MOVIE REVIEW: THEY WILL KILL YOU

 

A woman answers a cryptic ad for a housekeeping job at a luxurious yet foreboding New York City high-rise. Upon arrival, she discovers residents have vanished without a trace for decades, fueling whispers of a satanic cult lurking in the shadows.

Director: Kirill Sokolov

Cast: Zazie Beetz, Myha'la, Paterson Joseph, Tom Felton, Heather Graham, Patricia Arquette

Release Date: March 27, 2026

Genre: Horror, Comedy

Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, language and brief sexual content/nudity.

Runtime: 1h 35m

Review:

They Will Kill You has all the makings of a fun over the top exploitation grindhouse film, boasting a handful of visually impressive action sequences that are incredibly fun, but the undercooked story keeps it from being something really special.  Writer/Director Kirill Sokolov’s film has a fun energy that seeps through the screen especially once the first action sequence hits the screen.  The arterial blood splattered across the screen is going to give more than a few people flashbacks of Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volume 1.  Sokolov throwing that sort of action into a devil cult seems like a slam dunk as it’s even more over the top and extreme than the recent Ready or Not films.  The action set pieces are wonderfully choregraphed with each moment delivering a very distinctive visual from the initial bedroom fight to a fun vent chase and topped with a fire axe sequence that’s the highlight of the film.  The kinetic action is sure to keep genre fans thoroughly entertained for large chunks of the film’s runtime but there’s a noticeable lull in between those moments since the story leaves more than a bit to be desired.  Zazie Beetz makes for an intriguing, blood splattered heroine as she brings an impressive intensity to the role that shows off her total commitment to the role.  She is more than willing and able to deliver so much here but the script offers her and the supporting characters the thinnest of characterizations which waste the talent assembled.  Patricia Arquette, sporting a strange Irish accent, does what she can with as the cult leader and de facto villain but there’s painfully little on the page to work with outside of the most basic defining characterization.  Heather Graham and Tom Felton are given even less than that to work with both as they serve as little more than familiar faces to be chopped through over and over again.   It doesn’t help that the dialogue is painfully clunky and strangely lacking in any tongue in cheek wink and a nod about how silly the whole thing is.  There’s a message mixed in there about the rich taking advantage of the poor, but it’s so ham fisted that it doesn’t land the way it should much like the central relationship between the sisters which leaves They Will Kill You less memorable than it should be.  

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: WONKA

 

Armed with nothing but a hatful of dreams, young chocolatier Willy Wonka manages to change the world, one delectable bite at a time.

Director: Paul King

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Tom Davis, Olivia Colman,  Hugh Grant

Release Date: December 15, 2023

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Musical

Rated PG for some violence, mild language and thematic elements.

Runtime: 1h 56m

Paul King's Willy Wonka prequel, Wonka, is an utterly charming film that brings a wonderful sense of whimsy and wonder that's hard to deny.  King's musical confection is a wonderful assault on the senses with a series of well staged albeit old fashion, song and dance numbers.  Its a visual feast for the eyes and ears that's like a lovely elixir that guaranteed to put people in a good mood.  King's film is light and airy with a palatable sense of infectious optimism that fits perfectly with a younger Wonka who hasn't become the more cynical and scarier version of himself from the Gene Wilder classic.  Timothée Chalamet is perfectly suited for this version of the character with his boyish looks and general charm.  He mimics some of the mannerisms and movements of Wilder's take but plays him with more wide eyed optimism and naiveite.  Its works well for this film and story even though some looking for bits of the character slightly sinister side will be left wanting.  The supporting cast delivers equally strong work with fun turns from Olivia Colman and an impressive film debut from Calah Lane.  Paterson Joseph, one of the handful of Peep Show alums, chews up every bit of the scenery as the film's villainous chocolatier.  Likewise, Hugh Grant is clearly having a ball playing a CGI Oompa-Loompa so much so that you wish he'd be given a slightly larger role.  It all makes for an undeniably fun film which fit more with the beloved original than the Tim Burton remake which is sure to please plenty of fans.

, 

A-

TV SHOW REVIEW: PEEP SHOW Series 1-7

TV SHOW REVIEW: PEEP SHOW Series 1-7

ON DVD / STREAMING VIA NETFLIX



Mark and Jez are a couple of twenty-something roommates who have nothing in common - except for the fact that their lives are anything but normal. Mayhem ensues as the pair strive to cope with day-to-day life.

Creators Andrew O'Connor, Sam Bain, Jesse Armstrong

Starring David Mitchell, Robert Webb, Olivia Colman, Matt King, Isy Suttie, Paterson Joseph

Like a perverse “The Odd Couple” Peep Show is the kind of show that is sure to offend plenty of people and make every more people, like me, break into laughter just at the mention of it. It’s a series that’s so incredibly well written and performed that the comedic timing on display is truly something impressive to watch. Its distinctive point of view style, it decreases to a certain extent as the series goes by, gives it a fresh feel throughout. It’s the kind of show that feels very familiar but not at the same time. Its characters are all fairly dislikable and do terrible things to each other but like Seinfeld and its Always Sunny in Philadelphia it’s not off putting. Instead you are sucked into these characters lives and hilarious inner monologues as they go through the mundane minutia of their lives. David Mitchell and Robert Webb make a fantastic comedic duo, further proof can be found in the equally awesome “That Mitchell and Webb Look”, who just live and breathe their characters throughout the series. Mitchell has that frustrated repressed office drone persona down with Webb playing a perfect slacker foil. The supporting players are equally impressive and memorable. If shows like Arrested Development, Spaced, Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia or The IT Crowd make you laugh then Peep Show is required viewing.

A-