Michael Kelly Archives

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Rating: ★★

Jun 15, 2004Zombies

Zack Snyder debuts with a remake of the cult George Romero film. While this has a bigger budget, it is missing is the satire and gore-drenched effects that made the original memorable. This inspired the mid-2000s zombie film revival

Director: Zack Snyder

Actors: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer, …

Category: Horror

15 June 200423 December 2025 by Roog

Tooth and Nail (2007)

Rating: ★★½

Apr 8, 2015Post-Holocaust Survival

Modest post-holocaust film that tries to do something different to the usual action derbies of Mad Max 2 et al, focusing on the survival efforts of a group of young people

Director: Mark Young

Actors: Robert Carradine, Rachel Miner, Rider Strong, Michael Kelly, …

Category: Science Fiction

8 April 20156 July 2026 by Roog

Defendor (2009)

Rating: ★★★½

Mar 9, 2010Man Believes He is a Superhero

One of several films that came out around the same time, including Super and Kick-Ass, about ordinary people who believe they superheroes. Woody Harrelson gives a winning performance as the comically inept title character

Director: Peter Stebbings

Actors: Woody Harrelson, Kat Dennings, Elias Koteas, Michael Kelly, …

Category: Fantasy

9 March 201019 February 2026 by Roog

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

Rating: ★★★★

Feb 17, 2011Philip K. Dick Adaptation/Manipulation of Fate

A Philip K. Dick adaptation in which Matt Damon gets an accidental glimpse of the people that manipulate fate. This proves very satisfying on a conceptual and storytelling level

Director: George Nolfi

Actors: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, John Slattery, Anthony Mackie, …

Category: Science Fiction

17 February 201121 November 2025 by Roog

Chronicle (2012)

Rating: ★★★

Feb 11, 2012Found Footage Psychic Powers Film

Essentially a Found Footage version of a teen underdog discovers psychic powers film like The Fury or Akira. Nothing original, just a novelty of approach conducted with conviction

Director: Josh Trank

Actors: Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Kelly, …

Category: Science Fiction

11 February 20122 October 2025 by Roog

Man of Steel (2013)

Rating: ★★

Jun 14, 2013Comic-Book Superhero

Zack Snyder's reboot of Superman leaves you irritated in the first half of the film at its throwing chunks of comic-book canon out the window and the second half bored with the mass destruction orgy that drags on

Director: Zack Snyder

Actors: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe, …

Category: Science Fiction

14 June 20136 August 2026 by Roog

Viral (2016)

Rating: ★★½

Dec 26, 2016Plague Outbreak/Zombie Parasites

Effort from the near-ubiquitous Blumhouse that is constantly confounding expectations – a plague outbreak drama but not quite, a zombie film but not quite. In the end, not a great or groundbreaking film but certainly a modest one that takes things in some interesting and original directions

Director: Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost

Actors: Sofia Black D'Elia, Analeigh Tipton, Travis Tope, Michael Kelly, …

Category: Horror

26 December 20163 June 2025 by Roog

Outside the Wire (2021)

Rating: ★

Feb 6, 2021Rogue Military Android

There have been some impressive works about A.I. in the last few years. This plays out as Ex Machina by way of Training Day and is only notable in its ridiculous implausibility

Director: Mikael Håfström

Actors: Anthony Mackie, Damson Idris, Emily Beecham, Michael Kelly, …

Category: Science Fiction

6 February 202120 November 2024 by Roog