Cinema
Someone stop Kenneth Branagh: A Haunting in Venice reviewed
A Haunting in Venice is Kenneth Branagh’s third Poirot film (after Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the…
The best drama without any drama that you’ll see: Past Lives reviewed
Past Lives is an exquisite film made with great precision and care about what could have been, even if what…
Depardieu’s Maigret is the best yet: Maigret reviewed
Georges Simenon’s lugubrious detective Maigret has appeared in umpteen screen adaptations and dozens of actors have played him. Now it’s…
Colourful, tender and sweet, grounded in magical rather than social realism: Scrapper reviewed
Scrapper is a film about a working-class kid who, after her mother dies, has to look after herself. I know…
You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how unpleasant this is: Strays reviewed
Based on the poster showing two cute dogs – a border terrier and a Boston terrier – I had assumed…
As art it was terrible but the pre- and early-teen audience loved it: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem reviewed
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) began as a joke in 1984, a parody of the superhero culture of the time.…
Dense and spectacular – and not pink: Oppenheimer reviewed
Oppenheimer is Christopher Nolan’s biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the brilliant quantum physicist and ‘father of the atomic bomb’ who…
Should be called Ken: Barbie reviewed
Finally, the Barbie film is here, for which we must be thankful, as the tsunami of pre-publicity meant you probably…
A stunning work of art: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One reviewed
Blockbuster action movies are designed to stun the audience into submissive acceptance. Complexity, humanity, emotion and beauty are reduced to…
Gripping: Name Me Lawand reviewed
You’d have to have a heart of stone to not be moved by Name Me Lawand. It’s a documentary about…
Did ChatGPT write this? Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny reviewed
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the fifth and final film in the franchise so it’s Harrison Ford’s…
Wikipedia does more justice to this fascinating story than this film: Chevalier reviewed
Chevalier is a biopic of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, whom you’ve probably never heard of, as I hadn’t. He…
I may never recover: Sisu reviewed
When I went into the Sisu screening I knew only that it was a Finnish film, so was expecting an…
Warm, charming and tender: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret reviewed
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is an adaptation of Judy Blume’s seminal young adult novel (1970) about an…
Deeply moving but bleak: Plan 75 reviewed
Plan 75 is a dystopian Japanese drama about a government-sponsored euthanasia programme introduced to address Japan’s ageing society. Aged 75…
I cried twice: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry reviewed
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is an excellent adaptation of Rachel Joyce’s bestselling novel (2012) about a retired old…
So tastelessly disturbing it forgets to say anything: Sick of Myself reviewed
Sick of Myself is a satire from Norway that skewers the ‘look at me, look at me’ generation addicted to…
Reframes Patricia Highsmith as a gay icon – and ignores her anti-Semitism: Loving Highsmith reviewed
I first discovered writer Patricia Highsmith (Strangers on a Train, Carol, the five Ripley novels) as a young teenager working…
From the sublime to the ridiculous: Godland reviewed
Godland is a film to see on the big screen: not just for its awesome, immersive cinematography, but because it…
Emma Watson’s performance is extraordinary: God’s Creatures reviewed
There are some films that you know will be quality simply by the actors who have agreed to be in…
I never knew a game of dominoes could be so menacing: The Beasts reviewed
The Beasts is a rural psychological thriller from Spain that has won many awards across Europe and even though we…
Made me laugh for all the wrong reasons: Allelujah reviewed
Allelujah, based on the stage play by Alan Bennett, is set in a geriatric ward in a Yorkshire hospital and…
