Alex B Cann Film Column- Thursday 22nd May

With the spell of sunny weather set to come to an end, I'd imagine the cinema might be a popular choice over the bank holiday weekend, so I thought we'd take a look at some of your viewing choices.

First up, Hallow Road. A word about its running time before we get into the substance... at 80 minutes, it's pretty much my dream duration! Imagine how many more films I could get through in a week. According to a Vox article last year, the average movie was 2 hours long in 1993, whilst it had gone up to 2 hours and 23 minutes in 2023. In 1989, The Little Mermaid was 83 minutes long, whilst the 2023 remake was 135 minutes. The new Mission : Impossible - The Final Reckoning clocks in at 170 minutes!

Hallow Road stars Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys as parents on a desperate car journey to reach their wayward daughter, who took off after an argument and has been involved in a collision. She fears she's knocked down and killed a girl, and much of the nerve-shredding film is set inside the couple's car, as Pike talks her daughter Alice (Megan McDonnell) through CPR and tries to keep her on the phone.

The last film I can remember with a car setting is Tom Hardy's Locke, and Hallow Road certainly doesn't disappoint. I was on the edge of my seat, and I'm sure my heart missed a couple of beats as I tried to figure out what was going on! A compelling ride. It's best watched with no spoilers, so I'm not going to say any more.

Final Destination : Bloodlines is the first new Final Destination movie since 2011, with the sizeable gap being partly blamed by the director on the actors' strike and the Covid pandemic. Producer Craig Perry said: "If you go back and watch all the other movies and come back in, it's an even richer experience They don't need to have watched the others, that was a very conscious decision on our part". I can't wait to check it out this weekend!

You might also be tempted by Lilo & Stitch, a new version of Disney's 2002 classic animation. One recent review from Paste Magazine says it "brings the movie into 2025 with some smart changes and thoughtful additions". Also watching this one over the weekend, so I'll report back next week.

Marvel's Thunderbolts* is a great watch, and cured me of my Marvel malaise. Sinners is a crackingly original movie, whilst Karate Kid : Legends arrives next Wednesday, following on from the huge success of Cobra Kai, which ran for six seasons from 2018 to 2025. Ralph Macchio returns, and whilst Pat Morita (Mr Myagi) sadly passed away in 2005, his teachings are still ingrained in the movie's DNA. Wax on, wax off! One more to mention that's out soon... The Salt Path is based on a hugely popular book, and stars Gillian Anderson & Jason Isaacs. Get your boots on and head down to the cinema!