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Certificate: 12A Running time: 142 minutes  Starring: Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, John Boyega, Oscar Issac Directed by: J.J Abrams. The story: The last of the resistance returns to face the First Order for one final time. Meanwhile, both Rey and Kylo Ren battle their inner demons in order to determine their true nature. The verdict: Much like the Star Wars universe itself, the Star Wars franchise has been infiltrated by the dark side. Toxic fans have bullied actors off of social media, attacked the directors, and generally made life hell for a lot of people. With that being said, my underlying feeling both before and after watching the film is that there are going to be many people who destroy this film. And that’s not because it deserves in any way to be destroyed, but just because the Star Wars franchise has become this franchise that many hold to an impossible ideal - it is never going to win and many are never going to let it. Therefore,...

Certificate: 15 Running time: 209 minutes  Starring: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin. Directed by: Martin Scorsese  The story: Frank Sheeran recalls his life working as a truck driver who became involved in organised crime and union politics.  The verdict: Martin Scorsese’s latest film had a very limited theatrical release, before being dropped on Netflix. It’s always a little bit disappointing when you’re not able to see a film at the cinema (and unfortunately there were no cinemas nearby that were showing The Irishman). However, due to the impressive three and a half hours running time, watching The Irishman on Netflix wasn’t too much of a hardship. At least you can pause it for bathroom breaks! The Irishman arrived on Netflix with high expectations from audiences. Reviews for the film have seen it lavished with praise, with it being called one of Scorsese’s best and being tipped for multiple Oscar nominatio...

Certificate: U Running time: 103 minutes  Starring: Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad. Directed by: Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck. The story: In the sequel to 2013’s Frozen, Frozen 2 sees sisters Elsa and Anna embark on a perilous journey to save their kingdom of Arendelle after a mysterious voice calls out to Elsa. They are joined on their quest by Kristoff, Sven and Olaf.  The verdict: Sequels are a big business in Hollywood and along with the expectation for these films to perform well financially, there are massive expectations from audiences for a sequel to live up to what they loved so much about the first film. Frozen was a monumental success for Disney, grossing over a billion dollars and capturing the hearts and imaginations of audiences, thus Frozen 2 arrived with big boots to fill. So the all important question is - is Frozen 2 as good as Frozen? The simple answer is no. However, do not despair. This isn’t the bad new...

Certificate: 15 Running time: 122 minutes  Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Robert De Niro, Frances Conroy Directed by: Todd Phillips The story: Loner and failed comedian Arthur Fleck becomes increasingly unstable after funding for his psychiatric support is stopped and slowly he begins a descent into madness, transforming himself into criminal mastermind The Joker. The verdict: I have tried to start this review several times in several different ways, but each time I have gotten stuck and deleted what I’ve written - Joker is a very difficult film to unpack and discuss. And that is not because it’s bad, but because it’s complicated. This film is very bleak and it won’t leave you feeling good. Technically, Joker is fantastic. The cinematography is excellent, the colour palette is perfect and the production design is spot on - altogether the setting of a restless Gotham City in 1981 is brought to life flawlessly. The performances are great and as expe...

Certificate: 12A Running time: 122 minutes  Starring: Brad Pitt, Liv Tyler, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga Directed by: James Gray The story: Ad Astra follows the journey of a man who must go to the farthest edges of the solar system, in a search for his missing father. The verdict: Writing a review for Ad Astra has proven to be a tricky task, and that isn’t because there isn’t anything to say about the film. Rather that Ad Astra presents a slight conundrum. It reminds me of an exhibition I once went to. In this exhibition, people sat in a dark room where strange images were projected onto the walls and eerie, echoing music played. It was beautiful and intriguing, but on the other hand I didn’t really understand what was going on and there were times when it made me want to fall asleep. This is kind of how I felt about Ad Astra. When the film ended, I felt a bit disappointed and hollow, and yet at the same time - I cannot stop thinking about this film. Vis...

Certificate: 15 Running time: 169 minutes  Starring: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Skarsgård, Finn Wolfhard, Jack Dylan Grazer Directed by: Andy Muschetti The story: Twenty seven years after battling the demonic clown Pennywise, a group of friends are forced to return to their childhood home town of Derry, Maine to confront him once again.  The verdict: It (2017) was the highest grossing horror film of all time, so of course there could be no doubt that a sequel would be imminent and that it would be highly anticipated. When a film has been massively successful, a sequel can be tricky to navigate and often sequels don’t live up to the original film. So the question is, is It Chapter Two as good as It? And my answer would have to be no it isn’t. Before we get into what makes It Chapter Two disappointing compared to its predecessor, let’s look at what was good. And in spite of its flaws, there was a lot that was good about this film. Firstly, the cast...

Certificate: 18 Running time: 161 minutes  Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch Directed by: Quentin Tarantino  The story:  In 1969, fading television star Rick Dalton and his stunt double Cliff Booth are attempting to revive their careers in a Hollywood they no longer recognise. Meanwhile next door neighbour Sharon Tate is enjoying everything Hollywood has to offer. The verdict: The latest, and if he is to be believed the penultimate, instalment from director Quentin Tarantino is proving to be a divisive film. Before I went to see it I saw it both lauded and ripped to shreds, suffice to say I wasn’t too sure what to expect when I settled in for the long running time. But the results surprised me. Firstly Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is beautiful. It’s well shot and crisp in its rich colour palette of a 1969 Los Angeles. You would certainly be hard pressed to find any flaws with the cinematography. The same can be said for ...

  This list is chosen from films released in the U.K. between the 1st of January 2018 and the 31st of December 2018, and is based on the initial viewing. Primarily this list is based on my overall enjoyment, engagement and feelings whilst watching the film. 10.) A Quiet Place Rarely has an audience sat so still whilst watching a film. But that was the effect of A Quiet Place, where it felt like everyone in the screening was holding their breath so as not to make a sound themselves. This horror film’s clever use of both sound and a lack of sound felt fresh and unique, but the strong family element meant that A Quiet Place also felt familiar and relatable. With a great cast and strong direction - A Quiet Place was definitely one of the best horror films of the year. 9.) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse I think that this superhero film took a lot of people by surprise and I was no different. With there already having been a number of Spider-Man films and an abundance of...