Encounter (2021)

Michael Pearce’s film begins as a gritty, extraterrestrial survival thriller. However, all is not quite as it seems. When the (Nevada) desert dust settles, the film strips away the sci-fi elements to reveal a devastating psychological drama. What starts as a mission to save humanity quickly transforms into a desperate attempt to save a father from his own fracturing mind.

Riz Ahmed (Fingernails) plays Malik, a father of two young boys. Having served as a Marine for many years, he hasn't been around much and the film uses science fiction to explore the reality of his untreated PTSD. He arrives one dark night and snatches Jay and Bobby from under the noses of his ex-wife and her new partner. The film then becomes a road trip. Malik is taking the boys to a 'safe place' to avoid what he claims are microscopic aliens infiltrating the bodies of half the population.

It is a poignant portrait of a decorated veteran let down by the system upon his return to the USA, with his trauma-based mental health problems left unaddressed. We tag along on what Malik considers a rescue mission, becoming embedded in his delusion. Over time, only the older boy, Jay, begins to perceive the reality of his father's condition.

About halfway through, the truth becomes obvious to the audience too, as the emphasis shifts. We are introduced to Hattie, a professional who has been trying to help Malik settle back into civilian life - and a team of FBI agents. Having realised what has happened, the authorities begin tracking him down, fearing - based on similar past cases - that Malik might kill the boys and then himself. Hattie doesn't believe this to be the case so is fighting the FBI for a more passive intervention within which everyone can survive.

As the journey continues, Malik’s behaviour becomes increasingly erratic and violent. He gets into a punch-up with a police officer and assaults an old man while searching for car keys following a blowout. The old man's sons - who lack the FBI's code of conduct - give chase, leading to further violence while the two lads are caught firmly in the middle. As Jay realises the truth, he becomes fiercely protective of his dad, though he remains initially largely powerless to intervene meaningfully.

The story becomes a question of survival. What will become of Malik and the boys - and who will reach them first - the officials or the armed locals? By this stage, everyone is prepared for a violent outcome. Throughout the chaos, Malik genuinely has his sons' interests at heart, clinging to his conviction of an alien invasion until the very end. Because we cannot 'see' the aliens, the theme reflects how society is often blind to the invisible struggles of mental illness.

Riz Ahmed’s performance is great. He plays the troubled soul convincingly, sweeping us along through his swings between a devoted father and a violent protector. The two boys are also excellent - particularly Lucian-River Chauhan as Jay, though Aditya Geddada also effectively conveys Bobby’s fear and incomprehension. Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures, The Help) commands her scenes as Hattie, providing a grounded counterpoint as the film moves at pace from a character study into a police chase.

The cinematography is sweaty, claustrophobic and beautifully executed. While the storyline is ambitious and the tone intrusive, the constant buzzing and humming in the audio mimics Malik’s deteriorating mental state. Encounter is a thought-provoking, well-produced film that is well worth a look. It is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video in the UK.

Is This Thing On? (2025) - A Guest Review by Chad Dixon

This film is loosely inspired by the life of British Comedian John Bishop, who is also one of the producers. It is a cinema release that is set in a contemporary New York City.

Working in finance but never actually seen in his place of work, Alex Novak (Will Arnett), is currently separated from his Wife, Tess (Laura Dern). Sharing custody of their two 10 year old sons, Alex lives separately from the family home in a spartan one bed apartment in the city. One evening, when he is feeling particularly sorry for himself, he finds himself at a club in town that lets patrons duck the $15 cover charge if they put themselves down for a short stand-up set. He signs his name and very soon it's his turn in the spotlight.

Talking off the top of his head about his recent marriage break up during the set, amazingly, his stream of consciousness goes down well with the small crowd - and afterwards, when talking to the other more regular stand up performers, he feels some sort of kinship. Reflecting on it later it seems like it was quite a cathartic experience and he definitely would like to do it again.

Meanwhile Tess is getting on with single life the best she can. Dutifully looking after her musically talented boys but still feeling like the peek of her life up till this point was her participation in the 1984 USA Olympic Volleyball Team. She now hopes to get into women's volleyball coaching as the next Games hosted in Los Angeles in 2028 is just around the corner.

Alex and Tess have a small group of mutual friends who are equally supportive of them. Most notable is Alex's old college buddy and best friend Arnie (Bradley Cooper), who is also this film's director. He's an insecure, struggling actor whose life and relationship to Christine (Andra Day) seems to be mirroring Novak's as they both separately tell Alex that they are not happy in their marriage.

The Novak grandparents, Dad (Ciarán Hinds) and Mum (Amy Sedaris), also supply emotional and practical support - which in a couple scenes in particular, proves very moving. His fellow stand-ups even become a sort of surrogate family that Alex leans more on, as the narratives of his subsequent performances reflect the ups and downs of his life.

Regarding the chosen cinematography, this irked me a lot - as whenever the main two characters are on screen, which is a lot of the 2 hour 4 minute runtime, the camera is right in their face - to the point that nothing else is visible in the frame. I had to move back a couple of rows in the multiplex cinema to compensate for this slightly nauseating technique.

Otherwise this story was told straightforwardly and there are solid performances from the ensemble cast, although I must say Bradley Cooper's character was a quite annoying. Not to mention his many facial hair changes (which apparently was for the different acting roles he was involved in). Nothing else really bugged me, but possibly this may be a much easier watch at home when it finally gets onto streaming platforms.

Night of the Hunted (2023)

This is one of those relatively low-budget thrillers that Shudder does so well - their bread and butter, perhaps. It’s not going to win any awards, but it’s entertaining, well-produced, well-shot and capably acted by the leads, The 90 minutes fly by nicely.

We join the film in an American motel bedroom as Alice, a marketing executive for a major pharmaceutical company away from home on business, is clearly sleeping with a colleague. They get up very early in the morning to head home after their conference the day before. Unknown to them at this stage, there is a leak in their petrol tank. Confused, they pull into a petrol station to fill up. While her colleague is doing so, she heads into the shop for a few bits and pieces.

The petrol station is deserted, however - not even a cashier is present - so Alice leaves her money on the counter and prepares to leave. As she turns away, a sniper takes a shot from somewhere outside with a long-range rifle and hits her in the arm. Shocked, she takes cover behind various shelves as the sniper continues to take pot-shots at her, resulting in several near-misses.

Her colleague finishes filling the car and, wondering where Alice has got to, goes inside to investigate. As he does so, the sniper shoots him dead. Alice then discovers the body of the assistant behind the till. That is essentially the bones of the setup - we spend the rest of the film with Alice as she tries to work out how to survive and escape. The sniper has placed a two-way radio unit on the counter and invites Alice to enter into a conversation with him, which she sees as an opportunity to negotiate her way out of the mess.

As the conversation progresses, it becomes clear that the sniper has a catalogue of grievances against society. He rambles on about anti-vax theories, moral compromises and anti-corporate sentiments - holding Alice, because of her job, responsible for the 'evil' done to people. It is not entirely clear if this was a targeted setup - whether he deliberately punctured the petrol tank so it would run dry at that exact spot - or if it was a random situation and Alice’s profession simply became a convenient excuse for his rage. So don't overthink it!

As the night goes on, various other people pull up for fuel and a few more characters are drawn into the siege. One of them is a young child, which tests the actions of both the sniper and Alice, adding plenty of suspense and tension. I won’t spoil the ending, but the film does leave the sniper’s identity somewhat ambiguous. There is a hint that Alice’s husband might be involved (though the sniper is not him) and that he had found out about her affair.

Ultimately, there is plenty of atmosphere and creepiness in this claustrophobic scenario. Camille Rowe, as Alice, is in almost every scene and her decent performance carries the film. She portrays a character who is flawed and morally compromised, yet gritty and fiercely determined to survive. There is a bit of gore from injuries here and there, but nothing truly horrific. Well worth a look if you can find it on streaming.

We Bury the Dead (2024)

This Australian survival thriller stars our very own Brit darling Daisy Ridley, whom I have watched with much enjoyment in Sometimes I Think About Dying (2023), reviewed on my blog, Magpie (2024), which we spoke about in glowing terms on our Projector Room Podcast - and whom others will no doubt know from the Star Wars films.

Director Zak Hilditch here crafts a story that is more of a grief-based drama than a traditional zombie movie. The film explores loving relationships that can go wrong against the backdrop of a military disaster off the coast of Australia - namely Tasmania - and introduces a more intelligent than average supernatural twist.

The Americans have accidentally detonated an experimental electromagnetic pulse weapon off the Tasmanian coast. The blast instantly kills most of the island's population by causing total neural failure. The Australian authorities are welcoming volunteers to collect bodies, assisting the military with a gruesome clean-up. The twist here though, is that some - just a small percentage - of the dead are coming back to life, or at least a baseline, reanimated form of living. So yes, technically it's a zombie film! The longer they are left in that state, the more likely they are to become aggressive. Up to now, the military 'finishes them off' while they are still slow-moving, whenever one is found by the teams.

Ridley plays Ava, an American physiotherapist who joins this body retrieval unit. Her true motive, however, is to find her husband, Mitch, who was at a resort in the restricted blast zone when the weapon went off. She eventually teams up with Clay (Brenton Thwaites), a local man running from his own past, and the two go rogue, stealing a motorcycle to head south into the dangerous quarantined territory where Mitch was last known to be.

The 're-living' are characterised by a chilling, haunting, rhythmic grinding of their teeth as they become aggressive and launch attacks on the living, given the chance. We're not really sure what these creatures do if they catch someone because, throughout the film, it doesn't actually happen. Presumably, they are hungry and might try to eat them, but as I say, we don't have to deal with the specifics of that.

Midway through their journey, Ava and Clay meet Riley (Mark Coles Smith), a soldier who has spiralled into madness regarding lost memories and his wife, who was pregnant at the time of the incident. Some dubious, creepy happenings take place at his house and outbuildings - half of which resemble a shrine - while he offers to help them reach their destination. I shall say no more on that!

Clay disappears during this time, so Ava continues alone. We travel with her as she encounters various members of the living dead and watch how she deals with each thrilling situation. The film's only annoying part is the reliance on too many flashbacks to paint a picture of Ava and Mitch's background - but to be fair, it does all come together and make sense in the end. It is a satisfying conclusion, though it contains one element that was a bit of a stretch!

The blood, guts, and gore are constrained here. The emphasis is certainly more on spook, chill, atmosphere and shadowy figures lurking in-frame to raise tension - and it does this well. Daisy Ridley is worth the ticket price alone, as she plays her part beautifully, and the rest of the cast are not far behind. The music is also lovely, with moving scenes set to classical pieces that fit perfectly as the cinematography takes in broad land and seascapes.

It's a smart little thriller which has just arrived on streaming services in the UK and is well worth a look. It won't blow your socks off, but for me, the 90-minute investment paid off well.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) - A Guest Review by Chad Dixon

This is a direct sequel to last year's 28 Years Later (and was shot back-to-back). It is still set in a post-apocalyptic Britain where many mindless, "infected", cannibalistic humans roam ferally, usually led by one giant Alpha individual.

The story follows directly on from the final scene of the previous film where, after losing his whole family to illness and to "the infected", Spike (Alfie Williams) runs into a band of violent fanatics who all dress like Jimmy Savile with blonde flowing wigs and gold chains worn over different coloured tracksuits. He is addressed by their apparent leader who introduces himself as Satanist "Sir Lord" Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell), adorned with the most chains and a prominent inverted crucifix.

Spike is a virtual prisoner within this cult which, including the leader, numbers seven disciples known as his "Fingers", all called Jimmy "something". In what looks like an initiation ceremony in the empty pool of a long-abandoned water park, Spike is forced into a knife fight with Jimmy Shite (Connor Newell). The young, diminutive newcomer is totally terrified, but the gang member's cockiness leads him to let his guard down, allowing Spike to fatally cut his leg artery. Over the still-warm corpse, Crystal promotes Spike to become the replacement "Finger" and immediately gives him his new name: "Jimmy".

Meanwhile, Dr Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), still living alone, is continuing the dutiful guardianship of the "Bone Temple", a hilltop memorial of piled-up, bleached human remains he has found over the years. However, he now seems to be fascinated with a nearby 6'7" Alpha male he has christened Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), whom, during their latest encounter, he has skilfully sedated with a blowpipe. In his dream-like state, Samson seems to be showing signs of some sentient brain activity. Could this be a sign that the terrible infection that has devastated the land for a generation could be cured?

The main core of the plot here, however, follows the path of the "Jimmy" cult and their fanatic leader, the self-proclaimed son of "Old Nick". He leads his "disciples" in a reign of terror across the land; they are actually more of a threat to any "uninfected" humans just trying to survive the best they can. Spike is obviously the thread that runs through both of these films, and as he seems to get closer to one of the young females in the cult, Jimmy Ink (Erin Kellyman), things take a surprising turn. The countryside again looks fabulously unmanicured and can definitely be seen as another character in this nightmarish world.

The "18" certificate is definitely warranted here, as this is much more gory than the previous film in the series. It includes graphic scenes of disembowelment, mutilation and overt cannibalistic behaviour. It can be a tough watch, but thankfully it's not relentless. There is some respite in the scenes where Ralph Fiennes has a much bigger part and shows us some quite animated exuberance. Indeed, his involvement in the third act is quite a feast for the eyes and ears! The runtime of 1 hour and 50 minutes flies by, and there is another end scene that links to the third film in the trilogy, where we are met with a familiar face from the original 2002 film.

Bring Her Back (2025)

Following the apparent success of Talk to Me (2022) which I have yet to see, the Philippou brothers have returned with this Australian horror. It is not an easy watch and certainly not for the faint-hearted. It is an intense, shocking horror with blood-chilling scenes and a dark, sinister atmosphere that leaves the viewer wide-eyed!

Sally Hawkins plays a foster mother, Laura. She's scary and weird in the role - a horribly manipulative woman becoming a mentally unwell one as the film goes on because of the grief she is suffering. She claims that an 'angel' visited her, promising the return of her drowned daughter, Cathy, who had a visually impairment. In reality, she has invited a nasty supernatural 'demon' into her house - so none of that is hallucinatory, the story tells us that it's actually a thing!

Piper and Andy come to stay on placement for 3 months as their dad/step-dad had recently died, collapsing in the shower and they're not old enough to go it alone. They don't want to be there, but have no choice. Sora Wong is fabulous as Piper, also visually impaired, and pretty much steals the show from the equally convincing Hawkins. But it's close! Piper is young and easily navigates life despite her impairment, throwing off the need for, for example, using a white stick.

Andy is her step-brother and played beautifully by Billy Barratt. His dad, who just died, it comes out, used to beat him. But he never talked to Piper about it, rather presenting the world to her as rosily as he could. It is clear from (especially) the early scenes that the caring/loving bond between them is incredibly strong. When they get there and meet Laura, there's also another little boy there, a self-destructive one who doesn't speak, in her care, called Ollie. Jonah Wren Phillips plays this part and does so amazingly well too. In fact, all the players are top-notch.

We become aware that there is a white line around the house, which is tied up with some footage which Laura often watches on old VHS tapes depicting some kind or 'rituals' looking like there are 'rules' for stuff that happens inside the lines which are different to outside. Some sort of voodoo-type 'spiritual' barrier, it would seem. On the tapes we also see acts of violence between people, blood, guts and gore as people are ritualistically abused by others. Turns out that Laura is trying to find some way of bringing back her much-loved Cathy through supernatural means.

We get stuck into some gruesome scenes of body-horror violence, particularly relating to young Ollie. There's no jump-scare horror here but certainly one scene which involved the young boy had me taking a sharp intake of breath and turning my head from the screen! Brilliantly filmed and horrifically, shockingly presented. Watch out!

All this leads to a breathtaking finale where the threads of the story and characters are drawn together, making for a somewhat shocking conclusion in and around the swimming pool where Cathy had drowned. This really is good stuff! The photography has real impact as we spend a lot of time in the dour, grey house and when outside, usually in the rain. The sounds are recorded so very well too, accompanying the terror step-in-step. As you can tell by now, I was bowled over by this film - not a thing I often say - so very highly recommended.

PodHubUK Podcasts for the Month of January 2026

  

...a roundup of our month of podcasting. Links to the team, communities and podcast homes on the net at the foot, so scroll down!

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 878 - PSC 2025 Awards

Monday 5th January

Joe and I are joined by Jeremy Harpham this week as we natter about what stuff he's been using since he was last on the show, last year, and his app suggestions amongst other stuff. We all three declare our phones of the year for 2025, based on differing criteria, we natter about batteries, pub meets, far-east, near-west(!), wobbly zoom rings and Steve pops in to give us his take on the new Clicks products. Available now from the usual places, so do get stuck in!

Whatever Works

Episode 236 - Astronomia Man Flu!
Wednesday 7th January

Aidan and I return with another show packed with stuff that works - and doesn't! We're shaving spokes but not chins, Looming around Fruit, slicing apples in hot spa tubs, burning lights with Midnight Oil from Dusk to Dawn and even have time to plug Aidan's new website. So do join us for the January offering and blow a raspberry with us to brats who spread colds!

Projector Room

Episode 201 - Curious Plur1bus
Wednesday 7th January

Gareth and I are here for the first time without Allan, but the show must go on, eh! Our 2026 shows start out with a couple of new sections, so do let us know what your think. News and Fandom Focus. Other than that, it's business as usual as we say Goodbye June during an Amber Alert, Wake Up Dead having been Sleepless in Seattle, wonder why King Kong seems to have Eyes Without a Face - and Dick Van Dyke scores 100, Plur1bus 100%. Plenty more as always, so do enjoy.

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 879 - Beyond the Slab

Monday 12th January

Joe and I are joined again by Jim Fowl as promised with this sneaky extra show to focus on all things QWERTY, BigMe, E-Ink, Titan, Clicks, Keyboards, TCL NxtPaper and oodles more besides! So grab a Grolsch and tag along!

The Camera Creations Podcast

Episode 14 - Why we Moved from Phone to Camera

Thursday 15th January

Joe, Ian and Charlie join me this time as we ponder on this big question - and come up with some interesting pros/cons for both and examples to demo. Time also to take a look at plenty of other photos from the team and even a snippet of (expensive-looking) news! Available now in the usual places, so do join us.

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 880 - Intelligence for Nothing!

Monday 19th January

Joe and I welcome Mark Mochan back to the show and find out what devices he's been using since he was last on - and what he's been doing with them! We take a dive into Gemini Personal Intelligence, chat about pros/cons of cameras in phones and catch the latest news. Joe has hands-on with one of those flippin' Motos and I've extended my love/hate from Samsung to Nothing! Available now in the usual places, so do join us!

Projector Room

Episode 202 - Predators and Dragons
Wednesday 21st January

Gareth and I are here again with our thoughts (and yours) on stuff we've all been recently watching in film, cinema and TV. We go headlong into Predator assisted by Chad Dixon, learn How to Train Your Dragon and other Dangerous Animals, focus on Ray Liotta - and I Swear there's even time to go Downrange with Marty Supreme in Hunting Season! Available now in the usual places, so join us!

The Camera Creations Podcast

Episode 15 - Fame in the Frame

Thursday 29th January

The gang takes a slightly different approach this time as we mostly focus on famous photographers, past and present, dead and alive, who have wow'd and inspired us in our approach. There will be loads of links to those in your podcatcher, so be sure to use one if you want them! Some brief news, rumours and catchup with the panel too, so do enjoy!

The Podcasts (PodHubUK)

Phones Show Chat (PSC) - Whatever Works - Chewing Gum for the Ears - Projector Room - Tech Addicts - Camera Creations

The MeWe Community Groups (follow the links to join up)
Phones Show Chat (PSC) - Whatever Works - Chewing Gum for the Ears - Projector Room - PSC Photos - PSC Videos - PSC Classifieds - PSC Health - Coffee Time - Camera Creations - Tech Addicts

The Team
Ted Salmon - Steve Litchfield - Aidan Bell - Gareth Myles - Joe Hickey - Chris Clayton - Ian Bundey - Charlie Winston

H is for Hawk (2025) - A Guest Review by Chad Dixon

This is a cinema released drama based on the memoir of the same name by Naturalist Helen Macdonald. It is directed by Philippa Lowthorpe, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Emma Donoghue. Starting in the autumn of 2007, Claire Foy plays in the lead role as a fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, teaching the history and philosophy of science.

She has a good relationship with her immediate family, however it's apparent she is much closer to her photojournalist father, Alistair Macdonald (Brendan Gleeson), who through her life has taught her all she knows about the natural world.

At home one evening with her visiting good friend and fellow academic, Christina (Denise Gough), Helen receives a devastating phone call from her mother saying that her dad has collapsed on a work trip to London. The loss she feels is instantly profound and even though she has a good relationship with both her Mother (Lindsay Duncan) and Brother (Josh Dylan), who both live close by, she finds it hard to accept this big change in her life.

One evening, looking a old photos of her taken by her father, she remembers her fascination for small birds of prey. She then decides in the desperate need to fill the chasm left by her father and with the help of an old family friend, Stuart (Sam Spruell), who is a falconer, she makes the big decision to acquire a fully-grown but inexperienced goshawk. However, in embracing the training of this hunting bird, it leads to her becoming withdrawn from her work, friends and even family.

Mabel is the name given to her goshawk and from the moment we first see this magnificent bird of prey, it becomes the real star of the film - as we see her on Helen's arm walking through the dreamy spires of Cambridge, then eventually flying in the beautifully-filmed golden hours of the English countryside. All the humans are fairly solid, however Foy gives a consistently superb performance of a previously-organised woman whose life changes out of all proportion as she tries to deal with the abject grief that can come with the loss of a parent. The runtime of 1 hour 55 minutes felt about right for this straightforwardly-told adaptation.

Little Bites (2024)

Directed by Spider One, this is a slow-burner of a horror film which is often confusing and full of atmosphere, mystery, and surprises - yet very entertaining! We start out with Mindy (Krsy Fox), a widow who lives a lonely and quiet life in a lovely house with a cellar. She has a daughter, Alice, who is currently away staying with Mindy’s mother.

We soon find out why Mindy wants Alice out of the way for a spell as early on in the 1 hour 45 minute runtime, we are introduced to Agyar, the 'monster' in the cellar, who rings a dinner bell when he is 'hungry'. Mindy has realised that in order to protect Alice from the monster, she has to comply with its demands by letting it eat her flesh. It prefers arms, but when they get too damaged, it moves to her legs or other areas - but only Little Bites! No spoilers so far, as most of that is pretty clear from the film’s poster!

We are led to wonder if all this is actually in Mindy’s head rather than reality, as we only see the creature when she is around. Mindy’s mum, who is looking after Alice, is on the phone now and again telling Mindy that she’s useless and needs to pull herself together, take Alice back, and behave like a mum. Mindy becomes physically and mentally defeated as the film progresses, until eventually she tries to strike a deal with Agyar.

She goes out and finds an equally lonely man, drugs him and drags him down to the cellar for Agyar to consume instead of her, allowing her to recover. But this man, the creature says, "tastes like despair" so he is no good! Mindy bumps into someone she knows in the supermarket who is concerned enough by Mindy’s appearance to call Child Protection Services. They send round someone to assess the home and meet Alice (who is still away). So, perhaps she’ll do instead, Mindy thinks!

Mindy later bumps into a woman in the park who convinces her that when bringing up children, one has to stand beside them and face life’s challenges together - she can’t hide Alice forever, Mindy muses. Mindy calls her mother, who brings Alice back. Her mother is also a strange-looking person, incidentally, adding to the tease and mystery of the characters. When Alice arrives and Mindy shows her the cellar, there isn’t a trace of any 'monster', further convincing the viewer that it is all in Mindy’s head. Which it might be!

We eventually reach the finale, which is quite surprising in many ways. We find out what is real, what is imagined or hallucinated and what exists in people’s minds as a result of trauma and maternal abuse. That’s all you’re getting from me - no more spoilers! You can jolly well work out the deeper meanings for yourself (it’s on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and others in the UK), originally a Shudder production.

It can be gory at times, but not excessively so. The tension, atmosphere and the expectation of what’s round the corner provide much of the entertainment’s strength. It is very well acted, especially by Krsy Fox, and beautifully shot with interesting cinematography throughout. The set is perfect for the job - a creaky, old-style house with old-fashioned decor and furnishings. It all comes together very nicely - just don't get up too soon, as there are some mid-credits scenes which further tease and explain the plot! Enjoy.

The Lure (2015)

I don't think I have ever been quite so confused, lost or surprised by a film as I was while watching this one! Apparently, it is a "Mermaid Horror Musical" - and a Polish one at that. I had no idea it was a musical at the outset, but I got stuck in anyway, with my only option being English subtitles to try and keep up. Perhaps I would have fared better with a dubbed version, though the original songs have a haunting quality that might have been lost, I guess.

The film is totally surreal. The story begins with two mermaid sisters popping out of the water in 1980s Warsaw while a rock band (which ends up feeling more like punk to me) is playing on the beach. Fascinated by the scene and tired of the dark, cold water, they are drawn to the 'human' world they discover there.

The sisters are named Golden and Silver. They both seem to fall for the band's bassist, Mietek, and follow the group to a nightclub/strip joint. They are eventually hired as a novelty act after the owners discover that contact with water gives them each a massive tail. When they dry off, the tails disappear (unless they purposely keep them wet) and they appear to have human legs. Curiously, they lack genitalia or bums, even when their 'legs' are visible.

But these are certainly not My Little Mermaid creatures! They are nasty predators - presumably what kept them alive in the sea. They are human-eaters (anthropophagous - I had to look that up) with vampire-like sharp teeth and a craving for blood. However, they find themselves in conflict because they want to mix with, and eventually become, humans rather than eat them. Well, at least for the time being! While Silver falls in love with Mietek and dreams of a human life with him, the cynical Golden sticks to her nature. Irritated that her sister is drifting away, Golden wanders about bumping off and eating the odd human here and there!

Then comes the catch - the mythical law of the sea dictates that if a mermaid falls in love with a human and that human marries someone else, the mermaid must eat him by dawn or she will turn into sea foam! Furthermore, if a mermaid has her tail surgically removed, she loses her voice. It is all very complicated - thank goodness for the research of others, from whom I could learn and verify these details!

Spoilers ahead now

Silver undergoes gruesome surgery to replace her tail with human legs, using a donor who happened to die in a local hospital. However, after all that trouble, Mietek rejects her anyway as he can't stop seeing her as a fish rather than a woman - even with her new legs. He legs it (pun intended) and swiftly marries someone else! So now we can guess what's going to happen - the aforementioned law comes into play and Silver must eat him or turn to sea foam!

Throughout this, Golden lurks in the background, trying to convince Silver to eat Mietek to save her own life and return to the sea with her. Silver refuses because she is so head-over-heels in love with him, regardless of his treatment of her. As you might imagine, the outcome is tragic - Silver dissolves into sea foam in Mietek's arms during a final embrace on his wedding night. Enraged, Golden rips his throat out anyway before heading back to the waves alone!

Director Agnieszka Smoczyńska apparently used the mermaids as a metaphor for immigrants, outsiders, and the female experience in 1980s Poland. Just before the fall of Communism, these figures were exploited for their bodies in nightclubs and controlled by powerful men, expected to change themselves just to fit in. This reflected the director's own childhood, growing up amidst similar backdrops.

It made me wonder though whether or not a mermaid be a cannibal. Apparently they are not actually mermaids but Sirens from Slavic and Greek mythology, who were often bloodthirsty. So by eating humans, they aren't committing cannibalism in a biological sense (as they aren't human), but they represent the predatory nature of desire. They consume what they love. The hunger - physical, sexual and emotional - is ever-present. The film throws out Disney ideals and reminds the viewer that in original folklore, these creatures were maneaters!

The music leaps between genres - head-banging rock, punk and orchestral arrangements. It plays out like a classic musical, with characters frequently breaking into song left, right and centre - reminiscent of The Sound of Music, but with far more posturing and grunge. It feels like a rock-horror (maybe in the vein of The Rocky Horror Picture Show) and is, in that respect, an ambitious project. I do wish I understood Polish, as I think I may have connected with it better - or perhaps a well-executed English dub would have helped.

Ultimately, I quite enjoyed it. The gruesome violence was striking and there is a fair amount of nudity, as Golden and Silver are bare-chested whenever their tails are present. There are a few sex scenes, but the focus remains primarily on the blood and gore. It is a truly interesting watch. Hopefully my notes and research here will help you avoid getting as lost as I was at the outset and during most of it!

Spring (2014)

This is one interesting film which I only just got round to seeing. It's hard to lock down the genre really, as there's so much going on in there! I'll start with romance, then horror, body horror, thriller, and finally drama, I think! It's probably going to be hard to write this without spoilers, so I suggest you watch it first then see if you agree!

It’s easy to get lost in the film because the central mystery is well hidden for quite a long time. In fact, it starts really slowly as we get to know Evan, a young American man, at home, caring for his mum in her last days with cancer. We stay with him through a short but moving scene as she passes away. Cut to the wake, where Evan is goaded by a local lout and ends up attacking him. He's filled with grief, having also lost his dad previously, and is now being hounded by the cops (presumably for GBH), so he does a runner! He gets on a plane, quick, and heads away from the USA. He doesn't care where, but it happens to be Italy.

When he gets there, a coastal resort, he buddies up with some British louts, gets drunk a lot, and behaves obnoxiously with them, but eventually they head for Holland, so he's there alone. During this time, he bumps into the pretty Louise. He chases her. She's coy - doesn't much want to get involved - but he's insistent and driven. So she dates him. And sleeps with him.

She's a genetics student, free-spirited, open-minded and he can feel himself falling for her very quickly in the week we spend with the pair - whirlwind romantic stuff aplenty. However, all is not quite what it seems, as Evan finds a syringe on her bathroom floor and assumes that maybe she's a junkie. He confronts her. She explains it away, saying that she has a skin condition which makes it hard for her to be in the sun - and this serum helps her to get round it, basically. I guess you can see where this is going already!

Spoilers from here!

We start to see Louise acting strangely. She injects herself with this mysterious chemical, her skin kind of shifts and cracks - and she disappears at night to prey on local animals (and on one occasion, a tourist)! Eventually, Evan walks in on her mid-transformation into some octopus-like monster/creature with tentacles and tails. When he's (very quickly) put two and two together (instead of legging it and never returning), he gives her one of her injections (which is lying around on the floor). She recovers (returns to a human form) and he starts to quiz her as to WTF is going on. As you would. If you hadn't legged it!

This is honestly where I got a bit lost as to what Louise is. It seems that she's about 2,000 years old, born in the Roman era, but not a vampire (though she behaves like one sometimes, drinking blood), nor a werewolf (though she behaves like one sometimes, transforming like something from the set of An American Werewolf in London), but apparently she's an "immortal evolutionary anomaly". Turns out that, when she eventually explains herself to Evan, every 20 years her body undergoes some sort of violent 'reset' as her cells mutate uncontrollably, mimicking various stages of evolution (claws, tentacles, scales, etc.). It's all very imaginative!

In order to survive this mutation and another 20 years, she must get herself pregnant. Her body then uses the embryonic stem cells to regenerate her organs and skin. However, this process usually results in her 'birthing' herself and losing her previous identity or simply consuming the genetic material to restart. Yes, I had to look all this up as, by this stage, I was even more lost!

The finale of the film involves a dilemma for her, as she knows that she can stay semi-immortal and remain a monster but can't really love anyone or change. However, if she falls in love (which she never has done up to now, avoiding it), she can become mortal again and live out a life from 20 naturally. So you can imagine what the ending is going to be like. She either falls in love with Evan and does the latter, or doesn't, transforms, and consumes him! I won't spoil the outcome of that for you!

It's all good fun with Justin Benson (Resolution) in charge of the very capable, engaging and convincing Lou Taylor Pucci (Evan) and Nadia Hilker (Louise). The scenery looks after and speaks for itself - gorgeous land and seascapes of a lovely, culturally-rich Italian village and bay. The special effects are sparse in relation to the runtime of nearly two hours, but when they come, they are done very well, as I watched a little wider-eyed than I had been! The story is clearly bonkers, but it's injected with some humour here and there and holds together very nicely. Well worth a watch if you haven't beaten me to it.

The Surfer (2024) - A Guest Review by Adrian Brain

“Nicolas Cage is The Surfer” announce the opening credits, as his character doesn't have a name in the movie - the first sign that there is more to this trippy psychological drama than first appears. It is also very funny, in no small part due to Cage who knows exactly what he is doing and how to carry the audience along with him. It's impossible to imagine an actor who could have topped this performance.

The Surfer, clearly a wealthy businessman, takes his son for a surf at an idyllic coastal spot where The Surfer grew up. His ulterior motive is to point out a house overlooking the bay that he is going to buy, in a last attempt to keep his disintegrating family together. Approaching the sea, The Surfer and son meet a group of young men who have the mantra “don't live here, don't surf here” and aren't above violence to enforce this. They are led by Scally (Julian McMahon, absolutely superb in his last film), seemingly the antithesis of The Surfer. The son leaves and the drama unfolds in the single setting of the beach and the nearby car park. It is an oft' told tale of a man being stripped back to basics, but with a twist.

I wish I'd seen this at the cinema when it was released; the visual style is super-vivid with saturated colours. Flashbacks (premonitions?) have an ethereal feel to them, with a stylised 50s style fairground soundtrack. The writing & screenplay are equally precise in intent with a few spots of deliberate ambiguity, giving the film unexpected depth.

The main thrust of the film is toxic masculinity and reliance on property and possessions for happiness. It succeeds because you can enjoy it as a story, taking its presentation literally. However, there are multiple levels you can read into the film.

I've seen reviews that read Dostoyevski and Kafka into this, but it strikes me as being closer to one of JG Ballard's novels where the central character subconsciously undermines their very existence in order to find a way forward in life. Either way, I loved this, I can understand the criticisms, but it is right up my street and highly recommended. Eat the rat!

Rumpelstiltskin (1995)

When we were kids in the 1960s, one of our favourite Ladybird books kicking about the house was Rumpelstiltskin. I'm not sure if such a nasty, dark tale was fit for toddlers, but it seems that rules about that stuff were different back then. No wonder I'm screwed up! With the passing of Mark Jones (Leprechaun) this week, I thought I'd revisit his film on the topic, as he reimagined the so-called fairy tale.

The film's take on the story starts with a brief visit to the 15th century, when the foul-mouthed, hunchbacked, ugly creature Rumpelstiltskin had done the deal for the miller's daughter. He spun her gold, but she squelched on the deal, refusing to give him her first-born child. Things turn nasty and various dubious 'middle-ages' characters and witches give him the bum's rush out of town, eventually putting a curse on him which seals him up in a green stone figurine. He is to stay there forever - or until someone makes a wish on it. They chuck it into the sea.

Move forward to the present day (well, 1995 I guess) and the figurine turns up, unexplainedly, in a dark, back-alley curiosities shop of sorts in Los Angeles. Shelley Stewart, a young widow whose police officer husband was recently killed in the line of duty, visits the shop with her friend. She finds the strange figurine and, in a moment of grief, wishes for her husband to come back just one more time.

The wish triggers the release of Rumpelstiltskin. He appears, looking like a rotting, leather-clad version of the fairy tale character, and fulfils the wish - but with a cruel twist. Her husband briefly "returns" as himself, cons her into a night of sex, then - having had his wicked way with her - turns back into the dreaded creature, demanding his payment - her newborn baby!

The rest of the film plays out as a high-stakes chase as Shelley flees with her brat, aided by an eccentric TV show host named Max (no, really) who happened to be passing when her car broke down. Rumpelstiltskin quickly learns how to expertly ride a motorbike, then a huge lorry, as the film briefly turns into something of a Duel (1971) outing! He uses his supernatural strength and dark magic to kill anyone who gets in his way, including several police officers and bystanders.

Shelley discovers that the only way to defeat the creature is the same way he was defeated in the original tale (she and her friend rediscover the story in a book), by knowing his name. However, in this Mark Jones version, simply saying it isn't enough - he's also got to be physically destroyed while his name is spoken! You can probably imagine the outcome as the chase continues - chaos, destruction with blood and gore in its wake.

Mark Jones’ stuff often blurs the line between the terrifying and the absurd, creating a specific horror schtick that is interesting, for sure! This one is available now on various streaming services, along with the whole Leprechaun series and the likes of his Quiet Kill (2004), Triloquist (2008) and Scorned (2013). The distinctive-looking (even before makeup) Max Grodénchik (Deep Space Nine) plays the titular star, the very pretty American TV evergreen Kim Johnston Ulrich plays Shelley, Tommy Blaze is Max and Allyce Beasley (Moonlighting) is Shelley's friend, Hildy. Oh, and watch out for the gypsy woman played by 3rd Rock from the Sun’s Mrs Dubcek, Elmarie Wendel!

It's all good fun, tongue firmly in cheek throughout. It's not a fairy tale for kids (even if the dubious original was) and it's all here for the audience to have a laugh with. Once again - Friday night, beers, popcorn! Enjoy - and spare a nod to the late Mr Jones.

VTech VM3250 Video Monitor

I have tried a Tapo C210 2K 3MP security camera and it works fine, but for my needs, it’s a little OTT. I really don’t need it clogging up my network and tying up a phone screen just to see who is creeping up on me as I sit at my workstation! So, I went the simple and cheap route, tracking down a monitor and camera that most people would buy to watch their brat sleeping.

The setup I have is a workstation in a room with only one window, and that points the wrong way to see what’s going on out front leading to my door. I realise that if I had the Tapo unit, I’d be able to monitor the camera from Istanbul (assuming the network stays alive), but I really can't imagine a world in which I’m likely to leave my country, let alone my town - or even my neighbourhood, actually!

I wanted an always-on screen on my desk, powered, using its own network (not mine), with a camera at the other end. It doesn’t even need to function at night, really, as my curtains will be drawn. I just want to be able to see who is coming and whether or not I want to pretend to be out! No, not really - but you know what I mean. If the plumber or a courier is due, I can keep an eye open while getting on with work, instead of constantly leaping up to look or listening for knocks.

All of which, yes, can be achieved with "Alexa this", "TP-Link that" or "Home Network the other" for those who have one set up. Well, I don’t, and I’m not really interested, to be honest. I had a smart plug on a light a while back but concluded that I could easily just use the wall switch - or reach across and turn a lamp on in the traditional way. You remember? When humans had legs and arms! Besides, I don’t know how much bandwidth is being taken from my router - and it won't work if the router goes down or there's an outage.

So, enter the baby monitor! Which one to get, though? I asked Gemini. She led me through a merry dance starting at £300, but we ended up with this one for £38. Exploring it with her showed that this cheap’n’cheerful model was all that was needed - and it was. It does the job perfectly, with some extra features I doubt I’ll ever use.

The camera plugs into the mains via its own proprietary cable (which is a bit of a shame), whereas the mothership unit with the screen uses USB-C. It can be used plugged in and always charging (as I do), or via the built-in battery - presumably for parents of said brats so they can move from kitchen to lounge and still see their horror snoozing. Apparently, the 2,600mAh battery will last for up to 19 hours of video monitoring or 29 hours of audio if you shut off the screen.

The camera has a microphone and the base unit has a speaker on the back. In fact, the camera also has a speaker so people can (presumably) sing sickly lullabies from the screened unit to the little blighter if they’re too pissed to get off the sofa!

Press and hold the "Talk" button on the base unit and it works on-the-fly. Let go and it cuts off - so no embarrassing bedroom antics can be heard by the babysitter, after she decides to stay the night after all! There are two volume buttons on the top edge to adjust the speaker but it is decidedly tinny at both ends. In the absence of a naughty toddler, I played some music next to the camera and it continued perfectly when I pressed the LCD on/off button.

The screen is a baseline, functional colour LCD - no (need for a) pretty OLED here. It's 320 x 240 pixels and just 2.8" diagonally. The camera sits on a ball-joint for positioning and holds well - you can also wall-mount it if needed. There is a zoom button on the base unit which provides an instant 2x digital zoom, which comes with the inevitable loss of quality (which thankfully avoids parents getting too close to snotty-nosed kids in high definition), but it works fine for my purposes - zooming in to see the colour of a car more clearly, for example.

The screen provides a temperature readout from a sensor in the camera, adding fuel to my fire, being obsessed with the climate! There’s also a battery icon with "growing" bars as it charges. The camera has an LED and light sensor on the front which, when dark enough, switches the camera to Night Vision (low-light black and white) which works well and the IR stuff does the job for a view in totally dark (to the human eye) conditions.

But back to my usage and there is a problem pointing the camera out of a window at night (even from a dark room), as the LED and IR sensors reflect horribly on the glass, making it unusable in my tests. Strategic use of black tape over the sensors would cut out the LED, but the IR sensors are in a large circle, so you’d have to cut a ring with a hole in the middle for the lens. Fortunately, I don’t need it when it’s dark outside. It’s not a "security camera" as such - rather a "see who is coming" one.

There’s a very clunky menu system with cursor keys and a "Select" button. You can control the screen brightness and a screen-off timer (to save power) which has a maximum timeout of 60 minutes. That’s enough for me, as I can just tap a button to start another hour. For parents, the microphone continues to work when the screen is timed out, so it’s "audio-safe". There is also a VOX (voice-activated) mode where the screen triggers at a certain noise level. Finally, there is a temperature alert and a mode that plays "relaxing" sounds like waves on a shore or tunes - again, if you can’t be arsed to get up!

There’s a lot to like here, for my purposes at least. You can, of course, pay much more than £38 for better features, but for my use, it’s perfect. No recording needed - just a simple, well, baby, monitor - with no sprogs in sight. Hurrah! Here's my Amazon Affiliate Link if you want to buy one and help me out with a few pennies in the process. Thanks.

Cannibal Mukbang (2023)

I must have led a sheltered life, having not heard of the term "Mukbang". Apparently, it’s a thing (especially in South Korea) where people live-stream videos of themselves eating large quantities of food while talking to their audience. Really? What will they think of next?! Anyway, this film by director/writer Aimee Kuge adds a twist to this - as you can see from the title - introducing a cannibalistic edge. "An exploration of one’s relationships with food, sexuality, and revenge" goes the tagline. "How far would you go in the name of love?"

The story centres on Mark (Nate Wise), a man who defines 'shy and quiet'. A clumsy, awkward customer service agent by day, Mark spends his nights retreating into the digital safety of horror films and Mukbang videos. His stagnant life is violently interrupted when he is struck by a car in a convenience store car park, having just 'eyed-up' Ash inside.

It turns out that Ash (April Consalo) is the driver. A manic, free-spirited redhead who, at first (and second) glance, reminds me very much of a young Tori Amos! Mark is knocked unconscious, but rather than calling an ambulance, she takes him home to nurse him back to health. What follows is a whirlwind romance that feels surprisingly tender - until the fridge is opened!

Mark soon discovers that Ash is a minor internet celebrity who has taken the Mukbang trend to its most literal, lethal conclusion. She doesn’t just eat for the camera, she hunts! Positioning herself as a female kind of Dexter, Ash targets the scumbags of society - predators, abusers, and misogynists - transforming her energy into vigilantism. But unlike Dexter, she doesn’t stop at just the kill!

The chemistry between the two leads is worthy of note, as we see the story unfold from both of their perspectives, moral standpoints, and - in his case - initial shock and horror. We watch as she draws him in and they fall in love. He clearly wants to please her, even if he doesn't quite understand his own growing acceptance of her lifestyle. She shows him the life she has chosen and he slowly adopts it, both to be with her and to transform himself from a wimp into a confident person.

There is plenty of graphic violence on show as the kills progress, along with strong language, some nudity and one sex scene which finally bonds their connection and signals his total acceptance. Despite the gore, the film isn't really scary. It’s more of a dark comedy, often with the meat cleaver doing good service! There is a local subplot involving a serial killer on the loose - it isn’t Ash, but rather someone she would very much like to get onto her table, as Dex would say!

At 1 hour and 44 minutes long, the third quarter does drag a bit, mostly during the relationship and background segments where we discover their respective origins. However, there is one glaringly significant factor about Mark throughout the film which is explained, but certainly not made the most of as a feature or development point. Mark is also very close to his brother, which causes significant problems later in the story.

The cinematography and sets are very colourful, often feeling like a surreal 1960s Andy Warhol outing during the various dream sequences. April Consalo’s performance is great—very convincing and enjoyable to watch. She is a bright and confident actress. Nate Wise is not far behind, though his role doesn’t quite allow him the same scope and flair.

If you fancy some graphic violence and 'female rage' themes, this is a real treat. It reminded me not only of Dexter but also Fresh (2022) and May (2002). Aimee Kuge has done well with her debut, blending dark romantic comedy with blood, guts and gore. Great fun and highly recommended. It is now available on several streaming services here in the UK.

Phone Memory Cards and Audio Jacks in 2026

There was a tech journo writing today about not missing 3.5mm audio-out sockets on phones on ‘makeuseof’, and then leaning into microSD cards and notification sliders. I never did much care about the latter, but the first two - well, we’ve banged on for years on PSC about how great it is to have them both. However, I have to admit that whenever I get my SIM card into a Sony Xperia phone here, I smile at the 3.5mm audio-out socket and dutifully put my 1TB microSD card into the slot. And then - I realise when I switch to another phone - I have not used either of them once!

I guess for some it’s a ‘nice to have rather than not’, but in today’s super-connected world and with staggeringly good Bluetooth, I wonder just how many people actually still need these things, as the journo has concluded. As for 3.5mm head/earphones, I’m really not audiophile enough to gain any advantage from a physical jack option - and I’d wager that 90% of Xperia (and other phones which claim to have great audio from the jack) users plug in gear that can’t make use of it anyway. Don’t get me wrong - it’s great tinkering fun to see it all work - but in the real world, it’s more likely to annoy by catching cables on door handles or tripping over them, crashing the phone to the floor when going to put the kettle on, than it is of any real use!

Of course, there will be niche cases and people who can and do appreciate the difference - and do have top-notch quality gear that works beautifully in tandem - but it feels like they will be a huge minority. Plugging it into a speaker maybe - well, OK, same applies really - great tinkering fun and nostalgia, but real-world? Of course, everyone is using Bluetooth - and BT on an Xperia phone (and most others now) is staggeringly reliable and good with a long range (usually) that will get you way past the kitchen kettle and most likely to the end of your long, long garden!

Moving away from Xperia, the chap argues that given the quality of one’s phone’s inbuilt DAC, the volume coming out of the 3.5mm jack might not be that high either. "If you like to use high-impedance headphones or quality IEMs, you'll find that the stock headphone audio-out doesn't have the power needed to reach their full potential. Additionally, since Android downsamples hi-res audio files played out of an inbuilt headphone jack, you're missing out on the best quality if you use it. Android often defaults to 48kHz resampling for hi-res audio files played through a default device output, which is higher than CD quality. However, if you want to play files up to 192kHz/24-bit at their full quality, you'll need an external USB DAC. So, despite having a 3.5mm audio-out right there on my phone, I found myself choosing to plug in a USB-C DAC instead" he said. I’m not smart (or audiophile) enough to know if all that is true, but he seems to know what he’s on about!

So then we come to the microSD card function. I live in a world where Plex is my friend. When I’m at home or out and about, as long as my router is on at base, I can just stream whatever I want, wherever I am. Anything from my 16TB HDD. So when do I ever need a microSD memory card? Well, for me and my life, never! But, again, there are people who live in dodgy connection zones or travel through them, and I guess that could impact their life if they can't get to essential files they need for their presentation the next morning. The other point, though, is that baseline storage on phones is going up and appears to be peaking generally, at least out of China, at 512GB now. And that’s surely plenty of movie/TV/music space for anyone planning a night away - or just having it there in case.

But then I suppose if you don’t have it (and/or you haven’t planned ahead for some kooky reason) you could always do something to pass the time. Like going for a pint. Or chatting with another human being. Anyway, the point is that I tend to agree on this based on my behaviour. Not once (beyond testing for reviews) probably in the last 5 years have I actually used data on a microSD card, nor plugged anything into a 3.5mm audio jack! Maybe you’re different.

Downrange (2017)

Ryûhei Kitamura’s 2018 survival thriller Downrange is a bloody exercise in tension. Clocking in at a lean 90 minutes, the time passes quickly. It is genuinely tense in places, with some truly grisly special effects thrown in for good measure. Originally a Shudder production, it is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video as well.

The setup is simple - a group of annoying American college students, all strangers to one another, are carpooling across a remote stretch of country road when they suffer a tyre blowout. As they clamber out to divide the labour of fitting the spare, the young man taking the lead discovers a bullet falling out of the shredded rubber of the old one. The tyre hasn't just burst, it has been shot!

A sniper is hidden in the trees, picking them off one by one before they can even comprehend the situation. Eventually, the survivors shift into desperate survival mode, huddled behind their vehicle - the only barrier they believe the bullets cannot penetrate. They manage to pinpoint his location and even record video footage of his nest in a tree, but the power dynamic remains firmly in the gunman's favour.

Inevitably, there is little to no mobile phone signal! The only spot where a bars-of-service icon appears is just out of reach, beyond the safety of the car. We spend the majority of the film watching the group’s numbers dwindle as they try to outwit the sniper, while he pounces on every mistake they make.

The film is excellently paced, thrusting us into the action within the first five minutes. There is no time for deep character development, which I think actually benefits the film. We don’t really need to hear about their whining backgrounds - though the script does meander there briefly at one point - as that isn't what this dastardly thriller is about! It is pure terror for terror’s sake.

Director Kitamura (The Midnight Meat Train) successfully creates a sense of claustrophobia within a wide-open space by frequently tightening the frame. The camera often swirls and glides around the car, mimicking the predatory gaze of the sniper or the disorientation of the victims. These creative angles give the film an energy that sets it apart from typical low-budget thrillers.

Many of the decisions taken by the teens are irrational, though one could argue that panic and uncontrolled anxiety would lead to such lapses in judgement. Nonetheless, they are incredibly grating! To be honest, I found myself rooting for the sniper! This lack of sympathy is exacerbated by the (unknown to me) cast's acting, which is unfortunately not top notch. It is frequently wooden across the board, reaching a point where the viewer ceases to care who lives or dies!

The script is functional but lacks any real depth, and the music is equally unremarkable - generic filler that fails to elevate the sense of dread. However, as noted, the film is unapologetically gory. There is splatter aplenty and the practical effects are impressive enough. Heads explode, limbs are shredded and the camera lingers on the carnage often!

Without spoiling the ending, the film’s strength lies in the process - the sustained tension and the stress of the situation. By keeping the sniper’s identity and motives hidden throughout the stress of the situation, the film keeps you on the edge of your seat as it hurtles towards the grizzly finale. While it won't win any awards for its screenplay or acting, Downrange is an entertaining, fast-paced exercise in thrills, fake blood and smart cinematography. It certainly gets a pass from me.

Sisu (2022) and Sisu: Road to Revenge (2025)

These two completely bonkers films are super gory, in-your-face adventure yarns as we follow the unlikely antics of Finnish resident Aatami Korpi. The first one is set at the end of WWII as his foe is the Nazi army retreating to Germany in 1944. The second is set in 1946, after the dust has settled to some degree, but this time he’s up against the Russians. The feel of the films is much like that of Blood & Gold (2023), which I reviewed previously on my blog.

Sisu (2022)

Korpi is a former Finnish commando who lost his home and family to the Soviets during the Winter War. Seeking peace, he retreats to the Lapland wilderness to pan for gold. He strikes a massive vein, but to cash it in, he must travel over 500 miles to Helsinki through territory currently being scorched by retreating Nazi forces.

He first encounters a small Nazi scout unit. They dismiss him as a pathetic old man until they find his gold. When they attempt to execute him, Aatami kills them with terrifying efficiency, stabbing one through the skull and using their own weapons against them. This alerts SS Obersturmführer Bruno Helldorf, who decides to abandon his retreat to steal the gold, seeing it as his "retirement fund" now that the Nazis are losing the war.

The Nazis discover that he’s a legendary commando nicknamed "Koschei" (The Immortal) by the Russians after he killed over 300 soldiers to avenge his family. They are after him big time now, and it’s up to him to survive. Even though the Nazi soldiers use all sorts of tactics and methods - hanging, drowning, and more - he constantly scrapes through by the skin of his teeth!

The action is bloody and gory with little left to the imagination. Our hero executes all sorts of "Superman" actions to get out of trouble, seeking only to be left in peace to deposit his gold! It turns into something of an Indiana Jones-style outing - for example, hitching a ride on a plane, explosions galore and ending up in a swamp. Great fun. Very silly!

Sisu: Road to Revenge (2025)

In the second one, which is now rolling out to streaming services, Korpi returns to his old home in Karelia (now ceded to Russia). He plans to dismantle his family’s house beam by beam and move it back onto Finnish soil. However, the KGB releases Igor Draganov - the Red Army officer who specifically murdered his wife and sons - to hunt him down.

Draganov taunts our hero, revealing he remembers his sons’ deaths vividly, which fuels his "Sisu" (unbreakable will) to a new level. The film features a Mad Max-style chase where he uses a truck to fight off motorcycles, tanks and even a fighter plane! In one scene, he uses a truck cargo strap to create a ramp that causes a plane to crash.

The final showdown takes place on a Soviet train. After a brutal hand-to-hand fight where he is nearly beaten, he manages to make use of a ballistic missile mounted on the train to attempt his escape. Again, it is all bonkers - but fun, it is. We’re treated to even more blood, guts and gore in this even less likely adventure - and all he wants to do is to get his family home back over the (new) Finnish border!

I think the second is, yes, more nuts than the first, but if you enjoy high-octane action and are happy to let your imagination wander, it is a lot of fun. Both of them. Friday night. Few beers. You’ll love it! Jorma Tommila plays the beef mountain at the centre of our two stories, and Jalmari Helander is directing clearly with tongue firmly in cheek! There’s very little not to like here, so get stuck in, I say!