellar, Dunkirk, and Ad Astra. He’s practically Christopher Nolan’s go-too-guy) and holy smokes does he bring each location to life.
Truly stunning work.

The Prognosis:

I am by no means an edge lord gatekeeper of horror films – I still can’t watch the Thriller video without needing a hug afterwards, but don’t go into Nope expecting to be scared out of your mind.

There’s plenty of questionable plot holes, and I wanted to see much more from Steven Yeun’s character ‘Ricky’, but it’s still a fun watch, and worth seeing at a cinema purely for the sound design alone.

  • John Turnbull

Nope is a homage to classic B movie sci fi horror, but it is NOT made in the usual cookie cutter paint-by-numbers way. It is powered by a unique vision only achievable by Jordan Peele

Antony Yee

Movie review: Prey (2022)

06 Saturday Aug 2022

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For the fifth instalment of the Predator franchise, Director Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) and co writer Patrick Aison (Wayward Pines) have decided to reach into the folklore set by the Raphael Adolini 1715 flintlock pistol that was gifted to Lieutenant Mike Harrigan at the end of Predator 2.

This moment always stirred by interest about how a conflict between humanity and a Yautja would come about, and the notion of primitive representations of both these species coming head to head in the 18th century.

Trachtenberg and Aison present this tale through the eyes of a Comanche tribe, in particular that of Naru (Amber Midthunder – Legion) in her pursuit of becoming a great hunter, but is constantly in the shadow of her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers).

Among the sibling rivalry and respect storyline that pays dividends to the weight of the performance on screen, there is also a nicely handled touch on gender diversity with Naru trying to break the mould of traditions past. Women are deemed the weaker sex, when this assumption is exactly what leads to their strength when coming up against any foe.

On the hunt for a mountain lion, Naru notices that there are some strange things afoot, such as skinned snakes, and unusual bear-like prints in the mud. She suspects there is something larger and a bigger threat in the wilderness, but her tribe neglects her warnings.

The threat of course is our central predator figure (Dane DiLiegro), a much more leaner, and sleek design from the Yautja that we have come to know and love from previous movies, but this version needs to present in a different fashion as it would be another 200 plus years before they would come to Earth again, and advancements in evolution would naturally occur. Initially, I didn’t respond to this look but I soon warmed to it by the film’s end.

The confrontations and slow build up between the predator and Naru are well handled, showing insight into the predator’s curiosity over finding the top of the food chain and crowning itself the apex. It moves from snake to wolf, to bear, before discovering humans’ position in the chain.
Naru’s journey also goes from one of becoming the best hunter to prove herself to the tribe, to one of using all her guile to survive the game. 

The Prognosis:

It’s a deliberately slow and insightful build, which allows the predator to become the prey and vice versa here. The performance from Amber Midthunder is to be commended as she shows her versatility in Naru’s character to become our protagonist and champion for the human race.
The predator is a slick, killing creature, so fans won’t be disappointed in the manner that he eviscerates all that he encounters. There are also great nods to previous ventures throughout this feature, which was a nice touch.

The decision to place the arena in the heart of the Comanche tribe’s own will to survive in the face of white settlement is also to be commended and is handled with respect and dignity, fulfilling Trachtenberg’s intent to do things with the franchise that hasn’t been done before. Depending on the film’s success, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see further instalments come out of the jungle. Especially as it is left unclear as to how that flintlock pistol gets back into the Yautja hands again.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: What Josiah Saw (2022)

02 Tuesday Aug 2022

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At first glance, there’s enough interest gathered from the cast of What Josiah Saw alone, with two of the top-billed actors Robert Patrick and Nick Stahl, and even Jake Weber in a supporting role. Each of them do a fair amount of  heavy lifting on screen, pulling out all the stops to generate interest out of their characters and not isolate them to two-dimensional representations. The premise is also one that further builds intrigue, placing a family reuniting at their farmhouse, after a lucrative offer is placed on it, but why have they become so estranged from one another? And what secrets do they hope to remain buried?

Each member of the family is awarded their own chapter of the storyline before the afore-mentione coming together at the farmhouse. It starts with the father, Josiah (Patrick) and his son Thomas (Scott Haze), the latter appears to be trying to look after the upkeep of the abode, but there is something aloof about the way the two engage with one another that doesn’t quite fit, which becomes all too apparent by the films’ conclusion.

The middle chapter and possibly the most intriguing has another son, Eli (Stahl) who is caught up with questionable characters and is charged with two other guys to visit some gypsy folk; a moment that comes to a whole heap of trouble for Eli.

Lastly, we’re introduced to the daughter, Mary (Kelli Garner) and her partner, Ross (Tony Hale), who have been struggling to have children of their own and are in the throes of finalising an adoption process.

As each chapter unfolds, serving as a means to build up and embellish each character, but these windows into their lives so far trudge along at a snail’s pace without any clear direction or purpose. Other than to allow the final moment to unfold. For what it’s worth this final moment when it arrives is well placed and with a powerful punchline, but it’s a damn painful ride to get there. For some, they would have tuned out long before this takes place. 

The Prognosis:

There is plenty of promise set up in What Josiah Saw, with a solid cast and a definitive approach to the storytelling.

The problem arises through its slow interplay as it tries to develop the characters, ordinarily a good thing, but this is painfully slow and interest wanes quite quickly.

A shame, as the last scene is a decent and dramatic conclusion.

  • Saul Muerte

What Josiah Saw is streaming on Shudder ANZ from Thu Aug 4th.

Pennywise: The Story of IT Documentary review

29 Friday Jul 2022

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For some, the year 1990 would prove to be just your average year. Some were still spinning out from the decade before with its acid wash jeans, video rentals, and big hair.
Some though, like me, were having their minds filled with the wild imaginations of Stephen King and this year would prove to be the year that Pennywise entered our homes.

Such was the wildfire of nightmares born out of the miniseries written by Lawrence D. Cohen and Tommy Lee Wallace (the latter also taking on directorial duties), that it spread a combination of love and fear into the school playgrounds, and fuelled the flames deep in the heart of this reviewer.

It’s little wonder that a worthy documentary would surface at some point to please the minds of those that were so shaped by this two-part serial. The bewilderment may be more from the fact that it took so long for someone to actually get it greenlit. Thankfully an Indiegogo project was set up which would see director Chris Griffiths team up with producers John Campopiano and Gary Smart to bring the project to fruition. 

Pennywise: The Story of It is exactly what you would hope from a 2 hour documentary dedicated to the making of the mini-series, with Wallace and Cohen cast their thoughts and views, looking back at the time and the impact that it had on popular culture. He’s not alone to appear of course, as we have the great Tim Curry (Pennywise), along with other cast members Richard Thomas (Bill), Seth Green (Richie), Dennis Christopher (Eddie), Adam Fairazi (young Eddie), Tim Reid (Mike), Brandon Crane (young Ben), and Emily Perkins (Beverly), to nam but a few. Plus special effects makeup artist Bart Mixon among others that were behind the scenes.
There were some notable absences from the Losers club, but none more heartfelt at their loss than Jonathan Brandis (young Bill) and John Ritter (Ben) who both respectfully are acknowledged for their input into the movie from both cast and crew.

The passion is clearly shared by those involved in the making of the miniseries, in the way that they are so animated about it in their interviews. It was incredibly warming to see such dedication to the miniseries being laid out and reviewed retrospectively from a team that were united with the same passion that I share for the miniseries, even to this day. 

  • Saul Muerte

Pennywise: The Story of IT  is currently screening with a 30-day free trial of Screambox, available on iOS, Android, Prime Video, YouTube TV, Comcast, and Screambox.com.

For more thoughts on the original miniseries, you can also listen to the SOH team’s alternate commentary below:

IT Mini Series – Part 1 (Surgeons commentary)

IT Mini Series – Part 2 (Surgeons Commentary)

Movie review: The Reef: Stalked

27 Wednesday Jul 2022

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Australian Director Andrew Traucki certainly has a taste for aquaphobia with his breakout feature hits Black Water, and The Reef. Back in 2020, he decided to revisit his croc shock feature with the sequel, Black Water: Abyss. Now is the turn of the shark, with a delve back into the reef with a twist in the tale for The Reef: Stalked.

His hook is in telling the story of Nic (Teressa Liane), who is still in the breaches of surviving the trauma of her sister’s murder. Nic tries to reconnect with the world by submerging herself into an old pastime on a kayaking adventure with her younger sister, Annie (Saskia Archer), and her two friends, Jodie (Ann Truong) and Lisa (Kate Lister). Before long the predator of the ocean makes its presence known and begins to hunt them down without backing down once it latches onto their scent.

The topic of trauma is a gripping one and presents and interesting premise for Traucki to grapple with and I applaud him in dabbling in this terrain to weave together an incredible story about survival against the odds and placing it in a shark horror feature.

The premise, and the topic may have been a stretch too far to blend them together with a sense of ease, as too often the focus shifts on the unrest between the two siblings rather than the fear itself. It’s a tough balancing act, because you want to establish a connection with your audience by building on the characters’ exchange with one another. Unfortunately I felt that the dialogue and performances were waning; a crying shame as Traucki has proven up to the task before, especially in his feature debut, Black Water, thrusting his female protagonists played by Diana Glenn and Maeve Dermody through the ringer, with grit and determination. 

The lack of grit is all too evident here, and the leads spar off each other from one scenario to the next without too much substance to wade through.

So what of the shark? 

When it appears there are flashes of images to spark fear in the audience but it never comes across as sinister enough and murky as a result. The one moment where your heart spins for a moment, is when some children are caught in the mix with their life in the hands of fate. In this instance, you are willing for them to survive and here Traucki shows his hand at playing with the audience’s heartstrings. A sign that he still knows how to play that card and its not completely lost at sea.

The Prognosis:

Shark movies are always a tough gig to sell, and Andrew Traucki does his best to repeat his formula from his 2010 feature, The Reef with a notable and worthy attempt at looking at the impact of trauma.

I really wanted to like this film and champion homegrown Australian cinema but despite some notable moments, the result is a stretch too far with performances and dialogue not weighing up to the potential that a strong subject like trauma deserves. 

  • Saul Muerte

The Reef: Stalked is released in Australian cinemas from Thursday 28th July.

Movie review: Moloch (2022)

18 Monday Jul 2022

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Having established a cornerstone of horror through what is commonly termed as nordic noir, it’s about time that another European country should stake a claim with that dark, folk storytelling. So, the Dutch step forward with something lurking in the peat bogs in the north of the Netherlands.

The entity in question seems to be honing in on Betriek (Sallie Harmsen) and her family, or those that she comes in contact with, suggesting that there is more than meets the eye to this mysterious presence that up til now has lain dormant. The last time it arose was when Betriek was a little girl as presented in our prologue sequence when something is heard above the room that she is playing in, only to then see blood seeping through the cracks aloft.
It also seems that an archaeological dig has unearthed the being known as the titular Moloch, and now anyone that stands in her path will succumb to torment.

Admittedly this film is a bit of a slow burner, but director Nico van den Brink (Sweet Tooth) is able to craft enough intrigue and mystery to the tale, fuelled with some great performances, well structured characters that you actually care for, and the added mark of something that feels like an age-old story.
The narrative ducks and weaves like a crime thriller, with our lead protagonist denying yet puled into this mystery that plagues her family. Just how far she is willing to dig, will determine their fate.

The Prognosis:

Too often, when European folk horror is presented with a slow burn, the content dries up and becomes pale. Moloch though is a cleverly crafted tale with strong characters and enough twists to keep you on tenterhooks. A surprising and comforting darkly Gothic story presented from a welcome new source.

  • Saul Muerte

Moloch will be streaming on Shudder ANZ from Jul 21st.