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Unhuman film review by UK film critic Hope Madden. Starring Brianne Tju, Ali Gallo, Benjamin Wadsworth directed by Marcus Dunstan. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Unhuman Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Jun 2, 2022 Directed by: Marcus Dunstan Written by: Marcus Dunstan, Patrick Melton Starring: Brianne Tju, Ali Gallo, Benjamin Wadsworth No one ever said high school was easy. Since the day Hollywood realized that teens spent a lot of money on movies, films have depicted high school angst. Often enough those movies offer suggestions, simple enough remedies to the woes inside those hallowed halls. A makeover, perhaps? Saturday detention? Karate lessons? Director Marcus Dunstan’s darkly comedic Unhuman thinks maybe an apocalyptic field trip could do the trick. A high school science class and one teacher who’s no better than the worst of the teens set off on an extra-credit adventure. And before you know it, you’re eyeball deep in a zombie flick, redneck menace film and John Hughes movie all rolled into one. Briannae Tju (TV’s I Know What You Did Last Summer ) plays Ever, who keeps her head down, her mouth shut and tries not to make waves. She and bestie Tamra (Ali Gallo) are having a moment—it’s that moment when the cool kids want only one of you for their clique and you pretend you aren’t both aware of it. But suddenly, after a bus crash, scary radio broadcast and a throat-biting murderous attack, Ever and Tamra must team up with those cool kids and whoever else escaped the bus to survive the field trip. Expect more than you bargain for, including solid performances from Tju, Gallo, Benjamin Wadsworth and a busload of actors finding ways to color outside the lines. This is the same writing team that launched into the horror scene with Project Greenlight winner Feast. Unhuman shares an irreverent tone with that early work. Dunstan, co-writing with longtime partner Patrick Melton, sees a darling simplicity in old-school teen movies. At one point, Randall (Wadsworth) tells us, “It’s a microcosm for life. High school doesn’t end. It spreads.” The filmmakers sell that kind of 80s influence well, but don’t assume Melton and Dunstan buy it. There’s real cynicism lying under the viscera, although the surface-level laughs and shocks help Unhuman masquerade as simple bloody levity. About the Film Critic Hope Madden Digital / DVD Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Do Not Open film review by UK film critic Swati Verma. Starring Adam Deary, Josh Sinclair Evans, Leah Rogers directed by Samuel T MCNally. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Do Not Open Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Swati Verma | Posted on: May 30, 2025 Directed by: Samuel T MCNally Written by: Samuel T MCNally Starring: Adam Deary, Josh Sinclair Evans, Leah Rogers The writer-director Samuel T MCNally along with cinematographer Trace Robbins decide to keep the font of the film’s name blinking in addition to an eerier streaky sound to establish the horror element initially and add in the thrill part of it as the narrative progresses. Richard Adam Deary, Josh Sinclair Evans, and Leah Rogers understand the director’s vision, balancing between the two genres to keep the viewers hooked on to the content throughout the film’s running time. The plot of Do Not Open revolves around three friends who drive out to a lonely country side house for a big weekend away only to realise far too late that the house has a fourth guest stalking them throughout their trip, a creature that can only be seen when it wants to be. Do Not Open begins with a series of mid-shots of a car ride toward the countryside followed by long shots to capture the beauty of the location as well as the excitement of three friends enjoying the trip. The director of photography Trace Robbins utilises the disorientation of the camera and the constant presence of the monster is depicted by scratching celluloid with a knife as well as the magnifying glass to give a sense of fright therefore enhancing the degree of audience engagement. The set design, lighting, sound, camera angles, dialogues, costume, hair, makeup, and props are kept natural to elevate elements of mystery, realism, and relatability in the storyline. The makers include internal jokes in the conversation between friends to keep the approach to climax light hearted but not lose the impact for the same. In terms of performance, Adam Deary plays Richard Laura’s boyfriend who seems to be the most adventurous yet protective of his friends. He wants to make the best use of time out of the monotonous routine. Deary’s reaction to a particular situation in several subplots or emotions is aptly conveyed to gradually build a emotional connection with the viewers. Josh Sinclair Evans plays David an explorer and starts to record everything when they reach the lonely house in the country side. David is a happy soul but the changes in his character arc surprises the audiences. The young actor effortlessly switches the tone in terms of body language, voice modulation, style of dialogue delivery, and facial expressions. Leah Rogers plays the role of Lauren (Richard’s girlfriend) who has come on this mini holiday to make memories spend quality time with the two boys. Rogers with her acting skills makes Lauren very relatable with the viewers. Do Not Open warns us about being private regarding certain things because it can cause trouble that is uncalled for. The short film reiterates the importance of having friends who would stand with him/her in both good times as well as bad times. The cinematic piece points at the unpredictable nature of life so we should make sure of spending as much time as we can with our loved ones. The creative piece highlights that taking care of ones physical or mental health is their responsibility. About the Film Critic Swati Verma Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

HAnnimal Lector film review by UK film critic William Hemingway. Starring Jorge Villacorta directed by Jorge Luis Villacorta Santamato. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS HAnnimal Lector Film Review average rating is 1 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: Dec 11, 2022 Directed by: Jorge Luis Villacorta Santamato Written by: Jorge Luis Villacorta Santamato Starring: Jorge Villacorta A man walks into a room. He's wearing a suit and tie and a wool overcoat. He walks over to a stool in the middle of the frame and sits down on it. In front of the stool is a small desk or a plinth covered in a grey, woollen cloth upon which is situated a giant tome of a book – it must be at least a thousand pages long. The man undoes the buttons on his coat and settles himself down. He opens the book and finds a page somewhere near the beginning, probably about fifty or so pages in. He takes a minute to find the best 'thinker' pose that his ego will allow him to present and apparently begins reading. The wall behind him is bare and white and there is a light switch over on the left hand side. There is the noise of passing traffic and the chirping of birds from outside but the man says nothing. The man thinks he's smart. He's not. He just thinks he is. After ten minutes the scene cuts and the stool is empty again. Immediately the man re-enters the frame and sits down to once more begin reading. He doesn't need to open his coat this time – he's already done that. After apparently reading for a short while he nonchalantly flicks back through a few pages until he again settles on a page to go on with. Twenty minutes in and the scene cuts back to an empty stool. The man immediately re-enters the frame, sits down, and apparently begins reading again. After another couple of minutes he casually flips back a few pages and continues. Sometimes he leans on his elbow, sometimes he puts both hands on the plinth and looks like he's ready to deliver a sermon. At distant points a motorcycle and a plane pass by outside. After thirty minutes the scene cuts to an empty stool.... …. and you get the idea. Jorge Villacorta doesn't seem to though, as he drags this utter drudgery out for another twenty minutes, expecting us to marvel at the audacity and cleverness of his turgid little film. At certain points you can distinctly see how pleased Jorge is with himself as wry smirks ripple across his face and he alternately raises what he wrongly believes to be an enigmatic eyebrow or two. After fifty minutes are up Jorge re-enters the frame, from a different angle this time, quickly flicks back another few pages and then promptly leaves. The End. Writer, director, producer, cinematographer, editor, musician, talent co-ordinator, costumier, hair and make-up department head, concept artist, art director, special effects artist, visual effects lead, stunt co-ordinator and stunt performer, location manager and transportation captain, Jorge Luis Villacorta Santamato wants to tell you that his film (and by actually crediting himself with all of these titles it is very much His film) is a crime, fantasy, horror, mystery. It's not. If you're interested you can link from the film's IMDb page to Jorge's own review of his own film where he argues his case in suitably confounding language that it's all about objectivism and abstraction. Well, d'uh! In his own review of his own film Jorge talks about the 'much lesser people' (in relation to capitalist society) while at the same time using words like 'peer', 'blessed' and 'accomplished scholar' to describe himself. He states that calling his film 'a movie about cannibalism is logical' and even proudly calls it an 'extremely perverse Peruvian snuff feature' where perverse is the only word which accurately describes anything which is going on, though probably not in the way Jorge thinks. Jorge would probably say that I don't understand his film, or that I haven't taken the time to properly investigate what he is trying to say – and he would be right – I don't, I haven't. I don't care to. His film is literally just him in a bare room sitting down pretending to read a book for fifty minutes in a static frame. It's junk. I'm all for film being art but this is neither; it's just an extended navel gazing exercise which goes nowhere. I've watched fifty minutes of this stuff so that you don't have to – so please don't – objectively. About the Film Critic William Hemingway Digital / DVD Release, Short Film, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Liquor Bank film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Antwone Barnes, Sean Alexander James directed by Marcellus Cox. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Liquor Bank Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Feb 26, 2025 Directed by: Marcellus Cox Written by: Marcellus Cox Starring: Antwone Barnes, Sean Alexander James A short drama written and directed by Marcellus Cox and starring Antwone Barnes and Sean Alexander James. Based on a true story, this film centers on Eddie (Barnes), a young man who is struggling with alcoholism. After having been sober for a year and attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, he goes back to drinking and misses a AA meeting. In response, the group's chairperson, Baker (James) arrives at Eddie's apartment in order to find out what is going on. He quickly realises that Eddie is drifting back into alcoholism and desperately tries to convince him to change his ways. This short is very heavy on drama. The narrative revolves around the emotional and tense encounter between a troubled alcoholic and a person who wants to help him. The dialogue focuses primarily on Eddie's life, the troubles he is going through, particularly due to alcohol and Baker repeatedly attempts to talk some sense into him. As the verbal exchange progresses, it becomes more and more unstable and the atmosphere is heartbreaking and the emotions are even more vivid thanks to Luke Richards' dramatic music. The screenplay is powerful, with well-written dialogue and great character development. Still, perhaps it might had helped in understanding Eddie even better if explanations were provided regarding the circumstances that caused him to become an alcoholic in the first place. Other than that, this short has no flaws. Eddie is a broken man. He is a youth with a military background who has lost his way in life and finds solace only in alcohol. He is angry, depressed and isolated and is played brilliantly by Barnes. James is equally fantastic as Eddie's acquaintance from AA. Baker is an intelligent, patient and caring man who goes to great lengths in order to help people. Arguably, a main theme in this short is alcoholism and the effects it has on people, isolating them and damaging their physical and mental health. The film ends with a quote by Jeff Warner that promotes the idea that people are meant to help each other and that is very much present in the story, as is self-reflection. A moving story about alcoholism. With great performances and dramatic dialogue, this powerful short explores the consequences of alcohol addiction and points out the significance of reaching out. About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Keeper film review by UK film critic Kieran Freemantle. Starring Tatiana Maslany, Rossif Sutherland, Birkett Turton, Eden Weiss directed by Osgood Perkins. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Keeper Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: Kieran Freemantle | Posted on: Nov 19, 2025 Directed by: Osgood Perkins Written by: Nick Lepard Starring: Tatiana Maslany, Rossif Sutherland, Birkett Turton, Eden Weiss Keeper is the third film directed by Osgood Perkins to be released within 18 months. With Keeper , he made a restricted arthouse offering. Liz (Tatiana Maslany) is an artist who's about to celebrate her first anniversary with her doctor boyfriend, Malcolm Westbridge (Rossif Sutherland). Malcolm plans to take Liz to his family’s cabin in the woods for a weekend. However, when they go to the cabin, Liz starts to experience visions and dreams. Longlegs made Perkins’ name as a director. It was a critical hit and a commercial success, making $128 million from a $10 million budget. His follow-up, The Monkey , was promoted that it was from the director of Longlegs . He’s responsible for two of Neon’s grossest films. Sadly, Keeper did not make it a hat-trick of success for Perkins. Perkins has shown himself to be a versatile director. Longlegs was a supernatural version of The Silence of the Lambs , and The Monkey was a hilarious horror-comedy in the vein of the Final Destination movies. Keeper was a minimalistic film due to its small cast and setting, and was a slow burn. It has ended up being a divisive film, only earning a D+ score from CinemaScore users. Keeper earned this negative reputation because of its slow pacing. Liz was alone for most of the film as she pottered around the cabin. Maslany was terrific in the film and the saving grace in the film, but she could only do so much to carry the film with her lack of characterisation. Keeper felt like it wanted to be an elevated horror but didn’t have enough to say like the greats in the subgenre, such as Get Us , The Lighthouse , and Midsommar . Nor was there enough appeal for more mainstream audiences. Perkins attempted to create a creepy atmosphere, and there is a gradual ratcheting up. It started small with Liz’s visions and a monster appearing in the background and following her, although I did want to shout ‘look behind you’ like I was watching a pantomime. There was more peril as the film progressed, like an unwanted visitor and creepy beings becoming present. Keeper only got going when the film reveals the whole picture, and there was a genuinely horrifying creature. It was a barmy affair, which has been typical of Perkins’ previous films’ third acts. It was a shame it took so long to get there. It was a reverse of Alex Garland’s Men , where that film had a solid first two acts, but an insanely bad third act. Keeper wanted to be a film about coercive control. Malcolm presented himself to be a nice guy, but his behaviour became more troubling as time passed, like when he offered Liz a piece of chocolate cake. Keeper joins a growing cohort of # MeToo-inspired horror films and thrillers. However, the sci-fi film Companion was a better 2025 film that explored the issue of coercive control and how someone can fight against it. A more positive aspect of the film was the score by Edo Van Breemen. It used a lot of percussion and felt like it would have fitted in another horror film. Keeper was a film that had potential because of the central relationship and Maslany’s performance, but it was underdeveloped and underwhelming. About the Film Critic Kieran Freemantle Theatrical Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >