Critical Week: When a plan comes together

It's another big blockbuster weekend at the movies, so I had to look around for other movies coming out this week that I could review. One of these was the rather lightweight heist thriller The Gentleman Thief, starring John Travolta and Rebecca De Mornay. It's an easy watch, twisty and not terribly tricky. But the big movie this week features three stars of current box-office champ The Odyssey: yes, Tom Holland, Zendaya and Jon Bernthal lead the charge in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which might be the best Marvel movie yet. It's a thoroughly engaging mix of humour, thrills and resonant emotion.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Ish • Mustache
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Wham! 10 Days in China
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I also caught up with the animated adventure Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie, which is aimed at very young children but keeps a smile on grown-up faces too. The megahit French comedy Just an Illusion, is a very lively coming-of-age story starring Louis Garrel and Camille Cottin as bickering, messy parents. Mustache is a superbly written and directed coming-of-age story set in Northern California, with an excellent cast. The Canadian romantic comedy Middle Life is charming and a bit awkward. The dazzlingly original animated memoir Bouchra is a true original, with a lot to say about culture and identity. And I also managed to catch up with the latest big-screen version of Masters of the Universe, which is far more fun than it should be.

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching Dominic Sessa in Tony, Glenn Close in The Summer Book, Vicky Krieps in Love Me Tender, George MacKay in Mission, the comedy Super Troopers 3 and the romcom Do Us Part. I also have a live performance of Matthew Bourne's The Car Man.

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'
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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.

Critical Week: Head over heels

The weather warmed up considerably in London during the week, but has reverted back to near-wintry just in time for the long weekend, which perhaps will drive up cinema attendance. There was a big romcom this week, with Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine in The Idea of You, an unusually well-written movie that's smart and very sexy. But we're now officially in blockbuster season, with a major release each week for the next few months. This week's big movie was The Fall Guy, a meta-action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. It's hugely entertaining, even if it's not quite as funny as it should be.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Love Lies Bleeding • The Idea of You
The Lost Boys • Evil Does Not Exist
Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry
Blue Giant • Jeanne du Barry • Drifter
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I also caught this week's big online release Unfrosted, Jerry Seinfeld's outrageously silly retelling of the birth of the Pop Tart, which is riotously packed with enjoyable cameos. Josh O'Connor stars in the offbeat Italian drama La Chimera, which is magical in the way it plays with the past and present. Lea Seydoux and George MacKay are terrific in The Beast, a freak-out with several fiendishly clever futuristic twists. There was also the photogenic German romp Lassie: A New Adventure, which is enjoyably predictable. From Argentina, the tango-infused Adios Buenos Aires tells an involving story about personal connections. And from England, the observant, charming doc Much Ado About Dying traces the final four years in the life of an eccentric actor.

I've got several films to watch over the coming week, including an Imax screening of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Rebel Wilson in The Almond and the Seahorse, Ashley Judd in Lazareth, Mira Sorvino in The Image of You, the Hong Kong action thriller Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, the action-comedy Hazard and the Guatemalan drama Our Mothers.

Screen: April TV Roundup

I feel like I've had less time than usual to watch television shows over the past three months, largely because of organising the Critics' Circle Film Awards, taking a three-week break to visit family in California and the 38th BFI Flare festival. But I've been sneaking episodes in here and there, and even watched one of these series on the flight. Starting with some shiny new shows...

Mary & George
Casting is everything in this lurid historical series about the first Duke of Buckingham, his voracious mother and King James. Nicholas Galitzine, Julianne Moore and Tony Curran are fantastic in these roles, spinning around each other with multiple layers of intent. The first four episodes are spicy, sparky and great fun, and then the story settles into the political rumblings that have previously stayed in the subtext. So the last three episodes are a bit of a slog, getting lost in stylistic indulgences and painfully dry plotting. It's frustrating that the writers couldn't maintain the juicy, sexy vibe to the end of this true story. (Sky)

Mr & Mrs Smith
Donald Glover and Maya Erskine play spies assigned to live as man and wife, although we have to wait until the final episode for a replay of the spy-vs-spy mayhem depicted in the 2005 movie. The show is played with a nice sense of edgy humour and a parade of terrific guest stars that liven things up in various episodes. So it's very entertaining, even if the overall plot feels rather underpowered, building the connection nicely before nosediving into relational trouble without any real warning. Thankfully both Glover and Erskine are intriguingly offbeat leads, the locations are gorgeous and the expected cliffhanger ending leaves us wanting more. (Prime)

3 Body Problem
Apparently set up as the first of four seasons based on Cixin Liu's Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy, this near-future sci-fi show gets off to a strong start thanks largely to a very strong cast. The globe-spanning plot is epicentred in Oxford, where top scientists get entangled with alien technology, learning that beings from another world are heading toward Earth (due to the show's title). Quite a few central characters die in the process, often in shocking ways, as the show explores issues of mortality and destiny and so on. While the intrigue is fascinating, it's all a bit dense. And the ending is merely a set-up for more to come. (Netflix)

Open to It
A web series with snappy short episodes, this comedy centres on Cam and Greg (Tim Wardell and Frank Arthur Smith), a couple who invites a third into their relationship to liven things up. But of course there are the usual underlying issues, unspoken reservations and nosey neighbours. Intriguingly, the scripts take on deep-seated beliefs relating to morality and fidelity, which puts gay relationships into a fresh context. While it's a refreshing take on polyamory, the show never quite grapples with the issue. But the open-minded approach is lively and sexy, with some drag-scene antics that provide extra colour. (OutTV)

The Flatshare
The uber-likeable Jessica Brown Findlay and Anthony Welsh star in this sparky British comedy about two young professionals who share an apartment on alternating schedules without meeting each other. Except that they do of course, in a somewhat contrived embarrassment that sparks a flurry of wildly random plotting, which spirals into an entertaining mess of humour and emotion. There's never even the slightest doubt where this is headed, but the writers and a superb ensemble of actors have some fun getting there. And while it's a nice look at professional life in London, it feels a bit scrubbed-up. (Paramount)

My Life With the Walter Boys
Enjoyably stupid, this earnest drama is full of soap opera style characters who don't act like normal people. So watching the show is effortlessly escapist. Even the premise is vaguely dodgy, as teen Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez) goes to live with family friends (Marc Blucas and Sarah Rafferty) when her parents die in a crash. This couple already has 10 kids, including four teen boys who are around Jackie's age, but no one thinks it's a problem for them to all live in a massive Colorado ranch house. Love-triangle chaos ensues, but these are resolutely cliched caricatures, so the drama is silly rather than involving. (Netflix)

A N O T H E R   H E L P I N G

Fargo: series 5
Quite a bit darker than previous seasons, this one has hints of horror and surreal nastiness along with some genuinely harrowing storylines that focus on domestic abuse. As always, the first-rate cast is terrific at balancing the tone with witty throwaway dialog, ably led by Juno Temple. There are also wonderful scene-chomping turns from Jon Hamm and Jennifer Jason Leigh as very different kinds of baddies. Show-runner Noah Hawley is terrific at coming up with sympathetic characters who get into life-or-death situations, often at random, revealing untapped strengths ... or weaknesses. Riveting. (FX)

Feud - Capote vs the Swans: series 2
Lavishly produced with a terrific cast, this long-awaited follow-up to 2017's Feud: Bette & Joan centres on Truman Capote's relationship with New York's elite socialites in the 1960s and 70s. Scrambling the narrative eliminates any momentum, so it's essentially a series of beautifully played scenes exploring how Capote (an on-fire Tom Hollander) fell out with his inner circle of powerful women (including Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Demi Moore, Chloe Sevigny, Calista Flockhart and Molly Ringwald). It's a great story, but a more linear approach might have carried a stronger punch. This feels oddly massaged to death. (Hulu)

Young Royals: series 3
For its final season, this Swedish teen drama piles on the usual mix of romantic messiness entangled with royal family politics, as spotty 16-year-old Crown Prince Wilhelm (Edvin Ryding) grapples with more trouble at his posh school, his now out-in-the-open romance with dreamy scholarship classmate Simon (Omar Rudberg) and ongoing family chaos. On-off villain August (Malte Gardinger) is less sneery this time round, although Simon's sister Sara (Frida Argento) still only ever looks worried. Thankfully, the show remains a bit prickly even when it strains to be Heartstoppers cute. Cue another sweet song by Simon. Awww. (Netflix)

Girls5Eva: series 3
Wildly overwritten, this rapid-fire sitcom packs more hilarious gags into a 20-minute episode than most shows can manage in a 20-episode season. The problem is that it's such a relentless pile-on of references, puns, absurd jokes and silly gags that it's impossible to take it all in. Thankfully, the foursome (Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, Renee Elise Goldsberry and Paula Pell) is able to layer in some surprising pathos beneath the nuttiness, as this 1990s girl band attempts to take a reunion tour culminating in a hopefully triumphant concert at Radio City. What could go wrong? More than seems humanly possible. (Netflix)

Invincible: series 2
It's easy to zip through episodes of this hyper-violent animated superhero series, which plays on the idea that people with powers are as complex as mere mortals. The title character Mark has been crushed by his now missing all-powerful father, leaving his mother distraught. So Mark tries to carry on with his studies and also be a good hero. But a call from a planet of insects diverts his attention, changing his destiny. This show is enjoyably messy, bombastic and grisly, but not quite deep enough to really work. But its bonkers approach to the narrative makes sure that it is never remotely dull. (Prime) 

GUILTY PLEASURES: The Traitors (2), Queer Eye (8), Drag Race (16).

NOW WATCHING: Ripley, Palm Royale, The Gentlemen, Expats, Sexy Beast, Night Court (2), Abbott Elementary (3), True Detective (4).

COMING SOON: Loot (2), Star Trek: Discovery (5), Sugar, The Sympathizer, The Veil , Acapulco (3), Hacks (2), Bridgerton (3).

Previous roundup: JANUARY 2024 > 

Critical Week: Let them eat cake

It was a party at the gala UK premiere of the romantic comedy Red, White & Royal Blue, an Amazon Prime movie at BFI Imax, the biggest screen in Europe. Representing the film was director Matthew Lopez, who made a statement in solidarity of striking actors and his fellow writers. So lead actors Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez (above) couldn't attend, although Perez offered a video introduction (preceded with a note that it was recorded pre-strike). The audience was a rather lively mix of critics and influencers bathed in red light while we waited for the movie to start. And it's a lot of fun: charming and goofy and just a bit pointed too.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Talk to Me • Baato
Bobi Wine: The People's President
Boys on Film 23: Dangerous to Know
ALL REVIEWS >

Last Friday, I bought a ticket to see Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer in 70mm (Universal had refused to allow me into the 70mm Imax press screenings). It's a glorious epic, as expertly assembled as expected, staggeringly visual and beautifully performed by a powerhouse ensemble. Even if it's a bit overlong, it's essential viewing. 

Other films this week included the moving and inventive French drama Smalltown Boys, the exhilarating if slightly awkward Malaysian action thriller Walid, the beautifully animated adventure Mavka: The Forest Song from Ukraine, the gorgeously shot Nepal migration doc Baato, and Boys on Film 23: Dangerous to Know, another excellent collection of provocative short films from the fine folk at Peccadillo.

This coming week I'll be watching Jason Statham in Meg 2: The Trench, Orlando Bloom in Gran Turismo, the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mania, the thriller Till Death Do Us Part, the black comedy The Trouble With Jessica, the action comedy Polite Society and the doc Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed.