Bugonia
2025
***½
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, Alicia Silverstone, J. Carmen Galindez Barrera
Teddy is a young troubled man obsessed with conspiracy theories. Assisted by his cousin Don, he kidnaps a powerful pharmaceutical CEO, convinced that she is secretly an Andromedan alien intent on destroying Earth. Yorgos Lanthimos' dark comedy is a remake of the 2003 South Korean science-fiction comedy Save the Green Planet!. It examines corporate power and conspiracy culture, but ultimately unfolds as a rather underwhelming shaggy-dog story, leaving me unsure what to think about people like Teddy. The film is visually striking and consistently intriguing, though never particularly fun to watch. Easier to admire than to enjoy, perhaps. As is often the case with Lanthimos' work, the performances are excellent. The soundtrack by Jerskin Fendrix is powerful but used in a weird fashion.
Hedda
2025
***
Director: Nia DaCosta
Cast: Tessa Thompson, Imogen Poots, Tom Bateman, Nicholas Pinnock, Nina Hoss, Finbar Lynch, Mirren Mack, Jamael Westman, Saffron Hocking, Kathryn Hunter
Hedda feels trapped in her privileged but suffocating life as the wife of a debt-ridden academic. She hosts a lavish party where long-repressed desires and resentments come to the surface. Nia DaCosta's adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's 1891 play Hedda Gabler is set in 1950s England, but its views on racial diversity and sexual identity feel distinctly contemporary. This stagy but good-looking drama is well-acted and nicely directed. However, as Hedda sabotages her former lover and seemingly everyone around her, her motives are not always easy to understand or accept.
The Wrecking Crew
2026
*
Director: Ángel Manuel Soto
Cast: Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Claes Bang, Temuera Morrison, Jacob Batalon, Frankie Adams, Miyavi, Stephen Root, Morena Baccarin, Lydia Peckham, Roimata Fox
Jonny is a reckless detective and James a disciplined US Navy SEAL. These estranged step-brothers must put aside their differences to investigate their father's suspicious death in a hit-and-run in Hawaii. This dismal buddy-cop action movie cannot offer one shred of originality. The step brothers, played by the bulky Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista, are clichéd chalk and cheese. Their investigation uncovers a predictable web of corruption, and it's obvious who is involved. The villain, who immediately throws his own wife off a building, has one characteristic: he's evil. This is the type of movie where a person can drop everything and fly halfway across the world to deliver a flash drive, where the heroes can celebrate escaping a freeway shoot-out despite killing dozens of innocent commuters in the process, and where it's perfectly fine to enter someone's home and kill about thirty men without any repercussions.
Echo Valley
2025
**
Director: Michael Pearce
Cast: Julianne Moore, Sydney Sweeney, Domhnall Gleeson, Kyle MacLachlan, Fiona Shaw, Edmund Donovan, Albert Jones, Rebecca Creskoff, Audrey Grace Marshall, Luciana VanDette
Kate has enough on her plate trying to keep her horse farm running while getting over her partner’s death, but her drug-addicted adult daughter, Claire, brings nothing but trouble. This lame thriller starts like an abrasive version of Beautiful Boy, and its second half feels like a throwback to a cheesy home invasion movie from 20-30 years ago. Brad Ingelsby's screenplay examines how far a parent will go to help and protect her child, but these lofty ideals are undermined by a poorly developed mother-daughter relationship. Kate remains an enigma, while Claire, who is barely in the picture, has no redeeming features. When a dead body enters the story, Ingelsby, who wrote the gritty and believable HBO shows Mare of Easttown and Task, abandons all credibility. Julianne Moore gives a reliably strong performance.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2026
****
Director: Nia DaCosta
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman, Chi Lewis-Parry, Emma Laird, Maura Bird, Robert Rhodes, Sam Locke, Ghazi Al Ruffai, Connor Newall, Cillian Murphy
Following 28 Years Later, Spike reluctantly joins a violent gang led by the charismatic and terrifying Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal. They come in contact with Dr. Kelson, who makes a discovery that could reshape the future. Most fans would probably be satisfied if this franchise continued to stage exciting fights between the infected and the survivors, but screenwriter Alex Garland seems less and less interested in that. This captivating and entertaining sequel examines humanity at its worst and its best. On one side, we have a power-drunk cult leader who murders innocent people for alleged righteousness. On the other, we have an analytical man who hasn't even given up on the infected. It’s a God — or rather, Satan — versus science scenario, so to speak. Jack O’Connell and Ralph Fiennes play these two extremes. Fiennes, in particular, is wonderful, and towards the end he delivers a truly unforgettable musical set piece. Nia DaCosta stamps her own style on the visuals and Hildur Guðnadóttir's powerful soundtrack is a clear improvement on the previous film.
Marty Supreme
2025
*****
Director: Josh Safdie
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Kevin O’Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara, Fran Drescher, Sandra Bernhard, Emory Cohen, Fred Hechinger, Luke Manley, Koto Kawaguchi, George Gervin
In the 1950s, the young and driven Marty Mauser is determined to become world champion in table tennis. If only he weren't his own worst enemy. Like Good Time and Uncut Gems, the two best-known works by the Safdie brothers, Josh Safdie's terrific first solo feature is fuelled by frenetic energy and displays unexpected sympathy to its deeply flawed protagonist. As Marty juggles his love life and hustles to make his dream happen, he must confront the costs of his obsessive ambition. The resulting film is funny, moving, and refreshingly unpredictable. Timothée Chalamet commands every scene in the lead role, and the mostly inexperienced cast gives him excellent support. The film is loosely inspired by the life of Marty Reisman and his memoir The Money Player: The Confessions of America’s Greatest Table Tennis Champion and Hustler.
Presence
2024
***
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Eddy Maday, West Mulholland, Julia Fox, Natalie Woolams-Torres, Lucas Papaelias
A family of four move into a large new house, where a mysterious spirit observes the family's attempts to cope with grief, family disputes, and the presence itself. Steven Soderbergh's short and disposable thriller doesn't outstay its welcome, but the underwhelming screenplay by David Koepp doesn't lead to anything particularly interesting. Soderbergh has shot the entire film from the ghost's point of view, as the camera glides from floor to floor and room to room like a voyeur, and never cuts to a close-up. This technique creates an unsettling atmosphere, although it results is some mighty murky footage.
The Outrun
2024
***½
Director: Nora Fingscheidt
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Paapa Essiedu, Nabil Elouahabi, Izuka Hoyle, Lauren Lyle, Saskia Reeves, Stephen Dillane, Naomi Wirthner, Danyal Ismail, Eilidh Fisher, Seamus Dillane, Posy Sterling
After leaving rehab for alcoholism in London, Rona returns home to the Orkney Islands in Scotland, where she hopes to reconcile with her past and rebuild her life one day at a time. Nora Fingscheidt's captivating drama, adapted from Amy Liptrot 2016 memoir, is a moving portrayal of recovery and the transformative power of nature. Like some other recent films, We Live in Time and Strange Darling come to mind, the non-linear story jumps between past and present, a choice that often proves more confusing and alienating than dynamic. The final third, which focuses on Rona's healing solitude on the island of Papa Westray is the strongest part of the film. The rugged landscape plays a key role, and Saoirse Ronan gives a predictably powerful lead performance.
La Vénus à la fourrure (Venus in Fur)
2013
*½
Director: Roman Polanski
Cast: Emmanuelle Seigner, Mathieu Amalric
A theatre director is casting for his adaptation of Venus in Furs. A mysterious woman arrives unannounced and turns the private audition into an intense psychological game. Roman Polanski's stagy drama is adapted from the 2010 play by David Ives, itself based on Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's 1870 novella. The film starts intriguingly, with Emmanuelle Seigner in lively form, but the line between actor and character quickly begin to blur, and the two performers simply reenact the stage play for the remaining hour. Their dialogue-driven duel bored the hell out of me.
Petite Maman
2021
***
Director: Céline Sciamma
Cast: Joséphine Sanz, Gabrielle Sanz, Nina Meurisse, Stéphane Varupenne
After her grandmother dies, eight-year-old Nelly explores her mother’s childhood home. She meets Marion, a girl her own age, in the nearby woods and realises that she is her mother as a child. Céline Sciamma's follow-up to Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a short, minimalist, and ultimately underwhelming fantasy drama that deals with grief, memories, and the fragile bonds between generations. Sciamma creates a pleasant autumnal atmosphere, but the central performances by twins Joséphine and Gabrielle Sanz are so expressionless that they would be right at home in an Aki Kaurismäki film.
Frankenstein
2025
***
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, Charles Dance, David Bradley, Christian Convery, Lauren Collins
The brilliant but egotistical surgeon Victor Frankenstein is obsessed with reversing death. When he finally seizes the chance to assemble a man out of body parts and bring it to life, the result falls short of his expectations. Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus has been adapted to the screen countless times, sometimes successfully (1931) and sometimes less so (1994). Guillermo del Toro, who has often displayed sympathy for monsters in his past work, treats his dream project similarly: he gives the creation superpowers and invulnerability, and rather unsubtly reminds us that the true monster in this scenario is the creator. Apart from some obvious CGI work, the film looks and sounds magnificent, but del Toro is not able to breathe new life into a familiar tale. The use of the North Pole as a framing device makes the story feel overly long and occasionally baffling. While Jacob Elordi gives a delicate yet powerful performance as the creation, Mia Goth is unable to generate the intrigue or sex appeal required for her underwritten role.
Elevation
2024
*½
Director: George Nolfi
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Morena Baccarin, Maddie Hasson, Danny Boyd Jr., Shauna Earp, Tyler Grey, Rachel Nicks
Three years ago, 95% of the world population were wiped out by armoured creatures known as Reapers, who cannot venture above 8,000 feet. Now three survivors must descend to Boulder, Colorado to obtain crucial supplies. George Nolfi's derivative post-apocalyptic thriller would not exist without A Quiet Place. The film is thankfully short, but not dumb fun enough to compensate for the clichéd characters, flimsy worldbuilding, and predictable monster-movie tropes. There is a literal line on the ground marking the safety zone; the Reapers can stand directly behind it but cannot cross it. The ending somehow manages to explain this silly plot point.
Goodbye June
2025
**½
Director: Kate Winslet
Cast: Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet, Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, Timothy Spall, Stephen Merchant, Fisayo Akinade, Jeremy Swift, Raza Jaffrey
When June's terminal cancer reaches its final stage just before Christmas, her husband, four adult children, and numerous grandchildren gather around her hospital bed. The impending loss leads to moments of tenderness, grief, and reconciliation. Kate Winslet's directorial debut is a drama that explores the messy reality of family life, but its screenplay, written by Winslet's son Joe Anders at the age of 19, is unfortunately steeped in clichés and sentimentality. That said, the impressive cast deliver strong performances.
Late Night with the Devil
2023
***
Director: Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes
Cast: David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, Georgina Haig, Josh Quong Tart, Nicole Chapman, Steve Mouzakis, Paula Arundell, Christopher Kirby, John O’May, Michael Ironside
In 1977, the Halloween night episode of the late-night talk show Night Owls with Jack Delroy features a self-proclaimed psychic and a possessed teenager. The live broadcast gradually descends into unsettling chaos. Like Woman of the Hour, the third feature by Colin and Cameron Cairnes recreates the look and feel of 1970s television to tell a fictional supernatural horror story. The events on the show are presented as found footage, intercut with scenes occurring during the commercial breaks. Although this all sounds like the basis for a fascinating and original film, the end result is oddly lifeless and surprisingly unengaging.
Fly Me to the Moon
2024
***
Director: Greg Berlanti
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Jim Rash, Anna Garcia, Donald Elise Watkins, Noah Robbins, Colin Woodell, Christian Zuber, Nick Dillenburg, Ray Romano, Woody Harrelson
As NASA prepares for the Apollo 11 mission, the White House recruits a marketing specialist to sell the space programme to the American public. Along the way, she develops a romantic connection with the gruff launch director. This watchable but formulaic romantic comedy tells a fictional story set against a real-life backdrop. That premise alone might have made a stronger film, but the second act introduces a subplot about a staged moon landing in case the real mission fails, stretching the runtime by at least 30 minutes. While Scarlett Johansson gives a bubbly performance, Channing Tatum's lifeless character keeps him from shining.
No Other Choice
2025
****½
Director: Park Chan-wook
Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, Cha Seung-won, Yoo Yeon-seok, Kim Woo-seung, Choi So-yul
A paper industry specialist is laid off after decades of service and cannot secure a comparable job. Desperate to maintain his family's standard of living, he devises a plan to eliminate his competition for coveted positions. Park Chan-wook's darkly black comedy examines contemporary capitalism and explores how work shapes a person's sense of purpose and self-worth. The film takes a while to get going, but it has plenty of surprises in store, and Park delivers some supremely entertaining moments. Whether the ending is happy or not is a valid question. Lee Byung-hun gives a terrific lead performance. Based on Donald E. Westlake's 1997 novel The Ax, which was previously filmed in 2005 by Costa-Gavras.
Ballerina
2025
*½
Director: Len Wiseman
Cast: Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, Keanu Reeves, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Choi Soo-young, David Castaneda
Eve Macarro, a young woman trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma assassin network, seeks vengeance for her father’s murder, which means turning against the organisation that controls her. This female-led action movie is part of the John Wick universe, taking place between the events of Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, and treads the same story ground as its predecessors. I have always found the franchise bafflingly overrated, and this is another boring and mechanical outing that offers little beyond action set pieces. Whether confrontations begin with guns, knives, or other makeshift weapons, they always seems to resolve in hand-to-hand combat. Eve’s hand-grenade fight is the sole moment that felt fresh.
The Toxic Avenger
2023
*½
Director: Macon Blair
Cast: Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay, Taylour Paige, Julia Davis, Jonny Coyne, Elijah Wood, Kevin Bacon, Sarah Niles, Luisa Guerreiro, Jane Levy, David Yow, Shaun Dooley, Annette Badland, Rebecca O’Mara, Macon Blair
Winston Gooze, a cowardly single dad and janitor for a chemical corporation, falls into a pit of hazardous waste that transforms him into a grotesque superpowered mutant known as the Toxic Avenger. Macon Blair's remake of the 1984 cult classic delivers the expected dark comedy, superhero tropes, and over-the-top gore as Toxie confronts a corrupt businessman and violent thugs with his glowing mop. However, the relentless gore lacks invention, and the laughs are few and far between. The movie also looks awful.
Stormskärs Maja (Stormskerry Maja)
2024
****½
Director: Tiina Lymi
Cast: Amanda Jansson, Linus Troedsson, Desmond Eastwood, Tobias Zilliacus, Jonna Järnefelt, Amanda Kilpeläinen Arvidsson, Tony Doyle, Carl-Kristian Rundman, Ylva Hagmark-Cooper, Birthe Wingren, Jonah Perjus, Louis Nederberg, Christian Fandango, Pablo Ounaskari
In the mid-19th century, Maja is married off to fisherman Janne, and the two make a home on the remote and unforgiving island of Stormskärs in the Åland archipelago. There, she raises a family through relentless hardship, facing both the dangers of the sea and the Åland War. Tiina Lymi's sweeping romantic drama is based on the five-volume book series (1968-1973) by Anni Blomqvist, previously adapted for television in 1975. This is a long but captivating story of love and loss, and of strength and resilience. Amanda Jansson and Linus Troedsson give strong lead performances, and the film looks and sounds terrific.
Kneecap
2024
****
Director: Rich Peppiatt
Cast: Naoise Ó Cairealláin, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, JJ Ó Dochartaigh, Josie Walker, Fionnuala Flaherty, Jessica Reynolds, Adam Best, Simone Kirby, Michael Fassbender
This fictionalised musical biopic tells the story of Kneecap, a hip-hop trio from Belfast. The group shares a passion for rebellion, cultural pride, the Irish language, and their experiences growing up in Northern Ireland. Rich Peppiatt's feature debut blends humour and authenticity in telling the band's story, which intertwines music, identity, and community. In the first half, Trainspotting vibes are quite obvious. In the second half, the film becomes less anarchic and more mature. The three band members give impressive performances.
Before I Wake
2016
**½
Director: Mike Flanagan
Cast: Kate Bosworth, Thomas Jane, Jacob Tremblay, Annabeth Gish, Dash Mihok, Topher Bousquet, Jay Karnes, Lance E. Nichols, Kyla Deaver, Scottie Thompson, Hunter Wenzel, Antonio Evan Romero
A grieving couple adopt a young boy whose dreams and nightmares appear to manifest physically as he sleeps. These occurrences are wondrous at first but grow increasingly frightening. Dreams and reality collide in Mike Flanagan's supernatural horror-fantasy. The film follows in the footsteps of A Nightmare On Elm Street and The Babadook, but it isn't quite original or frightening enough to sustain tension, even over its short running time.
The Gentlemen
2019
**
Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant, Eddie Marsan, Charlie Rowe, Tom Wu, Frazer Dale, Rosalind Eleazar
Mickey Pearson, an American gangster who has built a lucrative marijuana empire in England, seeks to sell his business and retire. However, schemes and betrayals by rival gangsters, blackmailers, and opportunists threaten to derail his exit strategy. Guy Ritchie returns to the world of cockney geezer movies first seen in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch that helped make his name some 20 years ago. The film boasts a strong cast, a story packed with twists, and it's all competently directed, but I must say I couldn't care less about anyone or anything happening on the screen.
Affeksjonsverdi (Sentimental Value)
2025
****½
Director: Joachim Trier
Cast: Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Elle Fanning, Anders Danielsen Lie, Jesper Christensen, Lena Endre, Cory Michael Smith, Catherine Cohen, Andreas Stoltenberg Granerud
After the death of their mother, Nora and Agnes confront their estranged father Gustav, a once-prominent film director who wants to shoot his comeback film, inspired by his mother’s tragic life, in the family's home, with Nora in the lead. Joachim Trier's follow-up to The Worst Person in the World is another wonderful contemporary drama, this time about family, artistic expression, and shared trauma. The performances are terrific all around, and the house plays a moving role in the story as well.
Kuolleet lehdet (Fallen Leaves)
2023
***½
Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Cast: Alma Pöysti, Jussi Vatanen, Janne Hyytiäinen, Nuppu Koivu, Sherwan Haji, Martti Suosalo, Matti Onnismaa, Sakari Kuosmanen, Maria Heiskanen, Alina Tomnikov
In modern-day Helsinki, two lonely individuals meet by chance and attempt to pursue a relationship despite obstacles like lost contact details and his alcoholism. After forgettable works like Lights in the Dusk and The Other Side of Hope, Aki Kaurismäki returns to form with this sympathetic romantic comedy-drama. It features the director’s signature deadpan humour and minimalistic dialogue, though I feel like I've seen these characters and scenes far too many times before.
F1
2025
***
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Cast: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Javier Bardem, Kim Bodnia, Sarah Niles, Will Merrick, Joseph Balderrama
After a 30-year break, veteran racing driver Sonny Hayes returns to Formula One to help a friend who runs a struggling APXGP F1 team. To save APXGP, Sonny and his talented but inexperienced teammate must win one of the nine remaining races. This sports action drama was granted unprecedented access by the FIA and the world of Formula One, and yet the end result is a ridiculous and often frustrating mix of fantasy and clichés. Let's just ignore the fact that a 60-year-old guy would race in the most demanding motorsporting competition, Sonny's shenanigans on the track would see him banned after the first race. His thirst for wins rather than points makes F1 look like a demolition derby. On the other hand, Kerry Condon, who plays the first female technical director on the circuit, is reduced to a pointless love interest. Like he did with Top Gun: Maverick, Joseph Kosinki puts the camera right in the cockpit to capture some thrilling racing footage. These are by far the best parts of the film.
Paddington in Peru
2024
**½
Director: Dougal Wilson
Cast: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Carla Tous, Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, Hugh Grant (cameo), Dario Marianelli
Paddington Bear and the Brown family travel to Peru to visit Aunt Lucy, only to discover that she has disappeared in the jungle. As they search for her, they learn about the lost city of El Dorado. Paddington and Paddington 2 were thoroughly charming and funny family films. The second sequel does not feature London, Paul King behind the camera, or Sally Hawkins in front of it, and the drop in quality is massive. The characters remain likeable, but the film around them delivers 100-odd minutes of buffoonery in the jungle, and I don't recall really laughing once.
The Age of Adaline
2015
***
Director: Lee Toland Krieger
Cast: Blake Lively, Harrison Ford, Michiel Huisman, Ellen Burstyn, Kathy Baker, Amanda Crew, Lynda Boyd, Hugh Ross, Richard Harmon, Fulvio Cecere
In 1937, a freak near-fatal accident halts Adaline Bowman's ageing at the age of 29. In the years that follow, she repeatedly moves and changes her identity to remain undetected. But what will she do when she falls in love? With a story that spans decades and is softly narrated by Hugh Ross, Lee Toland Krieger's film feels like an adaptation of a novel, but is in fact based on an original screenplay by J. Mills Goodloe and Salvador Paskowitz. This is a rather enjoyable romantic fantasy with a strong lead performance by Blake Lively. However, her love interest Ellis is a walking, talking romance-novel cliché, a millionaire philanthropist so persistent yet charming that his behaviour borders on stalking. How will the mismatched couple end up together? The dreadful ending conveniently ensures that they do not have to confront any difficult questions. In the end, I was also left wondering how the man from her past knows her as Adaline Bowman.
T2 Trainspotting
2017
***
Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle, Kelly Macdonald, Shirley Henderson, James Cosmo, Anjela Nedyalkova, Aiden Haggerty, John Bell, Logan Gillies, James McElvar, Connor McIndoe, Hamish Haggerty, Ben Skelton
Twenty years after he betrayed his friends and stole their drug money, Mark Renton returns to Edinburgh and discovers that not much has changed. He reconnects with his old mates, the troubled Spud and the scheming Sick Boy, and attempts to steer clear of the violent and volatile Begbie. Trainspotting was a seminal 1990s film, memorable for its highly original and influential vibe, visual style, and soundtrack. This belated sequel features the same director, writer, and producer, but it turns out to be a disappointing nostalgia trip with constant callbacks to the characters, dialogue, events, locations, or tunes of the original. You'd imagine that these guys would have changed in 20 years, but this story could take place one year later. Based on Irvine Welsh’s original 1993 novel and its 2002 follow-up Porno.
Bones and All
2022
***½
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Cast: Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Mark Rylance, André Holland, Michael Stuhlbarg, Chloë Sevigny, David Gordon Green, Jessica Harper, Jake Horowitz, Kendle Coffey
In the late 1980s, Maren, a teenager with uncontrollable cannibalistic urges, sets off on a road trip in search of her mother. Along the way she bonds with Lee, an eater like her, and the two must navigate their love and disturbing appetites. Luca Guadagnino's unusual but compelling romantic horror film uses cannibalism as a metaphor for loneliness, acceptance, queerness, or HIV. While Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet give strong lead performances, it's not easy to feel sorry for them, as they are ultimately two serial killers on the run, not unlike the lovers in Natural Born Killers and Badlands. Mark Rylance's character is one of the most bizarre in recent memory. Based on the 2015 novel by Camille DeAngelis.
Wake Up Dead Man
2025
***½
Director: Rian Johnson
Cast: Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, Thomas Haden Church, Jeffrey Wright, Annie Hamilton, Noah Segan
Benoit Blanc travels to the small town of Chimney Rock to investigate the murder of Monsignor Wicks, who had alienated all but his most loyal followers with his incendiary sermons. Blanc teams up with a young priest, whom everyone else considers as the main suspect. Following Knives Out and Glass Onion, the third Benoit Blanc mystery deals with faith, corruption, and hidden treasures, and its abrasive murder victim bears an uncanny resemblance to the current US President. The first 30 minutes are hilarious, but the comedy soon gives way to drama and suspense. All in all, I found the film to be too long, though no better or worse than the previous two.
Wakefield
2016
**
Director: Robin Swicord
Cast: Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Garner, Beverly D’Angelo, Jason O’Mara, Ian Anthony Dale, Alexander Zale, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Isaac Leyva, Ellery Sprayberry, Victoria Bruno
One day, Howard Wakefield, a successful lawyer and family man, experiences an existential crisis and retreats into the attic of his own garage, secretly observing his wife and daughters. This wacky and intriguing, but highly implausible, premise cannot sustain a full-length feature. Bryan Cranston is left carrying the film on his shoulders, but the problem is his character is thoroughly unpleasant. Robin Swicord's screenplay is based on E. L. Doctorow's 2008 short story, which draws inspiration from an 1835 Nathaniel Hawthorne tale.
A House of Dynamite
2025
**
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Cast: Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Moses Ingram, Jonah Hauer-King, Greta Lee, Jason Clarke
As a radar detects an intercontinental nuclear missile headed for Chicago, the US government, military, and intelligence officials scramble to determine who launched it and how best to respond. The President realises that he must act swiftly, although he doesn't have all the answers. Kathryn Bigelow's thought-provoking political thriller unfolds from three viewpoints: White House Situation Room staff, military command, and the President. This approach sounds ambitious and intriguing. However, instead of intercutting between these viewpoints, they are presented one after the other, and as a result the imminent nuclear threat loses tension with each retelling of the same events. Bigelow has assembled an impressive ensemble cast, yet their performances offer little more than functional line delivery and last only seconds or a few minutes. The ambiguous ending is a final bitter pill to swallow.
Good Time
2017
****
Director: Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Benny Safdie, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Buddy Duress, Taliah Webster, Barkhad Abdi, Necro, Peter Verby, Tammy Blanchard
A small-time criminal, Connie, and his intellectually disabled brother, Nick, botch a bank robbery, leading to Nick's capture. Over the course of one chaotic night, Connie manipulates and exploits everyone he encounters in a desperate attempt to free his brother. The breakthrough film from the Safdie brothers is an unpredictable crime thriller full of relentless energy, fuelled by restless camerawork, tight close-ups, and the pulsating soundtrack by Oneohtrix Point Never. Robert Pattinson gives one of his career-best perfomances.
Jay Kelly
2025
***
Director: Noah Baumbach
Cast: George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Grace Edwards, Stacy Keach, Jim Broadbent, Patrick Wilson, Eve Hewson, Greta Gerwig, Alba Rohrwacher
Jay Kelly, an aging movie star, and his trusted manager Ron embark on a journey through Europe to Tuscany, where he is set to receive a career-tribute award. Jay is estranged from his two daughters, and the trip forces him to reassess the cost of success. Noah Baumbach's drama comedy is like 8½-lite - an unoriginal and somewhat self-indulgent portrayal of a movie star who takes a walk down memory lane lined with regrets. George Clooney gives a convincing performance as a character who could easily be George Clooney. The film around him needs to be shorter, less meandering, and considerably funnier.
The Lost Bus
2025
***½
Director: Paul Greengrass
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, America Ferrera, Yul Vazquez, Ashlie Atkinson, Danny Ramirez, Bryce Gheisar, Omar Leyva, Brittany Bryant, Paul Ben-Victor, Kayli Carter
Kevin, a troubled and inexperienced school bus driver, must put his personal issues aside and transport a teacher and 22 children to safety as a fast-moving wildfire cuts off escape routes and throws the small town of Paradise into chaos. With works like Bloody Sunday, United 93, and Captain Phillips, Paul Greengrass has proved himself to be a master of fact-based docudramas. This true story about courage in the face of overwhelming circumstances takes place during the 2018 Camp Fire, which became the deadliest fire in California history. Once the action begins, this is a gripping human drama with very impressive special effects. Before that, however, we must sit through some facepalm-worthy personal issues/disaster movie tropes (Kevin is desperate to deliver medicine to his ill 15-year-old son, who can't keep anything down anyway). Based on the non-fiction book Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire by Lizzie Johnson.
