Release Date – 17th June 2022, Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 38 minutes, Director – Sophie Hyde

Retired RE teacher Nancy (Emma Thompson) hires young sex worker Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack) in the hope of finally discovering the sexual freedom that has been missing for her life for so many years.

It’s not often that I find myself watching a film and almost instantly really looking forward to writing, or speaking, the review afterwards. However, in the case of Good Luck To You, Leo Grande there’s so much unlocked in the mind thanks to the conversations that it glimpses and encourages that the mind swirls with thoughts, and ramblings, long after the brief credits have flashed by. There’s a lot to unpack, evolve and discuss from what the film manages to get in to just 98 fast-flowing minutes. Which, to a fair extent, is slightly incredible to think seeing as, as many people have likely already stated in regards to this film and many other products covering similar themes, it’s 2022…

Earlier in the year when reviewing Ti West’s horror film X I claimed that the core motives of the killers appeared to be “young people shouldn’t have sex because old people can’t”. The idea of late-life sex appeared to be worked into scenes of horror more than anything else. However, ailments got in the way of murderous couple Howard and Pearl’s hopes of continuing sexual freedom. Although, this appears to have been no problem for sex worker Leo Grande’s (Daryl McCormack) oldest client, at the age of 82. Far from bordering on that age, retired RE teacher Nancy (Emma Thompson) hires the “aesthetically perfect and apparently nice enough” Grande in the hope of experiencing the sexual freedom she was never able to feel during her long marriage to her two-years-passed husband.

“There are nuns out there with more sexual experience than me” she claims while pacing around the hotel room in which nearly all of the film’s drama takes place. There’s worry and anxiety from her about so many different things. From body image to whether she’ll be good enough for the man whose company she has hired. Katy Brand’s excellent screenplay taps into such themes with thought and eloquence, helped by Thompson’s typically thoughtful styling and mannerisms – particularly in a project that she clearly cares about and knows what it means, plus that seems to mean a lot to her individually.

While there’s plenty discussed between the pair in the quickly familiar hotel room, from their families to their lines of work and morals of what they’re doing – leading to an excellently unexpected ‘your mum’ joke that fits in perfectly to its surroundings – what truly rounds off the themes of the conversations is in the brief, but precisely crafted, moments of sensuality between the pair. As the barriers are gradually taken down for Nancy as she attempts to reclaim herself and her sexual identity of years of unfulfillment a snap is created within the floating music that gently sweeps into the background of these pivotal moments. Wonderfully captured by Sophie Hyde, whose fantastic direction shines throughout and brings the piece to life, helping to avoid a stage-like feel, which could so easily happen in a largely one-location two-hander such as this. All combining to seemingly perfectly round off the themes and ideas of what has been discussed in the interactions prior, before moving on to further develop things in the next meeting between the pairing.

Whilst so naturally delving into its themes of female sexuality, simply posing and exploring points for discussion without any provocative proclamations, the film also opens doors for points about male body positivity, alongside shared views and worries. While Nancy prepares herself in the bathroom, Leo looks at himself in the mirror, scanning his body, thoughts clearly rushing through his mind. Such shots are filled with subtleties in McCormack’s fine performance as his character hides plenty of personal details – he claims to tell his potentially distant mum and brother that he works on an oil rig instead of as a sex worker. Again, such elements are simply posed as natural facts. Things that happen.

There’s much power within what the film displays and the way in which it goes about showing certain details. It’s not in the matter of fact nature, but the way in which the characters discuss, behave and act when noone else is around, before gradually opening up to each other. Hints and moments of tenderness, both personally and jointly intimate – “it’s not vain to enjoy your body, to love it” – which are subtly dotted throughout the key details of the characters and their behaviours. It adds to the feelings of thought and care that have clearly gone into making this, and it allows more for the mind to ponder while simply being caught up in the entertainment of the film.

It shouldn’t be ignored just how funny Good Luck To You, Leo Grande is. From the initial hesitation and anxieties which create a slight air of awkwardness, although never entering cringe-comedy, to Thompson’s shocked blurtings and increasing desires to explore different positions there’s a lot to delight in in terms of the humour that’s presented. Frequently laugh out loud funny the chemistry between the central pairing, and the fine screenplay which they add effectiveness to, you easily believe in the on-screen figures and find interest and amusement within their ventures. The lightness and humour make those snaps – as if you can literally hear the click of the finger, or the cord to the lightbulb – all the more poignant. Allowing for a moment not to pause, but to reflect on what’s been seen so far, what’s happening now and the points which the film poses and discusses, again in 2022. Like the characters grow to be, the film is unashamed about what it is and what it poses to the audience. It’s a film for natural openings of conversation that will likely be highly effective in doing just that, doing so in a wonderfully entertaining way.

Naturally and positively unashamed, Good Luck To You, Leo Grande feels like an original breath of fresh air. Funny, thoughtful and excellently executing its ‘snaps’ to round of its themes, there’s a lot to like. And the conversations sprouted from it may be as interesting as the film itself.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 57 minutes, Director – Jeremiah Zagar

Desperate to make it as a coach, basketball scout Stanley (Adam Sandler) believes that he has found the next major NBA star in street player Bo (Jauncho Hernangomez).

Often what makes a great sports movie isn’t in the sporting action itself. It’s in the connection that formed with the characters. If you care about them you’ll more than likely care about what they’re trying to achieve in their respective sports. It’s one of the reasons why I (a person who has no interest in sports) consider 2017’s Borg Vs. McEnroe to be the best film of that year, working as an excellent character study above anything else.

While new-to-Netflix Hustle isn’t quite as in depth a character piece it does present a likable figure in the form of Adam Sandler’s Stanley Sugarman. As his career finally appears to be developing with the opportunity to make it as a basketball coach for the Philadelphia 76ers the team’s owner Rex Merrick (a fleetingly brief Robert Duvall) passes away. Son Vince (Ben Foster) is quickly brought in to lead the new co-ownership, alongside sister Kat (Heidi Gardner), whose presence fluctuates throughout the film, and decides to keep Stanley as a scout, unless he can find the next star player for the team.

Cue the discovery of Spanish street player Bo (Jauncho Hernangomez), a potential star in the making who instantly casts a light on Stanley’s personal career hopes, and simple wants to finally be able to be at home for his teenage daughter’s (Jordan Hull) birthday for the first time in nine years. However, as the pair begin training together it’s revealed that while Bo’s skills are impressive he needs to learn to control himself, in particular his anger and the way he reacts to other players. It’s perhaps a strong cliché and convention that we’ve seen done a number of times before, yet because of the energy which flows throughout the film it’s easy to remain caught up in the unfolding events and progression of the two central characters as they both get closer to their NBA dreams and ‘making it’. Much of this energy is created during the various montages and training sequences which line the film. It’s easy to be caught up in them, and in particular the slight warmth of the central relationship between Sandler and Hernangomez.

This is another dramatic-leaning role for Sandler, where he has shown himself to excel in the past, yet there’s no denying the humour that’s present within Hustle. It’s an early effective device which helps to initially bring you in to the world and the characters no matter how familiar you may or may not be with basketball, especially if you don’t recognise all the cameos which are revealed in the credits. What further allows the humour to work is that the spotlight isn’t always being shone on Stanley, the light, fairly natural, gags are spread out amongst the cast, demonstrating this not to be a piece just about Sandler and his character. It’s a key element to how you engage with the film as a whole, and allows for the various relationships within it, and the characters individually, to feel more investing and generally enjoyable.

Yes, there may be a handful of familiar elements within Hustle, however with how engaging and enjoyable the film is it’s fairly easy to look past these and simply get caught up in the story that’s being told at the centre of it. Sandler and Hernangomez lead a solid cast well as two figures you want to see achieve their hopes of progressing in their careers and proving themselves to major figures in the world of basketball. This adds an extra spark to the moments of gameplay thanks to everything that has been built up over the course of the film and the skills that we’ve seen on display up until this point. It’s easy to get caught up by Hustle and the not-quite-underdog tale that it tells so well. It’s a relatively light, if slightly familiar, story that at least uses the former to a strength, increasing the film’s overall ease and energy, and making for highly enjoyable viewing.

While some elements within the narrative may be familiar Hustle works because it tells its story in an energetic and engaging manner. Helped by two strong central performances from Sandler and Hernangomez it’s easy to be caught up in this light and likable not-quite-underdog story.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 27 minutes, Director – Colin Trevorrow

As dinosaurs and creatures with cretaceous DNA begin to wreak havoc across the world the risk of human extinction rapidly increases, with the cause linking back to a major genetic company Biosyn.

I recently read somewhere on the internet someone claiming that one of the reasons Jurassic Park works so well and creates such tension and fear in relation to the dinosaur attacks is the fact that Spielberg utilises a similar technique to Jaws in that we don’t see the creatures for a fair while, especially as threats, and even then they’re sparingly used. It’s an interesting and solid point. If this is the case then almost thirty years on in the case of Jurassic World Dominion we see so many dinosaurs roaming around the earth in the opening twenty to thirty minutes that we perhaps get so used to them that the threat level is diminished. There are only so many times that we can see characters ‘nearly’ be killed by dinosaurs, and in this case insects which have been spliced with cretaceous DNA, before all tension is removed from subsequent attacks and chases.

It makes for a slightly lacking feel when it comes to the globe-trotting adventure that Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) embark on in this film as their lives of taming dinosaurs and stopping them from falling into the hands of poachers is halted when their adopted daughter Maisie (Isabella Sermon – whose pronounced British accent brings Keira Knightley to mind) is kidnapped by just that group. Much of their hunt links back to genetics company Biosyn, headed by Campbell Scott’s Lewis Dodgson, a company working with dinosaurs and claiming to protect them and use their DNA to help humans. And it just so happens to be this, and increasing swarms of giant locusts in the southern states, that returning faces Doctors Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and Alan Grant (Sam Neill) investigate, after being called by old associate Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum).

With so much going on over the nearly two and a half hour run-time – which only really begins to be felt in the closing stages – it’s almost a good thing that there’s a fair deal to follow due to the fact that the characters themselves are far from the most interesting thing in the film. There’s a lot of plot and narrative to get through, explanations and revelations crop up in most scenes and this helps to distract from the fairly bland nature of the characters. It doesn’t completely help that some – namely Pratt and Dallas Howard – don’t quite gain any chemistry with those around them, and indeed don’t have the most thrilling thread of the piece. However, as the feeling of a two film narrative begins to meld into one things generally even out and make for more consistent viewing.

This isn’t to say that what comes beforehand is in any way ‘bad’ viewing. Despite the various flaws that crop up there’s still an engaging enough nature to make things watchable. This shows during one particular chase as Pratt races down a runway via motorbike with two particularly deadly creatures right on his tail, trying to reach a plane flown by the welcome addition of DeWanda Wise’s Kayla Watts before it takes off. At this moment focus is on just that, the moment. The chase. It leans away from the characters and their conversations, and, yes, fairly bland personalities, and simply shows the race and fight to survive and reach a certain point. It’s during such moments where the focus is on what’s unfolding instead of what’s going to happen later that Dominion works best.

During such moments the big screen is well utilised. In general the visuals are, as is to be expected, great; with plenty of animatronics on display to bring the world to life and you that bit more into it – even if some scenes, once again, do feature one too many dinosaurs leading to a lowered impact, as if seeing them becomes standard and expected. Yet, there’s still some tension to be found when the film focuses on its sequences and scenes in the moment rather than what’s to come, and indeed the characters within them. There’s a lot going on within the film and that certainly helps to keep you engaged throughout the run-time, which generally passes by fairly well. This is definitely something very different, and perhaps unexpected – even after the conclusion of previous entry Fallen Kingdom – from the Jurassic series, and while it slightly stumbles trying to plot itself out there’s enough within the narrative to keep you engaged and interested in the piece and the unfolding events which make it up. Not quite closing things with a roar, but certainly having an interesting crack at something new within the final film in this new trilogy.

Jurassic World Dominion works best when acknowledging that its characters are not the most interesting elements. It helps itself by having a fair deal packed into the narrative to keep you engaged, alongside some occasionally tense dinosaur action, even if the impact is lowered by seeing too many too early on.

Release Date – 10th June 2022, Cert – U, Run-time – 1 hour 33 minutes, Director – Michaelangelo Frammartino

A group of cavers and speleologists explore unknown depths outside a small Italian village.

Having gone into Il Buco knowing nothing about the film aside from the title I found myself wondering part way through whether what I was watching was a narrative feature or a documentary. The lines are blurred through the highly naturalistic, almost silent, style which director Michaelangelo Frammartino brings to the piece. Instead of focusing on dialogue he allows nature and the environment to speak for itself in an almost calming manner. The light and greenness of the surface field, tended to by Antonio Lanza’s aging shepherd contrasts with the claustrophobic darkness of caves which are so key to much of the film. We see a group of cavers and speleologists (scientists studying caves and their formations) embarking on an expedition into unknown depths in a cave just outside of an Italian village, gently enclosed in the valleys. The gradual pacing and use of natural sounds in the opening stages sets in place the idea that this is going to be a fairly gentle film. It prepares your mind so that you don’t expect a proper narrative to begin unfolding and manage to get caught up in what the film is actually showing you.

Much of this is helped by the strong visual style of the piece. Thanks to Renato Berta’s cinematography both above and below ground the look of the piece keeps you in place throughout and helps to keep you engaged for much of the run-time, particularly when things become slightly slower in jumping back and forth between the cavers and the shepherd as he suffers from an increasing illness. Certainly the caving provides the most interesting elements of the piece, but nothing overall feels dominant in terms of focus as everything blends together in that documentary-like style. It’s a feeling further pushed by the camera often being a slightly distanced, observing force rather than up close and in the faces of the various figures who act out the points and moments that construct the slight arc of that the film runs across.

Perhaps due to the fact that we don’t completely get to connect with the characters one or two beats don’t quite have the impact they would like, but with something of this nature with its experimental leanings the involvement that we do have – even if at times thin – leads to an interest in what is happening in that moment in time. The slight fear that someone might get stuck in a cave, or the general intrigue as to how deep the cave really goes – the orange glare of burning magazine pages spiralling down to see how far the new drop travels is a recurring highlight in terms of the visual feast the film provides. During such moments brief glimpses of fascination, and perhaps wonderment, are created, simply thanks to the visuals which truly come to life on the big screen and help to keep you in the world that’s created, even if at times you are only simply watching instead of properly being involved.

But, alongside the views that are on display, perhaps the biggest thing that intrigues you about the film, is that for the most part it works and has you engaged in some way or another. It might begin to dip off around the hour mark when things begin to slightly stagger, but there’s still enough present to keep some interest in the cave exploration and, again, how natural everything feels. Maybe this is down to the moments of build-up and shots of the village near the hills and cave we spend so much time in, where the initial feeling is that this might be a film of everything and nothing – quickly moved on from once things are established. But, the 93 minute run-time generally feels like a natural fit, anything longer and things would perhaps feel more stretched and pushed. But, what we do have is an interesting piece of slightly experimental work. Using natural noise, images and style to create a wholly naturalistic picture, which helps to bring you in; particularly in the moments of cave exploration. You may not always be completely invested, but there’s often something to be interested or intrigued by, especially in terms of the impressive look which forms the core connection to this visual exploration.

Even when you’re not completely involved there’s a level of interest to be had in Il Buco, largely thanks to the highly naturalistic, documentary-like style which is further fuelled by the excellent visuals which bring the piece to life, and keep you engaged for the most part.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 40 minutes, Director – Alex Garland

When her violent husband (Paapa Essiedu) commits suicide, Harper (Jessie Buckley) travels to a small village in the country to find some peace, only to be stalked by a group of eerie locals (Rory Kinnear).

There have been plenty who have compared the feeling of the enclosed village in writer-director Alex Garland’s Men to the faces and oddities of Royston Vasey. However, an equally present nature introduces thoughts of the darker side of Hot Fuzz. Although, instead of attacking those who make the place look ‘untidy’, and causing hassle for the new officer in town, the various west-country-accented male faces (all played by Rory Kinnear) torment Jessie Buckley’s Harper as she simply looks for peace and calm after the suicide of her violent husband, James (Paapa Essiedu).

Despite the increasing eeriness of the small village and its residents the first instance of terror appears in a flashback argument between the married couple. They shout and scream at each other, tension building up as we fear that James may lash out and harm Harper – she’s seen at the start of the film with a bloodied nose as he falls to his death in front of her. The anger in his voice, that in hers; alongside fear, creates a real sense of naturalistic terror that brings you further into the film and what it may have to offer in terms of horror. Up until this point we’ve largely seen Harper exploring the grand house in which she’ll be staying in for two weeks. Receiving the ‘grand tour’ from landlord Geoffrey. Geoffrey certainly doesn’t seem like someone to be fearful of. Yes, a slightly awkward fellow not without his eccentricities, but there’s an element of humour to him and the various lines and jokes that he reminisces: “M4: Dreadful chore”. Even in the local pub, full of scowling, mistrusting faces, his simple participation in a crossword slightly relaxes you, before his actions simply make everyone else’s presence a source of greater unease.

It’s as we discover other similar faces that things become sinister. Harper entrusts the thoughts in her mind with the local vicar only to be met with questioning as to whether she feels guilt for having led her husband to suicide. “Do you prefer for things to be comfortable or true?” she’s asked as the weight and themes of the film begin to truly settle in amidst this conversation, particularly after the crashing sound of “men do strike women sometimes, it’s not nice but it’s not a capital offense”. At this utterance, as a brief yet lasting thud of silence hits the viewer, the cart the film travels in begins to glide towards its ending. There’s a way to go yet, and plenty of horror and tension to be experienced, but the film in no way feels 100 minutes long.

Amongst the more natural tension and fear throughout the film at the creepy comments and actions of the figures shown, all helped by Kinnear’s excellent central performance and Buckley’s clear terror and pain, the more fantastical elements that are introduced never distract from the flow or feelings that are created. They help to push things, assisted by initial suggestions and thoughts that crop up at certain points, slightly preparing you for what might be to come – although never fully – so it doesn’t feel entirely out of the blue. Such elements keep you involved and engaged as Harper’s plan to get away and find peace provides her with anything but. It allows for much of the horror to be natural, lingering suspense for just what the various men in the village will do or say next. Certainly there’s uncomfortable viewing during one or two key moments, translated well by Garland into tension thanks to everything that’s built up over the course of the film.

By the end there’s certainly a lot to unpack. This feels intentional as the film wants you to sit and reflect on it during the credits. It’s likely to have a lasting effect with many points and moments lingering in the mind afterwards – and perhaps warranting a second viewing, even if just to watch it again because it’s great. What’s evident from one viewing though is that the transitions from naturalistic horror in the flashbacks to the shudder-inducing actions and statements of Kinnear’s collective to the effective sprays of gore are all handled well by Garland, Buckley and Kinnear. Creating, alongside the rest of the cast and crew, a truly eerie horror that works because of just how much you discover about the main character in so little time in the opening stages, and indeed flashbacks. It’s a fine piece of work that clicks early on and runs well with its themes and ideas. Keeping you both in place and suspense, but definitely away from a dreadful chore.

Led by two excellent central performances from Buckley and Kinnear, Men easily conjures up an eerily suspenseful style that keeps you engaged throughout its fast flowing run-time. Capturing you in the shocks of both the more out-there horror and that which leans towards more naturalistic territory, which sometimes provides more unease, panic and uncertainty.

Cert – PG, Run-time – 1 hour 42 minutes, Directors – Loren Bouchard, Bernard Derriman

While a sinkhole outside their burger restaurant causes more stress about loan and rent payments for owners Bob (H. Jon Benjamin) and Linda (John Roberts), it provides their children with an early-summer murder-mystery to solve.

For anyone like myself who’s never seen the hit adult animation series Bob’s Burgers there’s an easy way in to the feature adaptation. Even before the unexpected, yet undeniably welcome, opening(ish) song begins there’s a simple string of gags bantered between the central Belcher family within their burger restaurant. While parents Bob (H. Jon Benjamin) and Linda (John Roberts) worry about their upcoming meeting at the bank about their loan repayment the kids sit behind the counter before school, poking fun at their dad – who displays a hand-drawn “smelliest man award” above his grill – and coming up with their own musical instruments made of spoons and napkin holders. The jokes and personalities fly thick and fast amongst the grouping with little time spared for silence. It’s a welcoming early dose of humour to establish the tone and style that the film will be travelling across for its fast 102 minute run-time.

Amongst the various verbal gags the film and its screenwriters (show creator, and co-director – alongside Bernard Derriman – Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith) appear to take delight in the occasional written or background gag – a shop that sells wool lingerie is brilliantly called ‘Sensu-wool’. There’s plenty happening on screen at one time to likely reward multiple viewings of the adventure that plays out for the characters. While Bob and Linda worry about their loan and rent payments, particularly when business is halted from a sinkhole opening up right outside their restaurant, their children attempt to solve a murder when they discover a body in the hole. Led mostly by youngest, nine-year-old Louise (Kristen Schaal) as she tries to prove that she’s brave and not a baby, as she’s teased for being by people at school for the pink, bunny-eared hat she’s always wearing. It’s a different personal challenge to older sister Tina (Dan Mintz) who wants to prove to herself that she can ask out fellow student Jimmy Jr. (Benjamin). Meanwhile, brother Gene (Eugene Mirman) simply wants to get on with revolutionising modern music as the leader, and sole-believer, of his band.

Yet, none of these personal challenges and arcs overly get in the way of the central narrative at the heart of the film. Instead they act more as personality traits and elements that can provide occasional gags to be played with during certain scenes. The more certain details are played with and pushed the funnier they can become within the realms of the film where a number of characters are played with a slightly dead-pan, matter-of-fact nature. It’s what links many of them, particularly within the Belcher family and patriarch Bob (not the lead, although his name is above the door, instead blending in amongst the ensemble of characters), and helps to further involve you in the world as its nature and figures are established so clearly and easily so early on. By the time the short and few musical numbers do come around you can’t help but have a big smile spread across your face as you feel the summer joy that the film encapsulates within its handful of landscapes, primarily the street on which the family live and work and the carnival pier at the end of it – owned by eccentric landlord Calvin Fischoeder (a hilarious Kevin Kline).

As the third act arrives and the narrative begins to present its closing elements there’s still plenty of laughs to be had. Jokes are placed frequently throughout, worked into the scenes and narrative to never drop the tone of the film. It makes for one of the most entertaining, and funniest, villain confrontations and explanations possible. A pure joy to see unfold through the tears in your eyes. Smith, Bouchard and indeed the entire cast and crew understand the hints of silliness within the structure of the world and characters and play with them for full effect. Not creating something bonkers and outlandish to separate from the nature of the characters, but pointing out the more ‘absurd’ elements and making that into a joke too. It plays with such elements for comedic potential and very often hits to the effect of frequent bursts of laughter and chuckles throughout its run-time. All while still managing to keep and reference the different family relationships within the titular business throughout.

Over multiple series everyone involved has clearly whittled and crafted a clear style and formula that they’re dedicated to; one which has successfully transferred to the big screen. It may start out with the feeling of an extended episode, but that’s never a distraction thanks to the hit rate of laughs. The run-time passes by quickly, feeling like something closer to 90 minutes or under than the 102 that it is. From start to finish Bob’s Burgers proves itself as a successful transition to the big screen, creating a joyous kick off to the summer with plenty of laughs, gags and hidden jokes to warrant repeat viewings. A simply excellent piece of consistent entertainment to really sink your teeth into.

The Bob’s Burgers Movie may just be one of the biggest surprises on the year. A successful small to big screen adaptation packed with heaps of humour that revolve around the finely-whittled characters who still maintain their day-to-day worries. Surely one to reward revisiting, it’s a hilarious way to start off the summer.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 11 minutes, Director – Joseph Kosinski

Test pilot Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is called by the US navy to teach a group of the best pilots the US has to offer in order to train them for a deadly and fast approaching mission.

Back in 1986 one of the key praises that was directed towards Top Gun was celebration of it’s various flight sequences. Shot in a distinct Tony Scott style the sequences very much still hold up today and continue to act as a key draw into the film. That flavour still exists today with the sequel simply increasing your engagement with such spectacles as you’re placed directly into the fighter jets with the characters. Close in in the confined space as they soar and roll and train for the deadly mission at hand. With just how close you and the cameras are to the characters, particularly on the big screen, the feeling of risk and danger is certainly increased as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell’s worries act similarly.

After spending most of his life as a test pilot, helping build the planes of the future, Maverick is called back by the US navy to teach the pilots of the future how to execute the destruction of a uranium storage facility. Staying low, weaving through enclosed valley terrain, avoiding enemy aircraft and landing missiles on the smallest of targets are just a selection of items on the agenda of just three weeks. Yet, perhaps the biggest challenge that Maverick faces is trying to get his sparring team of some of the best pilots the US has to offer to work together. While some are cocky and certain of their leadership (Glen Powell’s ‘Hangman’) others have their own personal histories with their new teacher, namely Miles Teller’s ‘Rooster’ – the son of Maverick’s former wingman ‘Goose’, an element which truly clicks once you see the resemblance in a key shot in the latter stages of the film.

As the mission grows closer and progress staggers the tension certainly increases. It comes through in the flight sequences, which visually still contain a slight Tony Scott vibe from director Joseph Kosinski and cinematographer Claudio Miranda, and the dangers which they present to their pilots. Yet, visually, there’s still a particularly flare to the film throughout it’s 131 minute run-time. There’s no denying the style that’s on display and the generally strong look of the film. It helps bring a consistency to some of the more tangential elements of the piece.

Much like with the original Top Gun where the relationship between Maverick and Kelly McGillis’ instructor Charlie perhaps wasn’t the most compelling element (and felt like it was dropped about halfway through) the sequel takes time to look at a rekindling romance between Cruise and new character Penny (Jennifer Connelly). While Connelly’s character is certainly fun, particularly in scenes set in the bar which she owns, with its various amusing rules and consequences, her screen-time is somewhat limited and certainly feels slightly on the backburner compared to the core mission at hand. Val Kilmer’s brief returning appearance as Admiral Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky (where he truly makes the most of his screen-time) feels slightly more fleshed out and impactful – although is wound more into the main narrative.

It’s undeniably the central mission where the central draw towards the film is. The action that pulls you in and the style which keeps you in place, and as things are properly enacted out bring you towards the edge of your seat wit the growing levels of tension. Once again, the flight sequences are the core draw, and often the main focus of the style and action, and they are certainly the best stuff within the film. They bring about the most thrills and entertainment and absolutely make the most of the big screen. Placing you directly in the plane with the characters, up close and personal so you can see the fear, or joy, in their eyes at any one moment. Placed in the middle of the roaring engines, the blast of the explosions and slightly muffled speech and communications. Truly placing you in the danger zone (something which they film revisits right from the opening stages). While certain strands and elements might feel a bit tangential, and contribute to the run-time being slightly pushed, there’s no denying the hook of the spectacle flight sequences and the engagement and entertainment that they provide. While the side elements work well they perhaps don’t quite fly as high as the strongest content within the central narrative of the main mission.

Undeniably strong in terms of visuals and spectacles when Top Gun: Maverick focuses on its main mission there’s plenty of thrills and tension to be found, while the side elements still work they aren’t quite as engaging as the stakes of what surround them.

Cert – Recommended ages 9+, Run-time – 1 hour 37 minutes, Director – Akiva Schaffer

Faded from the limelight, former duo Chip (John Mulaney) and Dale (Andy Samberg) reteam to track down their kidnapped co-star, Monterey Jack (Eric Bana), before he’s reanimated to star in bad knock-off movies.

Perhaps with its landing directly on Disney+ you would expect a Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers movie to be a potential nostalgia trip for those who grew up watching Disney’s chipmunk duo and their assorted team growing up. However, instead of travelling down initial mystery lines we find the team, particularly the titular pairing, broken up and pursuing their own lives and projects. After a falling out, Chip (John Mulaney) now works as an insurance salesman, while, thanks to new surgery, the CG-ified Dale (Andy Samberg) is constantly attempting to cash in on his former fame at fan conventions, to little success when sharing a stall near the likes of Ugly Sonic (Tim Robinson) – a character who appears much more than you would expect with humorous effect. However, when their old co-star Monterey Jack (Eric Bana) is kidnapped the pair find themselves reteaming to track him down, and save him from being reanimated and shipped off to star in cheap, direct-to-DVD Disney rip-offs.

Yet, before much of the adventure kicks off we spend plenty of time exploring the cartoon-live-action world in which the events unfold. From stop-motion and standard 2d animation to CG and references to motion capture there are plenty of different animation styles on display. While some fear of clashing, at least between the two styles that make up Chip and Dale, may have arose from the trailers, with the way we’re introduced to the world and shown all the different varieties that make it up worries are soon removed. Yet, perhaps the element which draws you in most is the hugely self-aware nature that the film takes. Not just in referencing as many different products as it can, featuring an insane amount of cameos (and not just from Disney products, Randy from South Park makes a brief appearance), but in forming a generally meta picture that could perhaps give the Animaniacs a run for their money.

From Squidward having a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame to the general concept of the consequences of encountering the villains of the piece there’s plenty of meta references and occasional fun-poking within this feature length outing for the central pair. There’s a risk, as with anything that runs with this kind of idea, that things might get a bit too much. It might feel like the only form of substance within the world. However, in the case of this film the references and images feel more a part of the world than anything else. Yes, they don’t quite act as background gags, at least not with the prominence with which a number appear on screen, but, especially as the film reaches its second half, they don’t act as the core focus and source of content. While things do slightly slow down as the plot is brought more into focus at the start of the second half gradually some form of blend between the two points is found and there’s an enjoyable enough flow to the film while still managing to provide a number of chuckles along the way.

Something like this does certainly feel unexpected from Disney, especially when it comes to all the aforementioned non-Disney titles mentioned and seen throughout. It doesn’t quite bring about an overall fresh feel, but it undeniably clicks and makes for enjoyable viewing. Not just for spotting what you recognise or various hidden jokes, but simply because it works as part of the world that the film has created. One in which Chip and Dale have slightly faded from stardom, although one consistently looks for new opportunities of a reboot. This appears to work fairly well for this version of these two characters, and the ‘rescue ranger’ mission that unfolds over the short 97 minute run-time, particularly in the second half. Much of the amusement coming from the fact that the meta elements that are made a part of the narrative are blended well so that they actually fit and feel like a proper part of the piece instead of being crowbarred in for another joke – often not overly being played for laughs at a specific point in time. Although, perhaps the biggest surprise of the film is that as a whole it actually works! Generally things go rather well together within this updated outing for the Rescue Rangers, much like the new take on the pairing of Chip and Dale.

By not focusing directly on the meta moments and references, and blending some in with the narrative Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers creates an enjoyable set of laughs and surprises – both in terms of references and narrative elements – throughout its fairly easy run-time.

Release Date – 20th May 2022, Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 57 minutes, Director – Eskil Vogt

A group of children who appear to have telekinetic powers begin to experiment with their abilities, however some find themselves less able to control their minds than others.

Back in 2008 British horror film The Children explored the idea of child minds being corrupted or possessed by an unseen force, causing them to go on a killing spree of their parents in an isolated house where they intended to celebrate the new year. It’s not a film I can claim to be a fan of, however it came to mind a handful of times during writer-director Eskil Vogt’s telekinetic horror drama, The Innocents. We follow a group of children around the age of 9, particularly Rakel Lenora Fløttum’s Ida, as they spend the Norweigian summer in and around a group of closely huddled tower blocks. It appears that Ida is the only child in the area who isn’t able to communicate with others through her mind, or do anything such as move objects. Instead, she uses her older, non-speaking autistic sister Anna (Alva Brynsmo Ramstad) to do this for her.

While initially Ida seems to resent her sister for getting more care and attention from her parents, often leaving her alone, there’s some form of care shown towards her once the idea of her powers comes into play. It also acts as another turning point for Ida as her personality up until this point appears to almost be completely dropped. An early shot sees her stamping on a worm, mostly just to make sure that it is dead after the initial stomp, just because. Another sequence, where she gets to know the angered figure of Ben (Sam Ashraf) shows the pair dropping a cat down a stairwell – again, just because it will hurt and injure the cat. It places in mind the thought that this film might simply be kids being cruel to animals, and eventually each other with no real other force behind the events or actions apart from the fact that they appear to get a kick out of these cruel and malicious actions.

However, once they congregate, alongside fellow tower block resident Aisha (Mina Yasmin Bremseth Asheim) the film shifts to focusing on the group experimenting with their powers. What they can do, and how far away they can interact from. It creates a sense of build up and gradually begins to hint at the darker thoughts within some of their minds, particularly Ben who is posed as an antagonistic figure throughout – largely due to his isolating homelife which we discover later in the piece. Much of this is delved into in the third act. Certain elements are introduced, or at least finally expanded, to form a resolution and slight narrative arc within this act. It certainly feels like the segment packed with the most content and detail, but overall causes the run-time to be felt, particularly after the different tones of the stages beforehand.

Certainly, there’s something interesting in the film and the way it explores the darker powers at play and the ways in which the children control, or in Ben’s case doesn’t control, their anger and minds. It helps that things aren’t played out for overall horror. While the early stages lean this way gradually the film swings towards a more dramatic tone with one or two horror elements and perhaps comes out better for having made that decision. If just swinging for horror then there’s a chance things may have been bogged down in hopeful darkness and the kind of actions we see on display at the start.

It allows for the exploration of the powers to be placed front and centre later on. And while this causes the core development of the characters to be left until late in the film once everything has been referenced and looked into there’s still a level of engagement and interest within the drawn-out proceedings. Helped by the fact that the idea of malice for fun is dropped after a short while in the opening stages the film may feel drawn out and hindered by the different focuses and tones in each act, but while as a whole it may be pulled in different directions it’s solid enough, if conflicting, viewing for the time that it’s on and does leave a mild impression on the mind.

Better off for not leaning completely into horror, or cruelty for fun, The Innocents may feel pulled in different directions with the focuses of each act, but there’s enough interesting content in regards to controlling anger and the effects of not doing so that things eventually pass along fairly well, if for a bit too long.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours 19 minutes, Directors – Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert

Whilst attempting to file her taxes Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh) discovers that she is the only person who can save the multiverse from a dark force from another world.

2016’s Swiss Army Man is perhaps, almost certainly, one of the most bonkers films in recent years. Featuring Daniel Radcliffe as a talking, farting corpse with a phallic compass it still manages to holds its fair deal of absurdity. Yet, within that film there’s plenty of heart and warmth when it comes to the central relationship between Radcliffe and Paul Dano’s central characters and the narrative which they follow.

Now, writer-directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (more commonly referred to as Daniels) reach much wider than a desert island in taking on the multiverse for their latest feature. However, despite the infinite possibilities and worlds which we could discover, everything that the multiverse has to offer, we largely follow Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh), a woman who is simply trying to file her taxes with little hope and success. When a man who claims to be her husband (Ke Huy Quan) from another universe tells her that she is the only person who can save the multiverse and stop a dark force which is trying to kill her – giving her the ability to unlock the skills and knowledge of versions of her in many alternate realities – her response is to simply say that she’s very busy for the day.

Yet, this is a film which features both the most existential everything bagel possible and worlds where people have hot dog fingers. It’s opened up as pretty much everything is opened up and expanded for Evelyn. While still in the confines of the tax audit office – where once the scariest thing was Jamie Lee Curtis’ brilliantly played auditor – she begins to discover what her life could have been like if she had just made one or two small, yet pivotal, decisions and changes. Through this something of a thoughtful, emotional drama begins to play out; particularly in the chaos of the final stages. Taxes aren’t the only stress for the central figure as she tries to steer herself through a potential divorce, trying to prove herself to her father (James Hong), attempting to keep a relationship with her potentially distancing daughter (Stephanie Hsu) and getting ready for a Chinese New Year celebration at her laundromat. It all comes through in Yeoh’s excellent central performance which leads a strong ensemble cast.

Much of this is blended with the finely pieced together action, tracked well by Daniels’ camera and the overall editing of the action sequences. There are multiple layers of amusement to be had with a number of action moments thanks to the humour that’s injected into them and the creativity which spawns it. It simply further shows the creative force that Daniels are through the intense originality of their latest feature. Admittedly, when everything has come together and we reach the ‘all at once’ of the piece things can begin to get a bit much. While we’re still largely in the one central location in our universe we’re jumping back and forth between events in others – progressing the central familial themes that the film subtly holds and develops overtime. With so much going on in these final stages a feeling of overload is neared as a slight feeling of intensity starts to arrive. It doesn’t cause the film to go off the rails, instead it simply feels a bit much ‘all at once’, even if that is the intention.

But, this doesn’t stop the enjoyment from being completely sucked from the film. There’s still plenty to like and be amused by as everything begins to be wrapped up in one gloriously over the top – and yet still fitting and accepted within the world(s) that the film has created – set of events. There are plenty of absurd moments, yet none of them become the central focus of the film. Instead such points are used to progress the narrative and add further detail to the various different worlds of the multiverse, with some simply allowing Evelyn to think about her life and family – and, again, what it could have been like, if only… It’s all well mixed together to allow everything to blend well when it comes to the all at once of the film, even if that does sometimes feel a bit much it doesn’t entirely disconnect with you from the piece. Further helped by the strong performances of the ensemble cast Everything Everywhere All At Once truly shows that Daniels are a strong creative force with plenty of heart within the madness of their features.

Holding a fair deal of absurdity, particularly in the final stages where the ‘all at once’ begins to get a bit much, the madness within Everything Everywhere All At Once is never put centre stage, simply blended as a multiversal element. Allowing for the heart of the finely performed, especially by Michelle Yeoh, familial themes to come through instead.