Aquaman

Oh my lord this is all kinds of crazy! Way too long crazy, who are all these people crazy and ... an octopus playing drums crazy? Yes, all of the above. But also, it's fun, thank goodness. It's not brilliant by any means, and there is one villain too many - presumably to set up …

Three Identical Strangers

The thing I often struggle with in watching documentaries, no matter how good they are, is that they are by nature subjective. With carefully timed revelations controlled by the director, I frequently feel manipulated by the end, which hugely reduces my enjoyment of the film as a whole. With Three Identical Strangers though, director Tim …

First Man

Damien Chazelle shows how to tell a story in a way that still feels incredibly tense even though it's well documented as to how it all works out. Honestly, I found the opening sequence terrifying. Together with a couple of other shots which take place in a fast-moving, madly-shaking spacecraft, it is a reminder of …

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Solo: A Star Wars Story is the space cowboy heist movie I didn't think I wanted but which I quite enjoyed. Look, I'm not immersed in the world of Star Wars. But I did grow up with Han Solo in the cinema and so I'm bemused by how down some people are on Alden Ehrenreich. …

Avengers: Infinity War

Well, folks, it's all been building up to this point. 18 films and how many years down the line, Thanos finally closes in on the complete gauntlet and it's all hands on deck to try to stop him. And obviously, all these hands squished into one film mean there's a lot going on. On the one hand, …

Finding Your Feet

A sharp script balances the realities of ageing with enough comic moments to raise the spirits just at the right moment. Humour is the way that many choose to deal with life’s curve-balls, and the writers have captured this accurately. While the plot may be predictable and at moments even cheesy, it’s rescued by the …

Black Panther

Hail King T’Challa! The Black Panther character was an exciting addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain America: Civil War and his appearance headlining his own story does not disappoint. The opening scene beautifully sets out the story of Wakanda with some gorgeously crafted imagery to aid the story-telling. Wakanda is a beautiful country. …

The Post

On the one hand, your typical Spielberg Oscar-runner with a worthy story and solid performances from Streep, Hanks, Letts and cast. On the other hand, a timely and topical film about freedom of the press, banning certain news outlets from reporting particular stories, and the White House misleading the public. On balance, I found this …

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

I apologise. When I saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I said I wasn't sure about Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. In my defence, I did also say that this might make more sense in future instalments. And so it delights me no end to say that I was wrong, and that Adam Driver's tormented …

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

Examining the evidence Poirot-style I have reached the conclusion that my main issue with this film comes from the rather contrived plot. I’m generally a fan of Agatha Christie and at some point have read most of the Poirot books (admittedly a long time ago) - and this story is the one with which I have …