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Kate
Okay, okay. This movie has pretty much stolen the plot of high-intensity Jason Statham film Crank.
But it executes on its premise so well that I don't really care. When a highly-trained assassin is poisoned, she has 24 hours to kill the perpetrator before she will die herself.
Director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan is Oscar-nominated for the Visual Effects for Snow White and the Hunstman, and directed the sequel. He brings that energy to this awesome actioner.
It's not particularly inventive – and its stylings have similarities to John Wick – but it's pretty cool to watch Mary Elizabeth Winstead kick absolute butt and leave a gory scene in her wake everywhere she goes.
Relatively new to the scene is Miku Patricia Martineau, who stars here as a young teen unwillingly brought along on our protagonist's bloody mission. She's awesome, and the fact she holds her own opposite Winstead is impressive.
Throw in Woody Harrelson in a supporting turn, and you have one heck of an entertaining 100 minutes.
3.5/5 Stars
Crawl
One of the most unsettling films I have seen in theatres, Crawl is a monster movie at its absolute finest.
It plays on our own nightmares as a town is flooded during a hurricane, and a young woman and her father become trapped below their house with a group of alligators.
This life-or-death film is much more than your average horror tilt – with themes of family and overcoming obstacles.
Kaya Scodelario – most known for The Maze Runner trilogy – strays outside her comfort zone for this one, and proves she's a great dramatic actress.
Meanwhile, Barry Pepper is given a chance to shine as her doting, estranged father. Long a favourite of mine, the Saving Private Ryan and 25th Hour actor has mostly been seen in low-budget features lately.
He re-teams with Scodelario, his Maze Runner: The Death Cure co-star – and they make a fantastic pairing.
This is a scary, intense and well-acted horror film that thrills me every single time.
4/5 Stars
The Wolf Of Wall Street
Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to the most profane film of all time. Director Martin Scorsese's incredible movie has between 544-569 F-bombs, according to ScreenRant, making it the movie with the most swear words ever.
But even if everyone in the film has a pottymouth, if you're open, this is also a brilliant movie.
A mix of comedy, drama and bad behaviour all around, it follows real-life Wall Street titan Jordan Belfort from his early rise to his criminal enterprises.
In a less-stacked year, star Leonardo DiCaprio and a supporting turn from Jonah Hill – in career-best form – would have taken home statuettes. Their work, as well as turns from Margot Robbie, Kyle Chandler, and a scene-stealer performance from Matthew McConaughey make the film what it is.
You'll laugh, you'll be repulsed, and you'll shake your head. But it doesn't get much better than this one.
5/5 Stars
Doctor Sleep
I need to be honest and say when I first saw this one, I was unimpressed. I felt like it wasn't living up to The Shining, or my sky-high expectations.
It's a follow-up to the events in that classic film, and it features adult Danny Torrance from the first picture, and the way he's adjusted following the horrific events of the original.
Perhaps it was because Jack Nicholson was so incredible in the original, but Ewan McGregor just plays a different type of character here.
This one follows Danny linking up with a young girl who has similar psychic powers to him, and a cult that's after her.
Writer-director Mike Flanagan is an incredible genre filmmaker, whose films Hush, the Ouija sequel, and Gerald's Game are all superior. He does a fantastic job here.
With Kyliegh Curran, Rebecca Ferguson and Cliff Curtis on-board, McGregor is in great company.
I gave this one another chance, and I adored it. Go in with an open mind, and you may just be surprised.
3.5/5 Stars
Jordan Parker's weekly film reviews can be found on his blog, Parker & The Picture Shows.
