Category Archives: Film

Review in Brief: The Shrouds (2024/25)

Posted on December 22, 2025 by Sam S-P

David Cronenberg plumbs his real-life grief trauma to fuel one of the most twisted yet affecting sci-fi horrors for years. Following his invention of technology allowing mourners to view a live feed of their loved ones’ decomposing body from their … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review, Review in Brief | Tagged David Cronenberg, Diane Kruger, Horror, Sci-fi, The Shrouds, Vincent Cassel | 2 Comments

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 | 2 Comments

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 | 1 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 →