Timestalker (15)
Directed by Alice Lowe 
★★★★

 
ALICE LOWE’s follow-up to her impressive dark revenge debut feature Prevenge is a totally bonkers time-stalking rom-com through the ages which defies description.  

Lowe, who wrote, directed and again stars in this her second film, plays the hapless Agnes who keeps falling for the wrong guy who rejects her, before she dies just to be reborn and to repeat the pattern again. 

Aneurin Barnard plays Agnes’s love interest whom she first encounters in 1688 Scotland where he is a handsome heretic preacher about to be executed.

They meet again in 1793 rural England where he is a highwayman, and she is a trophy wife and lady of leisure. Nick Frost plays her wealthy and vile husband who in turn stalks Agnes through her reincarnations.

The action moves from the 18th century to Victorian England, to 1980 New York and finally to an apocalyptic 2117. 

The film explores the eternal humiliation that is the search for love and shows how insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expecting different results. As a New York fortune-teller informs Agnes: “You die so he doesn’t have to. Maybe it’s time to turn the tables.”

Bold and visually arresting, and with captivating performances, this is a hilarious yet surreal rom-com with a deliciously dark edge as it delves into a woman’s delusion. Though I suspect it won’t be to everyone’s taste, Lowe proves again she is an exciting and novel film-maker. 

In cinemas, October 11. 

Investigating War Crimes in Gaza
Directed by Al Jazeera
★★★★

POWERFUL, hard-hitting and truly disturbing to watch, this feature length documentary by Al Jazeera’s investigative unit exposes Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip during the last 12 months.

It does it through thousands of photos and videos posted online by Israeli soldiers themselves, many of whom have been identified by the investigative unit, in which they are seen laughing and cheering as they blow up Palestinian buildings, shooting at and beating up Palestinians, including women and children.

The footage is shown to an international law expert to assess if the Israelis are violating human rights and committing war crimes.

The film-makers also interview journalists on the ground in Gaza and Palestinians who share their harrowing experiences at the hands of the Israeli forces. These include harrowing footage of a sniper shooting dead a child at Nasser hospital gates. 

The film also examines the role of Western powers in aiding and supporting Israel, but primarily it puts you centre stage in Gaza showing you what ordinary Palestinians are having to endure following the Israeli campaign of genocide. No electricity, no fuel, no food or water.

The accounts they relate are horrendous and it begs the question why isn’t Israel being held account for its actions? An eye-opening documentary and a very tough watch.

Available on YouTube.

Salem’s Lot (15)
Directed by Gary Dauberman
★★

 
THE thought of the 1979 version of Salem’s Lot starring David Soul with the creepy tap, tapping on the windows still gives me chills, so this third adaptation of Stephen King’s 1975 vampire novel had a lot to live up to. 

Written and directed by Gary Dauberman (The Nun II, Annabelle Comes Home) it follows writer Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman, Top Gun: Maverick) as he returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his new book.

What he discovers is the arrival of a centuries-old vampire who is turning the town people into bloodsuckers. 

Set in the late 1970s, this version just lacks any hair-raising tension or scares. As a metaphor for the evil and destruction taking hold and spreading across the US — particularly in the wake of Donald Trump and his Maga followers as he attempts to win the presidency again by whatever means possible — it is too on the nose. 

It is very predictable and “vampires-by-numbers” but it just isn’t frightening and it won’t be keeping me up at night like the 1979 one did. This is the third adaptation of the novel for the screen but not third time lucky. 

In cinemas, October 11. 

Transformers One (PG)
Directed by Josh Cooley
★★★★

 
AS someone who has fervently hated the sexist and misogynistic Michael Bay-helmed live action Transformers films, this feature-length animated origin story is a riveting and surprising breath of fresh air. 

It has heart, it has soul, it contains a lot of humour and when the robots and transformers fight you can finally tell them apart (one of my biggest bugbears).

The film, skilfully directed by Josh Cooley, chronicles how Optimus Prime, formerly Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and Megatron, formely D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry) went from BFFs to sworn enemies. Plus how they met Bumblebee, aka B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key). 

On their home planet of Cybertron, the pair worked as lowly mining robots as they lacked the cog to transform and bonded like brothers. They then rose to prove they were more than the sum of their parts, discovering that something was rotten in the state of Denmark, staging a revolt, and leading the robot masses out of their oppression. 

Featuring a star-studded voice cast which also includes Scarlett Johansson, Laurence Fishburne and John Hamm; stunning animation and proving a non-stop action packed ride with complex layers. 

It is the first of a trilogy and maybe animation is the way to go here. 

In cinemas, October 11. 

Buffalo Kids (PG)
Directed by Juan Jesus Garcia Galocha & Pedro Solis Garcia
★★★

 
THIS Spanish animated Western with a twist is a sweet and wonderfully entertaining film about two Irish orphans who arrive in New York City and then embark on a train journey across the US in search of their uncle. 

In 1886 siblings Mary (Alisha Weir) and Tom (Conor MacNeill) join a group of orphans on board a transcontinental heading to California. They are befriended by the group’s governess Eleanor (Gemma Arterton) and make friends with a wheelchair-bound young boy who cannot speak or move but whose friendship changes their lives and their perspectives. 

On their wild adventure they meet villainous gunmen and unexpected heroes and allies. 

Directed by Juan Jesus Garcia Galocha (Mummies) and Pedro Solis Garcia, this is a fun and humourous animation which deals with disability in a sensitive yet frank way as it  explores inclusivity, not judging a book by its cover and learning to accept others’ differences.  

It will keep both youngsters and adults enthralled. 
 

In cinemas, October 11.