OFFICIAL COMPETITION/COMPETENCIA OFICIAL ★★★★★
Directed by Gastón Duprat, Mariano Cohn. Starring Penélope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, Oscar Martínez, José Luis Gómez, Irene Escolar, Manolo Solo. limited release, 114 min
Cruz is an eccentric film director in a truly delightful farce. Everyone on screen is having a ball in this uproarious gallimaufry of movie-related pretentiousness. The absurdity is exquisitely detailed and mounted. Carefully constructed jokes are amplified by cinematographer Arnau Valls Colomer’s pleasingly askew framing, Alain Bainée’s sleek production design, and Wanda Morales’ dramatic costumes. Cruz won at last year’s Venice Film Festival for her work on Parallel Mothers, which played alongside Official Competition in, another wink, official competition. But she’s never worn a blouse with more intent than she does here. TB
BEAST ★★★☆☆
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Directed by Baltasar Kormákur. Starring Idris Elba, Sharlto Copley, Iyana Halley, Leah Jeffries. 15A cert, gen release, 93 min
Idris Elba goes up against a killer lion. What more do you need to know? Fortunately, star and director have a sound grasp on action logistics. Kormákur often shoots in long, long takes that allow us a proper sense of the landscape while upping the imminent threat. Elba is always at home to manly charisma, but here also allows in strains of convincing self-doubt. Sharlto Copley, too often a baddie, savours the chance to comfort and console. The family dymanic are a bit cliched, the dialogue a bit flat. But it rattles along at a satisfying lick. DC
QUEEN OF GLORY ★★★☆☆
Directed by Nana Mensah. Starring Nana Mensah, Meeko Gattuso, Oberon KA Adjepong, Adam Leon. Limited release, 78 min
Mensah directs herself as Sarah, a PhD student in oncology at Columbia University. Despite her apparent success, Sarah plans to move to Ohio to be with her boyfriend, but finds that plan scuppered when her mother dies and she inherits her house and the Christian bookstore of the title. The nuanced acting and delightful characterisations elevate a film that feels securely connected to a particular place and time. The Bronx has rarely been so affectionately evoked. The plot is a trifle thin, but Mansah is an absolute star. Very promising debut. DC
MR MALCOLM’S LIST ★★★☆☆
Directed by Emma Holly Jones. Starring Freida Pinto, Sope Dìrísù, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Ashley Park, Zawe Ashton, Theo James. PG cert, gen release, 118 min
Set in England in 1818 (and shot last year in Ireland), Jones’ handsome directorial debut concerns the eligible bachelor of the title (His House’s Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù, this week’s James Bond contender). Julia Thistlewaite (Ashton) is one of many society ladies jostling for Mr Malcolm’s attention - not to mention his “20,000 a year”. But when she fails to say anything of note on the matter of the corn laws, she is dropped after one eyelash-fluttering evening at the opera. Plays like Jane Austen fan-fiction, which isn’t the worst sub-genre in the world. TB
