John Fennessy

Evil Dead Rises Review “Mommy’s with the maggots now” - Ellie (Possessed) A film directed by Lee Cronin, an award-winning filmmaker from Dublin, Ireland. Produced by Sam Rami, the creator of The Evil Dead franchise. As a fifth instalment in this gore-fest franchise it still carries on strong since it started in 1981. The original did get banned as the most agreeable “Video-Nasty” in the UK because of the over-the-top violence, especially the infamous rape scene involving a possessed tree raping a woman. After being banned it didn’t stop Rami from making Evil Dead 2 that came across as a soft reboot and sequel to the original. It also changed the genre from a splatter-horror into a more slapstick comedy-horror. From there it became a cult-classic that spawned Army of Darkness, a spin-off Evil Dead, tv-series Ash vs The Evil Dead and now Evil Dead Rises. This instalment does move away from the comedy element into a more serious horror like the original film. It still connects to the Army of Darkness because of the three books that Ash encounters. I found this a nice little reference to keep the connection. The film itself has a nice original approach to it with it’s new urban apartment setting with some dim lit neon lighting that adds to the ultimate gore-fest rollercoaster of a ride. These gory kills will definitely turn your stomach at times, but that’s what you expect from this with it’s beautiful visuals. The relationship between the family is nicely developed with their dysfunctional background that later adds to horror that awaits them throughout the night. The theme music will keep you on the edge of seat has they try to find their way out to escape from the demonic forces. Overall like the films before it the plot still remains thinly plotted like some A to B scenario. Besides that this one will definitely swallow your soul.

“Bring me innocent victims! I want a handful of nuns, a busload of cheerleaders…” - Dracula. A film directed by Chris McKay, who is known for directing The Lego Batman Movie. Also written the story for Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves. Well I have to say I was really impressed by this because I did have my doubts after watching the trailer and reading the mixed reviews by the critics thinking it’s gonna be another stupid slapstick parody of Dracula. To be honest it turned out to be a very enjoyable blood soaked laugh of a film. Nicolas Cage playing Dracula was so sassy with his witty performance. Some people may see him as marmite with a love or hate opinion of his acting. I always been a fan of his career since Wild at Heart, Face/Off, Adaptation and the very surreal Colour Out of Space. His performance in this I couldn’t take him seriously because basically he’s taking the piss out of himself, which was fun to see. Nicholas Hoult did come across as vanilla at times but it’s good that he’s exploring different genres to see what suits him best. Unfortunately I think Nicolas Cage took away his spotlight. If you want to see him at his best look for films like The Menu, The Favourite, Mad Max: Fury Road and his performance as The Beast in the X-Men films. It was great seeing Awkwafina again after seeing her in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. She was very comical in this and acted really well alongside Hoult’s character. I was disappointed in Ben Schwartz as a supporting part as a villain because I found him very annoying, where I can’t put my finger on it. It’s a shame because he did a great job voicing Sonic the Hedgehog. What did stand out for me was the over-the-top gory fight sequences. You can’t beat a bit of blood and guts on screen. I liked the whole neon lighting effect which really adds to the tone of the film overall. It also plays a nice little homage to Bela Lugosi as Dracula, which I absolutely loved. The film may not be great but it’s a very feel good one if your looking for lots of mindless fun. Putting the comedy aside it does give you a good message about believing in yourself and standing up against people putting you down in time, like for example being a victim to gaslighting.

Werewolves Within (Review), streaming on Netflix UK. A film directed by Josh Ruben. “Well, we're having a good old fashioned sleepover.” - quoted by Finn Wheeler, played by Sam Richardson. Recommend by my Uncle Marc who is big film buff when it comes to Horror, Sci-Fi and Black Comedies. I gotta say it was a great recommendation for sure. I didn’t realise it was based on a video game by Red Storm Entertainment (A Ubisoft Studio) too. This horror comedy fair play was a lot of fun with the humour very sharp to the point. All the characters were very quirky in their own way that makes it very watchable. In many ways it reminded of CLUE with an approach of a werewolf as the killer. It definitely has lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing. By the end result it’ll catch you off guard. In many ways because it’s mostly filmed on one location at times it could be adapted into a stage play. It was great to see Harvey Guillén from What We Do in the Shadows (TV-Show) again. He’s also in the new Puss in Boots: The Last Wish voicing Perrito. That’s an another film on my watchlist. Also some upcoming actors like Sam Richardson from Hocus Pocus 2 and Cheyenne Jackson from American Horror Story. The other cast members I didn’t seem recognise but they were great in their own ways. Hopefully we’ll see more of them in future film projects. At times I did feel I wanted more from this by having some more character development. Also I found the plot was very rushed to the point and that is something I’m not particularly a fan of to be honest. Overall though it was a great enjoyable watch if you want something lighten up your mood.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Review. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Mushroom Kingdom, here we come!" - Mario. Gamers like myself that grew up playing the video games will absolutely love this film. Movie goers though will see it as a very mediocre film. I’m in two mindsets because I’m a fan of the video games and being a film buff at the same time is a difficult one to be honest. What kept the film together for me is all the nostalgia and lots of references from the games. It also does a homage to the live-action 1993 film too. My favourite reference is the face off between Donkey Kong and Mario, where he’s wearing his Cat Suit from Super Mario 3D World. The Mario Cart sequence just gave me goosebumps like if I was in the game. Unfortunately the film is thinly written that feels very rushed up. Yet again though the video games do have a simple plot. The voice actors portrayed the characters really well. Fair play Chris Pratt did a great job voicing Mario. What stole the show for me is Jack Black playing Bowser and Seth Rogan playing Donkey Kong. I always been a fan of them both in their previous films like School of Rock (Black) and Knocked Up (Rogan). Anya Taylor-Joy (The Menu) voiced Princess Peach perfectly, but found her character fell in the same category as Captain Marvel, Rey (Star Wars) and Teela (Masters of the Universe: Revelation). Don’t worry I’m not gonna rant about my views of today’s politics and Political correctness. Overall the film is very entertaining and well worth it to see it on the cinema screen. For some it’s like reliving your childhood for 1 hour 32 minutes. I would give it 3 stars but I’m gonna push it to 4 stars because I did love the nostalgia.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Review. This film rolled a NAT 20! - quoted by my partner Joshua Brimble. Adventurers of D&D will cream themselves by saying this one of the best films they’ve seen. DMs maybe take this as a insult. Movie goers like myself will say it’s a brilliant fun filled adventure of the year so far… If you love films like Princess Bride and tv-shows like Disenchantment this is the film you should be watching. This is second feature by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, who both was involved in writing the screenplay for Spider-Man: Homecoming. Their first directorial debut did start really bad with Vacation (2015), the sequel to National Lampoon’s Vacation back in the 1983. Luckily with this film has given them a major boost in their film career. I found it’s very easy going film if you want to switch off from reality for some escapism. It’s filled with endless humour that make you laugh at times from the witty dialogue and banter from these memorable characters, especially between Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez. It was great seeing Hugh Grant again with his dry sense of humour. It’s so well paced with some of its excellent chase sequences. My favourite scene is where the druid transforms multiple times to escape her enemies through the streets. I really love the Owl Bear transformation. The action sequences will keep you very entertained. Overall besides the shaky camera work at times I just loved how crazy the film was. You never get bored at all.

SCREAM VI REVIEW “What’s Your Favourite Scary Movie?” I always loved this franchise ever since my childhood when my mother bought me the original Scream on VHS. Personally it’s probably the only slasher film that’s had the best sequels. Even the weakest ones were enjoyable too like Scream 3 because it knows it’s really bad and Scream 4 being a mediocre sequel sticking to the formula of a remake by following the rules of a horror franchise. Then the franchise managed to pick itself up again by changing the formula to follow the rules of a Requel. Now this time it follows the rules of a legacy. I found this sequel to be the most inventive and has a more fresh approach to it compared to the previous films. It does make some little homages to Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan because the film directors are a big fans of that film. Personally in my opinion it’s shockingly bad but fun to watch. What carries the film for me is chemistry between the two sisters played by Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega who are struggling to overcome their trauma from the previous film and trying to start a new life. The supporting cast are great fun by bouncing off each other with their witty dialogue, especially Courteney Cox who is just amazing as always. The new setting being in New York works on many levels because there’s more tension, thrills and a good use of locations. There’s lots of twists and turns that makes this whodunit cleverly written. The kills are more brutal as ever too. At times I was bitting my tongue on how far fetched some scenes were, like for example surviving certain stab wounds. Overall for a sixth instalment it’s my favourite and strongest one in the franchise.

SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS If you’re looking to watch something with mindless fun with tons of action sequences, plenty of humour, over use of CGI and a plot that’s very simple to follow. Well this is the popcorn flick you’re looking for! It was great seeing Lucy Liu back on the cinema screen but I felt she was very outta place along with Helen Mirren as their roles of the villains, which were pretty weak to be honest. The whole overall story just felt really undeveloped about the mythology side of things and cutting corners by rushing it up to the fight sequences or rescuing the world from mythical creatures. I felt the actors playing the younger characters did a much better job as the adults because I felt there’s some good chemistry between them all, especially Asher Angel and Jack Dylan Grazer. The banter and the humour was very enjoyable to make the film more engaging to stop me falling asleep in the cinema. All fairness it’s an enjoyable popcorn flick to help pass the time I suppose. I would say thank god for James Gunn who is planning to reboot the DC Cinematic Extended Universe by creating multiple universes. This franchise definitely needs a good sort out.

WHAT DID I JUST WATCH!!! I gotta say I haven’t laughed so much for a long time after watching this. It might not be a great film with its flaws, but it’s definitely a feel good one. The humour is not for everyone but for viewers like myself who’s into black comedy or lots of bad gags will love it. It’s a film that knows its identity of being a bad B-Movie that works on many levels. There’s lots of bad editing that sometimes irritates me and also some bad CGI effects. I found the soundtrack fitted well with certain scenes, especially the one where the bear chasing the ambulance. Overall don’t listen to the critics just watch it with a clear mindset.

Lost in Translation blended in with Rear Window and Peeping Tom. The result we have is this suspenseful Chloe Okuno’s Watcher. As the film started we have some beautiful camera work focusing on the lead actress Maika Monroe and her partner played by Karl Glusman as they relocate to Bucharest. This camera work reminded me so much of Lost in Translation, which I absolutely adore. The chemistry between the two leads felt so real and relatable as you see by their interactions with each other. This why I love indie cinema because I always find you can relate to these films at times, depending on what genre you watch. Then there’s a moment where they start making love as the camera zooms out from a large picture like window in their apartment with the opening credits rolling. I loved font of the letters they used for this, especially for the opening title because it reminded of a Giallo. From those moments I absolutely fallen for this film. After the opening credits the slow building trip into horror begins starting to develop after discovering someone been murdered near their apartment. This strikes some paranoia and anxieties for the lead role because she discovers she’s been constantly watched by her neighbour from the other side of the apartment in a window of dark room. She begins to notice she’s been stalked around the city in the day time. I’m not gonna say much but the cinema scene really got under my skin. You can really feel the tension and her paranoia building up. With no believing her including her partner and the police. They put it under she’s having some bad anxieties about the recent murder by a killer known as “Spider”, who leaves the bodies with their heads cut off. You can really feel it in her performance because she feels isolated in this new country, having bad anxiety and her partner working long hours at night. From beautiful shots, good use of lighting and great camera angles really adds to the unsettling atmosphere to the terror that awaits her. Overall it felt like Dario Argento and Alfred Hitchcock made a movie together. The only minor flaws I would mention is sometimes certain scenes do drag and on some occasion there was a bit of choppy editing.

Black Adam Review The film itself is surprisingly fun. I really enjoyed the character and I think Dwayne Johnson suited the role really well. The story was good by expanding on the mythology side of the universe. It connected to Shazam really well as a spin-off. Overall it’s a very fast paced action packed popcorn flick. The action sequences are entertaining, nice visuals, good soundtrack and a good use of comical moments. The 4DX really added to the experience. I wouldn’t say it’s a good start of the new Phase One but it’s still enjoyable for the escapism. It has lots of flaws like underdeveloped characters (Justice Society), choppy editing and very rushed up plot.