Director: Marc Webb

In the latest live-action remake of a Disney classic, Rachel Zegler stars as Snow White. After her mother dies and her father remarries, a beautiful  princess (Gal Gadot), who quickly turns into an evil Queen (Gal Gadot), Snow White is banished from the castle. While hiding in the woods, she finds herself in the home of seven gem-mining dwarves. Together they team up with Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), a bandit leader hiding in the woods, with the aim to reclaim the castle from the wicked Queen and restore peace to the land.

This film has stirred some controversy in the lead-up to its release, ranging from casting choices to reported tensions between its stars. I’ll leave those issues for you to decide what you think about them. For me, the real question is whether this live-action version serves a purpose. Ultimately, it’s okay, but nothing more than that. It probably also suffers in comparison to the recent behemoth, “Wicked,” which demonstrates just what a musical fairy tale can be.

There are things to enjoy. Nothing more than Gal Gadot fully embracing the pantomime villainy of the evil Queen. Both her and Rachel Zegler knock out the classics and a couple of decent, if unmemorable, new tunes.

It looks impressive, with the Snow White world nicely recreated. Although I couldn’t make out if the CGI dwarves were great, or a bit disturbing!

The story has had an update and there is a solid message around not letting those in power convince us, that looking out for ourselves is the only way to be. And by showing kindness and generosity to each other we can be better.

Admittedly, I’m not Snow White’s target audience, but it all felt a bit of a non-event. The performances are okay, and Gal Gadot is entertaining, camping it up as the evil Queen. There’s a solid message at its centre. The well-known songs are well done, the new ones are fine, and it looks good. Hopefully, it works for its target audience. But, ultimately, for me, it was a bit meh.

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Writer: David Koepp

George (Michael Fassbender) and Kathryn (Cate Blanchett) are a married couple, who work for the intelligence services. Dedicated to each other, George finds his dedication tested when Kathryn is highlighted as a possible intelligence leak, alongside five of their friends and colleagues. George has to use his particular set of intelligence skills to discover the leak, reclaim a dangerous piece of cyber technology, all while dealing with friends, colleagues and a wife who may all be manipulating him to cover their tracks.

I have to admit, I do enjoy a good Soderbergh story. At their best they fly along, with zippy dialogue, twisting plots and plenty of style. Black Bag is not Soderbergh at his peak, but what it is, is an efficient, neat and tidy, spy inspired thriller, that knows its job and does it well.

It’s built mainly around. Fassbender’s performance, with a character who is cool, calculated and reserved, but with much going on under the covers. He’s well supported too. Cate Blanchett is as reliable as ever. But there are particularly good performances from Naomie Harris as a calculating and cold psychologist and Tom Burke’s old school spy. But it is Marisa Abela, as a young and eager, George “fan girl”, who often steals the show.

At just 94 minutes long, it zips along, with snappy dialogue and not too many twists and turns to keep track of. Although it is those lack of twists and turns that probably keep this at mid range Soderbergh, his best work is a little more layered and smarter than what Black Bag has to offer. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing for an entertaining piece of well made cinema.

Black Bag is a well made, efficient spy type thriller. At just 94 minutes it’s tightly scripted, well performed and has enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s not prime Steven Soderbergh, but for a bit of relatively light, well made cinema entertainment it does a job.

Writer & Director: Bong Joon-ho

Needing to find a way out of a troublesome situation on Earth, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) joins an exploration space craft heading to Niflheim, with the aim of colonising it under the leadership of failed politician, Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo). But with no real skills to get him aboard Mickey applies to be an expendable. A human, who is prepared to die and die again to advance humanity. This leaves Mickey at the mercy of the most dangerous jobs and scientific experiments. But his life changes when incarnation number 17 doesn’t die to plan, it presents a whole new “multiples” problem!

This is a bit of an odd mix of a film. It has good bits, but not quite enough. It has a lot to say, but often too little to say. It also feels long, but by the end it feels like it whizzed by! It’s not a bad film, but it’s a film that didn’t completely work for me.

It does try to cover a lot. A failed politician, backed by religious fundamentalists, to create an alternate world, full of the “right types”. It also covers colonialism, abuse of power, rise of the right and genocide. But it’s not a dark film, at its heart is Mickey, who just wants to be happy and to live a life, but has to literally fight with himself to do so.

Of the things that work, Robert Pattinson is at the top of that list. He brings personality to each Mickey and brings plenty of heart to 17. Alongside him Naomi Ackie’s Nasha is a strong foil to Mickey’s insecurities. Ruffalo and his screen wife Toni Collette chew plenty of scenery and are somewhere between fun and grating.

It also looks great with intriguing local inhabitants and fun print gags when recreating Mickey iterations.

But it is also a little jumbled and at just shy of 140 minutes feels it’s stretching its welcome.

Mickey 17 is a film of attempted big Ideas but not all of them land. There’s an enjoyable Robert Pattinson performance at the heart of it and it looks great. But it also feels a little confused and at times feels all of its 140 minutes long. Stuff to enjoy, but maybe not quite enough.

Director:Gia Coppola

Writer:Kate Gersten

After nearly forty years performing at the Razzle Dazzle. Vegas showgirl, Shelly (Pamela Anderson), has her life turned upside down when she finds that the show is too close.  Another slice of “old” Vegas, replaced by the shiny and new. What’s next for her, the others in the show and those around it who find the sands of time catching up on them?

This is a film that has had some mixed reviews, which rather surprised me, because I loved The Last Show Girl. Gia Coppola has delivered a warm hearted and touching look at life and the fight against age and change. It is lit up by a wonderfully nuanced performance by Pamela Anderson, who deserves all of the high praise it is has had.

But it’s not only Anderson which shines. there is also a fabulous performance from Jamie Lee Curtis, as Annette a cocktail waitress with a gambling habit. They are strongly supported by Dave Bautista, who brings plenty of heart to Eddie, the show’s stage manager.

And heart is the word at the centre of the film. This is a gentle bit of storytelling. It’s all about Shelly and the choices she made to pursue a career she loves. Even if the career is not what she believes it to be, a point brutally made to her later in the film. She tackles how it has affected her relationships, including with her daughter (Billie Lourd). She has a charming idealistic view of the world, ignoring the tatty edges and inevitable march of time and its cruelty. But what Anderson delivers, is a beautiful character full of heart and a downtrodden charm, that makes you care.

It’s also well shot, using Vegas’s, backstreets and the tired bits of the city, that are being removed and replaced along with the Showgirls it was once famed for.

The Last Showgirl is a touching look at the inevitable march of time. It revolves around a fabulous Pamela Anderson performance, who is full of understated grace and charm. The story is melancholic as its characters desperately look to hold on to a version of a past, that to the outside eye never existed. A beautifully told tale.

Director: Walter Salles

Language: Portuguese (English subtitles)

Set during the political uprising and Brazilian dictatorship of the early 1970’s, it tells the true story of Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres) and her husband Rubens (Selton Mello). Rubens is a former congressman, who has now returned to his life as an architect. But in an increasingly dictatorial state, there is growing suspicion of anyone who poses a threat to the government and when the Paiva home is raided by the army one morning their lives are changed forever.

I’m Still Here, is a powerful, if flawed, telling of a complex and terrifying story. It is a film that has garnered a lot of awards attention and you can see why, especially in Fernanda Torres’s central performance.

But. for me, it is a film of two halves. Its first is an incredibly tense, political thriller, it builds tension and foreboding, and, for someone, who didn’t know the true story, it kept me hooked, always expecting the worst but not sure where and when. The second half felt less successful, it didn’t engage as much. It didn’t seem to explore the remarkable life Eunice lives, the full impact on the family and it covers the final 40 years of the story in around 20 minutes, making it feel like it ran out of steam, long before the end.

What isn’t in question is Fernanda Torres’s performance. She takes you through the emotions of love, fear, loss, grief and determination, never over playing, never melodramatic. There’s also good support, especially in some of the young performers, the two middle sisters particularly.

The film looks great, especially in its recreation of a 1970’s Rio under increasing control of the army, transporting you into the horror of political persecution.

I’m Still Here is a film of two parts. The first a hugely successful, tense look at the horrors of persecution under a dictatorial regime. The second feels less successful and never quite engages as much running out of steam before the end. What’s not in doubt is its fantastic central performance that engages throughout. But solid rather than great.

Director: Julius Onah

There is a new President, Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford), who despite his Hulk history, wants to work with Captain America (Anthony Mackie) to give hope to American’s and help him drive through a global accord to ensure responsible use of the rich resources of Celestial Island. However in the background, a shadowy figure has hatched a plan to wreck Ross’s plans. It’s up to Captain America, with help from Joaquin Torres’s Falcon (Danny Ramirez) and Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas) to uncover the plan and defeat its nefarious ends.

As the Marvel bandwagon controls rolling, the next phase still doesn’t feel like it’s quite started. This latest Captain America still feels like more scene setting for a bigger story. And that seems part of the problem with Marvel films currently, everything seems to be setting things up, probably well summed up here in its post credit sequence.

But that said, that doesn’t mean this is a terrible film. Far from it, it’s a relatively entertaining super hero adventure, although I’m not sure how long it will stay in the memory.

Mackie is likeable in the role and brings a more human vulnerability to the franchise. No film ever suffers from having Harrison Ford in it, and he brings some gravitas to proceedings. Tim Blake Nelson’s baddy is fine and there are also good additions from Giancarlo Esposito and Carl Lumbly.

The story is fine and rattles along, although it occasionally runs into some pretty lumpy dialogue. The action is fast and frantic and at under 2 hours it doesn’t outstay its welcome. It’s all just fine, no more.

The latest Marvel outing is a perfectly serviceable super hero film. It’s not overly long, the action zips along nicely and no film feels worse for having Harrison Ford in it. But it’s also a bit samey and, like most current Marvel fare, feels like a setup for something else. It’s fine, but not one that will stick in the memory.

Director:Michael Morris

Writers:Helen Fielding, Dan Mazer, Abi Morgan.

In this latest outing we find Bridget (Renée Zellweger) coming to terms with life as a widow and single mother. Encouraged by her friends she heads back to the world of TV production. Being back in the workplace opens up a new life and new chances for love,  there’s her childrens new science teacher, Mr. Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and a park ranger Adonis, Roxster (Leo Woodall). But what seems new and exciting, maybe isn’t quite what Bridget hopes for, as she starts to realise what is truly important and how she wants her life to look.

Mad About the Boy was a surprising treat and if it is to be the last outing for Bridget, then it would be an extremely fitting one.

What works so well In this, is the way the story takes you by surprise. While it hints at been a typical Bridget outing, instead it flips that and turns into something unexpectedly warm and touching that looks at life, getting older, dealing with the most devastating of losses, and finding what makes you happy.

Zellweger is excellent again, bringing to life a character who, for all her ridiculousness, remains vulnerable, warm hearted and someone you care about. Alongside her there is a lovely mix of the returning,  characters, touching memories of long lost ones and the new. Chiwetel Ejiofor charms as the awkward but kind hearted teacher and Leo Woodall has fun as Bridget’s Adonis. But it’s Hugh Grant who continues his run of film stealing cameos, with a Daniel Cleaver who also realises that maybe he’s missed the important things in life.

It has lots of fun call backs that fans will enjoy. But it’s no lazy greatest hits, it a warm, sometimes funny, often melancholy and touching, look at life.

Mad About the Boy is an unexpected treat and if it is to be the last Bridget Jones film, it’s a fitting finale. It’s a genuinely warm and touching look at life and dealing with loss. It has laughs, tears and most importantly heart. Well done Bridget.

Writer/Director: Tim Fehlbaum

Writers: Moritz Binder & Alex David

The ABC sports team find themselves, while covering the 1972 Munich Olympics, thrust into the middle of a crisis as terrorists take 11 of the Israeli Olympic team hostage. As the only US TV crew on the ground, the team led by Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard) and Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro), place trust in young head of operations Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin) to cover the incident and tell a compelling story from the tragic events playing out in front of them.

While September 5 is centered around the tragic events that befell the Israelis, the story isn’t really about that. Rather, this looks at the attempts that a team, with no real news experience, makes to tell a story of unfolding human tragedy.

It does that in 95 minutes of tight, taught drama, which, while not in real time, feels like it is, speeding along, not really taking a moment to breathe, as the team reacts to the ever changing situation in front of them.

It also asks some interesting questions about news teams trying to balance how to tell a complex live story, that needs to balance the reality of impact on the real lives of those at its centre, with the need to get details and try to stay ahead of the competition. All of this, set against the politics of an Olympics and the cultural state of West Germany in 1972.

It’s a credit to the cast that, what could be a dry newsroom procedural, portrays the real tension of the situation, with the main cast supported well especially by Leonie Benesch and Zinedine Soualem.

The film looks great capturing the mechanical and manual nature of the technology available to tell a live story in 1072. It also makes extensive use of the real footage of both the broadcast and the hostage drama to provide authenticity.

September 5 is a drama that explores some of the challenges, ethical and otherwise, of telling truly high stakes new stories. At just 95 minutes, it speeds along, thrusting you right into the centre of the unfolding tragedy. A compelling piece of storytelling.

Writer/Director: Jason Reitman

Writer: Gil Kenan

Saturday Night focuses on the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of what would become one of the most influential shows in comedy, Saturday Night Live. It gives us a behind the scenes look as creator Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) tries to coral together his comedy troupe of unknowns into a show to be broadcast nationwide. He has to fight studio execs, producers, crew and the egos of his stars including Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), John Belushi (Matt Wood) and Dan Akroyd. Can they pull it off and go live?

A bit like Saturday Night Live itself, this is a film that almost doesn’t work, but then by some unexplained miracle it just about pulls it off!

Shot as a behind the scenes docudrama, it attempts to capture the hectic energy behind the show that would revolutionise TV comedy. It spends most of its time following Michaels as he stumbles from crisis to crisis. Whether it’s Belushi. Chase, Billy Crystal(Nicholas Podany) trying to negotiate his slot or Jim Henson (Nicholas Braun) trying to find lines for his Muppets. He’s also fighting  execs and TV’s current guard such as Johnny Carson and Milton Berle (J. K. Simmons).  But this structure also means it never seems to get a handle on its story often feeling a little ill disciplined and confused. But what Reitman does well is pull it all together and a bit like SNL for all of the madness around it, when it all comes together it works a treat. And that’s a compliment for something that for quite a long time felt a bit of a mess.

While it doesn’t all work it does capture the anarchy of SNL well and you feel thrust into the middle of it all as the camera chases down hallways and into dressing rooms.

Saturday Night tries to capture the anarchy and energy of the first airing of a show that would become an institution. For a while it doesn’t feel like it is going to work but its last 10 minutes bring it together well. Making it an enjoyable look at the start of a TV institution.

Writer/Director: Mike Leigh

Pansy (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) is angry at the world and those in it. Her anger shows in her vicious verbal onslaughts that are targeted at anyone or anything that crosses her path. From baby clothes with pockets and slovenly customer service, to her family. And it comes at a cost, her husband (David Webber) is distant, her son, Moses (Tuwaine Barrett) is as scared of the world as is mother is angry, and in a strained relationship with her sister Chantelle (Michele Austin).

For those expecting a comedy about Pansy and her cuttingly funny rants at the world may be disappointed. Because while Hard Truths has its comedic moments but her rants soon become uncomfortable as they quickly shift from funny to painful to watch. This is a much more about a woman who is angry, but it’s because she’s in pain, devastatingly sad and her rants, she hates as much as those on the receiving end. She is also scared, of the world around her, of being loved and of being alone. It’s exhausting to watch at times and you feel every minute of Pansy’s pain.

While this can be a hard watch at times, it’s hard in a good way. It works because of Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s performance. Without her, this could easily become too hard to watch. But she gives you someone you care hugely about. You feel all of her pain, her fear and her sadness. It’s a wonderfully layered performance. She’s well supported too, Tuwaine Barrett as Moses and Michele Austin as her sister.

It’s a film that looks at a small part of a life, it’s not a film with a resolution, or of big moments and for some this may be a problem. The last 10 minutes or so may be a bit divisive, but for me it’s a powerful and touching exploration of a life.

Hard Truths is a tough watch. But tough in the right way. Pansy is, for all her bluster and anger, scared and sad. But what could be a character that is to hard to watch is, thanks to Marianne Jean-Baptiste, a character you could easily dislike is one you truly care for and want to be happy. This is a sometimes funny, often dark but always touching piece of work.