The Screen Critic: An old-style tearjerker, a top heist movie, another werewolf film and William Shatner shines in a seniors comedy

In the mood for a good cry at the movies? Then the unapologetic tearjerker We Live In Time will not disappoint. Even the hardest of hearts won’t make it to the end without getting misty-eyed.

Meeting in the most bizarre circumstance, aspiring chef Almut (Florence Pugh) literally runs into Weetabix rep Tobias (Andrew Garfield), igniting a mutually supportive relationship theat leads to marriage and a wonderful daughter.

But wouldn’t you know it? Their domestic harmony is disrupted by a diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

Undaunted, they plan to not only endure but to triumph over the condition as Almut competes in a famous culinary competition.

Pulling at your heartstrings at every turn, the film is unashamedly old-fashioned by using illness to test the love and commitment people have for each other.

Along with its emotional appeal, the story is structured as a “non-linear narrative”, which is a fancy way of saying it’s told out-of-order, so you’re constantly skipping forwards and backward in time.

Thankfully, it’s done well enough so that you’re never confused about where you are. It also makes an otherwise by-the-book weepie just that little bit more interesting.

Joining the long legacy of films about werewolves is Wolf Man, a pretty good creature feature offering plenty that’s familiar along with a neat twist.

When a family heads into the depths of the Oregon wilderness to take possession of a cabin they encounter a violent hairy beast that forces them to take cover in the house.

Trouble is, the mother (Julia Garner) and daughter (Matilda Firth) begin to suspect their protector (Christopher Abbott) has been infected by the monster and is slowly turning into a werewolf.

With lots of running and screaming, along with the mandatory gore effects, Wolf Man is a sufficiently entertaining variation on an idea that now stretches back for a century. Horror fans will love it.

Everyone’s favourite B-grade action hero Gerard Butler is back with Den of Thieves: Pantera, a fairly good follow-up to his 2018 hit.

The big heist this time involves a clever scheme to lift a precious red diamond from a super-secure French facility covered with cameras and security guards who, unlike most movie security guards, actually know what they’re doing.

It’s top stuff and very tense, though it does take a little while to get to the action, which includes a ripper car chase-and-shootout combo.

You’ve got to hand it to William Shatner. The original Star Trek captain might be in his 90s but he’s still full of verve, as his winning performance in the 2021 romantic comedy Senior Moment attests. (on Prime)

Set in a sunny retirement resort town of Palm Springs, Shatner plays a retired NASA test pilot who gets sprung for reckless driving and loses his license.

It’s a tough break for the 72-year-old tearaway – Shatner was 90 when he shot this – but at least the incident throws him into the orbit of a sweet cafe owner and environmentalist (Jean Smart).

Congenial and feather-light, the film pushes against a host of stereotypes about the elderly as we see Shatner & Co partying, having sex, and sharing a joint.

Fun fact: Shatner and co-star Christopher Lloyd (aka Doc from Back to the Future) did battle in 1984’s Star Trek: The Search for Spock, with Lloyd playing an evil Klingon commander who executes Kirk’s son, and who Kirk then throws off a cliff.

Seems they patched things up.

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