A One Mann’s Movies review of “Pillion” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 4*, 18). "Pillion" is one of those films that kids might not want to take their granny to. When the BBFC say "Strong sex", they ain't kidding, and it is of the man-on-man variety. But given that this is the debut film from Portsmouth-born Harry Lighton, it is brimming with bold decisions and innovation that never failed to impress. One Mann's Movies Rating: "Primark, tomorrow, 5pm". Colin (Harry Melling) and Ray (Alexander Skarsgård) first meet. (Source: BBC Film).

A One Mann’s Movies review of “The History of Sound” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 3*, '15'). "The History of Sound" has "worthy" written all over it. Here's another outing for those 'Pedro-Pascal-alikes' Josh O'Connor and Paul Mescal, by which I mean, they seem to be all over our screens like a rash at the moment. Don't these people have families to go home to? Aside from a short prologue and epilogue, we are here pitched into a ten year period between 1917 and 1927 following the friendship (and 'friendship with benefits') between two men who meet at the New England Conservatory of Music.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Rental Family” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 3*, '15'). In amongst all of the heavyweight dramas at the LFF, "light and fluffy" movies have been a bit of a scarcity. OK, there was "Roofman", "DJ Ahmet" and "100 Nights of Hero" (still to review) which probably fits that bill. But none of them have quite the same feel-good vibes as "Rental Family", only the second feature film from the sparsely-named "Hikari" (real name Mitsuyo Miyazaki) and her most accessible film for Western audiences.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Die My Love” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 3.5*, '15'). I found Lynne Ramsay's new film, "Die My Love", a difficult one to rate. While I think it's a well-made film I also found it a very uncomfortable and unpleasant film to watch. One Mann's Movies Rating: Grace (Jennifer Lawrence) and Jackson (Robert Pattinson). New home, fun vibes. Before the dark times. Before the baby. (Source: MUBI.) Plot: Grace (Jennifer Lawrence) and Jackson (Robert Pattinson) move from New York into Jackson's uncle's old rat-infested house in the country.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” (2025, 3*, 12A). I saw "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere" at The Royal Festival Hall as a part of the London FIlm Festival, but as it is released in UK cinemas from tomorrow, I've done this one as a standard post and not one of my "LFF" ones. (Sorry, I'm still about 9 films behind in writing them all the LFF ones up!). And... the film is fine. A perfectly enjoyable music biopic-lite about a rock star going through mental health issues.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Blue Moon” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 4.5*, '15'). "Blue Moon" is another of those films that makes me really love attending the LFF. I went into this Richard Linklater movie with no expectations whatsoever and we completely blown away by it. It won't please action lovers - it is very 'stagey' in its presentation. But as a study of a desperate man, the famous lyricist Lorenz Hart, in the latter stages of his life I found it to be an exquisite piece of cinema.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Lady” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 3*, '15'). Given how late in the calendar year the London Film Festival is run, it's quite rare to have a World Premiere showing at the LFF. But "Lady" was one of them. It has moments of hilarity but, for me, didn't have the legs for a 97 minute long feature film. One Mann's Movies Rating: Director Sam (Laurie Kynaston) slowly getting sucked into the madness of Lady Isabella (Sian Clifford). (Source: MetFilm Production) Plot: Sam (Laurie Kynaston) is a BAFTA-winning director ("actually, just nominated") who is hired to film a Netflix-commissioned documentary about a narcissistic aristocrat, Lady Isabella (Sian Clifford), in her stately home, Ravenhyde Hall, as she prepares to host the 'Stately Stars' talent show for local children.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Retreat” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 3.5*, '12A'). One of the most innovative films I've seen at the LFF, "Retreat" is almost entirely without traditional dialogue: there are only about 4 or 5 lines near the end of the film. All of the rest of the conversations are conducted in British Sign Language (BSL), with a bit in German Sign Language.... who even knew there were national variants!? One Mann's Movies Rating: A life sent into turmoil for Matt (James Joseph Boyle). (Source: XYZ Films)

A One Mann’s Movies review of “No Other Choice” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 4*, '15'). Original title: Eojjeolsuga eobsda I'd seen 2013's "Stoker" (3.5*), but I really loved Park Chan-wook's Oscar-nominated 2022 thriller "Decision to Leave" (4.5*). This time, his new film - "No Other Choice" - is equally dark, but leans much more heavily into black comedy than the thriller elements and it's another delight. One Mann's Movies Rating: The 'Before'. Perfect family. Ideal home. (Source: MUBI) Plot: Man-soo (Lee Byung-hun) is a mid-level manager at a paper mill, subject to a US takeover and 'streamlining'.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Anemone” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 3*, 15). Question: If you're a young director with your debut feature film, how do you assure international attention to it? Answer: get your Dad to come out of retirement to star in it. Now, that wouldn't work if my son George were to do it. But when your Dad is Daniel Day-Lewis.... it works! For "Anemone" is the debut feature of Ronan Day-Lewis. The film itself is a bit of a turgid affair, but underpinned with good performances.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Is This Thing On?” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 3.5*, '15'). In the end-titles to this film there was the name "John Bishop" as a co-writer and producer which I immediately dismissed with a "No! Surely that must be a different John Bishop". But actually, no, it is Liverpudlian comedian John Bishop and this film - "Is This Thing On?" - is loosely based on the events of his own life. Here though, we are transported to a US setting and Bradley Cooper directs.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Rose of Nevada” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 3.5*, '12A'). I am actually a Mark Jenkin virgin, having avoided his previous two Cornish-set fishing sagas "Bait" and "Enys Men" (even though I know Mark Kermode raves over those films and we normally, though not always, share similar tastes in movies). Without even seeing them, I always rather dismissed them as gimmicky 'style over substance' with their almost square format; their grainy and scratchy quality; and their red 'over-exposed' style red flashes between cuts.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Mastermind” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 2*, 12A). Critic Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian described Kelly Reichardt's new film, "The Mastermind", thus: "Reichardt’s quietist, observational style is unexpectedly successful at creating a super-naturalistic depiction of an art gallery robbery", giving it 4 stars. And I will agree that there is something simplistic and naturalistic about the fairly inept art theft depicted in this film. But after that, the pace of the film is GLACIALLY slow and frankly bored me to tears. It's a heist movie guys!

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Frankenstein” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 4*, 15). Another LFF film that is on limited release, in selected cinemas, from today in the UK. Guillermo del Toro's passion project, "Frankenstein", is a Netflix production that will start streaming on November 7th. But this really is an impressive, big-screen spectacular which - if you can - you should try to see at the cinema. One Mann's Movies Rating: An example of the animated cadavers that Victor (Oscar Isaac) is experimenting with. Here being directed by Guillermo del Toro.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Hamnet” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 5*, 12A). Few films at the LFF have been as 'Oscar-baity' as "Hamnet" from the Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao. As I came out I said that it could win Best Film, Best Director and possibly even Best Actor. As for Best Actress, they might as well not bother to select four other actresses in the nominations list and give it straight to Jessie Buckley. For hers is a truly astonishing performance that must surely have that Oscar locked in.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Lost Bus” (2025, 3*, 15). I could hear a chorus of the kids from The Simpsons singing "Hail to the bus driver, the bus driver man" during this film. For "The Lost Bus" is set in California in the city of Paradise that in 2018 was severely impacted by an out-of-control brush fire, rather flippantly referred to as "The Campfire". One Mann's Movies Rating: Just make damn sure the speed of the bus never drops below 50mph. (Go on, I bet you were thinking that too!).

A One Mann’s Movies review of “After The Hunt” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 3*, 15). As for "Roofman", "After The Hunt" is showing at the LFF but actually already out in cinemas! Which feels like a bit of a cheat! I'm afraid I have a love/hate relationship with Luca Guadagnino films... well, "hate" is putting it too strongly... "ambivalence" might be a better word. And, come to think of it, "love" is putting it way too strongly as well. OK, let me rephrase... I have an ambivalent/ambivalent relationship with Luca Guadagnino films.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Roofman” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 3*, 15). Normally, the LFF films are ones which are coming out a few months away or even late next year. But in the case of "Roofman", this was very much an early-preview, since it is in cinemas from Friday! One Mann's Movies Rating: Selfish bastard! Jeffrey (Channing Tatum) getting closer to Leigh (Kirsten Dunst). (Source: FilmNation Entertainment) Plot: This is a true story. Ex-military man Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum) is an armed robber who hacks his way into fast-food restaurants in the Charlotte area through the roof and then holds up the staff for the previous day's takings.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “It Was Just An Accident” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 3.5*, 12A). A surprise winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year, the Iranian film "It Was Just An Accident" veers into slightly Hitchcockian territory when a man travelling with his family is suspected of being a notorious war criminal. A film that is constantly surprising you, going from thriller vibes to farcical comedy and back again. One Mann's Movies Rating: A disrupted wedding-eve and an increasingly mucky dress. From left, Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), Ali (Majid Panahi) and Golrokh (Hadis Pakbaten).

A One Mann’s Movies review of “I Swear” (2025, 4.5*, 15). The human brain is a remarkable thing: the most complex organ in the human body, it can process trillions of bytes of information faster than the best computers to help your body navigate a busy tube station or help you pick up a pin (like Blythe!) from across a room. But it is so complex that when it goes wrong it can be frightening. As a teen, I had a brief period - thankfully temporary - of night-time epilepsy and still remember (with a cold sweat) the terror of my body being completely out of my own control.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Testament of Ann Lee” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 3*, '15'). Was I the only one who didn't know that the Quaker movement called the Shakers, that is the subject of this film, was so called because of their strange movements during worship (or, as it seemed to me, some sort of exorcism of bad deeds)? Regardless, "The Testament of Ann Lee" is a slightly odd film charting the path of the Manchester-based organisation and its transfer to America. This is written by the married couple of Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, the same writing team behind "

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Jay Kelly” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 3.5*, '15'). I sat next to a lady from the industry at this screening who stated that "big movie stars" were a thing of the past. But I disagree. I think if George Clooney (or Julia Robert or Brad Pitt or Harrison Ford) walked down the corridor of a crowded French train, then everyone would go nuts as happens in this film. For George Clooney (or "my friend George" as I always call him, after "

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Bugonia” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 5*, '15'). Yorgos Lanthimos knows how to deliver a movie. I didn't particularly care for "The Lobster" (now I am more in to his style, I really should give it a rewatch); "The Favourite" and of course the Oscar-lauded "Poor Things" have all massively impressed me. His last film - "Kinds of Kindness" - got a more mixed reception (I quite liked it, but others here at the LFF were less kind).

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Miroirs No 3” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 2.5*, '15'). English Translation: Mirrors No. 3. "Miroirs No 3" refers to a piano suite by Ravel, the third movement of which is played by the protagonist in this movie. (But aside from that, it seems to be pretty meaningless.) I'm not familiar with the German writer/director Christian Petzold, but this rather slight piece - whilst pleasant enough to sit through - didn't really trigger any emotions in me. Other than, "well, that doesn't seem very realistic"!