Rating: 3.0★

Starsky & Hutch (2004)

Here's the thing about Starsky & Hutch: it was never going to be a surprise. The moment you clock that Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson are your leads, you already know exactly the film you're walking into. And look, I don't mean that as

Rating: 3.5★

Ben Fogle and the Buried City (2023)

There's a street in Plymouth, Montserrat, buried under metres of volcanic ash and debris, where you can still make out the rooftops of houses that were someone's home. That image stays with you long after the credits roll on Ben Fogle and the Buried City, and

Rating: 3.0★

Hardcore Henry (2015)

There's a certain kind of cinema that doesn't just ask you to suspend your disbelief. It grabs you by the collar and drags you headfirst into the chaos. Hardcore Henry is exactly that kind of film, and from the very first frame, it makes absolutely no

Rating: 2.5★

The Last Video Store (2023)

There's a version of watching The Last Video Store that works perfectly: it's late, you're on your own, you've got a soft drink and nothing else demanding your attention. Under those conditions, this 2023 Canadian comedy-horror from directors Tim Rutherford and

Rating: 2.0★

Anaconda (1997)

There's a version of Anaconda that works. A giant snake, a panicked crew trapped on a river boat in the Amazon, a scenery-chewing villain, and a cast you'd never expect to share a screen together. That's a recipe for a genuinely enjoyable B-

Rating: 1.0★

Dhanmalhi (1993)

Sometimes you watch a film not because you want to, but because it's the only one available. That's the uncomfortable truth sitting at the heart of my experience with Dhanmalhi. For most international viewers, this 1993 Maldivian production directed by Reeko Moosa Manik isn't

Rating: 4.0★

Monster (2023)

There's a moment, fairly early in Monster, where you're absolutely certain you know what kind of film you're watching. You know who the villain is. You know the shape of the injustice. You are, in short, wrong. And the pleasure of Hirokazu Kore-eda&

Rating: 4.0★

Yi Yi (2000)

There's a scene in Yi Yi where a man performs a simple card trick, and in the space of a few silent gestures, you feel the weight of everything he's never been able to say out loud. No dramatic music swell, no close-up designed to

Rating: 3.0★

Flow (2024)

The hype around Flow had been building for months by the time I finally sat down with it, and I'll be honest: I went in expecting something genuinely special. What I got was a decent, engaging animated film that left me a little cold, and mostly because critics

Rating: 3.0★

Trolls (2016)

Sometimes you put a film on for the kids and you end up genuinely enjoying it yourself. That's exactly what happened with Trolls. I wasn't expecting much beyond keeping the little ones occupied for ninety minutes, and instead I found myself tapping my foot and laughing

Rating: 4.5★

Mustang (2015)

There's a moment early in Mustang where five sisters play in the sea with their male classmates, laughing and splashing in the kind of uncomplicated, sun-drenched joy that feels utterly universal. By the time that same afternoon is used against them, recast as scandal and shame by

Rating: 2.0★

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)

There's a moment in Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives where a man sits at a dinner table making polite conversation with the ghost of his dead wife and the glowing-eyed spirit of his long-lost son, and everyone just... gets on with it. No