Weapons

A grinning Gladys

Zach Cregger found his niche with Barbarians and double-whammies with Weapons, a horror movie so intensely focused on character that the horror could easily be removed and it would still work. Here they are, all these small townsfolk, warts and all, peccadilloes to spare. Julia Garner as Justine, the teacher of young kids who drinks way too much and likes having boozy sex with Paul, a guy she shouldn’t have sex with. Josh Brolin as Archer, an angry parent convinced that Justine is behind the peculiar disappearance of an entire classful – bar one – of kids, determined to expose her for what he thinks she is. Alden Ehrenreich as Paul, the recovering alcoholic … Read more

Chemical Hearts

Henry and Grace

Love is a feeling generated by chemicals in the brain, suggests Suds, the practical, science-versed older sister of Henry, in Chemical Hearts. It’s also a feeling generated by this deliciously gooey romance. If there’s room each year for one gorgeous indie teenage love movie then this is the 500 Days of Summer of 2020. Henry is the nerdy high school kid whose long-term goal is to be a writer. Shorter term his ambition stretches to editing the school paper. Dropping into his world one day like an alien from outer space is Grace, a spiky, withdrawn, slightly sneery girl who’s smart, bookish and into the love poems of Pablo Neruda. Oh dear. He’s … Read more