Asteroid City is the latest from Wes Anderson, this time co-written with Roman Coppola. Bryan Cranston introduces us to Asteroid City a play by renowned playwright Conrad Earp (Ed Norton). In the play Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman), his son Woodrow (Jake Ryan) and his three young daughters have headed to Asteroid City for a junior science competition in which Woodrow is entered. Their worlds are changed during the competition when they are visited by an unexpected guest leads to the city been quarantined. We follow their lives stuck in the city alongside the real world challenges of bringing the show to the stage.

Wes Anderson’s films are likely to either work for you or not. He style is distinct and Asteroid City is very Wes Anderson. It looks incredible, shot in 4:3 and a mix of black and white for the “real life” play. Asteroid City itself is a vivid use of a 1950’s technicolour palette used in beautifully composed scenes.

2/3rds of the way through the film Adrien Brody’s Schubert Green explains to an actor in the play “don’t try to understand it just tell the story”. And that is probably the best way to watch this. It’s a play within a play, a typically quirky Anderson story. It’s made up of wonderfully performed vignettes loosely tied together with its two stories. Stories filled with the usual list of acting stars Tom Hanks. Steve Carell, Tilda Swinton, Jeffrey Wright, Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe and Jeff Goldblum amongst many others.

But its quirkiness could also be its downfall. Ultimately it’s a story without a big narrative arc, it meanders through its two stories to its gentle end. But if you’re not familiar with Anderson this maybe a bit of a leap and if you don’t like his work this won’t change your mind.

Asteroid City is very Wes Anderson. It’s a quirky tale told through wonderfully shot and performed vignettes with its A-Z of the best in acting talent. But it’s also a slow meandering story that won’t work for everyone. If you like Anderson this won’t disappoint, if you don’t it probably won’t change your mind.

Written and Directed by Gene Stupnitsky (written alongside John Phillips) is this coming of age comedy. Jennifer Lawrence is Maddie. In her early 30’s she’s drifting. She’s an Uber driver and bar tender, struggling to keep her houseband when she has her car repossessed she’s about to lose her Uber job. A new opportunity comes her way when she sees an ad looking for someone to date Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) son of wealthy parents Alison (Laura Benanti) and Laird (Matthew Broderick). They’re worried about him and want an “experienced” girl to bring him out of his shell and for her troubles she gets a car! But the relationship doesn’t quite play out as anyone expects as Maddie and Percy find they have more in common than they bargained for.

I’m a fan of Jennifer Lawrence, who’s never anything other than watchable. That’s true here, and even though the film is funny at times and surprisingly touching at others, it didn’t fully work for me.

Its main issue is the realtionship at its core It never felt believable. The age gap between them was the real issue, my concern going in was that it would make the premise uncomfortable. To be fair that wasn’t the case, but the age gap did make the relationship unconvincing.

The film wasn’t a total dud by any means. Although the storyline is a well trodden and unoriginal, it had enough laughs and touching moments to keep me engaged, but the lack of believability stopped me fully buying in. Making it no more than easily forgettable fare.

No Hard Feelings isn’t terrible. Jennifer Lawrence is as watchable as always as is Feldman next to her. It’s humorous at times and touching at others. But unfortunately the central realtionship just felt unbelievable, meaning it never fully worked for me. Harmless but forgettable.

Andy Muschietti is at the helm for the first cinema version of The Flash. Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) is busy doing his day job, which seems to consist of carrying out superhero duties for Batman (Ben Affleck) when he’s otherwise engaged. Barry has his own issues though with his father (Ron Livingston) in prison having been framed for the murder of his mother. When frustration gets the better of Barry, he finds himself in an alternate timeline where, with just a little nudge, he can change things and save his mother. But tweaking time has consequences, including no justice league, which is a problem when General Zod (Micheal Shannon) comes to earth looking for Superman. Barry relaises be needs to put a band together which includes the alternate timeline Batman (Micheal Keaton). Together they have to find some help and defeat Zod.

I enjoyed this. It was hardly original (if you’ve seen the recent Spider-Verse film this is basically the same story) as it treds the increasingly well worn multiverse path. But it did so with a sense of fun.

The script has plenty of humour as it playfully used the impact of its time travel narrative, especially its running gag about Back to the Future. It was also hugely enjoyable seeing Michael Keaton don the batsuit once again, alongside his iconic Batmobile. There is also a nice nostalgic touch as we dip into the DC archives to meet other iterations of some of its main characters.

Outside of the fun and pushing of the nostalgia buttons, there is a heartfelt story about grief and the acceptance of it but this is fleeting. There are also some nice cameo appearances, but I’ll not spoil them here.

The Flash was a lot of fun. While it forays into the now over warn multiverse idea it does so enjoyably. Performances are solid and it was a real joy to see Michael Keaton return as Batman. It won’t go down as a classic, but it was 144 minutes of enjoyable fun.

Written by Stefani Robinson and directed by Stephen Williams is this story based on the life of Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Bologne (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) Son of an affair between a plantation owner George Bologne (Jim High) and his Senegalese mother Nanon(Ronke Adekoluejo), at a young age he is taken to France, where his father hopes his gifts can be exploited. And they are, he is a skilled swordsman and even more talented composer which brings him to the attention of Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton) granting him the title Chevalier. Joseph’s life changes when he has the opportunity to become head of the Paris opera, which leads to a relationship with Marie-Josephine (Samara Weaving) and makes an enemy of her husband. His attempts are thwarted by racism which puts him in a path towards uprising and revolution

Bologne’s story is virtually unknown, a great composer who, because of the colour of his skin and revolution, has been mainly erased from the records. But while clearly there is a fascinating story to be told, sadly this film never quite tells it.

Stuck somewhere between Amadeus and Bridgerton it’s never quite sure of what it wants to be. A story about talent buried under 18th century oppression? A period love story? Or the story of revolution. It touches on all three but never really settles on any. Which leads to a rather disjointed film.

It’s not without pluses, it looks fabulous and performances are decent enough, especially in the lead roles with Harrison, Weaving and Boynton. And there is certainly an interesting story in there that breaks out occasionally, which a powerfully played standoff at its end. But that makes you realise that was actually the story to tell rather than the one we got.

Joseph Bologne’s story is clearly an interesting one, but sadly this film doesn’t really do it justice. Stuck somewhere between Amadeus and Bridgerton it never feels like it quite captures the fascinating bits of his life. Which is a pity, because it seems it’s quite the life story to tell.

Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson direct this follow up to the fabulous Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Much has changed for Miles (Shameik Moore) and Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) now living in separate Spider-Verses. Gwen finds herself tackling a mysterious creature running rampant, when her battle is interrupted by some new spider-heroes. Miles meanwhile finds himself with a new nemesis, Spot. When Gwen turns back up in Miles life, while she wants to catch up with him, she is there to track Spot, a villian more dangerous than Miles realises. When Miles follows her across the Spider-Verse, the excitement of what he finds soon disappears as he realises that the life of Spider-Man not only comes with great responsibility but great heartache.

It’s predecessor was a breath of fresh air with its stunning animation and sense of fun. This sequel is a very different film. It has a broader scope, darker and more complex and it is long and of course only the first part of the story. This does present some issues with pacing, especially in the first half, where it can move very slowly.

That said, this film is still a fantastic bit of animation and storytelling. It looks incredible, mixing styles, spider-hero creations and worlds effortlessly. Including Mumbattan a mix of Delhi and New York, where the story is at its most colourful and fun. The voice cast, to numerous to mention, are universally flawless.

It shows Marvel animation can successfully be used to tell a complex and grown up story. Areas such as mortality and the price we pay to have the things we want are prominent.

This is not a fun romp full of colour and humour. Much of it has a noir feel with a dark underbelly. But it’s grown up and smart and that’s not a bad thing.

Across the Spider-Verse is not colourful animation fluff. It is long, at times slow moving as it presents a complex story. But it is also massive in its ambition, looks incredible, smart and doesn’t shy away from being grown up and dark. It’s a sequel that aims big and does not disappoint.

Kelly Fremon Craig directs and adapts this first big screen version of Judy Blume’s 1970’s classic. Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) is an 11 year old girl living in New York. When she returns home from summer camp her world is turned upside down when Mum (Rachel McAdams) and Dad (Bernie Safdie) reveal they are moving to New Jersey, leaving Margaret’s life and Grandma (Kathy Bates) behind. There Margaret, and her mum, both have to navigate change, new friends, new lives and first loves. Alongside these changes we see Margaret struggle to understand religion, her Mum’s relationship with her parents, new friendships and most importantly starting to learn who she is.

It is fair to say as a man of an age I’m not the target market for this film or Blume’s source material. But that did not stop me been utterly charmed by this touching and humorous look at growing up and navigating change.

While I was never an 11 year old girl, the film captures the awkwardness of that age perfectly as we see Margaret trying to come to terms with understanding how she feels about her new life. We see her struggle with religion and whether it has a point. She tries to understand her mum’s complicated relationship with her parents. She tries to “rush” growing up as her mum welcomes her to womanhood more than once.But most importantly it’s about relationships and how we see and treat others.

The film is beautifully playerd and joyously warm. Abby Ryder Fortson is superb in the central role, capturing the awkwardness of her age perfectly. The supporting cast are excellent too, Rachel McAdams particularly, in portraying the adult version of her daughter’s challenges. But it is her group of friends that steal the show Elle Graham, Amari Alexis Price and Katherine Mallen Kupferer as the secret gang Margaret finds herself in.

While I may not be the target audience for this I found it a beautifully warm hearted and charming film. It humourously and touchingly shows dealing with growing up and change. Brilliantly played by its cast and a real treat.

James Gunn writes and directs the third and final installment of, at least this version, of the Guardians of the Galaxy series. Quill (Chris Pratt) is in a downward spiral, still mourning the loss of his version of Gamora (Zoe Saldana). As Quill lays past out again the Guardians world is turned upside down when an unexpected attack by Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) leaves Rocket (Bradley Cooper) fighting for his life. To save his life it needs the Guardians to tackle Rockets painful past and come face to face with The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) who is bent on “improving” what is broken in the universe. A battle that will take each of the Guardians into battle with their own demons and frailties to save their friend.

For me, Gunn has sent them out in style. While not perfect and probably a little long, it is a well judged farewell which I found hugely enjoyable.

The heart of the story is a surprisingly touching one as we learn of Rockets tragic past, his beginnings at the hands of The Evolutionary and the friends he made and lost on the way.

It delivers all you expect from the Guardians, whit, action and a great soundtrack. It also looks good with none of the effects “shonkyness” that has plagued recent Marvel output. The real strength of these films has always been the camaraderie and that’s again here in abundance. Drax (David Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Gamora and Nebula (Karen Gillan) and everyone with Rocket (Vin Diesel). But it’s not just the usual quick witted exchanges there is also some well judged and touching moments on display as the relationships mature.

The story itself is fine, but it’s not really about that, it’s about providing a fond farewell to a well loved Marvel set of characters and that Gunn delivers.

If this is to be farewell to this version of Guardians of the Galaxy then it is was one I thoroughly enjoyed. Even if it’s a little long the pay off is worth it. It is a fun adventure balanced well with touching storytelling. All with the usual enjoyable soundtrack. A final installment that was a lot of fun.

Directed by Hettie MacDonald and adapted for screen by Rachel Joyce based on her own 2012 novel. Harold (Jim Broadbent) is retired and living in Devon with his wife Maureen (Penelope Wilton), when he receives a letter from an old work friend Queenie (Linda Bassett). In it she shares that she is in a hospice and is writing to say goodbye. Rather than write back, inspired by a chance conversation in a petrol station, Harold decided to walk the 500 plus miles to the Scottish borders to see her instead. What starts out as a lonely journey becomes a pilgrimage as he inspires others with his faith that the visit will give Queenie something to cling onto. But it also forces Harold to think about his own life with its own tragedies and how failing to deal with them has left sadness and hurt in its wake.

This is a film while formulaic and unsurprising has its heart in the right place. But even with its predictability and its unlikely premise it remains watchable and believable and that is mainly because of Jim Broadbents lovely subtle performance. His character never seeks attention and is bemused when he gets it. We feel his enthusiasm and confidence alongside his darkness and doubt. And when we get the, predictable, reveal Broadbent has built a character to care for and you feel his heartbreak as much as you feel his earlier foot ache.

Penelope Wilton offers solid support as his wife feeling abandoned and lost. A couple of small roles Daniel Frogson as Wilf and Monika Gossman as Marina in particular add some additional colour.

It does run a little long and towards the end pushes its faith message a little strongly. But this is not a religious film more one about humanity with its flaws and our need to put things right.

This isn’t a film that will change the world, but it is a well told story whose heart Is in the right place. Even if the story is a little unbelievable what makes it work is Jim Broadbent’s very believable central performance. While it’s a little long and predictable, it is still a watchable good hearted film.

On Sky Cinema in the UK.

Zach Braff writes and directs this often dark look at loss, addiction and forgiveness. Florence Pugh is Allie a pharmaceutical rep, happy and engaged to Nathan (Chinaza Uche). However when driving with Nathan’s sister, Molly, and Husband a momentary mistake leads to the most tragic consequences, that sees the death of her passengers and rips apart the lives of Nathan, his Father Daniel (Morgan Freeman) and his granddaughter, Ryan (Celeste O’Connor). 12 months later we find Allie split from Nathan, living at home, addicted to painkillers and spiralling downwards. When she seeks help with a support group, she finds Daniel, struggling to control his own addictions which brings Allie back in contact with the family whose lives were ripped a part, especially Molly’s daughter. The films follows the struggles of all of them as they try to handle grief, addiction and find forgiveness.

Braff has delivered a well told and often moving story. It looks at how one incident tears apart lives in ways that are impossible to recover from and at best you can hope to live with. Exploring the different ways people cope and don’t.

While heartfelt it does occasionally drift into the melodramatic, especially in a party scene in its final third, which feels a little out of place. It is much better in its quiet moments, some intense, some moving and some humourous.

What really makes this film work though is Florence Pugh. She is, almost as expected, outstanding as Allie. She is compelling and demands your attention every moment she is onscreen. With a performance full of subtle intensity, heart and humour. She creates a character whose pain you feel and who you grow to care for. She is also well supported by both Morgan Freeman and Celeste O’Connor especially.

A Good Person is not perfect. It is a dark, heartfelt and occasionally light look at grief and addiction. But what elevates this above the average is a fabulous Florence Pugh performance. She is compelling and takes you along every difficult step with her to produce a more than watchable film.

On Apple TV+

Directed by Dexter Fletcher and starring Chris Evans and Ana de Armas is this romcom action adventure. Cole Turner (Evans) is a farmer helping out on his parents (Tate Donovan and Amy Sedaris) farm and market stall. Having just “mutually” ended a relationship, he finds himself swept up in a new one after a chance meeting with Sadie (De Armas). However when he doesn’t get a response to his texts his family suggest he’s been “ghosted”. So when he discovers she’s in London, he decides to make a big romantic gesture and fly there to surprise her. The surprise is on him when he discovers Sadie, rather than working in Art, is a CIA operative, landing Cole in the middle of an international arms deal, fronted by a former French intelligence officer Leveque (Adrien Brody). This leads to a chase for Cole and Sadie across the world trying to retrieve a dangerous weapon and keep Cole alive while doing it!

Ghosted is no more than passable fare. It starts off with a fun premise, a romcom that takes a turn into action adventure territory, but rather than working on playing with the genre it instead ends up a pretty nuts and bolts comedy action film.

It’s not terrible and Evans and Ana de Armas are always watchable. While their relationship doesn’t quite crackle, it is fun, with some nice exchanges, humour and some fun action set pieces.

The cast are all equally passable with Brody supporting the leads with his “Austin Powersesque” bad guy and a list of entertaining cameos, particularly in one five minute bounty hunter scene.

But that said, it is pretty predictable and rather forgettable and to be honest runs out of steam long before it reaches the end of its 116 minutes.

Ghosted is a predictable and slightly overlong action romcom, that doesn’t quite deliver on its entertaining premise. Evans and Ana de Armas ensure it’s never terrible, but it’s nothing special failing to get beyond felling like a disposable straight to streaming offering.