Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 36 minutes, Director – Steven Spielberg

In the build-up to an arranged fight between rival gangs the Sharks and the Jets tensions rise when former Jets member Tony (Ansel Elgort) falls in love with María (Rachel Zegler), the younger sister of Sharks leader Bernardo (David Alvarez).

“Tonight, tonight, the world is wild and bright. Going mad, shooting sparks into space” the words certainly ring true surrounded by the mysticism of the balcony scene in Steven Spileberg’s take on West Side Story. While the camera makes it seem as if the only important elements in the scene are Tony (Ansel Elgort) and María (Rachel Zegler) there’s so much more silently going on in the initially quiet number that it all adds to the powerful impact of the piece. It’s the true spark that the film needs to truly get things going. Solidly proving their sentiments of “the world is only you and me” to be true.

After an atmospheric and visually brilliant opening 25-30 minutes exploring the feud between rival gangs the Sharks and the Jets it’s shown that the film’s heart lies with the central couple, helped by the fact that they can both clearly belt out a ballad/ tune. Known to be inspired by Romeo and Juliet the tragedy lies in the background of many of their interactions and conversations – burdened by their relationships to either gang, Tony being a former Jets member and María being the younger sister of fiery Sharks leader Bernardo (David Alvarez). Yet, the love that the two have from each other is felt and thanks to early numbers in their relationship such as María and Tonight doesn’t feel rushed in to as many takes on the star-crossed lovers sometimes can feel.

Alongside the basics of the traditional story there’s a traditional look and feel to the piece overall. Large scale musical numbers are choreographed in a style similar to classic Hollywood productions, of course, most notably the 1961 adaptation of this very musical. It adds to the overall feel of the film and the impact of early dance battles, making the eventual fight arranged between the two gangs seem even more messy, all caught with the modern sensibility of Spielberg’s gliding and effortlessly sweeping camera. You’re brought into the world and scenario of each song with ease with many feeling like pure celebrations. Numbers such as Gee, Officer Krupke and America (led by an excellent Ariana DeBose having an infectiously great time as Bernardo’s partner, and María’s friend, Anita) are emphasised by their ensemble nature; with each cast member helping to make each song work with the film and yet feel like its own individual piece. Something different from the last song in style and layout, yet still equally enjoyable.

It all lies in the build-up to the eventual fight. Even after loud ensemble numbers demonstrating the threat posed to everyone there’s a real sense of tension and suspense in the darker, quieter moments right before the face-off. We know it’s going to happen, the film has made sure of this, yet we feel as if it could go any way. Both in terms of who will come out of it and just what will happen to the pair of lovers that do indeed create the beating heart of the film in terms of their relationship. Their scenes together, or even simply thinking about each other in something like I Feel Pretty, strike a lighter more heartening tone than the much more dramatic, yet still stylised, interactions of people feuding for a place to call home. Feeling threatened by each other on what they see as their own personal terrain they feel threatened by and unaccepting towards those different to them. It all mixes together to capture the true sense of worry that everyone feels on the long and eventual night.

Such themes make for a current and relevant feel to this almost 65 year old musical, helped by a handful of other changes such as character Anybodys (Iris Menas) being openly trans instead of simply being viewed as a tomboy in most other versions of the musical, alongside being given a slight bit more screen time. It adds to a feeling of modernity caught within the narrative elements of the film which, once the seed is properly planted, flows with ease and keeps you in place almost until the very end. Thing stake a slight turn in the final few minutes but perhaps this is an effect of the time spent in the gradual build-up exploring the world of the film in the early stages of the first act. Regardless this is still a thoroughly engaging piece of swirling emotions which Spielberg plays with, often without you realising, in ways in which only he can. Toying, alongside Janusz Kamiński, with the cinematography for extra effect when it comes to the visual power of the musical and dance numbers – some pushing you back in your seat in both satisfaction and impression.

Through joy, celebration, threat, worry and the all-important central heartfelt bond there’s a true mixture of emotion’s within Steven Spielberg’s take on West Side Story. It’s handled well thanks to the performances and the pocket worlds that the musical numbers create within the larger world of the overall piece. Expanding the detail and simply bringing you further in to the detailed and quick flow of the film there’s a lot to like and get caught up in. All while you’re still being quietly, unconsciously, reminded of the tragedy that might lie ahead for multiple characters, not just Tony and María. It’s a traditional story, a film that looks back to more traditional Hollywood studio musicals, both within a work of modern leaning, attitudes, relevance and ideas. Captured within Spielberg’s gliding camerawork that moves as elegantly as a handful of the dances and the celebratory, proclamatory musical numbers that sometimes you can’t help but smile at.

After building up the eventually tense rivalry between the Sharks and Jets the main seed is planted to allow the Tony and María of Spielberg’s visually brilliant West Side Story to flourish, capturing the heart in their romance and bringing you in to the celebratory and joyful world, boosted with each musical number.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 1 hour 50 minutes, Director – Aml Ameen

British writer, Melvin (Aml Ameen) returns home after two years to introduce his American fiancée, Lisa (Aja Naomi King), to his family, where tensions rise at the presence of his ex, and family friend, Georgia (Leigh-Anne Pinnock).

The days in-between Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve often feel slightly lost in time. There’s sometimes uncertainty as to what to do with these four or five days, and indeed as to which one is which in the leftover turkey fuelled haze. It’s a slight feeling that works its way into the feature directorial debut of co-writer (alongside Bruce Purnell) Aml Ameen. With its various conflicting family members and rom-com strands it occasionally feels as if it’s been thrown back a number of years, feeling more in the shadow of the likes of Love Actually – which the film references before Ameen’s central character, Melvin, is told “them things don’t work no more” as he tries to convey his message through writing on large cards.

Yet, Ameen’s film isn’t a throwback to more traditional Christmas rom-coms. It appears as a throwback to family Christmases of his past. The film’s hear lies in sequences of writer Melvin’s extended British Caribbean family sharing food, rum and dominoes on Boxing Day. Laughing and joking with each other in a joyful air that flows through the environment as the camera simply appears to sit and watch various conversations unfold from the kitchen to the front room. However, Melvin’s worries of introducing his American fiancée, Lisa (Aja Naomi King), to his family – after having not seen them for two years – escalate when his ex, family friend and chart-topping singer Georgia (Leigh-Anne Pinnock) enters the scene. Despite having been broken up for over two years, and Georgia also having been in another, recently ended relationship, the two don’t seem to have properly gotten over each other.

While initially getting on as strangers, jealousy begins to rise in the gradually antagonistic relationship between Georgia and Lisa when they realise their mutual connection through Melvin. As things heat up there’s a shift in Lisa’s personality too, almost as if King begins to play a different character. Initially open and friendly, ready to get on with the family, as she has more exchanges with her fiancée’s ex she becomes a much more upfront, slightly confrontational, figure. As this core strand is explored further and the arguments rise within the family home on a day which has become known as something of a disaster in Melvin’s mind, events which caused him to move away to America in the first place, the drama tries to come into play more however it’s hindered by the performances.

The performances themselves are good on the whole, however there’s a feeling throughout that you can tell they’re performances and that the cast are acting. Even when in the background with somewhat static facial expressions there’s the feeling that most of the cast are acting, which at times comes across as slightly off-putting. Luckily, the vibrant atmosphere of the Boxing Day festivities and cultural celebration highlights comes back to allow you to sit near the table – often still feeling the barrier of the screen between you and the events.

Yet, as all of this unfolds we see Melvin’s mum (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) believe that the biggest controversy of the day will be introducing everyone to her white boyfriend Richard (Stephen Dillane). In addition to brother Josh (Sheyi Cole) is attempting to find a way to tell someone he loves her, despite threats from her ex, there are a handful of strands running throughout the film and yet it never feel rushed or too busy – only in the final stages as it wraps up some of the lesser strands very quickly does this feeling kind of come in to play. Perhaps it’s because some of the best content lies in these moments, when not focusing solely on the main arc, where some of the more traditional elements lie. Yes, not a great deal seems to happen with them, but they do offer some amusement and respite aside from the relationship drama that’s unfolding between the not-quite-love-triangle – particularly when it comes to the brief scenes between Jean-Baptiste and Dillane.

Boxing Day perhaps works best when it remembers not to be a big festive rom-com in the vein of more traditional Christmas films of years gone by. Instead leaning more towards something a bit more like Boxing Day itself, for better and not-so-better. When focusing on its family aspect and British-Caribbean cultural celebrations, and the family unit at the heart of the film as a whole, it manages to engage you and form a slight connection with the figures on screen. Even if the performances noticeably come back to the fore in the drama of changed characters there’s still a watchable feature at play with some occasional chuckles and exhales of amusement to help things along the way.

While occasionally feeling a bit lost in time due to its festive rom-com influences there’s an occasional celebratory family spirit within Boxing Day which manages to lift things up from the more traditional drama at play.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours 38 minutes, Director – Ridley Scott

The Gucci brand and dynasty experiences a decades long downfall after the turbulent marriage of initially unconcerned Maurizio (Adam Driver) to increasingly influential Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga).

House Of Gucci undeniably houses an A-list cast to match the heights of the fashion dynasty at the heart of the film they star in. While some of the accents might have been somewhat mocked and poked at – while some are somewhat clunky or non-existent they aren’t as bad or distracting as you might think – the performances are what lead the film and push it through the over two and a half hour run-time. The film and screenplay allow the performances this space and give the cast the room to go all-out during certain sequences. However, this all sometimes comes down to the feeling that the film is relying on the performances and not always allowing the story to speak for itself, or truly come across. The feeling that you’re simply watching various strands unfold instead of being in the world of the film begins to settle in and a slight distance begins to form between you and the barrier of the screen.

Tone is often a key playing factor in this feeling. As we see the early stages of a relationship between young romantics Patrizia (Lady Gaga – who gets to don plenty of lavish and stylish costumes throughout the film, no two the same) and Maurizio (Adam Driver) the tone could easily be compared to that of a soap-opera – particularly as Maurizio tries to underplay his connections to the Gucci fashion house, which he appears to have little interest in, to his very much interested family-business accountant/receptionist partner. Yet, as Patrizia becomes more of a part of her soon-to-be-husband’s life and meets the family the pair’s involvement with Gucci grows until they’re practically working against current acting and involved leader of the brand, and Maurizio’s uncle, Aldo (an exaggerative Al Pacino) and his eccentric, ambitious son Paolo (Jared Leto – who, while seemingly having a great time, appears to be in a different film to everyone else, and at times feels as if he’s about to break into a rendition of Joe Dolce’s Shaddap You Face). When sharing scenes together Pacino and Leto give the impression that they could easily be a double act in a comedy about two unsuccessful businessmen having pitches constantly rejected.

As the family, including Jeremy Irons as Maurizio’s father Rodolfo, begins to play a more prominent role in the narrative we witness a number of new strands enter into play. The idea is brought up that “actions have consequences” however it rarely feels like we actually see such consequences play out. Characters appear and disappear without the impacts of their actions and efforts properly being seen, only being described in a handful of occasions. Largely this is due to the focus on Patrizia as an outsider to Gucci who gradually manages to work her way in and take over from the side, and Gaga gives a good performance throughout, however a lot is shown that feels as if it’s sometimes left with little more detail – causing the run-time to be felt as it could be cut down slightly. Things move from soap-opera to middling drama which, while having points of interest, largely thanks to the performances, never truly grabs you.

As the marriage between the central couple begins to break down in tandem with the Gucci brand Driver takes a further step into the centre, although pushing Gaga out. Gaga very much becomes support, and at times a near different character, in these stages, rarely seen, much like the rest of the cast, as Driver’s character development moves in swiftly in the final 35-40 minutes. It feels the simplest way to depict the drama set up beforehand and bring certain elements and lines within the narrative to a close. While not everything is brought to this point with quite the same effect there’s an overall rounded nature to the film, even if it doesn’t completely have the impact it might hope for. It matches the nature that the piece has had throughout. One which never quite demonstrates the effect and impact of its various character’s actions. The points of interest that do truly click and work are perhaps made more so by the performances which the film relies on, and luckily they’re mostly rather good.

House Of Gucci’s run-time is felt because of the multiple strands that it starts and doesn’t always demonstrate the full extent of. Luckily, the performances – even if not always in the same film – manage to pull things along and keep you mostly interested in the unravelling arcs.

Cert – PG, Run-time – 1 hour 39 minutes, Directors – Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Charise Castro Smith

The only person in her family to not receive a magical gift, Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) takes it upon herself to try and save the fading magic that brings their house to life.

Looking back on their offerings over the last few years Walt Disney Animation Studios have truly dived into the spirit of adventure. The last five years have included titles Moana, Ralph Breaks The Internet, Frozen II and Raya And The Last Dragon. Now, in the same year as the latter they return with something somewhat more stripped back. While Encanto has been slightly pitched in its trailers as a travelling journey with plenty of action and thrills amongst the mysticism of the titular magic, however its exploration rarely leaves the boundaries of the living house in which central figure Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) and her family live in. The family Madrigal are perhaps the most respected people in the town which their house lies at the top of – and which they practically run and helped build. Each has their own special gift – whether that be strength or the ability to talk to animals – apart from Mirabel who appears as a slight dark sheep in the family.

Their home is the product of a magic candle which came to grandmother and matriarch Abuela Alma (María Cecilia Botero, with Olga Merediz providing the singing voice) after her husband was tragically taken away from her. However, the magic begins to fade and while the Madrigal’s try to get on with their lives, in preparation for the flawlessly elegant Isabela’s (Diane Guerrero) engagement. Therefore Mirabel, despite not having her own gift, takes it upon herself to try and save the magic and explore the various forbidden walls and corners of the house.

It appears to take a while for the film to get to this point. While it offers occasional plot points every now and then they’re certainly spaced out amongst the scenes and details of the film, providing a more gradual pacing to the events overall. You feel like it’s going to build up to more, but once in the second half it becomes apparent that Encanto is a much simpler film than initially expected. It wears its themes of family and acceptance clearly throughout its fairly short run-time and allows those to often take centre stage and guide the narrative. When this clicks there’s a slightly smoother nature to the film to bring you further in. Although the extent to which you’ve already been brought in is perhaps underestimated due to the punch that an emotional flashback in the latter stages of the piece has.

It’s a more traditional feature from Disney – perhaps more alike to their effort eleven years and ten films ago in the form of Tangled – and perhaps that feeling adds to the simplicity and overall effect. The humour comes through well enough and the songs; while sometimes feeling somewhat out of place and uneven, with the help of Lin-Manuel Miranda provide a certain energy to push things along and add even more colour to the already colourful scenery of the Colombian town. By the ending, while the final scenes may feel like they’ve been divided up into distinct segments they undeniably round off the film and its themes rather well and keep you in place for an overall enjoyable time from Disney, the kind of pleasant trip which we haven’t seen from them for a while.

Encanto is a much more simplistic piece from Disney than perhaps initially expected, once this clicks in your mind it’s a more enjoyable and energetic film which allows its clear themes to lead with success.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours, Director – Lin-Manuel Miranda

Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield) lives his life through his unrecognised songs and musicals, however he’s struggling to come up with a key song in the build up to a workshop for a musical he’s been working on for almost a decade.

“I’m the future of musical theatre” confidently claims Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield), in a way that feels almost as much of a threat as it does a promise. This big screen take on his hit musical about him trying to get a musical into production is told through a workshop pitch for tick, tick… Boom! itself. In many ways his life is shown to be like a hopeful yet desperate workshop. Full of song and theatricality, wanting to please and amuse those around him, particularly his peers in the industry, and greatly trying to get his work off the ground he’s had very little success up until this point. His chances of proving himself as the next big thing appear to be dwindling as he nears 30, far past the age when many other musical writers and performers had their big breaks. However, he powers through with his eight-years-in-the-making rock opera, Superbia.

Pairing up with the theatricality of Jonathan’s life, further shown through fellow musical writer and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda; in his feature directorial debut, are an array of musical numbers capturing the various moods, tones and musicals that make up his life in the build up to the biggest moment of his career so far, a workshop for Superbia. In fact the musical numbers appear to have their own distinct look and tone to fit this. While an early one about desires and riches almost appears like a music video an idealistic dream sequence in Jonathan’s diner workplace sets itself out exactly as if it’s a stage in itself.

It perhaps seems odd to say it, but it feels as if this story was meant to be told through music and songs. The ode to creativity, particularly within musical theatre, that’s painted out by Miranda and the rest of the cast and crew flows through the musical numbers and helps to create a specific energy. An energy which feels like the traditional exuberant ‘theatre kid’ style and helps push Garfield’s performance and own energy further. The story, much like Jonathan’s life, has to be told through songs and performance. Bringing you in for an, as would be hoped for with such a tone, enjoyable and joyful time from the smile that forms on your face during the opening number – which will likely become an earworm for many who haven’t already seen or heard tracks from the original stage musical, or perhaps will happen all over again for those who have.

It’s this energy and style that carries you through much of the film, and it helps to lift up some of the more traditional lines that the film follows. While not completely straying into anything like conventionality it does have some familiar beats in that are at least slightly shadowed by the musical nature – seemingly knowledgeable of the situation and coming in to save the day. As Jonathan isolates himself to find the perfect missing song in his work as the deadline of the performance to potential producers nears, his relationships become increasingly distanced. None more so than with his girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp). Desperately trying to help him find a job, despite his hesitance and what she begins to view as ignorance, she finds herself shut out and nearing the feeling that she’s present for simply nothing more than musical inspiration, which never seems to arrive to Jonathan.

As songs back such instances and help progress the story we find what appears to be a musical that’s almost aware it’s a musical. Or perhaps Jonathan’s views and ability to have a song for everything – even the sugar in the diner he works at – begin to leak into the world, maybe we’re just in his mind throughout or seeing the world from his stage. A stage which we witness being performed on throughout the film as his workshop pans out and forms a musical within a musical filled with odes to other musicals and their creators. And luckily, it’s not as overwhelming as it sounds. The story is followed well all building up to the key moment where Jonathan is almost no longer in control as he’s left in the hands of his assembled and rehearsed cast, alongside producers and key figures; including his inspiration Stephen Sondheim (Bradley Whitford).

tick, tick… Boom! is a film that’s made by musical theatre fans for other musical theatre fans. It has that loud energy within its musical number core where it succeeds most, and manages to distract from the more traditional and familiar beats of the more dialogue-based scenes – sometimes merging both elements to lift things up and show them through Jonathan’s stage-like view. Garfield captures all of this within his performance that further pushes the air of a celebration of creativity, particularly within theatre, that flows throughout the film and in many of the musical and workshop based scenes. All particularly leaning towards a celebration of Jonathan Larson’s creativity, and the style and energy that he held that, from this film, has clearly gone on to inspire many figures within the musical theatre industry since.

A celebration of Jonathan Larson’s creativity and musical work and efforts, with songs and theatrical energy which naturally carry the film and stop the more familiar elements from becoming too much, tick, tick… Boom! is a proud display of knowing theatrical ambition.