Filmrecensies van Garry Arnot

Bold and unapologetic in its ridiculousness, Cop Secret is an entertaining sign of what might be still to come from first-timer Hannes Þór Halldórsson. As a goalkeeper, he made headlines by saving a penalty from Lionel Messi at the World Cup in 2018 and with a flair for capturing action, he’s proving to be a safe pair of hands as a film director too. Recensie

Fukunaga’s No Time to Die brings Daniel Craig’s mixed bag of an era to a close in disappointingly lacklustre fashion, buckling under the weight of its own anticipation. We’ve been expecting you Mr Bond, but we expected a lot better than this. Recensie

The Green Knight marks another outlandish outing for the David Lowery, who continues to flex the muscles of his artistic mind in the most creative and thought-provoking ways. This foray into folklore won’t be to everyone’s taste, but it’s encouraging to see another ambitious piece from one of most fascinating filmmakers around. Recensie

Screenwriter David Chase proves to be a master string-puller on the big screen as well as the small, and with an epic new vision stylishly brought to fruition by director Alan Taylor, The Many Saints of Newark serves as a hugely satisfying side dish to the veritable feast that is The Sopranos. Recensie

Yngvild Sve Flikke’s Ninjababy is an inventive and entertaining indie gem packed with humour and pathos, heightened by Thorp’s refreshingly candid portrayal of a young woman who simply doesn’t want to be a mother. Recensie

Clashing with the cutthroat nature of the power-hungry Rory O’Hara, this sublime picture proves that patience is a virtue as Sean Durkin’s work is well worth the wait. A thrillingly dramatic depiction of 80s entrepreneurialism with two of the best performances you’ll see all year, The Nest is the real deal. Recensie

Annette feels like a feature-length SNL skit where only the performers themselves are in on the joke. It’s an abysmally boring, ridiculous, slog of a film and if Leos Carax’s work is indeed the marmite of cinema, I really wish I hadn’t opened the jar. Recensie

Furthering Bruckner’s reputation as one of the best contemporary horror directors in the business, The Night House is a stylish and suspenseful piece, elevated by Rebecca Hall’s excellent performance. Recensie

Bailey-Bond’s Censor is a technically accomplished homage to home-video horror with an intriguing performance at its dark heart, but it falls victim to ponderous pacing and a poor execution of plot. Recensie

A groundbreaking piece of indie cinema from Janicza Bravo that could potentially be a sign of things to come in the connection between social media and film, Zola is a darkly funny, playfully constructed picture. Recensie

An old-fashioned western but set on an evolving Mars, Settlers makes great use of its sci-fi elements to tell what, in its essence, is a very human tale of endurance through grit and determination. As thought-provoking as it is visually striking, this marks an impressive directorial debut from Wyatt Rockefeller. Recensie

The Birthday Cake brings nothing new to the table but serves as a sweet homage to the gangster film genre with its generous helpings of cameo performances. Recensie

Cheap but not so cheerful, Giddy Stratospheres is a plucky vanity project from Laura Jean Marsh that is full of DIY punk spirit, succeeding in entertaining when leaning into its fantastic indie soundtrack. Recensie

Tapping into universal vulnerability by way of an entertaining tale of friendship and foolishness, Thomas Vinterberg serves up a Danish delight in generous double measures. Recensie

Disturbing, fearless, and with just the right amount of weird, In the Earth is a slaughter to the senses and one of Ben Wheatley’s very best. Recensie

An excellent entry into the beat-em-up genre with smarts behind every brutal blow, Nobody announces its director Ilya Naishuller as a somebody. Recensie

As Fred delves deeper into the mystery, the film becomes increasingly jarring, using gaudy neon imagery to distract from its lack of ideas, and it refuses to join together any of the dots. Recensie

Taking a refreshingly neoteric look at fluorescent adolescence, Eoin Macken’s Here Are the Young Men is a vibrant entry into the partyboy sub-genre and has just enough substance to back up its style. Recensie

Shedding cinematic light on a compelling true story, Silk Road is an entertaining piece of work, elevated by Nick Robinson’s brilliant portrayal of ‘the first millennial gangster’. Recensie

This is a perfect embodiment to his down-to-earth mentality, and Jason Ferguson delivers a compelling portrait of his grounded nature. Recensie

The perilously violent combat sequences are very well executed and there are some blows dealt that’ll make your eyes water, but the film is let down by a formulaic story and primitive script. Recensie

Capturing law enforcement problems within a microcosm of Scandi-terror, Shorta is an arresting, and totally gripping piece of work by Hviid and Ølholm. Recensie

Films don’t come much more personal than this for a filmmaker, and Chung has crafted a simple yet sublime picture with Minari. Yeun and Ye-ri give excellent performances... Recensie

Evolving against the weather-beaten seaside landscape, Ammonite lets Francis Lee hone his cinematic voice with a creative twist on a historical figure. Recensie