A beautiful human drama about grief and hawks, an inventive horror thriller, a funny spook movie spoof and a fresh role reversal comedy
Easily one of the most beautiful and touching films so far this year, H is For Hawk joins the list of great movies about the life-changing bonds that can form between people and animals.
Based on a true story, Claire Foy (The Crown) plays Helen Macdonald, an academic who appears inconsolable after her bird-loving father (Brendan Gleeson) dies suddenly.
His spirit lives on, however, mainly in the form of an ill-behaved hawk she buys and trains as part of her emotional recovery.
A moving, honest story about loss and human renewal, the story shows Helen’s love for the bird go from healthy to over-reliance, a shift that sours her life and work.
Foy’s exemplary performance involves close interactions with the hawk, for which she trained intensely. Wisely, real birds were used rather than digital ones, which adds to the film’s authentic feel.
The inventive, compelling horror yarn Backrooms delivers what you always want from a psychological thriller – a twisted tale that keeps you guessing.
A struggling furniture store manager (Chiwetel Ejiofor) stumbles across a hidden entrance in the back of his basement.
Exploring the bizarre maze of oddly-shaped rooms and corridors, you wonder whether the poor sod is dreaming, walking through his own messy mind or has slipped into a parallel universe.
Intriguing from the start, the film has been a massive hit in cinemas, proving again how crediting the audience with intelligence can pay off.
Way over at the other end of the horror movie spectrum, the spoof comedy Scary Movie offers a barrage of enjoyably cheap laughs as it skewers a large raft of recent horror movies.
With an emphasis on sex and cussing, it’s in perfect keeping with the earlier films and, while nothing special, chimes in as a fun time killer.
So, too, does Masters of the Universe, the very large, very loud, big-budget reboot of the toy-based fantasy adventure film from 1987.
Look, it’s cheesy, funny and with heaps of crazy action – though, to be honest, the 134-minute running time is long by at least half an hour.
When, oh when, will Hollywood get back to keeping things nice and lean? Just asking.
Gracing the arthouse chains are two notable new titles.
Ian McKellen shines in The Christophers, an engaging comedy in which he plays a grumpy old artist whose new assistant (nicely played by Michaela Coel) is tasked with completing a series of unfinished paintings. Bright and cheeky, it’s a very easy watch.
Slightly more challenging is the beguiling German art film Sound of Falling, a 150-minute opus that takes place in a farmhouse over several generations.
With a deliberately scrambled story, it’s strictly for hardcore cineastes. One clue to what it’s all about: who or what is watching all the events unfold?
Big on Netflix is Ladies First, a fun role-reversal comedy starring Sacha Baron Cohen as a sexist corporate lady killer who wakes up from a concussion to find that women have replaced men in positions of power.
While predictable it is very well done, with Baron Cohen convincing away from his Borat, Bruno and Ali G characters. Opposite him is the very capable Rosamund Pike as the business rival he suddenly finds himself working for.
Also on Netflix is I Am Not an Easy Man, the 2018 French film Ladies First is based on. English-language remakes often follow the originals closely, but that’s not the case here, making it especially interesting to watch.
For more visit jimschembri.com with updates on X at @jimschembri