By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: **** RUNTIME: 145 minutes
It’s almost half a century since director Steven Spielberg helmed Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and his 1st film since 2022’s The Fabelmans is his best since 2002’s Minority Report.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
Fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly is 1 of Meryl Streep’s most iconic characters and it should perhaps be no surprise that this sequel is proving even more popular than its original.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
The arrival of Jack O’Connell (Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Apollo Theatre) as a Jimmy Savile-inspired cult leader at the end of last year’s 28 Years Later and the departure of director Danny Boyle left us concerned about the content of this film.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN? Friday 9 January 2026 on its UK release date RUNTIME: 126 minutes
Jessie Buckley deserves all the Best Actress Oscar attention she is attracting for this showstopping role as Agnes Hathaway, a woman renowned as a ‘forest witch’ who marries budding author William Shakespeare.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN? Sunday 14 December 2025, to air at 10pm on BBC2 on Christmas Eve RUNTIME: 30 minutes
Christmas just isn’t Christmas without the now annual Mark Gatiss ghost story airing late on Christmas Eve on BBC2.
By Aline Mahrud
WORTH A LOOK? ****
The winner of this year’s British Independent Film Award for best film revels in being both an unflinching look at a BDSM relationship while colliding with a very embarrassed British sense of humour more likely found in fare like Four Weddings And A Funeral.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK? ****
WHEN? Friday 14 November, opens 1 December and runs through 25 October 2026 RUNTIME: 165 minutes (with a 20-minute interval)
They say the devil has the best tunes and this new musical’s showstopper is reserved for its taxidermist villainess – Pretty Little Dead Things (listen below).
You, dear reader, are given the chance to vote in 17 categories from October this year to tell us your favourite theatre, music, TV, film and podcast of 2025.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ***
Dakota Johnson plays failed actress turned successful matchmaker Lucy who meets the perfect man, a financier played by Pedro Pascal, at the wedding of a client where her ex is working as a waiter.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
Danny Boyle (T2 Trainspotting) returns to direct the 3rd film in this series which focuses on the Kes-like training of 12-year-old Spike to defend himself which is intended to kickstart 2 further movies.
