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Joker: Folie a Deux (2024) – Film Review
Director: Todd Phillips Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson Certificate: 15 By Roger Crow Like many Lady Gaga fans, when it was announced she was playing lovably psycho psychiatrist Harley Quinn in a sequel to Todd Phillips’s surprise blockbuster Joker, I couldn’t wait to see what she did with the role. That 2019 movie was a grim origins story ... -
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) – Film Review
Director: Shawn Levy Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin Certificate: 15 By David Reid The Marvel/X Men fans have been anticipating this summer release for some time. This is especially the case, given recent big screen disappointments featuring the Marvel universe – debatably since Avengers: Endgame, in 2019. The premise for the film isn’t straightforward. Not least as Hugh ... -
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) – Film Review
Director: Peyton Reed Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michelle Pfeiffer Certificate: 12A By Roger Crow When Edgar Wright spent years developing an Ant-Man movie, it was a shocker when he left the project at the 11th hour. Could anything be salvaged from the mess? Well, yes, as it turned out. Peyton Reed did a terrific job juggling the comedy, adventure ... -
The Batman (2022) – Film Review
Director: Matt Reeves Cast: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano Certificate: 15 By Roger Crow Even for a hardcore Batman fan, the thought of spending three hours watching another movie featuring the Dark Knight was daunting. I needn’t have worried. The Batman, for this fan at least, is the best of the saga since 2008. It’s not that Ben Affleck’s ... -
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) – Film Review
Director: Jon Watts Cast: Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zendaya Certificate: 12A By Roger Crow Has it really been almost 20 years since Tobey Maguire starred in the first of many blockbuster movies based on Marvel Comics’ enduring wallcrawler? Afraid so, and while that inaugural film was terrific, the follow-up was even better, a peerless sequel which still stands as the ... -
The Suicide Squad (2021) – Film Review
Director: James Gunn Cast: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena Certificate: 15 By Roger Crow There are ideas in James Gunn’s latest movie which are so barking, you’d think he’d been given a hefty grant from some random arts council. Five years ago we had just Suicide Squad, a Dirty Dozen with superheroes if you like. Okay, super villains. We ... -
Black Widow (2021) – Film Review
Director: Cate Shortland Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz Certificate: 12A By @Roger Crow Just when I thought I couldn’t love Scarlett Johansson more, there’s a scene in Black Widow where she recites lines from Moonraker. I can only assume because director Cate Shortland was born two days before me, it’s a generational thing, or that she has very ... -
Birds of Prey (2020) – Film Review
Director: Cathy Yan Cast: Margot Robbie, Ewan McGregor, Mary Elizabeth Winstead Certificate: 15 By Roger Crow I had no idea of what the opposite of misogyny was, but “misandry” is apparently the answer. ’The hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against men’. Which sounds like a really political intro for a comic book movie as daft and lightweight as Birds ... -
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) – Film Review
Director: Jon Watts Cast: Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zendaya Certificate: 12A By Roger Crow There was a time I’d have been there on the opening day for a new Spider-Man film. It was an event, like Christmas, but with so many of them since 2002, it’s become something of a semi-regular occurrence. Every few years they roll another one out ... -
Aquaman (2018) – Film Review
Director: James Wan Cast: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe Certificate 12 By Roger Crow I have seen some crazy comic book movies in my time, but nothing prepared me for the sheer lunacy of this much hyped blockbuster. I’m guessing the budget for Aquaman was between $150m and $200m. Of that sum about $50 was spent on the script, ... -
Avengers: Endgame (2019) – Film Review
Directors: Joe and Anthony Russo Cast: Robert Downey Jnr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth Certificate: 12A By Roger Crow If 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War was a joke, in the best sense of the word, then Endgame is the punchline. Or rather many punchlines. Following the events of that epic smack down, in which the eponymous superheroes clashed with mad Titan Thanos, ... -
Captain Marvel (2019) – Film Review
Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck Cast: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn Certificate: 12A By Roger Crow Decades ago, the sight of Ms Marvel on comic book stands was as common as Hulk, Captain America and Spider-Man. But at the time the thought of making a movie based on such a fringe character was inconceivable. A shame, because in ...