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I had been been waiting months to see this and finally I did and I wasn't disappointed, not blown away, but a very good film. Didn't hit the emotional peaks like with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, but had more consistent humour through-out. Any scene that involves a nun or a priest (Lois Smith and Stephen Henderson) be prepared for a hearty chortle, though with a little bit of guilt at the context. I had been been waiting months to see this and finally I did and I wasn't disappointed, not blown away, but a very good film. Didn't hit the emotional peaks like with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, but had more consistent humour through-out. Any scene that involves a nun or a priest (Lois Smith and Stephen Henderson) be prepared for a hearty chortle, though with a little bit of guilt at the context.I had been been waiting months to see this and finally I did and I wasn't disappointed, not blown away, but a very good film. Didn't hit the emotional peaks like with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, but had more consistent humour through-out. Any scene that involves a nun or a priest (Lois Smith and Stephen Henderson) be prepared for a hearty chortle, though with a little bit of guilt at the context. Christine, or ''Ladybird'' (Saoirse Ronan) as she likes to go by, plays a high school senior on the verge of going to college. We see her dealing with all too familiar and real elements from all our teenage years i.e. her battle to make the grades to get out of her town and go to a college in the big city, entering into her first relationships with boys and also dealing with the love/hate relationship with her mum Laurie Metcalf (aka Sheldon's mom) who gives a fantastic performance which for me almost steals the show. Watch out for up and coming star Lucas Hedge, who plays Ladybird's love interest who has a limited supporting role but gives depth to his and Saoise's characters. He is quickly becoming your film award nomination guarantee, recently also appearing in Three Billboards and Manchester by the Sea. I think this film is deserving of the plaudits it has been receiving, but I don't think gives us much new in an American coming-of-age film, but has a realistic grounding, think more Boyhood than Superbad. If you haven't considered going to see it, then you will find it a heart warming gem of a film and will not be disappointed. 4/5.

Regrettably, my journey to Wakanda was via Snoozeville. Never thought I'd be saying this but I couldn't get over how much this film reminded me of the god awful Star Wars Ep.1 the Phantom Menace. Slow pace scene after slow pace scene of people sitting around in circles talking, standing around...talking...with nothing interesting actually going on. Then to top it off, for the final battle to keep cutting away from the main protagonist's action to the supporting characters' generic, CGI shoot-em-up (a la Obi Wan and Qui-Gon vs Darth Insidious). Marvel needs to revamp their formula from quick quips then big punch em up as I think this is the point where we've had our fill. Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad movie. If it had came out a few years ago it could have been considered great and enjoyable. But we've been so beaten over the head with Marvel it is the straw that breaks the armoured plated rhino's back. A mediocre 2.5/5.

4.5/5- I saw this film last year but it has only recently come out on general release. This is an excellent film that revolves around a mum (Frances McDormand) who sets up three billboards that directly questions the local police chief (Woody Harrelson) as to why the killer of her daughter has not been brought to justice. The comedy is well toned but never overshines the dark subject matter. The film boasts a superb supporting cast of Sam Rockwell, Peter Dinklage and John Hawkes. You never know which way the story is going to go. You can get two or three judgements on each character once you see the situation from their point of view. This was one of my favourite films of last year. I urge you to go and see it.

This film opens in a dark world. The shots are decent, but the lighting is very poor. I understand that the director was trying to make the planet look terrible, but not being able to see Han's face subtracted from the aura. The hero then divulges himself as he exits the scummy planet he has called home for so long. Even Donald Glover's snide attitude could not save this film. Once again, the writers of the New-age Star Wars movies decided to use a droid for comic relief in the film, and it did not pay off. There was an attempt by the writers to make the audience feel sympathy for Glover's character as he lost his partner L3, but there was no connection. However, there are silver linings in the film. The relationship between Chewbacca and Han is developed, Darth Maul is introduced, and the concept of the rebellion is mentioned. All these aspects of the film help connect it to the mainstream series. Overall, I would see the film if you like the Star Wars saga. If you are looking for a film Roger Ebert would appreciate, you are better off going home and watching "Call Me By Your Name" on HBO.

Fun, fashion, fabulous, fierce, forgettable. Just a few F’s to sum up this star studded girl-power instalment in the latest Ocean franchise. Unfortunately as a heist film it doesn’t do what heist films do, I didn’t feel thrilled by what was happening, I didn’t think the stakes were high enough, I didn’t believe the characters. That for me was the problem with this film is that it all felt like an episode of Ugly Betty (not a bad thing, but not what I want from a heist film). A bit too glam, a bit too fake and a bit too cheesy. It all just felt a little flat, which is a huge shame because the cast are actual queens of the screen. When you think that Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham-Carter and Anne Hathaway are some of the biggest and best names in Hollywood it really does feel that the film just didn’t live up to the potential of the names attached to the film. The film itself is a very important movement for feminism in Hollywood, obviously there is a lot of talk about an all female film not making money, well Ocean’s 8 has already made 100m. However as great as it is that the cast are all female and that it passes the sometimes dubious Bechdel test there are two reasons why I think it looses its message of female empowerment. One, the director is a bloke. I think it would be very refreshing and needed to have female directors, stories about women told by women. I don’t want some middle aged white guy directing women, I want a woman directing women. It’s really not hard for Hollywood to do this. Whilst the representation on screen of women might be improving with the help of this and the rebooted Ghostbusters film and others, behind the screen, is there that same movement and representation? Another problem I had was that the real aim for her to do this heist, other than money, was to get back at her ex, a man. Does a man really need to be the motivation for her? Yes she made money on the side, but I think the film really sets out to make it look like that was the real aim. I don’t know if the film needed that, it needed a side motivation, but I think they could’ve found a different reason to that.  2/5 A film with a great cast, apart from the ever appearing James Cordon, a straight-forward story but with a lack of thrill, laughs and entertainment. The making of the movie and what it can hopefully do for females within Hollywood will hopefully have a more lasting impact than the film will have on the viewer.

(Release Info London schedule; July 6th, 2018, Cineworld, Leicester Square) "Uncle Drew" After draining his life savings to enter a team in 'The Rucker Classic Street Ball Tournament' in Harlem, Dax Winslow (Lil Rel Howery) is dealt a series of unfortunate setbacks, including losing his team to his longtime rival Mookie Bass (Nick Kroll). Desperate to win the tournament and the cash prize, Dax stumbles upon the man, the myth, the legend Uncle Drew (Kyrie Irving) and convinces him to return to the court one more time. The two men embark on a road trip to round up Drew's old basketball squad and prove that a group of seniors can still win the big one. Dax Winslow is the man who unexpectedly brings Uncle Drew back to the court. He proves to be both Drew’s comic foil and true friend. Though always a diehard basketball fanatic, Dax has never had the chance to really feel a part of the game. Ever since missing his one chance to hit a winning shot as a kid, he’s been hustling to prove his worth, nearly forgetting why he wanted that success in the first place. He thought he was on the hunt for the next young hotshot, only to find himself trying to wrangle a limping, if also swaggering, team of guys who haven’t rebounded since the 70s. Dax is a young man searching for family. He doesn’t see it coming, but in the course of putting together this team of old guys to play at 'The Rucker Tournament', he finds that. They teach him some things about what matters. It’s Dax who shows how everybody ends up gaining something from the mix of new and old school. Dax defies stereotypes as a protagonist. He's this guy who isn’t that cool, who’s a little nerdy, who's kind of sweet and doesn’t have all the answers. Dax is an orphan, so from the start, basketball is his way of finding friends and family. He just forgets how important that's until he meets Uncle Drew. He’s felt unappreciated, betrayed and unable to trust anybody. He makes his life about the hustle and being in it for himself. At first, he’s skeptical Uncle Drew is even real, let alone even the longest shot contender all these years later. When guys in the barbershop talk about Uncle Drew, Dax doesn’t believe any of it. So when he finally meets Uncle Drew it's like seeing 'Santa Claus' or the 'Easter Bunny' in person. But as Dax and Uncle Drew set out on a trek to locate his old team, their cross-generational friction leads to a deeper connection and Dax comes to feel needed as he never has before. At first, Dax and Drew are just two strangers in a van. They’re having all this back-and-forth about music and basketball and not agreeing on anything. But by the time they get to Harlem, Dax realizes he's experiencing a feeling he always wanted, the feeling of family. He’s now surrounded by people who actually love him for being himself. Once the competition starts at 'The Rucker Tournament', Dax realizes something different is on the line than what he imagined. More than a win or the cash, what matters now is that he can’t to let down his friends. It’s become about so much more than money for him. He has the chance to gain the respect and affection he always wanted. Dax is unsure of himself and Uncle Drew matter-of-factly tells him, don’t need you to be great all the time, youngblood, just need you to be great one time. Big Fella (Shaquille O’Neal) is the giant who brings power to the team, he’s the anchor. In the beginning Big Fella seems full of anger but then he shows us a guy who he can break dance and has a heart as gigantic as he's. Big Fella is a very conscious, focused individual, but also one with a grudge. Uncle Drew did something to upset him long ago, and Big Fella has not forgotten. Yet, he's also understanding and caring, and he's a team player who will do whatever is necessary for the team to win. Wilbur 'Lights' Wallace (Reggie Miller), in his heyday, was one of the greatest gunslinger shooters of his time. As father time caught up to him, his eyesight went, but he refuses to admit it. Everyone around him knows that he’s legally blind, but in his mind he thinks he’s making every shot. Lights may be a little hazy, but he's not out of touch. He’s still the cool guy in this geriatric crowd, dressing to be noticed. He wears Capri shorts, pastel colors, Kangol fedora hats, high white socks and fresh white Reeboks. 'Lights' is good to go all the time. He even has a gold tooth rocking. Boots (Nate Robinson) is the team’s silent scorer with a sneaker superstition. Uncle Drew might find his old friend sitting wordlessly in a retirement home, but Drew knows the brilliant old Boots is still in there and it’s just a matter of reigniting his spirit. Having given up basketball, Boots thought he was done with life. Then, Uncle Drew and Dax arrive to change his fate. Finally, his gang is back together and life has meaning and purpose again. Boots still doesn’t say much, but he’s the guy you want on your team. Boots keeps everybody going. When he’s playing, it’s always a show of dunks and high-flying stuff. Boots is like this beautiful tree that’s grown over centuries, with his massive hair, the beard and just the age in his face. But you also feel his wisdom, and the way Nate plays him, you really believe him as Boots comes more alive and becomes indispensable. Preacher (Chris Webber) has replaced his basketball with 'The Good Book Of The Lord'. Preacher is a cross between Al Sharpton and James Brown, with that kind of power of oration. He's a guy who wears his emotions on his sleeve. He's the leader of the crew spiritually, but he's also the wildest member at one time so everyone respects how he has learned to stick to discipline. Betty Lou (Lisa Leslie) is Preacher’s no-nonsense wife, who's in hot pursuit of him all the way to 'The Rucker'. She wears the pants in Preacher’s household. There's her fierce, take-no-prisoners persona; and her skepticism about letting Preacher return to basketball with all it's temptations. Betty Lou is feisty, independent and she doesn't take any mess. She's bossy and she likes to be in control but, she's also very in love with her husband and she wants what's best for him. She just wants to make sure Preacher stays on a positive path. When Casper (Aaron Gordon) switches teams, Dax is left in the lurch, which ultimately leads to his fateful search for Uncle Drew. Casper is the cocky, arrogant, young up-and-comer who doesn’t respect those who paved the way before him. He doesn’t understand what it means to be a team player; he just wants to win. Mookie Bass is the villain of the movie. Ever since Mookie blocked Dax’s shot in a tournament final as kids, Mookie has viewed Dax as the secret source of his power. In Mookie’s mind, he sees the two of them as being like Bird and Magic, two iconic rivals, who feed off. He's obsessed with Dax because it makes him feel big, whose whole agenda is to constantly get energy from defeating this person. Maya (Erica Ash) is , Boot's loving, levelheaded granddaughter who joins the road trip to keep tabs on her grandfather, but starts to have feelings for Dax in spite of herself. Maya is the voice of reason in this band of merry men. She becomes just one of the guys on this cross-country road trip, but with her own voice. The greatest players in the world have played on 'The Rucker Court'. If they hadn’t played there, 'The Rucker' dates back to the 1940s when a playground director and teacher named Holcombe Rucker set out to uplift kids in Harlem by combining sports with education. Rucker created a series of summer youth leagues that gave local kids a chance to shine. His motto each one, teach one, became as famous as he did, reflecting his belief that by passing on the fundamentals of what you learn to others, you grow a stronger community. Through his tournaments, Rucker helped hundreds to attain college scholarships that changed their lives. In 1956, 'The Tournament' gained steam when it began hosting pro and semi-pro players in the off- season. The park would soon become the sacred mecca of a faster, wilder street version of the game, a liberating place where ballplayers could create, experiment and display their best. 'The Rucker' is the most iconic stage in the sport. It's a great equalizer because it doesn’t matter what color you're, how old you're, male, female, if you can play, you’re respected. What makes streetball unique is there’s less rigidity and when you lose some of that formality you get more fun, you get more theatre. Everyone essentially has courtside seats in a place like 'Rucker', so the crowd is interacting in real time with these amazing plays they’re seeing. It’s much more communal you also get a lot of vibrant showmanship. In the spring of 2012 audiences first met the unforgettable Uncle Drew, a rickety-looking, white-haired, older gentleman who rose gingerly from a park bench to school a bunch of youngblood ballers in a fiercely competitive pick-up game. Uncle Drew is the real deal, a lost legend from another time whose love of the game and courage to keep driving the ball against the odds had apparently never faded over the decades. On the contrary, his skill had only been sharpened with a cantankerous wisdom. His appeal was palpable. The documentary style Pepsi campaign quickly went viral. As it turned out, Uncle Drew is an old legend being played by a vibrant, young legend. Uncle Drew’s 'YouTube' videos have been viewed over 100 million times. After four webisodes people still wanted to see and to know more. Who was this trash-talking, proud old baller with so much game? What had happened to him? What drove him to keep playing in the park? And what would he do with one last shot at greatness? The idea is to take the character on a larger journey that, like the webisodes, would be as enjoyable and moving for audiences who are passionate about basketball as for audiences who wouldn’t know a foul from an alley-oop. The film explores Drew’s fascinating life history and supernatural skills but take him on a comedic adventure to reunite his old teammates into a true family, even if they all appear more likely to compete for the early bird special than New York’s most illustrious streetball tournament. This movie is so special that it maintains the authenticity of how sports can bring people together around something they love. The basketball’s great, the comedy’s hilarious, but the message of family behind the story is even more awesome. In the film, Uncle Drew is called back into action by Dax , a young man who has been on a life-long losing streak and at first doesn’t believe Uncle Drew is any more than an urban legend But once he finds Uncle Drew; and joins forces with him to assemble a last-minute squad for 'The Rucker Classic', the Harlem tournament where countless basketball legends made their names, Dax learns that Uncle Drew has much more to give than just buckets. For Uncle Drew, this journey is about reconciling the mistakes he’s made in his life and with his teammates. Uncle Drew may have lost his way but now it’s time for him to put the team back together and find his purpose again. It’s a wild journey, but in the end, he and Dax and his long-lost friends become a true family, and it’s a beautiful thing. You don’t stop playing because you get old. You get old because you stop playing. While high humor, family, friendship and the dream of returning to the Rucker drive "Uncle Drew", it's equally important to capture some visceral basketball action with his unprecedented cast of hoop legends. To get to the heart of the beauty, the flow and the flying spirit of the game; from simple hand-offs to 3-point miracle shots. With all that's going on in this movie, the film focuses on the relationships, the funny dialogue between characters and the basketball. Luckily, the character-driven script really lent itself to that which is exciting. Dax and Uncle Drew’s generational gap might be obvious in their contrasting clothes, style, music and banter, but it’s beneath the skin that they ultimately connect. “Uncle Drew" shows you that no matter your age, the prime of your life is right now. "Uncle Drew" reminds us that wherever you're at, you can still deliver. He encourages us to never quit doing what we love. What makes "Uncle Drew" timeless is that he devotes himself to what he loves. This movie will be relatable to everyone. It pays homage to Uncle Drew’s love of basketball, but at heart it’s a story about staying true to the things and the people you love most.

The Greatest Showman, by Michael Gracey is truly a wonderful and aesthetically pleasing film. I watched the film with my sister and Mum on Monday 8th January. After hearing great things about the film and of course the Golden Globe win for “This is Me” made me very excited to watch the film. As soon as the film started I was hooked, it made me shiver with how beautifully crafted the beginning was. All the colours, twirling, flying and singing was chaotically perfect. The music was beautiful throughout. However, I didn’t think Hugh Jackman (who played the ambitious showman and entrepreneur, P.T. Barnum) was too impressive, for me his voice didn’t fit the songs. Zac Efron played the playwright and future partner to Barnum, Phillip Carlyle. He did a very good performance, not my favourite of his characters but still very good. I grew up watching High School Musical and Hairspray on repeat, so seeing that Zac Efron is in his fifth musical was very exciting. His song “Rewrite the Stars” with Zendaya (who played an acrobat, trapeze artist of the name Anne Wheeler) not only sounded beautiful the scene was beautiful too, the trapeze tricks along with the lighting made the scene very romantic and the song was stuck in my head all day afterwards! “This Is Me” and “Never Enough” were my favourite songs in the film. Two very powerful songs by two very powerful actresses. The songs were moving and almost brought me to tears in the Cinema while watching the film. The film being a partly real story set in 1800’s New York, made it even more appealing as you had Victorian style costuming with a modern style Circus, their Costume Designer, Ellen Mirojnick did a fantastic job. Hugh Jackman’s acting as the caught up, somewhat spoilt showman was fantastic, Michelle Williams who played his wife was a great partner for Jackman and you were really rooting for him, his family and their story. Despite the twist in the story, he was a great protagonist to follow and even though some of his actions were questionable you couldn’t help but understand what he was doing and why he was doing it. Overall the film was a very aesthetically pleasing film, it had a great storyline with a great narrative arc. It also had some fantastic songs that were performed by some great actors. I would definitely recommend you watching the film if you love a Moulin Rouge themed musical that is filled with lots of music, dancing and an equally great story.

Home means everything. The visually mesmerising opening scene grabs you and doesn't let go, ever. Dunkirk takes place in three distinct timelines; One Week, One Day, One Hour (Land, Sea, Air) or as they were titled in the film: i. The Mole ii: The Sea iii: The Air "In 1940, after the invasion of France by Nazi Germany, thousands of Allied soldiers retreated to the seaside town of Dunkirk. As the Allied perimeter shrinks, the soldiers await evacuation in a seemingly hopeless situation." Christopher Nolan is a master of visual storytelling and he, along with his team carefully measure with precision every inch of detail responsible for the feelings felt during Dunkirk. This is unconventional, disjointed and completely stripped down of dialogue in his usual display of nonlinear narrative; always trusting the audience to piece together. This creates such a tense, emotional and somewhat overwhelming experience that enhances the viewing pleasure. Time is one of the most important dimensions - you can't escape it, nor can you escape the foreboding feeling it gives you. The constant ticking clock throughout Dunkirk and Hans Zimmer's Shepard tone score barely give you a second to catch breath. The cross-cutting parallel action is one thing, but you just 'feel' every moment - from the tide coming in and the foam bubbling to the Spitfire aligning the German plane in its sights. Large format cameras were squeezed into real Spitfires to achieve an unrivalled sense of truth. The colour balance is quite simply first-class as are performances from Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy and co. Creating a modern war film with a PG-13 rating raised eyebrows but apart from one choice shot on the beach early on - the horror of war is still fully portrayed. It's incredible to think that around 400,000 men were trapped so close to home - home was in their sights and ultimately a much higher number than first predicted survived thanks to the heroics of those in the air fighting, on the piers organising the evacuees into groups and the civilians who came to the rescue. Christopher Nolan has created so many exceptional films but I believe this to be his first absolute masterpiece.