Secret Headquarters review – A sub-par Spy Kids August 10, 2022 Director Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, who brought superheroes to streaming with Netflix’s Project Power, do the same for Paramount+ with family adventure Secret Headquarters. Walker Scobell stars as Charlie, a teenager struggling to connect with his father Jack (Owen Wilson), who is always away for work. While staying home alone at his house, Charlie [...]
Where Is Anne Frank review – A touching testament to an icon, with a twist August 10, 2022 There have been a spate of animations in recent years that can deliver heart-breaking stories with the lightest of touches – think 2017’s The Breadwinner, or 2006 Oscar nominee Waltz With Bashir. The director of the latter, Ari Folman, returns to tell one of history’s best-known stories with a new twist. Where Is Anne Frank [...]
Thirteen Lives sees Ron Howard tackle the Tham Luang cave rescue August 6, 2022 Some moments in history are described as being “like something from a movie”, and the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue certainly fits that description. Thirteen Lives is the third film based on the rescue, and has Oscar-winning director Ron Howard behind the camera. Four years ago, a boys’ football team explored a cave after practice. [...]
Prey is the Predator prequel we didn’t know we needed August 6, 2022 At a time when legacy sequels are all the rage, Prey is a bit of an oddity. It’s a prequel to 1987’s Predator, but you wouldn’t know that from the posters or publicity, with the film going in a different direction to John Mc Tiernan’s classic, and its many mediocre sequels. Coming straight to streaming [...]
All or Nothing: Arsenal review – Amazon puts The Gunners in the spotlight August 5, 2022 Fans of North London’s Arsenal may wince at the thought of reliving last season through Amazon’s annual All or Nothing documentary series. As with fierce rivals Tottenham last year, the cameras came at a time of tremendous turmoil that includes a historically bad start to the season, and a protracted saga involving club captain Pierre [...]
Bullet Train review: new Brad Pitt vehicle derails August 5, 2022 Original movies have made a small comeback in 2022. While the big money still lies with sequels and reboots, films like The Lost City, The Bad Guys, and Everything Everywhere All At Once have found an audience despite not being based on any pre-existing franchise. Hoping to continue that momentum is Bullet Train, David Leitch’s [...]
Joyride review: Olivia Colman shines again July 29, 2022 Road trips are a regular go-to for independent films – a relatively cheap setting that allows for natural plot development, as the characters are literally going on a journey. But these films rely on strong performances, and luckily, Joyride ticks that box. This Irish production stars Charlie Reid as Mully, a young man mourning his [...]
Fire Of Love review: A captivating story of devotion July 29, 2022 In Fire Of Love, Filmmaker Sara Dosa uses archive footage to celebrate the work of Katia and Maurice Krafft, the French married couple who pioneered the study of volcanoes by documenting them through film and photography. Their partnership would lead them to the most dangerous environments on Earth in search of new information that went [...]
Hit The Road review: A triumph and ode to the refugee crisis July 29, 2022 This film is surely one of the funniest of the year so far, but it also comes with a very sad backdrop. Hit The Road is directed by Panah Panahi, son of the Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who was sentenced to six months in prison recently for criticising his nation’s government. The fact of his [...]
Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher review: far from a knockout July 22, 2022 Just when you thought every boxing story imaginable had been committed to film, Prizefighter unearths the intriguing real-life tale of Jem Belcher. Embodied by Welsh actor Matt Hookings, who also wrote and produced the film, Belcher became the youngest ever World Champion towards the turn of the 19th Century, a record that stands to this [...]