Ok, firstly let me just say that I love supernatural horror and am eternally grateful to James Wan for creating this great universe with so many different characters. One of my biggest complaints these days is how easily a movie is classed as horror! Thrillers, rom-coms, comedies - throw a zombie or a bit of blood in and it's a "horror" film, but not for me. When I think of the best horror movies i've ever seen they all have some sort of supernatural element: Poltergeist, The Conjuring, The Evil Dead.... you see where i'm going with this, to me horror is supernatural and supernatural is horror.

Back to the movie, is it any good and does it hold a shine to the previous movies in the Conjuring franchise, well the answer is yes and no, Annabelle Creation is miles better than it's predecessor but not at the level of The Conjuring 1 or 2 but part of me feeling like that could be a case of seen it all before. Although there is nothing new with regards to the scares and the supernatural elements in the movie, David Sandberg does a great job of making sure it is all well done, and although very familiar it's still never boring. The movie starts with the Mullins family, the father is a local toymaker who specialises in dolls but following a tragic accident which left his daughter dead he and his wife now live a life of solitude, his wife never leaving her bedroom. 12 years on from the tragedy, they decide to offer their home as an orphanage to 6 young girls and the nun who is caring for them, it isn't long after the girls move in that things go bump in the night!

Talitha Bateman is great as Janice, the main object of Anabelle's affections and the rest of the cast are good, although some of the girls are slightly underused. Anthony La Paglia looks the part as the worn Samuel Mullins, it probably only took him ten minutes to learn his lines but his performance is based on mood rather than speech. The movie does have a bit of a slow start but it sets up so many possible jump scares that you can't help but look forward to the horror that awaits. We've got stair lifts, delivery shutes, a scary looking scare crow, one of those guns that shoots a ball on a rope and you wind back up - you just know all these things are going to be used to spooky effect at some point.

The jump scares do come thick and fast during the second half of the film, some work some don't but all in all it's a rollicking good time once it gets going, there is a nice little tie in with the first movie at the end and we also get a small mention of The Nun, soon to get her own movie. A good mix of The Conjuring, Child's Play 2 and Insidious give this movie a solid 3 1/2 out of 5

It Comes at Night I'm not really a big fan of the claustrophobic type horror, a small cast locked in a room whilst unknown horrors lurk outside isn't necessarily my cup of tea (although Cloverfield Lane was an exception to this rule). However, following some great word of mouth and critical praise I thought i'd give It Comes at Night a go.

Firstly, i'm glad to report that the movie isn't solely set inside a house, it does have quite a bit of outside action and has more of a Walking Dead type feel than Cloverfield Lane but is it worth the praise? Not really, Joel Edgerton is good at playing the paranoid father who will go to any extreme lengths to protect his family and there is this genuine, awkward feeling throughout the movie that grows to almost unbearable tension but it never really explodes, despite a brutal ending.

Kelvin Harrison Jnr is great in his role as Travis, the son of Paul (Joel Edgerton), a kid suffering from severe night terrors after witnessing the death of his grandfather, he brings a kind of melancholy feel to his character, who tries to remain up beat even when things start spiralling out of control.

The movie definitely relies on atmosphere rather than visual scares and it's psychological trappings will play on your mind long after the movie ends but i never really related to any of the characters enough for their fate to bother me.

Well white people are arseholes aren't they? and this is coming from a white person, but if you watch Detroit you will agree. Okay this is going to be a tough one to review for many reasons, because I really can't say I ENJOYED this film, but this cold easily be placed in the best films of 2017 list. Detroit is a brilliant film and me saying I didn't enjoy the film is not saying I HATE the film. This is a film which isn't made for enjoyment, this is a film which is meant to make you feel damn uncomfortable, and with a bloody good reason. Racism in the US was some of the worst examples of how disgusting and vile people can be and this film only just uncovers a small portion of the real darkness of american black history.

Detroit in set during the riots in the 1960's and is based mostly on the Algiers Motel incident in 1967 that saw white police officers victimize several black guests and two white women after armed officers suspect a sniper was shooting at them from the hotel. The sniper they thought was there was only a starter pistol. The gun never surfaced. but the actions of the officers involved were sickening. Using scare tactics to threaten a confession out of the hotel guests. mixed up in the events was part time security guard Melvin, a black man himself who is treated with professional courtesy from police due to his job (I can only imagine things would have been different if he wasn't a guard), Melvin tries to calm the situation down, on one occasion taking a guest up stairs and telling him he just needs to survive the night but the events of that night turn very dark, and the situation becomes very uncomfortable to watch, and this is from a hardcore horror fan. I actually squirmed in my seat while watching this film. I squirmed, I sat dead still and at times wanted to look away. The actions of the officers are sickening, the fact that certain support forces walk away just so they were not seen to be involved in the situation is sickening and the fact that these bastards got away with it is even more gut wrenching.

Kathyrn Bigelow has directed a Oscar worthy film here, the direction is spot on. I thought the inclusion of actual news footage from the time was well done, it goes to show just how real the film actually was. The actors should also get as much recognition for there performances aswell, Detroit had some of the best performances I have seen in a longtime and this couldn't have been an easy one to act. Algee Smith is a stand out for me, His portrayal of the now ex member of the Dramatics, Larry Reed, was outstanding, and in a way you also have to throw Will Poulter's portrayal of the evil, twisted Phillip Krauss, in to the mix of great performances in there too. That is a role that REALLY couldn't have been a role he would want to remember.

If you want a look into the dark history of American black history this is up here with the ones you NEED to watch. This is not a film you will forget and it will be talked about for many many years to come. I will warn you this is not in any way or form and easy watch so make sure your head is in the right place for this one.

‘The Bar’ is Spanish director Alex De La Iglesia’s latest film, a thriller about a group of strangers in Madrid who become trapped in a bar after a shooting in the town. It becomes apparent that anyone who tries to leave the bar also is a target. Although the premise of having a bunch of conflicting characters stuck together against their will has been done many times before, Iglesia still manages to keep it feeling unique through its use of satire and political relevance – it shows examples of paranoia surrounding terrorism and government conspiracy, at times in a humorous way – as well as the bright visual style which, much like the characters, becomes darker by the end.

The opening scene of the film gives a great first impression when it introduces the characters. It’s done in an interesting and creative way, with the camera flowing from one character to the next before we eventually see their paths cross at the bar. The camerawork is the main element that makes this film so intense besides the performances; there’s a lot of fast-paced close-up shots that succeed in making it feel incredibly claustrophobic. One problem people may have with the film is that the characters are quite simple, but I actually liked this as it allowed me to imagine their lives and the possible reasons for their actions and decisions. Furthermore, the reasons behind the characters being targeted is ambiguous for a while, and manages to keep you guessing and theorising along with the characters. Not knowing all the answers all the time makes the experience even more intense.
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Overall this is an interesting, absurd film that will probably be especially loved by those who are already fans of Iglesia’s work, but will hopefully also reach a larger audience because of its familiar premise and modern aesthetic. Anyone should at least be able to appreciate the great camerawork as well as its relevance to current affairs, even if it does demonstrate a rather cynical perspective.  

Continuing on from Season 1's gripping finale Lucifer and Chloe's relationship starts to blossom as the continue to solve brutal murders together. However this time a new problem arrives in Lucifer's life in the form of the goddess of all creation a.k.a his mother who has escaped hell and is now on earth. Tasked with getting her back into the fiery depths Lucifer is torn between his duty from his father and the love for his mother. Second chances, lies, murder and a flaming sword are the ingredients this season, and the final result is amazing.

I have a major love for this show, it is like Castle and Supernatural had a child who was funnier and more gripping than what came before it. The character of Lucifer makes this show, I love the progression of Maze and her newly formed relationships with Chloe, Linda and even Chloe's daughter, it gives a little bit of humanity to the character, and the very funny humor that goes with it.

The dark humor is what gives this show the edge on anything out there like it, the Lucifer character is charming, dark, evil at times but it is his quips that fill in the dark crimes he is helping solve. Tom Ellis is brilliant. Considering he is best known for that AWFUL British comedy show Miranda, Lucifer is the shinning light is his career and I hope this helps him make it big in the states. 

Great characters, great story and it left me wanting more. I can't wait till season 3 hits in October. BEST SHOW ON ANY STREAMING SERVICE!  

OWN LUCIFER: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON ON DVD NOW!

‘Clowntergeist’ is exactly what you would expect from the title; it’s a simple premise about a clown poltergeist terrorising a college student called Emma who must try and face her fears in order to save herself and her friends. You’re probably wondering why I gave it a reasonably good rating of 3 stars since it sounds a bit ridiculous, and it is, but I honestly really enjoyed this film. Although it’s tongue-in-cheek and you don’t get the sense it’s taking itself too seriously, some of the acting from the main cast is far better than I expected coming from a low-budget film. Furthermore, one of the writers (Aaron Mirtes) also took on the roles of director and editor which is a lot of work and he at least deserves some recognition for that.

Oh dear....this one was a shame. Valerian had so much potential, the story seemed original, the setting looked breath taking but there is so much wrong with this sci-fi fantasy summer film film that it had me begging for it to just finish already.

Valerian (I can't be bothered to type out the whole title if i'm totally honest) is based around Major Valerian and his partner Laureline as they are called in to protect a high ranking officer who is being targeted by a race of creatures thought to have died when their planet was destroyed many years previous. The race are trying to get hold of a small creature with the power to re-create any item it is fed (i.e feed it diamonds and the little thing shits out diamonds). On top of this a radiation issue also has the duo racing against time to get to the bottom of the attacks of Alpha, it city of a thousand planets, before it is destroyed, taking hundreds of species along with it.

What sounds like an action filled sci-fi summer epic, and a big reason I was looking forward to it in the first place, it is let down by one big factor....the film is BORING. The action scenes are slow and clumpy, the dialogue is bland and the casting just doesn't work. Dane DeHann just sounds like a teenager putting on a big boy voice, something which just takes so much away from the character. The CGI looks dated aswell, making the film look like it really should have been released several years ago to look good, and this is a damn shame as I really wanted to like this film.

I personally have been waiting for the next big film franchise to hit our screens and while, yes the film fails on many levels, I can admire the writer and director doing something new with a new property, and I know having reviewers like myself trash the film isn't going to make things easier but there has to be something behind it for us film fans to really push for something new and good. This film is a major let down for me but if you enjoyed John Carter or films like that you many find some enjoyment in there somewhere.

British comedy comes in many forms, and in these many forms there is different styles that will cater to different types of palettes. Not everyone will enjoy the humour of say David Brent: Life on the Road, some people will not always enjoy the over the top loud and brash comedy of Bottom but this is why British comedy is so great. Mindhorn is another comedy style that not everyone will love but for me it was a funny, yet a little drawn out type of comedy experience.

Mindhorn follows the story of Richard Thorncroft, a disgraced and out of work actor of the Cult Classic 90's action show Mindhorn. Unable to shake of his past role however comes in handy as he is brought in by the police to help on a murder case involving a trouble man who calls himself The Kestrel, a killer who will only speak to Mindhorn. Returning to the Isle of Man, and revisiting he past, opens up old wounds for Richard but can he pick up the pieces while trying to piggyback of the PR of a murder case?

Now I found Mindhorn pretty funny, this is my kind of humour and it reminds me of the comedies I grew up with, but this is also where the film may not connect with a younger audience. I loved the 90's feel of the film, the characters were well rounded and most of the comedic moments worked perfectly. Russell Tovey (of Gavin and Stacey fame) is very funny as The Kestral only really competing with  Simon Farnaby's Clive for the funniest character in the film. I loved the scene with the drunken images drawn on Clives car, but this does match my childish humour well.

As a whole Mindhorn is a fun little film, it has a good few laughs but it does fall flat on occasion. If you are a fan of 90's British comedy this will be perfect for you.

‘Bad Frank’ is a drama about a man who seems to have a normal life after overcoming a dark past that led to his family cutting ties; however, after trying to do the right thing when he witnesses something he shouldn’t have, his past catches up with him and he begins to unravel. Although it is slow and takes some time to get into, I really appreciate the acting and characterisation in the film. The script doesn’t reveal too much straight away and lets you fill in the gaps – a good example of what I mean is in the scenes between Frank and his dad. They don’t need to say much for you to understand what’s going on between them and it’s great.

Although I expected Frank’s descent into madness to be one big event where he just snaps like we see in a lot of horror movies, it’s more episodic like in something such as ‘Psycho’. I’m happy it went down this route (although I’m sure it would still make for a great horror film too) as it makes Frank’s character seem more unstable and unpredictable. This also allows Kevin Interdonato to show off his skills as he has his best moments portraying Frank’s inner conflict. On the other hand, Frank’s anger issues could possibly have had more of an impact if there had been more on-screen violence since there wasn’t much shown, but I’m sure there’s people out there who will like the film more because of this.
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The biggest problem with the film is its pacing. The beginning of the film had a purpose behind being slow as it established Frank’s character and his life, but towards the end it felt unnecessarily drawn out. However, I think it’s a decent film despite this and isn’t let down by its simple premise. The acting is the driving force behind the film – even the supporting characters have depth. Due to the pacing this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you can get past that then it’s definitely worth watching.