CD: The Flaming Lips – King’s Mouth

★★★ THE FLAMING LIPS - KING'S MOUTH An audacious and charming conceptual fantasy album

An audacious and charming conceptual fantasy album

Oh to be inside the head of Wayne Coyne. The frazzle-haired frontman has always been an enigma, persistently quirky, morally dubious, and undeniably fascinating. Perhaps King’s Mouth offers our best chance yet to get in there – the album is an accompaniment to his art installation in which visitors enter a giant metallic head. Rather on the nose for a metaphor, but still a hell of an invitation.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix review - a grand finale

★★★★ X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX A superior remake ends the X-Universe, for now

A superior remake ends the X-Universe, for now

One day, when superhero films are as rare as westerns, we will appreciate the brilliant talent applied to the best of them. X-Men: Dark Phoenix moves with a classic’s smooth conviction from its very first scenes.

Game of Thrones, Sky Atlantic review - The Battle of Winterfell

★★★★★ GAME OF THRONES: THE BATTLE OF WINTERFELL Excitement, horror, pathos and almost unendurable tension

Excitement, horror, pathos and almost unendurable tension as GoT pulls out the stops: a spoiler-free review

It’s been a memorable few days for audiences – big-screen and small – who happily invest years of their lives in epic storytelling. With the dust still settling on Avengers: Endgame, the final season of Game of Thrones has reached its mid-point with one of the most extraordinary episodes in its impressive history.  

Hellboy review - vivid monster mash

★★★★ HELLBOY Vivid monster mash: very English, very pulpy reboot for a super-demon

Very English, very pulpy reboot for a super-demon

No one was waiting for another Hellboy film, but here this rude, crude reboot is anyway, stomping all over Guillermo del Toro’s 2004 original with freewheeling energy.

Shazam! review - refreshing super-goofiness

★★★ SHAZAM! DC's overblown superhero franchise lightens up

DC's overblown superhero franchise lightens up

The DC Universe continues to back out of its dark dead end with this satiric kids’ film about the other Captain Marvel.

Border review - genre-defying Oscar-nominated Swedish film

★★★★★ BORDER Quasi-Gothic fairytale delivers many dark surprises

A quasi-Gothic fairytale which delivers many dark surprises

This might just be the most challenging film review I’ve had to write in decades. The best thing would be to go and see Border knowing nothing more than that it won the prize for most innovative film at Cannes. Don't watch the trailer, and definitely don’t read those lazy reviewers who complete their word count by writing a detailed synopsis ruining every reveal and plot twist.