Shazam! Fury Of The Gods

The biggest surprise of 2019 was Shazam! A delightfully charming superhero movie from DC, which managed to bring a mix of Tom Hanks’ Big with the usual formula found in most movies of this genre. A moderate success, it was inevitable that a sequel would happen. After several scheduling issues, Shazam! Fury of the Gods…

Allelujah

Be warned! Allelujah is not the feel-good British movie we are being led to believe by its advertising campaign. The brightly coloured poster with multi-coloured lettering and smiling faces of the cast is not what you get when you enter the cinema. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. This is a depressing, poorly executed movie…

Scream VI

While in the cinema foyer, waiting to watch Scream VI, one of the managers asked me if I was prepared to be scared! My immediate reaction was, “from a Scream movie?” Scream was never a scary movie but a film that parodied other slasher movies. That was when Wes Craven was at the helm, and…

Creed III

If you think Creed III, the continuation of the Rocky legacy, will deliver something new, you will be disappointed. First-time director Michael B. Jordan knows that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. He gives us a film that ticks all the boxes and follows all the beats we have become familiar with since the…

Cocaine Bear

Some titles of movies you have to really think about. Others are self-explanatory. Cocaine Bear does precisely what it says on the tin. Like other nature terrorises films following the same lines as Jaws, this darkly comic gore-fest never takes itself too seriously. After the recent crop of award wannabes dealing with heavy and vital…

Women Talking

There are some movies that demand your attention. The trailer for Women Talking has that urgency. Not telling too much about the content, all you know is that this is about some great actresses in a bleached-coloured movie, the marketing is perfect. Sadly, once you enter the cinema to view this, you find that this…

Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania

There currently seems to be a backlash against Marvel and its cinematic universe. Reading the reviews of their latest and 31st movie, you would be led to believe that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is an absolute disaster. It’s not. It might not be up there with Avengers: Endgame, which seems to be the height…

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish

Who would have thought that a new Puss In Boots movie was the sequel we needed? It was 2011 when we saw this character in cinemas and we did think it was the last time we would have any more connections with the Shrek franchise. Well now, Dreamworks Animation has decided to bring a new…

Magic Mike: Last Dance

Before we start looking at the latest in the Magic Mike series, Last Dance, I have to say that I am obviously not the target audience for these movies, but I really enjoyed the first two movies. Unfortunately, this new edition does for the first two movies what Staying Alive does for Saturday Night Fever,…

The Fabelmans

Lockdown obviously brought out memories for some filmmakers. Kenneth Branagh took us to his hometown in Belfast, while Sam Mendes told us tales of his mother and his love of cinema with Empire of Light. Now Steven Spielberg has joined this new cinematic universe with The Fabelmans, a fictionalized account of the director’s early years…

The Whale

It is one of the most talked about movies of the year. It has given a former Hollywood star his best role in years. It’s from a director who often produces controversial and diversive films. It has been lauded with awards and award nominations. Yet does it manage to match the hype? Is it the…

Babylon

I am a huge admirer of director Damien Chazelle. His previous films have all been in my top 20 best movies of the year. Whiplash was extraordinary. La La Land I fell in love with, and First Man was a visual treat. Now we get Babylon, a breathtaking, roller-coaster ride through the early days of…