Film

Hilma

Dir. Lasse Hallström

A biopic of Swedish artist and feminist pioneer Hilma Af Klint, who painted the world’s first abstract works.

AT BEST: ‘An intriguing, confounding subject, Af Klint is full of contradictions.’ — Wendy Ide, Observer

AT WORST: ‘You’re much better off seeking out the next showing of Klint’s art near you.’ — Lee Jutton, Film Inquiry

Chevalier

Dir. Stephen Williams

A drama inspired by the true story of celebrated composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner.

AT BEST: ‘The thoughtfulness of the script, the direction, and the gorgeous cast make this a movie worth the watch.’ — Stacey Yvonne, Black Girl Nerds

AT WORST: ‘Takes a grand subject and dumbs it down into a strident, shallow melodrama pitched at the rear balcony.’ — Ty Burr, Ty Burr’s Watch List

Somewhere In Queens

Dir. Ray Romano

The blue-collar tradition of a New York family faces upheaval when their son’s chance at a life-changing basketball scholarship is jeopardised.

AT BEST: ‘Has the heart, the humour, and the deeply set focus on family to make it an undeniable success.’ — Stephanie Archer, Film Inquiry

AT WORST: ‘The psychology here may not be particularly complex, but it’s handled with a soft touch that keeps its story humming along at a natural volume.’ — David Ehrlich, IndieWire

How To Blow Up A Pipeline

Dir. Daniel Goldhaber

Adapted from the controversial ideas in a book by Andreas Malm, a group of young environmental activists attempt a daring mission to sabotage an oil pipeline.

AT BEST: ‘A pacey, good-looking, and technically adroit thriller with effective suspense sequences.’ — Will Sloan, Cinema Scope

AT WORST: ‘Won’t change the world, but it’s a romantic and hardly outrageous consideration of what it might mean to really try.’ — Mark Asch, Little White Lies

Written as an homage to the timeless classic, Little Women, Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful asks whether a catastrophic family rift that changes the lives of all involved can be healed by once rooted loyalty. “Another tender tearjerker… Napolitano chronicles life’s highs and lows with aching precision. Hello Beautiful will make you weep buckets because you come to care so deeply about the characters and their fates. [Napolitano] compels us to contemplate the complex tapestry of family love that can, despite grief and loss, still knit us together. She helps us see ourselves — and each other —whole,” writes The Washington Post Said The New York Times Book Review : “Radiant and brilliantly crafted. Napolitano’s work… resists the easy satisfactions of the sentimental and never settles for simple answers to emotional predicaments faced by her characters.”

Oprah Quarterly was also effusive in its praise. “This sumptuous family saga is one of those rare novels whose singular characters are so beautifully rendered, it’s as if they’re your best friends, and you’re grateful to be in their orbit. Napolitano’s homage to Little Women, albeit set in late-20th century Chicago, will prompt you to slow down as you read, never wanting the book to end. When it does, prepare for tears.”

As its author, Hollywood funnyman Seth Rogan, describes, Yearbook is “a collection of true stories that I desperately hope are just funny at worst, and life-changingly amazing at best. (I understand that it’s likely the former, which is a fancy ‘book’ way of saying ‘the first one.’)”

Despite that belief, the reviews have tended to favour the latter (aka the second one). “The actor and writer will have you keeled over in laughter with his memoir, made up of a collection of essays that will make you think about the world differently… Fasten your seatbelts for this pageturner, folks,” says Men’s Journal. “In need of oddball anecdotes and lots of F bombs? Seth Rogen has you covered… Yearbook features a hilarious collection of real-life stories and personal essays that delve into his adolescence and career,” writes USA Today, while Rogan’s own mum states: “Overall, I think it’s more sweet and funny than anything, so I like it, and I’m glad he wrote it, but I’d be even more glad if he called me more.”

True Biz by Sara Novic chronicles a year of seismic romantic, political, and familial shifts for a teacher and her students at a boarding school for the deaf. “Goodness, I can’t even begin to put into words all the feelings this book provoked!”, says actress Reese Witherspoon, reviewing for her own book club. “An eye-opening and heartfelt story about human connection and the beauty and adversity woven into the deaf community and culture. It is both an educational and electrifying peek into a family’s life as they fight to forge connections even as the outside world threatens to close the door on them. I loved this story so much. It is not one to miss.”

Publishers Weekly hails it simply as “Brilliant”, while Booklist writes that it’s both “Moving and revelatory.”