FILM: Captain America Brave New World 3D (dir: Julius Onah, 2025)

"...and yet, here we are..."

If ever a movie screamed 'course correction', it is this one.  Post-Endgame - and possibly derailed by the pandemic, some underwhelming TV shows, losing its next overarching major villain plus the Hollywood strikes - the MCU's Phases Four and Five have felt lacking in connective tissue and momentum, with new characters left dangling and some of the films perhaps unfairly maligned.  Following the smash success of Deadpool & Wolverine, the Marvel machine appears to be swinging back into full throttle with its release slate, and much more so than recent movies Brave New World throws in many references to the franchise past and yet to come.  The film itself is a rather mixed bag, but with some strong positives.  A thrilling aerial America-Japan battle at Celestial Island (from The Eternals, nicely included as a key plot point here) and the Red Hulk reveal moment and subsequent smackdown both deliver very effectively, but as the story leans into the political conspiracy genre for the most part, the first two acts are often talky, choppy and a bit dull - this is certainly not Captain America The Winter Soldier - and the script is not that smartly written. In his first leading solo film in the role, Anthony Mackie's more grounded take on Captain America works with ease, the introduction of Danny Ramirez as Falcon protégé Joaquin Torres is very promising indeed, and Harrison Ford (replacing the late William Hurt) as now-President Ross is apt casting for the needs of the role in this film.  With Phase Five almost concluded, and Captain America charged with 'assembling The Avengers' and an end-credits threat, it will be interesting to see if Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four First Steps can round out what could be Marvel's revival year.

 

VOD: You're Cordially Invited (dir: Nicholas Stoller, 2025)

"Well, I've got this situation under control!"
"Doesn't seem like it..."

In this mature family comedy that plays in a universe that only exists in the movies, single parent Will Ferrell books an exclusive island for his daughter's wedding, but an unexpected (fatal) error means that Reese Witherspoon double-books the venue with her younger sister's nuptials and comedy chaos ensues.  As well as the escalating wedding complications, the culture clash of the uptight/raucous families plus various generational clashes all generate plenty of material as the film dutifully grinds through all the expected wedding-comedy structural gears, including a duet that will be familiar to fans of Gavin and Stacey.  The script is snappy and surprisingly sweary (including a magnificent c-bomb late in the day), with Ferrell and Witherspoon trading barbed insults and rapid-fire showdowns with glee.  Indeed, Witherspoon delivers her usual very effective and polished professional performance well, and in spite of occasionally straying into his usual improv tics, Ferrell creates a surprisingly sympathetic portrayal of the father of the bride, with a significantly strong supporting cast overall.  The result is a pleasant if familiar comedy that breezes by quite entertainingly, and it is certainly one of the more bearable examples of the genre.
 

VOD: Star Trek Section 31 (dir: Olatunde Osunsanmi, 2025)

"Why are you laughing?"
"Because I can't imagine things getting much worse."

Having gone through various story and format permutations - originally conceived as a standard TV series - this character spin-off from Star Trek: Discovery lands as a 'television event movie', in which Emperor Georgiou is tracked down to join The Federation's clandestine operations unit to infiltrate a universe-scale terrorist threat from beyond Federation space.  After a strong and promising flashback opening that reveals Georgiou's early days, the film quickly sets itself up as a noisy, talky, bog-standard Mission: Impossible-styled sci-fi runaround that tries to do something different from the veteran franchise but is quite dull in spite of some whizzy VFX sequences, as the team chases the MacGuffin (here, a Terran biotech weapon) from one location to the next.  Michelle Yeoh, the driving force behind this enterprise, is clearly having fun and plays her familiar character with relish, which the rest of the anonymous Section 31 team makes very little impression, apart from Brit Rob Kazinsky as a gobby cyber-Hicks who does not get enough screen time.  The Star Trek universe has always relied on the interactions and relationships between its characters built up over time, making a one-off such as this difficult with which to fully engage.
 

VOD: Trap (dir: M. Night Shyamalan, 2024)

"Monsters aren't real!"
"Oh, yes, they are."

Shyamalan's latest twisty indie thriller sees caring father/serial killer Cooper (Josh Hartnett) take his teen daughter (Ariel Donoghue) to an arena gig by her music idol, Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan), only to find himself trapped as the FBI close in on the killer.  The situation and writing are of the simple join-the-dots variety and transparently uncomplicated, although the Shyamalans nail the current trend of barely-talented narcissistic young female singers who reel in impressionable young fans with tales of vapid self-confession.  In spite of a fairly spoilerific trailer, Shyamalan delivers the mechanism of the big reveal and subsequent story well, as the film switches smartly from one bottle situation to another halfway through.  Josh Hartnett carries the film extremely well together with Ariel Donoghue as his convincing teen-fan daughter, there is a notable supporting performance from Alison Pill as his wife in the third act, and veteran Hayley Mills is cast oddly as the lead FBI profiler.  Overall, this is a solid if fairly inessential thriller that is delivered slickly - do stay watching for the fun early credits scene. 

 

VOD: Emilia Perez (dir: Jacques Audiard, 2024)

"I have a proposition for you."

This divisive awards-season favourite tells the story of a powerful Mexican drugs boss (Karla Sofia Gascon) who fakes death, transitions and works back into the lives of her family by posing as a long-lost aunt, and a young female lawyer (Zoe Saldana) hired to see through the whole process.  The film's biggest challenge to the viewer is fusing big dramatic themes (Mexican stereotyping, transitioning, 'the disappeared', family) with the musical format, which is successful to a large extent.  While much of the attention has focused on Karla Sofia Gascon, who gives a solid performance here, it is Zoe Saldana who excels right from her difficult opening number, with good back-up from Selena Gomez as the younger wife.  As a musical film, it is very contemporary in style, with effectively-integrated sung moments rather than big Broadway-style blockbuster numbers.  The film sometimes awkwardly lurches between heavy genuine emotion and pure telenovela melodrama at the drop of a hat, especially in the contrived finale.  The film might have benefitted from establishing more of the pre-transition character at the start - this is not a film that delves into the physical and emotional journey, with the actual transitioning being disregarded with an almighty ellipsis - but the arcs of its three lead female characters makes for an unusual if full-on drama to watch.

VOD: Blink Twice (dir: Zoe Kravitz, 2024)

"Success is the best revenge."

This popular glossy psychological thriller sees a tech billionaire (Channing Tatum) invite waitress Frida (Naomi Ackles) and her friend to his private island for a vacation with his friends, where a series of very dark secrets slowly start to be revealed.  The set-up follows the get out pattern, as an alien but seemingly idyllic situation starts dropping clues that all is definitely not as it appears with slowly-unfolding mysteries and smart revelations.  The film plays into current trends of toxic masculinity, privilege, power, wealth and societal obsession with the superficial alongside an effectively structured story.  Naomi Ackles is an engaging protagonist, Channing Tatum gives a strong and thoughtful performance, and there is good supporting character work from Genna Davis, Hayley Joel Osment and Christian Slater.  The final act - when everything falls apart and the true horror is revealed  - is a tough watch thematically, but it is executed well as is the film overall.
 

VOD: Sunflower (dir: Gabriel Carrubba, 2024)

"It gets better, you know."

This somewhat dour Australia coming-of-age drama follows suburban Melbourne teen Leo as he grapples with school, friendships, bullies and sexuality.  It is told in a rather lethargic and moribund manner with no genre cliché left unturned (even an illuminated Ferris Wheel at night makes an appearance).  Performances are solid enough, and after seventy minutes of very restrained and earnest drama, this slight but sincere film ends on a thankfully positive note.
 

VOD: Starve Acre (dir: Daniel Kokotajlo, 2024)

"I don't know why you'd want to come here."

Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark star in this bleak, creepy slow-burn British folk-horror tale as a young couple living in his father's remote house on the moors, kicking off with the young son inexplicably blinding a pony at the village fair, followed by an even bigger tragic event that brings ancient primal forces into their home and their lives, all tied to the land.  Full of desolate landscapes and ominous soundscapes, past and present collide and the couple's life unravels fatefully.  Smith and Clark both give very nicely subdued and controlled performances that makes the couple watchably down-to-earth as they struggle with grief and the supernatural.  The tension between everyday reality and superstition hums uneasily in the background to good effect, and themes of parenthood, loss and belief are explored well.  Starve Acre is a quiet, understated and interesting film, even if it feels as if it never quite edelivers fully. 
 

VOD: Back In Action (dir: Seth Gordon, 2025)

"I think I might be airsick."
"OK - not in the air yet, though..."

Back In Action sees the welcome return of Cameron Diaz after a long break, partnered with Jamie Foxx in another slick cookie-cutter Netflix action-comedy as former CIA couple, now living in suburbia with a couple of teenage kids and forced on the run when their cover is unexpectedly blown and their previous final mission comes back to haunt them.  As is standard for this type of enterprise, the film looks very glossy, has a couple of huge expensive-looking set pieces and some good physical/stunt work, with the rather obvious comedy being mostly based around generation-gap and culture-clash differences (and Jamie Demetriou as an incredibly irritating MI6-wanabee).  The material is elevated considerably by Diaz and Foxx's easy professionalism and energy in both the action and family/comedy elements.  The first half is the more interesting, as the film grinds to a halt halfway through and then limps along to the end with a lot of running around and a reasonable concluding chase along London's South Bank/River Thames (with some attractive night shooting) and a sequel-baiting ending.  The formula may be over-familiar, but Back In Action is pleasant enough if forgettable entertainment. 
 

VOD: The Substance (dir: Coralie Fargeat, 2024)

"This is network TV, not a f**king charity!"

Coralie Fargeat's intriguing and stylish body-horror update of the Dorian Gray story follows the diminishing fortunes of Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), an ageing actress/TV fitness guru in an age-conscious industry who seeks rejuvenation through a secretive treatment with very disturbing consequences.  Clearly pitched somewhere between David Lynch and 80s David Cronenberg with a bit of Kubrick thrown in for good measure, its shiny sterile design provides an effective backdrop to the unpleasant transformative body-horror that the unwitting protagonist suffers, amplified by unnerving dramatic extreme close ups and an unflinching camera.  Demi Moore truly shines in the lead role with a very open and fearless performance that mines the character's vulnerability and sadness to good effect, Dennis Quaid brings to life the unsavoury sleazy TV executive well and Margaret Qualley handles the character arc of Elisabeth's younger incarnation with great energy.  At its heart the film has a somewhat simple idea, but the film makes salient points effectively regarding the ephemeral nature of the entertainment industry, gender inequality and the fetishistic superficial values of the modern world, provocative in both its exposure of issues and its treatment of the human body. but it also delivers on the squelchy body-horror front as well with a bloody large-scale Grand Guignol finale that would make Brian Yuzna proud, all of which makes The Substance a bold and interesting movie to watch.   
 

VOD: Perfect Days (dir: Wim Wenders, 2024)

"Why can't things just stay the same?"

Originally considered as a documentary, this much-admired Oscar-nominated film is a gentle and perfectly-formed treat that follows the simple and ordered daily life of Hirayama (played superbly Koji Yakusho), a custodian of public toilets in Tokyo, and the things he enjoys - nature, reading, music - with small but significant reveals about his wider life along the way through people he encounters.  Veteran Wim Wenders (who also co-wrote) paints a masterful portrait of an ordinary man who finds fulfilment in a busy and complicated world.  It is beautifully shot, with wonderful use of composition and and eye for finding beauty in the everyday.  The film makes a clear point about living an analogue life - print books, cassette tapes, camera film, but Hirayama does have a mobile phone as a utility) - and like its protagonist, it is a quiet, precise and gentle movie that finds its pleasures in the little details and simple moments in life that everyone can feel.  The restrained and beautiful ending packs a real and unexpected emotional punch to a most positive and life-affirming film.    
 

VOD: Speak No Evil (dir: James Watkins, 2024)

"Our normal isn't their normal.  They're just a bit more - I don't know - unvarnished."

This swift remake of the 2022 Danish thriller relocates the action to England and sees two families strike up a holiday friendship that leads to the London couple being invited to the other couple's isolated rural retreat, where the clashing values and cultures increasingly revealing themselves to unnerving effect and leading to an ultimately devastating situation in this very grim but generally satisfying pulpy movie.  Reminiscent of the stylish 80s/90s psychological thrillers from the likes of Sluizer, Haneke and Osterdahl, the performers are very committed, the claustrophobic situation is delivered effectively and there is a gloriously-handled moment of realisation over the rural son's actual situation. James McAvoy's excellent, unbridled and very physical alpha-male performance dominates the movie, nicely contrasted by Scott McNairy's finely-judged everyman, with Mackenzie Davies and Aisling Franciosi working well with their slowly-developing character arcs as their respective wives.  The final act in particular may feel very familiar, but overall this is a solid take on the genre.

 

VOD: Longlegs (dir: Osgood Perkins, 2024)

"Is it scary being a lady FBI agent?"
"Yeah."

The familiar premise of an hyper-intuitive young female FBI agent tracking a long-standing serial killer with occult overtones and a link to her past is given a reasonably creepy outing in this unexpected box-office hit.  With its eerie hallucinatory soundscape and bleak and gloomy visual style, the film relies on its simplicity for its effectiveness in creating jump-scares and general atmosphere.  Maika Monroe gives an intense, chilly and precisely-controlled performance as Agent Lee Harker, with Blair Underwood contrasting nicely as her more seasoned family-man lead on the case, and Nicolas Cage uses his unsettlingly unpredictable skills to good effect in the titular antagonist role.  The film plays like an extended grim early episode of The X-Files and is perhaps a case of more hype over substance, and the actual plot mechanism becomes increasingly unlikely, the third act still pays off nicely.

 

VOD: Cocaine Bear (dir: Elizabeth Banks, 2023)

"It's demented or something!"

In this cult comedy hit, a large bear in a National Park finds and ingests a large stash of cocaine and picks off the locals.  It is clearly designed as a throwback to 80s creature-features, the surprise (and perhaps inexplicable) starring of Keri Russell, Alden Ehrenreich and Ray Liotta with Elizabeth Banks directing makes it hard to determine if the film is a genuine affectionate parody or just a weakly-scripted and rather slow retro-styled cheapie.  Some low-rent hillbilly stereotype characters (complete with jarringly swearing children) and laboured comedic moments are just about outweighed by some effective FX work and well-delivered thriller sequences, so it really depends whether or not you are in the mood to embrace the daft premise and go along for the ride.  There are also two end-credits sequences.

 

VOD: Caligula - The Ultimate Cut (dir: Tinto Brass, 1979/2024)

"I had to take my destiny into my own hands."

Running at nearly three hors, this new and extensively restored, re-edited and reconstructed cut purports to be the closest yet to the director's original vision of this notoriously troubled 1979 movie, through painstaking restoration of previously unused footage, new music, some effects work and the removal of the Guccioni-sanctioned hardcore, er, inserts.  This new version does achieve its aim of restoring focus on character, the dramatic story and its stars' performances to some extent, but the basic story remains and it does still look like a grandiose folly with its painfully slow pace, expensive cheap-looking sets and mannered theatrical-style performances, with occasional flashes of the excesses of sex and violence remaining.
 

VOD: IF (dir: John Krasinski, 2024)

"Sometimes life doesn't have to always be fun."

In this curiously muted children's fantasy movie, twelve-year-old Bea develops the ability to see everyone's Imaginary Friends (IFs), joining a mission to reunite lost and forgotten IFs with their human children before they disappear.  The central conceit of seeing the Imaginary Friends in everyday real-life scenarios is quite sweet and realised on-screen effectively, but the film feels underpowered and lethargic to watch overall.  In spite of an UP!-style heartstring-pulling opening, very little happens in the first forty-five minutes, with a brief mid-point sojourn into a wonderful FX sequence that then leaves the rest of the film to grind away to its conclusion that was blindingly obvious way back earlier - even Ryan Reynolds is subdued here.  The film does benefit from a gorgeous Michael Giacchino score, and Krasinski's direction is once again confident and precise.  Apart from a couple of nods to the power of memory and imagination, the story oddly offers very little with which to really engage, until - unexpectedly - the reunions montage at the very end.
 

VOD: Robot Dreams (dir: Pablo Berger, 2024)

"Happy / I'm so happy..."

A bored and lonely dog (here, all humans are replaced by animals) buys a robot to be his friend in this glorious animated film, and they go on small adventures both together and separately and discover the joy in the little things in everyday life, until they become unfortunately separated and life moves on.  Dialogue-free, this silent-movie-style cartoon has the engagingly endearing feel of Chaplin/Tati meets Aardman, with its colourful and simply-drawn animation style, quirky observations and ideas and its attention to detail.  Its core message about modern day isolation and the power of reaching out and change may be familiar, but the way it is told here is utterly sweet and endearing in a very entertaining manner.
 

VOD: Maybe Baby 2 a.k.a. Bytte Bytte Barn 2 (dir: Barbara Topsoe-Rothenberg, 2024)

"Don't worry,  Everything is fine!"

In this sequel to the successful Danish baby-swap comedy, two years later the mis-matched couples are now raising their now-toddlers in their own idyllic lives and have become grudging friends.  With an increasing suspicion that the bright-as-a-button girl and the 'firecracker' boy seem ill-suited to their respective parents, a routine blood test leads to the discovery that the babies were not actually mixed up at the fertility clinic after all, thus creating the conundrum of whether the children should be swapped back to their biological parents, but a remarkable solution to the situation comes into play and gives the movie new territory to explore.  Carrying on very much in the same vein as the original film, the dramatic core issues (nature versus nurture, gender attitudes in the workplace) are solid, and whilst true to the tone of the first film, it feels that the issues and characters have a more mature heft this time round.  Once again, the wonderful Mille Dinesen strides through every scene to magnetic effect, and indeed the whole returning cast (plus a couple of new additions) exude a comedic and dramatic confidence that works extremely well - and the little kids are of course unfeasibly cute - making Maybe Baby 2 a pleasing, warm-hearted and entertaining extension of the original.
 

VOD: My Old Ass (dir: Megan Park, 2024)

"The only thing you can't get back is time."
 

On a camping trip with her two best friends to celebrate her eighteenth birthday, Elliott tries magic mushrooms and trips out to an encounter with her future thirty-nine-years-old self, but it does not end there, as the older self continues to help the younger to shape her life and relationships for the better.  My Old Ass is a warm, funny indie-inflected coming-of-age comedy, but it also reflects deeply on the choices that shape our lives and the journey we take.  Maisy Stella is a wonderful bundle of youthful energy as Elliott, and as her older incarnation Aubrey Plaza's timing and note-perfect performance skills work exceptionally well with this situation and material, but it is noted that the film is beautifully performed by the entire cast.  With its terrific blend of quirkiness and sincerity, the film is gentle, thoughtful and absolutely charming to the very end.

VOD: Midas Man (dir: Joe Stephenson, 2024)

"Music isn't just what we listen to, it's who we are, who we love, where we belong."

Covering 1959-67, Midas Man follows the story of Brian Epstein from his record store days to discovering and managing The Beatles and guiding them to their phenomenal success.  Lots of key moments deliver well (such as the 'firing' of Pete Best and Epstein's reaction to their first Number One single), as do the recreations and reflections on the times, including the primitive early Liverpool music scene and Epstein's furtive homosexuality.  A tightly-written script and occasional fourth-wall-breaking give the film a friendly accessible feel, as the refined and committed Epstein navigates the leap from a home-spun local music industry to navigating the band's ever-escalating  global fame.  Jacob Fortune-Lloyd gives a consistently excellent and engaging performance in the lead role, the four young actors playing The Beatles portray an amiable wise-cracking bunch of lads infectiously, with notable work from Charley Palmer Rothwell as George Martin and Milo Parker as Epstein's right-hand man.  Epstein's ultimate physical and emotional breakdown comes rather suddenly in this film, which makes the final events perhaps all the more shocking and sad.  Midas Man is a fairly standard biopic overall, but both the take on the material and its delivery are top-notch.

 

VOD: Borderlands (dir: Eli Roth, 2024)

"You're with me!"
"Wish I wasn't..."

How much of embattled Eli Roth's original vision remains is unclear, but the troubled videogame adaptation Borderlands was finally released to a critical and box-office mauling, and it is not difficult to see why.  On paper, the movie has a lot going for it: a name director, an eclectic starry cast (including Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Gina Gershon and more) and a fair budget.  What emerged is basically a very shouty pseudo-videogame runaround that follows a mis-matched team trying to rescue a girl who is prophesied to be a planet's saviour, playing like a violent and hysterical version of Guardians Of the Galaxy without the charm, wit and heart.  Blanchett inevitably eats up the screen, and there are lots of strong sci-fi ideas and visuals in play. and while there is an effort made to capture the freewheeling wackiness of its source, the film feels rather messy, wayward and a tad indulgent.
 

VOD: Brothers (dir: Max Barbakow, 2024)

"You ever think about trying to unf**k your life?"

In what is one of the most unlikely sibling pairings since Schwarzenegger and Devito, a reformed career criminal (Josh Brolin) gets pulled back into one more job by his unrepentantly felonious twin brother (Peter Dinklage) in order to track down long-lost jewels stolen by their estranged mother in Amazon's goofy Thanksgiving-set comedy.   Brolin and Dinklage - both excellent actors who are clearly cutting loose - have the expected easy-going on-screen chemistry to handle the dialogue-dense banter enjoyably, the film has many ridiculous chucklesome moments, and there is entertaining character work from a starry supporting cast, notably Brendan Fraser, M. Emmet Walsh, an uncredited Marisa Tomei and Glenn Close. Ultimately, Brothers is a lean and snappy movie, that is a daft, fun, disposable and fairly enjoyable adult comedy.