Cinema

Schlocky and silly but fun: Beast reviewed

27 August 2022 9:00 am

Beast is, the blurb tells us, a ‘pulse-pounding thriller about a father and his daughters who find themselves hunted by…

Absolutely nuts: My Old School reviewed

20 August 2022 9:00 am

My Old School is a documentary exploring a true story that would have to be true as it’s too preposterous…

If you’re going to make it up, please make it up better: Eiffel reviewed

13 August 2022 9:00 am

Eiffel is a romantic drama purporting to show how a passionate but forbidden love inspired Gustave Eiffel to design and…

Spare us the preaching: The Railway Children Return reviewed

30 July 2022 9:00 am

It doesn’t help the cause of The Railway Children Return that the original 1970 Railway Children film is currently on…

This lot should be sent to prison too: Where the Crawdads Sing reviewed

23 July 2022 9:00 am

Where the Crawdads Sing is based on the bestselling book (by Delia Owens) that I picked up from one of…

A goofy, non-taxing delight: Brian and Charles reviewed

9 July 2022 9:00 am

Brian and Charles is a sweetly funny mockumentary about a lonely Welsh inventor who is not that good at inventing.…

The definitive Diana doc? Possibly not: The Princess reviewed

2 July 2022 9:00 am

The Princess, a new documentary film, is the first re-framing of the Princess Diana story since it was last re-framed,…

The hips are electric but you will be willing it to stay put: Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis reviewed

25 June 2022 9:00 am

Elvis is Baz Luhrmann’s biopic of Elvis Presley and it’s cradle to grave but told at such a gallop you’ll…

It’s wholly impossible to look away: Good Luck to You, Leo Grande reviewed

18 June 2022 9:00 am

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande stars Emma Thompson as a retired, widowed religious education teacher in her sixties who…

It’s taken me days to uncringe: All My Friends Hate Me reviewed

11 June 2022 9:00 am

All My Friends Hate Me is a film about a university reunion weekend and should you have an upcoming university…

A self-regarding take on I’m-not-sure-what: Bergman Island reviewed

4 June 2022 9:00 am

Bergman Island sounds, on first acquaintance, like a theme-park attraction. Roll up, roll up! Let us speed you through the…

You certainly don’t watch Top Gun for the script

28 May 2022 9:00 am

Top Gun is back, nearly 40 years after the original, with reprised roles for Tom Cruise (59) and Val Kilmer…

Quietly devastating: Benediction reviewed

21 May 2022 9:00 am

Terence Davies’s Benediction is a biopic of the first world war poet Siegfried Sassoon told with great feeling and tenderness.…

Schlock: Everything Everywhere All At Once reviewed

14 May 2022 9:00 am

We’re doing multiverses now. Last weekend, a friend dragged me to see Marvel’s latest product, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse…

Should have been even longer with less gore: The Northman reviewed

7 May 2022 9:00 am

In Rus, which we now call Ukraine, Amleth (Alexander Skarsgard) begins his pursuit of revenge. A sea captain who later…

Fellowes fluffs it: Downton Abbey – A New Era reviewed

30 April 2022 9:00 am

Downton Abbey: A New Era is the second film spin-off from the TV series and, like the first, it doesn’t…

A hoot: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent reviewed

23 April 2022 9:00 am

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent stars Nicolas Cage playing a version of Nicolas Cage, in a parody of Nicolas…

Mostly gripping – and boasts not one but two Mr Darcys: Operation Mincemeat reviewed

16 April 2022 9:00 am

Operation Mincemeat is based on the book by Ben Macintyre, which in turn is based on what Sir Hugh Trevor-Roper…

Will put you in mind of Lost in Translation: Compartment No. 6 reviewed

9 April 2022 9:00 am

Compartment No. 6 is set aboard a long train journey across Russia, a country we don’t hear much of these…

You will feel nothing: The Worst Person in the World reviewed

26 March 2022 9:00 am

The Worst Person in the World is a Norwegian film that has made a big splash. To date, its star…

Fun, good-natured and schmaltzy: Phantom of the Open reviewed

19 March 2022 9:00 am

Phantom of the Open is a comedy-drama telling a true story that would have to be true as no one…

A compelling, if flawed, example of the new American noir: Red Rocket reviewed

12 March 2022 9:00 am

Mikey (Simon Rex) first appears striding down a road in utterly wrecked jeans and shirt. He is carrying nothing and…

Humourless and stale: The Batman reviewed

5 March 2022 9:00 am

The latest Batman film, The Batman, may be a reboot, or even a reboot of a rebooted reboot that’s been…

Perfection: The Duke reviewed

26 February 2022 9:00 am

The Duke is an old-fashioned British comedy caper that is plainly lovely and a joy. Based on a true story,…

May put you off Chaplin for ever: The Real Charlie Chaplin reviewed

19 February 2022 9:00 am

Charlie Chaplin is one of the most famous movie stars ever and is certainly the most famous movie star with…