Has there been a fifth instalment in a franchise that feels timely, relevant and also holds up to its predecessors? It’s a small collection but one that Toy Story 5 can happily add itself to. It’s easy to be skeptical about this considering Pixar’s inconsistent sequels, the disappointing Lightyear and the ever-increasing awareness of the ‘business’ side to Disney and its many partners, but this film justifies its own existence and delivers on the quality. It’s a forehead-slap

A man coming out of prison and trying to locate his buried stolen loot is a plot top-line where you probably imagine you know exactly what comes next. The Last Viking is very much not that film. This Danish delight contains multitudes. There’s a flavour of ‘Coen Brothers, missing money crime’ sure, but it’s sprinkled with outright comedy, trauma, violence, heart and a dive into personality disorders. To say too much would be to spoil the surprises (there are two incredible ru

We all know Steven Spielberg and aliens is a perfect match but, whilst Disclosure Day offers a suitable amount of nostalgic delight in that regard, it also feels a little outdated. Let’s not get this wrong, this is a terrifically made, immaculately shot, ‘big feeling' blockbuster that is a true family film like only Spielberg can create. It’s just, perhaps, a film that would maybe be better thought of if it was released 10 or 20 years ago. The story of disclosing long-held go

Could He-Man be the next big franchise everyone seems to be seeking? The new take on Masters of the Universe actually makes a pretty decent swing at making this once, and probably still, seemingly mad possibility a reality. The beauty of the retro and toy-based is the way it can be sent up and adapted. Mattel themselves already did it to winning effect with Barbie and Hasbro likewise with the more obvious torchbearer here Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves. By making th

You can add Tuner to this great little sub-genre of music-adjacent thrillers which use sound as a core concept and propulsion. Of a piece with Whiplash, Sound of Metal (and, kind of, Baby Driver but that’s a little more high-octane) this is another brilliantly crafted movie. Our titular piano tuner Niki has a hearing condition that makes him highly susceptible to loud sounds but realises that this gives him the means to unlock safes. Cue a tale where he gets caught up in a li

In what looks like it 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 se

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 a

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 year

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 bo

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 version, very often hugely influenced by the artist themselves (or their estate). The flashy, jukebox musical, money makers. Cue Michael, the

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 known 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 a