Release Date – 8th November 2024, Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 7 minutes, Director – Malcolm Washington

Pittsburgh 1936, brother and sister Boy Willie (John David Washington) and Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler) argue about what to do with the family piano, featuring etchings of their ancestral roots and story, sell it or keep it.

Despite initial directorial flourishes, The Piano Lesson quickly settles in to feeling very stage-like. Based on August Wilson’s play of the same name much of the action is confined to the living room of Doaker Charles (Samuel L Jackson), where sits the family piano – decades-old images carved into it telling the story of the family’s legacy after slavery. Living with Doaker, niece Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler) has a strong connection with the piano and what it represents, despite not having played it in years her daughter (Skylar Aleece Smith) occasionally has a brief session on the instrument. In the corner of the room it sits holding the ghosts, both literal and metaphorical, of the past.

These ghosts arrive alongside the appearance of Berniece’s brother, Boy Willie (John David Washington). Arriving with news of the death of Sutter, a member of the family who had enslaved the Charles’, and intentions to sell the family piano to buy the now unowned land. The siblings fiercely disagree as to what to do with the piano, Boy Willie casually tries to work out how to move the instrument, with his friend Lymon (Ray Fisher) – who does his best with a character who largely feels like he’s given somewhat stagnant and second-thought scenes and interactions – in front of the rest of the family, while Berniece fiercely protests. With each monologue and close-up that she gets Deadwyler gives the standout performance of the film. After giving the best performance of 2023 in Till, she excels once again with a turn that builds up the pain and emotion in her character with pitch perfect releases.

Deadwyler’s turn helps to sell the more sudden supernatural elements introduced part way through. These stand out from the rest of the film and never quite feel fully settled in. They’re in part what cause the film to take a while to fully bring all of its elements together – in addition to having to pass the, again stage-like, opening scenes which take their time to build-up and introduce us to the ensemble of characters.

John David Washington’s Boy Willie is very much the central focus with his louder, more brash character. His performance stands out not quite because of its loudness but the fact that you can see the performance and tell that Washington is acting – perhaps still playing a bit for the stage where he and other members of the cast (excluding Deadwyler) performed this play in a Broadway production just a year or two ago. Jackson, however, doesn’t have the same feeling to his turn and if anything gives one of the best performances of his career, one which if given the right push could lead him to an Oscar. It’s noticeable part way through when his character seems to suddenly disappear.

Yet, amongst the adapted-from-a-play nature of back-and-forth scenes, particularly in the early stages, there is something interesting built up throughout The Piano Lesson. The idea of the family legacy and history is gradually given more detail, particularly through the performances, and while the idea of ghosts of the past might seem a bit on the nose at times it also manages to hold engaging details the more prominent it becomes. Not everything holds up, and the film in general seems like a mixed bag, but the more it goes on and comes together the more there is to like and engage with, especially thanks to the likes of Jackson and Deadwyler who truly nail the dramatic heart of the film and themes at play.

It takes some time for the themes to come together, especially amongst the heavily stage-like nature, but the performances, especially standouts from Deadwyler and Jackson, help to grow a swelling drama with enough interest in the echoes of the central family history to keep things moving, even as they occasionally divert.

Release Date – 6th December 2024, Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 30 minutes, Directors – Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane

Out of work due to the COVID lockdown, actors Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen decide to stage a production of Hamlet in GTA V Online, with an ensemble of other players.

Grand Theft Hamlet tries its best to escape claims that it’s a feature length YouTube video, however more often than not its its dramatic pushes that cause it to fall back into this feeling. As out-of-work actors Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen encounter the difficulties of trying to put on a production of Hamlet in GTA V Online during the COVID pandemic occasional shots and montages leak in as if reflecting scenes of struggle – player characters walking along the beaches of Los Santos when everything seems to be falling apart around them, having just claimed to their friend that this production is all they’ve got at the moment. The dramatic edges of these moments feel forced due to the clear construction and still having to happen in the game, the tone feeling a bit too serious compared to the amusement of the rest of the surroundings.

The opening text promises us that the world of the game is “a violence and beautiful world where almost anything is possible”. As performances happen on the top of skyscrapers with giant jets hovering above shooting down police helicopters and other players threatening to interrupt and cause an early character death there are certainly laughs to be found. As there are in early player interactions, whether it be the general audition process with people asking if they can play Harry Potter, claims of “I have a face for radio and a voice for mine”, or someone using their nephew’s account for the day. Yes, it’s the kind of humour that you can occasionally find on YouTube, but it’s enough to amuse and help ease you into the film, removing layers of scepticism that there might be; and it manages to successfully work with an audience, disarming themselves and relaxing into things relatively quickly.

For the most part the film isn’t taking itself seriously and recognises that it is a film about people trying to stage a production of Hamlet in GTA V. It takes that idea and has some fun with it, with the aforementioned occasionally more serious moments not quite settling in amongst everything else. For the most part the film wants to have fun and depict the build-up and process of putting together the production, occasionally with the feeling of a highlights reel rather than anything wanting to be more in depth.

By the time we get to the production itself it’s brief and doesn’t entirely hold the attention as much as what has come beforehand, particularly when considering the in-game crashes and chaos that has happened during the build-up rehearsal process. Perhaps it’s simply a case of featuring towards the end of a film that knows that it can only just about stretch to 90 minutes (pretty much hitting that run-time bang on). We see the success and reception towards the production and just wish that more of that could have been felt in the moment, and indeed the documentary as a whole.

Showing that it had become a bigger thing rather than a small, fun idea in game, after discovering an outdoor theatre space in the expansive world, which became bigger and more personal for the central actors, would have perhaps brought another layer to the film giving the final performance in particular more effect. As it is, there’s a good deal of amusement in Grand Theft Hamlet’s thankfully short run-time to keep it going and just about stop it from feeling as if it could entirely be watched on YouTube.

While certain dramatic moments may feel a bit too constructed, and the hit of the final production could be greater, the amusement that Grand Theft Hamlet’s base provides is enough to see it through to the end. Pretty much what you would expect it to be, it manages to work with and relax an audience quickly enough to bring out the laughs.

Release Date – 6th December 2024, Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 44 minutes, Directors – Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson, Guy Maddin

The G7 leaders find themselves lost in the woods, where they are left alone to draft a statement, facing strange creatures as they try to get back to safety.

Rumours feels like a clash between Ben Wheatley and Armando Iannucci. While that might sound like an initially inviting idea, clash works better than blend as the two tones create an unevenness throughout as the film jumps back and forth between its satirical edges and its stranger horror-inspired elements.

The G7 have gathered together to create “a draft outline of a provisional statement” to let the world know that they are addressing “the somewhat difficult matters of the present crisis”. Left alone in a lakeside gazebo to work on their statement, a brief walk through the woods to get back to the building being used as the base for the event is extended when strange creatures, including the possible undead, delay the group of world leaders. As the purple fog settles in the woodland setting feels like its been plucked straight from an 80s slasher flick. The horror influences sit strangely amongst the comedic beats, which work best when dealing with snappy and more direct jokes rather than references to the various relationships between the ensemble.

It’s clear that the starrier cast members are given more to do than others. The likes of Cate Blanchett and Charles Dance as the chancellor of Germany and US president respectively (Dance keeping his British accent, with an amusing non-explanation as to why part way through) have a bigger push than Rolando Ravello and Takehiro Hira as the prime ministers of Italy and Japan. It’s clear from the opening stages as discussions begin that such characters are going to be, or already have been, pushed to one side.

Much appears to be pushed aside as the film goes on and its stranger elements grow. Tonal shifts fly around, trying to maintain the attempted humour of the draft discussions with the undercooked attempt to escape the forest – a location which manages to continue the idea that much of this could unfold much the same on a stage, and perhaps at times better, or simply as a short film.

Ideas are drawn out while others in need of detail feel randomly introduced just to bring something new to the film – including one late-stage character decision which really doesn’t work. All approaching a rushed third act where everything appears to be thrown at the screen in a sudden loud, messy burst.

As a whole the film feels like an undercooked jumble of ideas which create a tonally uneven set of events which have their amusing moments, but largely when focusing on short, snappy interactions between the characters where it feels like upfront humour is put as the focus rather than more veiled satire or undercooked character relationships. As a whole the film is fine, but its mixture holds it back from truly having an effect, and eventually causing it to stumble in the woods as it gets closer to the end.

While it has some humorous moments with upfront satire, and some likable horror aesthetic, Rumours is an undeniable jumble of tones and ideas which hold it back and cause it to lose its way.

Release Date – 29th November 2024, Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours, Director – Edward Berger

Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with arranging the election of a new pope, whilst trying to find someone without a hidden dark past secrets of multiple likely candidates are revealed.

Having faced the upfront horrors of war in his Oscar-winning take on All Quiet On The Western Front, Edward Berger changes course for his follow-up, observing the strong, underlying tension in trying to elect a new pope. Adapted by Peter Straughan from Robert Harris’ book of the same name the film focuses on Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) attempting to arrange the election of a new pope, what he views as perhaps his final task as a cardinal-dean after a crisis of faith.

However, finding a new pope without any black marks proves a difficult task, especially when the cardinals can’t agree on who the new leader of the Catholic church should be. Traditional conservative views clash with a continuing liberal stance in and out of the voting sessions, however tensions truly rise in the hushed conversations in the sequestered corridors. Dark pasts and controversies come to light, making Lawrence’s job all the more difficult as he himself tries to avoid election, instead pushing Stanley Tucci’s reluctant, yet fighting, Cardinal Bellini. The twists, turns and revelations are wonderfully timed and built around as the tension of the sacred process grows more and more with each conclave.

Invisible daggers fly across each room through air thick with insistence that this election has become a war. Fiennes gives a brilliant performance packed with subtle detail. Lawrence has plenty of doubts and yet still has a serious job to do, and one that the film takes completely seriously from the sombre departure of the previous pope to the very end of the run-time. A set of great supporting performances surround Fiennes, including from the likes of Lucian Msamati, John Lithgow and Sergio Castellitto; all of whom add to the clash of ideals as to the future direction of the church, and the hidden forces at play. All of which stick to the formalities at hand, making confrontations and discoveries all the louder when they occur.

Secrets, and their subsequent reveals, are allowed to naturally develop and grow, including in aforementioned hushed conversations, all wonderfully captured in the detail of the screenplay. There’s a lot at stake, both personally and within the wider scheme of the church, and there are feuding interpretations as to what this means both in the moment and for the future. All dealt with individually and yet still being allowed to come together in the suspenseful sound of names being scribbled on ballots as looks and glances shift uneasily around the room. Atmosphere as a whole is quietly built up throughout the film, working hand in hand with the escalating tension which is made so clear in the most natural way possible, communicated within the performances and the nature of the conversations rather than being forcefully shouted throughout.

Conclave works because of the establishment and understanding of just what is unfolding. The power that whoever is elected will have, and what that means for the tradition of the church and the election process as a whole. Shut off from the outside world tensions can only grow within the confines of the walls that are shared by all the cardinals. Secrets are bound to spill over, but where and who from? Everything works together to create a drama of escalating suspense as you too find yourself caught within the sequestered walls and rooms until the seemingly distant time a new pope is elected. All contributing to the subtle and highly effective workings of the film, engaging you further within a process made of unpredictable twists and turns which make the process, and the film itself, all the more grippingly fascinating.

Ralph Fiennes gives a towering yet subtle performance as a man caught in the middle of multiple tense conflicts, his quiet detail matches that of the film as Conclave makes for a suspenseful drama escalated by the sequestered confines of each bubbling interaction.

Release Date – 1^st November 2024, Cert – 18, Run-time – 2 hours 19 minutes, Director – Sean Baker

Sex worker Ani (Mikey Madison) marries Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), the son of a Russian oligarch, his family are soon racing to New York to get the marriage annulled.

Anora (Mikey Madison) is a force to be reckoned with. Tied up by a trio of Armenians after her husband, Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), has escaped their home she sits and hurls a barrage of f-bombs at the men who have broken in. Leader Toros (Karren Karagulian) throws back just as many, failing to calm the chaos as his henchmen (Vache Tovmasyan, Yura Borisov) stumble around piling extra noise into a glorious sequence of organised chaos.

The trio have been sent by Vanya’s wealthy parents, disapproving of the pair’s impromptu Vegas wedding; having only met a couple of days before, and racing to New York to get it annulled as soon as possible. However, with Vanya missing a late-night search spreads across the city in order to get him to the courthouse by morning. Thus ensues a true caper.

Things might take a bit of time to come together, but once the pair are married – and another needle drop for a remix of Take That’s Greatest Day begins – it’s hard not to break out into just as big a smile as seen on the young couple. From that point on the laughs are thrown out with equally fast pace to the frantic search across the city, which produces much of the humour from the inept and disorganised henchman who Ani rolls her eyes at on plenty of occasions.

Madison is fantastic, excelling in the leading role, capturing the humour of almost every situation while managing to get across her character’s increasing frustration. The underlying feelings and emotions of each scenario she’s thrown into. The worry as to where her husband is, and adamancy that the marriage will not be annulled. From there comes a fiery bite mixed with a defiance, hidden behind the everyday attitude we see at the start where her shifts as an exotic dancer and sex worker are simply part of her day-to-day.

A much deeper nature is brought to the character and what she goes through and experiences, both physically and emotionally, through the central performance, and indeed those around her. There’s an underlying uncertainty and sense of worry to the farce that unfolds across New York City, searching for an initially wonderfully semi-awkward son of a Russian oligarch.

I may not be entirely sold on the directions of the final ten minutes, yet there’s so much to enjoy within the insanely funny course of the narrative that it’s hard to be dampened. Once everything is in place, Anora rockets along with deliriously entertaining force. Force which is constructed in both the events and the way in which they’re fantastically paced through the editing.

A film with strong re-watchability thanks to its humour and characters, especially the depth Mikey Madison brings to the lead, Anora may well be a film that improves with a return viewing. From just a first it’s one of the best, most entertaining rides of the year.

A wonderfully chaotic ride, Anora is a fantastically paced and edited farcical caper with a fiery lead performance from Mikey Madison who perfectly captures the underlying emotions of each hilarious instance.

Release Date – 8th November 2024, Cert – PG, Run-time – 1 hour 34 minutes, Director – Morgan Neville

Biographical documentary charting the life of Pharrell Williams, and his rise in the music industry, told through Lego animation.

Colour pours of the speakers as a smile spreads across the face of a young Lego Pharrell Williams. Discovering a world of soul and music everything becomes that bit more brighter for him, his eyes set on working in the music industry. Piece By Piece has already been bright and colourful up until this point, it’s a key factor of the Lego animation used throughout to tell the story of Williams’ rise in the industry in this imaginative documentary that takes the form and runs with it for the better.

“To me, the most common thread in this world is a feeling, and trust me, people just wanna feel good” Williams says about what goes into the beats and music he’s made throughout his career. Cutaway scenes burst into fantasy capture his own personal otherworldly feelings throughout his life. At just 94-minutes, there’s a fast pace which brings about a further energy already brought about by the music present from start to finish. It all combines to create not just a truly fun time but a film with real personality. One that doesn’t use its animation style as a gimmick as it’s clear from the opening stages that it’s being truly used to push and enhance the story and joy at hand.

Joy is the core focus here, creating a good time by charting the successes of Williams from school, to his early producing work as one half of The Neptunes and up until his more recent mega-hits such as Happy and Get Lucky. Struggle isn’t something that it seems the film, which he co-produces, overly wants to focus on (even being viewed as simply a biopic it’s even more of a hagiography than Bohemian Rhapsody). While peeking its head in the latter stages it’s not for long, more serious moments tend not to fully hit within the confines of the rest of the film – unless building up to a point of further success and exploring creativity and what music can do from another angle, particularly referenced in Williams’ 2015 collaboration with Kendrick Lamar, Alright.

When announced as the closing film for this year’s London Film Festival, and indeed up until its screening, there was some confusion as to why this particular title was chosen for this; it doesn’t strike as a traditional closing film. Was there something spectacular about a Lego-movie-style animated Pharrell Williams documentary? It makes more sense when you look at the film’s exploration of creativity, and indeed the intense creativity that it displays in jumping from talking heads to recreations and blending fantastical elements into each. I was prepared to like this particular film, not knowing a great deal about Williams or having knowingly heard a great deal of his music (and then finding out from the film just how much he’s been involved in). My expectations were very quickly blown away.

Multiple sequences caused a big smile to spread across my face, wrapped up in the pure joy radiating from the animation on screen. Animation which houses plenty of humour, both in cutaway gags and simple phrases from the many famous faces interviewed throughout – Snoop Dogg’s appearance makes for a particular highlight. One of the biggest surprises of the year, Piece By Piece is also one of the most fun and entertaining cinematic experiences of the year. A burst of energetic colour and sound from start to finish combining to create a celebration of creativity and pursuing your passion.

While not dwelling on struggles, Piece By Piece is a joyous explosion of sound and colour, using the Lego animation format to emphasise the celebration of imagination and creativity. A fun joy from start to finish.

Release Date – 25th October 2024, Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours 12 minutes, Director – Jacques Audiard

Lawyer Rita (Zoe Saldaña) is recruited by a feared cartel boss to help her transition, subsequently working together in very different lives to help those with missing family, whilst keeping secrets from Emilia’s (Karla Sofía Gascón) own family about their presumed-dead father/ husband.

Emilia Pérez’s opening musical number is a grand, glitzy piece of flashy world building. Zoe Saldaña’s Rita paces through the streets, a crowd of dancers assembling behind her, as she runs through the opening argument she’s just written before heading into court. Pitched as the main character, she walks into the courtroom and pushes the written argument towards her male boss who then begins to recite it for the jury. Struggling to be heard and the make the progress she wants to make Rita is called upon by cartel boss Manitas Del Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón) to help arrange the best possible gender-affirming surgery, and help organise a new life away from crime once transitioned.

Much of this is covered within the first ten-fifteen minutes through about three or four musical numbers. Yet, instead of this time jumping from song to song the majority of musical bursts are brief, as is the case for the film as a whole. In total, only three songs feel as if they were actually written as songs. For the most part dialogue appears to have been set to music at the last minute, bringing a cliched view of a musical where anyone will jump into song at any moment for no apparent reason. Often, just as you’re getting into the style and flow of a song it comes to an abrupt end before we move on to the next scene, and perspective.

As Rita and post-transition Emilia begin to work together in helping families of missing people either reunite with their loved ones, or more likely find peace in knowing what happened to them, they find themselves keeping the secret of what really happened to Manitas from his wife, Jessi (Selena Gomez), and children – who believe that he died after disappearing – who they have taken in to care for as they grieve. Once under the same roof Rita shifts away from the main character as a three-hander unfolds, yet with the divide between Jessi and Emilia, and Rita off working, the trio barely share the screen together meaning that the perspective constantly shifts back and forth.

This should be Emilia’s story, yet she doesn’t properly start to get the screen to herself from her own perspective until beyond halfway through the film, yet still with jumps to see what another character is up to. It ends up creating a pinging jumble of moments and ideas, increased by the sudden stop-start of verse-and-a-chorus-if-there’s-time. It becomes apparent quite quickly, as Emilia’s idea to help those with missing family begins to come into effect and the film seemingly changes focus once more, that there’s a very busy, overstuffed, narrative here.

Gomez, with very little to do in the first place, and Saldaña are pushed to the side and yet come back into play with one of the few fully-rounded songs as if they never went away. A new relationship for Emilia comes into play while she continues to focus on her work. It’s work that the film wants to make a big deal about, but never quite gives the proper space to for it to properly flourish, and for Pérez to actually feel like the title character and warrant the story that’s eventually formed around her, particularly in regards to the directions that it swerves into.

As each stands plays out and the emotions of each character intensifies, whether via song or not, the film begins to dive into melodrama. Sustained shots, darkening drama and more sudden twists and turns further fuel the impression of this as a soap opera; one big, telenovela. Feeling restless due to rarely settling or allowing its ideas space to breathe it appears to throw everything at the screen in the hope that something sticks. Crumbling from the big Broadway-style opening which holds so much promise.

With songs that feel like they were crafted at the last minute interrupting an overstuffed narrative, melodrama settles in and eventually turns Emilia Pérez into a messy, disengaging soap opera.