Eric Bellamy

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Glorious spectacle! Grandiose production design reminiscent of the major sword and sandal epics from the 50s and 60s in luscious CinemaScope. Outrageous action set pieces that are on the verge of being ridiculous. The sound design is sonic perfection, and the music is as epic as the first time around. The quality of the actors in this stacked cast is a dream. They are all capable of more powerful performances, but Ridley has given them free rein to go out there and have fun. They are clearly having fun camping it up and chewing the scenery in this spectacularly built playground. Every time Denzel comes out in a new outfit, you are transported to Rome Fashion Week and he is owning the catwalk! This follow-up comes nowhere close to the original film. The script is serviceable despite its paint-by-number structure. It's lacking the dramatic gravitas of the original and the intricate scheming, brutal battles, and salacious sex of the Spartacus TV series. All the same, Ridley Scott proves he can still entertain. This commands to be seen on a big screen to fully appreciate the details of this production. Worth the night out.

Wonderful!! Breathtaking, bold production design that pops off the screen (especially in IMAX) Extravagant musical numbers filled with intricate, jaw-dropping choreography. By not relying on only the songs to tell the story like in the stage show, they add a fantastic script that adds emotional depth and bursts with humour. The cast is bursting with chemistry. Ariana Grande delivers an "Incredibleously"(sic) infuriatingly, annoyingly extra performance that will have you smiling the whole time. Cynthia Erivo sparkles and shines, capturing your heart every time she is on-screen. Jonathan Bailey plays what could be the more fun younger brother of his character on Bridgerton. He gets to chew the scenery and puts on a delightfully charming performance. Big props to the editing team, rarely does a film of this length flow so smoothly and quickly. Jon M. Chu does a fantastic job directing and if he can nail the lending with part two, a best picture nomination is all but guaranteed. For those of you who don't like musicals, you have no powers here. For the rest, laughs, goosebumps, and tears are guaranteed. A wickedly good time!

Leaves you with a smile on your face. A well constructed sequel that logically and intelligently continues from the original film. The well planned out cinematography is beautifully executed with slick editing. Fantastic immersive sound design and mix raise the creep factor. The film features six well written ,original pop songs for a film that serve the story directly and accentuate Naomi Scott's outstanding performance. More of a mind f**k than a rollercoaster ride of a horror film like the first one, director Parker Finn does a great job of not simply rehashing what he did in the first, finding a new angle, and still delivering a good supply of well executed scares that are guaranteed to please.

Creative collection of alien-based horror that thematically holds together quite well. As usual, the v/h/s series has assembled some of the most groundbreaking horror directors to deliver fresh perspectives on a well-trodden found footage genre. The first story, Jordan Downey "Stork" , is arguably the weakest, but still has an original vision worth watching, especially with the fantastic practical effects work. The further into the stories we go, the better they get. There are some humorously fun pieces, surprisingly, including one from Christian Long and "the"Justin Long. Anyone who wants to complain about musicals or Bollywood I would recommend showing them Virat Pal's superb "Dream Girl" segment. Fierce. Justin Martinez "Live and Let Dive" brings the terror as close to home as possible with its effective character relatability. The final story "Stowaway", directed by Kate Siegel and written by Mike Flanagan, is an incredible trippy expression of alien abduction. The frame narrative wrap-around piece, directed and written by Jay Cheel, complements the creative energy of the last piece and brings the compilation to a successful conclusion.

Extreme next-level slasher/demon gore fest. There is nothing here to faint over unless you have never seen a slasher or demon-based supernatural film before, and I would not recommend it for kids under 16. Similar to its superior predecessor, "Terrifier 2," Damien Leone takes the time to set up, or more accurately, modify, the world-building done in part two and elaborates on character development before getting wet and juicy. The practical visual effects are wickedly terrific. There are not as many creative kills as in the previous installment, but there are still enough to make your draw drop, if not only from the sheer brutality. The rest of the technical aspects are competent, and the acting is adequate. Terrifier 2(4.5/5) was like the Terminator 2 of the series, this is more of a Back to the Future 3, a step-down. Art the Clown is a hoot to watch. He makes the morally questionable gore more palatable compared to more dramatic yet equally gruesome projects of the genre. Despite a few gaping logic-based plot holes, the film delivers what it promises and is a lot of fun for the holidays.

Fresh, visceral perspective on a classic horror genre. Splendid cinematography. Spectacularly creative sound design, betrayed by a weak sound mix. Could benefit from a stronger surround mix. Refreshing to be on the other side of the knife, and disturbingly unsettling to be happy about it. The film's POV resonates with me as it mirrors someone at work asking me a question before I've had my morning coffee at work. They pissed in your cornflakes, not thinking about the consequences and need to pay. Hearing the future victim's dialogue from the killer's point of view is creepily unique and enjoyable. When the film deviates from the point of view of our slasher, it also loses a bit of its punch. However, this approach also affects the pacing. You feel each step of those legendary SLOW slasher stalking strides. They could have cut ten min just to keep the stress levels up. The final outcomes is a unique, raw, amusing and uncomfortable slasher experience. As much as it's gritty, at times campy and consistently lo-fi, it is not as much fun and inviting as the similarly-themed film, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon(2005). They make a great double bill, but the latter is more accessible and amusing. All the same, the delivery is pro. This is absolutely worth a look.

Visually vivacious. Pristine production design. Costume design worthy of a fashion week catwalk show. They all bring to life a fable, but that's where the success ends. My favorite line of the film delivered exquisitely by Kathryn Hunter sums it up: "Oh dear... blah blah blah". Without Aubrey Plaza, and a few hysterical campy scenes featuring Jon Voight and Talia Shire, there is no life in the film. The rest of the cast are quite good considering the material they were provided to work with. As much as Coppola maximizes IMAX's visual power, he ignores the sound aspect, settling for a sound mix that is flat and especially weak for what IMAX can deliver. The editing is also a fail. The film isn't long, but it's tedious. You could easily have chopped 30 min. The film's biggest weakness is in its storytelling and concept. If this is supposed to be a fable then it should be simple and have a moral, which is sorely lacking here. I have difficulty comprehending how it took 40 years to develop this story and arrive at this script and story as the final product. Not a total waste, an event worth watching for cinephiles, but next time Coppola wants to overindulge and squander 120 million dollars, perhaps consider giving it to charity instead. P.S. The enhanced IMAX experience with an interactive portion including a live theatrical performance is a great idea but lasts a whole minute at best and is also a blatant missed opportunity.

Beautifully executed insanity! The makeup and practical effects are far ahead of anything else from 2024. Work of art! The production design has all the French flair you need to create a world to house this special kind of madness. The costume design and cinematography are perfect accents. The score by Raffertie pounds the sense of urgency into your body and possesses you to dance. This will certainly be in my top albums of 2024. Demi Moore is unhinged! One of three best performances of her career and Dennis Quaid is completely in for the ride. Coralie Fargeat's screenplay and direction strikes the perfect balance between morality, satire and horror. Full-on, laugh-out-loud, jaw dropping horror genius.

Ambitious storytelling. Aesthetically exceptional cinematography enhanced by terrific lighting, and precise symmetrical production design. Costume design has some unassuming moments of brilliance. Keep your eyes peeled. A fun Kubrick-Esq score consistently fills the background and accurately sets the film's tongue-in-cheek tone. It's a little self-indulgent in the running time, but a lot of fun to watch, and the anthology concept helps the time pass without boredom setting in. Even though in the end, I'm not sure what the hell happened.