Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale”
An emotional adaption of a problematic play with terrific performances and moments of greatness marred by tired tropes
Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala’s “Goodnight Mommy”
Effective though disturbing horror fairytale with echoes of Takashi Miike, Michael Haneke and Yorgos Lanthimos simmers slowly until boiling over in its final horrific act
William Brent Bell’s “Orphan: First Kill”
Surprisingly fun pulp prequel with a crackling script by David Coggeshall which has some surprises up its sleeve
Oliver Park’s “The Offering”
With standout performances from Paul Kaye and Allan Corduner, this is a decent horror that should have been great let down by an over-reliance on ineffective jump scares and bland cinematography
John Patton Ford’s “Emily the Criminal”
Social commentary through crime thriller is engaging and reminiscent of Vondie Curtis-Hall’s “Gridlock'd” with a terrific performance from Aubrey Plaza
Sam Raimi’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”
Fusion of some of the best of Raimi’s work from both his horror and superhero backlog, this won’t convince the uninitiated but will delight existing fans despite being under the shadow of “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Hirokazu Koreeda’s “Broker”
Beautiful and complex yet tender story of family and human connections that touches on hefty concepts while being extremely engaging dented slightly by its denouement
Joel Crawford’s “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”
Surprisingly mature story of mortality, family and ego supported by a powerhouse cast, electric visuals and good humour
Jerzy Skolimowski’s “EO”
Cinematic storytelling of the highest calibre offering a unique and compelling view on the world and humanity through the twisting fate of a donkey
Gerard Johnstone’s “M3GAN”
Competent but predictable satirical “horror” that never quite rises to the quality of the design and performance of the robot at its centre
Michael Pearce’s “Beast”
Jessie Buckley’s feature film debut is potent in this beautifully shot, challenging and twisting psychological thriller
Hannes Holm’s “A Man Called Ove”
Swedish comedy melodrama (recently given the remake treatment with Tom Hanks) is a sweet and weepy Capraesque fairytale that doesn’t always hit the mark but is carried by pitch perfect casting
Scott Mann’s “Fall”
Another film that would appropriately be called “Nope” delivers relentless, unforgiving vertigo inducing thrills in a survival thriller with heart
Roxanne Benjamin’s “There's Something Wrong with the Children”
Half-baked b-movie horror that fails to get started until the last third would have benefitted from stronger direction and a script that made better use of its first two acts
VIDEO: Martin McDonagh’s “Six Shooter”
With the acclaim for “The Banshees of Inisherin”, it’s incredible revisiting McDonagh’s award winning short and seeing how quickly he found his cinematic voice in what is a surprisingly complex piece that also features a great performance from Brendan Gleeson and his son Domhnall.
Park Chan-Wook’s “Decision to Leave”
Subtly but masterfully crafted visual storytelling in the same vein as Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” is a mystery of human emotion and motivation whose narrative burns a sinewy path from beginning to end
James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water”
If effects were gravy and story the meat, you would be drowning in a vat of gravy clinging for dear life to a salisbury steak
Michael Morris’ “To Leslie”
With a centrepiece performance by Andrea Riseborough which has garnered attention from Cate Blanchett, Kate Winslet and others, “To Leslie” charts the fragile path of addiction and the importance of empathy and forgiveness in a nuanced and frank narrative
Ali Abbasi’s “Holy Spider”
Thrilling, thoughtful and multilayered story based on true events as a female journalist tracks down a serial killer in a conservative Iranian city
Carla Simón’s “Summer 1993”
Telling a story of grief with a light touch and led by two amazing performances from its young actors, the film is one of the best depictions put to screen of the after effects of trauma and the healing process