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'Under the Volcano' (2024) is a really powerful piece of European cinema, a slow burn that hooks you in quietly and leaves its mark long after. The film follows a Ukrainian family stuck in Tenerife after the war breaks out, forced to watch their lives shatter while the world around them continues on like nothing's changed.

What makes this film brilliant for me is how it captures that feeling of everything falling apart while everyone else just carries on with their lives, almost as if nothing's happened, and you just can't comprehend it. It's so surreal, and I'm sure a lot of us can relate to it in one way or another. For me, a part of myself that I'll never get back has died during that time, and this film brought that feeling to the surface in a way I wasn't expecting. It's heavy, but so real. There's also an 'Aftersun' vibe to it - little memories that stay with you forever, like fragments of a time that you can't fully process but that stick with you, haunting in their simplicity.

Can I just start by saying this was SO refreshingly good? I want more from wherever this came from!

If you're even remotely into tense, violent dark comedies, Companion is an absolute must-watch. It's got that perfect blend of pitch-black humour, unpredictable twists, and some seriously creative kills. The film is smart - uncomfortably so at times - and honestly, the concept doesn't feel that far from reality.

The acting is fantastic across the board, with Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid absolutely delivering, and the direction keeps things tight, stylish, and genuinely thrilling. It's bloody, twisted fun with a lot of twists and turns, and I highly recommend going in completely blind - don't watch the trailer, just dive in.

Darkly funny, brilliantly executed, and one of the most entertaining films I've seen in ages.

Pretty mediocre slow burn that tried very hard to be My Bloody Valentine - spoiler alert, it's not. Heart Eyes is exactly what you'd expect from your run-of-the-mill slasher: a masked killer, some gory deaths, and a group of characters making increasingly stupid decisions. It's super derivative, hitting every trope in the book without adding much of its own personality.

That said, tying it to Valentine's Day was a nice touch, and some of the humour actually landed quite well. Olivia Holt was easily the best part of the film - she pretty much carried the entire thing. The rest of the cast was serviceable, but no one else really stood out.

Overall, it's worth a watch if you're in the mood for a festive horror flick, but there's no rush. You might as well wait until it hits streaming.