Category: Film reviews (2025)

After one of the boldest, most inventive marketing campaigns for an “independent” film in recent memory, does Marty Supreme, A24’s unhinged Ping-Pong picture live up to the hype?

Directed by Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme follows the exploits of an American table-tennis prodigy in the 1950s, but don’t let that simple synopsis fool you… Marty Supreme is far from a conventional sports flick. Instead, Marty is no plucky underdog or inspirational hero; he’s a narcissistic, arrogant scumbag who’ll stop at nothing to achieve his aspirations. The film’s tagline, Dream Big, is fully embodied in its lead character, but his actions are far from inspirational.

Nearly three decades after the Rage Virus first plunged Britain into chaos, 28 Years Later claws its way back into the cinematic spotlight—this time with original creators Danny Boyle and Alex Garland reunited at the helm. In the years since 28 Days Later redefined the zombie genre, we’ve seen a less memorable sequel (28 Weeks Later), Brexit, and a global pandemic that eerily called back to Cillian Murphy’s walk through a desolate London. Strangely, the legacy of 28 Years Later feels more intertwined with those real-world upheavals than with its own cinematic predecessor.

Set on the isolated island of Lindisfarne, the film introduces us to Jamie (Aaron
Taylor-Johnson), a hardened father, and his son Spike (Alfie Williams), who’s about
to face the infected mainland as a kind of apocalyptic rite of passage. His mother Isla (Jodie Comer), remains behind—sick, vulnerable and deeply affected by years of isolation. What follows is a harrowing, emotional, and at times dreamlike journey across a Britain left to rot in stasis.

As a Disney kid, Lilo & Stitch was slightly beyond my era. I grew up watching The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Disney’s Renaissance era classics.

A fresh perspective on a fan favourite

By the time the fluffy blue alien arrived in 2002 (dubbed Disney’s post-Renaissance era), I was 12 and had moved on to other interests beyond what Disney was serving up. Mainly Pokémon and Digimon. Ahh it really was a simpler time.

So I’m coming to Disney’s latest live-action remake from a very different perspective. While many are watching this new version fuelled by nostalgia, I’m not. The question is: does this remake soar like The Jungle Book, or stumble like a certain recent Disney princess?

War is hell. But we knew that right?  We’ve all seen Saving Private Ryan or Apocalypse Now – films that portray the brutality of war, and the physical and emotional toll that takes on those involved. These are films that are ultimately narratively driven.

They tell a fictional story set within conflict, that aims to portray that conflict in an accurate and informed way. A24’s Warfare is different. Where films like Platoon or All Quiet on the Western Front focus on characters experiences or an engaging narrative, Warfare aims for the truth. A truth based on the memories of those who lived through hell.