Matthew Bond for Event Magazine's recent articles

You can't always bring old fossils back to life - and here's the proof... Jurassic World: Dominion lacks any sense of jeopardy or emotional heart

07/06/22 12:48

Just over a fortnight ago, Tom Cruise showed exactly how you breathe new cinematic life into a much-loved old classic. Alas, Jurassic World: Dominion is no Top Gun: Maverick. ...read

Jessie Buckley is a joy in folk-horror Men, but I can't shake the feeling it's made for laughs and Harry Enfield's comedy character is rather distracting

30/05/22 14:54

Here Alex Garland is with his third film, Men, an exemplar of the popular folk-horror genre, very much in the tradition of The Wicker Man and Midsommar. ...read

Near cinematic perfection! Tom Cruise is on fire in Top Gun: Maverick, joining the ranks as one of the greatest action movies of all time

24/05/22 10:25

As the final credits roll at the end of Top Gun: Maverick , something quite beautiful happens. ...read

May 2022

• After an awkward start, Benediction starring Jack Lowden blends clever verbal jousting with bons mots to tell the tale of Siegfried Sassoon's life

• An Irish gem exquisitely directed by Colm Bairéad: The Quiet Girl is a truly beautiful and deeply moving work of cinematic wonder 

• It's already old hat: Elizabeth Olsen's stellar performance is the only part of Dr Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness worth watching

April 2022

• It's almost too clever... Downton Abbey embraces 'meta' in its latest feature film A New Era, but does it still have the same old charm?

• Nicolas Cage's high-concept comedy The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent features some funny self-parody, but falters before the end

• A war film like no other? Mission accomplished... Operation Mincemeat, starring Colin Firth, is seriously classy

• Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore, starring Jude Law, Dan Fogler and Eddie Redmayne, is back to its magical best 

March 2022

• Director Harry Wootliff serves up a stylish and atmospheric first half in True Things, starring Tom Burke, but sadly runs out of steam in the last lap

• This might just hit the spot for big-action fans: Michael Bay's Ambulance, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, is large, loud but a bit two-dimensional

• The Phantom Of The Open tries just that little bit too hard to make you like it: Mark Rylance is below par as Maurice Flitcroft 

• Festival favourite Sean Baker leavens the seedy Red Rocket, which instantly sets your teeth on edge, with dark humour and echoes of Boogie Nights

• Will he ever stop moaning? Matt Reeves's The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, has some excellent casting but is so moody it's almost comical

February 2022

• Cyrano, starring Peter Dinklage as the besotted poet, keeps up with the likes of Moulin Rouge! and Les Mis thanks to a generous helping of charm

• Don't take it too seriously: Patriotic comedy Dog, starring and co-directed by Channing Tatum, is undeniably watchable despite its misjudgments

• Kenneth Branagh is by no means the perfect Poirot in his scandal-hit Death On The Nile - but at least we learn why he grew that moustache

• It's no surprise Jessica Chastain's high-octane acting in The Eyes Of Tammy Faye has received nominations, but the film still has its shortcomings

January 2022

• Penélope Cruz delivers an award-worthy performance in the intelligent Parallel Mothers, but the film has more gravitas than it actually deserves