Shadows on the Wall

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Shadows reviews Trailers and other previews... ALL COMMENTS BY RICH CLINE
C O M I N G S O O N to the UK & US...	O N T H E H O R I Z O N can’t hardly wait...
16 May: GOOD ONE THINGS LIKE THIS 30 May: THE ASTRONAUT LOVERS (Arg) MIDNIGHT IN PHOENIX THE SALT PATH TORNADO 6 Jun: THE LIFE OF CHUCK 13 Jun: TORNADO 4 Jul: HOT MILK 22 Aug: THE LIFE OF CHUCK RELEASE DATE TBC . . . DEPARTURES HANDLING THE UNDEAD (Nor) HIGH TIDE HOW TO BUILD A TRUTH ENGINE A NIGHT LIKE THIS NIGHT STAGE (Br) RILEY SCARED SHITLESS 7 KEYS THE PLEASURE IS MINE (Arg) TOLL (Br) ZODIAC KILLER PROJECT * reviews under embargo C O M I N G U P . . . • FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH. MOUNTAINHEAD. LILO & STITCH. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - THE FINAL RECKONING. THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME. THE BITTER TEARS OF ZAHRA ZAND. • SUNFLOWER. HEAVIER TRIP. BAM. F.L.Y. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LUMINA. LOUD AND LONGING. QUEENDOM. ELTON JOHN: NEVER TOO LATE. • MATERIALISTS. ELIO. HORIZON CHAPTER II. UNRELEASED FESTIVAL FILMS . . . • Flare: DREAMS IN NIGHTMARES. DRIVE BACK HOME. FATHERHOOD. A FEW FEET AWAY. MEA CULPA. MEMORABILIA. REALLY HAPPY SOMEDAY. SAD JOKES. SANDBAG DAM. SOME NIGHTS I FEEL LIKE WALKING. WE ARE FAHEEM & KARUN. WINTER KEPT US WARM. • FrightFest: THE DAEMON. DERELICT. FRIGHT. LADYBUG. SCARLET BLUE. TRAUMATIKA. • Annecy: ROCK BOTTOM. THE BIRTH OF KITARO: THE MYSTERY OF GEGEGE. See also: SHADOWS FILM FEST	MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - THE FINAL RECKONING dir Christopher McQuarrie; with Tom Cruise, Vanessa Kirby, Hayley Atwell, Hannah Waddingham, Angela Bassett, Janet McTeer, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Nick Offerman 25/US release US/UK 23.May.25 Shot over what seemed like an impossibly long production schedule, this so-called "final" episode in the Tom Cruise movie series is gleefully fuelling the rumour mill that something conclusive is going to happen to Ethan Hunt during this particular impossible mission. These films are so slickly put together that no one is worrying about whether it's good, or whether the audience will have an appetite for more heart-stopping stunt-based action. It will be massive. And thankfully, they've tidied up that messy title too. THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME dir-scr Wes Anderson; with Benicio Del Toro, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeffrey Wright, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Riz Ahmed, Bryan Cranston 25/US release UK 23.May.25, US 30.May.25 Wes Anderson is back with another all-star ensemble and what looks like a wonderfully quirky adventure. The trailer is packed with hilarious moments and offers hints about the premise, which centres around a family business. Cleverly, much of the plot chaos remains a mystery. It also reveals Anderson's usual astonishing attention to design detail, this time with some new textures and a different colour palatte. And of course it looks hilarious. MATERIALISTS dir-scr Celine Song; with Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, Chris Evans, Marin Ireland, Eddie Cahill, Lindsey Broad, Louisa Jacobson, Sawyer Spielberg 25/US release US 13.Jun.25, UK tbc After Past Lives, Celine Song turns to a romantic comedy, an dof course it looks like a thoughtful approach to the genre, with sparky characters and a clever plot about a matchmaker in a complex love triangle. The cast looks terrific, with Dakota Johnson playing off of Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans. So while the trailer looks smooth and sweet, let's hope that Song's nuanced, inventive writing and directing will elevate it. Not yet dated in the UK. ELIO dir Adrian Molina, Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi; with Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett, Jameela Jamil, Shirley Henderson, Remy Edgerly) 25/US release US/UK 20.Jun.25 Next up for Disney-Pixar is another journey of self-discovery for an offbeat child in an extraordinary place. While this trailer looks like fun, it's also very familiar. This may be due to the fact that, in an industry that has taken huge leaps design-wise (see The Wild Robot, Flow, Transformers One, Mutant Mayhem), Pixar has resolutely kept their usual character design plus that goofy Disney-ish sidekick zaniness. So let's hope this movie has more depth than the trailer. 28 YEARS LATER dir Danny Boyle; with Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, Emma Laird, Erin Kellyman, Alfie Williams, Edvin Ryding 25/UK release US/UK 20.Jun.25 It's not quite 28 years since the 2002 original, but it's great to see Danny Boyle and cowriter Alex Garland return to continue the story after sitting out the 2007 sequel. That said, this is an all new story that's rumoured to set up a few more adventures in a franchise that centres around escaped viruses and frighteningly quick-footed zombies overrunning England. The cast of this one is also promising, an eclectic mix or seriously good actors. So bring it on. F1 dir Joseph Kosinski; with Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Simone Ashley, Damson Idris, Kim Bodnia, Samson Kayo 25/US release US/UK 27.Jun.25 Vroom vroom! While this looks like yet another testosterone overload from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Joseph Kosinski (see also Top Gun: Maverick), and while it is clear that they have spent far too much money making this movie, it still looks like an unmissable spectacle. While there's little question that the racing action will be thrilling, the bigger question is whether the story and characters will be able to pull us in and engage us on any level other than the visceral one. Fingers are crossed. THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS dir Matt Shakman; with Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Julia Garner, John Malkovich, Ralph Ineson, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, Mark Gatiss 25/UK release US/UK 25.July.25 Is there some rule that this franchise needs to be rebooted every 10 years (see 2005 and 2015)? No one was asking for yet another version, but at least this one takes a sidestep by creating a retro 1960s-style future, as the first comic book was published in 1961. By the trailers, it also looks like a more comical take on the characters, similar to the way veteran TV director Matt Shakman recreated vintage sitcoms in WandaVision. So it looks like fun. And these characters can now appear in other Marvel movies too. HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA - CHAPTER II dir Kevin Costner; with Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi, Abbey Lee, Luke Wilson, Dale Dickey, Georgia MacPhail 24/US release US/UK tbc After his enjoyable three-hour prologue ended on an extended montage of scenes to come, we're hoping for dramatic resolution to the various plot strands Kevin Costner left dangling. Chapter 2 looks just as spectacular visually, with its expansive settings and colourful ensemble, including a promising glimpse of a sneering Giovanni Ribisi. Word out of Venice was that it's more of the same, and Costner has planned on two further chapters. There's still no sign of a US or UK release date. Also on my want-to-see list... Spring: FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH FRIENDSHIP KARATE KID: LEGENDS SHADOW FORCE Summer: BALLERINA M3GAN 2.0 HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON EDDINGTON HARVEST JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH SUPERMAN THE NAKED GUN WEAPONS Autumn: HIM ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER THE ROSES THE SMASHING MACHINE TRON: ARES NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON'T PREDATOR: BADLANDS
Release dates: British film release schedules are much more fluid than American ones, so please be patient as I try to keep up with UK distributors. I'm working to keep this list up-to-date as they keep trying to outfox me. I'm sure it's personal. Embargoes: Britain's Film Distributors Association asks us to hold reviews until the week of release, and some distributors are even more restrictive. Normally, once the film is shown to a paying audience, either on release or at a festival, the full review can appear on the site. © 2025 by Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall HOME \| REVIEWS \| NEWS \| FESTIVAL \| AWARDS \| Q&A \| ABOUT \| TALKBACK