Savoy Cinema

• 2019
• US
• 1h 27min
• PG

• Directed by: Conrad Vernon, Greg Tiernan
• Cast: Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Finn Wolfhard, Nick Kroll, Snoop Dogg, Bette Midler, Allison Janney

The titular family, Morticia (Theron), Gomez (Isaac), Wednesday (Moretz) and Pugsley (Wolfhard), are targeted by reality TV host Margaux Needler (Janney). The voice cast is decent and the style pays homage to Charles Addams' drawings, but it misses the darkly Gothic spirit of both the original and the Barry Sonnenfeld films, being disconcertingly family-friendly.

• 59%
• 46%

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• 2019
• US / UK
• 1h 40min

• Directed by: Tom Harper
• Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones,

In 1862, meteorology pioneer James Glaisher (Redmayne) takes flight in a hot air balloon piloted by Amelia Wren (Jones). Old-school adventure with spectacular effects and a neatly layered screenplay; any predictability is offset by the film’s charm and the fond chemistry between Redmayne and Jones.

• 67%
• 70%

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• 2018
• Sweden / Norway
• 1h 57min

• Directed by: Jane Magnusson

Documentary about a pivotal year in the life of Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, looking at how his nature was revealed in his work. Despite some fatuous adulatory comments from famous fans, it’s a fascinating and wide-ranging film with enough fresh material to appeal to those looking to dig into Bergman’s work and life.

• 73%

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• 2019
• US
• 1h 43min
• U

• Directed by: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
• Cast: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff

Elsa (Menzel) and Anna (Bell) head off on a dangerous journey after Elsa hears voices calling her to a distant land. The plot is less involving than the character interaction, but Olaf (Gad) is the comedic highlight and while it may be less compelling than the original, it's got all the ingredients for a hit.

• 63%
• 67%

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• 2019
• US
• 1h 49min
• 15

• Directed by: Bill Condon
• Cast: Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren, Nell Williams

Roy (McKellen) is a con man who targets wealthy widows, and when he targets Betty (Mirren) her son Steven (Tovey) becomes suspicious. It’s a blend of several genres which don’t quite fuse and is ultimately diverting but far from essential.

• 65%
• 54%

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• 2019
• US
• 2h 2min
• 15

• Directed by: Todd Phillips
• Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Robert De Niro

Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) is an unsuccessful clown who wants to be a comedian, but he gradually turns to evil. This dizzying origin story about Batman’s nemesis is like an ode to 1970s New York City; Phoenix is astonishing and Phillips’s grave vision never swerves. Unmissable.

• 88%
• 59%

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• 2019
• UK / US
• 1h 43min
• 12A

• Directed by: Paul Feig
• Cast: Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Emma Thompson, Michelle Yeoh

Kate (Clarke) is a Yugoslavian immigrant whose life is going downhill until she meets the mysterious bike-riding Tom (Golding), who seems too good to be true. Thompson and Kimmings’ script is a saccharine romantic fantasy and George Michael’s music isn’t always incorporated effectively, but its heart is in the right place.

• 66%
• 50%

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• 2019
• US
• 2h 32min

• Directed by: James Mangold
• Cast: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal, Caitriona Balfe, Tracy Letts, Josh Lucas, Noah Jupe, Remo Girone, Ray McKinnon

Car designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) teams up with mechanic/driver Ken Miles (Bale) in the story of how Ford tried to beat Ferrari at Le Mans in 1966. The race scenes are directed with thrilling energy, and if scenes between Miles and his wife Mollie (Balfe) are uneven, it’s an effective story about dreamers who risked everything.

• 83%
• 81%

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• 2019
• China / US
• 2h 18min
• 12A

• Directed by: Roland Emmerich
• Cast: Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Woody Harrelson

The story of the Battle of Midway, the WWII encounter that shifted the war in the Pacific in the Americans’ favour. Emmerich assembles a solid if rather uninspiring cast, the CGI-honed battle sequences are competent but not exactly nerve-shredding and the characters are two-dimensional.

• 69%
• 47%

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• 2019
• UK / US
• 1h 52min

• Directed by: Gavin Hood
• Cast: Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Ralph Fiennes

The story of Katharine Gun (Knightley), the GCHQ whistleblower who in 2003 leaked an email containing details of a US eavesdropping operation targeting UN Security Council members concerning the invasion of Iraq. Knightley gives a tightly-wound performance and Hood tells the story with sensationalising it. Possibly one of the most important films of the year.

• 73%
• 63%

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• 2019
• US
• 1h 48min
• PG

• Directed by: Robert Fernandez
• Cast: David Thorpe, John Rhys-Davies, Kristyn Getty

A pilgrim faces a variety of challenges on his quest.

• 50%

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• 2019
• UK
• 1h 26min
• U

• Directed by: Richard Starzak
• Cast: Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes

Shaun and his gang of sheep are getting up to mischief that puts them at odds with sensible sheepdog Bitzer; then an alien craft arrives. This dialogue-free pristinely shambolic stop-motion romp is, in its deft way, a crowd-pleaser for everyone, with enough Close Encounters references to keep parents interested.

• 71%

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