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3/5
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Gladiator II
(2024)
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Alex Flood
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If you loved Gladiator, it’s odds-on you’ll enjoy this too. It’s got all of the same exciting bits – swordfighting, rousing speeches, nasty poshos getting what they deserve. The problem is that’s all it gives you.
Posted Nov 11, 2024
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4/5
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Heretic
(2024)
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Lou Thomas
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Hugh Grant is never less than devilishly plausible and meticulous with every glance, grin and furrowed brow
Posted Nov 01, 2024
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3/5
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Venom: The Last Dance
(2024)
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Lou Thomas
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It’s not big or clever but it is enjoyable
Posted Oct 25, 2024
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2/5
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Midas Man
(2024)
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Nick Levine
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It ultimately does a disservice to both Epstein the manager and Epstein the man
Posted Oct 21, 2024
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4/5
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Piece By Piece
(2024)
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James Mottram
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Neville’s film is so forward-thinking, it’s easy to forgive the more superficial aspects of the production
Posted Oct 21, 2024
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5/5
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Bird
(2024)
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Jordan Bassett
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An unclassifiable film with a dayglo aesthetic and an ambiguous, porous narrative that invites you to fill it with your own meaning
Posted Oct 21, 2024
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3/5
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Maria
(2024)
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Jordan Bassett
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"The third film in Larraín’s ‘Great Women’ trilogy, following Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021), can’t quite summon Callas’ own playfulness, which comes to life in archival footage when the credits roll
Posted Oct 18, 2024
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3/5
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Smile 2
(2024)
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James Mottram
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In essence this is just a re-run of the first movie, just in a slightly glitzier environment. Is it scary? Rarely, to be honest. But it knows how to twist the knife, at least
Posted Oct 16, 2024
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3/5
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Wolfs
(2024)
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Lou Thomas
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Sometimes a cosy night in watching an easy film is the best remedy for dealing with the world’s woes, as it is in this case
Posted Sep 26, 2024
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5/5
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The Substance
(2024)
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Nick Levine
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It’s horrifying in the moment and gnawingly haunting when you process it fully: a sickening satire of society’s obsession with youth and beauty
Posted Sep 19, 2024
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4/5
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Pavements
(2024)
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Matthew Turner
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A thrillingly creative music documentary that serves as a loving tribute to the band. The sense of fun that Alex Ross Perry is having behind the camera is both palpable and infectious
Posted Sep 10, 2024
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4/5
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Speak No Evil
(2024)
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James Mottram
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An off-the-leash James McAvoy is a joy to behold, channeling the same twisted energy he mined for his addict-cop in Irvine Welsh adaptation Filth
Posted Sep 10, 2024
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5/5
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One to One: John & Yoko
(2024)
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Matthew Turner
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The film employs a channel-flipping aesthetic to switch between the various archive and concert videos, a smart decision that gives the film a strong sense of pace
Posted Sep 09, 2024
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4/5
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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
(2024)
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Nick Levine
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The glue – or should that be goo? – holding all this together is Burton’s wicked imagination. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is filled with brilliantly ridiculous moments like the ludicrous group lip-sync to Richard Harris’ camp classic ‘MacArthur Park’
Posted Sep 06, 2024
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4/5
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Joker: Folie à Deux
(2024)
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Matthew Turner
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Todd Phillips has delivered the last thing anyone expected: a socially responsible Joker movie that finds an intriguing way to explore the consequences (both on and offscreen) of the first film
Posted Sep 04, 2024
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4/5
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Queer
(2024)
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Matthew Turner
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Guadagnino’s most inspired touch is the surreal way he dovetails the drug-taking and the sex in the final act, with an inspired piece of digital effects work making it seem as if Lee and Allerton are blurring together, literally becoming one
Posted Sep 04, 2024
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4/5
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Blink Twice
(2024)
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James Mottram
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Kravitz knows exactly how to drip-feed information, until it dawns on you that it’s all about to get very bad indeed
Posted Aug 20, 2024
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5/5
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Alien: Romulus
(2024)
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James Mottram
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Finally, someone has made a movie that comes close to the brilliance of Ridley Scott and James Cameron
Posted Aug 15, 2024
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4/5
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BLACKPINK WORLD TOUR [BORN PINK] IN CINEMAS
(2024)
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Rhian Daly
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A timely celebration of one of K-pop’s biggest girl groups, bright enough to tide us over until the four-piece are back on stage in front of us again
Posted Aug 01, 2024
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5/5
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Kneecap
(2024)
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Andrew Trendell
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Unapologetically ballsy and brave, Kneecap has no business being as good as it is – not only one of the standout films of 2024, but arguably one of the best music biopics of all time
Posted Aug 01, 2024
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4/5
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I Saw the TV Glow
(2024)
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James Mottram
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There’s something fresh and exciting about it, despite the almost deliberate slow-burn feel to its pacing
Posted Aug 01, 2024
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3/5
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Deadpool & Wolverine
(2024)
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Paul M. Bradshaw
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If the superhero era really is finally starting to wind down, Deadpool & Wolverine will always be remembered as the film that started dancing on the grave first – to a Madonna song…
Posted Jul 25, 2024
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5/5
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Twisters
(2024)
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Jordan Bassett
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Every cent of the $200m budget is visible in a series of dizzying set-pieces that surely amount to the most entertaining film of the year
Posted Jul 16, 2024
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4/5
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MaXXXine
(2024)
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Paul M. Bradshaw
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Mia Goth caps the series with another one of horror’s greatest performances
Posted Jul 03, 2024
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3/5
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Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
(2024)
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James Mottram
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In truth, the film isn’t quite as funny as you might hope. Murphy’s youthful cheekiness has long gone, stripping this sequel of some of its verve. But this is still an enjoyable, affable reunion: the heat is just about back on.
Posted Jul 03, 2024
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5/5
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blur: To The End
(2024)
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Andrew Trendell
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It’s wonderful to see the band retrace their friendship right back to school – the live footage from their intimate warm-up shows and the Wembley gig itself put you right in the beer-soaked mosh-pit
Posted Jun 20, 2024
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3/5
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The Exorcism
(2024)
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Jordan Bassett
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Alas, what begins as an emotive meta-movie about shame, forgiveness and redemption soon devolves into the worst kind of chaos
Posted Jun 20, 2024
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3/5
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Sasquatch Sunset
(2024)
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Nick Levine
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Worth seeking out if you have a taste for the absurd
Posted Jun 12, 2024
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4/5
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Hit Man
(2023)
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James Mottram
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Linklater is a master of pacing and he times this story to perfection; you’ll be aching with laughter by the end
Posted May 22, 2024
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2/5
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Megalopolis
(2024)
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Lou Thomas
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The whole piece is so uneven, that at times it’s akin to watching a toddler being given free rein as an interior decorator
Posted May 20, 2024
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5/5
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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
(2024)
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Lou Thomas
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An extraordinary blockbuster juggernaut that in some sequences somehow excels even its predecessor
Posted May 16, 2024
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3/5
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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
(2024)
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Nick Levine
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Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes is no classic, but it does enough to keep the franchise moving forward, if never quite swinging from the treetops
Posted May 09, 2024
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4/5
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The Fall Guy
(2024)
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Matthew Turner
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A delight from start to finish, thanks to the sparkling script, thrilling action sequences and to-die-for comic chemistry between Gosling and Blunt
Posted Apr 30, 2024
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4/5
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Challengers
(2024)
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Matthew Turner
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Playful, sexy and compelling, this is one of the best films of the year, with sensational performances from its three leads
Posted Apr 12, 2024
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4/5
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Back to Black
(2024)
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Nick Levine
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It offers a welcome reminder of Winehouse’s plucky spirit – something that often gets lost when her life is reduced to a hackneyed tale of talent and tragedy
Posted Apr 09, 2024
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3/5
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Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
(2024)
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James Mottram
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It won’t scratch an emotional itch, but if it’s barnstorming building-bashing you want, then Godzilla X Kong delivers
Posted Mar 28, 2024
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4/5
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Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
(2024)
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Nick Levine
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"Like Afterlife, Frozen Empire ultimately succeeds because it’s so much fun to watch"
Posted Mar 20, 2024
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4/5
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Monster
(2023)
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Matthew Turner
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Kore-eda makes great use of certain recurring objects – a shoe, a lighter – to the point where their final appearances feel like the pieces of a puzzle clicking satisfyingly into place
Posted Mar 13, 2024
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4/5
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Dune: Part Two
(2024)
|
Matthew Turner
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Epic in scope and astonishing in its world-building, Dune: Part Two combines jaw-dropping visuals with imaginative action and morally complex plotting to thrilling effect
Posted Feb 28, 2024
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4/5
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Love Lies Bleeding
(2024)
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Lou Thomas
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Love Lies Bleeding will draw comparisons to the Coen Brothers’ superb 1984 debut, Blood Simple. It has a similar blend of shocks, fascinating characters and hard-bitten dialogue, though visually it’s bolder and brighter
Posted Feb 22, 2024
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4/5
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Small Things Like These
(2024)
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Lou Thomas
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Murphy again leads with aplomb and his casting alone will likely bring a bigger audience to this intelligent adaptation of Claire Keegan’s novel of the same name
Posted Feb 16, 2024
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3/5
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Argylle
(2024)
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Nick Levine
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There’s plenty to enjoy here, including Bryce Dallas Howard’s cleverly layered performance and Bryan Cranston’s witty villain Ritter, but Argylle is hampered by strange pacing and a bloated 139-minute runtime
Posted Feb 01, 2024
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5/5
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All of Us Strangers
(2023)
|
Paul M. Bradshaw
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Less a tragic nightmare than a beautiful, melancholic dream, All Of Us Strangers is one to keep close
Posted Jan 25, 2024
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4/5
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Wonka
(2023)
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Nick Levine
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Chalamet proves a very decent song and dance man. He has a clear, unobtrusive vocal style and never goes in for Broadway-style showboating
Posted Dec 04, 2023
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4/5
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Napoleon
(2023)
|
Lou Thomas
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The details of historical truth be damned: this mighty adventure should be seen on the biggest screen possible. Charge on horseback to the multiplex to savour it.
Posted Nov 23, 2023
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3/5
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The Marvels
(2023)
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James Mottram
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Despite a script that is chock full of good lines and a cast of willing participants, this is more meh than Marvel
Posted Nov 17, 2023
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4/5
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The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
(2023)
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Lou Thomas
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It looks like no Katniss is no problem for Songbirds And Snakes. A fine blockbuster adventure for autumn
Posted Nov 17, 2023
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4/5
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Saltburn
(2023)
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Alex Flood
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Sex, drugs and a soundtrack filled with mid-noughties indie bangers (MGMT, The Killers and more) fuel a sunny vacation packed with illicit fun
Posted Nov 17, 2023
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4/5
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Peter Doherty: Stranger in My Own Skin
(2023)
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Rhian Daly
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Katia deVidas’ film might be a difficult watch but, as well as serving up a reminder of the horrors of addiction, at least it gives us plenty to be grateful for too
Posted Nov 06, 2023
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4/5
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How to Have Sex
(2023)
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Alex Flood
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Mia McKenna-Bruce captures perfectly the chaotic excitement of Tara’s age, as well as how quickly that feeling can change to suffocating social anxiety
Posted Nov 03, 2023
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