Author Archives: Sam S-P
Review in Brief: Elvis & Nixon (2016)
ELVIS & NIXON is an intriguingly simple title and unfortunately, a pretty disappointing final product. In the depiction of this remarkable partly true, partly hypothetical series of real-world events, Kevin Spacey makes for a good Nixon. He’s slimy and calculating … Continue reading
Review: War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
The new Apes movies, up to and including WAR OF THE PLANET OF THE APES are pretty special. They’re respectful of what has come before in the franchise, but not afraid to reinvent it. They want to be far-reaching conceptually, … Continue reading
Review in Brief: A Cure for Wellness (2016/17)
A CURE FOR WELLNESS is clean and cold, calculated and stylish horror. It’s about time we had a psychological scarer about that oft-heard euphemism “Going to Switzerland”. I think it’s aiming to be a scathing critique of non-stop modern work … Continue reading
Review: Okja (2017)
I’ve loved the work of South Korean genre-manipulator Bong Joon-ho since university. Criminally, we never got his last film SNOWPIERCER in the UK (at least not officially), so the fact that his latest, OKJA, has gone straight to Netflix is … Continue reading
Review in Brief: The First Film (2015)
Boast time: I’ve met David Wilkinson. He gave a guest lecture on film distribution while I was studying Film at university. As a fellow Yorkshireman, I wanted him to be right about the first film being produced in this great … Continue reading
Review: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING is a case of too many cooks. This isn’t surprising considering this is a joint venture between Marvel (who provide the universe the film inhabits, plus that stamp of quality) and Sony (who retain the characters and the … Continue reading
Review in Brief: John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 loses some of the original’s freshness, but it retains a tonne of entertainment value. The action scenes are inventive and bloody, of particular note a glossy ENTER THE DRAGON homage (yes, it’s a homage, not a … Continue reading
Review in Brief: Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
At least the first one had momentum. RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER represents a tired franchise thankfully put to bed (until the reboot). The competent action is made far less enjoyable by Paul WS Anderson’s usual janky editing and tendency … Continue reading
Review: Baby Driver (2017)
BABY DRIVER isn’t just Edgar Wright’s long-awaited return to work after being stung by a big studio. Wright’s first American film also represents his coming of age as a filmmaker. Maturity on film isn’t just about going darker or toning … Continue reading
TV Review in Brief: American Gods Season 1 (2017)
The Brian Fuller-fronted adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s neo-fantasy epic AMERICAN GODS for me is a great take on this material. It vividly recreates many of the weird and wonderful moments from the first stretch of the book, but the series’ … Continue reading
SSP Thinks Film 