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Calf film review by UK film critic William Hemingway. Starring Isabelle Connolly, Kate Nic Chonaonaigh, Stephen Hogan directed by Jamie O’Rourke. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Calf Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: Mar 26, 2026 Directed by: Jamie O’Rourke Written by: Jamie O’Rourke Starring: Isabelle Connolly, Kate Nic Chonaonaigh, Stephen Hogan Trouble brews on a remote Irish farm, as the farmer sets out on his daily chores, and the whole family prepares for the birth of a new calf. As the scene opens on the farm in the early morning, everything is already dark and brooding and faintly menacing. The clanking of the chain on the back of the tractor, and the view we have from the rear, shows us the black emptiness that we have come from without revealing yet where it is we might be going. Further into the darkness, alone in the shed, a cow lies prostrate on the ground, her calf moving inside her, undulating under her skin, looking like some sort of alien presence parasitically inhabiting its mother’s body. Farmer Michael (Hogan) knows he’s got to get the morning work done quickly. He’s out there doling out the feed in the darkness, fag hanging from his lips, scooping pellets into troughs, knowing that the day is coming for him and that he needs to be ready for it. As we watch Michael in his work, we see what else is coming for him from behind, something he is completely oblivious to, as the tractor slips its handbrake and starts rolling down the hill towards him. Next to Animal Farm and Cold Comfort Farm , this might just be one of the most horrifying and cursed farmyards in all of narrative history. Inside the farmhouse, Michael’s family are at the breakfast table ready to start their day. The sun has broken, the bacon is frying, and Cáit (Connolly) is listening to music on her phone, earphones in like most teenagers, waiting for her mum, Aine (Nic Chonaonaigh), to serve her. It’s only when Cáit is asked to go outside and fetch her father in for breakfast that we all find out together just what has happened to Michael, whilst also having to deal with the realisation that his daughter is not moved in any way to help him. Just what is going on down on this quiet, family farm? As we are led into this dark narrative by writer/director, Jamie O’Rourke and cinematographer, Colm Hogan, we immediately get the feeling that something is off. The opening shot, looking behind us, not seeing where we’re going, is indicative of the direction of the narrative as most things are kept from us until right near the end of the film. This gives both filmmakers the time and space to build the tension and the atmosphere around the farm as we try to piece together just what is going on. The visuals spark a feeling of horror, with enclosed spaces, framed claustrophobically, dimly lit, giving off a sense of something hidden under the surface; a rippling tension that creates nausea and unease, hinting at the fact that something is going to have to be released sooner or later. The constant referral to the calf that is due to be birthed that day, keeps bringing us back to the visceral reality of nature that exists all around us, in all of its dirty, mud ridden, bloody detail. We see that the family exist in this reality every day, working with nature, getting their hands dirty, and even becoming numb to the physical pressures and dangers that exist when living so close to the earth. This feeds into the characterisation of the family, especially Cáit and her mother, and we wonder at the seeming detachment of Cáit in the face of such brutal circumstances. Both Isabelle Connolly and Kate Nic Chonaonaigh play their roles with such understated grace and strength, that it keeps the viewer not just interested, but transfixed to the screen, as we become invested in understanding their situation as well as their reactions to it. Calf does in fifteen short minutes what a lot of horror films fail to do in a full ninety or more, and that is to build the feeling of tension and horror in the audience without giving too much away. Not until the last scene do we understand what horrors have really transpired on that farm, and the subtle recognition visible between mother and daughter then allows the dam to burst on all the emotions the audience has been feeling, keeping inside, up until that point. The narrative, and subsequent direction and photography, along with a subtle but affecting score from Orla O’Rourke, all pull together to build the scenario and all of the unease that the audience feels, creating a clear vision of true horror that is expressed in every frame of the film. Calf is a nightmarish vision that needs very little to be said in order for it to get its point across to the audience. It is a story told not in words, but in pictures, and in light, or the absence of it, as the world of nature on the farm is revealed to us piece by piece. The relationships between the characters don’t get explained to us, and they never need to, as everything is expressed to us visually in front of the camera, from small facial expressions, to silent movements, to bloody births and deaths, which tell us everything we need to know if we just look close enough. Calf is a tour-de-force in terms of visual storytelling, and the absence of too much dialogue only enhances the seclusion and anxiety we feel while we’re down on the farm. For a small indie film with only fifteen minutes to tell its story, Calf reaches into your insides and wrestles with your guts to pull your emotions from the inside out. It doesn’t need big scares, or gory overtures to get the blood pumping and the tension rising, and its quiet, understated nature helps define it as an artwork of pure horror; one which builds inside the mind and body of the viewer until it can finally be released in its closing moments, in another quiet, simple showing of unmitigated, unseen horrors that are often silently endured. About the Film Critic William Hemingway Digital / DVD Release, Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Ordinary Things film review by UK film critic Patrick Foley. Starring Julian Simoes, Cristina Duchesne-Rivera, Vanessa Rodriguez directed by Micah Caronna. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Ordinary Things Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: Patrick Foley | Posted on: Mar 25, 2026 Directed by: Micah Caronna Written by: Jennifer Tobler Starring: Julian Simoes, Cristina Duchesne-Rivera, Vanessa Rodriguez Micah Caronna’s Ordinary Things is a throwback romcom that takes a classically crazy premise of a fake wedding and spins a sickly wholesome love story aligned with the film’s religious origin. It’s a stuttering and unproduced by-numbers feature punctuated by some emotionally engaging moments, but lacking in overall quality. To fulfil her dying mother’s wish, Dannie (Cristina Duchesne-Rivera) fakes a wedding with her childhood best friend Tyler (Julian Simoes). Convinced to go along with the plot due to a promise made as kids and assurance of a deadline for the charade to end, Tyler begins to embrace ‘married’ life. But when Dannie’s mom (Vanessa Rodriguez) makes a miraculous recovery, he begins to struggle with a counterfeit life. But are the feelings they fake more real than either realise? Ordinary Things is a corny and affable romcom that is seldom seen in the modern film landscape. Situational and gently screwball, it places its star-crossed lovers in a madcap predicament that ties them together whilst keeping them apart, giving the audience a cause to root for as we watch them try to overcome the blockade of their shared destiny. A modern compare is Anyone But You (albeit a much tamer version…), a film praised for a willingness to embrace the skeleton of its previous-era predecessors openly. Ordinary Things’ successes stem from a similar embrace, its funniest moments coming where Tyler gets to take advantage of his married privileges. Similarly, the story is at its strongest when Tyler’s established feelings towards both Dannie and marriage are placed in conflict, and viewers are asked questions about the arrangement that leads to interesting assessments of each character. However, the film is neither funny enough to consistently earn laughs from the viewer, nor original enough to really engage them with the plot. The Christian essence of the production isn’t overwhelmingly present throughout, but it is no reach to wonder whether the urge to ensure the film remains family friendly is a reason for why some obvious situational relationship comedy setups are omitted from the film. The two protagonists are also bland and dull, livened at certain times where the film ponders the morality of Dannie’s plan and Tyler’s conflict with it but both largely lacking in any of the required yearning or passion for one another that is necessary for any film of this nature to work. Outside of its Christian target audience, it is unlikely that Ordinary Things will do enough to leave a lasting impression. It features some entertaining moments that make use of its central ‘fake marriage’ premise and looks good enough for a lower budget production. However it , ultimately lacks anything extraordinary when it comes to story, characters or humour to sustain it through the running time. About the Film Critic Patrick Foley Digital / DVD Release, Indie Feature Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Alpha film review by UK film critic Hope Madden. Starring Mélissa Boros, Tahar Rahim, Golshifteh Farahani directed by Julia Ducournau. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Alpha Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Mar 25, 2026 Directed by: Julia Ducournau Written by: Julia Ducournau Starring: Mélissa Boros, Tahar Rahim, Golshifteh Farahani There are drawbacks to being one of the most daring and original voices in cinema. Chief among them is expectation. Audiences anticipate that each new effort will somehow outshine the previous. After 2016’s Raw , Julia Ducournau’s incandescent first feature, surely no one expected Titane . And I mean no one. Feral and unforgiving, homaging others but blazing its own wildly individual path, Ducournau’s sophomore effort took home Cannes’s Palm d’Or in 2021. The film that defies summarization managed to make Raw look tame, almost precious. Raw , by the way, is about a college freshmen overcome with cannibalistic frenzy whenever she’s aroused, if you haven’t seen it. Tame and precious. So, expectations for Alpha , the filmmaker’s latest, were high. The tale begins with its best scene. Amin (a wondrous Tahar Rahim) sits with his arm outstretched as his 5-year-old niece Alpha (Ambrine Trigo Oaked) makes his needle wounds pretty by connecting them, constellation-like, with a black marker. Simultaneously heartwarming and queasying, it seems the perfect opening to a Ducournau project. We flash forward quickly to another disturbing scene. This time, 13-year-old Alpha (Mélissa Boros) has her arm outstretched. She’s barely lucid, surrounded by teens partying obliviously, as someone tattoos an enormous A on her arm. The work is not professional and draws plenty of blood. From here, Alpha oscillates between two timelines in an alternate reality France. The core story of love and negligence, family trauma and addiction, sits in the context of a blood-borne epidemic. An epidemic to which Alpha has now made herself susceptible. The AIDS analogy is clear but expect Ducournau’s visual style to turn the somber into something harrowingly beautiful. Sufferers of this unnamed virus show symptoms of smoke escaping their mouths when they cough. As the diseases progresses, bodies turn to something akin to blue veined, cracking marble. It’s in this world that confused, self-destructive Alpha comes of age. Her mother (Golshifteh Farahani), a doctor, becomes passionately, almost blindly obsessed with keeping her junky brother and her reckless daughter safe. The crisscrossing timelines often rob the film of its momentum. The real problem, though, is that in the end, Ducournau employs a fantasy trope to connect the timelines and embody the mother’s anxiety. Vague as she is about it, and powerful as the final moments are, Ducournau cannot breathe enough life into the cliché to elevate it above cliché. There is a haunting ghost story at work here. Ducournau’s cast is astounding, and her visual style, though far more somber here than in her previous work, is still enough to draw a gasp. But Alpha boasts less imagination than either of the filmmaker’s previous efforts, and it’s hard not to be a tad disappointed. About the Film Critic Hope Madden Theatrical Release, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

In Flight We Trust: An American Exodus film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring N/A directed by Ron Podmore. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS In Flight We Trust: An American Exodus Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Mar 25, 2026 Directed by: Ron Podmore Written by: Joni Vasquez, Pierre Ferguson, Rie Sasafu Starring: N/A The trailer for an upcoming documentary, directed by Ron Podmore and written by Joni Vasquez, Pierre Ferguson and Rie Sasafu, set for a theatrical release in the U.S. during the end of summer 2026. The overall impression is that for many life is currently not easy in the United States of America. Filmed over the course of a year, this film examines the financial difficulties that American citizens are facing today and it does so by documenting three simple families who live in the U.S. and disclosing the struggles and frustrations that they deal with while living in a country where it has become difficult for them to have a comfortable life and have therefore decided to relocate to another country. From what the less-than-two-minute trailer reveals, the reasons that these families (and many other people) have given up on building a life in the States, are motivated by reasons involving healthcare and financial instability and some of the resulting problems are costly healthcare and inability to secure work. Although serious issues are clearly being addressed, it is evident that the tone will be (at least at times) humorous, with a voice-over that sounds childish and a soundtrack consisting of amusing songs. The general impression is that this is going to be a feature-length documentary that aims to examine the economy of the United States, which appears to be crumbling and it does so by adding some comedy. It appears to be painting a negative image of life in contemporary United States, indicating that it is a country that is failing its citizens. It will probably be intriguing to find out what this film has to say, although its contents might worry those who are planning to move to the U.S. About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film, Documentary < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Faith and The Christmas Star film review by UK film critic James Learoyd. Starring Miranda Lial, Hannah Alyea directed by Abby Davenport. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Faith and The Christmas Star Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: James Learoyd | Posted on: Mar 24, 2026 Directed by: Abby Davenport Written by: Anne Trenning, Abby Davenport Starring: Miranda Lial, Hannah Alyea Faith and The Christmas Star is a new animated short film made for children. Through almost entirely audio-visual means (without dialogue), it tells the story of an ice-skating woman, headed to deliver a Christmas letter for her mother. On her journey she learns to express kindness as she encounters two abandoned dogs and seeks shelter from the cold. This piece offers a unique mode of family viewing; one defined by a flow of images, a poetic narrative, and a less expository approach to storytelling. Written by Abby Davenport and Anne Trenning – with Davenport directing and Trenning composing the score – this is a satisfyingly structured, wonderfully crafted expression of festive spirit. To begin, let’s discuss this gorgeous animation style. Clearly, a great deal of care and attention has been placed into the character design, backgrounds, and – perhaps most impressive – the movement. You can’t help but love the way the subjects onscreen interact with their surroundings, further immersing the viewer, not through realism, but through a comforting recognition of signs and behaviours. Our protagonist’s facial expressions are astoundingly dynamic for a relatively low-budget animated production, evoking emotion and allowing internal plot developments to take place without the inconvenience of speech. The soothing soundtrack then, in turn, ties the whole thing together with the score cleverly mixing classical tunes such as ‘How Much Is That Doggy in The Window’ with a sort of base theme. Similar to the images, the music is continuous... evolving with each narrative beat. And it’s through this approach that the filmmakers quite masterfully play with concepts of time, using match-cuts to express ideas and – even without editing – containing multiple environments and temporal moments within a single, flowing shot. From this critic’s perspective, Faith and The Christmas Star has one flaw which I shall now dissect. Approximately halfway through the film’s runtime, our protagonist enters a church and opens a Bible. We then witness a montage of sorts, telling the story of the birth of Christ. This sequence slightly sticks out as an overdone and inelegant use of animation, and a detour from the established style. Whilst it still looks and sounds lovely, what the film lacks in these couple minutes is the poetry, wordless nuance and narrative flow of the other twenty. More than being a religious movie, the filmmakers clearly wish to express more the sense of universality and care that comes with spirituality. Nevertheless, the scene also sticks out like a sore thumb due to the fact that the rest of the film proceeds to make clear all the themes and messages of this montage in far more convincing and subtle a fashion, without needing to resort to a didactic recounting of a religious story. It’s an unquestionably positive thing to be providing children with works which – in addition to being so refined in terms of quality – actively encourage thought, reflection and engagement with cinema’s core characteristics: sound and vision. Putting the Story of Christ Scene aside, our main storyline is one which so beautifully combines everyday occurrences with a quaint, almost Miyazaki-esque feeling of the exquisite; a tapestry of comforting environments and activities. Offering a deeply comforting viewing experience, Faith and The Christmas Star proves to be a successful entertainment, as well as being aesthetically ambitious. About the Film Critic James Learoyd Short Film, Animation < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Feet of Death film review by UK film critic Matt Trapp. Starring Andrew Jacob Brown, Jack Vanover, Benjamin Watts directed by James Chick. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Feet of Death Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: Matt Trapp | Posted on: Mar 24, 2026 Directed by: James Chick Written by: James Chick, Ryan Stahl, Ashley Chick Starring: Andrew Jacob Brown, Jack Vanover, Benjamin Watts Set amidst the lush forests and haunted towns of Mount St Helens, Feet of Death stars Andrew Jacob Brown as Jason Easterly, a United States Forest Service ranger who finds himself pulled into a disturbing investigation into the death of an internet personality. While the film is shot competently, making great use of the beautiful locations, the characters are sadly underdeveloped and the narrative stretched thin. Feet of Death opens with a young woman wandering through a beautiful forest in Mount St Helens. The stakes of the film are firmly established when she suddenly comes across the mutilated body of a man, revealed to be YouTube personality Chris Dixon (Eric Berger). Director James Chick shows the audience the day leading up to Chris’ death, where he had been investigating mysterious deaths and disappearances in the area. Meeting locals and asking them for their thoughts on the recent ‘animal attacks’, the film calls to mind similar scenes from the Blair Witch Project , sprinkled with the eccentricities of rural townsfolk who littered Twin Peaks. Jason is soon introduced as a USFS ranger past his prime, sleeping on a sofa surrounded by bottles, still privately grieving the loss of his wife who was killed in one of the aforementioned animal attacks. After some convincing, he’s brought into the investigation, where he joins up with local Sheriff Ken (Jack Vanover). The two men must work through their initial resentment of each other to solve the case, and in doing so, they may reveal secrets that would rock their community if they were to come to light. Jason and Ken have a reluctant partnership, the two literally at each others’ throats when they first meet at the scene of the crime. While they do learn to work together and lean on each other, Feet of Death seems less interested in the human drama and seems to be more focused on the intrigue of the attacks themselves. Audiences may feel that Jason and Ken move past their antagonism for each other surprisingly quickly, and that the potential in seeing them move past their initial grievances was squandered. Unexpectedly, Jason’s arc revolves around him getting out of his depressive funk and more involved in the investigation, but it once again comes up short. The circumstances around his wife’s death are left mysterious, and there’s no particular lesson for Jason to learn, or obstacle to overcome, to deliver a satisfying conclusion to his story. Jason’s arc is set up pretty heavy-handedly in his first scene during a conversation with his colleague Al (Tim Blough), who tells him straightforwardly that he needs to find his purpose. Of course, solving the case is the purpose of all the primary characters, and while it does have a personal element for Jason since his wife was one of the victims, it never feels like he overcomes a past failing or really makes a consequential decision. The result is a narrative that lacks a real driving force, a reason for the audience to root for Jason to overcome his demons and solve the investigation that has plagued the community. The film’s score by Ryan Stahl compliments the film appropriately, and it was a particular highlight. There are shades of Disasterpiece’s ambient synth tracks from It Follows , and in more tense sequences, the use of rhythmic thumping in the soundtrack is reminiscent of Ennio Morricone’s score written for The Thing. It’s disappointing that while the music can be praised, the poster for the film appears to have been AI generated, featuring wobbly caricatures of characters who do not appear in the film. I can empathise with smaller productions doing the best they can with limited budgets, but a still from the film would always be preferable to generating a generic, poorly composed image that says nothing about the film. Feet of Death features some genuinely thrilling moments and an ending which ups the ante in a fun and unexpected way, showing that Chick had more up his sleeve than audiences may have expected. Still, the exciting climax is regrettably not enough to salvage the rest of the film which feels lethargic, meandering awkwardly through the expected motions in the standard police procedural. The characters just aren’t interesting enough here to sustain the runtime, and the crime at the heart of it isn’t sensational or unique enough to draw much curiosity. More factors could have been introduced in the second act to complicate the narrative, and more hurdles should have been placed in the way to impede the characters’ progress towards the conclusion. Feet of Death isn’t the easiest recommendation, but there’s a small town charm that some audiences may glean some enjoyment from. About the Film Critic Matt Trapp Indie Feature Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Everything I Hate About You film review by UK film critic Matt Trapp. Starring Noanne, Johanna Thoss directed by Steen Agro . HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Everything I Hate About You Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Matt Trapp | Posted on: Mar 24, 2026 Directed by: Steen Agro Written by: Steen Agro Starring: Noanne, Johanna Thoss A dingy motel room is transformed into a bloody murder scene in the music video for NOANNE’s Everything I Hate About You , an energetic ode to complicated situationships. While the video is well shot and matches the charmingly macabre vibe of the song, it’s hard to deny that the concept could have been pushed further to become truly memorable. Everything I Hate About You opens with the main character of the video and singer NOANNE sitting in a motel chair, holding a pistol with silencer attached, the walls coated in blood stains. The video cuts between the singer and a motel cleaner, slowly making his way through each room, where particular attention is given to each room number climbing higher and higher. It’s a fun Hitchcock-esque interplay between the two characters; she’s revelling in the afterglow of violence, meanwhile a humble cleaner gets closer to discovering what she’s done. Unfortunately, the rich potential for drama is undercut by a number of factors. While director Steen Agro has chosen to focus on the room numbers, the audience is crucially unaware of which room NOANNE’s crime has taken place in. The ticking clock is thereby rendered useless; how can the audience know exactly how close the cleaner is to NOANNE’s bloody motel room without a frame of reference? Without knowing the room number that the music video largely takes place in, there’s no effect in seeing the room numbers going higher and higher. The destination may as well be the moon. A more glaring disappointment is the lack of a payoff or resolution to the cleaner entering the bloodied room. This is the moment the video has been building up to, and it fails to deliver any kind of shocking, comedic, or dramatic punchline. Perhaps the cleaner could have looked at the bloody scene and reacted nonchalantly, shrugged and continued with their job, suggesting that this kind of violence is less out of the ordinary than the audience expects. Alternatively, NOANNE’s character could have been caught unawares, her singing and dancing interrupted while the camera lingered on the cleaner’s bewildered reaction, the door closing slowly in a comedic beat. These suggestions are hardly the most interesting or inspired ideas, but they represent what I consider the film’s largest misstep. What should have been the climax of the video’s narrative falls entirely flat, which is a shame considering this is where the director could have been at their most expressive. The song has a pounding energy, and the video represents this intensity well for the most part. Agro keeps the camera moving constantly, never pausing to rest. NOANNE’s performance is mostly delivered to the camera, and she does well to personify the raw emotion of the song. Aiding the camp grotesque tone of the song is the playfully morbid set design; bloody handprints and machetes dripping with gore sell the idea of NOANNE’s murderous infatuation with the song’s subject. And yet, the horror imagery could have been pushed further. The video starts at 100 and sadly stays there, failing to build upon the admittedly strong visuals that it opens with. The full extent of blood and gore could have been built up slower, or perhaps there could have been more viscera for NOANNE to use for props. Of course there’s always the possibility that this would have made the video less palatable to some audiences. Playing it safer however results in a video that doesn’t build to much beyond what the audience see in the first 30 seconds. NOANNE has stated that the song ‘delves into the complexities of love, hatred, and the blurred lines between the two’ . I can understand where hatred is represented in the video, but I fail to see how love is represented anywhere. It feels less like the soap-opera dark comedy of Death Becomes Her and more like Gus Van Sant’s Psycho , lacking either the lurid sex appeal or gritty violence that the song sounds like it’s aiming for. Maybe it would have been fun to see NOANNE caress the dismembered leg of her ex-lover, or to see her use bloody intestines for a feather boa. The video has more than enough room for more creative uses of the premise, and it’s a shame that the final result was as straightforward and clinical as it was. While there are some missed opportunities in my mind for Everything I Hate About You , the music video largely does its job in accompanying the song acceptably. Does it play it too safe? Absolutely. The narrative of the video could have been far more memorable, and overall it risks portraying NOANNE as bland, without much of a voice of her own. Still, the video is watchable, it looks good, and, perhaps in contrary to the filmmaker’s assertion, is largely inoffensive. About the Film Critic Matt Trapp Music Video < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Spirit Juice film review by UK film critic Matt Trapp. Starring Jeremy Harold, Carl Aboumrad, Kelly Volpe directed by Jay Davis. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Spirit Juice Film Review average rating is 1 out of 5 Critic: Matt Trapp | Posted on: Mar 24, 2026 Directed by: Jay Davis Written by: Jay Davis Starring: Jeremy Harold, Carl Aboumrad, Kelly Volpe Spirit Juice is an animated short that follows an alien bartender in a series of misadventures. Throw in an unhinged robot scientist and the result is five minutes of bewildering chaos. While the crude animation may be charming to some, Spirit Juice’s eccentric idiosyncrasies are unlikely to be enough to keep an audience’s attention for the duration. Visually, Spirit Juice has an appealing style to it. To be blunt, the character designs are ugly, but they’re unappealing in a likeable way. The short is unique in its unrefined quality, and it certainly doesn’t lack a distinct visual identity. Unburdened by standard animation conventions, the characters are free to be ugly and idiosyncratic. My favourite example of this is a character who amusingly appears to be a clip-art fax machine, incongruous with the other characters’ visual style and bringing to mind other animated shows that play against standard design conventions like Smiling Friends. Sadly, this is where comparisons to various animated Adult Swim shows end. Spirit Juice lacks interesting or even funny writing, and each character ends up feeling fairly repetitive. There’s no narrative to speak of and fairly few funny situations that each character finds themselves in. The result is a sense of improvisation, with no rising action or destination for the short to move towards. At only five minutes in length, it’s disappointing that Spirit Juice feels so aimless. I’ve already made the comparison to Smiling Friends, a show that does a much better job of setting up the premise and direction that an episode will move towards, before diving into the pure chaos that it’s known for. Spirit Juice feels as though it’s lacking any sense of structure, resulting in an audio-visual splatter thrown at the wall. Unfortunately, this is further compounded by the amateur level of voice acting which becomes grating as the short goes on. Most character voices are one note, sounding monotonous at best and headache-inducingly difficult to listen to at worst. What comes across is a lack of faith in the writing, the actors performing their lines with far too much effort in an attempt to sound funny. The performers are more than likely not professionals, but unlike the art, this is tiring more than charming. The combination of a weak script and unconvincing vocal performances may have audiences reaching for a mute button faster than the cast intended. Animation is a challenging art form to fully realise, especially so for amateur or indie projects. Having said this, Spirit Juice is not visually compelling. The animation is disappointingly limited, the characters move around weightlessly, and each scene is poorly staged. Perhaps the short could have attempted some more ambitious shot compositions, using the limitation of the restricted animations as a strength. Dialogue could have been improved using more shot variation, perhaps making use of shot-reverse shot in the bar scenes. The short takes place entirely from the same camera angle which becomes tiresome before long. For their next project, maybe the crew could look towards South Park which does well to vary the staging of each scene even with its simple art style. What it has in Spirit, it lacks in Juice. Spirit Juice is clearly a passion project, and while that’s admirable, there will be little appeal for those unattached to the short. There’s clearly room for improvement, and I hope that the team behind Spirit Juice are more ambitious in what they try next. About the Film Critic Matt Trapp Animation, Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

The Dreamer film review by UK film critic India Gwyn-Williams. Starring Nicole, Clyde, Elli, Sam, Drew directed by Muhammed N Alumneer. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The Dreamer Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: India Gwyn-Williams | Posted on: Mar 23, 2026 Directed by: Muhammed N Alumneer Written by: Mohammed N Almuneer Starring: Nicole, Clyde, Elli, Sam, Drew The Dreamer by Mohammed Alumneer is an animated short film, depicting three different stories emanating from the character Alex William. Our protagonist communicates the importance of self-belief and empowerment against those who discourage others and the world, which in its natural course can be an obstacle to one’s dreams or success. The direct narrative from Alex William is poetic and passionate, using powerful metaphors and similes to describe the pull of his destiny and the struggle to adhere to it. The dialogue possesses a certain rhythm which engages the audience while also grounding each of the stories that follow. Despite starting with a vigorous, impressive dialogue, such an introduction is met with a disappointingly linear initial story. ‘Back To School Good Student’ lacked intricacy and narrative prowess - it delivers a more passive, impersonal plot. Although the delivery falters, the story itself is satisfying in its course of hardship being met with eventual reward. This offers themes of perseverance, morality, and fate. Fate is an unceasingly captivating concept, rooted in otherworldly mystery - its place in the first story is therefore a point of intrigue for the audience to ruminate on. The following stories spring from the success of the one prior, and their styles differ in animation as well as storytelling. They explore different types of adversity, increasing the variety of the film but remaining constant in the theme of perseverance despite it. The storytelling aspect is improved by the voices given to the characters, as it adds a layer of depth and ultimately favours the viewing experience. Audiences are particularly impacted with the final story, which shares a conversation on self-belief. Though it takes place in a classroom of young children, the lesson on its importance applies to anyone who watches. What is presented as a new concept to children is simultaneously a reminder to those already aware of its existence, but in need of a reminder. The short film excels in the central theme of empowerment which runs through each narrative and the character Alex William. He not only oversees each story's inception, but simultaneously offers his own story of perseverance and determination which sews the trilogy together, making an entertaining viewing journey. The narrative of the stories are however flawed in their shallow, straight-forward nature, coming across as unegaging. Arguably the quality of animation, depth of the stories and narration are not equal to the significance of its themes - empowerment and self-belief. Such topics deserve an intricate portrayal to fully communicate their power and importance. About the Film Critic India Gwyn-Williams Animation < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Wilbert Wire film review by UK film critic William Curzon. Starring Josiah Morgan, Kathleen Burns, Kim Garrett directed by Ricky Townsend. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Wilbert Wire Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: William Curzon | Posted on: Mar 23, 2026 Directed by: Ricky Townsend Written by: Ricky Townsend Starring: Josiah Morgan, Kathleen Burns, Kim Garrett Wilbert Wire follows a robot art student, the titular character portrayed by Josiah Morgan, who is tasked by his human teacher with creating a painting about love. The piece presents the tropes of the autistic experience through the lens of science fiction. Writer/director Ricky Townsend being diagnosed with autism from a young age makes the experience a raw and authentic depiction of a neurodivergent individual. One of the most relieving aspects of the piece is how the filmmakers treat the subject matter from the perspective of the neurodiverse experience. Writer/director Ricky Townsend treats the experience as delicate and raw in his depiction of Wilbert as he is tasked with creating a painting. In the wrong hands, this could've been executed in a tone-deaf manner; however, the filmmakers execute this unique concept with a profound sense of nuance. The piece is educational in teaching the audience and those around Wilbert to learn how he conveys his love; this is shown in a complex and subtle way without exaggerating or stereotyping characteristics of his autism, as is often the case in modern media. It's an incredibly visceral experience due to how the filmmakers always present the piece from Wibert’s point of view, giving the viewer a sense of the experience of autism through the lens of a robot. The sequences within Wilbert’s imagination are the most effective due to the dynamic camerawork, and the VFX are genuinely impressive despite the film's budget constraints. While the narrative is fairly grounded in its setting, the science fiction elements work surprisingly well and never detract from the experience. The film also blends humour and the heartwarming elements of the narrative incredibly well without ever feeling jarring. As Wilbert is a robot, the editing matches his point of view as he rushes with ideas for the painting in a frenetic manner. Ricky Townsend's direction and blocking make incredible use of the limited space, and Josiah Morgan’s physicality in the titular role is profoundly executed in the sequences in his imagination. John Chrisstoffels’ camerawork is truly splendid, as it primarily consists of wide shots when tracking Wilbert’s movement as he uses the environment to his advantage when expanding his ideas. Liam Reid, serving as the film's composer, delivers a nuanced and understated musical score that evokes warmth and delicacy to assist the more intimate moments of the piece. The use of music is genuinely one of the film's greater aspects and is wonderfully placed throughout as Wilbert connects with others. The central performance from Josiah Morgan in his portrayal of the titular character is wonderful, as he conveys a profound sense of empathy and heart as he tries to make his teacher and others understand that love knows no boundaries. The way he loves may differentiate from others, but it doesn't make his passion and aspirations any less important. While the piece does have an incredibly brisk runtime, it leaves the viewer wanting more with an incredibly moving conclusion that wraps up the film's themes in a satisfying manner. Wilbert Wire is a heartwarming depiction of a robot placed in a scenario where he represents his version of love and connection through art. The film is an important reminder to show empathy and understanding, and to support others who struggle to convey their love to one another. Ricky Townsend's attempts at grappling with themes of art and connection make him a distinct voice in indie filmmaking and someone to watch out for in the near future. About the Film Critic William Curzon Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Marriage Unplugged film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Nikki Amuka-Bird, Nicholas Gleaves, Sven Ironside directed by Florine Nuesch, Kim Nuesch. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Marriage Unplugged Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Mar 22, 2026 Directed by: Florine Nuesch, Kim Nuesch Written by: Florine Nuesch, Kim Nuesch Starring: Nikki Amuka-Bird, Nicholas Gleaves, Sven Ironside Sisters Florine and Kim Nuesch write and direct this short sci-fi drama that stars Nikki Amuka-Bird, Nicholas Gleaves and Sven Ironside. Set in the near future, the story follows middle-aged, childless couple Suzanna (Amuka-Bird) and Andrew (Gleaves), whose relationship is currently unstable and they decide to purchase a sex robot, a machine with a human appearance, whose purpose is to sexually satisfy people. They end up choosing an android named James (Ironside) who has the physical appearance of a young man and they bring him (or it?) home. Things take an unexpected turn as James eventually begins to affects their lives in unanticipated ways. This film begins as an adult comedy, before moving towards much more serious territories. As James enters their lives, it becomes evident that this is an unhappy marriage, with Suzanna and Andrew being unable to connect. James is unable to satisfy either one of them, however, he manages to build a sort of father-and-son rapport with Andrew, while Suzanna becomes distant. By accident, the arrival of James has revealed the flaws in the couple's marriage and (to a degree), making them both reflect on their troubled relationship. There are awkward moments and a great deal of drama, including a heated argument that gives Suzanna and Andrew an opportunity to be honest about their emotions. The atmosphere is supported by Matthias Biermann's poignant music and Martyna Jakimowska's sombre cinematography. Suzanna and Andrew clearly are a couple that have lost meaningful connection between them and Amuka-Bird and Gleaves portray them as characters with deep wounds. Suzanna is a workaholic, the main breadwinner of the household, whose determination to focus on her job seems to have damaged her marriage. Andrew, a dental hygienist, is unhappy because he does not have something that he deeply lungs for and his interactions with James appear to be compensating for that. At least to a degree. Ironside is quite convincing as an android, with no facial axpressions, a robotic voice and often remaining motionless. As he plays a product created for sexual gratification, his character spends the majority of his screen time unclothed. Starting off as a sex machine, James subsequently seems to be expressing an interest in human activities such as shaving and playing ball games. More crucially, he unwillingly ends up disclosing the troubles in the couple's marriage. From a certain perspective, this film is about technological advancements, particularly artificial intelligence affecting people's lives. A limited part concerns sexual desires, however, the primary themes involve marriage, understanding, connections, self-reflection and regrets. A sci-fi film that mixes technology with the values and complications of marriage. It tells the story of a couple who are together in spite of having different perspectives regarding life and the result is a dramatic and thoughtful viewing. About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Project Hail Mary film review by UK film critic George Wolf. Starring Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz directed by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Project Hail Mary Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: George Wolf | Posted on: Mar 18, 2026 Directed by: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller Written by: Drew Goddard, Andy Weir Starring: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz The arguments about Awards Season 2026 may still be raging on social media, but Project Hail Mary arrives to start the conversation about next year. It’s the kind of lavish, well-polished, big movie star project that could generate word-of-mouth excitement, bring crowds back to the theater, and leave audiences with an inspiring message of hope and humor that is sorely needed. And that will be awesome, truly. So, I already feel like a cynical jerk for not thinking it’s a masterpiece. Thanks a lot, Ryan Gosling. Actually, it’s pretty damn hard not to love Gosling’s turn here as Dr. Ryland Grace, a molecular biologist who’s teaching middle school science thanks to some of his less-than-peer-approved theories. But when he wakes from an induced coma on a ship in outer space, “Grace” is our last hope for saving Earth from the nasty space dust that is about three decades away from destroying the Sun. How did he get here? And how can a man “who puts the ‘not’ in “astronaut'” hope to succeed all alone? Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller give us those answers, adapting Andy Weir’s best-selling novel with another crowd-pleasing script from Drew Goddard – who also adapted Weir’s The Martian for the screen. And much like The Martian , we’re among the stars with a solitary man who must rely on science to find the solution to survival. But Grace isn’t really alone, once he meets a crab-like alien (voiced by James Ortiz) he calls “Rocky” thanks to an appearance that resembles a strategic stacking of stones. Rocky’s planet is also facing extinction, and the two form a bond that quickly aligns the film as a family-friendly mashup of 2001 and E.T. Gosling’s self-deprecating charm and sharp comic timing are instantly likable, and once Rocky learns some basics of English, the alien’s penchant for inverting certain words and gestures leads to warmly funny exchanges. Lord & Miller (The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs ) bolster the rapport with wondrous IMAX sequences, but can’t completely overcome the feeling that this is all just a little too obvious and cute. Flashbacks to a terrific Sandra Hüller as the impatiently blunt leader of the Hail Mary project give the film some much needed depth, and the mild twist in Act Three pulls the narrative out of the safe zone, albeit too briefly. The Martian suffered from the same calculated, broad brush feel at work here, and thankfully Lord & Miller don’t follow suit and resort to a succession of eye-rollingly precise needle drops. The film’s title could also apply toward winning back those finicky theater-goers. And Project Hail Mary is perfectly suited to be a memorable cinematic experience with mass appeal. It looks great, there’s a charismatic leading man, his little alien buddy, and an easily digestible life lesson. An enjoyable trip to the movies will be had. It just ain’t a trip to deep space. About the Film Critic George Wolf Theatrical Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >