Author Archives: Sam S-P
Review: Swiss Army Man (2016)
SWISS ARMY MAN is like one of those weird one-off dreams. It questions humankind’s fear of death by allowing one of us to have a (admittedly skewed) relationship with a symbol of that fear. Hank (Paul Dano) loses it in … Continue reading
Review in Brief: Seoul Station (2016)
SEOUL STATION brings back slapstick zombies and a good punch of dark satire in its final act, but as a companion piece to TRAIN TO BUSAN, it falls rather short in terms of character. None of the supposed protagonists are … Continue reading
Review in Brief: Assassin’s Creed (2016)
Do you need to have played the games to get something out of the ASSASSIN’S CREED movie? No, but it’ll certainly help. Anyone can enjoy the detailed costume designs, the well-mounted action and the moody atmosphere, and equally fans of … Continue reading
Review: The Levelling (2016/17)
THE LEVELLING is very much like farming soap opera THE ARCHERS, only bleaker, with better acting and real animals. If you’re American, or not middle-class enough know about The Archers, don’t worry about it. Taking a forced sabbatical from her … Continue reading
40 Years On: Star Wars (1977)
2017 marks 40 years of STAR WARS. The galaxy far far away (….) has been part of my life since I’ve been watching movies. For me, George Lucas’ creation is a cornerstone of who I am. I may not have … Continue reading
Review in Brief: Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
With EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!! (there’s probably a reason for the two exclamation marks) nobody is especially likeable, Richard Linklater is on very comfortable ground and it could be argued he doesn’t exactly stretch himself, but it comes from a real … Continue reading
Review: Alien: Covenant (2017)
There’s a reason ALIEN: COVENANT re-adopts the parent franchise title. PROMETHEUS seemed stuck in an identity crisis, whereas Covenant is proudly a proper Alien movie. You’ll get everything you expect and then some from Ridley Scott’s real return to marshaling … Continue reading
Series Retrospective: Scott-directed Aliens
Just in time(ish) for the release of ALIEN: COVENANT, I thought I’d look back at Ridley Scott’s two previous encounters with Xenomorphs, Engineers and Last Women Standing. ALIEN (1979) It’s sometimes hard to believe that this was only Ridley Scott’s … Continue reading
Review in Brief: Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017)
JUSTICE LEAGUE VS TEEN TITANS was the best superhero movie of 2016, and it was only 80 minues. With TEEN TITANS: THE JUDAS CONTRACT, the animated arm of Warner Bros once again manage to embody what DC heroes represent so … Continue reading
A Few Thoughts More: Guardians Vol. 2
This following contains spoilers for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL.2. I still stand by my initial review of Guardians Vol. 2. It’s definitely a better film on the second pass, and better still on IMAX. No, I still don’t think … Continue reading
SSP Thinks Film 