SANDRO AT THE CINEMA

Editor-in-chief Sandro Monetti reviews recent movie releases and rates them with a percentage score.

NOPE 25%

The biggest disappointment of the year, this muddled story about UFO sightings above a California ranch fails to build on the momentum created by moviemaker Jordan Peele’s previous films, Get Out and Us.It’s not even close to those in quality and ends up dull when it should be dramatic.

THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING 30%

Felt more like two hours of boredom. The idea of a scholar (Tilda Swinton) on a trip to Turkey finding genie (Idris Elba) in a bottle who grants her three wishes was promising. But the execution of it was so slow thatby the end I was wishing for the time back.

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING

Intriguing murder mystery set around the marshes of the deep south which keeps audiences guessing right up until the end. Daisy Edgar-Jones is a revelation in the lead role and this is a rare case of a film adaptation which more than does justice to the hit book on which it was based.

ELVIS 90%

Utterly superb dramatization of the life of an American icon, expertly directed by Baz Luhrmann. Austin Butler deserves the best actor Oscar for a perfect portrayal of Elvis Presley and Tom Hanks, in a welcome change, makes such a hissable villain as his controlling manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

THE INVITATION 40%

Vampire drama which starts off promisingly but ultimately lacks bite. A lonely orphan sends off a DNA testing kit in the hope of finding more relatives but in a be careful what you wish for moment finds a long-lost family who turn out to be bloodsuckers. Good performances by rising stars Thomas Dohertyand Nathalie Emmanuel.