FILM: Ocean's 8 (dir: Gary Ross, 2018)

"Oui."

Ocean's 8 is a very generic but well-constructed simple heist movie, with its much-trumpeted (as if that should be necessary) all-female ensemble lead cast proving to be the ace card here.  Indeed, the formidable cast of talented actresses is superb, from the unstoppable Sandra Bullock to great contemporary roles for Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham-Carter, and even Anne Hathaway nailing the comedy with some subtlety.  The film has an effortlessly (and relentlessly) cool soundtrack, it is well-made and looks great, but its only real let-down is the lack of edge or real jeopardy, making for a pleasant and enjoyable if somewhat surprisingly undemanding viewing experience overall.

FILM: Hereditary (dir: Ari Aster, 2018)

"Please.  Trust me."

Almost living up to the hype, this bizarre love-child of Ingmar Bergman and David Lynch requires patience but pays off with some great nerve-jangling sequences in its finale.  The clever use of limited locations, razor-sharp editing and superb control of the viewer by the camera makes this a very engaging - if not compulsively mesmerising - movie.  Toni Collette is sublime as the grief-wrought mother, with very able support from Gabriel Byrne as her long-suffering husband and a very promising performance from Alex Wolff as the son.  Yes, the ending does make the explanation a little too unnecessarily explicit, and at times the film is genuinely head-scratching, but overall it is very accomplished and enjoyable in an atmospherically puzzling way!

FILM: Jurassic World - Fallen Kingdom IMAX 3D (dir: J.A.Bayona, 2018)

"Am I dead?"
"Not yet."

Twenty-five years ago we marvelled at the (reasonably) photorealistic CG dinosaurs in Spielberg's original Jurassic lark; today we have become almost spoiled by the extraordinary level of effects work on display in expensive modern Hollywood blockbusters, and Fallen Kingdom is no exception.  The main interest here is the game-changing volcanic destruction of Isla Nublar and the subsequent shift of the second half to a new location, together with a shifting use of genres within the main framework.  There is a real emphasis on scale and spectacle, emphasised by Bayona's notable use of extra long shots at times, and whilst there are many effective tense or thrilling moments, the movie does not quite drive forward in as cohesive a manner as its immediate predecessor.  Fallen Kingdom feels genuinely more mature than the almost-literal theme park ride of the 2015 reboot, and the new locations and ideas do generate interest, yet the set pieces are naggingly familiar, especially in the referencing of the first two movies in the franchise.  Nevertheless, this grand-scale entertaining blockbuster film-making does not disappoint, and it will be interesting to see how brave Universal will be with the next episode/second-trilogy closer - could we even dare to hope that the franchise could be bold enough to deliver on a War For The Planet Of the Apes-style premise?

FILM: Book Club (dir: Bill Holderman, 2018)

"Let's not lose ALL sense of reality...."

Although its moment of connection with the zeitgeist has now passed (four senior friends do the 50 Shades trilogy for their book club), the real pleasure of this movie is seeing four great Hollywood actresses owning the big screen: Bergen's wonderfully dry delivery, Steenburgen's playfulness, Fonda in top diva form and the comic genius of Keaton are all enjoyable to watch and the chemistry between the four of them works extremely well.  Given the nature of the film, it is SO gentle that most of it simply floats by, with the occasional good line thrown in to raise a smile.  Its target audience will love it (and indulge its familiar movie netherworld of easy money and luxury) and it serves its star actresses acceptably.

VOD: Wish Upon (dir: John R Leonetti, 2017)

"Make a wish."

As mechanical as the Chinese wish box at the centre of this ultra-generic horror, Wish Upon is an efficient but relentlessly predictable trudge through Final Destination and Wishmaster territory.  Even in this decade, the teenagers are stereotyped to within an inch of their lives, and apart from a couple of good performances (the central character's feisty friend and the reliable Ryan Phillippe as her father) little else makes the film stand out from the crowd.  Even the mid-credits scene does nothing to deviate from the expected!