East Dulwich Picturehouse

• 2019
• US
• 2h 8min
• PG

• Directed by: Guy Ritchie
• Cast: Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad, Numan Acar, Billy Magnussen, Alan Tudyk, Frank Welker

Disney’s live-action version of 1992’s Aladdin features a fun, fast-talking and scene-stealing Smith and terrific work from Massoud and Scott as Aladdin and Jasmine, but against that there’s some weird VFX, odd directorial choices and a well-intentioned but clunky female empowerment number. Enjoyable and entertaining nevertheless.

• 74%
• 53%

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• 2019
• US
• 1h 45min

• Directed by: Olivia Wilde
• Cast: Skyler Gisondo, Kaitlyn Dever, Lisa Kudrow

Molly (Feldstein) and Amy (Dever) are proud to be brainiacs, but on their last day of high school they resolve to fit as much fun as they can into a single night. Wilde’s debut feature is zesty and confident with box-fresh writing, well-drawn characters and a swaggering hip-hop soundtrack; Feldstein, in particular, steps up to leading lady status.

• 75%
• 84%

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• 2017
• US
• 1h 15min

• Directed by: Thomas Piper

Landscape designer Piet Oudolf discusses his creative methods and process.

• 75%
• 69%

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• 2019
• USA
• 1h 51min

• Directed by: Kim Nguyen
• Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgård, Salma Hayek

Vinnie (Eisenberg) and cousin Anton (Skarsgård) decide to build a dead-straight fibre optic cable from Kansas to New Jersey to help speed up financial trading. A quirky, intriguing cautionary tale with fine performances and sleek editing, exploring the delicate balance between man and nature.

• 63%
• 58%

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• 1949
• UK
• 1h 46min
• PG

• Directed by: Robert Hamer
• Cast: Dennis Price, Valerie Hobson, Joan Greenwood, Alec Guinness

Blacker than black Ealing comedy has a suave and sophisticated Price killing off an entire family tree (all played by Guinness) in order to move himself closer to the d'Ascoyne family title. Low-key cynicism and disarming callousness make it a true gem of British post-war cinema.

• 81%
• 100%

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• 2019
• US
• 1h 42min
• 15

• Directed by: Nisha Ganatra
• Cast: Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, John Lithgow

Katherine (Thompson) is a seasoned talk show host who, when forced to hire new writing staff, takes on former chemical plant employee Molly (Kaling). Kaling’s script is peppy, good-natured and has a good grasp of the issues, and Thompson has her best role in years. Piquant and winning.

• 63%
• 71%

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• 2019
• US

• Directed by: F. Gary Gray
• Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Rebecca Ferguson, Kumail Nanjiani, Rafe Spall, Les Twins, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson

Molly (T. Thompson) is a wannabe MIB agent who’s given a chance by Agent O (E. Thompson) and teamed up with golden boy Agent H (Hemsworth). It’s not so much that it’s bad, more that the franchise wasn’t much to begin with: here, a CGI-heavy story relies far too much on Hemsworth’s insouciant charm. A high-budget non-event.

• 56%
• 38%

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• 2014
• UK / France
• 1h 35min
• PG

• Directed by: Paul King
• Cast: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Julie Walters, Nicole Kidman, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi

The story of an illegal immigrant from Peru and his efforts to be integrated into British society. He's a bear, by the way. Whishaw imbues the CGI Paddington with immense charm, the rest of the cast are excellent and the exuberant direction and smart, knowing script make for a genuine delight.

• 72%
• 77%
• 98%

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• 2019
• UK / US
• 2h 1min

• Directed by: Dexter Fletcher
• Cast: Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Bryce Dallas Howard

This Elton John biopic, exec-produced by its subject, could have been a vanity project, but it’s a fun and cute fantasy musical; Egerton as John as exuberant and sympathetic, and the framing device is sensible. Hardly revelatory, but Fletcher does a good job and sprinkles some inventiveness. Classic songbook helps.

• 77%
• 69%

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Live screening of Shakespeare's comedy, which has been reimagined into a matriarchy by director Justin Audibert.

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• 2019
• US
• 1h 40min
• U

• Directed by: Josh Cooley
• Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Joan Cusack, Blake Clark, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Estelle Harris, Jodi Benson, Michael Keaton, Jeff Pidgeon, Kristen Schaal, Bonnie Hunt, Timothy Dalton, Jeff Garlin, Laurie Metcalf, Lori Alan

Woody (Hanks) joins new owner Bonnie at kindergarten where he finds a new purpose in protecting her improvised toy Forky (Hale). Pixar manages to further the story with fine new characters and a satisfyingly teary conclusion, for a fine last chapter in the saga.

• 90%
• 84%

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• 2019
• US
• 1h 53min
• 12A

• Directed by: Simon Kinberg
• Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Evan Peters, Jessica Chastain

When Jean Grey (Turner) is involved in a space rescue that goes awry, her malevolent alter ego Dark Phoenix is let out of the box. There’s real heft to the plot and characterisation, and Turner lives up to her growing maturity, but then it’s like it runs out of time and ideas, relapsing into routine, effects-drive action.

• 61%
• 43%

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