THE ALMOND AND THE SEAHORSE 15

★★★★★ OUT 10 MAY CINEMAS

Adapted from Kaite O’Reilly’s play, this well-meaning misfire stars script writer and co-director Celyn Jones as Joe, a man with amnesia whose wife, Sarah (Rebel Wilson), struggles with his condition.

Likewise, Toni (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is failing to cope with her cellist partner Gwen (Trine Dyrholm), who has similar memory issues. So goes the set-up for a film mired in unlikely contrivances. Wilson shows willing in a rare dramatic turn, and Jones’ portrayal of memory loss is touching, but otherwise he and co-director Tom Stern fumble the film’s emotional impact.

STEPHEN TBC

★★★★★ OUT 26 APRIL CINEMAS

Inspired by the first filmed crime reconstruction, 1901’s Arrest Of Goudie, Melanie Manchot’s docudrama likewise seeks to blend fiction and fact. Stephen Giddings plays both compulsive gambler Tom Goudie in a film within the film, and himself in auditions, rehearsals and roundtable discussions – outlining his own experiences with addiction alongside non-pro actors and a clutch of former soap stars. Despite Giddings’ best efforts, the fictional element struggles to convince; it’s the real-world anecdotes that provide all the most absorbing drama.

JERICHO RIDGE TBC

★★★★★ OUT NOW CINEMAS 29 APRIL DIGITAL

Making the most of modest resources, this largely singlelocation siege movie is the directorial feature debut of British writer Will Gilbey (Rise of the Footsoldier). Set in Washington State but shot in Kosovo, and featuring a largely English cast playing American, it stars Nikki Amuka-Bird as a harassed deputy sheriff defending her lonely HQ from armed invaders over the course of an action-packed evening. Amuka-Bird makes a fierce protagonist, the firefights are intense and Michael Socha shines as an abusive prisoner. An impressive first try.

MADE IN ENGLAND: THE FILM S OF POWELL AND PRESSBURGER TBC

Amatter of movie love…

★★★★★ OUT 10 MAY CINEMAS

Martin Scorsese fronts this personal journey through the work of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, whose creative partnership spanned from 1939-72. In the 1940s and 1950s, notably, the duo were responsible for some of the most remarkable films in the history of British cinema.

Entranced as a child by Powell’s The Thief of Bagdad, Scorsese has championed their work for decades, becoming close friends with Powell and praising their ability to make ‘subversive commercial films’. His editor Thelma Schoonmaker, here executive producer, is Powell’s widow.

Directed by David Hinton, Made in England is straightforward in its construction: Scorsese serves as a narrator, and there are film clips alongside archival interviews. The veteran director explains how specific sequences have impacted on his own filmmaking, giving the example of the preparations for the duel in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp influencing Jake LaMotta’s delayed walk to the ring in Raging Bull.

Attention is paid to some of the duo’s less successful films, including Gone to Earth. What’s emphasised is the European aspect of their productions, with many key collaborators refugees from Nazi persecution, giving their British films an internationalist dimension.

THE VERDICT A treat for film-lovers, as Scorsese expertly guides us through the Powell and Pressburger back catalogue.

MALUM 18

★★★★★ OUT 26 APRIL CINEMAS

Director and co-writer Anthony DiBlasi remakes his own 2014 movie Last Shift, only noisier and gaudier. Essentially smashing together John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13 and Prince of Darkness, Malum plonks rookie cop Jessica (Jessica Sula, Split) in a decommissioned police station for the night, besieged by a vicious cult mysteriously linked to her father’s death. The odd vivid vision escalates to a volley of violence, but it’s really not as fun as it sounds, containing little of Carpenter’s suspenseful atmosphere and formal expertise, just a barrage of jump scares.