This low-rent haunted house thriller could not be more generic if it tried, as a predictable family (bereaved father, stroppy teenage girl, irritating younger brother and sister) move into a surprisingly cheap house that was the site of a seance-gone-wrong a century earlier, and the discovery of an old suitcase of artefacts in the attic sees the unleashing of an angry spirit - yes, we've been there before, and the lacklustre performances fail to elevate the weak fare on offer here.
This low-budget Australian gem takes the recent soppy terminally-ill-girl-gets-together-with-unsuitable-boy YA sub-genre and gives it a wonderful grounded and engaging shake-up. By turns funny, heartbreaking and heartwarming, it skewers character tropes wonderfully and is buoyed by very strong performances all round, especially Eliza Scanlen and Toby Wallace as the mis-matched young couple. With sharp observations and by keeping things relatively realistic, the conclusion might be inevitable but the characters and their journey are well worth watching.
Loosely based on the famous Sutton Hoo (Suffolk) wartime archaeological excavation, this is a very slow-moving but beautifully crafted film that evokes its time and setting well. The standout here is very impressive character work by Ralph Fiennes as the unsung local hero Basil Brown, supported by reliably strong work from (late-replacement) Carey Mulligan and Johnny Flynn. For much of its running time there is little of great consequence happening, with the off-dig dramas feeling like slightly lightweight filler when it is actually dealing with big issues, but this is well-made, gently-paced if slightly soporific period drama.
Set on the beautiful Sussex Coast, this story of the dying throes of a stagnant marriage of an older couple is both gentle and powerful. It has a languid style and pace with its Pinter-esque dialogue and uncomfortable silences, which allows the three main actors to shine. Annette Bening manages to create sympathy for a horrible character as she negotiates her story arc very successfully, Bill Nighy is at his understated best in portraying a very gentle man who recognises his situation fully, and Josh O'Connor gives another impressive turn as the son who comes to understand how his parents' relationship has affected his own take on life as he tries to act as a bridge in their new situation. It may be yet another dissection of middle-class angst, but it is presented and performed very well indeed.
There is an alien invasion, and a small Australian town fights back. Expectations were not high based on that premise, but Occupation surprises. Director/writer Luke Sparke aims for the scale and sheen of a Hollywood blockbuster with visuals to match and an epic James Horner-style score that thunders away tirelessly, making this film look and sound very cinematic from the first alien assault onwards. It is all played unwaveringly straight, solid lead performances from Dan Ewing, Temura Morrison and Stephany Jacobsen are engaging, and overall the characters are given effective depth and story arcs to make it interesting. Occupation has more scale and bite than expected of its type, which makes it worth a spin.
Just as Pacific Rim Uprising followed Pacific Rim, so Atlantic Rim spawns Resurrection the the mockbuster factory. At least this low-rent sequel goes off in its own direction after the first act. A kaiju attacks Los Angeles, a highly-improbable team of robot-jockeys attempt to bring it down whilst battling cheap-looking sets and barely-successful CGI. Just above average for this type of fare thanks to a couple of reasonable performances and a story that is not stretched too thinly, Atlantic Rim Resurrection does what you would expect and no more.
Most of the time the YA genre is enough to set anyone's eyes rolling, but The Map Of Tiny Perfect Things is a sweet, good-natured and enjoyable film. Yes, it is the YA genre's take on Groundhog Day (and it gets the Groundhog Day/Doctor Who references out of the way pretty early), as teen Mark finds himself stuck in a time-loop with no-one else aware, until one day he comes across someone else who is aware as well... The film bounds along, held together by a charming performance by Kyle Allen in the lead role, and the film captures not only the optimistic energy of youth but also so many of those 'tiny perfect moments' referred to in the title that make this movie a surprisingly very pleasant watch indeed.
This is High School Musical...with zombies..in Scotland...at Christmas! On paper, this unholy hybrid should not work, but Anna And The Apocalypse is an absolute unexpected treat. The cast is delightful, the songs are epic authentic-80s-sounding anthems that work really well, it is enjoyable throughout and the whole venture comes across as confident and well-made on a tiny budget. (Do not be misled, however: it does not stint on the gore!)
Muhammed Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown in a hotel room - what else do you need? Throw in a pitch-perfect script, tight and seamless direction, compelling inter-character dynamics and four simply stunning performances, and One Night In Miami is about as good as film gets. There is nothing more to say about a film that is as utterly engaging, entertaining and impressive as this one.
Dave Franco's foray into directing (and co-writing the screenplay) is on very safe tried-and-trusted territory with this generic potboiler thriller, as two couples spend the weekend at a seemingly-idyllic cliffside rental house where all turns out to be not as perfect as it seems. There is a grinding inevitability at every stage, with Dan Stevens outperforming everyone from the mediocre material. Whilst there is nothing really bad about the film, but there is little that lifts the film above average at any point.
