EVERY BODY 12

★★★★★ OUT 15 DECEMBER CINEMAS

Director/producer Julie Cohen (Julia, RBG) mounts a frank discussion about gender and identity politics in this illuminating documentary about the lives of intersex people. There’s a lightness of touch to the tone as three individuals share their experiences of a callous, oblivious world, but also no mistaking the palpable anger. Going back further, Cohen explores the story of a 90s sexologist whose experiments left one man permanently scarred: a still-relevant consequence of society’s harmful ignorance. In all, it’s both a joyful celebration of identity and a stirring call for change.

YOUR CHRISTMAS OR MINE 2TBC

★★★★★ OUT 8 DECEMBER PRIME VIDEO

This sequel to last year’s charming, funny Amazon Original ditches the Brit-centric feel with a move to the Austrian Alps and the addition of a severely underused Jane Krakowski.

But it’s another likeable romcom that delivers a decent number of chuckles. Affable leads Asa Butterfield and Cora Kirk return with families in tow; as they go holidaying together, class divisions become increasingly apparent. Plot contrivances are rife and the ensuing mishaps barely remember to reference Christmas, but this remains a cut above most festive fluff.

ROBODOC: THE CREATION OF ROBOCOP 15

★★★★★ OUT NOW ICON FILM CHANNEL 18 DECEMBER BD

EXTRAS ★★★★★ Featurettes, Poster, Art cards

Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 sci-fi classic goes under the magnifying glass in this immersive, five-hour docu-miniseries from directors Eastwood Allen and Christopher Griffiths. The film is carefully dissected, squib by bloody squib, as those involved share insights and anecdotes. The nuts and bolts are fascinating, but the stories of on-set calamity and chaos are even more illuminating – from Verhoeven blowing up stuntmen to star Peter Weller’s cookieinduced tantrum.

TARRAC 15

★★★★★ OUT 8 DECEMBER CINEMAS

It’s Dingle all the way in this Irish-language drama about a city worker who, having returned to her Kerry village to look after her ailing father (Lorcan Cranitch), immediately becomes a quarter of its all-female rowing team. With local pride and the Munster Cup up for grabs, there’s plenty to take up oars for - although Aoife (Kelly Gough, TV’s Raw) is still struggling to come to terms with the loss of her mother 15 years earlier. A stirring sports yarn with a striking setting, Declan Recks’ film (whose title means ‘pull’ in Gaelic) makes the most of its modest means.

CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET PG

Hen of action…

★★★★★ OUT 15 DECEMBER NETFLIX

The sequel to 2000’s Chicken Run is another charming, weird and enjoyable win for Aardman Animation. Set several years after the original, it sees Ginger (Thandiwe Newton), Rocky (Zachary Levi) and their brood living a quiet life on an island sanctuary. The plot thickens when they discover the terrifying Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson) is hatching an evil new plan.

Though it takes a while to get there, the sequel shines when it swaps the island’s chicken coop for a wider world ‘that finds chickens so delicious’. Like the first Run, Nugget is awash with film nods, from Tweedy’s Bond-villain-style lair to the Barbieland for chickens that ends up more like The Truman Show. And though there’s a bigger budget and a streaming giant (Netflix) involved, Aardman’s stop-motion puppets thankfully remain front and centre, every quirk and toothy grin intact.

Several of the original cast return (Jane Horrocks, Imelda Staunton), while newbies like Bella Ramsey and Nick Mohammed slot in well. Thandiwe Newton does a fine job as Ginger, though the recasting (Julia Sawalha claimed she was told her voice now sounded ‘too old’ for the role) may still ruffle feathers. Nonetheless, under the watchful eye of director Sam Fell (Flushed Away), this is a tongue-in-cheek treat that will have you thinking twice before ordering your next takeaway.

THE VERDICT Fast food gets a roasting in this chick-flick, another egg-cellent addition to Aardman’s stellar filmography.