One Battle After Another (2025)

 The film follows Bob (Leonardo Di Caprio) who was part of a freedom fighting group known as the French 75 when his girlfriend disappears after being arrested and leaves his with their baby. 16 years later, the baby is now grown up and Bob is a wasted loser. The Colonel that was after them is again after them.

I have to admit that I haven't seen that many PTA films (this being my third) but this is my favourite film of his. Firstly the fact that the film doesn't rush itself and takes its time letting things play out. I was genuinely worried when I saw that the film was over two and a half hours long but to be honest I thought the runtime was perfect. I was never bored and it never felt like they padded things out or were rushing to get to the end. 

The casting is really good. Leonardo Di Caprio gives another solid performance and each time he shows how good he is I am reminded that this is the same Leonardo Di Caprio that was not very good in Romeo and Juliet and The Beach. It’s one of his better performances because its understated just still feels important. Chase Infiniti is a huge discovery and does very well surrounded by Oscar winning actors. Her best scenes are when she is with Sean Penn. She is trying to be strong in the face of Penn’s creepy Lockjaw. 

Sean Penn is the real star of this film. Every second that he was on screen made me feel like I wanted to take a shower. Just the fact that he is after Bob and Willa is enough to make him a villain in the film but the idea that he wants to wipe his daughter out because he wants to join some KKK-type club but they wouldn’t haven’t him in if he told the truth but there is 

The cinematography is very nice. The last 20-25 minutes take place on one long winding road with the desert either side and yet Michael Bauman makes it look quite nice. Johnny Greenwood’s score is something that I have heard good things about and it works for this film but I don’t think that its the best of the year.

I really liked this film. A lot of people are saying that this is their favourite film of the year and whilst its in my top 3, it doesnt make it to top spot although I can see why. When people say there are no original ideas in cinema anymore then we can show them films like this

The Lost Bus (2025)

 The Lost Bus was a film I knew pretty much nothing about. Normally this is the sort of film that I would have waited to see it on streaming, however when I discovered that Paul Greengrass was directing it then I changed my mind because I knew that there was a good chance that this was going to be spectacular. It made sense since he directed two of the best of the Jason Bourne films (as well as the final one). The plot is that Matthew McConaughey plays Kevin who is a school bus driver who after the fire starts is tasked with taking some students to a drop off point along with their teacher Mary played by America Ferrera. For most of the film, the action centres around Kevin and Mary as they try and do what seems impossible.

The plot is straightforward and what makes the film work as well as it does is that it has the intensity that it needs to and the sort that is common in Greengrass’ other films such as United 93 and 22 July. 

If I had an issue with the film is that the shakey cam is really bad. I dont think that I have seen shakey cam this bad since Monkey Man. I understand that in most of his films. When there is daylight then it works because at least you can see what is happening and so you know how to react. When its dark then there is nothing for me to connect with and there was one scene where people were running around and so there were people and then flames and lights and at one point I couldn’t see anything even though there were things happening. That is it as far as the criticisms go because the film works due to keeping things simple and letting the chemistry between McConaughey and Ferrera drive the story (pardon the pun). It is Kevin’s story so McConaughey is technically the lead but when Ferrara enters the story it feels like they are both equal and to be fair to the kids they also help make this feel tense and you are happy when they manage to escape the smoke.

On the subject of the smoke, the constant shots of smoke and fire and people coughing just kept making me go for my drink and that is a sign of good storytelling. There was a good 40-45 minutes that were totally gripping and it seemed like the scenes where we were out with the fire Marshall’s and the bus depot were there to give us a breather for a few minutes. I also liked the shots where we were flying through the air like we were the fire almost seeing it from its point of view. There were moments mainly at the end where it felt like wheepy melodrama but I felt like the film had earnt this right because of everything that had happened. It did feel like the whole business of Kevin and his son could probably have been left out but I suppose when you are telling a true story or a story based on true events then sometimes you have to leave the less than minor details in. 

The Lost Bus was a gamble for me but I am happy to report that this gamble paid off. In the hands of a lesser director then this wouldn’t have had the impact and we might have been left with a story that got bogged down in special effects and characters that weren’t well written but thankfully we got the best of everything. Not sure whether its better on the big screen but I didn’t mind spending my money on a Saturday morning.  

The Roses (2025)

 I tend to shy away from comedies because they are usually quite unfunny (The Naked Gun is a perfect example). However I thought that the trailer looked quite good especially with Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch. Colman plays Ivy Rose who is an aspiring chef struggling to get her crabs business off the ground and Benedict Cumberbatch is Theo who is an architect and during one eventful evening their fortunes change and Theo becomes a stay at home dad and Ivy becomes the next Gordon Ramsey.

Both Cumberbatch and Colman have great chemistry. It was already well known that Colman could do funny things as she could do it in her sleep but it was a revelation that Cumberbatch could do it just as well. Adam Sandberg and Kate McKinnon pop up every so often as the couple who seem to be in a different movie. McKinnon’s Amy seems to spend every chance she gets trying to hit on Theo. Ncuti Gatwa plays Jeffrey and being a Doctor Who fan it's always fun seeing someone from Doctor Who in a film. Colman herself was in Doctor Who back in 2010 so it was fun having a double Doctor Who connection. Alison Janney pops up for about 3 minutes playing Ivy’s lawyer and it's a shame that she is in the film so little cause Janey is always good in whatever she is in.

If I had a problem with the film it's that it feels like they spent too long getting to the part where they start falling out. I think too much time was spent establishing their lives and their family because by the time they do end up with their reversed fortunes, it feels like the film is on fast forward. The film is just short of 1 hour 50 minutes and in its current form, it should have been 10-15 minutes longer. Once Ivy and Theo start to fall out and try to wreck each other’s life it becomes a lot more fun and I could have done with more of this because we only ever see the fallout from it not the build up. The final fight is possibly the best and we see them throwing knives and oranges at each other along with Ivy firing a gun and its actually a shame when they decide to stick together just as the gas is implied to set fire to the house and kill them.

Overall I enjoyed The Roses a lot more than I thought I would but this works pretty much entirely because of Cumberbatch and Colmann. If neither of them were in this then it would probably be a less successful film but as it is this film is a fun watch and one thing I haven't commented on is the director because it's directed by Jay Roach who previously directed the Austin Powers trilogy and Bombshell which I quite enjoyed and this film walks a fine line between comedy and making characters who are completely unlikable and Roach manages to pull it off although it might not work for everyone but it works for me.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025)

I have never seen the TV series although I thought I should give the films a go. The first one is not very good as it's just the King coming for dinner and everyone getting flustered. The second one is the best one as its a mystery about how Violet (Maggie Smith) got given a fancy house in France. The highlight being when Robert breaks down in tears and I don't know whether its because he might be illegitimate or French. This one deals with change and pretty much every aspect of the film is about that in one way or another. 

One of the things that has worked in the film’s favour is that it doesn't lean on the assumption that you have watched every episode of the TV show before watching any of these. I think it would help as there have been references that didn’t mean anything to me but to people who are fans of the show it would remind them of a particular episode.  

One plot strand comes from the fallout from Mary’s divorce. It’s weird to think that there was a time when divorce made you a social pariah. Someone doesn't want her to present an award because she is divorced. How times have changed. I did laugh when a line was used about the house being full of yanks but Mary is the controversial one. Another plot strand is that Harold (Paul Giamatti) is trying to get money as suggested by Gus (Alessandro Nivola) but it is then revealed that Gus is a con-artist or confidence trickster as they refer to him as. 

The performances are all really good. Michelle Dockery managed to achieve something that none of the other cast managed and that is to make me feel sorry for one of these characters. Mary is suffering just because she is a divorcee and manages to come across as a smart person who doesn't like what is happening but accepts that this is the way the world works. She is the one at the very end standing tall having become the mistress of downtown. It is impossible, I think to dislike Hugh Bonneville. He spends the entirety of this film stomping around acting like a spoiled child with his unwillingness to accept that things have to change. Paul Giamatti is fun to watch in this and even though he has a secret that could ruin the family, he still manages to come across as a likeable person and I think that is more to do with Giamatti himself.

The thing about these films is that it's very hard to empathise with them. They are people who are staggeringly wealthy for so long and the film (and TV series) asks us to connect with them. Ok their finances are not what they were but whenever they do a  wide shot of the house they live in then I find it hard to feel sorry for them. 

Despite not being emotionally connected with these characters, I wasn't bored by this film. At two hours it is basically a two parter of the tv show which is a main issue with all these films but the plot, the cinematography (Ben Smithard) and the score (John Lunn) help me enjoy this film far more than I was expecting. I don't think that this film is quite as good as the second film but there is still plenty to like although my mom went to see this film as was slightly disappointed with it but i think that it ends in a way that they could pick this up again with time having moved on but if this is the grand finale then they have ended on a satisfying note.

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025)

 Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is the sequel to the cult classic 1984 Spinal Tap. I must confess that I don't have quite the emotional connection with that film as most people did. In fact I didn’t see it until just a couple of years ago. This sequel follows the band mates after they reunite following a 15 year absence. They are coming back due to a contractual obligation and are playing their gig in Louisiana because Stormy Daniels had to pull out. The mockumentary follows them 10 days or so before the concert. 

The film doesn't quite have the underground vibe that the first one had yet the mockumentary is more concerned with the trio and how they deal with coming back together and building up to the concert. The mockumentary is on for 90 minutes long and I think that the time flies. It could probably have done with it being 10-15 minutes longer. It would have been nice to have a nice send off because lets be honest Guest is 77, McKean is 77 and Shearer is 81 so the odds of us getting another outing from these three is slim to non-existent.

Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer are all very funny for the entirety of the film. There is friction between Tufnel and St. Hubbins and Smalls manages to stay out of the drama although the drama centres around the fact that St. Hubbins believes that Tufnel slept with his wife when at the end of the films it is revealed that Smalls is the one who slept with St. Hubbins’ wife. The dynamic between the three of them is one of things that I enjoyed about the film. Rob Reiner does well doing double duty of directing the film and as Marty DiBergi who is like the fourth member of Spinal Tap. He is the viewer's voice as asks the questions that we are all asking and has fun doing it. 

The film has quite a few cameos and most of them literally phone it in or at least video it in. The two big cameos are Paul McCartney who seems to annoy St. Hubbins even though the other two welcome the criticism of the former Beatle but the biggest cameo comes from Sir Elton John who at first waddles into the scene but does get to do some singing and ends up getting squashed by the giant Stonehenge. 

Tony Hendra died in 2021 so Kerri Godliman steps in as his daughter and is quite good with what is a fairly small role. I think those outside the UK will not be familiar with her but they might be more familiar with Chris Addison who seems to be channeling his inner Simon Cowell as Simon Howler and is technically the film’s bad guy and he does what he does very well although his character just walks away with something about meeting his birth mother and I thought there might be some comment at the end when we get loads of funny moments but no….nothing. Seemed a bit odd to me.

The film ends with the concert and it must have been fun to be a part of. I think if you go in expecting it to be on the same level as the first one then you will be disappointed but if you go in wanting a fun 90 minutes then this will definitely satisfy you. Despite not having the emotional connection that most people have with the first one I probably look at this more favourably than other although the people in the screening that I was in laughed more than once.

The Long Walk (2025)

 The Long Walk is a relatively straightforward story.The film is Speed mixed in with Hunger Games and Battle Royale. The premise is that in a world where the economy has basically ruined the world (could be set in 2025), 50 teenage boys take part in a contest where they have to walk and walk until there is just one person left and that person gets a life changing amount of money and one wish. It’s what they would call the elevator pitch. 

Based on a Stephen King novel, these tend to have a mixed record but I have to say that this is one of the better ones. The simplicity of the plot means that this film is more of a character piece than anything else. The film centres around Garetty (played by Cooper Hoffman) and his small band of friends. For all but two scenes the film takes place on the road 

There is one thing that I could have done without and that is the defecating. We see it not once, not twice but three times and that's gross. I understand that they would need to do this at some point but we didn’t need to see it actually be done. I’m surprised they showed restraint and didn’t zoom in on the butt cheeks. Thank heavens for small mercies.

The film centres around Garraty but the film has other people for us to be interested in. McVries is someone that becomes a close friend and ultimately wins the contest and I liked David Jonsson’s performance. To strike up a solid duo with great chemistry so quickly isn’t an easy thing and yet both Hoffman and Jonsson achieve this. I also liked Tut Nyuot as Baker. There were people who we were clearly not supposed to like as much and they did their job perfectly. Garrett Wareing as Stebbins was one of those and it was clear that he had some relationship with the Major so it wasn't a surprise when that was revealed. He did manage to claw back some empathy by the end of the film but for the most part I disliked him and that was what he was supposed to do.  Charlie Plummer was the film's antagonist as he just came across as such a horrible person and it was his actions that led to someone dying. Like Stebbins, he does claw back some empathy by the end but it took him stabbing himself with a spoon to achieve this.  

Mark Hammil pops up as the major and there is very little we know about the Major except for a few flashback scenes where he killed Garraty’s dad. I think this might be the first new film I have seen Hammil in since The Rise of Skywalker back in 2019. It’s a great performance by him and in a few short scenes he makes you dislike him. If he is on screen for 10 minutes in total then I would be very surprised yet he still felt like a big part of the film. The Major’s involvement is what motivates Garraty to do what he is doing, he is walking barefoot at one point and the pain must have been indescribable and so its this that makes Garraty more of a hero in the world of this film than he probably would have been without the flashback.

I don’t know how much the film differs from the book but what we got in this film was very good. Except for the defecating, this was a highly enjoyable film with strong characters and credit to Francis Lawrence for making a film about walking seem intense and dramatic. This isn’t a film that feels the need to include a bunch of sentimental stuff into the plot because the performances have enough of that and I also like the fact that we know very little about the world except for the explantation at the beginning and then the story ends, the film ends with McVries walking into the sunset. The film gets in and gets out which I can appreciate. At 108 minutes, the film is the perfect length and doesn't feel the need to pad things out. 

Overall I really enjoyed ’Speed on Foot’. Great performances, good direction and a story that works very well in today’s society.

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

 I have seen My Neighbor Totoro before but got the chance to see it at the cinema. Having seen Spirited Away and liked it more after seeing it at the cinema, I thought/hoped that the same would happen to My Neighbor Totoro. It’s one of the weaker of Miyazaki’s films. The story sees two sisters move with their father to a new house in the country whilst their mother is recovering in hospital. Whilst exploring they come across a Totoro which is a spiritual being. As much as I want to love this film I simply don't and that is because the plot isn't the best. It never feels like its building up to something it just sort of ends which is disappointing. 

Something else that I didn't notice the first time I watched this film is just how annoying Mei is. I get that her mother is in hospital and she wants her home but the way that she throws a tantrum at Satsuki just ruins to nice vibe that the film had managed with these two throughout the film. If Satsuki had done something bad then I could understand the mood but as it stands, she just comes across as unreasonable. Now I know she is a young child but it just is a big negative for me as far as enjoying the film is concerned.

On the plus side, The animation, like all Studio Ghibli’s stuff this film is beautiful. It puts a lot of computer generated animation to shame and shows why Studio Ghibli is held in such high regard. I would love to live in this world because it seems like a nice place to work and live in. I also think that the soundtrack is lovely. Its another film when I have gone home and brought the soundtrack.  

This is one of my least favourite Miyazaki films but I still think its worth your time. The animation is worth the 90 minutes of your time and even with the weak plot, you’ll still finish the film in a better mood than when you started and thats what all films (apart from horror) should strive for.

The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025)

The Conjuring series is a mixed series. They have ranged from ok (the first one) to boring (the second one). I am sceptical that this is the last one but it will most likely be the last one to feature Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. The plot is pretty much the same as the rest, the ‘true story’ sees. The ‘true story’ sees Lorraine and Ed travel to the house of some family that has a possession in it. I should probably have watched the previous films because I had forgotten/wasn't aware that the Warrens had a daughter and she forms the basis for the story and the fact she gets married to a guy who was once in Eastenders.

The true part of this story is absolute nonsense. Just because the Warren’s say it happened or some of it happened means that it almost certainly didn’t happen but that is something that could be said about anything happening in the Conjuring Universe. The Annabelle doll for example is just a Raggedy Anne doll and not in the slightest bit scary.

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. It’s not a great film by any means but compared to the usual conveyor belt of jump horror films that Blumhouse are famous for, this is one of the better ones. It doesn't quite have the same jump scares (that i can remember) which is one of the things that make it worth watching. There are some good shots that show some thought was put into making this film atmospheric. The way that the camera slowly zooms in on someone shows that the director was more interested in making a film that didn’t just rely on jump scares. The Nun, which was a Michael Chaves is one of the most boring films in the Conjuring series but this is miles better. The story is good, the scares are decent and the family is mildly interesting. Interesting enough to care about them getting through this situation. 

There did seem to be a couple of moments which were hilarious even though I don’t think they were meant to be. One moment occurred when the daughter started vomiting blood and the aimless stream made me chuckle.

I was worried that at 2 hours and 15 minutes, the film was going to struggle to keep the pace going and whilst it took a while to get to the Warrens at the family house, I thought the run time was just right. They got away with it. Horror films should be 90-100 minutes and if you go longer then you run the risk of being boring but to this films credit, they got away with it. If this is the final one then they ended on a high because they saved the best till last. It’s nowhere near as good as Bring Her Back or Sinners because it doesn’t have the quality in terms of story or acting but I think that it does what it needed to do and in that sense does it better than films like I know what you did Last Summer.

Caught Stealing (2025)

Matt Smith as a punk rocker. That is literally all it took for me to decide I wanted to see Darren Aronofsky’s latest film. One thing was for sure before I watched this film and that it was not going to be as downbeat and borderline depressing as ‘The Whale’. The set up of the film is Austin Butler plays Hank who after drink driving killed his friend and ended his potentially successful baseball career, he is asked to look after the cat belonging to Russ (Matt Smith) while he goes to the UK. People are after Russ and it turns out he has money that some groups were supposed to have split between them. 

I did find Matt Smith to be the funniest part of the film. There was something preposterous about the fact that he looks like he does. It might be the fact I am a Doctor Who but there was something about the fact he kept swearing which just came across as humorous. Whether that was what Aronofsky was intending was unclear. Also not to sound like a prude but the c-word was used several times still managed to only get a 15 certificate. It is quite impressive how we have developed where we can cope with the c-word.

Austin Butler is quite good as Hank. There is something likeable about him as he is trying to remember where the key that he needs to find for the crazy people. He does have to do a funny British impression which must have made Dick van Dyke want to call his lawyer for copyright infringement. Zoe Kravitz is not in the film very much. She was quite good as Yvonne and it does feel slightly out of left field when she is killed. It was abrupt and it lacked any real emotional impact. The chemistry between Kravitz and Butler was really good and it would have served the film better if she had made it to the end and run away with Hank but at least the cat survived although he probably lost at least three of his nine lives during the course of this film. I also liked how New York looked. I know films and TV shows set in New York are quite common but Matthew Libatique deserves a lot of credit for making the whole film look brilliant. 

I thought that Caught Stealing was good enough but I don't think that it's going to be a big hit unless there are a lot of people who want to see Matt Smith with a mohawk. I also think that the comedy doesn't quite work as well as it could have done and so as a result falls just a little short of being at the top of most people’s films of the year.