Cert – 12, Run-time – 1 hour 38 minutes, Director – Josh Margolin

After being scammed over the phone, 93-year-old Thelma (June Squibb) hijacks a mobility scooter and sets out to get her money back.

Often, the term geri-action conjures thoughts of Liam Neeson grumbling with a gun or an all-star cast getting together for another Expendables flick. From now on, I’ll be thinking about June Squibb riding around California on a mobility scooter. Does she also have a gun? Yes. Does she know how to use it? No, but how hard can it be? “Idiots use them all the time” she tells friend Ben (Richard Roundtree – in his final film role) who joins her for the journey.

Squibb’s 93-year-old Thelma Post spends most of her time sewing and getting her grandson, Daniel (Fred Heichinger), to teach her how to use the computer. However, after a scammer (Malcolm McDowell) claims that Daniel has been involved in an accident and money needs to be sent to sort things out, she sends all the money she has in the house to the address given. After discovering the truth Thelma gives Jason Statham a break and sets out to confront the scammers herself, without her concerned family (Parker Posey, Clark Gregg) noticing.

It’s amazing just how amusing watching Squibb and Roundtree cruise around the Californian streets can be. Both give enjoyable performances that manages to also capture a good deal of heart during more, perhaps even unexpectedly, dramatic moments. Elements which lean away from the comedy and into more serious reflections on aging; Thelma humorously rattling off which of her friends she no longer sees for lunch because they’re dead or can’t get out contrasts with seeing an old friend’s mind having deteriorated.

Early on we see Thelma sat with Daniel watching Mission: Impossible – Fallout, amazed at Tom Cruise’s pace and stunts. While Squibb may not be leaping between buildings, moments which parody such franchises have plenty of laughs – watching her try to quietly creep around someone’s house searching for a gun is a highlight. There are occasional likable motifs here and there, and something almost refreshing about the fact that Thelma and Ben aren’t completely technologically inept – we see Thelma using Instagram, even if most of her posts are of random items or places directly in front of her.

While cuts back to Thelma’s family in the retirement home she was last seen visiting, waiting for news of where she might be, don’t always land the hoped for dramatic impact, they generally tend to be brief before we jump back to the action of the titular OAP and her friend, who wants to get back to his home, and its plentiful varieties of much-praised melon, in time for a performance of Annie where he’s playing ‘Daddy’ Warbucks.

Squibb and Roundtree both provide heartful performances which bring out the comedy and help in the more dramatic moments featuring the pair. Once Thelma’s plan kicks in, once we’ve seen the opening stages of her day-to-day, things move smoothly and quickly for just over 90-minutes. This is a likable comedy with an entertaining action spirit at its core.

While scenes with the titular character’s family may not have the most weight, Thelma redefines geri-action for the better with great comedic performances from June Squibb and Richard Roundtree who both bring heart to the humour and more dramatic edges.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 41 minutes, Director – Osgood Perkins

FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) is assigned to a serial killer case where the only evidence of the killer’s presence are the coded letters they leave behind.

It’s been a long time since a film has got under my skin in the way Longlegs did. Much of it comes down to the twisted threat which Nicolas Cage’s titular serial killer hangs over the proceedings, despite only being on screen for less than five minutes. The question as to whether he’s real or not is quickly put to rest, there’s no ambiguity about the pale-faced killer who may be watching at any moment.

Writer-director Osgood Perkins’ camera follows Maika Monroe’s (once again proving herself to be one of the best horror actors currently working) FBI Agent Lee Harker as she’s put on the Longlegs case. Frequently placed in the centre of the frame, even close-ups leave plenty of space on either side as if anyone could jump out from any direction. The off-kilter camerawork constantly brings a sense of unease as Lee deciphers the coded letters left by Longlegs at each crime scene, the only sign that someone else aside from the murdered families was present.

The suspense is truly ramped up after Longlegs visits Lee with a letter just for her. Barely seen and largely creeping in the shadows when we do actually briefly glimpse the character Cage’s unhinged performance matches the pale prosthetics which make him unrecognisable. Perkins frequently gets shots which make the killer look like a monster revelling in their actions. Anger and twisted joy working together, playing on Lee’s mind as she may have further connections to the killer.

While things lead to a likely divisive set of events in the third act, especially the way in which things are revealed and explained, the creepiness of the threat at hand remains truly unsettling. The final shot of the film left me on edge throughout the credits and has sprung back to mind a number of times since viewing the film.

Much of that effect coming from the way the film moves along as a whole. Developments in the investigation are consistently spaced out with just as much dramatic impact coming from torch beams gliding around a barn in the middle of the night as there is from the discovery of a key item under the boards. Intrigue melds with the tension to propel things forward with a good deal of pace while still maintaining an even balance of slow-burn styling.

What could so easily be played as a thriller has so much unease at its centre, thanks to the force of unseen threat permeating into each scene, to successfully turn it into an undoubted horror. One which you can feel crawling up your skin as it plays out without diving into masses of bloodshed and gore.  All down to the threat which you can see and feel hanging over Maika Monroe’s excellent central performance. One which we barely glimpse but can almost hear screaming or speaking in broken, song-like tone throughout.

Suspense runs throughout Longlegs, largely from the terrifying force of Nicolas Cage’s rarely glimpsed performance, propelled by Maika Monroe’s excellent central turn. Definitely gets under your skin throughout its well-paced slow-burn narrative, and continues to wriggle long after the credits.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 12 minutes, Director – Greg Berlanti

As NASA prepares for the moon landing, Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) is brought in to market the agency and help secure funding, clashing with director Cole Davis (Channing Tatum).

Fly Me To The Moon is a film which sells itself on the charm of the two leads. Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum may have been cast as starry names to lead this rom-com stuffed with so many ideas that the rom-com sometimes feels like an afterthought, and their chemistry may be up for debate, but they ooze charm in every frame and make for a highly likable central duo.

Johansson’s marketing extraordinaire Kelly Jones is employed into NASA by the government, represented by Woody Harrelson’s suited Moe Berkus, in order to give the agency a marketing boost among the American people. It’s the late 60s and interest in the space race is dying, however the government wants to beat the Soviets for fear of what might happen if they lose, therefore NASA needs to ensure funding. However, Kelly’s ideas for Apollo 11 brand tie-ins and behind-the-scenes interviews for those within NASA clash with director Cole Davis (Tatum) who fears at every turn that the moon landing could be shut down.

As the pair’s relationship fluctuates amongst its workplace tension the struggles to sell NASA conflict with the struggle to get everything right in time for the big launch, while the government wants to fake the landing alongside the real events just in case something goes wrong, then the public are reassured and the Russians think they’ve lost. This latter point has featured in much of the marketing and doesn’t appear until what feels like over halfway into the film. While it produces a good deal of the comedy, particularly from Jim Rash as a Tab-bingeing director who needs full creative control to ensure his artistic vision, it’s another addition to a narrative largely constructed with various new ideas to show the pull between NASA and the government.

New issues and montages crop up every so often, with a black cat lurking around the agency being the least of Cole’s problems. Eventually the film shows signs of feeling too busy, especially in regards to its lengthy run-time which could be cut by half an hour for a tighter, better flowing film. Much of this comes from a slightly disconnected nature to the ideas which feel as if they’re being dealt with one at a time, yet somehow there’s still an enjoyable time to be had.

Much of it comes from the light, suitable-for-all-ages tone of the film, plus the central performances of Tatum and Johansson who cruise through in consistently likable style throughout, matching the traditional outline of the narrative. As a whole the film provides enough to entertain that while it might feel overlong it still remains enjoyable. Even the moon landing sequence itself, happening alongside chaos on the set of the fake landing, manages to conjure up some tension even while we know what happens. Yes, the structure may cause some issues, especially in the later stages and developments where you can feel the run-time, but what arrives during these clear stages provides enough good stuff, and infrequent chuckles, to help pass the time and move things along.

While the one-too-many stages bring an overlong feeling, Fly Me To The Moon lies on the charisma of its leads who bring a likable energy to the traditional leaning style of the overstuffed narrative.

Cert – U, Run-time – 1 hour 34 minutes, Directors – Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage

When a former rival (Will Ferrell) escapes from prison, Gru (Steve Carell) and his family are moved into hiding by the Anti-Villain League, however it’s difficult for everyone to keep to their new identities.

Despite now having their own film series the Minions are now firmly the heart of the Despicable Me franchise, too. What were once briefly-seen comic relief characters are now almost given a full narrative arc playing out alongside the main events of the film. Yet, not to be separated from the main events themselves we still see three of the much-marketed yellow figures pulling their own pranks on each other, largely involving a vending machine, and assisting Gru (Steve Carell) and his family as they’re moved into hiding by the Anti-Villain League. For those who aren’t fans of the characters, this latest entry in the franchise is unlikely to change any minds.

Even with the introduction of the Mega Minions, a group of superpowered creatures created to be a new force for the AVL, and potentially spoof some superhero flicks, the antics remain very much the same. They’re created to help take down Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell), a former rival of Gru’s out to get revenge by kidnapping his months-old son, Gru Jr, who Gru is struggling to bond with. The clichés are written large across the narrative as the family struggle to adapt to their new identities – whether it be youngest daughter Agnes (Madison Polan) worrying about lying, or wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig) showing no skills at being a hairstylist – and once again Illumination create a problematically familiar narrative.

Despite having a basic feel to the structure the overall plot still somehow feels overstuffed with ideas, crammed into the 94-minute run-time and jumping back between Gru, his family, the Mega Minions and indeed another set of Minions for even more cutaway gags. It would be easier to forgive if it wasn’t for the lacklustre nature of the laughs. With the reintroduction of AVL director Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan) we get the same ‘pfft bottom’ joke we did 9 years ago; and treated only half as a throwback. In general the gags feel laboured and most of the time fail to get a proper response, whether down to how obvious they seem, the fact they just aren’t very funny or the fact we’ve seen them done before.

There may be some chuckles here and there, including a very good train gag during a montage of the Mega Minions wreaking havoc across a city, but not enough to sustain the film through its run-time. A possible reference to Spider-Man 2 works, but an extended reference to Terminator 2 during a chase in a supermarket falters largely down to just how much it’s drawn out.

Throw in occasional glimpses of Le Mal, just to remind us there is a villain here, and a couple of sidelines involving the new neighbours (primarily Stephen Colbert’s Perry and teenage daughter Poppy, voiced by Joey King for some reason with a lisp) in their lavish home, and the film ends up feeling more like a set of sketched ideas rather than something more fully-rounded. We’ve seen much of Despicable Me 4 before, including in the previous films in the series. While other entries have proved amusing and Illumination generally manages to get away with their convention here this isn’t the case. The proceedings quickly become boring and make for a set of events which appear to stretch beyond the near hour-and-a-half run-time.

There’s little new on display in Despicable Me 4, which rounds off with a near-lookback at the franchise in a way that doesn’t warrant nostalgia or memories, particularly knowing that this likely won’t be the last we see of the characters (Minions 3 has just been set for 2027). Instead we get a repeat of familiar narrative elements and gags from both in and out of the series. Some raise a mild chuckle, but very few, and you wish that the film would kick into gear and bring something new and more exciting to the table instead of relying on a heavy dose of reheated ideas melded into each other to get the characters from Point A to B.

Despicable Me 4 feels like a reheated version of the franchises previous entries, lacking in spark and excitement it eventually feels like a bland mix of familiar ideas and very few effective jokes amongst the busy muddle of perspectives.

Cert – 18, Run-time – 1 hour 44 minutes, Director – Ti West

A masked killer terrorises Los Angeles, adult film star Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) is trying to break into Hollywood and a mysterious face (Kevin Bacon) is digging into her past.

There’s no denying that almost immediately after their release both previous instalments of Ti West’s X trilogy became cult hits. It’ll be interesting to see the reception which MaXXXine, a direct sequel to X  while last year’s Pearl acted as a prequel (although each film works as a standalone), receives with its style not being as pushed as the previous two entries.

There’s a more direct nature, a more narratively led feature over focusing on the horror set-up and kills of X – which got caught in its eventually silly basis of ‘old people can’t have sex because of their ailments so young people should die’ – or Pearl’s style over substance. While I’ve thought both films fine I certainly don’t have the fondness for them that many others do. MaXXXine acts as a step up as we see Mia Goth’s adult film star Maxine Minx trying to break into Hollywood.

Satanic panic is rife throughout Los Angeles. Protesters crowd outside studio lots calling for the end to supernatural and cult-themed horror films, picketing Maxine on the way to the set of The Puritan II, her first proper chance to finally be the star she’s long wanted to be. While her career shows signs of taking off a killer known as the Night Stalker terrorises the city, making frequent headlines which potentially get closer to Maxine as those she knows are picked off one by one and branded with satanic symbols.

Goth, once again, gives a top performance full of compelling subtlety leading the film in its lived-in 1985 setting. The odes to classic slasher flicks are all there, without feeling front and centre and, again, allowing the narrative to develop. Kevin Bacon appears as mysterious figure John Labat, claiming to work for someone with information about Maxine’s past, from here the heavier references to X might not always click, particularly in the third act reveals, but there’s still a good deal to like.

The kills throughout are gnarly and earn the film its 18 rating. Not just landing a squirm-inducing hit from the blood but the overall way in which West executes them. They get closer to Maxine each time as the air of mystery around her, and if she’s trying to hide more than we already know to save more than just her hopeful career, grows thicker and more intriguing. 

With Labat and the FBI (Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale) closing in from different directions, Maxine’s violent streak emerges every now and then in highly effective bursts – an early scene in an alleyway shows the central figure going beyond defending herself is a real turning point that’ll having you flinching in your seat long after it’s over. In general the moments of splatter are brief and infrequent but they certainly land a punch when on full-display, spread across the frame and threatening to spill out from it. Even during the events of the third act which while seeming like a detachment from the rest of the film eventually find some form of steady track for the best film in the X trilogy to close off with.

The aesthetics’ still present, although the narrative’s more direct in this latest X instalment. Bringing in mystery around the character details of Mia Goth’s finely performed protagonist alongside some grisly kills for an enjoyable slasher flick.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 58 minutes, Director – Mark Molloy

Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is called back to Beverly Hills to investigate a drug case which leads to dangerous criminals following both him and his estranged daughter (Taylour Paige)

It’s been 30 years since we last saw Eddie Murphy’s wisecracking cop Axel Foley, and 40 since his big screen debut. While over the course of ten years his energy and wits worked for the age of the character, three decades later you’d expect there to have been some change in his nature. While the grins and wisecracks are still present there’s certainly a sign that Axel Foley has indeed aged and matured further. It’s a key detail that some comedy legacy sequels of this nature often miss out, with the central characters feeling unchanged, their behaviour no longer fitting of their age, if Foley is near Murphy’s age he’s around the 60 mark now (although certainly doesn’t look it), with all his colleagues, if not already in, then considering retirement.

Foley is brought back from Detroit to Beverly Hills to investigate a drug case which leads him to his estranged daughter, Jane (Taylour Paige) who lives in the city, a lawyer preparing to represent a man who claims to have been framed for murder. The two are quickly reunited and find themselves tracked by the gang they’re trying to investigate. Faces new and old surround Murphy with familiar and likable dynamic styles as the narrative unfolds with no feeling passing on the torch from the former and occasional feelings of ‘we couldn’t not’ or ‘for the fans’ with the latter.

Yet, despite the clichés which it brings up throughout the narrative and general moulding, this fourth entry into the Beverly Hill Cop series isn’t as weighted by convention as it could. Yes, it’s perhaps as good as a straight-to-Netflix sequel of this kind could be, however it has its moments. Working best when allowing Murphy to be free with the comedic beats. There are a good few chuckles to be found throughout, and while not consistently frequent there’s still enough to make this a likable enough comedy that leans into Murphy’s still-present comedic skills while showing a believably aged version of his character – allowing for a bit more interest in his decisions and actions over the course of the run-time.

When it comes to the action on display feature-debut director Mark Molloy brings an 80s style to the proceedings with things taken back to a more simplistic nature. There may still be destruction when it comes to chases but, as the opening stages reintroducing us to the unique workings of the titular cop show, there’s a stripped-back nature to them that doesn’t focus on a grand spectacle and series of explosions and instead brings a faster pace to the moment as tyres screech down the road in the middle of the night with Foley behind the wheel.

Add to that the way in which Beverly Hills is captured and there’s a good deal of consistency between this and the previous three films. Occasional strands might lead the narrative to feel a bit busy, largely as it fits in the thread of Axel bonding with his daughter whilst working around the higher ups in the police and trying to evade the gang that’s after them. While this point is generally worked in well enough it’s one of the more conventional ideas which stands out amongst the rest in terms of just how familiar it feels to many other sequels.

However, for the most part Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F manages to keep its head above water. Eddie Murphy gives a good performance that’s best when really diving into a scene of direct comedy, which is where the film’s strengths lie. While the proceedings may be rooted in convention it doesn’t weigh the film down enough to tip it over, and instead making a likable enough, if potentially forgettable, legacy sequel.

Most enjoyable when leaning into the comedy Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is a conventional legacy sequel that captures the 80s style of the previous films in its narrative and manages to pull enough of its ideas towards the 2-hour mark to make for a likable, if forgettable return for one of Eddie Murphy’s most iconic characters.

Release Date – 9th July 2024, Cert – 12, Run-time – 1 hour 48 minutes, Director – Mike Cheslik

After the destruction of his applejack brewery, Jean Kayak (Ryland Brickson Cole Tews) becomes a fur trapper, however his beaver targets are greater in number, and more difficult to kill, than he thought.

If ever a film were to best represent live-action Looney Tunes Hundreds Of Beavers would be it. The consistent cartoon style breaks out from the animation present in the prologue and spills across the humour which runs throughout the film. Co-writer (alongside director Mike Cheslik) and star Rylan Brickson Cole Tews’ drunken applejack brewer turned fur trapper, after the destruction of his brewery, Jean Kayak stands out amongst his minimal surroundings as often the only none-false thing in frame. Surrounded by false, cartoon-like scenery and visuals, alongside a multitude of towering beavers, rabbits and raccoons – each someone in a costume, a good deal of jokes sprouting from this as they prevent Jean from fulfilling his schemes.

Trying to survive after the loss of his idyllic life the half hour which precedes the opening credits plays out almost as a short film following one man’s struggle for survival in a world where the wind and snow blows in whichever way his fire isn’t covered. From there things escalate and the slapstick nature simply grows and grows. Inspired by the silent comedies of the 20s and 30s, there’s almost no dialogue throughout the black and white proceedings, although plenty of sound effects.

The ultra-low budget nature comes through in the design and feel of the film, and is wound into the world as a whole. Jokes feel, even if unconsciously, more fleshed out because of them – you can see the zippers on the back of the beaver costumes and that somehow just feels natural in the world of the film, especially with how casually our first encounter with an animal is framed.

While only just halfway through 2024, I can confidently say that Hundreds Of Beavers is the maddest film of the year. Something that simply wants to be a very silly film and successfully manages to be just that with a good deal of great gags to go along with it. Jokes which feel quick fire yet have a build-up and occasionally don’t just happen before things move immediately on, particularly in the case of running gags, of which there are a number.

As things reach the hour mark the feeling does arise that some of the jokes we’re seeing begin to feel rather similar in style. The film manages to generally succeed in a feature length where others of this nature may stumble much earlier and be better suited to a short, but the anarchy of Hundreds Of Beavers is enough to see it through the 108-minute run-time, although closer to 90 may be better. Where this is most noticeable is in an extended sequence focusing on Jean’s many attempts to capture a beaver in different locations. While the style of entrapment changes each time the overall basis of the moment doesn’t overly shift and therefore we almost become stuck in a cycle of near-repetition. Where things work best is when the basis of the joke or sequence is switched up.

Luckily, this is the case for much of the final half hour where the madcap ideas truly begin to bounce around again and the beavers become a much bigger problem for the central figure, simply trying to get enough pelts in order to marry the daughter (Olivia Graves) of a disgruntled fur merchant (Doug Mancheski). One chase sequence late in the film in particular has two great visual gags which perfectly fit into the visual style of the film and its silliness and yet still manage to come as something of a surprise in the moment. This is a film where perhaps the best jokes are such gleefully random occurrences.

There are plenty of enjoyable bursts throughout Hundreds Of Beavers and it certainly has lashings of energy to allow it to bounce around the screen like a DVD logo with a dozen energy drinks in its system. While it might dip around the midpoint feeling somewhat static in terms of moving the narrative along or bringing more to it, instead stuck in a cycle of familiar gags, there’s still a good deal of chuckles and giggles to be found. The narrative may be relatively thin, and that’s no problem, but when it’s more linked to the moment at hand there are more laughs to be found as things are on that more quick fire and pacey plain. One thing that remains the case from start to finish is that this is a chaotic comedy that makes the most of its budget. One to be best experienced with an audience, or even just a group of friends.

While there might be a dip around the circling midpoint there’s a good deal of laughs in the moments of Hundreds Of Beavers which help to ever so slightly move things along. An effectively designed visual style helps further bring out the live-action cartoon nature of the slapstick laughs, particularly in the opening and closing stretches.

Cert – 18, Run-time – 2 hours 44 minutes, Director – Yorgos Lanthimos

Three separate stories of relationships being tested and pulled in different directions whilst mysteries as to their true forms unfold

Kinds Of Kindness treads the line of diving into horror in almost every frame. Co-writer (alongside Efthimis Filippou) and director Yorgos Lanthimos could so easily steer back into the excruciatingly tense dead-pan terror of Killing Of A Sacred Deer and yet chooses not to. Instead, his anthology feature stays firmly in the dramatic while tinged with enough horror adjacent ideas so as to bring in the light tension, occasional mystery and hints of Lynchian tonality.

Split into three parts the first story feels like David Cronenberg’s Crash meets The Magic Christian once everyone no longer needs Peter Sellers’ money. Follow that with a tale of a wife (Emma Stone) who returns to her husband (Jesse Plemons) with a number of differences after having gone missing, a la an Invasion Of The Body Snatchers or tale of possession, and a yarn following direct involvement in a cult and there’s a good deal of darkness on display. Much of this is heightened by the ambiguity which remains present throughout. Not as to the link, but simply the fact that not every detail in each story needs, or wants, explanation.

Sometimes characters are trying to work out mysteries for themselves, such as the aforementioned uncertain returning face, others it’s just how certain relationships work. Especially when they seem so friendly in the face of one person seemingly having been distant for quite some time due to having been involved with a cult and being given a casually friendly greeting on the doorstep by husband and daughter.

At no point does Lanthimos interfere with the proceedings. While you can feel him willing characters on or watching with glee in his previous films, such as Poor Things just a few months ago, here the camera sits, watches and follows. Things feel as if they naturally pan out in the manner in which they would in this off-filter world. Fleshing out the small details and the performances which show the confliction, regret and stresses the characters face in the face of their relationships. Willem Dafoe spits away Plemons as he turns away from his former employee, or perhaps puppet or stooge, after he’s failed to appease the man who has helped form his life as it is. Plemons’ Robert begins to struggle and find himself trying to retrace steps with markings no longer present. He becomes an increasingly lost figure who remains fascinating to watch as the darkness of his controlled world and life becomes ever more apparent.

A handful of faces crop up throughout to tell each story. With a cast led by Stone, Plemons, Dafoe and Margaret Qualley all on top form, we also see strong turns from Hong Chau, Mamoudou Athie and a lesser-used Joe Alwyn. Each understanding the slightly twisted world that everything takes place in. Whether it’s the same one or different, if everything is connected by one thing or multiple, or not at all, is down to the viewer. Lanthimos leads a lot open, and not just because of the open mysteries held within each strand with its own core mystery unravelling throughout the 50-minute-or-so narrative.

None of the stories outstay their welcome, and at just under three hours the film as a whole manages to just about hold its run-time, if bordering on feeling overlong. In fact, thanks to the consistent tone and style throughout, although with different styles of threat, slight fear and dysphoria for the characters, the film avoids a potential anthology stumbling block of feeling too distant or segmented for things to properly flow. Instead the overall flow and style works, and there’s a good deal to be invested in within the world and the ways in which it treats the central characters. All with an air of potential rewatchability to find even more fascination in the behaviours and askew meanings and warpings of kindness that are on display.

A set of excellent performances bring out the horror-tinted darkness in the dramas which Lanthimos observes. There’s strong interest as you watch the mysteries and ambiguities pan out in and amongst the off-kilter world and behaviours within it.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 40 minutes, Director – Michael Sarnoski

Whilst visiting New York City Sam (Lupita Nyong’o) finds herself fighting for survival alongside stranger Eric (Joseph Quinn) when one of the noisiest cities in the world is plunged into silence after the arrival of deadly aliens with ultrasonic hearing.

A Quiet Place: Day One enhances many of the things that caused an issue for me in the still-effective Part II to the 2018 hit horror. There’s a lot more sound – although less talking – once the world is plunged into silence, and we see a good deal more of the aliens with ultrasonic hearing, including the amount we see racing across and toward the screen. However, here instead of removing something from the tension of the world and silence they add to the film as we see New York City, which we’re informed in the opening text has a noise level on par with a constant scream, plunged into silence on the first day, or rather few days, of the alien residency of Earth.

We follow cancer patient Sam (Lupita Nyong’o) as a day trip from the hospice to the city sees her stay lengthened when destruction runs through the streets which are quickly covered in overturned cars, rubble and dust. The first sequence of alien attacks sees director Michael Sarnoski trade in the stillness of Pig for a much more chaotic set of events. A flurry of distant noise is intensified by the sudden impact and confusion of the moment. Little can be seen amongst the grey cloud of dust, but we know what’s there and how those nearby are likely reacting, and how that will make it all the more worse for the central character.

Wandering the streets, after being saved by criminally underused Djimon Hounsou looking for safety – and, once the bridges out of the city are destroyed, the chance to get what might be the last slice of pizza at her favourite place in Harlem – it’s not long until Sam and her cat are joined by Joseph Quinn’s law student Eric. Whilst we see a number of well-pitched chase scenes, getting across the speed and stature of the aliens in new, close-up detail that brings a new fear factor to them, particularly when directly next the characters as they’re trapped in tight spaces, including another New York subway which was clearly filmed in the London Underground, where any move could make a noise, what soon begins to unfold is a film of joint human survival.

There’s no hint of romance between the pair, or to some extent friendship, instead it’s a sense of companionship and assistance as they both, eventually, try to reach the same destination and find a way out of the city as silently as possible. The tension from previous films comes through in just how loud an often quiet noise can be in a world where silence means survival, however it also comes in the frequent shattering of glass as aliens rain down through a building the pair are trying to escape from. While we see the pair release their worries and pain by shouting during a thunderstorm perhaps the most effective scene of their helping each other is one which feels as if someone has accidentally pressed the mute button in the projection booth. Even the subtle noises feel as if they’re not there, the visuals simply being enough in comparison to how loud everything that has come beforehand must have been.

It’s a moment of comfort and safety in the latter stages where everything outside hasn’t been forgotten, but is put aside for just a few moments while the new rules are still followed. The area is relatively neat compared to the destruction and debris we’ve seen elsewhere and the vibe of the scene could be easily summed up as ‘cosy’. It’s a moment we don’t move on from quickly and is allowed to linger to show just how much the two have relied on each other, and the unspoken emotional help they’ve provided each other, over the previous couple of days, with still plenty of uncertainty in sight for the future.

These points aren’t the core focus of the film, and they don’t entirely feel as if they’re what events are building up towards. But, they do make for a key detail that’s effectively calming to spend time in away from the tension elsewhere. Playing out as a horror although at times more alike to a tense horror-themed drama or thriller with the bursts of panic that it gives us throughout the increasingly empty and broken streets of New York City. Yet, much of this does come down to the way in which we see the characters behave and interact in their panicked settings, helped by two great performances, especially from Nyong’o who once again shows that she’s a force deserving of more leading roles.

Putting us closer than ever to the aliens, and increasing their number, A Quiet Place: Day One places us in the centre of the dizzying, tense action and chaos of the world’s first noisy instincts. Helped by an parallel line of joint help and survival with strong performances from Nyong’o and Quinn.

Release Date – 28th June 2024, Cert – 15, Run-time – 3 hours 1 minute, Director – Kevin Costner

Chronicling the stories of a variety of settlers heading towards a yet-to-be-built settlement, while those nearer face the already-residing Apaches, those with some distance left find themselves caught up in deadly local tyranny.

It’s somewhat difficult to summarise Chapter 1 of Kevin Costner’s self-funded passion project, Horizon due to the fact that it is just one chapter. Half, or perhaps even a quarter of a film (chapter 2 is scheduled for release in August while 3 and 4 are currently in back-to-back production). There’s no major cliffhanger to end on, just a selection of rapidly cut shots from what’s still to come. Packing another near-three hours of story into just a couple of minutes it highlights further the truly slow-burn nature of what has preceded it and promising that things will come together eventually.

Costner certainly takes his time with his return to directing, for the first time in 20+ years, and the western genre. Horizon Chapter 1 is a film that is setting up its pieces, ready to knock down the dominoes at another time. Looking at the expansion of the American western frontier, we follow various groups of settlers as they head towards ready-to-be-built-on land for a future settlement known as Horizon. The journeys we see are very much still in their first act. There’s not quite enough here yet for a TV series, but with how much jumping around we do between three stories, despite feeling like more due to all the characters who play a role throughout, bordering on too much for one film.

Costner takes on the role which the marketing has focused on, horse trader Hayes Ellison. Yet, proving this is far from a vanity project Ellison has very little screen-time, and doesn’t appear until at least an hour in. His strand may be the most compelling and direct, as he falls in, and must quickly escape a stop, with sex worker Marigold (Abbey Lee) after a deadly encounter with local tyrants trying to fix a land deal in their favour. It’s a simpler set of events compared to what else we see, bringing out the tension and drama more effectively during quieter moments of escalating conversational confrontation.

The landscapes and tension during these brief sequences are at their best. Truly capturing the endless landscapes and horizons that surround the characters in each location. There’s some very effective cinematography on display which seems to aim for a natural look, sometimes backfiring in difficult-to-see shots at night or when playing with shadows. ‘Sprawling’ seems to be the word Costner is aiming for, and while that’s the case for the landscapes and indeed the narrative a bit more unity needs to be felt so things don’t feel more like an anthology film over something that’s eventually going to come together.

Costner (alongside co-writer Jon Baird) has made the decision to delve into the characters, their views and interactions with the laws and workings of the west, whilst the Civil War continues in the east. Whether this be through their own personal tragedies – an extended early sequence sees Sienna Miller’s Frances Kittredge become widowed after a brutal Apache attack, left only with daughter Elizabeth (Georgia MacPhail) – or a welcome Luke Wilson trying to keep order in his divided wagon trail. Various figures crop up throughout these arcs with their own personal strands and journeys to get across the idea that this isn’t as much about the characters but a focus on these part of America at this particular time in the 1860s, this film seemingly taking place over just a couple of days.

Yet, while the three-hour run-time is certainly felt there’s no denying that there still lies an interest in the proceedings and the way they pan out. Perhaps this comes from knowing that there’s more to come, or just how much Costner has put into telling this story the way he wants to tell and show it. While chapter 2 will likely be the better taste of what Horizon is, and will be like, this first instalment makes for a set up that has enough interest to keep you in place for the slow-burn run-time, even if you do feel the three hours.

The simpler moments of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 work best while we wait for the narrative arcs to come together. There’s a lot of characters to keep track of amongst the vast plains and while not all click this is very much a lengthy first act which is establishing the rules of its landscape. Held together by an interest in the settlement end-goal and Costner’s lack of vanity.