Shadows on the Wall

SHADOWS ON THE WALL \| REVIEWS \| NEWS \| FESTIVAL \| AWARDS \| Q&A \| ABOUT \| TALKBACK
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...
26th FrightFest 21-25.Aug.25 29 Aug: THE ROSES CAUGHT STEALING THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB THE TOXIC AVENGER BIG BOYS ROW YOUNG MOTHERS (Bel) MOTEL DESTINO LITTLE TROUBLE GIRLS (Svn) 5 Sep: THE CONJURING: LAST RITES HONEY DON'T ON SWIFT HORSES TWINLESS THE CUT* CHRISTY* PAUL & PAULETTE TAKE A BATH RIEFENSTAHL 12 Sep: DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE SPINAL TAP II: THE END CONTINUES THE LONG WALK THE HISTORY OF SOUND ISLANDS* DIRTY BOY TRAUMATIKA DREAMS (Nor) 19 Sep: SOLO SOVEREIGN 10 Oct: I SWEAR* 17 Oct: PLAINCLOTHES 24 Oct: SKETCH 14 Nov: PARK AVENUE* 21 Nov: ZODIAC KILLER PROJECT RELEASE DATE TBC . . . CACTUS PEARS (Ind) CIELO (Bol) THE DARK FANTASTIC DEPARTURES HEAVYWEIGHT HIGH TIDE HOW TO BUILD A TRUTH ENGINE LADYBUG LURKER A NIGHT LIKE THIS NIGHT STAGE (Br) OUR HAPPY PLACE THE PLEASURE IS MINE (Arg) SCARED SHITLESS TOLL (Br) * reviews under embargo C O M I N G U P . . . • HAPPYEND. THE CONJURING: LAST RITES. BRIDES. DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE. THE THING WITH FEATHERS. GOOD BOY. HIGHEST 2 LOWEST. NIGHT OF THE JUGGLER. THE SENIOR. TAPE. GHOST TRAIL. • ELTON JOHN: NEVER TOO LATE. THE BITTER TEARS OF ZAHRA ZAND. • THE HISTORY OF SOUND. TRON: ARES. HORIZON CHAPTER II. UNRELEASED FESTIVAL FILMS . . . • FrightFest: 213 BONES. THE DEGENERATE. DON'T LET THE CAT OUT. MALPERTUIS. NIGHT OF VIOLENCE. ODYSSEY. PIG HILL. SANE INSIDE SANITY. WHERE IS JUAN MOCTEZUMA? YOUR HOST. • Raindance: BEAM ME UP SULU. BREAKWATER. A CELL PHONE MOVIE. FLAMINGO CAMP. IF YOU SHOULD LEAVE BEFORE ME. THE LONELY MUSKETEER. SOMEWHERE IN LOVE. • SXSW London: THE OLD WOMAN WITH THE KNIFE. TORO. • 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. See also: SHADOWS FILM FEST	DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE dir Simon Curtis; with Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Jim Carter, Joanne Froggatt, Paul Giamatti, Dominic West, Phyllis Logan, Penelope Wilton 25/UK release US/UK 12.Sep.25 Reuniting the sprawling ensemble for one last time, complete with a Julian Fellowes script, this Grand Finale has apparently been designed to bring this aristocratic family's story full circle after 15 years, 52 TV episodes and 2 movies. The story brings them into the 1930s as they are forced to face up to the changes around them. Whatever, we are more interested in furthering the knotty relationships amongst them. And we will definitely miss Maggie Smith's wry one-liners, which kept this ship sailing longer than expected. TRON: ARES dir Joachim Ronning; with Jared Leto, Jeff Bridges, Gillian Anderson, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Cameron Monaghan, Arturo Castro, Hasan Minhaj 25/US release US/UK 10.Oct.25 It's been awhile since we were here, although the 28-year gap between Tron (1982) and Tron: Legacy (2010) has been shortened to only 15 this time. Jeff Bridges is the connective tissue between all three films, and the trailers reveal that in this chapter the videogame emerges into the real world, instead of the other way round. The effects look pretty spectacular, and the eclectic cast is very promising. Let's hope the story has some depth. Screenwriter Jesse Wigutow is relatively unproven, but it has to be better than part 2. ROOFMAN dir Derek Cianfrance; with Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, Peter Dinklage, Juno Temple, Ben Mendelsohn, Uzo Aduba, LaKeith Stanfield, Emory Cohen, Tony Revolori, Lily Collias 25/US release US 10.Oct.25, UK 17.Oct.25 This looks like a lot of fun, based on the outrageous true story of an escaped convict who hid out in a Toys R Us store in North Carolina, attending a local church where no one knew he was on the lam for committing a series of rooftop robberies. Director Cianfrance has made much more serious films than this, so it will be interesting to see how he handles the mixed tone here. Meanwhile, this looks like a nicely textured role for Tatum. And the supporting cast is terrific. SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE dir-scr Scott Cooper; with Jeremy Allen White, Stephen Graham, Gaby Hoffmann, Jeremy Strong, Paul Walter Hauser, Marc Maron, David Krumholtz, Odessa Young, Grace Gummer 25/US release US/UK 24.Oct.25 Casting Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen feels like a stroke of genius lateral thinking, as the actor will bring his tightly wound physicality to the role in a way that's bound to be fascinating. Scott Cooper has a strong history with musical biopics (see Crazy Heart), and the eclectic cast he has assembled bodes well - that the film will take a more intriguing approach rather than abroadly crowd-pleasing one. The UK release date hints at a possible London Film Festival slot. ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER dir Paul Thomas Anderson; with Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Wood Harris, Chase Infiniti, Alana Haim 25/US release US/UK 26.Sep.25 Paul Thomas Anderson has assembled an astonishing powerhouse cast for this action thriller about a group of former revolutionaries who reassemble when they are once again threatened by an old enemy. Of course, in Anderson's hands this won't play out in the usual cliched movie beats. And these actors will make sure that the characters will have unusually complex depth to keep us with them through the mayhem. Intriguingly, the film is sidestepping the autumn festivals. BUGONIA dir Yorgos Lanthimos; with Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Alicia Silverstone, Stavros Halkias, Aidan Delbis, Parvinder Shergill, Vanessa Eng Vanessa Eng, Yaisa 25/UK release US 24.Oct.25, UK 7.Nov.25 Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons reteam with Yorgos Lanthimos for this remake of Jang Joon-hwan's 2003 classic Save the Green Planet, a fiendishly clever action comedy that mixes zany antics with underlying thoughtfulness as it follows a guy who is convinced the world is about to be destroyed by aliens. It's impossible to know how Lanthimos and screenwriter Will Tracy (The Menu) will reimagine Jang's highwire walk between nuttiness, emotion and pointed topicality. It's doing the festival circut this autumn. FRANKENSTEIN dir-scr Guillermo del Toro; with Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Charles Dance, Ralph Ineson, Burn Gorman, David Bradley David Bradley 25/UK release US/UK Nov.25 It feels like Guillermo del Toro has wanted to make this movie forever, as it plays into his strengths in telling monster stories that are infused with emotional undercurrents. It will clearly look terrific, and the cast is solid, anchored by Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi as the mad scientist and his indelible creation. Despite the dark, overwrought production design, this looks like an unusually faithful adaptation of Mary Shelley's groundbreaking novel. So the big question is what kind of theatrical release Netflix will give it. 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 some 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. After its premiere at Venice in 2024, word was that it's more of the same. Costner has plans for two further chapters, but there's still no release date for this one. Also on my want-to-see list... Autumn: A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY HIM THE HISTORY OF SOUND THE MAN IN MY BASEMENT THE LONG WALK THE LOST BUS SPINAL TAP II: THE END CONTINUES SWIPED ADULTHOOD BLUE MOON FAIRYLAND GOOD FORTUNE IF I HAD LEGS I'D KICK YOU IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT PLAY DIRTY THE SMASHING MACHINE STEVE KEEPER NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON'T NUREMBERG PREDATOR: BADLANDS THE RUNNING MAN THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 Winter: AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH HAMNET IS THIS THING ON? MARTY SUPREME WAKE UP DEAD MAN Release TBC: ETERNITY NO OTHER CHOICE
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