| SHADOWS ON THE WALL | REVIEWS | NEWS | FESTIVAL | AWARDS | Q&A | ABOUT | TALKBACK | ||
 Shadows reviews    
Trailers and other previews... | ||
|
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... |
|
 28 Aug:  
THE DOG STARS  
BITTER CHRISTMAS (Sp)
COYOTE VS ACME
I WANT YOUR SEX
FINDING EMILY
COLONY (Kor)
DE GAULLE: RESISTANCE (Fr)
BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL 
THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD
LATE FAME
GAIL DAUGHTRY AND THE CELEBRITY SEX PASS
FALL: DEADPOINT*
THE GIRL IN THE RIVER*
LEVITICUS
THE LAST BLOSSOM (Jpn)
SUPER NATURE11 Sep: 
FALL 2*
PRESSURE*
EVERYBODY DIGS BILL EVANS*
BLUE FILM
JUST AN ILLUSION (Fr)
THE CONDOR DAUGHTER* (Bol)
OASIS: DON'T LOOK BACK IN ANGER
LA FEMME INFIDELE (Fr)18 Sep:
SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE BEAST OF MOSSY BOTTOM
QUEEN AT SEA
APRIL X
DE GAULLE: LIBERTE (Fr)
KNIFE: THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF SALMAN RUSHDIE25 Sep: 
FORGOTTEN ISLAND*
HEART OF THE BEAST
PRIMETIME
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
HER PRIVATE HELL
BABYSTAR
BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL 2 Oct: 
DIGGER
VERITY
KNIFE: THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF SALMAN RUSHDIE
CHILD9 Oct:
THE YELLOW TIE* (Rom)
BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY16 Oct:
FORGOTTEN ISLAND*
CALIFORNIA SCHEMIN'
HADESTOWN: THE MUSICAL30 Oct:
QUEEN AT SEA
GENTLE MONSTER (Aut)6 Nov:
LA BOLA NEGRA (Sp)27 Nov:
THINK OF ENGLANDRELEASE DATE TBC . . .
C O M I N G U P . . .
UNRELEASED FESTIVAL FILMS . . . 
• Venice: AGATA THE WRITER. BACK TO BUENOS AIRES. FALLING HOUSE. THE FIRE WITHIN YOU. OUR SHARE OF SAND. A PLACE TO HEAL. • FrightFest: DRACULA: THE NIGHT AROUND US. • Annecy: NOBODY. SOUL SHIFT. THE VIOLINIST. • Raindance: MY DAUGHTER'S HAIR. PESCADOR. THE TROLL. WHISKEY DIXIE AND THE BIG WET COUNTRY. • Flare: 10s ACROSS THE BORDERS. BLACK BURNS FAST. THE BROKEN R. CAN'T GO OVER IT. HUNKY JESUS. I AM GOING TO MISS YOU. JARIPEO. KEEP COMING BACK. THE LAST GUEST OF THE HOLLOWAY MOTEL. LOW RIDER. LUNAR SWAY. OUT LAWS. SATISFACTION. STRANGE RIVER. TO DANCE IS TO RESIST. UCHRONIA. WHAT WILL I BECOME? • Cinema Made in Italy: A BRIEF AFFAIR. FUORI. LA GIOIA. THREE GOODBYES. • LFF: THE VILE SHADOWS FILM FEST |
THE UPRISING
dir-scr Paul Greengrass; with Andrew Garfield, Jamie Bell, Stephen Dillane, Tom Hollander, Cosmo Jarvis, Thomasin McKenzie, Jonny Lee Miller, Woody Norman, Katherine Waterston 26/UKrelease US/UK 11.Sep.26 Paul Greengrass goes medieval for a 14th century story about a peasant in plague-ravaged England who inadvertently starts a rebellion against King Richard II. It's based on real historical events, so it will be intriguing to see how all of this is staged, as Greengrass is terrific at creating proper tension in grass-roots thrillers (see United 93). And then there is the seriously powerful cast that's been assembled here - these are all actors who go beyone the call, delivering full-bodied performances. SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE BEAST OF MOSSY BOTTOM
dir Steve Cox, Matthew Walker; with Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Kate Harbour 26/UKrelease UK/US 18.Sep.26 After the alien nuttiness of Farmageddon, the geniuses at Aardman are back with a new adventure for this cheeky flock. And it's a rare Halloween-themed movie! The story centres around Shaun's mad-scientific experiments to try to regenerate a ruined pumpkin patch. But instead there's some sort of freaky monster that appears in the woods. Skilfully using characters that rarely speak, these filmmakers are great at appealing to both kids and the kid in all of us, as they know how to combine humour, horror, innuendo and emotion to tell a superbly involving story. DIGGER
dir-scr Alejandro G Inarritu; with Tom Cruise, Sandra Huller, Jesse Plemons, Riz Ahmed, Michael Stuhlbarg, John Goodman, Emma D'Arcy, Burn Gorman 26/UKrelease US/UK 2.Oct.26 Another ambitious movie from Alejandro Inarritu, although this is being mainly talked about for the prosthetic makeup that makes Tom Cruise look his real age. What bodes well is that Cruise is taking on another character role, something he's good at but does only rarely. The cast is stacked with awards-worthy performers like Huller, Plemons, Ahmed and Stuhlbarg. And the plot looks superbly timely: about a billionaire trying to play the world's saviour by halting a disaster that he unleashed himself. Intriguingly, it's premiering outside the festival circuit. THE SOCIAL RECKONING
dir Aaron Sorkin; with Jeremy Strong, Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Wunmi Mosaku, Betty Gilpin, Billy Magnussen, Bill Burr, Gbenga Akinnagbe 26/USrelease US/UK 9.Oct.26 More than 15 years after the chilly intensity of David Fincher's The Social Network (2010), which outlined the creation of Facebook, writer Aaron Sorkin returns as both writer and director of this sequel, which sets out to explore the impact social media has had on the world. The cast is very strong, and Sorkin will no doubt invest the film with brainy dialog and a riveting plot. The question is whether it will be more engaging than the earlier film, more deeply allowing us to identify and resonate with the topic at hand. YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER
dir-scr Bassam Tariq; with Mahershala Ali, Giancarlo Esposito, Tramell Tillman, John Cho, Tiffany Boone, Shakirah DeMesier, Laith Nakli, Abubakr Ali 26/UKrelease US/UK 9.Oct.26 After the underrated gem Moghul Mowgli, we're up for anything writer-director Bassam Tariq makes next. And this looks like another darkly involving drama that digs deeply into some rather big issues along the way. Mahershala Ali plays a devoutly religious hitman who has to confront his beliefs and his life as he travels across Houston to protect his children after the death of his wife. Sounds pretty intense, but Ali, Esposito, Tillman and Cho are all extraordinarily gifted at giving their characters surprising textures. WILDWOOD
dir Travis Knight; with Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jemaine Clement, Richard E Grant 26/USrelease US/UK 23.Oct.26 Genius stop-motion animator Travis Knight is back with another gorgeous-looking adventure, this time centring around a young girl who heads off in search of her missing brother, discovering a magical world in the forest. The imagery is simply gorgeous, artistically rendered in Laika's astonishingly smooth and detailed. And the voice cast is a superb mix. It's also promising that the film reteams Knight with Kubo and the Two Strings screenwriter Chris Butler. GODZILLA MINUS ZERO
dir-scr Takashi Yamazaki; with Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Miou Tanaka, Munetaka Aoki, Sakura Ando, Yuki Yamada, Min Tanaka, Michael Arias 26/Japanrelease UK/US 6.Nov.26 Following on from the unexpected success (and Oscar win) for 2023's Godzilla Minus One, Takashi Yamazaki and much of the cast is back for this sequel. It's set in 1949, two years after the events of the first movie, as this beleaguered family has to face another full-on attack from gigantic creatures that emerge from the sea. As before, we expect the plot and dialog to be corny, with overwrought character drama. But what we really want to see are even more bracingly original effects that bring these monsters to vivid life. BEHEMOTH!
dir-scr Tony Gilroy; with Pedro Pascal, Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor, Will Arnett, Matthew Lillard, Margarita Levieva, Hank Azaria, JoBeth Williams 26/USrelease US 4.Dec.26 Obviously, any movie that gives Pedro Pascal a meaty role is a must-see. And here he's playing a top cellist from a family of musicians returning home to Los Angeles. Writer-director Tony Gilroy is a master at character portraits, and like him the cast around Pascal is excellent at finding small details that have big impact. Arnett looks especially intriguing in the trailer. And clearly the music will play a big role in the story as well. Likely to pop up at some autumn festivals, although it's not at Venice or Toronto. No UK release date yet. Also on my want-to-see list...
BRINK OF WAR
IDIOTS
ONE NIGHT ONLY
THE RIVALS OF THE AMZIAH KING
THE WHISPER MAN
THE WRONG GIRLS
Autumn: BY ANY MEANS
MAYDAY
PRACTICAL MAGIC 2
PRIMETIME
THE WEIGHT
CLAYFACE
I LOVE BOOSTERS
KLARA AND THE SUN
MATCHBOX: THE MOVIE
RUNNER
VERITY
THE CAT IN THE HAT
EBENEZER
HEXED
I PLAY ROCKY
PAPER TIGER
SUNRISE ON THE REAPING
WILD HORSE NINE
Winter: AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY
BAD LIEUTENANT: TOKYO
THE DEBUT
DUNE: PART THREE
2027: WERWULF
ICE AGE: BOILING POINT
GATTO
VARANASI
| |
|
Release dates: British film release schedules are even more fluid than American ones, so please be patient as I try to keep up with 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 distributors are increasingly restrictive (and proscriptive) about when reviews can run. Normally, once the film is shown to a paying audience, even at a festival, the full review can be posted. © 2026 by Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall HOME | REVIEWS | NEWS | FESTIVAL | AWARDS | Q&A | ABOUT | TALKBACK | ||
