Release Date – 13th February 2026, Cert – PG, Run-time – 1 hour 18 minutes, Directors – Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han

In the first years of her life in 1960s Japan, Belgian Amélie (Loïse Charpentier/ Emmylou Homs) explores the world through her young interpretation and imagination, growing to understand it through the help of nanny Nishio-san (Victoria Grosbois).

It’s rare that a film scene can create an almost complete sense of calm. Even rarer that that feeling can be induced for 70-minutes. There’s a meditative quality to the hand-drawn world of Little Amélie as we see the first three years of the titular characters life (narrated by Loïse Charpentier as her future self, with in-the-moment dialogue provided by Emmylou Homs) brought to life by colour and her imaginative point-of-view.

She acknowledges that her youth means that she doesn’t always understand the world, or what those around her are feeling, particularly in the wake of bereavement, but through the help of nanny Nishio-san (Victoria Grosbois) understanding starts to grow. There’s an inquisitiveness to the central character, and indeed the film as a whole, as the Belgian toddler explores late-1960s Japan, her world and lust for life awakened after trying white chocolate for the first time. There’s an air of Ghibli to the meditative nature of the avid exploration, especially when around water, whether it be a pond or key effect of rain. Even amongst Amélie’s energy.

For 70-minutes I was transported into the kinetic world of the film. Wonderfully detailed in the vibrant animation which brings so much personality to what unfolds. Accepting early on that the lead character believes that she’s God, born in a vegetative state and observing the world around her until she finds herself able to walk and (try to) talk as someone her age would during an earthquake. Humour and emotion intertwine both caught in the heart that the film is made with and emits in equal measure. The relationship between Amélie and Nishio-san is filled with so much care that understanding of the world takes on a layered meaning.

At times I was reminded of moments of peace in the relationship between the two lead characters in Lilo And Stitch. As when Lilo puts a lei around the chaotic genetic experiment’s neck as he walks around creating havoc in her room. There’s a gentleness to Little Amélie’s very short run-time, but one that subtly gets across its emotional beats and profundity through the view of the central character. The relationships and behaviours that she observes, the loss and rifts experienced – especially between Nishio-san and landlady Kashima-san (Yumi Fujimori) as they discuss the tragedy their families faced in World War II and how that shapes their attitudes and actions now.

Little Amélie plays out as a film for adults from a child’s perspective. With its PG rating, it’s one that young people can watch, and will undoubtedly find something in, but there’s another layer of maturity in the way the world is realised, and adapted from Amélie Nothomb’s autobiographical novel The Character Of Rain. One that adds to the emotional aspects displayed in the warm embrace that the film creates in its visuals and style. From start to finish I found myself utterly entranced and in a state of pure calm by it. If this isn’t one of the best and most affecting films of the year, 2026 will have been a brilliant year for film.

With echoes of Ghibli in the lively animation and calm thematic exploration, Little Amélie is 70-minutes of pure, inquisitive calm that subtly deals with its mature aspects in accessible, humorous and emotionally in-tune style.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 31 minutes, Director – Renny Harlin

With the masked group of strangers hunting her down with more personal anger, Maya (Madelaine Petsch) finds herself caught between escaping and taking them down from within.

It’s been suggested by producer Courtney Solomon that this trilogy of Strangers films was intended to be more of a character study of the titular killers. However, when the idea is that they’re strangers with no real motive you’d expect that to be difficult to do. Yet, as we arrive at this third and final instalment in the Renny Harlin directed story not only do we seemingly dive headfirst into the identities of the killers there’s less fear and tension than there was in the dampness of the previous instalment. It’s hard to study ‘they kill because they just do’ when you don’t go any deeper than that.

When acting as stripped back slasher flicks The Strangers franchise has worked the best, I remember liking the solid chiller that was 2018’s Prey At Night, and the first chapter of this trilogy wasn’t too bad, either. But, when things are broadened out and become something of a repetitive chase the narrative proves not quite more of the same but rather less but the same.

Madelaine Petsch’s Maya finds herself still fleeing from the group of masked killers as their anger towards her grows more personal. Yet, while they manage to kill everyone near her in constantly-cut-away-from lack of detail she manages to escape with increasing bloody gashes across her face, even if very little has happened to her. However, as more is pieced together about who the group are via multiple flashbacks, largely there to just have some more killings; failing to get into the psychopathic actions and attitudes at hand, she finds herself potentially having to get closer to them to have to take them down – see the posters and trailers where she’s hidden behind one of their masks. An idea which the film feels very unsure what it’s meant to do with it beyond it having been a good idea or image when initially assembling the story.

There’s potential for a look at random evil and the darkness that comes as part of that in The Strangers, it’s slightly in the first film but very light in the mainstream slasher vein of things. However, that potential is far away in Chapter 3 as there’s a slight hop into a very shallow puddle. Moving along with a set of repetitive and increasingly dull interactions that start to feel more copy and paste than recycled. Even the movements of the killers seem to be the same with each murder. The pattern of behaviour we see developed over the years is a monotonous one with seemingly very little development. Yet, Maya’s responses still seem completely random. Among many unfortunate consistencies in this trilogy one of the biggest had been the many utterly stupid decisions that characters have made in each of them.

The more Chapter 3 goes on, although like the previous two instalments its run-time is kept to 90-minutes, less when you take off the lengthy credits, and the more it seems to try and do with its titular group of serial killers the less it actually seems to do. It’s so caught in trying to be a direct, mainstream slasher that it doesn’t allow itself to have room for much else to happen, in a film that already doesn’t have a great deal going on. Constantly shooting itself in the foot as it moves away from the elements that at least make for more passable viewing.

An apparent character study with no character to actually study amongst the over-repeated kills and events throughout The Strangers: Chapter 3 which is both less and the same as it removes the blind, unknown evil of the titular killers.

Release Date – 13th February 2026, Cert – PG, Run-time – 1 hour 31 minutes, Director – Pete Browngardt

In order to fix their roof Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (both Eric Bauza) get a job at a bubble gum factory, which uncovers an alien invasion plot that soon only they can stop.

The first fully-animated, fully-original cinematically released Looney Tunes film has had a bit of a journey to the big screen, particularly here in the UK where the film will finally grace screens almost a year after its eventual US release. The franchise appears to have been in trouble at Warner Bros, particularly after everything that happened with Coyote Vs Acme, but if The Day The Earth Blew Up is anything to go by that treatment is nothing to do with quality.

There’s a true Saturday morning cartoon feel to this film which, while holding a relatively simple plot, avoids feeling like a stretched out short. Linked to the style of the Looney Tunes Cartoons series the film doesn’t focus on a large ensemble of recognisable characters and instead is led by the duo of Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (both Eric Bauza) as they try to save the Earth from alien invasion, uncovered by them after getting a job at a bubble gum factory to pay for a new roof for their ramshackle home, or else face eviction.

Linked to the Looney Tunes Cartoons TV series the film fully embraces the chaotic antics that you’d expect from these characters. Slapstick, misunderstandings and pure silliness are all on display in the bright, colourful 2D animation. There’s nothing flashy about the style, seemingly intentionally so as the filmmakers appear to want to simply make a Looney Tunes film, and succeed in doing so.

As the leading pair are observed by antagonistic The Invader (Peter MacNicol) – who seems to be inspired by The Emperor’s New Groove’s Yzma in both look and behaviour – there’s plenty of loud chaos on display from both sides, and chuckles to go with them. Yes, it might sometimes feel like there are beats put in to slightly pad things out to 90-minutes, fellow pig Petunia (Candi Milo) is introduced to help the pair uncover and combat key details about the gum as an insider at the factory trying to develop a new flavour, whilst acting as a love interest for Porky, but early on can feel like a plain aside from the humour in order to move things along. But, overall there’s a consistently amusing nature to the film.

One that takes influence from 50s sci-fi B-movies, as suggested in the title, but doesn’t go towards homage or full parody, the case for this film is more inspiration than anything else. It allows for enough to be happening around the characters to push them forward so that things don’t feel either too distracted or bogged down, or as if the film is full of padding. The plot itself is kept fairly simplistic, and that’s no bad thing, and moves along with a good deal of chuckles and amusement to see it through with its chaotic cartoon style that gets to the heart of Looney Tunes – even with a nod to the shorts that started things off early on as Daffy and Porky search for a job that they can keep. This is pure, silly cartoon entertainment.

Embracing the chaos and antics that makes Looney Tunes what it is The Day The Earth Blew Up manages to avoid feeling like an extended short as it makes for an amusing 90 minutes of Saturday morning cartoon entertainment.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 53 minutes, Director – Sam Raimi

After a plane crash a hardworking but overlooked employee (Rachel McAdams) leads the survival of her and her domineering new boss (Dylan O’Brien) on a small island until help arrives, if it ever does.

Just as you may be wondering whether Send Help is really a Sam Raimi movie the plane crash sequence arrives. The camera, still until this point, starts racing around the hurtling, and depleting, shell of the decreasingly airborne vehicle as people and furniture inside it start to be pulled out to their, occasionally bloody doom. Shock, humour and tension lie in the sequence that leads strategy and planning worker Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) to be stranded on an island somewhere near the Gulf of Thailand with her arrogant new boss Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien), having just taken over from his father who had promised Linda a promotion to company VP.

The pair conflict early on in a set of office-based exchanges which sit comfortably in tongue-in-cheek cliché. Raimi and his cast play up the conventions, particularly Linda’s slightly awkward character; the glasses-and-cardigan-wearing lady who sits at home each night watching Survivor with her pet bird. It’s all part of the way the build-up to the eventual crash is leant into. Before McAdams can show off her character’s survival instincts – hinted at in the wide array of survival books on her shelves at home – and Raimi turns the film on its head with a good handful of blood splatters. Each making for a true big screen audience experience.

Hunting, fights and fending against the elements are all on the agenda and each is viewed with a wry smile from the director, and also his two leads. A hunt for a boar makes for an entertainingly grisly exchange with plenty of blood and snot on display. After already being exposed to the sensory side of things in the heat, and downpour, of the island this proves to just be a taster of things to come as a true exposing to the elements begins.

Linda leaps into her expertise and survival instincts while her boss – who she reminds they’re not in the office anymore – lies injured and believing that a large sign for help should be made instead of foraging for food. However, one proves better at maintaining strength than the other in their respective views on what should be done, and indeed one appears to be enjoying the experience much more than the other. As the two continue to conflict in the new light their dynamic is caught under there are a good few chuckles to be found in the egotism of O’Brien’s character. Particularly finding strength in the film’s second half.

McAdams’ proves a consistent force from start to finish, capturing the madness and yet focus that comes with Linda’s being on the island. Balancing tension and humour in a number of confrontational scenes where she suggests that she could be just as much of a threat as she can a help towards Bradley. Throughout she’s as aware of what’s going on as the film is. There’s a self-aware tone to much of what we see, yet one that still manages to create some truly squeamish images which induce audible gasps and winces, amongst some sometimes briefly distracting CG.

Things power along with deliriously entertaining force as the effects of the island have their respective impacts. A predictable third act development doesn’t even cause a major stumble as the battle for control continues to play out, and one that had a big smile on my face on a number of occasions from the pure enjoyment of it all. Even during the bloodier moments, and those which had me letting out slight yelps at one or two details and sequences, I couldn’t help but grin at the fun there was to be had with the self-aware, tongue-in-cheek nature that the film holds. Especially with Raimi behind the camera and the commitment of McAdams and O’Brien. Send Help is pure, grisly entertainment.

Inducing laughs and audible winces, Raimi and his two leads are fully committed to, and succeed in, making Send Help a deliriously entertaining and enjoyably grisly survival trip which turns itself on its head more than once.

Release Date – 6th February 2026, Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 40 minutes, Director – James Sweeney

Roman (Dylan O’Brien) and Dennis (James Sweeney) meet at a bereavement group for those who have lost their twin, as a friendship forms helping them cope there may be more behind it than it seems.

The opening credits of Twinless appearing 20 minutes in are almost a distraction from the rug being pulled out from under you. The first of a number of unexpected tonal shifts in writer-director James Sweeney’s grief-tinted dramedy. Beforehand we’ve spent time with Roman (Dylan O’Brien) and Dennis (Sweeney) as they form a friendship after meeting at a support group for bereaved twins. Their bond is a tender one that helps them both cope in quiet ways with their respective losses.

However, it becomes clear that there may be more to the friendship’s context than it may seem on the surface – although Sweeney and O’Brien make it clear in their performances in the early stages that a romantic relationship isn’t on the cards. Dennis is gay, while Roman is straight – although his brother, Rocky (also O’Brien) was. As we learn more about the pair, particularly Dennis, shades of Ingrid Goes West come into play. The tone may not be as threatening or sinister, but there’s still an unsettling air to certain aspects of the central bond. Wonderfully portrayed by the sharp subtleties of the two lead performances, showing characters caught in varying forms of uncertainty in response to the holes in their lives.

Grief can be uncertain and messy, and it’s something that Sweeny understands in the dark comedy of his film. Early on we see Roman emotionlessly sitting alone at home, the screen from his TV lighting up the room, as he plays The Sims watching a figure named after his late brother get caught in a kitchen fire. It contrasts with Dennis’ emotional monologue about the pain he feels since losing his twin, yet a pain he likes due to it seeming as if he’s still there. The blend of tones and genres throughout is seamlessly handled in much the same way as the twists and reveals of the narrative are.

I went into Twinless knowing nothing about what was in store, and in many ways that seems like the best way to watch the film. It takes you on its ride and the changing shape of the central friendship with early engagement thanks to the humour on display. Once the shock factor comes in after the opening credits there are further surprises in store while still keeping a consistent feel to the overall style at hand. Never does it feel as if something is being borrowed from a different film, and Sweeney manages to grapple the consistent tones and themes of his film with strong precision whilst maintaining an entertaining style.

Much of which is conveyed by him and O’Brien, with good efforts being put in by the supporting cast, particularly a strong and very likable turn from Aisling Franciosi as Dennis’ colleague Marcie who starts to form a relationship with Roman. The belief in the project from all involved comes through on screen as even during more ominous moments a sense of tenderness still manages to come through, even if just for one of the characters unaware of the other’s actions. Helped by the humour which is scattered throughout and itself allows for the film as a whole to pass by quickly, even during extended dramatic beats which revolve around the inheld emotions of the characters. Unexpected, and with plenty more unexpected moments throughout, Twinless is a series of entertainingly swift rug pulls which always keep the characters at the core of what happens.

Full of consistent twists and surprises, Twinless keeps us connected to the characters with the well-held tenderness and humour throughout its drama, all captured in the subtle performances of the core cast.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours 4 minutes, Director – Ángel Manuel Soto

Estranged half-brothers James (Dave Bautista) and Jonny (Jason Momoa) are reunited in the wake of their father’s mysterious death, leading them to investigate a series of covered up family secrets and gang ties.

Get the buddy relationship of your buddy actioner right and you’re already part way there. Even if you stay just part way there you’re at least scratching something of a minimum, and perhaps other elements can be forgiven in light of this. It’s certainly the case for The Wrecking Crew where Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa’s chid-like bickering (with added flourishes of f-bombs) raises a good few chuckles.

The pair play estranged brothers James (Bautista) and Jonny (Momoa), brought back together in Honolulu in the wake of their father’s death. However, the circumstances behind it seem mysterious and the pair soon find themselves on the explosive trail of uncovering buried secrets, conspiracies and gang ties in the family’s past. The pair of modern action stars certainly embrace their roles and bring a sense of fun to the humour and characters. Carrying the tough guy roles with a healthy dose of vanity-lacking machismo competition through the half-sibling lens.

Slightly obvious CG can be forgiven when the film produces the handful of likable chuckles that it does amongst the general amusement of the film. A helicopter chasing and shooting at a car going down the freeway towards a tunnel may look a tad clunky, but it’s not the dominating thought in the moment as the action at hand is clearly put at the fore to make for an enjoyable and in part thrilling sequence.

It’s what helps see The Wrecking Crew through. Yes, the outline may be somewhat familiar from other buddy actioners of decades gone by, but it gets through thanks to the clear signs that an attempt has been made to make this a breezy and comedic film that still has some solid action sequences throughout. Whether up-close fights or more outlandish moments, such as the aforementioned helicopter chase, there’s a swiftness to the action that keeps things moving. There may be a sense that things border on being slightly overlong, but there’s still a well-paced energy to things in the third act where things are perhaps at their most upfront when it comes to the scraps, fisticuffs and stair falls at hand. Much of which is brought about by the fact that director Ángel Manuel Soto knows that he can let Momoa and Bautista relax and be funny.

By knowing that Momoa and Bautista can be funny there’s a loose and breezy feeling the The Wrecking Crew’s familiar outlines. With focus on enjoyable action it sees itself through rather well, with enough amusement to keep things going until the end.