Author Archives: Sam S-P

About Sam S-P

Writer and film fanatic fond of black comedies, sci-fi, animation and films about dysfunctional families.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) Review

Posted on December 18, 2025 by Sam S-P

https://secondcutpod.substack.com/p/wake-up-dead-man-a-knives-out-mystery SSP

Posted in Film, Film Review, Second Cut | Tagged Daniel Craig, Glenn Close, Josh O'Connor, Knives Out, Mystery, Netflix, Rian Johnson, Wake Up Dead Man | Leave a comment

Review in Brief: The Phoenician Scheme (2025)

Posted on December 11, 2025 by Sam S-P

“I feel very safe myself”. On the whole I think I’m much more of a fan than many others of Wes Anderson’s latest career stage where his unmistakable style has never been more prominent but he continues to experiment with … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review, Review in Brief | Tagged Benicio del Toro, Comedy, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Satire, The Phoenician Scheme, Wes Anderson | 1 Comment

Review in Brief: Bring Her Back (2025)

Posted on December 9, 2025 by Sam S-P

A horror movie hasn’t made me cry for a while. BRING HER BACK creeps up on you, then pummels you with short, sharp shocks of nightmarish imagery before blindsiding you with incredibly vulnerable emotionality. Arriving to live with their new foster … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review, Review in Brief | Tagged Billy Barratt, Bring Her Back, Danny Philippou, Horror, Jonah Wren Phillips, Michael Philippou, Sally Hawkins, Sora Wong, Talk to Me | Leave a comment

Wicked: For Good (2025) Review

Posted on December 3, 2025 by Sam S-P

https://secondcutpod.substack.com/p/wicked-for-good-2025-review SSP

Posted in Film, Film Review, Second Cut | Tagged Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Fantasy, Jeff Goldblum, Jon M Chu, L Frank Baum, Musical, The Wizard of Oz, Wicked, Wicked: For Good | Leave a comment

Insulate (2025) Short Film Review

Posted on December 1, 2025 by Sam S-P

https://secondcutpod.substack.com/p/insulate-2025-short-film-review SSP

Posted in Film, Film Review, Second Cut | Tagged British, Daniel Poyser, David Fielder, Drama, Independent Film, Insulate, Mark Parham, Short Film | Leave a comment

Sam’s Noirvember 2025

Posted on November 30, 2025 by Sam S-P

Film 1 – Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956). Fritz Lang’s final American film is a clever story well told, though somewhat lacking the mastery of style from his early career. Film 2 – Le Samouraï (1967). Jean-Pierre Melville’s endlessly influential … Continue reading →