28 Years Later is a mixed bag. We certainly have things to like and appreciate, but as I mentioned, the messiness of the film might not bother some, but it bothered me. I wanted to care more, I really did, but it all felt a little bit jarring.
Simon Leasher Film Reviews Posts
Found footage horror is a genre that strips away the artifice. It’s messy, very messy at times, but it gives you a different sense of terrifying because it all feels like it could be real.
If you’re tired of glossy horror movies with PG-13 tension, cheap jump scares, and cheesy CGI, When Evil Lurks will remind you what fear actually feels like.
The Life of Chuck is like one of those films you watch when you’re already thinking about your childhood, or your own mortality. It might frustrate you, but it might also break your heart in a good way.
Scream – The film that came along at exactly the right time. Take my Scream franchise quiz and see how many you score.
Freaky Tales doesn’t pretend to be high art, and it doesn’t need to be. It’s a rowdy, stylish, and sometimes goofy celebration of rebellion, music, and standing up to assholes.
The Battery isn’t your typical zombie film. It’s a story about survival, friendship, and hope in a world gone sideways.
I will start by saying, none of these films I have listed below are so obscure that no-one has ever heard of them. Hell, a couple of them have even been widely acclaimed in the indie world. But I do think they are hidden gems. I barely see them mentioned on sites, or when discussing films with people, and most of them don’t have too many IMDB reviews either.
Kapkapiii isn’t a film you analyze too much. It’s a film you watch when you don’t want to think, and just want some cheap and stupid comedy that raises a chuckle now and again.
Predator: Killer of Killers is smart without being smug, brutal without being empty, and surprisingly emotional for a franchise that once featured a handshake with the force of a small earthquake.
Thunderbolts is exactly the kind of Marvel movie I’ve been waiting for since Endgame. It’s honest about the state of the MCU, takes risks by focusing on flawed characters, and manages to be both funny and emotionally engaging.
I love horror films/shows, and have been watching horror for 30 odd years, and I am sure many will say I am a wuss, but these jump scare attempts got me good when I first watched them.
Go on, make fun of me.
I went into watching Until Dawn with hope. Not high hopes, mind you. Just regular, middle-of-the-road hopes – the kind of hope you reserve for a video game movie that might actually be fun, if not necessarily good.
And for about ten minutes, I was fine….
Fear Street: Prom Queen is a film that feels like it’s borrowing heavily from other 80s teen horror staples without really bringing its own voice.
Horror: the genre that taught us it’s totally normal to run towards the noise in the basement. But horror isn’t just one big lumbering monster. It’s a Frankenstein’s creature of sub genres.
Here are some films from 2024 that I think went under the radar and deserve more love. Now some of them had festival releases in 2023, but wide theatrical releases in 2024, so I am counting them!
We’ve all heard it before -The Godfather is the greatest film of all time. The Citizen Kane of the 1970s. The Mount Everest of mafia flicks. And I get it. I love The Godfather. But The Godfather Part II is better. Better in almost every way.
If you love the original Lilo & Stitch or have kids who adore the character, you’ll find plenty to enjoy here. It’s heartfelt, funny, and a visually appealing film.
This is a movie for viewers who don’t mind horror that’s more about feelings than fear, and more about what’s inside your head than what jumps out at you from the shadows.
This film is for fans who want closure, big spectacles, and a touch of philosophy. It’s a film that tries really hard, and that effort shows.