The first Lisbeth Salander story not to be penned by acclaimed nordic noir writer Stieg Larsson sees the return of the infamous kick-ass vigilante hacker in a film that sadly fails to measure up to its predecessors on almost every front. Directed by Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead) and adapted from David Lagercrantz’s 2015 novel of...
The second instalment in J.K. Rowling’s five part Fantastic Beasts story sees director David Yates at the helm once again, in this well acted if ultimately lacklustre sequel to its critically acclaimed 2016 predecessor, which saw a welcome return to the magical Harry Potter universe. Set a year on from its predecessor, The Crimes Of Grindelwald opens...
In Juliet, Naked director Jesse Peretz (Nurse Jackie, GLOW) offers a disarmingly compelling romantic comedy, which despite its decidedly contrived and uneven narrative still manages to deliver a hearteningly charming storyline about second chances in life, in this surprisingly enjoyable adaptation of Nick Hornby’s 2009 best selling novel of the same name. Annie (Rose Byrne) is...
Drew Goddard’s Bad Times At The El Royale is a gripping Tarantinoesque Nixon era crime caper in which seven strangers find themselves battling it out through a stormy night at a dilapidated, and tastelessly decorated hotel which straddles the California and Nevada border. Written by Goddard himself, the film presents...
In Venom, Sony’s latest Marvel offering, director Ruben Fleischer and his writing team seem to have completely failed to grasp the fact that the world has moved on from the old superhero tropes of two-dimensional characters and half-baked ideas that relied too often on a lazy premise and even lazier dialogue. This...
In Björn Runge’s The Wife, Glenn Close offers a truly outstanding performance as the long suffering wife of an insufferably vain novelist (played by Jonathan Pryce). Adapted for the screen by Jane Anderson from Meg Wolitzer’s 2003 novel of the same name, the film is a beautifully understated, thought provoking and deeply affecting study in...
While the prospect of Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel, Grindhouse) as a kid’s movie director might feel like a strange concept to most, in reality, and as weird as it might sound, it looks like the master of gore and tasteless horror has managed to pull off the impossible in his brand new...
In A Simple Favor, director Paul Feig offers a riotously funny, stylish and beautifully well observed Gone Girl-esque mystery thriller which somehow manages to be funnier and far more engaging than it has any right to be. Adapted by Jessica Sharzer form Darcey Bell's 2017 novel of the same name, the film mixes brilliantly acerbic one-liners...
Directed by Corin Hardy, the new instalment in what is now being referred to as the “Conjuring Universe" is a rather stale and scare-free affair that’s only just slightly rescued by its female lead’s incredible screen presence, and remarkable performance. Written by Gary Dauberman (It, Annabelle) from a story by James Wan, The Nun offers more of...