Cert – 12, Run-time – 1 hour 43 minutes, Director – John Patrick Shanley

Farmers Rosemary (Emily Blunt) and Anthony (Jamie Dornan) have known each other since childhood, however Anthony’s father’s (Christopher Walken) decision as to who he leaves his farm to could break the pair’s relationship.

Wild Mountain Time, adapted by writer-director John Patrick Shanley from his stage-play Outside Mullingar, begins as it means to go on a sentimentalists ad for the Irish Tourism Board. Beginning with shots of rural Ireland we hear a voiceover that chirpily acknowledges “welcome to Ireland”. A sentence that, when matched with the visuals, demonstrates a hopeful fairy tale-like view of the country. As the voiceover goes on we learn that we’re being spoken to by the truly shoddy accent of Tony Reilly (Christopher Walken, who looks as if he’s recovering from the shock of electrocution, confused as to how he found himself lost in this film). As he informs us in an equally cheerful manner “I’m dead” this portrait of the Emerald Isle’s countryside is revealed to be more ‘a dweam within a dweam’ than anything to be taken completely seriously.

Tony is the father of Anthony (Jamie Dornan), a dedicated farmworker who has been brought up in this environment his whole life. However, Tony is having thoughts of bequeathing his son’s wealthy American cousin Adam (Jon Hamm – one of the few cast members free to luckily use their own accent) the farm, predicting that his life is close to its end for much of his screen-time. This is poorly received by both Anthony and those on the neighbouring farm, Rosemary (Emily Blunt) and her mother Aoife (Dearbhla Molloy). Anthony and Rosemary have been friends since childhood, and while the film often pitches them as general acquaintances, or just about friends, there seems to be a bit more on at least one end of the relationship. Rosemary appears to have a potentially more romantic view for the two, although Anthony often remains oblivious to such suggestions. Carrying on blindly, talking to the donkey, in the hope of winning his father’s attention by working on the farm.

The conversation flies with romantic zingers such as “the Guinness is good”. Just one of the many hits in a screenplay that appears to imagine Ireland is a place where the romanticised language is made up of similes and metaphors, “it’s dark as tar” being one of the few early, mild, examples – with the odd “burn in hell ya sh!te horse” thrown in for good measure. Dialogue that equals the look and style of the film. One that’s set in the modern day but could very easily be a period piece, it certainly looks and feels like one. Perhaps one of the most shocking shots in the film is that of a passenger plane, it takes a couple of moments to register the fact that this exists and that the film is in fact set in the present.

All held in a film that allows it’s characters to develop through brief moments of personal dance. As they embrace their feelings in this way the world opens up, gains colour (green) and the camera speeds across the vast (green) landscapes that Ireland has to offer. Geese (not green) freely glide past the camera to express the liberty that this character has had unveiled to them. It’s the culmination of cheesy clichés that you’d expect to find in a ‘the-joke-is-its-bad’ film within a film. The likes of which have weather that magically changes depending on the situation, bucketing it down with rain in an instant if the emotional nature requires it, before clearing up just as quickly when some form of resolution arrives. This also happens in Wild Mountain Thyme.

A film that has plenty of entertaining moments, although perhaps not in the way intended; when the piece actually does seem to be aiming for laughs none arrive. Instead it’s met with a kind of awkward, stony response that contrasts with that to the seeming romantic drama that’s trying to play out. While the tone and response might be inconsistent, one thing that’s for certain is that nothing will prepare you for the sensational twist. One that, much like the plane, leaves you at something of a standstill as you have to take time to completely take in and understand what’s just happened. It almost makes everything that’s come before it worth it, and there’s certainly some amusement to be found within what precedes this moment. Unfortunately, there’s also a fair deal that isn’t so good.

A number of Wild Mountain Thyme’s Irish accents match the inauthentic vision of Ireland that it presents. It might have some amusing moments, but often not for the right reasons.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 49 minutes, Director – Stefano Sollima

When his pregnant wife (Lauren London) is killed in the night Navy-SEAL John Kelly (Michael B. Jordan) takes it upon himself to get revenge, uncovering a potentially bubbling war between the US and Russia.

Without Remorse is potentially one of the biggest tests of Michael B. Jordan’s career so far. There are a number of occasions throughout it’s fairly by-the-numbers 109 minute run-time where his charisma has a lot of heavy lifting to do. And he manages to come out of it unscathed, giving a good performance within an otherwise somewhat generic film.

Jordan plays Navy-SEAL John Kelly, an expectant father who returns from a complicated mission in Syria to almost instant tragedy. Woken up in the middle of the night to a deadly home invasion he finds his pregnant wife (Lauren London) killed, with many of his team from his most recent mission suddenly murdered too with what appear to be expert executions. Kelly takes it upon himself to find the people behind this, despite conflicting messages, even on home soil, with the sole intent of revenge. There’s no denying his skills, which certainly make for a handful of engaging action beats, and it only makes the threat that he poses that much greater. You begin to look forward not to seeing potential enemies be on the receiving end of his attacks, but just to see him get to work in whichever country he finds himself dropped into.

With a script co-written by Will Staples (who has action experience having written for the highly successful Call Of Duty video game franchise) and Taylor Sheridan (behind hits such as Sicario – director Stefano Sollima directed the underrated sequel) there are still a handful of scenes that feel like a mid-90’s action-thriller. Likely effects from the film having been in production since around this time, the Tom Clancy novel of the same name it’s based on published in 1993, with various screenplays adapted and re-worked over time. It’s perhaps because of this that the film has a rather predictable feel about it, particularly when it comes to it’s final stages and major reveals. Yet, there’s still a watchability to the piece. Perhaps it’s the conventional nature that allows it to go by with little issue, the feeling of it being familiar?

The plot certainly doesn’t seem to be the main reason for engagement within the piece. Themes of who the leader of Kelly’s grief is never quite has the impact that it should, although this is the case for a number of the points in which the film attempts to get an emotional response of some kind from the viewer. The core engagement is with Jordan’s central performance and the slight bursts of close-up action where the final impact may not be anything grand, but there’s certainly some mild entertainment value while it’s happening. Very much a reflection of the overall impact that Without Remorse has overall, perfectly fine while watching although not with any major impact.

Michael B. Jordan’s charisma remains solidly intact, and, alongside some bursts of brief action, helps elevate the otherwise by-the-numbers nature of Without Remorse’s forgettable narrative.

Cert – PG, Run-time – 1 hour 50 minutes, Directors – Michael Rianda, Jeff Rowe

While taking daughter Katie (Abbi Jacobson) to college the Mitchell family becomes the only remaining people on Earth who can stop the technological uprising.

The standard family road trip, often shown from the children’s perspective as a hellishly restricting venture, while the parents view it as a hopeful bonding exercise. For the Mitchells it’s a journey much like their tattered vehicle, full of “character, class and some green ooze we can learn about together!” The group of four (plus, real hero, dog Monchi) are travelling across the country to take daughter Katie (Abbi Jacobson) to college in California. Katie’s relationship with her father, Rick (Danny McBride); a man who has a tendency to exclaim statements such as “it’s not illegal if you’re good at it” when skipping traffic jams in out of use lanes, begins to experience tension. She’s all set to venture further into her life of potential filmmaking – having had great success with short films and parodies on YouTube, not always to the occasional bemusement of her parents (Maya Rudolph plays Mum Linda), and entertainment of younger brother Aaron (co-writer-director, alongside Jeff Rowe, Michael Rianda) – and yet feels undermined at times by her family, particularly the almost strong lifelong relationship with her Dad.

After various rest stops and failed attempts at family bonding the proudly weird – the film is credited as being “a movie by a bunch of weird humans” – family they find themselves facing the ultimate exercise in the form of the technological uprising. When tech developer Mark Bowman’s (Eric Andre) latest advancement, a robot assistant with plenty of smart-phone like abilities, gains power of itself thanks to AI assistant PAL (Olivia Colman on consistently joyful form) it captures every human possible to launch them into space, creating a peaceful Earth for all of technology. When the Mitchells find themselves the last humans left they, eventually, take it upon themselves to brave the world of sentient toasters, fridges and Furbys to save all of humanity.

With a blend of 2d and 3d animation, mixing slight convention with the filmic gaze that Katie sees the world through and cartoon-like hints to show small details of character emotion and interactions with technology, there’s a distinct visual flare to the film. One that makes the world feel unique and original, engaging you further within it, and connecting you with the characters as they try to survive. As was the case with other Sony Animation project Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, also produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who, alongside The Lego Movie, prove to be a strong force in creative, boundary-breaking animation.

As was the case with previous Lord and Miller produced animated features The Mitchells Vs The Machines (originally titled Connected) packs in plenty of heart. Far from a saccharine forced message it instead feels like a finely tuned set of emotional beats that the cast and crew genuinely believe in. One that celebrates the weirdness of not just the central family but all of those involved in the making of the film, and those watching. There may be the ideals, in this case it’s neighbours the Poseys (voiced by John Legend, Chrissy Teigen and Charlyne Yi) with their family yoga sessions and peaceful retreats, but they aren’t part of the people we have a familial bond and connection to. This is far from a film that observes it’s characters as ‘quirky’ or ‘dysfunctional’ or anything close to ‘wacky’, they’re not even outsiders. Instead the Mitchells are an everyday family with their imperfections, grudges, hopes, wishes and most of all thoughts and emotions. It’s what drives them to not just fight against the robot s that they face, but to fight against them together in plenty of inventive ways – disguising the car so that it looks like it blends in with the road for example.

Such hints particularly come in during the second half of the piece. The often laugh-out-loud humour is definitely still present, and each scene continues to overflow with creativity that uses the animated form to full advantage while managing to not go towards the realms of pure stupidity. And while the final events do add to the near two hour run-time there’s a fair deal of entertainment value to be found that keeps things running smoothly enough until the end.

Perhaps the best testament to the film is the fact that it can use references to popular internet videos, including one to the ten year old Nyan Cat, and not feel cringeworthy or as if it’s trying to connect with a younger audience. It simply uses them effectively and without being too in your face to advance the plot, and add to the characters. Emphasising the world that they live in, and perhaps a near accurate, if occasionally intentionally exaggerated, depiction of 21st Century relationships with technology and what it can help, and allow, us to do. It simply adds to the cartoonish nature that the film embraces to allow the engaging ‘weirdness’ of the central figures to show. They’re enjoyable characters and it’s easy to form a connection with them as they emit heart and humour that the creators heap into them, and the film as a whole. It comes across with ease in one of the most fresh, unique, genuine and original animations standing out from the standard Disney and Pixar fare.

The Mitchells Vs. The Machines is a film that wholeheartedly embraces the idea of family. Inventively celebrating all their possible weirdness and individuality in a creative, hilarious piece filled with heart, emotion and most of all laughs.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 45 minutes, Director – Lawrence Michael Levine

A filmmaker (Aubrey Plaza) finds herself looking for inspiration for her latest project in two similar cabin settings from two different perspectives

Write about what you know – it’s a phrase that appears to have repercussions on Aubrey Plaza’s Allison twice over in writer-director Lawrence Michael Levine’s latest. We initially see her taking residence in a quiet cabin in the woods, with couple of creatives Gabe (Christopher Abbott) and Blair (Sarah Gadon). Their life appears to be relatively calm, a family on the way, until Allison’s arrival. She begins to gradually chip away into their relationship, seemingly with the intention of working further between the pair. Taking sides back and forth in lengthy conversations about modern gender roles and sexual politics. It helps form a sort of psychosexual drama with tensions growing between the three, particularly with the uncertain aims and intentions of Plaza’s central figure.

Thanks to the longer conversations that line the film and the gradual development of the ideas that it brings up, or perhaps Allison forms for inspiration, there are plenty of points where the play-like events feel as if they’re happening in real-time. It adds an extra layer to the proceedings and allows for the drama to have a greater impact as it feels like it could go in any direction at any time, unable to stop as everything happens in the moment that you’re simply sat there watching like an invisible observer in the same setting. It’s such feelings that also line the second half of the film where the roles switch.

Allison finds herself the real-life wife of director Gabe. Starring in a film seemingly based on the events of the first half of the film. Blair plays opposite her in what appears to be the fictional Allison role, the real Allison suspects that her rival is having an affair. She gets increasingly drunk and details filming. Going from a “really hard to read” figure in the first half to a highly emotional cocktail of frustration – her husband simply telling her that this is why she shouldn’t have been in the film in the first place. This meta spin that knocks something down to reveal a two-way mirror, with the audience looking through the window on the unsuspecting set of feuding characters, their anger growing and impact the film crew around them.

Over time, in each scenario, the characters begin to overflow and break down. How they release their raging emotions differs, sometimes it’s sexually, others tears; often it’s through raising their voices to shout everyone else down. There are conflicting egos, some of which are presumed, warring throughout, growing as the battles continue and grow into a larger scale, and it’s certainly interesting to see it all play out. Plaza is in a very different role to what we’ve seen her play before. Steps away from her more comedic roles, and distant from the stalking psychosis of the title character in Ingrid Goes West (still her best role, although this comes close).

The rest of the cast also find themselves delivering good dual performances. The differences are clearly there, a handful are fairly subtle yet have a big impact on the shifts in style. Yet, although the characters change the tone and style remains consistent. This is a film that focuses on character and emotion, reaction instead of complete development. It makes for something compelling and detailed. Once you get used to the style and the course that appears to be taking, which after the first few minutes becomes clearer, especially as the limited selection of figures start to properly interact. From there the conflicting personalities, viewpoints, interactions, thoughts and depictions all boil over to create a highly dramatic representation of two different searches for inspiration amongst two very different creative mindsets.

After having space to lay itself out Black Bears picks up the pace with an effective play-like examination of character and response within a psychosexual search for creative inspiration and expressions.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 1 hour 50 minutes, Director – Michael Matthews

Daring to leave the safety of his bunker, Joel (Dylan O’Brien) dares to travel the giant-monster covered surface of the Earth to make the seven day journey to his girlfriend, Aimee (Jessica Henwick).

For a light adventure-comedy there’s plenty within Love And Monsters that’s likely to unsettle you. Mostly in the detail of the CGI monsters (the film itself was nominated in the Best Visual Effects category at this year’s Oscars), the likes of 15-20ft frogs towering over central figure Joel (Dylan O’Brien) are at times genuinely uncomfortable. It enhances the feeling of danger and the threat that they pose. The reason for the fact that frogs, worms, crabs and many other creatures and insects have grown into giant man-eating monsters is because of a meteor that humanity decided to, of course, fire rockets at to avoid destruction to the Earth. After radiation was emitted from the meteor and transforming all kinds of animals humans are no longer at the top of the food chain. Skip forward a few years and only 5% of the population remain, with most survivors living in small family-like bunker communities.

Joel appears to be the outsider in his colony. Not the strongest fighter, he’s the only single person left – and especially the youngest of the group. When monsters manage to breach their way into the bunker he freezes in panic, only just saved by the close friends around him. Thus, deciding that enough is enough, Joel braves the surface of the Earth, taking the challenge of the seven day journey to his girlfriend Aimee’s (Jessica Henwick) colony, having only talked to her via weak radio links for the past couple of years.

O’Brien makes for a charming lead and seems to perfectly capture the tone and style of the film. One that, not just because of the creatures he encounters, almost feels like an animated film in live-action format. Partly to do with the jokes that run throughout, none of which feel in-your-face or as if they’re shouting at you; simply naturally coming from the characters and then moving on in an equally effortless way, but also the general look and feel of the action that lies throughout. This isn’t to say that the piece doesn’t work in a live-action format, it certainly does, it simply feels as if it shares elements and details with some of the standard elements that we’ve become used to seeing in a handful of animated films of recent years. It works as a successful family (a handful of sex references, landing this a 12 rating from the BBFC, aside – perhaps one for the older kids, however, or those where the details might skim over their heads?) film, and a delightful surprise too, much as The Kid Who Would Be King was a couple of years ago.

Having gone in knowing absolutely nothing about the film what I discovered was a real treat. Consistently funny, and even with some occasional beats of effective emotion, it’s a film as much about community as it is about Joel’s journey as a whole. He meets, and parts with, various figures along the way. Including surface-living survivors Clyde (Michael Rooker) and Minnow (Ariana Greenblatt). Both figures are a joy to watch as they bounce off each other with ease and create flowing, engaging and entertaining conversation with their knowledge about all kinds of monsters that might lurk in whatever surroundings and how to effectively take them down – as Joel stumbles behind with a makeshift crossbow and newfound dog, which he’s called Boy. Each conversation feels finely put together and simply adds to the entertainment factor of the film and just how enjoyable it is.

When it all comes together there’s a lot to like within Love And Monsters. The simplistic style and effective execution are the type we don’t tend to see that often nowadays. Even some of the more conventional moments don’t get in the way of the pacing and don’t allow things to feel tired or unenjoyable due to lack of originality – an issue which doesn’t overly appear to be present here. Throw into the mix a charming lead and a number of engaging characters who feel naturally funny and real within the cartoon-like world of the film and it’s difficult not to be caught up within it and taken along for a consistently delightful time.

At times feeling like an animated film in live-action form Love And Monsters isn’t without it’s unsettling creatures and emotional beats. It’s a pleasantly surprising, not to mention effortlessly funny, treat that came from nowhere.