After her friend is seemingly radicalised by Facebook, Francis Haugen (Mikey Madison) - a mid-level engineer with the company - begins looking at radical content on the platform. But when her bosses prove to be uninterested in the troubling data she finds, Francis reluctantly turns to Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White), who is investigating the social network's effects on society. As a fan of both The Social Network  and Aaron Sorkin, I was both uncertain and excited at the prospect of a follow-up. On the one hand, another movie from the master of snappy dialogue and the 'walk and talk' is always welcome. His optimistic takes on important institutions, as well as his recreations of historical events always prove to be gripping, almost intoxicating affairs - even when you have little or no interest in the subject matter. I thoroughly enjoyed Moneyball , despite my lack of interest in the sport it revolves around. But how do you follow up what is g...

Two people on opposites sides of the world are faced with the toughest of choices. In Iran, a mother considers selling her organs to afford life-saving treatment for her daughter, while in the US, a doctor faces an ethical dilemma of his own as he desperately searches for a way to save his child. When I first saw this incredible short film I did not know that a) it is legal to buy and sell human organs in Iran, and b) that it is the only country on Earth to allow such practice. But this controversial subject - to say the least - is not necessarily the thing that makes Vital  so important and hard-hitting. It's the people caught up in a rather distressing situation, and the connections they share. They remind us of everything that we, as a race of beings, have in common. Everything that is built into our DNA. Things that are universal. That cross oceans and borders. That transcend race, religion, and regime. It is all there to see in one 14 minute film. And at a time when internatio...

A Sheriff's Deputy in a small rural town is tasked with guarding a crime scene, and the dead body lying in the middle of it. But when the Deputy somehow manages to lose said body, he inadvertently uncovers a criminal conspiracy as he attempts to get it back. Much like it's central character, The Deputy  - which is based on the book by Victor Gischler - can be a bit slow and meandering, as we follow Deputy Toby (Duke Nicholson) on his roundabout journey to find the body that has inexplicably wandered off from the crime scene he was charged with guarding. Yet it also makes for somewhat compelling viewing as our plodding hero eventually discovers there is something ugly going on in this little town. Slowly, that odd pace begins to make sense. Afterall, this is Toby's journey, and all throughout we are with him as he goes about - in his own unique way - trying to figure out what is going on. Nicholson is the perfect embodiment of 'failure to launch' as he emerges from t...

A lawyer specialising in debt recovery utilises a combination of legal and illegal methods to force particularly tough or slippery debtors to pay up. But her latest case has a personal element to it, as the debtor in question, who owes $1 billion, had her friend and mentor killed. Guy Ritchie reunites with a selection of stars he has recently worked with in what turns out to be an annoyingly middling thriller. It's all very slick and stylish, but far from Ritchie's best work. The first half of In the Grey  is more than a little exposition heavy, as it mostly sets up the wheres, whys, how and who of it all. I know the director of Snatch  and Lock Stock  enjoys a little voiceover in his movies, as the shots jump back and forth between someone in the know and the events they are describing, but this feels like some serious overindulgence. While the second is decidedly more action heavy - albeit with some fairly mediocre action. Aside from a tense shootout in a cafe, it's a l...

When navy pilot Troy Kelly (Ryan Reynolds) is shot down during a reconnaissance mission in Soviet airspace, he is forced to find his own way out of enemy territory. Luckily for Troy, he finds, or is at least found by the rather capable Nicky (Kenneth Branagh), who not only wants to help, he's a fan. If buddy comedies live and die by their central pairings - which, obviously they do - then Mayday  is one that lives. Much like the characters they play, the teaming of Reynolds with Branagh is an unlikely one. Or at least unexpected. But that's probably why it works so well. While Reynolds plays it fairly safe with a toned down take on his usual fast-talking smart mouth (very much a winning formula), Branagh returns to the accent he used in  Tenet  and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit . The thing is; that accent is the only thing Nick has in common with those other less sympathetic characters. In fact, in many ways, the friendly woodsman who finds the downed pilot is arguably the mo...

A brick-built recap of Din Djarin’s adventures with his little green friend, in a galaxy far, far away. So, The Mandalorian & Grogu has landed on Disney+ , and you might be thinking I need to revisit the show before checking it out. But that could take a while. Maybe you don’t have that kind of time. Well, a Danish construction toy company has got you covered. That’s right. Lego ’s latest colab with Lucasfilm – which landed on Disney+ along side the dynamic duo’s first feature length outing – is a handy little summary of the intergalactic bounty hunting team’s escapades. Previously on The Mandalorian (and The Book of Boba Fett ), if you will. Obviously, it does come with Lego ’s signature brand of wackiness – which is far from a bad thing – and a more family friendly spin. Certainly, for Mando, anyway. But Lego and Star Wars have always been a winning combination, and LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian is no different. It is both a fun recap and a crazy adventure all its own. Of c...