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JUST ANOTHER FILM REVIEW
I adore films. Whether that be a black and white silent classic or a popcorn fuelled blockbuster I am at my happiest when escaping into the worlds that only films can create. This blog allows me to go on a journey of film discovery and although there will be good and bad times along the way it is an adventure that I hope you will join me on. I don't take myself too seriously, you shouldn't either. - Robert Hay
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Hokum (2026)
If I haven’t made it very clear, or it isn’t blatantly obvious from my reviews, I am a big horror fan. But even I will admit that the majority of horror films that come out are just cash-grab slop built of lazy clichés and jump scares. That why I am always excited when a new horror film gets strong critical praise, and in this case that film was Hokum (2026). The film follows Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott), an American author who visits Ireland to scatter his parents’ ashes after th
AniMAY: Riding Bean (1989)
May is upon us, and with it I am bringing back a previous month of reviews with AniMAY. Not just for the fun pun, but it also gives me an excuse to watch and review some anime films which I will never turn down a chance to do. And I’m kicking off the month with a short or sweet film that I had never heard of before watching it, and that is Riding Bean (1989). The film follows Bean Bandit, a courier for hire who are framed for the kidnap of a wealthy businessman’s kid. He then
Weapons (2025)
Had a busy couple weeks but I’m back and hitting it back off with a film I’ve been wanting to watch for a while. When I first saw the trailer for Weapons (2025) I felt like it looked like a fairly run of the mill horror film. However, once the reviews came out and it was pretty universally praised, I was intrigued. Then it got Oscar nominations and I was shocked. Then it won an Oscar and I knew I had to see it. I just couldn’t quite believe a film that looked as generic a hor
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000)
The Blair Witch Project (1999) is a classic of horror, even if it is a bit of a marmite film. While not the first of the genre, it really pushed found footage into the mainstream as a genre that can be successfully both commercially and critically, and it remains one of the greatest box offices successes of all time. So is it all that surprising that the studio would want to push out a sequel as quickly as possible in order to capitalise on the hype and success of the first f
Resurrection (2025)
This week I finally managed to get myself to watch Bi Gan’s Resurrection (2025) which I have wanted to see for a while but for one reason or another I didn’t get round to. Why did I want to see it? I couldn’t tell you. I hadn’t seen a trailer for it, nor read the synopsis. All I knew was that it was long and in Mandarin. If anything got me in the cinema it was the poster, showing you the power of marketing. But again, I went into a film completely blind, and once again it was
28 Years Later (2025)
Danny Boyle is a director not short of classic films, and 28 Days Later (2002) is up there with his best. I was also a fan of 28 Weeks Later (2007) which, while it did not hit the heights of its predecessor, had a lot to like. So, I was excited when a new addition to the series was announced. Not excited enough to actually get my arse up and watch it when it was in cinemas, but you know, still excited. Well, in the time since 28 Years Later (2025) was released (and its seque
Dead Man’s Wire (2025)
Gus Van Sant, a director whose name lives in my brain despite having only seen 3 of his films (including today’s) likely because it is just cool sounding. And while I absolutely love Good Will Hunting (1997) the only other film of his I had previously seen was Drugstore Cowboy (1989) so my knowledge of him is not great. Pair that with the fact that I knew almost nothing about Dead Man’s Wire (2025) going in and it meant that I didn’t not what to expect when I took my char in
Lady Snowblood (1973)
I keep telling myself I won’t only review Japanese films, but that’s basically all I watch so it leaves me little choice. Also, when I enjoy films as much as I enjoyed Lady Snowblood (1973) I’m going to want to talk about it. And I am glad that I enjoyed it because I have had it on my watchlist for a long, long time. Acting as one of the primary inspirations for the Kill Bill films, Lady Snowblood follows Yuki Kashima (Meiko Kaji), a young woman who has been trained from birt
A Pale View of Hills (2025)
When getting back into writing these reviews, I could have quite easily imagined my first two Tuesday reviews would have been of Japanese films. After all, these are my free for all reviews whereas my Friday ones are for new releases. Anyway, here’s my second Friday review and the second time focusing on a Japanese film. This time it is Kei Ishikawa’s A Pale View of Hills (2025) . Based on the book of the same name, the film tells the story of Etsuko, played by both Suzu Hiro
Escape from New York (1981)
John Carpenter being called a master of horror, while correct, always feels a little reductive. While his two most famous films are masterpieces of that genre, he is a director who has the ability to mix it up in other genres with a great deal of success as well. And if that is the case, would it be more apt to just call him a master filmmaker? Escape from New York (1981) is an example that supports this way of thinking. This is an action film set in a dystopian future (or at
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