Movie reviews of Hamish Calvert

Simply tries to do too much, attempting to retell the classic Jungle Book story whilst also shedding light on lesser known elements. In trying to do both it fails to succeed with either sections of its narrative.

It’s not a bad film, it just falls victim to the heavily trodden tropes of the genre, not so badly to be remembered as a low light for the genre this year, however neither does it achieve enough to elevate it to a memorable highlight.

So whilst it’s maybe not going to get the title of pageant winner, thanks to its crowd pleasing story, likeable cast and positive vibes Dumplin easily rises to the top to walk away with the Miss Congeniality prize and deservedly so too.

Even with Redford’s fine performance, supported well by turns from Spacek and Affleck and the rich style the film embodies through its music and visuals The Old Man & the Gun still falls far short of being anything overly memorable.

A narrative that takes our characters to new places but that is so heavily influenced and dependent on the cherished past of these films makes for a compelling sports drama. Portrayed powerfully by a knockout cast they ensure that Creed II isn’t the installment that’s throwing the towel in on this long standing icon of franchise film.

A truly bizarre collection of accents and ludicrous character writing don’t inspire the greatest of performances with several of the cast falling firmly flat...

With this sequel, Rowling continues to amaze and mystify with her spellbinding story telling which holds such attention to detail and wonder.

This animation will certainly serve its purpose for a new, younger generation offering them a fun and festive film which will be easily revisited year after year.

Borrows and combines ideas we’ve seen before in numerous films from popular culture but does so to create an exhilarating wartime horror that won’t be easily etched from the minds’ of its audience.

The three main performers give life to the light and pleasant screenplay in a skillful way elevating the whimsical ideas into a fully fledged narrative fit for the film treatment.

Its fairly standard and familiar story is consistently complimented by its animated action sequences which are amusing to no end.

Instead of delivering an exciting heist story embedded in a dark crime thriller what Widows really offers is an under-cooked, tonally mismatched ensemble piece that’s never as good as its players.

The film is a basic revenge thriller at its heart but one that lacks a captivating story to tell so instead overcompensates with ludicrous content which comes across as nothing more than a desperate attempt to distract from the many shortcomings the film presents.

The narrative has the potential to develop into a fascinating family drama but it rarely ventures beyond the average only really excelling through the three central performances of its cast.

Horror aside the film boasts a gripping narrative, albeit one which has issues with its bookends but nonetheless still making Suspiria feel like an unmistakable milestone of modern horror.

The resulting narrative is an irresistible blend of comedy and drama all set to the unique and unmistakable sound of one of the most loved rock bands of all time – this is one night at the opera you won’t want to miss!

A gripping and involved, relevant piece of film-making brilliantly made accessible for a large audience, and the more people who see this film the better.

This sequel carries a remarkable continuity to the original film whilst also working expertly as a modern interpretation of the story.

Intrigue, shock, tension, disgust, sympathy and suspense are only some of the many things this refreshingly original screenplay will make you feel.

So while Smallfoot won’t leave a big impression with audiences it’s perfectly enjoyable in the moment.

It’s got great foundations in terms of its writing, setting and performances but fails to fully build on these...

Feels like Oscar bait in its truest form with the finished product almost entirely being a failure to launch.

Problems with several aspects of the titular character, a narrative that fails to decide on or effectively juggle a mixture of tones and unconvincing performances...

A remake well worth your time and one that could and should be celebrated across the board come awards season.