END SEAT

Running time: 83 minutes Starring: Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello Directed by: Grant Singer The story: A documentary film which follows singer Shawn Mendes as he goes on tour and charts how his success began. The verdict: Justin Bieber has his 'Beliebers' and Taylor Swift has her 'Swifties,'  however I had to google what the fans of Shawn Mendes are called - apparently they are known as 'The Mendes Army.' Anyway, whilst I have hummed along to a Shawn Mendes song or two if it has come on to the radio, I definitely have not earned the stripes to name myself as part of The Mendes Army. Thus, when I watched this documentary film, it was very much as someone neutral rather than as a fan - which I believe is an important distinction. Shawn Mendes: In Wonder is an intimately filmed portrait of the singer, and uses both everyday footage of Mendes doing things such as seeing his family and writing in the studio along with concert and performance footage. It was interesting...

Certificate: PG Running time: 122 minutes Starring: Forest Whitaker, Madalen Mills, Keegan Michael-Key, Hugh Bonneville, Anika Noni Rose Directed by: David E. Talbert The story: Years after his apprentice betrays him, a toymaker's life is turned around when his young granddaughter appears on his doorstep. The verdict:  I love films and I love Christmas, so it can only follow on that I am extremely predisposed to enjoying Christmas themed films - I even enjoy the cheesy, always utterly predictable television Christmas films that are on at two o'clock in the afternoon and always have the exact same ending. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey has been compared to The Greatest Showman and that is a fair comparison. The musical numbers immediately give the film a theatrical feel, a feeling which is enhanced by the sets, costumes and production design. Director David Talbert originally conceived the film as a stage production and that certainly shines through in every frame. The fil...

  Certificate: 15 Running time: 83 minutes Starring: David Stern, David Falk, Sonny Vaccaro, Rick Telander, Jemele Hill Directed by: Yemi Bamiro The story: One Man and His Shoes tells the story of the inception and phenomenal rise of the Air Jordan sneakers and how unusual marketing strategies managed to create this multi billion dollar business. The verdict: This is a very accessible documentary which will appeal to a wide audience. You do not need to be an Air Jordan or Michael Jordan fan to engage with this film as it addresses and explores a number of other interesting issues, such as how big companies market their products. The relatively swift running time of the documentary means that it never has time to stagnate and I was surprised when I realised that the film only had a few minutes of its running time left. I really enjoyed seeing the behind the scenes glimpses at a product that seems so simple but has had such an impact. That all being said - in a lot of ways this film ...

  Certificate: 15 Running time: 101 minutes Starring: Cosmo Jarvis, Barry Keoghan, Niamh Algar, Ned Dennehy, Anthony Welsh Directed by: Nick Rowland The story: Douglas 'Arm' Armstrong works for the feared Devers clan as an enforcer. Often caught up in violence, Douglas struggles to be a good father to his young son. Stuck between two families, Douglas finds himself tested to the extreme when he is asked to kill for the first time.  The verdict: This is the debut feature from Nick Rowland and what a debut it is. Set in rural Ireland, Calm With Horses is visually striking and beautifully shot with the wild and sparse location almost a character within itself. The story is told very visually as well with hues of colour expressing either violence or redemption, which are the two key elements of what this film is all about.  The performances are incredibly engaging in this film and Cosmo Jarvis' central performance is particularly noteworthy. His character is a man of few word...

  Certificate: 15 Running time: 93 minutes Starring: Maisie Williams, Sylvester McCoy, Rita Tushingham, Jake Curran, Andrew Ellis, Ian Kenny Directed by: Julius Berg The story: Thinking that they have found an easy score, a group of friends set their sights on robbing the grand house of an elderly couple. But when the house owners return home unexpectedly early, the thieves find themselves caught up in a deadly game of cat and mouse. The verdict: There exists now a subgenre in which a person or group of people break into a house which turns out to be the worst possible house that they could have broken into - a twist on the classic home invasion film. I must admit that I am not a massive fan of either subgenre. Partly because these films often explode into violence for violence's sake, partly because, with both the people breaking in and the home owners turning out to be 'bad,' the audience ends up with no one to root for and partly because horror in the home is a horror th...

  Certificate: 15 Running time: 111 minutes Starring: Oksana Akinshina, Pyotr Fyodorov, Fyodor Bondarchuk, Anton Vasilyev Directed by: Egor Abramenko The story: After something strange occurs on a mission, a space aircraft crash lands with the commander as its only survivor. When a controversial but renowned psychologist is recruited to evaluate his mental state, it soon becomes clear that the commander may not have returned alone... The verdict: I came across this film awhile ago and filed it away as 'one to watch,' but somehow it slid down my watch list. This was definitely an error on my part as Sputnik turned out to be a great watch and one that I should have gotten to sooner.  I am ashamed to admit that I have not watched an abundance of Russian films, and along with 'Beanpole,' Sputnik is the only other Russian film that I have seen this year. However, after watching Sputnik and really enjoying it, it has certainly inspired me to seek out more of what Russian cine...