Marriage is not something to be taken lightly. Not only is there the traditional “for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish; till death do us part. . .”, but with rising divorce rates, it is more important than ever to be confident in your relationship before taking the plunge. Flipping marriage on its head, 2019's Ready or Not is a unique comedy-tinged horror film – a rom com this is not. . . it may also make you rethink those sacred vows. Written by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy and directed by the team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (better known as members of Radio Silence – third member Chad Villella is also on hand to executive produce), we are immediately put on our guard as we watch a violent flashback that hints at the unlikely flourishing of a present day couple – foster raised Grace (Samara Weaving) is marrying into the famed Le Domas family – with wealth, traditions, and more than a few dark secrets.

The narrator – the gateway into so many stories. From film noir and western, to coming of age. . . or a plethora of others, this is the voice that guides us through these movies. Sometimes we listen to a seemingly doomed main character like Fred MacMurray’s Walter Neff in Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity, or an author reflecting back on his youth (Richard Dreyfuss in Stand By Me), perhaps it is a more obscure Stranger like Sam Elliot’s character in The Big Lebowski, or one of my favourites – The Grim Reaper (Gabriel Byrne) overlooking the sordid happenings in Perrier’s Bounty. In any case, they can lead and mislead, critique and reflect, observe and report, infer or be all knowing. . . a wonderful vehicle to drive a narrative to its conclusion. One of the most unique premises I’ve seen in some time, editor Eric Kissack (Daddy’s Home; Veep; The Good Place) takes a turn directing the 2014 western short The Gunfighter (written by Kevin Tenglin), in what you would expect to be a pretty typical nine minute shoot `em up. . . yet it is anything but.

You could quite easily argue that Robert Eggers has created a new sub-genre of horror. His first film, 2015's The VVitch, developed an historically accurate look at seventeenth century America – from the puritanical Calvinist family and authentic-to-the-time language, to painstakingly recreating the period’s buildings, clothing, fences, and, more impressively, cinematography. Built around real fears of the time, the horror comes from what would have gone through the minds of these people in this early America. Eggers follows this up with 2019's The Lighthouse, a nineteenth century-set yarn about two lighthouse keepers stranded on an isle. Forced to build a lighthouse from scratch in Nova Scotia, Canada, the filmmaker also made the bold decision to etch this almost alien world in eerie black and white, furthering the claustrophobia and atmosphere by utilizing 35 mm black and white film, vintage Baltar lenses from the early twentieth century, and a 1.19:1 aspect ratio – meaning that instead of the widescreen we are used to, the picture is basically a square portal into this world. And, like The VVitch, look for intricately made set design, sound, costumes, cinematography and dialogue (expect to hear the word ‘wickie’ quite often – meaning lighthouse keeper, it is a reference to the wick trimming performed on the job).

I know you’ve all been desperately waiting for it – my in depth retrospective on the career of Cyndi Lauper. . . alas, you will have to continue to wait. So then, you must all be wondering what exactly the above quote has to do with today’s film. The above song, Time After Time, was inspired by a movie of the same name. . . Lauper writing the hit tune soon after seeing the title in TV Guide. Adapted and directed by Nicholas Meyer (a screenwriter best known for directing two Star Trek films – yet this was his first directorial effort), and inspired by Steve Hayes and Karl Alexander’s story (the latter had a yet unfinished novel of the same name at the time), this highly original premise finds the great H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell – a far cry from his previous film, Caligula) living his life in the late nineteenth century while Jack the Ripper stalks his prey in the streets of London (the opening scene, featuring a lengthy single take, sets the mood – the entire film done tastefully with limited violence shown).

The year is 1977. . . and several movies are being hyped – none of which is Star Wars. Smokey and the Bandit, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Spy Who Loved Me. . . the list goes on and on, yet the George Lucas feature was not expected to go anywhere. Lucas had shown it to many of his friends (before it was even close to finished), Brian De Palma bluntly saying, “I don’t mean to sound harsh, but …what is this shit?". As the rest of his buddies concurred, the lone voice of support came from the one and only Steven Spielberg – seeing the potential and future for his friend’s creative vision. With a studio equally as unenthused – they released it on Wednesday, May 25th, in just over thirty theatres. . . Lucas decided to lick his wounds on the beaches in Hawaii. Yet, as you know, the unexpected occurred, and a little film called Star Wars became a worldwide juggernaut.

Perhaps some things never change. . . and by that, I mean guys being idiots. A dark thriller about an aging man’s deep-seated flaws, Simon Birrell writes and directs under the guidance of longtime exploitative horror filmmaker José Ramon Larraz; His Last Request (2005) a twenty-seven minute short delving into the depths of a warped human being’s psyche. . . and the problems he himself has wrought. Shot as a silent film and in ominous black and white (I know what you’re thinking – how avant-garde), Spanish horror legend Jack Taylor plays the father. . . a man, who after years of multiple marriages, philandering, and god knows what else (he has cameras watching his entire apartment – likely not for security reasons), is now permanently relegated to a wheelchair (that is, if he wants to move around – otherwise, he is bedridden). Losing more money through alimony than an overzealous sailor fresh off the ship, his lawyer (Ramón Rados) is trying to get his papers in order before he runs out of money, or dies. . . it is a toss-up as to which might happen first.