Here’s everything that I wrote/published in the month of October!
About Love. Adults Only (2017, Dir: Nigina Sayfullayeva, Pavel Ruminov, Yevgeniy Shelyakin, Natalya Merkulova, Rezo Gigineighvili, Alexey Chup) – ‘However, for all its talk of modernity, Adults Only is surprisingly old fashioned.’ Full review at FilmInk.com.au
Arrhythmia (2017, Dir: Boris Khlebnikov) – ‘Whilst the film tries to suggest Katya or Oleg are equal in their misery, it does at times seem to favour Oleg and his man-child ways.’ Full review at FilmInk.com.au
Ben Elton: The Man from Freo – ‘I mean, even the love story is a little bit jagged. It does compare folk music fans to Hitler fans!’ Full interview at FilmInk.com.au
Blockbuster (2017, Dir: Roman Volobuev) – ‘Underneath the screwball comedy and stylised violence, Blockbuster has something it wants to say; feminist themes run throughout, but don’t necessarily run deep.’ Full review at Filmink.com.au
Chicago Rot (AKA Rot, 2016, Dir: Dorian Weinzimmer) – ‘What could have been a by-the-numbers grindhouse flick of two violent men in pursuit of each other, blossoms into a patchwork quilt of minotaurs, demons, aliens, and people sewing their victims flesh onto themselves.’ Full review ar horrornews.net
Closer to God (2014, Dir: Billy Senese) – ‘The film is so serious and portentous that it almost feels languid.’ Full review here
Demon Hunter (2016, Dir: Zoe Kavanagh) – ‘Demon Hunter feels like a relic from the 90s; as if Razorblade Smile and The Matrix had a baby and didn’t buy it a pony when it really, really wanted one.’ Full review at Horrornews.net
Detroit (2017, Dir: Kathryn Bigelow) – ‘Through its expert craftsmanship and recounting of the events, Detroit demands you sit up and realise what is happening around you, right now, in this century.’ Full review at thereelword.net
Dogs Are The Best People: Interview with Mary Zournazi – ‘The film really is this journey of the people and the animals in this time of crisis, and in this sense, I feel a huge responsibility to convey how people experience their lives in difficult times.’ Full interview at filmink.com.au
Dogs of Democracy (2016, Dir: Mary Zournazi) – ‘Engaging and thought-provoking, go see Dogs of Democracy for the wet nosed mischief makers, but stay for the uplifting philosophical discussion.’ Full review at Filmink.com.au
Goosebumps (2015, Dir: Rob Letterman) – ‘…goes down the route of a traditional narrative, culminating in a showy finale that appears to be the prerequisite of all blockbusters currently. It’s not as bad as it sounds.’ Full review here.
I Spit on Your Grave 2 (2013, Dir: Steven R. Monroe) – ‘…vicious, nasty, soul crushing story.’ Full review here.
K-11 (2012, Dir: Jules Mann-Stewart) – ‘Reminiscent of the bunched up fist that was Scum…’ Full review here.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017, Dir: Matthew Vaughn) – ‘…having only scratched the surface when it came to the world of the Kingsman, director Matthew Vaughn and co-writer Jane Goldman literally blow that all up so they can world build again with The Statesman.’ Full review here.
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014, Dir: Matthew Vaughn) – ‘The film’s light misogyny comes to a head in a final scene joke that attempts to satirise the typical ending of a Bond movie, but instead manages to rewrite Eggsy character unnecessarily.’ Full review here.
Return of The Killer Shrews (2011, Dir: Steve Latshaw) – ‘Neither funny or scary, The Return of the Killer Shrews biggest scare is the threat in the end credits of an oncoming third film.’ Full review here.
Spacewalkers (2017, Dir: Dmitry Kiselyov) – ‘Engrossing, nerve rattling and patriotic without turning into parody…’ Full review at FilmInk.com.au
Ten Non-Horror Films to Creep You Out – Full list at thereelword.net
The Cobbler (2014, Dir: Thomas McCarthy) – ‘The problem lies with the tone of the film that battles itself to be either a knock about comedy or a social drama laced with magic realism.’ Full review here.
The Convent (2000, Dir: Mike Mendez) – ‘Yes, The Convent may well be bleak, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun.’ Full review at horrornews.net
The Pink House (2017, Dir: Sascha Ettinger-Epstein) – ‘What makes The Pink House so fascinating to watch is that it doesn’t try to sugar-coat their existence with attempts at titillation, instead it revels in the normality of their existence.’ Full review at FilmInk.com.au
Viking (2016, Dir: Andrei Kravchuk) – ‘…a vicious and sexual biopic that may shock those expecting a by-the-numbers period drama.’ Full review at FilmInk.com.au
What If It Works? (2017, Dir: Romi Trower) – ‘Whilst What if It Works? may not have the most complex of plots and secondary characters do seem light on exposition, this simply gives us the opportunity to enjoy the company of our heroes.’ Full review at filmink.com.au
John Noonan 