This Week at Home

Fist Fight is a 2017 comedy where Charlie Day's mild minored teacher finds himself scheduled to fight his bad ass colleague Ice Cube. I'm always here for a gruff Ice Cube performance but Day's character is an annoying whiner and you wish Cube would just hurry up and spark him out. There's also a cringeworthy side plot involving a female teacher essentially grooming a high school student that makes the film feel way more than seven years old.

Mission Impossible III is the third instalment in the franchise and is another completely different film. JJ Abrams bounces into the director chair meaning the film is zippy and technically precise but lacking the stylistic flourish of its predecessor. Where as the first two films offer a snapshot of their time, this feels much more modern and is less interesting for it. The entry I have enjoyed least so far but still a solid actioner with a show stealing turn from Philip Seymour Hoffman.

A group of American tourists make the classic mistake of visiting a secret archeological dig down in Mexico in 2008 horror The Ruins. It might be a generic set up but the reveal of what is going on at the hidden pyramid is pretty original and the goofiness of it is in stark contrast to some of the gnarly injuries that crop up. Feels like a feature length Creepshow segment and while it might have been suited to that shorter length better its unique enough to warrant checking out.

Back to agent Ethan Hunt next with Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol. Its taken until film four but this is the first of the series to acknowledge itself as a sequel to the previous entry and although Christopher McQuarrie isn't on board yet (Brad Bird directs) things are starting to feel more like the recent films. Some great set pieces and more consistent tone put this above part 3 even if the villain is pretty weak. Also lacking in Ving Rhames screen time.

Last movie this week in 2017 Mexican horror Belzebuth. A local policeman teams up with an American agency that specialise in the occult to investigate demonic possessions that are leading to the mass murder of children. Pretty atmospheric and blends scares and investigation sequences to good effect although it might go for one twist too many. Not massively gory but the subject matter means viewer discretion is advised.

Film of the week : Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol. They are both enjoyable but neither of the horror quite has enough to get past the action daddy.

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Uncomfortably (Ve)Numb

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The Pope Was Dead to Begin With

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Sex, Dancing and Rubles

Anora sees writer/director Sean Baker continue his quest to shine a light on the marginalised and in particular, sex workers. It also might be the biggest triumph of his unique blend of realism, playfulness and insight so far. Mikey Madison plays Anora, or as she prefers to be called Ani, an exotic dancer and escort who is asked to look after 21 year old oligarch's son Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn) on account of her being able to understand his native Russian. After charming him, she is hired to be his girlfriend for a week which leads to the pair marrying. A win win situation that allows Ivan to obtain a green card, and give the middle finger to his controlling parents, and gives Ani access to a lifestyle she could only have dreamt of weeks before. There is no honeymoon period however, as Ivan's antics make the Russian news and his parents send his godfather and a couple of goons round to "convince" the pair the marriage should be annulled. When a film opens with toples...

Hugh You Gonna Call

Heretic opens with two young Mormon missionaries talking about penises on a park bench. The light hearted opening is in stark contrast to the tension to come and serves as a fun introduction to two endearing characters. Sister Paxton (Chloe East) has been born and raised in the church, eager and enthusiastic she is desperate to land her first conversion. Sophie Thatcher's Sister Barnes is more experienced and more comfortable in the world at large. We spend some time getting to know them as they make their rounds, hearing about their hopes for a handsome husband and sadness at the way they shunned and considered "weird" by their peers. We are thoroughly on board with them by the time they encounter Hugh Grant's seemingly gregarious Mr Reed. He appears interested in their beliefs and impresses the girls with his religious knowledge but the conversation becomes more testy and they realise they can't leave Reed's house without playing his game. To say Hugh Gran...

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