Brit comedy Brian and Charles is the new Lars and the Real Girl July 9, 2022 Artificial Intelligence in cinema usually doesn’t end well. From 2001’s HAL to Aliens’ Ash, there’s usually something evil lingering underneath the circuits. In the new British comedy Brian and Charles, however, all the robot star wants is a train pass. Ricky Gervais collaborator David Earl writes and stars as Brian, a lonely man living in [...]
Thor: Love and Thunder is a fun romp but this franchise is getting old July 9, 2022 Despite eight Marvel Cinematic Universe titles planned for this year (three films, five TV shows plus specials), audiences show no sign of superhero fatigue. May’s Doctor Strange is the second highest grossing release of the year, while Moon Knight and Ms Marvel have introduced new facets to the entertainment juggernaut. Can Taika Waititi, the man [...]
New drama Tigers takes a microscope to the beautiful game July 6, 2022 As documentaries like Broke and Last Chance U have illustrated, modern sport is a money machine that can chew up youngsters hoping to change their lives. While US sports have been well covered in this respect, new drama Tigers takes that microscope to The Beautiful Game. The film is a dramatisation of the real story [...]
Beavis and Butt-Head take their fart jokes into outer space July 5, 2022 With nostalgia more popular than ever in Hollywood, streaming service Paramount+ is bringing back foul mouthed 90s cartoon Beavis and Butt-Head. The pair became cultural icons thanks to their MTV shorts that skewered pop videos, and would go on to duet with Cher, feature on Friends, and break home video records. Twenty-five years after the [...]
Minions: The Rise of Gru will see smaller viewers rolling in the aisles July 5, 2022 The second prequel to the Despicable Me trilogy is set in the seventies and follows a 12-year-old Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), who dreams of becoming a super villain. When his idols, the Vicious 6, interview for a replacement, Gru steals a precious stone in order to impress them. However, a series of accidents mean [...]
Live action Halo is finally here – but is it any good? July 4, 2022 A live action adaptation of the Halo game franchise has been in the works almost since the Xbox first launched. Peter Jackson, Guillermo Del Toro and Neill Blomkamp are among the names to have attempted a feature film in the 2000s, while this Steven Spielberg-produced version was first announced in 2013. The series finally arrives [...]
The Black Phone is a creepy reunion for Derrickson and Hawke July 4, 2022 Having acrimoniously parted ways with the Doctor Strange franchise, director Scott Derrickson goes back to his horror roots with The Black Phone, a cleverly pitched movie based on a short story by Joe Hill (the pen name of Stephen King’s son). Set in the late 70s, Mason Thames plays Finney, a young man who becomes [...]
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis is a joyous celebration of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll June 24, 2022 The life and times of Elvis Presley have been dramatised often over the years, from TV biopics to surreal fictional accounts such as 2002’s Bubba Ho-Tep. But a big budget biopic of one of the 20th century’s most famous figures has never been attempted until now. Directed by Baz Luhrmann with an eye-catching cast, Elvis [...]
George Michael: Freedom Uncut review: Singer personally sets record straight June 17, 2022 It’s clear that the real George Michael is quite different from the caricature created by the tabloids during his life. Just over five years on from his death, Freedom Uncut, the late singer’s final work, offers a personal perspective on his legacy. Featuring heavy involvement from Michael himself (who is credited as a director), George [...]
Good Luck to you, Leo Grande review: Suave and sexy June 17, 2022 Sex and cinema haven’t historically been good bedfellows. The sight of two people getting it on often has censors clutching for their pearls, but thankfully, this new comedy-drama gets permission to be a bit more grown up. Emma Thompson plays Nancy, a retired RE teacher who hires handsome young escort Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack) for [...]
