Cas Harlow works as the movie review coordinator for AVForums and is responsible for all the cinema, streaming, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray content. He also organises the movie coverage, PR screenings, PR discs and competitions, and produces reviews and articles for the site, as well as participating in the podcasts.
Cas has been reviewing movie content and discs for over 20 years, is an avid film buff and is our resident movies expert, having reviewed several thousand titles both on the Big and Small Screen, across DVD, HD DVD, Blu-ray and now Ultra HD Blu-ray.
Cas is also a non-practising Barrister and practicing Solicitor and has a degree in Electronic Engineering and a Postgrad in Law.
Thirty years later and Bill & Ted are back to save the world with rock, although long term franchise fans will need some hardcore rose-tinted specs, preferably with HDR, as the 4K disc doesn't have any.
Disaster movie maestro Roland Emmerich delivers a greatest hits effort here with his epic 2012, which can't really be faulted for doing exactly what it says on the tin, and provides a pretty effective experience in 4K with Dolby Atmos
This year's answer to The Babadook isn't quite as adept at trading in metaphorical (and actual) horror, but nonetheless affords welcome depth to the dementia-driven drama.
The Stand Season 1 Premiere (Starz) TV Show Review
by Cas Harlow
Stephen King's epic novel The Stand gets a second shot at TV life following the memorable 1994 incarnation, charting a timely story of weaponised influenza.
Hitting that perfect emotional note once again, this sublime visual and tonal companion-piece to Inside Out sees Disney/Pixar dig deep for further reflections on mortality following their excellent work on Onward and Coco.
Earnest and fun, but also flabby and fatally over-indulgent, Patty Jenkins' sequel WW84 is a valiant throwback to superhero classics like Donner's Superman, but trades in some heavy-handed messaging.
Nolan's latest, Tenet, comes to 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Warner, with a native 4K presentation, expanded IMAX scenes, and a soundtrack where the dialogue is slightly more intelligible.
The Mandalorian Season 2 (Disney Plus) TV Show Review
by Cas Harlow
CONTAINS SPOILERS, please do not read until you have finished Season 2! John Favreau's The Mandalorian delivers a second season that is comfortably the best Star Wars viewing in decades, if ever.
One of the best films of the year, Let Him Go reunites Diane Lane and Kevin Costner for a brilliant, brutal and blisteringly tense Neo-western thriller.
The success of this tremendous pre-Matrix superhero actioner basically kicked Marvel into high gear, with an effortlessly cool Wesley Snipes slicing and dicing with the edge of a blade, earning a superb native 4K release with one hell of a bass-laden Atmos track.
Gibson's edgy twist on Santa steps one bloody foot too far for left-field family entertainment at Christmas, but also treads too gently when it should really embrace its wacky dark fairytale whims.
HBO's Perry Mason is a challenging slow-burn; a blend of Chinatown and a period-set Goliath which just about comes together in the end, and makes for a solid Blu-ray release.
At the height of his critical and commercial success, Coming to America was a fabulous spin on the romantic comedy genre, highlighting Eddie Murphy's multi-role versatility, and earning a gorgeous UHD release with native 4K and Dolby Vision.
Train to Busan's sequel loses some of the emotion but doubles down on the intense ferocity, blending elements of Fast and Furious, The Raid and Mad Max to trashy but pretty entertaining effect.
South African-born Australian filmmaker Seth Larney works some sporadically impressive magic to bring his sophomore sci-fi feature to life with scale beyond its indie budget, telling a competent time travel yarn that, above all, showcases a promising future for this young filmmaker.
The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone Blu-ray Review
by Cas Harlow
Attempting to reposition the third movie as less a sequel and more an epilogue, Coppola's new 'Coda' cut isn't drastically different, but does afford an opportunity to revisit this often maligned entry.
Katsuhiro Otomo's 1988 cyberpunk classic is arguably one of the greatest anime features ever created, earning itself a gorgeous native 4K presentation in a set that is not without its potentially deal-breaking drawbacks.
Writer/director Max Winkler (yes, son of the The Fonz) doesn't quite hit third time lucky with his latest, an indie rehash of familiar boxing/fighter/brother dramas with earnest performances from Charlie Hunnam and Jack O'Connell.
Darren Aronofsky's visually magnificent but brutally unflinching look at drowning in drug addiction celebrates its 20th Anniversary with a gorgeous native 4K release boasting both Dolby Vision and Atmos.
Controversially polemic director Liliana Cavani kick-started her "transgressive" trilogy with her most notorious feature, 1974's The Night Porter with Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling.
Eddie Murphy's big break into superstardom was an unlikely leading role which was basically moulded into an improvised Murphy vehicle to genius effect, impressing in its UHD debut thanks to a native 4K transfer with Dolby Vision.
Kurt Russell returns for a well-meaning, bigger budget, but slightly less endearing follow-up to last year's surprisingly enjoyable Christmas Chronicles, which should at least remind us that the Holidays are coming.
Paul Verhoeven's classic 1990 sci-fi action-thriller, Total Recall, is one of Schwarzenegger's all-time best movies, earning itself a stunning native 4K release courtesy of Studiocanal, complete with Dolby Vision and Atmos.
The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special (Disney+) Movie Review
by Cas Harlow
Disney's Lego Star Wars Holiday Special plays out like the comedy Endgame of the Star Wars universe, revisiting and poking fun at iconic moments across the franchise.
Netflix's impressively lavish drama, The Crown, returns for a momentous fourth season, weaving pivotal icons Thatcher and Diana into The Queen's narrative.
Agents of SHIELD Season 7 (Disney+) TV Show Review
by Cas Harlow
Marvel's longest running TV property goes out with a bang, packing some superbly entertaining time-travel shenanigans into its 13-episode final run and signing off with some fitting, albeit bittersweet, closure.
As we painfully await Denis Villeneuve's hopefully epic adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune, there's no better time to revisit this surprisingly good TV miniseries sequel, based on Herbert's later Dune novels.
After superb work on Pitch Black, Arrow turns its hand to Abel Ferrara's underrated 1990 crime epic, King of New York, with a career-high Christopher Walken, and gives it some native 4K Dolby Vision love.
Making its 4K debut in a German trilogy, London Has Fallen gets the better presentation, even if it's the worse movie... although it does redeem itself somewhat on a lowered-expectations rewatch.
Based on the Chinese fable, The Legend of The White Snake, this debut directorial feature is a striking animation which enjoys its wuxia aspirations and delivers some superb action, almost balancing the interests of children and adults alike.
Solomon Kane director M.J. Bassett, after her recent tour on Altered Carbon, heads to Africa for Megan Fox's low budget Tears of the Sun... with lions.