VOD: Je m'appelle Agneta (dir: Johanna Runevad, 2026)

"Well, this I can do."

Middle-aged, fed-up and taken for granted, Francophile Agneta leaves her husband and her dull life in Sweden behind for a big new life adventure as an au pair in picturesque rural Provence in this lovely Swedish Netflix comedy-drama that is charming, thoughtful and good-humoured throughout.  When the job turns out to be not quite what she expects, the film becomes a wistful but also uplifting journey of self-discovery flecked with moments of simple everyday pleasures, utter joy and positive life-affirmation.  Eva Melander is an utter delight on-screen from start to finish in a quartet of accomplished lead performances of colourful characters.  This is not the typical light, sunny fish-out-of-water rom-com but a mature, reflective rear-view-mirror ode to life, love and experience that is both warm and tinged with some sadness.  The gorgeous soundtrack is cleverly entwined with the storytelling, at times narrating Agneta's experiences and discoveries, and even smartly reframing ABBA's The Winner Takes It All to make the female protagonist the victor.  The film is a timely reminder that all lives are worth celebrating and living to the full, and it does so quite beautifully.

 

VOD: Anaconda (dir: Tom Gormican, 2025)

"We came out here to make Anaconda... and now we're in it!"

Jack Black and Paul Rudd's silly meta-comedy/horror sees a group of childhood friends reunite years later and hatch a plan to make a reboot of the 'cult classic' in three weeks on the fly in the Brazilian rainforest, but their attempt at making the movie is derailed by the appearance of a real monster snake on the rampage.  The film echoes Tropic Thunder in its approach (though far less entertainingly), but it veers haphazardly between styles and levels of success.  It does have its tongue firmly in its cheek and a self-awareness of its own limitations and the campy nonsense of the original movie, but it is nevertheless not as funny as it perhaps thinks it is, and not all of the (improvised) material lands, especially in the more obviously drawn-out scenes.  Oddly, there are some moments that suggest a serious, straight take on the material could work, but this 2025 version is a clear example of falling between two stools.

 

VOD: The Conjuring 4 - Last Rites (dir: Michael Chaves, 2025)

"You do know that our family is not like other families?"

New Line's last go-round for the surprisingly successful Ed and Lorraine Warren-inspired paranormal franchise/universe gets off to a suitably creepy start with its 1964-set prologue that resonates down the years as the story picks up in 1986 with a blast of The Cure and the reappearance of a possessed artefact that slowly wreaks havoc on an ordinary Pennsylvanian family and proves to be the Warrens' final case that brings everything full circle to their own family as well.  The Poltergeist, Paranormal Activity and The Exorcist films loom large over the action, although this entry feels a little more restrained than many recent examples of its type.  It could be argued that the domestic scenes make the film a tad flabby, but they only serve to highlight the strength and importance of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga in the series, with the ever-reliable Brit Ben Hardy (playing American) a useful addition here as their daughter's fiance.  Offering some nicely-delivered set-ups and a couple of decent jump-scares and a typically messy peer-through-the-darkness finale, Last Rites leaves the door slightly ajar for a Next Generation continuation if the studio wishes to exploit the franchise further, but this film is a routine if acceptable conclusion to the Warrens' story.

 

VOD: Wuthering Heights (dir: Emerald Fennell, 2026)

"Am I living in another world?"
 

Emerald Fennell's somewhat singular vision for this version of the classic novel - and it is certainly 'inspired by' rather than a straightforward adaptation - is frequently tiresome, from its irritating and wayward music score (including its whiny sub-Enya Charli XCX interludes) to the over-obvious modern use of camera and editing flourishes. Sex and violence/death are awkwardly and inextricably linked from the very start, and the film flits between grim realism and jarringly heightened artificiality.  Margot Robbie plays the rather self-serving Cathy wringing everything she can from every single line, and Jacob Elordi's more thoughtful take on Heathcliff sometimes works well, although neither seems a particularly good fit here, but Hong Chau does nice work as Cathy's constant companion Nelly.  The film works best when Robbie and Elordi interact in the quieter moments, but these are juxtaposed with scenes delivered as screeching hysteria or painful melodrama.  Overall, this is a potentially interesting but overwrought and inconsistent film that drags and is ultimately disappointing.

VOD: Pillion (dir: Harry Lighton, 2025)

"Isn't love the whole point?"
"Of what?"
"Everything."

In this 2025 festival favourite, mild-mannered and awkward Colin (Harry Melling) meets the striking and taciturn biker Ray (Alexander Skarsgard) at his pub over the festive season and falls into a committed sub-dom relationship that takes him into new territory and an unexpected journey of self-discovery.  Both lead actors give truly grounded, nuanced and engaging performances -  Harry Melling is a revelation here - with charmingly sweet support from Lesley Sharp and Douglas Hodge as Colin's very ordinary suburban parents.  It is also a confident feature directorial debut for Harry Lighton, creating an almost kitchen-sink-style drama with tenderness, quirky humour and a physical and emotional frankness that makes the film both edgy and oddly sensitive, with a bitter-sweet third act to round off this very well-executed exploration of a particular relationship.

 

VOD: Apex (dir: Baltasar Kormakur, 2026)

"You can fight your way through a lot of s**t, but you can't beat your wiring."

After losing her partner in an opening well-staged mountaineering accident in Norway,  five months later the still-grieving adventurer Sasha (Charlize Theron) goes kayaking in the remote wilds of Australia, only to find herself targeted by intimidating locals and a odd hunter Ben (Taron Egerton) in this gritty survival thriller.  The first act is all fairly standard setting up, the second act is mostly an interesting two-hander between two of today's strongest and most engaging actors in Theron and Egerton as the scenario unravels and gives way to the extended and very physical cat-and-mouse menace of the third.  Boasting truly spectacular and beautifully-shot scenery, the film plays well with the utter isolation of the settings and the demands it makes on the characters' survival skills.  Egerton offers a gently-spoken relentless threat that is well-played, and Theron throws herself into the physicality of her role and delivers the emotional beats with aplomb.  Apex is a very simple but effective thriller, aided by a tight running time and the strength of its two lead actors.
 

VOD: Greenland 2 - Migration a.k.a. Greenland Migration (dir: Ric Roman Waugh, 2026)

"Please, let's... let's stick to reality."

This sequel to the streaming disaster/survival hit finds Earth decimated by meteor fragments, violent storms and radiation, the Greenland shelter from the end of the film film wrecked by earthquakes and the plucky but ailing Gerard Butler, his family and other survivors having to eke out an existence in the hostile environment on the surface as they are hit by one cinematic and human-made disaster after another  in their quest to find a rumoured 'cradle of life' where the original meteor struck in a dangerous region of France.  This film essentially moves on from the original's conventional disaster movie tropes to conventional post-disaster ones, grinding along efficiently if chaotically and offering few surprises along the way, although it is again perhaps more sombre and gritty than many of its glossier counterparts.  It gives rise to some interesting visuals, from flood-ravaged Liverpool to what was formerly The English Channel, but the film's main driving force is is its dour examination of the family bond and human behaviour.  Once again, the gruff Gerard Butler and the excellent Morena Baccarin are stoic and focussed leads as they (presumably) bring this slightly different - and at times surprisingly sensitive and ultimately optimistic - take on a well-worn genre to a reflective conclusion.