Larry Oliver Film Reviews

Pictured : 'Look Ma, no vapes.' Lucy ( Dakota Johnson ) re-connects with John ( Chris Evans ), her actor-waiter, in a scene from writer-director Celine Song's exploration of dating amongst the cash rich, ' Materialists '. Still courtesy of A24 (US), Stage 6/Sony (UK) ‘I’ve heard every reason to get married. I promise I won’t be shocked by any of them.’ (Lucy Mason, Materialists) Romance isn’t dead, just commodified. We don’t marry for love, rather a mixture of desire, loneliness and wanting to be safe. White weddings, anniversary meals, Valentine Days are all for show. These gestures can make couples more anxious than necessary. The expense, enforced remembrance, purchases that one regrets even as the order is placed online. Romance is as cardboard as the detritus left after one bulk order. The more non-recyclable material we hide in the bin, the more genuinely unhappy we are. One of us might be pleased, the other less so. Celine Song, the writer-director of P...

Pictured : 'What do you mean you can't manage three fillet, one hanger?' Ava ( Chase Sui Wonders ) does battle with the Fisherman in a Hellish Kitchen in a scene from the 2025 re-quel, ' I Know What You Did Last Summer ', a horror film with a hook, co-written and directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson , working with characters from the 1997 original. Photograph: Brooke Rushton . Still courtesy of Columbia Pictures. Contains spoilers By most objective measures, the 2025 reboot of the 1997 horror film, I Know What You Did Last Summer , fails to deliver on expectations. There are ‘comfortable’ horror films, where the film works to a template – a serial killer of some type despatches cast members at regular intervals as a form of punishment. Tension is periodic. Social issues are rarely discussed. There are also ‘uncomfortable’ horror films, where trauma is felt in the mise-en-scene . The characters may be responsible for the horror we witness. The film is heavy with ex...