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  Certificate: 15 Running time: 115 minutes  Starring: Olivia Colman, Michael Ward, Toby Jones, Colin Firth, Tom Brooke, Tanya Moodie, Hannah Onslow, Crystal Clarke Directed by: Sam Mendes The story: Against the backdrop of an old cinema on the South coast of England in the 1980’s, an unlikely romance begins. The verdict: An explosion of colours against an inky black sky. Two characters silhouetted as they gaze skyward in awe and wonder at the spectacle of fireworks above them. Slowly their eyes meet and something passes between them - whatever problems face them, and in spite of all their differences, they have found something beautiful.  The latest offering from Sam Mendes has received mixed reviews and a fair amount of criticism. Whilst Empire of Light may not rank amongst the very best the director has to offer, I found so much to love about it. For a start, it’s shot beautifully. Of course with Roger Deakins behind the camera, that’s no surprise. But gosh - ther...

  Certificate: 15 Running time: 102 minutes Starring: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Jenna Davis, Amie Donald, Jen Van Epps, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Ronny Chieng Directed by: Gerard Johnstone The story: When a talented roboticist uses AI to design the latest new toy, she has no idea just how advanced her invention will become. The verdict: In recent months, I have purposely avoided watching as many film trailers as I used to. I love to be surprised by films and we’re all well aware of ‘trailer syndrome’ - an affliction in which trailers pretty much lay out the entire film in the trailer, making audiences feel like they’ve already seen the film and ruining reveals etc. The one place where I haven’t avoided trailers is of course the cinema itself and indeed I saw M3GAN’s trailer on a previous cinema outing.  The reason I mention the above is because M3GAN is a film in which the trailer pretty much lays out the film. M3GAN does exactly what it says on the tin and not a lot more...

  Certificate: 15 Running time: 126 minutes  Starring: Tom Hanks, Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Truman Hanks Directed by: Marc Forster  The story: Grumpy Otto Anderson is set in his ways and doesn’t like to get too involved with people - people are idiots. When a new family moves into his neighbourhood, Otto meets his match in Marisol and the unlikeliest of friendships begins.  The verdict: There are two magic words which will immediately want to make me go and see any film, and those two magic words are Tom Hanks. No matter the project, Hanks’ involvement always piques my interest and A Man Called Otto was no different. It seems almost pointless to say but Hanks was brilliant and it was good fun to watch him as such a bad tempered character. The supporting cast was also great and I particularly liked Mariana Treviño as Marisol. A Man Called Otto is the second adaptation of the novel A Man Called Ove and a remake of the Swedish film of the s...

  Certificate: 12A Running time: 192 minutes  Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Jamie Flatters, Britain Dalton, Trinity Bliss, Jack Champion  Directed by: James Cameron The story: Set many years after the events of Avatar, the sequel follows Jake and Neytiri’s family as they fight to keep each other safe. The verdict: Full disclosure - I have never liked Avatar. I would even go so far as to say that I think it’s one of the most overhyped films of all time. So with that being said, I went into this film with zero expectations fully anticipating a long and frustrating watch with plenty of eye rolling. I could have not been more wrong. Granted, in the first twenty minutes or so I wasn’t convinced and wondered if James Cameron might be the most self indulgent filmmaker of all time. But I’m more than happy to admit when I’m wrong and James I’m sorry - I was wrong. I realised quite quickly that I had gone from someone who had ...

  Certificate: 18 Running time: 131 minutes  Starring: Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Mark Rylance, Anna Cobb, André Holland Directed by: Luca Guadagnino The story: Abandoned by her father, a young woman meets a drifter and together they embark on a journey together across the country to find her mother. The verdict: Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name is one of my favourite films of all time and so I went into this film with high expectations. Happily, my expectations were more than met and possibly even exceeded. Bones and All is by no means the only film of its ilk and yet it felt incredibly unique. I came away with the feeling that I’d never seen a film quite like it before and even now it lingers. Set in the eighties, Bones and All has a distinct look and feel. Shot on film in 35mm, the film looks timeless and beautiful. The location of the backroads of America adds to the tone and enhances the feeling of the characters’ isolation as the roads stretch out before ...

  Certificate: 12A Running time: 139 minutes Starring: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr, Jessica Henwick Directed by: Rian Johnson The story: World class detective Benoit Blanc returns to solve another mystery, this time travelling to the Greek island of a billionaire tech mogul. The verdict: I saw Knives Out in one of the most stony faced screenings I’d ever been in. I was the only person who laughed aloud and seemed engaged in the film, and as you can imagine it did rather affect my enjoyment of it. Subsequent rewatches proved to me that the film was just as great as I’d first thought. However, as I went into my screening of Glass Onion, I couldn’t help but be apprehensive that this might again turn out to be another impassive audience. In fact the complete opposite occurred and even in our small screening, laughter filled the theatre throughout. This time the action brings Benoit Blanc to the sun-drenched clim...

  Certificate: 15 Running time: 107 minutes  Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, Nicolas Hoult, Hong Chau, John Leguizamo Directed by: Mark Mylod  The story: A young couple travels to an isolated island to experience an exclusive menu created by a legendary chef. The verdict: As soon as The Menu began, I knew I was really going to like it. Part of that was to do with how it started and I loved how there was absolutely no preamble or prologue - The Menu is like an event that the audience is invited to and as such we start as the event begins. The Menu has a great cast and in spite of there being little time to get to know everyone, each character successfully inhabits a distinct personality. Very quickly the audience comes to know the characters and has a very good idea of who they are. This demonstrates very proficient writing and The Menu has a sharp and witty script.  The cast is great and in particular it was great to see Ralph Fiennes in another villainou...

  Certificate: 12A Running time: 162 minutes  Starring: Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, Tenoch Huerta, Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke Directed by: Ryan Coogler The story: In the wake of King T’Challa’s death, Wakanda faces a mysterious new threat. The verdict: The Marvel Cinematic Universe is well known for providing audiences with films that are world building and character driven. Along with those elements are impressive action packed sequences that often become the focal point of the films. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is arguably one of the few MCU instalments where the character driven element overrides the action. It is important to note that certainly doesn’t mean that the action is not good or that the film lacks action, but this film is definitely more about the characters and how they deal with the aftermath of King T’Challa’s death.  With the above in mind, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has a much more introspective and sombre tone. There is...

  Certificate: 15 Running time: 114 minutes  Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleason, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan Directed by: Martin McDonagh The story: When his best friend suddenly and without reason ends their friendship, one man struggles to understand what went wrong. The verdict: The Banshees of Inisherin is a film that appears on its surface to be rather simple. Set on an isolated island in 1923, our characters have little to do other than tend to their animals and gather each afternoon in the pub. Yet there is no such thing as a simple existence and beneath appearances, the two men at the heart of this film are nursing a number of complex emotions.  The Banshees of Inisherin is a film about friendship and family. It is a film about longing and loneliness and despair and desire. It is a film about the different kinds of grief and how those kinds of grief are dealt with. It is also a film that looks in some part at masculinity and how men might quash their emo...

  Certificate: 18 Running time: 103 minutes  Starring: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long, Matthew Patrick Davis Directed by: Zach Cregger The story: When a woman arrives at her Airbnb only to discover that someone else is already staying there, she decides against her better judgment to stay the night. The verdict: Barbarian is a slightly tricky film to review. Not because of its quality or lack of but because this is a film best gone into with as little prior knowledge as possible. With that in mind, this review will be reasonably short but equally reasonably sweet.  Barbarian was brilliant fun. Not only is it a film with three very distinct acts, it is a film that wrongfoots the audience from the start and in the best possible way. Barbarian sets up the perfect horror scenario and then flips it in a brutal and shocking way. The way that the rug is pulled out from the audience’s feet makes it such an engaging watch but also it hits all those horror notes...