Alex Cann film column - Thursday 15th May 2025

It’s a score draw for my film of the week this week between a trombone and a surf board.

The Marching Band is a French drama about two brothers who reunite after taking very different paths in life. Lead actors Pierre Lottin and Benjamin Lavernhe are both terrific, and there are definite shades of Brassed Off and The Full Monty. Thibaut is a world-renowned conductor who collapses during a concert and needs a bone marrow transplant. His sister is not a match, and family secrets are uncovered, leading to him tracking down a long-lost biological brother. 

There’s a perfect blend of humour and drama, and characters you get to know and root for. Don’t let the subtitles put you off... it’s a French flight of fancy. I had something in my eye during the concert finale. It also inspired me to dig out my Miles Davies vinyl albums. Awesome.

The Surfer is one of Nicolas Cage’s best films in ages, as his unnamed character tries to take his son surfing in the sun-kissed, scenic Australian bay where he grew up. He’s desperate to buy his old clifftop family home that’s finally come on the market, but the snarling locals have other ideas. 

Some claim it’s Cage’s 117th movie! He’s a unique talent, and his character’s fall from the Lexus driving, expensive shade-wearing office type to a dishevelled man with nothing left to lose is rapid. 

One review describes it as “99 minutes of sun-beaten terror” (The Collider), and it’s a decent description. The tension is relentlessly ratcheted up, and it boasts some of the same weird energy as Dream Scenario a couple of years ago, where everyone started having dreams about Nicolas Cage. A pulpy, low budget riot.

Havoc (Netflix) is stuffed full of clunky dialogue, implausible action sequences, and 90 per cent of it feels like watching a video game or bad CGI. Did Tom Hardy read the script before signing on the dotted line? Example dialogue: “What now? Now you should arrest me. You’re a good cop, Ellie. Probably should have been nicer to you”. 

It’s a film with too many plot threads, too many characters, wobbly camerawork, and a dire script. I am struggling to find any redeeming qualities. No wonder it went straight to streaming. Noisy, but never gets out of first gear.

And The Friend was at Cineworld for a very short time, but is worth looking out for. Bill Murray is sadly a ghostly presence for much of the movie, as his character dies early on, and leaves his 150-pound Great Dane Apollo to his friend (played by Naomi Watts). 

Based on Sigrid Nunez’s book, it’s a moving story of friendship, love, loss, and healing. The Times likened it to Turner and Hooch: the five stages of grief. Nobody plays a sad clown better than Bill Murray, and their description is on point. I had a good cry, I have to admit. New York is also the star of the film, and is shot beautifully.