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A — 875 results

  • Arachnoquake (2012)
    Review preview for Arachnoquake

    Things perk up briefly during a doomed attempt to defend a supermarket with bug spray, and there's an entertaining water-based chase, but little else to get excited about.

    Jennie Kermode · 1 out of 5
    An earthquake releases fire-breathing, rapidly growing spiders onto the streets of New Orleans.
  • Arbitrage (2012)
    Review preview for Arbitrage

    Richard Gere is getting better with age. The lived-in look suits him and he holds this film tight.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    A hedge-fund magnate is in over his head, desperately trying to complete the sale of his trading empire before the depths of his fraud are revealed. An unexpected, bloody error forces him to turn to the most unlikely corner for help.
  • The Arbor (2010)
    Review preview for The Arbor

    Memory, reality, fact and fiction blend to give you a vivid 'feel' for the interviewees' recollections while being acutely aware that this remains a remembered reconstruction of the past.

    Amber Wilkinson · 5 out of 5
    Avant-garde documentary exploring the life and legacy of Rita, Sue And Bob Too! playwright Andrea Dunbar.
  • Arcadia (2017)
    Review preview for Arcadia

    You don’t need to be English – or even British – to appreciate this brilliantly constructed film.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    Archive study of Britain's relationship to the land.
  • Archenemy (2020)
    Review preview for Archenemy

    Michelle Laine's brilliant costume design provides a neat aesthetic link between animation and live action.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    Max Fist claims to be a hero from another dimension who fell through time and space to earth, where he has no powers. No one believes his stories except for a local teen named Hamster.
  • Archipelago (2021)
    Review preview for Archipelago

    The feeling of incompatibility with reality is intensified by the animation itself, evoking associations with French cubism, and the oneiric-poetic, sleepy atmosphere is emphasized by disturbing ambient music.

    Mateusz Tarwacki · 4 out of 5
    A true animated film about an invented archipelago. About an imaginary, linguistic, political territory. About a real or dreamed country, or something in between.
  • Architecton (2024)
    Review preview for Architecton

    As much as Architecton rues humanity’s depletion of our resources, it also marvels at our ability to harness materials for our own ends.

    Sunil Chauhan · 3.5 out of 5
    A documentary meditation on architecture and how the design and construction of buildings from the ancient past reveals our destruction - and offers hope for survival.
  • The Archivettes (2019)
    Review preview for The Archivettes

    Itself an important contribution to lesbian history, the film uses photographs and snippets of archive material to bring viewers closer to the human stories that came close to being lost.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A documentary about the Lesbian Herstory Archives, the world’s largest collection of materials by and about lesbians.
  • Arco (2025)
    Review preview for Arco

    It’s the sort of sweet-natured fable that makes adults nostalgic for childhood, but both the near and far futures it presents are, to children themselves, already likely to seem out of date.

    Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
    In 2075, a 10-year-old girl, Iris, witnesses a mysterious boy in a rainbow suit fall from the sky. It’s Arco. He comes from an idyllic far future where time travel is possible. Iris shelters him and will do whatever it takes to help him return to his time.
  • Arctic (2018)
    Review preview for Arctic

    Joe Penna's thriller is as lean and spare as life up in the Arctic wilderness.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A tragic accident leaves a man stranded in the Arctic with no hope of rescue.
  • The Arc Of Oblivion (2022)
    Review preview for The Arc Of Oblivion

    “I don’t really know why I'm building it,” he says – which is, one imagines, what it might feel like to respond to a divine command.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    Set against the backdrop of the filmmaker's quixotic quest to build an ark in a field in Maine, the film heads far afield - to salt mines in the Alps, fjords in the Arctic, and ancient libraries in the Sahara - to illuminate the strange world of archives, record keeping, and memory.
  • Aardman's Darkside (2006)
    Review preview for Aardman's Darkside

    For animation aficionados there’s plenty here to watch and take notes from, rewind and take more notes.

    Paul Griffiths · 3.5 out of 5
    Forget your Creature Comforts - this is Aardman animation for over-15s only.
  • Are You Glad I'm Here? (2018)
    Review preview for Are You Glad I'm Here?

    This domestic drama set in Lebanon also has elements of black humour, which is unique in comparison to other Lebanese films.

    Maryam Ghorbankarimi · 3.5 out of 5
    A millennial American woman befriends a Lebanese housewife and disrupts her ordered life. One night they become accidental partners-in-crime.
  • Are You Proud? (2019)
    Review preview for Are You Proud?

    Although it's not comprehensive it packs a lot into its 95 minute running time.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A documentary bringing together rare archive footage and interviews from across a spectrum of campaigners to celebrate the progress that has been achieved through campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights.
  • Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret (2023)
    Review preview for Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret

    What the film does well is to establish that, in the absence of larger problems, anxiety is refocused on smaller ones.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    When her family moves from the city to the suburbs, 11-year-old Margaret navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence.
  • Argentina, 1985 (2022)
    Review preview for Argentina, 1985

    Darín excels in this complicated role, revealing his character layer by layer, almost in passing, as the story of the atrocities unfolds.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    A team of lawyers take on the heads of Argentina's bloody military dictatorship during the 1980s in a battle against odds and a race against time.
  • Argylle (2024)
    Review preview for Argylle

    Argylle isn't a delicate or even restrained construction, thread-bare and candy-coloured to the point that if it were underwear it'd be both crotchless and edible.

    Andrew Robertson · 2 out of 5
    A reclusive author who writes espionage novels about a secret agent and a global spy syndicate realises that the plot of the new book she's writing is starting to mirror real world events, in real time.
  • Arizona Dream (1993)
    A water authority worker gets suckered into helping with his uncle's car business, with unexpected consequences.
  • Armageddon (1998)
    Review preview for Armageddon

    The film goes for broke. No safety net. No apologies. Believing in itself.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 4 out of 5
    A drill team head to space to stop an asteroid destroying Earth.
  • Armageddon Time (2022)
    Review preview for Armageddon Time

    The film is full of beautifully observed and detailed conversations as well as silences that speak volumes.

    Richard Mowe · 4 out of 5
    Coming-of-age drama set against the backdrop of the Reagan era.
  • Armand (2024)
    Review preview for Armand

    Less concerned with scrutinising the playground than the dangerous games adults can play with one another.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
    A mother is called into her child's infant school after he faces an accusation.
  • Armoured (2009)
    Review preview for Armoured

    Clips along at a fast enough pace for you to avoid noticing its flaws.

    Donald Munro · 3.5 out of 5
    A former soldier in financial difficulty is persuaded to take part in a heist, but nothing goes to plan.
  • Armugan (2020)
    Review preview for Armugan

    The dialogue may be spare but Sol never lets the mood slip for the moment, ratcheting the tension even as he opens up philosophical avenues about eugenics and euthanasia for consideration.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
    A man who lives in the mountains is a "finisher", who helps others to die.
  • Army Of One (2020)
    Review preview for Army Of One

    Director Stephen Durham has produced an efficient, gripping revenge movie that ticks all the boxes.

    Jane Fae · 3.5 out of 5
    Out hiking, a Special Forces soldier stumbles onto a cartel's compound. Her husband is killed and she's left for dead. The cartel makes two mistakes, killing her husband and leaving her alive.
  • Army Of Shadows (1969)
    Review preview for Army Of Shadows

    A cold, monumental and disturbing piece of cinema.

    Tim Bryant · 5 out of 5
    Harrowing and stylistically strong drama about the plight of the French Resistance.
  • Around Paradise (2026)
    Review preview for Around Paradise

    The observational style means the film stops short of being truly illuminating.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
    In Caazapá, the “city of magic and legends”, two Paraguayan students are searching for happiness, gold and a magic bird. Their European dropout neighbours are hoping for freedom, healing and salvation from Armageddon. Everything has its price.
  • Around The Sun (2019)
    Review preview for Around The Sun

    I can imagine those who enjoyed it wanting to go back and watch again and again.

    Jane Fae · 3.5 out of 5
    Touring a repossessed chateau, a film location scout falls for its flirtatious representative, who recounts the story of an influential book written there. But is their connection for real, or just a projection of the book's characters?
  • Arracht (2019)
    Review preview for Arracht

    This is chiefly a character study of one man's humanity in the face of grief but it echoes the wider trauma of a nation that was decimated by hunger.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    In 1845, a fisherman ends up on the run for crimes he didn't commit.
  • Arrhythmia (2017)
    Review preview for Arrhythmia

    Khlebnikov and Meschchaninova capture the essence of long-term relationships at the point when the firework bursts of highs and lows have been replaced by the dripping tap of minor annoyances that are becoming harder to ignore.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
    A paramedic and a junior doctor find themselves on the verge of a break-up.
  • Arrietty (2010)
    Review preview for Arrietty

    The first thing that will strike you is how absolutely lush it is visually; the pastel landscape is utterly iridescent by day, and star-dusted luminous by night.

    David Graham · 4.5 out of 5
    Studio Ghibli's reworking of an English classic about very small people trying to make their way in the world.
  • Arrival (2016)
    Review preview for Arrival

    Denis Villeneuve's latest film may be about aliens visiting Earth but it's the people who hold his interest.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    A linguist is given the task of helping to communicate with extra-terrestrial beings when they touch down around the globe.
  • Arthur And The Invisibles (2006)
    Review preview for Arthur And The Invisibles

    Besson breaks all the rules and doesn’t get away with it.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 2.5 out of 5
    An English boy in America seeks the help of miniature medieval Smurflings to save his Gran from being evicted.
  • Arthur Christmas (2011)
    Review preview for Arthur Christmas

    This simultaneously cool and cosy tale of families and Christmas spirit will have Aardman's pockets jingling all the way to the bank. And deservedly so.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    After a present is missed on Christmas Eve, Santa's son tries to deliver it.
  • The Artifice Girl (2022)
    Review preview for The Artifice Girl

    Smarter than most films of its ilk and refreshingly free of misplaced sentiment.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    When an internet vigilante develops a revolutionary new computer program to combat online predators, its rapid advancement leads to serious questions about autonomy, oppression, and what it really means to be human.
  • Artik (2019)
    Review preview for Artik

    A film that feels very immediate and real despite its extreme premise.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A comic book obsessed serial killer teaches his son how to get away with a series of brutal murders until the boy befriends a mysterious man who threatens to expose everything.
  • The Artist (2011)
    Review preview for The Artist

    I cannot remember the last time a film made me cry and laugh out loud half a minute later, especially not in public. The Artist did that.

    Anne-Katrin Titze · 5 out of 5
    A silent film star fears the advent of the 'talkies' will end his career.
  • The Artist And The Wall Of Death (2022)
    Review preview for The Artist And The Wall Of Death

    Whilst it has the potential to be an interesting character study, it never gets that deep.

    Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
    The unlikely story of a Glaswegian visual artist, Stephen Skrynka, and his dangerous life-long obsession with riding the 'Wall of Death', the traditional fairground motorbike attraction.
  • The Art Of Self-Defense (2019)
    Review preview for The Art Of Self-Defense

    For those who get into the rhythm of it, this is an instant classic.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    After being beaten up on the street, an accountant joins a karate studio to learn how to protect himself.
  • Art Talent Show (2022)
    Review preview for Art Talent Show

    What makes Art Talent Show special is the way it captures human moments: a snippet of interpersonal communication in a meeting; a conversation; someone stretching off and doing a little half-hearted dance after a long day.

    Donald Munro · 4 out of 5
    Documentary about life in an art academy.
  • Asako I & II (2018)
    Review preview for Asako I & II

    Higashide will no doubt attract most attention, impressive in his ability to inhabit two very different characters, yet it's Karata who is the power at the heart of the film.

    Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
    Asako is a 21-year-old woman, living in Osaka. She falls in love with Baku who has a free spirit. One day, Baku suddenly disappears. Two years later, Asako now lives in Tokyo and she meets Ryohei. He looks just like her ex-boyfriend Baku, but he has a completely different personality.
  • Ascension (2021)
    Review preview for Ascension

    From the first shot of a uniformed member of a cleaning team walking the tiled lip of a rooftop infinity pool this is the edge of image, the thing unseen.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    Documentary portrait of the "Chinese Dream" - a contemporary vision of a China that prioritises productivity and innovation above all
  • Ash (2025)
    Review preview for Ash

    Lotus may love pretty things, but he doesn’t hold back on the gore.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    A woman wakes up on a distant planet and finds the crew of her space station viciously killed. Her investigation into what happened sets in motion a terrifying chain of events.
  • Ashfall (2019)
    Review preview for Ashfall

    Against the odds, Ashfall works at a dramatic level, largely thanks to the hard work of its cast and a real sense of commitment to the story that holds no matter how silly things get.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    When Baekdu Mountain unexpectedly erupts and threatens to cause an earthquake that could devastate the Korean peninsula, a South Korean team must enter North Korea and steal American-guarded nuclear material in order to stop it.
  • Ashgrove (2022)
    Review preview for Ashgrove

    Little details like sipping rather than drinking whole mouthfuls, or marking bottles to keep track of how much one has consumed, are so familiar to the characters that viewers too will quickly start taking them for granted.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    An exhausted scientist working on a desperate project to save humanity is required to take leave on a country farm in order to recover her mental faculties.
  • Asia (2020)
    Review preview for Asia

    First-time feature director Ruthy Pribar takes a loose and intimate approach to the relationship, allowing it to unfold in moments.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    A mum tries to reconnect with her daughter as the younger woman struggles with a degenerative illness.
  • Ask E. Jean (2026)
    Review preview for Ask E. Jean

    Her experience could be Exhibit A for anyone trying to articulate the reasons survivors stay silent through fear of blowing up their own lives rather than their attackers’

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    Charting E. Jean Carroll's life, including her court case showdown with Donald Trump.
  • Assassination Nation (2018)
    Review preview for Assassination Nation

    Older viewers may find it too much but it's spot on for what it's trying to achieve.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    This is a 1000 percent a true story about how the quiet, all-American town of Salem, absolutely lost its mind.
  • The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)
    Review preview for The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford

    It is a character piece, an actor’s picture, supremely atmospheric and secure in its knowledge of place and time.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 5 out of 5
    The title says it all...
  • Assassin Club (2023)
    Review preview for Assassin Club

    If it has a saving grace it's that it's not two hours long, and one hopes that those involved had some nice evenings out in Turin while filming.

    Andrew Robertson · 2 out of 5
    An assassin is given a contract, but finds he is simultaneously the target.
  • Assault On Precinct 13 (2005)
    Review preview for Assault On Precinct 13

    Richet is at his best when moving quickly - he's a director in love with momentum.

    The Exile · 2.5 out of 5
    Remake of the John Carpenter classic.

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