Vue Purley Way

• 2019
• UK / US / Germany
• 1h 48min
• 15

• Directed by: James Kent
• Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Keira Knightley, Jason Clarke

In post-WWII Hamburg, Rachael (Knightley) and her officer husband Lewis (Clarke) are living in a house with the German owner Stefan (Skarsgård) confined to the attic, and soon Rachael is drawn to Stefan. Rhidian Brook’s original novel may work, but on screen, the stiff upper lips and war-is-hell clichés are ridiculously shop-worn and clumsy.

• 61%
• 41%

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• 2018
• UK/USA
• 1h 31min
• 12A

• Directed by: Bryan Singer
• Cast: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, Allen Leech, Mike Myers

The Freddie Mercury story. Malek as Mercury does a great job, with a passionate and impressive performance, but despite the recreation of momentous performances it’s a disappointingly tame affair, with a by-the-numbers screenplay and a bland lack of insight into Mercury’s heritage or sexuality.

• 81%
• 49%

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• 2019
• US
• 12A

• Directed by: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
• Cast: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jude Law, Gemma Chan, Ben Mendelsohn, Robert Kazinsky

Danvers (Larson) is a fighter with the Kree Starforce who finds herself on Earth, and encountering Agent Nick Fury (Jackson). The storyline doesn’t give Larson a lot of time to establish a persona, but her charm, style and ass-kicking make her Marvel’s coolest customer and whatever it lacks in heart, it makes up for with sheer likeability.

• 71%
• 64%

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• 2019
• US
• 1h 36min
• PG

• Directed by: Charles Martin Smith
• Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard (voice), Jonah Hauer-King, Ashley Judd, Edward James Olmos

Bella (voiced by Howard) a pit bull mix, has plenty of adventures on her journey from New Mexico back to her own owner in Colorado. Simple, shamelessly manipulative fare for children of all ages, with a sunny disposition that reflects the heroine’s own genial outlook.

• 65%
• 50%

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• 2019
• South Africa / US
• 1h 40min
• 15

• Directed by: Adam Robitel
• Cast: Deborah Ann Woll, Taylor Russell, Logan Miller

A group of people find themselves solving a series of deadly puzzles in an escape room. The acting is convincing and the whole thing is pleasingly put together, but it’s also ridiculously silly, and you may find that if you can solve the puzzles sooner than the characters can, your patience may be tested.

• 64%
• 48%

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• 2018
• Ireland / UK / US
• 15

• Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos
• Cast: Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone, Nicholas Hoult

In the court of Queen Anne (Colman), power is wielded by Lady Sarah Marlborough (Weisz), but then Sarah’s young cousin Abigail (Stone) arrives. Brash, bawdy and beguiling, and a deceptively acute commentary on the nature of power, with career-best work from Weisz and Stone and a commanding performance from Colman as the ailing Queen.

• 77%
• 90%

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• 2019
• UK/US
• 1h 48min
• 12A

• Directed by: Stephen Merchant
• Cast: Florence Pugh, Lena Headey, Nick Frost, Jack Lowden, Vince Vaughn, Dwayne Johnson

Based on the true story of WWE champion Saraya-Jade Bevis, aka Paige (Pugh), following her journey from dismal Norwich via Florida boot camp to the stadium. Pugh and Lowden as her brother are good, but the innuendo is crude, the characterisation shallow and the attempt to depict Saraya’s rise as some kind of feminist revolution is unconvincing.

• 76%
• 68%

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• 2018
• UK

• Directed by: Chris Foggin
• Cast: Tuppence Middleton, James Purefoy, Daniel Mays, David Hayman

Danny (Mays) is a music industry talent handler who arrives in Cornwall on a stag night, and discovers the titular (real-life) folk singers and signs them. Mays is a watchable lead and generates rom-com chemistry with Middleton, the daughter of the group’s grouchy Jim (Purefoy). An undemanding yarn with nevertheless the power to do some cockle-warming.

• 72%

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• 2019
• US
• 2h 8min
• 15

• Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
• Cast: James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sarah Paulson, Samuel L. Jackson

Kevin (McAvoy) from Shyamalan’s Split and David (Willis) from his Unbreakable are incarcerated together with the second film’s Mr Glass (Jackson), in this closer to the trilogy. There’s plenty of suspense and fine acting from the three leads, but it would have been better if it had seemed less self-congratulatory. Flawed but entertaining.

• 70%
• 42%

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• 2018
• US
• 2h 10min

• Directed by: Peter Farrelly
• Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini

Don Shirley (Ali), virtuoso pianist, is chauffeured around the American South in 1962 by his Italian-American driver Tony (Mortensen), and much learning ensues. It’s beautifully made and very worthy, but far too gentle and broad to be effective; Tony, rather than Don, is the heart of the story and it lacks bite.

• 83%
• 69%

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• 2019
• US
• 1h 40min
• 15

• Directed by: Christopher Landon
• Cast: Jessica Rothe, Ruby Modine, Israel Broussard

Tree (Rothe) finds herself trapped in a time loop again, after her boyfriend’s roommate’s science project goes haywire. Slightly more grown-up than the 2017 original, this has some genuinely moving moments and it’s a lot of fun, and the few wobbles in tone and consistency don’t detract from an entertaining sequel.

• 65%
• 57%

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• UK
• 1h 3min
• U

• Directed by: Grant Orchard
• Cast: Jasmine Bartholomew, Alexander Armstrong, Poppy Boyes

Episodes of the animated CBeebies show.

• 89%

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• 2019
• US
• 1h 44min
• PG

• Directed by: Dean DeBlois
• Cast: Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Kit Harington, Justin Rupple, Kristen Wiig, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, F. Murray Abraham, Gerard Butler

Hiccup (voiced by Baruchel) is now a chief with growing responsibilities, while Toothless the dragon is in love; but then dragon hunter Grimmel (Abraham) is determined to spoil people’s fun. The franchise is running out of steam; there’s too much going on and the central bond is obscured.

• 79%
• 71%

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• 2019
• US
• 1h 58min
• 12A

• Directed by: Sean Anders
• Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Isabela Moner

Pete (Wahlberg) and Elie (Byrne) are a couple who decide to try fostering children, and they take in teenage Lizzy (Moner) and her siblings. A good vehicle for Wahlberg’s blue-collar charm, with humour that feels earned and details that have the smack of real experience. Manipulative but likable.

• 74%
• 57%

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• 2019
• UK
• 2h
• PG

• Directed by: Joe Cornish
• Cast: Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Dean Chaumoo, Tom Taylor, Rhianna Dorris, Angus Imrie, Patrick Stewart, Rebecca Ferguson

Alex (Serkis), escaping from school bullies, finds a sword sticking out of a cement post which he and mate Bedders (Chaumoo) decide is Excalibur. Entertaining, but with too many unanswered questions, and Ferguson as Morgana is wasted for most of the movie. Shame, because the kids are terrific.

• 63%
• 66%

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• 2019
• US / Australia / Denmark
• 1h 46min
• U

• Directed by: Rob Schrab
• Cast: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Stephanie Beatriz

Despite living in the Mad Max-style nightmare of Apocalypseburg, Emmet (Pratt) is still his cheery self—until his friends are kidnapped by the alien queen (Haddish). There are lots of good jokes and plenty of fun, but it’s not quite up to the magical original.

• 70%
• 65%

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• 2018
• US
• 2h 10min
• PG

• Directed by: Rob Marshall
• Cast: Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep

Michael Banks (Whishaw) is facing ruin after the death of his wife, and his sister Jane (Mortimer) can’t help—but then Mary Poppins (Blunt) sails down from the sky. Blunt is suitably brusque and radiant and a fine songstress, and while it’s a sliver of a story it’s impressively imaginative and unashamedly, triumphantly nostalgic.

• 71%
• 66%

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• 2019
• US
• 2h

• Directed by: Jordan Peele
• Cast: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker, Yahya Abdul Mateen II, Anna Diop

Adelaide (Nyong’o) and Gabe (Duke) arrive at their holiday home with their children, only to be confronted by a mysteriously familiar foursome. Peele’s follow up to Get Out is a neat twist on the home invasion story, with beautifully executed set pieces, and Nyong’o is phenomenal as both protagonist and chief aggressor. Fresh and arresting.

• 70%
• 78%

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• 2018
• US
• 15

• Directed by: Adam McKay
• Cast: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jesse Plemons, Sam Rockwell

The rise of Dick Cheney (Bale), from electrical worker in Wisconsin to US vice-president, presented as cheeky, dark, inventive comedy. Bale gives a compelling, shape-shifting performance and Adams as his ambitious wife Lynne is scintillating, as are Carell and Rockwell. A super-smart and disconcerting history lesson.

• 72%
• 61%

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• 2019
• US

• Directed by: Adam Shankman
• Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Max Greenfield

Ali (Henson) is a sports agent who can suddenly understand the thoughts of her male co-workers. It fails to make the most of the battle of the sexes premise, becoming a predictable rom-com, but Henson gives an impressively physical performance and Badu has fun as the wacky psychic who starts the whole debacle.

• 45%
• 49%

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