A Haunting in Venice is the strongest yet in director/actor Kenneth Branagh’s series of Agatha Christie’s Poirot adaptations, leaning into a refreshing horror tone that the filmmaker executes engagingly, and along with a committed ensemble cast leads the charge as a different kind of Poirot than we’re used to seeing from the actor.
Love Life is an understated family drama that occasionally struggles to completely hold the attention of the viewer with its overly gentle and light nature, but enough of the emotional beats leave a strong impression to convey a quietly powerful story of grief.
Certificate: 12A Running Time: 92 mins UK Distributor: Universal Pictures UK Release Date: 8 September 2023 WHO’S IN MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3? Nia...
The Nun II is an unnecessary sequel to the horror spin-off that adds almost nothing to the main story, and despite valiant filmmaking efforts it isn’t scary or compelling enough to be as memorable as other, better films in the Conjuring universe.
El Conde is an original and entertaining horror-satire that plays around with familiar vampire conventions, to where it can be considered a love letter to that type of gothic horror, and takes aim at the monstrous legacy of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet with a sharp commentary on the normalisation of fascism that is, in some aspects, more terrifying than blood-sucking activity.
Certificate: 12A Running Time: 124 mins UK Distributor: All the Anime UK Release Date: 30 August 2023 WHO’S IN THE FIRST SLAM DUNK? (ENGLISH...
Apocalypse Clown is a largely obnoxious comedic take on the end of the world, which isn’t without its strengths but ultimately lacks the laughs and smarts to avoid falling face-first into a custard pie.
Mercy Falls is a wildly generic wood-set slasher that follows the template so closely, complete with stock characters who do endlessly dumb things, that it is hardly even worth remembering afterwards, aside from some decent cinematography and a couple of fine performances.
Sound of Freedom conveys a powerful message with a mixed execution, deploying heavily manipulative tactics and sluggish editing alongside some strong cinematography and a well-intentioned but conventional script to leave it as a thriller that’s simply okay.