Well, here we are again, folks. The festive season is almost upon us, and the time has come to think about putting the finishing touches to that gift list.
For those of us who like to leave things to the very last moment, we have plenty of great ideas, which are easy to order on our site, just go to the review and click on the link at the bottom!
As luck would have it, there are lots of goodies out there this year to fill your stockings, perfect to put your feet up and watch over the holiday season.
2017 has seen some very exciting releases and here are just a few that we think would make ideal stocking fillers.
Among the biggest releases of the year have been the brilliant Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the visually stunning Transformers: The Last Knight 3D, the long awaited John Wick 2, the hilarious Baywatch and the very moving The Tiger.
4 star glorious fantasy set in J.K. Rowling’s magical world of wizarding.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is produced and written by J.K. Rowling (the Harry Potter series) based on her novel of the same name and is her screenwriting debut. It is directed by David Yates (State of Play, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix).
“My philosophy
...more5 Star
Transformers, Decepticon’s and the fate of the Earth.
Michael Bay‘s (Bad Boys, The Rock, Pearl Harbor) fifth transformers film goes all out in 3D as the Transformers have fallen out of favour even though they fight to save the Earth from the Decepticon’s. Three years after the Hong Kong battle all the countries of the World have outlawed all Transformers and
...more5 Star
Bullets ‘N’ knives and People to Kill.
Here it is folks, the eagerly awaited sequel to the action packed first instalment of the assassin John Wick. Directed by Chad Stahelski (John Wick) this is his second directing role and he uses his extensive stunt filled background to bring us this adrenalin fuelled gun-fu masterpiece.
It is just four days since
...more4 Star
Water, Muscles and Lots of Fun.
Baywatch comes to the big screen and what a blast it is, under the direction of Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses), he brings out the comedy element in our stars. This film puts the tongue firmly in the cheek of this very popular TV show from the late 1980’s. This version is the one they
...more5 Star
The Mountain, The Beast and The Last Tiger.
From South Korea comes a tour de force, from the writer/director Park Hoon-jung (The Showdown, New World) in the form of a mountain and those that live upon it. And how the Japanese occupation impacts on that ecosystem as one man’s obsession changes the face of Korea for ever. With stunning CGI
...moreThis has been a great year for horror fans, seeing the release of lots of our favourite films, including Hellraiser 30th Anniversary Edition, Phantasm 1-5 featuring lots of special features, Terminator 2: 3D and House: The Complete Collection.
5 star all time classic horror re-released on limited edition Blu-ray Steelbook.
Just to make us all feel really old, Hellraiser is currently being re-shown in UK cinemas to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its release.
It was first shown in 1987 and is written and directed by Clive Barker (Nightbreed, Candyman) and was his astonishingly self assured directorial debut.
“No tears please.
...more5 stars of beautifully presented cult classic.
The Phantasm franchise consists of five films and is written and directed by Don Coscarelli (John Dies at the End, The Beastmaster). The films were released over a time period of 37 years, Phantasm 1979, Phantasm II 1988, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead 1994, Phantasm IV: Oblivion and Phantasm: Ravager 2016.
“You play a
...more5 Star
Arnie Heaven.
Writer/ director James Cameron (Avatar, Titanic, The Abyss, Aliens) brought us Terminator 2: Judgement Day in 1991 and it stunned us with the action and the amazing CGI of the T1000 and the story of John Connor (Edward Furlong, Assault on Wall Street) after the first Terminator failed to kill his mother Sarah (Linda Hamilton, Dante’s Peak, Children
...more4 star remastered cult classic comedy horror.
House: The Complete Collection has arrived on Dual-Format DVD and Blu-ray for the first time courtesy of Arrow Video. It features 2K restorations of all four films in 1080p high definition and the limited edition version includes a 60 page book about the franchise.
“Damn. Came back from the grave and ran out of ammunition.”
Each
...moreThere are also some gems for fans of more modern horror, in the form of surreal Japanese horror Tag and the fabulous British film, Eat Locals.
4 star crazy, surreal and very gory action horror.
Tag is written and directed by Sion Sono (Tokyo Tribe, Suicide Club) and is a rollercoaster ride of surrealism, feminism and blood. Despite its fifteen certificate this film is most certainly not for the faint hearted. It is presented by Eureka in Japanese with English subtitles.
“But maybe our destiny is decided. We’re
...more4 stars of fabulously dark British horror comedy.
Eat locals is written by Danny King (Wild Bill) and is the impressive directorial debut of Jason Flemyng (Snatch, I Give it a Year), featuring the reunited cast of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
“Come on. All those migrants coming in clinging to the underside of vehicles. No-one’s going to miss a few
...moreLet’s not forget about the little ones at this time of year, there are some fun offerings for them, Spark, The Boy and the Beast and Lego Batman!
4 stars of entertaining space adventure.
Spark is written and directed by Aaron Woodley (The Entitled, Arctic Justice) and features a host of famous names in its voice cast.
“I hope you’re hungry because you’re about to taste bitter defeat. Time to kick some asteroid!”
The film tells the story of Spark (Jace Norman – Splitting Adam, Rufus), a thirteen year old monkey.
...more5 stars of gloriously animated and engrossing storytelling.
The Boy and the Beast is written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda (Wolf Children, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) and produced by Studio Chizu.
“I hate everybody! I hate them, hate them, hate them…”
Our story opens in the realm of the beasts, Jūtengai, where the Lord (Steve Powell – Space Dandy) has decided
...more4 stars of colourful and fun adventure in Gotham City.
The LEGO Batman Movie is directed by Chris McKay, and produced by Dan Lin, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Roy Lee, who worked together on “The LEGO Movie.” The story by Seth Grahame-Smith is based on LEGO Construction Toys characters from DC and the screenplay is written by Seth Grahame-Smith, Chris
...moreHere are a couple of the big anime film releases of the year, the new Ghibli film, The Red Turtle and A Silent Voice.
5 stars of powerful and incredibly beautiful animation.
The Red Turtle is co-written and directed by Michael Dudok de Wit and is his stunning full length debut. It is a co-production between Wild Bunch (Pan’s Labyrinth, Spirited Away) and Studio Ghibli (Arrietty, When Marnie Was There).
The film has no dialogue, although there is vocalisation in the form of shouts and grunts,
...more5 stars of insightful and beautiful anime.
A Silent Voice is based on the manga of the same name written and illustrated by Yoshitoki Ōima. The screenplay is written by Reiko Yoshida and the film is directed by Naoko Yamada (K-On!!).
“You know something. We’re all sick of your notebook. It’s getting pretty old, pretty fast.”
The film opens with our protagonist Shōya Ishida (Robbie Daymond – Final Fantasy XV)
...moreAnd last but not least, why not settle down to a classic film on Christmas Day with the three film Buster Keaton Box Set or the immortal Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
5 Star
Keaton at his Best.
Eureka does it again, with this collection of three films from the master of comedy action deadpan hero. Now fully restored to 1080p with sharper music and sounds. This is a must own, for the laughs, the action and the history of this amazing man. With a package that comes with a sixty page booklet and
...more5 Star
Rocks, Heat and Dinosaurs.
Eureka brings us one of the most influential adventure films of all time, based on the story by Jules Verne (20.000 Leagues Under the Sea, ‘Round the World in 80 Days, Mysterious Island). So influential that I did a Geology Honours Degree because of this magnificent film. Directed by Henry Levin (The Wonders of Aladdin, The
...moreWell, there you have it, this year’s recommendations for your festive viewing pleasure. Don’t forget to check out the reviews to see if there’s anything else you fancy!
On behalf of RoadRash Reviews we would like to wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!
