Critical Week: Ready to run

Awards season continues in full swing, with screenings every day of the week. Things will only escalate this month as voting deadlines begin to approach around the first of December. So I have a lot that I still need to see, especially since I also have to watch TV shows and podcasts for the Golden Globes. This week's big films included Glen Powell in Edgar Wright's entertainingly fast-paced remake of The Running Man, based on the Stephen King novel. There are big issues in here, but it never goes very deep. At least Colman Domingo is having a blast. And there was also the lavishly well-made post-war epic Nuremberg, starring Russell Crowe and Rami Malek in a thought-provoking exploration of political morality. Leo Woodhall very nearly steals the show.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Belen • Train Dreams • Odyssey
Peter Hujar's Day • The Choral
The Marbles • Love + War
ALL REVIEWS >

One of the most delightful surprises was Song Sung Blue, an emotional rollercoaster of a true story starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as a Neil Diamond experience. Yes, lots of great music too. Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen and Callum Turner also have fun in the existential romantic-triangle comedy Eternity, which finds serious emotions along the way. Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall are riveting in Peter Hujar's Day, a mundane/momentous conversation between two artists in 1970s New York. The artful French romance Eden & Charlie is simply gorgeous to look at, and carries a wistful kick. The documentary The Marbles is an entertaining, enlightening exploration of why museums have a duty to repatriate antiquities. And the interactive thriller The Run takes the audience on a wild ride, all while we choose where it goes next. I also attended a gala screening of the hilarious and sharply pointed short Burn Your Gays. And there was a live performance of the dazzling Figures in Extinction at Sadler's Wells.

Coming up for this next just-as-busy week, I'll be watching Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in Wicked: For Good, Alexander Skarsgard in Pillion, Kate Winslet's film Goodbye June, Tom Blyth in Bull Run, the animated adventure In Your Dreams, the action sequel Sisu: Road to Revenge, Hong Kong crime thriller Valley of the Shadow of Death, and the anti-romcom 300 Letters, plus a premiere screening of the first episode of Stranger Things season 5.

Screen: March TV Roundup

Watching TV episodes in my downtime helps me clear my mind, and there has been a wide range available over the past few months. For obvious reasons, I prefer the light-hearted stuff, a bit of escapism. But diving into something serious is even more satisfying. Starting here with the new shows...

The Residence
Nodding immediately to Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes and Benoit Blanc, this snappy whodunit is gloriously anchored by Uzo Aduba as Cordelia Cupp, aka the greatest detective in the world. And it has a killer premise, spiralling around a murder in the White House on the night of an Australian state dinner (complete with Kylie!). The terrific cast includes Giancarlo Esposito, Susan Kelechi Watson, Randall Park, Bronson Pinchot and Ken Marino. The show's tone might be a bit glib for its own good, which leaves everything feeling somewhat pointless and silly. But it's so much fun that we end up hoping that Cordelia will be back for an all-new mystery very soon indeed. (Netflix) 

Paradise
The first episode of this thriller series is beautifully constructed, presenting the show's premise right at the very end with a twist that confirms our queasiest suspicions. From here the tension builds steadily, growing increasingly suspenseful until the climactic showdown in episode 8. Sterling K Brown is superb as the thoughtful, tough-minded hero, squaring off against the formidable control freak played by Julianne Nicholson. Plus a wonderfully steely and charismatic turn by James Marsden as the US president. Surrounding characters also have plenty of spark and energy, even if the plot can't help but dip into cliches along the way. And the ending is great. Bring on season 2. (Disney)

Prime Target
A veneer of intelligence lifts this thriller above the fray, and it helps that the cast is so good. Leo Woodall is a terrific lead, diving into his role as Cambridge maths nerd Edward, who can't quite understand why his research is threatening the entire world order. Neither can we, for that matter. But never mind! It's fun to watch these people run around trying to discover a new mathematical system while various vicious shadowy baddies try to stop them. Standouts in the cast include plucky young spy Quintessa Swindell, dodgy boss Martha Plimpton, tenacious scholar Sidse Babett Knudsen and floundering mentor David Morrissey. Plus ace veterans Stephen Rea and Joseph Mydell. (Apple)

Dexter: Original Sin
Produced in the style of the classic series, this prequel traces the young Dexter (Patrick Gibson) as he plots his way through his new life as a vigilante killer and police forensics officer. It's all rather bound to the original show's mythology, often straining to pay unnecessary homage to it, especially in younger versions of larger-than-life characters and the setting up several already iconic moments. It's still gripping enough to paper over the many plot and logistical holes. Excellent actors include Christian Slater as Dexter's dad Harry and Molly Brown as his hothead sister Debra. So having Sarah Michelle Geller and Patrick Dempsey on hand feels like a bonus. (Showtime)

The Madness
Colman Domingo offers a towering performance in this limited series about a news-network pundit who is thrown into a convoluted mess when he witnesses a grisly murder and then is framed for it. The central idea here is disinformation, as shady powers behind the scenes are manipulating the media, public attitudes and elections. And while there are some strong points here about the imbalance of influence billionaires can have, this is little more than the plot's MacGuffin. Domingo is the reason to watch this, along with terrific supporting roles for Marsha Stephanie Blake, Gabrielle Graham and Thaddeus Mixson, plus the superb John Ortiz and Alison Wright. (Netflix)

Black Doves
With its snappy plotting, messy characters and slick production values, this British spy series is a lot of fun as it follows sleeper agent Helen (Keira Knightley) while she tries to unpick the knotted truth about the death of her lover (Andrew Koji). Her cohort is the always fantastic Ben Whishaw, who adds all kinds of witty detail to his fixer character, while Sarah Lancaster provides her own unnerving steeliness as Helen's puppet-master handler. This is also a slickly made thriller, with pulse-racing action, humour and a glorious use of London locations. So even if the plot feels rather familiar, the show is hugely watchable, keeping us hooked through each Killing Eve-style twist and turn. (Netflix)

T H E   S T O R Y   C O N T I N U E S

Squid Game: series 2
The way the writers get back into this story is ingenious, although how they choose to end this seven-episode run feels like a cheat. Rather than set up a cliffhanger, they simply cut away in the middle of a scene, leaving us hanging until the concluding third season this summer. But they've got us hooked. This show is a riveting thriller that isn't afraid to get seriously nasty. Lee Jung-jae is a superior lead actor, sympathetic and often startlingly unpredictable, while both Wi Ha-joon's cop and Lee Byun-hun's puppetmaster get a chance to deepen their roles intriguingly. Best of all, it's impossible to predict where things might go next, as this game-to-the-death keeps throwing brutal twists into the mix. (Netflix)

Shrinking: series 2
Even sharper than the first season, this comedy rockets forward with much more complex plotting and characters who are layered and thoroughly engaging. Everyone in the cast is first-rate, with particularly strong storylines for leads Jason Segel, Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams, each of whom gets the chance to add depth to their therapist character, both in sessions with clients and in their often absurdly ridiculous personal lives. This allows the show to blend nutty humour with some earned emotions, and it also brings to life some strong supporting characters, most strikingly the one played by show creator Brett Goldstein. (Apple)

A N D   S O   I T   E N D S

What We Do in the Shadows: series 6
After the writers strangely copped out in last season's ending, this nutty comedy hits the ground running as these Staten Island vampires face a range of crises with their usual overconfident ineptness. The superb Kayvan Novak is at the centre this time as he struggles with his identity as an alpha-vampire, while Natasia Demetriou, Matt Berry and Mark Proksch shamelessly steal scenes as his constantly disruptive and outrageously dim-witted makeshift family. Enjoyably, Harvey Guillem's Guillermo is even more quietly in control this season. This is the kind of show that could run forever, so it's notable that they opted to go out on a high. (FX)

The Sticky
The great Margo Martindale stars in this series about maple syrup farmers in Canada who go to war over their sticky product, leading to an elaborate heist that plays out like something from a Coen brothers movie, mixing jagged humour with vicious violence and general unpredictability (enter Jamie Lee Curtis!). Based on a true story, it's packed with colourful characters who are wonderfully untrustworthy, so the whole show feels like it will explode into chaos at any moment. It often does, simply because these people think with their emotions. And as a story of little people taking on a big, bad conglomerate, it's easy to know who to root for. (Prime)

C A T C H I N G   U P

Industry: series 1-3
With a fresh, unblinking approach, this British series came highly recommended, and I have enjoyed catching up on the episodes. While the writing is far too dense, and often downright smug, the cast adds nuance to the characters, bringing them to life amid the messy goings on in a London financial office, plus a blinding flurry of drugs and sex out of hours. Most intriguing is that no one is remotely likeable, but they manage to be sympathetic even if pretty much everyone tips way, way over the top along the way. Notably strong work from Marisa Abela, Ken Leung, Harry Lawtey, Myha'la and David Jonsson, with great guest turns by Kit Haringon and Jay Duplass. (BBC)

Alpha Males:
series 1-3
I'd never watched this Spanish series, but a new season coaxed me to start from scratch. And the half-hour episodes zip along amiably. Each character is somewhat cartoonish, but this allows the writers to explore gender issues without taking things too seriously. They also offer some surprising nuance, puncturing political correctness as everyone becomes increasingly confused about how they are meant to treat each other. Both the male and female leading characters are likeable, funny and so deeply flawed that they're almost frighteningly easy to identify with. The rapid-fire dialog is hilarious, and the plotting is gleefully bonkers. (Netflix)

Fake Profile:
series 1-2
The first season of this Colombian thriller is compulsive viewing, a properly sexy guilty pleasure about a Las Vegas dancer (Carolina Miranda) who falls for a too-perfect businessman (Rodolfo Salas). Then when she pays a surprise visit to see him in Cartagena, all kinds of truths are revealed, leading to a twisty mess of nutty plotting, terrific characters and an outrageous climax. The second season, subtitled Killer Match, is very different as it settles into a serial killer thriller that's utterly preposterous. Characters lose all sense of coherence, and a feeling of both misogyny and homophobia creep in (women are tied up, gays are murdered). It's juicy but not much fun. (Netflix)

I GIVE UP: Severance 2
I am sure this show is a work of genius, but my patience simply ran out with its indulgently knotted plotting, out-of-sequence storytelling and generally mopey pace. The actors are so good that I really tried to keep watching, but the way this is put together makes it impossible to care about anything that happens. We can only admire it. Getting through the first season was a chore, and I only managed three episodes of the second. (Apple)

GUILTY PLEASURES: The Traitors (UK/US), Britain's Got Talent, Fool Us, Drag Race (17/Down Under), Dancing on Ice.

NOW WATCHING: The White Lotus 3, Adolescence, The Studio, Your Friends & Neighbours, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light

COMING SOON: Mid-Century Modern, MobLand, Andor 2, The Last of Us 2, The Handmaid's Tale 6, The Conners 7.

Previous roundup: DECEMBER 2024 > 

Critical Week: Are you not entertained?

As we get stuck into November, the year's big titles are beginning to turn up at press screenings, and none is bigger than Ridley Scott's sequel Gladiator II, a mammoth epic set in Ancient Rome starring Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal. The script is flawed (Connie Nielsen's role is criminally underwritten), but the film is hugely entertaining. Another sequel might even be more anticipated: while not as magical as No 2, Paddington in Peru is a charming, funny movie that sees our heroic little bear on an Amazon adventure accompanied by Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
No Other Land
Piece by Piece
ALL REVIEWS >

Another big one, Wicked: Part I stars Cynthia Erivo Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey (with added spark from Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum). It's gloriously assembled on a lavish scale, and we have to wait a year for Part II. Bill Skarsgard is imperious in Robert Eggers' profoundly horrific Nosferatu, costarring Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Emma Corrin, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Willem Dafoe. Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton find lovely textures in Almodovar's The Room Next Door, while Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve and Adam Pearson shine in the complex and powerfully provocative drama A Different Man. Meanwhile outside of awards contention, Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans provide some sparky banter in the otherwise over-familiar Christmas action comedy Red One. And the quirky British comedy Time Travel Is Dangerous is packed with hilarious performances and local North London gags.

This coming week I'll be watching the long-awaited Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, the acclaimed animated adventure Flow, Isabelle Huppert in A Traveler's Needs, the biopic Bonhoeffer and more awards contenders. I'm also travelling to Southern California to visit family for a couple of weeks, and I'm sure to see a few things out there before it's time to submit my ballots.

Critical Week: Are you my mother?

It was all about animation for me this past week, with two big releases in cinemas as well as my first visit to the premiere animation film festival in the world. I was invited to a crew screening of Netflix's Ultraman: Rising on the UK's biggest Imax screen, and it certainly looks amazing at that size. The story is involving, with terrific action and a lot of adorably childish silliness too. Pixar's Inside Out 2 is finally here, and it's more centred on the plasticky humans than the witty, insightful emotions. It's still good fun, but it feels like it misses a couple of big tricks.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Sorcery • Summer Solstice
Ama Gloria • Tiger Stripes
ALL REVIEWS >

Other films the offbeat comedy Bad Behaviour, which stars Jennifer Connelly and writer-director Alice Englert as an awkward mother and daughter. The engaging queer comedy-drama Summer Solstice is sharp and authentic. 

Over last weekend, I also saw several films at the Sundance Film Festival: London, which have been already covered here. And the Annecy International Film Festival in France us a treasure trove of animation. I was there to cover the first look at DreamWorks' The Wild Robot (more on that soon), and I also managed to see two beautifully animated films: from Spain, Rock Bottom is a dark and trippy drama about a pivotal moment in musician Robert Wyatt's life, while Japan's The Birth of Kitaro: Mystery of GeGeGe is based on such an extensive manga that it's tricky to get into its fantastical, outlandish tale.

This coming week I'll be watching Russell Crowe in The Exorcism, Demi Moore in The Substance, animated adventure The Imaginary, war drama Before Dawn, campground thriller Birder, sci-fi drama Spark and the Taliban doc Hollywoodgate.

Sundance: Find yourself

It's nice that the Sundance Film Festival: London is so manageable - just 12 features over fur days, plus short films and filmmaker events in a single venue. The programmers bring a terrific range of films and filmmakers over from the main festival in Utah. Most years there are only one or two films that I miss (it was only Skywalkers this year), and I also try to catch some of the shorts (see below). My favourite films this year were Kneecap, My Old Ass and the surprise film, which we had no idea about until the 35mm print began to roll. Here are some more short comments, starting with the closing film...

Dìdi
dir-scr Sean Wang; with Izaac Wang, Joan Chen 24/US ***.
Clearly autobiographical in nature, this teen drama isn't quite a coming-of-age movie, but writer-director Sean Wang refreshingly creates complex moments while making sharply pointed observations. So while this may be the usual collection of comically awkward and painfully embarrassing adolescent events, it also has several lovely things to say about generational issues in immigrant families. It may feel somewhat familiar, but there's a freshness to the approach... FULL REVIEW >

SURPRISE FILM
Kinds of Kindness
dir Yorgos Lanthimos; with Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons 24/UK ****
Returning to their surreally challenging storytelling style, Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimos Filippou have concocted three separate stories starring the same core cast. Each is a rather warped quest for some sort of redemption, with elements that ring true only within the reality of the narrative. And the actors deliver committed, eerily realistic performances that are often disarmingly emotional. With continual surprises, this is fiercely original and unforgettable... FULL REVIEW >

My Old Ass
dir-scr Megan Park; with Maisy Stella, Aubrey Plaza 24/Can ****
Rippling with authenticity, the dialog in this comedy-drama continually resonates, encouraging the audience to think deeply about things we take for granted. Writer-director Megan Park skilfully crafts a witty story that's packed with fully rounded characters who are hugely likeable even if they're imperfect. And with a wacky touch of hallucinogenic magic, the script finds a fresh new path into the coming-of-age genre that never feels simplistic or sentimental... FULL REVIEW >

Rob Peace
dir-scr Chiwetel Ejiofor; with Jay Will, Mary J Blige 24/US ***
There's a very strong true story at the heart of this film, full of complexities and issues that provoke thought. Although actor-filmmaker Chiwetel Ejiofor doesn't allow for much nuance in the way it's written, edited and played. Much of the dialog, as well as the overstated voiceover, are so on-the-nose that it's impossible to miss the properly important themes here. Still, it's finely played by a terrific cast, and the final sequence at least makes an attempt at feeling hopeful.

Girls Will Be Girls
dir-scr Shuchi Talati; with Preeti Panigrahi; Kani Kusruti 24/In ****
From India, this is a distinctive coming-of-age drama, beautifully shot and assembled to depict events through the eyes of a bright teen girl who is having her first encounter with love. This is a complex and remarkably insightful film, as writer-director Shuchi Talati draws on her own experiences, adding details that bring scenes to life with unusual subtlety. And unlike most teen movies, the story unfolds with an unflinching honesty in the way various events are depicted.

I also saw seven short films in the UK Shorts programme. My favourites were the surreal comedy Good Boy, starring Ben Whishaw as a guy grappling with the reality of his life; the beautifully shot and acted drama Essex Girls, about a teen girl who makes a discovery about who she is; and the amusing collage of Salone Love, which centres around a vox pop about love in Sierra Leone.

My Sundance London reviews will be linked on the website's FESTIVAL PAGE >

Critical Week: Don't even think about it, punk

As many of London's critics decamp to Venice for the next 10 days, I'm kind of wishing I was there again this year, but glad I can relax just a little. Although the month is pretty busy with screenings and theatre press nights. The summer blockbusters are behind us, and now we have the usual oddball mix of autumn movies. A bigger one this week was Denzel Washington's return to his vigilante character in The Equalizer 3, which is well made enough to be watchable, but it's still a celebration of brutality. Much higher brow was the festival favourite Past Lives, a simply gorgeous debut for writer-director Celine Song and one of the best films I've seen all year. Then somewhere in between we had Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose, an entertaining 1930s-set British comedy based on a bonkers true story and starring Simon Pegg and Minnie Driver,

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
The First Slam Dunk • Passages
Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia
Bobi Wine: The People's President
REVIEWS >

More offbeat fare included Jennifer Reeder's stylised horror Perpetrator, which inventively explores femininity and gender issues with rather a lot of bloodletting. From Japan, The First Slam Dunk is flat-out one of the best films of the year, an animated basketball drama with great characters and thrilling action. From France, another terrific animated adventure in the lively, music-infused sequel Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia. And I also finally caught up with the 1945 British classic romcom I Know Where I'm Going, which was simply heaven to watch on a big screen. There were also lots of FrightFest films.

This coming week I'll be watching the sequel My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, the Armenian drama Amerikatsi, the British doc A Life on the Farm, and the festival films Big Easy Queens and Summer Qamp.

Critical Week: Take a bow

Back to the movies in London after a week in the theatre in Edinburgh, and things are rather busy. Festival season is impending, with both Venice and Toronto kicking off very soon. But before that, FrightFest will hit London over this coming long weekend, so I'll be hoping some movies can scare me. And I'll be venting about them here. As for regular releases, this week I finally caught up with the hilarious mock-doc Theater Camp, starring Ben Platt, Molly Gordon and Noah Galvin. It's smart and silly, and theatre nerds will adore it. I had to see Blue Beetle in a regular cinema, as I missed the press screening, and I really enjoyed its more character and family-based approach to superhero nonsense. Ira Sachs turned up for a terrific Q&A following a screening of his latest film Passages, which is unapologetic, provocative and hugely powerful.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Fremont • Afire
Scrapper • Theater Camp
REVIEWS >

Another Sundance favourite, Scrapper stars Harris Dickinson opposite force-of-nature newcomer Lola Campbell in a scruffy, fresh British drama. John Travolta and a gritty cast lend some weight to the otherwise familiar crime thriller Mob Land. Even more familiar, the Aussie drama The Red Shoes: Next Step doesn't contain a single original moment, but it's comfy and watchable, and there are some lovely dance scenes. Warrior King is a strikingly visual Chinese animated epic that kind of rushes through a complex Tibetan legend. And Max Ophul's 1950 classic La Ronde has been restored gorgeously as part of the campaign to save the Curzon Mayfair Cinema. I'd never seen it, and it's wonderful.

In addition to all of the FrightFest titles, this coming week I'll be watching Denzel Washington in The Equalizer 3, the festival favourite Past Lives, acclaimed anime The First Slam Dunk, Jennifer Reeder's horror Perpetrator and a restoration of Powell & Pressburger's I Know Where I'm Going.

Screen: April TV Roundup

Recent travels and a film festival put me out of sync with television series, which I watch in gaps between movies to cleanse my palate, like an amuse bouche. And of course, the more I write about shows, the more are sent to me to watch before they air, so keeping up gets trickier and trickier. But I'm working through things! And here are things I've watched over the past couple of months...

Peacemaker
A riotous blast of James Gunn nuttiness, this DC spinoff is packed with terrific characters who are all at cross-purposes with each other. They're also unusually flawed for a superhero show, which makes them far more gripping to watch. John Cena is perfection as the too-focussed title character. Everything he says sounds sexist or racist, even though he's neither (his father, played unapologetically by Robert Patrick, is both and then some). Some of this is too wacky for its own good, but the central plot is surprisingly involving, and the core characters begin to feel like family: we wouldn't want to live with them, but we care. (HBO)

This Is Going to Hurt
Ben Whishaw gives a spectacularly committed performance as an NHS ob-gyn barely clinging to sanity amid the everyday chaos of his job. Writer Adam Kay based this on his experiences, and it plays at a blackly hilarious fever pitch, skilfully evoking the feeling of life out of control, plus a sense of impending doom. Thankfully the script continually surprises us, as do the unusually complex characters, with fine support from Ambika Mod (as Adam's newbie colleague), Rory Fleck Byrne (his gorgeous fiance), Alex Jennings (his thoughtless boss) and the great Harriet Walter (his imperious mother). And it's difficult to recall a more emotionally devastating series than this one. (BBC)

The Book of Boba Fett 
While it looks great, making the most of its desert planet setting and first-rate effects, this spinoff series meanders between two timelines to tell the underwhelming story of the title character, played with understated steeliness by Temuera Morrison. Then it suddenly shifts and becomes its parent show The Mandalorian, which is much more involving. The overarching plotlines are a little awkward, such as contriving to get Grogu back into the show, but the Pedro Pascal brings some badly needed personality that sustains the simplistic storytelling. This includes a climactic battle sequence that's properly epic but so long and violent that it becomes oddly dull. (Disney)

The Afterparty
A clever premise sets this show apart, especially as it plays out so inventively. After a top actor/singer (Dave Franco) dies at his school reunion, his classmates are quizzed by a detective (Tiffany Haddish). Each episode centres on one person's account, told in different styles (including Ben Schwartz's full-on musical and Zoe Chao's bonkers animation) as bigger details emerge about the characters and their twisted connections over the past 15 years. The excellent ensemble includes Sam Richardson, Ilana Glazer, Ike Barinholtz and a wasted Jamie Demetriou. Each performer dives in fully to the sometimes frantic comedy and edgy drama. (Disney)

The Gilded Age
Is this the most sexless show HBO has ever made? Essentially a far less lusty American Downton Abbey, this lavishly produced series is set in 1880s New York as old money sneers at new, and dramas take place both up and downstairs. After a young woman (Louisa Jacobson) discovers her father has left her nothing, she turns to her estranged, imperious aunts (the fabulous but oddly muted Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon), and secretly befriends their ambitiously wealthy new neighbours (Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector). But it's relentlessly dull, with dense and oddly stilted conversations that leave little space for personality. I gave up after four episodes. (HBO)

Murderville
Too gimmicky for its own good, this comedy stars Will Arnett as a ridiculous detective whose ex-wife (Haneefah Wood) is the chief. Each episode features a rookie partnered with him for one case, with the hitch being that actors are playing themselves without a script and must identify the killer. Guest stars like Sharon Stone, Annie Murphy, Kumail Nanjiani and Conan O'Brien bring their specific energy to the show. So it's a shame that the narrative is set up so specifically that the show feels stale by the second episode. Little is made of the overarching mystery, Arnett is too dopey to be likeable and the only fun is found in the guests' throwaway gags. (Netflix)

Bridesman
One of the first series produced by a hook-up app, this wacky comedy features six brief but over-plotted episodes that follow chatty, self-absorbed Terry (Jimmy Fowlie), a bridesman in the wedding of his rather intense childhood friend Judith (Sydnee Washington). But he's unable to stop fantasising about her dumb-jock fiance (David Mudge). The story mainly centres on the cartoonishly spiky bridesdmaids, while Terry has a couple of superficial sexual encounters. It's bright and camp, and plays on several transgressive ideas, but it completely misjudges its intended audience by being merely goofy rather than even remotely lusty. (Grindr)

A N O T H E R   S E A S O N

Snowpiercer: series 3  
Plotting gets increasingly central with each season, this time digging even deeper into the rivalry between Wilford (grinning villain Sean Bean) and Layton (tenacious nice guy Daveed Diggs). This war involves tactics, attacks and betrayals that grow increasingly nuanced. This isn't as compelling as the social satire of the earlier seasons (or the 2013 film), because the premise and characters are far more intriguing than violent tit-for-tats. But the season builds interest, adding dark complexity as things twist and turn around the growing possibilities that Melanie (Jennifer Connolly) is alive, and there might be somewhere on Earth that's thawing out. (Netflix)

Star Trek Discovery: series 4b
Fans will remain devoted, but this show continues its slide away from more intelligent interpersonal dynamics with each episode, falling back on much less engaging action, threats and antagonism. The superb cast skilfully continues at full speed, even in some dead-end plotlines. But it's tricky to stay engaged when favourite characters depart for realistic (but frustrating) reasons. It's also difficult to get very excited about another "anomaly" and the sciency jargon that goes with it. Still, the twists in the plot do manage to hinge around deeper character issues. And in the first-contact scenario in the final set of episodes, this season generates some terrific thrills. (Peacock)

O N G O I N G

Minx
A strong premise and terrific cast make up for some rather clunky writing in this enjoyable comedy about a group of people trying to launch a female-targetted magazine in the early 1970s, taking on the patriarchy of Playboy and Penthouse. Ophelia Lovibond is solid in a rather thankless role as an uptight feminist journalist who can't quite comprehend the sexy magazine she's editing. But she has great chemistry with Jake Johnson as the counterculture publisher who knows how these things work. Oddly, the show is still shot from a male gaze, essentially apologising for the lashings of masculine nudity. But at least the actors dive without hesitation. (HBO)

The Conners: series 4
As the grandkids begin growing up, this sitcom has found a variety of intriguing things to say about three generations of a family living under one roof. Carrying the plotting forward sometimes feels a bit forced, although the wedding episode did have some classic moments, while officially adding Katey Segal to this messy family. Laurie Metcalf still steals all the best lines, but everyone around her is on fine form too. These characters continue to have a properly current resonance, taking on big issues to create a much more grounded picture of American life than the usual shiny version on television. And the joke hit-rate is unusually high too. (ABC)

This Is Us: series 6
Quite why this show is ending with this season is anyone's guess, as the multi-timeline premise lends itself to endless reinvention. Oddly, these final episodes are circling around themselves rather pointlessly, continually revisiting the same situations and emotions without pushing people in new directions. The cast is still excellent, selling the big feelings even if we've felt them all before. Surely it would have been much better for the audience (and the ratings) to continue to push things forward into new territory, bringing new characters into focal positions. They've really missed a trick, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a spin-off or follow-up in a few years. (NBC)

L A T E   T O   T H E   S H O W

Shrill: series 1-3
I'd never heard about this show, but spotted a box set of all three seasons on my long flight to Los Angeles in March. I watched all of it, and really enjoyed the story of Annie (the likeable and seriously up-for-it Aidy Bryant) as she seeks to make the most of her life, even as everyone criticises her for her weight. Based on Lindy West's memoir, Annie is a superbly complex character, funny and confident, and also full of doubts. Relationships are also nuanced and beautifully played by a terrific ensemble cast (John Cameron Mitchell!). It's a rare TV series that's funny, hopeful and also realistically painful. (Hulu)

NOW WATCHING: Moon Knight, Our Flag Means Death, Minx, Bridgerton (2), Euphoria (2), Star Trek Picard (2), Young Rock (2), The Conners (4), This Is Us (6)
COMING SOON: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Only Murders in the Building (2), The Boys (3), Ozark (4b), Grace & Frankie (7b).

Critical Week: Family matters

While covid continues to impact cinema on multiple layers, things are beginning to feel much more normal with an increasing number of films shown to the press in actual screening rooms. Seats are still distanced, but it's been nice to get used to seeing colleagues again regularly. And I've also had a bit of theatre to liven things up in between the movies. Films this week included The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel to The Sopranos telling an involving story about the entwined mob families, including several familiar characters, and a few sharp new ones. 

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Sweetheart • The Green Knight
The Man Who Sold His Skin
ALL REVIEWS >

Dev Patel gives another knockout performance in David Lowery's ambitious The Green Knight, which unfolds as an ancient legend with all kinds of inventive touches. Benedict Cumberbatch stars in the quirky biopic The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, which feels a bit over-done but is witty and clever. Ben Whishaw gives an outrageously physical performance in Surge, a London drama that shifts into a harrowing odyssey. The South African supernatural thriller Gaia is beautifully set in a lush forest where four people have a collision with nature itself. And the shorts collection Parental Guidance takes some knowing and often very dark looks at family life through a queer eye.

Screenings also started this week for the 65th London Film Festival (6-17 Oct), including the pandemic comedy 7 Days, Jacques Audiard's intertwined romance Paris 13th District, the beautifully animated refugee doc Flee, and the Finnish road movie Compartment No 6.

Coming up this next week, I have several more London Film Festival movies to watch, plus Daniel Craig's final Bond movie No Time to Die, Bill Nighy in Living and the British horror Shepherd.

London Film Fest: Heavy is the head

As the 63rd BFI London Film Festival heads into its first weekend, the range of films continues to be astonishing - from children's adventures to freak-out horror, experimental art films, indie comedies and even a blockbuster or two. This doesn't actually feel so much like a festival as a particularly condensed film season at the British Film Institute. Basically, it's the greatest hits from Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, Venice and Toronto, with a number of world premieres thrown in for fun. Critics are already run ragged by Day 2, with so many movies that it's impossible to even see half of our wish lists. But we'll give it a go. Here are Friday highlights...

The King
dir David Michod; with Timothee Chalamet, Joel Edgerton 19/UK ****
The gloomy intensity that floods through this British historical drama very nearly swamps the screen, leaving it rather murky and brooding. But the script is so sharp, and the actors so good at finding the textures of their characters, that the story comes to life with some surprising moments of modern-day resonance. And filmmaker David Michod stages both the tense conversations and muddy battles with gusto.

Luce
dir Julius Onah; with Kelvin Harrison Jr, Naomi Watts 19/US ****
Strikingly well written and directed, this drama has a powerhouse cast that brings huge themes strongly to life. Based on JC Lee's play, the film uses barbed dialog to grapple with a powerful issue, which makes it intimate and deeply unsettling. Director Julius Onah skilfully cuts through the heavily weighted story to focus on personal reactions and relationships, which helps the film deliver a number of pungent kicks... FULL REVIEW >

Little Joe
dir Jessica Hausner; with Emily Beecham, Ben Whishaw 19/Aut ***
There's a cleverly unnerving tone to this subtly artful thriller, which combines science-fiction elements with the undercurrents of an old-fashioned monster movie. Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner keeps the lights bright and the colours garish all the way through, yet still creates a relentless sense of tension as characters try to work out if something truly horrible is afoot.

Wounds
dir-scr Babak Anvari; with Armie Hammer, Dakota Johnson 19/UK ****
Following on from his inventive Iranian horror Under the Shadow, filmmaker Babak Anvari breathes fresh life into an American-set scary movie. There's a energising, realistic scruffiness to this bonkers story of an everyman who discovers the hard way that there's nothing of depth in his life. This attention to darker themes marks this as much more than a gonzo freakout. But it's that too.

I Lost My Body [J'ai Perdu Mon Corps]
dir Jeremy Clapin; voices Hakim Faris, Victoire Du Bois 19/Fr *****
With a spectacular visual sensibility, this animated French thriller tells a strikingly original tale that inventively sparks the viewer's imagination. Offbeat and fiendishly clever, the film has been designed in a way that looks fully cinematic, offering vivid perspectives and a fully formed experience that appeals to all the senses. It's also a refreshingly grown up movie that will connect with the childish dreamer inside... FULL REVIEW >

Bacurau
dir-scr Kleber Mendonca Filho, Juliano Dornelles; with Barbara Colen, Thomas Aquino 19/Br ****
A staggering exploration of Brazil's past and present, this darkly satirical fable is witty, engaging and deeply disturbing. Filmmakers Kleber Mendonca Filho and Juliano Dornelles capture the matter-of-fact rhythms of a close community while also unflinchingly tapping into the violent impulses that come both within and from outside. And while there is a continual stream of humour, it's the violence that lingers. Mainly because of what it means.

Links:

Shadows LONDON FILM FEST homepage (full reviews will be linked here) 

Official LONDON FILM FEST site