Bad Behaviour: DVD Review

Writer, director and executive producer Alice Englert may have taken on a little too much in this scrappy, messy film about scrappy, messy lives that doesn't quite coalesce in the ways that maybe she would have wanted.

When mother Lucy (Connelly, always engaging throughout) attends a retreat headed up by Ben Whishaw's wispy Elon (motto - "Never give into hope") she hopes to find something deep within that's lain dormant for too long.

Before beginning the retreat, she tries to connect with her stuntwoman daughter Dylan (Englert) clearing implying there are fractious elements that need addressing. But unable to say what's needed, Lucy heads to the retreat and to new challenges in the form of Dasha Nekrasova's DJ and model.

It may well be billed as a portrait of whimsical women and an investigation of the complexities, but most of Bad Behaviour teeters between tones of uncertainty and moments of bravura film-making. Both Englert and Connelly rise above their own material with performances that engage, but with a script that barely makes it past overly coherent, Bad Behaviour never quite connects in a way it should do.

It feels unchannelled and disconnected to what it wants to do throughout, and while the likes of Ana Scotney and Marlon Williams add layers to the film, they feel underused as the script battles its own demons to head toward a conclusion.

Lacking a clear vision cripples most of Bad Behaviour and while it's no bad idea to have a film about messy people, its execution feels too messy and too uncertain of the destination to make the journey as fulfilling as it could or should be.

What's on Disney+ in May

Here’s everything coming to Disney+ in May 2024.

11 May

Doctor Who

Disney+ Original Series Premiere

The Doctor and his companion Ruby Sunday travel across time and space, with adventures all the way from the Regency era in England, to war-torn future worlds. Throughout their adventures in the TARDIS – a time-travelling ship shaped like a police box – they encounter incredible friends and dangerous foes, including a terrifying bogeyman, and the Doctor’s most powerful enemy yet.

23 May 

The Kardashians: Season 5

Star Original Series 

Premiere

Just when you think life can’t get any faster in the Kardashian-Jenner family, they punch it into overdrive. From the big screen to baby bliss, the family continues to defy expectations in all their endeavours. Cameras roll as Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Kendall, and Kylie navigate contentious sister dynamics, all under the watchful eye of everyone's favourite matriarch, Kris.

8 May

Let It Be

Disney+ Premiere

Available for the first time in over 50 years, “Let It Be” is Director Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s original 1970 film about The Beatles. First released in May 1970 amidst the swirl of The Beatles’ breakup, “Let It Be” now takes its rightful place in the band’s history. Once viewed through a darker lens, the film is now brought to light through its restoration and the context of revelations brought forth in Peter Jackson’s multiple Emmy Award®-winning docuseries, “The Beatles: Get Back.” Released on Disney+ in 2021, the docuseries showcases the iconic foursome’s warmth and camaraderie, capturing a pivotal moment in music history.

3 May

FX’s Welcome to Wrexham: Season 3

Star Original Series

Premiere

In 2020, Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds teamed up to purchase the 5th tier Wrexham Football Club in the hopes of creating an underdog story the whole world could root for. The world took notice and change is afoot. After 15 painful seasons in the National League, the Club finally achieved promotion back into the English Football League. Will Wrexham AFC stand up to the challenge and rise again?

24 May

The Beach Boys

Disney+ Original

Premiere

A celebration of the legendary band that revolutionised pop music, and the iconic, harmonious sound they created that personified the California dream, captivating fans for generations and generations to come. The documentary traces the band from humble family beginnings and features never-before-seen footage and all-new interviews with band members and other luminaries in the music business.

1 May

Shardlake

Star Original Series

Premiere

Drenched in mystery, suspense and deception, Shardlake is a compelling whodunnit based on the internationally popular Tudor murder mystery novels by C.J. Sansom. The year is 1536. Matthew Shardlake, a brilliant lawyer with an acute sense of justice, finds his life turned upside down when Thomas Cromwell, Henry Vlll’s right-hand man, sends him to the remote monastery of Scarnsea to investigate a murder, and to ultimately claim its wealth for the King. Accompanied by the arrogant and ambitious Jack Barak, it becomes clear that the death they are investigating is not the first. Facing hostility and suspicion at every turn and unsure of Barak’s true intentions, Shardlake is drawn into a web of lies, deceit and corruption that threatens not only his integrity but his life.

4 May

Star Wars: Tales of the Empire

Disney+ Original Series

Premiere

A journey into the fearsome Galactic Empire through the eyes of two warriors on divergent paths.

5 May

Monsters at Work: Season 2

Disney+ Premiere

Tylor Tuskmon’s journey as a Jokester and his friendship with Val face the ultimate test. When new doors of opportunity unexpectedly open at rival energy company, FearCo, Tylor’s co-workers at Monsters Inc. begin to question his loyalty. As his Laugh Floor partnership with Val is pushed to the brink, Tylor must discover where he really belongs.

31 May

Jim Henson Idea Man

Disney+ Original

Premiere

"Jim Henson Idea Man" takes us into the mind of this singular creative visionary, from his early years puppeteering on local television to the worldwide success of "Sesame Street," "The Muppet Show," and beyond. Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Ron Howard captures Henson's restless creativity, ambition, and artistic evolution in the style and spirit of his complex subject, an artist who revolutionised television, inspired generations, and created some of the world’s most beloved characters. Featuring new interviews with Henson's closest collaborators and children, as well as never-before-seen materials from his personal archives—including home movies, photographs, sketches, and diaries— Howard brings us an entertaining and insightful look at a man whose boundless imagination changed the world.

Also in May…

3 May

Series

Godfather of Harlem: Seasons 1-3

3 May

Star Original

Prom Dates

Movies

Beneath the Planet of the Apes

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

4 May

Series

How Not to Draw: Seasons 1-2

10 May

Star Original

International

Past Lies: Season 1

14 May

Star Original

International

Crash: Season 1

15 May

Star Original

International

Uncle Samsik: Season 1

Movie

Queen Rock Montreal

17 May

Special

Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story

22 May

Disney+ Original

Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of X-Men '97

Chip 'n' Dale: Park Life: Season 2: New Episodes

Star Original

Pauline: Season 1

Series

Mickey Mouse Funhouse: Season 3

New Episodes

FX's The Veil New episodes weekly on Tuesdays, finale 28 May

We Were the Lucky Ones New episodes weekly on Wednesdays, finale 22 May

Vanderpump Villa New episodes weekly on Mondays, finale 20 May

Grey's Anatomy: Season 20 New episodes weekly on Thursdays

Star Wars: The Bad Batch: Season 3 Finale 1 May

X-Men '97 New episodes weekly on Wednesdays, finale 15 May

The Simpsons: Season 35 New episodes weekly on Wednesdays

The Fable New episodes weekly on Saturdays

Tracker: Season 1 New episodes weekly on Wednesdays

Not Dead Yet: Season 2 New episodes weekly on Wednesdays, finale 15 May

Chief Detective 1958: Season 1 2 x new episodes weekly on Saturdays and Sundays, finale 19 May

Blood Free: Season 1 2 x new episodes weekly on Wednesdays, finale 8 May

Undead Unluck: Season 1 New episodes weekly on Wednesdays, finale 22 May

Station 19: Season 7 New episodes weekly on Thursdays

Sand Land: The Series Finale 1 May

Will Trent: Season 2 New episodes weekly on Wednesdays

Spidey and His Amazing Friends: Season 3 New episodes 1, 15 and 29 May

House of the Owl New episodes weekly on Wednesdays, finale 8 May

Mission: Yozakura Family New episodes weekly on Sundays

PJ Masks: Power Heroes: Season 1 13 x new episodes 15 May

Alice's Wonderland Bakery: Season 2 5 x new episodes 8 May

Dino Ranch: Season 3 5 x new episodes 15 May

Firebuds: Season 2 3 x new episodes 22 May

Go! Go! Loser Ranger! New episodes weekly on Sundays

What's on DocPlay in May

This May, we’re thrilled to champion high-quality Australian films. Our AFTRS Shorts showcase champions the work of six emerging documentary filmmakers from Australia’s premiere film school. We collaborate with another celebrated Australian institution, the National Film and Sound Archive, to present the streaming premieres of two iconic local docs - Bob Connolly's Rats in the Ranks and Facing the Music.

Other highlights for the month include the Syrian Oscar-nominated film For Sama, and Kash Kash, a cinematic portrait of Beirut, and its surprising community of men who love pigeons.

Decades in Colour  |  2 May  |  Series

Mixing lost images sourced from everyday New Zealanders alongside new interviews, Decades in Colour traces from the post-war suburbia of the 50s, to rugby, racing and beer in the 60s, to emerging challenges to cultural norms in the 70s, as jet travel and TV broadened perspectives and a more independent national identity emerged.

Citizen K  |  13 May

Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room) examines Russia's power, president Vladimir Putin's political dominance, and Mikhail Khodorkovsky—a former Siberian prisoner who continues to challenge Putin's reign.

AFTRS Shorts  |  20 May  |  Shorts

Six of Australia’s finest emerging documentary filmmakers present new works that span diverse stories including the pro-life movement; migrant mothers; the Australian poet Robert Adamson; and one man’s mission to teach a million people how to perform CPR.

For Sama  |  23 May 

This Oscar-nominated documentary follows one woman's journey through love, motherhood, war and survival during the Syrian conflict.

Kash Kash  |  23 May

A vital portrait of Beirut, and its surprising community of pigeon lovers.

Rats in the Ranks  |  27 May

This remarkable film takes a behind-locked-doors look at how politicians get the numbers. Every September Sydney's Leichhardt Council elects its mayor. Incumbent Larry Hand was popular with citizenry, but they don't vote for the position of mayor - the 12 councillors do - and after three years of Larry some of them are after his job.

Facing the Music  |  27 May

In their fifth major film together, acclaimed documentary makers Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson step inside the halls of Sydney University’s Music Department, where sublime music is being made in a setting that’s far from serene.

All of Us Strangers: Disney+ Movie Review

Cast: Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Claire Foy, Jamie Bell

Director: Andy Haigh

A haunting and heartbreaking piece about what it means to be gay, All of Us Strangers draws an incredible performance out of Sherlock and Fleabag star Andrew Scott.

Scott is Adam, a writer who spends his days trying to concoct a screenplay while sequestered in his apartment in a high-rise building. With only one other inhabitant in the building, Adam's days are consumed with staring at a blank screen, watching daytime TV and consuming biscuits.

But when a fire alarm forces him out of the tower block building and he sights Paul Mescal's Harry, the two start a tentative relationship, which compels Adam to head back to see his parents (Foy and Bell) at his childhood home.

It's best to go into All of Us Strangers cold, as the screenplay, which bases itself on Strangers by Taichi Yamada, has a few twists and is open to much discussion post-viewing.

What's not up for discussion though is Scott's performance, an internalised slow-burn of a turn that delivers as much heartbreak as it does pain for Adam as he deals with his past, perceptions of how gay life was and is now and tries to negotiate his way in a world that changed within a generation.

A tale of grief and trauma, All of Us Strangers is tied together with some ethereal cinematography, a clever soundtrack that both signposts and propels the narrative and Scott's performance, which is largely done behind his eyes and whose subtleties mask an unenviable pain that can spin on a dime to joy as well. Scott is stunning in this - and while Mescal has picked up the chatter for his role, it's a lesser performance from him, but one that builds on the quiet accomplishments he imbued his character with in Aftersun.

Both Foy and Bell excel too, in largely sympathetic and empathetic performances as Adam's parents, echoing both the cares and concerns of families and expectations; there's much done with little here and it's incredibly moving to watch.

Ultimately, All of Us Strangers is a heartwarming and heartbreaking tale of human connection, of seeking to find answers in life and of finding love and peace within. Its ending will lead to plenty of discussion, thanks to breathtaking visuals and ideas that dabble in fantastical edges, but there's no mistaking All of Us Strangers will be part of the awards discussion come 2024.

All of Us Strangers streams on Disney+ from Wednesday April 24.

Boy Kills World: Movie Review

Cast: Bill Skarsgard, Jessica Rothe, Sharlto Copley, H Jon Benjamin, Famke Janssen, Michelle Dockery, Brett Gelman, Isaiah Mustafa, Andrew Koji

Director: Moritz Mohr

Landing somewhere in the middle of Scott Pilgrim vs The World, The Raid and The Hunger Games seems like an odd start for directors Boy Kills World.

Yet it seems tonally appropriate for a film that essentially is an off-kilter revenge tale writ large, with IT's Bill Skarsgard playing the deaf and dumb Boy, a weapon shaped for chaos after the ruling Van Koy family murdered his family.

Set in a post apocalyptic world and on the eve of the annual Culling where 12 random people are selected for death on television to ram him the barbarian rule of the Van Koys, Boy Kills World is a mix of cartoonish humour, ACME level gags and intensely shot fight sequences.

With frenetic editing and a tongue-in-cheek script, there's an anarchic edge to Boy Kills World that does set it outside of the norm. With a Hunger Games edge and a inner voice from Bob's Burgers star Benjamin, the film does play with expectations to a large degree.

And while some of the violence is well-choreographed and provides a point of difference to the norm with its opening training montage of its titular character thrusting you into the middle of a story , in parts it feels somewhat akin to The Raid as waves of bad guys are taken down by Boy.

Happy Death Day's Rothe is a strong addition with her character being given an iconic outfit aimed at cosplayers, but most of the sideplayers really don't figure too highly in the film's final mix.

Whilst it gets points for setting a long action sequence to an utterly demented winter wonderland that's mixed with a cereal commercial, the film unfortunately does feel a little bloated in its middle section and really only ups the ante in a final showdown that's exhausting, exhilarating and enjoyable. There are moments of originality too, including various cheese grater takedowns that may make audiences wince.

It's here that Boy Kills World shows it has promise - and while Skarsgard marks out his action hero much like Hammer Girl did in The Raid 2 in his fight against fascism, the narrative thread isn't quite strong enough to pull the movie all the way through. 

It's enjoyable enough, but with a tighter edit and a keener eye, this film could have been shaped into a cinematic weapon on a mission too - to entertain jaded action movie audiences satiated on the likes of John Wick, The Raid et al.

Back to Black: Movie Review

Cast: Marisa Abela, Jack O'Connor, Eddie Marsan, Lesley Manville

Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson

The legacy of Amy Winehouse once again comes under the spotlight in director Sam Taylor-Johnson's biopic which only soars in parts thanks to an utterly compelling lead in relative unknown Marisa Abela.

Taking a very much once-over-lightly approach to Winehouse's life, the film details the flaky start she faced as she pursued her jazz singer/ pop star dreams, the love affair she had with Blake Fielder-Civil (O'Connor in full Pete Doherty wideboy mode) and her ascent while battling addictions.

You'd be wise to have some idea of times in Winehouse's life because the film is less interested in connecting the dots and timelines together, and is more concerned with providing a vibe to proceedings, rather than making something that's critical. (For that, it's possibly best to spend time with director Asif Kapadia's excellent doco, Amy).

As a result, Back to Black feels more like a jukebox musical with key songs being rolled out not by backing tracks but by a stellar performance from Abela, who in some scenes seems on the verge of dislocating her own jaw due to the emphasis required.

She, in fact, is the sole reason to stick with the two hour film.

Despite being saddled with an extremely formulaic and weak script that's filled with holes (and was okayed by Winehouse's estate), Industry star Abela makes her Winehouse a little more than a mannequin wearing some of the singer's iconic outfits.

There's a fragility to her Winehouse as she battles against herself - and conversely, there's an utter joy when she chases her own personal highs throughout. A pub-set initial meeting with O'Connor's Blake lays all the seeds for a soulmate meeting (albeit one that would turn toxic) and both O'Connor and Abela fizzle with natural chemistry here.

But it's in the quieter moments with her beloved Nan (played with great dignity by the ever-brilliant Manville) that Winehouse's tenderness comes to the fore, thanks to Abela's performance. It is here the humanity shines through and the singer gains more grounding than a million shots of singing and crowd montages could ever make or fake.

As a superficial take on the Amy Winehouse story, director Sam Taylor-Johnson's film is beautifully shot, with a richness emanating from the screen.

But as a celluloid representation of her legacy, it is perhaps left found wanting - even with its superb lead, when it comes to the pantheon of great musical drama biopics, this seems destined to sadly fade Back to Black.

The Lie: Movie Review

Director: Helena Coan

Making great fist of CCTV footage throughout, director Helena Coan builds a strong picture of 21-year-old UK backpacker Grace Millane's final days before her brutal murder in 2018 in Auckland.

With much of the footage having been seen for those who followed the trial, and with the constant swirl of news being reported at the time, there is perhaps a feeling the Grace Millane case is still too recent a memory to provide the backbone of a documentary.

However, Coan smashes all of those perceptions away as she paints a truly chilling portrait of a murder and how a life was snatched away by a calculating killer.

Jesse Kempson was jailed for her death, despite claiming he had accidentally killed her during a "rough sex" session. 

Beginning with a drone shot above a road through the hills of the Waitakeres and finishing with a YouTube video from Millane herself, there's plenty of footage that will leave any rational people with their blood boiling. Wisely, Coan steers away from editorialising or sensationalising the case, preferring instead to comb through hours of CCTV footage to show how a killer operates.

It's frightening stuff in parts - whether it's footage from inside a hotel lift or at a DIY store, Coan manages to turn the seemingly mundane movements of Kempson into something chilling.

While Coan has plenty of material and media coverage to call on from before the trial and after, it's in the silences that Coan really shows her stripes as a director.

Deploying silence when needed, or simply letting the sound from the CCTV footage or from inside a police interview, Coan's innate skill lies in letting the pictures tell the story. It's an important distinction for a documentary like this - even if there is a nagging feeling that it would work better as a small screen piece.

While the consent/ rough sex debate is only raised six minutes from the end of the piece, and could warrant a wider discussion in a public forum, The Lie is not a film about that.

At its heart, The Lie is a clarion call and warning over how brutally a life can be ended, but with moments such as Detective Inspector Scott Beard's emotion in parts, as well as the harrowing effect it had on the Millane family, it is a film that has control and precision in its narrative - and more importantly than all of that, sensitive respect for its victim and memory.

The Fall Guy: Movie Review

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Hannah Waddingham, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Winston Duke, Teresa Palmer
Director: David Leitch

Mixing both meta touches over the state of the industry, the introduction of AI and the continual ignoring of the stunt community with a romantic comedy and mystery all prove to be relatively fertile ground for The Fall Guy.

With only the slightest hint of narrative DNA from the 80s show, which starred Lee Majors, coursing through its veins, Leitch's film focuses on a ridiculously charismatic Ryan Gosling's stuntman Colt Seavers.

When Seavers is injured in a career-ending moment, he goes AWOL, ghosting both the apparent love of his life Jody (Blunt, who blazes strongly in the beginning before fading toward the end) and his beloved job.

Tempted back in, Seavers soon finds himself framed while shooting Metalstorm (a riff on the Australian-shot Mad Max film from George Miller) and blamed for the death of another stuntman....

The Fall Guy is a film that goes on too long and tries to stretch its wafer-thin plot as far as it will go, but it never fails to offer much more than a good time at the movies, with a ridiculously high level of stunts involved for all to enjoy.

It's squarely a love letter to the stunt community, but also one that plays with the tropes of the genres, and does so lovingly and with free abandon. Central to its success is the charm of Gosling, who channels both the comedy of his Nice Guys movie character and the charisma that's been deployed to maximum effect prior to this. It helps that initially Blunt proves to be an excellent sparring partner - in one early scene alone, the pair battle through their issues on an open set mid-shot, a quickfire rattle of a sequence that's both well written and well directed.

But ultimately, The Fall Guy becomes a victim of its own intentions.

Discussions within the film about how to solve Metalstorm's problematic third act seem to permeate much of The Fall Guy's third act, and the film collapses into a mess of action sequences that exist solely to provide an 80s-style OTT ending that Fall Guy creator Glen A Larson would no doubt be proud of.

Perhaps that's the point of The Fall Guy - to simultaneously send up the romantic comedy genre it's from and to inject commentary on today's cinema-making processes while doing so. That's no bad aim, and there's no denying The Fall Guy is a blockbuster piece of entertainment that has its heart aimed at showcasing the craft of movie-making with a star who continues to be endlessly watchable.

What's on Prime Video in May

Here's everything streaming on Prime Video in May.

COMING TO PRIME VIDEO MAY 2024

THE IDEA OF YOU

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON THURSDAY 2 MAY

Based on the acclaimed, contemporary love story of the same name, The Idea of You centres on Solène (Anne Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mum who begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet. When Solène must step in to chaperone her teenage daughter’s trip to the Coachella Music Festival after her ex bails at the last minute, she has a chance encounter with Hayes and there is an instant, undeniable spark. As they begin a whirlwind romance, it isn’t long before Hayes’ superstar status poses unavoidable challenges to their relationship, and Solène soon discovers that life in the glare of his spotlight might be more than she bargained for.

The Idea Of You stars Anne Hathaway, Nicholas Galitzine, Ella Rubin, Annie Mumolo, Reid Scott, Perry Mattfeld, Jordan Aaron Hall, Mathilda Gianopoulos, Raymond Cham Jr., Jaiden Anthony, Viktor White, and Dakota Adan.

THE TEST

SEASON 3 AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON FRIDAY 24 MAY

The Test Season Three follows the Australian men’s cricket team as they embark on a gruelling tour of England and face off against cricket’s two great superpowers: India, with a star-studded lineup featuring the legendary Virat Kohli; and England, who have redefined their game under Ben Stokes with their hyper-aggressive “BazBall” style of play. This season will explore the untold, emotional, and personal stories behind the iconic sporting moments, as the players are confronted with merciless opponents, hostile crowds, and the pressure of a legacy-defining tour. Players such as Captain Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, and Alex Carey reflect on key moments with their families, as they also navigate the dual challenges of excelling at the highest level of cricket while juggling their treasured roles as fathers, sons, and husbands.

MAXTON HALL - THE WORLD BETWEEN US 

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON THURSDAY 9 MAY

This highly-anticipated romantic drama is based on Mona Kasten’s bestselling novel Save Me, from her award-winning novel trilogy, Maxton Hall. When Ruby unwittingly witnesses an explosive secret at Maxton Hall private school, the arrogant millionaire heir James Beaufort has to deal with the quick-witted scholarship student for better or worse. From that point on, the handsome student tries to buy Ruby’s silence. And although the two come from different worlds, they will soon risk everything to be together…

Maxton Hall - The World Between Us star Harriet Herbig-Matten, Damian Hardung, Sonja Weißer (Tatort) Ben Felipe, Fedja van Huêt, Runa Greiner, Justus Riesner, Clelia Sarto, Andrea Guo (Der Schwarm), Eidin Jalali (Der Schwarm). 

OUTER RANGE

SEASON TWO AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON THURSDAY 16 MAY

Outer Range centres on Royal Abbott, a rancher fighting for his land and family, who discovers an unfathomable phenomenon at the edge of Wyoming's wilderness, in the form of a dark void. The mystery surrounding the enigmatic void on the west pasture of the Abbott family ranch deepens in Season Two, as Royal and his wife Cecelia struggle to keep their family together in the aftermath of their granddaughter’s sudden disappearance. The stakes have never been higher for the Abbotts, who now face threats on multiple fronts. Outer Range’s second season propels its characters deeper into the void with profound and unforeseen circumstances that could shake the very foundations of time itself.  

Outer Range S2 stars Josh Brolin, Imogen Poots, Lili Taylor, Tamara Podemski, Lewis Pullman, Tom Pelphrey, Noah Reid, Shaun Sipos, Isabel Arraiza, Olive Abercrombie and Will Patton.

CLARKSON’S FARM

SEASON THREE PART 1 AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON FRIDAY 3 MAY

PART 2 AVAILABLE ON FRIDAY 10 MAY

The third series of Clarkson’s Farm finds Diddly Squat facing some seriously daunting challenges. The crops are failing in the severe hot weather, inflation has driven prices of supplies sky high, dreams for the beloved restaurant are dashed and now the farm shop also faces closure. Jeremy urgently needs to come up with creative new ways of making ends meet, so hatches a plan to turn a profit from hundreds of acres of unfarmed land - thick woodland and hedgerows that make up half of Diddly Squat. This triggers an avalanche of Clarkson-crafted schemes, involving everything from goats and pigs to mushrooms, nettles and deer. Someone new arrives to Diddly Squat, which puts Kaleb's nose out of joint – as well as the returning characters all working to help Jeremy’s farming ambitions come to fruition.

THE GOAT

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON THURSDAY 9 MAY 

Fourteen reality superstars - from Bachelorette to Housewives to Survivors To Drag Racers and everyone in between - move into GOAT Manor to face off in a brand new, hilarious competition show, hosted by Daniel Tosh. They will compete in over 20 challenges, earning and breaking one another's trust as they battle it out for $200k…and the title of Greatest Of All Time. The “herd” of competitors includes Tayshia Adams (The Bachelor franchise), Joe Amabile (The Bachelor franchise, Dancing with the Stars), Kristen Doute (Vanderpump Rules), Reza Farahan (Shahs of Sunset), CJ Franco (FBoy Island), Wendell Holland (Survivor), Teck Holmes (The Real World, The Challenge), Justin Johnson/Alyssa Edwards (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Paola Mayfield (90 Day Fiancé), Da’Vonne Rogers (Big Brother, The Challenge), Joey Sasso (The Circle, Perfect Match), Jason Smith (Holiday Baking Championship), Lauren Speed-Hamilton (Love Is Blind), and Jill Zarin (The Real Housewives of New York City).

FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES 

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON FRIDAY 17 MAY 

This new docuseries follows country music legends Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, and their friends, as they set out to build the ultimate oasis: a honky-tonk in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee. In this six-episode journey, Friends in Low Places unveils the complex and insightful experience of creating Garth and Trisha’s dream venue. In Episode 1 titled, "Blame It On All My Roots," viewers receive an intimate look into Garth Brooks' beginnings, while he blends personal narratives with behind-the-scenes footage of the honky-tonk's construction. Additionally, viewers dive into the trials and triumphs that shaped Garth's journey from Oklahoma's honky-tonks to the heart of Music City.

ARTHUR THE KING

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON FRIDAY 10 MAY 

Over the course of ten days and 435 miles, an unbreakable bond is forged between pro-adventure racer Michael Light and a scrappy street dog companion dubbed Arthur.Based on an incredible true story, Arthur The King follows Light, desperate for one last chance to win, as he convinces a sponsor to back him and a team of athletes for the Adventure Racing World Championship in the Dominican Republic. As the team is pushed to their outer limits of endurance in the race, Arthur redefines what victory, loyalty and friendship truly mean.

Arthur The King stars Mark Wahlberg, Simu Liu, Juliet Rylance, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ali Suliman, with Bear Grylls as Himself, and Paul Guilfoyle.

EXPEND4BLES 

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON MONDAY 13 MAY 

A new generation of stars join the world's top action stars for an adrenaline-fueled adventure in The Expendables 4. Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries and Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world's last line of defence and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give "new blood" a whole new meaning.

Expend4bles stars Jason Stathan, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Sylvester Stallone, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Iwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran and Andy Garcia. 

ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON THURSDAY 16 MAY 

‘Country Music’s Party of the Year’ returns to Prime Video exclusively. The 59th Academy of Country Music will feature the biggest stars, emerging talent and unforgettable live performances that will captivate fans worldwide. Artists nominated this year include Luke Combs, Megan Moroney, Morgan Wallen, Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson.

THE BLUE ANGELS

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON THURSDAY 23 MAY

The Blue Angels have been enthralling people, across the U.S and around the globe, for more than 75 years.  From producers JJ Abrams and Glen Powell, The Blue Angels  will take audiences soaring with the U.S. Navy’s elite Flight Demonstration Squadron as never before. Filmed for IMAX, the immersive footage puts you in the cockpit for a firsthand view of the Blue Angels’ precision flying, while the aerial shots deliver a spectacular showcase of the breathtaking manoeuvres that have made them the world’s premier jet team. The Blue Angels also takes audiences behind the scenes for a revealing, in-depth look at what it takes to become a Blue Angel—from the careful selection process to the challenging training regimen, and on through the demanding eight-month show season.

The Blue Angels is produced by J.J. Abrams and Glen Powell

MAY 2024 TOP PICKS:

THE IDEA OF YOU (MOVIE) 2/05/24

YOUNG ROCK S1 (TV) 2/05/24

CLARKSON'S FARM S3 PART 1 (TV) 3/05/24

ABOUT MY FATHER (MOVIE) 3/05/24

BRING HIM TO ME (MOVIE) 6/05/24

MURIEL'S WEDDING (MOVIE) 7/05/24

GRAN TURISMO: BASED ON A TRUE STORY (MOVIE) 8/05/24

MAXTON HALL - THE WORLD BETWEEN US (TV) 9/05/24

THE GOAT S1 (TV) 9/05/24

CLARKSON'S FARM S3 PART 2 (TV) 10/05/24

ARTHUR THE KING (MOVIE) 10/05/24

EXPEND4BLES (MOVIE) 13/05/24

COLUMBO S1-S9 (TV) 15/05/24

OUTER RANGE S2 (TV) 16/05/24

ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS (EVENT) 16/05/24

EDGE OF TOMORROW (MOVIE) 19/05/24

THE TIME TRAVELLER'S WIFE (MOVIE) 21/05/24

THE BLUE ANGELS (MOVIE) 23/05/24

THE TEST S3 (TV) 24/05/24

THE DIVE (MOVIE) 28/05/24

THE EQUALIZER 3 (MOVIE) 29/05/24

THE OUTLAWS S3 (TV) 31/05/24

Robot Dreams: Movie Review

An-all ages animation that may be one of the sweetest and simplest stories told, Robot Dreams is awash with colourful creations and a vibrancy that's hard to deny.

Spanish writer-director Pablo Berger (Blancanieves) adapts Sara Varon’s graphic novel about a dog who feels lonely in the city of New York into something quite heartbreaking at points.

Dog lives in 80s New York, longing for connection and surrounded by others in the city whose lives have been brought together. Answering an advert for a robot companion, Dog finds his world opened up suddenly by possibilities as the pair wander around the city. 

But when circumstance separates them, the two find their lives irrevocably changed.

Dialogue-free and left only to come alive with the sounds and music of the city, Robot Dreams is a delight - a colourful paean to loneliness and overcoming it with resilience and finding the joy in others. Moving and unnecessarily uncomplicated, Robot Dreams' simple animation and beautifully unfiltered sentiment will break even the most of cynical of hearts.

Retaining a cartoon strip aesthetic, the film's pace comes from its engaging appeal and the eternal tale of friendship. To say it's not groundbreaking in many ways feels like a disservice, but in truth, the uncomplicated tale is much more effective because of the way the narrative unfolds.

Final scenes are bittersweet, mixed as they are with joy and sadness - there won't be many an adult who won't take a deeper meaning over relationships and the ebb and flow of time from this film, and there won't be many children who will adore the characters and be inspired to provide them with further adventures at home via drawings and imagination.

Anatomy of a Fall: Blu Ray Review

A film that's about micro-aggressions, subtleties and nuance, Justine Triet's tale of a writer who's accused of killing her husband when nobody was around, Anatomy of a Fall is a film that revels in its ambiguity. 

Toni Erdmann's Sandra Hüller plays writer Sandra, a German who moves to the snowy isolation of the Alps, with her husband and son Daniel, who's partially sighted after an accident. When Daniel returns from a walk with the beloved family dog, he finds the body of his father, who's seemingly fallen from the attic where he was working.

Protesting her innocence, and facing trial, Sandra finds every facet of her life pored over.

It may be a little ponderous as it negotiates its 150 minute run time, but most of what transpires in Anatomy of a Fall is largely fascinating as it dissects and eviscerates marriages, compromise and the frailties relationships demand and also destroy.

Hüller works well with the greyer edges of the story, and while a lot becomes about the trial, she's never showy throughout, even when various truth bombs are lobbed her character's way. Samuel Theis also deserves commendation for his role as the husband, which is largely confined to one superb flashback that proves to be a flashpoint. 

Ultimately, it's Hüller's performance in the mire of ambiguity that helps Anatomy of a Fall rise from its courtroom set latter half. Wisely choosing not to make her a victim, but subtly acknowledging that there's very rarely just one side to blame in relationships, Triet builds a film that compels and appalls in equal measure.

Less about the reality and truth, and more about the journey and the consequences thereafter,  the Palme D'Or winning Anatomy of a Fall proves to be a compelling watch and a fascinating study of human interaction.

Priscilla: Blu Ray Review

Cast: Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi
Director: Sofia Coppola

Adapted from Priscilla Presley's own memoir Elvis and Me, Virgin Suicides director Sofia Coppola's take on the Elvis story is a stark and at times uncomfortable piece of viewing, that doesn't place Elvis in a great light.

Set against the backdrop of the start of Priscilla's young relationship with Jacob Elordi's Elvis, Priscilla feels like a series of scenes tacked together in a vague semblance of a story, rather than a constrained narrative.

Though it's ironic given the amount of control Elvis is seen exerting on Priscilla that perhaps Coppola didn't choose to deliver a stronger tied together film. Unlike Baz Luhrmann's almost-hagiographic take on the King, Coppola is more interested in portraying the seemingly uncomfortable side of Elvis as he manages pills, guns and the desire for Priscilla to stay and "keep the home fires burning". 

Spotted when she was just 14, Coppola's film pinpoints the grooming element of the relationship as Priscilla is inducted into the Elvis entourage and is swept up by jealousies of tabloid reports of relationships with other stars as well as the whirl of fame.

While parts of Priscilla are told from her point of view, the majority of the film seems to alienate her from her own storyline as she becomes suffocated in the grip of Elvis' world. Spaeny is perfectly fine as Priscilla, but is more an ethereal wisp wafting through Graceland and the related tribulations throughout, rather than driving matters.

Perhaps that's what ultimately Coppola wanted to do - create a film that's more about aesthetics and atmosphere rather than a damning portrait of the Blue Suede Shoes singer. Certainly she doesn't paint him in a good light, and Euphoria's Elordi makes a good fist of ensuring the character has the swagger and the charm as the domestically violent monster seethes underneath.

Ultimately, Priscilla may feel hollow to many; and in truth, parts of it feel largely constructed and constrained. But as the smothering of the Priscilla grows throughout, there's a feeling of discomfort and unhappiness that's hard to shake.

An abrupt end doesn't help matters and the feeling of catharsis is slight, but Priscilla is less interested in conforming to expectations and equally less interested in flattering all of its key subjects. 

Origin: Movie Review

Cast: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Nick Offerman

Director: Ava DuVernay

More like a TED talk than an actual narratively connected film, Ava DuVernay's occasionally didactic take on author Isabel Wilkerson's seminal book "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents" does make a strong case for her theory about racism being part of the caste system.

But DuVernay's occasionally aloof and at times dense film does require a lot of its viewers as it traverses both Wilkerson's life and her theory.

Ellis-Taylor delivers an approachable and watchable performance as Wilkerson as she endures tragedy in her own life, but despite this, the film is less interested in the personal and more concerned with the theory espoused - and no matter how richly it looks on screen, the film somehow manages to maintain an emotional aloofness despite what could be emotive edges.

Perhaps more successful are the moments between Ellis-Taylor and Bernthal, though for obvious reasons those are shortened in the overall film's construction. But it's here they bristle with humanity and warmth.

The rest of the film though lacks subtlety and becomes more of a test of the theories Wilkerson has adopted and has researched. It helps little that a rousing score is deployed at opportune moments to boost its poignancy and while that occasionally is no bad thing, it does leave a feeling the audience can't be relied on to make their own judgement calls.

Ulitmately Origin will test some viewers' resolve; in parts, it offers glimpses of what could be a movie more aimed at presenting a stronger and more urgent message to support its theories. But in others, its lack of subtlety proves to be almost fatal. It has important messages to say, and in parts does it well enough.

Stylistically, Origin represents something different and while it's not entirely successful throughout, a rousing over-the-credits film by New Zealander Stan Walker delivers as much as power as should be mustered throughout.

What's on Shudder in May

Haunted by a malevolent spirit since childhood, a desperate mother allows herself to become possessed in order to save the life of her terminally ill daughter. 

Starring Terrence Howard (Iron Man) and Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire). Streaming exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ from Friday 3 May.

Skeletons in the Closet 

Streaming Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ 

Film Premieres Friday 3 May 

Haunted by a malevolent spirit since childhood, a desperate mother allows herself to become possessed in order to save the life of her terminally ill daughter.  

Starring Terrence Howard (Iron Man) and Cuba  Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire). 

Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever 

Streaming Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ 

Film Premieres Friday 17 May  

22-year-old medical student Emma (Fanny Leander Bornedal) has just taken a job as the night watch in the same forensic department where her parents were once almost killed by the famed psychopathic police inspector Wörmer. The events led to her mother’s suicide, and her father Martin (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) has turned to tranquilizers to suppress the memories. Determined to investigate what exactly happened to them, Emma  tracks down and confronts Wörmer, only to unintentionally reawaken his bloodthirst and ignite a violent  revenge on everyone who sealed his destiny years ago. 

*Nightwatch (1994) also streaming exclusively beginning 17 May 

Stopmotion 

Streaming Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ 

Film Premieres Friday 31 May 

Ella Blake is a stop-motion animator who is struggling to control her demons after the loss of her overbearing mother. Suddenly alone in the world, she embarks upon the creation of a macabre new puppet film, which soon becomes the battleground for her sanity. As Ella's mind starts to fracture, the characters in her animated film take on a terrifying life of their own, and the unleashed  power of her imagination threatens to destroy her. Starring Aisling Franciosi, Tom York and Jaz  Hutchins.

NEW ADDITIONS TO SHUDDER’S FILM LIBRARY 

May 1 

The Toxic Avenger 

Tromaville has a monstrous new hero. The Toxic Avenger is born when meek mop boy Melvin falls  into a vat of toxic waste. Now evildoers will have a lot to lose.  

The Toxic Avenger Part II 

The Toxic Avenger is tricked into traveling to Tokyo to search for his estranged father, leaving  Tromaville open to complete domination by an evil corporation.  

The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie 

Toxie finds he has nothing to do as a superhero, as he has ridden his city of evil. He decides to go to  work for a major corporation, which he discovers may be the evilest of all his adversaries.  

TA4 – Citizen Toxic: The Toxi Avenger IV 

The Toxic Avenger must defend his friends from his own evil alternate universe doppelgänger, The  Noxious Offender.  

Subject 

On his way to prison, a man gets intercepted by a secretive government agency who task him to  monitor a secret experiment in exchange for commuting his sentence.  

Sound of Silence 

Emma must uncover the dark secret behind a cursed radio to survive and protect her family. 

May 6 

Mother, May I? 

When Anya starts behaving like her fiancée’s recently deceased mother, Emmet must confront his  deepest traumas to free his fiancée from this bewildering possession.  

Beaten to Death 

A desperate choice leads Jack down a path that leaves him beaten and bruised as he struggles  against man, nature, and his own insanity.  

Mad Heidi 

Swiss mountain girl Heidi is abducted by brutal government troops and must defend herself and fight  a war against a cheese-fueled machinery of hate.  

May 8 

Mother’s Day (1980) 

Three young women are tormented by an insane matriarch and her depraved sons.  *The Last Drive-In: Mother’s Day episode also available.

May 13 

Landlocked 

Summoned to his soon-to-be demolished childhood home, Mason discovers a video camera that can  see into the past, driving him to record as many memories as possible before the doomed house is  destroyed. 

Holy Shit! 

Architect Frank wakes up from unconsciousness, squashed in a porta-potty. But it gets worse: In  order to not be blown up during the imminent demolition, Frank must make his way out of his blue  grave in one hour. A race against time.  

May 15 

Combat Shock 

A dangerously disturbed Vietnam veteran struggles with life 15 years after his return home, and slowly falls into insanity from his gritty urban lifestyle. 

May 20 

Smoking Causes Coughing 

A group of vigilantes called the “tobacco-forces” is falling apart. To rebuild the team spirit, their leader  suggests that they meet for a week-long retreat, before returning to save the world. 

May 27 

Graduation Day (1981) 

A masked killer begins murdering students on the school track team after a track runner dies upon  completion of a 30-second 200-meter race.  

You Were Never Really Here 

A traumatized veteran unafraid of violence tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out  of control, Joe’s nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy is uncovered leading to what could be his  death trip or his awakening.  

Abigail: Movie Review

Cast: Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, Kevin Durand, Kathryn Newton, Angus Cloud, Giancarlo Esposito, William Catlett

Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin

Meshing comedy and horror is not an easy proposition.

Push it too far and the horror stakes feel slight; push it too far the other way, and the comedy seems trite.

So for the large part of Abigail, a film about a group of would-be criminals kidnapping a 12 year-old ballet dancer and holding her to ransom, the premise proves to be the biggest hook - and also the high-wire act the Radio Silence Production team seems set on balancing on.

But a final act that descends too far into silliness and relies too much on the comedy robs the film of some of the more delicious tension that's been drawn out by a minimal script and some genuine scares.

The group - which comprises such loosely drawn stereotypes as the spaced out druggie (Euphoria's Cloud in his last ever role), the dumb muscle for hire (Durand, most of the comic relief), the anti-heroine (Barrera, eminently watchable) and the tough-talking guy (Stevens, easily one of the best things of the film) - make for solid enough companions, but the film's script spends too long drawing out thin details from exposition and talky-filled dumps of screentime to make you really care about any of them or their mysterious pasts. (And a potential love interest is drawn out early on, only to become a narrative thread thrown away, withered and untended to.)

Abigail is far more successful when it simply concentrates on the basics of the story - a group of dimwits being outclassed and outmanoeuvred by an initially unknown enemy.

Weir hisses, dances and menaces as much as she can - but an over-reliance on visual tics a la M3GAN and Swan Lake perversely shows the film's weaknesses as well as its singular strength - it has flashes of brilliance, but much of it seems to be snatched from other films as it can't quite build on its central idea.

Ultimately, Abigail is a movie where sometimes the differing tones violently clash and crash against each other as the B-movie constraints play out - but if you're willing to forego the plot's fallibilities, the thin character edges and a truly unnecessary finale where it's not just the scenery that's chewed on, Abigail may just be the fun time you're looking for at the movies.

Challengers: Movie Review

Cast: Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, Mike Faist
Director: Luca Guadagnino

There are plenty of bodies on show in Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino's latest film.

From sweat dripping from foreheads to glistening skin and writing bodies and close ups, it's a film that revels in its horniness from beginning to end, but one which starts to falter and stutter in its final strait.

While the basis of Challengers seemingly follows a traditional sports underdog and rivalry story, Guadagnino and writer Justin Kuritzkes are less interested in following a formula and more interested in perverting the threesome of Patrick (O'Connor), Art (Faist) and Tashi (Zendaya) into something that more resembles the psychology of obsession.

And that obsession once again translates into Guadagnino fixating on bodies, faces and food as he's done in previous films.

Set against the backdrop of a seemingly loaded final match at a tennis challengers game, the movie zips back and forth between timelines, filling out the friendship and eventual rivalry between Patrick and Art when they encounter Tashi's destined for fame player. 

But in the first of many clichés deployed during Challengers, the film follows a predictable path of a woman coming between two friends despite some flourishes of deviation. There's no denying Challengers' stylish flair, and its commitment to looking the best a film ever has - even while deploying flashes of Hardcore Henry in its gameplay.

Yet at moments, the bombast and over use of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' hi-energy techno laid over speeches, proves to be too much for Challengers, and points more to a style over substance approach that's been thrown down.

The film is much more effective when it lets the story take the lead, and lets its actors prove their worth. A sequence where Zendaya's Tashi simply sits back and watches her powerplays unfold say more than overly-heavy edits and OST do; and both O'Connor and Faist bring much depth and lived-in dynamics to their relationship as their cliched characters follow their own paths. (One's a loose cannon,  the other's a straight gun - all very familiar fare, but with subtlety, it shines).

With Guadagnino's fetishisation of his subjects leading much of Challengers, there's plenty in this swirling circle of lust, tennis and relationships to grab onto initially.

It's just once those have been taken on, there's little else worthy of depth and consideration to cling onto - and while Zendaya, Faist and O'Connor give it their all, in comparison to previous heights, this latest from Guadagnino feels more empty and hollow than it should - despite its sexiness and zing.

Cricket Through the Ages: Nintendo Switch review

Developed by Free Lives, 24BIT Games
Published by Devolver Digital
Platform: Nintendo Switch

Sometimes dumb fun is just that - dumb fun.

And in Cricket Through The Ages' case, this clearly is the mantra for a game that doesn't stand up to long term scrutiny, nor does it really offer any extended life beyond a couple of drunken gaming sessions.

With just a couple of buttons to press in a sort of Rock'em, Sock'em Robots style arena, Cricket Through The Ages puts the game of cricket into a two player arena as a series of pixel-heavy characters face off against each other.

But in a stupendously silly start, the game sees you trying to fist fight a dinosaur, before the evolution of bowling sees you pick up rocks to hurl at each other in time. A series of mini confrontations that end with the best of 5 or the best of 10, before hurling out into space and other climates, the game isn't really interested in depth, no matter how well presented it is.

As it progresses, more levels unlock and the game opens up but never really evolves past its fighting each other mentality. 

Granted, with an over-the-top voiceover and a case of simply doing what it says on the tin, the game is okay, but outside of just a couple of solo sessions and a few with mates, its shelf life is perhaps facing as much extinction as the dinosaurs it begins with.

Hi-Fi Rush: PS5 Review 

Developed by Tango Gameworks
Published by Bethesda Softworks
Platform: PS5

Most rhythm games exist as a means to an end.

From Parappa the Rapper to the likes of Beat Saber, the pounding of buttons is more for fun and progression than for narrative necessity.

Not so with Tango Gameworks action game - here, the integration of the beat and the story is eternally intertwined and is all the better for it. Centring on hero Chai, a 25 year old who wants to be a rockstar and who volunteers to get a cybernetic arm. But after an accident changes his future forever, Chai is soon the beating heart of an adventure about breaking out and following your dreams.

HiFi Rush, with its cartoony graphics and humour, feels like an updated version of Scott Pilgrim vs The World, given how integrated the beat and the bashing of baddies is meshed together.

Reminiscent of pop art and a mix of 2D and 3D scrollers, the game's commitment to choral chaos is mightily involving and highly entertaining.

Pulling together combos as you zip around the stylish world, Chai comes alive as a character, and with comic-book panel interlays for dialogue and scene-setting, the whole thing feels like a wonderfully alive comic book.

As the screen fills with hordes of robots to bash and combos to meet, not once does the system slow or struggle with the overload of colours, rhythms and chaos - it's mightily impressive stuff from Tango Gameworks.

But more importantly than that, this is just a game that's fun - one that rewards you from the moment you pick up the controller and let the music wash over you.

Pepper Grinder: Nintendo Switch Review

Developed by Ahr Ech
Published by Devolver Digital
Platform: Nintendo Switch

A drill, a pirate, and some platforming shenanigans, Pepper Grinder offers a very simple mix to players looking for a bit of handheld gaming that's brief on duration and high on concentration.

Simply using a drilling device to take on various challenges and threats, Pepper's quest to recapture her treasure sees her taking to the air, drilling through soft sand and taking on threats in a 2D adventure.

Whilst it initially seems simple in terms of its mechanics, adding in the need to simply sit back and play, the game's desire to hide away some of its more ingenious elements soon comes to the fore, and hidden areas and treasures soon make up a large part of what transpires.

It's not always the easiest to navigate Pepper around, but the game is all about timing and the need to grind when necessary to reach higher echelons. Building momentum takes effort, but the result of seeing Pepper soaring through the air to her target and her treasure makes it worthwhile.

Pepper Grinder is the kind of game that does feel short even with its runtime, and packs in as many fun elements as it can before it runs out. It may not suit everyone thanks to a requirement for nimble quick-thinking, but it is a breezy light blast of a game that shows not every idea needs to be bigger than you'd imagine.

Argylle: Apple TV+ Movie Review

Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill, John Cena, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O'Hara, Dua Lipa, Samuel L Jackson
Director: Matthew Vaughn

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

It's a line uttered maybe two thirds of the way through Kings Man director Matthew Vaughn's latest, a spy pastiche, and yet it may be the most pertinent thing spoken throughout the entire 2 hours and 10 minute escapade that unspools.

With its mix of dodgy FX, dodgy one-liners and dodgy haircuts in Henry Cavill's case, this latest is the kind of film that encourages you to leave your brain at the door to the cinema and still in parts manages to treat you like an imbecile.

Trading on meta edges, it's the story of super spy writer Elly Conway (Howard, easily the film's MVP along with Rockwell) who finds herself targeted by the very agency she appears to have been writing about in her wildly popular Argylle book series. Snatched into a world of espionage by Rockwell's Aidan during a seemingly random encounter on a train, Elly soon finds herself fighting and writing for her life as the conspiracy unspools around her.

A weird pastiche of Bond and also the Bourne films, Argylle never quite catches fire in the way it wants to even if it is blessed with some inventive action sequences that riff on Vaughn's trademark formula and editing.

But with lines being blurred all the time between the fictional and the real, it's hard to cling on to any real emotional edges in the story, despite fine work and chemistry between the ever-impressive Rockwell and the equally up for it Howard throughout.

A lack of anything serious and perhaps one too many action sequences set to disco songs make Argylle come dangerously close to feeling like Vaughn is just repeating himself - and while there are flashes of insanity meshing well with the visual audacity occasionally happening, it's not quite enough to render Argylle - and its awful CGI cat - in anything other than the kind of film you watch after indulging in too much excess during the festive period.

However, thanks to Rockwell's ever present charisma and his connection with Howard in their Odd Couple routine, Argylle may just do enough to satiate those looking for something brain-dead to complement the start of 2024.

Argylle is now streaming on Apple TV+

Fallout: Review

Fallout: TV Review

The key to any launch of a new series is a gripping premise and a compelling opening.

And while video game adaptations have been a mixed bag in the past, thanks to the efforts of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in the stirring adaptation of The Last Of Us, they are currently in high demand again.

So it's fair to say the Fallout TV show has a lot to measure upto - from the legacy of some near-30 years and an extremely stacked cast, there's plenty riding on this eight part series that mixes storylines from three differing points of view.

Thankfully, due to high production values, a retro-futuristic aesthetic and a perfectly realised worldbuilding, Fallout succeeds thanks to its opening moments being the perfect mix of something that grabs you instantly and never really lets go.

Set in a post-apocalyptic America, some 219 years after the first nuclear bombs dropped, the story leans hard into its erosion of trust in authority figures, with a compelling story that follows Yellowjackets star Ella Purnell's Lucy MacLean, a vault dweller who is forced to abandon her seemingly idyllic world under the ground and venture into a wasteland for reasons that are too spoilery here to divulge (and frankly which would ruin the opening episode's mix of surprise, suspense and shock).

However, throughout the course of the eight episode run, Fallout doesn't just focus on Lucy's story; it also leans into the dual timeline of Walton Goggins' Hollywood star past and his present as a Ghoul, a wandering character that stalks the Wasteland like a Clint Eastwood Man With No Name cowboy. And for good measure there's also Aaron Moten's Maximus, squire in The Brotherhood, a legendary legion of Power Armour clad Arthurian knights who are essentially mercenaries for hire.

While Lucy and Maximus' story is one of innocence lost, the Ghoul's story is one of tragedy and yet weirdly, optimism as the Hollywood stylings of his Gary Cooper-esque heartthrob are explored. Again, it's spoilery to ruin the trajectory of his arc here, but suffice to say, with an expanded world, these new characters into the Fallout world feel like they are ones which would easily slot into any video game release.

However, Fallout's greatest strength is that it is broader than "just another game adaptation" in the same way that The Last Of Us tackled humanity. That's not to dismiss the Easter Eggs and nods that live within the show, but more than it feels polished, slick and entirely accessible to those entirely unfamiliar with Bethesda's Vault-Tec driven world.

But it's the mix of tones here that make Fallout such a stand out for 2024.

Whether it's matching brutal balletic violence to 1950s crooner songs or quirky offbeat humour, there's plenty that surprises across the entire run of episodes - and plenty that offers pleasures in the streaming world we now inhabit. The fully-realised world across timelines is utterly plausible, engaging and thrillingly brought to life, with high-end production values no matter where or when the location is.

Admittedly, there are moments in the back half of the season which feel a little like padding (and perhaps are a tacit nod to side-quests in the game), but a killer storyline set in Vault 33 helps paper of some of the slightest of narrative cracks.

Purnell's MacLean feels like an extension of Parks and Rec's perky Leslie Knope, a tacit nod that even when things have turned to the absolute worst, it's still better to be your absolute best. That's not to write off Purnell's acting as a wholesome good ole American Pie twee-ness, but her optimism shines through. Make no mistake though, Purnell more than provides the grit when necessary.

Yet Fallout is a show where the leads shoulder equal responsibility and more than deliver a return on your time investment. 

Goggins' rich character and soft subtleties bring much to both the Ghoul and his Hollywood past - with rising communism and winds blowing through Hollywood, Goggins makes an excellent fist of the character arc, giving rise to what makes him a survivor in the Wastelands. But he's never without a wry quip or an effortlessly cool moment too - making what could be a ghastly character extremely relatable.

Equally Moten's Maximus has a difficult and beleaguered journey - even if it is a simple arc. Thrust into a lowly role as a Squire in among an elite Brotherhood, there's an element of jocks and nerds running through its veins, but rather than just the comedy of circumstance, Moten leans hard into the growing loss of innocence throughout - and the corruption within his own soul as well as his comrades.

There's also a fourth story within Vault 33 that deserves to be commended too - but alas, to say much on that is to reveal spoilers on a journey best appreciated in ignorance.

Ultimately, Fallout is an astoundingly assured series that grips from the beginning and never really lets go. With an idiosyncratic adaptable style that's all its own, it's a subtle warning of what lies beneath both the surface of a world decimated and ultimately all of us as human beings.

Fallout is streaming on Prime Video, with season one's first eight episodes released simultaneously.

Next Goal Wins: Disney+ Review

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Oscar Kightley, Rachel House, David Fane, Uli Latukefu, Elisabeth Moss, Will Arnett, Rhys Darby, Kaimana
Director: Taika Waititi

Thor director Taika Waititi's big crowd-pleasing sports movie is as formulaic as they come, but is blessed by a big heart that's hard to deny in amongst the predictability of an underdog tale.

The story of what soccer side American Samoa did after their 31-0 drubbing in the World Cup qualifiers at the Socceroo's hands has all the hallmarks of an underdog sporting tale and it's disappointing to note Waititi does nothing to subvert that in a formulaic retelling of proceedings.

Packed with the usual Waititi wacky characters (every single one of the underdeveloped team appears to have some kind of quirk, or exists solely to say something strange), Next Goal Wins' insistence on a filmic 4-4-2 formation is perhaps the most intriguing element of proceedings.

When Michael Fassbender's alcoholic and washed up Thomas Rongen is brought in to coach the team at the behest of Oscar Kightley's head Tavita (easily the MVP of proceedings), the pursuit of scoring just one goal in a competitive game takes over.

But unsurprisingly Rongen discovers there are a plethora of reasons why the squad can't put a foot right as time ticks down to their next appearance.

It's fair to say Next Goal Wins goes for uplifting and heartfelt, which is admirable in this cynical day and age of cinema. But even though Waititi places the American Samoan culture front and centre and the script provides some genuine belly laughs, it feels almost like proceedings are on island time auto-pilot.

As mentioned, Kightley's Tavita is the best of all, with the Bro'Town fave proving to be a national treasure for imbuing his character with heart, warmth and genuine likeability. Fassbender is called on to play nasty and does so with a character that veers into stereotypes in places and acts questionably until reasons for doing so become clear.

What's disappointing about Next Goal Wins is its willingness to raise elements like claiming Rongen is no white saviour brought in to save the team before doing nothing with that idea. It's almost like someone said it as a passing thought and then swiftly moved on.

Ultimately, Next Goal Wins is not a massive disaster; it's more an earnest draw than a major own goal by Waititi et al - if it does much to put the culture up on the screen and pursue his desire to celebrate indigenous culture, that's admirable.  But when there's the nagging feeling that it could have been so much more than just the sum of its parts, then perhaps it seems Next Goal Wins should have gone into extra time behind the camera to match the talent of those in front of it.