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The Miracle Club Review

  The story: Three friends from a small town in Ireland get the chance to visit the pilgrimage site of Lourdes. The verdict:  The Miracle Club brings together an all star cast, fronted by powerhouse trio Maggie Smith, Kathy Bates and Laura Linney, in a 1967 period piece set in the heart of Ireland. Directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan, the film was a potential project for years before it finally came to light.  Set in a working class suburb, The Miracle Club sees lifelong friends Lily (Smith) and Eileen (Bates), along with younger friend Dolly (Agnes O’Casey) decide to enter a talent contest at the local church. First prize is tickets to the famous pilgrimage site of Lourdes, a place that each of them has longed to visit for different reasons. Dolly has a young son who has never spoken a word and is searching for a cure, Lily has never been able to move past the death of her son Declan who drowned many years ago and Eileen has found a lump in her breast.   The Miracle Club exists in a smal
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Oppenheimer Review

  Certificate: 15 Running time: 180 minutes  Starring: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Benny Safdie, Dane DeHaan Directed by: Christopher Nolan The story: Physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer is tasked with designing the ultimate weapon, but will this new weapon stop the war or bring about humankind’s demise? The verdict: It’s probably a reasonably safe bet to assume that any Christopher Nolan film is going to be big. Big star power, big visuals, big sound and big interest from cinema goers. Oppenheimer falls into all those categories and perhaps more. For many this will be the film that they declare as Nolan’s magnum opus and that’s not an outlandish statement by any means. As biopics go, this is a fascinating one and that’s before you have even applied any of Nolan’s mastery to the story. Cillian Murphy is a fantastic choice as the titular character. Oppenheimer shows the man himself as both a scientist and in his personal life
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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Review

  Certificate: 12A Running time: 154 minutes  Starring: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore Directed by: James Mangold The story: Indiana Jones is all set to retire quietly, when he is pulled back into a race against time to retrieve a legendary artefact that could alter the very course of history. The verdict: The Indiana Jones films definitely rank up there as amongst one of my favourite franchises of all time. The original trilogy were some of the films that ignited my passion for film in the first place, so suffice to say I had a vested interest in this final instalment. The opening sequence throws the audience straight into the action. This definitely sets the tone for the entire film as The Dial of Destiny is jam packed with action, which mostly consists of a myriad of different chases. From a car to a plane, from a tuk tuk to a horse - there is nary a form of transport that Indy won’t utilise.  The film introduces us
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Beau is Afraid Review

  Certificate: 15 Running time: 179 minutes  Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Amy Ryan, Parker Posey, Nathan Lane, Stephen McKinley Henderson Directed by: Ari Aster The story: A paranoid man tries desperately to get home to his mother, but events keep conspiring against him. The verdict: We all know that Ari Aster can do reasonably straightforward messed up (Hereditary, Midsommar) and now here he is proving that he can also do surrealist messed up. Anyway, deep breath and here we go… The first act of Beau is Afraid is probably one of the most scarily apt depictions of what it is like to live with anxiety that I have ever seen on film. At this point the film is a bit surreal and a bit weird but in a clever and intriguing way and I had high hopes. However as the film carries on, that measure of hope got smaller and smaller until it was all but gone. Now at this point I should probably point out three things. Firstly, I am an Ari Aster fan. I thought Hereditary and Midsommar we
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Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Review

  Certificate: 12A Running time: 127 minutes  Starring: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Dean Scott Vazquez, Peter Cullen, Ron Pearlman, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh Directed by: Steven Caple Jr. The story: A long lost and well protected artefact may hold the key to allowing the stranded Autobots to finally return home, but they’re not the only ones seeking it… The verdict: Rise of the Beasts marks the seventh instalment in the Transformers’ franchise and so it would be fair to say that at this point - you’re either a Transformers fan or you’re not. Whilst this instalment is definitely better than some of the previous films, if giant robot aliens aren’t your thing then they’re just not your thing. However if, like me, giant robot aliens are very much your thing then strap in because Rise of the Beasts is great!  As with Bumblebee (which coincidentally was also great) this film sees a different director take the reins from Michael Bay. Whilst Bay is still producing the Transform
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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Review

  Certificate: PG Running time: 140 minutes  Starring: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson, Oscar Issac, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Karan Soni Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson The story: Miles Morales returns for another adventure across the multiverse as a dangerous new villain emerges. The verdict: You would think that the better a film is then the more there would be to say about it, but the complete opposite can be true. Sometimes a film is so stunningly great that trying to put into words exactly what it is that made it so amazing is almost impossible. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is that film. This is a sequel that not only matches the original but tops it and does so with zest. As both animated and comic book films go, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse must surely be one of the greatest of all time. Firstly, the animation is incredible. The artistry of this film is absolutely top notch and it’s bright, bold and highly creativ
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Review

Certificate: 12A Running time: 150 minutes  Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff Directed by: James Gunn The story: The guardians must rally to defend the universe once more and this time one of their own is at stake, but could this be one mission too many? The verdict: To say I like the Guardians of the Galaxy would be akin to saying that Peter Quill kind of likes music. I love the Guardians of the Galaxy. I mean I really love them. These are characters that have captured my heart and my mind and I could go on adventures with them forever. So with that in mind, I went into this film with a heavy heart - I was not ready to say goodbye. Like the previous two instalments before it, Volume 3 is bright, bold and packed full of action. Of course it’s CGI-tastic but that’s the MCU - if you don’t know that by now then I’m afraid you’re in the wrong place. I loved all the visuals and it was great to return to Knowhere in particula
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Evil Dead Rise Review

  Certificate: 18 Running time: 96 minutes  Starring: Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, Nell Fisher Directed by: Lee Cronin The story: When a group of siblings discover a mysterious book, they have no idea of the hell that is about to be unleashed upon their unsuspecting family. The verdict: For the majority of my life I have avoided horror films like the plague. The few I had the misfortune of watching growing up, did their job aptly by horrifying me. So if anyone had told me that one day I’d count horror as one of my favourite genres, I’d have laughed (albeit nervously). I mention the above because when I first saw the trailer for Evil Dead Rise, I was transported back to my pre-horror self. The trailer was terrifying enough - this might be a step too far I thought. Who was I kidding though? Of course I found myself seated in a screening,  ready to watch through my fingers if I had to.  Evil Dead Rise opens with one of my favourite title reveals
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Rye Lane Review

  Certificate: 15 Running time: 82 minutes  Starring: David Jonsson, Vivian Oparah, Karene Peter, Benjamin Sarpong-Broni Directed by: Raine Allen-Miller The story: Two twenty- somethings, both getting over breakups in their own way, find a connection over one fateful day in South London. The verdict: Forget your multiverses and multiple timelines, set aside your blockbuster budgets and CGI - sometimes what an audience really needs is a simple story done really well. And Rye Lane is just that and a whole lot more.  Yas and Dom’s day begins with a meet-cute in some unisex toilets, of all places. Dom is crying and wants privacy, Yas points out that it isn’t the most private of places and just like that the audience is immediately on board with this likeable pair.  What follows is a day of getting to know each other as they navigate their newly broken hearts. With the crying and the pain of broken relationships, Rye Lane might sound like a melancholy affair but oh how it’s not. I grinn
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Winne the Pooh: Blood and Honey Review

  Certificate: 18 Running time: 84 minutes  Starring: Nikolai Leon, Maria Taylor, Craig David Dowsett, Chris Cordell  Directed by: Rhys Frake-Waterfield The story: Pooh and Piglet seek revenge after their friend Christopher Robin abandons then to go to college. The verdict: Filmmaking is no easy business. You need lots of funds and lots of sandwiches, and all manner of other things. With that thought in mind, and knowing the independent roots of this project, I tried very hard throughout this to look for the positives. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey opens with an animated sequence which is actually really well done. A narrator sets the scene and everything has a very storybook like feel. We then switch to live action as we meet Christopher Robin returning to the One Hundred Acre Woods with his wife. There is an underlying feeling of foreboding and the audience eagerly awaits the moment Christopher Robin will be reunited with his childhood friends - so far, so good.  At this poin
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