The Movie Diorama

The Haunting may have spooked the visual effects department. "The special effects will leave you terrified". Umm yeah, it sure did! That budget was off the chain! $80,000,000!? Granted they've aged beautifully like a fine ghostly wine and actually... Read the full review »

Wish Upon made me wish this film knew what it wanted to be. A feeble attempt at a horror? An unintentional comedy? Or perhaps a subtle drama about addiction? Either way, it's an incredibly unfocused flick that bounces genre tropes around more freq... Read the full review »

Mamá hosts the most peculiar looking mother ever. Open your eyes kids! No innocent mother would open up her crusty arms and tilt her body in an unspeakable shape, rapidly looming in for a hug. None! Muschietti manages to build enough tension with... Read the full review »

Hostel may have squandered Slovakia's tourism industry for quite some time. The self-titled "torture porn" sub-genre is not one I particularly enjoy. I acknowledge its merits and its appeal to those who just adore mutilation and hanging eyeballs,... Read the full review »

My Soul To Take grabbed my spirit, repeatedly slashed it and left it to percolate fake blood. A five year hiatus for the late Wes Craven since his previous directorial efforts, and he came up with this? I could hear whispers communicating with my... Read the full review »

The Skeleton Key unlocks a door into the mysterious world of Hoodoo. Who do? You do. Marketed as a supernatural horror, I advise going into this without that presumption. This is very much a mystery thriller, accompanied by the occasional jump sca... Read the full review »

Nosferatu really is a symphony of expressionistic horror. In what is one of the more influential films from the German expressionist movement, this unauthorised adaptation of Stoker's beloved 'Dracula' has really stood the test of time. Murnau cra... Read the full review »

The Blair Witch Project will have you become lost in your own boredom. The horror that popularised the "found footage" sub-genre (some would even say pioneer), gave way to future ultra low-budgeted features and proved that you don't need elaborate... Read the full review »

The Master is a masterpiece. I'm just going to get that out of the way. This is Paul Thomas Anderson's best film (from what I've seen). Yes, better than 'There Will Be Blood' and you're damn right it has the edge over 'Phantom Thread'. Wow. Never... Read the full review »

Die Hard 2 packs twice as much action but falls harder than a plane nosediving. No explanations are required to illustrate how outstanding the original 'Die Hard' is, with many claiming it to be the greatest 80s action film ever. With such big box... Read the full review »

Suburbicon is densely packed housing various underdeveloped themes. A screenplay written by the Coen Brothers, a talented Clooney as director, a cast of well established actors and an environment that exhumes potential. All I've got to say on the... Read the full review »

This Is It really was it for Michael Jackson. Dark joke aside, MJ's 'This Is It' comeback was the concert to end all concerts. Astronomical production values, from visual effects to elaborate staging, that encapsulate some of the greatest hits fro... Read the full review »

Trainwreck wasn't a complete crash, but did derail from its comedic tracks. Look, I like comedies. Laughing, smiling or even rolling on the floor in stitches. It's a beautifully contagious emotion, allowing you to forget about your woes. So, once... Read the full review »

Knick Knack lacks the warmth that made Lasseter's previous shorts memorable. After winning the Academy Award with 'Tin Toy', Pixar continued experimenting with its, at the time, genre capabilities. This time dabbling into pure visual comedy, remin... Read the full review »

Hard Candy crunches down on sweet castration but isn't exactly hard to watch. For some reason unbeknown to me, I like uncomfortable thrillers. Those select few films that make your skin crawl, either due to excessive scenes of torture or the distu... Read the full review »

Wanted enjoyably hyper-stylises its action but is plagued with an infestation of underdeveloped plot points. Stylisation can be used to enhance many aspects of a film. The cinematography, sound design or even acting. In this case, it is "balls-to-... Read the full review »