Empire Magazine

A typically taciturn turn from Neeson is surrounded by a colourful cast, gallows humour and complete disrespect for cinematic stereotypes.

Posted Feb 20, 2019

4/5

Capernaum (Capharnaüm) (2018)

With two astonishing child performances, Capernaum is a real heart-breaker. It can make Ken Loach look happy-go-lucky but it's a gripping, sympathetic cry for the dispossessed.

Posted Feb 19, 2019

3/5

On the Basis of Sex (2019)

Helen O'Hara

It's not a hugely innovative biopic, covering just a short period of Bader Ginsburg's extraordinary career, but this is still a vastly inspiring account of the fight for equality.

Posted Feb 19, 2019

3/5

Jellyfish (2018)

Jellyfish is a familiar but compassionately drawn portrait of hardscrabble lives, centred by a terrific performance by Liv Hill.

Posted Feb 16, 2019

3/5

Mektoub, My Love: Canto Uno (2017)

Kechiche's camera consistently ogles his female cast but he remains a terrific director of actors, the intimacy and authenticity conveying a real lust for life to sweeten the hefty running time.

Posted Feb 16, 2019

4/5

Happy Death Day 2U (2019)

Ben Travis

What could have been a simple retread or by-numbers continuation instead throws itself headfirst into time-twiddling absurdity. High art? No. A total blast? You bet.

Posted Feb 13, 2019

3/5

Instant Family (2018)

For all its formula, Instant Family is a winning confection, unafraid to go to unexpected dramatic places and elevated by Byrne's gift as a comedy foil and Moner's lively but subtle turn.

Posted Feb 12, 2019

3/5

A Private War (2018)

Despite often being hard to watch, this is Rosamund Pike's best work yet.

Posted Feb 12, 2019

4/5

Rope (1948)

The trickery is still distracting, but there are hints in this 1948 film of the perversity that will yield Psycho, Strangers On A Train, Vertigo and Rear Window, so it's a must for Hitch collectors.

Posted Feb 9, 2019

4/5

The Bed Sitting Room (1969)

Owen Williams

Exactly as dark and surreal as you would imagine a post-apocalyptic black comedy by Spike Milligan would be.

Posted Feb 8, 2019

4/5

América (2018)

Christina Newland

A moving story of intergenerational family love and loyalty, made with affection, light and incidental humour - as much as with melancholy.

Posted Feb 8, 2019

4/5

The Draughtsman's Contract (1982)

Alan Morrison

A well-constructed plot that's both playful and thematically significant.

Posted Feb 6, 2019

3/5

All Is True (2018)

Helen O'Hara

A quiet and meditative portrait of the artist as a retiree, this lacks incident or high stakes but has an elegiac feeling of regret and reckoning that fits its subject's twilight years.

Posted Feb 6, 2019

5/5

If Beale Street Could Talk (2019)

Helen O'Hara

A sort of Romeo And Juliet with systemic racism replacing the family feud, this is romantic and infuriating, hopeful and despairing. A sensory, desperately emotional experience for lovers and fighters alike.

Posted Feb 4, 2019

3/5

Boy Erased (2018)

Ben Travis

Joel Edgerton once again proves himself a gifted filmmaker - but for all the craft, compelling performances and good intentions at work here, the drama itself falls somewhat short.

Posted Feb 4, 2019

4/5

The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)

Nick De Semlyen

More proof that Cornish is a wizard at re-energising tired tropes. The characters are a delight, the action sequences thrum with invention, and when it's funny, it's very funny indeed.

Posted Feb 4, 2019

3/5

Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

When Alita pirouettes into action, Rodriguez doesn't fail to deliver.

Posted Jan 31, 2019

2/5

Escape Room (2019)

Escape Room is like The Crystal Maze with more death. It's fun at the start then loses its way, but it'll do until 'Flossing: The Movie' comes along.

Posted Jan 30, 2019

4/5

Love Sonia (2018)

Liz Beardsworth

An excoriating, urgent look at the sordid world of global sex trafficking, anchored by a head-turning performance from newcomer Mrunal Thakur.

Posted Jan 28, 2019

4/5

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

A moving hymn to outsiders, this thrives on two criminally good performances from Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant. It also confirms Marielle Heller as one of the brightest directorial talents around.

Posted Jan 28, 2019

4/5

Green Book (2018)

John Nugent

A supremely likeable film. Its message might seem obvious and its template overcooked, but it boasts a warm heart, with two astoundingly good lead performances to guide it home.

Posted Jan 28, 2019

4/5

Burning (Beoning) (2018)

Slow and difficult to get a hold on, Burning emerges as a brilliantly made one-off; puzzling, intelligent and ultimately mesmerising. And Jong-seo Jun is a revelation.

Posted Jan 28, 2019

3/5

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

Ben Travis

DreamWorks Animation's most heartfelt series bows out with a beautifully designed finale, but the long-awaited emotional goodbyes for its beloved central duo don't quite soar.

Posted Jan 28, 2019

3/5

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Caroline Westbrook

With the finest source material around given a modern zing, this teen comedy is somehow tried and true, but fresh all at the same time.

Posted Jan 27, 2019

4/5

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)

John Nugent

Fuelled by adrenaline, sugar and plastic, The Lego Movie's Second Part does not entirely reinvent the brick from the First Part. But when the formula is this clever and fun, should we even care?

Posted Jan 26, 2019

3/5

Baby Boom (1987)

William Thomas

A fine multi-layered romantic comedy with delightful, laugh-out-loud turns from the two leads.

Posted Jan 25, 2019

3/5

Irma La Douce (1963)

Lemmon and Maclaine fail to reproduce the chemistry from The Apartment but this slight film is not as ignorable as reputation suggests.

Posted Jan 25, 2019

2/5

The Cutting Edge (1992)

Kim Newman

If there were a special Academy Award for Contrived Premise, this picture would be a hot favourite to scoop the statuette.

Posted Jan 24, 2019

4/5

On Her Shoulders (2018)

On Her Shoulders is a compassionate, level-headed portrait of a remarkable woman. What it lacks in filmmaking fireworks, it makes up for in the sheer magnetism and moxie of its hero.

Posted Jan 24, 2019

3/5

Bergman: A Year in a Life (2018)

Regardless of the skittish structure and illegible subtitles, this is a valuable reflection on an incalculably influential career, which serves as a timely reminder about the pitfalls of artistic tyranny.

Posted Jan 24, 2019

3/5

The Mule (2018)

Chris Hewitt (UK)

So insubstantial it may not actually exist, The Mule is very much the latest in a long line of minor Clints. But it might help pass the time on long journeys.

Posted Jan 24, 2019

4/5

Green Card (1990)

Mat Snow

It's funny, sweet - and utterly lop-sided.

Posted Jan 23, 2019

2/5

London Unplugged (2018)

The overriding feeling is of a film school degree show: good intentions and the odd impressive moment, but little that ultimately delivers.

Posted Jan 22, 2019

4/5

The Raft (2018)

An absorbing portrait of a bold (or foolhardy) historical experiment that hits many of today's hot-button topics, dominated by a compelling and complex central figure.

Posted Jan 22, 2019

4/5

Destroyer (2018)

A grim, dour dive into one LA cop's unravelling, which centres on a truly transformative performance from Nicole Kidman.

Posted Jan 22, 2019

4/5

Monsters and Men (2018)

Alex Godfrey

Both cinematic and literary, this is mature, textured work. Gently prodding at you rather than grabbing you by the throat, it is intentionally unexplosive, but lights a fire nevertheless.

Posted Jan 17, 2019

4/5

Beautiful Boy (2018)

A based-on-fact family drama whose truths may hit too hard for some, but are worth suffering if only to witness Timothée Chalamet's performance.

Posted Jan 15, 2019

4/5

Blackmail (1929)

A little clunky at times for contemporary audiences but still manages to truly perturb.

Posted Jan 9, 2019

3/5

Glass (2019)

Nick De Semlyen

Essentially a Split sequel with an Unbreakable topping, this is weaker than either of those films but still has a decent amount of entertaining and creepy sequences, most of them due to McAvoy's high-commitment performance.

Posted Jan 9, 2019

4/5

The House by the Sea (La villa) (2017)

Challenging the truism that you can never go home, this doesn't entirely integrate its political subtext. But the storylines are involving, the setting is picturesque and the performances are impeccable.

Posted Jan 9, 2019

4/5

A New Leaf (1971)

This character study should not be as funny as it is.

Posted Jan 8, 2019

3/5

Volcano (1997)

William Thomas

None of it makes a hell of a lot of sense and the supporting cast are wallpaper thin, but Volcano is at least hot on entertainment.

Posted Jan 7, 2019

4/5

Brexit (2019)

James Dyer

Given that it airs when the form and fate of Britain's exit from the EU is still up in the air, Brexit comes as a depressing reminder of just how divided our nation currently stands.

Posted Jan 7, 2019

4/5

The Front Runner (2018)

Olly Richards

A sharp-witted and wide-reaching account of a bright political hope's fall from grace, with an impressive ensemble cast and a great performance from Jackman.

Posted Jan 7, 2019

4/5

Stan & Ollie (2019)

Olly Richards

Coogan and Reilly's performances are among the best either has ever given. This film, which pays wonderfully funny tribute to two comic legends, richly deserves them.

Posted Jan 7, 2019

3/5

The 12th Man (2018)

Baalsrud never claimed to be a hero and the emphasis of this gripping reconstruction rightly falls on the resourcefulness, courage and self-sacrifice of those who epitomised the spirit of resistance.

Posted Jan 3, 2019

4/5

RBG (2018)

Beth Webb

This is the origin film we really need right now. Directors Cohen and West have brought a liberal trailblazer's fascinating and largely untold story proudly into the spotlight.

Posted Jan 3, 2019

4/5

One Cut of the Dead (Kamera o tomeru na!) (2017)

One Cut Of The Dead is a true original, a fresh take on the zombie apocalypse drama and much more besides.

Posted Jan 3, 2019

2/5

Life Itself (2018)

Despite good moments and an ambition to reach for the profound, Life Itself settles for trite, sentimental and patience testing. A killer cast deserve better.

Posted Jan 3, 2019

3/5

An Impossible Love (Un amour impossible) (2018)