Sorry for the bad taste pun but it was that or “end of the road”. Yes, Tom makes it to the end of his journey, literally. This is very spoilery about his past and how the ending plays out, so if you’re just after my review it’s here. Though initially we are led to believe… The Last Bus: the terminus approaches Read More
The Last Bus 2.5 stars
An elderly man takes his wife’s ashes from Scotland to Cornwall, by bus. Tom Harper, the old man at the centre of The Last Bus, is one of those people who says little while conveying a lot. Part-way through his long journey from John O’Groats to Land’s End he’s staying overnight in a scruffy hotel,… The Last Bus Read More
Nowhere Special – the ending
Spoilers, and hankies, a go-go. (My four-star review is here.) When I said in my review that there’s a “happy” ending, I meant as happy as it can be, which means the audience too achieving some acceptance of the inevitability of John’s death. But it is happy, because John can now die safe in the… Nowhere Special – the ending Read More
Nowhere Special 4 stars
A dying father seeks a new family for his young son. There are times when I want to have my heart broken at the movies and times when I most definitely don’t. I’m currently in a “definitely don’t” phase, and had been deliberately avoiding Nowhere Special, but the recent heatwave sent me to the local… Nowhere Special Read More
Finding The Way Back 3 stars
Jack Cunningham was an HS basketball phenom who walked away from the game, forfeiting his future. Years later, when he reluctantly accepts a coaching job at his alma mater, he may get one last shot at redemption. Like many redemption-via-sports movies, Finding The Way Back is less about looking outwards at the court, track or… Finding The Way Back Read More
Storm Boy 3 stars
When Michael Kingley, a retired businessman, sees images from his past that he can’t explain, he is forced to recall his childhood memories and how, as a boy, he rescued and raised an orphaned pelican, Mr Percival. Arriving just in time for our locked-down Easter holidays, this film about self-isolation, loneliness, and our enduring connections to… Storm Boy Read More
My Spy 2.5 stars
A CIA operative is given the job of surveilling a single mother and her young daughter Sophie in their apartment block – but the tween quickly works out what’s going on… JJ (Dave Bautista) may be ex-Forces with military commendations as long as his bicep circumference, but as a spy he’s on the ropes with… My Spy Read More
Military Wives 4 stars
A group of women set up a choir on a military base while their partners are on a tour of duty on Afghanistan. I cried so much during Military Wives – to put it in resolutely British terms, a light drizzle turned into a cloudburst and then a solid, steady downpour – I should probably… Military Wives Read More
Onward 5 stars
Elf brothers Ian and Barley, living in a world that has forgotten its magical past, go on a quest to find a rare magical gemstone that will allow them to complete a spell to return their dead father to them for 24 hours. Fantastic in both the current and the original sense, Onward is thrilling,… Onward Read More
Blow The Man Down 4 stars
Teenage sisters Mary Beth and Priscilla Connolly, who have recently lost their mother, attempt to cover up a gruesome run-in with a dangerous man. To conceal their crime, they must go deeper into Easter Cove’s underbelly and uncover the town matriarchs’ darkest secrets. In this clever, layered thriller, the three older ladies of Easter Cove… Blow The Man Down Read More
The Rhythm Section 3 stars
As a baby assassin, Stephanie Patrick (Blake Lively) is rough and not particularly ready, moving either too fast or too slowly. She’s three-quarters trained, and “B” (Jude Law) has done everything he can for her. That last 25%, when she finds out if she can actually put a bullet in someone’s head without pausing first,… The Rhythm Section Read More
Invasion Planet Earth 2 stars
It never rains but it pours as we like to say in weather-obsessed Britain, and that’s certainly true of Invasion Planet Earth. Not literally. This isn’t Geostorm. But our planet, already on the brink of a world war, is faced with an alien invasion. Simon Cox’s feature (he directed, produced and co-wrote the screenplay) has been… Invasion Planet Earth Read More