Midsommar freakout review

Midsommar (18)

Dir. Ari Aster

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

“Yeah, it’s sort of a crazy festival. It only happens every ninety years. Special ceremonies and drinking and dressing up.”

Here’s a very different tale of trauma and terror. Director Ari ‘Hereditary’ Aster is back on a mission to put the ‘cult’ in ‘cult classic’. Midsommar sees a young couple and their pals travel to Sweden to visit a fabled mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre series of events.

Not at all your average horror film – this doesn’t deal in jump scares, it is a slow burn tale that amps up existential dread as the level of peril rises.

"what's the worst that could happen?"

Florence ‘Lady Macbeth’ Pugh is incredible in the lead as Dani, she provides the beating heart for the film and keeps the audience emotionally invested when things get nasty (and they really do). The rest of the cast are good too including dodgy boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor), his nihilistic pal Mark (Will Poulter) and creepy Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren) who is the one who invites them to the ceremonial solstice celebration.

The cinematography is stunning mixing the intensely graphic gore and disturbingly grotesque scenes with wonder-inducing sun filled Swedish scenery evoking a floral, weirdly beautiful nightmare world.

Aster’s direction and attention to detail are excellent – little touches can make a potentially ‘normal’ situation immediately eerie. It might be a long film, but you can’t look away for a moment. The script and character development bring deep psychological undercurrents and it pays more than surface level reverence to issues including grief, loss and trust.

"Audience screening reactions were mixed"

The horror elements are balanced with some really funny scenes which work as safety values when as the tension gets dangerously high. This certainly won’t be for everyone, it has a deeply nasty core, violent scenes, the weirdest sex scene of recent years and many disturbing themes. Think carefully and pack a very open mind if you want to test yourself with this sun-drenched nightmare.

As the friends find themselves in increasingly traumatic situations (some of which are likely to stay with you long after the credits roll) the audience I watched this with were noticeably unnerved - quite a number of people walked out of the screening.

"blood runes"

The moral of the story is probably to beware wacky named religious groups who claim to want to bring you peace.

For a mind-stretching freakout, there’s nothing quite like Midsommar.

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö

(4 - Slow escalating sun-drenched dread is served)

Awesomeness öööö – Scenes that will burn into your mind

Laughs ööö – Really funny/weird in places

Horror öööö – Gruesome

Spiritual Enlightenment ö - Not your average religious festival

Yesterday Beatles-em-up Review

Yesterday (12a)

Dir. Danny Boyle

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)


“No one’s ever written this many great songs. How do you do it?”

When you absolutely must have a feel-good romantic comedy – Richard ‘Love Actually’ Curtis is your man – here he teams up with director Danny ‘Trainspotting’ Boyle to bring a musical spin to the well-worn boy / girl formula.

The plot sees struggling musician Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) whose lack of success is making him think he should just give up. The only people who seem to support his dreams are his childhood friend Nick (Harry Michell) and loyal manager Ellie (Lily James).

Jack’s world is rocked one night when a freak occurrence sees the whole world ‘lose’ memories of things like cigarettes and more importantly the band ‘The Beatles’… He gets hit by a bus and wakes up to discover that The Beatles have never existed so quickly sets about claiming their music as his own.

"rock star lovers?"

On the back of some of the best tunes the world has ever known Jack quickly becomes a massive star, but the price of fame is that he risks losing Ellie’s as yet unrequited love. Does getting to mix with the likes of Ed Sheeran (who delivers a nice cameo) and find worldwide fame make up for forsaking his true love?

Patel whose acting chops were cut in EastEnders is extremely likeable and can carry a tune which helps. Lily James is great as the girl next door high-school teacher and the two have winning chemistry which is essential to the love story at the heart of this slightly odd tale.

Sure, it gets gooey but it’s handled with Curtis’s stylish crowd-pleasing charm and Boyle directs with a confident hand even if there isn’t much room for him to dazzle with is trademark flair.

A mild element of peril is introduced as it appears that someone might be on to his plagiarism – will Jack be exposed as the sham that he is or can he find a way to pull off his superstar status and maybe win the heart of the girl too?

"famous pals"

Yesterday’s masterstroke however is the tunes of The Beatles – they are so good that even as the predictable plot unfolds the sheer genius of the songs keeps you going. There’s enough humour and well observed notes on fame and heartbreak to make this a worthwhile investment of time.

Smash hits and love – they say all you need is love but why not have both!?

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööö

(3 - Nonsense but fun Beatles-em-up)

Awesomeness ööö – The songs shine

Laughs ööö – Plenty of fun

Horror ö – Nothing to report

Spiritual Enlightenment ö - Plagiarism isn't all it's cracked up to be...

Arrow Video FrightFest Brings a Feast of Terror

Arrow Video FrightFest 2019 announces 20th year record-breaking line-up


Dario Argento, The Soska Sisters and Matt Adcock to attend...


The UK’s biggest and boldest horror and fantasy film festival is celebrating its 20th bloody year.

Since 2000 it has made its indelible mark, not only on the ever-burgeoning horror community but also on the UK genre landscape as a whole. The internationally renowned event leads the way in attesting to the versatility of the genre, its reinvention and its growing importance in the cultural landscape and this year is no exception.

'A Good Woman Is Hard To Find"

Arrow Video FrightFest 2019 is back at two of the funkiest cinemas in London - the Cineworld Leicester Square and The Prince Charles Cinema from Aug 22 - Aug 26. Hosting a record-breaking seventy-eight films, embracing fourteen countries and spanning six continents, this year’s five-day fear-a-thon includes 20 World, 20 International / European and 28 UK Premieres.

This year’s festivities begin with the UK premiere of Ant Timpson’s deviously edgy stunner COME TO DADDY, starring Elijah Wood and reaches its bloody conclusion with the World premiere of Abner Pastoll’s superbly crafted crime story, A GOOD WOMAN IS HARD TO FIND. Other main screen international attractions include producer Guillermo del Toro and director André Øvredal’s SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK, producer Sam Raimi and director Alexandre Aja’s gruesome ‘gator yarn CRAWL


GAMING FEAR

In a first for FrightFest, there will be a special preview of MAN OF MEDAN, the first game in The Dark Pictures anthology. This will be followed by a Q&A session with the key development talent behind the game. The much anticipated interactive narrative horror adventure, developed by Supermassive Games and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, brings supernatural horror on board a ghost-ship adrift in the South Pacific. It is set to be released for PlayStation 4 and other platforms Aug 30, 2019.

'Interactive death'

Festival co-director Alan Jones, said today: “Over the last two decades we have tirelessly introduced our committed audiences to every trend, every new talent and every innovation that has put horror back in the collective cinephile conscious. Even after 20 years. FrightFest’s August event remains a key destination to see the latest genre movies in the manner for which they were made - on the Big Screen surrounded by fellow fear-mongers. Remember, it’s our party and we’ll scream if we want to!”

This year’s guest list, special events and the Short Film Showcase entries will all be announced in the coming weeks.

'Sneak peek - one of the possible collectable cards'

Those who attend will also get a one of a limited edition art card range inspired by the forthcoming dark-edged novel COMPLETE DARKNESS by Matt Adcock... More on that soon!?

Festival passes will go on sale Sat 6 July at noon and will only be available to buy online: http://www.frightfest.co.uk/tickets.html


Single tickets will go on sale on Sat 20 July from 9 am.


For full programme details: http://www.frightfest.co.uk/

Brightburn brings the superbaddie fun

Brightburn (15)

Dir. David Yarovesky

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

“Maybe there is something wrong with Brandon. He may look like us. He's not like us…”

What if Superman crash-landed on earth and instead of wanting to help us, decided that he was going to kill us? That’s the excellent alt-superman concept behind David Yarovesky’s Brightburn where we get a preteen Zod who means us harm.

"maybe put him back before bad things happen?"

It starts off in a reverential homage to the man of steel. Small town wannabe parents Tori (Elizabeth Banks) and Kyle Breyer (David Denman) can’t get pregnant but find a crashed comet, take in the baby and raise him as their own on their farm etc. But when puberty begins to kick in young ‘Brandon’ (Jackson A. Dunn – who played a young Antman in Avengers Endgame) increasingly becomes a homicidal monster and there is very little we puny humans can do to stop him…

"He's not here to save us"

They is so much to enjoy here for super-fans that want something nastily different from the glut of superhero flicks that populate the big screen currently. Brightburn goes all out in bringing horror elements to the mix –the grisly deaths will likely stay with you after the credits roll, especially a brutally enforced car crash.

Working with a tiny budget, Director Yarovesky, aided by James ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Gunn whips up a great creepy atmosphere. The special effects are used sparingly but deliver some excellent thrills. This is an origin story that really works – mixing schlocky kills, a creeping eeriness of tone and a lot of fun into something refreshing and cool.

"you can run but you can't hide"

The cast go about the business with gusto, props to newcomer Emmie Hunter who plays Brandon’s unfortunate schoolgirl crush Caitlyn (it’s never wise to reject the loner kid at school). Brightburn also doesn’t wimp out on racking up a slasher style body count and Brandon’s home-made mask / cape costume is an instantly iconic look.

Strong imagery and cinematography help elevate this essentially indie flick to stand alongside other great antihero films such as the excellent ‘Chronicle’ or Gunn’s own ‘Super’. It has a darkly comic underbelly that will go down well with anyone who is over all the super-smug self-righteous superheroes.

Brightburn isn’t perfect but it deserves to be a cult classic and for once the hinted sequel would be absolutely welcome, especially if the filmmakers could get their hands on a bigger budget to embrace the potential mayhem.

An innovatively grim addition to the superhero cinematic roster and one that deserves a wide audience!

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö

(4 - Evil Has Found Its Superhero)

Awesomeness öööö – Super death scenes are a riot

Laughs ööö – Lots of dark humour

Horror öööö – Scary and grim in places

Spiritual Enlightenment ö - Not all aliens are friendly...

Matt gets Booksmart (review)

Booksmart (15)

Dir. Olivia Wilde

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

“Amy: We'll probably just do a Korean face-mask.
Her mum: I don't need to know all the words.”

High school comedies don’t often make girls their main characters but Olivia Wilde’s feature directorial debut, Booksmart, is basically Superbad with girls and all the better for it.

This is the tale of best friends Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) who were those serious scholarly school girls you remember – you know – the ones who didn’t party and got great grades. But at the end of their senior year, when they realise that their hard-partying pals have mostly got into the same good colleges as them – they decide to taste a little of the forbidden debauched fun by throwing caution to the wind and finding the biggest party they can find.

'don't do drugs kids'

So, before Graduation Day dawns these ‘booksmart’ pals find themselves on a ‘Before Midnight’ odyssey where danger, romance and crazy situations lurk around every turn. Boosted by some very smart writing that feels very authentic (as a parent of a teenager), the film packs in a ton of coming-of-age tropes and is an absolute joy to watch!

Director Olivia ‘Tron Legacy’ Wilde goes all out including many unforgettably funny scenes including a genius animated feminist-friendly sequence where the pals are transformed into Barbie dolls and spend some drug-fuelled time admiring and discussing their new sex-organ-less but shapely bodies.

Booksmart is super sharply written and innovative – blessed with a fantastic cast who include a winning turn as uber driving school principal (Jason Sudeikis), plus Will Forte and Lisa Kudrow as Amy’s super-Christian, gay-supportive parents and Gigi (Billie Lourd) – an unhinged Heathers / Mean Girls type.

'schools out'

Sure, sex jokes and crudities abound but they land with self-aware and self-referential contexts and are often subverted such as in Molly Gordon who plays a girl nicknamed ‘Triple A’ because she’s rumoured to have given ‘roadside assistance’ to three guys but has more to her story than the gossip allows.

The acting is top notch, the mostly young cast are great and likely destined for big futures. You can almost smell the adolescence and feel the heartbreak as Wilde delivers so many superb cinematic experiences – all backed up with a killer soundtrack.

'dude - we're dolls!'

Booksmart is a must see movie for anyone who works with young people or even was a young person once!?

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö

(5 - Excellent, hilarious and heartwarming, being young eh?)

Awesomeness öööö - Heavy duty partying FTW

Laughs ööööö – Awesome funny, if you don't laugh you're probably dead!

Horror öö – Drugs n drinking in excess

Spiritual Enlightenment öö - Friendship can be everything

Reviewzilla: Godzilla King of the Monsters

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (12a)

Dir. Michael Dougherty

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)


“Sometimes I think this is Godzilla's world. We just live in it.”

The God-Lizard kaiju himself is back on the big screen and he’s here to kick-ass. Godzilla: King of the Monsters brings more monster on monster combat than anyone might ever need – these giant beasties look great and smash everything in their path. Fans of wanton wreckage are certainly in for a treat as literally there’s more city destruction in this film that all of the Transformers have managed to date.

Yep, if it’s monster mayhem you want, sign straight up. But, and it’s a Godzilla sized ‘but’ – the plot, human elements, script and general storyline are so weak it undermines the action.
Director Michael ‘Trick r Treat’ Dougherty doesn’t have to worry about origins so if free to jump in with a crazy selection of Godzilla’s greatest monster friends and enemies and crash them together as much as possible. There is an effective sense of scale at play (although plot holes such as ‘how does Godzilla wade through miles deep oceans alongside boats, looking like the waves only come up to his substantial belly?’ undo some of the good work).

'subtle religious imagery'

The movie tries to have a beating heart core around a broken family: parents Mark and Emma Russell (Kyle Chandler and Vera Farmiga) who both have connections to the shady monster tracking agency Monarch. Emma’s made a device known as ‘Orca’ which can send out sound waves recognisable to the monster and that makes her a target for anyone looking to, oh I don’t know… make them attack civilisation!?

Mark, however, travels the world photographing wildlife – but is drawn into the monster action when their daughter Madison (Millie ‘Stranger Things’ Bobby Brown), is kidnapped along with Emma by enviro-nut ecoterrorist Alan Jonah (Charles Dance).

'humans assemble'

Enough about the plot – all you really need to know is that the big ‘Titan’ monsters (including lumbering references to a certain King Kong but he’s not allowed out to play this time) destroy stuff, fight each other and destroy some more. The special effects are great – ‘King’ Ghidorah a three-headed alternate alpha seems to be pulling the strings. For an example of the script when the scientists say ‘Ghidorah’ for the first time one of the other cast members mugs to the camera asking ‘gonorrhoea?’ – boom boom!?

'fight'

This kaiju-em-up is big on monsters but weak overall.

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öö

(2 - all is destroyed including the script)

Awesomeness ööö – Monster destruction 100

Laughs öö – Misses the mirth mark

Horror öö – Collateral damage is worst way to go...

Spiritual Enlightenment ö - 'God'zilla is a cruel deity

A Whole New Aladdin... Review

Aladdin (PG)

Dir. Guy Ritchie

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

“You really don't know who I am? Genie, wishes, lamp, none of that ringing a bell?”

Disney fans should prepare themselves for a whole new (non-cartoon) world as the much-loved animated Aladdin from 1992 gets a live-action reboot.

The 2019 retelling sees Will Smith step into the big blue Genie shoes so well filled previously by Robin Williams and the good news is that it works. Smith keeps the fun mischievous spirit but adds enough of his own Big Willie style to make this version something refreshingly new.

'nothing up my sleeve'

Full disclosure – I went to see this with very low expectations. Am a big fan of the original and worried that this remake was merely a cynical cash-in. Two hours later I found that I’d really enjoyed a colourful and good-natured sing-along romp and now actually look forward to seeing it again.

For those not aware – this is the tale of a cheeky chap named Aladdin (Mena ‘Jack Ryan’ Massoud) who meets a young woman in the marketplace of the town where he makes a living as a ‘street rat’ thief. Unaware that she is Princess Jasmine (Naomi ‘Pink Power Ranger’ Scott) incognito, he’s totally smitten he tries to woo her.

'all that jazz(mine)'

But the path of true love doesn’t run straight, and young Aladdin gets caught up in the plan of evil ‘want-to-be’ Sultan named Jafar (Marwan ‘The Mummy’ Kenzari) who craves a magic lamp containing a wish-granting Genie (Will Smith).

It’s no surprise Smith steals the whole film with his larger than life - literally – charisma plus his comedic timing and the slight hip-hop vibe on his songs really work. Scott is also great as the girl-power Jasmine, she gets a new song which adds to her feisty role and while not classic Kenzari does a good enough villainous performance.

The cinematography, animal CGI and costumes are well done and crucially the musical numbers are good. Lots of folk in the screening I was in were heartily singing along.

'what cha wishing for?'

Director Guy ‘Sherlock Holmes’ Ritchie takes the original plot and adds some nice new elements. It shows how far he has come as a director to deliver a great family friendly flick which is a million miles away from his Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels gangster days.

Aladdin is a Genie-em-up that delivers on at least some of the magical wishes of film fans!

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööö1/2

(3.5 - Disney channel the quality remake vibe)

Awesomeness öööö – A jolly good show all round

Laughs ööö – Smith brings the funny

Horror ö – Threat from baddie but nothing too grim

Spiritual Enlightenment ö - Sing for the moment!

Guest Review: Detective Pikachu

Pokémon Detective Pikachu (PG)

Director: Rob Letterman

Reviewed by Tom Wade (@LevelUpTom)

It was in November 1999 that I got my first ever detention at school. Caught skipping a PE lesson to play a friends copy of Pokémon Red in the school toilets, it was a risk worth taking as I was catapulted into a world of 8-bit graphics and 150 Pokémon to capture (don’t worry I got the Mew at a trading event a few months later to take me to 151). I was obsessed with Pokémon for years after. I wanted to be the very best, like no one ever was, to catch them was my real test, to train them was my cause.

Skip forward 20 years and I find myself asking my wife for permission to escape fatherhood for a few hours to see my second Pokémon film at the cinema (we won’t talk about Pokémon: The First Movie - some memories are not worth revisiting). It was a risk worth taking though as Detective Pikachu is not only the best videogame adaptation of all time, it’s a great film in its own right.

Detective Pikachu seems like a strange concept for a live action Pokémon film at first. Rather than go down the ‘young person travels the world training to be the Pokémon master’ route that many expected it to, Detective Pikachu instead takes inspiration from a lesser known handheld spin-off game. It was, however, a moment of pure inspiration to approach a Pokémon film from such a creative starting point, and Detective Pikachu ends up being the best video game adaptation yet seen on the big screen. It’s worth saying though that if you don’t know your Psyduck from your Jigglypuff this might be an experience you’re not quite ready for yet.

Those expecting a Game of Thrones complex plot would do well to remember that this is a) primarily a children’s film and b) a film about a talking Pikachu who is a detective. Taking more than just a sprinkling of inspiration from the classic ‘Who Framed Rodger Rabbit’, our plot sees the likeable Justice Smith as Tim Goodman, the estranged son of a detective who has recently been mysteriously killed in a car accident while on a secret case. Tim travels to his father’s city (a place where Pokémon and humans live side by side) to investigate further and it’s here that he meets his dad’s Pikachu Pokémon partner. Somehow Tim is able to understand Pikachu and together they set out to find out the details surrounding his father's death.

It has been well publicised that Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) is the voice of Pikachu, and while his quick wisecracks may not be for everyone’s taste, this is as close to a PG Deadpool that we are likely to see on screen. Reynolds’ Pikachu is thankfully a delight and considering the most Pikachu has said previously on screen is... ‘Pikachu’, his wit and sarcasm are welcome features. Fans will almost certainly overlook Detective Pikachu’s shortcomings because it hits so many nostalgia buttons correctly. The soundtrack hints at and includes themes from Pokémon games over the years whilst the actual Pokémon designs are really impressive. The film is also really funny. Young and old will appreciate the jokes along the way and the film isn’t afraid to make fun of the absurdity of it all. It’s an impressive feat to strike such a balanced tone and one wholly unexpected in a Pokémon film.

There are some pacing issues and the final quarter of the film might be one step too many into the bizarre for some, but overall Detective Pikachu is an unexpected triumph. So what are you waiting for? Grab your Pokédex from Professor Oak and head off to your nearest Pokémon Gym immediately.

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö

(4 - You gotta catch em’ all)

Awesomeness öööö – Jurassic Pokemon Park

Laughs ööö – Reynolds is funny

Horror ö – Some Pokeviolence

Spiritual Enlightenment ööö - Soul mates forever

Matt's Thinking It's John Wick 3 Review Time...

John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum (15)

Dir. Chad Stahelski

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)


“Mr. Wick broke the rules. I trust you understand the repercussions if he survives…”


The world’s premier super-assassin John Wick is back for a third instalment – and there’s more on the line this time than ever before. His life is forfeit after having crossed the ‘High Table’ by killing a fellow member of the international assassin's guild.

With a $14 million price tag on his head – Wick suddenly becomes the target of hit men and women everywhere – and must survive without the support of the Continental hotels due to his being excommunicated.

'guns and puzzles'

The good news for fans is that this third chapter is another excellent adrenaline-fueled action-packed entry in the series. Director Stahelski (who also directed the first two films) brings more superbly choreographed battles and stylish escapes.

John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is living a charmed life – he might be the best in the business, but he’ll have his work cut out as he must fight his way through the army of bounty-hunting killers on his trail. Trying to escape New York City is one things but he’ll need to call on his friend / hitwoman Sofia (Halle Berry), who owes him a debt in order to try and find a way to get his life back.

The subtitle ‘Parabellum’ is Latin for ‘prepare for war’ and it certainly applies here. The plot is simple – it’s kill or be killed after the High Table send an Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) to call in retribution on Wick. Along the way anyone who has helped him is also in the firing line – so that includes Winston (Ian McShane), the owner and manager of the Continental Hotel in New York and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) – could they be potential allies?

'Baddie needs that bulletproof glass!'

Nowhere is safe as Zero (Mark Dacascos), a master assassin is despatched by the Adjudicator to bring Wick down. Watching this cat and mouse hunt is compelling viewing (although it has to be said that John Wick’s mouse is hard as nails!?)

Reeves is effortlessly cool once more in the lead role and the action is so frenetic that you have to feel for him putting himself through this immensely physical role at a spritely 54.

John Wick Chapter 3 is a sensory overload which is likely to max out your adrenalin levels – and leave you wanting more!

'one horsepower chase...'

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö

(4 - Another excellent entry in this kick-ass series!)

Awesomeness ööööö – Some of the best fights scenes on film

Laughs ööö – Darkly funny

Horror ööö – Crunching violence and injury detail

Spiritual Enlightenment ööö - Revenge is always an option!?


Read the Darkmatters review of John Wick 2

Read the Darkmatters original John Wick review

Evil has found its Superhero... BRIGHTBURN

Under a month till BRIGHTBURN...

We are very excited for this 'What if Superman was evil?' new horror-super-em-up!!

Check out these chilling new TV Spot for James Gunn's new feature - excellent use of the music of Billie Eillis.

What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister?

With Brightburn, the visionary filmmaker of 'Guardians of the Galaxy' and 'Slither' presents a startling, subversive take on a radical new genre: superhero horror.

Produced by James Gunn and Kenneth Huang, Brightburn is written by Mark Gunn & Brian Gunn, and directed by David Yarovesky.

Starring Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Matt Jones and Meredith Hagner...


BRIGHTBURN hits cinemas in the UK on 19th June.

'He's not here to save us...'

'Remember kids, don't try this at home!?'

Darkmatters Review: The Mirror and the Mountain

The Mirror and the Mountain

Luke Aylen (@lukeaylen)


"live your words and don't just speak..."

Fantasy fans (and Netflix children’s series commissioners) would do well to have a look at Luke Aylen’s The Mirror and the Mountain which is a kinda Narnia-em-up shot through with elements of Bridge to Terabithia and has the general feel of a George MacDonald story – especially The Princess and the Goblin.

This is the tale of how Summer and Jonah, two 11-year-olds, go on a life-changing adventure in a magical kingdom known as ‘Presadia’. In C.S. Lewis / Lewis Carroll style – the gateway between our normal world and this other is through an enchanted mirror – found via an old underground passage under a church.

What transpires in the war-torn kingdom of Presadia is your standard ‘quest to find the long-lost king’ deal and it packs plenty of the usual fantasy tropes of dragons, misty mountains, dwarves and elves along the way. Now before you go thinking this might be a younger Game of Thrones, it is very much a light and entertaining romp, without too much peril and absolutely nothing too nasty apart from an insidious fog that hangs over the land.

Aylen’s prose is concise and colourful, and owing to the publisher being a Christian organisation the plot also makes some important lessons around pride, greed, and how the tongue might be your own worst enemy.

It’s a fun a cheerful read which I’m sure children will enjoy and due to the biblical interlinkage at the end it has scope to be used by children’s workers in churches etc as well as parents who want to drop some meaningful conversation into their bedtime stories.

It would certainly make a fun animated movie or live-action fantasy and I look forward to reading the next in the series.

So for those whose kids aren’t quite ready for His Dark Materials or even Harry Potter – The Mirror and the Mountain is a great starter fantasy which will hopefully fire up imaginations and as readers join the heroic kids’ quest to find the king and restore peace to Presadia.

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööö1/2

(3.5 - A fun, meaningful fantasy for the younger generation)...

BUY YOURSELF A COPY HERE

Want something a little darker?

Check out COMPLETE DARKNESS which delivers near future nightmares...

Matt gets Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile (15)

Dir. Joe Berlinger

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)


“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you have been witness to the unspeakable horrors of the defendant’s heinous crimes…”

Sometimes the worst monsters are the real ones. There have been many accounts of the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy but this new bio-crime thriller from Joe ‘Blair Witch 2’ Berlinger brings in the megastar Zac Efron to depict the twisted lead.

"beware the smiling monster"

Hitting the big screen and streaming services at the same time which gives viewers more choice as to how they watch, this effective retelling of the story is told through the perspective of Bundy’s long-time girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer (Lily ‘Okja’ Collins).

It is fascinating to see how this woman fell completely under the charismatic spell of the prolific murderer and her struggle to accept the reality of Bundy’s nature. Collins brings a real poignancy to the role, showing how she desperately wanted to believe that the man she loved couldn’t be the one guilty of the heinous accusations against him.

"happy family?"

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile brings a compelling and engaging rework of the many traditional serial killer movies out there. Instead of depicting the many murders against the police work around the case - there is very little actual violence shown – it rather dwells on the consistent protestations of innocence by Bundy as he revels in the attention and media spotlight. The movie engages the viewer to get into the mindset and experience the fervent doubt of his guilt by not just his girlfriend and wife Carol Daronch (played well by Kaya ‘Maze Runner’ Scodelario) but also his many other female ‘fans’.

Efron makes an effective sociopath, hinting menacingly at the violent anger under the smarmy, charming, intelligent and highly charismatic, surface image he presents to the world.

"it's in the eyes"

Making the movie from the perspective of Kloepfer gives us a glimpse into the family life and ‘normality’ Bundy worked hard to hide behind during his campaign of horrific acts. As the net closes around him some powerful courtroom sessions spotlight the grisly evidence as well as his darkly captivating performances as he tries to present his innocence.

John Malkovich is great as the sharp-tongued judge Edward D. Cowart and Jim ‘Big Bang Theory’ Parsons also pops up as Florida Prosecutor Larry Simpson. The quality of the actors helps elevate this to a very watchable level.

"bad call"

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile is a fascinating film liable to unnerve viewers in a very effective way, leaving an uncomfortable taste in the mouth and make you wonder just how well do we ever really know the hearts of those around us…

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööö

(3 - Strong bio-em-up shining a light on a charismatic monster)

Awesomeness ööö – Effectively creepy and poignant

Laughs ö – Not a funny flick

Horror ööö – Extremely nasty subject matter but not much shown

Spiritual Enlightenment ööö - Who is that person watching you??

Matt is Dragged Across Concrete (review)

Dragged Across Concrete (18)

Dir. S. Craig Zahler

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)


“Do not prioritize money over having a heartbeat.”

From the slightly twisted mind behind Bone Tomahawk comes this violent tale of two overzealous policemen, old-timer Brett Ridgeman (Mel Gibson) and his volatile younger partner Anthony Lurasetti (Vince Vaughn). The duo get results but work in a no-nonsense old school style which leads them to getting suspended when a video of their very strong-arm tactics against an ethnic drug dealer gets leaked to the media.

Both have cash issues – and people who need them - Lurasetti is about to propose to his girlfriend, Ridgeman’s wife is suffering from MS and his daughter keeps being assaulted in the dodgy neighbourhood where they live. With seemingly no other options, these two embittered men descend into the criminal underworld to try and gain their just due, but instead, find far more than they wanted awaiting them in the shadows.

'This might not end well!'

Director S. Craig Zahler is on top form – having already written and directed two brutal masterpieces across different genres, Dragged Across Concrete sees him add crime-em-up to his resume. This would play as a hard-boiled Bad Boys kind of ‘buddy cop’ movie were it not so gut-wrenchingly violent. Zahler has a knack for creating characters who viewers want to spend time with and Gibson and Vaughan are both great here.

The script is packed with sharp, witty dialogue and the action takes its time with a slow burn build up where we get invested in the lives of the characters. This makes it oh-so-much worse when bad things happen and be warned - Dragged Across Concrete gets very dark.

Coming in at an epic 159-minute running time – the plotting is so good that the time flies by. It’s been a while since a crime thriller (or Mel Gibson for that matter) has been as compelling – if you love heist movies such as Reservoir Dogs, Hell or High Water - then this may well be a potential film of the year for you.

'battle time'

Some have complained at the use of such potentially gratuitous violence, but it feels connected and really resonates when it hits – the climactic shootout is actually one of best I’ve witnessed. The cold, hard cinematography employed world Zahler is a perfect foil to the moments of sentiment such as new mother (a great cameo from Jennifer ‘Emily Rose’ Carpenter) who has to return to work.

Dragged Across Concrete is a stunning grindhouse crime noir, recommended but only for those who can deal with the evil that men do…

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö1/2

(4.5 - Buddy cop heist-em-up darkness)

Awesomeness öööö – Some very memorable scenes

Laughs ööö – Really funny in places

Horror öööö – Extremely strong violence

Spiritual Enlightenment ööö - Some things are worth fighting for, but how far is too far?

Matt reviews Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame (12a)

Dir. Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

Read the newspaper version of this review: COURIER


“We lost. All of us. We lost friends. We lost family. We lost a part of ourselves. This is the fight of our lives…”

Here is it then – the climactic finale of the first realm of Marvel Cinematic Universe films. Endgame is a direct sequel to Avengers: Infinity War and it comes packing a huge amount of emotional baggage, in the last film we saw the mighty Avengers humbled and life across the universe decimated when the mad titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) ‘won’.

Now we see the fallout, there is deep grief and much reflection as the surviving heroes Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk and friends including their powerful new pal Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) try to rally and find a way to fight back. I’m absolutely not going to share key plot points – all you need to know is that the Avengers want to live up to their name – as Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) says “that’s what we are right – the Avengers – we strike back.”

"teaming up"

With so many of the heroes lost to Thanos in the last film and morale at an all-time low the Avengers certainly have an almost impossible task on hand. It’s impressive that the directors Anthony and Joe Russo don’t let the magnitude of the job daunt them and manage to craft a tale that is both reverent to all that has gone before and a rousing conclusion that will please fans both old and new.

At three hours, the runtime might be butt-numbing, but it’s certainly never dull. The winning interplay of the heroes and a cleverly worked renewed threat mean that Endgame delivers both some excellent fun moments (Thor playing Fortnite!?) and the crunching action scenes that scale intimate duels and epically huge final showdown with a deft touch. As in the last film, there is resonance and cost to choices made and a great insight into the psychological damage that ‘losing’ did to earth’s mightiest heroes.

"back for more"

It’s impressive just how natural the special effects feel now – this might have cost millions to make but you won’t see more eye-popping spectacle anytime soon. And as it looks like it might reap over $1billion in the opening weekend Disney’s money men will be seeing it as an investment paying off.

Payoff is exactly what this delivers - for a supremely satisfying, total adrenaline rush of superhero adventure – there is simply nothing to match Avengers: Endgame – see it on the biggest screen you can find!

"new allies"

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö

(5 - Avenging the fallen in epic style...)

Awesomeness ööööö – Unforgettable scenes

Laughs öööö – Really funny (yes Korg steals his scenes again)

Horror ööö – Comic book violence, and some trauma

Spiritual Enlightenment ööööö - Rousing, spiritually charged superheroic joy!!

>>> Imagine a world where the earth is becoming hell?

Click below to find out in my dark sci-fi novel...