Hello, and welcome to this week’s Film Roundup! Each week we take you through the biggest new cinema releases and talk about why you should get excited for them. This week: storms, scammers and Song 2…
Usual disclaimer: unless otherwise stated, I haven’t seen these films. All of my opinions are based on trailers, early reviews and other rumours and buzz.
Twisters
Twister was a classic popcorn blockbuster movie, and now 28 years later we’re getting a sequel. Twisters (or, to give it its full title, Twisters: Now There’s More Than One Of Them) doesn’t seem to have a lot of connective tissue with the first, but it probably doesn’t need it. It’s a film about a bunch of people trying to survive some serious storms, with perhaps a bit of plot to tie it all together. The special effects will have come on leaps and bounds since the ’90s, and I would expect plenty of practical effects too.
Among the cast getting their hair messed up this time are Glenn Powell (who’s had a successful year already with Anyone But You and Hit Man), Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, Katie O’Brian and new Superman David Corenswet. I don’t really have too much more to say on this – I am definitely looking forward to it, but I think it will do pretty much what it says on the tin! Twisters should be pretty spectacular to watch on the big screen, so if you’re interested I’d definitely recommend catching it in the cinema rather than waiting for the TV release.
- Twisters on IMDB
- Twisters on Rotten Tomatoes
Thelma
Legendary nonagenarian June Squibb plays Thelma, a sweet old lady who falls for a scam when she receives a call from someone pretending to be her grandson. Refusing to accept her loss, she sets out with her equally elderly friend (the late Richard Roundtree) to get her money back.
I recently went down a bit of a YouTube rabbit hole watching videos of people winding up telephone scammers, so this immediately appeals to me a lot. There is something I find really disturbing about faceless, soulless people who think it’s OK to trick retirees into putting their life savings in the post for no reason. The idea of anybody, let alone one of their victims, confronting them and taking revenge is absolutely one that I can get behind. And the fact that it’s June Squibb, who I’ve loved since her Oscar-nominated performance in Nebraska, just makes it even better. The cast also includes Fred Hechinger as Thelma’s (real) grandson Daniel, Clark Gregg and Parker Posey as Daniel’s parents, and Malcolm McDowell as the lead scammer. This looks sweet, heartwarming and funny and definitely worth catching if you can track it down.
- Thelma on IMDB
- Thelma on Rotten Tomatoes
Blur: To The End
Lastly this week is a documentary about Britpop band Blur, charting their recent reunion and the creation of their first new album since they parked their life as a group 8 years ago. Damon Albarn and co always come across as much more down-to-earth than their charmless rivals Oasis, and that comes across well in the trailer – the band are reflecting on the highs and lows of their career in a way that feels tender and intimate, and should make for an interesting watch.
This will also, of course, have some very good songs. The needle drops in the trailer (The Universal and the eponymous To The End) suggest a calmer and more introspective tone (compared to, say, Song 2). But if that sounds disappointing, there are also clips of the band preparing to play at Wembley, which will likely feature some of their more energetic hits.
If you have any fondness for Blur then you should absolutely seek this out. But if you miss it in the cinema I don’t think you’ll be at all bummed out to wait until it arrives on a streaming service when you can settle down with some coffee and watch it on TV.
- Blur: To the End on IMDB
- Blur: To the End on Rotten Tomatoes
If you only see one film this week…
For sheer spectacle, it has to be Twisters (but definitely try and catch Thelma too if you can…)
Still in cinemas and worth a watch
- Longlegs
- MaXXXine
- Inside Out 2
Trailer of the week
With Marvel’s only cinema release of 2024, Deadpool & Wolverine, just a week away now, it’s a good time for them to release the first trailer for their 2025 offerings. This looks like it’s pulling the franchise back to the tone of Winter Soldier, with less focus on superheroics and more on down-to-earth, character-driven politicking. Sam Wilson has now fully accepted the mantle of Captain America after the events of The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, but this film has him carving his own identity behind the shield – resolutely agreeing with Thunderbolt Ross (Harrison Ford, taking over from the late William Hurt) that he is not Steve Rogers before flying off on his Falcon wings. And the final shot, while detracting slightly from the more grounded (by Marvel standards) vibe of the rest of the trailer, promises a real threat that will likely have ramifications in other future MCU entries. It looks like the break Marvel are taking this year is paying off.
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