FILM: Ocean's 8 (dir: Gary Ross, 2018)

"Oui."

Ocean's 8 is a very generic but well-constructed simple heist movie, with its much-trumpeted (as if that should be necessary) all-female ensemble lead cast proving to be the ace card here.  Indeed, the formidable cast of talented actresses is superb, from the unstoppable Sandra Bullock to great contemporary roles for Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham-Carter, and even Anne Hathaway nailing the comedy with some subtlety.  The film has an effortlessly (and relentlessly) cool soundtrack, it is well-made and looks great, but its only real let-down is the lack of edge or real jeopardy, making for a pleasant and enjoyable if somewhat surprisingly undemanding viewing experience overall.

FILM: Hereditary (dir: Ari Aster, 2018)

"Please.  Trust me."

Almost living up to the hype, this bizarre love-child of Ingmar Bergman and David Lynch requires patience but pays off with some great nerve-jangling sequences in its finale.  The clever use of limited locations, razor-sharp editing and superb control of the viewer by the camera makes this a very engaging - if not compulsively mesmerising - movie.  Toni Collette is sublime as the grief-wrought mother, with very able support from Gabriel Byrne as her long-suffering husband and a very promising performance from Alex Wolff as the son.  Yes, the ending does make the explanation a little too unnecessarily explicit, and at times the film is genuinely head-scratching, but overall it is very accomplished and enjoyable in an atmospherically puzzling way!

FILM: Jurassic World - Fallen Kingdom IMAX 3D (dir: J.A.Bayona, 2018)

"Am I dead?"
"Not yet."

Twenty-five years ago we marvelled at the (reasonably) photorealistic CG dinosaurs in Spielberg's original Jurassic lark; today we have become almost spoiled by the extraordinary level of effects work on display in expensive modern Hollywood blockbusters, and Fallen Kingdom is no exception.  The main interest here is the game-changing volcanic destruction of Isla Nublar and the subsequent shift of the second half to a new location, together with a shifting use of genres within the main framework.  There is a real emphasis on scale and spectacle, emphasised by Bayona's notable use of extra long shots at times, and whilst there are many effective tense or thrilling moments, the movie does not quite drive forward in as cohesive a manner as its immediate predecessor.  Fallen Kingdom feels genuinely more mature than the almost-literal theme park ride of the 2015 reboot, and the new locations and ideas do generate interest, yet the set pieces are naggingly familiar, especially in the referencing of the first two movies in the franchise.  Nevertheless, this grand-scale entertaining blockbuster film-making does not disappoint, and it will be interesting to see how brave Universal will be with the next episode/second-trilogy closer - could we even dare to hope that the franchise could be bold enough to deliver on a War For The Planet Of the Apes-style premise?

FILM: Book Club (dir: Bill Holderman, 2018)

"Let's not lose ALL sense of reality...."

Although its moment of connection with the zeitgeist has now passed (four senior friends do the 50 Shades trilogy for their book club), the real pleasure of this movie is seeing four great Hollywood actresses owning the big screen: Bergen's wonderfully dry delivery, Steenburgen's playfulness, Fonda in top diva form and the comic genius of Keaton are all enjoyable to watch and the chemistry between the four of them works extremely well.  Given the nature of the film, it is SO gentle that most of it simply floats by, with the occasional good line thrown in to raise a smile.  Its target audience will love it (and indulge its familiar movie netherworld of easy money and luxury) and it serves its star actresses acceptably.

VOD: Wish Upon (dir: John R Leonetti, 2017)

"Make a wish."

As mechanical as the Chinese wish box at the centre of this ultra-generic horror, Wish Upon is an efficient but relentlessly predictable trudge through Final Destination and Wishmaster territory.  Even in this decade, the teenagers are stereotyped to within an inch of their lives, and apart from a couple of good performances (the central character's feisty friend and the reliable Ryan Phillippe as her father) little else makes the film stand out from the crowd.  Even the mid-credits scene does nothing to deviate from the expected!

FILM: Solo - A Star Wars Story IMAX 3D (dir: Ron Howard, 2018)

"...a little rough around the edges, but good!"

Definitely a love letter to the fans, Solo proves to be (mostly) another winning entry in the ever-growing Star Wars collection.  Its bumpy production period is in little evidence here, but it is definitely a three-act experience.  The first act is immediately engaging, a non-stop thrill-ride that takes us to the down-and-dirty side of the Star Wars universe, effortlessly and breathlessly setting up the key plot and character elements of the film, and seamlessly taking in the chase, war and heist genres in swift succession in a thrilling opening.  The second act is more leisurely, developing characters and relationships and adding depth to the main plot, and it is only the final section that feels more uncertain in pace and tone, perhaps taking a little too long over the ending but ending on a high.  Ehrenrich is joyous in the title role, and a strong support cast adds much to the film's success.  John Powell's score is hugely successful, and the film's staging of 'first times' for meetings of characters and icons pushes all the right buttons - indeed, the use of classic iconography from the franchise in new and interesting ways (as Rogue One also achieved) is evident right from the start and very effective.  Third act wobbles aside, Solo is a hugely entertaining romp that might not be very deep but is extremely well crafted, and the possibility of further adventure(s) in this corner of the franchise timeline would indeed be welcome.

FILM: Deadpool 2 IMAX (dir: David Leitch, 2018)

"That's got some zip!"

What a relief - Deadpool 2 is a very entertaining sequel.  It feels a bit more serious than the fresh and more carefree original (but does not go DC-dark), yet this sequel has a manic energy that will bear a repeat viewing to catch everything.  It retains the small-scale focus and storytelling that worked in the first film's favour, but more cash is splashed on the more generic-looking frantic big-league extended set pieces which Leitch handles very effectively.  More jokes hit than miss, and there are plenty of chuckles to be had, including the most excruciating bad pun in recent memory (in the 'baby legs' scene).  Reynolds is simply spot-on in the lead role again, with the returning cast all great fun, especially the magnificent Dopinder, and Josh Brolin makes for a highly effective Cable.  Stay seated for the two mid-credits scenes - the second is particularly funny - but only stick it out to the very end of the credits for a brief music gag if you want to indulge your immature side.

VOD: Jeepers Creepers 3 (dir: Victor Salva, 2018)

"You can do better."

This low-rent threequel - a direct prequel to the second film - finally emerges, telling the threadbare tale of The Creature attacking two remote farms. It is alarmingly cheap in every respect, yet the limited effects do have ambition and occasionally come off well, and there is an attempt at a couple of interesting twists on the mythos.  The cast barely registers, especially the younger actors.  There is nothing to match the magnificent tension of the first half of the original film, but Jeepers Creepers 3 does its best with what little it has.

FILM: I Feel Pretty (dirs: Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, 2018)

"That's not real."

There is a real tension throughout this movie between making a genuine and affecting statement about body image and its position in that weird realm of ridiculous stereotypical female movie fantasy, with both aspects creating problems for each other.  A little reminiscent of What Women Want, the whole scenario is of course ridiculous and leads to a lot of nonsensical events, but the core issue is handled with some thoughtfulness and awareness.  This is very much the Amy Schumer show, just about proving that Trainwreck was not a one-off, and she occasionally nails a scene or a speech with real impact and emotion, but there are many times that the delivery feels rather off-time or underpowered, suggesting that a tighter script (and less improvisation?) might be in order.  I Feel Pretty is therefore sometimes funny and sometimes thought-provoking, but it remains a strangely inconsistent viewing experience.

FILM: Sherlock Gnomes (dir: John Stevenson, 2018)

"Oh, fertiliser!"

The charming zaniness of Gnomeo & Juliet is all but lost in this oddly serious follow-up, which jettisons most of the wonderfully silly comedy and energy of the original in favour of a rather straight mystery adventure.  Whilst the makers are perhaps to be applauded for not simply repeating the first film, the surprising lack of humour in Sherlock Gnomes is noticeable.  It is animated well, and the voice cast is again solid, with James McAvoy and Emily Blunt again doing engaging work in the lead voice roles, but this is definitely a case where more Gnomes and less Sherlock would have been welcome.