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Shadows on the Wall

quote unquote I think friendship and family, whether blood or chosen, are deep loves that help us survive. — ARIANA GRANDE

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Captain America:
Brave New World

Sam is back with a new sidekick and a collection of shadowy villains


Memoir of a Snail


Stop-motion stunner is engaging as it grapples with very dark themes


The Dead Thing


Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon in an entertaining but very silly romcom


Paddington in Peru


The loveable bear heads off on an entertaining Amazon adventure


The Sloth Lane


Colourful Latin-flavoured animated comedy is goofy but entertaining


To a Land Unknown


Smart, engaging story follows scrappy Palestinian migrants in Athens

film news
SHADOWS' AWARDS
SWEEPSTAKES 2025!

Jostling for position...

UPDATED: Who's winning awards season so far > >
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OSCARBAFTAGOLDEN GLOBES
DORIANSLONDONONLINE CRITICS
SHADOWS AWARDS: Best/Worst of '24

Kerry gets political
16.FEB: Washington & Yeun
are joining Affleck & Anderson in the political thriller Animals
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Keough & Keoghan team up for immigrant drama Butterfly Jam
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Dern joins Cooper's IS THIS ON
Qualley, Pearce, Brolin in STARS
Skarsgard & Bartlett for HOOD
Giamatti is Art Bell in DJ biopic
Teller is WWII hero cyclist BARTALI
Bautista leads sci-fi DREADNOUGHT
MORE >>

Natalie & Lena unite
12.FEB: Portman & Dunham
are teaming up to make the couples therapist romcom Good Sex
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Radcliffe & Hedges will star in Vietnam War thriller Trust the Man
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McConaughey in Greengrass' RAGE
De Niro leads THE WHISPER MAN
Pearce for MR SUNNY SKY romance
Coel & McKellen in CHRISTOPHERS
Gunning joins Ramsay for DANCER
Wilson & Ritchson in RUNNER
MORE >>

Julia goes in for Kill
9.FEB: Roberts
will star in Gray's murder mystery Kill Your Darlings. which will play out in reverse
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Momoa, Driver, Bridges & Depp in Gilliam's Carnival at the End of Days
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Mara sisters team up with Herzog
Posey, Ruffalo, Malkovich go WILD
Quan is a killer in BAD BOY thriller
Norton, Considine join WIFE & DOG
Hawke plans GUNFIGHTER remake
Affleck takes on ANIMALS lead role
MORE >>

box office

coming soon

21 Feb:
THE MONKEY
INVASION
I'M STILL HERE
BARRIO BOY
I AM MARTIN PARR
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK
===================
28 Feb:
THE LAST SHOWGIRL
LAST BREATH
THE END
MY DEAD FRIEND ZOE
A SLOTH STORY
THE SUMMER WITH CARMEN
SUPERBOYS OF MALEGAON
CHANG'AN
===================
7 Mar:
MICKEY 17
DAY OF THE FIGHT
ONE OF THEM DAYS
ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL
===================
14 Mar
OPUS
THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP
BLACK BAG
SISTER MIDNIGHT
===================
21 Mar:
SNOW WHITE
THE ALTO KNIGHTS
FLOW
SANTOSH
WHEN AUTUMN FALLS
MORE >>

Recently published reviews:
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
THE SLOTH LANE
BONUS TRACK
LOVE HURTS
THE FIRE INSIDE

stage & more

Looking for love

DANCE: Pina Bausch's monumental Vollmond (full moon) returns to Sadler's Wells until 23rd February...


The winner takes it all

STAGE: Europeans compete to remain in Britain in the riotously clever Miss Brexit at Clapham's Omnibus...


Who do you trust?

STAGE: Antigone [on strike] brings
headlines to dazzling life at
Park Theatre until 22 Feb...


Down the rabbit hole

STAGE: Dave Florez's snappy black comedy The Gift is at Park Theatre until 1st March...


In a really good place

STAGE: Amrou Al-Kadhi brings alter-ego Glamrou, and her straight-talking Iraqi mother, to Soho Theatre...


A mi manera

STAGE: Alejandro Postigo presents an engaging masterclass in dramatic Spanish music until 26th Jan...


Rich’s Best & Worst of 2024

44th SHADOWS AWARDS:
Recapping the year with lots of lists...


December TV Roundup

SCREEN: Disclaimer, A Man on the Inside, Monsters, Perfect Couple, Only Murders 4, Heartstopper 3 and more...


This is the greatest show

STAGE: Riches and Kearns are hilarious as Ball and Boe for 14 nights only at Soho Theatre...


A gleeful panto mashup

STAGE: Potted Panto makes a triumphant return to Wilton's Music Hall for the holidays...


Walk away the blues

DANCE: Rosas brings Exit Above,
an extraordinary explosion of
movement, to Sadler's Wells...


Run, stop, fall, rise

DANCE: RB Dance Company brings its award-winning tap-dancing sensation Stories to the Peacock until 2nd Nov...

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COMEDY: Larry Dean's Dodger on tour
STAGE: Filibuster at Jackson's Lane
INTERVIEW: The Wild Robot team
COMEDY: Paly & Jay's Roadshow
DANCE: Chicos Mambo's playful Tutu
STAGE: Foreverland at Southwark
AUG TV: Bear, Shogun, Acolyte...
DANCE: Frontiers at Sadler's Wells
Shadows @ London Film Fest
DANCE: Khan's Giselle, Sadler's Wells
STAGE: Sex Lives of Puppets returns
DANCE: Resurgence at Sadler's Wells
Shadows @ London's FrightFest
Shadows @ Edinburgh Fringe
STAGE: Jamie Allan's Amaze, London
STAGE: Frankie Goes to Bollywood
JUN TV: Ripley, Bridgerton, Hacks...
MORE >>

now showing

Drained


British indie is a grisly, emotionally charged take on the vampire genre


Cottontail


Observational, meandering drama travels from Tokyo to Great Britain


Love Hurts


Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose take on inventive action and a silly plot


The Fire Inside


Ryan Destiny is terrific in this biopic about boxing champ Claressa Shields


Companion


Snappy, bracingly nasty thriller with Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid


You’re Cordially Invited


Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon in an entertaining but very silly romcom


Luther: Never Too Much


Entertaining doc chronicles the career of iconic musician Luther Vandross


Star Trek: Section 31


Choppy action comedy nuttiness with a strong cast led by Michelle Yeoh


Presence


Hushed supernatural drama about a family being watched by a ghost


Back in Action


Ridiculous but fun action comedy with Jamie Foxx & Cameron Diaz


Wolf Man


Grisly and emotive reimagining of the monster classic feels oddly thin


Here


Inventive but fragmented and sentimental time-skipping drama


William Tell


Stylish and refreshingly unapologetic erotic thriller with Nicole and Harris


Vermiglio


Beautifully observed Italian drama is slow, dry and mesmerising

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GRAND THEFT HAMLET
GET AWAY
SANTOSH
IT'S RAINING MEN
EXTREMELY UNIQUE DYNAMIC
LADY LIKE
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3
HOW TO MAKE MILLIONS...
MUFASA: THE LION KING
KRAVEN THE HUNTER
QUEER
LOTR: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM
THAT CHRISTMAS
MERCHANT IVORY
THE SIX TRIPLE EIGHT
MORE >>

recommended

Desire Lines


Inventive mix of documentary and drama explores masculinity


Bonus Track


Charming British coming-of-age romance about teen musicians


September 5


Riveting thriller about journalists covering the Munich 1972 attack


The Seed of the Sacred Fig


Riveting, slow-burn Iranian thriller is unflinching and boldly important


Hard Truths


Mike Leigh's astute drama is anchored by an on-fire Marianne Jean-Baptiste


No Other Land


Powerfully important doc takes a personal look at the West Bank


Saturday Night


Kinetic, enjoyably chaotic comedy about the very first SNL broadcast


The Brutalist


Toweringly ambitious, powerfully involving epic immigrant story


The Colours Within


Sophisticated anime teen drama is full of music and emotional resonance


A Complete Unknown


Bracingly well-made Bob Dylan drama starring Timothee Chalamet


I’m Still Here


Beautifully made, important drama from Brazil with Fernanda Torres


The Writer


Provocative two-hander about old friends is thoughtful and moving


A Real Pain


Smart, funny road comedy with Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg

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MARIA
BABYGIRL
THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE
NICKEL BOYS
VENGEANCE MOST FOWL
NOSFERATU
WE LIVE IN TIME
WHO I AM NOT
2073
BETTER MAN
THE ORDER
MORE >>

R E V I E W S   |   N E W S   |   F E S T I V A L   |   A W A R D S   |   Q & A   |   A B O U T   |   T A L K B A C K

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF,
COOK & BOTTLE-WASHER
Rich Cline
MEMBER
London Critics' Circle
GalecaFipresci
Online Film Critics Society

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--------------------
Rich Cline also reviews films for
BBC Radio, Sky, Boyz and others
. . . and he's available for work.


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