The Surfer is another brilliant showcase for Nicolas Cage’s endless range and charisma. It's an exercise in doing a lot within one location and a simple premise. Cage’s unnamed character wants to take his seemingly estranged son surfing by the site of his childhood home, which he is hoping to purchase. The idyllic beach is frequented by a cult-like group of men who guard the water day and night. As Cage’s character plumbs new depths to compete with this group, the film become

And, just like that, Phase 5 of the MCU comes to an end. 17 years, endless discourse, 36 films, 13 TV shows, the ‘death of the superhero film,’ the ‘death of the cinema,’ strikes and a pandemic. Not only is the MCU still going strong after all of that but Phase 6 has never seemed more exciting. Thunderbolts* is a large part of the reasoning for that and brings the batting average of this Phase up a notch. I suppose, broadly speaking, the remit of Phase 5 has been to bring the

Vampires aren’t just a guaranteed cinema-filler, they’re also some of the most versatile creations. They may have their tropes and mythos but they can be used in different genres and for different purposes. Sinners is one of the most purely enjoyable vampire films ever made. It also uses them very differently to what’s come before. This latest collaboration between director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan (here pulling double duty as twins Smoke and Stack) is all thin

Not much has come as close to articulating the phrase ‘war is hell’ than Warfare, the newest film from Alex Garland. Describing it as a film in some ways isn’t even entirely right, this is a great example of cinema as experience. Warfare is an immersive sensory overload which also serves as a tribute to the immensely brave and courageous soldiers it depicts. As a true story this feels as close to a ‘cinematic documentary’ as you can get as we follow, in effectively real time,

It does seem recently that studios have got to grips, somewhat, with the family film, especially those based on toys or videogames. For so long consigned to the trash heap, we’re seeing a slow trend in the improving column with some even making it to the very top tier (like The Lego Movie and Barbie). A Minecraft Movie joins that trend and is a worthy trip to the cinema for the adults as well as the little ‘uns. It seems one key to that aforementioned formula is simply hiring

Like its central cat, Flow has overcome immense odds and created huge chatter. Critical acclaim, awards (including the Best Animated Film Oscar), lots of conversation around its miniscule budget, statues in its home country of Latvia and, now, an extended cinema run because of demand. All of the above is fully deserved. This is a truly original, truly moving, layered and beautiful film. Very much not a film for children (although they may also love it) it is effectively a sil

It’s interesting to think about when Disney might put an end to this ‘live action’ remake thing. With no consistent tone, logic or order you wonder if it’ll just suddenly stop or if they’ll put everything into production in the vague hope of achieving a true hit and potential franchise. Maybe the Treasure Planets or the Atlantis’ of the world could be the ones to work best. Until then, we must ponder the latest attempt to craft something truly worthwhile from this endeavour:

Given the clout of A24, its cracking cast and juicy trailer, it’s a smidge disappointing that Death of a Unicorn is ‘merely’ a monster movie horror/comedy with… you guessed it, a unicorn (well, unicorns plural) as its misunderstood ‘antagonists.’ There is probably a smarter and artier film to be made here but, having said that, what we have been served is still a lot of fun. This sort of fare has been done to death but can easily be done badly. While nothing will likely ever

It’s always fascinating to see an actor pulling a dual role in a film. That intrigue certainly seems to be the main advertising push for The Alto Knights, a fascinating true story about the early days of the Mafia. That in itself, and the influence these individuals had on The Godfather etc., is hugely interesting but, from its title on down, it is an easy film to admire but a hard one to truly love and understand. Switching from the original title (Wise Guys) feels a bit of

Following up a generational, awards-laden masterpiece cannot be an easy task. Bong Joon Ho has dipped into many genres but takes a route back into sci-fi with his follow up to Parasite: Mickey 17. A more light-hearted and inherently sillier film than the last, sure, but also one with timely elements and his usual fixation on ethical and humane issues. It’s rather like putting two of his other previous bits of brilliance, Okja and Snowpiercer, in a blender with a light dab of

The cult of celebrity is a rich topic to dissect, explore and satirise and Opus, directed by former magazine editor Mark Anthony Green, is a great example of the form. It’s such an obvious and OTT bit of messaging that you could argue that all Green is actually trying to do is just create a fun, pulpy thriller and, in that, he thoroughly succeeds. It’s just brilliant, dumb fun gilded by a lingering disgust and disturbance at how society is inclined to revere and elevate those

There are two types of spy films. Bracket them into ‘Ian Fleming vs. John Le Carre’ if you will. The all-action, in-the-field, slightly unrealistic action spies vs. the more cerebral, realistic, office-based espionage. Despite featuring actual Bond alumni (Pierce Brosnan, Naomie Harris) and some bookies' favourite potential future Bonds (Michael Fassbender, Rege Jean-Page) the new film from Steven Soderbergh: Black Bag falls into the latter camp. Nothing wrong with that at al