When it comes to the Jurassic Park sequels, it’s tempting to repurpose the oft-quoted words of Jeff Goldblum’s leather-clad chaos theorist, Dr Ian Malcolm: “Your studio heads were so busy wondering if they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should…”
While modern franchise filmmaking is far too savvy to let a Jaws: The Revenge-style clunker through the gates, there remains a sense that none of the follow-ups to Steven Spielberg’s dino-disaster classic have managed to capture the wonder and excitement of the original.
Even the most jaded seen-it-all-befaurus, though, may find Jurassic World: Dominion hard to resist, thanks to the return of a trio of familiar faces, last seen together as they flew off into the sunset back in 1993.
Meanwhile, All My Friends Hate Me proves that a night on Isla Nublar is as nothing compared to the fist-chewing horror of a reunion weekend. After all, at least when a T-Rex bites your head off it’s over quickly…
New releases
Jurassic World: Dominion
This concluding chapter of the Jurassic World trilogy finds our heroes living in a changed world.
Following the momentous events of 2018’s Fallen Kingdom, dinosaurs have gone global, and are now living alongside humans all over the world – an idea that’s certainly loaded with potential for some memorable set-pieces (and some quite mundane ones, come to that: “Liz, the raptors have been at the bins again!”).
More exciting still is the long-awaited return of Jurassic Park’s original dino-busters, as Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum get the old gang back together to lend a hand to Chris Pratt and co.
| Cert 12A, 147 mins | |
| Cineworld, City Screen, Everyman, Vue | |
| From Fri Jun 10 | |
| More details |
All My Friends Hate Me
That scourge of middle class thirty-something life, the reunion, is the subject of this promising-looking British comedy, which sees its protagonist’s birthday celebrations start to go increasingly off-piste.
Pete (co-writer Tom Stourton, whose face will be familiar from the likes of Horrible Histories and Stath Lets Flats) arrives at the country mansion of his old university pals for a birthday weekender – but he’s soon beset by a nagging sense that something feels off.
Between the persistent sense of disconnect with his old gang, their strangely pointed comments, and the presence of a mysterious local who seems to have an unhealthy interest in him, Pete starts to feel like there’s a joke – or something more sinister – that he’s not in on…
Created by and starring a host of upcoming British talent, it’s been picking up some impressive reviews, with Variety hailing it as ‘a comedy that elicits such bone-deep cringe it’s indistinguishable from horror’.
| Cert 15, 94 mins | |
| City Screen, Vue | |
| From Fri Jun 10 | |
| More details |
Il Buco
If you were tasked with envisioning the polar opposite of potholing nerve-shredder The Descent, this Italian drama (the title translates as “The Hole”) might well be what you’d come up with.
Slowly paced and almost dialogue-free, the film recreates the 1961 expedition by a group of young speleologists into the Bifurto Abyss, Europe’s deepest cave.
The experiences of the young explorers are juxtaposed with the story of a local shepherd who observes their progress.
A string of quietly impressed (and occasionally frustrated) reviews suggest it’s something of a Zen-like viewing experience: “I’m not certain that I can fully explain it,” the Guardian’s Xan Brooks wrote on its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival last year, before adding, “I’m not convinced that it matters”.
| Cert U, 93 mins | |
| City Screen | |
| From Fri Jun 10 | |
| More details |
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Sundance London Film Festival at City Screen
With the London leg of the influential, Robert Redford-founded Sundance Film Festival taking place this weekend, there’s a chance to catch three of the programme’s highlights at City Screen, all followed by recorded Q&As with the directors.
On Fri 10th, you can catch a preview of new comedy Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (out on general release next week), which takes place in the confines of a Norwich hotel room where Emma Thompson’s retired widower has procured the services of the eponymous sex worker (Daryl McCormack, Peaky Blinders) – the film follows the changing relationship between the two over the course of three encounters.
It’s followed on Sat 11th by Free Chol Soo Lee, a documentary about the campaign for the release of a Korean immigrant who was wrongly convicted of a gangland murder in 1970s San Francisco.
The festival weekend draws to a close on Sun 12th with A Love Song, a reflective drama with shades of Nomadland which sees two childhood sweethearts, now both widowers, reunited on a starlit evening out in the Colorado mountains.
Other screenings
What better way to wrap up City Screen’s Gaspar Noé Presents season than a film with one of the most famous closing lines of all time?
Gloria Swanson is ready for her close-up once more in Billy Wilder’s iconic Hollywood film noir Sunset Boulevard, showing on Mon 13th – this story of a struggling screenwriter drawn into the fantasy world of a fading film star was selected by Noé as one of the influences on his dementia drama Vortex.
City Screen’s Ennio Morricone season continues on Sun 12th with classic 1966 war film The Battle of Algiers – Morricone collaborated with director Gillo Pontecorvo on the score for this celebrated docudrama, which depicts the clash between the Algerian Liberation Front (FLN) and the French colonial government in North Africa.
The film had its origins in the memoirs of former FLN military leader Yacef Saadi (who also stars in it) and is acclaimed for its even-handed depiction of both sides, with Time Out calling it ‘superb and unrivalled’.
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Meanwhile, with Pride Month in full swing, City Screen have a timely screening of US indie drama Swan Song (Tues 14th), which sees a flamboyant retired hairdresser break out of his nursing home to style the hair of his estranged client (Linda Evans of Dynasty fame, no less) for her funeral.
Over at Vue, Roger Moore faces off against Christopher Lee and his superfluous third nipple as the 007 saga continues with 1974’s The Man with the Golden Gun (Sat 11th) – one of the franchise’s lesser-loved instalments, with a theme song to match (it’s by Lulu apparently, but I couldn’t hum it for you even if you dangled me over a shark-infested pond).
And finally, The Bad Guys is your budget family-friendly offering this week, showing at City Screen (Sat 11th, tickets £3.00), Cineworld (Sat 11th, Sun 12th, £2.50), and Vue (Sat 11th, Sun 12th, £2.49) – I’ve still not seen this fun-sounding heist caper, but any film that features zombie guinea pigs has surely got to be worth a punt.
Community cinema
There’s another Pride-appropriate screening at South Bank Community Cinema this week in the shape of And Then We Danced.
This 2019 romantic drama follows Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani), a young man training as a dancer with the National Georgian Ensemble in Tbilisi.
Feeling constrained by the rigidly conservative and macho world of the Ensemble, Merab finds a spark of rivalry and romance with carefree new recruit Irakli (Bachi Valishvili) – but their secret relationship puts Merab’s family bonds and his professional future in jeopardy.
Highly acclaimed both for its performances and its dance set pieces – Gelbakhiani is a real-life dancer making his acting debut here – the film received a 15 minute standing ovation when it screened at the 2019 Cannes Festival.
The film shows at Clements Hall, South Bank on Fri 10th at 8pm (doors 7:30pm) – tickets are £4, and SBCC advise that it’s best to book in advance by e-mailing [email protected].