Mini-Reviews

Windfall (2022) – Mini-Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

“Not Everyone Who Needs Help Is a Freeloader.” – The Wife

A restrained, slow-burning thriller that thrives on tension and dry humour, 2022’s Windfall uses its confined setting to build an increasingly uneasy atmosphere, centring on an amateur burglar whose plans to rob a wealthy CEO’s secluded holiday home are derailed when the owners unexpectedly arrive.

Anchored by compelling performances from Jason Segel, Jesse Plemons and Lily Collins, the film’s taut original score and Charlie McDowell’s Hitchcock-inspired direction keep the suspense simmering. Though its minimalist approach may leave some characters and ideas feeling underdeveloped, Windfall remains an absorbing thriller, in my eyes. Rating: 6/10.

Countdown (2019) – Mini-Review

/ Joe Baker / 1 Comment

“You Have More Computing Power in Your Pocket Than NASA Did When They Put a Man on the Moon, but You Use It for Mostly Texting and Facebook. This Is Why Humanity’s Doomed.” – Derek

Written and directed by Justin Dec (Rolling), Countdown, released in 2019, is an uninspired, jump-scare-reliant horror that continually takes itself far too seriously in spite of its ridiculous premise of an app that calculates how much time you have left before meeting your end at the hands of the ancient demon, Ozhin.

Lacking wit, suspense and pragmatic dialogue, Countdown plays on our modern-day fixation with smartphones and their associated apps without offering anything unique, frightening or thought-provoking, ironically encouraging its audience to disengage and simply scroll on their phones. Rating: 3/10.

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