Nope

Jordan Peele’s weirdest and least accessible film yet, Nope is still utterly enthralling till its satisfying end.

Safety Not Guaranteed

Drenched in indie-arthouse mystique and withdrawal, Safety Not Guaranteed comes perilously close to collapsing in on itself on multiple occasions. Courtesy of some intriguing performances and a central premise that has just enough surprises, it ends up curiously satisfying.

The Tragedy of Macbeth

A faithful recreation of Shakespeare’s classic play, The Tragedy of Macbeth is an enjoyable (if inaccessible) lark championing the talents of Denzel Washington and Francis McDormand.

The House of Gucci

Far from a disaster of a movie. But also not half as enthralling as it seems to think it is. The House of Gucci is a film that needed its director, and its actors, to stop for a second and wonder: what are we actually fucking doing?

Donnie Darko

A deliberately strange film, it’s no surprise that Donnie Darko has become a certified cult classic. It features a knotty, occasionally nonsensical plot that demands multiple viewings, and a star-making performance from a young Jake Gyllenhaal. Films like this aren’t made anymore. Cinema is worse off for it.

The Matrix: Resurrections

It is supposedly possible to make a good Matrix sequel. BladeRunner 4020 managed a similar feat. But whereas that film was willing to let its ideas simmer a little more, Resurrections feels the pressure of its own moment. The original Matrix had a gritty, noir-ish, tense atmosphere tinged in a pale green that made it feel truly gripping. This film has none of that. Resurrections is a bit too afraid to be its own film and let itself breathe. In the process, it’s not much of a film at all.

James Bond: No Time To Die

No Time To Die is classic Bond in all the worst ways. So polished that you have to squint to even recognise what it once was. We’re left with a hollowed-out shell of an action film, and a star-studded cast without any substance. It’s faithful leading man, Daniel Craig, deserved a better send-off.

The French Dispatch

Wes Anderson’s ode to journalism is pure cinema. Each moment impeccably constructed and deliberately framed. It marks the highpoint of one of film’s greatest auteurs. Like Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, its creator simply asks you to do one thing – enjoy it.

Never Gonna Snow Again

A meditative film – Never Gonna Sleep Again has a difficult time hitting its marks, even if it generally remains engaging with its odd, sparse atmosphere and thought-provoking climate undertones.

The Card Counter

Paul Schrader, legendary writer/director, mines a topic he knows well in The Card Counter – that of the brooding, disaffected male loner. His muse this time – Oscar Isaac. Their minds meld in this slow-cooked thriller. But true to Schrader’s form, it cooks very slowly. It needs a kick of something.