Jacqueline McKenzie Archives

Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Rating: ★★

Jul 31, 1999Genetically-Engineered Killer Sharks

A killer shark film by way of Jurassic Park. The perpetually terrible Renny Harlin creates something almost watchable that vies between moments of tension and the entertainingly absurd

Director: Renny Harlin

Actors: Saffron Burrows, Thomas Jane, LL Cool J, Samuel L. Jackson, …

Category: Science Fiction

31 July 199923 July 2026 by Roog

On the Beach (2000)

Rating: ★★★

Jul 31, 2000The Nuclear Holocaust

TV mini-series remake of the 1959 nuclear war film. With no longer the need to make messages as in the original, the story has been expanded out with a lush romantic sweep

Director: Russell Mulcahy

Actors: Armand Assante, Rachel Ward, Bryan Brown, Grant Bowler, …

Category: Science Fiction

31 July 200024 January 2025 by Roog

Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King (2006)

Rating: ★★★

Dec 16, 2008Stephen King Anthology

TV mini-series that adapts eight Stephen King short stories. As with any anthology, the stories vary in quality but are generally quite reasonable

Director: Brian Henson, Mark Haber, Mikael Salomon, Mike Robe, Rob Bowman, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan

Actors: William Hurt, Bruce Spence, Mia Sara, Claire Forlani, …

Category: Horror

16 December 200828 July 2021 by Roog

The Water Diviner (2014)

Rating: ★★½

May 22, 2015Post-World War I Drama/Magical Realism

Russell Crowe turns director and, as is the case with actors turned director, feels the need to take up an epic historical subject – the aftermath of World War I (albeit with some Magical Realist elements). Crowe wields all the epic flourish and polish, even if the film never truly moves one

Director: Russell Crowe

Actors: Russell Crowe, Olga Kurylenko, Yilmaz Erdogan, Dylan Georgiades, …

Category: Fantasy

22 May 20152 August 2024 by Roog

The Gateway (2018)

Rating: ★

Mar 23, 2018Parallel Worlds

The parallel worlds/alternate timelines theme is one rich in possibilities but this Australian film is one of the least imaginative treatments, serving up only tired good/bad double plots

Director: John V. Soto

Actors: Jacqueline McKenzie, Myles Pollard, Ben Mortley, Shannon Berry, …

Category: Science Fiction

23 March 20182 March 2026 by Roog

Malignant (2021)

Rating: ★★★

Sep 18, 2021Dead Twin Returns as a Maniac Killer

After overseeing a growing list of worthless sequels and spinoffs, James Wan is back in the director’s chair and goes batshit crazy with this film where Annabelle Wallis is taken over by an evil twin

Director: James Wan

Actors: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White, …

Category: Horror

18 September 20216 August 2026 by Roog