28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)

It took nearly 20 years between the release of the last two movies, and in less than a year, we've now doubled the length of the 28 Days Later series.

The survivor of the previous film has reluctantly joined a gang of Jimmys, while Dr. Kelson experiments on the infected. Nia DaCosta takes over from Danny Boyle while Alex Garland resumes screenwriting duties. What sets this apart in my mind is its hypnotic, almost operatic quality. Somehow, it feels different from the rest. Ralph Fiennes makes this film especially watchable (as well as the big-dicked Samson). Unfortunately, like its predecessor, it leaves off on another big fat cliffhanger that won't be paid off until the next one... which is the one we've all been waiting for. It's a nice little tease, though.

3½ soothing sounds of Duran Duran out of 5

Note: The final film in this new 28 Years trilogy is as yet undated. Dammit.

Eden Lake (2008)

Eden Lake is a backwater town full of unruly assholes, where a well-meaning vacationing couple unfortunately find themselves caught up in the middle of it, terrorized by a group of young hoodlums. This is a very distressing film that is hard to look away from, and hinges on the border of torture porn with its depictions of sadistic violence, yet it's unforgettable for all the right reasons.

3 Rottweilers out of 5

(cuckoo's take)

28 Years Later (2025)

It hasn't quite been 28 years since 28 Days Later was released, but it's close enough. This was originally intended to be the capper to the 28 Days trilogy, though it's confusingly been repurposed and designed as the first part of its own new trilogy, so we don't even get the satisfaction of a proper ending. 

Anyway, 28 years on, the infected still linger in the British Isles, as well as survivors who are indefinitely quarantined. A boy learns survival techniques through his father while caring for his sick mum. There is a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing, as well as the typical frenetic editing we've come to expect from this series. In typical Alex Garland fashion, the first 3/4ths are exceptionally strong, but then it shits the bed at the very end. I'm torn as to how to rate this, since we obviously have to wait for the next installment(s) for any kind of structural narrative resolution, but I give it a very reluctant:

3½ memento mori out of 5

Note: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is set to be released January 2026.

Sinners (2025)

Twin brothers Smoke and Stack open up their own juke joint in 1932 Mississippi where they're visited by some unsavory characters who are out for blood.

God damn, it took forever for this movie to turn into From Dusk Till Dawn, and by the time it did, it was already over. There are some eerie and entrancing sequences set to music, but the vampire angle is all played out and it doesn't offer much else in the way that hasn't been previously explored elsewhere. As massively overhyped as it is, it does tend to stay with you regardless.

Be sure to stick through the credits; the story ain't over yet.

3 guitar cases out of 5

Tower Block (2012)

A British movie set almost entirely inside a building that’s notorious for its shitty lighting and pissy corners didn't fill me with optimism, but Tower Block squeezed every last drop of urban grit out of the story mop and used the gloomy setting as a tool, so kudos to all involved.
The cast are mostly believable and nicely varied; they represent the smudgy part of the societal spectrum that people in a three bedroom semi-detached with front and rear garden are completely blind to.
It’s aka ‘Thon Big-ass Blocka Flats’ in some parts of the country, probably.

3 monkeys out of 5

EDEN LAKE [2008]

James Watkins directs this brutal and upsetting British thriller that is more miss than hit. It follows a couple on a camping trip that's disturbed by a group of bad seed kids, one of which turns out to be a sociopathic murderer. 

It's fairly predictable in some spots and the complete opposite in others.  Several scenes threaten to fall apart, however it manages to compromise that with an ending that leaves your jaw on the floor with an overwhelming and uncomfortable feeling of disgust and sadness for humanity.

2½ unlucky dogs out of 5

(bud's take)