Author Archives: Sam S-P

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About Sam S-P

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

Review in Brief: Happy New Year, Colin Burstead (2018)

The only implausible thing about Ben Wheatley’s latest jet-black dramedy is that any family would willingly submit to everyone being in the same location at the same time for anything other than a wedding or a funeral. We are sent … Continue reading

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Review: Aquaman (2018)

How do you make the oft-mocked “silly” member of the Justice League work? You embrace the more out-there elements of the mythology and combine it with tried-and-tested tropes of the day. Someone’s been watching GAME OF THRONES intently. And HOW … Continue reading

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Review in Brief: Mandy (2018)

When I saw them use the old Universal logo just because I already really liked this movie. Then when they finally presented us with the MANDY title card more than halfway though the thing I liked it even more. Writer-director … Continue reading

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Review in Brief: Tomb Raider (2018)

The quest for the great, even good video game movie (as opposed to a few decent examples of movies about video gaming) continues. The latest TOMB RAIDER is unengaging, lifeless and features a depressing amount of obviously fake jungle sets. … Continue reading

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Looking Back and Looking Forward: 2018, Part 2

Before I get down to looking at the very best and the very worst films of 2018 (Part 1 of this list can be found here) I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a couple more that weren’t necessarily my … Continue reading

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Review in Brief: Thoroughbreds (2017/18)

THOROUGHBREDS is made in its script. It’s deliciously dark and full of wittily pragmatic musings on humanity like “I have a perfectly healthy brain, it just doesn’t contain feelings”, and “The sawdust smells fantastic, but you’re still in a hamster … Continue reading

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Looking Back and Looking Forward: 2018, Part 1

Where did 2018 go? For me it’s been a funny year of highs and lows, beginnings and ends and other summing-up-the-year clichés as well. In film, the year started well, then flagged a bit in the middle before picking up … Continue reading

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Review: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE is awesome. An awesome animated feature, an awesome superhero movie, an awesome coming-of-age story, an awesome film. Did I mention it was awesome? When a extra-dimensional portal is opened in New York, recently superpowered Spider-Man Miles … Continue reading

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Review in Brief: An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn (2018)

I never did review THE GREASY STRANGLER. I’m not even sure I could. I think I might struggle to talk about AN EVENING WITH BEVERLY LUFF LINN as well. Jim Hosking’s follow-up is populated by similarly freakish characters and a … Continue reading

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Review in Brief: The Night Comes for Us (2018)

I never thought I’d say this about any martial arts movie, but THE NIGHT COMES FOR US makes THE RAID films look tame. It’s not just the lead who’s a mostly unstoppable killing machine but his friends as well. The … Continue reading

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