The Orphanage (2007) – A Quick Capsule Review (Revisited)

The Orphanage (2007) – A Quick Capsule Review (Revisited)

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Crikey.  I watched the bulk of The Orphanage behind a blanket.  Ye sit really is that unsettling/scary/creepy.  But then again spooky children and ghost films have always been my achilles heal.  It’s true to say however that The Orphanage is one of the scariest films I have seen in a long time that relies more on tension and acting than cheap scares and shocks.  A must watch.

Best Bit: Oh.  So that’s what happened.  *Tear*

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Buy

If You Liked this Try: The Others , Stir Of Echoes, Pans Labyrinth 

★★★★★★★★★★

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Fahrenheit 11/9 (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

Fahrenheit 11/9 (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Fahrenheit 11/9 is Michael Moore’s follow up to award winning documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 and sees a somewhat return to form for the director.  A bleak look at America’s deeply flawed political system, it’s a film that’s happy to take shots at Obama, Clinton and Bush as well as Trump.  Yes it’s  bit heavy handed at times (the Nazi stuff seems a touch on the nose) but that’s Moore’s style after all. But when it hits it really hits and the focus on Flint once again shows what big politics feels like on a local level.  People will hate it for sure but there’s a strong message here and one worth listening to.

Best Bit: Flint & The water

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Fahrenheit 9/11, Trumpland, Sicko

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Bandersnatch (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

Bandersnatch (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
The first proper foray into interactive films, Netflix’s Bandersnatch is a really unique experience that enables the viewer to control the outcome of the film.  It’s a great concept but one that doesn’t quite always work.  Beyond the (actually pretty cool) gimmick the story is pretty flimsy and some choices actually have very minimal outcome.  But as an idea and as a glimpse to where interactive TV could do its’ pretty groundbreaking.   So one for the future, Bandersnatch is ahead of its time.

Best Bit: Netflix & Fight

Play, Stream, Avoid: Play

If You Liked this Try: Black Mirror, Fighting Fantasy, The Butterfly Effect, 12 Monkeys

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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CAM (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

CAM (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
CAM is a really interesting technology based horror that marks yet another strong Blumhouse production to be released this year.  Lead by an excellent performance by Madeline Brewer  and some exceptionally well handled and sympathetic direction by Daniel Goldhaber CAM is measured, unexploitative and tightly directed.  In short: Netflix has delivered a well handled horror that is a must see for genre fans.

Best Bit: Madeline Brewer is excellant

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Searching, Unfriended, The Bay

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Carriers (2009) – A Quick Capsule Review (Revisited)

Carriers (2009) – A Quick Capsule Review (Revisited)

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
28 Dawn of The Living Stands Laters. Although considering most of those rate in my top 10 horror movies of all time, the fact Carriers doesn’t sit too out of place along side some of them isn’t a bad thing. Thoughtful, shocking and well made it’s biggest issue it that it just, ultimately, isn’t scary enough.  But man it tries…

Best Bit:Tough choices.

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: 28 Days Later,  The Stand,  28 Weeks Later

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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War Of The Worlds (2005) – A Quick Capsule Review

War Of The Worlds (2005) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
 Steven Spielberg teaming with Tom Cruise in an adaptation of a classic sci-fi text had a lot of promise.   And for the most part it delivers.  The film especially excels in the opening hour when the aliens first invade, leaving a path of destruction and death in their wake.  The film drifts towards the end and the very Spielberg conclusion robs the story of its power but this remains a really strong entry into the directors considerable cannon.

Best Bit: The invasion starts

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Invasion of The Bodysnatchers, Cloverfield, The War Of The Worlds

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Backtrace (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

Backtrace (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Backtrace is actually quite entertaining for what it is.  Just don’t expect this to be a full on Stallone action film. It’s not.  In fact save for the opening and the conclusion, little action actually happens – this is a thriller about a bank robber and missing money that Sly is actually only in a few scenes throughout.  At the core of the film is a great performance from Matthew Modine and the film never outstays it’s welcome.  It’s just missing that ‘Something special’ to push it over the top.  Good VOD offering…

Best Bit: Modine is ace

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Escape Plan, Bullet To The Head, Sabotage 

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Redcon 1 – A Quick Capsule Review

Redcon 1 – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
A film can fail but still be worth watching.  For me that’s Redcon-1  – a film very much the less of the sum of its parts that ultimately is undone by its scope being far greater than its budget.  It has a few nice moments but all the way through you see quite quickly that whilst it wants to be 28 Weeks Later meets The Raid, it’s more like a Devil’s Playground meets The Silencer (Look ’em up folks).  There’s talent on display here – Strange is very good at the action scenes- but the film can’t pull off its set pieces and scares as, at every moment, it just feels like there wasn’t enough money to make the scenes big or spectacular enough.  So Redcon-1 is worth streaming for the effort and vision alone but sadly in truth little else works.

Best Bit: It’s scope

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (for effort)

If You Liked this Try: The Raid, 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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American: The Bill Hicks Story (2009) – A Quick Capsule Review (Revisited)

American: The Bill Hicks Story (2009) – A Quick Capsule Review (Revisited)

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Okay bias alert.  I rate Bill Hicks as possibly the best comedian of the last 30 years.  Bill Hicks is a modern day poet and a controversial genius all rolled into one and this innovative, interesting, simply first rate documentary is a must see for fans, converts or believers that America has given very little to the world.  It’s clever, deletes deep into who Hicks was and leaves you with a huge appreciation of a true comic legend.

Best Bit:Bill’s Early Performances

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Buy

If You Liked this Try: Fahrenheit 9/11, Lost in La Mancha, Super Size Me

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Batman Ninja (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

Batman Ninja (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Well Batman Ninja takes the rule book and throws it right out the door.  Take Batman and his considerable rogues gallery and plant them back into Feudal Japan, throw in a sprinkling of traditional Anime trappings, some Mechas and a whole bundle of crazy and you get what is one of the most fun Batman films ever made.  And that’s the thing – Batman films often lack the fun of Marvel movies but Batman Ninja delivers bright colours, impressive visuals and some insane ideas from start to end.  In short Batman Ninja is a must for fans.

Best Bit: Mecha-Fights

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Batman: Under the Red Hood, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman: The Killing Joke

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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