ALSO SHOWING
On the Rocks
The latest from Sofia Coppola sees the writer/ director re- team with Bill Murray for the first time on film since Lost in Translation; not entirely coincidentally, it’s her most entertaining effort since that 2003 masterpiece. A loose and likeable father- daughter caper movie, it casts Murray as Felix, the raffish, art- dealer father of a novelist ( Rashida Jones) whose sudden insecurity about her marriage is exacerbated by his absurd plan to put her workaholic husband ( Marlon Wayans) under surveillance. What follows as they gad around a very romanticised version of New York like a couple of farcical gumshoes is presented as a bit of a lark in Felix’s eyes, a rueful way to reassert his position as the most important man in his daughter’s life. But both know his infidelities messed up her childhood, and Coppola touches on this theme delicately without breaking the good vibes.
Apple TV+
The Secret Garden
Setting Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved story – which begins in India before transferring to the Yorkshire Moors – against the backdrop of Partition initially suggests this new version might have an interesting take on the children’s classic. Instead, it’s merely a plot kicker to get its attention- seeking orphan protagonist ( Dixie Egerickx) to her decrepit uncle’s ghostly English country estate where she soon stumbles upon the titular garden. What follows is a bit dreary and earnest.
In cinemas and on Sky Cinema
The Witches
( PG)
Roald Dahl’s delightfully macabre 1983 children’s novel gets an entertaining update Transposing the story of an orphaned boy and his grandmother’s run- in with a coven of
child- hating witches from Britain to America, specifically Alabama circa 1968, the specificity of the location switch adds an intriguing racial dimension to the story, but otherwise this is a pretty faithful adaptation. Octavia Spencer is amusing as the aforementioned grandmother; Anne Hathaway, meanwhile, is in primo form, vamping it up as the CG- augmented head witch with a devilish plan to rid the world of children. Chris Rock co- stars as the film’s mousey narrator.
Available on digital download from 26 October
Honest Thief ( 15)
Liam Neeson plays a safecracker with a conscience whose determination to turn himself in goes awry when a corrupt cop ( Jai Courtney – reliably awful) attempts to steal his stash before he can return all his stolen money. Though completely implausible, there’s still mileage in Neeson’s reluctant tough- guy persona.
Cinemas only
The Climb ( 15)
A toxic male friendship is examined through a wry comic lens in this US indie film focusing on different life- changing moments in the adult lives of two friends ( Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin) who can’t seem to live without each other.
Cinemas only
The Summer of 85
( 15)
A minor film from French director François Ozone, not as evocative as its nostalgia- courting title suggests. Gay teen coming- of- age story focuses on complications of first love rather than complications of coming out, with lively performances, but it’s no Call Me By Your Name.
In cinemas and available to stream on Curzon Home Cinema