Oliver Battershall

Woman in Chains (1968) 3/5
Starts out with lots of promise. Stylishly shot with lots of potential to dive into the theme of voyeurism and the notion of a woman’s complicity in her own and others’ sexual exploitation. But then it drifts into becoming my dreaded nemesis, a ‘Things Just Kinda Happen’ movie. The bulk of this movie felt like tepid fluff which was a big shame, especially since there’s a phenomenal dream sequence right at the end that pulls everything together very well and is among the best I’ve ever seen put to film. As an overall experience though this was a bit unsatisfying.

Our Land (2025) 3/5
An expectedly emotive documentary on a complex subject that feels intrinsically British in its roots in patriarchy, the class divide, racism and general snobbish exclusionism. There’s a great range of interviewees here, perhaps the film’s proudest attribute. I just would’ve liked to see some dialogue between the two sides or some more direct interrogation into their arguments. You end up with something undeniably thought-provoking and important, but with the same talking points echoed by the same people over the course of ninety minutes. Talking points that can sometimes feel a little broad or willfully ignorant, even on the unequivocally morally superior side. Overall I fully enjoyed this but I definitely saw some missed potential to make something truly bold and incisive.

Project Hail Mary (2026) 4.5/5
An ambitious yet charmingly easy to follow sci-fi crowd-pleaser that celebrates the power of the human spirit and tugs on the heartstrings in a way that feels surprisingly earnt and genuine. This old curmudgeon cried a few times! Despite the near unanimous love this has received, I had tempered expectations going into this because of the original novel’s writer unironically doing the Garth Marenghi “I know writers who use subtext and they’re all cowards” bit but thankfully my fears were quelled soon enough. The only thing I wasn’t so sure about was the twist which, while undeniably offering an extra element to the theme of bravery, felt like a quite jarring tonal shift to come in and out of. The second movie I’ve seen in which Sandra Hüller briefly removes her shroud of stoicism to sing some karaoke.

Captain America: Civil War (2016) 3/5
In theory a more character-driven Marvel ensemble movie with insights given into each character through petty infighting feels like an interesting premise. But a concept like that depends almost entirely on the quality of the writing to tide us over after the MCU outgrew the novel charm of their early projects, and unfortunately Marvel and good writing don’t often go hand in hand. Every now and then there’s a quirky line of dialogue that makes me physically recoil imagining the Russos chuckling away in the writers’ room. The moodier tone and unfulfilled potential for memorable character interactions felt a little frustrating and made this feel very long indeed. Bucky is a great character in theory but they have absolutely no idea how to use him. I like what they were going for though and it’s undeniably more beneficial for the franchise than a placeholder “team up to beat the new intergalactic bad guy” installment.

Shrooms (2007) 2.5/5
Unremarkable, repetitive and predictable but broadly serviceable and inoffensive horror fare. Should’ve turned the trippy stuff to 11.

Hoodwinked! (2005) 4/5
Really really fun, it takes skill to make a kid friendly movie that’s actually funny for the adults too. Off the top of my head it’s only really this and the first two Shreks that nail it. Great voice acting, including my new favourite Patrick Warburton performance. You start to become accustomed to the creepy CGI animation before long.

Iron Man 3 (2013) 3.5/5
Up there with my favourite MCU movies so far in my very irregularly paced journey through it. This is what you get when you bring in a director that actually knows how to do slick high-budget action with charm. Stark is the most engaging I’ve seen him, the humour really works and the stakes feel tangible. An entertaining blockbuster in its own right, not just as a Marvel flick.