Director: Jon M. Chu

In the second part of the screen adaptation of Wicked, we return to Oz. Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is now the personification of evil, but all she wants is an Oz for everyone, and to reveal the Wizard as a fraud. Oz’s main weapon is Glinda (Ariana Grande) the definition of Good, there to give people hope and bring down the threat of the wicked witch. But when a new threat arrives in Oz, in the shape of a girl from Kansas and her dog, the threat to Elphaba grows, as does Glinda’s conflict between her role in Oz and the desire to protect her friend. Can they save Oz and each other?

The question for part two was could it live up to the wonderful first part. While it’s enjoyable it doesn’t come close, lacking much of the depth and weight the first.

Lots does work, nothing more than its two stars. In Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande which is crucial in this part of the story, which is very much about their relationship. Both continue to take us on their characters journeys as they deal with relationships, love and loss. They both remain hugely engaging, especially on screen together.

But, while the first film took time with some complex and dark topics delivering a film of depth, this feels much more flimsy. It occasionally delves more deeply, but never quite takes its time for stories to develop. Which also means many characters are sidelined here, we see very little of Jeff Goldblum’s, Wizard, Michelle Yeoh’s, Madame Morrible, Jonathan Bailey’s, Fiyero or Marissa Bode as Nessarose. 

The big musical numbers remain and the world of Oz looks great as we see its links to The Wizard of Oz. But it all lacks the magic of the first.

Wicked: For Good had a tough act to follow and doesn’t quite hit the mark. It has lots going for it especially in its two leads who continue to be hugely engaging. But It does lack the depth and a little of the magic of the first film. While it doesn’t live up to part one. It still has enough going for it to be an enjoyable way to finish off the Wicked tale.

Director: Edgar Wright

Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is out of work and blacklisted. With a sick daughter, and Richards wife(Emilia Jones) working long hours in a club, he’s also desperate. Opportunity is limited, but one out, is the endless stream of violent TV game shows. The most violent of these is The Running Man. A show where competitors must survive 30 days on the streets evading the shows viewers and being captured and killed by the show’s Hunters. But survival on means a life changing sum of money. So when Richards finds himself on the show, it not only starts a battle to survive and get back to his family, but gives him a chance to change the world.

I’ve not read the King story nor  remember the Schwarzenegger film, so I went into Edgar Wright’s adaptation with a clean slate. Which while enjoyable in parts, it wasn’t wholly successful.

What works? The action scenes are fast and thrilling, with plenty of nail biting moments. Wright’s famous needle drops are there for all to hear, with a great soundtrack.

Colman Domingo steals the show with his brash TV presenter. Josh Brolin brings plenty of bad guy as the Network President. There’s also a fun Micheal Cera cameo as part of a rebel network looking to help Richards survive.

But it doesn’t all work as well. The film’s premise is good and has things to say on poverty, media influence and how reality TV creates stars and victims in equal measure. But its main issue for me was it never really earns the investment it wants you to make in the story, best summed up in its final act.

But perhaps Powell is its biggest issue. He’s not terrible, But I struggled to believe him as a desperate man. He’s almost too clean and charming and never really carries the weight of the role.

The Running Man gets some things right. Great action, a fabulous soundtrack and some fun performances. But it is also flawed, especially in a story, that never really earns the investments it’s asking you to make, making it feel a little “so what” when asking its big questions. Fun enough, but could have delivered much more.

Director:Dan Trachtenberg

Dek(Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) is a young Predator desperate to be accepted into his clan. But Dek is a runt, not seen as worthy. To prove himself, he heads to the planet Genna, to kill the deadly Kalist and return with its head as his trophy. The Kalist is not the only threat to Dek on the planet, it seems every inch of it is deadly and wants to kill him. But he finds unlikely help in the shape of Thia (Elle Fanning), a damaged Weyland-Yutani synthetic, familiar with the planet, its risks and the home of the Kalist. Together they set off across the deadly planet to capture the Kalist. But Dek is not the only one wanting to capture it, leading to a deadly battle leaving the runt Predator fighting to survive.

Badlands takes the same approach as its successful predecessor, Prey, and is equally successful, delivering an entertaining and fun science fiction adventure.

As with Prey, Badlands plays a little younger than the original Predator films. But this isn’t to its detriment, as Badlands serves up a Predator coming of age film, about discovering who you are, the world around you, why friendship and family are important and how you can surpass the expectations of others, all told from the perspective of one of the universes great killing machines!

It’s full of action and its 107 minute running time zips along with a script that brings plenty of light moments.

Schuster-Koloamatangi brings lots of personality to the role of the Predator and Elle Fanning does a lot of heavy lifting, not only as the only character speaking a human language, she also plays more than one role. Together they are an enjoyable pairing.

Predator: Badlands follows on from the excellent Prey, with another original take on the Predator story. It is a fun, fast moving sci-fi adventure, full of entertaining action set pieces and a light script that keeps the story flying along. As with Prey, it plays younger than the original Predator’s, but in no way to its detriment. There’s plenty for sci-fi fans to enjoy.

Director:Nicholas Hytner

It’s 1916, the First World War is raging, but in the small town of Ramsden, there are other concerns. The local Choral society finds itself without a choirmaster, but luckily for them Dr. Henry Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes), is close by. Guthrie is a leading conductor, but he has been working in Germany! But now back in England, the society invite him to come and help them put on their latest performance. Guthrie finds an eager society, who are light on numbers and in some cases talent, can he get them in shape against the clock and against a back drop of the concerns of war?

I found The Choral a strangely emotionally inert film. It’s not terrible and is a pleasant and inoffensive, but I found it really lacking in any kind of emotional depth or engagement. Which is a bit odd considering the setting and the opportunities that presents. Wives, mothers and girlfriends with men in their lives away at the front. Young men waiting to be called up and older men with links to the front, all with stories to explore.

The story possibilities is perhaps the problem because the story we get never delves into any of them and instead flips and flops between characters and moments, never really scratching the surface.

The cast is fine, alongside Fiennes, Roger Allam, Alun Armstrong and Mark Addy are dependable as ever. But it’s Amara Okereke and Emily Fairn as Salvation Army singer Mary and Bella, respectively, who steal the show and provide the film with the heart it has.

As a film made by the BBC, perhaps it would have been better served as a gentle Sunday evening 6-part drama where it could’ve explored its characters, because as a film it all felt a bit of a narrative mess and unengaging.

The Choral never quite grabs you. It may have been better served as a drama series where its story possibilities could be explored. But as a film it’s a bit of a mish mash that never really seems to get under the skin of any of its characters. While good hearted, lacks any kind of emotional core to latch on to. Inoffensive, but all a bit flat.

Director: Scott Cooper

Based on Warren Zanes book of the same name, it tells the story of Bruce Springsteen’s time writing the album Nebraska and the material that would become, Born in the USA. After a successful tour Springsteen’s (Jeremey Allen White) manager Jon Landau (Jeremy Strong) rents him a home near Springsteen’s home town. In doing so he connects again with memories of a difficult childhood and comes face to face with his own mental health issues, which produces some of his greatest tracks, but comes at a heavy personal toll.

There is plenty in Deliver Me from Nowhere that should make it a better film but sadly it falls a little short and didn’t fully work for me.

It’s a film that tries to tell a difficult story, exploring the beginnings of what would become a life long battle with depression for Springsteen. And it is here, with touching melancholic storytelling, the film is at its best. It explores his relationship with his father (Stephen Graham) and mother (Gaby Hoffmann). It also looks at his challenges with building relationships, shown through a friendship with hometown girl Faye (Odessa Young) and her young daughter. And how this impacts his work and his life.

What works less well is the studio recording and business side of the story that doesn’t sit comfortably alongside the look at his life. It’s not helped by a sometimes clumsy script as it ticks off some music biopic tropes. And the longer the film goes on, the more prevalent this becomes, undoing the good work of exploring his life.

Deliver Me from Nowhere didn’t fully work for me. It’s at its best exploring Springsteen’s life and its influence on his music, which is warm and melancholic. But it is let down by the clumsy telling of the business behind the making of Nebraska, which often makes it feel like two separate films stitched together, badly. This is a pity, as it lets down the solid performances, and touching storytelling, especially in its first half. It’s a film that’s not a complete miss, but not the hit it could have been.

Director: Joachim Rønning

ENCOM and Dillinger System, lead by their CEO’s Eve Kim (Greta Lee) and Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), are on the verge of a tech breakthrough, the ability to bring digitally created organisms to life in the real world. But both are missing a crucial piece, the “permanence code”. Eve tries to discover the secret in her sister’s work and that of their company founder Kevin Flynn, the builder of the original TRON grid. While Dillinger has a more nefarious plan, based on his soldiers from within the Grid, led by Ares (Jared Leto) and Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith), who he brings into the real world to hunt down Eve, get the code and allow Dillinger to change the world, and not for the better.

It’s fair to say, this is a film that has not been warmly received by critics, and the question of whether we needed more TRON is open to debate. But I had a good time with Ares.

It’s not earth shattering, and there is a serious question about how much of a TRON film it actually is, as it takes the whole premise of its predecessors and throws it away, bringing the world of TRON into the real world. But, reservations aside, it’s a solidly made couple of hours of entertainment. It looks great, has a swift moving, if rather predictable story and leaps rapidly between spectacular set pieces.

Greta Lee is at the heart of the best bits of the film. Jared Leto, brings some humour to the role of Ares as he tries to assimilate with humanity. Jodie Turner Smith is imposing as Athena. And there are decent turns from Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro and Gillian Anderson. As well as a banging Nine Inch Nails soundtrack.

TRON:Ares will not change the world, but it is a perfectly serviceable sci-fi adventure, even if it does seem to throw the premise of its predecessors in the bin. It doesn’t have too much to say, but it looks good, zips along between action set pieces and if you ever wanted to see Light-cycles in the real world, well here you go. Fun while it lasted, not sure we need any more!

Director: Kirk Jones

John Davidson (Scott Ellis Watson) is a teenager, polite, hard working with a life ahead of him. But life changes, as a series of tics and involuntary actions are the start of Tourette’s. We rejoin John (Robert Aramayo) 16 years later, when a chance meeting leads him to Dot (Maxine Peake), a psychiatric nurse, and a relationship that changes John’s life. With the help of a caretaking job, Dot and his new boss Tommy (Peter Mullan). John heads on a road through tough times into an advocate for education around Tourette’s and to support others with the condition.

I Swear is a fantastic piece of work, it’s a warm, thoughtful, often heartbreaking look at a poorly understood condition.

What the film does remarkably well, is it never makes John’s tics and swearing something comedic. The script and incredible performances by both Ellis Watson and Aramayo, provide a level of insight into the difficult world that John and others with Tourette’s have to deal with. Aramayo ,in particular, paints a graphic picture of an unbelievably tiring existence. Dealing day to day with something that makes it difficult to have relationships , find work, or function in a “normal” environment and it’s a gruelling watch. But it’s not a gruelling film, it’s a film of hope, opportunity and of a life to be lived, not suffered.

The performances are great, Maxine Peake, Peter Mullan and Shirley Henderson as John’s mother offer great support. But it is Ellis Scott and Aramayo who make this work, both present John’s struggles in a way that is compelling, endearing and heartbreaking.

I Swear is a film about an inspirational man. It has two incredible performances by actors portraying John at different ages. The performances take you into the heart of this condition that feels so exhausting and gruelling, but both are delivered with such heart you can only be engaged. I Swear is an outstanding piece of work about a little understood condition, Tourette’s, and deserves a big audience.

Director:Benny Safdie

Set between 1997-2000, The Smashing Machine, follows the life and career of Mark Kerr (Dwayne Johnson). Kerr is one of the early pioneers of MMA fighting and during this period we see his struggles in the ring, with his addictions and with his partner, Dawn Staples (Emily Blunt). Based on a 2002 documentary, The Smashing Machine gives an insight into the fledgling world of MMA and its early fighters.

Biographies can be tricky. Trying to cover a whole life risks skipping over important moments. Focussing on a specific time period risks lacking context. It is the latter problem The Smashing Machine has.

The lack of context left me feeling detached and struggling to understand the importance of Kerr’s part in the sport, what led him to where he found himself or the part many of the relationships, both professional and personal played.

On the plus side, Dwayne Johnson puts in an excellent performance as Kerr. Johnson shows him as a thoughtful, articulate and gentle character, who happens to be good at fighting. But he has demons facing both a toxic addiction and relationship. Emily Blunt is reliable as ever as Kerr’s girlfriend, swinging between loving partner and relationship nightmare. There is also impressive support from some real characters from the sport, with Ryan Bader playing Kerr’s long time friend and Bas Rutten playing himself, both delivering convincing performances. And all of them give an insight into the gruelling nature of their fledgling sport.

The film looks good too, with Safdie focusing on giving us glances into their lives, with cameras peering around corners, making it feel as though you are intruding on personal lives and moments.

The Smashing Machine is not a bad film, it has two excellent performances from Johnson and Emily Blunt and it looks great. However, it lacked context, making it hard to get to know the characters, understand their place in the sport, or invest in their struggles and success. While there are things to enjoy, it never really engaged me, leaving me feeling distant from it all.

Director: Kogonada

David (Colin Farrell) lives alone in New York. He’s happy alone, he travels and lives alone. But his life takes a turn after hiring a car from a mysterious car hire firm, to attend a wedding. Here he meets the intriguing Sarah (Margot Robbie) another single New Yorker. After a brief flirtation, they head off expecting not to see each other again. But David’s GPS has different ideas as it sends him on a big bold beautiful journey, a journey that takes him and Sarah on a road trip, punctuated by mysterious doorways that allow them the opportunity to reflect on their lives and the people they’ve become and want to be.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, is a romantic fantasy that has not been overly well received by critics. But in the main, I found it a charming, interesting look at life and how experiences shape us. But it is a film that struggles to keep the intrigue and the interest as it moves into its final act and loses its way a little.

There is plenty to enjoy, nothing more than its central performances, Farrell and Margot Robbie play off each other well and are both believable and deliver some wonderful scenes together. Kevin Kline and Phoebe Waller-Bridge bring an entertaining cameo as the staff at the mysterious car rental company. And some of the vignettes that are delivered as they pass through the doors into the major moments of their lives are touching and well judged, and the scene where they visit David’s high school is a joyous musical interlude.

Unfortunately though it doesn’t manage to sustain its charm, as it meanders its way to its conclusion, and even at under 2 hours it dragged towards the end.

A Big Beautiful Journey is a fantasy romance, that doesn’t quite hit it off. There are things to enjoy and for a good part, l found it charming and intriguing, with two enjoyable performances at its centre. But it did lose its way in the final act and felt it dragged a little to the end. A promising journey whose destination is a little disappointing.