Critical Week: When the wine runs out

It's been another busy week for screenings, and this year's festival season kicked up a gear with the announcement of the programme at next month's 79th Cannes Film Festival. Already everyone is trying to work out who will feature in next year's awards season. Three of the films I watched this week featured terrific offbeat performances: Charli XCX leads the cast of the improvised romantic comedy Erupcja, which is set in Warsaw. It's rather uneven, but strikingly well shot and performed. Jude Law and Paul Dano are excellent in The Wizard of the Kremlin, Olivier Assayas' expertly crafted fictionalised biopic about Vladimir Putin. And John Magaro shines as legendary pianist Keith Jarrett in Koln 75, based on the true story of an 18-year-old promoter (played by rising star Mala Emde) who organised a groundbreaking concert.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Diamanti • Wasteman • Departures
The Wizard of the Kremlin
Rebuilding • Miroirs No 3
Eagles of the Republic
PERHAPS AVOID: Balls Up
ALL REVIEWS >

More in the mainstream, Mark Wahlberg  and Paul Walter Hauser star in the chucklehead comedy Balls Up, which has a sharp script thanks to Deadpool writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese. But it's resolutely unfunny. Set in Manchester, the British romcom Finding Emily stars Spike Fearn and Angourie Rice. It's charming and funny and very predictable. Bob Odenkirk is back in action in Normal, which also sticks very closely to the formula but engages us with its quirkiness. The entertaining romantic melodrama Almost Us is a bit awkward, but nicely uses its setting in Phoenix's Black queer community. And the French comedy-drama Colours of Time is an entertaining and astute look at how history echoes in everyday life today. 

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching the Michael Jackson biopic Michael, Paul Rudd in Power Ballad, John Magaro in Omaha, Mads Mikkelsen in The Last Viking and three live performances: The Center Will Not Hold at Sadler's Wells, We Caliban at Sadler's Wells East and Misconduct & Ladykiller at White Bear (Tube strikes notwithstanding).

Screen: April TV Roundup

There's been a lot of new material on television and streaming lately, so I feel like I've only skimmed the surface. But I've made it through 16 series here. New shows and seasons seem to be released every day at the moment, and I need to keep up simply so I'm ready when voting deadlines hit for TV awards I vote in. I can't see everything, but I try to catch what looks intriguing and /or entertaining - something that can take my mind off the real world. In this roundup, I'm starting with returning shows...

Beef: series 2
This anthology show's new season has an excellent cast and a gripping narrative that builds to a frankly astonishing final episode. Expertly shot and edited, it stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny as two couples who get into a tangled mess connected to the exclusive golf club where they work and a new Korean owner (the great Youn Yuh-Jung) who's more than a little shady. The way the interpersonal relationships spiral and weave is breathtaking, with a continual stream of surprises, shifting loyalties and ratcheting tension. In the end, the show has profound things to say about love and loyalty, and also takes a startlingly astute swipe at where the world is right now. (Netflix)

Jury Duty Presents: 
Company Retreat
The astonishing improv comedy is back, this time set around a small family business' getaway at which everyone is an actor except one person who has no idea they're on a sitcom. Like the first season, this is hilariously outrageous television, expertly set up and assembled to hone in on how Anthony responds to the absurd things thrown at him, including several moral dilemmas. So it's funny but also very sharply pointed, commenting on the changing landscape for small companies while also offering provocative "what would you do?" scenarios. This one sometimes feels a bit sillier than the first courtroom series, but it is packed with terrific moments. And as before, the casting is genius. (Prime)

Bridgerton: series 4
Diving back into this colourful period fantasia is such a delight that we never want it to end. So of course Netflix divides the series into chapters to further torment us. Things are both spicy and comforting, as another Bridgerton sibling, wild child Benedict (Luke Thompson), is tamed by the feisty Sophie (Yerin Ha). Meanwhile, there are more antics for Nicola Coughlan's Penelope, Adjoa Andoh's Lady Danbury and Golda Rosheuvel's Queen Charlotte, plus a parallel romance for Lady Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) and her swarthy Lord Marcus (Daniel Francis). There's never much doubt where these plot threads are headed, but this kind of frothy/steamy nonsense is simply delicious. (Netflix) 

Paradise: series 2
This season opens outside the city-in-a-bunker with a superb Graceland-set narrative featuring a new role for Shailene Woodley. Then Sterling K Brown arrives and we're off on a steely cross-country adventure. The show splinters in now-typical second-season style between a sometimes bewildering range of story threads in timelines that inside, outside and before the bunker. The writing feels a little heavy-handed, pushing apocalyptic themes while searching for signs of humanity. But the expanding cast is solid (including puppet-master Julianne Nicholson), and the plotlines are involving enough to keep us hooked. Where this season ends up is properly brain-bending, which bodes well for series 3. (Hulu) 

Fallout: series 2
Carrying on with its various narrative strands, which are even-more fragmented than before, this show is packed with fascinating scenes that seem to exist in isolation, even as some of the threads vaguely begin to merge. With all of this jumping around in both place and time, we are never quite sure which events are happening concurrently with others. But it doesn't really matter yet. This season is largely set around New Vegas, and the nutty mayhem offers particularly strong moments for Ella Purnell, Kyle MacLachlan, Aaron Moten, Moises Arias and of course Walton Goggins. With added Justin Theroux as a pre-apocalypse brainiac and Macauley Culkin as a cos-playing Roman general. (Prime)

Your Friends & Neighbors: series 2
Jon Hamm is back for some more somewhat far fetched criminality, as a wealthy investment manager who turns to robbing his neighbours to make ends meet. His character's relationship with his ex-wife (Amanda Peet) and ex-girlfriend (Olivia Munn) are far more complicated now, as are his friendships and work connections. As a billionaire who moves into the community, James Marsden stirs everything up exponentially, further straining the credibility. But it's entertaining to watch these obscenely privileged people get taken down a peg or two (or more), even if the splintered plot feels a bit deliberately structured simply to make space for another season. (Apple)

High Tides [Knokke Off]: series 1-3
From Belgium, this show wallows in compelling melodrama between wildly wealthy and working class families in a rural seaside town. The first season centred on the teens, then the wonderfully overwrought soap-style stories spread to the parents too. Most of the characters bullheadedly charge through each situation without listening to anyone else, with a storm of alcohol, sex, drugs and violence. Even the few likeable or sympathetic people continually do awful things to each other, mainly because of the barrage of trauma they are all carrying around. But even if it's all faintly ridiculous, it's impossible to look away, partly because the European cast goes for it in ways American actors would never dare. (Netflix) 

S O M E T H I N G   N E W

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
It's nice to see a Star Trek series that is actually trying something new that fits within its remit, even if some of these episodes reach perhaps a bit too far thematically, and the direction is sometimes shockingly inept. Set in the officer training school, the show features a collection of hot young cadets who improbably find themselves in a momentously urgent situation every single week. But because their teachers include Holly Hunter, Robert Picardo, Tig Notaro and Gina Yashere, plus Paul Giamatti as a recurring baddie, the show also has wonderfully offhanded gravitas. And students Sandro Rosta, Karim Diane, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins and Bella Shepard have star-making presence. (Paramount)

Bait
Riz Ahmed created and stars in this comedy about a British actor with Pakistani heritage who auditions to play James Bond, setting off a barrage of online hatred from all sides (is he too Asian or a sell-out?), and unfiltered excitement from his colourful friends and family. Ahmed is extraordinary in the meta-role, finding all kinds of layers as his character becomes increasingly unlikeable but somehow holds on to our sympathy. Sheeba Chadda is especially strong as his mother, and Guz Khan and Aasiya Shah add wonderful layers as his cousin and sister. There are also terrific guest roles for Himesh Patel, Nabhaan Rizwan, Rafe Spall and even a wonderfully absurd turn from Patrick Stewart. (Prime)

The Madison
A TV series about grief may seem like it'll be heavy-going, but writer Taylor Sheridan includes plenty of brittle humour and a riveting focal performance by Michelle Pfeiffer as a woman dealing with loss while trying to manage her messy adult daughters (Beau Garrett and Elle Chapman). The expansive Montana scenery is another key character here, and Sheridan weaves in several powerful narrative kicks over the course of six intensely emotive episodes. A side role for Rebecca Spence is complex and engaging. And there are meaty male characters too for Kurt Russell, Patrick J Adams, Ben Schnetzer, Kevin Zegers and Matthew Fox. It may get a bit mopey, but it's well worth a look. (Paramount)

Rooster
Steve Carell ably anchors this warm-hearted comedy in which he plays a blockbuster novelist (the title refers to his repeating lead character) who takes a job teaching at the university where his estranged daughter (Charly Clive) works. Their relationship is fun to watch, even if both of the characters are sometimes hard to like. They share rather complex broken-marriage issues (with Connie Britton and Phil Dunster as their respective exes), which add layers of connection to the spiralling silliness. And everything is grounded by the astute writing and earthy performances. Terrific support from Danielle Deadwyler and John C McGinley in roles that will benefit from more development in series 2. (HBO)

How to Get to Heaven From Belfast
From Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee comes another riotously astute Irish comedy, although this one is rather a lot darker, mixing the jagged humour with thriller elements as three old friends (Roisin Gallagher, Sinead Keenan and Caoilfhionn Dunne) reunite 20 years after a traumatic event to solve a mystery centred around their fourth classmate (Natasha O'Keeffe). Snappy dialog and hilarious characters keep us chuckling even as things get increasingly nasty. The plot veers in directions that are contrived, absurd and properly punchy. And there are terrific roles for Darragh Hand (as a dreamy garda), MobLand's Emmet J Scanlan and the always fantastic Bronagh Gallagher and Michelle Fairley. (Netflix)

Vladimir
Straining for that wry Fleabag-style to-camera vibe, this comedy-drama instead becomes rather arch as Rachel Weisz's English professor narrates her own fantastical crush on her new colleague Vladimir, played with offhanded dreaminess by Leo Woodall. Complications include her husband (John Slattery), their open marriage and accusations against him of sexual impropriety. And then there's Vladimir's wife (Jessica Henwick), who ends up in the thick of it as well. Where the story goes is foreshadowed right from the start, so it's not hugely surprising. But the show manages to drum up some terrific lustiness, highlighting female sexuality in an unusually complex way. (Netflix)

Crap Happens [Kacken an der Havel]
From Germany, this cartoonish comedy is relentlessly silly, with one of those plots in which everything continually goes wrong at the worst possible time. Amid the amusing stupidity, there are quite a few genuinely witty gags, plus some pointed satire about both German society and the global music industry, as the plot centres on loser Toni (Anton Schneider) dealing with both his big break to become a rap star and the discovery that he has a teen son (Sky Arndt). While the performances are deliberately way over the top, there are moments of real emotion that keep us watching. And one of the most enjoyably ridiculous touches is a running gag about the 1998 classic Armageddon. (Netflix)

J U S T   F O R   V A R I E T Y

The Muppet Show
With just one half-hour episode, this proves to be the show we need right now. Even 50 years later, the format feels fresh and engaging, with Kermit, Piggy and friends spiralling into their own delightful brand of chaos as they try to revive their theatre show. Guest star Sabrina Carpenter offers plenty of musical and comical fun, with added goofy cameos from Maya Rudolph and Seth Rogen as themselves. It's such an engaging mix of songs, sketches and generally silly mayhem that we can't help but fall in love with these characters all over again. And the all new cast of Muppet performers beautifully captures the souls of these iconic characters. Surely this proves that we need more of this. (Disney)

Saturday Night Live UK
While the original version is in the midst of its 51st season, a UK clone has taken to the airwaves slightly earlier on Saturday nights from London. The fresh cast of comics is very strong, diving headlong into the topical silliness, with the usual collection of sketches that are alternately inspired or oddly flat-footed. But the cheeky energy keeps things afloat. The most notable emerging star is Jack Shep, who has an innate gift for characterisations, from Princess Diana to the former Prince Andrew. The odd thing about the show is how it already feels like it's been around for too long. More variation from the US formula could help make this feel like something new. So let's hope it develops its own personality. (Sky)

GUILTY PLEASURES: The Traitors Ireland, Celebrity Race Across the World, Britain's Got Talent.

NOW WATCHING: Big Mistakes, The Testaments, Euphoria 3, Hacks 5, The Boys 5, Scrubs 8.

COMING SOON: Half Man, Margot's Got Money Problems, Man on Fire, The House of the Spirits, Alpha Males 4.

Previous roundup: FEBRUARY 2026 > 

Critical Week: So in love

It's been another busy week at the movies, as Cannes announced its programme of films, instantly launching next year's awards season with a bang. Almodovar! Refn! Pawlikowski! Farhadi! Zvyagintsev! Kore-eda! Sachs! Hamaguchi! Dhont! The Javis! Meanwhile, I bought a ticket to see Zendaya and Robert Pattinson in The Drama, because I wasn't invited to the one and only press screening. I really enjoyed it, an unhinged black comedy that pushes the audience to take a side.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Outcome • The Stranger
Father Mother Sister Brother
California Schemin'
ALL REVIEWS >

Otherwise, there was the family comedy whodunit The Sheep Detectives, an enjoyably silly Babe-style romp starring Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson, with the voices of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Bryan Cranston. Keanu Reeves leads Jonah Hill's quirk-filled Outcome, a smart comedy-drama about Hollywood packed with fantastic characters. The cast includes Cameron Diaz, Matt Bomer, Martin Scorsese and Susan Lucci. Gaten Matarazzo, Lulu Wilson and Sean Giambrone star in the riotous stoner comedy Pizza Movie, which is far smarter than it looks thanks to filmmakers Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney. The Japanese anime romcom ChaO looks like nothing you've ever seen, and tells an oddly engaging story about a man who marries a fish. And I also attended a special cast and crew screening of the pointed and involving short film Geronto, plus a live performance of Palatable Gay Robot at Udderbelly Boulevard.

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching the British romcom Finding Emily, Jude Law in The Wizard of the Kremlin, Charli XCX in Erupcja, Bob Odenkirk in Normal, John Magaro in Koln 75, the romantic comedy Almost Us and the French comedy-drama Colours of Time.

Stage: Don't fence me in

Palatable Gay Robot
by Stephen Brower
director Zachary Prince
with Stephen Brower, Julia Murney
Udderbelly Boulevard, London • 7.Apr.26 ★★★★

Funny and sharp, with a big emotional kick, this one-man show explores themes of identity and community through an absurd premise, expertly written and performed by Stephen Brower. This is a fast-paced 75 minutes, overflowing with verbal gags, physical schtick, musical skill and pointed observations about how difficult it is to fit into society's strict boxes. And while it keeps us laughing, the show also leaves us with a lot to think about.

It's set up as a demonstration of HumaVibe's latest device, introduced by a voiceover moderator (Murney) as our new gay best friend Billie Bowtie (Brower), a robot with "a little extra sugar in the tank". The moderator continually reminds Billie that he needs to be "palatable" to avoid offending anyone, but Billie is unable to stop making rude jokes and references. The more background reference material he downloads, the ruder and more deeply insightful his humour gets. But even when the moderator applies additional constraints, Billie continues to break through them.

Billie's primary directive is to provide endless entertainment for straight people, and his quick wit is loaded with riotous innuendo, puns and references. He also performs elaborate song and dance routines and does amusingly awkward crowd work before he is urged to share his story. At this point, Brower weaves his own life into the narrative, using playful humour and an underlying authenticity as he recounts his Oklahoma childhood, family pressures, dance camp joy and a bittersweet experience with first love. The moderator continually resets him, but Billie simply can't stay in the lines.

Brower's performance is bright and smiley, augmenting everything with elaborate physicality. So Billie's robotic glitches carry an underlying meaning. Hugely likeable, he mixes sassiness with darker edges, impressively deploying surreal comedy alongside moving emotions. His blinding verbal riffs are often astonishing, from a hilarious brunch-buddy rant to a climactic sequence synchronised with clips from a broad range of bracingly current cultural iconography. 

At its core this show is an attempt to define what it means to be gay. The word may mean happy, but it also carries fear, self-hatred, love and longing. So the sharply cutting gags touch on religion and politics sit with complex comments about themes from self-discovery to false security. Queer stereotypes are lampooned along the way, always subverted with smart punchlines. And it gets more personal as the show continues: Billie's most insistent urges are to become an actor, to be loved and not to die alone. What's most impressive is how Brower so seamlessly blends intelligence with stupidity, profanity with open-hearted emotion, and most importantly performative robotics with raw humanity.

For information: STEPHEN BROWER >

photos by Danny Bristoll, Spencer Clark • 7.Apr.26

Critical Week: Outside the margins

A highlight this week was a special screening of John Huston's 1961 classic The Misfits, starring Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Clark Gable, Eli Wallach and Thelma Ritter. Following a group of people who simply don't fit in, this is a staggeringly powerful film with strong present-day resonance. The final completed film for both Monroe and Gable, it was screened at the programme launch for Marilyn Monroe: Self-Made Star, a season at BFI Southbank marking the iconic star's centenary in June-July.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
DJ Ahmet • Night Stage
The Stranger
ALL REVIEWS >

Otherwise, there was Hokum, an enjoyably bonkers horror comedy starring Adam Scott as an American at a nutty hotel in Ireland. By contrast, the horror thriller Undertone is inventive, most notably with its layered sound mix, but neither fun nor scary. Laszlo Nemes' Orphan is a complex, textured exploration of post-WWII Hungary with a riveting central performance from teen Bojtorjan Barabas. I also saw quite a few more films over the final weekend of the 40th BFI Flare, and I attended The Offies, a gala night of awards and live performances celebrating Off-West End theatre.

Coming up over Easter weekend and the following week, I'll be watching Zendaya and Robert Pattinson in The Drama, Gaten Matarazzo in Pizza Movie, the Japanese anime romcom ChaO, a special screening of the short film Geronto and a live performance of Palatable Gay Robot at Udderbelly Boulevard.

BFI Flare: Spread the love

And that's a wrap on the 40th BFI Flare, closing the programme with the South African comedy Black Burns Fast and the usual epic party last night. Then today was the best-of day in the cinemas. I saw 25 features and 13 shorts (including the Five Films for Freedom) over the past 12 days - my favourites are below, after are my last three film highlights...

Black Burns Fast
dir-scr Sandulela Asanda; with Esihle Ndleleni, Muadi Ilung 26/SA ***
With a sassy sense of humour, colourful sets and costumes, and videogame-style graphic flourishes, this teen comedy from South Africa lands somewhere in the region of shows like Heartstopper, Sex Education and Never Have I Ever. It's enjoyable simply for what it is, and the writing is cute and often very funny. But it's never particularly pointed about the serious themes that are raised. So it ultimately feels somewhat simplistic.

Satisfaction
dir-scr Alex Burunova; with Emma Laird, Fionn Whitehead 25/UK ***.
Artful and moody, but set in sundrenched Greece, this romantic drama feels weighty from the start. Writer-director Alex Burunova flickers in time to intersperse the back-story with the main narrative, and each strand has its own visceral approach, cleverly contrasting the settings using emotions, colours and textures. This approach also drops in darkly disturbing revelations that give the film provocative edge. 

What Will I Become?
dir Lexie Bean, Logan Rozos; with Lexie Bean, Logan Rozos 26/US ****
Even with a very dark central topic, this documentary, is made with a sense of hopefulness. This is a clear-eyed, deliberately emotive look at why so many trans youth commit suicide, and directors Lexie Bean and Logan Rozos know this situation far too well. The fact is that more than half of trans teens try to take their own lives, largely because they can never be themselves. It's not an easy film to watch, but it's powerful, important and urgent.

RICH'S BEST OF FEST

1. Drunken Noodles (Lucio Castro, US)
2. Maspalomas (Aitor Arregi/Jose Mari Goenaga, Spain)
3. On the Sea (Helen Walsh, UK)
4. Perro Perro (Marco Berger, Argentina)
5. Cherri (Fabian Suarez, Cuba)
6. Keep Coming Back (Sergio De Leon, Uruguay)
7. Strange River (Jaume Claret Muxart, Spain)
8. The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel (Ramiel Petros/Nicholas Freeman, UK)
9. Lunar Sway (Nick Butler, Canada)
10. To Dance Is to Resist (Julian Lautenbacher, Ukraine)

Honourable mention: Can't Go Over It, I Am Going to Miss You, The Broken R, Big Girls Don't Cry, Hunky Jesus, 10s Across the Borders, Out Laws, What Will I Become? 

FAVOURITE SHORTS

1. Yellow Bucket (Simon Brooke, UK)
2. Magid/Zafar (Luis Hindman, UK)
3. Theo (Monica Palazzo/Jo Galvv, Brazil)
4. Kiloran Bay (Michael Bruce, UK)
5. I Hate Helen (Kate Lambert, UK)

Full reviews will be linked to the SHADOWS @ BFI FLARE page.

BFI Flare: Sing it out

We're in the final weekend of the 40th BFI Flare festival, with what will hopefully be an epic party tonight. There have been a lot of very good films here this year, and I still have a few to watch before my final post tomorrow night. Tomorrow is best-of-fest day, so screenings will feature sold-out films, top-rated ones and noted movies from the past year, as well as highlights from the festival's four decades, well worth catching again on a big screen surrounded by an appreciative queer audience. Meanwhile, here are five more festival highlights...

I Am Going to Miss You
[Eu Vou Ter Saudades de Você]
dir Daniel Ribeiro; with Alice Marcone, Gabriel Lodi 26/Br ****
Inventive Brazilian filmmaker Daniel Ribeiro creates an audacious twist on the soapy romantic drama by casting every role in the film with a trans actor, whether or not they're playing trans characters. So the film is making an important political statement simply by its very existence. It's also an involving story of a couple that realises that perhaps they have grown in different directions, even though they still love each other deeply.

Can't Go Over It
dir-scr Ethan Fuirst; with Susannah Perkins Taylor Trensch 26/US ****
Astutely exploring an offbeat friendship, this comedy drama follows two queer 30-somethings who worry that their friendship might have run its course. Much of the film consists of them walking through a forest chatting about random topics. But writer-director Ethan Fuirst brings out subtle shifts in their dynamic in very clever ways, gently touching on the way people grow and change at different rates, and what it takes to stick together. 

Drunken Noodles
dir-scr Lucio Castro; with Laith Khalifeh, Joel Isaac 25/US ****
As in his astute 2019 drama End of the Century, Argentine writer-director Lucio Castro opens this story with a young man arriving in a city and getting friendly with the local boys. Like that film, this is a complex exploration of how we connect with other people on a range of different levels, altering our life trajectory in the process. The story unfolds in chapters that are presented out of order, inventively creating a knowing wave of powerful emotion.

Cherri
dir-scr Fabian Suarez; with Juan Miguel Mas, Noslen Sanchez 25/Cub ****
There's an unusual optimism running through this Cuba drama, which centres around an overweight dancer who has absolutely no regrets. Cherri is a terrific, fully formed character who wins us over with his hopefulness and compassion, even if it sometimes feels misplaced. Actor Juan Miguel Mas and filmmaker Fabian Suarez have created something that's surprisingly thoughtful and tender, shattering stereotypes in the process. 

The Broken R [Rotacismo]
dir Ricardo Ruales Eguiguren; with Ricardo Ruales Eguiguren, Julio Ricardo Ruales 25/Ec ****
An autobiographical collage, this documentary is remarkably introspective as young Ecuadorian filmmaker Ricardo Ruales Eguiguren recounts the details of his unusual life. He's exploring a condition he inherited from his father and his struggle to accept his sexuality. What he comes up with is a hushed film that beautifully reflects his thoughtful personality. And it is packed with knowing observations that are easy to identify with.

Full reviews will be linked to the SHADOWS @ BFI FLARE page.