In what looks like what could be an all timer of a year for Blockbuster releases, there’s always going to be a couple which perhaps go a little underseen and undervalued. The first unlucky candidate of 2026 strangely seems to be the first new Star Wars film since the pandemic. Of course, Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu is a little different to its predecessors in the franchise and seems to suggest an initial investment from the viewer is required in the form of having seen

The British rom-com might well be back with Finding Emily. Three years ago, Rye Lane was a breath of fresh air in a genre that hadn’t been seen in a minute and Alicia MacDonald’s film rises to meet it. A properly likeable, winning, charming, funny and romantic modern movie which already feels like a classic whilst also sitting squarely in the here and now. A postcard version of Manchester, a meticulously curated soundtrack of local music, a predictable but rollicking story an

John Carney has got to be one of the most underrated Directors out there. His particular brand of music and romance has always struck just the right note if you’re in the mood and each film has retained his inimitable essence whilst also feeling distinct from each other. His latest, Power Ballad, is another masterstroke if you like his films but perhaps doesn’t quite challenge Sing Street, Once or Begin Again for the top spot in his oeuvre. The story here focuses on Rick Powe

It certainly seems to the year of retro games and cinema connecting. Perhaps studios see more lucrative potential in an older, engaged and nostalgic audience base as Mortal Kombat II follows on from the Super Mario sequel and releases in advance of Masters of the Universe, Street Fighter and another Resident Evil reboot. All good things on the surface but, in reality, MKII doesn’t quite do enough to justify its existence unfortunately. The first Mortal Kombat from a few years

Amidst the swathe of legacy sequels that we’ll continue to see released as studios assume it’s the only way to generate box office revenue, it’s always the comedies or comedy-adjacent that leave the most to feel worried about initially. Simply put, times change and it’s very difficult to modernise a film’s humour whilst keeping it in harmony with its predecessor. The Devil Wears Prada 2 actually does a pretty good job against all the odds. No doubt helped by being able to boa

It’s been discussed plenty of times before the two distinct types of music biopic. What everyone really wants to see is the ‘warts n’ all’ portrayal of every facet to an artist’s personality. In most cases, it’s what makes the story interesting and worthy of the form. Then, of course, we have the ‘play to the nosebleeds’ family friendly, very often hugely influenced by the artist themselves (or their estate) types. The flashy, jukebox musical, money makers. Cue Michael, the b

California Schemin’ is one of those stories that you wouldn’t believe in if it wasn’t true. An interesting choice of directorial debut for James McAvoy, this is a musical biopic featuring arguably the least well know musicians to ever be given the feature length treatment. The surprisingly little known story of Scottish rap duo Silibil’ N’ Brains is certainly worth telling though. After receiving rejections due to their accents (it’s crazy to think how far regional hip hop an

The Drama is definitely a talking point film and easily a case of ‘the less you know, the better’. It’s pretty impressive it’s stayed relatively spoiler-free for now but that can’t be the case for long so see it when you can and get ready to debate. Something a bit different, something original and something provocative, this brilliantly tows the line between light and shade. This sort of dark, cringe comedy is seldom seen at this scale and that is hugely admirable. Undoubted

And, sadly, some sort of unfortunate normal service is restored as The Super Mario Galaxy Movie may have sounded the death knell for the ‘videogame/retro movie’ resurgence before it’s even really begun. Well, probably not, considering it’ll still make mega bucks and TV is helpfully carrying the load with The Last of Us, Fallout et al (maybe let’s not mention the upcoming He-Man movie at this point.) It was inevitable though that the first ‘cash grab’ would land sooner rather

What you want from a film at any given time can vary massively. A flowing and moving story filled with awards-worthy performances of course is great but sometimes you might just want to laugh, to wince, to switch your brain off or to be frozen with fear. They Will Kill You can offer a little of all of that. An absolutely gonzo blast of mayhem with only a mind to distract and to entertain. As Zazie Beetz’ Asia Reaves walks into the Virgil, a mysterious John Wick-esque quasi-ho

After being the 'film genre du jour' a few years back, it’s been a while since we’ve had a ‘lost in space’ movie. Project Hail Mary, therefore, feels surprisingly fresh. A resolutely standalone, somewhat old-fashioned family Blockbuster in a year set to be dominated by some massive tentpole releases. Based on Andy Weir’s book (who also wrote The Martian, arguably the best of that previous glut of space films) this bears some obvious similarities to that movie. It’s another co

After Serbia’s delightful Flow stole hearts and minds last year in the animation world, this year it is the turn of France with the absolutely gorgeous Arco. This could easily be the best animated movie of the year and even one of the best films full stop. A Ghibli-esque science fiction allegory about two different apocalyptic futures, and two youngsters who fatefully meet when one travels back in time. The imagery is incredibly imaginative, instantly iconic and altogether be