WatchBox

Tuesday, 5 August 2025

PSYCHO RAMAN (2016) REVIEW

An interesting cat and mouse game but this film is also full of unlikable characters that can be hard to stomach so this movie is not for everyone.

2.5 out of 5 STARS.

District 9 is a 2009 film directed by Neil Blomkamp and produced by Mr lord of the rings himself Peter Jackson. The main gist of the film is that an alien ship had made it's way to Johannesburg. We're then introduced to the alien species that have been given the name Prawns by the locals after we receive some more back story it leads us to the modern day here and now part of the film where after years of unrest the Prawns are to be evicted and moved to a new camp by the MNU. Now I'm not going to go into the plot anymore here as it gets fairly interesting as the film progresses and I'd rather you see it for yourself as I wouldn't be able to do it justice. The mix of sci fi, body horror and dystopia make for an originally unique film but I did find the main character to be very unlikeable for a large chunk of the film I was hoping he'd redeem himself and I was happy to see he eventually did. The special effects are top notch, the Prawns are very detailed and the body horror scenes are really well done. This film is a treat for the eyes. I also thought that the way the film was set as part documentary and part narrative was very clever. Now with that being said I did enjoy this movie but I couldn't get into it as much as I wanted too. Overall it's an entertaining film but it just didn't end up being for me and isn't something I'm going to revisit in a hurry

3 out of 5 STARS.

THE SAMURAI (2014) REVIEW

As haunting as it is horrifying. This German horror film is an absolute gem and a must see for fans of the genre.

4.5 out of 5 STARS.

Sunday, 3 August 2025

BASEMENT JACK (2009) REVIEW

A slasher B movie with a much higher production value than I expected. It was entertaining.

3 out of 5 STARS.

THE BIRTH OF A NATION (2016) REVIEW

The Birth of a nation is a 2016 film directed by Nate Parker. This film is based on the true story of Nat Turner who led a slave uprising in 1831. The cast is solid with some great performances by Armie Hammer and Jackie earl Haley. Jackie always plays a great villain and this performance is no exception. This is Nate Parker's first outing in the director's chair and it is a decent effort. clearly intended for award season. My main issue with the film is that I feel like it takes a while to get going but it never quite ramps up to 100%. Sure with a film about slavery you expect confronting material and you do get that but you also get the thought they could have went a bit grittier with the vibe of the film. In my opinion they glossed over some of the heavier aspects for the big screen. This film does bring you back to a time where people were so cruel to others just because of their skin and luckily this ugly time in human history is behind us but I do think it also needed a little bit more realism. Overall this film is Oscar bait but it is enjoyable Oscar bait.

3.5 out of 5 STARS.