Two years ago to the day I was pondering M. Night Shyamalan’s Split: an exciting and original thriller with a tour-de-force, multiple personality performance by James McAvoy that ultimately fell a little short with an ending that didn’t quite do the rest of the film justice and somewhat shoehorned the film into the universe of an earlier Shyamalan classic: Unbreakable. It was a welcome, if bizarre, twist that suddenly thrust the director back into the spotlight and we’ve seen

Well Happy New Year to you all and welcome to 2019 which, as I’m sure you’ve seen as you can’t move for think-pieces on the subject, is bound to be a quite incredible year for cinema. The giddy heights that some of 2018’s best films took us to seem merely a precursor to 2019’s amalgamation of peaks: the end of the Infinity War, the end of the Skywalker saga and a talking Pikachu. Without further ado then, we’re welcomed into the new year by a returning Robert Zemeckis and an

It might be six years after the fact but Wreck-It Ralph has finally been granted its thoroughly deserved sequel by Disney. The first film felt like an attempt by the Mouse House to take a pinch of Pixar's post-modernism and was a fresh and delightful take on videogames, a sort of arcade-based Toy Story if you will. Because it didn't come from Pixar (who released the distinctly Disney-esque Brave the same year, ironically) it's generally sneaked under the radar but with videog

Despite Sylvester Stallone's protestations, the Rocky saga keeps on running with Creed II not necessarily bringing the curtain down on the franchise. Ryan Coogler's first Creed film was such an unexpected joy, and of course a huge stepping stone to Black Panther, that a sequel was inevitable and whilst it, predictably, doesn't quite live up to its predecessor it does a good job of justifying its existence beyond being a money spinner. Steven Caple Jr. steps into the director'

After squabbles, in-fighting and more shuffling than a Vegas casino I present the best films of 2018: 20. The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs...

You may remember Aquaman as the hulkingly charismatic, slightly drunk wildcard of the Justice League pack given nothing to do other than occasionally whooping whilst holding a trident. Giving him an entirely solo film then (before Batman and The Flash, no less) appears a brave decision by DC and one to be applauded after the triumph that was Wonder Woman, a chance for them to throw off the dark and dingy shackles and inject some fun into this ailing superhero universe. Pleasi

Another tumultuous year has seen musicians trying ever more disparate ways to comment on our times or simply distract us from them....

You want another superhero review from this bloated year? Oh, go on then. At least I can refreshingly describe a superhero film as original after seeing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Sony’s latest attempt to steal the MCU’s thunder by saturating the market with films about the Webslinger’s universe. This is far, far, far superior to the dreadful Venom as we get an eye-searingly gorgeous animated version of Mile Morales’ origin story and featuring a little of the ‘Death o

I wrote two years ago that the first Fantastic Beasts would come to be admired at the summation of the franchise for having the confidence to kickstart this Harry Potter spin-off series with a slow, auspicious beginning. Whilst those comments are true in light of its sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, it’s unfortunately for the wrong reasons with the first looking like a heavy-hitting thrill ride in comparison to the treacle that is this second. It’s insuffer

Some franchises are just luckier than others and it’s not often quite clear why that is. Audience interest doesn’t necessarily compare with the quality or success of the corresponding books or the production value, critical consensus or advertising of the film in question. Just ask the Divergent series which flopped whilst its 'flavour of the month' competitor The Hunger Games boomed (albeit a very worthy winner in this instance.) Steig Larsson’s Millennium series is an unluc

Bohemian Rhapsody is certainly rhapsodic but, unfortunately, not quite as bohemian as the story and man at its centre. The long-gestated project has finally come to screens documenting the rise and rise of Queen and their fallen legend Freddie Mercury. The story, like the press at the time, is enamoured with the lead singer but original Director Bryan Singer (credited despite Dexter Fletcher completing the unfinished film) is careful to give due credence to Messrs May, Deacon

Damien Chazelle cements his seat at the top table in stone with First Man and proves that he and Ryan Gosling are the movie industry’s current golden ticket. Following on from the wild success of Whiplash and La La Land, Chazelle dips into biopic waters with this unflinching portrait of a famous name without a famous story: Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. Portraying the key years of his life throughout the sixties from his early days with NASA up to those fabled ‘o