A mix this week of stuff that I watched over the festive season and a couple from this week, to start another year of movie watching!
A mix this week of stuff that I watched over the festive season and a couple from this week. Great to see Cineworld bring some David Fincher classics back to the big screen, and I watched Zodiac (2007) for the first time. A terrific cast, including Mark Ruffalo, Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr, this is set in the city of San Francisco in the late 1960s as a brazen serial killer plays cat and mouse games with the police. I rated the look, the feel, and the script.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 sees the intrepid hedgehog team up with his arch nemesis Robotnik (Jim Carrey) in a bid to defeat a powerful new enemy, Shadow. Whilst Carrey is on good wisecracking form, this isn't a sequel that really needed to exist. It goes through the motions, and my nephew seemed to enjoy it, but I'm fairly sure I had a solid ten minute nap at one point. It's at least 25 minutes too long, but that's the case with quite a lot of films these days. I didn't hate it, but I remember almost nothing about it a week later.
Film of the week for me is Conclave. Ralph Fiennes is subtle, understated, and brilliant as Cardinal Lawrence. We witness the rather elongated process of choosing a new Pope, and secrets threaten to come tumbling out at every twist and turn that could shake the very foundations of the Catholic Church. I found it gripping, loved the story, and would now rather like to read the book, which I'm told the film follows pretty faithfully. Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Lucian Msamati are all rather excellent too. It was a good film to watch on New Year's Eve to see out 2024.
Another recent watch was Carry-On. Much like Die Hard, it's set in an airport on Christmas Eve, and Taron Egerton is always very watchable. My mate Simon claims it's the worst film he's ever seen. He's obviously not seen Spiceworld or Nan The Movie.
The Christmas Day Wallace & Gromit : Vengeance Most Fowl was an absolute triumph from start to finish, full of lovely little animated details and an incredible vocal performance from Ben Whitehead, stepping into the shoes of the late Peter Sallis. A tough act to follow, but he nailed it. Peter Kay and Lauren Patel made a cracking double act too as the Chef Inspector and PC Mukherjee. The 'smart gnome' plot warns of the dangers of AI in a really clever and fun way, and Feathers McGraw often stole the show. Inspired.
I also rewatched Lee and think Kate Winslet should have received more plaudits for her role as the Vogue model turned war photographer, and I enjoyed Mufasa : The Lion King's visually stunning style of animation, although found the story a little paper thin.
Finally, Small Things Like These. Cillian Murphy is ace as coal merchant Bill Furlong. Set during Christmas 1985, it's not full of festive cheer, but is subtle and quietly moving.
Alex Cann Film Column - 17th April 2025
