Barbenheimer fails to drag Showcase Cinemas owner out of the red October 14, 2024 The popularity of films such as Barbie and Oppenheimer failed to drag the company behind Showcase Cinemas out of the red despite boosting its sales, it has been revealed. The UK arm of National Amusements has reported a pre-tax loss of £13m for the year to 4 January, 2024, according to newly-filed accounts with Companies [...]
Four Mothers at London Film Festival review: This Irish ode to oldies is like a big warm hug October 13, 2024 Four Mothers premiered at the London Film Festival on 13 October. Our rating: ★★★★ Irish writer siblings Colin and Darren Thornton’s rumination on the challenges of balancing family life with personal ambition embraces like a big warm hug. Four Mothers follows Edward, a queer 30-something writer whose book on teenage trauma has found success in [...]
Wallace and Gromit maker Aardman slips into the red October 11, 2024 Aardman, the studio behind Wallace and Gromit, fell into the red during 2023, it has been revealed. The Bristol-headquartered business has reported a pre-tax loss of £550,135 for its latest financial year. The loss comes after the studio posted a pre-tax profit of £1.5m in 2022. Aardman said it fell to a pre-tax loss because [...]
Timestalker is the saucy, grizzly anti-romance British cinema needs October 10, 2024 Having spent much of her acting career in cult favourites such as TV comedy Garth Merenghi’s Dark Place and 2012 indie film Sightseers, Alice Lowe broke through as a director with her 2016 comedy slasher Prevenge. She follows up that success with her second directorial effort, high concept comedy Timestalker. She plays Agnes, a woman [...]
Salem’s Lot review: Dreary HBO Max vampire horror lacks bite October 10, 2024 The work of Stephen King has been adapted for TV and film consistently since the author began writing. Some result in classics – The Shawshank Redemption and IT – while other fail to capture the spirit of the story and are forgotten. The latest adaptation of King’s second novel, ‘Salem’s Lot, seems destined for the latter [...]
Transformers One is the best film in this franchise. Here’s why… October 10, 2024 For 17 years the Transformers franchise has proven bafflingly successful. The four Michael Bay-directed movies, spanning from 2007 to 2017, became a byword for shallow spectacle, while the prequels Bumblebee (2018) and Rise of The Beasts (2023) were at best a marginal improvement. The series now moves into animated territory with the star-studded family film [...]
Netflix: Record profit after password sharing crackdown October 9, 2024 A crackdown on password sharing in the UK helped profit at Netflix surged to a new record in 2023, it has been revealed. The London-headquartered division has reported a pre-tax profit of £60.6m for its latest financial year, according to newly-filed accounts with Companies House. The new total comes after the streaming giant posted a [...]
Barbie blockbuster movie fails to boost sales at Mattel October 8, 2024 The huge success of the Barbie movie in 2023 failed to boost the sales of toy giant Mattel in the UK, it has been revealed. The Berkshire-headquartered division of the US group posted a turnover of £145.5m for the 12 months, down from £162.4m in 2022, according to newly-filed accounts with Companies House. However, its [...]
A Different Man review: Expertly observed dissection of image October 8, 2024 A Different Man | Dir. Aaron Schimberg | ★★★★☆ Sebastian Stan plays Edward, a lonely New Yorker with Neurofibromatosis, a series of tumours on the face that make him feel disconnected from the outside world. He undergoes miracle surgery to cure the condition, and begins a new life with the name Guy, finding renewed professional [...]
Children of The Cult review: Cult documentary charts abuse October 7, 2024 Children of The Cult | Dir Maroesja Perizonius & Alice McShane | ★★★★☆ Documentaries about cults have become sensationalist streaming fodder in recent years, but Children of The Cult strips away the headlines and brings you face to face with victims and their stories. It’s an investigation into the Rajneesh Movement, a cult that had [...]