Author: Premium Def
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The Wrecking Crew Review: Half Brothers Gonna Work It Out
THE WRECKING CREW (2026) This is more like it. After years and years we’ve finally come full circle and are back to enjoying and appreciating a new iteration of the classic old stock crude humour and wacky violence that is the buddy comedy, while getting our hearts warmed along the way. Not a whiff of…
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Predator: Badlands Review: For the little ones
PREDATOR: BADLANDS (2025) Writer/director Dan Trachtenberg is on fire. First there was his thrilling character-focused Predator film Prey (2022), followed by this summer’s animated entry (and equally awesome) Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) and now third Predator: Badlands, with which Trachtenberg flips the script. Instead of a human protagonist, we journey with Dek, the runt…
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The Running Man Review: Powell’s a pleb in a Carhartt jacket
The Running Man (2025) Oh the irony. We the people are once again being manipulated, via our collective nostalgia, memberberries, whatever you want to call it, into watching a movie about big corp manipulating us. Sigh. Let’s face it, they called this movie The Running Man for a reason. That reason being we remember. We…
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Being Eddie review: What the hell Eddie?
BEING EDDIE (2025) First off, let the record show that I love(d) Eddie Murphy. He was the best part of the second coming of Saturday Night Live and lucky for us he transitioned into the biggest movie star in the world with 48 Hours (1982), Trading Places (1983), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), The Golden Child…
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The Smashing Machine review: The Boring Machine
THE SMASHING MACHINE (2025) I’ll watch all kinds of movies. Good, bad, so bad they’re good, silly, heart-warming, heart-breaking, and my utmost favourite and the best kind in my opinion, fun. The Smashing Machine (2025) doesn’t fall into any of these categories, in fact it’s the worst kind, and I’ll get to that. Now this…
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The Long Walk Review: Walk against the machine
THE LONG WALK (2025) The Long Walk takes place in an alternate 1970’s post-Vietnam America, where every year 50 teenage boys, each via lottery and personal decision, represents his home state and walks until only one remains as the whole macabre spectacle is televised for all to witness. The winner is granted riches in a…
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Monster: The Ed Gein Story Review: A mamma’s boy in the making
MONSTER: THE ED GEIN STORY (2025) Multiple things can be true at once. Just ask Ed Gein. He’s been dead since 1984, so that’s not possible, nonetheless his perspective is the subject of the third installment of the Monster anthology series, following Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022) and Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez…
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Caught Stealing Review: Snatch-ing a Guy’s guy
CAUGHT STEALING (2025) Way way back in the 90s, I saw the little psychological thriller Pi (1998) written and directed by up-and-comer Darren Aronofsky. It was different; a stylized black and white arthouse mystery about a mathematician searching for a number that would unlock nature’s secrets and universal patterns. Roughly a year later I saw…
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Weapons Review: Of mass abduction
WEAPONS (2025) For those of you who crave and seek out unique, genre-bending movies, I recommend the 2022 film Barbarian (2022) as it is one of the most distinct films I’d seen in a minute. I excessively recommend it to this day. And so I was excited for writer/director Zach Cregger’s follow-up, and man, it…
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Eddington Review: Smurf Village from Hell
EDDINGTON (2025) There is a lot going on in director Ari Aster’s Eddington. It’s namesake is a small town in New Mexico and stage for a new age western hurtling us back in time to 2020. Halfway into its 2 hour and 28 minute runtime, I started to see it as an adult, bizarro version…
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The Shrounds Review: A kiss cam from a rose on the grave
THE SHROUDS (2024) As a lifelong David Cronenberg fan (and fellow Canadian/ex-Torontonian), I’m obviously and always up for his intersection of psychological and technological body horror that he aided and abetted and elevated. The beautifying of the grotesque is at the foundation of his work, whether it takes the form of well lit mutations, infection…
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F1: The Movie Review: F me it’s pretty good
F1: THE MOVIE (2025) I wasn’t excited for this one. I have never, and I mean never, watched a Formula 1. I’m a foreigner when it comes to this world, but I do love and appreciate summer blockbusters and as far as movie stars go, Brad Pitt has yet to be overtaken. Well, that’s not…
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Superman Review: Not My Superman
SUPERMAN (2025) What the hell was that? I grew up reading and watching Superman, and never, not post-read nor while the credits were rolling, was I left feeling disgraced instead of inspired. I had a similar feeling after watching the Barbie (2024) movie. It too abandoned all the feel good stuff associated with its intellectual…
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps Review: Baby I love you
THE FANTASTIC FOUR:FIRST STEPS (2025) If you grew up on or rely on the cinematic Marvelverse for your superhero knowhow you may: 1. believe that back in the day the Guardians of the Galaxy was a comic series all of the youth were reading and 2. be unaware that the Fantastic Four is arguably the…
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Dangerous Animals Review: What’s scarier, sharks or serial killers?
DANGEROUS ANIMALS (2025) Yo…pssst. Do you like shark movies? Ya? How about serial killer movies? Alright, cool. Well have I got the film for you. Sean Byrne’s – The Loved Ones (2009) – Dangerous Animals is an effective mash-up of these two beloved horror sub-genres that also share the bond of always channeling into survival…
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The Surfer Review: All work and no surf makes Nick a dull boy
THE SURFER (2025) I have always felt that Nicolas Cage is more of a force of nature than a human. A tornado of a being; an energy that can be harnessed for brilliant cinematic creations or catastrophic misfires. Much like a loaded pistol, the direction depends very much on who is holding the weapon. And…
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Predator: Killer of Killers Review: We will survive
PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS (2025) A few years ago, Dan Trachtenberg gave us Predator (1987-) franchise fans a refreshing entry with Prey (2022). Like Assassins Creed (the game), the franchise delved into another era and explored how human warriors of old might fare against the Yautja. The call came cirqua 1719, to the Comanche warrior…
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Havoc Review: Yup, lots of Havoc (and nothing but)
HAVOC (2025) Director Gareth Evans – The Raid: Redemption (2011), The Raid 2 (2014) – brings his signature style of post John Woo, Gun-fu for the direct-to-streaming Netflix universe. We have bigger names – Tom Hardy, Timothy Olyphant, Forest Whitaker – a bigger budget and a teeny plot. But let’s be honest. There’s little need…
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Novocaine Review: Nepocaine
NOVOCAINE (2025) Novocaine is no Citizen Kane (1941). But who says all films have to be poignant masterpieces that shatter us with their thrillingly tragic slap in the face recognitions of lost innocence? En lieu of a Rosebud, we have a spiked metal ball and carnage akin to the brand heaped upon Wile E. Coyote;…
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Drop Review: You are on a date, put your damn phone down!
DROP (2025) If the movie Drop were a drink, it would be a lite beer. It’s neither complex nor entirely thrilling. In fact, an hour after consuming, you’ll barely feel a thing. Having said that, I love lite beer for all those reasons. It hits the spot when you’re in the mood for something crisp,…
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Locked Review: It’d be better for me if you don’t understand
LOCKED (2025) The day after I watched this film, I mindlessly walked through a parking lot towards my car, opened the driver’s side door only to see a much plusher interior than my own. I promptly closed the door as a chill ran down my spine. You’ll understand if you watch Locked, the claustrophobic survival…
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Black Mirror – Eulogy Review: Every season has its winner
BLACK MIRROR (2011-2025) – Eulogy Black Mirror has often (and rightly) been compared to another science fiction anthology series The Twilight Zone (1959-1964); and like Black Mirror, not every episode was meant to induce dread and alarm. Sometimes they were, although haunting, downright sweet. I’m thinking specifically of The Twilight Zone Epiosde 101: The Changing of…
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Black Mirror – Hotel Reverie Review: Every season has its dud
BLACK MIRROR (2011-2025) – Hotel Reverie San Junipero (2016) is the fourth episode in the third season of Black Mirror. It is one of the few episodes that I can recall that doesn’t highlight the negative aspects of technology, but instead imagines the idea of a digital afterlife. It’s the story of a lesbian couple…
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Mickey 17 Review: Messy Mickey
MICKEY 17 (2025) Director/writer Bong Joon Ho – The Host (2006), Snowpiercer (2013), Parasite (2019) – has released his first film post-Oscar Best Picture win; and while class conflict and wealth disparity were front and centre for Parasite, new offering Mickey 17 adds a story of space colonization and printable/disposable humans to his provocative repertoire. First…
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Black Bag Review: Quiet luxury
BLACK BAG (2025) Sleek, stylish, sexy? Yes, yes and yes. What more can be said about Black Bag, a new spy thriller from director Steven Soderbergh – Out of Sight (1998), The Limey (1999), Ocean’s Eleven (2001). It is indeed a laser-focused story of espionage with secret agents being married and/or in entanglements, exuding accomplished…
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Riff Raff Review: Less riffing more raff
RIFF RAFF (2025) Truth be told, I didn’t have high hopes for director Dito Montiel’s – A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006), Man Down (2015) – latest offering Riff Raff, but the cast was intriguing. I mean, Bill Murray as a shady underworld crime boss accompanied by the preternaturally creepy/depressive Pete Davidson has a…
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The Monkey Review: Opposable thumbs down
THE MONKEY (2025) Director, writer and actor Osgood Perkins –Â Longlegs (2024), The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015) – adapts the Stephen King short story The Monkey (1980) into a horror comedy? This should work right? Well the concept worked well enough to entice me to watch it. Unfortunately, killing off numerous undeveloped characters indiscriminately, Final Destination (2000-)…
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Cleaner Review: Clean Hard
CLEANER (2025) Storytellers have been recycling the same old troupes for forever it seems. I imagine that even cave dwellers got a little sick of the same old tales being told by the same old travellers year after year. Still, the Die Hard set-up is a trusty one. From Skyscraper (1996) and Skyscraper (2018) to…
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Borderline Review: B for effort
BORDELINE (2025) After penning the tight and hilarious Cocaine Bear (2023), Jimmy Warden makes his directorial debut with Borderline, starring his very watchable wife Samara Weaving – Azreal (2024), Ready or Not (2019) The Babysitter (2017) –Â as a fictionalized ’90s Madonna, basically enduring an extremely exaggerated version of an actual event. On April 7th…
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The Parenting Review: Motherfockers, it’s not bad
THE PARENTING (2025) I went into The Parenting with low expectations. I thought it to be a Gen-Z horror-comedy with an aim to skewer boomers by way of the recognizable cast (Brian Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Edie Falco, Dean Norris, Parker Posey), with not one among them that immediately “screams” hilarity. And so my hopes were…
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The Electric State Review: Relax, it’s not Waterworld
THE ELECTRIC STATE (2025) So the reviews are in for the Russo Brothers’ new big budget Netflix blockbuster and thus far, they are not great. It’s a 320 million dollar cautionary tale about the potential pitfalls and dangers of technology, staring two safe bets, as in the perpetually wise-cracking Chris Pratt and a generationally beloved…
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Fight or Flight Review: Bullet Plane
FIGHT OR FLIGHT (2025) Fight or Flight is a straight ahead action comedy, or for those of you who (like me) indulge in these types of films whenever I can, it’s basically John Wick (2014) on a Bullet Train (2022), save for the fact that its lead Josh Hartnett brings extra charisma, all the while…
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Anora Review: Cinderella’s American Dream
ANORA (2024) Anora is a lot of things. Or, what do you want it to be, so to speak. It’s a rags to riches story, as in one minute one is turning tricks, honestly enough, and is rewarded with a lottery win and all of the presumed consumptions that come with it; luxury vacations and…
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Wrecked Review: Wrecked ’em? Damn near killed ’em!
WRECKED (2010) With Adrien Brody winning the 2025 Oscar for Best Actor for The Brutalist (2024), we thought a review of a lesser-known Brody film that wasn’t well as well-received upon its release was in order. And so…we jump back fifteen years, eight years after his first Best Actor Oscar win for The Pianist (2002),…
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Old Guy Review: He’s NOT too old for this shit
OLD GUY (2025) One problem with Old Guy (besides its clunky editing) is that from just hearing the title and knowing it was about a hitman (and what film isn’t about hitmen/women these days), I surmised (just about) the entire film. To be fair, had it been titled Old Man, it would have conjured up…
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Companion Review: She’s a doll
COMPANION (2025) If you’ve seen the poster and considered the title, you can surmise the genre and baseline plot of this movie. You guessed it, our main character is a sexbot, played with lovely, “bring her home to mom” sensibilities by Sophie Thatcher, who is making some excellent choices, e.g. Heritic (2024), MaXXine (2024) and…
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The Gorge Review: It’s not that deep
THE GORGE (2025) The Gorge is a big-budget b-movie from director Scott Derrickson: Doctor Strange (2016), Sinister (2012), The Black Phone (2021), and while not as good as any of those films…it’s quite fun. It ebbs at first, but really starts flowing during the second act as we watch two prestige snipers fall in love…
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Infested Review: Has legs
INFESTED (2023) Infested is not only a solid creature feature, but it also does a noteworthy job realizing a unique mixture of residents and relationships within a Parisian lower-income suburban high rise, all while they fend off thousands of ever adapting poisonous spiders AND the police who’ve quarantined them. Similar to the Rec franchise (2007-2014),…
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Wolf Man Review: Wolf Dad
WOLF MAN (2025) The werewolf horror subgenre is an oft-made favourite and I’m always willing to give ’em a go. Thankfully moviemakers have made numerous attempts, producing both good: The Wolf Man (1941), An American Werewolf In London (1981), Dog Soldiers (2002), and not so good: Underworld (2003), The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009), Van…
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Moana 2 Review: No-ana
MOANA 2 (2024) It’s difficult to find a movie that the whole family can enjoy together, especially when there are younger kids in the mix. The older demographic is usually left suffering through corny or unnecessarily snarky drivel. Yet, films like The Wild Robot (2024) and Flow (2024) prove that it can be done, and…
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Hypnotic Review: Zzzzzzzzzz
HYPNOTIC (2021) Look before you leap they say. And I dove in after watching only a few seconds of its trailer; Hypnotic promised to be a cheesy thriller/chiller with, most likely, a heavily telegraphed ending. No surprises to be had here and no one made me watch it. Now “Starring Kate Siegel“ is never going…
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Elevation Review: Aim Higher
ELEVATION (2024) Once again we have a sci-fi monster movie (among my favourite genres) in which there are “rules”. Think A Quiet Place (2018) and Bird Box (2018), but instead of having to stay silent and avoiding direct eye contact, Elevation’s murderous creatures can’t get you if you are above a very specific elevation. An…
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Nosferatu Review: Nailed it
NOSFERATU (2024) Robert Eggers is one of the greatest and most interesting directors working today. His track record speaks for itself: The Witch (2015), The Lighthouse (2019) and The Northman (2022). Needless to say, I was very excited to see his obsessively detailed reimagining of FW Murnau’s silent film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922),…
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Get Away Review: Not a bad trip
GET AWAY (2024) Like many of you (I’m sure), I was immediately in when I saw Nick Frost’s name attached (as co-writer and lead) to another comedy horror film. If you’re like me, you only want more from a purveyor of Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007). My only question, unfortunately being:…
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A Real Pain Review: Somber Succession
A REAL PAIN (2024) Last night Kieran Culkin was awarded his second Golden Globe for best supporting actor in his first movie category nomination for his performance in A Real Pain, a film written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg (who also co-stars). I don’t disagree at all. Culkin is phenomenal here. Now, after watching a…
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Gladiator 2 Review: Little boy lost
GLADIATOR 2 (2024) Why? Well here we are, answering the question: Why was this film made? And why is it titled Gladiator 2? Alas, it is the official sequel to one of the most universally loved films of all time. A film that exuded so much confidence it boastfully roared at its audience: “Are you…
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Venom: The Last Dance Review: Get off of me
VENOM: THE LAST DANCE (2024) Way back, when I first heard that Tom Hardy was attached (hah) to a Venom film I was ready to be absorbed (heh). One of the greatest villains in the Spiderman Universe was coming to life (sorry Topher Grace your Venom didn’t do it for me) with a top tier…
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Heretic review: O come, all ye faithful
HERETIC (2024) Rarely does a film toe the line between psychological thriller and religious critique, while being billed as an outright horror, succeed in all departments. Even more rare is an aging rom-com star subtly playing such a convincing menace. The second act of Hugh Grant’s career continues to impress, with his insistence on playing…
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Azrael Review: Finds its Wings
AZRAEL (2024) Maika Monroe of: Longlegs (2024), Watcher (2022), It Follows (2014), Villains (2019), Tau (2018), and Mia Goth of: (Maxxxine (2024), Pearl (2022), X (2022), Infinity Pool (2023) and Suspiria (2018), as well as Samara Weaving of: Ready or Not (2019), The Babysitter (2017), The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020) and Scream IV (2023), all…
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Saturday Night Review: Better than Monday Morning
SATURDAY NIGHT (2024) Newer (often younger) viewers, unfamiliar with past generations of Saturday Night Live, may be unaware of the extent of SNL’s cultural impact and reasoning for its perpetual real estate in the zeitgeist. The show (and its players) were at the forefront of comedy, being that it help push past those first boundaries…
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Hellboy: The Crooked Man Review: Crooked Alright
HELLBOY: THE CROOKED MAN (2024) During the making of Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and Hellboy (2004) director Guillermo del Toro had a falling out. Mike has stated that the first film was a collaboration between them. He has also said that during the creation of the sequel he was…
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A Different Man Review: Definitely Different
A DIFFERENT MAN (2024) A Different Man is the adult fairy tale we didn’t know we needed. Instead of a big bad wolf to fear, it’s one’s projections that lead to despair and suffering. Imagine Ari Aster’s Beau is Afraid (2023), Charlie Kaufman’s Synechdoche, New York (2008), Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance (2024), a Cronenberg-ian biological…
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Five Killer Medieval Movies
The Dark Ages. What a glorious time to explore…from this safe distance. A swift decline in culture and science, and a rapid rise in the plague, are archaic fodder for some tremendous films. Here are five that do the brutality of this time period justice. VALHALLA RISING (2010) In between The Pusher Trilogy (1996 –…
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Transformers One Review: More than meets me half way
TRANSFORMERS ONE (2024) In the early 1980s Transformers was a show that had me racing home from school to catch it. And if you were smart (like me), when your birthday came around you could convince a couple friends to go in on an action figure for your gift, and if your lunch box wasn’t…
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Strange Darling Review: Hurt People Hurt People
STRANGE DARLING (2024) The best advice you can have going in to Strange Darling is to know as little as possible about the plot. If you’re still reading… the film is a cat-and-mouse, online dating, cautionary serial killer thriller. It begins with a Texas Chain Saw Massacre style faux-historical spiel on an unnamed, on the…
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The Substance Review: Buyer beware
THE SUBSTANCE (2024) Hitchcock, Kubrick, De Palma, Lynch, Carpenter, Cronenberg, Aronofsky. All are masterful directors who boast distinct styles, are universally respected, and gave us iconic horror films. Director Coralie Fargeat is acutely aware of this as she litters The Substance with homages to these legends. Like Fargeat, I am also an enormous fan of…
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Alien: Romulus Review: The bitch is back
ALIEN: ROMULUS (2024) Everything old is new again in the latest Alien filmography offering, and after the lack of fan love for Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, this bitch is getting back to basics. The aforementioned twosome failed for some due to their lack of scares and fixation on mythology. Personally I enjoyed them and place…
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Best Film Battle Daniel Day-Lewis: There Will Be Blood vs. The Age of Innocence
When news broke that one of the greatest actors of his generation was coming out of retirement after seven years, no one was more excited than us here at Premium Def. Anemone marks the directorial debut of Daniel Day-Lewis’ son Ronan, a film co-written by the father/son duo. This got us excited and talking and…
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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Review: Ensemble Ensemble
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE (2024) First off, I must note that I am not the biggest Tim Burton fan. I like my scary to be scary and free from whimsical Danny Elfman soundtracks telling me it’s all going to be okay. As a child I actually preferred the Beetlejuice cartoon to the movie, because, well hell, each…
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Deadpool & Wolverine review: Lethal Weapon X
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE (2024) For all intents and purposes, this is a buddy cop style comedy. Everyone is having a great time as it envelopes itself within its source material…comics, while mining decades worth of Marvel movies for its snarky odd couple core. I start by writing this so that one doesn’t go into Deadpool…
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5 Thanksgiving films that don’t have Thanksgiving in the title…
…and so you may missed that they are in fact Thanksgiving films Hopefully your first Thanksgiving watch was A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973). This list is for watching after that most wholesome introduction: PRISONERS (2013) In Denis Villeneuve’s thriller, Hugh Jackman’s character (the Bruce Spingsteen lovin’, deer huntin’, independent contractin’ Father Keller Dover) offers…
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5 Underrated Russell Crowe Films
Most of us are familiar with contenders for the top 5 best Russel Crowe movies: Gladiator (2000), L.A. Confidential (1997), A Beautiful Mind (2001), The Insider (1999), 3:10 To Yuma ( (2007), Cinderella Man (2005), American Gangster (2007), the list deservedly goes on. One of the greatest actors living today has a plethora of acclaimed…
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5 films that you either forgot were Halloween or missed altogether
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (2011) A beautifully disturbing film that ponders the nature vs. nuture/are some kids just pieces of shit question. Plan-B Mother in training Tilda Swinton’s unraveling is accelerated as trick or treaters arrive abruptly and she realizes she doesn’t have any candy. Booooo! (Are you saying Boo-Urns?’) She hits the…
