THE KNOCKING 15

★★★✩✩

OUT 4 SEPTEMBER DIGITAL

The familiar ‘cabin in the woods’ set-up gets the folk-horror treatment in this Finnish drama from first-time filmmakers Joonas Pajunen and Max Seeck. Three adult siblings return to their childhood home to settle the family estate and, in the process, confront their abusive past and the violent circumstances of their parents’ death. The glacial unravelling of dark secrets makes for tense, compelling viewing as revelations surface and the full picture gradually emerges. A pity, then, that the second half succumbs to more well-worn paranormal activity.

THE INNOCENT 15

★★★✩✩

OUT 25 AUGUST CINEMAS

A fretful widower gets drawn into his jailbird stepfather’s criminal activities in this amiable timepasser, which is less a vehicle for writer/director/star Louis Garrel (Théo in Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Dreamers) than an opportunity to enjoy the grizzled charm of veteran Roschdy Zem. The latter is on sparkling form as an ex-con trying not too hard to go straight, and so are Anouk Grinberg and Tár’s Noémie Merlant as Garrel’s free-spirited mother and wouldbe girlfriend respectively. The result is a fab foursome whose banter and chemistry elevate what is otherwise a fairly formulaic caper.

THE BEANIE BUBBLE 15

★★★★✩

OUT NOW CINEMAS, APPLE TV+

Continuing the trend for origin stories about iconic 80s/90s brands, this twisty, often hilarious takedown of tantrum-prone tycoon Ty Warner’s (Zach Galifianakis, terrific) Beanie Babies empire takes a different tack from Air or Flamin’ Hot. More cautionary than celebratory, it frames one man’s American dream as three women’s nightmare: co-founder Robbie (a deliciously tough Elizabeth Banks), marketing pioneer Maya (perky Geraldine Viswanathan) and single mum Sheila (an understated Sarah Snook). Also scoring highly as a sly social satire, it’s playful, punchy and clad in popping pastels.

KICK OUT! THE NEWTOWN NEUROTICS STORY TBC

★★★✩✩

OUT 8 SEPTEMBER CINEMAS

Pogoing into the politico-punk mosh pit, Luke J. Baker’s solidly stirring doc celebrates the socialist power trio whose story sprawls from Thatcher to Brexit. Main man Steve Drewett details how a Harlow upbringing, the Ramones and the miners’ strike stoked the Neurotics’ righteous fervour, heard on songs such as When the Oil Runs Out. Band bonds are explored between reflections on DIY principles, while Billy Bragg and Steve Lamacq recall close-knit band/fans connections: ‘It felt,’ says the ageless Lammo, ‘like a bit of a gang.’

JUST SUPER U

★★✩✩✩

OUT NOW CINEMAS 25 SEPT DIGITAL

When awkward tween Hedvig (Reilley Ott) accidentally shrinks her dad’s (Jean-Luc Julien, who also directs) super-suit in the wash, he must retire from the hero business and choose a successor: Hedvig or her athletic cousin Adrian (Gustav Bergold). Replete with well-meaning messages about being yourself, this Norwegian kid-flick might deal in themes of fulfilling (or failing) parental expectations, but the plot is slight and lacking in stakes. Despite some handsome animation, the result feels like a less successful spin on supershow Miraculous, one that never quite takes flight.

THE HIDING PLACE 12A

★★★✩✩

OUT NOW CINEMAS

An ultra-slow but thoughtful filmed stage adaptation of Dutch wartime heroine Corrie ten Boom’s brave stand in hiding multiple Jewish refugees. Focusing strongly on her family’s enduring Christian faith, especially during Ten Boom’s Gestapo interrogation and her ordeal at Ravensbrück concentration camp, it’s an earnest, well-intentioned piece that works hard to capture the risks she ran. Conventionally shot in a Tennessee theatre with stripped-back staging, it’s held up chiefly by a resolutely stoical performance from actor Nan Gurley, who nonetheless emphasises Ten Boom’s consistent compassion.

BIOSPHERE 15

★★★✩✩

OUT NOW SKY CINEMA, NOW

Despite being entirely confined to the titular post-apocalyptic shelter, this lo-fi, sci-fi twohander boldly goes where no bromance has gone before. But even as the big twists and heavy themes (survivalism, evolution, gender identity) stack up, first-time director/co-writer Mel Eslyn maintains a lightness of touch, aided by the easy chemistry between last men standing Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass (who co-scripted). Shame, though, that efforts to tickle the funny bone and – in the final stretch – yank the heartstrings are too uneven to really round things out.

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER 12

★★★★✩

OUT NOW DVD, BD, 4K UHD, DIGITAL

EXTRAS ★★★★✩ Featurettes, Music video

You may wish it was all done in service of a superior story, but it’s impossible not to be dazzled by the cutting-edge effects and filmmaking wizardry employed in realising James Cameron’s longawaited sequel. Packing more than three hours’ worth of featurettes, the sci-fi blockbuster’s UHD release leaves no Pandoran stone unturned with its exploration of how the epic adventure was brought to the screen. Meanwhile, the breath-snatching visuals result in one of the best-looking 4K discs around.