Horrors come in all shapes and sizes. From the gore-fest like the Hostel franchise or the Terrifier films to the body horror of The Substance, to the demonic possession of The Exorcist or ghost stories like The Amityville Horror. Then some play with the genre, give us something much more thoughtful, and don’t rely on…
Author: Stuart Wren
Gladiator II
Back in 2000, Dreamworks took a chance on an epic sword-and-sandal adventure from Ridley Scott. No one believed the film would be successful, but after winning five Oscars and becoming a box office smash and now regarded as one of the cinematic greats, Scott has decided it’s time for a long-awaited sequel. While it’s not…
Paddington In Peru
Many consider Paddington 2 one of the greatest family movies ever made. It is a dazzling mix of slapstick comedy, unexpected star turns, and a big heart filling the cinema with pure joy. A third adventure from the Bear was always going to be a hard act to follow, especially when the main drivers of…
Nightbitch
If you are looking for something slightly unusual for your cinematic pleasure, I suggest you check out Nightbitch, a simple tale of a woman struggling to cope with motherhood. Doesn’t sound that unusual? This film will take you to a world where you must change to manage. Not in the way you would think. Marielle…
Bird
Andrea Arnold is a British director who specialises in realistic dramas. Her breakthrough movie, Fish Tank, examined the effects a mother’s new boyfriend has on a 15-year-old in Essex. Arnold returns to the life of people living in a tough community with Bird, a powerful tale of a young girl going through the changes while…
Anora
Sean Baker is one of the most exciting filmmakers around. He takes characters who fall outside the norm and gives them a voice, whether they be streetwalkers in Tangerines, a single mother living in a motel in The Florida Project or a porn actor in Red Rocket. Now he turns his attention to a sex…
Transformers One
Let’s face it: Michael Bay’s live-action versions of the popular toys of the 80s were a mess. Loud, incoherent and most of the time confusing, especially for those who are not familiar with the mythology of the series. The series picked up when he walked away from behind the camera to just producing. Bumblebee was…
The Wild Robot
When Dreamworks entered the animation world with Antz in 1998, they were considered a competitor to Disney. Over the years, they have had various degrees of success with movies like Shrek, How To Train Your Dragon, and Kung Fu Panda, but they have never managed to capture the same magic that the mighty animation giants…
The Outrun
One of the favourite issues to deal with in severe dramas is addiction. Whether it be drinking, drugs, gambling, or any other human nature obsessions, they make for enjoyable, sometimes powerful drama which allows performers to get their teeth into. The Outrun deals with alcohol and the effects it has on a young woman who…
Joker: Folie à Deux
Todd Phillips’ Joker was a huge smash in 2019, both commercially and critically. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and an Oscar for its star, Joaquin Phoenix. The dark tale of a lonely man battling the demons in his life was a powerful, often shocking film miles away from the DC…
Megalopolis
Francis Ford Coppola is regarded as one of the great film directors. His track record proves that case: The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation, and Apocalypse Now are all at the top or near the top of most people’s greatest movies ever made list. Not having a major release for some time now,…
The Substance
I had heard much about this new sci-fi horror from French director Coraline Fargeat, who gave us the 2017 horror Revenge. This award-winner at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, taking best screenplay, had quite a few walkouts due to the nature of the content. The talk was a body horror that goes to the extreme…
Stu Loves Film 