Sirāt: another film that I knew very little about before viewing. These film goes in so many unexpected directions in not just plot but tone as well. These are characters that we don’t normally see on cinema screens which also makes it very refreshing.

The Voice Of Hind Rajab: everyone must see this film. I know you probably won’t but it’s vitally important that you do. A devastating and powerful film that shows one of the many atrocities happening in Palestine. Please see this film.

Shelter: I knew nothing about this film except it starred Jason Statham. It starts off very promisingly but once the action kicks in it completely loses the plot. The writer lacks any imagination and can’t seem to come up with any original ideas. Thus it becomes dull.

We Bury The Dead: another odd film that doesn’t get the right tone. Sad & depressing is not the right tone for a supposed zombie film. Plus if you’re going to have zombies in your film, make them a credible threat. The set up is decent but fails to utilise that effectively.

Somebody To Love: a lovely romantic comedy that’s like an adult version of ‘Inside Out’. A clever way to explore female/male dynamics during a first date. How we are always thinking so much about every detail and how to interpret it. A clever and funny film.

Busted Water Pipes: a mildly amusing comedy with a terrible title & terrible subtitles. A familiar plot of a big city cop transferred to a small town for doing something wrong. But this film gives it an interesting twist. The comedy is very much over the top but not very funny.

Addition: this is a very odd film in many ways. It feels like it should be a romantic comedy but the makers forgot the comedy. Perhaps they didn’t want to make fun of people with obsessive compulsive disorder. As such it’s a bland romantic drama with cliches galore.

Send Help: a very fun and very thrilling revenge thriller. Rachel McAdams is brilliant in a role we don’t normally see her play. Dylan O’Brien is also excellent as her rival. Raimi does a lot of his signature moves but it could have been a little bit shorter.

Mercy: a frightening film that can give authorities bad ideas. It is an intelligent concept done in a dumb way. It’s fun and you don’t have to think too hard about what is happening. The film’s time limit seems a bit implausible but has to be that way because it’s a film.

Is This Thing On?: I don’t think I ‘got’ this film. I know a bit about relationships and stand-up comedy but none of it felt real. There were parts of the story that I felt were missing. Unless I missed stuff. It was however nice to see Will Arnett doing something different.

Unexpected Family: it’s refreshing to see Jackie Chan playing a more vulnerable character instead of the big tough action characters he normally plays. It’s a sweet and heartbreaking story. The comedy is a bit too over the top for my tastes. But still entertaining.

Primate: this film features elements of many different films but doesn’t present them in any fresh and interesting way. The makers had the perfect opportunity to make it interesting staring them in the face but chose instead to make a bland, boring horror film.

Song Sung Blue: the love of Mike & Clair plus the feel good nature vibes just radiates off the screen. In large part because of the Neil Diamond songs but also the phenomenal performances of Hugh and Kate. There’s tragedy & sadness but that just adds depth to the story.

The Secret Agent: a brilliant jigsaw puzzle of a film that slowly reveals each piece of the amazing & beautiful story. It has so many layers. All performances are amazing and led by the stunningly charismatic Wagner Moura. I really enjoyed all the movie references too.

Back To The Past: I didn’t know this is based on a TV series from 20 years ago. It feels like a TV movie and doesn’t have a very cinematic quality. While it’s fun and the action is decent, the special effects aren’t very good and it looks very cheap considering the ambition.

Marty Supreme: a truly epic work of art. A finely crafted character study that goes in many wild and crazy places. A not terribly likeable character but you can’t help but get carried along by his journey. Chalamet is amazing but I get the sense that he’s not really acting.

28 Years Later… The Bone Temple: an excellent chapter in this horror series. Very different to the previous films showing how the dark side of humanity can develop in this situation. All the cast are excellent but the show is stolen by Jack O’Connell. Fiennes too is amazing.

Orwell 2 + 2 = 5: an incredibly important film that needs to be seen by everyone but probably won’t. It focuses mostly on how Orwell’s ‘1984’ is so relevant to today. This aspect of it didn’t surprised me. I was more fascinated by how it covers Orwell’s life story as well.

The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants: I have never seen the TV series but always found the movies a great deal of fun. This film is no exception. It’s very silly and very stupid but is so incredibly delightful. You can’t help but get carried along by the adventure.

The Fire Raven: a really fun film that is a great mixture of genres. It’s primarily a murder mystery but has action and comedy as well. It does get very corny and cheesy at times. I also didn’t understand why it had a futuristic setting either. But I didn’t mind.

The Choral: it’s nice to occasionally go see a just generally pleasant film. The story is predictable and one we have seen countless times before but I didn’t mind. I know there are people like these characters but I don’t know how they function with all the prejudices they have.

My Top 10 Favourite Films of 2025: 10. Materialists 9. If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You 8. Hamnet 7. No Other Choice 6. Wake Up Dead Man 5. Lesbian Space Princess 4. Fackham Hall 3. Video Heaven 2. One Battle After Another 1. Sinners

My Brother’s Band: a really sweet and charming feel good film. You know where the story is going but don’t mind too much. We’ve seen similar stories many times before. Pierre Lottin and Benjamin Lavernhe are excellent as the titular brothers.

Rental Family: this film is morally reprehensible. It’s a supposedly ‘feel good’ film about a bad company that you’re supposed to think is doing good but they are in fact doing bad things. I know it’s supposed to be real so maybe it’s a cultural thing. I liked Brendan Fraser.

The Housemaid: I’m sure there are people out there who will enjoy this film but I’m not one of them. It takes itself far too seriously when it could have been so much fun. None of the characters are likeable and a lot of the plot doesn’t make any sense. It’s also far too long.

Anaconda: to try something different remakes are now going meta. This film is silly, stupid and parts of it don’t make sense, but I found it hilarious and a great deal of fun. It’s about filmmaking so that appeals too. Steve Zahn is by far the best of the cast.

The Golden Spurtle: further proof that there is something out there for everyone. I grew up eating porridge during winter but have not had it in a while. A very delightful film about a group of lovely people. It has amateur quality that just adds to the charm.

The History Of Sound: a lovely queer film where the gay relationship is not a great detriment. The story is not very remarkable but it’s still an enjoyable and pleasant film. Probably should be called ‘The History Of Song’. Both leads give nicely understated performances.

Zootopia 2: being detective stories I enjoy these films more than most Disney animations. It’s a little annoying that Nick and Judy are never taken seriously even with clear evidence. But that happens. Despite that it’s a fun film and while funny it could have used more jokes.

Kokuhō: a gorgeous looking film with a beautiful story of the life of a kabuki performer. It’s a familiar story but I found this film refreshingly different. The kabuki performances are amazing but I found the training and preparation more fascinating.

I got far more value for money from six minutes of #TheOdyssey than I got from 197 minutes of #AvatarFireAndAsh

Avatar: Fire & Ash: better than the first two films but only slightly. Still full of plot holes but none as huge as those we’ve had previously. I still need to know if the people on Earth know what’s happening on Pandora.

Nuremberg: I knew of this trial but was not aware of the details so found it very educational. It’s an excellent film that is a bit cliched and corny at times but very relevant. All performances are excellent but I particularly enjoyed Rami Malek. Definitely his best work.

Nouvelle Vague: I might need to do some research into French New Wave. I love films about filmmaking so I enjoyed that aspect. But I felt you needed prior knowledge of French New Wave to fully appreciate what was happening. The relevance of all these people depicted.

Silent Night, Deadly Night: I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected having not seen the original. It’s a fun Christmas horror film with a cool plot. It implies a lot of menace when it doesn’t need to. We know it’s a horror film you don’t need to hit us over the head with it.

Ella McCay: although the film is set in 2008, considering what American politics is like at the moment it feels very quaint and old fashioned like it’s set in the 50’s. Ella is too sweet and nice to be a politician. The ‘scandals’ that happen are also very sweet and lightweight.

Sentimental Value: a well made family drama about the complex relationship between a father and his daughters. I loved the way the family home was used as the focal point to show how ancestors impacted the present. All performances are brilliant.

Twiggy: as someone who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s I was aware of Twiggy but didn’t know all that much about her. This is a lovely & delightful documentary about her life and how she defined a generation. Not a lot of bad stuff happens so has little conflict. But it’s still fun.

Hamnet: I can’t begin to describe the emotional power of this film. I had read the book so knew what to expect. However, the film was far more emotional for me. I was in tears on several occasions. A combination of every brilliant performance & the poetry of the direction makes for something special

Fackham Hall: everyone needs to see this film in a cinema. For the sake of big screen comedy. It’s unbelievably funny with a very high laugh rate. It also has several very clever jokes that only I was laughing at. The cast are all excellent too and look to be having fun.

No Other Choice: there’s something about foreign language films that take familiar stories & makes unfamiliar films. This is such a cleverly written film which goes in directions you never expected. It keeps you guessing. It’s also incredibly funny with a cast who are brilliant.

Christy: this film is far better than I was expecting. I don’t understand why it failed in USA. It does follow the usual sports story plot but it’s the amazingly powerful story of Christy which makes it so different. Sydney Sweeney and Ben Foster give phenomenal performances.

Eternity: this is a brilliant premise for a romantic comedy & for the most part it succeeds. My over active mind meant I thought too much about the rules of this world. Plus I kept thinking how it would have been infinitely better if the characters were queer. It’s also too long.

Dead Of Winter: it’s nice to watch films like this in the comfort of a nice warm cinema. While it has a few plot holes, this is a decent little thriller. Emma Thompson is her usual brilliant self in a role we don’t usually see her playing.

John Cleese Packs It In: there is a certain amount of fun for a big Monty Python fan like myself to catch up with one of its members. But I feel the real reason for making the film and tour it shows would be a far more entertaining documentary than what we get here.

Wake Up Dead Man: dear Lord please let Rian Johnson continue to make Benoit Blanc mysteries forever. Yet another brilliantly clever mystery. Yet another hilarious film. Yet another story with a great underlying message. Yet another brilliant cast. Please see it in a cinema.

Now You See Me Now You Don’t: I usually like heist films but I’m not a fan of this series. It feels fake to me, like they’re not really doing magic & it’s just special effects. The cast are charming actors normally but I find the characters they’re playing incredibly annoying.

Wicked For Good: it’s amazing how all these pertinent films are being released at the moment. A brilliant conclusion to this emotionally powerful story. The film looks gorgeous & the cast are amazing. But Ariana Grande is absolutely stunning & somehow is better than in last film.

Jay Kelly: there is a magic trick being performed in this film where you believe you’re watching fake actor Jay Kelly not real actor George Clooney. A funny and emotional film about the choices and sacrifices we make. Adam Sandler blew me away with his performance too.

Predator: Badlands: at first I had concerns with the Predator’s motivations but soon overcame it as I got caught up in this fun action film. A simple plot and limited characters means there’s time for more development so you come to care about them. Plus it’s just really cool.