BRIAN VINER reviews SAS – Red Notice
BRIAN VINER: Our hero is a lump of Special Forces beefcake called Tom Buckingham, played by Sam Heughan, who is riding high in the betting to be the next James Bond.
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Anne Hathaway and her coven will put a spell on you: BRIAN VINER reviews The Witches
The Witches (VOD, including Amazon, Prime Video and Sky Cinema, from Monday, PG) Verdict: Enchantingly gruesome Rating: The Secret Garden (cinemas, PG) Verdict: Mildly disappointing Rating: Once Upon A Snowman (Disney+) Verdict: Not too abominable Rating: The imagination of Roald Dahl and the ingenuity of director Robert Zemeckis make an enchantingly heady brew in The … Read more
BRIAN VINER reviews A Life On Our Planet
David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet Verdict: Powerful and important Rating: About 25 years ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sir David Attenborough. He was already regarded as a kind of wise, benign uncle to the nation. Now he’s 94, maybe we should think of him as a great-great uncle. Sitting alone with … Read more
BRIAN VINER reviews Aaron Sorkin’s timely 1960s court drama The Trial Of The Chicago 7
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix, 15) Verdict: The jury’s out Rating: On The Rocks (Cinemas, 12A) Verdict: Flimsily appealing Rating: With the U.S. at another convulsive moment in its history, with accusations of racism and police brutality flying from one side and of Left-wing agitators stirring up trouble from the other, Aaron … Read more
BRIAN VINER reviews Bill And Ted Face The Music as the duo return after 30 years
Bill And Ted Face The Music (cinemas, PG) Rating: Verdict: Uninspiring rehash The Devil All The Time (Netflix, 18) Rating: Verdict: Dark but gripping The Christopher Nolan blockbuster Tenet has not, it seems, quite achieved what the cinema industry hoped by tempting multitudes back to the multiplexes. But since it needs two or three viewings … Read more
BRIAN VINER reviews Come As You Are
Come As You Are (VOD platforms, including Curzon Home Cinema) Rating: Verdict: Bold and warm-hearted Saint Frances (opening in cinemas next week, 15) Rating: Verdict: Hugely assured debut Arkansas (VOD platforms, 15) Rating: Verdict: Southern fried hokum The spectre of political correctness, or ‘wokeness’ as it seems to be called these days, looms over Come … Read more
Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent and art heist that will steal your heart: BRIAN VINER reviews The Duke
The Duke Rating: Some of the screenings at this year’s Venice Film Festival are not for the faint-hearted. Last night saw the world premiere of Pieces Of A Woman, a shattering drama starring Vanessa Kirby (Princess Margaret in the first two series of The Crown) as a young mother who loses her baby. But who … Read more
Is #MeToo Mulan worth the moolah? BRIAN VINER reviews Disney’s £150m remake
Mulan (Disney+, 12A) Rating: Verdict: Colourful but humourless I’m Thinking Of Ending Things (Netflix) Rating: Verdict: Great acting, grim tale Mulan, Disney’s latest live-action remake of one of its own hit animations, was meant to be one of the two summer blockbusters, along with Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, to breathe fire back into the wounded dragon … Read more
BRIAN VINER: Comedy star Seth Rogen is well and truly PICKLED!
An American Pickle (In cinemas, 12A) Rating: Verdict: Sweet and sour Young Ahmed (Curzon Home Cinema) Rating: Verdict: Powerful and timely Papicha (VOD platforms) Rating: Verdict: An auspicious debut The comic premise of the innocent abroad has a long cinematic heritage and comes in many forms: Woody Allen in Sleeper, Peter Sellers in Being There, Paul … Read more
And the winner is… After a ten-week countdown, Brian Viner reveals his favourite movie of all time
This week, I conclude the ten-week countdown of my 100 favourite English-language films. So I’m taking a little more space than usual, both to champion my Top 10 and to remind you of the full list. I’m aware that I’ve left out lots of all-time classics. There’s no Citizen Kane or It’s A Wonderful Life … Read more