The Write Place  is the story of a father and daughter running a small stationary store. But it quickly becomes apparent that Maggie (Erin Taylor) isn't quite as passionate about the family business as Walt (Peter Gantenbein). What do you do if your child doesn't share your interest? Well, the sensible answer would be to encourage them to follow their own dream or passion. But when it comes to a beloved (by some) family business - like in this case - it can be difficult to think that it may not carry on in the family. That is the challenge at the heart of this charming and relatable short. Gantenbein and Taylor share a wonderful chemistry as a father and daughter who have reached a certain turning point in life. The pair really capture the awkwardness of a parent/child relationship in which the parent's authoritative position is waning because the child is on the cusp of adulthood. Directed by Benjamin McClain and Job Gailey, there is an honesty to The Write Place  - certai

Two first generation Ukrainian-American brothers chase the American Dream. One hopes to go into business for himself, but is stuck working in a cell phone store. The other is a small-time pot dealer looking to get into the music business as manager to a promising young rapper. They share a studio apartment in Brooklyn and bicker constantly. But all this is temporary... right? After all, this is America. Josh Caras and Jon Valde deliver a strikingly relatable tale in Leon's Fantasy Cut . Many of us will understand the place in which George (Caras) and Iggy (Valde) find themselves because we've either been there, or we are still. This is a movie that isn't afraid to broach the fact that the American Dream isn't out there for everyone - no matter how badly we want it. Moreover, the frustration, disappointment and even anger that such a realisation can bring is palpable throughout. Increasingly so, as we draw closer to a rather tense finale.  Beyond the torment of the Ameri

After barely surviving Dhaka, Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) is presented with yet another insane mission, one that falls a hell of a lot closer to home. Rake and his team must extract a woman and her children from a Georgian prison. Preferably without alerting her husband, who happens to be a high ranking member of a particularly nasty local gang. A few years back, a plucky little action movie - the directorial debut of a veteran stuntman - landed on Netflix . Shot with an interesting guerrilla style that favoured long takes, it was raw and brutal. Making it a no holds barred, uncomplicated action movie - just like mamma used to make. Now stuntman turned director Sam Hargrave and Chris Hemsworth are back with the next chapter in the Tyler Rake story, and it's bigger, bolder and more intense than his first outing. Making it rather refreshing, because Extraction 2  is an action sequel that isn't simply a rehash of the first movie with a bigger budget. Sure there are some familiari

In an attempt to make a vacation out of a business trip, oil rig safety inspector Paul Sturges (Josh Lucas) brings his family along on an inspection visit to Baja, Mexico. But when a confrontation with locals forces the family to join Paul on the rig, they find it to be badly damaged and almost completely abandoned. And the only thing preventing them from leaving this slowly sinking nightmare is a creature of local legend; a megalodon known as "El Demonio Negro" - the Black Demon. It is well known that ever since Jaws  took the world by storm back in 1975, Hollywood has tried to recapture that magic - or at least that high degree of hype - with a great many killer shark movies. None of which have come close, especially the  Jaws sequels. But the success of 2018's The Meg  has certainly excited things in recent years. Which brings us to The Black Demon , the story of a monstrous megalodon sent by the gods to punish us for our mistreatment of the Earth. Yes that's right

Chad Stahelski leads us on another deliciously colourful foray into this gilded underworld of death, and I loved every minute of it! Both Keanu Reeves and John Wick are relentless - one in his ongoing fight to keep on living, and the other in his desire to see this loveable assassin lay waste to yet more of the High Table's minions. And that's the thing about John Wick; he is loveable. For a man of very few words, he's an engaging protagonist. One who is easy to root for, and has been since the very beginning. Chapter 4 is the longest John Wick  movie yet, and it is filled to the brim with extreme action, all of which is on an epic scale. How Stahelski and his incredible team keep coming up with new ways for John to shoot, hit, stab and drive his way through armies of killers, I don't know. But once again, they have delivered. Everything about this movie - from the characters (including some rather complicated relationships), to the sets and locations, the cars, and ev

A lot has changed for the Guardians since the blip brought back all those that Thanos snapped away. They have taken over Nowhere, turned it into a haven for refugees and lost souls, and in the process become de facto governors of this potentially smelly colony. They've even got a cool new ship - the 'Bowie' - and discovered the spirit of Christmas. Not that any of this has helped Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), who is still struggling with the loss of Gamora (Zoe Saldana). But when Rocket (Bradley Cooper) is badly wounded in an attack, the gang head off in search of the technology that could save their friend, and in so doing draw the attention of someone from Rocket's past; the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). It would seem that James Gunn's parting gift to Marvel before going on to head up DC Studios was to give them their mojo back. Put simply,  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a return to form for the MCU . The last couple of movies have been a tad under par f

After 5000 years imprisonment, Teth Adam (Dwayne Johnson), a slave bestowed with the powers of the Egyptian gods is awoken to find his home country of Kahndaq overrun by mercenaries. The ensuing chaos draws the attention of Amanda Waller, who tasks the Justice Society with capturing Teth Adam before his reign of destruction gets out of hand. Watching Black Adam , the first thing that strikes me - and I know I'm late to the party on this - is that it was never going to save the DCEU  (in its current form). The story is weak. Every twist can be spotted a mile off. The characters aren't exactly compelling. Especially the villain! There's a lot of obvious green screen/CGI, all of which has a nasty habit of taking you out of the movie. And it all builds to a rather uninteresting finale that includes a whole lot more bad CGI. The movie's biggest selling point, by far, is seeing Dwayne Johnson playing this dark and brooding, badass comic book role - one that he happens to be r