Project Hail Mary

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Project Hail Mary is an adaptation of the Andy Weir novel of the same name. The film follows Ryland Grace, a high school science teacher who cracks the mystery of saving Earth's dying sun. Sent on a one-way mission to save the sun, Grace must work alongside an unlikely ally to save his world.

This is really what sci-fi is all about. When you think of a film that uses science to elevate the viewer and propel us out into the void of space, we often think about Star Wars or Guardians of the Galaxy. But Project Hail Mary gives us Ryland Grace, a man who has woken up alone on a spaceship after an induced coma. He is desperate to reconnect with his identity, and he feels the isolation of being alone on this ship. This film introduces Rocky, an extraterrestrial character who has ventured through the stars to save his homeworld as well. This meeting is where the film gets really refreshing. It's not a moment of tension, nor aggression. This is a film in which the characters learn about one another, and they discover how to communicate and develop a bond through their shared circumstances. What kindles from this is a friendship that defies a difference in species; it is a moment in which two scientifically minded beings show compassion for one another. The chemistry developed between this duo is the beating heart of this film and gives so much when the film really puts this pair on the rocks. I also think the story of seeing how Grace comes to be in space is a good one; he proves himself to be more than his mettle. But when he fails himself on Earth, he makes up for it by choosing to be self-sacrificing for Rocky later in the feature. This is a marked point about bravery, and what the true meaning of it looks like. I adored the humour and fun this film was willing to have with itself, knowing it could slip quite easily into wonder and thrills. There is also a powerful message for your day-to-day human being here about uniting in the face of global threats to our planet's natural environment.

This is a movie with very practised hands on the wheel. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have a visual feast set before the audience here; the camera work glides you through the spaceship Mary. Yet I even think those helter skelter shots when Grace is chasing down an idea are electric moments of cinematography. The visual effects will blow you away; the astrophage farming scene is a real standout moment for Project Hail Mary. I also have to rave about the practical effects that are on display here; the physical set of Mary is a treat, but nothing compares to the work done to craft the puppet that is Rocky. Daniel Pemberton does the score for this, and it is a broad spectrum lending moments of levity and tension alike. I liked a lot of the more folksy soundtrack too, though Hüller's performance of 'Sign of the Times' is the real winner.

Sandra Hüller, who played Eva Stratt, was a woman with the weight of the world literally upon her shoulders; Hüller is very clever about portraying Eva as amenable, while also making it clear that she understands the burden she carries. James Ortiz, who portrayed Rocky, is a master of puppeteering and voice work; Ortiz and Gosling sculpted a bond that this film lives or dies upon. Lionel Boyce, who played Carl, is an unexpected moment of comedy and camaraderie; Boyce doesn't work in the world of science here, yet he forges a really sincere bond with Gosling in their scenes.

However, the best performance came from Ryan Gosling, who played Ryland Grace. It feels like every time Gosling takes a swing at the moment, he is hitting that ball out of the park. This role is going to sit pretty high on his filmography. Gosling really entertains when we first join him; an amnesiac Grace waking up in a state and trying to get his bearings is quite the opener. I found this character a real joy to follow; he is charismatic and very well-intentioned. Gosling makes a point of having him feel very grounded, a bit dorky and yet uncertain within himself at times. I loved the journey to discovering bravery within Ryland Grace; it's a terrific moment of character growth that drives the feature. Gosling knows this movie is all heart; it's a really compassionate piece. You couldn't have a better lead for it.

The alien is so good, I absolutely love Rocky. Yet I couldn't help but feel there's a first contact story in this that feels a bit glazed over. It never seems that alarming to Grace that he makes first contact. Maybe that's because Grace's initial fear is played for comedy, or perhaps we just aren't allowed to sit in the gravity of it. But I do think seeing that alien ship for the first time could have been given a more grounded moment of response. I also felt learning that Grace had been cowardly as a big twist to come a little late. It no longer felt convincing given what we had seen in the modern day at that point.

Milana Vayntrub and Ken Leung, who played Olesya Ilyukhina and Yao respectively, were characters who really could have been built upon; this pair were vital to the mission but ultimately felt reduced to being little more than the bodies they became. 

What a ray of joy for cinema the Lord, Miller, Goddard and Gosling team have sculpted here. I would give Project Hail Mary a 9/10.

Reminders Of Him

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Reminders Of Him is an adaptation of the bestselling Colleen Hoover novel of the same name. After being released from prison, Kenna attempts to reconnect with the daughter she has never seen. However, she carries the guilt of being the driver behind the wheel the night her daughter's father died. Can Kenna find a second chance amid her own guilt and the resentment of those who knew her?

The moments when this movie remembers to be sweet are often the best. Reminders Of Him has that charm evoked by an American small-town redemption story, where hope is possible, and the underdog gets her shot at happiness again. I felt there were a few moments of emotional sincerity between Kenna and Ledger that solidified the relationship as it went along. The climax of the film being Kenna is reunited with her daughter, is the best part. It's a real heavyweight moment where everything set before us comes down to a simple conversation between a young girl and a woman trying to explain to her that she is her mother.

This film is a mixed bag when it comes to the camera work, yet when that lens gets out in nature, or alongside rolling fields or the open road, it really can take your breath away. The location shooting in this is absolutely gorgeous, and the cinematography capitalises on those moments when it gets to go wide. The acoustic guitar layered across the score for this film really grounds the viewer in that hometown setting and makes the whole feature feel a bit more heartfelt. The soundtrack is also a great mix of emotional pieces with a grounding in country. I loved that we got a few iterations of Coldplay's 'Yellow', which was utilised excellently.

Maika Monroe, who played Kenna Rowan, does a relatively decent job as the protagonist for this film; the emotional scenes where she meets her daughter or makes the impulsive decision to leave are often the ones that hit home the hardest. Lauren Graham, who played Grace Landry, is really subtle in the way she portrays internal conflict; the way we see her accept Kenna while grieving her son is very moving. Rudy Pankow, who played Scotty Landry, is quite a simple, charismatic character; Pankow doesn't let Scotty become larger than life, which makes his death all the more moving. Nicholas Duvernay, who played Roman, fast finds his place as the comedic backbone of the film; Duvernay is effortlessly funny and quite likable. Zoe Kosovic, who played Diem Landry, is the sweetest young performer they could have found; this wee girl just feels like walking sunshine.

However, the best performance came from Tyriq Withers, who played Ledger Ward. This character is the classic hometown hero that everyone seems to love type, and Withers has the charisma to run with that. Ledger is a character who really works as a father figure, and this connection Withers has with Kosovic really makes for a loveable onscreen dynamic. Withers plays to his internal conflict well, protecting the family he has served for five years while grappling with his own feelings for Kenna. Withers manages to show anger and frustration in a restrained and reasonable way, more often finding Ledger's desire for resolution. This is a character who is entirely enamoured by Monroe's Kenna, too, and Withers plays to that head over heels quality well. This is the sort of character who stands firm in supporting others, and it's he who ultimately brings this family back together.

Reminders Of Him spends most of the film being a bit melodramatic and unlikely. It's hard to get away from the fact that everything is dramatised and there aren't many moments that find their grounding. Kenna's letters to Sammy often serve as exposition dumps before they later become emotional confessions, which takes a lot of the passion out of that connection very early on. This is a film that wants to remind you that Kenna's life is a misery; nothing has gone right for her. The love of her life is dead, she can't see her daughter, and she went to prison. But it's also a movie where Kenna seems to have a lot of doors open for her every step of the way. She gets a job and a place to live without much struggle, and her dead boyfriend's best friend is pretty fast in becoming completely smitten with her. From there, her pathway to getting a second job and a chance with her daughter only becomes easier in a lot of ways. The moment Kenna and Ledger kissed didn't feel completely earned at that time; they still had some sharp points between them, and it didn't feel like they had drawn close enough together. This is a movie that really doesn't want to put too much pressure on the viewer, and you always loosely know where it's all going to play out. Even the car crash that motivates all of this isn't well captured; it still leaves a lot of room for culpability and doesn't necessarily make the audience forgive Kenna. Reminders Of Him is often a mixed bag, a predictable romance film with enough ability to tug on the heartstrings in the final act.

When the camera got to fly out on location and capture scenery, it really shone. But most of the time, the camerawork in this was downright lazy, or even ugly. The close ups often pushed in too hard, or a scene was very awkwardly framed. The editing is probably the worst thing about this feature, often making some very janky cuts that hitch the pacing of a scene. Yet, it was those flashback sequences with Sammy, which were often colour graded the ugliest shade of yellow you would ever see, that highlighted the poor style choices for this film.

Bradley Whitford, who played Patrick Landry, felt a little lost in this role; the scene in which Whitford gets violent feels completely over the top. Lainey Wilson, who played Amy, is a role the film often forgets about; Wilson's friendship with Kenna could have been better developed. Monika Myers, who played Lady Diana, is an instance where a disabled person feels hired to be made a joke out of; Myers' character's behaviour is often treated as an oddity, which doesn't represent her very well. Hilary Jardine, who played Mary Anne, is probably a friend too many for Ledger's character; Jardine often feels like the odd person out in her scenes. 

A film that won't blow anyone away, but manages to tug on the heartstrings in its final few minutes quite well. I would give Reminders Of Him a 4.5/10.

The Bride!

 

This review may contain spoilers!

The Bride! is an adaptation of the Bride of Frankenstein character first introduced in Mary Shelley's novel, 'Frankenstein'. In this telling, an informant within the mob, Ida, is possessed by Mary Shelley's ghost and dies shortly thereafter. At the same time, Frankenstein's monster seeks help to bring a female corpse back from the dead as his bride.

This is a rather off-kilter and strange tale, one that never makes a move to try to ground itself. What consistently worked for me was the way The Bride and Frank collided with one another. They are an unconventional couple, with Frank yearning for a partner and The Bride holding no memory and seeking her own sense of identity. As this pair challenge one another and explode against the world around them, their entangled strangeness blossoms into something resembling affection.

There is a lot of wild dancing in The Bride! which can only be uplifted by an incredible feat of film score composition. Hildur Guðnadóttir electrifies this romping range of 1930s melodies, at times whirling the audience about and at others lingering on moments of poignant tragedy.

Christian Bale, who played Frank, does a good job at capturing this meeker version of Frankenstein's monster; Bale's monster is a heart struck by loneliness and yearning to feel the romantic side of life. Penélope Cruz and Peter Sarsgaard, who played Myrna Malloy and Jake Wiles respectively, often stole the show quite a bit in this film; this was a duo with a good-natured partnership that really lifted the quality of this film upwards. Zlatko Buric, who played Lupino, does quite a bit with not much screen time; I found Buric's scene where he's dishing out orders to mark him as an unpredictable and intimidating antagonist.

However, the best performance came from Jessie Buckley, who played The Bride/Mary Shelley. Buckley's proving to get pretty interesting as she takes the main stage a little more in cinema. This is a tilted role from start to finish, with Buckley's predominant character, Ida, becoming possessed by Mary Shelley very early on. It's a twisted and impressive feat to watch Buckley contort and twist herself into two different characters, often moments apart. I will say that the black and white solo sequences of her playing Mary Shelley were examples of poorer performance, but once she's free of this strange artistic choice, she really gives her all. Ida is a character who feels remarkably vulnerable, clinging to scraps of identity and trying to find herself. Buckley's more external efforts to portray Shelley are erratic and fiery, igniting rebellion within this merged form. Buckley crafts a character who isevolving from what she was into something violently resistant to the cloying embrace of male assault and exploitation present in this film.

 This movie almost immediately starts off on the wrong foot. The film opens with a black-and-white close-up on Mary Shelley, manic and in some kind of purgatory. Shelley, the famed writer of the novel that started all of this, has more she wants to say, and so possesses a character who is promptly killed. At the same time, Shelley's fictional creation, Frankenstein's monster (or Frank, as he's known in the film), is actually lumbering around. It's a strange moment trying to reconcile the two entities existing together before becoming entangled. The film then has The Bride and Frank trot around on a killing spree that often comes at random intervals. In truth, most of this film feels quite aimless; The Bride is twitching between personalities and seems to telepathically know all the crimes men in any given room have committed against women. This isn't even the extent of the odd, fantastical powers that make no sense. Sometimes people become hypnotised by the monsters and join them in dance sequences, and at other times the monsters can project themselves into films playing on movie screens. The Bride acts as this trigger point for radical feminist protest, but the setup to this is weak, and it's unclear what the film is trying to say here. Frank is also quite an impotent figure that often has nothing to contribute, spending a lot of his time gazing yearningly at either The Bride or a movie screen. Overall, The Bride! is a film that feels poorly conceived and has nothing of substance to deliver to the viewing audience.

Maggie Gylenhaal apparently had a strong directorial feature debut with The Lost Daughter; I think you would be shocked to hear that if you're like me and The Bride! is the first directorial product you have seen. This is a film set in a very exciting era to capture, yet the way it is filmed is so painfully dull and, admittedly, a bit obvious in places. It's rare to find a scene in here and think this is a creative endeavour, which is wild considering this is a reimagining of the Bride of Frankenstein. I found the editing only ever really contributed to the absolute slog that was the pacing. This movie positively drags some scenes out and could've been harsher with cutting. I also found the small soundtrack to be a pretty uninspired offering, ending this whole thing on the 'Monster Mash' made my eyes roll into the back of my head.

Annette Bening, who played Dr Euphronius, doesn't seem particularly convincing as a scientist character; Bening's odd rambles often left me with my eyes glazing over. Jake Gyllenhaal, who played Ronnie Reed, just did not feel like a famous actor from the era he was portraying; Gyllenhaal trotting through a dance sequence always yanked me out of the film in that moment. 

If there is one monster movie you should avoid in 2026, it's Maggie Gyllenhaal's absolutely ludicrous take on the Frankenstein mythos. I would give The Bride! a 3.5/10.

Scream 7

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Scream 7  is the direct sequel to Scream VI (2023) and the seventh entry in the Scream franchise. This film sees Sidney Prescott return as the leading protagonist, just in time for a new Ghostface killer to target her family. An old Ghostface killer appears to be back from the dead and has Sidney's loved ones in their sights.

This is a bit of a return to classic small-town Scream, a slasher film set in an ordinary, run-of-the-mill American town that just so happens to be home to the celebrity Ghostface killer survivor, Sidney Prescott. It's a pleasure to see Sidney and her family being so nestled in a life that holds some peace; you can see a calm around Sid after being entangled in so much violence. Then, Stu Macher comes back from the dead. Suddenly, our latest Ghostface killer story has a revenge angle with some intense personal stakes. I will note that the kills throughout this film are supremely creative. I thought the high school theatre attack was brilliant, as was the later bar scene. This film really shows Sidney and, by extension, her husband Mark, as capable of fending off new iterations of Ghostface. The first direct attack plays out like a bit of a back-and-forth fight, which only serves to up the stakes. I think this film has some good heart in Tatum, Sidney's eldest daughter. This is a new legacy character who really wants out from her mother's shadow and struggles to connect with Sidney due to her Mum's past. Tatum also doesn't want to be a survivor; she wants to be a fighter instead of someone who runs from danger. A lot of the film builds up Tatum's growth as a character and her trust in her Mum.

It's actually a bit of a treat to see Kevin Williamson in the directing chair for this one. After writing Ghostface and Sidney so splendidly in the past, who better to lead them on-screen? The visual design for Scream 7 is absolutely inspired; it might even be my favourite part. Watching how Ghostface emerges into a scene, or how different kills are captured, shows a strong sense of what makes these films so arresting to watch. The editing also sets a sharp pace, with attack scenes knowing when to move at speed or toy with their prey. The soundtrack for this iteration of Scream is really impressive and kinda grungy; best use of 'Red Right Hand' by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds since some of the originals.

Neve Campbell, who plays Sidney Evans, has really evolved this character nicely; it's great to see Campbell playing Sidney as a natural fighter now. Courtney Cox, who played Gale Weathers, is back, brimming with sass and her sharp tongue; Cox and Campbell share an interview scene in this, which is a powerful piece of performance. Joel McHale, who played Mark Evans, has a really simple kind of warmth to him in this role; which is what makes the switch to badass police protector in fight scenes so much more impressive. Timothy Simons, who played George Willis, as the over-invested drama teacher, is reasonably funny; Simons' ability to be biting with his feedback to students makes this an entertaining side character.

However, the best performance came from Isabel May, who played Tatum Evans. This is a character who felt a lot like Neve Campbell all the way back in the 90s. A little fringe, a bit of a punk, yet fairly sociable. May navigates the conflicts her character has with Campbell rather well, crafting a particularly strong mother/daughter relationship. Their dynamic really fuels this movie. Tatum, as a character, rebels and resists the cage she feels her mother is putting around her. May does a good job of making a teenage character who feels real, like she should be running around with her friends planning late-night boozy bashes. All of that work makes her horror at the death of her friends and the attack on her family all the better. May shows Tatum as being remarkably vulnerable and aware of this; she just wants to be able to hold her own like her Mum. It's a gauntlet to get there, but May really takes Tatum on a journey of growth across this feature.

While I found this film a real visual treat for slasher fans, it is probably one of the weaker scripts for a Scream film. This time around, it feels like the movie is barely interested in getting too self-referential, though there is plenty of opportunity for it. Any time it tries, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth, not least of which was a verbal jab at the Carpenter sisters by Mindy's character, of all people. This film feels the most 'by the book' of these films; the return to the hometown setting, set against a cast of mainly high schoolers, did leave me feeling like I'd seen the playbook before. The biggest disappointment is the reveal of the killers. This iteration of Ghostface is particularly weak, and there's not much substance behind the motivations of the antagonists. I really could not care for the Stu Macher is an AI deepfake thing. It felt like there was a smarter plot there that got underutilised to make some broad strokes thematic point about Hollywood's stance on AI. Which is a bit of a high horse for the studio that fired a lead performer over a social media post.

The score for Scream 7 is kinda foreboding, but it lacks character. There isn't much variance here, and the tracks tend to fade into the background.

Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding, who played Mindy Meeks-Martin and Chad Meeks-Martin respectively, feel like odd jigsaw pieces that just don't fit into this story; Savoy Brown's whole rivalry with Cox is a new element that feels out of character for her. Anna Camp, who played Jessica Bowden, is wildly over the top in this; be it an overly friendly neighbour next door or a deranged antagonist, Camp struggles to ground herself. Celeste O'Connor, who played Chloe Parker, struggles to make herself known in scenes; O'Connor's character could have been expanded upon, but just feels like a kill waiting to happen. Sam Rechner, who played Ben Brown, is here to be the boyfriend who could be creepy; we've had a few of these, and the trope is wearing thin. Asa Germann, who played Lucas Bowden, is an off-putting role that plays like a red herring; it's hard to see this character as more than his creepier traits that are being dangled in front of us. Mckenna Grace, who played Hannah Thurman, is just in this film to die; Grace's popular girl schtick feels so detached from the rest of the cast. Matthew Lillard, who played Stu Macher, really goes in trying to oversell it hard; Lillard's manic spark is gone from his younger days. Ethan Embry, who played Marco, might just be one of the weakest Ghostface killers yet; Embry's dull delivery and forgettable presence make him an antagonist with little to give. David Arquette, Scott Foley and Laurie Metcalf, who played Dewey Riley, Roman Bridger and Debbie Salt respectively, are the sort of token cameos this series would usually mock; Foley and Metcalf are particular reminders of average Ghostfaces past. 

This sequel shelves that 'breath of fresh air' feeling for a bit of something more tried and true. I would give Scream 7 a 6.5/10.

How To Make A Killing

 

This review may contain spoilers!

How To Make A Killing follows Becket Redfellow, a forgotten heir to the Redfellow family fortune. No longer satisfied with an ordinary life, Becket sets out to kill his way through the family tree.

There are so many films these days about the pursuit of wealth, clawing one's way through the rat race or becoming consumed with ambition. I took a great deal of delight in the satirical way the wealthy characters were captured in this film. The Redfellows are presented as old money elites, having a grand manor and their own mausoleum with a refined manner that sets them above. Yet, the other heir-apparents provide a neat critique of new money as well. From throwing money out of a helicopter to clamouring onlookers, doing performative 'hippie' art or carving out a life as an evangelical mega-church preacher, the Redfellows are a witty take on the vapid lives of the one percent. The web of intrigue around Becket, whether he will get away with it or if he will get caught, steadily pulls you in more and more. I also loved the darker turn in those final moments of the film. You expect Becket to find salvation or choose a moral path, but he clings to his pursuit of wealth like a deal made with the Devil. It's a surprising yet fitting end for a character who has already compromised himself so much for money and status.

The score for this film is so entirely unique, it's a real display of creative music within film. The frantic piano undertones in a scene drive the tension, while the alarming rhythm as things barrel out of control had me hooked completely.

Glen Powell, who played Becket Redfellow, is quite capable as the charismatic lead for this thriller; he seems cocky and sure which works well for his character's rise and fall. Ed Harris, who played Whitelaw Redfellow, is a very domineering patriarch; his scene with Powell showed a fascinating cold sense of wisdom. Bill Camp, who played Warren Redfellow, is a surprisingly charismatic and likeable mark on Becket's hitlist; Camp brings forth a rich man who is weathered but good-natured at his core. Zach Woods, who played Noah Redfellow, is an absolutely hilarious take on a rich kid dabbling into the world of bohemian art; Woods is an eccentric and unpredictable performer resulting in some of the funniest scenes of the film. Jessica Henwick, who played Ruth, is a character who is entirely firm in her principles; Henwick is effortlessly likeable which makes some of the later conflict so difficult to see play out. Topher Grace, who played Steven Redfellow, is a true wild card; Grace gets pretty frenzied as this larger-than-life evangelical preacher wielding a guitar and katana.

However, the best performance came from Margaret Qualley, who played Julia. This character feels incredibly refined at times, like she wears her desire for wealth like a coat. And if you were to try to remove said coat, she would probably kill you. Qualley is absolutely electric here, a complete black widow in the traditional sense. She performs a lot, presents herself as an object of desire, but is probably the most intelligent character in the film. She seems to thrill in being able to toy with other characters and dangles Becket like a puppet on strings. She's a constant adversary, often underestimated, who makes the tilt into the final act an absolute thrill. Qualley is absolutely crazy in this, and you understand how much as it rolls on, a really impressive leading role for her.

This film suffers from what I would like to call, death by narration. The pity of this film is that it's quite interesting as a premise, but very early on we have the narrative device of Becket narrating his own story introduced (though the narration is a present-day conversation with a priest). This sets a very rigid tone that suffers from having a lot of the film explained to you, rather than creatively delivered. More than this, the beginning of the film isn't a great start. It spends a lot of the time rushing us through who Becket is and where he comes from, without taking much time to really let us connect with any of the characters. How To Make A Killing really has quite a steady, relaxed approach to storytelling, which can really see the tone contrast with the premise at times.

The way this film is shot is remarkably boring, there are few frames that I would say really thrilled me. There's not really a strong sense of design to this movie, it hasn't been treated as a creative endeavour visually. The editing is also staggered with slow cuts peppering a scene, adding to a slower paced film. The soundtrack jumps around in terms of how it contributes to the film, there's not many musical tracks that land an effective blow.

Adrian Lukis, who played Father Morris, gives quite a muted performance as a priest; Lukis could just as easily have been a wall as he was just there for Powell to talk at. Nell Williams, who played Mary Redfellow, doesn't show much impact for the tough figure she is written as being; Williams really needs a chance to actually show a relationship with Becket, which is never properly given. Grady Wilson and Maggie Toomey, who played Young Becket and Young Julia respectively, give pretty simplistic establishing performances; this doesn't lend the history or depth required for when these characters then meet later on. Phumi Tau and Stevel Marc, who played Megan Pinfield and Brad Matthews respectively, are quite dull as the lead Federal authroity characters of the film; this pair seeming so ineffectual took an element of risk out of the feature.

A pretty tilted resolution and a stellar cast made this a thriller worth watching. I would give How To Make A Killing a 7.5/10.

Urchin

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Urchin follows Mike, a young homeless man living in London and his journey towards rehabilitation after he assaults a person on the street for their watch.

As a character piece, this film is absolutely stunning. Mike is the sort of down-on-his-luck protagonist you want to root for; redemption dangles before him a few times. But then you are reminded that Mike is capable of cruelty, that he can lack empathy for his violent outbursts. He also returns to bad habits as a result of his addiction; his life is a spiral of self-destruction. Urchin holds a harsh mirror up to living on the streets, fighting to get just enough money to eat that day. Even the system in place to rehabilitate Mike seems detached. He is another body in the chair, needing therapy, needing medicine, needing accommodation. It's entirely tough watching him start to heal and grow, but then something bureaucratic fails him, and he takes a misstep. One of the things that makes Mike feel secure in his rehabilitation program is missed and suddenly he is in free-fall again. There is a point in this film in which Mike starts taking drugs again, and it is scary how aggressively he pursues that addiction now that it's in front of him again.

There is a real artistic lens across some scenes in Urchin. Those moments of Mike in solitude have such deliberate framing around them; this is a very grounded lens that takes in the world around Mike, too. I was also impressed with the pace set by the editing; it felt very steady. The score doesn't always feel the most present, but it is a choking element that really adds to that anxiety of teetering upon the precipice. 

Harris Dickinson, who played Nathan, was a very skittish role; Dickinson's homeless character spun quick lies that rang hollow the moment he said them. Michael Colgan, who played Scott, felt like a calm guiding presence; the scene in which he makes Mike feel patronised is very well-handled. Buckso Dhillon-Woolley, who played Nadia, is quite a stern and dismissive presence at times; it feels like she sees through Mike's niceties, which is refreshing. Okezie Morro, who played Simon, is a sincerely good-natured character; Morro's recounting of the crime in his last scene is one of the more harrowing moments. Amr Waked, who played Franco, is a straight shooter from the get-go; Waked is wary but wants to imagine the best is possible from the people on his staff.

However, the best performance came from Frank Dillane, who played Mike. I remember watching Dillane as Nathan in Fear the Walking Dead, another young addict role he portrayed in an exemplary manner. This role demands those moments of intensity from Dillane, a rabid quality to sustain the addiction. He can get violent to get money for the drugs. He can plead and barter, and he can break down. Mike is a character who wanders in a very isolated way through the streets of London, seeking all the things or people he needs to keep his pattern of being going. There are moments within the film in which Mike heals as a character. You see him accept responsibility, he apologises for his wrongs, shows empathy and connects with others. It is these moments of hope Dillane dangles in front of the audience nicely before ending it abruptly with a self-destructive implosion.

A tragic drama like Urchin likes to dwell comfortably in the misery of life sometimes, its entire thing is doing hardship well. But this does mean that Mike's story can get repetitive at times. More than this, there's a real performative quality to the commentary on homelessness at times. I didn't think the metaphorical elements of the film landed especially well. The nature scenes were strange, and the ending is a bizarre means of tying up loose ends.

I think this film often shows a lot more promise than it does flaws. However, as Harris Dickinson's directorial debut, it could stand to learn one particular lesson: it's okay to leave some stuff on the cutting room floor. The moments when the camerawork looked bad were when every shot felt included, when a montage happened where one wasn't needed. Not every creative effort was needed to bring forth that vision, sometimes post-production is a good place to kill your darlings. The soundtrack was an odd assortment that felt more like what the budget could get than anything else.

Megan Northam, who played Andrea, had quite a scattered role that barely connected with Dillane; the pair felt quite suddenly jammed together in the course of the film. Karyna Khymchuk and Shonagh Marie, who played Ramona and Chanelle respectively, are an unusual pair to be Mike's first sober friends; the friendship dynamic feels quite surface-level, with neither actress really elevating the relationships forming between everyone. 

Frank Dillane is exemplary here, with Harris Dickinson's directing debut showing a lot of promise. I would give Urchin a 6.5/10.

Wuthering Heights

 

This review may contain spoilers!

This is an adaptation of Emily Brontë's classic novel of the same name, in which Catherine Earnshaw's family adopt a poor boy, Heathcliff, and the pair become inseparably close. Yet, their love is a destructive one that pulls them apart before sending them crashing back together.

I think in its frenzied moments of passion, there are points where you can get submerged in the wild attraction between Cathy and Heathcliff. I also found their early friendship as children to be entirely endearing, if also still quite toxic.

The winning element of this feature is how absolutely visually stunning it looks. Emerald Fennell has crafted a colour palette that feels fantastical. This movie captures red like it is a jewel to behold. This movie is more about style than script, and watching the lavish visuals contrast so sharply with the vast natural landscapes or the dark vision of Wuthering Heights estate is the one shining triumph of all this.

Charlotte Mellington, who played Young Cathy, is an absolute moment of time travel between her and Robbie; Mellington genuinely feels besotted with Heathcliff while also playing to her sense of ego. Vy Nguyen, who played Young Nelly, was one of the strongest performers in the film's opening; her sense of hurt feelings and hard exterior are better captured than her older counterpart, Chau.

However, the best performance came from Margot Robbie, who played Cathy. Cathy is a remarkably vain character, extremely self-obsessed and expecting the world to revolve around her. Robbie likes to toy with others a bit, especially early in the film when she played across from Elordi. This is a character who is used to getting her way, whose arrogance and ego take up the whole screen. Her self-serving impulses contrast with her all-consuming love for Heathcliff, which is something Robbie understands and plays to very well, especially in the crossroads scene of the film in which she accidentally makes the wrong choice. There is a wickedness from here that only grows as passion and spite consume our protagonists. I found Robbie to be vile at times, and fated to destroy herself in others. This was one performer who really understood what her role was and what she was playing to.

Wuthering Heights is everything bad in Emerald Fennell's more illustrious works brought to bear. Where other works have been made to unnerve you with purpose, this is an adaptation that is here to be freaky and perturb the audience first. The intention of the film is to show the moments of passionate sexual desire and then the moments of grotesque disgust. Before long, it will become hard to distinguish the two, and in time, there is little left to see. This is a Wuthering Heights that wants to be carnal; it wants to root around in the mud, and it doesn't much care if you enjoy what you are watching. The opening of the film evokes imagery of sex before cutting to our first true flame and revealing a hanging. But it won't end there. Violent outbursts, gutted pigs, festering refuse, kinky acts, walls made to look like skin, septicemia, women acting like dogs... You get the idea. This is a film made to be shocking, but it fails to thrill. Someone I went to see this with me turned to me and asked if I had taken them to see a horror. I suppose I had. This is a film that doesn't want to achieve anything. The story itself is painfully vulgar, with two people who desire one another destroying themselves and everyone around them. It is the worst possible way this classic work could have been imagined.

This film is chopped up like a music video; there are entire jumps in the scene that don't work, and montages are overly stylised. I absolutely could not stand the music provided to this by Charli XCX; it yanked me right out of any scene every time something lyrical struck up. The idea that a trendy pop artist could pair neatly with a period tragedy is madness.

Jacob Elordi, who played Heathcliff, seems to be a casting choice more grounded in aesthetics; Elordi struggles with subtlety and seems downright evil at times. Hong Chau, who played Nelly, feels a bit too old for her role at the best of times; Chau's overbearing matronly manner was a weight on the feature. Shazad Latif, who played Edgar, is just a bit too dull to make himself known; Latif's entire character falls into the background time and again. Alison Oliver, who played Isabella, is just an absurd performance that seems doomed to fail; Oliver's doing that dog scene is absolutely ridiculous. Martin Clunes, who played Mr Earnshaw, doesn't seem remotely grounded in reality; his imp-like look near the end really jumped the shark. Owen Cooper, who played Young Heathcliff, is a bit too plain for the character; Cooper comes across as rather wooden, evoking just a bit too much of Elordi.

I can't imagine a more grotesque and horrific take on Emily Brontë's famous novel. I would give Wuthering Heights a 2.5/10.