Last year, we had the first part of an epic musical adaptation of Wicked, the hugely successful Broadway and West End hit. Now we have the sequel, Wicked: For Good, or as it should be called, Wicked Act Two, for this is precisely what it is. The first film was predominantly the first act, with…
Tag: movies
The Ice Tower
One of my fears about cinema has always been the lack of originality and the way movie makers rely on stories already told. This could be said of The Ice Tower, an unusual retelling of The Snow Queen, which has already inspired a huge adaptation in Disney’s Frozen. Yet this is as far removed from…
The Running Man
At the height of his career, Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in a sci-fi action movie called The Running Man, which was based on a story by Richard Bachman, who turned out to be Stephen King. It was a pale imitation of the original story, and so King decided to withhold his name from the material. Now,…
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t
Back in 2013, a starry-stacked heist movie involving magicians appeared without much fanfare, even though it included big names like Michael Caine. Then the completely forgettable sequel came out, with Daniel Radcliffe as the villain, and no one even remembers it being released. So it’s astounding to see that a third film has escaped and…
Alpha
Julia Ducournau is one of the most original horror directors around, having served up the brilliant Raw and the bonkers body horror Titane. There was excitement when her new film, Alpha, was announced —an examination of a family in crisis, dealing with trauma, and an allegory for the AIDS epidemic. However, what starts off with…
The Choral
The Choral is the new collaboration from director Nicholas Hytner and writer Alan Bennett, having worked together on The History Boys, The Lady in the Van and The Madness of King George. It has all the elements of a typical British comedy drama, set during World War 1, an unlikely bunch of characters thrown together…
Bugonia
Many people say there is little originality in mainstream cinema. Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos is out to prove them wrong. His films push the boundaries of what it means to be different while challenging the audience with his creative approach and unpredictability. Movies like The Favourite, Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness are critical successes,…
Tron: Ares
Back in 1982, Tron took cinema to a whole new dimension. The first film to use computer-generated effects was a marvel to behold, as we were taken from the real world into the land of video games, where light cycles raced around a grid, even though the computer they used had only 2 MB of…
I Swear
Very little is known about Tourette’s Syndrome and the stigma that has followed it. Well, now that is all about to change with possibly the most heartfelt, charming and emotional film of the year, I Swear, based on the real experiences of John Davidson. It is one of those rare films that will both touch…
The Smashing Machine
Mixed Martial Arts is a sport I have little idea about, apart from the fact that it involves beating the living daylights out of your opponent. So a film about one of the first names of the sport didn’t initially grab me. Yet while Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine is a biopic of Mark Kerr,…
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
Downton Abbey has become almost critic-proof. No matter what people think about the movies that have come out since the TV series ended, the fans will come out to support it. The third, and allegedly, last movie, The Grand Finale, is a perfect example of how safe it is. It is possibly the worst of…
The Long Walk
Stephen King seems to be the flavour of the month at the moment. With the excellent Life of Chuck recently released, a TV series based on the novel It, Welcome To Derry, coming soon, and a new version of The Running Man in November, King’s wealth of novels and short stories seems to be attracting…
Stu Loves Film 