Gemma Nettle

Hollywood's obsession with CGI has reached new heights, but a recent film is daringly jumping back to the world of practical effects. Described as a “love letter” to stunt performers, The Fall Guy never phones it in during this raucous thrill ride. Director David Leitch's use of practical effects, his jabs at CGI, and giving credit where it's due amalgamates in a greater appreciation of stunt performance. But has The Fall Guy made enough of a mark in the cinema scene, carving out a pedestal for these hardworking people?

With classic rom-com tropes mixed in with a trough of new ideas, This Time Next Year knows how to deliver all the vital elements of the genre, yet it just misses the mark. Sophie Cookson and Lucien Laviscount star in this feature as birthday twins, one vexed by the other for “stealing” the name her mother had chosen for her. This fresh idea is the vital ingredient this film needed to prevent it from becoming a carbon copy of many other rom-coms made in recent years, but how does the flick manage to misfire?

Stanley Tucci and Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Photo by Murray Close.

Having returned to a world of glittering dresses, exquisite ballrooms, and dashing suitors, it's hard not to get swept up in the fizzy excitement of Bridgerton. The show welcomed its viewers back into the ton with immense grandeur for the its third season, sweeping them off their feet with its usual vigour.

The women of Bridgerton may be navigating a world of elaborate social etiquette and pre-determined matches, yet beneath the surface lie timeless struggles for love, respect, and self-discovery. While the societal constraints of the Regency era differ vastly from our own, the show offers valuable insights that transcend time. By delving into these, we can glean much about defying expectations and forging our own paths.

Gemma Nettle reviews Prime Video's 'My Lady Jane', a fantasy and period drama hybrid that has quickly amassed a storm of fans.

Look around, and period dramas seem to be everywhere now. But it has taken years for them to monopolise the entertainment sphere. However, a curious subgenre is gaining traction—television series and films that see characters in period-appropriate costumes but spouting 21st-century language, all set to the soundtrack of today's top music artists. Amazon Prime Video's My Lady Jane is the latest in a long line of these peculiar stories.

Twisters (2024) © Warner Bros. Pictures We don't just chase disaster films, we love 'em—and we've been glued since the early 1970s.

The cinematic translation of the wildly popular video game franchise, Borderlands, is a mixed bag. While the film undeniably captures the chaotic energy and vibrant aesthetic of the game world, it struggles to maintain narrative cohesion throughout. Borderlands explores the coming together of a group of misfits to save a missing girl who holds the key to a vault containing untold power.

Connection, belonging, and friendship—the values that Friends represents. And 30 years on, it is remembered as more than just a sitcom but a reminder of the prevalence of the “third place.” Friends offers a glimpse into a time when such spaces were abundant, a time when people didn't just live and work but also connected and thrived in shared, communal environments.