Screen: June TV Roundup

There have been some outstanding television programmes over the past couple of months, including a few that are likely to dominate the awards discussion over the next year. Yes, they were amid my nominations for this year's Dorian Awards (Golden Globes voting uses a different calendar). in this roundup, I'll start here with three new shows, then three final seasons and finally four returnees...

Half Man
From Baby Reindeer writer Richard Gadd, this is a staggeringly bold drama about the push and pull between two stepbrothers from Glasgow. Niall and Ruben are expertly played by Jamie Bell and Gadd himself, with star-making turns by Mitchell Robertson and Stuart Campbell as teens. But it's the unflinching nature of the writing that makes this show essential, taking a riveting look through at connection, masculinity and identity with mind-bogglingly layered situations. It's violent and harsh, but there's a real sense of affection woven into the badly strained nastiness. And this is a rare case in which editing the story out of sequence actually adds a proper kick, forcing us to pay attention. (BBC)

Big Mistakes
Created by Dan Levy and Rachel Sennott, this bonkers crime comedy centres around Levy's Pastor Nicky and his agent-of-chaos sister Morgan (Taylor Ortega), who gets them entangled with a mobster (Mark Ivanir). As things escalate, the plot feels increasingly silly, but it remains watchable simply because the cast is so strong. The ace card here is Laurie Metcalf as the siblings' mother, so self-absorbed with running for mayor that she hasn't a clue what's going on with them. The story has a freewheeling structure that easily carries us along through eight half-hour episodes. And these people are just about the right kind of ridiculous to make us want to see more of them. (Netflix)

Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Bold and full of intensely outrageous moments, this comedy centres around a family that has serious impulse control issues, but the deep and very messy love they have for each other is riveting to watch. Powerhouse performances bring these people to life, including Elle Fanning in the title role as a single mother who finds an inventive way to make ends meet, Michelle Pfeiffer as her spiky mother and Nick Offerman as her ex-wrestler, ex-addict dad. Plus extraordinary turns from Marcia Gay Harden, Greg Kinnear, Michael Angarano and especially Nicole Kidman. There's nothing simple about this show, but it's funny and bracingly honest about things most television programmes are terrified to touch. (Apple)

T H I S   I S   T H E   E N D

Hacks: series 5
With a steady stream of starry cameos, this comedy charges confidently through to its big finale with another series of episodes that mix snappy humour, entitled attitudes and warm emotion. Of course the entire show has been about the relationship between jaded veteran standup comic Deborah (the great Jean Smart) and her cynical young writing partner Ava (Hannah Einbinder), so it's nice that the storylines honed in on their interaction. Meanwhile, there was plenty of nuttiness from their agents (Paul Downs and Megan Stalter) and a flurry of side characters from throughout the seasons. It's so much fun we don't mind too much that the various plotlines all feel rather undercooked. (HBO)

Euphoria: series 3
Jumping ahead a few years, this season shifts from a teens-messing-around-with-drugs drama into intense crime thriller with young people trying to survive against very steep odds. Anchored around the seriously gifted Zendaya, who gives Rue a wonderfully textured soul, the show feels like it is pinging from one tragedy to the next, and it becomes clear that no one is going to escape writer-director Sam Levinson unscathed. Plot turns are astonishingly harsh, the violence is darkly haunting and the seediness is sometimes overpowering. But the actors are all on fire, especially Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Colman Domingo, Maude Apatow, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Alexa Demie (HBO) 

The Boys: series 5
Barging into its full-on final season, this raucously violent show sets up that long-anticipated final confrontation between Karl Urban's scabrous antihero Billy and Antony Star's supervillain Homelander. The true protagonist Hughie (Jack Quaid) also gets a personal arc with conflicted goodie Starlight (Erin Moriarty). And side characters have their own kicks, including favourites Frenchie and Kimiko (Tomer Capone and Karen Fukuhara), plus Jensen Ackles and Cameron Crovetti as Homelander's father and son, respectively. It's all as deliberately ugly and abrasive as always. Even with various requisite over-grisly endings, this is an astute, timely look at the true nature of power and heroism. (Prime)

B A C K   F O R   M O R E

The Four Seasons: series 2
Breezing through another eight episodes, this outrageously watchable show catches up with three couples over another year of joint holidays. This is pure joy distilled into a TV series. The dynamics both within and between the couples have shifted, largely due to Ginny's (Erika Henningsen) impending motherhood and Anne's (Kerri Kenney) lingering bitterness. And both Kate/Jack (Tina Fey/Will Forte) and Danny/Claude (Colman Domingo/Marco Calvani) have their own relationship issues. The first-rate cast excels at this engaging, fresh mix of comedy and drama. Notable flourishes include a flashback episode with Steve Carell, plus a trip to Italy that beautifully redefines Claude. (Netflix)

The Comeback: series 3
Lisa Kudrow's inventive comedy returns, following on from its 2005 and 2015 runs. It's also tackling another bracingly current industry issue, while catching up on the next chapter in the life of Kudrow's astonishingly nuanced alter-ego Valerie Cherish. This time, her manager (Dan Bucatinsky) lands her the lead role in a sitcom that's written by AI, creating mixed emotions: the cast and crew have jobs, but writers don't. Using dry humour, the topical discussion is cleverly woven into the fabric of the show, so it's more provocative and less flashy than, say, The Studio. And the ensemble is simply wonderful, in both new and returning roles. Andrew Scott is particularly strong as a slippery studio head. (HBO)

Scrubs: series 10
The hospital sitcom is back, after its nine-season run from 2001 to 2010, with its distinctive mix of fast-talking wit and heartwarming sentiment. Returning cast members Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison and Judy Reyes are joined by Joel Kim Booster as a nemesis doctor and most enjoyably Vanessa Bayer as a hapless HR officer. And it works well because it shifts the leading characters from rookies into the veterans, now in charge of a new group of ridiculous but of course brilliant interns. What makes this entertaining is the lively writing, with rapid-fire banter, extended sight gags and rather a lot of very silly jokes that poke fun at things like masculinity and political correctness. (ABC)

Alpha Males [Machos Alfa]: series 5
Increasingly tangled in knots, this Spanish comedy continues to put its characters through the wringer as they attempt to grapple with the interplay between gender and society. At this point, the four men are on their own, planning a patriarchal commune away from women. But of course they are quietly breaking their own rules. Meanwhile, their exes are having their own journey, trying to build strong female lives while also continually blurring the lines. The actors are a bit more grounded this time around, which makes the rapid-fire storytelling feel marginally less inane. But the way it pings around between the various story threads is still rather exhausting. (Netflix)

GUILTY PLEASURES: Britain's Got Talent, The Traitors US, Race Across the World, Drag Race (UK vs the World 3, All Stars 11).

NOW WATCHING: Spider-Noir, Good Omens 3, Man on Fire, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Widow's Bay.

COMING SOON: The Bear 5, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 4, Sugar 2, The Vampire Lestat, Zorro, Heartstopper Forever.

Previous roundup: APRIL 2026 > 

Critical Week: On a mission

Well, the 93rd Oscars managed to completely reinvent their ceremony for the pandemic era, although the severely simplified structure left it feeling a bit awkward. A host would have helped provide some humour, context and connectivity. The one comedy bit didn't work at all (aside from Glenn Close's apparently not-so-impromptu jig), and the order shuffle at the end left it ending on a dry note. But the winners were all hugely deserving, and it was great so see people celebrating in one place together.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Limbo • About Endlessness • Laddie
The County • Truman & Tennessee
Heavy Trip • The Outside Story
PERHAPS AVOID:
Without Remorse
ALL REVIEWS >

Back to the movies, the big movie this week was Without Remorse, Michael B Jordan's take on the Tom Clancy franchise-launcher. Jordan delivers the goods, but the film is rather tough going. More intriguing is the sci-fi drama Stowaway, with its low-key approach and philosophical themes, plus a terrific four person cast led by Toni Collette and Anna Kendrick. Much bigger still, Mortal Kombat is a big-scale battle epic that holds the interest in a guilty pleasure way, despite the simplistic plot.

A bit higher brow, Benedict Cumberbatch stars in the Cold War biopic The Courier, a tautly written, directed and acted thriller about a normal guy pulled into the spy game. Bob Odenkirk is solid in the derivative but engaging action thriller Nobody. Sebastian Stan and Denise Gough really go for it in the uneven Americans-in-Greece romance Monday. China's maestro Zhang Yimou brings his stunning visual approach to the riveting 1930s spy thriller Cliff Walkers. Veteran filmmaker Agnieszka Holland finds some superb textures in the fact-based 1950s Czech drama Charlatan. The dryly funny and enormously violent Dutch thriller The Columnist has its moments. And the stylish doc Some Kind of Heaven explores the lives of residents in America's most enormous retirement community, basically Disney World for pensioners. Hint: it isn't heaven for everyone.

Films to watch this coming week include the animated adventure The Mitchells vs the Machines, the marital drama The Killing of Two Lovers, the house party comedy The Get Together, the moviemaking action comedy In Action and the horror comedy Fried Barry.

Critical Week: Creation in isolation

With all film releases being online at the moment, studios are taking a few chances. Made in 2017, the JD Salinger biopic Rebel in the Rye has finally come out in the UK. The delay is surprising considering that it stars Nicholas Hoult (above), even if feels a bit lacklustre. Even more surprising, Bong Joon Ho's 2013 sci-fi action thriller Snowpiercer has never been released in Britain but is finally arriving this month, no doubt due to Bong's Oscar triumph (the delay was a Weinstein debacle). It was fun to revisit this bonkers classic. And Warner Bros released its animated blockbuster Scoob! straight to streaming, which is a shame for audiences who like to see high-quality animation on a big screen. It's a rather contrived corporate product, but fun too.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Boys on Film 20 • The County
Cassandro the Exotico!
ONLY OK:
Scoob! • Frankie
Rebel in the Rye

Lower profile films include the cheesy horror anthology Evil Little Things, which centres on three very creepy dolls; the apocalyptic epic Edge of Extinction is gripping, even if it reveals both the ambition and inexperience of its filmmakers; the Spanish romcom I Love You, Stupid is predictable but pointed and engaging; the hugely involving Mexican drama I'm No Longer Here has a strikingly well-observed sense of style and music; the beautifully made Icelandic drama The County expertly stirs up some righteous rage at corruption; and Peccadillo's 20th short film collection is released to celebrate the distributor's 20th anniversary. Boys on Film 20: Heaven Can Wait is an essential set of LGBT-themed shorts, even if the 11 clips are a mixed bag.

The next movies on my to-watch list are: Issa Rae in The Lovebirds, John Hawkes in End of Sentence, Denis Menochet in Only the Animals, the Argentine thriller Intuition, the Korean thriller The Man Standing Next, and the Thai documentary Krabi 2562.

Raindance: Suburban angst

The 27th Raindance Film Festival is underway in London, with a wonderfully eclectic programme of independent films from all over the world. It's a lively, friendly event at which the filmmakers mix with audiences in a way that other film festivals never quite manage. Certainly the London Film Festival doesn't even attempt that - and for a journalist it's always a bad schedule clash as Raindance takes place during the advance press screening schedule for LFF, so days are very long! But as Raindance founder Elliot Grove says, "You can sleep when it's over." Here's a first batch of highlights including the opening film Krow's Transformation below, followed by my usual Critical Week, because those regular movie releases keep coming as well...

Greener Grass 
dir-scr Jocelyn DeBoer, Dawn Luebbe; with Jocelyn DeBoer, Dawn Luebbe 19/US ****
With an exhilaratingly bonkers tone, this suburban satire uses surrealism to maximum effect, as if it's the lovechild of David Lynch and John Waters. Drenched in lurid pinks and blues, the film looks simply amazing, and actor-filmmakers Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe (above) pack every moment of the film with witty touches, astutely skewering a society that places value on surface over substance. Yet even as it's laugh-out-loud hilarious, there are strong emotions gurgling underneath.

World Beyond My Mind [Draussen in Meinem Kopf]
dir Eibe Maleen Krebs; with Samuel Koch, Nils Hohenhovel 18/Ger ***. 
Dark and provocative, this intense German drama explores a complex friendship between two young men who begin to desperately need each other. It's jagged and often difficult to watch, simply because the material is so pointed. Filmmaker Eibe Maleen Krebs skilfully avoids claustrophobia even though the entire story takes place in one room, using the camera, lighting and a cast of vivid characters to challenge the audience's imagination in perhaps dangerous ways.

The Waiter 
dir-scr Steve Krikris; with Aris Servetalis, Yannis Stankoglou 18/Gr ***
Greek filmmaker Steve Krikris brings plenty of moody visual style to this dark drama, so it holds the interest as it slowly creeps through a plot that swirls with suggestion. But as the film continues, it becomes increasingly clear that there's very little to it. Basically a character study, it's very nicely observed but too contrived and humourless to work on any more than a superficial level... FULL REVIEW >

Label Me
dir-scr Kai Kreuser; with Renato Schuch, Nikolaus Benda 19/Ger ****
Dark and thoughtful, this German drama is beautifully understated as it explores the complexities of identity for an immigrant who is afraid to let anyone see who he really is. Within a brief running time, writer-director Kai Kreuser maintains a tight focus on the shifting balance of power between two central characters, wasting no time on melodrama or the usual gyrations of plot structure... FULL REVIEW >

Imperial Blue 
dir Dan Moss; with Nicolas Fagerberg, Esther Tebandeke 19/UK **
Traversing three continents, this British thriller is seriously ambitious, perhaps too much so for these inexperienced filmmakers. Director-cowriter Dan Moss is working with a great idea here, but the script perhaps wasn't quite ready to shoot, as it is riddled with gaps in logic. And the direction feels a little haphazard as well, with scenes that feel unplanned or incomplete. Still, the central story and fascinating locations do hold the attention.

Krow’s Transformation
dir Gina Hole Lazarowich
with Krow Kian, Lisa Jacobsen, Kas Baker, Dexter Quinto, Liz Bell, Emily Seal, Ashton Sciacallo
release UK Sep.19 rff • 19/Canada 1h29 ***.

This is a fairly straightforward narrative documentary covering three years in the journey of a young man's transition from female to male, including of course a major shift in his modelling career. It's beautifully shot and edited without any gimmicks, tracing Krow's journey with real intimacy as he, his friends and family let the cameras into their lives. The details the film includes are fascinating, openly discussing private aspects of a trans man's new life. Krow's trans musician friend Kas also speaks candidly to the cameras about his own journey, letting the crew document his wedding to Emily.

Filmmaker Gina Hole Lazarowich begins following Krow as a pre-transition 18-year-old in Vancouver, talking about how he felt growing up, realising that his gender was an issue. He first contemplated suicide at 11. His mother Lisa encouraged him to start modelling (as a girl) at age 13 in Japan, then he made a group of transgender and queer friends, including best pal Ashton. His mother wasn't so supporting of his transition, believing it was a fad and worrying about the permanence of this "life choice". But she also knew the importance of assuring Krow that she loved him no matter what. "It has nothing to do with me," she says. "It's about him and what he needs, not what he wants." There are also powerful discussions about loneliness, knowing that no one will ever understand this but recognising that some people will offer love and support.

Seeing both old and new clips is fascinating, as it highlights Krow's physical changes, most notably his deeper voice and masculine manner. And photographer Dexter talks about how interesting it has been to shoot photos of Krow before and after his transition. The best thing about this doc is the way Krow takes everything in its stride: his situation is normal for him, and shouldn't be seen as shocking. So while it's not easy, for example, to learn to give yourself testosterone injections every day, you'll get there. Each person who shares their experience in this film allows the audience into their thoughts and feelings, which makes the film remarkably emotional. And these powerful moments are dotted all the way through.

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Links: 
Official RAINDANCE site
Shadows' RAINDANCE homepage (full reviews of all films will be linked here)

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C R I T I C A L   W E E K

Aside from London Film Festival titles (more about those after the festival starts on 2nd October), I've also caught up this week with the terrific true story Skin, featuring a ripping performance from Jamie Bell as a violent racist. Naomie Harris is by far the best thing about the rather substandard cop thriller Black and Blue. Mathieu Amalric leads the enjoyable men's synchro swimming comedy-drama Sink or Swim (the same story was the British movie Swimming With Men last year). The British-Norwegian WWII thriller The Birdcatcher looks great but is too melodramatic to take seriously. The Bulgarian-Russian fable Aga is gorgeous both visually and thematically. And because there were no press screenings, I bought a ticket to see Rambo: Last Blood, which was far worse than it needed to be.

This coming week's press screenings will include Joaquin Phoenix in Joker, Adam Driver in The Report, Keira Knightley in Official Secrets, Will Smith in Gemini Man and the wartime allegory Werewolf. Can it really be October already?

Critical Week: I'm tired

I'm on a family weekend in the California desert, and we watched a time-honoured favourite together: Mel Brooks' 1975 classic Blazing Saddles, starring the iconic Madeline Kahn, Gene Wilder, Cleavon Little and Harvey Korman. Its rhythms are rather dated for today's rapid-fire comical style, and a lot of the film is deeply uncorrect politically, but I still adore its absurd sense of humour, raucous pastiche and some unforgettable gags. We also took a trip to the local cinema to see Rocketman, the Elton John biopic that's rendered as a musical fantasy. It's surprisingly dark at times, cleverly using the iconic songs out of sequence to generate strong emotional kicks here and there. And Taron Egerton is superb in the lead role.

There are also other films out this week in the US that I want to see, including Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Brightburn, Ma, plus X-Men Dark Phoenix next week, and perhaps I can catch Gloria Bell out on home entertainment release in North America (it opens in UK cinemas next week). It just depends when I can sneak out to a cinema...

LFF: Escape on Day 8

The end is in sight for the 61st BFI London Film Festival, as we cross into the later half of this week with several more starry gala screenings to come. I noticed things felt a little quieter in the press screening rooms today, but perhaps that's because I'd seen some of the bigger films at Venice, so I was catching up on slightly more off-kilter things. It's always tricky finding time to see the more marginal films, but they tend to be the surprises, the ones you remember. Here are some more highlights...

Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool
dir Paul McGuigan; with Annette Bening, Jamie Bell 17/UK ***.
With a gorgeous visual style and vivid characters, this true story is packed with superb details that bring the people and situations to life. It's an offbeat narrative, rejecting the usual structures as it flickers back and forth in time over the course of about three years, but it offers some sharp comedy and big emotional moments along the way. And a nice comment on how Hollywood discards old actors.

Brawl in Cell Block 99
dir-scr S Craig Zahler; with Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter 17/US ****
After infusing the Western with horrific new life in 2015's Bone Tomahawk, S Craig Zahler is back with a thunderous reinvention of the prison movie. Set in the present day but playing out like a 1970s exploitation thriller, this increasingly grisly story unfolds with choreographed precision, grinding the audience into its emotional depths with several genuinely hideous plot turns. And it's anchored by a superbly thoughtful/fierce performance from Vince Vaughn... FULL REVIEW >http://www.shadowsonthewall.co.uk/17/brawcell.htm

Man Hunt
dir John Woo; with Zhang Hanyu, Masaharu Fukuyama 17/Jpn ***.
John Woo returns to his roots with this rampaging action movie, which also pays homage to the history of Japanese cinema as an innocent man tries to clear his name. Set in the present but shot in cheesy 1970s style, the film is a lot of fun with its convoluted plot and breathtakingly choreographed action scenes. It also features all the Woo trademarks, from shattered glass to fluttering doves. And bullets, lots of bullets... FULL REVIEW >http://www.shadowsonthewall.co.uk/17/fi.htm#manh

A Ciambra
dir-scr Jonas Carpignano; with Pio Amato, Koudous Seihon 17/It ***.
Following on from his 2015 refugee drama Mediterranea, Italian filmmaker Jonas Carpignano switches the focus to catch up with another character, a young Romany teen who is straining to come of age. Shot like a documentary with mainly non-actors, the film is abrasive and pungent, maintaining a close-up perspective on this cocky teen's forays into what will clearly become a hopeless life of criminality.

Beyond the Clouds
dir-scr Majid Majidi; with Ishaan Khattar, Malavika Mohanan 17/India ***.
Iranian maestro Majid Majidi brings his humane filmmaking approach to India with this complex story about makeshift families. While it may be a bit melodramatic and abrupt in its approach, this is a provocative drama set around the moment when revenge clashes with compassion. It's also beautifully shot with a lively, expressive cast.

The Journey
dir Mohamed Al Daradji; with Zahraa Ghandour, Ameer Ali Jabarah 17/Iraq ***
The title of this film may seem weakly generic, but this is a sharply pointed drama that uses an allegorical structure to strong effect. With a range of characters and emotions and a plot that unfolds in real time, this is an engaging, sometimes harrowing profile of a suicide bomber. It maybe somewhat arch, but it's also thoughtful and powerful in its yearning for truth.

LFF: Have a chat on Day 7

OK, this is the point in a film festival when a critic's brain begins to turn to mush, unable to remember what he saw today, let alone what's in the diary for tomorrow. I'm sure the 61st London Film Festival is a starry parade of red carpet premieres and glamorous parties somewhere, but for me it's an endless stream of press screenings. Well, I shouldn't complain too much, today there were two receptions involving free wine and canapes. So at least I'm feeling fed and watered. Some more highlights...

The Party
dir-scr Sally Potter; with Kristin Scott Thomas, Patricia Clarkson 17/UK ****
A pitch-black comedy packed with equal measures of awkward irony and brittle tragedy, Sally Potter's offbeat film is like a stage play filmed for the big screen. Photographed in black and white with expressionistic lighting and editing that makes it feel almost like a feature-length Twilight Zone episode, it's a rampaging trawl through politics and social connections. It's also deceptively light, but carries a piercing sting... FULL REVIEW >

The Shape of Water 
dir Guillermo del Toro; with Sally Hawkins, Richard Jenkins 17/US ****
Guillermo del Toro lets his imagination run wild with this engaging and also rather dark romantic adventure. It's a riot of clever production design, witty dialog and heartfelt emotion that carries the audience on a journey along with the vivid characters. The whimsical family-movie tone sits a bit oddly alongside the film's resolutely adult-oriented touches, but for grown-ups this is a fairy tale full of wonder... FULL REVIEW >

6 Days
dir Toa Fraser; with Mark Strong, Jamie Bell 17/UK ***
Muscular direction and an insistent tone maintain a sense of urgency all the way through this fact-based account of a terrorist siege. The quality of the production is very high indeed, although the somewhat on-the-nose screenplay and a pulsing musical score leave this feeling more like a quickly produced TV movie than something 35 years in the works. Still, it's a fascinating account that builds to a superbly staged finale... FULL REVIEW >

Foxtrot
dir-scr Samuel Maoz; with Lior Ashkenazi, Sarah Adler 17/Isr ****
Israeli filmmaker Samuel Maoz takes an audacious journey into grief and guilt in a drama that's made unsettling by the inclusion of sardonic wit, surrealism and dark irony. With characters who are strikingly well-played, travelling through this gorgeously photographed narrative is like taking an epic voyage into the neglected corners of your soul... FULL REVIEW >

I Am Not a Witch
dir-scr Rungano Nyoni; with Margaret Mulubwa, Henry BJ Phiri 17/UK ****
A fascinating mix of allegory and satire, this offbeat tale from rural Zambia is packed with wonderful characters and surreal touches. It's a story about a group of women who are marginalised as witches and treated with voyeuristic reverence. With her feature debut, writer-director Rungano Nyoni has created a marvellous movie that might not always be easy to watch, but it sparks with artistry and originality.

The Wound [Inxeba]
dir John Trengove; with Nakhane Toure, Bongile Mantsai 17/SA ****
A finely observed drama from South Africa, produced with sometimes startling honesty as it depicts ukwaluka, the Xhosa rite of passage into manhood. The film is a bracing depiction of a tribal tradition in modern times, packed with vivid characters who are grappling with a range of big questions. What emerges is a striking depiction of masculinity that transcends cultures.

Critical Week: Smile for the camera

This week was supposed to be a quiet pause to regain my breath after the Venice Film Festival and to get ready for the London Film Festival - press screenings start on Monday in advance of the festival itself (4-15 Oct). But it hasn't worked out like that. This was a busy week too! Screenings included the new Armando Ianucci film The Death of Stalin, a hilariously pointed political comedy set in 1953 Moscow with an ace cast of scene-stealers including Jason Isaacs, Steve Buscemi, Michael Palin and Jeffrey Tambor (pictured above with others).

Annette Bening and Jamie Bell are excellent in the skilfully made British comedy-drama Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool, based on a memoir about the final years of Oscar-winning screen siren Gloria Grahame. Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson and Naomi Watts shine in the gripping and sometimes a bit murky The Glass Castle, based on a memoir about growing up with anti-establishment parents.

Sverrir Gudnason and Shia LaBeouf take on the title roles in Borg vs McEnroe, a lively, beautifully observed biopic about the iconic tennis rivalry, set during the 1980 Wimbledon final. Robert Pattinson plays a low-life criminal loser in Good Time, a luridly stylish all-night odyssey that stretches credibility but holds the interest. And an ensemble of solid British actors features in Brakes, a multi-strand improvised movie about break-ups that's scruffy and funny.

In the diary for this next week is a mix of festival and mainstream films: Reese Witherspoon in Home Again,Armie Hammer in Call Me By Your Name, Lola Kirke and Zoe Kravitz in Gemini, the horror thriller The Ritual, Russian marital drama Loveless, Japanese action movie Blade of the Immortal, Zambian drama I Am Not a Witch,arthouse thriller Let the Corpses Tan and Afghan filmmaker doc The Prince of Nothingwood.

Critical Week: A question of trust

One of the more anticipated films screened to London press this week was Francois Ozon's Cannes entry L'Amant Double (The Double Lover), a slinky Hitchcockian thriller featuring lots of mirrored identities. It's a lot of fun. Also from France, Joachim Lafosse's After Love is a strikingly unsentimental drama about a a family going through a divorce, anchored by riveting performances from Berenice Bejo and Cedric Kahn.

More mainstream fare included Charlize Theron in the rather mindless action thriller Atomic Blonde, which is skilfully made but could have used either a more coherent plot, stronger characters or just a lot more silliness. Mark Strong and Jamie Bell anchor 6 Days, a forensic recreation of the Iranian embassy siege in London that's fascinating as it builds to a ripping final act, but never quite cracks the surface. Everything, Everything is a sappy teen romance that plays out pretty much as expected, but is elevated by actors Amandla Stenberg and Nick Robinson. And Goon: The Last of the Enforcers is a sequel to the surprise comedy hit starring Sean William Scott as hockey player in Canada. Despite a terrific supporting cast, this follow-up completely misses the mark.

Perhaps the biggest movie this week was Al Gore's follow-up An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, which traces the decade since his Oscar-winning climate change documentary. It's very well put together, and lucidly highlights the issues, but the biggest surprise is that it has a lot of positive things to say about what people and nations are doing to show respect to the planet and give hope for future generations.

Among other things, this coming week's press screenings include Idris Elba in The Dark Tower, Scarlett Johansson in Rough Night, Sally Potter's festival hit The Party, the coming-of-age British road trip Moon Dogs, and this year's episode, Sharknado 5: Global Swarming.