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Alex's Weekly Film Blog - 15th August

I often go to the cinema at strange times, so it was a surprise to see a packed screen for Twisters on Tuesday night. Mrs C gave it five stars, and I don't disagree with that. It stood up to a second viewing very well. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell spark off each other well.

I was lucky enough to catch a preview of Cuckoo this week, and it's seriously bananas. Set at a remote resort in the German Alps, it's a chilling, freaky film that features a committed performance by Hunter Schafer. The doors have to be locked at 10pm, and it emerges the whole place is rather tapped. The sound heard at night reminded me a little bit of 'that' noise in The Grudge, and whilst the plot was a bit scattergun to say the least, this didn't detract from my enjoyment a great deal. The scene where Gretchen is cycling through the woods is seriously creepy, and the woman pursuing her is actually terrifying. I imagine she might feature at a few Hallowe'en parties this year! Definitely worth a whirl. Not the scariest film you'll ever see, but it will send a few shivers down the spine. It starts off slowly, but your patience will reward you.

Trap is set in a building that reminded me a bit of Sheffield Arena, at a Lady Raven concert (guessing Lady Gaga was busy filming the new Joker movie). It turns out the whole gig is an elaborate cat and mouse plot to ensnare a serial killer known as 'The Butcher'. A loose-lipped security guard lets the cat out of the bag to Josh Hartnett's character, who just happens to be the wanted man! There are some nice flourishes of humour amongst the jeopardy, the soundtrack is good, and there's a lot more to this film than the trailer might suggest. Worth a go.

Borderlands is pretty atrocious, in all honesty. Based on a video game, and it shows, with endless scenes of mindless shooting and clunky dialogue. There were some enjoyable wisecracks from Jack Black's sarcastic robot, but it's not a Cate Blanchett classic, that's for sure. I watched it in the IMAX screen, and still managed a micro-nap! I don't like to trash films unless they are really terrible, but I'm afraid this one fits the bill. Certainly not worth paying to watch. The plot involves some keys, an evil corporation trying to unlock the power they hold, and lots of exploding teddy bears. You'd be better off catching up on some sleep like I did.

And whilst Deadpool & Wolverine contained a few too many in-jokes, it was good fun, especially in 3D. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman make for a fun combination, and it harks back to a time when superhero movies were a lot better and less saturated. Marvel and sequels do get a bit wearing after a while.

More from Alex Cann's Weekly Film Blog

  • Alex's Weekly Film Blog - 31st October

    With it being Halloween week, it's worth mentioning that horror has had a rather lucrative year at the cinema, with movies such as The Substance, Terrifier 3 and Smile 2 all delighting audiences and smashing their budgets at the box office.

  • Alex's Weekly Film Blog – 24th October

    As we’re firmly in spooky season, there’s been a lot of horror doing the rounds lately, and Smile 2 isn’t a bad sequel to the original, which had its terrestrial TV premiere last weekend.

  • Alex's Weekly Film Blog - 17th October

    There's often a debate about whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie. In my book, it absolutely is. It contains four Christmas songs in the soundtrack, the action takes place at a Christmas Eve office party, and both the director and scriptwriter say it is a festive movie.

  • Alex's Weekly Film Blog - 10th October

    I find myself at odds with most reviews I've read of Joker: Folie a Deux, as I thoroughly enjoyed it. As the latest edition of The Rest Is Entertainment points out, musicals are very difficult to market. Wonka and Mean Girls are recent examples of musicals where it was pretty well concealed in the trailers, until you went to see them and realised everyone was, er, singing.

  • Alex's Weekly Film Blog - 3rd October

    It's almost impossible to review The Substance without spoilers, but I'll try. It's grisly, bone-crunching, shockingly gory stuff, but what a performance from Demi Moore. This is possibly the most bananas movie I've ever seen, and Moore's finest hour in my book.

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