Month: July 2025

Unforgivable

27/07/25

BBC iPlayer

Here’s that rarest of things: a full length, original film (as opposed to a TV series) from the BBC. A film, moreover, scripted by veteran playwright, Jimmy McGovern, who has been creating his his own brand of Liverpool-based drama since the early 1980s. Unforgivable, as the name suggests, makes for harrowing viewing. Indeed, it’s so unremittingly bleak that I find myself wondering if any of the central characters are going to catch a break somewhere down the line, but happily the story’s conclusion does at least offer a hint of redemption for its protagonist.

He is Joe (Bobby Schofield), a young man currently serving out a prison sentence for sexually abusing his teenage nephew, Tom (Austin Haynes). Since the incident, Tom has become electively mute, saying no more than ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Joe is hated by just about everybody he encounters and that includes his sister, Anna (Anna Friel), who is struggling to cope with her traumatised son and his older brother, while desperately attempting to hang on to her job at a local supermarket. But then Joe and Anna’s mum dies, just as Joe’s parole comes up. He is summarily informed that he cannot return to the area where the abuse took place, not even to attend his own mother’s funeral.

Former nun, Katherine (Anna Maxwell Martin), takes pity on Joe and accepts him into her halfway house. She also invites him to talk about his issues and, in returning to the subject of Tom’s abuse, Joe realises that in many ways he is as much a victim as a perpetrator…

All the time-honoured elements of a McGovern script are in place: a thorny central premise with no easy solution, a raft of superb performances – Haynes is particularly impressive, managing to convey utter misery despite having barely any dialogue – and Schofield too evokes our sympathy. Here is a man who has come to despise himself so much that, when pursued by a angry mob of vengeful thugs, he chooses to turn and accept his punishment. Friel utterly convinces as a woman pushed to the edge of reason and David Threlfall does his usual wonderful job as her father, Brian: quiet, brooding and terribly conflicted by something in his own recent past.

This compelling drama, sensitively directed by Julia Ford, has a central question at the heart of it. Do men who are abused as children and then go on to abuse others deserve any sympathy? McGovern never really provides a cogent answer, nor do I think he ever intended to. But there’s no denying that this powerful drama raises the issue with enough conviction to make us ponder if we really have the right to deny forgiveness.

4.6 stars

Philip Caveney

Bring Her Back

26/07/25

Cineworld, Edinburgh

Okay, so Bring Her Back is predicated on my least-favourite horror trope: the monstrous mother – in this case, a formerly-fêted counsellor, rendered grotesque by the tragic loss of her child. However, although I can’t deny being put off by the reductive motif, nor can I forget how highly I rated Danny and Michael Philippou’s 2022 debut feature film, Talk to Me, so I’m keen to see their sophomore effort.

And, while there’s no clever subversion of the aforementioned trope, I’m pleased to report that the Philippou brothers have made another gloriously unsettling movie. Sally Hawkins is terrifying as Laura, the scary foster-mum who takes in orphaned step-siblings, Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong). The pair just need somewhere to stay for a few months until Andy turns eighteen and can apply for guardianship of his sister, but Laura has other ideas. She’s desperate to replace her daughter, Cathy, who drowned in her now-empty swimming pool – and Piper is the perfect match. Not only is she the same age, height and build, she’s also partially sighted, just like Cathy was. She has no idea that Laura is dressing her in borrowed clothes…

Andy’s not happy, but he isn’t sure what’s making him so jumpy. Is it grief? After all, he has just lost his dad. He doesn’t want to be negative about Laura, who’s going out of her way for him and Piper, but why is the other foster kid, Olly (Jonah Wren Phillips), so uncommunicative, and why is he locked in his room?

Bring Her Back is a tight thriller, never overstaying its welcome. The body horror is minimal but shockingly potent (dentists in particular are likely to wince), and I find myself holding my breath and peeking at the screen from behind my hands. Hawkins embodies creepiness, her hyper-focused characterisation dominating the film exactly as it should, but there are also strong performances from the supporting trio of youngsters, who find themselves at Laura’s mercy. I like the way that cinematographer Aaron McLisky blurs the focus to allow us to see some scenes from Piper’s point of view, and the dialogue (by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman) is nicely scripted.

There are a couple of areas that could do with sharpening, such as what exactly has Laura done to Olly? And where has she found the how-to videos she obsessively watches? But these are minor quibbles, far outnumbered by the clever moments that make the whole thing eminently watchable.

Go see it, if you dare. Grapefruit.

4.3 stars

Susan Singfield

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

24/07/25

Cineworld, Edinburgh

The world of superhero movies has become an unpredictable place. DC’s recent Superman film was dismissed as a sprawling mess by the majority of critics (me included), but proved to be a palpable hit with the public – which makes me somewhat nervous to announce that, for my money, Marvel’s latest offering is the studio’s best effort since Guardians of the Galaxy. Which probably earns it a one way ticket to ignominy.

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s first superhero team, The Fantastic Four, have had a pretty rocky ride on the big screen. Previous attempts to capture their antics have been met with howls of derision from Marvel fans and a distinct lack of bums on seats at the box office. First Steps might suggest an origins movie, but this film begins four years after the space flight that dramatically changed the lives of its four crew members. That mission is only alluded to in a brief television interview, introduced by Ted Gilbert (Mark Gatiss). Now, Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) have been widely accepted as the Earth’s protectors. But, in a shot of realism rarely seen in this genre, married couple Reed and Sue are about to have their first child and are going to have to learn to go about their super-business with a baby on board.

New York City receives an unexpected visit from Shalla-Bal (Julia Garner as the ex-girlfriend of The Silver Surfer, Stan Lee’s oddest hero), who points out that Earth is soon to be… ahem… eaten by Galactus (Ralph Ineson). He’s a suitably gargantuan alien, who has already gobbled up several other luckless planets and has made sure to leave room for pudding. It’s up to the four superheroes to devise a plan to save the world and carry it out, whilst taking care of new arrival, baby Franklin.

So… no pressure.

While the storyline is as batty as we’ve come to expect from Marvel, what really works here is the film’s overall aesthetic, which locates the story in an alternate nineteen-sixties (the era in which the source comics were conceived and created). The ensuing world-building is delightful, with that kooky style applied to every last detail. This results in a futuristic world where, for instance, mobile phones don’t exist. Cinematographer Jess Hall ensures that everything is filmed in vivid, eye-popping hues, while director Matt Shakman keeps the action propulsive enough to ensure that audiences don’t have time to consider how silly the storyline is.

The characterisations of the four leads are nicely handled, particularly by Pascal, who makes his Reed Richards a nerdy number-cruncher, who loves nothing better than scribbling equations on a chalkboard. The dialogue achieves just the right mix of funny and heartfelt, even if it did take seven writers; and for once, there aren’t too many characters to get a handle on. While I generally complain when everything comes down to a climactic punch-up – and this film is no exception to the rule – this one doesn’t overstay its welcome and, in its final furlong, manages to crank up some genuine moments of suspense. Mission accomplished.

So yes, it’s been a while since I enjoyed a Marvel movie to this degree. We’ll see how it fares over the following weeks but, in my humble opinion, First Steps deserves to succeed. Make sure you stay in your seats for the mid-credit sequence announcing… well, you’ll have to go and see for yourselves.

4.2 stars

Philip Caveney

Harvest

22/07/25

Filmhouse, Edinburgh

Set at some unspecified time in the middle ages, somewhere in the Highlands of Scotland, Harvest is an allegory about land – about the people who work on it and the people who own it. Adapted from Jim Crace’s 2013 novel by Joslyn Barnes and the film’s director Athina Rachel Tsangari, the story plunges us headlong into the lives of a group of villagers, who spend their days toiling endlessly on a farm under the watchful gaze of Mayor Charles Kent (Harry Melling, doing his utmost to distance himself from the role of Neville Longbottom).

Kent seems a considerate and generous employer, who dresses much like his employees and goes to great lengths to reward them for their efforts. Amongst the workforce is Walter Thirsk (Caleb Landry Jones), who was Kent’s childhood companion. The two men endeavour to keep their friendship going, even if this alienates Thirsk from his fellow-workers, who see him as ‘privileged’.

Both men have lost their wives. Thirsk is now trying to forge a new relationship with Kitty Gosse (Rosey McEwen) but Kent has no partner and, more significantly, no heirs to whom he can pass ownership of the land. When Kent introduces Thirsk to Philip ‘Quill’ Earle (Arinzé Kene), it becomes clear that a change is coming. Quill is a cartographer, here to make a map of the farm and its surrounding land. Thirsk finds himself wondering what all this is in aid of.

Sure enough, it isn’t long before Kent’s supercilious cousin, Edmund (Frank Dillane), arrives on horseback with a retinue of heavies to back him up. It turns out that the estate belongs to him, and that his intention is to plunder its natural resources, before adding sheep and fences and forcing the residents to leave.

This sensual and atmospheric tale, which was nominated for The Golden Bear at the Venice Film Festival, plays fast and loose with historical authenticity. While the story clearly evokes the Highland Clearances of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Edmund and his followers have the black-clad look of Puritans from an earlier period. Furthermore, much of the dialogue sounds suspiciously contemporary: especially the banter of a couple of neighbouring men, who have ventured too close to the village and find themselves treated very roughly for their transgression. The decision to adopt these anachronistic elements is, I’m sure, deliberate – an attempt perhaps to point out that the disparity between the classes is an age-old issue and that very little changes with the passing years.

The film is at its best in the psilocybin-fuelled harvest celebrations, where masked figures leap and cavort across the screen like characters from a Hieronymus Bosch painting; and I particularly enjoy the sequences where Quill shows Thirsk how he goes about mapping land. But not everything here is quite so assured – and, with its lengthy running time, the film occasionally feels a little too ponderous for its own good. Furthermore, I’m mystified by the fact that this has earned an 18 certificate, presumably for a brief scene that strikes me as merely unpleasant, but hardly on a par with many of the blood-soaked 15 certificate folk-horror movies that have aired in recent years.

For the most part, I enjoy Harvest, but with some reservations. Ultimately, it won’t be for everyone, but those looking for an alternative to the latest glut of superhero movies, this may be worth seeking out.

3.6 stars

Philip Caveney

Jurassic World Rebirth

17/07/25

Cineworld, Edinburgh

Since its release in 1993, Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park has suffered from a bad case of recurring sequelitus – Jurassic Park Parts 2 and 3, Jurassic World and its three increasingly dodgily-titled offspring, not to mention knockoff fodder like Jurassic Shark and Jurassic Whoops I Can’t Think What to Call This. (Okay, so I made the last one up, but you get the idea.)

When this latest instalment was announced, I was initially reluctant to go and see it but, as soon as I heard that it was to be helmed by Gareth Edwards, my interest was piqued. Edwards’ 2023 sci-fi movie The Creator was one of our choices for the best films of that year – a completely original concept and, moreover, a film that looked like it cost millions of dollars more than it actually did. Perhaps inevitably, it fared badly at the box office. This may explain why Edwards decided to throw his hat into the ring for the latest Jurassic spin-off, authored by the franchise’s original writer, David Koepp. Well, it’s sure to have a good storyline, right?

It’s thirty-odd years after the events of the first film and, it seems, dinosaurs have fallen out of favour with the general public. Stegosaurs? Been there, done that. Consequently, dinosaur theme parks are now closing around the world because everyone’s bored with watching tyrannosaurs and allosaurs. Now these mighty critters only exist in remote tropical jungles on the equator, where people are warned never to venture. But shady entrepreneur Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) still thinks there’s potential gold in them there beasts. He has devised a plan to extract blood from three different types of dinosaur in order to produce a serum that will dramatically reduce the rates of heart disease around the world… yes, really. And the problem is the serum must be extracted while the creatures are still alive. Er… right. As you might guess from his malignant name, Krebs is not just doing this because he’s a nice guy, but because he’s expecting to make big bucks from the pharmaceutical industry.

He recruits special operative Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) to head up the operation, ably assisted by her former military chum, Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali). Also in the team is dinosaur expert, Dr Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) – well, you have to have somebody who knows a bit about dinosaurs, don’t you? And there’s a bunch of assistants, who may as well have numbers on their foreheads designating the order in which they will be turned into dino-dinner. The motley crew set sail for a remote island that’s home to the three species they’re looking for.

On the way there, they rescue a party of four Mexican holidaymakers, out for an ill-advised leisure cruise through reptile-infested waters, their reasoning being that, well, there’s hardly any amphibious dinos left, so what are the chances of being attacked? One of the crew is a cute little girl called Isabella (Audrina Miranda) because, of course, there has to be a wide-eyed youngster for the audience to care about.

To give Edwards his due, there are three genuinely exciting set pieces here that actually have me on the edge of my seat as they unfold – for some reason, the water-bound sections are particularly effective. Once again, Edwards manages to bring in the film on a much lower budget than its predecessors, though it’s still in the region of 180 million dollars, which is nobody’s idea of cheap and cheerful.

But the two main problems here are: A – that eyebrow-raising storyline, which seems to revel in making itself increasingly unbelievable as it goes along; and B – the fact that the human characters feel under-developed, somehow less convincing than the CGI beasts that surround them. It’s ironic to see high-calibre actors like Johansson and Ali desperately trying to emote in the midst of all the giant lizard action, but no doubt they were handsomely paid for their efforts, so good luck to them. There are several inevitable visual references to the original film (viewers may as well be issued with a list to tick off). I prefer the delightful little tribute to stop-motion wizard Ray Harryhausen, with a brief clip from The Valley of Gwangi showing on a random TV screen.

If everything were been up to the standard of those mighty set pieces, I’d be much happier with the film, but what do I know? Based upon it’s opening week, it looks as though this is going to make a handsome profit, so inevitably, there are sure to be more titles to follow.

Jurassic World Afterbirth? Hmm. Maybe not.

3. 4 stars

Philip Caveney

Superman

12/07/25

Cineworld, Edinburgh

Many cinema-goers have fond recollections of Richard Donner’s Superman (1978). Though the film’s special effects were nowhere near as sophisticated as they are now, the story had true heart and vivacity. We really believed a man could fly.

Since then there have been several attempts to relaunch the Man of Steel, all of them underwhelming.

James Gunn, the head honcho of DC (and the man who gave the world Guardians of the Galaxy) now takes on the daunting task of bringing Superman up to date. It would be pointless to retread the origin story, we’ve seen it so many times it now feels like genuine history. So the film begins with some pithy headlines alerting us to the fact that there have been major changes since we last checked in. A fictional country, Boravia, has attempted to invade the neighbouring made-up land of Jarhanpur – and Superman (David Corenswet, last seen by B&B as the young projectionist in Pearl) has stepped in to prevent major loss of life. This is ruled as an illegal action by the American Government. Billionaire entrepreneur, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who has been secretly orchestrating the invasion, unleashes the ‘Hammer of Boravia’ (actually Ultraman in disguise) to take on Superman in combat.

Poor old Soops has his arse royally kicked.

Lying in the Antarctic snow, he’s rescued by his faithful dog, Krypto, and dragged to the Fortress of Solitude, where a battalion of sophisticated droids are waiting to nurse him back to health. (Krypto, by the way, is based on the director’s actual dog, which may be taking nepotism a step too far.) In the ensuing struggle to put things right, Soops is assisted by Mister Terrific (Edi Cathegi), a member of The Justice Gang, which also includes Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced). This rather obvious homage to The Fantastic Four seems to indicate that Gunn is suggesting that DC and Marvel should work together, rather than being in opposition – or is that just my interpretation?

It’s pointless to say more about the storyline, which is unnecessarily convoluted and features so many characters that the result feels cluttered, almost to the point of incomprehension. Yes, there are scenes here that are nicely done, but frankly not enough of them. I shudder to think about the millions of dollars that must have been poured into this enterprise, but there’s the overriding sense that an essentially simple story – flying guy fights to save humanity – is repeatedly steered into a labyrinth of quirky sub-plots. Gunn also wrote the screenplay. Perhaps he was unwilling to ‘kill his darlings.’ There are several attempts to mirror contemporary real-world incidents that don’t quite come off

Corenswet is decent in the lead role but doesn’t have the charm of Christopher Reeve, while Rachel Brosnahan makes an appealing Lois Lane. Hoult, in his usual winning form, strides around in perfectly-tailored suits as Luthor and handles the requisite villainy with aplomb. In many ways he’s the most interesting character in the film, which is a problem in itself. I can’t help thinking of the way Jack Nicholson’s Joker overshadowed the Caped Crusader in Tim Burton’s Batman. If the character the film is named after isn’t your main takeaway, then something’s not right.

Everything builds to a mighty tussle in Metropolis with Soops whizzing around trying to save human lives – and in one case, a frickin’ squirrel! A sequence where our hero visits his foster parents in Smallville results in some truly syrupy dialogue and I’m afraid to say that Krypto’s exuberant charm soon wears thin.

So, worth checking out? I’ll admit this film doesn’t really work for me and that’s a shame, not because I had such high hopes for it but because the future of DC films may be riding on its box office takings. Whilst applauding Gunn’s brave decision to go for a radical reinvention of the franchise, it just doesn’t tick enough boxes to make this a satisfying two hours in the cinema.

You’ll believe a man can plummet.

2. 8 stars

Philip Caveney

The Shrouds

07/07/25

Filmhouse, Edinburgh

I first saw a David Cronenberg film way back in 1975. His low budget debut, Shivers, announced the arrival of a precocious new cinematic talent and, over the decades, the Canadian auteur has pretty much invented and shaped the concept of body horror. Films like The Brood, Videodrome and Scanners felt like one powerful punch after another – and I was always first in the queue to see them.

But somewhere down the years, I lost touch with the man’s work. Checking back through my reviews, I’m surprised to see that the last film of his I saw in the cinema was Maps to the Stars, and that I noted in the review that it was ‘not one of his best efforts.’ The recent re-opening of Filmhouse, after years of shuttered doors, seems the perfect opportunity to view The Shrouds, and it’s lovely to recline in one of the venue’s extra-comfortable seats and watch the film in razor-sharp definition on the big screen.

But if I am hoping to rekindle my old passion for Cronenberg’s work, I am somewhat disappointed.

We first meet Karsh Relikh (Vincent Cassel) on a blind date with Myrna Shovlin (Jennifer Dale). He’s taken her to a posh restaurant to eat and, as they dine, he casually announces that he owns the place and, what’s more, he also owns the adjoining graveyard. He goes on to explain that he is the inventor of the titular shrouds, burial robes that contain hundreds of tiny cameras. With the aid of a screen on the gravestone – and a handy phone app – the bereaved can watch the gradual disintegration of the deceased. His company, Gravetech is establishing other souped-up burial sites across the globe.

Karsh suggests that perhaps Myrna would like to pop out after they’ve finished eating and have a look at Becca, Karsh’s recently deceased wife, to get an overview of her gradual disintegration? Strangely enough, Myrna isn’t keen on the idea. (Spoiler: there’s no second date.)

As the film continues, we learn that Becca has gradually succumbed to cancer and that her doctor had to remove one of her arms and a breast before she finally died. Karsh tells this to Becca’s twin sister, Terri (Diane Kruger), whose reaction to the news is… well, let’s just say it’s not what you might expect. Karsh also begins to develop a relationship with Soo-Min (Sandrine Holt), a blind woman, who seems to know more about him than she really should and is determined to get him into bed.

A slow-paced meditation on death and grief, it’s no great surprise to learn that the story has been inspired by the real-life demise of Cronenberg’s wife; and viewers can hardly fail to notice that tall, skinny Cassell with his snow white hair and perfectly-tailored suits is a dead ringer (no pun intended) for the director himself. Cronenberg has acted in quite a few films but seems to have drawn the line here, sensing perhaps that he’s already uncomfortably close to the material.

Both Cassel and Kruger give this their all but, apart from some decidedly dark humour, the funereal pace of proceedings and the general unpleasantness of the storyline serve to work against it. And yes, I appreciate it’s a bit rich complaining about unpleasantness in a David Cronenberg movie, but I find myself longing for a bit of the old-school shock-horror that used to be his trademark. If there’s a major issue here, it’s that everything is too polite, too considered, too… tasteful?

There’s a lot of emphasis on dreams and a blurring of the lines between what might be nightmares and what’s actually happening, but at times I feel confused by what is (or isn’t) real. Most damning of all in my eyes is the fact that the film’s ending leaves everything muddled. I’m genuinely surprised when the closing credits come up.

I take no pleasure in giving this film such a critical mauling. As I’ve already said, Cronenberg has given me tons of grisly entertainment over the decades, while recent films like The Substance show that his influence is still out there. But sadly, The Shrouds leaves me as cold as a Gravetech corpse.

2.8 stars

Philip Caveney

Royal Nawaab

06/07/25

King’s Valley, Stockport

The Stockport pyramid was on my horizon for quite a few years before I moved to Edinburgh. When I first took up residence in Heaton Moor, the place was under construction and distinctive enough to prompt me to choose it as the perfect location for a climactic showdown in my crime novel, Speak No Evil. The book was released in 1993, the year after the building was completed. The pyramid stood empty for some time and, because it was originally conceived as one of several such constructions, there were dark mutterings in the local press about ‘the Curse of the Pharaohs.’ In 1995, the Co-Operative bank chose it as their headquarters, but in 2018 they moved out and the building has stood empty ever since, looking ever more shabby and unappreciated

Until now. After a massive investment, the restaurant chain Royal Nawaab has transformed it into a huge buffet restaurant with the capacity or up to 1500 diners. With prices set at just £29.99 a head, it’s understandably popular and has recently been championed by food critic Jay Rayner. Little wonder that, despite booking a week ahead, the earliest slot our party of four can obtain is 9.15pm on Saturday evening. When we arrive, the place is buzzing. The interior has been transformed, all glitzy red-carpet glamour, spotlit fountains and shimmering light fittings. (A word of warning to those who who see a curry as an excuse for a booze-up. The Royal Nawaab is unlicensed and there’s no BYOB policy either. They do have some rather nice mocktails, though.)

Buffet restaurants are not usually my ‘go to.’ I tend to favour more leisurely dining but the joyful atmosphere tonight is certainly energising and it isn’t long before I’m eagerly grabbing a plate and taking my pick from the long line of metal tureens offering me a whole series of aromatic dishes. As ever at these places, the best option is to grab small portions of the meat, fish and vegetables and go easy on the bread, rice and poppadoms. The starters are suitably enticing and the main courses are all cooked to a very high standard.

Legions of chefs and waiters keep everything replenished and our used crockery and utensils are magically removed by the time we return to our table, bearing our latest portions like prizes. It’s all so fleeting, it’s hard to keep track of the individual dishes, but amongst our favourites of the evening are freshly-grilled chicken skewers, dahl, chicken harissa and lamb karahi. There’s also a perfectly-spiced biriyani, a prawn karahi and a Thai red curry, but there’s more – much more – than I have space – or indeed, memory – to mention here.

I’ve always maintained that puddings can make or break a great meal, and it’s in this area that perhaps there’s room for improvement. At the furthest end of the hall, there’s a selection of rather unadventurous ice creams to choose from, some variations on traditional British sweets – including the oddest version of sticky toffee pudding I’ve ever encountered. However, this is mitigated by something called Umm Ali (Egyptian bread pudding), which is, it must be said, a bit of a find. The carrot halwa is rather tasty too.

So, would I recommend the Royal Nawaab? Maybe. There’s no escaping the fact that it’s a buffet restaurant and that always involves some degree of compromise. There isn’t much opportunity for a leisurely chat with your dinner companions when you’re heading off in different directions in search of something you haven’t tried before.

But as buffets go, this is certainly up there with the best of them. For the most part, it’s good food, expertly prepared. And if value is your goal, you’d be hard pressed to find better.

4 stars

Philip Caveney