FILM: Tron Ares (dir: Joachim Roenning, 2025)

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"Maybe there is something wrong with me..."

"...or maybe there is something eight with you."

Some critics have decided to give this third cinematic entry in the Tron franchise a good kicking, but how you respond to the film will basically be determined by whether or not you are fan of the series and of sci-fi in general, as for fans there is much to enjoy.  Dispensing with the first two films with an opening breakneck-speed montage that also introduces two battling tech giants, Encom (working for humanitarian good) and Dillinger (militarising The Grid's supersoldiers, led by new Master Control security program Ares), with both seeking Flynn's Permanence Code that will enable anything brought from computer world into real world to last beyond twenty-nine minutes.  The film does have three basic issues: the script/dialogue is clunky; Jared Leto (as Ares) has little presence, with Greta Lee (as Head of Encom) faring little better; and the whole film feels emotionally flat and unengaging.  However, Evan Peters (as the determinedly ruthless Head of Dillinger) and Gillian Anderson (as his icy matriarch) are great, the Nine Inch Nails soundtrack is absolutely glorious, there is lots and lots of world-of-Tron-styled digital eye-candy (with even a cheeky recreation of a famous Akira motorbike shot), and there are many pleasing fan-service moments and big lively set pieces (notably the whole of the third act).  The film is a fairly relentless assault on the senses, which non-fans will dismiss as noisy sci-fi nonsense, but Tron fans will have a very entertaining couple of hours,  (Note the brief scene that appears shortly into the end credits; let us hope that it does not take another fifteen years for the next sequel to appear).

 

VOD: Elio (dirs: Madelaine Sharafian and Domee Shi, 2025)

"It's happening!  It's really happening!"

Pixar brings this heartwarming and perhaps familiar tale of orphaned Elio, a small boy who dreams big about space travel  and unexpectedly has his wish come true when a quirky collection of aliens intercept the Voyager probe and - believing Elio is Earth's leader - take Elio on a grand adventure to the Communiverse (a child's-entry metaphor for the United Nations) - as his perky clone take his place back on Earth.  The film is an appealing mix of wry knockabout humour, melancholy, joy and wonder that encapsulates the titular young character wonderfully.  Inevitably this junior coming-of-age tale takes in a thematic tour of grief and acceptance, friendship and realisation of self-worth, as it breezes along and Elio takes on a 'big bad' (with a rather sudden ending), and whilst Elio may be fairly standard Pixar/junior animated-sci-fi fodder,  it is also busy, colourful and fun to watch.
 

VOD: Steve (dir: Tim Mielants, 2025)

"Full speed into the abyss..."

Set in 1996 - and all the more devastating for being still very relevant today - and following a "clusterf**k" twenty-fours, Steve (Cillian Murphy) is the beleaguered headteacher of crumbling Stanton Wood Manor, a last-chance residential intervention centre for a handful of troubled teenage boys, including the emotionally-intelligent but lost seventeen-year-old Shy (Jay Lycurgo).  Flitting between a largely kinetic fly-on-the-wall documentary style and an actual TV news crew filming an end-piece with interviews and a more detached viewpoint, the film pulls no punches in presenting its confrontational emotional raw honesty and the ever-present simmering and explosive tension.   It is bleak and crushingly sad but not without its moments of genuine humour, and the well-placed use of a Chekhov's Gun leads to a heartbreaking moment of realisation on the part of the viewer of an event that is about to happen at one point.  Cillian Murphy gives yet another of his incredibly immersive and impactful performances as the leader trying to carry everyone's demons as well as his own, ably backed up by Jay Lycurgo's control and range as Shy and Tracey Ullman 's poised counterpoint as Steve's deputy.  Steve is not an easy watch, but it is very rewarding and impressive indeed.
 

VOD: The Penguin Lessons (dir: Peter Cattaneo, 2025)

"Life changes you."

Inspired by a true story, this gentle and charming comedy-drama sees Steve Coogan play a disaffected English teacher arriving to tach at a private school in 1976 Argentina who, on a break to Uruguay, adopts - or is adopted by - a penguin which he rescues from an oil slick. The early lighter part of the film that follows Coogan reluctantly and hesitantly bonding with his new charge gives way to the real historical background of the military coup that provides the film with an increasingly sombre edge, but the film balances both strands very nicely in the second half as the penguin changes not only the teacher's life but those around him as well.  Steve Coogan's understated and sardonic is utterly delightful and at the centre of the film's success.  On paper it is the bizarre love-child of Dead Poets Society and Mr Popper's Penguins, but in actuality the script is warm and wry, the location work is attractive and both the chucklesome situations and the heartfelt dramatic thread work very well.  Also, it goes without saying: the penguin is the cutest creature imaginable! 

 

VOD: Marching Powder (dir: Nick Love, 2025)

"Why do I feel completely f**king irrelevant?"
"'Cos you are!"

Set in the 'world' of The Football Factory and very much reliant on the magnetic presence of Danny Dyer, Marching Powder focuses on hard-nut football fan Jack, approaching middle age (like T2: Trainspotting) and finding himself increasingly on the fringes of the culture and facing family pressures, with six weeks to prove to the court that he can turn his life around and avoid prison.  The film's self-awareness and fourth-wall-breaking moments give it more substance than the generically liberal use of fighting, swearing (notably the frequent c-bombs) and ever-present booze and drugs, with Danny Dyer mining his notable experience and skills to deliver both the dramatic and comedic elements to good effect (similar to his BAFTA-winning presence in TV's Mr. Bigstuff), and Stephanie Leonidas as his long-suffering wife provides an interestingly calm centre to the film, providing the rather touching love story at the unexpected heart of it all.  As much about the inability to change and to face up to reality as it is about toxic masculinity and violence culture, Marching Powder is a far more interesting film than its limitingly generic trailer suggests.
 

VOD: Lilo & Stitch (2025) (dir: Dean Fleischer Camp, 2025)

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"Will you please stay still?"

Always a bit of an oddity in the Disney canon, this warped take on E.T. is Disney's latest live-action re-mounting of one of its popular animated movies.  It is a remarkably faithful recycling of the 2002 hit, re-telling the story of a young Hawaiian girl who 'adopts' a lively furry alien from the dog pound which - being designated a dangerous genetic experiment on its homeworld - is being pursued by its creator and a self-styled 'earth-expert' comic-relief duo in human form.  The film offers a sunny surfing/island vibe along with a cheerful modern-Disney-style singalong soundtrack and a few Elvis numbers for good measure.  With both the feisty young outsider Lilo and the mischievous Stitch providing identification points for the very-young target audience, the film offers a deft combination of gentle drama and rambunctious silliness that will appeal to the youngsters.  The CG elements and sequences blend effortlessly with the live action, with a nicely-judged performance from Sydney Agudong as Lilo's older sister trying to hold the family together in an expanded role here, and the film has a fun streak of daftness perhaps a little lacking in most recent Disney offerings.  The mayhem may get a little wearing over its unnecessarily-longer run-time, but the film has enough heart and chuckles to win through.
 

VOD: Presence (dir: Steven Soderbergh, 2025)

"I mean, it's life."
"Actually, it's death."

Written by David Koepp and directed by Steven Soderbergh, this intriguing and uniquely unsettling mood piece sees an ordinary but fracturing family move into an ordinary suburban home, the USP here being that the whole story is shown through the fluidly floating POV of a trapped occupying spirit.  Th well-maintained central conceit creates an almost dream-like feel and allows for an intimate, almost intrusive exploration of the family's private life and in particular the teenage daughter's grief, being aware of the spirit's presence and believing it could be the spirit of her deceased best friend.  With its fan-bating elements of Poltergeist and Paranormal Activity, subdued lighting, realistic in-situ presentation of sound and the occasional appearance of the mournfully elegiac soundtrack, the collision of the disparate family dynamics and largely unsympathetic characters makes for interesting viewing, and its portrayal of nihilistic sadness is bleak.  It is hardly ground-breaking, but the different approach and style makes Presence an intriguing viewing experience, leading to a really well-executed ending.

 

VOD: Henry Danger The Movie (dir: Joe Menendez, 2025)

"Dude, watch your language - there's kids around!"

In this expansion of the popular stalwart Nickolodeon children's TV favourite, a young girl Kid Danger superfan steals a portal-opening dimension-hopping device that pulls a now more grown-up Henry into her various fan-fiction worlds, including an animated world, a future survivalist settlement and a lame nightclub/musical interlude, as our hero tries to get back home.  The film quickly reunites the now-notably-older main characters, led by the dashingly bland Jace Norman, with the dimension-hopping paving the way for a variety of alter-egos, bad wigs and silly costumes.  With production values clearly improved from the TV show in an effort to look more filmic, the sit-com stylings are largely dropped, leaving the movie somewhere between Power Rangers and Goosebumps in its attempt to be a little darker, but it is still rather slow, tame and low-key even for its very young target audience.  It fleetingly touches on child-friendly themes such as growing up, responsibility, independence and friendship, and the mini-episodic approach perhaps gives the film a little more narrative substance than most children's fare.  Nevertheless, the show's young fans will lap it up, and a last-gasp inevitable cameo suggests this might not be the last we see of Henry and his gang. 

 

VOD: The Thursday Murder Club (dir: Chris Columbus, 2025)

"I feel like we're in one those Sunday night dramas, about two bright-eyed, feisty old lady detectives..."

This Netflix adaptation of Richard Osman's first hit novel finds four sparky seniors who live at a residential home trying to solve a cold (murder) case from 1973, battling potential redevelopment of their home and being embroiled in a very current whodunnit as murders close to home start to mount up.  A smooth and polished adaptation, the film is delivered by a veteran top-notch acting cast (led by Dame Helen Mirren, Pierece Brosnan, Sir Ben Kingsley and particularly Celia Imrie here) and the experience of director Chris Columbus, and it is perhaps because of this that the grittiness of the story feels at odds with the rather glossy and cinematic-styled presentation.  The film is comfortable, unchallenging and pretty to look at, playing heavily into plenty of upper-middle-class/Middle-England/elderly stereotyping, and the mystery's clues are presented in such a way that they might as well have giant neon arrows pointing at them along the way.  The second half of the film is far more interesting and relatively pacy, and it all comes together satisfyingly at the end, making The Thursday Murder Club a safe, cosy and undemanding watch.

 

VOD: The Map That Leads To You (dir: Lasse Hallstrom, 2025)

"Does anyone really know where they're going?"

Veteran Lasse Hallstrom directs this nonsensical but attractive romantic-fantasy drama that is as generic as its title.   The film follows Heather (well played by Madelyn Cline) and her two mates travelling around Europe on a last summer of freedom, where she encounters free-spirited Jack (a much-older-looking KJ Apa) and fun, shenanigans, tourist traps and whirlwind romance follow, all leading to the inevitable heartbreaking third-act tragedy and bitter-sweet ending.  The locations are gorgeously picturesque, both the young Mamma-Mia!-esque trio of friends and the Heather/Jack romance are easy to watch, and the gorgeous summery soundtrack is gently winsome and well curated.  It all gives the impression that the actors had a lovely time on their working holiday, but the film does have an interestingly persistent melancholy undercurrent of an ever-present awareness of the ephemeral nature of even the best of times and experiences in life.   In spite of some heavy-handed hints about where the story is heading and clunky/preachy 'embrace life, but safely' messaging, The Map That Leads To You is very pleasant and undemanding to watch, with the delightful soundtrack and settings outweighing the unlikely love story.

VOD: Babygirl (dir: Halina Reijn, 2024)

"We have to pay more attention to the avalanche that is gonna cover us all very soon."

In this romantic adult drama set over a holiday season, Nicole Kidman plays  powerful married CEO Romy, who falls into a passionate affair with handsome new young intern Samuel (Harris Dickinson), putting both her career and family life at risk as the power dynamics shift between them.  Indeed, the power-play between these two controlling and manipulative personalities is portrayed in an interesting way, as Samuel increasingly inveigles his way into Romy's work and personal life and Romy wavers between dominance and submission.  The film is of course carried by its two fantastic lead actors, with Kidman giving yet another of her compelling and precise character performances that has marked her later career, and Dickinson again proves himself to be a nuanced and committed screen actor, and there is a nicely-judged supporting turn from Antonio Banderas as Romy's oblivious devoted husband.  At its heart this may be pulpy female romantic fantasy, at times playing like an oddly elevated and classy 50 Shades story, and the may be some confusing gender messaging in the third act, but for the most part this is a mature, quiet and carefully-controlled drama that positively luxuriates in the skills of its two lead actors. 
 

VOD: The Monkey (dir: Osgood Perkins, 2025)

"No, it's not, uh...a toy...it's a...it's a...I don't exactly know what it is!"

Based on a Stephen King story, The Monkey very quickly sets itself up as a daft, pulpy and squelchy comedy-horror romp, when young twin brothers discover a wind-up toy monkey in their deceased father's souvenirs closet and its evil influence spreads causing random mayhem and Final Destination-style deaths, which follows them into the later-estranged brothers' very different adult lives and ultimately pits them against each other.  Playing both of the adult twins, Theo James differentiates the characters well and balances the comedic and dramatic elements of his performances to  purposeful effect, reminiscent of Bruce Campbell.  It may be rather thin material, but the film is filled with arch and cheesy dialogue, a silly knowing devil-may-care attitude and effective deployment of horror mechanics, making The Monkey a fun and well-made piece that succeeds in its aim to deliver a lightweight entertainment experience for genre fans.

 

VOD: Eenie Meanie (dir: Shawn Simmons, 2025)

"What crazy s**t are you about to do?"
 

Here Samara Weaving plays Edie, a struggling student/bankworker, who finds herself dragged back into her former world as a getaway driver when her feckless hustler boyfriend incurs the wrath of a druglord, who is also a former boss of Edie.  Perhaps darker and less action-packed than the trailer suggested, this is little more than a couple of well-executed bookending flash-cut car chases stitched together with a very basic heist story, but it takes its time to flesh out the character of Edie and her self-destructive relationship to good effect, and the snappy dialogue flows easily and is occasionally very funny, as if Tarantino were making a very low-budget Fast & Furious movie.  Samara Weaving seems to have the ability to make any character credible and engaging with another feisty and focussed performance here (and giving the final scenes a knockout emotional punch), matched by a nicely-judged performance from Karl Glusman as her partner John.  The mid-section may drag considerably, but the core relationship (and its two central players) makes Eenie Meanie interesting to watch.

VOD: Weekend In Taipei (dir: George Huang, 2024)

"You don't get to judge my choices."

This Korean-set glossy action-thriller stars Luke Evans and Lun Mei-Gwei as former DEA/undercover agents and lovers who are reunited as a shady drug-dealing billionaire under investigation goes to trial and the events of fifteen years previously catch up with the long-estranged duo and have very real consequences that out them on the run.  The ever-reliable Luke Evans makes for a worthy Jason Statham stand-in here, and expected mismatched cops/fish-out-of-water elements rear their heads.  There is plenty of supportive backstory in play, and the actual dramatic elements are sincere if occasionally somewhat undercooked or overmelodramatic.  There is a playful throwback sense of glee and energy in the over-the-top action sequences that lift the film and sit effectively next to effective thriller sequences that are played absolutely straight.  Overall, Weekend In Taipei is a mid-ranker of the genre that aims to please and generally makes a good effort to do so.
 

VOD: Alien Country (dir: Boston McConnaughey, 2024)

"Well, that's different."
 

In this lightweight sci-fi action-comedy, set in remote small-town redneck America, home of motorbikes, dive-bar brawls and demolition derbies, hapless loser/dreamer Jimmy and his accidentally-pregnant long-suffering girlfriend Everly inadvertently open a portal that allows some malevolent alien creatures to get through and wreak havoc in their home town of Blue River. With a big, brash noisy music score and the barely-glimpsed creatures/action mostly happening off-screen, this low-budget affair has ambition and presents itself with lively energy , snappy banter and one-liners, a nicely-played fractious relationship between the two leads in particular, limited FX work that is well-realised and there is some dramatic desert-location shooting that looks good on-screen.  Uncomplicated, competently-made and with a whiff of the tone of Tremors, some aspects feel a little underdeveloped but overall Alien Country is straightforward and effectively entertaining.

VOD: Fixed (dir: Genddy Tartakovsky, 2025)

"This is a goddam s**t-show!"
"Excuse me, its pronounced shih-tzu!"

This adult-themed animation is a less-subversive canine equivalent of Fritz The Cat that follows the antics of Bull, a sex-crazed family dog who discovers that he is about to be neutered and escapes for one last night of partying and debauchery in the big city with his mates.  It has a couple of recognisable voices, such as Idris Elba (whose voicework stands out there) and Kathryn Hahn, but like Sausage Party the film is very basic, relentlessly and childishly crude, unapologetic, drives its jokes into the ground and grinds along in a largely flat and uninteresting manner.

 

FILM: Weapons (dir: Zach Cregger, 2025)

"What the f**k...?"

Following up on the promise shown in Barbarian, writer/director Zach Cregger presents what is for the most part an old-school mystery-thriller with impactful moments of gleeful gory horror (think Sam Raimi and Eli Roth), as seventeen students from the same school class leave their homes and disappear at 2.17am, with the town's anger and frustrations pointing very firmly at the young class teacher Justine Gandy.  Telling the story of a month after the appalling event, the film takes the form of chapters, telling the events through different interconnecting characters' lives and allowing the viewer to piece together the solution to the mystery.  The film is meticulously crafted in storytelling, sound  and on-screen presentation, with Cregger in complete control of his narrative and audience, largely through use of camera and editing; the film held the cinema audience in the palm of its hand for two hours, including the moments of shock and of humour release (especially in the all-out finale).   It is stacked with a quirky cast of strong character actors, notably Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich and Benedict Wong.  It is also fun to try to work out how some of the striking moments from the trailer will fit in along the way.  To say any more would spoil the mystery, but Weapons is a very accomplished and engaging commercial movie. 
 

VOD: My Oxford Year (dir: Iain Morris, 2025)

"So, would you care to come up for some...tea and crumpet?"

Almost two films for the price of one, what starts off as a standard Netflix rom-com sees bookish, focused American MA student Anna take a year to study Victorian Poetry at 'The University Of Oxford' and her privileged, handsome British substitute-lecturer initially clashing as obvious binary opposites, but ultimately they start to find common ground and much more, leading to a revelation that takes the second half of the film in a very different direction.  The early scenes are so culture-clashingly genre-predictable that even Anna has a tick-list of touristy and sterotypically US-view things to do and see as she goes to the pub, eats fish and chips, etc. all set to the always-photogenic sights of Oxford, which looks great on screen.  With the locations and occasional poetry lending a sprinkling of elevation to the first half's routine rom-com shenanigans, it is down to the two leads (Sofia Carson and Corey Mylechreest) to carry the dramatic weight of the second half, which they do as a couple very effectively, and a strength of this generally pleasant-but-not-earth-shattering movie is that it offers a credibly strong female protagonist for the most part.   The on-screen conceit used to deliver the ending is powerfully delivered through effective construction, and listen out for a gloriously-delivered line of salty dialogue in the dinner-table scene.
 

VOD: Mickey 17 (dir: Bong Joon Ho, 2025)

"Nice knowing you.  Have a good death!  See you tomorrow."

Bong Joon Ho's English-language follow-up to the critically-acclaimed Parasite is certainly a curious sci-fi headscratcher, with Robert Pattinson playing an Expendable, a lowly employee on a deep-space mission to find a habitable plant who undertakes lethal tasks and is simply replaced ('reprinted') with memories intact every time he dies.  The film is full of visual/conceptual and serious/wacky ideas that keeps the film consistently interesting over its indulgent running time.  It is part strange love story, part hard sci-fi, part political/colonisation satire and part goofball comedy, which is a somewhat peculiar mix that makes it hard to define its audience.  The first act is the most successful, a self-contained circular narrative that tells the story of Mickeys 1-17, but when 17 goes missing presumed dead on a hostile planet, his unexpected return and encounter with the newly-printed Mickey 18 leads to all manner of complications, and the movie becomes more melodramatic and wayward.  Pattinson makes the oddball protagonist (the focal 17th iteration) surprisingly engaging and likeable, and he handles the multiple versions - at times sharing the same screen - very effectively, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo go full panto mode as the morally-corrupt expedition leaders, Naomi Ackie gives sterling support throughout, and the director brings a familiar gentle classiness to the proceedings (regardless of the actual style of a particular scene).  This is basically a meditation on life, death, power and identity which is at its heart quite simplistic and blunt, wrapped up in large-scale sci-fi trappings, and whilst its ambition is evident, the different strands and themes get somewhat lost or underdeveloped amidst the tonal unevenness in this undoubtedly interesting but not wholly satisfying movie.

 

VOD: War Of The Worlds (2025) (dir: Rich Lee, 2025)

"You hacked my fridge?"

Having sat on the shelf for five years, Ice Cube's name above the title may give a level of expectation for this contemporary tech-savvy update on the classic tale, and to some extent the film sets itself up for the remarkable public and critical kicking it has received on release.  Ice Cube plays an American cyber-surveillance officer fighting online conspiracy-theorists/hackers/freedom-fighters and ultimately the global threat from data-hungry invaders from space as they disable the entire world's systems ready to take over (apart from - oddly - CNN, Amazon and a few select communications networks in order to enable the plot to progress!).  Told mostly through screens and devices and a variety of media sources (phone and computer screens, webcams, CCTV, news broadcasts, etc.), this film does try to balance the recognisable iconic core elements of the original story with new tech, and it occasionally raises questions about personal freedom versus state intervention (and indeed the actions of this obsessively protective father).  Ice Cube has always proved to be a reliable performer, but the constraints of a computer screen give him little room for range in his main role as story-enabler, backed up by a small but largely solid cast.   To its credit, the 'screens' conceit is delivered with a brisk and snappy energy (particularly the aliens' arrival) and keeps the story moving along, but it all comes undone when it turns into a narratively-unconvincing and blatant Amazon advert leading to a really rather desperate third act.  Whether or not the story needed re-telling yet again, the zippy immediacy of the presentation style keeps attention even if the unconvincing narrative choices undermine it.
 

VOD: Happy Gilmore 2 (dir: Kyle Newacheck, 2025)

"We're not done with golf, Happy, and golf's not done with us..."

Happy Gilmore is probably best remembered as one of the less-awful Adam Sandler movies, here getting a very belated sequel that starts with a useful recap and a morose accident that brings the story up to date, with a dissolute Happy abandoning golf, working in a supermarket and bringing up his four rambunctious sons and aspiring dancer daughter.  Naturally, the desire to pay for his daughter's Parisian ballet training spurs Happy into recovery and on the comeback trail - cue 80s-style progress montage - with the veteran Tour Champions pitted against the modern Maxi Golf League and his old nemesis Shooter McGavin on the loose.  With some apt references to ageing and how modern sport has changed since Happy's heyday, this sequel is laden with flashbacks/callbacks and real golf pros aplenty making it feel comfortably familiar, all trundling along flatly and harmlessly with its humour determinedly simple, basic and childish (just like Happy's quartet of knuckleheaded sons).  Typically, Sandler nails the smaller, quieter and more dramatic moments, even if they are few and far between, and there is a nicely-tuned performance from Benito Antonio Martinez as Happy's clueless caddy, but overall Happy Gilmore 2 is a mid-level Sandler movie that offers little and leaves little impression.
 

VOD: Rebirth - Home Sweet Home a.k.a. Home Sweet Home - Rebirth (dirs: Alexander Kiesl and Steffen Hacker, 2025)

"This is so friggin' weird!"

This entry in the wild Asian supernatural/demon/monster genre finds American police sergeant Jake (an almost-unrecognisable William Moseley, giving a quite unique performance here) holidaying  in Thailand with his wife and young daughter, when he unexpectedly gets caught up in a mass murderer's ritual at a mall and  inadvertently opening the Gates of Hell, plunging the city into chaos and leaving him to save his family and indeed the whole world from evil.  Throwing a scenery-chewing Michele Morone (365 Days) into the mix as the mass killer, the film offers a combination of effectively-executed action sequences with messily-constructed fight scenes, yet any (brief) appearance by the CG demon-creatures of various sizes is worth a look, especially as the human cast gives generally lacklustre performances.  With lots of talk of destiny and prophecy, body-inhabiting and a mid-point twist that you will probably have already guessed at that point, this lively but muddled nonsense is delivered with utter seriousness but feels like Sam Raimi on a bad day.

 

FILM: The Fantastic Four - First Steps (dir: Matt Shakman, 2025)

"Ladies and gentlemen - we have a successful launch!"

If *Thunderbolts proved to be something of a return to form for Marvel, the the launch of The Fantastic Four into the MCU runs with it and brings it home in style.  Even though it covers the basic story of 2007's adequate Rise Of The Silver Surfer, First Steps is a considerable upgrade all round.  Thankfully sidestepping a full-on origin tale (dealt with deftly in an early TV tribute montage for 'Four Years of The Fantastic Four'), Marvel's big theme of family is dealt with head on, not least with Sue and Reed's baby and the inter-familial relationships of the Four themselves, playing into a threat that is both global and very personal, and also making the characters more human and less one-dimensional than previous iterations, which also surprisingly applies to Galactus and Silver Surfer here.  It is effortlessly watchable and engaging, the story is tightly written and flows wonderfully, the retro-stylings give the whole film a wonderful aesthetic, the core characters' performances and interactions are excellent, and Michael Giacchino's score is sublime (again, one of his best).  This film is also evidence of Marvel's push for better quality control, as the VFX sequences are both ambitious and very well-realised throughout, standouts being an extended hard-sci-fi space sequence and the action-packed finale.  Also to relish is the incidental detail director Shakman brings to scenes (one can only wonder what his late-abandoned fourth Kelvin Star Trek movie could have been after seeing this), as he handles both enormous-scale scenes and smaller character work with aplomb.  There are mid- and end-of scenes with the end credits that presumably nod to the upcoming Avengers movies (the mid-credits scene is particularly ominous).   This is superhero storytelling at its best, pitched just right for both the younger and older audiences, and the quality of the production as a whole sees Marvel aiming for the top once again and pretty much hitting it.
 

VOD: Better Man (dir: Michael Gracey, 2024)

"So, who is Robbie Williams?"

This Robbie Williams biopic famously has its subject portrayed on-screen by a Weta-created CG ape, telling the singer's story from insecure childhood through to troubled boyband glory days and his significant solo ups and downs, narrated by Williams along the way.  The story may be one of typical and familiar rise/fall/redemption, but better man tells it in a way that is both interesting and surprisingly intimate to watch.  The Robbie Williams back catalogue is used quite sparingly and selectively and proves robust enough to sustain the jukebox-musical-style format applied here, but the song sequences are also presented in very energetic and visually inventive ways, often emotionally quite affecting.  The key relationships and the artist's evolution are also delivered well.  This film is by its style and genre necessarily a different beast to the at-times harrowingly honest Netflix documentary series, but it does not shy away from Robbie's addictions, self-destructive behaviour and mental health issues.  With Jonno Davies doing excellent and convincing work as the star's mo-capped on-screen presence, whether the ape conceit is a metaphor for performers, a way of viewing Robbie more objectively or a way to evoke a sympathetic response to a wide-eyed animal representation will be down to interpretation (given that this is very much told from Robbie Williams's perspective), but Better Man proves to be an interesting and successful creation in its own terms.   

 

VOD: Heads Of State (dir: Ilya Naishuller, 2025)

"Hashtag commander-in-beef is trending!"

 Following a lively opening covert-mission-goes-wrong at La Tomatina food-fight festival, this breezy tongue-firmly-in-cheek action-comedy from Amazon finds the new gung-ho soundbite-friendly former movie-star US President (John Cena) and beleaguered and more grounded UK Prime Minister (Idris Elba) thrown together after Air Force One is brought down over Belarus and having to work together to defeat a common Russian renegade nemesis who has taken control of the U.S.'s super-surveillance software.  With the pair of leaders set up as simple binary oppositions who clash and bicker over everything, after the dramatic opening not a moment of the movie takes itself too seriously, enabling a lot of fun to be derived from these two larger-than-life characters/actors (cast perfectly) butting heads as they battle the Connery-Bond-style villain and his goons.  The action sequences are very effective if occasionally a little full-on for the film's rating, as are some of the dreadful puns delivered.  This is a glossy, daft romp that trots along without a care and offers lightweight and very enjoyable fun with just the occasional touch of heavy politics to anchor the nonsense.   

VOD: The Amateur (dir: James Hawes, 2025)

REVIEW No. 1,800!

"You must have done something really bad!"
"Not yet."

Rami Malek stars as a mild-mannered CIA analyst who goes on the hunt for his wife's killer after a terrorist gang's hostage situation goes wrong, the USP here being that he uses his strengths of brains and strategy over brawn, manoeuvring his way into field training to stand a 'fighting chance' in this somewhat routine and rather morose thriller.  Malek is an interesting choice for this role, his rather internalised approach means that he delivers rather than inhabits his character on-screen.  It is a consistently dour affair, the European backdrops are attractive, and apart from an extraordinary (and brief) sequence involving a suspended swimming pool, whilst proficient and somewhat routine, the film lacks spark and never quite seems to realise the promise of a genuinely smart thriller.
 

VOD: Sonic The Hedgehog 3 (dir: Jeff Fowler, 2024)

"The more you talk, the harder I want to hit you!"

This time, Sonic and his sidekicks are drafted in to battle an embittered and powerful new enemy, Shadow the hedgehog (voiced by Keanu Reeves), newly defrosted and escaped from Prison Island having taken a different path to Sonic, and the team having to make an uneasy alliance with Dr Robotnik (the ever-zany Jim Carrey) in order to triumph. Tailor-made for its young audience, with its neon-soaked colour palette, light-rock soundtrack and loads of noise and action, this solid threequel delivers more of the same and quite slickly.  Once again, the integration of real-world and CGI/videogame elements is handled very well indeed, and the world-building and indeed film-making is handled with care and effectiveness.  The drawn-out mid-section does sag a little, and the film labours its key message of personal responsibility and making the right choices, but there is sufficient story development to make this film a sound if hardly earth-shattering addition to the franchise.  And yes, a (good) mid-end-credits sequence sets up the next chapter.

 

VOD: Superman (dir: James Gunn, 2025)

"Hot damn - it's a flying dog!"
 

 ...and so we get another Superman for another generation, as James Gunn kick-starts the next iteration of the cinematic DC Universe, cleaving very close to comic-book style and delivering a film that is great fun if uneven in some respects and which twelve-year-old boys are going to absolutely love - if you like your Superman Cavill-serious, this will not be much to your liking.  It gets a lot of things right:  the story miraculously hangs together, David Corenswet's Superman has a pleasing child-like naiveté balancing the considerable power, Nicholas Hoult delivers possibly the best Lex Luthor seen so far with a mean and calculating nastiness, Rachel Brosnaham does Lois Lane via Scream's Gale Weathers, there are great takes on Perry White, Jimmy Olsen and the Kents, and above all Krypto/SuperDog is an instant scene-stealing loveable crazy superstar.  There are some spectacular and powerful action set-pieces, and the whole affair is infused with Gunn's silly humour - there are plenty of genuine chuckles to be had along the way - and it comes as a bit of a shock that a major-league superhero movie does not have to dark, moody and tortured.  Where it perhaps falters is when it tries to inject anything more heavyweight, noticeable more in the first act, in which an unnecessarily extended 'relationship'/interview scene between Lois and Clark/Superman seems to exist simply to establish that they are adults, as if it were needed.  Many touchstones remain intact: The Fortress Of Solitude looks great, the suit works on screen, and even John Williams's iconic theme gets the Top Gun treatment.  Overall, it does enough to freshen up the property and is a likeable and entertaining enough spectacle if a little lightweight and forgettable.  The first of two end-credits scenes sums up the film in a very sweet way indeed.

VOD: We Live In Time (dir: John Crowley, 2024)

"I'm worried that there's a very distinct and real possibility that I am about to fall in love with you."

This sweet but grounded romantic drama follows the relationship between chef  Almut (Florence Pugh) and divorced IT guy Tobias (Andrew Garfield), with all its moments of pure joy and utter heartbreak, from their first pure rom-com chance collision to the profound impact of a cancer diagnosis.  This intimate film is droll, charming and heartwarming, delivered in a consistently gentle and largely credible way, floating along on a gorgeously ethereal soundtrack.  Blessed with two superb lead actors in Pugh and Garfield, their relationship is almost hypnotically engaging through their finely-nuanced and unpretentious performances.  With its non-linear storytelling cleverly adding extra pathos to events, the film is nevertheless simple and clear in its honesty and truthfulness, aided by its single-camera-style shooting.  Quite simply, We Live In Time is a beautiful little slice-of-life film.
 

VOD: The Old Guard 2 (dir: Victoria Mahoney, 2025)

"Time means nothing...until it means everything..."
 

Five years after the original Netflix hit, this sequel finally emerges from its post-production delays and proves to be another watchably silly and spritely action-fest, this time with added Uma Thurman.  It wastes no time getting down to business, with the OG team on a vague mission in sunny Croatia and the First Immortal (Thurman) resurrecting an embittered immortal Quynh from the bottom of the sea and seeking vengeance on former close ally Andy (Charlize Theron) and her gang.  The easy-going banter and camaraderie between the team members is a strength, but the script's boundless need to emphasis just how long these immortals have been around becomes irritating.  The visuals are ultra-glossy, pin-sharp and very attractive to watch, and the refreshingly female-driven fight sequences are snappy and executed well, as the action and plot zip around the globe with carefree abandon.  Henry Golding is a good addition as the library-keeper of ancient immortals texts that enables the mythology to deepen effortlessly, and the sparingly-used Thurman exudes villainous and manipulative cool to good effect.  The Old Guard 2 is well-made, slick, nonsensical, lightweight and forgettable entertainment of the highest order, and it famously ends on a very confident sequel-baiting cliffhanger.

VOD: The Captives (dir: Frankie Chung, 2024)

"Be my slave."

Earth has under attack from increasingly-hostile alien creatures in this lurid Chinese sci-fi actioner, with a search for the mother 'worm' and an ultimate showdown that will decide the fate of humanity.  Akin to a top-end mockbuster from The Asylum, where ambition surpasses execution, talent and budget, there are plenty of fast-scuttling creatures (which look better as the film goes on), viral telepathy/mind control and the usual unashamed nods to Alien, The Matrix and Robocop, accompanied by a bombastic music score and all jammed together in a repetitively episodic and somewhat basic if muddled story.  Biao Diao's intense turn as a human/alien hybrid stands out from a generally unremarkable cast, and there are occasional moments of good visual ideas and reasonable action amongst the weaker elements.  There is a fairly long mid-credits behind-the-scenes sequence. 
 

VOD: Warfare (dirs: Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, 2025)

"Don't be afraid.  Nothing will happen to you."

A24 presents this story - based closely on real events - of a Navy Seal platoon in Iran, 2006, undertaking a surveillance mission and sniper support for a U.S. Marines operation, but finds itself holed up in a family's home and at the receiving end of a devastating attack, cut off and under siege and facing an agonising wait for extraction.  Effectively a bottle show for most of its runtime, and after a first act that is a deliberately very-low-key waiting game, the action scenes are intense, immediate and brutal, told in almost real-time.  The troop-under-attack element works really well, and it is interesting to follow how the individual soldiers react differently as their situation changes.  The low-key/l-fi approach used here gives the film a visceral feel, and in a solid ensemble stand-outs are perhaps Joseph Quinn, D'Pharoah Woon-A-Tai and the ever-reliable Will Poulter.  The final montage that juxtaposes the actors' photos with their real-life counterparts, including some on-set footage, gives weight to what is a perhaps basic but inevitably impactful movie. 
 

VOD: Ocean With David Attenborough (dirs: Toby Nowlan, Keith Scholey and Colin Butfield, 2025)

"For once you've truly seen the sea, you'll never look at Earth in the same way again."

This feature-length National Geographic documentary was given a brief cinema run, and once it establishes the sheer majesty and sweep of the underwater world, it does not take long for the harsh realities of human behaviour and its effects to be hard-hittingly presented.  The biggest emotional impact of the film lies in revealing the destructive horror of industrial metal bottom-trawlers and huge floating factories, juxtaposing thriving lush ecosystems with scenes of bleak annihilation to devastating effect.  The film relishes in its use of full widescreen and stunning extra long shots in order to convey the scale and beauty of the oceans, which it achieves to great effect, with its focus on discovery, diversity and connections.  Giving the film the gravitas of his own later-life reflections, Attenborough's narration is of course calmly disturbing yet reassuringly positive, but even the third act's demonstration of the positive impact of protected reserves on regenerating ecosystems feels cautious in the face of what has been shown earlier in the film.  The vibrancy of colour and macro-detail, alongside a dreamy and classy music score, makes for a captivating and absorbing viewing experience that makes its message very clear indeed.
 

FILM: Jurassic World Rebirth (dir: Gareth Edwards. 2025)

"No-one's dumb enough to go where we're going!"

Only three years since the second-trilogy closer Dominion, the new (seventh) Jurassic movie moves the timeline along five years in a fairly stand-alone chapter that for the most part frees itself from its overburdened immediate predecessor, but still containing playful nods to the franchise's past.  After a pulpy prologue and a lengthy (and wordy) first act that assembles a group of hire-for-pay mercenaries along with a scientist, a local sailor and an Aliens/Burke-like shady company suit that does a good job of establishing the main characters, the film then sets itself - story and structure - on three missions to collect live DNA from sea/land/air creatures for world-changing medical research and then escape from Ile Saint-Hubert, another long-abandoned Ingen R&D site.  Gareth Edwards wrangles the giant-creature elements with the expected aplomb, with true blockbusterly-spectacular action set-pieces (the highlight being the surprisingly Jaws-like extended seabound section), alongside more interestingly-drawn characters than perhaps usual for this franchise, with an excellent top-line cast of Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali and especially Scarlett Johannson, all of whom bring a brisk but grounded and very watchable humanity to their roles.  Just when you think the film has evaded the franchise's seeming demand for a cute child every time, up pops a random and dull shipwrecked family, whose B-plot journey offers the most uninteresting parts of the movie, bar a tense river escapade.   Although Rebirth looks and feels quite fresh, ultimately it delivers more of the same that has been shown before in the series but bigger or with a slight twist on previously-used scenarios and locations, such as the classic 'kitchen stalking' scene here taking place in a similarly-aisled gas-station shop, as the series at this point can do little but cannibalise itself.  Nevertheless, Rebirth is certainly one of the better entries in the series so far in spite of the lacklustre family strand, with main characters that do not irritate and some genuinely sweeping big-screen visuals.  

 

FILM: 28 Years Later (dir: Danny Boyle, 2025)

"You feel good?"

"I think so."

After nearly two decades, this third film in the cycle was definitely worth the wait.  Opening with a typically brutal attack highlighting (foreshadowing?) the fact that no community is safe in the Rage-virus-ravaged situation, what then unexpectedly emerges is an absorbing and intelligently-written coming-of-age/rites-of-passage tale that follows twelve-year-old Spike, as he makes his first trip from their isolated island community with his father to the unsecure Infected-filled mainland and finds himself facing the nature of mortality and some harsh realities concerning both parents.  The film cleverly places this current tale into the of 28 Days/Weeks world through conversational drop-ins (with the ending of the second film dismissed in a single sentence on the opening title screen), a couple of which very humorously highlight the boy's isolation as the rest of the world has moved on in ways familiar to us today.  It is very, very Danny Boyle, and cinematically uses many signature tricks from multiple and unusually-deployed cameras, near-experimental collisions of visuals and sound, flash-cut action and masterful moments of beautiful visual composition, which might not be to the taste of casual fans of The Walking Dead looking for a straightforward zombie munch-fest (although the film does not stint on that aspect, with brisk attack sequences that are uneasily tense and full-blooded).  The evolution of the Infected gives a new edge, with the pack mentality and the mighty Alphas offering a new threat.  The film also veers off into unexpected and interesting places, notably in the second half and particularly after a pivotal heartbreaking central family scene and a subsequent decision that fuels the rest of the movie, which maintains interest and develops both story and emotional core well.  The lead family trio is nothing short of superb, with utterly captivating performances by Jodie Comer as the ailing mother, Aaron-Taylor Johnson as the gritty practical father and a truly remarkable turn by young Alfie Williams as their son Spike who carries the film so well, and there two very strong character performances from Ralph Fiennes and Edvin Ryding. A couple of seeds are sown as potential for the second film in this proposed new trilogy (with no end-credits scene(s)), including a final scene which has a tonal shift that is somewhat jarring and may suggest a somewhat different film without Danny Boyle in the director's chair.  Nevertheless, 28 Years Later is elevated horror that offers a genuine and absorbing emotional journey and is extremely well made. 

 

VOD: Heart Eyes (dir: Josh Ruben, 2025)

"Hope Cupid shoots you in the d*ck!"
 

Yet another holiday/calendar murderfest sees a bemasked Valentine's Day serial killer (hence the title) of loved-up couples back on the rampage, as thrown-together co-workers Jay and Ally are mistaken for a romantic pair by the Heart Eyes Killer and find themselves a very real target in this fun and self-aware rom-com-horror.  Mason Gooding is on full screen-charm offensive and Olivia Holt giving a likeably confident performance in the lead roles, and indeed the whole cast understands the tone of the film and works well, including the fun casting of Jordana Brewster and Devon Sawa as a pair of unfortunately-named detectives and Gigi Zumbado particularly good as Ally's sassy best friend.  Heart Eyes works mostly because of its effective balance of the serious elements (gruesome horror and police procedural) with breezy and snarky comedy that never cancel out each other, and it has a lively energy that makes it easily watchable.  It knows its genre well - stalwart rampages at a police station and a drive-in movie are handled deftly - right through to the full-tilt Scream-style finale.  Heart Eyes sits at the lightweight but entertaining end of the horror genre spectrum but is well-made, and as such it works very well indeed.  (There is a mid-credits sequence).

VOD: Predator - Killer Of Killers (dirs: Dan Trachtenberg and Josh Wassung, 2025)

"Did you kill the monster?"

Dan Trachtenberg's 'secret' project is this full-blooded animated entry into the Predator universe, taking the anthology-style approach of four episodes, opening by pitting a Predator against a band of vengeful Vikings, before moving to seventeenth-century Japan and then World War II, before cleverly bringing the key fighters from each era together for a full-on finale battle royale.  In its favour, the film establishes and melds the Predator and Viking worlds extremely effectively from the outset through its characters and use of familiar iconography, which is then replicated through the other time periods.  Impressively occupying a space between video-game and photorealism in an interesting painterly style, the whole story is realised very cinematically and the action sequences are effectively dynamic and handled extremely well.  Each episode has enough ideas to make it interesting, with perhaps The Bullet's aerial dogfight against a Predator ship being a real highlight, and whilst the relatively short twenty-minutes segments give little room for full development they are written strongly and the pace is kept brisk, making Killer Of Killers a pleasingly lively lightweight romp.
 

VOD: Creation Of The Gods 1 - Kingdom Of Storms (dir: Wuershan, 2023)

"Remember, it doesn't matter whose son you are.  What matters is who YOU are."

Another enormous-scale Chinese blockbuster, the first of the Fengshen trilogy, this is an epic fantasy that depicts the battle between humans, immortals and monsters three thousand years ago, following the Shang dynasty and the desire to become King Of All Realms at the coming of The Great Curse.  It takes in expected cultural and generic themes such as family, honour, sacrifice, ambition, betrayal and destiny right from the start and plays them out on the intimacy of the royal court and the most enormous-scale battlegrounds.  It has a wonderful huge orchestral score, it is visually ravishing - the costumes alone are astonishing - and the ambition and scope of the mostly successful VFX work are hugely impressive, from the huge opening snowbound siege to the final showdown.  There is plenty of melodrama alongside some surprisingly brutal moments, the cast gives it their all with a couple of notable performances from Ji Fa and Yin Jiao, the mythological info-dumping gets a bit dense and the mid-section is stodgy, but overall the film has all the elements that will delight fans of (Far Eastern) high fantasy that is executed extremely well.  Look out for the portentous (if inevitable) sequel-baiting mid/near-end-credits scenes.
 

VOD: Snow White (dir: Marc Webb, 2025)

"You know, I really don't remember you being this...opinionated."

The curse of the live-action remake - damned if you make changes, and damned if you stay faithful to the original - hit this movie from the moment the first trailer dropped leading to a dismal box-office run.  Despite its variable run of revisiting its greatest hits, Disney ploughed on with this divisive more-musical take on the OG and makes a rather decisive having of the original's title, positioning it very much in the mould of other modern-day Disney musical properties and as yet another young female empowerment tale.  It is perhaps inevitably updated in some respects, with Snow White seemingly becoming a freedom fighter with the forest rebels, which sits oddly next to faithful classic touchstone moments recreated here.  The film often looks stunning, with the interiors dressed to the hilt and vibrant exteriors a riot of (CG) detail, but it does suffer ultimately from CG overload, with some scenes more animation than live action.  Rachel Zegler is mostly strong and delivers the songs well, and Gal Gadot strides through her scenes as the Wicked Stepmother with a cool furniture-chewing sneer.  What remains is s slightly ill-judged mid-ranker - it does not work like Cinderella or Beauty And The Beast - very much for today's Disney-fed youngsters and tailor-made for an inevitable (or now, perhaps not) stage version, that shows variable respect to the original and pales beside it, but manages to have some effective moments on its own terms, such as the surprisingly joyful song finale.  
 

VOD: Spoiler Alert (dir: Michael Showalter, 2022)

"What are you? Drunkard or junkie?"
"I'm a photographer."
"Both, then!"

This quiet comedy-drama follows the relationship between photographer Kit and TV journalist Michael over thirteen years from its first steps to its tragic ending.  The first half is firmly in warm and fuzzy rom-com territory but with snappy and sparky dialogue and some charmingly funny moments - with the bonus of Sally Field and Bill Irwin, both magnificent as Kits' parents - until it takes a much sadder and ultimately heartbreaking turn in the second half.  Based on a real-life experience, the film is very well-written, with even Michael's seemingly-superfluous sit-com-styled flashbacks ultimately carrying real weight.  Jim Parsons and Ben Aldridge are terrific in their roles, nailing both the comedy and dramatic elements with aplomb and creating effectively a couple to root for.  Playing like a more charming, witty and likeable version of the same year's Bros but with the trajectory of Hiller's classic Love Story, Spoiler Alert succeeds very well as both a sweet comedy and as a romantic weepie and is very enjoyable, made all the more poignant by a brief clip of the real-life Kit during the credits.

 

VOD: The Brutalist (dir: Brady Corbet, 2024)

"What was it like, the war? We hear some stories here that make one's toes curl."
"I would not know where to begin, Mrs Hoffmann."

Getting away from post-War Europe and forcibly separated from his wife in 1947, Hungarian architect Laszlo Toth (a composite of real-life characters) travels to make a new life in America, and the film follows his journey from struggling immigrant to the subsequent rise, fall and reappraisal in both his architectural and personal worlds.  Part American social history lesson and part classic underdog tale, for the most part director Corbet's passion project balances its ambitious scope with the deeply personal tale deftly.  Adrien Brody excels in the lead role which is tailor-made for his particular brand of sensitive, haunted character work, with Guy Pearce also a standout in a strong cast as wealthy patron Harrison Lee Van Buren who recognises and nurtures Toth's talent in what becomes an increasingly fractious relationship.  Daniel Blumberg's stark score reflects not only Toth's design but also his inner demons to great effect.  It is a heavy and difficult film that is not entirely successful in its third act, but it impresses with its scale, ambition and storytelling.

 

VOD: Nosferatu (dir: Robert Eggers, 2024)

"Dream of me.  Only me."

Eggers sets his long-gestating variation on the Nosferatu property in 1838, when a newly-married Thomas Hutter is sent to Carpathia in order to secure a property deal with the aged and reclusive Count Orlock that puts both bride and groom on a terrible path of fate.  The ever-reliable Nicholas Hoult performs well as the eager Hutter, with an unrecognisable Bill Skarsgard giving the sparingly-used Count an effectively other-worldly feel and strong work from Simon McBurney, Willem Dafoe and Lily-Rose Depp.  Blending the occult and the sexual undercurrents works well here, giving this curious love story a strange romanticism.  The film's slightly colour-drained look gives it an old, classic feel, with the mostly wintry chilly blue-tinted settings almost nodding to black-and-white at times.  Its period world-building is very impressive, allied to a consistently unsettling score/soundscape and gorgeous use of wide landscapes that contrast well with claustrophobic intimate shots.  Offering the director's signature style, with interesting use of camera and artfully-constructed hallucinatory moments, this is in some ways Eggers's most mainstream so far with a bleak, dread-filled iteration of a familiar tale.
 

VOD: Kraven The Hunter (dir: J.C. Chandor, 2024)

"I don't hate people.  I hate what people do."

After an opening breakout from a remote Russian prison demonstrates our protagonist's considerable physical strength and skills, the film flashes back to the teenage Kravinoff half-brothers and a painfully-laboured origin story that sees young Sergei given his powers (which include an affinity with animals) when healed by an ancient potion following a hunting accident.  Sandwiched between half-decent action sequences are stodgy dialogue scenes and Kraven's crusade to take out vaguely-sketched criminal antagonists.  It is perhaps more male-centric, bloody and more 'adult' than most recent Sony/MCU films, with a firm focus on the male family dynamic, including Russell Crowe doing Russell Crowe as the uncompromising gang-boss father, and Kraven's more sensitive 'weak' half-brother Dmitri, who gets kidnapped and requires rescuing (a far-from-subtle act of gender-stereotyping subtext).  Aaron Taylor-Johnson always delivers and here he is a great fit for the title character, giving an impressive and powerful performance that is way beyond anything else that this film has to offer.
 

VOD: Heretic (dirs: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, 2024)

"Are we talking about religion...or board games...or music?"

A24's popular creepfest sees a pair of optimistic young Mormon missionaries paying a visit to a man who has expressed an interest in their faith, but as the discussion and situation becomes increasingly uneasy and a snowstorm settles in, the young women find themselves trapped  with this plausible zealot with a very different perspective on religion and a specific reason for keeping his captives.  Mostly a claustrophobic three-handed bottle show, Hugh Grant paces his sinister performance extremely effectively, with Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East both conveying the Sisters' situation very well.  It has an eerie sound design and oppressive visual mise-en-scene, both of which contribute greatly to the film.  It is rather talky, but the collision of thriller tropes and the discussion of religion/faith/philosophy makes for an unsettling and interesting movie, even if it does run out of steam in the second half.
 

VOD: Small Things Like These (dir: Tim Mielants, 2024)

"Do you want to get on in this life?"

Reflecting true-life events and set in a very bleak 1980s December, an Irish coal-delivery merchant, Bill, questions the dark secrets of the local convent in this quiet and sombre drama that has simmering rage at injustice at its heart.  The film's gloomy mise-en-scene, melancholy soundscape and depiction of a repetitive and limited existence reflects Bill's family/internal lives very effectively, and sound design that foregrounds tiny details within near-silence is very well-handled.  Cillian Murphy is the film's firm focus as he delivers another of his excellent wonderfully-considered soulful character performances as the gentle, hard-working and stoic family man, struggling to cope with the weight of his own childhood (told through well-placed flashbacks) and fearful of the world into which his young girls are growing up.  The film's deliberate pace and grim feel at times makes it feel rather restrained, but it is subtly powerful, superbly made and the protagonist's growing turmoil is portrayed beautifully.