Back to Black ★★★ AMY Winehouse’s tragic career trajectory was an all-too-familiar story of fame and fortune never being enough. In Winehouse’s case, according to the excellent 2015 documentary Amy, all the singer wanted to do was write songs, perform and look after her parents. Unfortunately, she also liked to have […]

Winehouse biopic celebrates talent

The Instigators ★★★½ MATT Damon and Casey Affleck aren’t an obvious comedy duo. They have separately dabbled in a few past roles, but they are still best known for being dramatic actors. So, it’s a pleasant surprise to see them being so entertaining in the crime comedy The Instigators. The […]

Damon and Affleck instigate good comedy

E.T. ★★★★½ THERE are some films that everyone should see and E.T. is one of them. Recently we introduced our five-year-old grandson to Steven Spielberg’s 1982 sci-fi adventure, and it was wonderful to see the look of concentration and amazement on his face. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, as per its full […]

Spielberg’s classic will never date

It Ends with Us ★★★ JUST in case you, like me, don’t know, the 2024 American romantic drama It Ends with Us is based on a best-selling (aren’t they all) novel. Those three words – American, romantic, drama – normally create trepidation and low expectations. The fact director Justin Baldoni’s […]

It Ends with Us defies expectations

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare ★★½ GUY Ritchie misfires with his World War II spy action-comedy The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. On the whole the English director’s filmography since his sensational 1998 debut with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrells has been very good. Snatch, RocknRolla, The Gentleman and his […]

Ritchie misfires with his Ministry

Luckiest Girl Alive ★★★½ UKRANIAN-born Mila Kunis likes her comedies and she’s mostly pretty good in them. Unfortunately, she doesn’t make many dramas, which is a shame because she’s usually pretty good in those as well. I’m talking about her performances in 2010’s Black Swan, Blood Ties (2013) and Four […]

Welcome dramatic entry for Kunis

Deadpool and Wolverine ★★★ THE 34th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a tough one to rate. Deadpool and Wolverine is hugely entertaining and, as a result, has been extremely successful at the box office. It features charismatic performances from two of cinema’s most popular stars, plenty of laughs […]

Deadpool is best and worst of Hollywood

The Good Mother ★★★ IT’S not going to win awards or attract big audiences, but The Good Mother is a taut and moody crime drama worth seeking out. Released in 2023, it’s the third feature from director Miles Joris-Peyrafitte; not a household name but did direct Margot Robbie in 2019’s […]

Good Mother worth looking for

Birdeater ★★ AN hour into the Australian film Birdeater I started to get that feeling. You know the one. When you’re not sure this film is for you. Normally, a film alternately billed as horror, drama, thriller or black comedy, would be in my wheelhouse. But Birdeater just wasn’t succeeding […]

Birdeater lacks venom

Joker: Folie à Deux ★★★½ TODD Phillips takes a big swing with the sequel to his 2019 mega-hit Joker and mostly succeeds. Joker Folie à Deux is a quieter film, but no less angry in its character study of mental illness and commentary on the public’s response to fame, or in […]

Phoenix and Phillips take Joker to new level

Speak No Evil ★★★½ THE difference between European arthouse cinema and Hollywood is starkly evident in the 2024 remake of Speak No Evil. The original, released in 2022, was a Danish psychological thriller with one of the bleakest endings in recent film history. It was written by two brothers, Christian […]

See and hear plenty of evil

Maxxxine ★★★½ TI West’s third and possibly final film of his X trilogy is solid but ultimately a little disappointing. The first two films, X and Pearl, were very good.  X was styled on the ‘70s slasher but varied to the extent that it examined themes of female empowerment and […]

West’s Maxxxine not quite the perfect ending