Film reviews

END OF OAK STREET

(12A) 99mins

★★★☆☆

SINCE the explosive success of Stranger Things, the style of Spielberg’s Eighties sci-fi films is trendy – and this film leans into that nostalgia.

You know — the American small town where kids play out on the street and strange goings-on happen while the parents are too busy to notice.

That is certainly the feel of this action-horror movie, which combines ET with Jurassic Park.

It follows the Platt family, who are living in American suburbia in the Eighties — a more innocent time when neighbours had street barbecues and teens spent hours on their Walkmans.

Dad Greg (Ewan McGregor) and mum Denise (Anne Hathaway) appear to be a perfect union, but behind closed doors they are discussing divorce.

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Their kids, Audrey (Maisy Stella) and Brian (Christian Convery) are concerned, but the foursome paper over the cracks by eating pizza and chatting about their naughty dog, Starbuck.

Soon though, their home life is thrown into disarray when a mysterious cosmic event rips through the neighbourhood and surrounds it with time before the Big Bang.

This brings tropical temperatures, terrifying water levels and lashings of really hungry dinosaurs that couldn’t care less if you own a gun.

The family have to stick together to work out how they can transport themselves out of this seemingly broken time machine — while avoiding being chomped on by a T-Rex.

There are a few jumpy moments early on and, like many “mysterious goings-on” films, it’s scarier when you don’t see the enemy.

But the build-up is intriguing and there are some nice, nostalgic Eighties moments thrown in for the millennials to enjoy.

Sadly, it’s a lacklustre performance from McGregor in a bad wig, who looks like he would rather become dino-feed than be in this film, as he has zero chemistry with the rest of the family.

While Hathaway is more watchable, she appears so distractingly young, she could swap roles with the actress playing her daughter.

Director David Robert Mitchell does a decent job showing his commitment to the genre and gives a few nods to Spielberg’s camera techniques for film geeks.

But, while perfectly entertaining, the story gets a ­little overcomplicated and the characters are not engaging enough for it to join the ranks of a truly great monster movie.

LADY

(15) 95mins

★★★★☆

KOOKY characters in film can quickly become tiresome, but not so in this bizarre and brilliant mockumentary about a flamboyant lady of the manor.

Lady Isabella (Fleabag’s Sian Clifford) rattles around with her housekeeper in the vast Ravenhyde Hall, until she becomes the subject of a documentary, allegedly for Netflix, calling herself “aristocracy’s answer to the Kardashians”.

Going at high octane all the time, she is in truth achingly lonely – one companion is a raven called Ricky.

This changes with the arrival of a camera crew led by director Sam (Laurie Kynaston), a trendy filmmaker.

But he is soon put in his place by the hilarious Isabella, who ignores his directions, calls “cut” regularly and even tries to seduce him with some milk when he is lactose intolerant.

The madcap satire soon turns into a study filled with em­pathy and intriguing, unconventional relationships.

Clifford gives a cracking performance, never pushing into caricature, and Kynaston is the perfect juxtaposition as the seemingly sane but hugely insecure director.

Surreal, sweet and seriously funny.

TONY

(15) 106mins

★★☆☆☆

IT’S not easy to make movies about real-life figures who have a cult following, which puts pressure on this story of how celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain became a culinary icon.

So instead of getting into the film about Bourdain becoming the great man the world knew, it’s more of a coming-of-age story that could be about anyone.

Tony (Dominic Sessa) has flunked school and travels to Provincetown, Massachusetts, to chase Nancy (Emilia Jones), a crush he barely knows.

Skint and with nowhere to live, he soon finds himself washing dishes in the ­restaurant of a local chef (Antonio Banderas) and sleeping in his hammock.

Working alongside him is drug-loving ladies’ man Sal (Leo Woodall), who regularly vomits in a bin on shift. Tony apparently becomes inspired.

Tony spends a really long time staring at things in a daze and not saying much.

When he does speak, it’s pretty infuriating.

With no real direction, this becomes more of a buddy movie than an insight into how the now sadly deceased great man became such a hit around the world.

LOVE ME TENDER

(15) 134mins

★★★★☆

BREAK-UPS can be horribly complicated, especially when there are children involved.

This emotionally intelligent, exquisitely acted film shows the depths of despair warring couples can go to over a custody battle.

We meet Clémence (Vicky Krieps), a former lawyer, who has separated from her husband, Laurent (Antoine Reinartz). The split is amicable, and they are raising their young son, Paul, who lives with his dad.

But unbeknown to her ex, Clémence, who has quit her job to write, is now exploring her sexuality and having relationships with multiple women.

An awkward evening drink with Laurent reveals how he is clearly still in love with Clémence, while she makes it clear her desires lie in women.

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This suddenly changes everything between the pair, with Laurent claiming Paul doesn’t want to see her during her next visit.

The scenes are not overplayed with emotion, but are slowly devastating as Clémence struggles with the sudden change in a family arrangement that was so comfortable before.

Soon, authorities are brought in, and horrific claims are made against Clémence’s character.

She is only able to see Paul at supervised visits in a soulless social service office.

All this unfolds in a slow exhale on screen rather than an explosion, with Clémence juggling heartbreak and frustration with various relationships, her ill father and her career.

Adapted from Constance Debré’s 2020 novel, director Anna Cazenave Cambet allows this distressing story to show the huge problems that parents’ egos can cause for their child’s future.

Krieps is sensational in the role, allowing her face to portray so many emotions and carrying huge emotional strain.

While Clémence is the focal point of the audience’s sympathy, she, too, can be self-absorbed and a little cruel to lovers.

This shows she is human rather than just a victim. The story never gets bogged down in courtroom battles, but rather lingers on little moments Clémence feels as her time with her precious son slips away.

Running over two hours, these are perhaps overused, and the pace is unapologetically slow in many scenes.

But with stand-out acting from Krieps, it makes this film feel voyeuristic, as it is so natural, and while in emotional agony, we all still just carry on.

HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE

(12A) 101mins

★★★★★

IN celebration of its tenth anniversary, this charming offbeat comedy is being re-released in cinemas for a new generation to enjoy.

And, the bonus, of course, it also brings the recently deceased and hugely talented Sam Neill back to the big screen.

Set in the sweeping countryside of New Zealand, it is the story of “Uncle Hec” (Neill), a grumpy foster father who is delivered a troublesome child, Ricky (Julian Dennison), by the welfare services.

The pair soon spark a full-on search when they set off on a bizarre outback adventure.

Dennison’s performance is both comedy and tragedy, going from an offensive teen obsessed with being “gangster” to an abandoned child looking for emotional security.

And Neill manages to step away from caricature to make Hec layered and empathetic.

But there’s a refreshing lack of cliché and sentimentality, too. The characters don’t simply transform into different people just because they have experienced getting lost in the wilderness together.

Directed by Taika Waititi, it’s still the best buddy movie since Up in 2009.

NIMRODS

(15) 116mins

★★☆☆☆

THIS overly complicated coming-of-age film is somewhat based on punk-pop band Green Day.

Yet, while it features the US rockers, is full of their songs and has a storyline that revolves around getting to their gig, it lacks the ­confidence to be about them entirely, which is a shame.

School dropout Tommy (Mason Thames) is a huge fan and receives a phone call from his pranking older brother, inviting his garage grunge band to open for Green Day.

So he and his pals hit the road in a stolen taxi with barely a penny to their name, believing they are going to perform at a huge gig, with no prior experience, record agent or links to anyone in the industry. Just one prank phone call.

Inspired by the real band’s early days touring in vans before the release of breakout album Dookie in 1994, this film takes place in modern times but could easily be set in the Nineties.

And it probably should have been. With the great soundtrack and nostalgic footage of the real band at the end, it leaves you craving a documentary on Billie Joe Armstrong and co.

In cinemas from Tuesday.

THE ODYSSEY

(15) 173mins

★★★★★

NO need for theme parks this summer, this is a film that will leave you feeling as though you have ­ridden the highest rollercoaster.

Sir Christopher Nolan’s epic is an all-action, mythical nightmare to behold.

It’s a monumental piece of work, which rarely even feels like a film — more a spectacle to be watched in awe and amazement.

The Ancient Greek poem of the same title, written thousands of years ago, has been retold countless times over the centuries. But never to this scale.

The story is of Odysseus (Matt Damon) and his quest to return to his homeland.

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He is the King of Ithaca and the mastermind behind the Trojan Horse trick that ended the war.

His long journey back to his kingdom is to reunite with his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and son, Telemachus (Tom Holland).

They have been waiting for his return for 20 years, and Penelope has many more than 100 suitors ready to take up residency in the royal palace.

They spend their evenings eating the food and drinking the wine of their hostess, while plotting what they will do when she marries them.

One is Antinous (Robert Pattinson), a snarly, devious man who can barely hide his contempt for the family but longs for their power.

Stories run alongside this one, showing Odysseus lost on the island of Ogygia, eating lotus flowers with only the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron) for company.

She tries to get his memories from him, and he retells the journey he took to get washed up there.

It includes battles, terrifying gods, curses, hauntings, a witch (Samantha Morton) who loves to feed her prey and Zendaya as Athena.

Each tale feels like a film in itself and alongside adrenalin-spiking action, there is a lot of heart.

The basis of the story is love, protection and the attempt to right wrongs.

Damon is spectacular in a role that must have pushed him to his limits physically. While being part of huge battle sequences, he is able to show a range of emotions on his face.

The standout performance has to be Pattinson, who as the hateful Antinous, ­manages to curl his lip to perfection.

Don’t let the nearly three-hour run time put you off.

Like any great ride, the moment it is over, you want it to start all over again.

A CLOSE SHAVE

(U) 30mins

★★★★★

IT’S been more than three decades since Nick Park made us all fall for a cheese-loving bachelor and his silent inventor dog.

And to mark the 50th anniversary of Aardman, the world-famous Bristol-based stop-motion and clay animation studios behind Wallace and Gromit, the films have been given national cinema release for a whole new generation to enjoy.

In this tale, from 1995, Wallace (Peter Sallis) and Gromit are running a high-tech window-cleaning service, which introduces them to wool shop owner Wendolene Ramsbottom (Anne Reid) and her evil-genius dog, Preston.

Thanks to his new canine enemy, Gromit is jailed for crimes he didn’t commit. With the help of his clumsy buddy – who is infatuated with Wendolene – he works to clear his name. Film fans will love the parody of prison movies, and there’s an impressive, climactic cheese scene.

Having won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film and introducing the character of Shaun the Sheep – who went on to have his own TV spin-off series – this really is a delight to watch again. Brilliantly funny, with enough jeopardy and action to keep you hooked.

HEARTSTOPPER FOREVER

(15) 114mins

★★☆☆☆

AFTER three series of the incredibly successful coming-of-age Netflix drama, the story of the much-loved schoolboy couple, Nick and Charlie, is coming to an end.

This feature-film finale shows Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke) are still very much in love.

In fact, they’re obsessively infatuated. At every party they stare at each other across the dance floor. They take selfies every few minutes and all their friends fawn over how they’re the best couple ever.

But Charlie is off to university soon and newly crowned head boy Nick has another year at school. So this throws their relationship into a very mediocre level of disarray.

They go back and forth over what they’re going to do, with high levels of self-inflicted angst and many moments that feel excruciatingly cringey.

Meanwhile, their tight-knit friendship group seem to chat exclusively about their own complicated sexualities.

Written by Alice Oseman and produced by Brett Thomas, the fondness for this couple feels like it can’t forgive the incredibly lame storyline that offers little to no jeopardy.

One for the superfans.

On Netflix.

TOY STORY 5

(PG) 102 minutes

★★★★☆

IT’S been over 30 years since Disney’s Pixar changed the way we all look at the contents of an old toy box forever, with the creation of 1995’s Toy Story.

And it might seem that after four films – and a pretty dire Buzz Lightyear spin-off in 2022 – that the story of toys might have been packed up and put in the loft forever.

But, no. There’s always room for another play.

And Woody, Buzz and their motley crew realise there’s a new enemy sucking the imagination out of their beloved children’s minds: technology.

This film focuses on rootin’-tootin’ Cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack), who is favoured by her owner, Bonnie.

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The kid loves nothing more than playing games where Jessie and Buzz Lightyear get hitched.

Sadly, the neighbourhood kids don’t want to join in with Bonnie. In fact, they laugh at her suggestions.

And when Jessie goes on a mission to persuade them otherwise, she watches as they all sit staring at devices, like little zombies.

“That’s not playing!” she exclaims. “They’re not even looking up.” In a misguided act of kindness, Bonnie’s parents buy her a Lilypad (Greta Lee) – a kid-friendly tablet that she can ‘connect’ with other children on.

And, as you can imagine, this does the opposite – making Bonnie addicted to the screen – while shunning her toys, losing her imagination and becoming gently cyber-bullied by the girls in her class.

So, it becomes Jessie and the crew’s job to get her away from the screen and the misery it brings. Which, as any parent will know, is a near impossible task.

There is also another story running alongside it involving a shipment of new Buzz Lightyears trying to find their way to a star.

Also, Woody has to be brought into the pack as he’s still living on the outside with the rebellious Bo Peep.

These multiple storylines make Toy Story 5 disjointed in places, and while plenty of fresh ideas are shown, it keeps repeating the idea of kids growing out of playing with toys.

The brilliant dynamic between the competitive pals Woody and Buzz is missed – as is Randy Newman’s superb theme tune You’ve Got a Friend in Me (this time Taylor Swift’s original song “I Knew It, I Knew You” is played at the credits).

And Jessie’s relentless energy becomes a little grating.

However, it’s great to see the gang back on the big screen – and it has enough entertainment, imagination and heart to make sure you won’t check your phone throughout.

Toy Story 5 is out on Friday.