#FF22 Rogue Agent starts with the worst kind of narration; all tell and now show.

It picks up significantly, as it moves into the main story of a charismatic con man. Arterton is excellent, as usual, and Norton makes the whole thing work.

Well paced, clear stakes, worth seeing.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) September 10, 2022

#FF22 Three Thousand Years Of Longing is intriguingly small, yet expansive.

Set mostly in a room with an academic and a Djinn going back and forward, hearing stories that might be true or a trick. Swinton and Elba lack chemistry, but it doesn't matter.

Enjoyable, but flawed.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) September 10, 2022

#FF22 The Forgiven doesn't linger long on its precipitating event, quickly going to considerations and consequences.

The cast is strong, split between the cartoonishly rich and grounded poverty; the film builds on the juxtaposition.

Dark humour, drama, and tragedy. Very good.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) September 10, 2022

#FF22 Fall is an okay story of two women being stuck 2000ft up a TV tower.

It doesn't earn its twists (which are telegraphed) and the budget shows through at times, but it does it's job of making you jump at just the right moment.

Okay, but lightweight.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) September 10, 2022

#FF22 Bodies Bodies Bodies is a tight little slasher, that encapsulates the Werewolf/Among Us experience well.

Maybe a little predictable but fun. Doesn’t outstay it’s welcome.

Perfect popcorn fodder.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) September 11, 2022

#FF22 See How They Run tries to spoof Agatha Christie, but comes across as a little self-satisfied.

It all feels underwritten, with a great cast delivering lines flatly; failing to find the comedy in the farce. The structure and callbacks are painfully obvious.

Forgettable.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) September 24, 2022

#FF22 Funny Pages sees a young cartoonist, obsessed with the likes of Robert Crumb, devolve his life into the kind of low-life world he sees in comics.

Like a Solondz film but without the bite, the plot sprawls but rarely progresses. A little twisted and funny, but also hollow.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) September 24, 2022

#FF22 Crimes Of The Future is Cronenberg returning to his body horror roots, with an eco-tinged story of squirming surgery as art.

Solid leads, but the story is muddled and meandering, with languid pacing.

Disturbing in places, leering in others. Uncomfortable, as is the point.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) October 2, 2022

#FF22 I Came By is a horror thriller, billed as a home invasion but is actually something... different.

The four leads are excellent, taking their turn in the spotlight as the plot twists, and twist it does. It never quite works out how you expect; a rare thing these days.

Good

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) October 2, 2022

#FF22 Bullet Train is a fine if somewhat forgettable entry into the overstylized action genre.

People have codenames that appear onscreen, we jump around the timeline, the dialogue is snappy: you've seen this before.

Entertaining enough action. Generally fine.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) August 7, 2022

#FF22 Prey is an excellent entry in the Predator franchise.

Beautifully shot, well-paced, tense, brutal action. Midthunder is fantastic as the lead, bringing tenacity and vulnerability to the role.

Original and exciting, while bringing back the ethos of the original.

Must see.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) August 7, 2022

#FF22 Nope defies neat explanations and simple categorisation.

The cast are strong and it looks great, with the main action being clear and focussed. That recurring sequence in the TV studio is superbly tense. The message is harder to extract.

Enjoyable, but not straightforward

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) August 20, 2022

#FF22 Day Shift starts with a solid, quiet action scene that sets the world up neatly...

...and quickly devolves. While the action remains decent, the plot is nonsense and most of the characters don't make sense; world-stuffing the film for a franchise.

Forgettably entertaining

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) August 21, 2022

#FF22 Thor: Love And Thunder is about as paint by numbers as Marvel gets.

It takes no chances, does nothing fresh. The plot and character development are woefully undercooked too: Bale is solid as Gorr, but it doesn't give him much time to build up. Some fun moments.

Meh.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) July 24, 2022

#FF22 Where The Crawdads Sing is comically bad.

The dialogue and performances are close to parody territory with only Strathairn any good. The plot is as silly as it is predictable. I'm not bothered about not seeing what actually happened, because I'd long stopped caring.

Avoid

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) July 24, 2022

#FF22 The Gray Man doesn't do much with its strong cast.

The plot is straight from the action-film-script generator, with action that matches, and little in the way of originality or flair anywhere. Setup, location, set-piece, over and over, with little connection.

Skip.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) August 7, 2022

#FF22 Men is not a subtle film in the slightest.

It is, however, an effective small horror, with exceptionally strong performances by the two leads, and several visceral and creepy moments that will live in my memory.

A little slow towards the end, but decent.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) June 12, 2022

#FF22 Spiderhead takes a broad look at abuses in pharmaceuticals, focussing on issues of control like a lightweight Milgram experiment.

The cast are fine, seemingly having fun, and the runtime passes quickly, but the film doesn't have much to say in the end.

Okay.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) July 3, 2022

#FF22 Pleasure focusses on issues of consent and power in the adult entertainment industry.

Bella's journey is not an easy watch, each step taking her further into that world. Thyberg's direction/writing is even-handed: neither celebrating or condeming it.

Good, not easy.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) July 3, 2022

#FF22 Top Gun: Maverick is very much an 80s film in modern clothing.

The plot is silly and the machismo is over the top, with too many nods to the original. But it's still a lot of fun. The action sequences are predictable, but spectacular, and it all comes together.

Fun.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) July 3, 2022

#FF22 Hustle follows a basketball scout, looking for his next break.

This is a serious Sandler film, without being dour. It pulls together several underdog and sport movie plots into something new enough. There are laughs, difficulties, and triumphs that keep it moving.

Solid.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) July 3, 2022

#FF22 All The Old Knives is a very solid, mid-budget, spy thriller.

It, rightly, focusses on espionage and intrigue, rather than action. The cast (Chris Pine, Thandiwe Newton) do a great job of pulling you into the drama, as the narrative threads shift around.

Worth seeing.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) May 7, 2022

#FF22 The Contractor fails to do much interesting with its premise.

The slow and uneven pace don't help with the vague stakes, and predictable plot turns. The action lacks energy; with most sequences feeling very staged. The cast can't do much.

It's not bad, it's very average.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) May 8, 2022

#FF22 Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is fine, if you enjoy Marvel films.

Raimi does a great job of injecting an 80s horror vibe, with a surprising amount of violence for the rating. It's a relative tame take on the multiverse, and not one well-explored

Fine.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) May 15, 2022

#FF22 Operation Mincemeat is a historical drama focussing on espionage in WW2.

While it tells the story well enough, it doesn't go into any depth. All of the sharp edges have been sanded down, and a by-numbers romantic subplot bolted on. The cast are fine.

Decent if lightweight

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) May 15, 2022

#FF22 Everything Everywhere All At Once is the kind of weird, fun sci-fi we need more of.

The cast helps the emotional weight of the story shine through, where it might have been lost to the wacky concepts. The directors are showing off with great nods to world cinema

Excellent

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) May 15, 2022

#FF22 Jackass 4.5 does largely what you expect. As with the other .5 increments, it's a mix of making-of documentary and unused footage from the main film.

It's fun to see the chaotic thinking behind the scenes, but isn't going to be for everyone.

Fine.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) June 12, 2022

#FF22 Emergency plays with its tone well.

It has the setup of a college comedy, with an elaborate drinking quest but quickly it becomes something far more serious, flipping between moods.

Solid performances throughout but the fear/raw emotion in the last act is stunning.

Watch

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) June 12, 2022