Jojo Rabbit: Gloriously funny and moving comedy-drama from New Zealand director Takia Waititi. Set at the end of World War Two, it follows a young German boy obsessed with the Nazi Party and Hitler. The latter also happens to be his imaginary friend (pictured above). The film follows the lad's adoption of Third Reich ideology and the eventual shattering of that way of thinking. Roman Griffin Davis is excellent as the lonely schoolboy, while Waititi has a blast playing the Austrian-born dictator. Sam Rockwell is also fabulous as the leader of the local branch of the Hitler Youth. I genuinely can't recall seeing a better film in a long time. It's an utter joy.
The Foreigner: Netflix movie starring Jackie Chan as a father out for revenge against the rogue cell of Irish terrorists who murdered his daughter. He becomes embroiled in a plot involving Pierce Brosnan's bloody bid to forward the peace process. A surprisingly good thriller.
Jumanji: The Next Level: Enjoyable sequel nonsense starring the Rock. It's by the numbers but it's good fun. And it has the Rock. But I may have mentioned that already.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: This could be a long and over-wrought analysis of why it's not a good enough ending to something many folk my age have a massive emotional investment in. Instead, it's probably just about OK. It's much better if you don't go in there without your critical faculties engaged and, instead, you simply marvel at the set pieces and enjoy the nods to the previous movies. It does have a couple of great scenes and some good dialogue. But, frankly, it doesn't deliver or surprise or innovate.
TV
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Quite simply the best sitcom on TV. If you're in with the premise and the characters and their dark, anti-Friends world, it remains a thing of glorious brilliance. Highlights of Season 14 include the noir thriller pastiche The Janitor Always Mops Twice, the wonderfully astute The Gang Solves Global Warming and A Woman's Right to Chop, and the brilliant film focus group episode, Thunder Gun IV: Maximum Cool. I fucking well adore this series. Please make season 15 soon.
Broken: Netflix documentary series examining dodgy businesses around the globe and how their marketing arms and business practices make many of them morally bankrupt. A sometimes depressing, frightening but fascinating watch. Cosmetics, vaping and furniture are among the subjects examined.
Dracula: A hotly anticipated adaptation – of sorts – of the Bram Stoker novel from Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat. I really liked the opening episode and the second episode was OK. But the third episode felt like a convoluted episode of Skins with the writers not quite knowing how to escape the clever story maze they'd got a bit lost in.
The Foreigner: Netflix movie starring Jackie Chan as a father out for revenge against the rogue cell of Irish terrorists who murdered his daughter. He becomes embroiled in a plot involving Pierce Brosnan's bloody bid to forward the peace process. A surprisingly good thriller.
Jumanji: The Next Level: Enjoyable sequel nonsense starring the Rock. It's by the numbers but it's good fun. And it has the Rock. But I may have mentioned that already.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: This could be a long and over-wrought analysis of why it's not a good enough ending to something many folk my age have a massive emotional investment in. Instead, it's probably just about OK. It's much better if you don't go in there without your critical faculties engaged and, instead, you simply marvel at the set pieces and enjoy the nods to the previous movies. It does have a couple of great scenes and some good dialogue. But, frankly, it doesn't deliver or surprise or innovate.
TV
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Quite simply the best sitcom on TV. If you're in with the premise and the characters and their dark, anti-Friends world, it remains a thing of glorious brilliance. Highlights of Season 14 include the noir thriller pastiche The Janitor Always Mops Twice, the wonderfully astute The Gang Solves Global Warming and A Woman's Right to Chop, and the brilliant film focus group episode, Thunder Gun IV: Maximum Cool. I fucking well adore this series. Please make season 15 soon.
Broken: Netflix documentary series examining dodgy businesses around the globe and how their marketing arms and business practices make many of them morally bankrupt. A sometimes depressing, frightening but fascinating watch. Cosmetics, vaping and furniture are among the subjects examined.
Dracula: A hotly anticipated adaptation – of sorts – of the Bram Stoker novel from Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat. I really liked the opening episode and the second episode was OK. But the third episode felt like a convoluted episode of Skins with the writers not quite knowing how to escape the clever story maze they'd got a bit lost in.
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