Alex B Cann film column - AI, animation, and Charli XCX 26/02/26

I first watched Zootropolis 2 back in December on 4DX, and saw it again with my nephew over the weekend. It's now the biggest animation of all time, and one of the top ten biggest films globally too.

I really enjoyed reliving the adventures of a rabbit police officer (Ginnifer Goodwin) and con artist fox (Jason Bateman), who team up to make an unlikely but highly effective crime fighting team. Gary De'Snake is a great new character, and Nibbles Maplestick is also fun. Packed with visual gags (look out for the pirated DVD seller as Judy and Nick slide down the huge chute), a sharp script and a great storyline, what's not to love? It continues for another week at Cineworld Ashton.

The Moment is an A24-produced 'mocumentary' which sees Charli XCX preparing for her Brat tour, and releasing a green Brat credit card, all whilst navigating the mad excesses of fame. Alexander Skarsgard is excellent as Johannes, the controlling director who takes over planning the tour choreography from Charli's best friend, and whilst a lot of this is apparently staged, it does expose the madly surreal road that pop stars take. I can't imagine why anyone would want to do it! Whilst many of the events are fictional in the film, I got the impression the feelings were real. It was darkly funny in places, and whilst the strobe lighting and editing style made it feel quite scrappy at times (parts of it felt like a DVD extra), I did rather enjoy it. I also love Charli's style and spirit, and have been enjoying listening to her soundtrack written for the new "Wuthering Heights". It's just become her third UK number one album.

Good Luck Have Fun Don't Die felt quite Matrix-esque at times, mixed with Groundhog Day and a number of classic sci-fi movies. Sam Rockwell plays a strangely dressed man who claims to be from the future and arrives in a diner in Los Angeles at 10:10PM, looking for recruits to help him save the world Unfortunately, most people are glued to their phones and don't even notice him initially. I liked the commentary about the draining nature of social media on human interaction, and it contained a few genuine laughs. The giant cat is also a selling point. It's not perfect, but enjoyably derivative of some other classic movies, whilst offering enough new material to pique my interest.

Goat sees Will the goat taking on much bigger animals to prove 'small animals can ball'. A good message behind it of not giving up on your dreams, and it kept my nephew's attention. And Cold Storage was directed by the same guy behind Ant n' Dec's flop Alien Autopsy in 2006. Which explains a lot. Best avoided. Might be enjoyable on a Friday night after a few beers, if I'm being kind, but it's a gory vomit fest without a very interesting story. Even Liam Neeson's particular set of skills can't save this turkey, I'm afraid.