Olivia Newman directs this screen adaptation of Delia Owen’s bestseller. Kya is a young girl who has spent her life in the North Carolina marshes. We first see her as a youngster (JoJo Regina) surrounded by her family, but an abusive father (Garret Dillahunt) tears the family apart, eventually leaving her abandoned. She is smart and resourceful and thanks to help from local store owners, more than survives. The older Kya (Daisy Edgar Jones) is befriended and falls for Tate (Taylor John Smith) who teaches her to read, write and develop an understanding of the biology around her. When Tate leaves she is pursued by Chase (Harris Dickinson). But when he is found dead Kya is charged and stands trial. Her lawyer (David Strathairn) must defend her from not only the accusation of murder but 20 years of rumour and hearsay about “The Marsh Girl”.

I’ve not read the novel so don’t have that reference but Where the Crawdads Sing is a disappointingly flat film.

The story is one we’ve seen before, the misunderstood outsider who a distrustful community find an opportunity to justify their treatment of them. There are some interesting undertones, abuse, abandonment, racism and misogyny which are all skipped over to focus on a rather laboured love story, which stops the more interesting film breaking free.

It is not terrible just bland, but it is lifted by an exceptional central performance from Daisy Edgar Jones. She is wonderfully believable as the strong, smart outsider, vulnerable but brave and fearless and very engaging. She is well supported, David Strathairn as good as always, JoJo Regina is also impressive as the young Kya. Smith and Dickinson are solid, although they are more limited by their paper thin characters.

Where the Crawdads Sing should be better. All the elements are there for an interesting story that explores some dark subjects. However, it plays it safe skirting around the tough topics to give us rather flat film. Daisy Edgar Jones is fabulous throughout, but deserved a better film around her.

Baz Luhrmann writes and directs what is, surprisingly, the first big screen biopic of the life of Elvis Presley. Austin Butler is given the task of bringing Elvis to the screen as we see his life told through the eyes of his long time manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). We meet Parker first as a showmen with a traveling carnival and his discovery of a young Presley. It then explores Parker’s influence on Presley’s life and career. Elvis’s career peaks and troughs and how decisions were made by those whose livelihoods depended on his continued performances rather for his own benefit. Through to his untimely death at 42.

The story is told through something similar to a 160 minute montage connected by Parker’s recollections. Luhrmann excels at telling stories in this way and what seems all shiny surface is consistently injected with heart and emotion.

Telling the story through Parker’s eyes helps the montage style flow as we flit between the moments that he felt were key in Elvis’s life. Hank’s likeable screen presence is also important as it helps making Parker, who could easily be a comic book villain, be someone more nuanced. Someone who is believable in his claims he did things for Elvis’s good rather than his own.

Alongside Hank’s is an excellent performance from Butler who while not looking like Presley, brings his presence to the screen and draws you into this crazy world. From cleverly teased first appearance, through the sad journey to his inevitable end.

Alongside Hank’s and Butler are good performances from those close to Presley Olivia DeJonge (Priscilla Presley), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (B.B King) and Richard Roxburgh and Helen Thomson as his parents.

Luhrmann’s telling of this story seems like it’s all surface but what it did for me was introduce me to things I didn’t know, his career lows, how the times he lived in impacted him and how he was sadly used by those closest. Built on a great performance by Butler it is an intriguing delve into the life of “The King”.

Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson star in director Patrick Hughes’s fish out of water action comedy. Hart is Teddy, a frustrated salesman, trying to find his route to fame and fortune via several failed attempts to find the next fitness “big thing”. When he tries to do the right thing with a romantic birthday trip for his wife (Jasmine Matthews) he accidentally stumbles into the life of Harrelson’s Man from Toronto. He quickly finds himself mixed up with the FBI and a major terrorist plot. When Teddy finally meets Toronto, Toronto realises he needs him to complete his job so Teddy finds himself out of his depth but with no choice but to hang on!

This is a very nuts and bolts “fish out of water comedy” which spends its 110 minutes ticking the checklist of things you’d expect. Teddy the frustrated dreamer, wants to do better, but his own doubts sabotage the things he’s trying to achieve. Toronto does bad things for a living, but wants out and this one last job is his chance. Both stand up to the challenge of their situation and become better for knowing each other.

It’s not a terrible film, Hart does the thing he does and Harrelson is always watchable. It’s just very predictable. In fact If you’ve seen Hart in Central Intelligence with Dwayne Johnson, then you have already seen this film, just a much better version of it.

While it zips along and there is some entertaining action sequences and some funny lines, none of it is quite good enough. Not entertaining enough or funny enough and about half way through I thought I’d be better off watching Central Intelligence again!

The Man from Toronto, is not a terrible film, just a very average one. Hugely formulaic, reminding you of much better versions of the same thing, including much better versions with Kevin Hart in them. It’s on Netflix and it will pass an evening, but to be honest watch Central Intelligence instead.

Taika Waititi, after the success of Thor: Ragnarok, is back to direct this latest standalone Thor adventure. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) feels a little lost in life. Cut off from love after his painful breakup with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), he lives simply, contemplating what his purpose is and travelling the universe to help wherever God like help is needed. This changes when he finds out that God’s are being hunted and killed by Gorr (Christian Bale) and Asgard is next. When Gorr arrives in new Asgard, Thor realises he needs to put an end to it. Aided by Valkyrie (Tessa Thomson), Korg (Taika Waititi) and Jane, he heads off to build an army and bring Gorr’s reign to an end.

Of all the MCU characters, Thor is amongst the most fun, especially in the hands of Waititi. That is the case here, in this whirlwind of fun, laughs, silly action, colour all witt a great soundtrack. While not quite up to the standard of Ragnarok, there is a lot to enjoy with Love and Thunder.

It is at its best when it is at its most crazy, when it’s fast paced with rapid fire gags, all helped by Hemsworth wonderful comedic delivery of a God who doesn’t still quite get mere mortals. The cast around him are equally good and there is a fair number of cameos to keep you on your toes.

The film works brilliantly for 2/3rds but it can’t quite stick the pace, with a final act that feels a little laboured. There is also the waste of Bale’s Gorr, with his God Killer story only really a plot device to get us from one end of the film to the other. You’d assume however, that Waititi didn’t want to explore the darkness of Gorr’s revenge mission and preferred to stick with, what is basically, a Marvel romcom.

Love and Thunder doesn’t reach the heights of Ragnarok but it is 2/3rds a fantastic romp and even if it does tail off at the end, there is enough fun and humour all with a great soundtrack, to keep you entertained.

Angus MacLane directs this latest addition to the Toy Story catalogue. The film opens explaining how in 1995 Andy bought a Buzz Lightyear action figure (he’s not a toy!) based on a character from his favourite film and Lightyear is that film. We find Buzz and his crew in hibernation as they travel home. Buzz is awoken as the ship finds life on an uncharted planet. However Buzz (voiced this time by Chris Evans) and his fellow Space Ranger, Alisa Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba) realise the planet is less than friendly. While escaping Buzz overcomits the take off and damages the craft stranding everyone. After a year of effort they recreate the fuel crystal needed to get them home, but when the tests don’t go to plan, Buzz finds himself in a different time and place and with a bunch of brand new problems.

So did Toy Story need a Buzz Lightyear action figure orgin story? Of course not. Does it add anything to the Pixar classics? Definitely not. So is it worth it?

Well, what you get with Lightyear is a solid but definitely not spectacular Pixar animation. Which is reality means it’s decent enough, but in a world where Disney+ has been the home of recent (and better) Pixar films, it’s odd they chose this for the cinema.

It’s fine, looks brilliant, as you’d expect and the voice cast all deliver. Evans does a fine Buzz and the supporting cast of Keke Palmer (Izzy), Taika Waititi (Mo) Dale Soules (Darby) and scene stealer Peter Sohn (Sox) are all solid. The story is ok and moves along nicely for its 100 minute run time, with decent action sequences and humour throughout.

What it really lacks though is the thing great Pixar films have, a real emotional core, a heart that drags you right in. While its along way from terrible such a beloved character deserves something with heart and more than passable entertainment.

We didn’t really need a Buzz “origin” story and Lightyear proves that. It lacks the heart of Toy Story and is nowhere near Pixar’s best. That said it’s passable entertainment which I enjoyed while it lasted, but already the memory of it has drifted into infinity and maybe beyond.

Directed by Jeremiah Zagar, written by Will Fetters and Taylor Materne is this nuts and bolts sorts movie. Adam Sandler is Stanley Sugerman a scout for the Philadelphia 76ers, who is great at his job, but wants more, a place on the coaching team. When club owner Rex Merrick (Robert Duvall) gives him the chance he’s ecstatic. However when Merrick suddenly passes away and is replaced by his egotistical son Vince (Ben Foster), Stanley quickly finds himself back in the road. When he finds himself on a wasted trip to Spain, he wanders of to a local basketball court he finds a unique talent, Bo Cruz ( Juancho Hernangomez) hustling on the courts. Stanley is desperate to get him to the US and find this generational talent a place in the NBA. But he has a lot to overcome, including his old boss and Bo’s attitude and lack of belief, can he be built into a basketball star?

If the plot sounds familiar, you’d be right, this is almost every other underdog sports film you’ve ever seen. Sandler’s Sugerman is full of doubt and has his own history to deal with. Cruz, has a past and his own concerns about his ability and doubts he’ll make it. But the two together help each other grow. If you sat down at the start and plotted this out, you’d pretty much ball it. Think the later Rockys and swap boxing for basketball, heck it’s even set in Philadelphia!

Not that this makes it a bad film, it’s got a good heart and in Sugerman and Cruz two characters to pull for and Vince a bad guy who deserves his comeuppance. Queen Latifah is solid as ever as Sugermans wife as is Anthony Edwards as Cruz’s on court nemesis, Kermit Wilts. The non acting cast are also more than passable.

The two main performers are what make this work with a good on screen chemistry. Sandler’s character feels like one he’s played for laughs, but he delivers it well with the comedy removed and Hernangomez is likeable and vulnerable.

Hustle hits all the sports movie beats you expect. But with Sandler and Hernangomez’s likeable screen presence you are invested and want them to succeed. While it won’t change your world, it’s an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours.

Colin Trevorrow directs the latest installment in the behemoth franchise that is Jurassic Park.

We find a world where dinosaurs now live amongst us, but all is not well as man and nature struggle to adapt. This is made worse when a plague of giant locusts start to devour crops around the United States. Drafted in to examine the “plague” is Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) she realises she needs help and hunts down her old Jurassic Park adventurer Alan Grant (Sam Neill). Meanwhile we find Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon) still living alongside Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Owen (Chris Pratt) who are protecting her from anyone who wants to do her harm. However, when Maisie is kidnapped alongside a baby raptor, Claire and Owen set off in pursuit. Meanwhile Ellie and Alan have discovered a genetics company maybe behind the locust plague and need access to their facility in Italy to prove it. Luckily they have help on the inside by way of Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum). So, off everyone sets on a jet setting adventure to save Maisie and the world.

Yes Dominions plot is as silly as it sounds, it’s a bit like Jurassic Park meets James Bond with a sprawling chase across the globe. Which includes bad guys and a world domination fixated organisation head in his secret lair. Oh and of course we have dinosaurs, old favourites as well as bigger and badder newcomers.

But for all of its big, brash, loud action, and incoherent plot. I really enjoyed it. Yes it’s silly and makes no sense, but I didn’t mind. It was like someone had decided if this was a closing chapter to the story, they’d take everything they could think of and throw it on the screen. To be honest I enjoyed its madness and commitment to it!

Jurassic World Dominion is some kind of dinosaur, James Bond cross. It throws anything it can think of on screen and adds dinosaurs to it. Yes it’s a mess and too long. But you’ll either go with it or you won’t. I did and had a good time doing it

Alex Garland writes and directs this British “folk horror”. Jesse Buckley is Harper, who heads off to a countryside rental property to give herself the time to get over a failed abusive marriage (husband played by Paapa Essiedu) which ended in the most traumatic way. She is met by the landlord Geoffrey (Rory Kinnear) who gives her the tour and instructions to the village. As Harper explores she realises it is not as quaint and friendly as she thought. Firstly she is pursued by a naked man through the woods, meets an unpleasant schoolboy, a judgemental vicar, a partially helpful policeman and then less than friendly locals in the pub (all played by Kinnear). Quickly it moves from creepy to increasingly threatening and dangerous for Harper.

This will not appeal to everyone and those that don’t like it really won’t like it. But that’s not me. I found this an intriguing take on abusive relationships, objectification of women and trauma, all wrapped in a folk horror that more than borrows from the David’s Cronenberg and Lynch.

The story is carried by two fabulous performances, Buckley takes us with her into this odd world, we feel her anxiety and fear but also the hurt and confusion she still feels over her relationship with her husband. Then there is Kinnear, who plays pretty much everyone else, from naked stalker to creepy schoolboy and does it brilliantly, injecting life and personality into each to the point you forget it’s him.

Where this will divide is its final act. It is a final act that goes all in on its horror and when I say all in, I mean all in, as It gets ever more fantastical and body horrific.

The choice of one actor playing all the male roles raises questions about what that means and while this will divide, films that make people think should always be welcome.

Men really won’t be for some. But it is ambitious and while not always succeeding it is different and refreshing. The two central performances are fantastic and while the third act will lose some. I found it smart, odd and intriguing.