FILM: Dumbo (dir: Tim Burton, 2019)

"You made a child again."

The original animated Dumbo was the first film I saw at the cinema as a young boy (not, I hasten to add, when it was originally released), and this Disney classic is well-loved but remains one of the company's more insubstantial films.  This latest release in Disney's series of live-action remakes proves to be charming, as would be expected of Tim Burton in fable/whimsy mode, yet feels the need to go modern blockbuster in the finale.  It is very well cast, with Colin Farrell rediscovering some of his earlier sincere twinkly charm and sincerity, Danny De Vito perfect as the old-fashioned circus owner, and Michael Keaton giving his usual villainous schtick to good effect.  The visual effects are great, and moments when Dumbo takes flight in the big top arenas are glorious, wonderfully supported by Danny Elfman's thrillingly soaring score.  Like the original film, this is still a lightweight confection, but it is a good re-telling of a fondly-remembered Disney classic.

FILM: Fighting With My Family (dir: Stephen Merchant, 2019)

"Don't worry about being the new 'me' - be the first 'you'."

Based on a true story of a Norwich wrestling family whose teenage daughter gets picked up the WWE circus with great success, Fighting With My Family follows a very well-trodden path but does it very well.  Storywise it does little to subvert expectations, but Stephen Merchant directs with an upbeat energy that imbues both the performers and the film with a very watchable and likeable quality.  It is good to see Lena Headey in a softer than usual role as the mother, Florence Pugh is quite engaging as the daughter, but there is truly powerhouse performance to look for here from Jack Lowden as the brother who stays at home, and Dwayne Johnson's involvement and appearances are also well judged on familiar home territory.  This is a spritely, good-humoured and well-played British film that delivers sound entertainment overall.

FILM: Fisherman's Friends (dir: Chris Foggin, 2019)

"Retro's back....again...."

Fisherman's Friends is another 'based on a true story' British underdog story that tends to play well with UK cinemagoers, here telling the story of a group of singing Cornish fishermen/lifeboatmen from picturesque Port Isaac who unexpectedly land a record deal and have minor success. The basic premise proves to be rather thin for a nearly two-hours runtime, so we are mostly saddled with an improbable romance story.  The lacklustre script is saved by strong performers (including James Purefoy, Daniel Mays and a really nicely-judged unshowy performance by Sam Swainsbury as a younger member of the ten-strong group).  The singing is an inevitable strength of the film, and it is pleasant enough, but it does feel rather stretched.  

FILM: Us (dir: Jordan Peele, 2019)

"It's all just craziness!"

With the heavy weight of expectation following the success of Get Out, Jordan Peele's follow-up almost delivers.  Pushing the horror aspect perhaps even further than in his first offering, Peele employs a dizzying and disorientating set of references, from Hitchcock to Haneke to Carpenter, from fairy-tale to J-horror to 80s slashers, making Us a real joy for horror fans, notwithstanding the callous and gleeful use of violence throughout.  The game cast absolutely plays it to the hilt, the score is always interesting, the narrative again pulls real surprises with only a part of the story revealed by the trailer (although the 'big twist' is evident very early on) and there is a real energy to the piece that never lets up.  The bigger issues are nowhere near as sharply focused as in Get Out and come across as either blunt or diffuse in their handling, but make no mistake: this film is Jordan Peele cutting loose and having fun, and audiences who buy into it will have great fun too.

FILM: Captain Marvel IMAX 3D (dirs: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, 2019)

"She can do a lot more than make tea with those hands..."

The long-time-coming female superhero-fronted Marvel movie turns out to be not one of the studio's very best, but once it gets going, is very entertaining to watch.  The first act does some good world-building but feels uncertain, as do the early scenes on 1990s Earth, but as the titular character starts to find her identity, her powers and her purpose, the film picks up rapidly and has great pace and story in the final hour. The cast plays well, with Larson proving to be confident and commanding of attention in the title role, and the effects work is dazzling, with a real sense of scale being created to impressive purpose.  The tie-in to the final Avengers movies comes in the mid-credits scene, with a throwaway joke scene at the very end of the credits.

VOD: Dave Made A Maze (dir: Bill Watterson, 2017)

"I want to go inside!  Can I go inside?"

If you bought into the quirky madness of a film such as A Town Called Panic, you will absolutely love this hilariously bonkers little film that barely got a release.  Frustrated artist Dave's girlfriend Annie arrives back at their apartment after a weekend away to find that not only has he built a fort/maze out of cardboard boxes in the middle of their living room but that he is also lost inside his unfinished creation (as Doctor Who is prone to saying, it's bigger on the inside), so Annie and a bunch of Dave's mates go in to rescue their friend.  You can take it seriously, as it takes inspiration from sources as diverse as Greek myth and Alice In Wonderland, with the big central metaphors about life conveyed in all manner of interesting ways, or you can just revel in the absolutely unpredictable and wonderfully creative madness of it all.  Above all, however, it is a film brimming with ideas, it has a whole bunch of characters who are a delight to watch and with whom to go on the journey, and it provides loads of entertainment from start to finish.

VOD: Paranormal Investigation (dir: Franck Phelizon, 2018)

"I don't feel anything."

This belated French entry into the found-footage supernatural genre turns up on Netflix taking the very familiar Paranormal Activity template (intertitles announcing which night is playing, ominous soundtrack rumble, open doors with darkness beyond) and using it to little effect.  With its evidently low budget, it makes an effort to employ the multi-camera set-up device to purposeful effect, but it is undone by very weak performances, although Anderi Indreies just about holds things together in the titular role,  investigating the apparent possession of a young man following an opening Ouija board session that unsurprisingly goes wrong.  Even references to other films, such as the arrival of the priest to the family home in a weak low-budget (presumed) homage to The Exorcist are hard to take seriously.  It is hard to imagine why this film was attempted with nothing new to offer when even the original American film franchise has given up and gone away.