reviews
Entertaining Netflix film Beats dodges typical music drama clichés
Although, like many Netflix offerings, it can feel inconsequential.
18 Jun
Tony Stamp
Partial to horror films and anything on the transgressive side, Tony is also a fan of everything from popcorn action flicks to earnest European drama. And maybe, just maybe, the occasional rom com.
reviews
Dark Phoenix ends once-mighty X-Men franchise not with a bang, but a shrug
Apart from a few interesting wrinkles, this finale is business as usual
06 Jun
reviews
Terry Gilliam’s sloppy Don Quixote movie is ultimately unsatisfying
It’s very nice to look at, though.
23 May
features
A spoiler-heavy look at the many endings in Avengers: Endgame
Tony Stamp comments on the characters that started it all.
30 Apr
features
10 things to look forward to during (and after) Endgame
Tony Stamp weighs up what we can reasonably (or unreasonably) expect next week.
18 Apr
reviews
Shazam! leans into its goofiness, embracing a unique, weird energy
Shazam! proves there are plenty of new ways to tell these super-stories.
03 Apr
reviews
Thunder Road perpetually teeters between hilarious and heartbreaking
“You’re watching a man fall apart, but jeez, what a doofus.”
28 Mar
reviews
Iconic NZ songs narrate inner lives in Daffodils – but this is where it runs into trouble
Rose McIver and George Mason are admirable, but it’s a frustrating film.
20 Mar
features
Destroyer director Karyn Kusama on turning Nicole Kidman into a broken weapon
“She’s such a formidable artist.”
12 Mar
reviews
Escape Room is pretty entertaining… until the master plan comes into focus
The real stars here are the set-pieces.
21 Feb
reviews
Happy Death Day 2U ambitiously aligns itself with Back to the Future Part 2
This second instalment leans even further into the silliness.
14 Feb
reviews
Cold Pursuit always entertains… but it doesn’t amount to much
A lot of people die, and you may chuckle a bit along the way.
07 Feb
reviews
Glass will prove frustrating for many, but it’s still an entertainingly strange thriller
It’s downright weird.
16 Jan
reviews
Aquaman is completely ludicrous – and all the better for it
James Wan throws everything at the wall.
14 Dec
reviews
Journey’s End is a a top-notch World War I character piece
“It’s a bloody good story and a neat summary of why war is hell.”
08 Nov
features
Music biopics don’t always suck (especially if you like montages)
Tony Stamp looks at what does, and doesn’t, make a real-life music flick tick.
01 Nov
reviews
Gerard Butler’s latest is boneheaded, awful and… pro-Putin?
Unintentionally funny.
25 Oct
reviews
Don’t overlook Nicolas Cage’s captivating performance in Mandy
The most tragic, psychedelic revenge movie possible.
19 Oct
reviews
Netflix’s 22 July is a true story more terrifying than any horror
Engrossing, thought-provoking, and well worth your time.
09 Oct
features
Beast director Michael Pearce on his challenging study of psychopathy
“You didn’t want to go for a beer with me” he tells Tony Stamp
03 Oct
reviews
The House with a Clock in Its Walls can’t separate itself from the Harry Potter pack
It’s well made but suffers from being shockingly familiar.
27 Sep
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