I went for an appointment this week at the hospital, as I've been experiencing a bit of knee pain. When asked by the doctor about any sporting injuries or active hobbies, I'll admit that I did chuckle a little bit.
Sitting in the cinema is my main pastime when I'm not on the radio, and for this week's column, I thought I'd choose a 'film of the month' for each month of 2025, from the 117 I watched last year. If you had a favourite that I've missed, do let me know!
January - A Real Pain (Disney+) sees mismatched cousins David and Benji go on a tour through Poland to honour the memory of their late grandmother. It's emotionally powerful, funny, moving, and handles difficult subject matter extremely well. Kieran Culkin steals the show. I watched it twice at the cinema.
February - whilst Bridget Jones 4 was surprisingly moving and poignant, the award has to go to September 5. A tight, factual renactment of events at the 1972 Munich Olympics, when the Israeli athletes were held captive, and an American sports channel found itself providing rolling news coverage.A convincing, compelling, tightly edited gem.
March - Snow White didn't deserve all the hate, but Flow is one of the best animations I've ever seen. Entirely without dialogue, it's a Latvian feline delight, and a really clever way of illustrating the devastating impact of global warming on our planet. My nephew loved it too.
April - Sinners was part horror, part Western, and 100% cracking. Minecraft Movie, on the other hand, was an abomination. I almost threw my popcorn in protest.
May - Karate Kid : Legends sees Jackie Chan on fine form training a young protege for a contest. It's nothing we haven't seen before, but a real treat for fans of the original '80s movie.
June - The Ballad Of Wallis Island is a contender for my film of the year. Life-affirming and wonderful, Tim Key has never been better as he reunites his favourite band for a gig with a smaller audience than they've ever played for.
July - Bad Guys 2 was one of the best sequels in a while, packed with funny jokes and described in the Observer as "a child-friendly Ocean's Eleven with the hyperactive pacing of a Looney Tunes cartoon and a generous serving of extreme silliness"> Great stuff.
August - Weapons sees all the kids from a school class vanish on the same night, except for one. More supernatural than scary, but original, genre-bending, and full of interesting twists. The Naked Gun also made me laugh a lot, and Liam Neeson did a decent job of the reboot.
September - I Swear is based on a true story of a Tourettes sufferer who turns his condition into a tool for educating others about an illness that was written off and laughed at for years. The perfect blend of comedy and poignancy. And a lot of swearing, obviously.
October - I'm opting for Dead of Winter, which received little to no publicity, and deserves to be seen by a wider audience. Emma Thompson plays a brave woman who intervenes when she stumbles upon a kidnapping situation in a remote ranch whilst fishing on a frozen lake. Roofman also deserves a mention for being a startling true story of a convict on the run, hiding out at a Toys 'R' Us store, and featuring a hilarious scene involving Channing Tatum's shower being interrupted by Peter Dinklage in the middle of the night.
November - Whilst I liked the reboot of The Running Man, my Yorkshire roots mean I'm bound to opt for The Choral, filmed in stunning Saltaire and other parts of God's own county. Uplifting, moving, well acted, and a huge hit at cinemas. It wasn't a hit with the critics overall, but what do they know? It hit the right notes for me.
December - whilst I loved the sauciness and sass of Pillion and Christy, my favourite of the month had to be Eleanor The Great. June Squibb is sharp as a tack at the age of 96, and plays a character who makes it quite difficult for us to like her. She takes on the story of a late friend, who survived the horrors of the Holocaust, and makes out that it's her own story, betraying the trust of those around her. Directed by Scarlett Johansson, it reminds us of the importance of celebrating all of our life stories. Here's to another great year of stories at the cinema.
Alex Cann Film Column 8/01/25
Alex Cann's weekly film blog - 9th January
Alex's Weekly Film Blog - 10th October
