‘Toy Story 5’ Review

Seven years after the last instalment and 31 after the first, our favourite toys are back in action. This time, however, they are faced with a toy-wide existential threat: tech devices. Bringing most of the action back to the settings of kids’ bedrooms, the film returns more to its heartfelt roots, but despite its important…

‘Disclosure Day’ Review

The bar for a Steven Spielberg film is high, even specifically for a Spielberg sci-fi and more specifically for a Spielberg sci-fi dealing with close encounters. Disclosure Day arrives with the hype-filled baggage of Spielberg’s filmography and while it doesn’t reach those heady heights, it still offers a fun ride, provokes intriguing questions and is sprinkled with…

Where Did the Great Movie Songs Go?

With the release this week of Toy Story 5’s official song from Taylor Swift, and my recent rabbit hole of movie song playlists on Spotify, I’ve been thinking a lot about the iconic movie songs of yesteryear and their absence in modern cinema. It feels like a true movie soundtrack hit is so rare these days,…

‘Tuner’ Review

Documentarian Daniel Roher makes the switch to features with this close to pitch perfect thriller that manages to cross genres in style to announce him as an exciting talent in this new arena and offers Leo Woodall a great vehicle for his talents. Niki (Leo Woodall), a once-promising virtuoso, works as a piano tuner with…

‘Finding Emily’ Review

It is a truth universally acknowledged that we, as a society, have suffered from a dearth of good romantic comedies – possibly symptomatic of our cynical age but also a genre that’s, potentially, a salve for it. We were rom-com-less for years before a somewhat renaissance unfortunately consisting mainly of streaming slop: the genre (and…

‘Power Ballad’ Review

John Carney returns with another music-lead charmer, bringing more sincerity and hope to our screens. We follow Rick Power (Paul Rudd) – yes, the title is apparently a pun – the American lead singer of a wedding band in Ireland who seems somewhat content with his life but still harbours dreams of stardom that haven’t…

‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Review

After twenty years and a long build up, the sequel to the cult hit has finally hit screens. Whilst it serves as little more than an addendum to the first, it does have something to say and offers some fun in checking in on beloved characters. We catch up with Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) just…

‘The Christophers’ Review

My second Michaela Coel-starring art-centred film in as many days, the ever-prolific Steven Soderbergh offers up a small-scale comedy with plenty to sink your teeth into. Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), an artist at heart who works in a food truck by day is approached by the children (Jessica Gunning and James Corden) of the once-great…

‘Mother Mary’ Review

David Lowery returns with a new film leaning towards his darker, arthouse roots that offers up some interesting ideas and memorable visuals but feels too uneven overall to have the desired impact. We meet the iconic, larger-than-life pop star, Mother Mary (Anne Hathaway), as she suddenly turns up on the doorstep of her former costume…

‘The Drama’ Review

The first of three Zendaya-Robert Pattinson starrers this year has arrived. A highly-anticipated, high-concept, twisted romantic-comedy-drama, The Drama really delivers on its promises. We meet Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson), a happily engaged couple as they make the final arrangements in the week running up to their wedding. The stage is set through flashbacks…