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.

Review in Brief: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)

Posted on August 20, 2021 by Sam S-P

Harlem, 1969 and something special was happening in the same months as Woodstock and the Moon Landing. The Harlem Cultural Festival brought to the stage such acts as a 19-year-old Stevie Wonder, BB King Gladys Knight and Nina Simone and … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review, Review in Brief | Tagged BB King, Documentary, Gladys Knight, Nina Simone, Questlove, Stevie Wonder, Summer of Soul | Leave a comment

Review in Brief: Free Guy (2021)

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Sam S-P

FREE GUY is more evidence that the better video game movies aren’t direct IP adaptations but about gaming itself. You’ll get a lot more out of it if you’re a gamer, if you know the conventions, mechanics and player behaviour … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review, Review in Brief | Tagged Action, Comedy, Free Guy, Jodie Comer, Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy, Taika Waititi | Leave a comment

‘Hell or High Water’ at 5 – Review

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Sam S-P

https://www.thefilmagazine.com/hell-or-high-water-review/ SSP

Posted in Film, Film Review, The Film Magazine | Tagged Ben Foster, Chris Pine, David Mckenzie, Hell or High Water, Jeff Bridges, Western | Leave a comment

Review in Brief: Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two (2021)

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Sam S-P

THE LONG HALLOWEEN, PART TWO definitely lands. Like Part One it’s been somewhat streamlined and stripped back from Jeph Loeb’s imposing comic but does the complex characters justice and keeps you riveted and on your toes throughout. After months out … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review, Review in Brief | Tagged Animation, Batman: The Long Halloween Part Two, Chris Palmer, Jensen Ackles, Josh Duhamel, Mystery, Naya Rivera, Superhero Movie, Titus Welliver | Leave a comment

Review in Brief: The Sparks Brothers (2021)

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Sam S-P

You’re a lot more likely to fall in love with the very alternative musical duo Sparks after watching Edgar Wright’s comprehensive, affectionate rock doc THE SPARKS BROTHERS. Wright interviews famous fans (often having fun with the captions in the process), … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review, Review in Brief | Tagged Documentary, Edgar Wright, Ron Mael, Russell Mael, Sparks, The Sparks Brothers | 1 Comment

Review in Brief: The Suicide Squad (2021)

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Sam S-P

The best and the worst thing about THE SUICIDE SQUAD is that writer-director James Gunn was given complete creative freedom by Warner Bros. On the one hand you have fun character interplay and dues given to compelling, previously Z-List comic … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review, Review in Brief | Tagged Blockbuster, Daniela Melchior, David Dastmalchian, James Gunn, John Cena, Superhero Movie, The Suicide Squad | Leave a comment

Review in Brief: Werewolves Within (2021)

Posted on July 31, 2021 by Sam S-P

WEREWOLVES WITHIN is an absolute treat for horror-comedy fans, and cements Josh Ruben as a new master of meta scares. Not many horrors would open with a Mr Rogers quote, but it works creepily, atonally well. Believe it or not … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review, Review in Brief | Tagged Comedy, Horror, Josh Ruben, Mishna Wolff, Sam Richardson, Scare Me, Werewolves Within | Leave a comment

Review in Brief: Another Round (2020)

Posted on July 29, 2021 by Sam S-P

Alcohol: the great social liberator and the great destroyer, or as Homer Simpson famously put it “the cause of, and solution to all of life’s problems”. ANOTHER ROUND follows a group of middle-class friends and teachers in Denmark who experiment … Continue reading →