Category Archives: No Spoiler Reviews

Drama, Horror, No Spoiler Reviews

28 DAYS LATER (2002): The Things I Liked…

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The Alex Garland-written/directed Ex Machina (2014) is in the top three of my favourite science fiction movies of all time.

Had I known that Garland was the writer of sci-fi/zombie classic, 28 Days Later (2002), my general aversion to scary movies aside, I’d probably have seen the film years earlier. 

28 Days Later (2002), Naomie Harris, Fox Searchlight Pictures
28 Days Later (2002), Naomie Harris, Fox Searchlight Pictures

Directed by Danny Boyle (another point for why I ought to have seen the film already), it was my love for the trailers of the recently released 28 Years Later (2025), the third movie in the series, and a little convincing from a fellow movie fan that finally made me do the thing.

And as I did so, I soon learned that 28 Days Later is a classic for a reason. It’s no wonder Cillian Murphy and Naomie Harris’s careers seemed to only ascend after this film, a well-told story about a mysterious and incurable virus that takes over the UK, leaving only a few survivors in search of safety.

28 Days Later (2002), Cillian Murphy, Fox Searchlight Pictures
28 Days Later (2002), Cillian Murphy, Fox Searchlight Pictures

A good time is what I had as this movie played. And, yes, for a brief moment, my sensitive soul may have had some regret about starting 28 Days Later, specifically when things took a dark turn towards the end. However, I remain glad I saw it all because I was fully engaged throughout. The great use of music contributed to this, along with all the performances, including my favourite line:

‘He’s still waiting for Marks & Spencer to reopen.’

I love it because the comic timing is fantastic, and it’s so very relatably British.

Watch 28 Days Later, if you haven’t already. And certainly because 28 Years Later is quite worth it.

Happy Film Loving,

G

Action, Adventure, No Spoiler Reviews, Thriller

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (1996): The Things I Liked…

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Mission: Impossible (1996), Tom Cruise, Paramount Pictures
Mission: Impossible (1996), Tom Cruise, Paramount Pictures

Mission: Impossible (1996) is one of those films I thought I’d watched long ago. However, when I sat down to see it at the weekend, I realised I may have thought I’d seen it, when all I’d experienced many times over the years was the image of Tom Cruise at the end of a wire in the film’s most iconic scene.

It’s no wonder the Mission: Impossible Franchise has 7 more films after the first 1996 instalment starring Cruise, Ving Rhames, Jon Voight and Emmanuelle Béart. It is an impressive action/thriller after all. One that follows Ethan Hunt (Cruise), an American agent falsely suspected of disloyalty. Naturally, Hunt immediately gets to work to expose the real traitorous entity.

In addition to that X factor that Cruise, especially, and his talented castmates bring to the film – Vanessa Redgrave being a particular highlight, the stunts and action in director Brian De Palma’s Mission: Impossible are the most memorable events of the movie. the kind of feats that have no doubt inspired many action/thriller filmmakers to raise their game. 

Truth be told, I took a break from the Mission: Impossible franchise after Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2015), because I didn’t fully love that instalment.

Now, however, I’m ready to get back into it again. I’m picking it up from Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023). I hear that part 2 (Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025) is worth it, and I’d hate to miss out.

How big of an M:I fan are you? I hear that spinoffs and sequels may come without Cruise in the lead role. Whoever gets the part will surely have plenty to live up to.

Happy Film Loving, 

G

Comedy, Drama, No Spoiler Reviews

SIRENS (2025): The Things I Liked…

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Sirens (2025), Milly Alcock, Julianne Moore, Netflix
Sirens (2025), Milly Alcock, Julianne Moore, Netflix

Episode one of Sirens is perfect, especially because it feels as though it does not have a second of wasted screen time, thanks to a great edit.

Sirens is the story of Devon (Meghann Fahy), a big sister who is concerned about her younger sister’s (Milly Alcock) unhealthy relationship with her new boss (Juliane Moore), while Devon herself is struggling with other personal challenges.

Survival is a key theme in creator Molly Smith Metzler’s dark comedy/drama. I enjoyed how the tensions between trauma, familial bonds, boundaries and freedom featured in a generally well-woven story, one that leads to the three female protagonists making choices they felt they had to, however ill-imprudent.

I would say that Sirens isn’t perfect overall. However, I found it more than watchable. And, I like how, upon conclusion, things felt as though they ended exactly as they were supposed to, but somehow, in a non-predictable way. 

Watch Netflix’s new five-episode series for the good performances and all the other reasons mentioned above. You may get annoyed at least once by a character’s ill-advised decision once or twice, but you will be entertained. 

Happy Film Loving,

G

Drama, No Spoiler Reviews

THE PENGUIN LESSONS (2024): The Things I Liked…

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The Penguin Lessons (2025), Micaela Breque, Steve Coogan, Lionsgate Films
The Penguin Lessons (2025), Micaela Breque, Steve Coogan, Lionsgate Films

Starring Steve Coogan, Björn Gustafsson and Jonathan Pryce, I wanted to watch The Penguin Lessons because the trailer strongly suggested it would be charming, and that it is.

What I didn’t know before sitting down to director Peter Cattaneo’s film is that it’s based on a true story, one about a man’s awakening, thanks to the impact his adopted penguin has on his life. 

Cattaneo’s movie offers, in equal measure, both dramatic and humorous moments. A combination resulting in a heartwarming and satisfying experience. It helps that Coogan and the penguin are an easy-to-watch and well-matched pairing. As I write this and reminisce, I would not say no to watching it all over again – and being transported back to 1970s Argentina.

Lastly, all performances, including that of the beautiful penguin, are memorable.

Watch it and be charmed.

Happy Film Loving, 

G 

Drama, Mystery, No Spoiler Reviews, Thriller

DROP (2025): The Thing I Liked…

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Drop (2025), Meghann Fahy, Universal Pictures
Drop (2025), Meghann Fahy, Universal Pictures

I should have trusted my instincts when my initial reaction to the Drop trailer months earlier was no because after hitting play to give it a chance, I had to stop thirty-five minutes in.

Directed by Christopher Landon, Meghann Fahy plays a widowed mother who gets anonymously threatened with messages while on a first date, and so begins the search for the perpetrator. 

My appreciation for Fahy’s work since The White Lotus season two is why I started watching Drop. Thankfully, her performance isn’t the reason I stopped. I lost patience with the premise and the game. I became bored with the setting. I may be in denial, but I also couldn’t suspend my disbelief that someone would play such a game to the extent they did. 

Instead of fully quitting, I skipped a chunk of the film and moved to the last 25 minutes, which, it turns out, was watchable.

If you’re curious enough, give Drop a chance. My favourite thing about it is the waiter, played very well by Jeffrey Self. 

Happy Film Loving, 

G