Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Aleksei Serebryakov, Darya Ekamasova
Certificate: 18
Run Time: 139 mins

Anora is the new film by Sean Baker and it won the Palme D’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Anora ‘Ani’ Mikheeva (Mikey Madison) works as a stripper in Brooklyn – so far, so Sean Baker. Since she has Russian heritage, her boss and introduces her to Ivan ‘Vanya’ Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn), the 21-year-old son of a Russian oligarch. Although Vanya is supposed to be in the US to study, he prefers to be unruly by playing videogames, getting drunk and high every second of the day in his family’s mansion. He quickly takes a shine to Anora, paying her $15,000 for her to stay with him for a week. Things begin to escalate. 

Other than Mikey Madison’s fantastic performance, I found the first 45 minutes of Anora really testing. I hated Vanya and his similarly childish friends who run around clubs, bars and hotels as if they own the place, wreaking destruction on their path. But when two men knock on Vanya’s mansion door one day, the narrative takes a different direction and the rest of the 139 minute film had me grinning with its breathless fireball energy and wit. In retrospect, the first 45 minutes are needed to get you to despise the characters for the rest of it to work, so stay with it if you’re feeling the same way. It’s a film where characters are consistently pulled from pillar to post but there’s also a stark tenderness to its humanity and Baker portrays a vivid contrast between the rich and poor. It’s beautifully shot by Drew Daniels, who lends the film its disorientingly frenetic edge. 

Mikey Madison, who was one of Charles Manson’s accomplices in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, is fantastic as Anora and thoroughly deserving of awards attention. She has bundles of empathy and despite her demeaning work selling her body, she knows how to get what she wants. Yura Borisov is also brilliant as Igor, a Russian henchman with morals with a similarly modest financial background as Anora who makes such an impression despite not having many lines. Karen Karagulian is brilliant as Toros, an Armenian handler, who’s mania knows no bounds when his career is jeopardised. And although I hated the character, there’s no doubt Mark Eydelshteyn satisfies the brief as Vanya. 

Anora is ultimately an excellent film from Sean Baker and quite possibly his best work. It made for quite the memorable cinema experience, especially my frustrated reaction to its first act, only to u-turn once it takes a different direction. That’s what makes Anora quite the emotional rollercoaster and it’s undoubtedly a fearsomely original piece of work.  

Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J.K. Simmons, Chris Messina, Zoey Deutch, Kiefer Sutherland
Certificate: 12A
Run Time: 114 mins

Juror No. 2 is the new Clint Eastwood film and possibly his last. A legal thriller, the film opens with Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) being summoned for jury service, with his wife Ally (Zoey Deutch) due to give birth any day. A recovering alcoholic, Justin soon realises he may have been responsible for the death he’s a member of the jury for and his guilt-ridden conscious starts to affect his judgement. Eastwood’s as adept behind the camera as he is in front of it. Unfortunately, Cry Macho, his previous film bombed at the box office (despite being excellent) and Warner Bros initially envisioned this film as a direct-to-streaming release on Max. Sacrilege. The studio since decided to release the film in fewer than 50 cinemas in the US and not report on the box office results, a peculiar approach for such the prolific nonagenarian director.

Warner Bros may well come to regret this decision because Juror No. 2 is another excellent Eastwood effort and is akin to a lower-profile melding of 12 Angry Men and Anatomy of a Fall. What initially seems like a fairly routine, low-profile case gradually turns into a crime with plenty of holes. A morally ambiguous film that asks its audience what they would do in the main character’s situation, Jonathan Abrams’ script does a good job of messing with its audience’s minds in creating doubt of what’s being portrayed on-screen. The film also questions the imperfect nature of the justice system, even if it’s rather unsubtle. But Eastwood does a better job of analysing the biases that certain characters bring into the courtroom, from the lawyers defending and prosecuting the accused to the backstories of the jury members.

Nicholas Hoult makes for an excellent lead and we’re never sure whether we can fully side with him or not, despite making a compelling case for the decisions he makes. Zoey Deutch also makes an impact as his trusting wife and the disappointment she conveys when he takes a wrong decision. Toni Collette, in a rather strange reuniting with her About A Boy co-star, is reliably strong as the prosecuting Assistant District Attorney Faith Killebrew, who seems somewhat impenetrable in her opinion initially but then starts to show a different side. The script also does an excellent job in how the jury members’ backgrounds clash and we can empathise why they may feel a certain way.

While Juror No. 2 isn’t overlong, I think its message would be even more impactful if it were 15 minutes shorter. The film seems like it has multiple endings and a tighter run time would strengthen its messaging. As is typical for many of Eastwood’s films, its direction is rather workmanlike but the film works for its simplicity. It’s nowhere near one of Eastwood’s best but Juror No. 2 is a typically thoughtful piece from the multi-faceted director and if this is indeed his last film, it’s a good one to go out on.

Director: Scott Beck & Bryan Woods
Starring: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East
Certificate: 15
Run Time: 111 mins

Heretic is a high-concept horror written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, best known for scripting A Quiet Place and directing the Adam Driver-starring sci-fi 65. A semi-satirical theological chiller, the film follows two Mormon missionaries who go to a house off the beaten track to convert a reclusive man, Mr Reed (Hugh Grant), as night and rain are starting to fall. Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) appears confident, while Sister Paxton (Chloe East) is more timid. It’s a classic horror set-up – Mr Reed offers the women into his seemingly humble abode, assuring them his wife is preparing a blueberry pie in the kitchen when they ask if there is another woman present for their safety. However, it quickly becomes evident that this is not a safe environment. 

Heretic is a smart and thought-provoking psychological horror with a powerhouse Hugh Grant performance that loses some of its steam in the third act. The script is very wordy and dense, as Mr Reed quickly lets on that he knows a lot more about religion than the Sisters originally envisaged. Mr Reed is charming and likeable to get the girls through the door, but it’s clear he has a darker side. There’s a real thrill as the women start to realise they’re in trouble, but with the typical niceties of a guest who is too polite to leave. What follows is a tantalising rumination on religion and how it has the ability to trap people into a box, complete with gripping analogies. 

Hugh Grant’s played in a fair amount of dross over the years, but is now at the most interesting point of his career with against-type roles in films such as Paddington 2 and The Gentlemen. He’s completely magnetic as the cunning recluse, bringing his trademark charm and wit with a darker underbelly, the perfect ingredients of the best type of villain. The two missionaries don’t fare quite as well because neither are particularly well-developed but Chloe East gives the stronger performance of the duo with her meatier character. 

The film’s also beautifully lensed by Chung Chung-hoon, best known for his collaborations with South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook. His achievement is especially impressive, given the film is largely set in one (albeit expensive) location and it’s anchored by a dense script – two ingredients that, in the wrong hands, might not be particularly cinematic. 

It’s just a shame that the third act can’t quite live up to the first two. While still interesting, the film peaks early as we try and suss out Reed’s true intention. The direction it takes also isn’t as original as the film thinks it is, nor is it subtle. 

Otherwise, there’s a lot to like about Heretic and even if its reach exceeds its grasp. Hugh Grant’s performance is worth the price of admission alone and the film poses some ambitious questions on religion, asking us why we believe what we do and that every action has a consequence. 

Director: Kelly Marcel
Starring: Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Stephen Graham, Peggy Lu, Clark Backo, Alanna Ubach, Andy Serkis
Certificate: 15
Run Time: 109 mins

Venom: The Last Dance is the third instalment in the Venom series and the fifth in Sony’s ill-judged Spider-Man Universe. It would be fair to say that five films in, none of the Venom films, Morbius or Madame Web have hit the mark critically but because they turn a profit, they keep getting made. This third attempt picks up immediately after the events of Venom: Let There Be Carnage (a film that not even director Andy Serkis or renowned cinematographer Robert Richardson could salvage), with Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock drunk in a bar in Mexico. Eddie’s on the run after being named the prime suspect for a murder but when a intergalactic creature starts tracking him with the Venom symbiote, he has two sets of authorities to evade. After writing both the previous films, Kelly Marcel makes her directorial debut.

And sadly, yet again, Venom: The Last Dance is an absolute car crash, feeling more like a collection of sketches than a coherent feature-length film. It all results in an aggressively odd experience bereft of laughs, thrills or any form of intelligence whatsoever. The plot, and I use the word ‘plot’ in the loosest sense possible, is non-existent and full of holes, a dancing sequence set to ABBA’s Dancing Queen laughable in how it’s meant to act as a set-piece to allow two characters to clash. The visual effects are rote, reminiscent of early 2000’s comic-book efforts, even if the film’s reasonably shot by Justice League’s Fabian Wagner.

The performances are terrible. Tom Hardy was never really able to crack the Venom shtick but at least he made an effort in the first two films – here, he just looks tired. The usually brilliant Chiwetel Ejiofor doesn’t register at all and Juno Temple is saddled with some dreadful dialogue. And then rounding off proceedings is Rhys Ifans, who you might expect to be secretly reprising his role as The Lizard from The Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man: No Way Home. But no, he’s wasting his time here as a washed-up hippie exploring Area 51 with his insufferable family.

It’s quite telling that after three films, Sony has proven unable to crack the formula with Venom. Although marginally better than the second, and possibly on a par with the first although the bar is incredibly low, Venom: The Last Dance is utter brainrot. Not even the star-studded cast can save this incoherent horror show. I also struggle to see who this is aimed at – on the one hand, there’s pepperings of puerile, juvenile humour aimed at children but then the film has a 15-rating for its violence and occasional strong language. Make it stop!

Director: Parker Finn 
Starring: Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Ray Nicholson, Dylan Gelugpa, Raul Castillo, Kyle Gallner
Certificate: 18
Run Time: 127 mins

Smile 2 is a horror sequel to the 2022 original, which itself was an expansion on a short film called Laura Hasn’t Slept. Although Smile had an abrasively aggressive marketing campaign, the film ended up being surprisingly excellent. This sequel is once again directed by Parker Finn, who made his debut with the original. Unlike many horror sequels that simply try and turn everything up to eleven and retread all the beats that made the original work, Finn is smart enough to not fall into this trap. Smile 2 follows troubled pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) who’s about to head on tour after a public struggle with substance abuse and a car crash that killed her boyfriend a year earlier. It would be safe to say Riley isn’t in the best headspace and things get significantly uglier when the Smile Entity is passed onto her via her drug dealer. 

Until its final act, Smile 2 largely works and is refreshingly different from its predecessor. There’s a palpable sense of dread and Naomi Scott delivers a knockout performance as the doomed pop star. It’s unfashionable for horror performances to be recognised when it comes to Awards season, but she really carries the film with her convincing descent into madness. Finn deftly blends the rules associated with the demonic entity introduced in the original with a new setting and characters. Witnessing the mayhem unleashed in this operatic setting provides a real contrast to the smaller scale of the first film. The film’s also crisply lensed by returning cinematographer Charlie Sarroff with more than a fair share of Dutch angles.

This idea of upscaling the horror also has an effect on the running time, with Smile 2 running over the two hour mark. While in its first two acts, the longer running time works well to allow for a satisfying amount of character development and to build tension, the film’s final act falls short. It drags and the story starts to undermine its own logic to the point of becoming incoherent. The film’s ending is particularly unsatisfying and left a sour taste.

Smile 2 is ultimately a grander, more lavish sequel that has something to say on the modern celebrity and its toxic fandom. It’s not quite as strong as its predecessor, which I preferred with its simpler setup and more consistent narrative but this sequel still has an effectively nasty sting to its tail for horror fans. It’s a real shame the final act falls apart because until that point, Smile 2 is an effective horror sequel.

Director: Gary Dauberman
Starring: Lewis Pullman, Mackenzie Leigh, Alfre Woodard, John Benjamin Hickey, Bill Camp, Jordan Preston Carter, Nicholas Crovetti, Spencer Treat Clark, William Sadler, Pilou Asbæk
Certificate: 15
Run Time: 113 mins

Salem’s Lot is a new adaptation of Stephen King’s 1975 novel, written and directed by Gary Dauberman. Dauberman’s no stranger to horror or King, having written co-written It before then having sole credit on It: Chapter Two. He also made his directorial debut with the solid Annabelle Comes Home. Although not the first adaptation, it’s the first time Salem’s Lot is committed to cinema. There were two previous television series in 1979 and 2004, with Tobe Hooper’s 1979 mini-series particularly influental.

Unfortunately, this adaptation’s faced an upward struggle – it was made in 2020 and has faced delay after delay ever since, including being cut down from an original three hour runtime. Although it’s receiving a theatrical release in the UK, it’s gone straight to Max in the US. 

The film is mostly faithful to King’s novel. Writer Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) returns to his hometown of Jersualem’s Lot to pen a new book but when a speight of murders happen after the arrival of a strange European man Straker (Pilou Asbæk) and a coffin that’s shipped to his house which people are warned not to touch.

Although significantly condensed from King’s original, Salem’s Lot is a lot of fun, especially in its second half. While it’s not particularly scary, there’s some excellent setpieces with real tension. Like with It, Dauberman does an excellent job of establishing the town and creating a believable world. The film’s handsomely shot by Michael Burgess, too, with some interesting lighting choices and the use of smoke machines. Although there’s a lot of characters to introduce and a sub-two hour runtime, he also does as decent a job he can with developing the characters. 

Lewis Pullman’s a solid lead as the scarred writer. The highlight, though, is Bill Camp as schoolteacher Matthew Burke who’s empathetic but proactive. Pilou Asbæk’s clearly having fun as Straker, as is William Sadler who shows up as a policeman who warns Mears not to cause any trouble. 

As much fun as I had with the film, I’m certain the original three hour cut would have been better. That would have allowed more time for the horror to really unfold and further develop the characters. But considering the disrespect by the studio with its delayed release, Salem’s Lot is very entertaining and not the car crash many were fearing it might be. 

 

Director: Damian Leone
Starring: David Howard Thornton, Lauren LaVera, Elliott Fullam, Samantha Scaffidi
Certificate: 18
Run Time: 125 mins

Terrifier 3 is the latest in the slasher series, with the sadistic and depraved killer clown Art the Clown continuing to wreak gory havoc. Series mastermind Damian Leone once again writes and directs, with the film picking up immediately after Terrifier 2 before jumping forward five years. After being introduced in the previous film, Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) and her brother Jonathan (Elliott Fullam) struggle to adjust to day-to-day life after their gory exploits but plan to reunite at Christmas at Sienna’s Aunt’s house. I’ve enjoyed the series so far. Terrifier was grisly and stripped back but didn’t have much of a story. Leone smartly decided to go for broke in Terrifier 2, an epic sequel running in excess of two hours that introduced Sienna’s memorable protagonist and I particularly appreciated its fantastical elements. Not everyone was on board with the extended running time though and this sequel runs just over the two hour mark, showing a little more restraint.

Terrifier 3 is more of the same but that’s no bad thing. This is a slightly tamer sequel that doesn’t quite revel in its excess and I wish there was more left to interpretation story-wise. But there’s plenty to enjoy here and those wanting a gonzo gore-fest will be more than satisfied. There’s a particularly depraved opening scene, a memorably mean-spirited shopping mall attack and the last half an hour is gleefully intense. But I didn’t think there was anything as shocking to match that scene in Terrifier 2, or even the hacksaw bisection in the original. 

Still, David Howard Thornton is brilliant again as the killer clown who has a particularly grisly interpretation of Christmas, contrasted by Lauren LaVera’s grounded performance as the battle-scarred protagonist. The practical and sound effects for the kills are once again visceral, and it’s a good-looking film visually. 

Terrifier 3 won’t attract new series converts but if you’re after inventive kills with a high production value, Leone’ third effort is a very fun watch – just don’t expect quite as much depth as its superior predecessor. 

Director: Nora Fingscheidt
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Paapa Essiedu, Nabil Elouahabi, Izuka Hoyle, Saskia Reeves, Stephen Dillane
Certificate: 15
Run Time: 118 mins

The Outrun is a drama directed by Nora Fingscheidt, an adaptation of a 2016 memoir by Amy Liptrot who co-writes the screenplay with Fingscheidt. Fingscheidt previously made Systemcrasher and most recently The Unforgivable, which I admired for its harsh setting but it had some tonal issues. 

 Saoirse Ronan stars as Rona, a young woman at the tail-end of her twenties who moves back to her childhood home in the Orkney Islands. She previously lived in London, where she earned a biology degree and had a serious boyfriend. Unfortunately, her life spiralled out of control when she succumbed to alcoholism. Her parents are separated, her religious mother living in the family home and her bipolar father (Stephen Dillane) living nearby in a static caravan. As such, Rona splits her time between them as she continues her rehabiliation. 

Although conventional in its structure, The Outrun is a solid depiction of addiction. The film mainly works because of a superb performance by Saoirse Ronan. It’s impressively lacking in melodrama, with Finscheidt doing well to focus on the grim realities of alcohol abuse, as well as a stirring depiction of loneliness. Fingscheidt also deftly captures the wind and isolation of Scotland, and the contrast and physical displacement the Orkney’s have in relation to London.  

The decision for the film to be told in a non-linear fashion doesn’t really achieve much though – it’s often obvious why Rona might feeling a certain way. It’s also rather conventional in places and I have to admit I felt the film’s two hour length. 

Still, a fundamental part of the film’s overall success is Ronan’s performance. Ronan is utterly convincing as the young lady who knows she’s made some wrong decisions and is at peace with the consequences while trying to move on. It’s her best performance since Lady Bird and she deserves awards recognition. 

Ultimately, although The Outrun succumbs to convention in its structure, there’s enough to make it worthwhile with an excellent Saoirse Ronan performance and a mostly delicate way of approaching its heavy themes. 

Director: Coralie Fargeat
Starring: Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid
Certificate: 18
Run Time: 141 mins

The Substance is a satirical body horror, directed by Coralie Fargeat in her English language debut and it’s received quite the acclaim. The film follows fading Hollywood star Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) and we see her dismissed from her long-running television show due to her age. She’s intrigued by a black market serum, conveniently called ’The Substance’, which promises a “younger, more beautiful, more perfect” version of onself. But of course, any deal like this has its consequences which Sparkle comes to find. 

While The Substance is certainly original in its execution, I found it quite disappointing. For a film that runs in excess of 140 minutes, it doesn’t have a great deal to say and is very on-the-nose. The direction is extremely aggressive and in-your-face, which is clearly intentional but it just got on my nerves. The second half is particularly hard work, especially its go-for-broke ending which it doesn’t earn. The body horror did nothing for me and I don’t understand the comparisons many have made to David Cronenberg.  

There are certainly some positives though – it’s well shot by Benjamin Kracun and the film will definitely be remembered for its clinical yet leering camerawork. The performances are also memorable, with quite possibly a career-best performance from Demi Moore. She brilliantly conveys the depression about the inevitably of getting old and she’ll do anything to get back into the limelight. Margaret Qualley’s also very strong as Sue, Elisabeth’s double once she takes the serum but the character annoyingly gets no real meaningful development. Finally, Dennis Quaid is clearly having fun as the unsubtly named Harvey, the grotesque show producer and in one particularly memorable scene chows down on some prawns with the manners of a child, the sound cranked up to the max. 

 I wish I liked The Substance more than I did. There have been many films that have explored the unattainable level of fandom and how women have to navigate a world of unrealistic standards. Fargeat thinks she has a lot to say, but the film’s message is ultimately very simple. Although some will lap up her original direction, it aggressively didn’t work for me and I found the film quite exhausting. 

Director: Tim Burton 
Starring: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe, Burn Gorman
Certificate: 12A
Run Time: 104 mins

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the long-awaited sequel to Tim Burton’s original, arguably the height of his career. Although I found a lot to like in Big Eyes and Dumbo, it would be fair to acknowledge none of Burton’s films over the last decade have particularly resonated with audiences. A legacy sequel set more than three decades from the original, many of the original cast return. Legacy sequels are always risky business and while there’ve been some successes such as Halloween (2018) and Top Gun: Maverick, we’ve also born witness to disasters such as The Exorcist: Believer and Alien: Romulus. 

Original goth girl Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) is now a mother and the host of a supernatural television show. She’s estranged from her daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega) since the death of her husband on a family trip to the Amazon. She’s also still haunted by the spectre of Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton), the charismatic, grotesque ghost who tried to marry her in the original.  When Lydia’s stepfather Charles (an off-screen Jeffrey Jones) meets an untimely end, she travels back to her childhood home of horrors in Winter River, Connecticut with Astrid and stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara) for the funeral. As one can imagine, all hell breaks loose. 

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a very pleasant surprise – an excellent legacy sequel that’s not far off the quality of the original, showcasing Burton at his best. The script by Alfred Gough and Mark Millar is razor-sharp and full of charm, with lots of laughs to be had. The only element that didn’t work for me was an explanation as to why Geena David and Alec Baldwin’s deceased couple in the original film didn’t feature. 

Although some have criticised this sequel for being overstuffed, I thought the various elements really worked and there’s excitement in knowing that all of the different storylines are inevitably going to collide. The film’s visually arresting too, with lots of physical effects and I particularly admired an early body horror sequence where a character staples body parts together. Danny Elfman turns in a typically romping and swooning score that keeps the film fast-paced. 

Michael Keaton’s reliably excellent as the grotesque bio-exorcist, in the role that arguably launched his career and he gets plenty of smart quips. It’s also refreshing to see Winona Ryder, who hasn’t taken a leading role in a mainstream film in quite a while. Catherine O’Hara brings an energetic wit that permeated her early roles and the newcomers are excellent too. Jenna Ortega is a defiant, quieter version of her mother and Justin Theroux has fun as a Lydia’s slimy boyfriend. There’s also a deliciously fun cameo from Danny DeVito early into the film that’s very memorable. 

I was quite surprised by how entertaining Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is, especially considering my tempered expectations. Burton proves he’s still flowing with the creative juices that left such an impression on his early work and I hope the strong reception to this film inspires him to continue developing wholly original pieces.