Directed by Channing Tatum and Reid Carolin also written by Carolin and starring Tatum, is Dog. Tatum is Briggs a former US Ranger looking to get back on rotation after serious injury. When he is brought back together with his former company to remember his friend Rodriguez recently killed in a car crash, he takes the chance to push his case with his former Sargent. When he receives a call to come to the barracks he thinks persistence has paid off. However, it’s not the opportunity he expects as he’s presented with the job of taking Rodriguez’s Ranger hero dog, Lulu, on a road trip along the Pacific coast highway to his funeral. Lulu is as battle hardened and damaged a soldier as Briggs as they set off on a road trip that will change them both.

Presented with a synopsis about a damaged soldier and a damaged veteran dog on a road trip, you will imagine a certain type of road trip redemption story. Well imagine no more because Dog is that film. That’s not particularly a critisicm, it is just exactly the story you get. The Dog is the canine realisation of Briggs, all the trauma that Lulu has encountered and Briggs learns about are the things he doesn’t see in himself, but of course learns.

For all of its predictably that doesn’t stop it having a fair bit of charm, plenty of humour and some, if sometimes rather heavy handed, explorations of trauma and mental health. But what really makes it work is the ever watchable Tatum. A film almost made for his easy charm and comedic delivery and he has the perfect foil in his dog companion.

This is very much a vehicle for Tatum, there are a couple of cameo roles to enjoy Jane Adams and Kevin Nash as an isolated couple who live in the woods and Ethan Suplee as Noah the owner of Lulu’s dog sibling, in particular.

Dog won’t change anybody’s world, it’s a predictable road trip with a destination that of course visits self discovery and redemption on the way. But it’s not without charm and if what you want is Channing Tatum doing what he does best, with a dog for company, then this will work a treat.

Kenneth Branagh returns as Director and wearer of fabulous moustaches in his second outting as Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. Death on the Nile sees Poirot in Egypt and a guest at the wedding of Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer) and Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot). However proceedings are upset when Doyle’s former fiancée Jacqueline De Bellefort (Emma Mackey) aggreived at been dumped for her former friend interrupts proceedings. In order to escape her stalking the Doyle’s hire the Karnak a paddle steamer, which takes them and their wedding guests, the usual Christie style group full of secrets and motive, and of course Poirot, on a journey along the Nile. As they head off on this trip there is a murder and Poirot is called into action and of course all onboard are under suspicion.

I did want to enjoy this more as I do like Branagh as Poirot. But this second outting sadly is less than the sum of its parts. A well assembled cast, an Agatha Christie story and a sumptuous set. But sadly it seems to lack much of the fun and energy that was there to enjoy in Murder on the Orient Express.

Firstly it’s slow from the very beginning as we get a lot of Nile before we get to the death. We also suffer from one of the challenges that come with large ensemble casts of characters, we barely get to know any of them. And even for those not familiar with the story, the mystery is pretty well sign posted and you spend quite a lot of the film wating for it to reach its destination.

There are things to enjoy, Emma Mackey steals most of the scenes she was in, Sophie Okonedo and Annette Benning are reliable and watchable as is Branagh again as Poirot. And the final act does zip along and has the pace and intrigue lacking from the rest of the film. And it is big and bright and the humour when it does appear raises a smile.

Unfortunately though Death on the Nile does fall flat lacking the fun and energy of its predecessor. It moves too slowly and is all surface with little depth to engage you. Which is a pity, because Branagh as Poirot is enjoyable, but he needs to investigate why this doesn’t quite work.

Director Roland Emmerich dips his toes back into the world of sci-fi disaster movies with Moonfall. Astronauts Jo Fowler (Halle Berry) and Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson) are on a 2011 satellite repair mission when tragedy strikes. Harper is blamed for the incident which costs him his career. We find both 12 years later in very different places, Harper struggling, Fowler a senior NASA figure. The two are brought back together when conspiracy theorist and “mega structurisist” KC Houseman (John Bradley) discovers the moon is out of its orbit and is on a crash course with Earth. Together they form an unlikely group sent on a last ditch mission to the moon to solve the problem and save the planet.

Yep, disaster heading toward the earth, rag-tag group head off on last ditch attempt to save the world. Indeed it is that film. These kind of films can either be an enjoyable, if often silly action adventure or they can be Moonfall.

This is a dreadful nonsense to the extent that you start to wish the moon would just get on with it and end it for us all. It fails on many counts a terrible script at the heart of it, that at numerous times has you begging for them to stop talking. Did nobody think actors were going to have to say this out loud? And of course a ludricous plot, which is often par for the these kind of films, but Moonfall jumps the shark Evel Knievel style creating a conspiracy theorists wet dream.

It’s not all bad, although mostly it is, it does have some moments. Its final act has some entertaining action sequences and in John Bradley we at least get some redemption with a performance not completely handicapped by the script. But sadly for the rest of the cast, and there are fine actors in this, they cannot dig themselves out from the terrible nonsense they have to deal with.

Moonfall is terrible, with very few redeeming qualities and you will find yourself asking for it to stop on multiple occasions. Sometimes there is a place for dumb fun but sadly this is so dumb with very little fun that it will have you cheering for the moon long before the end!

Guillermo del Toro writes and directs his first film since the Oscar winning, The Shape Of Water, with this dark twisting adaptation of William Lindsey Gresham’s novel. Bradley Cooper is Stanton Carlisle, who we meet setting fire to a house, he then moves on coming across a travelling carnival, a show full of Human curiousities, non more so than Clem Hoatley’s (Willem Dafoe) “geek” show. Carlisle is a grifter an ambitious conman who falls for Rooney Mara’s electric girl, Molly. He sees her as his future with their own act. We find them two years later, with their successful act delivering them a lifestyle and money. However, when they come across Dr. Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett) their lives change with new opportunities, but opportunities at a high cost

This is a wonderfully dark journey an intriguing winding story that twists and turns from start to finish. As you expect Del Toro builds an engrossing world, full of complex characters. Set in the 1940’s we get the full noir feel of the period. Dark corners, half lit faces and art deco buildings.

Cooper does the heavy lifting and his natural charm helps him carry off a likeable version of an unlikeable character, as he negotiates Carlisle’s falls and rises. But it is the supporting ensemble who add so much, Mara and Defoe, Toni Collette, David Strathairn and Richard Jenkins’s Ezra Grindle. But it is Blanchett’s femme fatale doctor who shines the most.

At 2hr30 the film has to engage and it did. I found it completely absorbing and while it twists and turns those turns are signposted, with Del Toro shunning cheap tricks and “out of nowhere” surprises.

I doubt it will be for everyone, but it was for me. I loved the world that the film inhabited and the intriguing nature of the story and the journey it goes on. It’s absorbing and dark, visceral at times all of which had me hooked from start to finish.

A deliciously dark, intriguing tale, that keeps you absorbed from start to finish. If you want dark and intriguing then this is the alley to head down.

Fran Kranz delivers an excellent writing and directorial debut in this powerful story of tragedy. Set six years after a high school shooting parents of one of the victims, Evan, Jay (Jason Isaacs) and Gail (Martha Plimpton) take the opportunity to meet Linda (Anne Dowd) and Richard (Reed Burney) parents of the perpetrator, Hayden. The aim, to find a a way through the unimaginable tragedy and its impact on their lives.

Filmed in fourteen days on a small budget, this is a remarkable film. While there is some early literal scene setting, the story takes place in a single room in the back of a church. A sparse and quiet space that is the perfect canvas for an experienced and talented cast to deliver their engrossing performances.

What they do brilliantly is capture the raw emotion of their impossible situation. And it never shys away of telling both sides of the story, the hurt of Jay and Gail is matched by that of Linda and Richard who want to mourn a son, while dealing with the reality he’s a killer. Throughout each tries to keep their anger and anguish inside, but neither can bury their emotions deep enough.

This is not a joy ride, there are no cinematic tricks to bring the horrors the couples are dealing with to the screen. The single room for the majority of the film is used very effectively, as the claustrophobic feeling it creates ramps the tension and anguish, as you relive the tragic events through those who remain.

Its subject matter makes this an intense watch. The four central performances are fantastic, engaging, delivering beautifully controlled emotion that leaves you on edge right to the emotional gut punches that bring some closure.

While it does perhaps run a little long, it does not detract from what is a throughly absorbing story, well directed and outstandingly performed.

In a world full of blockbusters it’s wonderful to see cinema like this. Shot on a budget, with a simple premise, but full of emotional dept. Delivered in a performance masterclass from its cast, that engages completely. Available at cinemas and to stream it deserves to be seen.

Written and directed by Kenneth Branagh is this semi autobiographical story set in his Belfast childhood. Buddy (Jude Hill) is a 9 year old, whose life is changed when a group storm down his street, attacking the homes of his Catholic neighbours at what is the beginning of the “troubles”. But this is just a backdrop to the story we follow and care about, Buddy’s life. How he sees his Ma (Caitriona Balfe) and Pa (Jamie Dornan) deal with Pa’s need to work away from home, financial worries and concerns for him and his brother (Lewis McKaskie) growing up in an unstable and dangerous Belfast.

Belfast is a brilliant piece of storytelling, it may well drift into rose tinted territory occasionally, but that’s a minor quibble over what is a fabulous film.

Its real strength is the juxtaposition of the seeming smallness of Buddy’s story against the scale of the troubles. It mostly uses the troubles as background noise, just another part of life among the things that are important to him. Growing up, his crush on a girl, his Granny (Judi Dench) and Pops (Ciaran Hinds), his family and friends.

The films charm lives in those details, its humanity and humour, set against the violence and the distrust embodied by Colin Morgan’s Billy Clanton. It’s how personal stories that are small in the bigger picture are so significant in the context of a family, something we can all relate too.

Beautifully shot in black and white, with occasional splashes of colour from those experiences that transport Buddy elsewhere, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a stage version of a Christmas Carol. A use of low angles show Buddy’s world and patient close ups add to the story telling.

The performances are as you’d expect in a Branagh film. But the star is 10 year old Jude Hill, bringing to life a cheeky kid, finding his way in a world that has changed overnight, but yet is still familiar, with a glorious charm.

Belfast is full of heart and humour. A seemingly small story that completely engages and commanfs your attention. Delivered by a cast who understand the power of understated performance. A brilliant film that’s warm and an absolute pleasure to share.

Director Sara Sugarman brings to the screen this, based on a true story, film about the attempts to save a local community theatre in Carmarthen, Wales, with the help of Jurassic Park. Samantha Morton plays Liz Evans a local hairdresser, which also uses the local theatre to host her youth choir. When the council led by the Mayor (Adeel Akhtar) decide to back a property developers plans to demolish the theatre, Liz is driven to action to save the theatre. Supported by retired teacher Mr. Morgan (Jonathan Pryce), Mayoral assistant, Susan (Erin Richards) and local postman Richard (Tom Felton) who use the theatres cinematic history to drive a new audience that to it. Topped by trying to secure a showing of Jurassic Park to coincide with its London premiere.

The ironic thing about Save the Cinema is how un-cinematic it is alongside the fact that it is only likely to be seen on streaming services. It feels like a made for TV drama and oddly for something based on actual events seems to have story holes in it big enough to drive one of Spielberg’s dinosaurs through.

Alongside the storyline is a range of paper thin characters, non more so than what Akhtar is given to work with, with the Mayor, only missing a moustache to twirl.

Critisicms aside it’s not a terrible, there is a certain charm to it and in the second half there is a lovely message about the importance of theatres to a local community. As well as a beautifully done scene where the community come together to watch a showing of “How Green is my Valley”.

The main performances are all fine, Morton doing most of the work, but she and the supporting cast do the best they can with a shaky script.

Save the Cinema is unremarkable and un-cinematic. But it is also inoffensive and not without some charm. Perhaps most importantly it does remind you of the importance of the communal experience that is cinema and a film that does that has something going for it. If it’s a wet weekend afternoon and there’s nothing else to watch well there is.

Paul Thomas Anderson writes and directs his first film since 2017’s Phantom Thread. Set in the San Fernando Valley in 1973 we have a kind of coming of age tale. Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) a confident 15 year old, a TV actor and entrepreneur with a PR company under his belt and always looking for the next opportunity. Alana (Alana Haim) is in her mid 20’s and drifting, unsure of what she wants. They meet in the queue for Gary’s high school year book photographs and Gary talks Alana into a “date”. From there we follow their journey of growing up, starting to understand who they are, what they want and what they want from each other. All via a set of quirky stories including water beds, pinball machines, mayoral elections and runaway trucks.

I’m a real fan of films about life and its ebbs and flows they are often the most satisfying. And Anderson brings lots of ebbs and flows to the screen in what is a lovely watch.

It is quirky and, for the most part, a warm and charming story. Built around two stella first time performances from Hoffman and Haim. They are not your usual stars of a coming of age story, but it is their unique quality, quirky nature, warmth and engaging presence that makes their awkward coming of age slash love story work so well. It is built around their story, together and apart. The supporting cast is great with (the award nominated cameo) Bradley Cooper, Sean Penn, Tom Waits and a well hidden John C. Reilly. But it is when Gary and Alana are together the films shines most.

Its look and soundtrack, as well as slices of nostalgia from oil blockades to water beds and pinball. All helps capture a wonderful feel of 70’s California.

It isn’t perfect, it runs a little long, driven mainly by occasional detours to stories that didn’t quite work for me. But overall it is full of charm and heart.

Licorice Pizza is a charming story and a joyous watch as you spend time exploring life with its two wonderfully engaging central characters. It’s not a big story with a winding narrative, it’s just life. A gorgeous slice of Licorice Pizza life at that.