
Last time on âStuff i watched recentlyâ, i covered four thriller films. Today, weâre back to our normal farrago of assorted genres â and i must warn you, itâs been quite a while since iâve seen some of these, starting withâŚ
Mission: Impossible: The: Final: Reckoning (2025)
The first act of this presumably final entry in the Tom Cruise Tries to Kill Himself series consists of a clumsy, torpid recap of every attempted Cruisicide so far, interspersed with clips from past films1 and people talking up Tom Cruise as The Most Important Boy In The World. But, as soon as Tramell Tillmanâs beautiful visage shines upon the Imax screen, weâre shocked back to life, and the ensuing setpiece â a palm-sweating scamper aboard a collapsing nuclear submarine â may well be the best, tensest, and invigoratingest this franchise has ever brought us. (7/10)
The Abyss (1989)
Never doubt James Cameron. (9/10)
Primal Fear (1996)
Fight Club, but boring. The most 1996 movie to ever 1996. Itâs fine. (5/10)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Wes Craven dares to ask the unaskable: What if, in Halloween, Jamie Lee Curtis wasnât a complete imbecile who canât even hold onto a knife for more than five seconds? Nancy Thompson enters into the pantheon of sensible horror protagonists by doing everything right, up to and including hiding a second instant coffee maker underneath her bed.
The special effects are the star of the show here, from spandex walls to bottomless tubs, lifting up some shonky performances (Johnny Depp acts circles around everyone else in every scene heâs in) and a truly abysmal ending. With a premise like that, itâs not hard to see why it became such a sensation. (6/10)
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
âEvery species can smell its own extinction. The last ones left wonât have a pretty time with it. In ten years, maybe less, the human race will just be a bedtime story for their children. A myth, nothing more.â
John Carpenter knocks it out of the park again in this bizarre, prescient downwards spiral of metafictional cosmic horror. In an era of deepfakes, diffusion, and dripped-out popes, it can seem as though fiction and reality are merging. What happens when we as a society can no longer tell the difference? If you believe In the Mouth of Madness⌠itâs not going to be pretty. (10/10)
28 Years Later (2025)
âHello, Alex. Itâs Danny. The studio wants to make another 28 Days Later sequel. Any ideas?â
âHm⌠What if we made it a touching coming-of-age story about coming to terms with the inevitability of death in a working-class North Eastern family?â
âWhat?â
âWe can make it about Brexit too if youâd like. An island of strangers, and all that.â
ââŚâ
ââŚâ
ââŚIâll get Young Fathers on the line.â
âGood, good. Youâve still got that pink Motorola Razr you shot the first one on, right?â
âAfraid not. Iâll have to use an iPhone instead.â
âAh. Shame.â
âShame.â
(8½/10)
Superman (2025)
The town crier came up to me and shouted, âHear ye, hear ye! Superhero movies are good again!â So i gave James Gunnâs Superman a shot, and what do you know? He was right.
Mr Gunn kicks off his newborn cinematic universe by cannonballing straight into the deep end. The Superman experience is akin to starting a long-running comic at issue #387, in the best way possible. Superman has already been doing his thing for three years. Lex Luthor has a pocket dimension and Vladjamin Putinyahu has promised him his own personal settlement in Gazkraine.2 Mr Terrific is there. Whoâs Mr Terrific? The greatest character ever, thatâs who. Absolute cinema. (8/10)
đď¸đŽď¸ Celeste (2018)
I forgot my Itch.io password in the move over from Windows to Linux, so the recent Steam sale was my first time in ages playing the GOAT platformer. Iâm proud to say i finally beat The Farewell (and got the moon berry) legit. Fuck that comb room. (10/10)
A Room for Romeo Brass (1999)
Fun little flick! Every town in Britain has its own Morell. (6/10)
đşď¸ Murderbot (2025)
Yeesh. I wanted to like this â âautistic robotsâ is a favourite trope of mine â but my sense of humour and its just did not get along. A great example of how every show on Apple TV+ just looks fake. (3/10)
Red State (2011)
There was a moment when i thought this was going to deliver the most singularly insane twist ending in cinematic history. It didnât. So what weâre left with is a miserable film about horrible fundamentalists kidnapping horrible college students and going up against a horrible ATF agent. Kill me now. (2/10)
Shallow Grave (1994)
What a palate cleanser! Danny Boyleâs first film gives him the template heâd perfect with Trainspotting soon after. Thumping techno tunes, a perfect mix of comedy and tragedy, and Ewan McGregorâs boyish face. (Plus, an incongruously spacious sitcom apartment.) You simply must see this, if only for the novelty of Christopher Eccleston with a full head of hair. (9/10)
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
The vibes are immaculate; the story not so much. This is a lean two-hour-long 6/10 thatâs begging to become a plump and juicy two-and-a-half-hour 9/10.
That said, when the Four are heading to space in their sleek pulp-futuristic retro rocket ship, and the Human Torch gets smitten with the Silver Surfer⌠thereâs a lot i can overlook. A good half of these points are just down to swish art direction and a triumphant score: (6½/10)