Cert – Recommended for ages 12+, Run-time – 1 hour 45 minutes, Director – Anne Fletcher

Friends Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) must stop the recently revived Sanderson sisters (Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, Sarah Jessica Parker) before they cast a spell which could give them the power to kill the town of Salem.

Despite not being a huge fan of the original Hocus Pocus, I certainly like it but don’t hold it as fondly as many who have grown up with it, there’s no denying the smile that appeared on my face as the Sanderson sisters returned. While the following musical number of ‘The Witch Is Back’ might not entirely strike the same feeling Bette Midler’s preceding cry of “lock up your children. We’re back!” is a true mark that the trio (also including Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker) have very much returned after 29 years.

They’re brought back by a spell-gone-wrong in the ‘forbidden woods’ by school friends Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo). The two have been interested in magic and witchcraft for many years, however aren’t quite ready to be dealing with the resurrected Sanderson sisters, especially when their aims switch from living further than the night to casting a spell to give them all-power. A spell which would allow them to kill the entire town of Salem – which has done them wrong before in its various different forms through history. Helping them to get the objects that they need to cast this spell is Sanderson museum and gift shop owner Gilbert (Sam Richardson), with the help of returning zombified former Sanderson lover (“It was one kiss”) Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones).

There are a handful of different groupings throughout the film that we jump back and forth between. While the main one is perhaps that of Becca and Izzy trying to stop the sisters from destroying their town the stars of the show are truly Midler, Najimy and Jessica Parker. They ramp up the camp with intentionally over-the-top performances and it seems clear that the three are all having a great deal of fun returning to these roles. The fun emits from the screen as there are plenty of chuckles to be had within the scenes where they take the lead. For fans of the original film this sequel is likely to be a hit. While it ticks the various throwback boxes it still paves itself out with enough to justify itself as a sequel largely down to its storyline, even if that element doesn’t overly steal the show.

The surrounding elements may sometimes slip into feeling like a cliched ‘Disney Channel’ movie (one particular strand for Becca and Izzy involves their rocky friendship with Lilia Buckingham’s Cassie since she started dating Mike (Froy Gutierrez) – a guy who is sometimes late because he “decided to have two breakfasts”) although this can be viewed as it simply working/ leaning towards a new generation. For a new group of people this may be what the original Hocus Pocus has become for many people since its first release, or rather in that film’s case various annual airings on TV. This is very much a film for fans of the original, and a new generation of young viewers.

However, for those outsiders, or with generally less connection to Hocus Pocus and the Sanderson sisters, there’s still a good deal to enjoy here. Plenty of chuckles and awareness of campness help to move things along and boost the overall enjoyment of the film. The story may feel somewhat mixed at times with its various different elements, but the film certainly knows what the audience are here for and it supplies it while still moving things along.

The various sets of characters may bring a different tone as the story jumps between each one but Hocus Pocus 2 knows that the main attraction is the Sanderson sisters and it provides them in all their camp comedic glory whilst not halting the film as a whole.

Cert – PG, Run-time – 1 hour 56 minutes, Director – Anthony Fabian

Mild-mannered, widowed cleaner Mrs Harris (Lesley Manville) sets out to achieve her dream of buying a Christian Dior dress from Paris.

Mrs Harris Goes To Paris is a film lifted up thanks to the way it captures its events through the eyes of the titular central character. Lesley Manville plays the mild-mannered cleaner who, after finding out she’s owed a war-widows pension fund from her beloved Eddie who passed away 13 years before during World War II, jets off to Paris with her eyes set on buying a Christian Dior dress. She’s an uncynical, unassuming figure out for a big one-day adventure before returning to her quiet life. The film captures this spirit perfectly with an effortless-feeling level of charm which simply helps to wrap you up in the unfolding events all from the warm viewpoint of the leading figure of Ada Harris.

After eventually making her way into a Christian Dior show – only being allowed in after displaying her rolls of saved up money to brand image-aware directress Mrs Colbert (Isabelle Huppert) and receiving an invitation in the moment from Lambert Wilson’s Marquis de Chassange – a one day trip turns into a couple of weeks away. A dress must be custom made to fit the buyer. As she begins her sessions of fitting and measuring Manville’s character jokes you “don’t get this king of fuss for a frock down Woolworths”. There’s a light tone throughout such sequences thanks to the joy which Manville brings to the role. As she attends the Dior show and watches the parade of dresses in astonishment you almost feel the same emotions and uplift thanks to the subtle connection you’ve formed with her through the film’s styling.

While something of an outsider in Paris, particularly in the world of high-end fashion with her brightly-coloured cardigans, there’s no denying the effect that Mrs Harris has. Overtime she begins to bring together the likes of Dior accountant André (Lucas Bravo) and top model Natasha (Alba Baptiste). Such strands may be structured with convention but to a large degree you don’t mind thanks to the likable nature of the piece, helped by its slightly stripped-back nature and calm attitude to many proceedings. Even the hints of a potential romance with the Marquis simply add to the point that Mrs Harris’ kindness has a genuine effect on those around her without it being made a big deal of. With her interacting with so many people it may mean that the final stages feel slightly drawn out with their holding various resolutions and further developments, but there’s still a tonal consistency to enjoy and be caught up in.

Perhaps where this adaptation of novel Mrs ‘Arris Goes To Paris succeeds the most is in the fact that it marks itself as something of a rarity. A good, enjoyable film free of cynicism. It’s something we don’t often see, but when we do it serves as a pleasant delight – much like the titular Mrs Harris, wonderfully performed by Manville with a similar air of natural charm as the character. This is a film where the central figure goes to Paris to buy a dress. And from the moment you realise things have clicked and you see her reactions to the display that’s shown before her during the key show sequence you truly want to see her succeed in this aim. There may be a number of positive happenings and effects along the way, but you’re consistently reminded of the dress at the heart of the film. Much of the events link back to it all through the delightfully kind actions and lens of Mrs Harris.

It may begin to feel slightly drawn out in the final stages but Mrs Harris Goes To Paris still deals with the dame effortlessly uncynical tones and themes as beforehand, led by a delightfully charming Lesley Manville who you simply want to see buy her dream dress.

Cert – PG, Run-time – 1 hour 36 minutes, Director – Kogonada

When the AI sibling (Justin H. Min) bought for his adopted daughter (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja) malfunctions Jake (Colin Farrell) discovers more about the human-like robot’s life as he searches for ways to fix him.

Sci-fi has long been used as a way to reflect upon our world as it is now. Looking at the distant future somehow often allows us to think about ourselves at the moment. Writer-director Kogonada’s After Yang gently uses this idea to push forward its well-observed ideas about connections and relationships of different forms.

We follow parents Jake (Colin Farrell) and Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith) as they try to find a way to fix the malfunctioned AI sibling they purchased for their young, adopted daughter Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja) to better connect to her Chinese heritage. While there’s the potential for this event to allow for the pair to better connect with their daughter after having potentially become too reliant on human-like Yang (Justin H. Min) we gradually learn more about their own relationships to him and the connections that they formed with the second-hand purchase. While the film’s narrative focuses on Jake searching for ways to fix Yang it’s the discoveries made along the way, such as memory files, which act as the true focus and source of interest.

We see flashbacks to conversations and quiet moments of bonding amongst the family and their different relationships with Yang. A scene set in the garden between Mika and her friend (whose dialogue briefly reminds us every now and then that he’s a robot) sees her discussing her familial ties and who her real family is. Such moments are so sensitively dealt with that they seem to lift up with ease and simply wrap you into the scene along with the characters, caught up with the themes and the points which are being discussed with such care and compassion. Helped by a set of great central performances – particularly Farrell who leads the film with a sense of unspoken grief – you’re engaged in the film from the opening stages, including a much louder, and highly discussed, synchronised dance competition sequence backing the opening credits.

From such a moment there’s interest in where the film is going to go and what it’s going to do. Knowing very little about it brings a slight sense of surprise as the true course takes shape. An admiration for the restraint and thoughtfulness that it displays towards the characters and the emotional situation they find themselves in. Naturally showing their past connections and they way they interact, and to some extent re-connect in the face of Yang’s breaking down. All of this is given time by Kogonada to pan out over the course of the short 96 minute run-time. Never feeling cramped or overstuffed there’s an element of interest and intrigue when it comes to some of the revelations about Yang’s own perspective and the way in which he viewed relationships, shown not just in flashbacks from Yang’s own point-of-view but also in Min’s performance when talking to his character’s adoptive family.

The time given is emphasised through the quietness of the film. A number of scenes and conversations are set to what feels like silence. However, even moments backed by Aska Matsumiya’s effectively stripped-back feeling score (the film’s theme composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto) have an added layer of poignancy and emotion to them, the score seemingly working hand-in-hand with the film. Perhaps much like the relationships and connections depicted in the film After Yang feels like a finely-tuned set of collaborations. Each element working well with the others to allow the characters space and time to show their thoughts and emotions, sometimes in flashbacks, sometimes without saying much, or anything, at all. Quiet grief, reflection, thoughts and bonds are put on display from a screenplay which understands its focuses and weaves them into the narrative which gradually pans out amongst them. All within the lightly-reminded near-future setting which adds further detail to the story and the emotional arcs and relationships of the characters themselves.

After Yang is a quiet and thoughtful reflection on both familial and emotional relationships and bonds. Complimented by its near-future leanings and an excellent cast, the characters are given time and space and the film is all the more effective for it.

Release Date – 28th September 2022, Cert – 18, Run-time – 1 hour 55 minutes, Director – Parker Finn

Therapist Rose (Sosie Bacon) finds a curse attached to her, passed on through witnessing traumatic events. With an uncertain amount of days left until it catches up with her she must learn what it is and how to defeat it.

There’s no denying that Smile certainly justifies its 18 rating in the opening few minutes. As therapist Dr Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) watches a patient of hers commit suicide right in front of her. It’s one of a number of gory moments throughout the film and yet while this creates some horror, alongside a handful of unsettling images throughout the film, where it succeeds the best in creating tension is its snaps back to reality from the supernatural. The traumatic event which Rose witnesses early in the film passes on a curse to her. Initially haunting her and playing tricks on her mind, and those around her, the force – displaying itself as large, creepy smiles on the faces of people Rose knows or is around – soon begins to attack Rose, with her having to somehow defeat it with an uncertain amount of days before it reaches her and continues the chain to the next victim/ witness.

Yet, noone around the central figure is able to see what Rose sees. Writer-director Parker Finn doesn’t quite bring in a sense of ambiguity here, it’s largely acknowledged that what Rose sees is something that’s actually stalking and threatening her. While there’s some tension built up in some of the attacks a lot of the horror comes in the effects afterwards, seeing the ways in which the curse has played with Rose’s mind and begins to affect her relationships and actions. A particular snap back into reality at her nephew’s birthday party is one of the most unsettling sequences in the film due to the way the events begin to merge into each other as Rose tries to deal with multiple things at once in a situation she doesn’t overly understand herself. It causes her to become distanced in her relationships – including to her fiancé Trevor (Jessie T. Usher). It’s evident that everyone views her as becoming increasingly unstable due to the fact that she starts to wear baggier, scruffier clothes with her hair down (the initial title for the film when entering production was Something’s Wrong With Rose).

It’s some of the more conversational moments between characters, especially between Rose and Trevor, which somewhat bring the horror to a halt throughout the film. They feel more dialled down and simply don’t click as well as the suspense of the more investigative sequences into what the curse (eventually credited as simply ‘The Monstrosity’) actually is and how it might be able to be stopped, at least for Rose. Such instances cause the film to begin to feel a bit on the longer sider, at nearly two hours overall, particularly when it comes to the final stages which begin to feel quite drawn out themselves. This partly being down to the fact that much is introduced into the film, including some characters, largely for convenience and moving the narrative along with not always a great deal of detail/ push beyond. Bordering on the basics of Chekov’s childhood.

When focusing on horror the film is at its strongest. There are some good jump scares alongside scenes of genuine suspense and tension within reality and the supernatural; gradually coming together over the course of the film. When mixed with some truly unsettling imagery, particularly in the latter stages, there are some truly clever patches of horror which appear throughout. They may be dampened afterwards by the arrival of a more talky scene which leans away from the built-up tension, but luckily they manage to arrive again and still create an effect. You’re still able to engage with them, and the film as a whole – even if it does begin to slightly push its run-time. Perhaps slightly uneven in places due to its shifts in tone and occasional wobbles there’s still enough within Smile to create suspense and an effective fear factor within scenes which focus on creating just that.

While somewhat tonally uneven, and slightly overlong, when it focuses on horror and suspense Smile certainly has a tense effect. Even after slightly dampening conversational scenes, investigation and snaps between reality and the supernatural still manage to create scares.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours 3 minutes, Director – Olivia Wilde

Housewife Alice (Florence Pugh) begins to suspect her life may not be as idyllic as it seems when she starts to witness odd goings on hidden by the company who own the town and neighbourhood.

There’s clear order and design to the 50’s-style suburban look of Victory. Everything appears to move like clockwork with the men going to work in the desert just outside the borders of the town and neighbourhood each morning while their wives stay at home putting in the hard, yet thanked-for, work of cooking, cleaning and occasionally going to the nearby shops – as long as they stay in the safety of their surroundings everything will be fine. Or at leas that’s what they’re told. Everything may not quite be as it seems when housewife Alice (Florence Pugh) begins to notice strange and out-of-the-ordinary goings on which disrupt the flow and order established over the last 900+ days of her life in Victory.

At first these sightings are generally dismissed by Alice as thoughts created by Kiki Layne’s Margaret, who for a while has been questioning what’s really going on around her. However, as she starts to have strange visions and sees men in red jumpsuits trying to cover up dark revelations about Victory the world around her begins to descend into chaos – much mentioned as the enemy of everything the Victory Project stands for. It takes a while for these developments to find a real flow as we’re initially introduced to a world which feels as if its providing developments and further information to questions which it hasn’t yet asked. This particularly being the case as life continues to move on with little question from the protagonist for a good portion of the third act despite what we’re seeing and hearing.

Perhaps the feeling largely comes from the fact that much of the idea of what is being hidden from both the audience and the housewives of the film lacks substance. A number of ideas throughout the film never quite lift off from the initial point, or simply continue with it for the duration of a scene without bringing in anything new. It means that the thriller aspect that feels as if it should be present never quite picks up and lacks a sense of tension or dramatic stakes.

As Alice begins to break down and tries to piece things together, especially at a dinner party in front of a group of her friends, her husband (Harry Styles – who initially doesn’t get as much to do as you might think, although the film does occasionally stop to allow him to shout) and the head of victory, Frank (Chris Pine), things begin to come together more. When the film deals with more than one thing at a time, or at least plays with different elements and ideas in a scene, it strikes a better chord and begins to stir its sense of mystery. It feels as if more is going on, especially in developing points beyond a more general idea. What we get beforehand certainly has its watchable moments, but it never truly takes off to truly involve the viewer until some of the third act twists and turns.

A series of events which fluctuate between slight obviousness, in terms of basis, and interest. Interest eventually manages to overpower and lead the final stages of the piece in an engaging way – although it may not be to everyone’s tastes – largely helped by the staging of the reveals and a rather thrilling chase sequence; perhaps the highlight of the film. It’s wrapped in further progression and basis for Alice’s worries, which lacks in the early stages of the film despite what’s shown around her, and indeed the conflicting mindset that Alice starts to have. Basis may take a while to properly arrive, yet Pugh, as expected, gives a strong leading performance throughout. Surrounded by a good supporting cast, including Gemma Chan, Nick Kroll, Kate Berlant and director Olivia Wilde, all of whom do what they can with not-always-fully-developed characters.

While it might take some time to get its elements together to allow for a better sense of flow to come into place there’s still some engagement to be found within Don’t Worry Darling. It’s helped along by its performances, especially Pugh in the leading role, with the cast trying to bring things above the occasionally single idea format of a scene. We eventually get more, and the film as a whole has enough to interest and engage throughout its just over two hour run-time, but you do find yourself wishing for more detail almost from the opening stages.

Don’t Worry Darling occasionally moves above its lack of substance, partly thanks to its performances; especially Florence Pugh. Working best when dealing with more than one thing at a time it gradually picks up a better flow and gains interest and engagement through its developments.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 1 hour 44 minutes, Director – Ol Parker

A long-divorced couple (George Clooney, Julia Roberts) travel to Bali to stop their daughter (Kaitlyn Dever) from marrying a man (Maxime Bouttier) she’s just met whilst celebrating her graduation.

With many celebrating and praising the ‘return’ of the big studio rom-com over the past few years Ticket To Paradise arrives to truly bring about something of a throwback. Pitching the undeniable chemistry of George Clooney and Julia Roberts as a constantly feuding divorced couple who find themselves having to team up in order to stop their daughter, Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) from getting married to someone (Maxime Bouttier plays seaweed farmer fiancé Gede) she’s just met whilst celebrating her graduation in Bali. They fear that she’s going to make the same mistake they made when they were her, to each other.

It’s a narrative where you can roughly tell what’s going to happen over the course of the film and yet you generally buy it thanks to the performances of Clooney and Roberts. Their movie-star charm and aesthetic helps to sell the film and brings you on board, alongside selling a number of the chuckles along the way. In other hands a number of the gags could feel tired and laboured, with the film as a whole feeling as if it belongs on Netflix with a pun title, but Clooney and Roberts, almost effortlessly, succeed. The running joke of their bickering and exaggerated hatred towards each other – Roberts’ Georgia insists in her opening lines “I try not to be in the same time zone [as him] if I can help it” – can begin to wear thin, particularly as the film wants to show the pair coming together with their joint mission, but there’s still enough to be amused by throughout.

The two leads certainly aren’t always in the spotlight throughout, though. The supporting cast, primarily Dever and Bouttier, get their moments – although perhaps not always in the comedic vein – to allow things to progress and remind you of the reason why we’re here in the first place (with Bali (actually Australia) being given a tourist-encouraging view by director Ol Parker, who was behind Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again). However, the real scene-stealer is Billie Lourd as Lily’s best friend Wren. Having stolen the show in 2019’s Booksmart as Gigi, here Lourd brings a similar energy and plenty of successful laughs with her handful of one-liners and excellent timing proving her to be a true comedic force even with fairly limited screen-time.

With such performances the film manages to sell itself and fill its 104 minute run-time well enough. It may have its noticeable conventions and you can tell where it’s generally going from the outline, although you might not quite buy some of the final stages due to some of the gags throughout the film, but there’s a likable and enjoyable enough film within Ticket To Paradise to warrant viewing. Likely to please fans of the central pairing, who are of course great together, and perhaps rom-coms in general, the cast helps to make for something which might not take the audience to paradise, but certainly acts as a smooth enough journey nonetheless.

Ticket To Paradise certainly has its conventions and familiar elements, in other hands it may not click, but thanks to the central cast; particularly the undeniable chemistry of Clooney and Roberts, there are enough chuckles to make for worthwhile amusement throughout.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours 15 minutes, Director – Brett Morgen

Documentary using archive footage to explore the mystery behind David Bowie and his characters.

Brett Morgen’s Moonage Daydream is a film that initially revolves around the idea of the mystery that surrounded David Bowie and the characters he performed as on stage. Who was the real David Bowie? Did he know himself? We see interview footage where he admits “I’ve never been sure of my own personality… I’m a collector. I collect personalities”. The idea of collection, and indeed that “there’s a feeling of excitement and titillation about moving in areas that are forbidden to society”, is pushed in the cascading barrage of sound and vision which floods the screen in loud montages. Assembling clips and images from films, newspaper articles, concert footage and more to push across the idea of influences. This may be one of the few films ever to use footage from both Barbarella and Triumph Of The Will, and to end with a reference to Pete and Dud.

Bowie states at one point that Ziggy Stardust started as an alien rock star and was then further developed by people’s perceptions of the character. We see in these early years (at least in terms of what the film covers) a man discovering his own personalities through his characters, yet almost being overcome by them. The use of overlapping footage powered by the almost non-stop Bowie soundtrack (without feeling overpowering, it pairs finely with the well-edited and combined visuals which are made for the big screen – this certainly deserves the IMAX treatment it’s been given) emphasises this as the audience is projected into this kaleidoscopic world exploring the mystery of the central figure. Mystery which is kept intact thanks to the way in which the film leans into perception and fascination – including Bowie’s own of his characters.

As things move on and we reach the star’s return in the 80s the film becomes something of a personality drama within the career documentary aspect. We see more of the focus coming through and building his own personality as he begins to perform as himself instead of the likes of the Thin White Duke. While the extent of the montages might slightly die down, or at least their frequency, it allows the personal elements of someone discovering themselves to come through more amongst the parallels of footage – some of Bowie simple exploring the literal world he lives in, or finding connecting points in his music videos and behind-the-scenes footage.

There’s no denying the consistently compelling and fascinating nature of the visuals. With so much happening Morgen manages to not overpower the viewer and instead forms an easy-to-follow narrative without the use of talking heads and largely allowing for Bowie to speak for himself, alongside the masses of images and footage used throughout the 2 hour plus run-time. A run-time which does admittedly begin to feel a bit on the long side, but there’s still a strong level of engagement to be had with the film thanks to what it presents as a truly cinematic experience. Even without the exploration of his mystery and character/s Bowie is enough himself to command the screen, particularly within concert footage – we see people early on describing just what they like about him, when asked why she’s crying one girl simply replies “he’s smashin'”.

There’s a casual humour to the film. Largely coming from the central figure in interview clips. It puts us on a more equal plain to him and opens up another level of accessibility and openness. Such points are certainly not frequent, but they add a slight extra detail which helps to push your involvement in the mixture of the film as a whole. One which is part concert film, part career documentary and part personality drama. It’s all well balanced and helps to form the narrative which is being developed through the use of footage and following of the stages of Bowie and his developing career from the early-70s to the late-90s. A rolling tide of intense visuals and chest-pounding sound brings you into the potential world of David Bowie and who he was through his characters. All while keeping his mystery intact. It’s a brilliantly constructed film made to be experienced on the biggest screen possible. The title seems to sum it up rather well.

Part concert film, part career documentary, part personality drama there’s plenty of themes within the wonderfully edited and controlled Moonage Daydream to match the force of the colourful images and powerful sound. A true cinematic experience which explores Bowie’s character/s while keeping him intact.

Release Date – 16th September 2022, Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 40 minutes, Director – Kevin Smith

After suffering a major heart attack Randal (Jeff Anderson) decides to make a film about his life in the convenience store he co-owns with best friend Dante (Brian O’Halloran).

Since first meeting them 28 years ago Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) appear to have been consistently been stuck in the same place in life. Dante is trying to find a way to move on with his life and change, while Randal simply hasn’t changed at all. They’re back at the Quick Stop Convenience Store, which they now co-own, dealing with the same customers (and colleagues, Mooby’s staff member Elias (Trevor Fehrman) has followed along with fellow Christian Crypto Club member Blockchain (Austin Zajur)). Once in their early-20s the pair are now approaching 50 and little has come of their lives.

It’s this fact that Randal begins to reflect on after suffering a major heart attack which he’s told only 20% of people survive. In order to make his mark on the world he decides, with no experience other than having seen plenty of films, to make a movie based on his life at Quick Stop. He just needs to jump over the hurdles of funding, casting, script disagreements, hiring crew and dealing with Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith), who have ‘transformed’ the former video store into a dubious THC shop.

It’s acknowledged that this is Kevin Smith’s most personal film since perhaps the first Clerks. Once again inspired by his own interactions and experiences – following on from his own ‘widow-maker’ heart attack a few years ago – the heart and centre of this film is still the friendship between Dante and Randal. The film acts as a reflection for them just as much as it does for Smith and his career so far. There’s certainly more of a narrative form to this third entry than the previous two but it’s pushed along well thanks to the fact that Smith knows exactly how to get the characters to move things along and how to work them into each scenario. It’s clear that he, and the cast as a whole, care about them and whilst looking back throughout the film – with a number of throwbacks throughout – try to show, at least some of them, trying to move forward.

This comes in the form of Dante still grieving from the loss of his partner Becky (Rosario Dawson). It’s a strand that, much like a number of the emotional moments, doesn’t quite click due to the briefness of the scenes focusing on it. Certainly such elements don’t cause you to disengage from the film, perhaps partly down to their briefness, but they do feel like more asides from the main thread. The most effective sequence comes in the form of a scene-filming which captures Dante’s feelings about how he’s been stuck in the same place for nearly three decades. Fuelled by his emotional baggage, and the silence around the scene, it leads to an excellent extended rant from O’Halloran, undisturbed by the occasional glance to the camera crew with gag potential the flow is unbroken as the outburst commands attention.

While perhaps the emotional beats might not always hit home the comedic elements throughout the film frequently get a positive response. This is a very, very funny film. While it initially feels odd having certain references to the likes of NFTs and even The Mandolorian in a Clerks film things eventually settle down and the series of nerdy conversations, stoner jokes and bragging about penis size – something which Randal seems more concerned about when in the hospital having a heart attack – that’s almost come to be expected from these films takes prominence; not to mention the customers. All wrapped in the standard style of natural conversation that comes from both Smith’s screenplay and the performances. While some figures may lean into the absurd, still managing to gain laughs in the Clerks and View Askew world that Smith has created, they generally compliment Dante and Randal’s views of everyone around them.

Smith mentions towards the end of the credits that the first film was based on a viewpoint that ‘this job would be so much better if it wasn’t for the f*cking customers’, yet now there’s a realisation that it wouldn’t be what it is if it wasn’t for the f*cking customers. The same goes for fellow colleagues at the Quick Stop, and even the video rental/ THC store next door. Clerks has long been about Dante and Randal’s friendship and the way in which they interact with each other and those around them. It’s put to the fore of Clerks III as it takes a look back at their lives as they properly face the idea of still being stuck in the same place thanks to life intervening and holding them back. Yet, they’re very much the same figures, now both beginning to acknowledge that they’re getting older instead of just one. It’s heartfelt from all who have stuck around with these characters throughout the three (and in some cases more) films. The emotional beats might not always hit, but that doesn’t stop this from being a frequently laugh-out-loud funny return to the Quick Stop. A far from inconvenient assurance that they’re very much still open.

While the emotional beats might not always click due to their briefness there’s plenty of laughs to be found within Clerks III as it takes a thoughtful stance on its central characters trying to move on with their lives whilst looking back. It’s not perfect, but it is rather brilliant.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 1 hour 38 minutes, Director – Tom George

An American film director (Adrien Brody) looking to adapt hit play The Mousetrap is killed, with stage and screen production members all suspects.

With Disney’s D23 convention having recently passed, and myself having praised the modernity of Bodies Bodies Bodies, it’s always nice to see something which successfully embraces the traditional. Murder-mystery See How They Run – likely one of a string we’ll start to see in the wake of Knives Out’s success – does just this by leaning in to a state of theatricality as film director Leo Köpernick (Adrien Brody) is found killed on the stage of the recent West End hit play he’s looking to adapt for the big screen, The Mousetrap.

With production members of both stage and screen acting as suspects – we run through the cast in a pacey prologue told from Köpernick’s perspective in the build-up to the murder – it’s up to tired and to-the-point Inspector Stoppard (an effectively mumbled British-accented Sam Rockwell) and eager rookie Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan – who appears to be having a great deal of fun with a role which allows her to make a number of amusing wisecracks) to track down the killer before anyone else falls victim. The duo may not seem like an obvious pairing, but they naturally bounce off of each other thanks to their character’s differing attitudes to the case. There’s plenty of chuckles to be found as they discuss and exchange theories and potential killers, whilst the more experienced Stoppard warns hopeful-sergeant Stalker – writing everything she finds and learns in her seemingly endless notepad – not to jump to conclusions.

By seeing their deliberations and workings as to who the killer might be the film doesn’t quite follow a conventional whodunnit nature. You see the two detectives working out and discussing along the way, instead of building up to a big parlour room monologue. Whilst you may not play along as actively as in other murder-mysteries there’s still an element of involved guesswork for the viewer as we meet each of the individual characters in the starry cast – including the likes of Ruth Wilson, Reece Shearsmith and David Oyelowo. Some may get more screen-time than others as we go from one to another in an almost chaptered set of interviews in respective locations – each providing flashbacks and more details of the events building up to the murder.

When leaning into the traditional elements there’s plenty of inspiration taken from classic murder-mystery conventions, using The Mousetrap not just as a point for occasional gags but also for plot details and a theatrical context and styling to the film as a whole. The dispute over the potential film adaptation brings in a slight clash of stage and screen element whilst generally pushing certain jokes throughout the film. Allowing for an element of self-awareness and mild fun poking which heightens the lighter elements of the film and simply brings in a strand of fun to the proceedings. At a short 98 minutes overall and with a number of chuckles to be had throughout there’s plenty to keep you engaged and amused over the course of the narrative as the officers attempt to track down the killer amongst their own lightly dealt with character issues – one certainly more present for eventual plot reasons than the other.

But, as things move along their traditional outlines there’s plenty to enjoy about See How They Run. It uses its inspirations and settings for gags, basis and narrative progression without ever feeling weighed down by or reliant on it. There are plenty of enjoyable characters and situations throughout and while some might get pushed more towards the back to focus on both a shorter (and well contained) run-time and the clearer primary (starrier) suspects. Yet, what we get works rather well and provides plenty of amusement for the time that it takes to pan out.

While it might occasionally border on feeling chaptered in terms of the stages of interviews with the starrier characters there’s plenty of amusement to be found within the theatrically-inspired self-awareness of See How They Run, and the discussions of the enjoyable pairing of Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan.

Cert – Recommended ages 9+, Run-time – 1 hour 52 minutes, Director – Robert Zemeckis

With the guidance of his cricket conscience (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) a brought-to-life wooden puppet (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) attempts to live a brave, truthful and unselfish live in order to become a real boy.

As we initially meet the Geppetto (Tom Hanks) of Disney’s live-action Pinocchio remake we see a figure much different to that of the somewhat excitable and jumpy cartoon version. He’s hard at work in his dimly-lit woodwork shop muttering a form of recitation as it’s revealed he’s working on a puppet. The air is that of a tired and weary old man. Despite the company of his cat, goldfish and wall plastered with clocks he’s unwilling to sell he’s lonely.

His character marks a difference to the more frantic dual-narration of a past and present Jiminy Cricket (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), rushing through the streets of the local town trying to find shelter as the rain begins to pour. He’s undeniably an energetic figure with his rushed speech and general pacing bordering on encouraging audience participation. There’s a generally cartoonish nature to the CG character which boosts an overall lighter tone within the film. It’s one which avoids the darkness that a story like Pinocchio can, and in some versions has, hold. As the narrative pans out an Geppetto wishes upon a star that his wooden creation will become a wooden boy and the Blue Fairy (a very brief but rather enjoyable Cynthia Erivo – who herself appears to be having a nice time in her near-cameo role) brings the puppet to life the tone begins to enter that of pantomime.

There’s certainly not anything wrong with this as a whole, and there are certain element which play into a theatrical nature. Keegan-Michael Key as Honest John makes the most of his various choruses – the only real songs that don’t quite feel out of place in the mixture of cartoon and fantasy which the world of the film is made up of – and his ‘actor’s life’ strand certainly proves a highlight. He leads his segment well before we move on to the next chapter against the backdrop of a new stage – from the dark of the woods to the CG cartoon sequence of Pleasure Island. You can clearly see the segments throughout and the way in which they divide the film up, each a new test for Pinocchio (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth).

As things travel along the familiar course of the Pinocchio story it becomes clear that this is perhaps aimed more at a younger audience than anyone else. There generally seems to be enough to keep other lightly amused for the nearly 2-hour run-time, but overall the pantomime-y feel caters more to a crowd perhaps less familiar with the story than anyone else – further shown in a line of fourth-wall-breaking dialogue from Jiminy Cricket where he claims he’s “dropped into H-E-double hockey sticks”. It comes across in the various performances, including Hanks whose Geppetto appears to change from scene to scene, the weary figure we first meet a distant one as the actor simply comes across as miscast. Collectively the tone provides reason as to why this may have been dropped onto Disney+ instead of given a cinematic release – there’s still plenty of cinematic shots dotted throughout with that Robert Zemeckis flair (co-written by the director and Chris Weitz.

While there are a couple of bumps and missteps along the way the main thing that prevents Pinocchio from properly finding its stride is the heaping of lightness in which much of the film is coated in. It’s not entirely a bad thing, and it’s still watchable, but as it steps into the theatrical it starts to lose some engagement every now and then from those more familiar with the story, or simply older viewers in general. It’s fine for what it does, watchable amongst the sugariness, but doesn’t quite seem to find its stride.

Disney and Robert Zemeckis’ reimagining of Pinocchio certainly leans towards the lighter side of things, eventually slipping into the realms of theatricality and pantomime. Perhaps better for younger viewers it’s fairly watchable but certainly weighted in sugariness.