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  Certificate: 15 Running time: 111 minutes  Starring: Justin Timberlake, Alisha Wainwright, Juno Temple, Ryder Allen, June Squibb, Jake Brennan Directed by: Fisher Stevens  The story: Former high school football star Eddie returns home after twelve years in prison and meets Sam, an outcast boy from a troubled family. When Sam suddenly needs a place to stay, Eddie reluctantly agrees to take care of him. The verdict: Justin Timberlake has long since shown audiences that he has talent as an actor and in Palmer we get to yet another level of that talent in his restrained but effective portrayal of character Eddie Palmer.  All the performances in the film are very good but Palmer also showcases another particular talent in Ryder Allen’s performance as Sam. Whilst Eddie provides redemption and contemplative drama, Sam is the heart of the film providing all the moments that tug on the audience’s heartstrings.  From the opening scenes, I was fully engaged in Palmer...

  Certificate: 12A Running time: 92 minutes  Starring: Raff Law, Lena Headey, Michael Caine, Rita Ora, Sophie Simnett, Franz Drameh Directed by: Martin Owen The story: A modern day take on Charles Dickens’ classic tale sees Oliver join a gang of thieves who hope to pull off an art heist. The verdict: A quick look at the reviews for this film and the consensus isn’t good. Overwhelmingly criticised, one review even called Twist “a contender for worst film of the year.” Twist is a slightly tricky film to review for me, because whilst I recognised a lot of my issues within it, I throughly enjoyed it - and not in a “it’s so bad, it’s good way.” Opening with an awesome freerunning sequence through London, Twist is great fun from the get go. Within minutes, an awesome flip of the screen had me exclaiming “cool!”  Twist boasts a great cast with the likes of Lena Headey as a gender flipped Bill Sikes and Michael Caine as Fagin. I do feel that Twist doesn’t necessarily feature...

  Certificate: 15 Running time: 88 minutes  Starring: Dan Stevens, Alison Brie, Shelia Vand, Jeremy Allen White Directed by: Dave Franco  The story: Two couples decide to spend a weekend together at the perfect rental house. However, the trip takes a sinister turn when they it appears that they are being watched.  The verdict: If the name Dave Franco seems familiar to you then yes it is that Dave Franco and this is his directorial debut. I have seen a strong divide on reviews for The Rental,  and it does seem to be very much an audience/critic split with critics primarily praising the film and audiences being a lot less impressed.  In spite of a relatively short running time of eighty eight minutes, The Rental is definitely a slow burn film. Though, there are certainly elements of a thriller/horror, for the most part the first two acts could almost be mistaken for a relationship drama and there is a chance that those expecting an outright horror could fi...

  Certificate : 15 Running time: 109 minutes  Starring : Theo James, Stacy Martin, Rhona Mitra, Toby Jones Directed by : Gavin Rothery  The story : It’s 2038 and in a remote location, George Almore is working on an Artificial Intelligence prototype but the goal behind his project must be kept hidden at all costs.  The verdict: This is a really interesting film and one which doesn’t feel easy to review. Firstly, because in so many ways Archive reminds me of a dozen other films - Ex Machina, Moon and Silent Running just to name a few. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but I always feel that whilst watching a film, you only want to be thinking about that film and not spending the running time comparing it to similar films.  The standout of Archive is the production and set design. The solitary facility where George works is a sight to behold and immediately pulls the audience into a futuristic and dystopian world. Director Gavin Rothery comes from the art departm...

  Certificate: 12A Running time: 99 minutes  Starring: Dan Stevens, Isla Fisher, Judi Dench, Leslie Mann Directed by: Edward Hall The story: Suffering from writer’s block, a writer hires a spiritualist medium to hold a séance hoping for inspiration. However, events take a strange turn when the spirit of his deceased first wife is summoned. The verdict: Though I knew that this film was based on Noël Coward’s play of the same name, that was as far as my knowledge of Blithe Spirit went having neither read the play nor seen the 1945 adaptation. Blithe Spirit feels like a tricky film to review. It has not been overly well received critically and now having seen it, I do feel that perhaps some of its reviews are slightly harsh. However, that being said, there is something lacking about Blithe Spirit but I found it hard to put my finger on what exactly that was.  The performances are fine and it was fun to watch Judi Dench as the eccentric medium. Nothing about the cinematogra...

  These were my ten favourite films that were released in the U.K between January 1st 2020 and December 31st 2020. There were no particular criteria for a film to be shortlisted bar the above release dates. The following films were chosen for a myriad of reasons.  10.) Tenet - directed by Christopher Nolan I must admit that Tenet had a slightly unfair advantage for getting on to this list because it was the first film that I saw after a long break from the cinema due to COVID restrictions. I was so happy to be back in the cinema that I knew that whatever film I saw would earn a special place in my heart.  Tenet really divided audiences and I can totally understand why many struggled with it because it’s certainly not an easy film to watch. However, I loved watching a film which challenged me and pushed boundaries with the audience. Not only that but Tenet felt like an exhibition of the scale of cinema - big, loud, brash and visually awesome. 9.) End of the Century - direc...