Christopher Machell

★★★☆☆ Marking its 40-year anniversary, Alexandre O. Phillipe’s new documentary explores the cultural and mythic origins of the film once derided by Pauline Kael as evidence that there was no hope left for movies. Of Alien’s significance in the annals of horror cinema and its enduring appeal to audiences, there can be little doubt. Nevertheless, given…

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★★★★☆ Act with compassion; protect personal freedom; respect bodily autonomy; maintain beliefs consistent with science: accept human fallibility; privilege wisdom over the written word: these are the seven tenets set out by the Satanic Temple. What is perhaps most surprising about the tenets, apparently coming from the Prince of Darkness, is just how reasonable they seem.…

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★★★★★ When director Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas) tells his estranged actor and friend Alberto (Asier Etxeandier), “It’s taken me thirty-two years to reconcile myself” with their final collaboration, what he’s really talking about is Pedro Almodóvar, director of the tender and affecting Pain and Glory, reconciling with the last forty five years as a filmmaker. Salvador’s…

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★★★★★ Touring as part of the Cinema Rediscovered festival, Robert Bresson’s 1969 classic finds its way back on to UK screens. Structured in flashback, Une Femme Douce explores how young woman Elle (Dominique Sanda) comes to kill herself outside her husband Luc’s (Guy Frangin) Parisian apartment. A white scarf flutters through the warm Paris air as the…

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★★★☆☆ Supporting characters from previous Fast & Furious instalments, former DSS Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and rogue spy Shaw (Jason Statham) are given the keys to their own star vehicle in this quasi-sequel spin-off. Despite its lunkish, ludicrous – and frankly cynical – qualities, this entry retains much of the appeal of previous entries. The meta-story of the Fast…

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Across June and July, there has been an enormous volume of home releases, all worthy of mention. Due to the high volume of releases, a selection has been reviewed below, while the rest are summarised here. Criterion continues in its mission of delivering high quality, boutique packages for prestige cinema. In time for the 50th…

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★★★★☆ The follow-up to his terrifying feature debut Hereditary, writer-director Ari Aster leaves demonic possession behind in favour of festival-folk-horror in Midsommar. Soaked in the endless sunshine of the Scandinavian solstice, can Aster’s sophomore effort conjure the chilling dread of his last effort?  Aster returns to the well of family trauma plumbed so effectively in Hereditary, though here…

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★★★★☆ Following 2013’s Only Lovers Left Alive, Jim Jarmusch returns to the realm of the undead with shuffling zombie hordes as they terrorise the small American town of Centreville. A Jarmusch joint through and through, The Dead Don’t Die is as charming, affected and perplexing as we’ve come to expect from the long-time darling of US indie…

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★★★☆☆ Peter Parker (Tom Holland), best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon), and sardonic classmate MJ (Zendaya) are all coming to terms with life after the reversal of Thanos’ decimation – here termed “the blip” – in Avengers: Endgame. A school trip is the perfect excuse for our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man to take a break and pursue his affections…

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