FILM: Fifty Shades Freed (dir: James Foley, 2018)

"Did you just roll your eyes at me?"

With its moment in the zeitgeist well and truly long gone, this trilogy closer - filmed back-to-back with the second part - proves to be little more than an barely efficient closer to this silly series.  The problems remain: very little plot, lacklustre dialogue and disengaging performances, attractive gloss but relentlessly flat in style, and little in the way of emotion.  As female fantasy, it is remarkably patronising, right through to the final frames, but judging by audience reaction, it seemed to have served its purpose.  The idea of filming the follow-up novels, telling the whole saga again through Christian's point of view, should be squashed immediately, but it is likely that diminishing interest and box-office will do that job effectively enough.

VOD: The Cloverfield Paradox (dir: Julius Onah, 2018)

"Logic doesn't apply to any of this."

Thank you to Netflix for paying Paramount a ridiculous sum of money for this movie which meant that we did not have to trudge all the way to the cinema to be let down.  Dropping unannounced globally after its Super Bowl TV spot, the third Cloverfield film is a very routine space-station horror-thriller that simply throws together a number of genre clichés (and the references are hardly subtle) without much regard for the creation of real drama or character.  The cast has some strong players, but they do often seem to be performing in different movies at the same time.  There are a couple of good exterior effects shots when the station starts falling apart, but overall this is a considerable step down from the first two Cloverfield films.

VOD: God's Own Country (dir: Francis Lee, 2017)

Make you happy?"

God's Own Country is a bold, stark and beautiful film.  The journey of emotionally locked-in farmer Johnny to the first spring-like signs of an emotional humanity is skilfully handled by Francis Lee's confident direction and two fantastically controlled performances by Josh O'Connor and Alec Secareanu.  Even if the occasional metaphor is somewhat blatant, it is the capturing of tiny detail and subtle shifts in the characters and relationships that impress.  Bold camera choices, stunning use of the bleak late-winter Yorkshire landscape and a contemplative score by A Winged Victory For The Sullen also contribute to making this an incredibly thoughtful, moving and well-made movie.

FILM: Early Man (dir: Nick Park, 2018)

"Right, let's go and get some balls!"

Early Man plays gloriously fast and loose with history and evolution whilst incorporating Nick Park's love of football to create another odd but very good-natured Aardman feature.  The stop-motion animation is now so slick that it is sometimes easy to forget the physical hours and hard work that went into the film, and the scale of action is also bigger than the studio's earlier efforts.  The Stone Age characters are endearingly dopey, the voice cast is strong, and the script is full of the trademark bad puns and very British humour that is expected.  Early Man is not quite up there with Aardman's very best, but it is cosy, warm and well-crafted entertainment.

FILM: Maze Runner - The Death Cure (dir: Wes Ball, 2018)

REVIEW No. 850!

"This is so far away from The Glade..."

The third and final entry in this surprisingly strong YA series mostly manages to deliver where others (Divergent, The Hunger Games) faltered.  Starting with a well-executed train heist, the film is rarely short of Wes Ball's confident vision and sometimes stylish direction.  Dylan O'Brien again proves to be a watchable centre to the whole series, with good supporting work from Kaya Scodelario and Ki Hong Lee in particular.  As with all good concluding instalments, meetings of old friends and enemies from previous films is entertaining as all the major players are drawn together .  There is some excellent dystopian world-building on display, and although this third film is just slightly the least interesting or original of the trilogy, it does serve as an effective, efficient and well-made closer to a franchise that has consistently punched well above its weight.

VOD: Starship Troopers - Traitor Of Mars (dirs: Shinji Aramaki, Masaru Matsumoto, 2018)

"Oh, my God!  This is really happening!"

Starship Troopers is one of those franchises in which no sequel comes even remotely close to the terrific first movie, as Traitor Of Mars delivers a rather low-key and low-rent take on the concept.  Apart from a dim and not particularly likeable bunch of grunts, the main culprits here are the rather weak dialogue and a painfully limp antagonist.  One aspect that this CG-animated entry does succeed at is making the bugs malevolent again - and the scale of the final assault is quite impressive - but the return of the Dizzy Flores character (voiced as originally played by Dina Meyer) sadly is nothing to get excited about.  This is a good try, but its weaknesses are rather too evident.

FILM: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (dir: Martin McDonagh, 2018)

"Ain't life crazy?"

Three Billboards... finds writer/director Martin McDonagh back on blistering top form.  Cancer, police brutality, rape, murder...this fearlessly jet-black comedy/drama sees this microcosm of small-town America arrive fully-formed, with its hilariously profane and at times offensive dialogue and tone that takes shockingly abrupt turns in an instant.  The lead cast is staggeringly strong, led by the magnificent Frances McDormand, with terrifically sensitive work by Woody Harrelson and another superb demonstration of character-building by Sam Rockwell, and eye-catching smaller roles for Peter Dinklage, Amanda Warren and Lucas Hedges.  Managing to be laugh-out-loud funny, occasionally shocking and utterly engrossing, Three Billboards... is a terrific achievement and hugely entertaining.

FILM: Darkest Hour (dir: Joe Wright, 2018)

"He's a man...like any other..."

Covering the first month of Churchill's stint as Prime Minister, Darkest Hour sees Gary Oldman give a monumental and hugely impressive character performance that gives an insightful political spin on familiar territory (which dovetails nicely with Nolan's Dunkirk) and manages to humanise the historical figure most effectively.  The script is confident and compelling, and there are many excellent supporting performances to admire, from Kristin Scott Thomas as steadfast wife Clemmie to Lily James as Churchill's long-suffering secretary and Stephen Dillane as his political counterpoint in Lord Halifax.  This time, Wright mostly avoids over-theatrical direction and devices (even the whimsical meet-the-public on the London Underground sequence is almost forgivable) and presents a well-constructed, brisk and handsome-looking film that is a fantastic showcase for a career-best Oldman.

VOD: Leatherface (dirs: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury, 2018)

"Are you ready for your present?"

This prequel to the 1974 classic is a just-above-middle-ranker in the overall Chainsaw Massacre franchise.  Veterans Lili Palmer (as the matriarch) and Stephen Dorff (a grief-driven sheriff) reliably lead an invested cast, with interesting casting and an effective performance from pretty Brit Sam Strike as the teen whose transformation into the disfigured Leatherface is handled well.  It has good visual and scenic references to previous (subsequent?) films and offers little in the way of originality, but it joins the story dots appropriately and has a number of moments that are delivered effectively for its budget in a generally well-made production.

FILM: Coco 3D 4DX (dirs: Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina, 2018)

"It has been an honour to meet you, Miguel."

Coco is an utter joy to watch and stands as one of Pixar's very best.  Taking on the potentially difficult concept of the Mexican Day Of The Dead (for a children's animation) proves to be a positive challenge, as the film finds the right balance between being culturally respectful and playful as well as handling the big theme of the afterlife in a direct but child-friendly way.   Pixar's usual heartstring-pulling backstory-setting is handled very efficiently and effectively, and the viewer is immediately drawn in to the story by the extremely amiable and endearing protagonist, Miguel.  Coco represents a huge step up in terms of animation, not just the astonishing level of detail but also the stunning use of colour and lighting; it is simply beautiful to watch, especially in 3D.  Themes of family, remembrance and tradition are skilfully handled, and the story takes some bold narrative steps and has a constant energy and drive that is maintained right to the tear-jerking/heart-warming/life-affirming ending.  Coco is simply a truly accomplished and totally delightful film.