Category: Watch
-
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…
-
Train Dreams Review: Memoirs of an invisible man
TRAIN DREAMS (2025) What are we doing here, really? It’s a child’s question. It’s the question, whether we meditate on it throughout our lives or distract ourselves long and well enough to avoid it each and every minute. It’s always there. Are we all part of a planetary fabric, woven together, connected and large? Is…
-
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…
-
Bugonia review: Stone is busy as a bee
BUGONIA (2025) We all want to believe. Don’t we? Someone or something must be in charge of all of this, this chaos is ordered somehow, and we all receive our just desserts eventually; or are the winners on this planet simply taking the rest of us for fools as they manipulate our minds and souls…
-
Good Fortune Review: Be excellent to each other
GOOD FORTUNE (2025) I got chills. Sincerely. Seeing Keanu Reeves’ angel wings and stoic visage at the very start of Good Fortune gave me a very specific kind of happiness. The kind of happiness that only happens when you know you’re about to watch a good movie; not a film per se, but simply some…
-
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…
-
The Roses Review: A C*ck and a C*nt
THE ROSES (2025) Love and hate are flip sides of the same coin they say. The “they” being married people. Marriage is an inspiring idea, and when it works, which it very much does for Ivy and Theo (Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch) and their two adorable children, it’s balanced by laughter, reciprocity and mutual…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Together Review: Cut and fun
TOGETHER (2025) Once again, in my opinion, we have an example of a movie promotional campaign giving away too much. Now I am one of those people who hates movie trailers. A writer (or writers) often go to a lot of trouble to create a narrative that aims to intrigue us viewers so that we…
-
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…
-
Materialists Review: A 24-carat mistake
MATERIALISTS (2025) Is it just me, or did Dakota Johnson look to have lost her way there for a while? Not that I’ve paid very close attention, as I’ll admit I am not a huge fan; not because I don’t think she’s a capable actress, in fact she’s very capable. I thought her casting in…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Nobody 2 Review: Nobody’s perfect
NOBODY 2 (2025) Every so often, one needs to get away; away from the day-to-day of life and work and the familiar. A well-timed escape has the potential to be a reset, a promise of peace and/or adventure. Assassin/family man Hutch Mansel (Bob Odenkirk) is no different as he yearns for a break from his…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Jurassic World Rebirth Review: Second born
JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH (2025) No. It is not as good as the original. But it is the second best in the franchise. And…to quote Jennifer Aniston from Picture Perfect (1997), “…that ain’t bad”. It’s great actually, once you get past it not being the first and best. Director Gareth Edwards has fashioned a fun adventure…
-
28 Years Later Review: Maul things come
28 YEARS LATER (2025) I’m not a fan of this franchise. I said it. Mind you it was love at first sight for Cillian Murphy 28 years ago and I liked the shots taken at its cowardly protagonist (Robert Carlyle, also love) in 28 Weeks Later (2007). It’s just that I find the intermittent and…
-
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…
-
Karate Kid: Legends Review: It’s kicks are for kids
KARATE KID: LEGENDS (2025) No movie can be everything for everyone. For example, my mother never saw what all the fuss was about when The Karate Kid (1984) was played over and over again at our house as the entire neighbourhood was sweeping the legs and crane kicking each other, hoping against hope we’d happen upon…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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;…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
Magazine Dreams Review – Think big
MAGAZINE DREAMS (2023) All I knew about this film going in was that it focussed on a bodybuilder, specifically the competition-going/fitness magazine model type. I expected a film about the ins and outs of this lifestyle, as it is an offbeat choice for a lot of men and women, demanding discipline and pain. And while…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
A Complete Unknown review: You’re bound to fall
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN (2024) The great artists of the world critically reflect life back at us with their words, images and bodies, and nothing but the truth will be recognized or tolerated. It is such a lofty endeavour that even the act of pursuing it fascinates, because this hunt reveals the only and most heartbreaking…
-
The Brutalist Review: Brutal by design
THE BRUTALIST (2024) I can be trite and and say that it’s brutal. I can point out its honesty. The unsympathetic cinematography. The wide open line reads. The unattractiveness. Large relationships are presented and vanish and character endings are left dangling. It alludes to deeds unseen and skips over the fallout and resolutions. Is it…
-
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),…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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),…
-
Babygirl: Kidman’s coming of age
BABYGIRL (2024) The premise is obvious from the movie poster: an older woman has an affair with a much, much younger man. We’ve seen this before. In fact we’ve seen this from Nicole Kidman within the same year with A Family Affair (2024), and from Anne Hathaway in The Idea of You (2024); both passable,…
-
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…
-
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),…
-
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:…
-
The Promised Land Review: Move over moors
THE PROMISED LAND (2023) Are you comforted by a faith in order, manmade or otherwise? Or do you see the chaos, with its fortune and fortitude at play as we plan, react and fumble with survival, and where success has no definition? For those in The Promised Land, an historical drama set on the once…
-
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…
-
Nightbitch Review: Bitch, please!
NIGHTBITCH (2024) In tandem with the obligatory sex education videos that outline the mechanics of conception played in front us in elementary school, I recommend Nightbitch be viewed by all parties ready to yield the fruits of its base intention, as its visceral purpose is magical, transformative, brutal and, for the strongest among us, hilarious. It…
-
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…
-
Conclave Review: What would Lawrence do?
CONCLAVE (2024) When the title card Conclave splashed across the screen, I had no idea what it meant. Though never outright defined, the gist becomes evident as a large group of Roman Catholic cardinals assemble at the Vatican after the death of the pope. It’s an election. And it’s fascinating. Lead by Cardinal Lawrence (the…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Brothers Review: Big Little Guys
BROTHERS (2024) Brothers is not for everyone. It’s randomly crude, the humour is broad, and if hard pressed to come up with a one word descriptor, it would be “amusing”. Not exactly a rousing review. Still, I was amused, a lot, and I appreciated the thoughtful, authentic performances from top tier players Peter Dinklage and…
-
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…
-
The Substance of Demi Moore: Body Art
Though not perfect (we have thoughts, see our review), Demi Moore’s newest film The Substance is a cheeky choice for the American actress. Some might say it’s courageous and daring, being that she is literally baring it all while deconstructing the plight of an aging Hollywood starlet. It’s bullseye casting. However, we argue that this…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Speak No Evil Movie Review: Vacation Friends
SPEAK NO EVIL (2024) “Always be polite” we were told, “civility is the glue that holds society together.” Too true, but is there a limit? Manners are on the table for a table of six; two families with varying attitudes, temperaments and approach to parenting meet on vacation and decide to take their newfound friendship…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Incoming Movie Review: Supergood
INCOMING (2024) Yes, we’ve been here before: A first week of high school teen comedy with an intimidating older kids’ party setting, crushing crushes on the just-beyond-your-reach dream girl, nerds, etc. Every generation cries out for an awkward insecure group of freshmen to navigate drugs, girls, bullies and diarrhea to commiserate with (or at least…
-
Blink Twice Movie Review: The Island of Magic Mike
BLINK TWICE (2024) Let me start off by saying I was excited to watch this one. Debauchery in luxuriousness. Who could ask for anything more. So what that the quick cuts and over the top use of the colour red became a tad distracting. Something bad was happening on that island and I was not…
-
Subservience Movie Review: Terminator Rocks the Cradle
SUBSERVIENCE (2024) Whether or not it aimed to be, Subservience is a cheesy, campy good time with a very game Megan Fox (perfect casting). It’s not “so bad that it’s good”, but rather it’s a fun, low stakes fantasy sci-fi thriller that accomplishes exactly what it set out to do: entertain and looking good while…
