Much like Karlie Kloss at the 2019 MET gala, M3GAN 2.0 is looking camp right in the eye.

As I stared at the massive poster bearing an image of M3GAN with the tagline ‘This Bitch Is Back’ I knew that this would be interesting to say the least.

Directed by fellow Kiwi Gerard Johnstone, M3GAN 2.0 takes place two years after the events of the first movie. You know, the one where M3GAN goes on a wee murderous rampage after hacking her own software and gaining a little too much sentience. It’s all in the name of protecting her primary user Cady (Violet McGraw) but alas she ends up decommissioned… almost.

History seems to be repeating itself when a new android, with an equally cool acronym for a name, appears to have gone rogue. AMELIA, the Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics and Infiltration Android (Ivanna Sakhno) is newer, faster, stronger and smarter than anything ever seen before and she seems unstoppable. That is until Gemma (Allison Williams) reluctantly resurrects M3GAN in an attempt to fight fire with fire.

And guess what? The girls are indeed fighting! With a great blend of martial arts and robotic ruthlessness this was an action packed movie that had a little bit of everything including some truly iconic haircuts.

There is a definite tone shift from the first movie and I can see where audiences could come away feeling a little disappointed. I would not call this a horror at all. I reckon the trailers that played before the movie started scared me more. With next to no scares and one F-bomb I could really feel the PG-13 rating this time around compared to the first movie, probably due to the lack of any real suspense, bar one or two scenes.

But that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy this bonkers thing for what it was; a delightfully campy action spy sci-fi. It’s got some slick fight sequences, a killer montage and a lot of laughs (the kind that are actually vocalised and not just a nasal exhale.) It also hasn’t completely forgotten its roots with numerous callbacks to the first movie including another iconic dance and sing song moment.

If you enjoyed M3GAN’s sardonic humour and deadpan delivery in the first movie then you will absolutely love her in this one. Voiced by Jenna Davis (with the physical performance done by Amie Donald), M3GAN really drives home the fact that this is her world and we’re just living in it. The back and forth, scrappy banter between her and literally anyone else in the movie is exquisite and there are actually some genuine heartfelt moments thrown in the mix too.

The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously and once you realise that you’re not watching a bleak indie horror you can enjoy it so much more. So I say give in to it! Forget about Marvel, this is my MCU. M3GAN 2.0 you will always be famous to me.

The post M3GAN 2.0 (Universal Pictures) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Singing vampires, religious overtures and two Michael B. Jordans? What more could a girl want! Sinners is the latest from writer-director Ryan Coogler and I was hooked from the beginning.

Set in 1930s Mississippi we see twins, Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan), return home from Chicago to host a night that no one will ever forget. With this time-sensitive endeavour on their hands the duo round up a motley assortment of old friends (and lovers) to help create their own juke joint in an abandoned mill that the twins bought from a definitely not racist old white man. The pièce de résistance for the evening is a performance by their devilishly talented nephew Sammie (Miles Caton).

Everything seems to be going according to plan until a few friendly folks hear the sweet music and come knocking. The night quickly devolves into a clash of teeth and wooden stakes. Throw in a hefty amount of blood and a surprising amount of saliva and you’ve got a hit.

The music in this film was outstanding. Composer Ludwig Göransson really pulled out all the stops. It’s woven into the plot beautifully and there’s a particular montage which gloriously blends anachronistic music and visuals into our 1930s rural setting. Twangy guitars and honeyed voices meld together with heavier beats and electric tones.

The score breathes and moves and compels you to do the same. You could close your eyes and the music would tell you its own story. My eyes however were peeled open à la A Clockwork Orange because I did not want to miss a single second of the wondrous audio-visual experience unfolding in front of me. All of this is to say, I won’t be surprised if the soundtrack ends up on my 2025 Spotify wrapped.

So, the music is part of their lives and flows through their veins. Unfortunately, for our protagonists, so does blood.

One thing about me is that I love a vampire. The sparkly sort, the suave debonair ones, the rotting walking corpses, the otherworldly monsters that lurk in the dark, give me all of them. Sinners could have been another vampire movie that made people groan and roll their eyes, but instead it takes classic vampire lore and brings it back to its former glory.

Instead of being wishy-washy with the limitations and capabilities of the vampires, Sinners is clear cut. The vampires abide by certain rules such as needing to be invited in but they also have weaknesses that can be exploited. Overall though, they are still enchanting, sweet-talking creatures that will play you a little tune and then tear your face off and drain you dry. Such fun!

Ryan Coogler knows how to make a charismatic antagonist and Irish vampire Remmick (Jack O’Connell) is no different. But maybe I’m just weak for glinting red eyes and singing and dancing around a bonfire.

I caught myself grinning maniacally throughout this movie and then found myself sad that it was ending! It does however have an uber-satisfying finale and I’ve also gained a healthy fear of banjo wielding strangers that ask to come inside.

If you’re bored of the constant remakes, sequels and adaptations and want to sink your fangs into something fresh and thrumming with life then this is the movie for you!

The post Sinners (Warner Bros. – 2025) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

First dates can be the worst. And Drop takes this statement to the extreme.

This pulpy popcorn thriller uses modern technology to create a suspenseful hostage situation. Violet (Meghann Fahy) is a widowed single mother who is hesitantly returning to the dating scene. She is reluctant to leave her son in the care of her snarky sister.

But after some urging, she sets out on her first date with a photographer she met online, Henry (Brandon Sklenar). Shortly after arriving at an uber fancy, skyscraper restaurant, Violet starts to receive ‘digi-drops’ (this film’s airdrop equivalent).

What starts as a potential dumb prank, quickly unravels into a nightmare, when it’s revealed a masked man is inside Violet’s home, ready to kill her sister and son. Violet must follow the instructions sent to her, and she can not tell anyone, especially not her date Henry.

In all honesty, I thought this film was going to be terrible. Some tech horror that demonises online dating or feels totally out of touch with the digital world. But man, did this movie surprise me. Jillian Jacobs & Chris Roach’s script is spectacular, giving our stars Fahy and Skelnar something to really bite into. Their conversations are riddled with genuine moments and up-to-date references.

It makes you root for them, and their blooming relationship – which makes everything that’s about to happen so much more intense.

Violet does her best, given the situation, and Henry? Well Henry is the most patient man ever. Honestly anyone else would’ve left the date halfway through this movie. But the instructions Violet must follow get more and more dire as the night progresses. And she must sift her way through red herrings to uncover who the person behind the digi-drops could be. It’s all a bit Hitchcockian.

What I didn’t expect from this film was to genuinely, whole-heartedly laugh. The use of current memes (Brittany Broski you will always be famous), and the hilarious waiter were delightfully comical. It was perfectly balanced with the horror, making it utterly enjoyable even in its most tense moments.

I feel a lot of recent films, especially of the thriller genre, have struggled with their own identity. But Drop is surprisingly sincere in its purpose and execution – even if it is a bit silly. The concept of this film as a whole is absolutely nuts. But it’s crazy what a good script, crisp editing and great actors can do.

The post Drop (Universal – 2025) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and it’s been just over two years since season one of The Last Of Us premiered which means that my proverbial cup runneth over with love for Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal.

Season one of The Last Of Us ended with Joel (Pedro Pascal) reassuring Ellie (Bella Ramsey) that he wasn’t lying when he said raiders attacked the hospital and he had to get her out of there. Hint; he is indeed a big, fat liar! Ellie, with a certain amount of skepticism that only a 14 year old can manage, accepts his answer.

Flashforward to season two, we rejoin Ellie and Joel in Jackson five years after their escape from the hospital.

Joel’s hair has gotten longer, his beard grayer and he’s gained some little old man glasses that are obviously not the right prescription if his squinting is anything to go by. Yet he is still as handsome and brooding as ever.

Ellie is 19, she acts like it, and I love her. She is all go, no slow (except maybe when it comes to her romantic pursuits.) What this means is that I felt like a worried mother about twenty times during the episode.

Over the five year time jump it seems like Ellie’s skepticism has festered and grown. There is an obvious wedge between our favourite father-daughter duo. They aren’t together for many scenes but when they are, it’s distant and awkward. Ellie and Joel’s relationship is so frigid that it makes the snowy Wyoming landscape seem like a desert.

Because of this we get to see a lot more of Jackson and the episode really gets stuck into the smaller, more intricate relationships between everyone that lives there. With the new season comes new characters. Some brought over from the game such as Dina, Isaac and Abby. But we’re also met with a new, original to the series character called Gail (Catherine O’Hara), Jackson’s very own psychotherapist.

This particular character introduction sets the tone for the episode which is surprisingly light on the action and heavy on the talking. In a world where the infected roam freely and where everyone has lost someone in horrific ways or even committed atrocities of their own, it’s no wonder people need to talk. And it’s nice that we get to see that.

Aside from the human drama going on we also glimpse a few infected throughout the episode. We get an up close and personal encounter with a stalker which made me want to turn myself inside out. The practical and special effects are disgustingly gorgeous and in lieu of massive jumpscares there was this heavy, sickening sense of dread. Unlike the runners and clickers we saw in season one, the stalkers do exactly what their name suggests and it’s this other level of intelligence that poses a new danger.

In the lead up to season two, one main concern fans (of the game in particular) had was about the casting of Abby, namely, Kaitlyn Denver’s physicality. In the games Abby’s stature is important to her character. She is tall and solidly built. Denver is fit, but does she pose a substantial threat? We see Abby in two scenes which bookend the first episode. Not a lot to go off but I’m interested to see if there’s going to be a work-around for this or if it’ll be glossed over.

Nevertheless, there’s gay panic, some wry chuckles, a whole lot of family drama and the constant fear of what comes next. If the series doesn’t deviate from the games I think I know what’ll be in stock for the upcoming episodes but I’m excited to see where they take it.

Bring on the rest of the season!

The post The Last of Us Season 02 Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

I went into Babygirl simply knowing that it was an A24 film classified as an erotic thriller. No trailers or online clips were watched beforehand to clue me in to what I was about to watch.

But I know I love a thriller. And A24.

Babygirl, written and directed by Halina Reijn, did its circuit around the film festivals before its theatrical release. Nicole Kidman even picked up some awards along the way.

The film follows Romy (Nicole Kidman), who is the CEO of a major tech company, wife and mother. She puts both her family and career on the line when she falls into the arms of a much younger intern.

And usually, films go beyond their synopsis. Babygirl does not.

The film starts with Romy having unfulfilling sex with her husband (Antonio Banderas). She slinks out of bed and only climaxes after watching dom/sub porn.

So she has her kinks, who doesn’t.

At work, she keeps bumping into the attractive young intern Samuel (Harris Dickinson). After he kisses her at work, the two spiral into a hesitant and chaotic relationship.

The film definitely ticks the ‘erotic’ box. We are in the front-row seat as Romy and Samuel’s sexual relationship develops. Samuel sees and understands Romy’s desires, easily sliding into the dominant role. Romy is more hesitant, struggling to shed the CEO skin despite her carnal need to submit to him.

Their scenes together are intimate, yet awkward as they fumble around the power imbalance. Kidman and Dickinson’s performances are commendable, creating an unfiltered, raw presenation of the sexual experience. They break into laughter at the absurdity of their actions and share moments of embarrassment and playfulness. They truly carry the film and the whole time I was thinking they must’ve had a damn good intimacy coach.

My problem with the film was that not much else happens. We’re aware that Samuel holds the power. With one phone call he could end her entire career and destroy her family. But there isn’t a single moment where we feel he might actually do so. He doesn’t have a backstory, or much motivation towards ruining her. He’s simply a tool of her desire.

I hoped that meant we would delve deeper into Romy’s psyche. Understand how her own desire could be her downfall. How her past, only alluded to with a few throwaway comments, could play into why she feels the way she does. But we only get the faintest of glimpses at her internal workings. The few abstract scenes of her beauty rituals and therapy seemed as if they would lead somewhere, but ultimately go nowhere.

Now, not everything needs to be handed to an audience on a silver platter. You could unpack the film as an exploration of female desire and shame. You could reflect on the gender dynamics in both sex and the workplace. But it didn’t feel like the film wanted to do any of that.

Even as things finally get out of control and we reach the films climax nothing serious actually happens. It’s superficial, almost comical.

The film was surprisingly tame, too self-conscious to really go anywhere, and definitely didn’t reach ‘thriller’ territory for me. I kept hoping for some absurd plot twist to revive the story, but sadly all we got were more sex scenes. Kidman’s stellar performance brought some life to the lacklustre script but couldn’t make up for the lack of plot.

But hey, if you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if A24 made Fifty Shades of Grey, this might be the movie for you.

The post Babygirl (A24 – 2024) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The 90’s was a wild time for crime thrillers movies.

I think of movies like the Bone Collector to really emphasise the tone of this era where so many murders were being committed with intriguing hooks. I’m not sure how much of it was the lack of widespread internet allowing people to just soak in what is going on as well as the lack of millions of cameras meaning they can make open and intriguing movies.

Somehow, despite loving Nicholas Cage to an unhealthy degree, I had never seen 8mm. Minutes into the movie all I could think about was how wild the 90’s crime thrillers were, and I am glad to have added this one to my collection.

8mm follows the PI Tom Welles (played by Nicholas Cage) who is hired to investigate a mysterious film. It appears to show a young woman being murdered, and the widower wants to know if it’s real. Tom goes and finds the identity of the girl and speaks to her mother, to find out she has been missing for years after moving out to try to become a star. And things turn dark.

Tom starts to go down a rabbit hole of the fetish world trying to find out where and how it was created. He befriends Max (played by Joaquin Phoenix, I told you the 90’s were wild) who works in a fetish porn store. They both start looking through the underground fetish world to find out if snuff films are actually real or not, and if they are, if this one is real.

They dig deeper, find out it was real, and then keep digging to find out who created it, who the killer was, and so much more. It is in many ways kinda messed up, but just on the right side of messed up to be a little disturbing and very intriguing.  Okay, it’s kinda very messed up.  Still, the 90’s crime thrillers walk that line of having some truly horrific ideas and themes, but not being so explicit as to make the movie too cringy.

There is a lot of excellent acting on offer here. Nicholas Cage is very solid, not his best job of acting, but miles above his worst. Joaquin Phoenix is fantastic in his weirdness, and everyone else does their parts.  Peter Stormare does his usual unsettling acting style that makes every performance of his an intrigue to watch, and so many others stick to their landings.

8mm is probably not going to be your next favourite move, and it’s also not one of those must see movies you have missed. But if you enjoy 90’s crime thrillers, this is a fantastic example of one that is well worth your time. There are some great bonus features on there from the release time and newer, and honestly I am just glad to have it on my shelf now.

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The eat-the-rich era of cinema has had its ups and downs.

But boy do I get excited when a new addition to this unofficial genre drops.

And after being sorely let down by so many of this year’s cinema releases – Blink Twice was the breath of fresh air I had been waiting for.

Being Zoe Kravitz’s first directing gig, she goes big. And the pay-off is a daring and transgressive piece of cinema that plants itself solidly above the recent installations of this narrative.

Blink Twice revolves around Frida (Naomi Ackie), a cocktail waitress with a niche interest in animal-inspired nail art. After stumbling into tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum), she’s swiftly pulled out of her mundane life and whisked away with her friend to King’s lavish private island.

Here, the two friends do their best to fit in amongst the gaggle of guests. They brush away the red flags, and their uneasiness slips away, as do the days. With an endless supply of champagne, drugs and vape juice, time starts to blur.

The sun-soaked setting is vibrant and lively. Kravitz pulls us in with stunning scenes and a saturated palette.

We as the audience are sucked into the fantasy just as much as the characters.

But it’s all a distraction from what is truly going on. And as the shadows start to seep in, the extravagant style becomes unnerving.

Things start to not add up. Memories get lost, and Frida must figure out what is going on before it is too late.

When we finally learn of the horrors taking place, the film doesn’t shy away from them. While the plot may have been predictable, the uncensored brutality wasn’t.

Blink Twice didn’t do subtlety. It screamed its rage right at the audience. And while it may have had a few loose threads and pitfalls in the plot, the statement was made loud and clear.

And the cast were brilliant at delivering the message.

Ackie commands centre stage as she transforms from fangirl to final girl. Tatum is compelling in his presentation of the ‘recently improved’, constantly vaping, tech bro who’s unsurprisingly still insufferable. And the supporting cast did a terrific job in setting the scene. From King’s sleazy and incredibly punchable lackeys to the ‘fat blunt queen’.

We’ve seen this story before. In fact, you could put the blurb for Blink Twice next to that of Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion and find they’re nearly identical. The only difference from a first glance is their maturity rating.

But what Blink Twice lacks in originality, it makes up for in its unrelenting savagery and audacious stylistic direction. Zoe Kravitz truly makes her mark in this striking directorial debut.

The post Blink Twice (Warner Bros. – 2024) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

When I first saw the marketing for Longlegs, it was love at first sight.

An artsy trailer about a murder mystery with heavy hints of the ‘ol satanic panic. The PR boxes with secret codes. The phone number with creepy messages.

Horror fans flocked to any glimpse of the film, namely – what Nicholas Cage would look like. My expectations were set high.

The movie follows Lee Harker – a young, detached FBI agent – tackling her first case. The case being to track down an occultist serial killer who goes by the name Longlegs.

The film spends a nice chunk of time setting up Lee and the case. As expected, it’s a murder mystery fanatics dream.

The mystery lies in how Longlegs could manipulate numerous fathers to murder their families and themselves.
With no evidence that a killer ever entered their homes, they could’ve been mistaken for murder-suicides. But then there’s the cryptic messages left at each scene. And the fact that each family had a daughter born on the 14th.

The unravelling of the mystery took on an interesting and somewhat erratic pace. Lee solves clues incredibly fast, due to the narrative aid of her psychic abilities.

The visual style and sound design were masterful, and carried a lot of the movie. With lingering shots – I would’ve raved about in film school – and harrowing flash cuts, I was engrossed.

The third act is when the movie started going downhill for me.

Instead of offering something fresh and gritty, the last half hour reduces the film to cliche and the over-used theme of a possessed doll.

Even worse, they completely disregard the main reason that Longlegs was never caught. Spoiler alert, there was someone in the house.

So much time had been spent setting up this creepy, odd-ball occultist killer, just to have the answers feel so subpar. Especially for avid horror fans who were expecting a little bit more pizazz.

Overall, I rate this movie pretty high, despite its narrative flaws.

Nicholas Cage gave a goofy yet eerie performance. The film was crafted beautifully and delivered a high level of suspense.

It was a fresh take on the genre, but was let down in the end by using cheap cliche. It just didn’t quite find its feet – or should I say legs?

But hey, at least the movie is split into parts so you can easily track where the movie started to go downhill.

The post Longlegs (Neon – 2024) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

NOW CLOSED – It’s the 1990s, and a new FBI agent, Lee Harker, is assigned to an unsolved case involving the Satanic serial killer known as Longlegs.

As the investigation becomes more complicated with occult evidence uncovered, Harker realizes a personal link to the killer and must act quickly to prevent another family murder.

In cinemas from the 18th of July 2024, LONGLEGS is a must see thriller this year, starring Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage.

Thanks to our mates at Black Bear International and NEON, we have FIVE Double Passes up for grabs.

To enter this Giveaway you must answer this question:

What is your all-time favourite thriller movie … and why?

You can give us your answer by placing a comment below, hitting us up on Facebook, Tweet to us, or Email.

Important stuff: Winner(s) will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / DM / Email in accordance to the above Question. Winner(s) will receive a single Double Pass for the film LONGLEGS. LONGLEGS is age rated R in New Zealand. Competition ends on the 17th of July 2024. Only New Zealand entries are accepted for this promotion.

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Saw is one of the best thriller movies I think I have ever seen.

The ending and creativity has stuck in my mind for years. Then the movies got gorier and well, less excellent. And yet Saw has been excellent every time I have watched it. So now I wanted to check it out on 4K to see if it’s the best way to watch.

If somehow you haven’t seen Saw, let me tell you what you have been missing.

Two men wake up in a dingy bathroom chained to the wall, they don’t know how or why they got there. They start unpicking the puzzle to get themselves free, when they discover that the hacksaws they have found isn’t for the chains. It is for their feet. Don’t worry, not a major spoiler, was in every trailer when the movie came out. The movie also has an intricate situation going on outside relating to these two men.

Through a side story we discover the Jigsaw killer has been doing intricate killings where he puts people in situations where they have to sacrifice a lot to live. If they do, they get to go free with a new appreciation for life. Not many manage to survive.

Even on what must be my 20th watch of this, I am still blown away by how well this movie is written and made. The intrigue and plot lines are so well crafted, and while there is gore, it isn’t over the top. It’s just enough to make you uncomfortable, but not generally that graphic.

The 4K mastering in this edition is excellent.  Given the low budget nature of the movie I wasn’t expecting they could do much, but it looks much cleaner and crisper than the standard Bluray. There is also a more recent special feature which is also on the blu-ray disc with the creators and cast looking back on what they achieved.

The Bluray disc also comes with an absolute stack of older special features including heaps of behind the scenes stuff. When you watch those again and compare it to the newer features, it is interesting to see how they feel now that a lot of time has passed. It’s not very often I watch every special feature on a disc, but the backstory of how it got made is really fascinating.

Best of all, despite having seen this movie far too many times, I had never seen the Saw short film. As part of trying to justify its creation, the young writer and director made a short film. Here Leigh Whannell, who is the writer and one of the stars of the film, is in the reverse bear trap. It is pretty close to what winds up being in the actual movie, but with an interesting different take on the police interactions.

Saw is as excellent of a movie now as it was 20 years ago.

Thanks to the low budget nature of the movie, the forced need for practical effects makes the movie stand up in every possible way. And this collection is the best way to watch it that I have found!

The post Saw – Limited Edition (Bluray) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.