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This weekend there are six new films out for you to choose from: action in Jurassic World, drama in Shooting for Socrates, horror in Unhallowed Ground, documentary in The Look of Silence, more drama in Queen and Country, and godknowswhat in London Road.
Jurassic World is out in cinemas from today and takes place 22 years after the events of the original Jurassic Park, where Isla Nublar now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, as originally envisioned by John Hammond.
The film also stars Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Chris Pratt along with Bryce Dallas Howard, Judy Greer, Vincent D’Onofrio and Omar Sy.
I’m going to see this on Monday and while I’m in two minds about whether it’s going to be any good, I’ll have to err on the side of…
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Shooting for Socrates
November 1985, and the troubled streets of Belfast are torn up by rioting yet again. In amongst the angry mob, we find nine year old Tommy, nonchalantly dribbling a ball through the insanity. Whilst politicians argue over the peace process, there’s only one thing on young Tommy’s football-mad mind – the forthcoming World Cup, where tiny Northern Ireland will take on the mighty Brazil. For the South American giants it’s just another step on the path to inevitable global domination, yet for Northern Ireland, and young Tommy, it’s the biggest game of their lives. They are two countries that couldn’t seem further apart: Northern Ireland, with its Orange men and Republican kerbstones, the Rev’d Ian Paisley and Fergal Sharkey; and Brazil with its carnival, its Samba, with Pelé and the ‘beautiful game’. On the football field, eccentric Northern Ireland coach Billy Bingham (they call him Mr FIFA – “a fee for this and a fee for that”) must plug together a bunch of misfits and third divisioners… Written
The film stars San Andreas‘ Art Parkinson, plus Conleth Hill, Nico Mirallegro, John Hannah, Bronagh Gallagher and Fortitude‘s Richard Dormer, and despite the fact that I have zero interest in football, this actually looks a decent drama as I get the impression that the film is more to do with what happens OFF the field, than on.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Unhallowed Ground
A group of privileged students spend a night patrolling the prestigious Dhoultham school. However, it soon turns into the worst night of their lives as they face off against burglars, supernatural spirits and a deeper, darker evil.
Oh, here we go, I thought – another slasher flick. This one stars Ameet Chana, Poppy Drayton, arcus Griffiths and Thomas Law, and based on the trailer, it doesn’t look as bad as I expected, so I’ll err on the side of…
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
The Look of Silence is a companion piece to The Art of Killing, and director Joshua Oppenheimer conceived these films as a two-part project.
This film is a documentary about a family which survives the genocide in Indonesia, and confronts the men who killed one of their brothers. I haven’t seen either film as of yet, but by all accounts, I should do, so based on that I will say it’s a…
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Queen and Country
In this sequel to 1987’s Hope and Glory, Bill Rohan has grown up and is drafted into the army, where he and his eccentric best mate, Percy, battle their snooty superiors on the base and look for love in town.
There’s a huge cast including Callum Turner as the adult Bill Rohan, plus Caleb Landry Jones, David Thewlis, Richard E Grant, Vanessa Kirby, Tamsin Egerton, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Sinéad Cusack and Grace Rohan.
However, Hope and Glory wasn’t my bag, so I won’t be going to see this.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
London Road tells the tale of the events of 2006, when the quiet rural town of Ipswich was shattered by the discovery of the bodies of five women. The residents of London Road had struggled for years with frequent soliciting and kerb-crawling on their street. When a local resident was charged and then convicted of the murders, the community grappled with what it meant to be at the epicentre of this tragedy.
The film stars Tom Hardy, Olivia Colman, Kate Fleetwood and Eastenders original Anita Dobson and… I was expecting gritty drama. But what I got from the trailer felt like they were royally taking the youknowwhat, since all I was presented with was a 2-minute musical about flowers! What in the name of bloody hell? How many times can I tell you to give it a miss??
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.