Tag Archives: Fantasy

Review: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

Posted on November 23, 2018 by Sam S-P

JK Rowling is just making this nonsense up as she goes along isn’t she? If that makes me sound like I’m anti-Potter, nothing could be further from the truth. As a 90s kid I devoured Rowling’s books and I see … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Alison Sudol, Blockbuster, Callum Turner, David Yates, Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Fantasy, Harry Potter, JK Rowling, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Katherine Waterston | 2 Comments

30s Review: The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Sam S-P

A couple of weekends back I attended my first ever outdoor film screening as part of Film 4’s Summer Screen at Somerset House in London. It was a dream-themed double-bill of LABYRINTH followed by what I think most of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Film, Film, Film Review | Tagged 1930s, Bert Lahr, Classic Film, David Bowie, Family Film, Fantasy, Film 4, Jack Haley, Jennifer Connolly, Judy Garland, Labyrinth, Margaret Hamilton, Musical, Oz the Great and Powerful, Peter Jackson, Ray Bolger, The Lord of the Rings, The Wizard of Oz, Wicked | 1 Comment

Review in Brief: Coco (2017)

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Sam S-P

I promised myself I wasn’t going to cry at COCO, Pixar’s latest. I need to stop making promises I can’t keep. Even the reason behind the film’s title brought on a little lip wobble. The studio really does produce emotionally … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Animation, Coco, Fantasy, Inside Out, Pixar | 3 Comments

Review: The Lure (2015)

Posted on May 30, 2018 by Sam S-P

Mermaid horror-musical THE LURE is something else. Mostly because it’s a mermaid horror-musical, and I, like many others I’m sure, never thought I’d ever watch, let alone want or need, such a thing. It’s also apparently the first proper musical … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Agnieszka Smoczynska, Anna Biller, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Cabaret, Fantasy, Horror, Let the Right One In, Marta Mazurek, Michalina Olszanska, Musical, Singin' in the Rain, The Love Witch, The Lure, World Cinema | Leave a comment

Review: Mary and the Witch’s Flower (2017)

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Sam S-P

MARY AND THE WITCH’S FLOWER, the first film from Studio Ghibli successors Studio Ponoc looks stunning, but it does feel insubstantial. That’s not to say it’s bad, it’s just not really about much. I’m prepared to forgive a lot because … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Animation, Family Film, Fantasy, Fumiyo Kohinata, Hana Sugisaki, Mary and the Witch's Flower, Studio Ghibli, Studio Ponoc, World Cinema, Yûki Mamami | Leave a comment

May the Fourth Review: Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Sam S-P

Yes, this Star Wars day I’m reviewing the big one. With the original STAR WARS, George Lucas discovered that magic formula. But because he stepped back from his creation, the first sequel grew beyond him and became the most balanced … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Attack of the Clones, Carrie Fisher, David Prowse, Fantasy, Frak Oz, George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Irvin Kershner, James Earl Jones, John Williams, Lawrence Kasdan, Leigh Brackett, Mark Hamill, Peter Mayhew, Sci-fi, Space Opera, Star Wars, Star Wars Episode IX, The Empire Strikes Back, The Last Jedi | 3 Comments

Review: The Shape of Water (2017)

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Sam S-P

THE SHAPE OF WATER promises a lot, and as such you might want to manage your expectations. Don’t worry, it’s good, but with such acclaim lavished on it from the Venice Film Festival onwards you might be expecting another PAN’S … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Doug Jones, Fantasy, Guillermo del Toro, Hellboy, Mass Effect, Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlbarg, Octavia Spencer, Oscars, Pan's Labyrinth, Richard Jenkins, Romance, Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water, Tom Hiddleston | 3 Comments

Review: Black Panther (2018)

Posted on February 18, 2018 by Sam S-P

As thrilled and enthralled as I was by BLACK PANTHER, I can’t imagine what it must be like to watch this if you’re black. Newly-crowned Kind T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) returns home to secretive high-tech African nation of Wakanda to rule. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, Blade, Blockbuster, Chadwick Boseman, Danai Guira, Fantasy, Game of Thrones, Letitia Wright, Lord of the Rings, Marvel, Michael B Jordan, Ryan Coogler, Sci-fi, Superhero Movie, The Avengers | 7 Comments

Valentine’s Day Review: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

Posted on February 14, 2018 by Sam S-P

Spoilers ahead for HELLBOY II. HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY is one of my absolute favourites: a beautiful, unique and kick-ass fantasy superhero movie that builds and expands on the solid foundation of its predecessor and ends up, in style … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Anna Walton, Doug Jones, Fantasy, Guillermo del Toro, James Dodd, John Alexander, Luke Goss, Mike Mignola, Rom-com, Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Seth MacFarlane, Superhero Movie | 1 Comment

Review in Brief: Bright (2017)

Posted on December 27, 2017 by Sam S-P

“Only a Bright can control the power of the wand”. That’s really how BRIGHT opens. Then we see “Curse the police” on a wall. Whatever its intention, Bright comes across as a massive piss-take of Black Lives Matter. Just in … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Action, Bright, Fantasy, Joel Edgerton, Netflix, Will Smith | 2 Comments

Tag Archives: Fantasy

Review: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

30s Review: The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Review in Brief: Coco (2017)

Review: The Lure (2015)

Review: Mary and the Witch’s Flower (2017)

May the Fourth Review: Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back

Review: The Shape of Water (2017)

Review: Black Panther (2018)

Valentine’s Day Review: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

Review in Brief: Bright (2017)

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