Dune: Part Two (2024) is the much anticipated sequel to the 2021 film from director Denis Villeneuve. I missed it at the cinema and so was happy that it came out remarkably quickly for home viewing. For me this second film was more enjoyable than the first given that it largely plays off on all the scene setting and exposition of the first. Timothée Chalamet’s character Paul Atreides completes his arc to become leader of the rebellion against the empire, impresses with his ability to shout a lot, and revenges the death of his father. Javier Bardem perhaps has the most fun as a devout follower and believer in the prophecy that his people will be led to victory by a saviour.

While Zendaya and Rebecca Ferguson get a lot of screen time I wasn’t really drawn in by their performances and Florence Pugh’s role seemed even more two-dimensional. I am not sure if this is because of Frank Herbert’s original story, or Villeneuve’s preference to concentrate on the male protagonists, or a mixture of both. Also I was a bit confused by lack of development of Souheila Yacoub’s character, especially as she appears on the film poster. Maybe she comes into the story more in part three, as no doubt will the barely glimpsed Anya Taylor-Joy (as she’s still in the womb in this part).

As ever the SFX are brilliant, but this time I felt the story got more exposure despite feeling a bit rushed at times. There seems to be an important portion missing where Paul Atreides goes off into the desert on his own in a very messianic way, but again maybe there will be some flashback scenes in part three. The next film will be the most interesting for me as I didn’t read any of Herbert’s later books and I have heard that the story gets crazier and crazier.

The King (2019) on Netflix also has young Timothy as the hero. This time he is a King Henry V (aka Hal to his friends, which I think may be his nickname in real life?) who reluctantly takes the throne after the death of his father and brother in 15th century England. It’s a short story told over a 2hr 20min film. I felt like there was a left of the king’s history to be told, but maybe this was the key moment for him given that it features the battle of Agincourt against the cocky French.

Again, Timmy boy has a good old shout and Joel Edgerton has a good role as Falstaff hardened war veteran and Hal’s friend from before he came to power. Robert Pattinson also has some fun playing the cocksure French Dauphin. For fans of chainmail dramas this is a good edition to the genre and very reminiscent of the work of Bernard Cornwell, although I was surprised that it was co-written by David Michôd and Edgerton.

Emily the Criminal (2022) on Netflix stars Aubrey Plaza as a debt-ridden catering employee gets involved in a credit card scam that pulls her into the shadier side of survival in Los Angeles. It’s no secret that I am a huge Plaza fan and while this is one of her most mainstream roles I have seen her in, it is also one of the best. It might easily have strayed into the realms of dark comedy, but it is in fact a gritty crime drama with a real edge.

Coincidentally I am also a big Theo Rossi fan and so it was great to see him in a big role as Yousef who sucks Emily into the criminal underworld and ultimately turns out to be a rather more sympathetic character than she is.

Argylle (2024) on Apple TV is a different beast entirely more akin to the Kingsmen films and the recent Lost City. Elly a reclusive author (Bryce Dallas Howard) who writes spy novels about a secret agent Argylle (Henry Cavill, who gets top billing but is hardly in the film) discovers the plot of her book series mirrors real-world events in the world of espionage.

Bryce Dallas Howard shares most screen time with the wonderful Sam Rockwell as real-life spy Aidan Wilde. The viewer shares a ride of discovery with Elly as she finds out that she is more involved than she initially thought in an international spy network. The film balances the mystery with some great action and fun dialogue.

The SFX are pretty robust and pleasing the the eye, although ‘Hollywood physics’ has a large part to play in some of the proceedings. Also don’t expect to see Dua Lipa much, even though she’s standing in front of Bryce Dallas Howard on the poster. If I was her I’d be having a word with the marketing people as she is undoubtedly the star of this movie not Cavill and not Dua Lipa.

Snatch (2000) is in here because on the back of watching Lock, Stock again I wanted more Guy Ritchie goodness. I’ve seen this film countless times and still enjoy Brad Pitt’s frenetic energy as a bare knuckle boxer, Statham’s first outing in a leading role, and a young Stephen Graham as his side kick.

Obviously there’s some piss poor acting from other members of the cast – this is a Guy Ritchie film we’re talking about – but boy what an eclectic cast it is with the likes of British icons Vinnie Jones, Goldie, Mike Reid, and ‘proper actor’ Benicio Del Toro (Pitt’s brother from another mother) as Franky Four Fingers. However, I think the prize for the best performance goes to Alan Ford as Brick Top, the evil crime lord who feeds people who displease him to his drove of hungry pigs.

Skyscraper (2018) on Netflix is a thankfully short film about a security expert (Dwayne Johnson) must infiltrate a towering inferno when his family is trapped with a bunch of criminals. Comparisons to Die Hard are unavoidable. My advice is just to avoid this film.

It is one of the worst films I’ve seen so far this year. The script is dire, the plot full of holes, and the physics again in the Hollywood universe where things work out nice for the good guy when needed and not so much for the bad guys. The only redeeming feature of this film is that the SFX are generally very good. But really just watch Die Hard again if you want to watch a fun action movie about some criminals in a tower block.

The Expendables 4 (2023) on Amazon Video is THE worst film I’ve seen so far this year. Christ, what a pile of dog shit. Jason Statham does what he does while Stallone takes a back seat for this sequel they really shouldn’t have bothered making. It is truly dreadful and showcases some really laughably bad SFX, terrible script, poor editing and disappointingly bad performances from Andy Garcia and Megan Fox who I really thought underneath all the slap was a reasonably good actor. I won’t go on. If you want to watch a terrible action film watch Skyscraper.

What Jennifer Did (2024) on Netflix is a feature length crime documentary which starts with Jennifer Pan calling 911 from a quiet suburban neighbourhood in Canada to report that her parents have been shot. Her story has a few holes in it that the detectives on the case begin to pick at and she becomes the primary focus of the investigation.

It’s no great surprise, given the title of the film, that what Jennifer did was pretty awful, but with real video and audio footage from the case it does what these Netflix shows do to great effect – providing voyeuristic insights into criminal minds, setting up layers of mystery and then making them transparent through candid interviews with the people involved and showing archival footage.