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Certificate: 12A Running time: 104 minutes  Starring: Milla Jovovich, Ron Pearlman, Meagan Good, Tony Jaa, Jin Au-Yeung  Directed by: Paul W.S Anderson The story: Faced with relentless danger after a portal transports them to a strange world, an elite unit of soldiers discovers that their only hope of surviving is with a mysterious Hunter.  The verdict: I recently undertook a Resident Evil film marathon and came to the conclusion that, although Milla Jovovich is rather excellent, I would henceforth approach any big budget monster/horror film that she was in with extreme trepidation.  Let’s just be honest, Monster Hunter isn’t great. And it doesn’t help itself in that it doesn’t really make much sense narratively or plot wise. Yes you’ll be able to understand what’s going on, but try to dig any deeper and you’ll soon be scratching your head and thinking, “eh?” Milla Jovovich is brilliant at action and kicking butt and so she does carry the film well with an engaging ...

  Certificate: 12A Running time: 96 minutes  Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Rufus Sewell, Imogen Poots Directed by: Florian Zeller The story: A man refuses to accept any help from his daughter as he ages, but soon he begins to doubt his own family and sanity as his health declines.  The verdict: This is a film that has been on my radar for a long time and after seeing its Oscar nominations, I wanted to see it even more. I was really disappointed when I saw that the U.K release date was late June but as the saying goes - ‘good things come to those who wait.’ And The Father was worth the wait.  The Father was adapted from the stage play Le Père (also written by Zeller) and at first I found that the film did watch like a play - it felt staged. However, this feeling very quickly evaporated and I was completely drawn into the film. The Father boasts both excellent technical aspects and excellent performances. The editing is superb and plays into ...

Certificate: 12A Running time: 134 minutes  Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, Mark Strong Directed by: Craig Gillespie The story: Estella is determined to make a name for herself in fashion. But when she comes to the attention of Baroness von Hellman, their relationship sees the beginning of the creation of the villainous Cruella. The verdict: When it comes to the Disney films, I have always liked 101 Dalmatians but truth be told, Cruella De Vil has never been one of my favourite villains. However, having both a love of a villain origin story and of Emma Stone, I was pretty excited for this film and fortunately it did not disappoint.  Cruella starts with a bang and doesn’t let up, which is even more impressive considering its lengthy running time of 134 minutes. It is engaging and highly watchable throughout and it never felt flat or boring at any point. This is in part due to a great ensemble cast and great performances, but Cruella also boa...

  Certificate: 15 Running time: 97 minutes  Starring: Emily Blunt, John Krasinki, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe  Directed by: John Krasinki The story: The Abbott family continues their fight for survival in silence, this time discovering that the deadly creatures are not the only dangers lurking beyond the sand path.  The verdict: I thoroughly enjoyed A Quiet Place and when a sequel was announced, I admit that I was amongst those who bemoaned it - “A sequel won’t be any good, it’ll just ruin it!” I proclaimed. Well, I’m more than happy to admit when I’m wrong and I was most definitely wrong about that.  Firstly, when looking at the film purely on its credentials as a sequel then I think A Quiet Place Part II is one of the stronger horror sequels I’ve seen. Not only does it expand the A Quiet Place universe, it also develops the characters and their relationships. I particularly enjoyed seeing the flashbacks and the laying of Easter eggs for a ...