Digital Can't Kill The Video Star

 

Wrote a piece about the importance of physical media and how, no matter how many times we're all told that 'no one buys DVDs anymore' this statement just isn't true.

Full piece is over at Late Nite Picture Show.

100 Nights of Hero

 

As the closing night of the BFI London Film Festival 2025, 100 Nights of Hero was always going to have a spotlight on it. But in truth this whimsical (on the surface) fantasy romance may be slightly too odd at first for an audience. At a glance it seems like another version of the famed Middle Eastern folktale, A Thousand And One Nights, from which it takes its inspiration, but digging deeper this is about the power a story can hold as well as a love story buried just below the surface. 

In a world not too similar to our own, a young woman, Cherry is left alone by her neglectful husband Jerome. He secretly makes a deal with a friend, Manfred, to test Cherry’s fidelity. If Manfred successfully seduces his wife, he gets the house and if he loses, Cherry will be executed, which seems win-win for Jerome. But Cherry’s fiercely loyal maid Hero has also been left to watch over Cherry. To distract Manfred from his plan, Hero tells a story each night, but how long can she keep him at bay?

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Watch List 2025

 

Every year is an exciting year in film, from ground-breaking animation to visionary adaptations to original horrors to dom-rom-coms, there have been some truly fantastic films being released this year.

I’ve laid out my top ten films of the year (prior to seeing Zootropolis 2, which I adored), which was submitted to Filmhounds and the OAFFC. We at Filmhounds even released a mini digital magazine with the top ten films overall in depth and the OAFFC also announced the overall winners as well. Some of these films crept up on me and I was able to view them differently from the first time, sometimes a second viewing changes all perspectives. Looking forward to 2026 and the films getting released!

1. Flow

2. Wake Up Dead Man

3. K-Pop Demon Hunters

4. Pillion

5. Sorry, Baby

6. Weapons

7. Bring Her Back

8. The Legend of Ochi

9. Frankenstein

10. Alpha

The Running Man

 

Having been an avid fan of Edgar Wright’s, my curiosity peaked with his adaptation of The Running Man. Having only seen the 1987 version and enjoyed it well enough, I was keen to see how this film would turn out. But as the release date grew closer my interest began to drop, the main reason being Ben Richards’ motivation. In the 80s version Richards was escaping a labour camp and wanted to clear his name of crimes he didn’t commit, but the latest Richards has a sick child and family to look after. I find this motivation a dull over used cop out. Longing for the days the reason a so called hero does something is save his own skin and everyone else’s by accident. But this is my own issue and moving that aside I delved into the film.

Needing to take care of his family, blacklisted labourer Ben Richards signed up to take part in the deadliest TV show on the Network, The Running Man, where contestants have to last 30 days on the street, while hunters and members of the public, hunt them down. The winner is awarded a hell of large sum of money if they last the full 30 days. Taking the chance, Richards meets people along the way that help him hide and outwit the ruthless hunters, as well as discovering just how manipulative the Network is, changing his whole personality to fit in with the show.

Overall, this was as entertaining as the 1987 film. There were plenty of fight sequences to shock and awe as well as some very kooky side characters that stole the film almost, in particular Michael Cera’s rebel Elton who has been trying to get the truth about the Network out. Colman Domingo makes an impression too (as always) as the show’s enigmatic host and again, Lee Pace proves he can do more to steal a scene while wearing a mask for most of the film than Glen Powell does the whole film. Not to say Powell doesn’t do a good job as the ‘good guy’, its pretty much a one note character and he does well. And yet, Powell doesn’t feel like an action star. He has a style that worked so well in Hitman and Set It Up, but this really didn’t feel like the right fit for him. Along those same lines, this did not feel, look or sound like an Edgar Wright film in any shape or form, which was probably the most shocking part of the whole film experience. The film had a great cast, great elements but didn’t quite hit the heights of a great film.

Hostages

 

The driest of dry comedies, Hostages, feels as if this was tailor made for a British audience. The attitudes and weird awkward interactions shared between the characters (except for David, the most useless security guard you’ll ever find), all scream ‘this is very British’.

After an explosion in a hotel near London Bridge, the majority of the staff and guests are quickly evacuated. But due to the confusion and clarity of where to actually exist, four guests find themselves holed up in one of the rooms unsure what to do, especially when it seems everyone on social media and indeed the news say it's a terrorist attack. What follows is a series of frustrating phone calls to the police, with each other and debate about whether they should actually be tweeting any of this.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

The Ice Tower

When watching a Lucille Hadzihalilovic film, even when you have no idea what the story is, you can expect something very different each and every time. Though there are stories to play out, full of mystery and existential dread, the atmosphere is set, the tone is understated and you can bet there will be a memorable character and an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of your stomach. The Ice Tower, slightly different from Hadzihalilovic’s previous offerings, in that the setting feels more definitive. Starting in the mountains, then travelling to a city and finally a studio where a film is being made. But this is not a story about the film industry, this is about infatuation and desire.

Teenage orphan Jeanne decides to run away from the current home she is in. Ending up in a city she recognises from an old postcard, she takes refuge in a studio. A film adaptation of The Snow Queen is currently being shot, starring the enigmatic actress, Cristina. As Jeanne slowly becomes infatuated with Cristina, she finds her way to being part of the production. Cristina equally is fascinated by Jeanne, though her motives become more and more unclear as the film nears its end.

Full review over at Filmhounds.