Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World

 

You would think a film with a title made up from two books and a plot that is loosely based on three books from the popular series by Patrick O’Brian would end up a mess. Following the crew of the HMS Surprise with Captain ‘Lucky’ Jack Aubrey at the helm as they fall into frequent battle with a French ship is hunting them down, as well covering themes of friendship, life at sea, the perils of war and maintaining hobbies would seem too much for just one film. The mouthful of a title, Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World, is probably a film that sailed by most in 2003, what with the excitement of The Return of the King released around the same time and it’s a shame as it truly is a marvellous film that certainly deserves a revisit. With the 4K release out this month, there isn’t a better time to appreciate the craftsmanship of Master & Commander.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Lost in Space

 

Inspired by the 1812 novel, Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss, the original Lost in Space TV show aired for 3 seasons in the 1960s. Then in 2018, Netflix released another iteration, again, inspired by the novel from 1812 and the 1962 comic, Space Family Robinson. But in-between these TV shows there was the film, which, is a strange mix of both. Lost in Space, released in 1998, directed by Stephen Hopkins and written by the same person who gave us Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, I Robot and The DaVinci Code. Despite it being a box office smash hit, knocking Titanic of the top spot in the US, the film was absolutely panned by critics. Most noted the film was not the same tone at the wholesome 60s show and felt like a basic science fiction story. But, Lost in Space is getting a new lease of life through Arrow Video who know when its time to revitalise a film.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Hellcat - FrightFest 2025

 

Fresh off its’ World Premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival, Hellcat stalks its’ way to FrightFest for its’ UK Premiere and there could not be a better home for it. Directed by Brock Bodell and starring Dakota Gorman as Lena, Hellcat’s near entire film takes place in a camper van. As she wakes up with no memory of how she found herself in this situation, with a painful wound on her arm and only a voice coming from the taxidermized wolf head on the wall telling her she needs a doctor to stop a unimaginable fate. Lena must piece together what happened and whether she can trust this voice who claims to be ‘a good man, a hunter’.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Sorry, Baby

 

Its difficult to get the balance of a portraying a serious issue and finding the absurd comedy within it. Sorry, Baby manages to capture this near impossible feat without diving deeper into complexities and yet the characters within the story feel natural, nothing is forced. There may be one or two encounters within the film that are definite staples of an indie drama but aside from these, the story plays out in a satisfying and above all, realistic way. Perhaps the reason why this film is so bitingly comical is because of its naturalistic characters and their behaviours. 

Three years after being sexually assaulted by her advisor during Grad school, newly appointed college professor Agnes reflects on the time its taken for her to try and heal. She welcomes back her best friend Lydie who helped her through the initial shock, recognising how far both have come in the last few years.

Full review over at Filmhounds

Saint Clare

 

Religion and horror go together like bread and butter. Add in a devout protagonist who believes all the murders she commits is an act of god and you’re looking at a somewhat enticing premise. Though Bella Thorne made her name from playing mean girls and evil ditzy types, here, she is Clare. She believes in god, attends church, sings in the choir but also struggles with her compulsives need to kills people. Having done the festival circuit in 2024, Saint Clare is finally making her way to our small screens. Unfortunately, this is not quite the film that was herald.

College student Clare appears normal on the surface but tries hard to hide sociopathic tendencies. When girls start disappearing from her small town, with little concern from the police, Clare takes the investigation into her own hands when one of her friends goes missing.

Full review on Filmhounds. 

Oh, Hi!

 

Imagine you met someone, you hit it off and by date three, you feel you’ve found your person. Months deep into a relationship, you take a romantic trip together, only for this to go completely off the rails and result you committing a crime and dragging your friends into it as well. But the worst part, who you thought was your person doesn’t actually feel the same way. This is the premise of Oh, Hi! We’ve seen films where dating is difficult, degrading and miserable but something positive happens in the end or at least hopeful.

We’ve seen films with dramatic break-ups, tragic breakdowns and all that’s in-between. We have even seen films where you think you’ve found love only for it to sour almost too quickly and suddenly, which is sort of where Oh, Hi almost sits in the realm comedies with romance mixed in. But what Oh, Hi! has is one small thing to set it slightly apart, handcuffs. Co-written as well as starring Molly Gordon as love struck Iris who goes on a weekend getaway with her boyfriend Isaac, played by Logan Lerman. But after a day and night of fun, food and sex, Isaac lets out that he doesn’t see their relationship as serious, let alone as boyfriend and girlfriend. This devastates Iris who ends up having a bit of a meltdown and tries to convince Isaac why they should be a couple. This would all be ok if it wasn’t for the fact that Isaac is handcuffed (after kinky sex play) to a bed and Iris refuses to let him free. At least, not until he’s heard her out.

While the scenario of being kept prisoner by the woman you thought you were casually dating would be anyone’s worst nightmare, the film does very well to not fall into the horror category. Iris merely believes they are meant for each other and just wants Isaac to give her a chance. This is wear the comedy is and thankfully stays throughout, especially when Iris realises what she’s doing and how bad the situation is. Roping her best friend and her boyfriend into the mix just adds to the comical and yet dire situation, particularly for Isaac. As well as the comedy, the film does take a couple of bizarre turns; when Iris seriously considers murdering Isaac to avoid any embarrassment and when the third act includes a car chase.

There are more quiet moments that avoid the film slipping into ‘crazed woman’ territory. Iris is genuinely heartbroken, as she states many times, that she was made to believe by Isaac that their relationship was more than just casual. She points our his behaviour and planning a romantic getaway definitely sends the wrong message. They recount tender moments they’ve shared, showing that Iris’ behaviour is quite so unwarranted. What makes this relationship so believable and at times easy to hope for is that Lerman and Gordon have fantastic chemistry, even when things become chaotic. Of course we know what Iris is wrong, we also don’t want her to end up in prison for kidnapping.  

Although there are some far-fetched moments, you become invested in all the characters and really hope for an ending that satisfies all.