York film preview: Ant-Man and the Wasp, Marcel the Shell and The Inspection

There’s a cornucopia of miniature heroes on the big screen this week – which I suppose makes them normal-sized heroes, if you think about it.

There’s Quantumania in store for Ant-Man and the Wasp – but can they bring the MCU’s new Big Bad down to size?

Meanwhile, Marcel the Shell With Shoes On is here to make you laugh, cry, and change the way you think about lint…

New releases

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

After a somewhat mixed reception to Phase Four, the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicks off Phase Five of its ongoing saga with the return of Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lily’s diminutive dynamic duo – and the introduction of a major new villain.

This new adventure sees Ant-Man (Rudd) and the Wasp (Lily) and their extended family get sucked back into the Quantum Realm – the mysterious subatomic world which proved so crucial to the events of Avengers: Endgame.

It’s a place where all manner of weird and wonderful sights await them – but which also brings them face to face with the man set to pick up where Thanos left off, Kang the Conqueror (rising star Jonathan Majors, who will also soon be facing off against Michael B. Jordan in Creed III).

It’s a higher-stakes outing than we’ve previously seen for Rudd’s easy-going Avenger, and some reviews suggest that it lacks the freewheeling sense of fun of earlier outings – but everyone seems to agree that Majors’ Kang is a charismatic and welcome addition to the franchise.

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

A big screen spin-off from a hit YouTube series about a talking one-eyed seashell who lives in an Airbnb with his grandma and their pet piece of lint, Alan…No wait, come back!

If this film’s cutesy premise might have some more whimsy-averse viewers running screaming for the exit, a bevy of enthusiastic reviews suggest that this live-action/stop-motion hybrid will have you not just laughing, but crying at the exploits of its plucky, much-less-than-pint-sized protagonist.

The brainchild of US actor and comedian Jenny Slate (a voice-acting veteran from the likes of Bob’s Burgers and The Lego Batman Movie) and director Dean Fleischer Camp, Marcel was an online hit following his first appearance in 2010, going on to spawn two follow-ups and a popular series of children’s books.

His first big screen adventure – which seems primed to appeal to adults and kids alike – sees the determined little chap (voiced by Slate) set out to track down his long-lost family with the aid of the documentary maker (Fleischer Camp) who’s made him famous.

The Inspection

A gay black man facing an uncertain future decides to join the Marines in this boot camp drama, inspired by the real-life experiences of writer-director Elegance Bratton.

Living on the streets after being rejected by his mother (Gabrielle Union), Ellis French (Jeremy Pope, One Night in Miami) signs up to the Marine Corps, where he is subjected to a brutal training regime courtesy of the obligatory hard-nosed drill sergeant (Bokeem Woodbine) – but life is made even harder when his fellow recruits discover his sexuality.

Reviews suggest that it’s a flawed but promising debut from Bratton, with Empire concluding that ‘The Inspection may be by the book, but the layers of personal detail and emotionally resonant core lend it an authenticity that hits home and hits hard’.

Going for gold: awards nominees back on the big screen

With statuette engravers working overtime at the moment, there’s a welcome return to cinemas for some of the BAFTA and Oscar nominees this week.

At City Screen, you can catch Bill Nighy on career-best form as a hangdog bureaucrat given a new lease of life in Living (Fri 17th, Sat 18th, Tues 21st, Thurs 23rd), while Paul Mescal’s heart-wrenching turn in the mesmerising Aftersun has another moment in the, er, sun on Fri 17th, Weds 22nd and Thurs 23rd.

Meanwhile, Brendan Gleeson has a hard time ghosting Colin Farrell (well, it’s not easy when there’s only one pub in the village) in the darkly comic The Banshees of Inisherin (daily at City Screen and Vue from Sat 18th, except Monday).

Over at Vue, there’s another trip to the land of hot dog fingers in Everything Everywhere All at Once on Tues 21st, plus a comeback special for Austin Butler’s Elvis on Thurs 23rd.

Other screenings

New out this week, The Son (Cineworld and Vue, daily) sees director Florian Zeller following up his much-lauded dementia drama The Father with a new (unrelated) story about a high-flying lawyer (Hugh Jackman) trying to care for his depressed teenage son – Jackman’s picked up plenty of praise for his performance, even if several critics found the film itself a little overwrought.

Simpler pleasures can be found in Sharper (Everyman, daily), a glossy psychological thriller crammed full of twists, turns and a game A-list cast including Julianne Moore and Sebastian Stan (also out on Apple TV+).

There’s still time to see the highly acclaimed Saint Omer at City Screen this week (Mon 20th, Tues 21st, Weds 22nd), while Everyman have one more screening of politically-charged British tale Blue Jean on Thurs 23rd.

There are also preview screenings of forthcoming South Korean drama Broker at City Screen (Tues 21st) and Everyman (Weds 22nd), followed by a recorded Q&A with director Hirokazu Kore-eda – like Kore-eda’s much-loved 2018 film Shoplifters, the story once again revolves around a makeshift family unit operating outside the law, with Parasite star Song Kang-ho playing a man running an unofficial adoption brokerage service.

On Weds 22nd, City Screen have another selection of three-minute gems with Straight 8: Best Super 8 Shorts of 2022, a follow-up to their earlier compendium of submissions to the Straight 8 competition, which invites budding filmmakers to submit their own mini-movies shot and edited on the Super 8 film format – there’s still time to enter this year’s edition if you’re quick…

City Screen’s Weimar season – showcasing the trailblazing German cinema movement of the 1920s and 30s – continues with the hugely influential dystopian tale Metropolis (Sun 19th), the iconic visuals of which have been referenced/shamelessly plundered by everyone from Queen to Lady Gaga.

Britney Spears, meanwhile, preferred to take her inspiration from a more recent cinematic source, with her slightly bizarre nod to the end of Titanic in Oops!…I Did It Again – the 3D reissue of James Cameron’s blockbuster continues its voyage at Cineworld and Vue this week (showing daily), while Everyman have one more screening on Sat 18th.

Everyman also have a rather grittier 90s classic in the form of Heat on Sun 19th – with director Michael Mann having released a sequel to his cops-and-robbers saga in book form last year, speculation is rife that a big screen return could also be on the cards.

And finally, from one criminal mastermind to another – Minions: The Rise of Gru is your budget family-friendly option at City Screen this week, with a Kids’ Club screening on Sat 18th followed by an Autism-Friendly screening on Sun 19th (tickets for both £3.30); Cineworld are showing Disney adventure Strange World (Fri 17th – Sun 19th, £2.50), and literature’s second most famous telekinetic heroine is back in Matilda the Musical at both Cineworld (Fri 17th – Sun 19th, £2.50) and Vue (Fri 17th – Sun 19th, £2.49).

Come to think of it, why haven’t they given Carrie the all-singing, all-dancing treatment yet? That prom scene is crying out for a bit of Prodigy-inspired choreography…