THE THREE MUSKETEERS:MILADY TBC

★★★★★ OUT 15 DECEMBER CINEMAS

Darker and twistier than T3M: D’Artagnan, the second half of Martin Bourboulon’s ambitious adap of Alexandre Dumas’ novel is a lavishly labyrinthine tableau of intrigues, betrayals and doublecrosses. Dieu merci, then, for Eva Green’s Milady, her devilish grin giving the film a delicious sense of lubricious wickedness. The Musketeers themselves are rather short-changed; a silly subplot involving Aramis’ pregnant sister is emblematic of how weirdly peripheral they are. Overall, though, this is two solid hours of flamboyant, sword-swishing entertainment.

ANSELM PG

★★★★★ OUT 8 DEC CINEMAS 12 JAN CURZON HOME CINEMA

‘A biography of his art’: that’s how veteran director Wim Wenders describes this strikingly immersive 3D documentary about fellow countryman Anselm Kiefer, one of Germany’s most significant postWW2 artists. The stereoscopic format here is no gimmick; rather, it captures the monumental scale and materiality of the gigantic artworks housed within Kiefer’s cavernous ateliers. Moments from the artist’s younger days are dramatically reenacted, alongside archive footage highlighting his intellectual influences. We also see Kiefer mid-creation, in one case using a flamethrower to distress a canvas.

PRISCILLA 15

Welcome to my world…

★★★★★ OUT 26 DECEMBER CINEMAS

Hot on the Cuban heels of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis comes Sofia Coppola’s adap of Priscilla Presley’s Elvis and Me, the 1985 tell-all that recounts the infatuation, romance and disillusion of her formative years.

It kicks off with ninth-grade Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny, lovely) stationed unhappily in 1959 Germany with her family. But Presley soon enters the picture when the teen is invited to attend a party at the drafted star’s nearby home. Sparks fly immediately as Elvis (Jacob Elordi) chastely courts Priscilla, controlling their passion because of her tender age. Once he’s shipped back to the States, Priscilla enters a routine she’ll endure through their relationship and eventual marriage: Presley calling the shots, expecting everything and promising nothing.

Coppola is respectful to a fault of the source material; her faithful retelling makes the film feel episodic next to the razzle-dazzle of Luhrmann’s fairground ride. But the writer-director excels in creating atmosphere and emotion, and makes great use of Spaeny’s expressive Bambi eyes as they widen in wonderment and lower in dejection. Elordi, meanwhile, doesn’t particularly look like Elvis, but convinces nonetheless.

Nerdily detailed and evocative, Priscilla is a beguiling, quieter companion piece to Luhrmann’s awards-winner. But it suffers an abrupt ending and, compared with the creativity on show in Coppola’s other biopic, Marie Antoinette, is a more muted affair.

THE VERDICT An intriguing if coy tale of burning love, toxic fame and outgrowing your dreams.

RAGING GRACE TBC

★★★★★ OUT 29 DECEMBER CINEMAS

Joining the ranks of powerful immigrant horrors such as His House (2020) and No One Gets Out Alive (2021), British-born Filipino writer-director Paris Zarcilla’s debut is thoughtful and timely. When Filipino cleaner Joy (Max Eigenmann) smuggles her daughter Grace (Jaeden Paige Boadilla) into the mansion of her new, bedridden employer (David Hayman) and his niece (Leanne Best), they discover all is not as it seems. Gradually the film starts turning the screws on its likeable leads, in the process interrogating ideas of identity, ownership and belonging with punch and purpose.

EARTH MAMA 15

★★★★★ OUT 8 DECEMBER CINEMAS

Building upon her 2020 docushort The Heart Still Hums, Savanah Leaf’s Bay Area-set debut feature is centred on Gia (rapper Tia Nomore, excellent), a pregnant, impoverished mother battling both addiction and child protective services. Having to cope with two children in care and the prospect of her unborn baby being taken from her, Gia is locked in a depressing spiral, despite support from social worker Miss Carmen (Erika Alexander). From Leaf’s mix of naturalism and dreamlike moments to Kelsey Lu’s jazzy score, this is a frequently surprising, original and evocative piece.