It’s not often you see the 'mockumentary' format but it tends to always be something worth seeing when it does appear. From This is Spinal Tap through to The Office, What We Do in the Shadows et al., the format allows for brilliant, quotable comedy that’s usually smart and rewards repeat viewing. The latest example is the excellent Theater Camp which doesn’t really require a description, it does exactly what it says on the tin. This is no straight pastiche, mocking tale thoug

Frustratingly, once again, for everything DC get right with Blue Beetle, there’s a lot they do wrong. This constant feeling of ‘one step forward, two steps back’ just shows no sign of abating and the James Gunn relaunch of the new ‘DCU’ just can’t come soon enough. Will we see Blue Beetle again? Who’s to know but what we have here is a character who deserves a second chance, but a film that certainly doesn’t. The first Hispanic-American superhero and a largely Hispanic-Americ

The animated superhero takeover/resurgence continues with aplomb with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. With screenplay and production credits for Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, there was early promise with this one and it absolutely delivers on that with a rip-roaringly fun film and a similar take on the ‘Spider-Verse’ animation style (with a really nice, night-time, slightly more muted and dark tone to the colouring.) The comic-like scribbles really suit the franc

Despite, ostensibly, appearing to be at exact opposite ends of the movie spectrum, there are some similarities between Oppenheimer and Barbie. Both have filled multiplexes and independent cinemas with punters in a time of great need and both have done so whilst being standalone, unique, interesting, original and thoroughly well-made visions from world class directing and acting talent. Both are awards-worthy, thought-provoking, debate-encouraging, boundary-pushing and trendse

With the Hollywood strike ongoing, the sight of cinema screens sold out is a joyous thing. It's, no doubt, been aided by social media but let's still celebrate a flock of audiences going to see two standalone, thoughtful, important and ‘non-traditional’ blockbusters. Barbie may just be the most non-traditional blockbuster you’ll see. A wildly original, thought-provoking, laugh-out-loud explosion of colour and delight. With Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach behind the wheel and T

An idea as simple as making a match of fire and water and Pixar are on to another absolute winner in Elemental. Always the best at turning a simple, but wildly imaginative, concept into a thought-provoking, tear-inducing masterpiece this is another paean to life’s big emotions. After handling emotion itself in the incomparable Inside Out and death in Coco and Soul (as well as family and coming-of-age in Onward and Turning Red) Elemental themes itself around love and acceptanc

There’s a pretty compelling case for the Mission: Impossible series to be the most purely entertaining cinema spectacle of the lot. Quietly, but consistently, these films have ratcheted-up and shown every other action franchise out there how it’s done. It’s also difficult to name a series of this length where the films have actually got better as they’ve gone along, no diminishing returns here just steady perfection of the formula. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, ostens

Ah, time: healer of wounds, harbinger of evil, destroyer of worlds, pain in the backside and, apparently, the only available theme for every current blockbuster film. Time is, in every which way, the pervasive theme of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Not only does it drive the plot as the properties of its titular MacGuffin but it’s written all over Harrison Ford’s face throughout what will be the last time we see this character onscreen, easily in consideration to be

A new Wes Anderson film is always something to celebrate as, in a sea of big studio films and decisions by committee, you know you’re going to get an auteur’s vision sprinkled with impeccable detail on an original story. Asteroid City is very much this but, unfortunately, perhaps goes a little too far down the visionary route to a point where it’ll certainly alienate (pun intended, given the film’s subject) the non-converts out there. This story-within-a-story surrounds a pla

Where to even start when reviewing The Flash? The controversy of opting to release the film amongst the ongoing allegations against Ezra Miller? The controversy of opting to release the film amongst those allegations and, also, after the decision has already been taken to end the existing ‘DCEU’ and have James Gunn unleash an entirely new ‘DCU’ on the world next year, despite the Shazam! and Aquaman sequels also arriving in 2023? The seemingly lukewarm cinema takings vs. the

No Hard Feelings should be billed as a 'friendship comedy' rather than any kind of new American Pie. Whilst we haven’t had the sort of R-rated, American, 'sex-focussed' comedy in a while, the thrust (pun intended) of the plot here is far too icky a concept to get over in that context. Thirty-something Maddie answers a Craigslist ad’ (apparently inspired by a real advertisement) from parents offering a free car to a girl who can ‘liberate’ their socially awkward teenage son. S

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a miracle. An animated superhero movie, made separately to the two shared-universe mega-franchises, which not only stood out like the vibrant sore thumb it was but has a claim to be sat at the top table of the genre. If that was a miracle then its sequel (a full five years later!) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is an almighty gift from the multiverse. Not only does this (somehow) improve and better its predecessor but it might just b