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Certificate: PG-13 Running time: 83 minutes  Starring: Maissa Houri, Mark Templin, Willow Mcgregor, Eleonora Poutilova, Chantel Little. Directed by: Andrew J.D Robinson. The story: The scariest nightmares are the ones you can wake up to in We Are The Missing, a drama/horror mockumentary following the Madison’s desperate search for their teenage daughter. The verdict: We Are The Missing opens with a chilling statistic - every year over 600,000 people remain missing across the country. This sets the eerie tone for what follows, and by the time that the end credits roll, that statistic may have taken on a whole new meaning for the audience.  As We Are The Missing begins, you could certainly be forgiven for thinking that you had just switched on a true life investigative documentary film - the mockumentary style works really well in this instance and the actors deserve praise too, as their performances also play really well into the style. There ...

Certificate: PG Running time: 99 minutes  Starring: Jim Carrey, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Ben Schwartz Directed by: Jeff Fowler The story: After finding himself chased by shady government officials, a hedgehog with special abilities enlists the help of a local sheriff. The verdict: Before Sonic the Hedgehog was even released, it was the subject of negative attention when the first trailer revealed the design and look of Sonic, and fans absolutely hated it. Fearing a complete boycott of the film altogether, the filmmakers redesigned Sonic, creating a much better visual of the character. Still despite that, many predicted that the film would bomb at the box office. So, it was a pleasant surprise to see Sonic the Hedgehog do much better than expected, doing reasonably well at the box office and gaining praise from some critics. I have always loved the character and the games, having grown up playing Sonic the Hedgehog and although I found the trailer pr...

Certificate: 15 Running time:  Starring: Song Kang-ho, Chang Hyae-Jin, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Lee Sun-kyun  Directed by: Bong Joon Ho The story: The lives of two families, one poor and one rich, become intertwined when the eldest son of the poor family becomes a tutor for the rich family.  The verdict: This is a really tricky review to write, and not because of my feelings on the film but because this is a film that is best watched with as little prior knowledge as possible - certainly watching how it unfolds and what that entails is part of the fun. I would like to think, or at least I hope, that my reviews are always largely spoiler free anyway, but just know that the utmost caution has been applied whilst writing this review!  So Parasite! I have to say that this is a film that I not only really liked, but really respected as well. Parasite is kind of a complete anomaly of a film - it’s both a film that can be enjoyed by the ...

Certificate: 15 Running time: 118 minutes  Starring: George Mackay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch  Directed by: Sam Mendes The story: Two soldiers are tasked with an important mission to deliver a message to call off an impending attack. The verdict: I feel that this may be one of my shortest reviews ever, because simply put - 1917 is stunning. As the credits rolled, I felt myself welling up and it took me several minutes to compose myself. That was in part due to the fact that 1917 packs an emotional punch, but more than that it was a feeling of being completely overwhelmed by what I’d just experienced. And possibly therein lies the secret of what makes 1917 so incredible - it doesn’t just feel like a film you watch, it feels like a film you experience. You feel like you’re crouched down in the muddy trenches, you feel the fear of being shot at, you feel the urgency of the mission - you feel everything the characters fe...

Certificate: 12A Running time: 108 minutes  Starring: Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Taika Waititi, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson Directed by: Taika Waititi The story: When Johannes Betzler, a ten year old boy and Hitler Youth member, discovers that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their house, he forced to question the validity of his beliefs. This proves even more tricky with regular interventions from his imaginary best friend - who also happens to be Adolf Hitler. The verdict:  I tend to try to avoid reading any reviews until after I’ve seen the film in question, so as not to be swayed or influenced either way. And so I found myself quite surprised upon leaving the cinema and then reading some of the criticism heaped onto Jojo Rabbit. Jojo Rabbit appears to be a rather divisive film, with those who liked it feeling very strongly that it’s a brilliant satire and those who disliked it feeling very vehemently that it’s far too bla...

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...