Movies: ARQ (Netflix - 15), Replicas (Netflix - 12), Extraction (Netflix - 18), See You Yesterday (Netflix - 15) & The Darkest Dawn (Netflix - 15) & I Kill Giants (Netflix – 12A)

ARQ (Netflix - 15) – I thought I’d give this one a go as it looked like it might be interesting and it said it was sci-fi. It’s basically about a guy and his girlfriend who get stuck in a time loop and have to try to find a way to survive, and guess what the loop keeps repeating. This sadly wasn’t anything new or special, there have been quite a few series’/films that have done a similar thing. It was an ok film to pass the time, if you like a bit of time-related sci-fi then it might be worth looking at but don’t expect anything amazing!

Rating: **

Replicas (Netflix - 12) – This was actually a pretty good movie, it’s about a scientist who is trying to unlock putting a human consciousness into a synthetic body, and whatever he tries it hasn’t successfully worked. He is faced with the real need to harness this power when his project is due to be canned by the company he works for…there’s some other stuff but I’m not going to give spoilers. Yeah if you want to watch something that’s pretty enjoyable and well that’s kind of believable to what might be in the future, then this is probably worth a look.

Rating: ***

Extraction (Netflix - 18) – A mercenary is hired to go in and save a boy who has been kidnapped and is being held to ransom by a drug lords gang. It’s pretty predicable and is pretty much a high-octane movie where you leave your brain at the door and just watch the violence unravel. Yep it’s not really an intelligent movie, and similar things have been done before, but it does good with what it is and is made really well, it’s been one of the better movies I’ve watched lately.

Rating: ****

See You Yesterday (Netflix - 15) – A girl and her best friend invent a time travel device that allows them to go back in time by a day, and after her brother dies she goes back to save him. I felt like this movie had potential, and maybe if you are a teenager or around the kids age in the film it would make this a little more enjoyable, but sadly for me I found myself getting really bored with this one. I’ve seen it all before and there was nothing new or inventive about this sadly. Yeah it might appeal more to the younger generation so if you have teenagers then they might love it.

Rating: **

The Darkest Dawn (Netflix - 15) – This one is a total B-movie, it’s about two sisters trying to survive an alien invasion, they end up meeting others who are also trying to survive and they team up. You know the usual in this type of situation and again sadly there’s been very similar films/TV shows, so it’s nothing new. Its shot like it is being filmed on her handy-cam as her aim is to one day be a journalist. Yeah it’s an ok film but it’s definitely nothing special, if you’ve got nothing else to do and you’ve seen pretty much everything or if you are a lover of B-movies then give this a watch, if not then stay well clear.

Rating: **

I Kill Giants (Netflix – 12A) – I wasn’t sure what this one would be like, I read the description and thought I would give it a go. It’s the story of a young girl who is a little different to everyone else, she lives with her family and also in her escapism, where she must protect the town from giants. This is one of those stories that blends what is real or what could be real, it’s an interesting story of the girl’s life experiences at school and a tale of her friendship. I don’t think it will be everyone’s cup of tea – you’ll either get it or be like meh about it.

Rating: ***

Movies: The Willoughbys (Netflix – PG), The Wandering Earth (Netflix – 15), Princess Mononoke (Netflix – PG), Altered Carbon: Resleeved (Netflix – 15), Megamind (Netflix – PG), I See You (Netflix – 15), Otherlife (Netflix – TV-MA) & Tau (15)

The Willoughby’s (Netflix – PG) – So this is an animated movie about a very odd family, the children are unloved by their parents so they decide to send them away and fend for themselves. It was pretty quirky which was what it was advertised as so it did delivery on that front. It had a few amusing parts but also hit on some subjects which were a little meh (not happy families if you get my meaning). Yep if you want to watch a nice kids film which is a little different then this will be worth looking at, if you are not into animated stuff then give it a miss.

Rating: ***

The Wandering Earth (Netflix – 15) – I tried to watch this once and turned it off after about a minute, I don’t know I just wasn’t in the mood to watch it. I am so glad I decided to watch it fully and stick with it, it was surprisingly a really good story and movie generally once I got into it. If you want to watch something that is completely unbelievable but also quite a possibility then this is probably worth a watch, it’s not really sci-fi but is a bit, kind of a bit of survival or disaster movie as well. Yep give it a chance if you like something a little different.

Rating: ***

Princess Mononoke (Netflix – PG) – I hadn’t seen this in years and I thought I would give it a re-watch. It’s a good story and animated movie, the story is quite touching really and also hits home about how humans treat the world we live in. You see it’s about a boy who gets cursed, he heads off to find a cure for his curse and meets a girl who was raised by wolves, and together their story gets entangled. If you like Studio Ghibli and the magic these films hold, and you haven’t seen this one then it is definitely worth checking out.

Rating: ***

Altered Carbon: Resleeved (Netflix – 15) – I watched this one as it looked interesting, at the time I didn’t realise this is a movie which is a spin off from a TV series. I’d usually watch the TV series first and then the film, but I messed up this time doh. I have the series saved now! Its set in the future where people’s memories are downloaded onto chips and then if their body dies their chips can be put into another body. So it could come to be in the future, who knows, that said as a movie the concept it works really well. I wasn’t sure on the animation style to start with but it does work well with this film and the era it is set in. Yep time now to crack out the series!
Rating: ***

Megamind (Netflix – PG) – I hadn’t seen this in a while so decided to give it a re-watch and I forgot how much I liked this and how funny it is. Yep if you want to watch an animated film, that instead of the normal story – it focuses on the baddie rather than the goodie, then you should watch this. Well this really shows the life of a villain isn’t always fun and never quite goes according to plan, the poor guy. It’s just generally an all-round good film which the whole family will enjoy, it’s got story, fun characters, humour and well good animation. If you haven’t seen it then I would totally check it out.

Rating: ****

I See You (Netflix – 15) – I was recommended to watch this one by my family, they said it’s really creepy – you need to watch it, so I did. Yeah it was a good film, it’s about some odd goings on in a family’s home where things don’t go as expected. I didn’t really find it that creepy or disturbing, maybe you would if you had a big house like they did and things, but it wasn’t scary or anything, it was however quite believable, so maybe that’s where the creep factor comes in. I thought the story was pretty predicable sadly, maybe I’ve just watched too many films. It was though still an entertaining watch, so maybe give it a bash if you like a light horror.

Rating: ***

Otherlife (Netflix – TV-MA) – This one is about a brother and sister, the sister invents a programmed drug which allows users to experience a virtual pre-programmed scenario. You know like experiencing the world in a different way, in a fully immersive experience. I didn’t really know much about this film but it did really draw me in and I really did enjoy it, if you like a bit of sci-fi which is fully believable with some messed up shit that goes on, then this might be the film for you. Yeah I really did enjoy it, don’t know why but it just worked.

Rating: ****

Tau (15) – Again with this one I wasn’t too sure what it was going to be about, I’d watched the trailer and that was about it. It’s basically about a girl that gets kidnapped and forced into helping a technology creator against her will. Its sci-fi, and again I wouldn’t say too far off that it’s unbelievable. It’s quite a good story, and considering there is only really three characters in the most part of it, it works really well. I wouldn’t expect all flash and bang with this one, it is again more of a story driven film but it has an interesting concept. Yep if you want to watch a little bit of sci-fi this is probably worth your time, just again don’t expect to be wowed by it.

Rating: ***

Movies: Pinocchio (2020) (PG), Babyteeth (15), The Vigil (15), Tenet (12A) & The New Mutants (15)

Pinocchio (2020) (PG) – So I went to see this thinking its Pinocchio, should be good. Well, well, well this was the worst film I have seen since Midsommar – and that’s saying something. How bad this was everyone in the cinema walked out, just leaving me on my lonesome to stick it out. It may have made more sense in the dialogues native language, but its translation into English wasn’t good, it left it with no story really. If I didn’t know the story of Pinocchio I wouldn’t have had a clue what was going on really. Yeah, I would save your time and money and don’t bother with this one.

Rating: *

Babyteeth (15) – This was another international film, this time Australian. I kind of like their humour in things and how they film things differently. This is one of those where you will need tissues, it’s very emotional. It’s also a bit disturbing, as where it’s about a 15 year old girl who befriends (and fancies) a 23 year old druggie, that said nothing happens until she’s 16 but it still creeped me out. It’s a bit of a messed up story but it’s also so normal (that’s not the right word), that its believable, the way it was done made me really feel like I was watching the families lives. If you want to see something story driven and emotional this may be worth checking out.

Rating: ***

The Vigil (15) – I wanted to see this one as I hadn’t seen a horror in the cinema for a bit. Sadly though this wasn’t scary at all, it was a little meh really. It had all the makings of what could be a good film but it just didn’t deliver, I can’t really say much without spoiling it but the pinnacle part was just a complete let down. The only thing that interested me with this was seeing something from a Jewish perspective rather than it being all to do with Catholicism or Christianity so that was a little refreshing. If you want to watch a real light horror, probably a 12 really, then it might be ok, but if you like your horror a little more spooky then maybe give this one a miss.

Rating: **

Tenet (12A) – This has been pretty hyped, maybe more so with the cinemas closing and it waiting in the wings for things to come back online. I thought it might be interesting and cool, but it sadly in my book didn’t meet up to the hype. I was expecting something more but it turned out to sadly be quite predictable and an average time-travel film. I can’t really say much about the plot without spoiling it, so I’m not going to say anything on that. That said it was still good, an enjoyable watch, the action was entertaining and the storyline was pretty interesting, it is worth a watch really, it just didn’t wow me.

Rating: ***

The New Mutants (15) – I’ve been waiting for this for a long while, as we saw the advertisement at Comic Con ages back, but most people know the story of why this was delayed. I’m an X-Men fan and just generally love their universe, so it was good to see another story from it, focusing on some of the other characters. It’s one of those where you can just watch, and you don’t need to know all the backstories or watch the other films. As long as you know a loose bit of information about mutants, then you’ll be able to watch this. It was nice to have a film that wasn’t focused on superheroes too, the way this was done does make it more believable. Yep, if you like the X-Men universe then this may be worth a look, but again just don’t be expected to be blown away.

Rating ***