Is cinema dead? That’s the big question everyone is asking today and to be honest we don’t know. Certainly Netflix – and the dozens of streaming services that followed it – changed forever how we watch films. Gone are the day of cinema and then the wait – sometimes for years – to see a film again. Now it can be streamed into your home within hours of its release. The Big Screen may soon only be the home for films that demand the big screen experience – massive, Marvel-style franchise entries. Smaller films are increasingly finding a home in the corners of streaming. Let’s see what happens eh?
2020
 | Another Round – four depressed teachers decide to reinvigorate their lives through drinking. Mistake perhaps? | Director: Thomas Vinterberg Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang |
 | The Assistant – an office worker in a Hollywood Production office has to turn a blind eye to the studio head’s behaviour | Director: Kitty Green Cast: Julia Garner, Matthew Macfadyen, Makenzie Leigh |
 | Calm with Horses – a former boxer works as an enforcer for an Irish gang, but begins to doubt his choices | Director: Nick Rowland Cast: Cosmo Jarvis, Barry Keoghan, Niamh Algar |
 | The Dig – an amateur archaeologist uncovers Sutton Hoo – leading many to reflect on life and legacy | Director: Simon Stone Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Carey Mulligan, Lily James |
 | The Father – a man suffering from Alzheimers struggles to know where and when he is | Director: Florian Zeller Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Rufus Sewell |
 | Judas and the Black Messiah – the FBI forces a man to inform against Black Panther leader Fred Hampton | Director: Shaka King Cast: Lakeith Stanfield, Daniel Kaluuya, Jesse Plemons |
 | Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – a jazz musician records a session while her trumpeter dreams of fame | Director: George C Wolfe Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, Glynn Turman |
 | Mank – gorgeous film about the history of Citizen Kane, impossible to enjoy without a love of the original | Director: David Fincher Cast: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Charles Dance |
 | The Midnight Sky – after an environmental catastrophe, a scientist remains on Earth to warn a space mission | Director: George Clooney Cast: George Clooney, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo |
 | Minari – autobiographical film: in 80s America, a Korean family try to make a farm selling Korean food a success | Director: Lee Isaac Chung Cast: Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Youn Yuh-jung, Alan Kim |
 | Misbehaviour – the 1970 Miss World competition is disrupted by protests in this engaging social issues comedy | Director: Philipa Lowthorpe Cast: Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jessie Buckley |
 | Nomadland – a woman moves from job-to-job in this soulful and poetic Best Picture winner | Director: Chloé Zhao Cast: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn |
 | On the Rocks – a father ‘helps’ his daughter investigate her husband’s possible infidelity | Director: Sofia Coppola Cast: Bill Murray, Rashida Jones, Marlon Wayans, Jessica Henwick |
 | One Night in Miami – Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown share thoughts one night | Director: Regina King Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Leslie Odom Jnr, Eli Goree, Aldris Hodge |
 | Promising Young Woman – a young woman provokes men to try and date rape her, to expose their vileness | Director: Emerald Fennell Cast: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Clancy Brown |
 | Rebecca – lush but empty remake, that completely misses the point and fails to provide Gothic chills | Director: Ben Wheatley Cast: Lily James, Armie Hammer, Kristin Scott-Thomas |
 | Rocks – a black teenager struggles to hold her family together in inner-city London | Director: Sarah Gavron Cast: Bukky Bakray, Kosar Ali, D’angelou Osei Kissiedu |
 | Sound of Metal – a drums player suddenly goes death and searches for an answer | Director: Darius Mardur Cast: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Lauren Ridloff |
 | Summerland – a misanthropic writer during WW2 takes on a refugee and finds herself opening up | Director: Jessica Swale Cast: Gemma Arterton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Penelope Wilton |
 | Tenet – a secret agent is hired by a secret organisation, in this undefinable mix of Bond and time travel | Director: Christopher Nolan Cast: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Kenneth Branagh |
 | The Trial of the Chicago 7 – solid, crowd-pleasing film about the trial of Democratic activists in 1968 | Director: Aaron Sorkin Cast: Edjie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt |
 | The White Tiger – a poor Indian works as a chauffeur for a rich couple and is asked to take the blame for their mistakes | Director: Ramin Bahrani Cast: Adarsh Gourav, Priyanka Chopra Jones, Rajkummar Rao |
 | Wonder Woman 1984 – unfairly criticised sequel, in many ways more fun and engaging than the first | Director: Patty Jenkins Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristin Wiig, Pedro Pascal |
2021
 | After Love – a Muslim convert, finds out after her husband’s death that he had a second family; poetic tearjerker | Director: Aleem Khan Cast: Joanna Scanlan, Nathalie Richard, Talid Ariss |
 | Being the Ricardos – difficulties pile on top of each other during one week of the making of I Love Lucy | Director: Aaron Sorkin Cast: Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, JK Simmons |
 | Belfast – a twelve-year old Branagh in 70s Belfast, is unable to understand why his parents are considering leaving | Director: Kenneth Branagh Cast: Jude Hill, Caitríona Balfe, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds |
 | Benediction – Sassoon biopic, a moving exploration of the long-term impact of grief and trauma | Director: Terence Davies Cast: Jack Lowden, Peter Capaldi, Simon Russell Beale |
 | Black Widow – half-hearted prequel, that exists to give its star a payday in the sun and introduce her replacement. | Director: Cate Shortland Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz |
 | Boiling Point – one terrible night of service comes to a head in a restaurant in this superb one-shot film | Director: Philip Barantini Cast: Stephen Graham, Vinette Robinson, Alice Feetham |
 | CODA – feel-good drama that does almost nothing surprising at all but does it with charm | Director: Sian Heder Cast: Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur |
 | The Courier – true-life drama as a Russian spy and his British courier work to save the world from Cuban Missile crisis | Director: Dominic Cooke Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Merab Ninidze, Rachel Brosnahan |
 | Cyrano – musical version, with good moments and song but not quite satisfying enough | Director: Joe Wright Cast: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jnr |
 | Don’t Look Up – a meteor heads towards Earth – but the politician don’t want to hear about it: shrill satire | Director: Adam McKay Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep |
 | Drive My Car – a mourning actor stages a multi-lingual production of Chekov and bonds with his driver | Director: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi Cast: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tōko Miura, Masaki Okada |
 | Dune: Part One – superbly atmospheric adaptation of a dense, pompous sci-fi novel, light years ahead of previous versions | Director: Denis Villeneuve Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac |
 | Eternals – God-like Aliens have guided mankind for millennia – but what if they are the baddies? Complete mess | Director: Chloé Zhao Cast: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie |
 | The Eyes of Tammy Faye – a Christian evangelist in the 80s gets wrapped up in scandal in this bog-standard biopic | Director: Michael Showalter Cast: Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield, Cherry Jones |
 | House of Gucci – broad true-life crime drama which doesn’t quite become the cult classic it could be | Director: Ridley Scott Cast: Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jared Leto |
 | King Richard – Richard Williams pushes his daughters to better themselves by becoming tennis superstars | Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green Cast: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton |
 | The Last Duel – in Medieval France, two men fight a duel after one is accused of raping the other’s wife | Director: Ridley Scott Cast: Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, Ben Affleck |
 | Licorice Pizza – in the 1970s two young people fall in love, but won’t admit it because of an awkward age gap | Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Cast: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Bradley Cooper |
 | The Lost Daughter – on holiday in Greece, a woman is forced to confront her failures as a mother | Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal Cast: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson |
 | The Matrix Resurrections – a failed attempt to relaunch the franchise, although much better than the other sequels | Director: Lana Wachowski Cast: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II |
 | Mothering Sunday – self-consciously arty film about post-WW1 grief: outstays its welcome | Director: Eva Husson Cast: Odessa Young, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth |
 | Munich: The Edge of War – Neville Chamberlain flies to Germany to make peace in this so-so spy drama | Director: Christian Schwochow Cast: George Mackay, Jannis Niewöhner, Jeremy Irons |
 | Nightmare Alley – a mesmerist is tempted into dark schemes that corrupt him further | Director: Guillermo del Toro Cast: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara |
 | No Time to Die – final Craig Bond, a mixed bag of action, world-building and self-importance, way too long | Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga Cast: Daniel Craig, Lea Seydoux, Rami Malek |
 | The Power of the Dog – thought-provoking, challenging but engrossing drama about a bullying rancher with a secret | Director: Jane Campion Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee |
 | Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – the estranged son of a war lord, searches for answers about his family | Director: Destin Daniel Cretton Cast: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Tony Leung |
 | Spencer – naive and sentimental biopic of Princess Diana, focusing on one disastrous Christmas c. 1991 | Director: Pablo Larrain Cast: Kristin Stewart, Timothy Spall, Sally Hawkins |
 | Spider-Man: No Way Home – fabulous Marvel crossover event, heartwarming fun | Director: Jon Watts Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch |
 | Tick… Tick… Boom – Jonathan Larsen worries his chances of making his mark are fading, in this loving musical tribute | Director: Lin-Manuel Miranda Cast: Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesús |
 | The Tragedy of Macbeth – glorious, imaginative and compelling version one of the best Shakespeare films | Director: Joel Coen Cast: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Corey Hawkins |
 | West Side Story – vibrant and dynamic remake that places Puerto Rican culture more at its heart | Director: Steven Spielberg Cast: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, Mike Faist |
 | Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy – wonderfully done short-story collection of life-changing conversations | Director: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi Cast: Kotone Furukawa, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Fusako Urabe |
2022
 | Aftersun – mesmeric, thought-provoking, film as a woman remembers holidaying with her father 20 years ago | Director: Charlotte Wells Cast: Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio, Celia Rowison-Hall |
 | All Quiet on the Western Front – impressively made but tells the same message in the same style, as other films | Director: Edward Berger Cast: Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Daniel Brühl |
 | Amsterdam – whimsy and indulgent politics abound as 30s conspiracy unsuccessfully meet Jules et Jim | Director: David O. Russell Cast: Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington |
 | Avatar: The Way of Water – belated sequel, a huge success, but way too long and short on new ideas | Director: James Cameron Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver |
 | The Banshees of Inisherin – two friends fall out on on a 1920s Irish island in this striking universal metaphor | Director: Martin McDonagh Cast: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan |
 | The Batman – another relaunch, Batman as a PI chasing down a serial-killer in a rain-soaked, noirish Gotham | Director: Matt Reeves Cast: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright |
 | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – grief is central here, a Marvel film strongest when dealing with Boseman’s death | Director: Ryan Coogler Cast: Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira |
 | Blonde – exploitative, pretentious biopic of Marilyn Monroe that doubles down on the misery and salacious gossip | Director: Andrew Dominik Cast: Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale |
 | Corsage – Empress Sisi struggles with expectation in this eccentric film that doesn’t completely succeed | Director: Marie Kreutzler Cast: Vicky Krieps, Florian Teichtmeister, Katharine Lorenz |
 | Death on the Nile – second big-budget Branagh Poirot, better than the first but with some of its Operatic flaws | Director: Kenneth Branagh Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening |
 | Decision to Leave – brilliant Vertigo-ish drama as detective is drawn to the chief suspect in a murder | Director: Park Chan-wook Cast: Tang Wei, Park Hei-il, Lee Jung-hyun |
 | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – cross dimensional light horror; fails to deliver on its promise | Director: Sam Raimi Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Rachel McAdams |
 | The Duke – cosy true-ish crime caper: an eccentric Brit steals a painting of Wellington for his social campaign | Director: Roger Michell Cast: Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead |
 | Elvis – biopic of the most famous man of the 20th century, told in Luhrmann’s explosion of style with sensitivity | Director: Baz Luhrmann Cast: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson |
 | Empire of Light – a relationship flourishes between a troubled cinema worker and a young man in a flat film | Director: Sam Mendes Cast: Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Toby Jones, Colin Firth |
 | EO – a donkey encounters man’s indifference in a passionate plea for animal rights | Director: Jerzy Skolimowski Cast: Sandra Drzymalska, Isabelle Huppert, Tomasz Organek |
 | Everything Everywhere All At Once – all realities are going to end: and only a disillusioned woman can save it | Director: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan |
 | The Fabelmans – Spielberg explores his childhood in this rich film in love with the movies | Director: Steven Spielberg Cast: Gabriel LaBelle, Paul Dano, Michelle Williams |
 | Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore – the franchise enters its death throws in this anaemic final offering | Director: David Yates Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Mads Mikkelsen |
 | Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – murder mystery turns real in Johnson’s second fun Agatha Christie tribute | Director: Rian Johnson Cast: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe |
 | Good Luck to You, Leo Grande – a widowed woman hires an escort; theatrical but not enlightening enough | Director: Sophie Hyde Cast: Emma Thompson, Daryl McCormack |
 | Jurassic World: Dominion – very, very tired retread of a host of ideas from the other films | Director: Colin Trevorrow Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum |
 | The Lost King – terrible Ealingesque comedy about the search for Richard III that’s all about settling scores | Director: Stephen Frears Cast: Sally Hawkins, Steve Coogan, Harry Lloyd |
 | The Menu – a chef unleashes revenge on the super-rich in this intriguing mix of genres | Director: Mark Mylod Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult |
 | Nope – horror, science fiction and media satire combine in Peele’s distinctive but not always satisfying film | Director: Jordan Peele Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Brandon Perea |
 | The Northman – a Viking warrior goes out for blood-soaked revenge in this distinctive twist on Hamlet | Director: Robert Eggers Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy |
 | Operation Mincemeat – failed wartime spy drama, bogged down in fake details and a love triangle | Director: John Madden Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald |
 | The Outfit – theatrical chamber-piece, gangster thriller with a fine lead performance | Director: Graham Moore Cast: Mark Rylance, Johnny Flynn, Simon Russell Beale, Zoey Deutch |
 | The Quiet Girl – stunning, low-key but very moving drama as an unloved child finds care for the first time | Director: Colm Bairéad Cast: Catherine Clinch, Carrie Crowley, Andrew Bennett |
 | See How They Run – studenty and not-funny-enough murder mystery spoofing Agatha Christie | Director: Tom George Cast: Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody |
 | She Said – recounting of the New York Times investigation into Weinstein, more earnest than dramatic | Director: Maria Schrader Cast: Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, Patricia Clarkson |
 | Tár – a conductor is wrapped in scandal in this mesmerising film, open to multiple interpretations | Director: Todd Field Cast: Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss, Noémie Merlant |
 | Thirteen Lives – the astonishing rescue of a group of boys from caves in Thailand brilliantly dramatised | Director: Ron Howard Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, Joel Edgerton, Tom Bateman |
 | Thor: Love and Thunder – smug, unfunny, self-satisfied adventure, takes all the wrong lessons from Ragnorak | Director: Taika Waititi Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale |
 | Top Gun: Maverick – Tom Cruise flies again in this much-better-than-the-original sequel | Director: Joseph Kosinski Cast: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller |
 | Triangle of Sadness – rather obvious satire on the super-rich, as a yacht cruise turns into Lord of the Flies | Director: Ruben Östlund Cast: Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Dolly de Leon |
 | The Whale – dishonest, disingenuous, manipulative, sentimental – a dying obese man tries connect with his daughter | Director: Darren Aronofsky Cast: Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau |
 | The Woman King – warrior women in 1820s Africa fight to protect their kingdom in a punchy action epic | Director: Gina Prince-Bythe Cast: Viola Davis, Thusu Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, John Boyega |
 | Women Talking – admirably well-meaning feminist drama, but it doesn’t succeed as well as it might | Director: Sarah Polley Cast: Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckely |
2023
 | American Fiction – sharp satire on white attitudes to Black culture mix with absorbing family drama | Director: Cord Jefferson Cast: Jeffrey Wright, Sterling K Brown, Tracy Ellis Ross |
 | Anatomy of a Fall – superb courtroom drama, full of impossible to know truths – a classic | Director: Justine Triet Cast: Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado-Graner |
 | Asteroid City – Anderson’s quirk filled drama is an ultimate expression of his style – but also an empty experience | Director: Wes Anderson Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks |
 | Barbie – gorgeously pink comedy, full of earnest views on gender and great gags | Director: Greta Gerwig Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera |
 | Blackberry – would-be raucous comedy on business failure, not funny or insightful enough to work | Director: Matt Johnson Cast: Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Matt Johnson |
 | Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – full of heart and excitement, you’ll be amazed at how good it is | Director: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley Cast: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page |
 | The Flash – the DCU finally dies with this awful mess, full of fan-pleasing nonsense and free of emotion or sense | Director: Andy Muschiette Cast: Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle |
 | Golda – dull and poorly structured biography that presents a one-sided view | Director: Guy Nattiv Cast: Helen Mirren, Camille Cottin, Liev Schreiber |
 | A Haunting in Venice – Branagh’s third Poirot is touched with the spooky but is his closest to Christie | Director: Kenneth Branagh Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Tina Fey, Michelle Yeoh |
 | Heart of Stone – feeble attempt to start a new franchise, which rips off every other franchise going | Director: Tom Harper Cast: Gal Gadot, Jamie Dornan, Sophie Okonedo |
 | The Holdovers – delightful, heart-warming Christmas drama a real treat and a film I loved | Director: Alexander Payne Cast: Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, Da’Vine Joy Randolph |
 | The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – terminally dull prequel with nothing interesting to add | Director: Francis Lawrence Cast: Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Viola Davis |
 | Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – better sign-off for than the last one, but still in the shadow of the originals | Director: James Mangold Cast: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen |
 | John Wick: Chapter 4 – overlong three act fight drama, which has amazing stunts and feels more real than many other films | Director: Chad Stahelski Cast: Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Donnie Yen |
 | The Killer – a hitman goes on a mission of revenge in this slick thriller and subtle character study | Director: David Fincher Cast: Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Charles Parnell |
 | Killers of the Flower Moon – Scorsese’s drama filters an Indigenous story through the eyes of white killers | Director: Martin Scorsese Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone |
 | The Lesson – a literary family has secrets in this well-made but not quite rewarding enough mystery | Director: Alice Troughton Cast: Richard E Grant, Daryl McCormack, Julie Delpy |
 | Maestro – bravura film-making, but this life of Bernstein doesn’t get to the heart of its subject | Director: Bradley Cooper Cast: Carey Mulligan, Bradley Cooper, Sarah Silverman |
 | Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 – stunts and action continue to deliver in this fun (but long) outing | Director: Christopher McQuarrie Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg |
 | Napoleon – epic, but slightly empty and unrevealing, biography of the most famous Frenchman | Director: Ridley Scott Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Rupert Everett |
 | Nyad – run-of-the-mill sports biopic lifted by some very engaging performances | Director: Elizabeth Chair Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin Cast: Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Rhys Ifans |
 | The Old Oak – Loach’s swansong, a tender call for understanding (if a little politically out-of-time) | Director: Ken Loach Cast: Dave Turner, Ebla Mari, Claire Rodgerson |
 | Oppenheimer – epic , thought provoking look at the moral quandaries of science | Director: Christopher Nolan Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jnr |
 | Past Lives – two childhood sweethearts reconnect across continents in their 30s in a beautifully bittersweet film | Director: Celine Song Cast: Greta Lee, Tee Yoo, John Magaro |
 | Poor Things – a woman bought to life discovers its joys in this unique feminist tinged Frankenstein-story | Director: Yorgos Lanthimos Cast: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe |
 | Saltburn – trite, shallow and obvious film about class, more interested in shocks and clicks than insight | Director: Emerald Fennell Cast: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike |
 | The Teacher’s Lounge – Minor thefts lead to a school spiralling out of control in this intense, small-scale drama | Director: Ilker Çatak Cast: Leonie Benesch, Eva Löbau, Anne-Kathrin Gummich |
 | Transformers: Rise of the Beasts – dumps most of the charm to return to tedious machismo of Bay | Director: Steven Caple Jnr Cast: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback |
 | Wonka – family-friendly film repackages Dahl in the style of Paddington. Fun but not quite distinctive enough. | Director: Paul King Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Hugh Grant |
 | The Zone of Interest – chilling Holocaust movie, brilliantly designed and directed, that keeps horror off screen | Director: Jonathan Glazer Cast: Christian Freidel, Sandra Hüller |
2024
 | Alien: Romulus – starts as a clever homage, but becomes a fan-fic re-tread. Still good fun though | Director: Fede Álvarez Cast: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux |
 | Anora – a stripper marries the son of an oligarch in this superb mix of comedy, tragedy and social commentary | Director: Sean Baker Cast: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov |
 | The Apprentice – Trump begins in this politically driven film, sparked by two fabulous performances | Director: Ali Abbasi Cast: Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova |
 | Challengers – delightful, witty and sexy sports and relationship drama, an utter delight | Director: Luca Guadagnino Cast: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist |
 | Civil War – catchy concept of an American civil war disguises a subtle film about journalistic ethics | Director: Alex Garland Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny |
 | A Complete Unknown – traditional, but highly entertaining Dylan biopic, very well made and acted | Director: James Mangold Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Monica Barbaro |
 | Conclave – the battle to choose a new Pope heats up in this entertaining mix of high- and low-brow drama | Director: Edward Berger Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini |
 | The Critic – McKellen’s familiar star turn is the only thing of note in a formulaic movie | Director: Anand Tucker Cast: Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong |
 | Deadpool & Wolverine – fourth-wall leaning team-up which wears thin quickly but made everyone lots of money | Director: Shawn Levy Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin |
 | Dune: Part 2 – Villeneuve’s triumphant sequel continues to raise the bar for science fiction, in this definitive adaptation | Director: Denis Villeneuve Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson |
 | Emilia Perez – a gangster has a sex change in this clumsy musical mish mash that annoyed almost everyone | Director: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi Cast: Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa, Ryuji Kosaka |
 | Evil Does Not Exist – haunting parable on nature and modern society, full of beautiful imagery | Director: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi Cast: Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa, Ryuji Kosaka |
 | The Fall Guy – huge fun, adventure romance celebrating the craft behind-the-magic of movies | Director: David Leitch Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson |
 | Firebrand – not entirely successful dramatically, attempt to reclaim Katherine Parr from history’s trivia corner | Director: Karim Aïnouz Cast: Alicia Vikander, Jude Law, Simon Russell Beale |
 | Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – demented prequel, full of imagination, even if you are never sure you need it | Director: George Miller Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke |
 | Gladiator II – Scott creates a gonzo belated sequel that’s really just a piece of IP homage with some fun bits | Director: Ridley Scott Cast: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen |
 | Hard Truths – a troubled woman struggles to deal with the world around her: a fine character study from Leigh | Director: Mike Leigh Cast: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin |
 | Hit Man – a shy psychology professor pretends to be a hit man for the police in this sharp, witty, dark comedy | Director: Richard Linklater Cast: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio |
 | I’m Still Here – in 1970, a family is torn apart by the Brazilian military dictatorship in this moving biopic | Director: Walter Salles Cast: Fernanda Torres, Selton Mello |
 | Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – engaging entry as generations on, the Apes struggle for the future | Director: Wes Ball Cast: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand |
 | Lee – solid, safe and old-fashioned biography, that rather soft-sells its subject | Director: Ellen Kuras Cast: Kate Winslet, Andy Samberg, Alexander Skarsgård |
 | Megalopolis – Coppola’s dream project is an overly ambitious, pretentious mess | Director: Francis Ford Coppola Cast: Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza |
 | Nickel Boys – unique and artistically rich exploration of racism and abuse, filmed with real unique style | Director: RaMell Ross Cast: Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor |
 | Nosferatu – Startlingly well-made remake and an extraordinarily atmospheric and disturbing film | Director: Robert Eggers Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult |
 | A Real Pain – two cousin go on a Holocaust-themed road trip in this clever, low-key character study | Director: Jesse Eisenberg Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe |
 | Scoop – failed attempt to turn the famous Prince Andrew interview into drama, full of empty points | Director: Philip Martin Cast: Gillian Anderson, Rufus Sewell, Billie Piper |
 | September 5 – ABC Sports covers the Munich Olympics terrorist attack in a film that avoids tough questions | Director: Tim Fehlbaum Cast: Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Leonie Benesch |
 | Sing Sing – a prison theatre programme changes the lives of its members in this heartfelt moving film | Director: Greg Kewdar Cast: Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Paul Raci |
 | Small Things Like These – a heart-rending, quiet, internalised drama on the struggle to do the right thing | Director: Tim Mielants Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Watson, Michelle Fairley |
 | The Substance – schlocky, unique body horror which doesn’t quite manage to land it political message | Director: Coralie Fargeat Cast: Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid |
 | Twisters – old-fashioned disaster movie, with an opposites attract romance at its heart. Enjoyable romp. | Director: Lee Isaac Chung Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos |
 | Wicked – electrically filmed and very entertaining Broadway adaptation of the Oz prequel | Director: Jon M Chu Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey |
2025
 | Bugonia – a man kidnaps a CEO convinced she is an alien in Lanthimos’ ice-cold satire | Director: Yorgos Lanthimos Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbris |
 | Captain America: Brave New World – repeating elements of other shows and films, it’s content pure and simple | Director: Julius Onah Cast: Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez |
 | The Fantastic Four: First Steps – enjoyable entry, bright, colourful and fun, but never explores its depths | Director: Matt Shakman Cast: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn |
 | Frankenstein – del Toro’s dream project, a Gothic spectacular that places its sympathy with the Creature | Director: Guillermo del Toro Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz |
 | A House of Dynamite – a nuclear attack on the US plays out in horrifying detail in this gripping thriller | Director: Kathryn Bigelow Cast: Rebecca Ferguson, Idris Elba, Gabriel Basso |
 | Jurassic World: Rebirth – an overly familiar return to another Dinosaur-infested island | Director: Gareth Edwards Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey |
 | Materialists – impossibly smug love-triangle film, that plays like a really pretentious rom-com | Director: Celine Song Cast: Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal |
 | Mickey 17 – a man dies again and again in this on-the-nose satire, not funny or clever enough at all | Director: Bong Joon-Ho Cast: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Mark Ruffalo |
 | Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning – Tom saddles up one final time for a fun but overlong victory lap | Director: Christopher McQuarrie Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg |
 | Nuremberg – clumsy drama, both dull and slow and then all over the place with its moral statements | Director: James Vanderbilt Cast: Rami Malek, Russell Crowe, Leo Woodall |
 | One Battle After Another – Anderson’s merging of genres and styles is an electric and gripping piece of cinema | Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti |
 | The Phoenician Scheme – Anderson mixes emotional heft with quirk and style highly effectively | Director: Wes Anderson Cast: Benecio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera |
 | The Return – Odysseus returns home, traumatised and guilty in this compellingly original adaptation of Homer’s tale | Director: Umberto Pasolini Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Charlie Plummer |
 | Sinners – racial politics and Vampire lore clash intriguingly in this vampire thriller set in the 1930s Deep South | Director: Ryan Coogler Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton |
 | The Smashing Machine – MMA fighter Mark Kerr struggles with drugs and romance in this average film | Director: Benny Safdie Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader |
 | Superman – another attempt to launch a DC franchise, this lighter and more enjoyable than any that came before | Director: James Gunn Cast: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult |
 | 28 Years Later – years later, a young boy struggles to work out his principles in plague ravaged Britain | Director: Danny Boyle Cast: Alfie Williams, Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson |
 | Wicked: For Good – Act 2 doesn’t have the clarity of Act 1 but manages to continue the entertainment | Director: Jon M Chu Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey |
Movie Musings 