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  • Movie Review of the Year!!

    Movie Review of the Year!!

    Christmas Crackers to catch up on and 3 Turkeys to avoid, Part 1

    Movie Review of the Year 2025 illustration

    So, Christmas is over – a big Woo Hoo (!) or “Oh no!”, which largely depends on whether you are over 13 or not. Xmas, at least in our Western European culture, is a great leveller in that we all feel the same emotions and go through universal experiences – feelings stuffed with turkey and still hoovering / cleaning up mysterious stuff from the carpet. All of us running on the remnants of Baileys and Christmas pudding.

    Let us keep up / resuscitate the jolly holiday feeling with the 1st wordsbywright.com Movie Review of the Year!! Hooray!!

    A little warning though before you comment in anger (please comment!!) or bewilderment. The top five ranking is in no particular order, just from when they came out in the year, and I am also not a professional movie writer / journalist — though I am open to offers. I was also limited in that Odeon is my cinema of choice and convenience, so real Indie movie lovers may feel a little miffed.

    So, what do the professionals think before I give my expert advice? Cross the year-end, and you get lists from Empire Online, Little White Lies and Sight & Sound (BFI). A loose critical consensus emerged rather than one definitive Top Ten. Big crossover titles included Sinners, One Battle After Another, Sentimental Value, Weapons and The Mastermind, while more auteur-driven and international choices such as Sirât, It Was Just an Accident, Dry Leaf and Resurrection kept the arthouse flag flying.

    Meanwhile, mainstream audiences voted with their wallets, making A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch, Superman, Jurassic World: Rebirth and Wicked: For Good the biggest earners across the UK and USA. In short: critics, cinephiles and popcorn-munchers didn’t always agree — which brings us neatly to what I thought… oh, and there will be spoilers.

    My Top Movies of 2025 (in order of release in UK)

    1/ A Complete Unknown (Released: Jan 25, Director: James Mangold)🎭 Top Actors: Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro

    🎞️ Summary: A thoughtful biographical drama tracing Bob Dylan’s early rise in the 1960s New York folk scene, from scrappy acoustic sets to causing shockwaves with his electric sound. Timothée Chalamet channels the enigmatic icon with magnetic intensity, capturing both the genius and the mercurial spirit that made Dylan a cultural legend.

    Verdict: Who knew this would be so good and that Dylan was such a Big Deal back in the day? Wasn’t much into folk at the time but I am now and that says a lot about the movie. Admirably, Chalamet plays him both as an inspirational folk hero and pathfinder but also as an “asshole”. Great performances, lovely evocation of the 60’s and most importantly, cracking songs. At the time, I thought it was “intriguing, thrilling and illuminating” – mmm, lovely. See it if you can. 10/10

    Did you know that? Timothée Chalamet actually performed many of Bob Dylan’s songs live on set using period‑correct mics and instruments — something he trained intensely for rather than lip‑syncing later.

    2/ Sinners (Released: April 2025, Director: Ryan Coogler)🎭 Top Actors: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell

    🎞️ Summary: A genre-bending mash-up of Southern Gothic, horror, and musical vibes, Sinners pits vampire mayhem against the soulful backdrop of the Mississippi Delta. Michael B. Jordan’s dual performance keeps you hooked like a blues riff you never knew you needed.

    Verdict: In a year of quite bonkers releases, this was a surprise box office hit. A disconcerting mix of vampire shenanigans, steamy sex ,rollicking blues and folk music that should not really work, but it does to exhilarating effect. Michael B. Jordan holds the gory mess together gloriously, though one of the vampires Irish dancing may test your patience a bit. In my review book, I said it was “engaging, well-acted, gruesome and funny”. Shakespeare, eat your heart out. 9/10

    Did you know that? Sinners dominated the 2025 Critics’ Choice nominations, leading the pack with 17 total nods — including Best Picture and Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan.

    3/ Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Released: May 2025, Director: Christopher McQuarrie)🎭 Top Actors: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames

    🎞️ Summary: The globe-trotting IMF crew faces its biggest challenge yet — a rogue AI — in a film packed with high-octane stunts and impossible aerial antics. It’s equal parts emotional send-off for Ethan Hunt and another reminder that Tom Cruise will never stop defying gravity.

    Verdict: Could not really have been a better finale to this excellently entertaining series, in the opinion of this fan. Truly awe-inspiring stunts, thrilling set pieces and perfectly judged performances. Of course, the plot was ridiculous and the Mac Guffin stakes too high as our lads and lasses fought the “Entity”. At the time, I thought it was “exhilarating, exciting, action packed and a classic” – must have been having a good week! 10/10

    Did you know that? Tom Cruise set a Guinness World Record for most “burning parachute jumps” while filming stunts for this entry — he literally tends to do impossible stuff himself.

    4/ Bring Her Back (Released: August 2025, Directors: Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou)🎭 Top Actors: Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Sally Hawkins

    🎞️ Summary: A gripping Australian supernatural folk-horror about two stepsiblings forced into the eerie rituals of their new foster mother after a tragic loss. Atmospheric and unsettling, it blends haunting mystery with familial trauma while Sally Hawkins delivers a standout performance that keeps you watching… and maybe looking over your shoulder afterwards.

    Verdict: It has been called one of the best horrors of the year and it is hard to disagree. Flew under the radar a little but it is original, shocking and a bit of a wild ride. This Australian gem meshes up themes of grief and alienation with some truly gruesome moments. Do not watch it on your own, unless you want nightmares. Who would have thought that Paddington’s mum would have a dark side? Mmm. I called it “shocking, gruesome, a true horror and disturbing”. Sleep well. 9/10

    Did you know that? Sora Wong, who plays Piper, had zero acting experience before landing this role, having been cast after her mother saw the casting call on Facebook.

    5/ Weapons (Released: August 2025, Director: Zach Cregger)🎭 Top Actors: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich

    🎞️ Summary: A wild horror/genre thriller that takes the “predictable jump scare” and tosses it out the window, Weapons is clever, chaotic and strangely inventive. It’s like if your Airbnb horror movie and a Kubrick fever-dream had a very loud baby.

    Verdict: Grabs you by the short and curlies and does not really let go. Another tale of abused / missing children and grief. As it says in the trailer: “a lot of people die in really weird ways” — and boy they do, in the aftermath of a whole class of primary age children going missing at the same time. A heady brew of witchcraft, gore and fear that is played with conviction. When I managed to calm down, I wrote that it was “unsettling, scary (!), original and crazy”. Enjoy. 10/10

    Did you know that? Weapons was a critical and box office hit, grossing over $269 million on a modest $38 million budget and earning multiple award nominations — including praise for Amy Madigan’s performance.

    6/ One Battle After Another (Released: Sept 2025, Director: Paul Thomas Anderson)🎭 Top Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro

    🎞️ Summary: Equal parts political satire, action buffoonery and heartfelt drama, this Paul Thomas Anderson epic dives headlong into modern America’s chaos with flair. DiCaprio leads a ragtag cast through a relentless clash of comedy and catharsis that feels like cinema on espresso.

    Verdict: David Fear (Rolling Stone) described the film as “a thundering, dizzying epic” and praised how it combines thrilling set pieces with a timeless tale of revolutionaries and their next generation. It is also an “epic screwball adventure” that is sometimes violent, sometimes tender, sometimes surreal but never, ever boring. Strap yourself in as you are never sure where the plot is going and tonally it is all over the place. This reviewer called it “dramatic, tense, wild and uneven”. 9/10

    Did you know that? Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling epic not only drew major awards buzz but made his long-simmering dream of adapting elements from Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland feel cinematically real — a project tied to Anderson for nearly 20 years.

    7/ Bugonia (Released: Sept 2025, Director: Yorgos Lanthimos)🎭 Top Actors: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Alicia Silverstone

    🎞️ Summary: A bizarre black comedy from Lanthimos that feels like a surreal fever dream about alien absurdity and human quirks. Stone and Plemons anchor the weirdness with delectably dry performances that make you laugh — then think about it for days.

    Verdict: As befitting of the director of Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness, this is a surreal mix of philosophy, comedy and conspiracy theory . Do aliens exist and are they controlling us? How can we fight their malign influence in an unbelieving world? The Los Angeles Times said that: “…it is a hilarious movie with no hope for the future of humanity… What optimism there is lies only in the title,” and AP offered: “Bugonia has … an apocalyptic air of resignation that sounds a chastening death knell.” I wrote that it was “off-kilter, well-acted and surprisingly compelling” then had a stiff drink and went to bed early, weeping. 10/10

    Did you know that? Bugonia is an English-language remake of the 2003 South Korean cult movie Save the Green Planet! — but with a twist: the lead corporate villain was gender swapped and tailored to Emma Stone’s unique comic style.

    Honourable mentions / recommendations from 2025…

    • Nosfrautu ( creepy , atmospheric Dracula remake)
    • Brigid Jones: Mad About the Boy ( funny, engaging British Rom Com farewell)
    • The Last Showgirl ( Pam Anderson bittersweet indie)
    • Warfare ( tense Gulf War action)
    • The Conjuring : Last Rites ( very effective , well-acted chiller)
    • The Long Walk ( Steven King adaptation of gruelling story)

    Whether you’ve binged the blockbusters, cheered for the surprises, or shuddered at the all of the horror, 2025 gave us cinema to remember — and a few nightmares to laugh about. Here’s hoping 2026 keeps the popcorn flying!

  • Movie Review: Bugonia (2025)

    Movie Review: Bugonia (2025)

    “ The workers gather pollen for the Queen…but the bees, they’re dying…and that’s the way they planned it…to make us the same as the bees”

    Bugonia (2025)

    DIRECTOR: Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster (2015), Poor Things (2023), Kinds of Kindness (2024)

    WRITER: Will Tracy

    MAIN CAST (CHARACTERS): Emma Stone (Michelle Fuller), Jesse Plemons (Teddy Gatz), Aidan Delbis (Don), Stavros Halkias (Casey), Alicia Silverstone (Sandy)

    Weirdness and Eccentricity in Modern Hollywood

    Weirdness and eccentricity seem to be the “new normal” now in Hollywood, and HEY, let’s suck it up! Horror fans, we are already living in a golden age – let’s look at the evidence and consider the downright spooky Weapons (unsettlingly witchcraft, gory, eerie child abductions), Bring Her Back (about grief, abuse, Satanism, etc.), and it hasn’t been long since we “enjoyed” the wackiness and originality of The Substance (body horror, a meditation on our obsession with beauty and aging), although that was, in my opinion, ruined by the gross-out ending.

    Into this gory breach steps Yorgos Lanthimos – Greek director of Poor Things (2023) and Kinds of Kindness (2024) – and if you are not familiar with his style and themes, your head will be spinning because Bugonia is a pitch-black wild ride of a movie.

    The story – spoiler free.  

    So, what is it about? Frequent Lanthimos collaborators Emma Stone (Michelle Fuller) and Jesse Plemons (Teddy Gatz) give committed and intense performances. On the surface, Bugonia is a dark comedy/thriller about Teddy, a conspiracy-obsessed beekeeper, and his cousin Don. Teddy is convinced that Michelle Fuller (Stone), a powerful pharmaceutical CEO, is secretly an alien planning to destroy Earth. With the help of his cousin Don, he kidnaps her, and the bulk of the film plays out in the basement where he interrogates her, tests her, and demands she confess her alien identity.

    Teddy believes that there is a limited window — linked to a lunar eclipse — to negotiate with her alien “people.” Coupled with this, there are flashbacks that explore Teddy’s past (including his relationship with his mother, Sandy) and what drove him to his paranoia. So far, so gloomy. The film raises questions about power, delusion, corporate greed, and belief — it’s as much a satire of modern society as it is a thriller/horror.

    Big themes.

    It is a paranoid, slow-burning car crash of a movie, with some big themes being thrown around. At its core, Bugonia is about the attraction of conspiracy theories — how people can become utterly convinced of a narrative that explains their fears, frustrations, or traumas. The film plays with the tension between what we believe, what we want to believe, and what we can’t bring ourselves to confront.

    It is also about power and authority – the dynamic between Teddy and Michelle is a study in power imbalance. Like much of Lanthimos’s work, Bugonia is fascinated by absolute certainty in an absurd world. Characters cling to rigid beliefs despite contradictory evidence — a hallmark of Lanthimos’s dark humour. It is also a satire of modern fear culture, dealing with online conspiracy communities, anti-corporate outrage, apocalyptic thinking, and the rise of “alternative truths.” It is about what we consider monstrous or “alien” and how easily we dehumanise people who scare us or challenge our worldview.

    Great performances.

    All of this would be quite heavy, ponderous, and depressing if it wasn’t for the joy and skill of the central performances. Emma Stone has undoubted ability to balance ambiguity, control, and vulnerability, and Jesse Plemons gives a quietly explosive performance — possibly one of his best. The film blends and bends genres (dark comedy, psychological thriller, social satire), and the message of Lanthimos seems to be that it is ridiculous to have absolute certainty in an absurd world. Characters cling to rigid beliefs despite contradictory evidence — a hallmark of Lanthimos’s dark humour.

    Critical Reception

    Critics have, rightly, raved about it and made some interesting and insightful points: Robert Daniels (RogerEbert.com) says: “Lanthimos spends much of Bugonia … questioning who the monsters and tyrants are and what is the tangibly human and emotionally alien … the film is an enraged picture … mad at humanity.”

    Meagan Navarro (Cinema Blend) remarks: “The sardonic, genre‑bending satire takes aim at modern echo chambers and their erosion of humanity. … a cynical condemnation of our self‑destructive nature.”

    Nick Schager (Daily Beast) points out: “Stone is a mesmerizing riot in this bleak satire … as is her co-star Jesse Plemons, who matches her intensity and manages to outdo her craziness.”

    Owen Gleiberman (Soap Central) says: The script is an “ingeniously witty and incisive exposé of the duelling mindsets it’s about.”

    Lanthimos’s Signature Style

    Lanthimos is a unique and lauded filmmaker – as Wikipedia succinctly puts it:“His films often feature uniquely framed cinematography, deadpan acting, and characters with stilted speech… they mix absurdist dark comedy with violent and sexually explicit content… and often explore the nature of power and its impact on the people who are vying for, using, or being exploited or influenced by it.”

    Bugonia grabs you by the short and curlies … and does not let go until the (crazy) ending. If you leave your preconceptions of what a movie should be like and what it should say or mean, you are going to love it. It is weird and heartfelt, logical and illogical, with shades of light and dark – hell, you may have guessed the ending well before then, but what a wonderfully mind-bending trip you will have been on.

    Score: 9/10

  • Real Gone – a Halloween song

    Real Gone – a Halloween song

    What was it you said, that day at the lake?
    Before he pushed you in.
    What was it you felt , that day at the party?
    As she sharpened the knife.
    What was it you saw, that you shouldn’t have?
    As they whispered and plotted in that little,dark alley.
    Who was you touched as you smiled, self-content?
    As I left my seat, club in hand.
    What was it you wore , on that wintry, icy day?
    As he followed , black hearted, behind.
    And what is it like , on the other side of now?
    Gone.

  • Movie Review no 1 Weapons (2025)

    Movie Review no 1 Weapons (2025)

    “In this story… a lot of people die in a lot of really weird ways… you’re not gonna find it in the news.”

    Weapons (2025)

    Starring: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams as James

    Written & directed by: Zach Cregger

    Well, horror fans, what a year we’re having! Sinners was an unexpected smash—a crazy mash-up of psychotic zombies (are there any other kinds?), Southern sultriness, and hillbilly music. Then came Final Destination: Bloodlines, proving there are still inventive ways to bump off your main players—crushed in a rubbish truck, anyone? And we can’t forget the truly awesome Bring Her Back, an Aussie head-trip into grief and unhinged madness (see my review).

    Having watched Weapons last night, I feel compelled to write this as a kind of mental exorcism—just in case I start dreaming about it. Or nightmares. It is the cat’s pyjamas—or the dog’s b*****Ks—of this year’s crop and scared the bejusus out of this horror fan.

    Weapons is set in the small town of Maybrook, Pennsylvania, where 17 elementary school children mysteriously vanish on the same night at 2:17 a.m., leaving only one child, Alex. The film is structured in character-specific chapters, each offering a different perspective: a distressed parent (Josh Brolin), the teacher (Julia Garner), a conflicted police officer (Alden Ehrenreich), a chaotic drug addict (Austin Abrams), and the lone child survivor, Alex (Cary Christopher). This fractionated narrative (a la Pulp Fiction) keeps jump scares unpredictable and heightens tension throughout.

    As the story unfolds, unexpected and unsettling forces emerge, blending mystery, psychological horror, and surreal dread. The storytelling remains deliberately ambiguous, raising emotional and symbolic questions rather than providing clear-cut answers. We piece together the protagonists bit by bit, and the pacing—unusually slow for a horror after the initial shock of the children disappearing—encourages the audience to speculate: alien abduction, mass kidnapping, or cult activity? Hints abound, but I won’t spoil anything. Red herrings and ominous asides keep you guessing. Why is the teacher, Justine (Julia Garner), so obsessed with Alex? Is the anger of bereft parent Archer Graff (Josh Brolin) a smokescreen? And what about the ex-alcoholic cop Paul Morgan (Alden Ehrenreich)—is it his suspicious behavior or that weird moustache?

    There are some weighty themes at play for a horror film. Trauma, grief, fear, and possible metaphors for school violence thread through the narrative, yet Cregger leaves interpretation open-ended. The performances are superb: Garner, Brolin, and Abrams deliver emotional depth and tension with nuance and subtlety.

    Critics on both sides of the Atlantic have praised the film’s tonal originality—a blend of horror and hilarity—and Cregger’s refusal to rely on typical horror tropes. Brian Tallerico (RogerEbert.com) notes: “One of the greatest strengths of Cregger’s ambitious script is its abject refusal to connect every dot in the manner that so much ‘elevated horror’ has done in recent years.” Peter Debruge (Variety) adds: “Regardless of how you feel about the bittersweet ending … Cregger has achieved something remarkable here, crafting a cruel and twisted bedtime story of the sort the Brothers Grimm might have spun—not the kid-friendly Disney version, mind you.” Others describe it as “wildly creepy,” “bleakly hilarious,” “suffocatingly tense,” and “unforgettable.” All are accurate, and one thing is for sure—you’re in for a wild ride that will linger.

    My only quibble is the inevitable descent into an over-the-top blood-and-gore finale. Modern FX toolkits often sacrifice subtlety for spectacle, as seen in Get Out (2017) and the almost-great The Substance (2024). That said, it does not spoil Weapons—the suspense, weirdness, and evilness have already done their work.

    Enjoy… just don’t have nightmares.

    Score: 9/10

  • Tv Review 1 -Alien Earth (2025)

    Tv Review 1 -Alien Earth (2025)

    “You’re going to be the first person to transition from a human body to a synthetic…We’re fast. We’re strong. We don’t break.”

    TV Review – “Out of this World”

    Title: Alien: Earth (2025)

    Network/Platform: Disney+/FX/Hulu

    Cast: Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Babou Ceesay, Samuel Blenkin, Adrian Edmondson, Timothy Olyphant

    Episode 1: “Neverland” – Directed & written by Noah Hawley

    Episode 2: “Mr. October” – Written by Noah Hawley; directed by Dana Gonzales

    No one can hear you scream – even in your own living room. Only two episodes in and it looks like Disney+ has a bona fide hit on its hands. This reviewer was intrigued, scared, and impressed in equal measure at this latest twist in the long-running space horror Alien.

    There is a lot of Alien heritage and backstory to navigate. The series draws inspiration from the original Alien (1979, directed by Ridley Scott), the sci‑fi horror classic introducing the Xenomorph. Think John Hurt feeling a little peaky with a stomach complaint.

    We then moved on to Aliens (1986, James Cameron), a high-octane action sequel with Colonial Marines. This was followed at a respectful distance by Alien³ (1992, David Fincher), a dark, stripped-down affair set on a prison planet. Alien: Resurrection (1997, Jean-Pierre Jeunet) brings Ripley back via cloning, 200 years later. Prometheus (2012, Ridley Scott) was a prequel exploring the origins of the Engineers and humanity. Bringing us up to date are Alien: Covenant (2017, Ridley Scott), a follow-up to Prometheus bridging closer to Alien (1979), and last year’s sprightly Alien: Romulus (2024, Fede Álvarez). And , by jingo, there’s even a musical. ( Have a Google).

    As well as the directing luminaries above, there are many acting greats to live up to – think Sigourney Weaver, Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Winona Ryder, Idris Elba, Bill Paxton, John Hurt, and Ian Holm. It didn’t end well for most of them. There are roughly 90–100 on-screen deaths across the six core films. If you count implied off-screen deaths (colonists, background characters, Engineers), the number shoots much higher – into the hundreds or even thousands.

    So, what’s the set-up for the new show? Set in 2120, two years before the original Alien film, Earth is ruled by five mega-corporations (Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic, Threshold) locked in a “race for immortality.” The show’s central premise: young terminally ill children – Marcy and others – have their consciousness transferred into synthetic adult bodies, becoming the first “hybrids.” Marcy rebrands herself as Wendy (a Peter Pan-inspired name), leading a group known as the “Lost Boys.”

    Meanwhile, the USCSS Maginot, a Weyland-Yutani research vessel carrying alien specimens (including Xenomorphs), crashes on Earth – specifically within Prodigy territory. Wendy, her fellow hybrids, and Prodigy’s security team are dispatched to investigate and contain whatever has come loose. The tone is set straight off: tense, atmospheric, and blending classic Alien horror vibes with new sci‑fi dynamics.

    In the first two episodes, I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen because there is a real winning and affecting blend of gruesome jump scares and subtle character building. The real fun for a horror fan is watching this slow car crash unfold in gruesome ways – the effects are unreal, and the nasty bits don’t hold any punches.

    The script is as lean as a butcher’s knife, and there are some powerhouse performances too. Sydney Chandler as Wendy (Marcy’s human consciousness transferred into a synthetic adult body) really stands out as empathetic, wide-eyed, and determined. Alex Lawther as Hermit (Wendy’s brother and medic for Prodigy’s security service) is someone we care about very quickly in the midst of the chaos.

    Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier, the Prodigy CEO and youngest trillionaire, is truly slimy and manipulative. He irresponsibly sends his hybrid team of Lost Boys to venture deeper into the ship and a nearby tower in hopes of reuniting Wendy with Hermit. They encounter loose threats, including a Xenomorph, and attempt to warn residents – leading to confrontations.

    The fresh twist is how the big themes chime with our times – AI manipulation, modern-day colonialism, and corporate greed over human needs. The eerie tone has wowed the critics – blending the unsettling hybrid premise (Kavalier), the chaos unleashed by alien threats (Morrow), and Wendy’s emerging identity and resilience.

    James Dyer in Empire has said, “Hawley’s series is a rare prequel that serves to enrich its source material, breathing new life into a once-tired franchise,” whilst Brian Tallerico on RogerEbert.com has said that it “somehow marries the philosophical depth that fans of Prometheus admired with the intense action and bone-chilling imagery of James Cameron’s Aliens.”

    The Hollywood Reporter (Angie Han) perhaps sums it up best – with no spoilers! “A heady, sprawling, occasionally unwieldy … thrilling epic about personhood, hubris, and … the primal pleasure of watching people get absolutely rocked by space monsters.”

    Are you a fan of horror, sci‑fi, or do you just appreciate great direction, writing, and subtle acting? Then stick with Alien: Earth. It’s going to be a wild ride – just don’t have nightmares.

    Score 9/10