28 Years Later ★★★★☆
Directed by Danny Boyle. Starring Alfie Williams, Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Edvin Ryding. 16 cert, gen release, 115 min
Splendid second sequel to Boyle’s zombie flick 28 Days Later that finds Britain back as the sole habitat for the rage-infected undead. One patriotic island just off the northeast coast resists. It requires no awareness of that Brexit analogy to enjoy a rattling quest narrative that never lets up in pace or invention. Boyle knows that 28 Days fans, though happy to enjoy all that political padding, will expect some grade-A gore from such an entertainment. The momentum continues right up to – fair warning seems required – an open ending that will leave most panting for an imminent part four. Full review DC
Elio ★★★☆☆
Directed by Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina. Starring Yonas Kibreab, Zoë Saldaña, Brad Garrett, Remy Edgerly, Jameela Jamil, Shirley Henderson. G cert, gen release, 98 min
A kid is beamed among aliens in the latest from Pixar. Aesthetically, the film recalls Coco without the earlier picture’s elaborate world-building. Emotionally, it’s pitched at the level of Onward, with plenty of synthetic lifting from Rob Simonsen’s score and a lot of leaning into the magic of the Voyager probe programme of the 1970s. Elio is a half-formed thing. The basic story beats suggest that subplots have gone missing. Even the buddy comedy is curiously marginalised. The candy-coloured character designs will please smaller viewers, but the all-ages pleasures of peak Pixar are nowhere to be found. Full review TB
Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story ★★★★☆
Directed by Bruce David Klein. Featuring Liza Minnelli, Mia Farrow, Michael Feinstein, Lorna Luft, Joel Grey. No cert, 104 min
Those concerned about Liza Minnelli after her delicate appearance at the Oscars three years ago – friends deny she needed the wheelchair provided – will be reassured by her sharp performance in this hugely enjoyable documentary. We hear sad stories of an often unhappy love life, but there is no sense of Minnelli being a tragic figure. One can easily understand how endless comparisons with her mother weary her. On the evidence here, she seems smart, charming and greatly, greatly loved. It might, however, have been nice to hear more about her work either side of the 1970s. Full review DC
S/He Is Still Her/e: The Official Genesis P-Orridge Documentary ★★★★☆
Directed by David Charles Rodrigues. Featuring Genesis P-Orridge, Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge, William S Burroughs, Alice Genese. 18 cert, limited release, 98 min
The challenge of distilling the life of the occultist, performance artist, avant-garde musician and pioneering pandrogynyst Genesis Breyer P-Orridge into a single documentary is akin to bottling lightning. P-Orridge – who preferred s/he as a pronoun – lived not just many lives but many selves, spanning punk rebellion, occult philosophy and tender parenthood. There isn’t nearly enough space afforded to either the music or the absurd Channel 4 Dispatches documentary that wrongly alleged satanic ritual abuse. The fallout was serious enough for P-Orridge and family to remain in exile in – wait for it – Winona Ryder’s old bedroom. Full review TB
