Critical Week: Do some digging

Awards season continues to surve forward, as I work to catch up on contenders. Jodie Foster stars in the French-language comedy-thriller A Private Life, an engaging mystery with a terrific all-star French supporting cast. Josh O'Connor leads Kelly Reichardt's delightful comedy-drama The Mastermind, about a quirky art theft and the unexpected fallout from it. And Wagner Moura leads the Brazilian offbeat thriller The Secret Agent, an involving epic packed with comical moments and wonderfully colourful characters.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Hamnet • Pillion
Wake Up Dead Man
The Secret Agent • Eternity
The Thing With Feathers
Zodiac Killer Project
ALL REVIEWS >

Even more epic, Filipino master filmmaker Lav Diaz's gorgeous biopic Magellan traces the life of the 16th century Portuguese explorer (played by Gael Garcia Bernal) from a surprising point of view. And then there was Oliver Laxe's Spanish adventure Sirat, which takes us far into the North African desert and leaves us changed. Yes, it's that good. I also caught two animated films: this week's release Zootropolis 2 (aka Zootopia 2) is another extremely lively madcap, action-packed romp; and Little Amelie is a beautifully bright-hued trip into the mind of a cheeky little Belgian girl growing up in Japan. I also somehow found time to attend three live performances: Ballet Black: Shadows at Sadler's Wells, Growled at the RVT and The Magic of Christmas at Brick Lane Music Hall.

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching the mega-sequel Avatar: Fire and Ash, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Square Pants, Jim Jarmusch's Venice-winning Father Mother Sister Brother, Fred Hechinger in Preparation for the Next Life, Agniezka Holland's Franz, Brazilian drama Manas, the documentary Cover-Up, and the premiere of Fallout season 2, plus three live holiday-themed stage performances: Ebony Scrooge at Sadler's Wells East, Beauty and the Beast at Charing Cross Theatre and The Great Christmas Feast in West Kensington.

Critical Week: I feel pretty

This is the final week before my first ballots are due in this year's awards cycle. I vote in three sets of film awards - London Critics, The Dorian Awards, Online Critics - and it can be tricky to make sure I'm voting for the right movie that's eligible for the right award. Even more difficult is seeing movies that are major contenders when the distributors simply refuse to show them to us. And I still have gaps among this year's titles (haven't yet had a chance to see Licorice Pizza or Don't Look Up, for example). 

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Lamb • Being the Ricardos
West Side Story • I Am Syd Stone
ALL REVIEWS >

But I did catch up with three big ones this week: Steven Spielberg's dazzling remake of West Side Story is worth catching on the biggest screen possible, with its explosion of fantastic dance choreography, iconic songs and a hugely moving story. Guillermo del Toro's remake of Nightmare Alley has a powerhouse cast (including Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette and Rooney Mara) and is a hyper-stylish mystery noir. And Peter Dinklage has the title role in a musical remake of Cyrano, spectacularly directed by Joe Wright with a strong emotional kick.

Slightly more adventurous films include Todd Stephens' Swan Song, which stars Udo Kier as a retired stylist who rediscovers his fabulous self; the creepy and blackly witty Icelandic drama Lamb, starring Noomi Rapace; the ambitious, provocative and rather scattershot journalism comedy-drama France, starring Lea Seydoux; and the sensitive Swiss-Turkish drama Beyto. I also had Peter Duncan's riotously entertaining filmed pantomime Cinderella and another excellent collection of shorts in The French Boys 2.

Over the next week, I'll continue to catch up with movies big and small, including Tom Holland in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Harris Dickinson in The King's Man, Mahershala Ali in another movie called Swan Song, Tate Donovan in Wild About Harry, the Belgian drama Lola and the Sea, the Turkish drama Not Knowing and the animated adventure Summit of the Gods.

Sundance London: You do you

It's suddenly rainy and cool in London, which is the perfect weather for a film festival. Sundance London brings a collection of 16 films from its Utah festival, along with shorts and special events, all hosted at Picturehouse Central. And many filmmakers are in attendance this year to provide Q&As and masterclasses. I haven't seen everything, as it was impossible to get to every single press screening (there were five per day Monday to Wednesday). But I didn't do too badly, and there are some terrific films this year. Here are some highlights for Friday...

The Sparks Brothers
dir Edgar Wright; with Ron Mael, Russell Mael 21/UK ****
Filmmaker Edgar Wright takes on the documentary form with his usual visual panache, finding witty and inventive ways to explore the career of Ron and Russell Mael. Sparks is a hugely influential but under-appreciated band, and the film highlights how the Maels' refusal to bow to commercial pressure is the real measure of their success. The film is too long, but it's wonderfully engaging, and packed with clever touches... FULL REVIEW >http://www.shadowsonthewall.co.uk/21/7d.htm#spar

Together Together 
dir-scr Nikole Beckwith; with Patti Harrison, Ed Helms 21/US ****
It's remarkable how this comedy finds moments of laugh-out-loud humour alongside warm emotion without ever dipping into sentimentality. With a tightly contained story, writer-director Nikole Beckwith explores parenthood from two distinct perspectives that raise a whole new set of thoughtful questions. And among the way, the film reveals some knowing truths about human connections as two very different people begin to find common ground in their shared purpose.

First Date 
dir-scr Manuel Crosby, Darren Knapp; with Tyson Brown, Shelby Duclos 21/US **.
High energy levels and a couple of engaging characters help to hold interest even as this action comedy becomes too messy for its own good. Set over one hyper-eventful night, the ramshackle scenes are packed with people who are over-the-top nuts, but many of them have sharply funny things to say. Perhaps if there was a point to the insanity, this goofy movie might have become a cult hit.

The Blazing World
dir Carlson Young; with Carlson Young, Udo Kier 21/US ***
Deliberately heightened and utterly bonkers, this fantastical arthouse horror tackles a very serious theme in a lurid, symbolic style. Actor-filmmaker Carson Young is taking the audience on a wildly arch odyssey into the nature of grief, so there are resonant emotions boiling over at every step. It's a slight problem that everything is so relentlessly full-on. But the outrageous flourishes effectively generate some darkly powerful emotions.

• For more festival information: PICTUREHOUSE: SUNDANCE
• Visit Shadows on the Wall's anchor page for SUNDANCE LONDON for links to all reviews.