Film reviews

<p>A delightful creation: Blake Lively in ‘Another Simple Favour’</p>

Blake Lively delights in the otherwise silly Another Simple Favour

This straight-to-streaming follow-up to the 2018 hit – which reunites stars Lively and Anna Kendrick – is noticeably less sharp, dark, and sexy than its predecessor

<p>Trademark frown: Florence Pugh in ‘Thunderbolts*’</p>

Thunderbolts* is the best Marvel film in years – for one simple reason

<p>Ben Affleck in the action sequel ‘The Accountant 2’</p>

Ben Affleck sequel The Accountant 2 turns autism into a punchline

<p>The bird is the word: Steve Coogan in ‘The Penguin Lessons’</p>

Steve Coogan isn’t earnest enough for the dire The Penguin Lessons

<p>Emma Mackey and Vicky Krieps in Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s ‘Hot Milk’</p>

Emma Mackey is exceptional in the surreal and sapphic drama Hot Milk

The ‘Sex Education’ star gives a standout performance in a slippery, subversive coming-of-age tale that – to its credit – is tricky to get a firm grasp on

Emma Mackey is exceptional in the surreal and sapphic drama Hot Milk

The ‘Sex Education’ star gives a standout performance in a slippery, subversive coming-of-age tale that – to its credit – is tricky to get a firm grasp on

<p>Emma Mackey and Vicky Krieps in Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s ‘Hot Milk’</p>

<p>Red presidents: Harrison Ford in ‘Captain America: Brave New World’</p>

The new Captain America isn’t anti-Trump, but it’s certainly anti-fun

<p>Hugh Grant and Renée Zellweger in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’</p>

Mad About the Boy is the best Bridget Jones sequel yet

<p>John Magaro in ‘September 5’</p>

Munich Olympics drama September 5 is the wrong film for the moment

<p>Misery business: Barry Keoghan in ‘Bring Them Down’</p>

Barry Keoghan spirals into catastrophe in the stark Bring Them Down

<p>Misery business: Barry Keoghan in ‘Bring Them Down’</p>

Barry Keoghan spirals into catastrophe in the stark Bring Them Down

<p>Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Mike Leigh’s ‘Hard Truths’ </p>

Mike Leigh’s Bafta-nominated Hard Truths will make you laugh and cry

<p>Oscar frontrunner: Adrien Brody in ‘The Brutalist’</p>

Oscar frontrunner The Brutalist is a colossal cinematic achievement

<p>Star power: Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield in ‘We Live in Time’ </p>

The romantic weepie We Live in Time makes cancer remarkably cosy

Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh are charismatic enough to overpower the very English fantasy of this calendar-hopping love story

The romantic weepie We Live in Time makes cancer remarkably cosy

Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh are charismatic enough to overpower the very English fantasy of this calendar-hopping love story

<p>Star power: Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield in ‘We Live in Time’ </p>

<p>Monkey business: Jonno Davies as Robbie Williams in ‘Better Man’ </p>

The Robbie Williams chimp biopic works far better than you might think

<p>Dreary and formless: Barry Jenkins’s ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ </p>

The Lion King 2 is a catastrophic waste of Oscar winner Barry Jenkins

<p>Life’s a beach: Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey in ‘Queer’</p>

Daniel Craig is marvellous in the erotic fever dream of Queer

<p>It’s not a knockout: Aaron Taylor-Johnson in ‘Kraven the Hunter’</p>

Kraven the Hunter is an abysmal farewell to Sony’s Spider-Man universe

<p>It’s not a knockout: Aaron Taylor-Johnson in ‘Kraven the Hunter’</p>

Kraven the Hunter is an abysmal farewell to Sony’s Spider-Man universe

<p>I am (also) no man: Gaia Wise’s Héra in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim’</p>

The animated Lord of the Rings is a rushed money-grab

<p>Dog’s dinner: Amy Adams in ‘Nightbitch’ </p>

Amy Adams deserves better than the dog’s dinner that is Nightbitch

<p>Scooter, brawn: Barry Keoghan in Andrea Arnold’s ‘Bird’ </p>

Barry Keoghan is charismatic and sad in the magical British drama Bird

Andrea Arnold, the filmmaker behind ‘Fish Tank’ and ‘American Honey’, has returned with a sensitive, fairytale-like coming-of-age tale

Barry Keoghan is charismatic and sad in the magical British drama Bird

Andrea Arnold, the filmmaker behind ‘Fish Tank’ and ‘American Honey’, has returned with a sensitive, fairytale-like coming-of-age tale

<p>Scooter, brawn: Barry Keoghan in Andrea Arnold’s ‘Bird’ </p>

<p>Mark Eydelshteyn and Mikey Madison in ‘Anora’ </p>

The funny, chaotic, tender Anora is Cinderella with sex workers

<p>Hugh Grant in ‘Heretic’ </p>

It’s the Hugh Grant we know in Heretic – that’s what makes it scary

Wallace and Gromit is rib-tickling proof newer isn’t always better

<p>Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore in ‘The Room Next Door’ </p>

The Room Next Door is Pedro Almodóvar’s weakest film in years

<p>Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore in ‘The Room Next Door’ </p>

The Room Next Door is Pedro Almodóvar’s weakest film in years

<p>Teething problems: Venom (played by Tom Hardy) in ‘Venom: The Last Dance’</p>

Venom: The Last Dance is fun when it’s not being a Madame Web rerun

<p>Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump in ‘The Apprentice’</p>

Trump fretted about The Apprentice – but it’s not worth the fuss

<p>Emotionally violent: Demi Moore in ‘The Substance’ </p>

The Substance loses its way, but Demi Moore is sensational

Coralie Fargeat reimagines the historical misogynist ‘hagsploitation’ genre to powerful effect – at least until her film’s disgusting ending

The Substance loses its way, but Demi Moore is sensational

Coralie Fargeat reimagines the historical misogynist ‘hagsploitation’ genre to powerful effect – at least until her film’s disgusting ending

<p>Emotionally violent: Demi Moore in ‘The Substance’ </p>

<p>Natasha Lyonne in ‘His Three Daughters’ </p>

Natasha Lyonne anchors Netflix’s grief-stricken His Three Daughters

<p>Besties: Harper Steele and Will Ferrell in ‘Will & Harper’</p>

Will Ferrell and Harper Steele’s transgender documentary is frank, refreshing and funny

<p>Two stars! Ian McKellen in the dreary slog ‘The Critic'</p>

Ian McKellen is too good for the overstuffed period drama The Critic

<p>Gnarly: James McAvoy in ‘Speak No Evil’</p>

A beefed-up James McAvoy makes Speak No Evil a terrifying surprise

<p>Gnarly: James McAvoy in ‘Speak No Evil’</p>

A beefed-up James McAvoy makes Speak No Evil a terrifying surprise

<p>Sixth time’s the charm: Alicia Vikander and Jude Law as Katherine Parr and Henry VIII in ‘Firebrand’</p>

Jude Law’s Henry VIII steals the show in girlboss biopic Firebrand

<p>Midsommar murders: Matt Smith in the folk horror tale ‘Starve Acre’ </p>

Matt Smith gets his own Wicker Man in the provocative Starve Acre