This blog is on short hiatus while I move house - expect to return with more reviews later this Summer (2026)!
Tuesday, 14 July 2026
Monday, 15 June 2026
VOD: Is This Thing On? (dir: Bradley Cooper, 2025)
"Is it funny?"
Middle-class middle-aged couple Alex (Will Arnett) and Tess (Laura Dern) face the end of their marriage just as Alex accidentally stumbles into an unexpected life as a confessional stand-up comedian at a city bar comedy club. Shot in a naturalistic semi-documentary style, dialogue flows easily and both the city and the marital home become places of curious alienation, and the comedy club scenes are quick-witted and feel low-key authentic. Arnett and Dern smash their roles and have great on-screen chemistry and honesty as the faded couple . With moments of uncomfortable awkwardness, brutal honesty, profound melancholy and introspective loneliness, Is This Thing On? is a mature, thoughtful, intimate, rather sad but very satisfying exploration of navigating and negotiating uncharted territory in a long-standing relationship, delivered with aplomb by two great leads and a confident director.
FILM: Disclosure Day (dir: Steven Spielberg, 2026)
"No."
"Are they people?"
"No."
"Are they human?"
If you want evidence that Steven Spielberg is still a storyteller supreme, Disclosure Day kept a cinema audience still and spellbound for over two hours. From an excellently-constructed and tight David Koepp script, in some respects this is Close Encounters filtered through the lens of an old-school conspiracy thriller, as parallel narratives steadily bring together the lives of Margaret (Emily Blunt), a local weather presenter, and Daniel (Josh O'Connor), a renegade Government cyber-security specialist, both with particular 'gifts' that stem from mysterious childhood events and who are destined to change the world by revealing long-hidden secrets. It has great set pieces, some typically smart Spielberg visual flourishes, and a superb and surprisingly tight core cast that includes an impressively excellent performance from Emily Blunt (particularly in the final act), more winning character work from Josh O'Connor, and Colin Firth exuding barely-restrained menace as the pair's nemesis. Typical Spielberg themes of religion, fairy tales/Disney, all inform this (for the most part\) restrained yet powerful film. childhood trauma, covert Government goings-on and - yes - extra-terrestrials in this (for the most part) quite restrained yet powerful film. With heightened modern geopolitics pushed to the background, Spielberg's eternal optimism for humanity may play a little quaintly in the current climate, but this fusion of classic and modern Spielberg is both impressive in its storytelling and absorbing to watch.
VOD: Twinless (dir: James Sweeney, 2026)
In this unusual and extremely accomplished drama, Roman (Dylan O'Brien) and Dennis (James Sweeney) meet at a support club for bereaved twins and strike up an awkward friendship, two very different people but seemingly linked by their experience of grief and struggling in their own ways, but they are also connected by a slowly-revealed secret that looms over the second half of the film in particular and ultimately explodes. It is creatively constructed and presented, exquisitely written and beautifully played by the two leads as it explores loss, loneliness, identity and male friendship by going in truly unexpected directions. This is a film to be savoured and enjoyed as it unfolds; even the trailer misdirects intriguingly. Twinless is a quirky, admirable, intimate and singular drama that breaks your heart and makes you laugh out loud unexpectedly, and it is a terrific achievement by actor?producer O'Brien and writer/director/actor Sweeney.
VOD: Primate (dir: Johannes Roberts, 2026)
A professor adopts a chimpanzee, names him Ben and develops his intelligence and communication skills, and after her death her daughter Lucy returns to the family's fabulous isolated Hawaiian home with her group of pretty young people, but an unfortunate case of rabies turns Ben from cute animal friend to murderous enemy who traps, terrorises and picks off most of the disposable cast. After the well-constructed shock prologue, the tale flashes back to tell the events of the preceding thirty-six hours with rather slow set-up, but the film then switches up a few gears to become a zippy and atmospheric thriller/slasher, in which the young women take centre stage and the males are the Shreddies. The film makes clever use of limited sets/locations, with Carpenter's original Halloween a clear touchstone here. Inclusion through sign language and the deaf father is a positive integral part of the plot, it certainly does not skimp on the quite nasty injury detail, and this simple, low-key tale is delivered very efficiently and effectively enough for genre fans.
VOD: The Long Walk (dir: Francis Lawrence, 2026)
Another day, another Stephen King adaptation, and The Long Walk sees fifty young men (supposedly older teens), one from each US state, competing in the titular brutal contest in an impoverished dystopian near/alt-future, with the simple premise that the competitors keep walking, having to keep up with the pace or be shot mercilessly, last one standing winning a fortune. Originally reflecting young soldiers being sent to the Vietnam War, it is reframed unforgivingly here to reflect the current social, economic and political climate. Starting off seemingly light with the competitors getting to know each other through easy banter on the first few miles (reminiscent of Stand By Me), but it does not take long before the first brutally visceral shock execution of the first participant to fall occurs. As an effective metaphor for how economic stresses can drive people to extreme measures and a commentary on reality TV (like a stripped-back Hunger Games), the film's lean and simple concept and unwavering focus keeps it morbidly engaging throughout, especially as the weather, exhaustion, injuries and even bodily functions take their toll on the ever-diminishing group. With a strong and invested cast, Brit David Jonsson is a clear standout from the start. As the film progresses and even the core cast members start to be picked off, this excellent but grim and distressing watch leads to an inevitable final head-to-head and a conclusion that the viewer knows is coming and does not want to see.
VOD: The Strangers Chapter 3 (dir: Renny Harlin, 2026)
Picking up from Chapter 2's ending, with the unfortunate Maya having still eluded the now-revealed killers, the inevitable happens and she is taken captive, her only option to stay alive being to become one of the murderous gang whilst the town's hidden past starts to unravel. There is a difference between atmospheric and slow, and here the film crawls along with astonishing pauses in the delivery of dialogue in the first act in particular, demonstrating the thinness of the material once again. There are some positives - some atmospheric lighting, a decently-staged jump-scare early on, brief and sudden acts of violence to keep the viewer awake and a fair sequence with a caravan - but little of consequence happens in this empty and largely uninteresting trilogy-capper to a weak series.
Friday, 22 May 2026
FILM: The Mandalorian And Grogu a.k.a. Star Wars - The Mandalorian And Grogu (dir: Jon Favreau, 2026)
"I try to avoid violence..."
Seven years on from Star Wars IX in cinemas, and with Andor wrapped up with a satisfying conclusion, the second of the more successful Star Wars-universe TV series makes the jump to the big screen with this completely stand-alone/side-mission tale that sees Din Djarin and his sidekick/ward working for the New Republic to find an Imperial warlord via Jabba The Hutt's twin siblings. with Jabba's son held prisoner by the bad guys and Mando also tasked with retrieving him. With Favreau as director/co-writer, it cleaves closely and authentically to its TV roots and looks great, with sufficient expansion to justify its cinematic format here. It flits briskly from planet to planet as action set-pieces are delivered efficiently, (mostly) effectively and feel over quite quickly. There are plenty of nice fan-service details and moments to please the die-hards right from the start, but sometimes over-familiar tropes (another Hutt pit, another arena battle royale, another high-speed chase through a Blade Runner-esque city) lack invention although executed well. Ludwig Goransson's score is terrific, mixing classical-style Williams nods with signature modern/ethnic themes and stylings from the TV show. Its two titular stars are inevitably the big draw here, with Pedro Pascal delivering more of what makes his characterisation so successful, Grogu - as always - an utter delight, notably when he gets more extended screen time in the second half of the film, and Sigourney Weaver fits well as Mando's Republic boss. It is also interesting to see a younger and more active Hutt in action, with the great Jeremy Allen White making Rotta (in voice acting) a sympathetic Hutt. Not quite 'classic' Star Wars, all of the ingredients are here, but oddly you spend a lot of the movie waiting for a big 'moment' that never quite happens which suggests a slight lack of storytelling ambition, and there is never any real sense of jeopardy which neuters the narrative to a degree. Overall The Mandalrian And Grogu is a very good, solid and entertaining enough outing for the much-loved duo that sticks to its TV origins whilst making just enough development for a cinema showing.
VOD: Remarkably Bright Creatures (dir: Olivia Newman, 2026)
Starting off with a voiceover from a smart old octopus called Marcellus, who is trapped in a public aquarium, the film then introduces the aquarium's night cleaner Tova (Sally Field) facing an old-age life change and drifter Cameron (Lewis Pullman), whose camper van breaks down in the sleepy waterside town of Sowell Bay, and the story brings together the unlikely trio as they learn life lessons and how to face the future in this gentle, whimsical and contemplative drama. It is, of course, all one big metaphor for looking beyond that which limits you and escaping your confines, as well as dealing with family and reconciling with the past. The writing is excellent, as Tora and Cameron gradually find common ground and learn from each other as their cross-generational friendship develops. Sally Field is - as expected - simply wonderful, Lewis Pullman is very strong as a foil to her straight-talking ways whilst establishing his character and arc very well in his own right as the directionless Cameron, and Colm Meaney does another of his effortlessly watchable character performances as the local store owner. The conclusion is perhaps expectedly mawkish (if have not by that point pieced together all the clues), but overall Remarkably Bright Creatures is a simple tale that is delivered impeccably.
VOD: Song Sung Blue (dir: Craig Brewer, 2026)
Based on real events and set in the extraordinary world of low-rent music tribute acts, Mike (Hugh Jackman), part-time singer and recovering alcoholic, meets single-mother Claire (Kate Hudson), and they develop a Neil Diamond 'experience' alongside their personal relationship, with a shock mid-point tragedy that moves the film into darker territory and explores their personal struggles and triumphs. The film smartly reflects the strange duality of the tribute act, simultaneously knowingly artificial but striving to providing an authentic experience of the artist. With Neil Diamond's music providing the core of the film, one banger after another reminds us of the power and joy of his back catalogue which is deployed beautifully here. Both Hudson and Jackman are utterly charming, heartbreaking and likeable here in a film which certainly gives them range to convey, using their easy-going chemistry to good effect and both leaning into their now-more-mature star personae for their characters that works very well. Song Sung Blue is a sweet musical romantic drama that blends its darker moments and heartwarming comedy in a way that is ultimately entertaining and uplifting
VOD: Send Help (dir: Sam Raimi, 2026)
Send Help is a quintessential Sam Raimi horror-comedy that blends the genres effortlessly as has characterised much of the director's early output in particular. Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien - two dependable and likeable actors - play antagonistic business colleagues, the dowdy, overlooked and downtrodden Linda and the cocky, unpleasant new young President of the company, Bradley. When they survive a storm-hit aeroplane on a business trip (a brief but very effectively-staged sequence) that leaves the pair stranded on a remote tropical island, their battle to survive becomes increasingly antagonistic, with Linda's reality-TV-survival shows fixation playing against Bradley's ruthlessness as they battle to survive. The film has a lovely Danny Elfman score, the humorous moments are genuinely funny, the twists work well and Raimi's signature visceral/bodily-fluids moments are suitably gross. The two leads inhabit their roles utterly and make a great pairing on-screen. The talky mid-section lull - although well-played by the lead duo - builds well towards the final act when the gloves really come off. Overall, the odl-fashioned goofy screwball comedy feel mixed with the full-on thrills makes for a very entertaining ride.
VOD: A Nice Indian Boy (dir: Roshan Sethi, 2024)
"Um... embarrassed?"
"By the bigness of love."
Based on a play, this well-received rom-com tells the story of Naveen (Karan Soni), a quiet, closed-off gentle doctor from a traditional Indian family, who tentatively falls for photographer Jay (Jonathan Groff), and the film follows the development of their relationship culminating in their wedding. The film has a genuinely touching and funny contemporary script, and a beautifully quiet restraint, with Soni and Groff playing off each other superbly, and Naveen's family (Sunita Mani as his snippy sister, the great Harish Patel as his conflicted father and the barnstorming Zarna Gard as his non-nonsense mother) consistently stealing scenes and creating touching moments. Scene after scene knocks it out of the park, the accidental proposal and the first meeting as a couple with Naveen's parents are two of the most delightful scenes you will see all year. Even familiar cinematic and thematic touchstones such as arranged marriage, changing times and attitudes and even Bollywood are considered and deployed thoughtfully and with good humour. Gentle, warm, funny and utterly charming, A Nice Indian Boy is smart, sensitive and a joyful delight from start to finish.
VOD: Altered (dir: Timo Vuorensola, 2026)
In this standard sci-fi potboiler, Earth has rebuilt itself after nuclear strikes into a shiny new genetically-enhanced Apple-store future, with a struggling and rebellious underclass ('Specials') trying to get by in a grimy low-tech-augmented existence, focussing on a wheelchair-bound hustler Leon (Tom Felton) and his sassy 12-year-old sassy sidekick ward Chloe (Elizaveta Bugulova) and other rebels set to target an imminent unification concert. There is a reasonable if limited attempt at world-building to differentiate between the simplistic social divide, but it is hampered by lacklustre performances across the board and the story limps along listlessly. Low-budget international co-productions with eclectic casts rarely work well, and Altered is no exception that leaves little impression.
VOD: How To Train Your Dragon (2025) (dir: Dean DeBlois, 2025)
This live-action remake of the first film of the successful animated film trilogy is one of the more successful examples of the recent trend, feeling faithfully authentic to its cinematic predecessor in both look and spirit to an extraordinary degree. Two key elements for this version to get right were the central relationship between Hiccup and Toothless, which it does really well right from their first tentative encounter, and the action sequences which are delivered energetically. The dragons, especially Toothless, retain the cartoonish style that is recognisable and accessible to younger viewers, integrated into the live action elements very well. The occasionally mock-operatic score feels at times unnecessarily overblown as it thunders along in the background, but design and world-building are both consistently engaging and effective, clearly having been giving the resources to make this film work. Mason Thames does a really good job of humanising Hiccup, and other key characters - from his gruffly humorous father to his eclectic band of buddies - are realised extremely well in this format. This 2025 version is an efficient, well-made and entertaining version in its own right, perhaps unnecessary but certainly strong enough to stand on its own merits.
VOD: Alien Rubicon (dir: Adrian Avila, 2024)
This surprisingly ambitious sci-fi mockbuster from The Asylum once again takes its cue from Independence Day as single father scientist Jeff (Preston Greer) discovers an alien sphere approaching Earth, its destructive properties and intentions unleashed as a precursor to a full-on invasion. The first two acts have all the limitations of microbudget movies - small sets, slow talky scenes, low-impact acting - but the larger-scale finale picks up the pace a little, raises the stakes and tries hard to deliver. It benefits from a lean running time and from storytelling shortcuts that keep the story moving along, although the often limp dialogue tends to be delivered somewhat carefully. Veteran Michael Pare plays P.O.T.U.S - but he is no Bill Pullman - and remarkable Asylum veteran Paul Logan is as stoically tightly wound as ever, with the scientist's teen children delivering well. The film is decently shot, with crisp visuals and shiny VFX work, and on its own terms (and within its obvious limitations, this is one of the more effective examples of The Asylum's output.
VOD: Night Stage a.k.a. Ato Noturno (dirs: Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon, 2026)
The Hard Paint duo bring this tale of Matias, a handsome young actor/dancer in a troupe two weeks from opening a new show, who hooks up with Rafael, a property developer and budding mayoral candidate, and they develop a relationship that thrives on increasingly risky public sexual encounters just as both of their career profiles rise. Almodovar is a clear inspiration here as recognisable territory is explored, from celebrating the arts - providing a narrative and metaphorical backbone - to objectifying male beauty, the tension between personal life and public image, and ambition and fame. For its contemporary setting and issues, the film feels surprisingly a little old-fashioned and restrained, rather than gaudy and melodramatic. For what might have once seemed edgy, Night Stage sits comfortably in the age of more adult streaming drama output. The story holds no real surprises, but the film is performed and presented well in all respects.
Thursday, 14 May 2026
VOD: Je m'appelle Agneta (dir: Johanna Runevad, 2026)
Middle-aged, fed-up and taken for granted, Francophile Agneta leaves her husband and her dull life in Sweden behind for a big new life adventure as an au pair in picturesque rural Provence in this lovely Swedish Netflix comedy-drama that is charming, thoughtful and good-humoured throughout. When the job turns out to be not quite what she expects, the film becomes a wistful but also uplifting journey of self-discovery flecked with moments of simple everyday pleasures, utter joy and positive life-affirmation. Eva Melander is an utter delight on-screen from start to finish in a quartet of accomplished lead performances of colourful characters. This is not the typical light, sunny fish-out-of-water rom-com but a mature, reflective rear-view-mirror ode to life, love and experience that is both warm and tinged with some sadness. The gorgeous soundtrack is cleverly entwined with the storytelling, at times narrating Agneta's experiences and discoveries, and even smartly reframing ABBA's The Winner Takes It All to make the female protagonist the victor. The film is a timely reminder that all lives are worth celebrating and living to the full, and it does so quite beautifully.
VOD: Anaconda (dir: Tom Gormican, 2025)
Jack Black and Paul Rudd's silly meta-comedy/horror sees a group of childhood friends reunite years later and hatch a plan to make a reboot of the 'cult classic' in three weeks on the fly in the Brazilian rainforest, but their attempt at making the movie is derailed by the appearance of a real monster snake on the rampage. The film echoes Tropic Thunder in its approach (though far less entertainingly), but it veers haphazardly between styles and levels of success. It does have its tongue firmly in its cheek and a self-awareness of its own limitations and the campy nonsense of the original movie, but it is nevertheless not as funny as it perhaps thinks it is, and not all of the (improvised) material lands, especially in the more obviously drawn-out scenes. Oddly, there are some moments that suggest a serious, straight take on the material could work, but this 2025 version is a clear example of falling between two stools.
VOD: The Conjuring 4 - Last Rites (dir: Michael Chaves, 2025)
New Line's last go-round for the surprisingly successful Ed and Lorraine Warren-inspired paranormal franchise/universe gets off to a suitably creepy start with its 1964-set prologue that resonates down the years as the story picks up in 1986 with a blast of The Cure and the reappearance of a possessed artefact that slowly wreaks havoc on an ordinary Pennsylvanian family and proves to be the Warrens' final case that brings everything full circle to their own family as well. The Poltergeist, Paranormal Activity and The Exorcist films loom large over the action, although this entry feels a little more restrained than many recent examples of its type. It could be argued that the domestic scenes make the film a tad flabby, but they only serve to highlight the strength and importance of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga in the series, with the ever-reliable Brit Ben Hardy (playing American) a useful addition here as their daughter's fiance. Offering some nicely-delivered set-ups and a couple of decent jump-scares and a typically messy peer-through-the-darkness finale, Last Rites leaves the door slightly ajar for a Next Generation continuation if the studio wishes to exploit the franchise further, but this film is a routine if acceptable conclusion to the Warrens' story.
VOD: Wuthering Heights (dir: Emerald Fennell, 2026)
Emerald Fennell's somewhat singular vision for this version of the classic novel - and it is certainly 'inspired by' rather than a straightforward adaptation - is frequently tiresome, from its irritating and wayward music score (including its whiny sub-Enya Charli XCX interludes) to the over-obvious modern use of camera and editing flourishes. Sex and violence/death are awkwardly and inextricably linked from the very start, and the film flits between grim realism and jarringly heightened artificiality. Margot Robbie plays the rather self-serving Cathy wringing everything she can from every single line, and Jacob Elordi's more thoughtful take on Heathcliff sometimes works well, although neither seems a particularly good fit here, but Hong Chau does nice work as Cathy's constant companion Nelly. The film works best when Robbie and Elordi interact in the quieter moments, but these are juxtaposed with scenes delivered as screeching hysteria or painful melodrama. Overall, this is a potentially interesting but overwrought and inconsistent film that drags and is ultimately disappointing.
VOD: Pillion (dir: Harry Lighton, 2025)
"Of what?"
"Everything."
In this 2025 festival favourite, mild-mannered and awkward Colin (Harry Melling) meets the striking and taciturn biker Ray (Alexander Skarsgard) at his pub over the festive season and falls into a committed sub-dom relationship that takes him into new territory and an unexpected journey of self-discovery. Both lead actors give truly grounded, nuanced and engaging performances - Harry Melling is a revelation here - with charmingly sweet support from Lesley Sharp and Douglas Hodge as Colin's very ordinary suburban parents. It is also a confident feature directorial debut for Harry Lighton, creating an almost kitchen-sink-style drama with tenderness, quirky humour and a physical and emotional frankness that makes the film both edgy and oddly sensitive, with a bitter-sweet third act to round off this very well-executed exploration of a particular relationship.
VOD: Apex (dir: Baltasar Kormakur, 2026)
After losing her partner in an opening well-staged mountaineering accident in Norway, five months later the still-grieving adventurer Sasha (Charlize Theron) goes kayaking in the remote wilds of Australia, only to find herself targeted by intimidating locals and a odd hunter Ben (Taron Egerton) in this gritty survival thriller. The first act is all fairly standard setting up, the second act is mostly an interesting two-hander between two of today's strongest and most engaging actors in Theron and Egerton as the scenario unravels and gives way to the extended and very physical cat-and-mouse menace of the third. Boasting truly spectacular and beautifully-shot scenery, the film plays well with the utter isolation of the settings and the demands it makes on the characters' survival skills. Egerton offers a gently-spoken relentless threat that is well-played, and Theron throws herself into the physicality of her role and delivers the emotional beats with aplomb. Apex is a very simple but effective thriller, aided by a tight running time and the strength of its two lead actors.
VOD: Greenland 2 - Migration a.k.a. Greenland Migration (dir: Ric Roman Waugh, 2026)
This sequel to the streaming disaster/survival hit finds Earth decimated by meteor fragments, violent storms and radiation, the Greenland shelter from the end of the film film wrecked by earthquakes and the plucky but ailing Gerard Butler, his family and other survivors having to eke out an existence in the hostile environment on the surface as they are hit by one cinematic and human-made disaster after another in their quest to find a rumoured 'cradle of life' where the original meteor struck in a dangerous region of France. This film essentially moves on from the original's conventional disaster movie tropes to conventional post-disaster ones, grinding along efficiently if chaotically and offering few surprises along the way, although it is again perhaps more sombre and gritty than many of its glossier counterparts. It gives rise to some interesting visuals, from flood-ravaged Liverpool to what was formerly The English Channel, but the film's main driving force is is its dour examination of the family bond and human behaviour. Once again, the gruff Gerard Butler and the excellent Morena Baccarin are stoic and focussed leads as they (presumably) bring this slightly different - and at times surprisingly sensitive and ultimately optimistic - take on a well-worn genre to a reflective conclusion.
Monday, 20 April 2026
VOD: Roofman (dir: Derek Cianfrance, 2025)
In this quirky and surprisingly gentle drama/comedy, based on real events, Channing Tatum plays Jeffrey Manchester, a nice-guy low-level criminal who escapes jail and lives surreptitiously in a Toys'R'Us store while laying low from the police, as he tries to win back his estranged family and unexpectedly falls for one of the store's employees. The oft-underrated Channing Tatum here invests Jeffrey with a clumsy likeability that is impressive, Kirsten Dunst plays the church-going recently-divorced love interest with a delightfully understated dignity and openness and Peter Dinklage plays the spiky store manager precisely in a strong supporting role. The film's gentle whimsical tone - largely driven by Tatum and Dunst pushing charm to the max together with a wonderful musical score by Christopher Bear - makes the film very appealing, and Roofman is a winning, warm and easy-going but very engaging watch. Real-life photos and interviews play out as the end credits roll.
VOD: Thrash (dir: Tommy Wirkola, 2026)
Norwegian director/writer Tommy Wirkola brings his off-beat dark humour and violence of the hugely fun Dead Snow movies and The Trip to the American shark-attack genre, as a small coastal town is flooded by a huge hurricane, and the few remaining trapped residents find themselves having to contend with the ever-rising water level and a few hungry sharks in this Netflix high-concept survival thriller. Telling its story with a well-realised mix of CG/practical effects real-life footage - the storm's landfall sequence is particularly effective - the film is designed to torture its usual eclectic mix of characters to the max, with echoes of Jaws and 2019's Crawl in particular. With a game cast (led by Phoebe Dynevor, Whitney Peak and Djimon Hounsou), Wirkola's penchant for silly comedy moments deflates stoic disaster movie tropes and may not play well with all viewers, but nevertheless Thrash is a disposable but fairly entertaining if daft romp.
VOD: Five Nights At Freddy's 2 (dir: Emma Tammi, 2025)
The somewhat moribund Five Nights At Freddy's movie clearly drummed up enough business to spawn this unnecessary early-2000s-set sequel one year on from the events of the first film which - somewhat inevitably - sees Mike (Josh Hutcherson), troubled Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) and young Abby (Piper Rubio) drawn to the original abandoned fast-food joint for Round 2, along with an expendable reality-TV crew and a suspiciously creepy security guard, and this time unleashing the animatronic killers on the local community. With an unwarrantedly long running time, the film crawls along, mostly in darkness, with general dullness nullifying the occasional attempt at generating shock or suspense. Apart from Josh Hutcherson outclassing the material once again, it all feels rather forced and half-hearted - even Sembello's Maniac appears in the 1982-set opening flashback one year before it was released, and the returning Matthew Lillard joined by a Skeet Ulrich cameo (though not appearing together) feels like simple genre stunt-casting. Perhaps the mixing of a largely children-led story with more adult horror is awkward and neuters the scenario of potential scares, and as a gateway horror it may employ some classic Scooby-Doo period genre tropes and has a fair throwback music score, but overall this sequel offers little of interest and has a mid-credits scene that threatens a trilogy-closer.
VOD: Wicked For Good (dir: Jon M. Chu, 2025)
"Your very own vehicular spherical globule!"
"So, like, a bubble?"
Picking up soon after the closing moments of the first film, the sequel kicks off with the construction of the yellow brick road, Elphaba out to expose The Wizard and Glinda and Fiyero newly-engaged, and the general opinion that the second half of the original stage show does not quite live up to the first half more-or-less applies to this filmic version as well. Many of the elements that made the first film work are still present, from its killer lead cast to the huge-scale world-building/staging and the powerhouse performances of Erivo, Grande, Yeoh and Bailey (the latter two perhaps rather underserved this time round). Elements of The Wizard Of Oz - partly blunted by copyright - are used sparingly and integrated smartly in order to service this story. The songs this time are rather non-descript with more big-Broadway yelling but they are generally pleasant enough and well-orchestrated. It treads a very fine line between expansion and padding out, the big set-piece musical numbers occasionally feeling stretched and attempts at more down-to-earth moments not quite hitting the mark. With some dark character arcs and grim reveals, Wicked For Good is a solid but hardly fun wrapping up of this remarkable project.
VOD: B.O.Y.-Bruises Of Yesterday (dir: Soren Green, 2025)
In this much-lauded Danish coming-of-age drama, teen Tobias is sent to the countryside for the Summer to stay with his grandparents, where his desperation for connection and affection leads him down some dangerous paths. Very big teenage issues are all thrown into the mix - parental separation, mental health, mortality, bereavement, body image, sexuality and self-harm - but for most of the film they are handled without histrionics and with a gentleness that is effective and considered throughout. The film - and indeed the story- is shot with a quiet and simple clarity as shots linger beautifully, doing an excellent job of showing the young man struggling to connect with the world in which he finds himself. It has three clear acts, the first act melancholy but with moments of optimism, the second dealing with profound family tragedy and worrying red flags popping up in Tobias's behaviour, and the third showing the realities and consequences of his choices that is both harsh and brutal compared with what has come before. The film is carried by a wonderfully sensitive performance by Noa Risbro Hjerrild as Tobias, with a notable supporting turn by Jens Jorn Spottag as his caring grandfather. This is a gentle and fragile movie that plays well with its sad restraint until it moves into the frank, gritty cautionary territory of the final act.
VOD: Mercy (dir: Timur Bekmambetov, 2026)
In this high-concept near-future crime thriller, an L.A. crime epidemic and civil unrest leads to offenders being speedily tried and - if necessary - executed by AI, and the film follows Chris Pratt as Chris Raven, a robbery/homicide cop accused of murdering his wife versus Rebecca Ferguson as his advanced AI courtroom judge. Told through a patchwork of digital/camera/internet sources, to which the accused is given access to mount his defence, the reliable Pratt and the usually-excellent Ferguson (plus a largely weak but negligible supporting cast) do as much as they can with the limitations imposed upon them as the film turns into what is essentially a hi-tech game of electronic Clue(do). Bekmambetov has long been a good and creative director, but here the film's flashy gimmicks - a ninety-minutes real-time trial, relentless CG visual overload, rapid-fire editing - do not distract from its odd mix of painful melodrama and dull court procedural that proves ultimately unsatisfying. With the bulk of the drama having Pratt sitting in a chair and Ferguson framed in immovable Medium/Close-Up Shots, it is not quite Ice Cube in a cupboard in War Of The Worlds, but there is some good-looking and purposeful aerial/drone footage used and it takes a rather bizarre U-turn into action movie territory for the finale.
Monday, 16 March 2026
VOD: I Swear (dir: Kirk Jones, 2025)
"They could deliver it to my house."
"John, it's an M.B.E., not a pizza!"
This delightful biopic of Tourette's Syndrome campaigner John Davidson is both educational as well as a profoundly moving personal study, from 1983 and his childhood years in Galashiels as a likeable typical lad (paper round, fishing, football) starting secondary school, developing uncontrollable tics and behaviours that were undiagnosed and recognised at the time which had a profound effect on his family, then jumping forward over a decade to life as a young adult, when he meets two adults who have a profound impact on his life that ultimately leads to him reaching out and helping others with the condition. As the adult John, Robert Aramayo does a remarkable job, matched by a wonderfully sensitive performance by Scott Ellis Watson as his teenage counterpart, and Maxine Peake (as John's best friend's understanding mother who takes him in) and Peter Mullan (as the caretaker who takes John under his wing) are simply delightful to watch. The film succeeds not only in showing people's/society's responses and attitudes to Tourette's but also the impact it has on a person having to deal with it personally, mining the real difficulties with warmth and humour but also an unflinching look at the real-life difficulties created by the condition. Extremely well-crafted, utterly heartwarming and heartbreaking, I Swear is a great addition the canon of exceptional small-scale homegrown British true-life-story movies.
VOD: Sisu - Road To Revenge a.k.a. Sisu 2 (dir: Jalmari Helander, 2025)
This sequel to 2022's unexpected and entertaining Sisu is a solid continuation of Aatami's story (Jorma Tommila), offering more of the same but with a slightly lighter tone that weighs more into the outrageousness of this one-man killing machine as he tries to rebuild after the war ends, going into occupied territory to transport his family home back to Finland, but the release of Dragunov (Stephen Lang in full nemesis mode) - the man who killed Aatami's family - sees Aatami on a revenge vendetta and Druganov tasked with finishing off this unstoppable force of nature. It does not take long for the familiar mash-up of Western/MacGuyver/Terminator mayhem kicks in, and the devastating personal and national after-effects of war weigh heavily, with short comic-book-style 'chapters' following Aatami as he tries to get back to Finland through Russian-occupied territory and driving the narrative purposefully. The lack of dialogue cleverly intensifies the depth of Aatami's feelings, and there is plenty of squelch, explosions and dark humour that would keep Tommy Wirkola and Takashi Miike very happy indeed. It all leads to an outrageous final face-off and a charmingly moving final pay-off that makes Road To Revenge an effective mix of offering more of the familiar whilst moving forward.
VOD: Zootropolis 2 a.k.a. Zootopia 2 (dirs: Jared Bush and Byron Howard, 2025)
"Jokes are a classic defence mechanism for someone with a traumatic childhood."
"Would you like a traumatic adulthood?"
"I would not."
Disney's sequel to its massive 2016 animated hit sees Judy (the rabbit) and Nick (the fox) as mismatched rookie cops on the trail of supposed criminal mastermind Gary De'Snake, but they fall foul of corrupt Zootropolis bosses (the lynxes) and find themselves on the run, trying to expose the bad guys and restoring the status of the outcasts. The film delivers more of the same that made the first film so successful (right down to a final rousing speech and concluding musical number), with a busy and frenetic scattershot energy that mostly lands - the Ratatouille and The Shining gags are particularly fun. The strong and often recognisable voice cast delivers well, its gorgeously vibrant colours, madcap cartoon energy and appealingly anthropomorphised cute animal characters will appeal hugely to its young target audience, and the insane level of CG-animated detail is impressive. It may lack the witty freshness of the original, it is a tad overlong and the pacing is a little uneven, but Zootropolis 2 has enough visual and comic inventiveness to stand up as an acceptable first sequel. A brief post-end-credits scene alludes to an (inevitable) third entry.
VOD: War Machine (dir: Patrick Hughes, 2026)
"Who's the meathead calling me a moron?"
The elevator pitch for this in-your-face Netflix sci-fi actioner was probably 'It's Predator...but with an extra-terrestrial killing machine!', as a band of trainee elite army rangers at a remote Colorado training camp, led by '81' (the formidable Alan Ritchson), are on a final recon-and-rescue test mission where they unexpectedly find themselves up against a relentless alien murder-bot (think love-child of an AT-AT and ED-209). With a thunderous soundtrack, training montages and a haunted veteran hero, the first act offers all the military genre conventions it can muster, before turning into a straightforward cat-and-mouse survival thriller. The scenery/location settings looks spectacular (shot beautifully and used well), the violence is unflinching with well-executed stunt work, and the excellent sparingly-used effects work is integrated into the action well. Ritchson's committed presence sells the fast-moving story, with the rest of the thinly-drawn troupe likeable if disposable. War Machine is a familiar and straightforward but slick, well-executed and entertaining enough ride.
VOD: Baby (dir: Marcelo Caetano, 2025)
"I think so..."
This acclaimed moody Brazilian drama sees Wellington (Joao Pedro Mariano), a young man newly released from a youth detention centre, abandoned by his parents and trying to carve out an existence on the Sao Paolo streets under the mentorship of a caring older hustler Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro) with whom he forms a turbulent relationship. Another film looking at the underbelly of the big city, the film has a cool percussion-driven soundtrack, and the use of camera to follow or find Wellington on-screen throughout creates an intimate journey together with the semi-documentary style employed. Set against the usual harsh elements of street life is a surprisingly tender central relationship, played out with two solid central performances that make Baby a watchable story.
VOD: Dead Of Winter (dir: Brian Kirk, 2025)
Although filmed in Finland, snowy Minnesota is the setting for this moderate action-adventure, in which stoic Barb (a game Emma Thompson) embarks on a solo fishing trip out in the wilderness, where she manages to stumble across the kidnap of a young woman held in an isolated cabin, attempts to rescue her and puts herself in danger in the process. The beautifully bleak and stark Finnish winter backdrop and drained colour palette give the film an icy chill, contrasting with happier sunnier flashbacks of good times past which highlight Barb's current and increasingly dangerous predicament. Emma Thompson invests heavily in her character performance both physically and emotionally which pays off well, ably supported by Judy Greer and Marc Menchaca as the desperate kidnappers with a sinister agenda. It is a very contained and slow-burn story which is quite straightforward and limited, and Volker Bertelmann's suitably ominous score does of lot of tension heavy lifting alongside occasional moments of violence and Idiot Plot, but Dead Of Winter overall does a reasonable job of engaging the viewer as it twists a tired genre with added emotional depth and a more senior female lead.
Friday, 27 February 2026
FILM: Scream 7 (dir: Kevin Williamson, 2026)
"Not since college..."
Following a well-publicised rocky road with production and personnel, Scream 7 arrives as a reasonably slick and entertaining product. Following the re-energising and subsequent big city relocation of the franchise for Radio Silence's enjoyable V and VI, the return of the very first film's scripter Kevin Williamson doubles down on the nostalgia front and the franchise's female leads. After a slightly drawn-out signature pre-title sequence, the first act establishes Sidney's quiet life in a small town (rather like Woodsboro) with her sheriff husband and children (including her fractious relationship with older teen daughter, Tatum) that is soon upended by the appearance of her old nemesis Ghostface, seemingly the deceased Stu from the original movie, and a familiar string of kills and personal threat follows. The first act is somewhat talky and determined to reference all the the previous movies as much as possible, but it then does not take long for the fast, furious and somewhat mean-spirited murders to decimate Sidney and her daughter's immediate circle, reducing the possible suspects dramatically (with an outcome that is not dissimilar to one of the Friday The 13th films). As has become typical of recent long-running horror franchises, the focus is on the empowered female leads, and indeed Courtney Cox and the returning Neve Campbell are undoubtedly excellent in these roles, with Isabel May a strong addition as teen daughter Tatum, and the males largely expendable (although Joe McHale gives solid support as a good husband for Sidney, and Asa Germann is good fun as the neighbour's star-struck son). If there is an issue - and it is for the franchise as a whole rather than singling out this particular film - it is that it again follows the exact same narrative template as its predecessors, so it becomes a case of doing it well (which Scream 7 does by and large, notably in the pacier action moments) rather than creating something genuinely innovative - one can only imagine what Christopher Landon's take on the material might have been. There is a lot of fan-pleasing here, from unexpected cameos to almost throwaway references (which will bemuse viewers without much knowledge of the previous films), and Williamson still knows how to deliver some wry grim humour, although there is an annoying over-reliance on isolating characters by responding to unlikely off-scream noises. There is obviously value in seeing Sidney re-positioned as a middle-aged mother here, and Scream 7 is a solid entry in the franchise, but its over-familiarity and desperate clinging to the past is a tad concerning going forward. Note: the mid-credits sequence is nothing more than a trio of seemingly inessential improvised outtakes.
VOD: Black Phone 2 (dir: Scott Derrickson, 2025)
The sequel to Blumhouse's big horror/thriller hit moves the story on to a wintry 1982, with both an older troubled Finn and psychic Gwen clearly still affected by the events of the first film that relocates the action to a winter Christian camp as trainee counsellors where their mother worked, and providing a grim backstory that neatly links the present to past events in 1957, with The Grabber back to avenge his own death. There is a clear choice made to move the story away from its gritty urban milieu and exploration of the community impact of the first film to more generic horror-fantasy tropes, full of stylised 'dream' imagery and increasingly repetitive and drawn-out scenes which become infused with elements of Elm Street and numerous possession films. Mason Thames proves to be strong young actor even though here he is not given enough to work with in what is a largely haphazard and lacklustre follow-up that stretches a thin idea to its limits.
VOD: Him (dir: Justin Tipping, 2025)
In what is possibly an attempt to create a new cross-genre - the psychological sports horror - the film shows rising star American footballer Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers) attacked brutally the night before being scouted, resulting in a possibly career-ending brain injury that leads him to an increasingly extreme and unhinged boot camp run by his idol (Marlon Wayans). It is a flabby, messy, melodramatic and overlong movie but provides a reasonably entertaining genre ride, boosted by another engaging and committed lead performance by Withers and a solid Wayans. Seemingly a critique of the ruthlessness of the professional game, the film tries hard and does not hold back on violent images but is not sharp enough and too meandering as satire and ultimately falls short.
VOD: Together (dir: Michael Shanks, 2025)
This atmospheric supernatural/body-horror mash-up follows a young couple (Dave Franco and Alison Brie) moving out the the country with some underlying uncertainties in their relationship in tow, where an accidental fall into a strange underground cavern leads them to being brought closer in ways they could never have imagined. The natural environment is shot vibrantly, and the film boasts an excellently eerie ominous music score/soundscape. Brie and especially Franco are both underappreciated actors who are very strong here, with Brie's Millie a playful but spiky counterpoint to Franco's Tim, who is more fragile but troubled, their real-life partnership imbuing the on-screen relationship with a painful credibility. This is a potent mix of camp-fire story and David Cronenberg that is fascinating to watch from both the emotional and physical standpoints, especially in the later more extreme moments, even if the storytelling veers into clunkiness occasionally (including the clumsiest use of Chekhov's Gun quite early on).
VOD: Predator Badlands (dir: Dan Trachtenberg, 2025)
On desolate Yautja Prime, a gloomily-lit fight between two Predator brothers ends in tragedy and sees the younger brother, Dek, set on a rite-of-passage challenge, choosing the planet Genna ("the death planet") and the 'unkillable' monster The Kalisk, fending off its many dangerous indigenous creatures and teaming up with a talkative but damaged Wayland-Yutani exploration synthetic Thia as a comedy sidekick along the way. It is full of fan-pleasing iconography, details and moments, and it has a solid story and structure. There is plenty of talk about family, culture-clashes, grief and growing up to add some heft, but this entry in the Predator franchise does a solid job of balancing the lighter elements (odd-couple banter, wry humour) with the signature fantasy violence and the ruthless corporation hovering in the background. Elle Fanning is terrific in her dual role, and in Dek the film provides the most expressive and nuanced Predator seen so far. Badlands is a lively and well-shot sci-fi adventure romp, with shiny and generally well-realised effects work and takes its genre - but not necessarily itself - too seriously to entertaining effect, with a second half that takes an interesting and more muscular turn.
VOD: K-Pop Demon Hunters (dirs: Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang, 2025)
This global hit animated musical movie presents a trio of young female K-Pop superstars who are also Hunters, protectors of the world, having to defeat a demon boy-band whose aim is to wipe out the women's popularity and achieve global domination, leading to a grand face-off at the International Idol awards. Spawned from this age of manufactured stars, social media and hyper-realism, the editing propels the movie along at a frightening pace, with a vibrant colour palette heavy on neon purple and bubblegum pink and a lightweight collection of ridiculously catchy generic K-Pop bangers. Slick and polished to within an inch of its life, the film is designed to take hold of its young female audience and not let go from start to finish, but older viewers will find it quite bewildering and it all blurs into one after the first half-hour. The strong representation of the young female protagonists grappling with friendship, fame and personal identity is curiously undercut by their swooning devotion to the feminised pretty-boys' physical appearance. Propelled by the songs and its energetic style of presentation, it undoubtedly delivers for its target audience even if it is rather shallow overall. The mid-end-credits features the actual human artists making the music recordings.
Saturday, 7 February 2026
VOD: Springsteen - Deliver Me From Nothing (dir: Scott Cooper, 2025)
"Well, that makes one of us."
Far from the typical Hollywood musical biopic, Deliver Me From Nowhere homes in on Bruce Springsteen's life and career in the early 1980s, when his first taste of commercial success sees him dealing with the pressures of burgeoning stardom, a lifestyle at odds with his small-town roots and his desire to make his next album a seemingly-uncommercial back-to-basics introspective work. This is a very sensitive, pensive and honest film that deals with the spectre of Springsteen's alcoholic father (played with focused nuance by the wonderful Stephen Graham), record company pressure and a relationship to which he could not commit fully. all of which led to a crippling mental health crisis, Jeremy Allen White gives yet another knockout performance in the lead role that truly inhabits and conveys this iteration of Springsteen of that time and is magnetic as an on-screen presence, with some great supporting performances from Jeremy Strong as his famed manager and friend Jon Landau, and Odessa Young as the single-mother with whom Springsteen cautiously forms a genuine relationship. The film gives a reasonable and interesting insight into the tortuous process that shaped and created the stripped-back Nebraska album and forms a beautiful and personal companion to it. Springsteen's involvement and approval adds veracity to the material in this sombre, quietly reflective yet powerful film that almost becomes emotional overload in the final twenty minutes and is thrown into perspective knowing that global megastardom lay just around the corner.
VOD: One Battle After Another (dir: Paul Thomas Anderson, 2025)
This topical awards-baiting action-thriller opens with a group pf activists freeing detainees at the US/Mexico border and attacking unethical/immoral corporate targets, focused on explosives expert, Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio), and his fiery partner, Perfidia (Teyana Taylor), which creates a nemesis in the unwavering Colonel Lockjaw (Sean Penn) that has considerable consequences for all concerned. After a whirlwind trip through their turbulent lives in a compact first act, a sixteen-year time jump finds a now-dissolute Bob bringing up his teenage daughter as off-grid as possible, but the past soon - and determinedly - catches up with him. The film has a freewheeling and engagingly chaotic spirit from the outset, mirrored in its unpredictable use of music and jazz-styled score and its often wild use of camera. A big pleasure here is watching DiCaprio deploy his forensic characterisation skills (notably in close ups) very successfully, with terrific support from Teyana Taylor as his frighteningly energetic partner-in-crime/lover, alongside a laser-focused Sean Penn and their repressed and unhealthily-obsessed military archenemy. This is Paul Thomas Anderson through and through, with nods to Tarantino and a great Hitchcockian road-chase sequence towards the end. The energy of the film is largely maintained throughout - although the second and third acts perhaps get a little wearing with the generous running time - and the clash of (extreme) left and right wing values creates an ever-present tension, making One Battle After Another a bold and striking film.
VOD: On Swift Horses (dir: Daniel Minahan, 2025)
This classy 1950s-set drama finds a young woman Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) living a quiet country life with her devoted soon-to-be-husband Lee (Will Poulter), but the return of Lee's carefree brother Julius (Jacob Elordi) leads her into a world of gambling, lies and secrets in their pursuit of The American Dream as they relocate to California. The lush period recreation is excellent and filmed beautifully. It makes telling points about gender roles and sexuality at the time as an intrinsic part of the characters and the storytelling, and the very strong young lead trio of players bring their characters and relationships to the screen with detail, focus and an easy credibility. This is a slow-burn affair with a storyline that can at times feel like a bit of a blunt instrument, but it is consistently engaging, largely owing to the high quality of the performances on offer.
VOD: Downton Abbey - The Grand Finale (dir: Simon Curtis, 2025)
This movie-trilogy capper spawned from the globally successful period drama TV show sees most of the main players return as the story moves on to 1930 and a changing societal landscape that threatens the cosy monied upper-class way of life enjoyed by the Grantham dynasty. Indeed, amidst a rather threadbare plot, the theme of change weighs heavily throughout - older staff members moving on, the ongoing financial impact of the Great Crash, the tension between tradition/old-fashioned values and newer attitudes (focused by Lady Mary's scandalous divorce) - playing alongside the characters' own and frequent wistful nostalgia and the growing acceptance pf the end of an era. Inevitably, the Julian Fellowes writing machine delivers some touching moments and a surprising number of genuinely funny quips, barbs and reactions, as the notably ageing older core cast gets its moderate last hurrah in a light but well-crafted script. Once again every effort is made to make The Grand Finale look sumptuous and cinematic, with this instalment set in the lush height of English Summer. As a 'grand finale' it may a little restrained, but it amply delivers the cosy and comfortable viewing experience that viewers of the original TV show lapped up, delivered by an experienced and reliable cast whose characters are wrapped up to good effect, all capped off with a delightful final cameo appearance.
VOD: The Rip (dir: Joe Carnahan, 2026)
"Trying to find a f**k to give."
In this glossy Netflix police thriller, the Miami Tactical Narcotics Team - that includes a weary but level-headed Dane (Matt Damon) and scenery-chewing J.D. (Ben Affleck) is facing investigation when their own Captain is murdered, but a raid on a drugs stash house uncovers a massive load of cash that soon turns the film into a bottle/siege as the team become trapped and under fire, alliances and trust shifts as the lure of the money exerts its influence, and a rescue that opens up the finale to the well-shot city at night is not all that it seems. The film presents a beleaguered police force rife with corruption, filled with internal suspicion and pushed to the limit by under-resourcing, setting up what seems to be the film's basic message, that money is the root of all evil. The script is somewhat knuckle-headed in its need to explain everything very obviously and is bursting with the f-word, but it handles the story's twists and turns effectively. The experienced lead team (director/writer Joe Carnahan and the reunited Damon/Affleck duo) can sell this kind of material in their sleep, making The Rip a slick, efficient but rather generic movie that is entertaining enough but perhaps highlights the difference in expectations and delivery of a Netflix product as opposed to a Hollywood cinema movie.
VOD: The Strangers Chapter 2 (dir: Renny Harlin, 2025)
Following the underwhelming opening instalment of this new (and unnecessary) spinoff trilogy, Chapter 2 takes the Halloween II/Halloween Kills route for the first act, picking up from the end of the previous instalment and relocating surviving female character Maya (Madelaine Petsch) to the nearby hospital where the murderous trio soon appear - cue shadowy corridors that are slowly wandered down, beeping monitors and sinister cubicle curtains as no sub-genre cliché goes unmissed - for little more than a contained and unsurprising cat-and-mouse chase (although sedate plod is mostly more accurate), which is then repeated in other locations (including a farm, forest, car, scrapyard, a circular return to the previous film's cabin and a finale setting) as Maya barely escapes her pursuers every time. Indeed, Maya's injuries from the first film have inconsistent impact, as she administers self-stitching only to then fend off an improbable attacking CG boar, with the resulting leg trauma being dispensed with conveniently for the third act. It is all written with the subtlety of a sledgehammer and limited dialogue, and the limited number of local characters means the finale reveal is hardly surprising. This is a hollow and dreary film that offers a bland backstory told in perfunctory flashbacks and unexciting run-of-the-mill masked-killer set pieces, and it is hard to fathom why this very thin material has been stretched over three movies. There is mid-credits preview of the trilogy-capping Chapter 3.
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