Film Review – Cold Storage

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , on March 11, 2026 by Reel Review Roundup

Cold Storage (MA)

Directed by: Jonny Campbell

Starring: Joe Keery, Liam Neeson, Georgina Campbell

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Review by: Julian Wright

A deadly fungus, exploding bodies, vomiting animals, tongue in cheek humour – all the right ingredients for a fun, schlocky B-grade ride.

But the storage is not the only thing that is chilly with this comedy/horror.

When a section of a space station crashes back to Earth in an isolated Western Australian town, the deadly green fungus it is carrying escapes and wreaks havoc on the handful of residents, turning them into blood-spewing zombie-like creatures that explode.

The spread is contained by Pentagon bioterror operatives Robert Quinn (Liam Neeson) and Trini Romano (Lesley Manville), and a sample of the fungus is locked up in an underground government storage facility in Kansas – which is years later decommissioned and turned into a private self storage facility that is open 24 hours.

The night the fungus becomes active again (something about weather changes over the years re-activates it) and begins spreading via a cockroach, rat, cat and deer, two young staff Teacake (Joe Keery) and Naomi (Georgina Campbell) are on shift.

Teacake, desperate to keep his job (a parole requirement) and single mum Naomi have to survive the night of an infected ex, animals and looters – with the help of injured retiree Quinn.

Cold Storage opens with a promising and snappy prologue that suggests that we will be treated to the suspense, ick-factor and consistent giggles of Tremors, Slither or Drag Me To Hell, but it only partially delivers.

There is definitely all the ooey gooey bits that will make you squirm and the occasional chuckle, but they become fewer and further between as the plot becomes unnecessarily complicated for what is essentially mindless entertainment.

Additionally, once we get to the storage facility, we very rarely leave and it is not exactly the most thrilling environment to spend a schlocky B-grade ride – at least, director Jonny Campbell is limited in his ability to make it the nutty funhouse that it should be.

This isn’t to say that Cold Storage is a terrible film – there are things to like about it, it certainly has entertainment value and is never boring – it just doesn’t hit the spot like the previously mentioned schlockathons.

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Film Review – Wuthering Heights

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , on February 15, 2026 by Reel Review Roundup

Wuthering Heights (M)

Directed by: Emerald Fennell

Starring: Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, Hong Chau

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Review by: Julian Wright

Crank the aircon because cinema is heating up with a new (loose) adaptation of Wuthering Heights starring two of the hottest stars at the moment Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi going at it to a Charli xcx soundtrack.

In the 1770s, alcoholic Mr Earnshaw (Martin Clunes) takes a young homeless and illiterate boy into his care to live at his home on the Yorkshire moors.

Seems like a charitable move, but it is really so that his daughter Cathy can have a pet, who names him Heathcliff.

A close childhood bond develops into full-blown unexpressed love as the two grow up but bratty Cathy (Margot Robbie) yearns for stability, so she marries rich, loving neighbour Edgar (Shazad Latif) which prompts Heathcliff to leave in a huff without a trace.

Years later, Heathcliff returns, now rich and dignified, and he and Cathy have a passionate love affair, despite Cathy being pregnant by Edgar – which of course opens an entire can of worms and creates saucy drama.

Writer/director Emerald Fennell has created a steamy, fleshy, squelchy, tongue-filled adaptation of a literary classic.

This is so amusingly extra horny that Edgar is so dedicated to Cathy that he adorns her room with pink flesh toned wall complete with veins and freckles like her face.

From the director of Saltburn – that’s what you are in for here.

It is certainly a version we probably never thought we would see, and for that it is worth seeing for a couple of hot Aussies engaged in steamy trysts.

Fennell ups the ante in the later stages by making the novel’s sadomasochistic theme literal, but this shift in tone drains some of the mystery, fun and passion.

Otherwise, this is a handsomely made production with each frame a beautiful thing to witness on the big screen.

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Film Review – Pillion

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , , on February 8, 2026 by Reel Review Roundup

Pillion (R)

Directed by: Harry Lighton

Starring: Harry Melling, Alexander Skarsgård

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Review by: Julian Wright

Rom-coms are getting a much needed shake up at the moment.

Last year, Materialists treated all the whimsical tropes seriously, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey went full mind-bending mode and now Pillion kicks it up another notch with plenty of spice.

Colin (Harry Lighton) is a quiet small-town fellow whose only real social interactions is singing an in a capella group down at the local pub or the occasional blind date his parents have organised for him.

His love life is basically non-existent, until he has a brief dialogue-less encounter one evening at the pub with the tall, hunky, enigmatic, leather-clad biker Ray (Alexander Skarsgård).

Ray passes Colin a brief note with a time and place to meet the next night – which turns out to be a dark and dirty back alley for a quick sexual encounter which requires Colin to be on his knees and licking Ray’s boots.

Not exactly a meet-cute Colin expected but it sparks something in him – he likes it and so he enters into a relationship that puts the DS (domination/submission) in BDSM

There are no whips, chains or cuffs (head back to Fifty Shades of Grey for that stuff), instead, Colin sleeps on the floor, prepares Ray’s meals, does his chores and is his sexual trophy of sorts.

While Colin is discovering a new side to himself and being accepted into a welcoming community of fellow DS-ers, he realises that Ray is getting everything he wants out of this arrangement, but Colin, who begins to miss affection, is not.

How much should one compromise for the person they love?

Pillion is a beautifully performed, refreshing addition to the tired rom-com genre that challenges our idea of traditional romance.

It reinforces that every relationship is different and what works for one couple may not work for another.

As Ray says to Colin’s bewildered mother: “It’s not for you to understand.”

It treats this alternative lifestyle with respect and sensitivity, without shying away from what it can really look like and how erotic it can be, completely unafraid to (tastefully) depict certain acts and dynamics.

One group camping sequence may be confronting for those who have come to this film completely unfamiliar.

But Pillion is about much more than pulling back the curtain – it is also deeply moving (at times, your heart will ache for Colin) with gentle British humour that runs throughout.

Presumably, writers Harry Lighton (who also directs) and Adam Mars-Jones did not want to risk having a singular reason represent an entire community and so Pillion chooses not to dig too deep into the psychology behind why Ray or Colin indulge in this relationship.

So while some may still leave with one burning question left unanswered: what does the sub get out of this?, Pillion is otherwise a thought-provoking, thoroughly entertaining and deeply satisfying story.

Pillion screens as part of Perth Festival Lotterywest Films from February 9 – 15.

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Film Review – If I had Legs I’d Kick You

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , on November 14, 2025 by Reel Review Roundup

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (MA)

Directed by: Mary Bronstein

Starring: Rose Byrne, Conan O’Brien

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Review by: Julian Wright

Linda’s (Rose Byrne) life is utter chaos at the moment.

She is a full-time therapist, her young daughter is being fed through a tube into her stomach and needs constant medical attention, her husband Charles (Christian Slater) is working out of town, and the ceiling in their apartment has just collapsed forcing them to live in a motel.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Linda is barely keeping it together – she displays the patience of a saint around her demanding child, but at night she retreats with a bottle of wine and a joint to disassociate.

Not even her therapist/colleague (Conan O’Brien) seems equipped to help.

The first thing you might do after watching If I Had Legs…is book a holiday because it feels like you have been on this exhausting rollercoaster blur of life events with Linda.

Director Mary Bronstein keeps the level of hectic consistently high, keeping the viewer on the verge of a a panic attack.

Linda is juggling so many balls in the air, it is just a matter of time until something has to give, right?

It isn’t just that a lot of things are going on in a short period of time, we are feeling how this impacts a person and how they deal (or not deal) with it.

It is all so scarily relatable.

Rose Byrne is astounding, her frustration and desperation always just bubbling under the surface as the fatigue slowly sets in and her eyes get heavier.

Just keeping up the level of energy required to film this is impressive in itself, fortunately she is skilled enough to bring levels of nuance to the performance.

The trippy interludes around the giant hole in the ceiling are a slight detour that cements its arthouse cinema status and are not entirely necessary.

If I Had Legs I’d Kick you is highly recommended viewing.

Not recommended is watching this in a double feature with Die My Love – give the two some breathing room.

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Film Review – Die My Love

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , on November 14, 2025 by Reel Review Roundup

Die My Love (MA)

Directed by: Lynne Ramsay

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson, Sissy Spacek

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Review by: Julian Wright

The stifling nature of domesticity and a growing mental illness sends a young mother into a nightmarish spiral in the harrowing Die My Love.

When New York creatives Grace (Jennifer Lawrence) and Jack (Robert Pattinson) move into their inherited cottage in the middle of Montana, it is supposed to be a beautiful new chapter in their lives.

Grace becomes pregnant and the couple begin raising their son – except Jack mostly works away, leaving Grace alone with the baby, no family, friends, or neighbours.

As the isolation and writer’s block takes its toll, Grace’s behaviour becomes erratic – but soon it appears that it is something much deeper that is affecting her.

Grace goes through the gamut of emotions associated with new motherhood: fatigue, low self-esteem, isolation, but it is compounded with this new lifestyle change that does not agree with her.

She is dying to express herself but doesn’t know how – it is frustrating and upsetting, for her and the viewer.

Lawrence is completely fearless and uninhibited in her portrayal of Grace, behaving child-like at certain times and then animalistic in others.

It is a performance that is fascinating to watch.

Die My Love is one of the best made films that captures exactly what it intends to and creates a mood and feeling that it intends to – the thing is it that the mood and feeling is dire.

Director Lynne Ramsay has such a strong hold and focus on the material that it is borderline documentary levels of realism.

This is a wonderful example of women telling stories about a woman’s experience, one that deserves to be told and explored, to allow visibility for those who have experienced it and educate those that have not.

And while it is definitely not a film intended to be enjoyed, it can certainly be admired, if one can endure the feeling of being different shades of frustrated, depressed and miserable for two hours.

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Film Review – One Battle After Another

Posted in Uncategorized on September 24, 2025 by Reel Review Roundup

One Battle After Another (MA)

Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Review by: Julian Wright

When hardened military man Col. Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn) apprehends spicy revolutionary Perfidia (Teyana Taylor), who has caught his eye, she rats out her fellow French 45 mates and goes on the run, leaving behind her husband Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) and infant daughter Willa.

The father and daughter duo go into hiding.

Sixteen years later, Bob is a paranoid alcoholic and pot head, whose brain is fried from his substance abuse and teenage Willa (Chase Infiniti) is often forced to be the parent in the relationship.

But Lockjaw starts tracking them down, forcing them to go on the run with the help of surviving French 45 members.

What a ride.

One Battle After Another tells a full and timely story about ideals, and wonderfully realised characters taking politically charged action, with precision and confidence.

While the entire film is consistently highly entertaining, balancing a range of tones, it builds to an eye-popping climactic sequence that is a cinematic stand-out on its own.

Paul Thomas Anderson has assembled a stunning cast – Taylor is a force, DiCaprio is hilarious, Penn is solid and Infiniti is a standout.

There is a passion coming from One Battle After Another that has been missing from Anderson films recently – he seems to really relish telling this particular story.

This is sure to be featured on many “best of” lists at the end of the year.

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Film Review – A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

Posted in Uncategorized on September 24, 2025 by Reel Review Roundup

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (M)

Directed by: Kogonada

Starring: Colin Farrell, Margot Robbie

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Review by: Julian Wright

David (Colin Farrell) and Sarah (Margot Robbie) are two strangers that meet at their mutual friends’ wedding.

They share a couple of meet-cute moments before finding themselves on a fantastical journey home together.

Some unplanned pit stops at a range of strangely positioned doorways, which when they enter, allows them the opportunity to relive and face key moments from their respective pasts.

Could these insights bring them closer together or drive them further apart?

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey takes a big bold swing in the way it tells its story.

This curious and existential film is certainly something we have not seen before, but it is at times fascinating and dream-like, then at other times, dances dangerously close to amateur performance art with a budget.

It starts off strong and endearingly quirky with a great sense of comedic timing, thanks in large part to a scene-stealing Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

The world we are plonked into is off kilter just enough to draw us in – and if you are up for the ride, you will likely be grandly rewarded.

For others, the sluggish pace and mind-bendy visuals could be detrimental to one’s enjoyment, particularly if they are expecting a traditional rom-com.

Farrell and Robbie are endlessly watchable – a pair of big screen beauties that an audience would follow blindly through any kind of journey – even one as unfulfilling as this.

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Film Review – The Long Walk

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , , on September 10, 2025 by Reel Review Roundup

The Long Walk (MA)

Directed by: Francis Lawrence

Starring: Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Judy Greer

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Review by: Julian Wright

A group of desperate young men walk, talk and trauma bond in this tense and moving adaptation of a Stephen King novel.

In a dystopian, post-war America, the only hope for wealth young men have is to enter into an annual walking competition.

Sounds simple enough, but there is no set finish line – it is a walk cross-country to the death.

The men must maintain a certain speed and anyone who slows down or cops three warnings is shot on the spot.

Those left keep walking until there is one man standing.

Raymond Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) signs up and is dropped off at the starting point by his single mum Ginnie (Judy Greer).

He is immediately drawn to fellow competitor Peter McVries (David Jonsson) and the two get along like a house on fire, and quickly form a close camaraderie with a handful of other competitors.

Bonds form and motivations are revealed, which makes it even more devastating when they begin to meet their fate one buy one.

Who knew walking and talking could be so intense?

The Long Walk puts you through the gamut of emotions as we witness these likable characters trauma bond and develop deep connections with their competitors while fighting off the inevitable.

There are moments that are amusing, thought-provoking and downright shocking, and you will find yourself tearing up at least twice.

What is nice about this story is that the majority of these characters do not start out antagonistic despite being in competition with each other – they enter into this scenario with humility – an important tactic to ensure they are endearing to the audience.

This is one of the best depictions of male bonding on film with these young men allowed to be seen as sensitive and vulnerable.

Director Francis Lawrence has assembled a terrific cast of mostly unknowns – there is not a single weak link among them.

And in his dedication to realism, his adaptation doesn’t shy away from certain realities and how the men handle them – particularly bathroom breaks, which adds to the unflinching experience.

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Film Review – Fight or Flight

Posted in Uncategorized on September 10, 2025 by Reel Review Roundup

Fight or Flight (MA)

Directed by: James Madigan

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Katee Sackhoff

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Review by: Julian Wright

Former teen heart throb Josh Hartnett take on a plane full of assassins in this amusingly violent John Wick wannabe (not derogatory).

When an infamous hacker named Ghost escapes captivity in Bangkok, they are tracked to a flight heading to San Fransisco.

The only nearby option to apprehend them is disgraced former secret service agent turned alcoholic Lucas Reyes (Josh Hartnett).

He reluctantly takes the job offered to him by his former boss Katherine Brunt (Katee Sachhoff), with whom he has a messy past.

But not only will it be hard to identify the ghost – the only information eh has to go by is a bullet wound – he shares the flight with a plane full of assassins hired to kill the Ghost.

The scenario is a little familiar but James Madigan, making his feature film debut, is dead set on delivering a fun piece of escapism, which he achieves with a touch of style.

Those that like their action as graphic as the Saw and Hostel films combined will get a kick out of the bloodshed as Reyes and company use various plane related tools as weapons – and even manage to get heir hands on a chainsaw.

Hartnett delivers one of his best performances, demonstrating his athleticism with the fight choreography but also his on-point comic timing – his physicality is reminiscent of the rubbery Jim Carrey.

Fight or Flight is a plane ride from hell but a wild cinematic experience that will have you cheering at every snapped bone and impaled body part.

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Film Review – Superman

Posted in Uncategorized on July 14, 2025 by Reel Review Roundup

Superman (2025)

Directed by: James Gunn

Starring: David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Review by: Julian Wright

After 30 years on Earth and several years of using his superpowers to save lives, inspired by a recorded message from his biological parents, Clarke Kent/Superman prevents a war between two countries to create peace.

But without going through diplomatic channels, his actions are questioned.

Meanwhile, megalomaniac Lex Luther, hellbent on taking the superhero down, uncovers more of that recorded message that Superman never saw, that reveals his parents instructions to him are to conquer Earth.

When he releases this recording, public opinion of Superman changes drastically.

Superman 2025 thankfully skips the origin story and drops us right in the middle of an unfolding saga, which works to its benefit.

By this point, there is no reason to get bogged down in how Superman came to be – we already know.

With James Gunn at the helm, there is more of a fun, comic book vibe around this film (compared to other DC offerings), but there is an apparent struggle between Gunn’s Marvel-like sensibilities and applying it appropriately to the DC universe.

He has a great sense of humour but can’t run free with it, leaving us with a somewhat mish-mash of Guardians of the Galaxy with DC sensibilities.

Superman 2025 starts out great, with wonderful chemistry between the leads, and giving Superman a moral dilemma – and this is where this particular version soars.

The addition of super dog Krypto is the freshest element this version presents its audience.

But by the end, this devolves into seemingly endless sequences of buildings crashing and fists bashing – it’s all noise and sensory overload.

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