Wind River (2017)

This film is about missing Native American women in the USA, focusing on an example drama concerning one of them, written and directed by Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water, Sicario). “While missing person statistics are compiled for every other demographic, none exist for Native American women. No one knows how many are missing” is the claim—at least when this film was made. MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) data couldn't be found because federal databases (like the FBI’s NCIC) historically failed to properly classify or track Native Americans, often mislabeling them or leaving them out entirely. So he decided to create a film about it to make the point, which he does admirably well.

We start off in the snow-smothered wilderness of the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) is a local U.S. Fish and Wildlife tracker who spends his days culling predatory wildlife threatening livestock—and his personal life quietly grieving the tragic death of his own teenage daughter three years earlier. We see him caring for his son, caring very much about his ex-wife (who is also Native American), going about his craft of meticulously preparing the bullets for his job, and just generally going about his work. It is clear that he and his ex-wife have split, having never fully dealt with the tragedy of their daughter.

Anyway, one day, while he's out tracking mountain lions in the deep snow, Cory discovers the frozen body of an 18-year-old local Native American woman, Natalie Hanson (Kelsey Asbille). We actually see her running across the snow, barefoot, clearly anguished, in the opening scene of the film.

The FBI arrives in the shape of rookie agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen), looking and behaving much like Clarice Starling from Thomas Harris's Silence of the Lambs series of books and films! She's green, under-prepared, and has been sent there from Las Vegas alone—not even with a partner. It's clear that the FBI are not prioritising this very highly. She arrives completely unequipped for the brutal Wyoming winter (wearing heels and a light jacket) and immediately realises she is out of her depth. Cory volunteers to act as her guide and tracker.

Jane gets a taste of how you get around in the snow in Wyoming with a fast-paced ride on Cory's snowmobile, riding shotgun! They study the body and she asks the local chief of police if Cory can help her. Even though he's not a cop, he knows the terrain inside-out. An autopsy reveals that the girl died from exposure after running miles through the freezing sub-zero night, but crucially, she had been violently raped prior to her flight. Because she choked on her own lung-blood from the sub-zero air, the coroner ruled it a homicide caused by exposure rather than a direct murder, which initially limits federal jurisdiction.

So Cory and Jane trace Natalie’s final steps, finding more evidence of wrongdoing on the way, and eventually—with a team of local cops for backup on snowmobiles—arrive at a remote trailer where her boyfriend, Matt Rayburn (Jon Bernthal), lived with a group of men working as security guards at a fracking camp. From here, we start to get the reveals as to what happened to Natalie via some flashbacks. We spend some time with Natalie's parents, who are obviously devastated, with her mum breaking down completely.

So the rest of the film is the hunt, really—across the snow with an experienced tracker and rifleman, with a rookie FBI agent in tow, and it's a question of whether justice can be served, by whatever means the people involved can find. There's a tense shootout in the mix, plenty of taut atmosphere, and lots and lots of cold snow!

It's a moving film in many ways. It can be slow-paced here and there, but the drama rescues it from ever being dull. The cinematography does its own job really—tailor-made for Taylor! It's nicely directed and the main leads do a convincing job. Elizabeth Olsen plays the rookie FBI agent convincingly enough, switching from a green girl out of her depth to a capable professional when the shit hits the fan. But mostly, there is Jeremy Renner as the male lead, whose quiet resolve and calm exterior belie his readiness to leap into action as needed.

It's not a true story, as I intimated above, but a symbolic one to look at the issues. It dips a little into some of the jurisdictional complexities of who has power on what land or territory, and also highlights the plight of people who live in such isolated communities, often in poverty and unemployment. We also get a taste of the reality of living in a place where enforcement backup (and indeed medical assistance) is hours away and law resources are tiny.

Apparently, the film’s release actually helped put pressure on lawmakers, eventually leading to the introduction and passing of legislation like Savanna’s Act and the Not Invisible Act, which aimed to fix these exact reporting and data collection gaps. It is certainly an intelligent and engaging watch, making some important humanistic points.

Motorola G Stylus (2024 vs 2025 vs 2026): A UK Importer’s Dilemma

Quick Summary (TL;DR)

• The Core Experience: Dimensions, stylus functionality, 50MP camera, stereo speakers, and 3.5mm jack remain essentially unchanged across all three models.
• The Big Upgrades: The 2025/2026 models bring huge leaps in screen brightness (up to 5,000 nits), 68W fast charging, IP68/IP69 waterproofing, and faster UFS 3.1 storage.
• The UK Verdict: Unless you desperately need extreme outdoor display brightness or rapid charging, the 2024 model still holds up well enough to save you the cost and hassle of importing.

When evaluating Motorola’s G Stylus range over the past three generations, it is clear that the company has focused on refining an already solid foundation rather than reinventing the wheel. I have the 2024 version here which is now stuck on Android 15 forever, and security updates (now quarterly) will stop in May 2027. So I was thinking about whether or not it's a good point at which to try and import a newer one. Import, because these G Stylus units are US-only and I'm in the UK!

One of the things I like about the unit is the built-in pen in a silo in the phone, much like what Samsung does with its S-series Ultra phones. The stylus is not as 'smart' as Samsung's, but works well enough with Moto's built-in software layer for casual users and quick note-taking. It's also a nice size in the hand, not too small like some. So yes, not essential, but a bonus. Being inside the phone is also a big plus—my Motorola Signature's Moto Pen Ultra has to sit in a completely separate piece of charging/housing hardware, which means, of course, it won't be with me when I need it. And if it is, probably not charged! With this simple, 'dumb' pen, there are no worries about any of that.

From a physical perspective, anyone upgrading from the 2024 model to either the 2025 or 2026 iteration will feel right at home. The chassis dimensions, weight and general ergonomics have remained essentially identical, featuring the same comfortable silicone polymer eco-leather back and plastic frame. As I said above, the built-in stylus, housed neatly in its dedicated silo alongside Motorola's customised note-taking software, continues to be a standout feature in this price bracket. It's a nice-enough size in the hand, well-balanced and not too fat. My version here is the red colour, which is gorgeous!

Just a quick note here to say that much of the text here is based on my research, not hands-on experience with the 2025 and 2026 models, as I don't have them! I have tried to deep-dive and get opinions from people using the newer models, mostly, as you'd imagine, in the USA. So bear that in mind going forward—where I speak confidently about features, changes and capability, a lot of it has been scooped up and summarised from other users. I come at this owning the oldest of the three and asking myself whether or not I want to try and upgrade, as I say.

Durability has seen a monumental leap. Where the 2024 model settled for basic water-repellent coating and unspecified front glass, the subsequent releases stepped up to robust Gorilla Glass 3, proper IP68 dust and water resistance and MIL-STD-810H durability compliance. The 2026 variant pushes this protection even further to IP69, giving peace of mind against high-pressure water jets as well as total submersion. I don't use this 2024 version daily, by any stretch of the imagination, nor in tough conditions, but when I have spent spells with it, I see no cause for alarm regarding screen scratches on that flat front glass at least.

The most dramatic visual upgrade lies in the display technology. While all three models sport a 6.7" OLED panel, the transition from the P-OLED panel used in 2024 to the brighter AMOLED panels in the newer generations makes a world of difference outdoors. Peak brightness has skyrocketed from an adequate 1,200 nits on the 2024 model to a blinding 3,000 nits on the 2025 version, culminating in an extraordinary 5,000 nits peak on the 2026 variant.

Furthermore, clarity has received a welcome bump. Motorola moved from standard Full HD+ (1080p, around 395 pixels per inch) on the original to a crisp 1220p resolution (often referred to as 1.5K) on the two newer models, pushing the sharpness to 444 ppi. However, despite these dramatic panel upgrades, Motorola remains stubbornly resistant to offering a true, persistent Always-On Display on the G Stylus phones which an LTPO panel would bring. Instead, you are still left relying on Moto’s signature Peek (or Wake) Display—which only lights up when moved, tapped, or when a notification arrives. If you want a standard, non-stop ambient clock sitting on your desk, you will still need to resort to a third-party app from the Play Store, as Motorola continues to restrict a genuine AOD to its pricier Edge and Razr flagships. The one I usually use with best results and least impact on battery (depending on how it is set up) is Always On Display XPath by "aodlink.com" in the Google Play Store. Free mostly, but some features (including the 'always' always-on rather than timed) are behind a cup-of-coffee-priced purchase. I have done this as it supports development and encourages the developer to keep improving the app.

The wireless networking setup across the three models reveals a slightly curious path of progression rather than a straight upward trajectory. The 2024 model laid the groundwork with Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), which was then superseded on the 2025 release by Wi-Fi 6E. Wi-Fi 6E is particularly noteworthy as it introduces access to the dedicated, less congested 6GHz frequency band alongside standard 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels. On the latest 2026 iteration, Motorola lists "Wi-Fi ax", which is simply the official technical designation for standard Wi-Fi 6. While Wi-Fi 6 ("ax") delivers significant efficiency, capacity and speed improvements over the older Wi-Fi 5 standard, it strictly operates on 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Consequently, while the newest unit offers robust wireless performance for modern home networks, the 2025 model actually holds a niche advantage for anyone equipped with a tri-band 6GHz router. On my 2024 model I have had no connectivity issues, regularly switching between three routers, two landline-based and one cellular.

When importing a North American handset like the Motorola G Stylus to the UK, network connectivity is often a primary concern, though UK buyers can generally not worry. The essential 4G LTE frequency bands used across Britain—including B1, B3, B7, B8, and the long-range B20 band crucial for rural and indoor coverage—are fully supported on both the 2025 and 2026 US models. For 5G, the critical n78 band (3.5GHz) that underpins primary high-speed coverage for EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three is present across all three generations, supplemented by key bands like n1, n7, and n28. While standard voice, SMS and high-speed data work seamlessly out of the box on an unlocked US device, there are a couple of small quirks worth noting. Network-specific features like VoLTE and Wi-Fi Calling can occasionally be hit-or-miss depending on whether your UK carrier recognises the US-spec software profile, though most modern UK SIMs handle unlocked Snapdragon hardware without fuss.

Furthermore, while the built-in eSIM activation works flawlessly via standard UK carrier QR codes, taking full advantage of the newer models' rapid 68W TurboPower wired charging will require a third-party UK Power Delivery plug, as any bundled adapter will naturally feature a US two-pin connection. I have had no problems at all using my 2024 model here in the UK with connectivity, VoIP too, and would not let this stop me ordering a newer model.

Under the hood, performance improvements are steady rather than revolutionary, though usability gains are noticeable. The jump from the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (4nm) chipset in the 2024 phone to the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 powering the newer models delivers a modest boost in everyday responsiveness and efficiency. Memory remains sensible, with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of expandable storage via microSD across most configurations. Crucially, storage speed has evolved significantly: moving from unspecified flash storage in 2024 to UFS 2.2 in 2025, and finally to UFS 3.1 in 2026. This means app loading times, file transfers, and general system fluidity will feel noticeably snappier on the latest model. Software longevity has also improved slightly; while the 2024 handset was burdened with a stingy single OS update, Motorola now provides two major OS upgrades on the newer versions. Still not great, compared to the now becoming-widespread 7 years of support from various OEMs (to be fair, Moto included now with their latest flagships).

Interestingly, the camera and audio setups have remained practically static, which is no bad thing given their strong performance. You get the same reliable 50MP main sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS), a 13MP ultra-wide lens, and a 32MP selfie camera, all capable of 4K video recording at 30fps. Audio enthusiasts will appreciate that Motorola has retained both stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support and the increasingly rare 3.5mm headphone jack equipped with 24-bit/192kHz Hi-Res audio capability. I must admit that I don't often use the 3.5mm jack, much the same as I'd say for my Sony Xperia phones, but it's better to have the option than not. The audio sounds great on my 2024 model, via that jack or Bluetooth, so hopefully that is also true of the newer models.

The optical under-display fingerprint reader and NFC also carry over unchanged and work well, as does the face unlock. All quick to register and work together to get you into the action as soon as possible! Note that with the above-mentioned Always On Display app, this does put a layer between the user and these features. Double-tap the AOD though and you're away. The main battery capacity sees a tiny bump to 5,200mAh on the 2026 model compared to 5,000mAh on the older pair, but the real charging triumph is wired speed: the 30W charging of 2024 has been replaced by rapid 68W TurboPower charging, with Moto's proprietary charger, on both newer handsets, while keeping 15W Qi wireless charging across the entire line-up.

Is it worth importing to the UK from a 2024 unit? If, like me, you already own the 2024 Motorola G Stylus, upgrading requires careful consideration, especially given the hassle and cost of importing these North American-focused handsets into the UK. The core daily experience—taking notes with the pen, snapping photos, listening to wired audio and enjoying standard smartphone tasks—will feel largely identical. My current phone is working well, so importing the 2025 model makes very little sense, as the performance jump is modest and you miss out on the speedier UFS 3.1 storage. I think I'm talking myself out of this, though it is good to assess. Living with an outdated version of Android is less of a problem these days with many services being app-based, reaching back across OS versions—and even if/when security updates stop, people are generally safe enough if they keep their Google Play System up-to-date for years to come. Ten years of use should not be beyond reason really, as long as one is not bothered about new features and AI stuff!

Anyway, importing the 2026 model presents a far more compelling argument if you are genuinely struggling with outdoor screen visibility or battery top-up speeds. The combination of a 5,000-nit 1.5K display, extreme IP69 ruggedness, UFS 3.1 storage speeds, and 68W fast charging creates a significantly more modern device. Unless those specific pain points—display brightness, charging speed, and ruggedness—are critical to your daily usage, holding onto your 2024 model for another cycle remains the most practical choice. For me, as I say, I think I'll sit tight. The battery on this unit seems good and lasts as long as it did on Day 1, and I'm not really bothered about new features as long as the ones designed for the phone continue to work. Finally, I'll link here to my blog review of the 2024 model, which I 'penned' in 2024 (with a keyboard, not the Moto G Stylus pen)!

So finally, for those in the UK who want to upgrade (or buy the newer models), where and how is best to do it? Probably one of the 'safest' routes is via amazon.com (rather than amazon.co.uk, as you won't find one there)! Looking today I see that the 2026 model is available for just under $500, offering me delivery as a Prime member in just under a week. This does seem to be just the 128GB/8GB version, so maybe look elsewhere for the 256GB variant (though don't forget that you have that microSD card slot). There is a 256GB/8GB 2025 version there, which might actually be the better value at $299. Import charges have been added and in my basket it is showing £285 total. At that price, it feels somewhat tempting! Final note—Motorola won't ship it to the UK, either via their UK or US stores, so it's third-party all the way. Try eBay if you like, but I'd rather stick with Amazon!

Intruders (2011)

The film really, really should have been called Hollow Face, as Intruders sounds like a standard home-invasion thriller, which is plain misleading and no doubt conjures up an expectation of some kind of slasher/thriller rather than, as here, a psychological horror about trauma and childhood monsters.

Anyway, leaving aside my clear talent for (re)naming films(!), our story starts in two parts. First up, we're in Madrid where a 7-year-old boy named Juan (Izán Corchero) lives with his single mother, Luisa (Pilar López de Ayala). Juan is enthusiastically writing a scary story about a faceless phantom, Hollow Face, who sneaks into children's rooms at night to steal their faces because he lacks one of his own. Soon, we see Juan being terrorised by this creature.

Luisa seeks help from a local priest, Father Antonio (Daniel Brühl), but religious intervention fails to keep the entity away. He wants to do some sort of exorcism, but his older colleague rules it out on the grounds that he thinks the mother and son are mentally ill and there's nothing there to even work with. All in Spanish with subtitles up to now.

We skip to London where 12-year-old Mia (Ella Purnell) discovers an unfinished story on a scrap of paper inside the trunk of a tree at her grandparents' home. She reads the story of Hollow Face, finishes it for a school assignment, and in doing so, accidentally triggers Hollow Face and claims to be attacked by it/him. Her dad, John Farrow (Clive Owen), steps in to defend her. By the way, apparently, the name Mia Farrow was not in any way planned to have anything to do with Woody Allen's leading lady and was a pure accident.

Anyway, back to John, who even sees Hollow Face himself and gets into physical altercations with the being, prompting him to install security cameras around the house. As Mia's distress deepens, she loses her voice. The family, who by now don't believe either of them - especially when they discover supporting video evidence from the cameras - call in psychiatrists. They suspect that John and Mia are experiencing a rare psychological phenomenon called folie à deux (a shared delusion).

We leap back and forth between Juan and Mia as they have various sightings and appearances of Hollow Face, usually at night and alone in their bedrooms, adding to the already eerie and suspenseful mystery. And then we start to get to the reveals which put the pieces together as to what is going on, whether or not Hollow Face is real, a ghost, or something else otherworldly, so I'll leave you to enjoy them as the mystery unfolds. And I hadn't worked it out, for the record. But then I'm a bit thick like that!

The film was directed by Spanish filmmaker Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, who previously gained international fame for directing the intense horror sequel 28 Weeks Later (2007). His background in high-tension filmmaking heavily influenced the atmospheric shadows, lighting, and spatial dread here. Cinematographer Enrique Chediak deliberately used high-contrast lighting and deep shadows to make rooms look like they were changing shape in the dark, for purposes that I won't spoil here!

Special note for Ella Purnell, who was only about 13 during filming. Intruders was one of her very first feature film roles (following a brief appearance in Never Let Me Go). Her performance was widely praised for carrying the emotional core of the British storyline alongside Clive Owen (Children of Men, Closer, Gosford Park). As I'm sure you know, she has gone on to greater things such as Sweetpea, Tim Burton's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ordeal by Innocence, Fallout and loads more. The film also brought together a prominent international cast, including Carice van Houten (Game of Thrones) as John's wife Susanna and Daniel Brühl (My Zoe, The Colony, The Zookeeper's Wife, Alone in Berlin) as Father Antonio.

It's a decent little chiller, thriller, drama, spook-fest with some interesting turns and a really good atmosphere throughout. Well-produced and pleasing to consume at 1 hour 40 minutes. You can catch it on various streaming platforms now, as it's clearly 15 years old. Enjoy!

Inside (2007)

Directed by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, Inside (À l'intérieur, 2007) is a cornerstone of the New French Extremity movement, apparently! Practical special effects artist Jacques-Olivier Molon relied almost exclusively on practical gore and prosthetic suits over CGI, which accounts for the realistic feel of the film's body horror.

We join the story in the middle of a car crash - two cars colliding in bad weather - in which Sarah, who is pregnant, is barely alive, while her husband has died instantly. She is told that there were no other survivors from the incident. We then leap four months into the future and join Sarah at her hospital bedside as she is just about to be discharged. She is heavily pregnant by now, with the medics wanting her to return in the morning if labour has not started naturally.

Sarah is a photojournalist and spends her time taking photos of everything she possibly can - it looks like Canon sponsored this film! She rejects the help of friends and prefers to spend tonight, which happens to be Christmas Eve, alone in her home, mentally preparing for the trauma of the birth the next day.

There is a knock on the door and the doorbell rings. An unidentified woman (La Femme) is outside asking to be let in to use the phone as her car has broken down. Sarah is sceptical and refuses time and again. She tells the woman to go away and be quiet as her husband is sleeping. The eerie moments begin when the woman tells Sarah that she knows that is not true because her husband is dead! Sarah calls the police, who arrive, inspect the perimeter, and promise to return periodically throughout the night.

Sarah falls asleep and has weird dreams about childbirth. We are shown abstract moving images now and again of the child inside her, swimming around. The woman comes to the window, cracks it with her fist, and marks the beginning of the rest of the bloodbath - body horror, siege, survival, blood, guts and gore. Nothing is left to the imagination as both women get creative about what they can use as weapons!

Various people enter the house over the course of the night to check on her and try to help - returning police officers and a member of her family - but I will leave you to discover what happens with them, by them or to them, in equal measure! We do get an explanation as to why all this is happening at the end, which I must say I guessed early on, but that is not really the point. The film is about much more than a by-the-numbers mystery!

Alysson Paradis, who played Sarah, endured weeks of physically demanding filming on cramped, blood-drenched sets, delivering a completely convincing performance. Béatrice Dalle played La Femme, the intruder, with a scary chill - spooky and unsettling throughout. The few others in the cast did their duties admirably as well as their characters joined the chaos in the house, by which time everyone, including the viewer, has completely forgotten that it is Christmas Eve!

In terms of the gore, as I said at the outset, realistic physical effects were employed. They apparently used gallons and gallons of fake blood, with the directors opting for physical prosthetics and mechanical puppets over CGI to create the gruesome landscape. It is brilliantly shot, putting the viewer right in the middle of the action - and in some cases... Inside! The musical score was really interesting as it hauntingly dwelt on solo piano and cello. It was composed by François-Eudes Chanfrault, who used a deliberate, classical, laid-back approach to create a stark contrast against the extreme physical violence and gore. Hang about for the credits, during which the music will haunt again.

Great film. I really enjoyed it. Not for the squeamish, though, or anyone who has just had a large lunch! It comes and goes on UK streaming services as you would imagine, nearly 20 years on. Track it down, I say - do not spoil it with dubbed versions, go for the original French with subtitles (though I am sure you could probably skip reading them and not miss a beat)!

Hope (2026)

Directed by Na Hong-jin (The Wailing, The Chaser), Hope is a chaotic, long (2 hours and 37 minutes), dark comedy and sci-fi action film set in Hopo ("Hope") Port, a remote Korean mining village. And that's where we join the story.

Everyone's getting paranoid in the village and signs near the border warn residents to watch for infiltrators, the inference being clear! Local police chief Beom-seok (Hwang Jung-min) and hunter Sung-ki (Zo In-sung) find a huge cow or bull on a rural road, which has been brutally mutilated. The locals start a hunt, convinced at first that it's a bear, before ruling that out in favour of a tiger!

They are alerted to chaos in the middle of the village where most people live and the shops reside. It's chaotic because people are being mauled, killed, maimed and disfigured by what they still think at this stage to be a tiger. Our police chief bravely goes on the hunt, assisted by various people along the way, running through the streets and leaping into buildings while dodging flying debris and victims, with the perpetrator always just out of sight. In fact, we're teased for 45 minutes into the film before we start to get a peep at the alien creature - but the tension is often handled well.

Our chief's sidekick at the station is Sung-ae (Hoyeon), a spunky young woman who turns up on the scene in a police car packed with weapons and ammunition to help him stop this creature once and for all. We then enter a stretch of the film where the pair are in the police car, blazing at high speed through the streets, pursued at equal speed by the creature as they lean out of the windows to try and shoot it! I didn't time it, but it felt like nearly half an hour of breakneck car chasing and shooting!

The creature is an oddly shaped, giant 10-foot-tall alien warrior with some features that look almost human. Sung-ae manages during the car chase to blow off half of the creature's leg, which slows it down a bit, but the village is destroyed because of all this - with most of the population dead or in the local makeshift hospital space!

While all the above is going on, Sung-ki (Zo In-sung) and a posse of his hunters venture into the forested mountains, where they are conducting their own series of chases as we discover that our alien wrecking the village wasn't alone. But enough of the spoilers, enjoy the unfolding for yourself! I will say, however, that two of them are played by some familiar non-Korean names. The pair are even married in real life - J’aur is played by Alicia Vikander and Ma’veyyo by Michael Fassbender. So there's that to watch out for.

The film switches rapidly from a straightforward tale of monster-invasion/hunting into a dark comedy of errors, in fact. Other villagers come forward with new information about what they have seen in the woods over the previous weeks, which pads out the story and gives the reveals and outcomes some substance. And there is an explainer at the end (as well as a cliffhanger of sorts, leaving the door open for a sequel), bonkers as it might be!

There are also some half-arsed "messages" in the mix about humans, relationships, power struggles, rage, family values, racism, selfishness and selflessness, as well as understanding and kindness. Not that it's in any way soppy! It's very much a high-octane survival actioner with explosions, crashes, death, gore, blood, decapitations and body-horror bits that will keep a person on the edge of their seat for much of the duration - and yes, for me, that long runtime flew by, even with subtitles slowing my brain down a bit!

Having said all that, it is quite an absurd plot with plenty of inconsistencies along the way for those who want to pick at it, but it is also very funny at times. For example, there's an unfeasibly long dialogue in the middle of the film when a man describes his recent experience in the woods when he had seen some of the above, but was desperate for a shit and couldn't do it while trying to keep quiet! So there is plenty of good, nutty entertainment all round!

In terms of acting, everyone played their part and played it well. The main leads did an excellent and absurdly convincing job! On production notes, it seems that Na Hong-jin spent years developing the film with primary backing from Plus M Entertainment and it was mostly filmed across South Korea. A final word goes to cinematographer Hong Kyeong-pyo (also the cinematographer of Parasite and Burning) for having made the most of the landscape and working with the team to make the special effects somewhat convincing too. Great film. Really enjoyed it. It's only at cinemas just now, but apparently coming to streaming in the UK in about a month from the time of writing.

The Social Reckoning (2026) - A Guest Review by Chad Dixon

This is a dramatisation, written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, covering important true events from very recent history that highlight how a certain social media platform has allowed the very worst of humanity to extend well beyond its grasp.

Starting just before the global pandemic of 2020, Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison) was a highly intelligent young data engineer who was quite new to the Civic Integrity team at Facebook. She soon started noting that company analytics showed people were quickly being radicalised towards extreme political views by the types of content pushed into their feeds. It became clear that the social network she had initially looked up to was starting to seriously lose its way.

The man at the very top, Zuckerberg (Jeremy Strong), held a position on free speech absolutism that looked very much like it was allowing the organisation to platform increasingly dangerous groups using the site to spread the worst kinds of misinformation. Meanwhile, Jeff Horowitz (Jeremy Allen White), a well-respected investigative journalist at The Wall Street Journal's West Coast Bureau, was looking to expose what was happening at Facebook, but needed an inside source.

After much effort, he finally made contact with Frances via LinkedIn. During an eventual clandestine meet-up, it was clear it would be difficult for her to explain exactly how the company's engagement algorithm works, but after a few more meetings, the initially reluctant Haugen became more open as her disillusionment grew.

Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong (a total acting chameleon) are all brilliant in a nicely paced film that definitely doesn't outstay its 1h 52m runtime. I could easily have handled another half hour or so of the instantly recognisable Sorkin screenplay. I'm not too sure if his attempt here as director is quite as good as his writing, though, as David Fincher's work on The Social Network (2010) is far superior. (The two films certainly make a great double bill, though.)

Tenzing (2026)

Directed by Australian filmmaker Jennifer Peedom (Sherpa, Mountain) and written by Luke Davies (Lion), Tenzing reframes the historic 1953 Everest expedition by focusing the story on the Nepalese-Indian Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, rather than treating him as a secondary sidekick to wealthy British aristocrats with nothing better to do with their money than seek out adventure!

The film opens in the 1920s with a young Tenzing working as a yak herder in Nepal, mesmerised by Mount Everest - known locally as Chomolungma. After early encounters with British climbers like George Mallory, he builds a reputation as an unparalleled high-altitude porter and climber. Years later, burdened by personal tragedy, including the loss of his wife and raising his daughters, Tenzing is hired for the 1953 British attempt on Everest by expedition leader Colonel John Hunt (portrayed by Willem Dafoe, who plays the stuck-up ex-British Army toff admirably). Facing class discrimination and imperial arrogance from the British establishment, Tenzing fights to be recognised as an equal member of the assault team rather than simply hired labour.

High on the mountain, amid mutiny among porters, severe hypoxia, frostbite and closing weather windows, Tenzing forms a deep bond with New Zealander Edmund Hillary (played with equal warmth and charm by Tom Hiddleston), a fellow outsider. Hillary is portrayed as being just as disconnected from the monied upper-class Brits as Tenzing. Together, they brave the summit push, reaching the highest point on Earth on 29 May 1953, as history tells us.

The film jumps in and out of Tenzing's personal life through flashbacks, telling the story of his youth, how he was abandoned by his family against their will, how he met his wife Dawa (played by Thinley Lhamo), and the prejudices he suffered as a non-native in Nepal. The film tracks his spirituality and deep-rooted inner connection with the mountain, but it's not done intrusively, nor does it detract from the flow of the story. Genden Phuntsok plays Tenzing Norgay outstandingly well in the lead, capturing Norgay's quiet dignity and physical resilience admirably.

It's a very well-delivered drama, a thriller at times, a compelling slice of history and has some sharp things to say about the British mentality of the day: prejudice, power, money and enforced class differences. It's deeply moving at times and brilliantly acted by the whole cast. It's certainly a step up from any other film I've seen depicting this tale of courage, and well worth a look. It has just landed on Apple TV+.

There are some details in the dramatisation that meander away from the truth, but the bones are all in place. For example, his first wife, Dawa Phuti, passed away in 1944 in Darjeeling. During the 1953 climb, Tenzing was actually married to his second wife, Ang Lahmu, who played a key diplomatic role in managing expedition relations - all of which was left out. However, the production was developed with direct oversight and approval from Tenzing's family, including his son, Tenzing Norbu, ensuring the film respected Sherpa spiritual tradition regarding Chomolungma as a sacred entity rather than just a peak to be conquered. Following the historical event, both Norgay and Hillary maintained for years that they reached the summit together as a team, though Hillary later clarified he stepped onto the apex a few paces ahead. The film, however, rightly focuses on their mutual dependency and joint triumph.

Director Jennifer Peedom brought decades of high-altitude documentary experience to the project. Principal photography took place on location in Nepal, including Kathmandu and the Khumbu/Everest region, before shifting to New Zealand for alpine visual sequences. Rather than relying solely on green-screen soundstages, the production shot real physical environments in extreme weather conditions, giving the mountain sequences palpable tension, severe wind, and true physical strain.

Moto Sound Flow Speakers

I reported on these great-sounding and clever speakers within my review of the Razr 70 Ultra recently when I declared them as being fabulous, even if there were a few software quirks needing sorting out. That's not been done yet, but regardless, for a person not changing phones every 5 minutes, like me, the issues won't be a problem. As a reminder, the issues were that when changing phones, by far the best way to switch these speakers is to simply reset them and start again. As I say, not a problem for most people with a single phone.

I see that they're still £179 each on Motorola's UK website, but they're currently available on Amazon for £145 and I've seen them on eBay, for example, for as low as £99. At that price, if you have an UWB Moto phone which supports all the clever stuff, it's a no brainer - get a pair! Even if you don't have a Signature, Razr 70 Ultra, Razr 60 Ultra or Edge 50 Ultra, they still sound fabulous once you set them up with the Moto Sound Flow app. The clever stuff you miss out on, I'll come to. At the outset, I'd suggest heading for the online manual and following the steps very carefully!

The speaker features a twill-textured fabric around the outside, giving it a lovely feel with some heft at 581g, accompanied by an IP67 rating. As a single standalone unit connected via standard Bluetooth, it delivers 30W of output (10W tweeter, 20W woofer, dual passive radiators) tuned by Bose. Classical music, orchestral, solo piano and jazz sound quite superb, with plenty of volume on tap.

In the box you get a delightful disk-shaped desktop dock with pogo pins providing 15W of power via USB-C, alongside an extra USB-C port on the speaker itself for direct charging. The 6,000mAh battery is rated for up to 12 hours off-base, though in my tests at 33% volume it lost about 5% per hour, meaning 20 hours is achievable at lower volumes. The top controls feature a illuminated Moto 'M' logo that handles play/pause, pairing, and call management, flanked by volume buttons, a microphone mute switch and a light ring that indicates status and volume levels in various colours. Downloading that Moto Sound Flow App gives you EQ controls, battery monitoring and unlocks Wi-Fi/UWB playback (if you have the right Moto phone, see above).

When you fire up a second speaker and pair them with a compatible UWB-enabled phone, you unlock those unique spatial features. Dynamic Stereo uses UWB to track your phone's physical position in 3D space between the two speakers, micro-adjusting phase, balance and spatial delay so the virtual soundstage centre stays pinned directly in front of you as you walk around the room. Room Shift allows audio to automatically hand off to whichever speaker you are closest to if placed in different rooms, while Proximity Handoff transfers audio directly from your phone or Moto Buds when brought near a speaker.

To test this, place the speakers about 7ft apart facing into the room, open the app, create a 'Stereo Pair' and toggle Dynamic Stereo on. Standing 5 or 6ft back, you hear the singer's voice right in the middle. As you walk toward the left speaker, instead of the sound collapsing into that single channel, the UWB chip detects your movement and adjusts timing so the soundstage remains floating directly in front of your face. It tricks your ears into perceiving that the main channel stays centred wherever you stand - a subtle, acoustic transparency trick rather than a flashy gimmick.

The software is very smart as it throws the sound around bringing new life to words 'stereo' and 'soundstage'. I'm not sure that I've heard anything like it before without headphones in the mix and I'm constantly amazed - so much so that I have one at each end of my desk and use them all-day, every-day! If you don't have a supporting phone, you still get amazing stereo but, yes, miss out on those higher-reaching functions. So there's an excuse to buy a new Moto as well!

To be fair, I should not that this very clever stuff is built into these specific Moto phones so having a phone which has a physical UWB radio isn't enough. Motorola’s Dynamic Stereo and Room Shift rely on proprietary code built into Moto's firmware. Connecting a non-Moto UWB phone still delivers rich Wi-Fi/Bluetooth stereo playback, but omits the dynamic spatial tracking. And it's also worth noting that the setup process inside the app requires patience, as I hinted earlier. It operates as a bit of a black box with long, uninformative pauses between steps where users might assume it has frozen. My advice is to get one speaker set up, turn it off, pair the second individually, turn both back on and then create the Stereo Pair in the app.

Furthermore, there is an Android media routing quirk when playing audio across the room. If you tap the Quick Settings media card to switch audio back to "This Device" and stop playing music for 30 minutes, Android clears the temporary override. The next time you hit play, Android sees the active Bluetooth standby link and routes your audio right back out to the speakers in the other room! To reliably break the hold, you need to quickly toggle Bluetooth off and on, or explicitly disconnect via the main Bluetooth settings menu.

These software quirks aside - which Moto will undoubtedly refine through firmware updates - the Sound Flow speakers sound fantastic, and the Wi-Fi streaming integration means incoming phone calls stay on your phone without interrupting music playing for everyone else in the room.

I highly recommend these speakers. Even if you only want one, it sounds great, has protection from the elements and a good battery life - you'll love the sound, I assure you! But yes, for me, the system comes to life if you grab a second one. Even more so if you have a Moto phone to make the most of all the smart stuff these speakers are capable of. And on top of that, the 'cloth' that surrounds the speakers is gorgeous to the touch - very classy - and each one comes with that charging dock and cable.

Body of Lies (2008)

Ridley Scott’s film here is a frantically paced, globe-trotting espionage thriller that doesn't waste any time letting the viewer settle into their seat! It's relentless and leaps unceremoniously between countries and situations in the blink of an eye. All sorts of world cities - one minute our main characters are in one place, the next across the globe somewhere else - breakneck speed! So important to pay attention so as to not miss a crucial part of the complex puzzle, double-crossing and counter-intelligence schemes. Hold onto your hat!

Roger Ferris, played by Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another, Catch Me If You Can), is a CIA operative working on the ground in the Middle East, attempting to track down Al-Saleem, the mastermind behind a series of terrorist bombings across Europe. Ferris’s immediate supervisor is Ed Hoffman, played by Russell Crowe (Nuremberg), a cynical, armchair-bound CIA chief who manages operations via satellite link and earbud from the comfort of his suburban American life, dropping kids off at school while casually greenlighting high-stakes tactical strikes!

To penetrate Al-Saleem’s elusive, low-tech network - which deliberately avoids digital communications to bypass American surveillance - Ferris must form a fragile alliance with Hani Salaam, played by Mark Strong (The Captor/Stockholm, 6 Days), the suave and impeccably-dressed head of Jordanian Intelligence. Salaam operates on a strict moral code: total honesty and absolute control. However, Hoffman’s constant interference behind Ferris’s back threatens to destroy the operation. Amidst the chaos and deception, Ferris develops a connection with Aisha, played by the lovely and talented Golshifteh Farahani (Paterson, About Elly), a compassionate Iranian nurse who happens to treat him in Amman for an injury, adding a personal touch to the story (and actually one which ends up switching the bold and in-control Ferris into something more human)!

The film shows us a very interesting snapshot of mid-2000s military tech, contrasting drone feeds and encrypted satellite comms with the low-tech counter-tactics of terrorists operating entirely offgrid - and being stuck with Nokia 'dumbphones' to communicate with! It offers an interesting commentary on modern warfare (for the day) - Russell Crowe’s Hoffman barking ruthless orders into a headset while pushing a baby stroller in Washington, while Leonardo DiCaprio’s Ferris gets his hands dirty in the dust, violence and chaos on the ground.

There's a great ensemble cast here. DiCaprio turns in a great performance as a man constantly caught in the crossfire of competing agendas. Crowe is almost comically insufferable as the detached, manipulative bureaucrat. However, it is Mark Strong who effortlessly steals every scene he is in as Hani Salaam - portraying a quiet, lethal authority with impeccable style. Golshifteh Farahani brings a much-needed warmth and nuance to the story as Aisha, offering a human contrast to the cynical stuff going on around her - and she even introduces some more comic moments as she takes Ferris to dinner at her sister's house!

Because it leaps about all over the place, it doesn't help the viewer to keep up really. The threads of the plot and who's who can feel a bit tangled on a single viewing, but the super direction, brutal action stuff here and there and great performances keep it engaging from start to finish. Despite the 'old' tech, it really doesn't feel that 'dated' and is certainly an edge-of-the-seat thriller from start to finish. Consequently, the two hours and 8-minute runtime simply flew!

A bit of background research also brings out a few interesting elements. The satellite surveillance sequences were rendered with high visual authenticity. Ridley Scott worked closely with advisors to portray CIA drone feeds and tracking software as accurately as possible for the era. While the story spans Iraq, Jordan, Qatar and Dubai, much of the Middle Eastern footage was actually shot on location in Morocco, taking advantage of its varied urban backdrop and established film infrastructure.

The film was shot in around 65 days, moving at a relentless pace that mirrors the frantic energy on screen(!) and Russell Crowe gained about 4 stone in weight for his role in order to reflect the sedentary, middle-aged bureaucrat who spends his days eating fast food and managing covert strikes from an office chair or family car.

Apparently DiCaprio did many of his own stunts, including a brutal interrogation and explosion sequences - even suffering minor injuries - and then there's Golshifteh again, who became the first Iranian actor living in Iran to star in a major Hollywood production since 1979. Her appearance in the film created significant political backlash at home, ultimately leading to her relocating to France. I was only really in it for her, as usual!

Last Night (1998)

This film takes place on 31st December in Toronto during the final six hours before an anticipated global catastrophe, which is due to happen at midnight. The year is not stated, but it feels very turn-of-the-millennium, especially based on its release date. What is coming is never explained - the what, the why or the how. When interviewed, director Don McKellar said that the perpetual sun, even near midnight, implies some kind of cosmic event, like a shift in Earth's axis, the Earth heading into the Sun or a supernova! But as we find out later, it doesn't really matter much.

The initial waves of panic, rioting and social chaos have passed (so presumably people had plenty of notice before the film's 6pm start time), leaving a quiet, eerie calm as ordinary people choose how to spend their last hours. We follow a group of individuals, focusing on the drama unfolding around and between them.

Sandra, played quite brilliantly by Sandra Oh (Killing Eve, Grey's Anatomy), is trying to get across town to meet her husband, Duncan, played by the David Cronenberg (The Shrouds, Shivers, The Brood, The Fly). He's not in it much - more of a cameo, really, as the head of the local gas company - so they can fulfil a formal suicide pact together at midnight. She leaps from disaster to disaster on her quest to get to him, eventually hooking up with Patrick Wheeler, played by Don McKellar (eXistenZ, Blindness), a grieving widower who wants nothing more than to spend his final hours completely alone in his apartment. He leaves an awkward 'last xmas' dinner with his family and avoids his hedonistic best friend Craig, played by Callum Keith Rennie (Star Trek: Discovery, Memento), who is systematically crossing off every item on his sexual fantasy bucket list by shagging one woman each hour!

Amidst this chaos, Sandra's car gets written off, which is why she ends up with Patrick, who reluctantly tries to help her reach her husband. In a nutty subplot, Patrick is also wildly attracted to her (and maybe she, him)! Meanwhile, husband Duncan remains stuck at work, meticulously calling every gas customer to assure them their utility service will stay on right until midnight.

The early scenes in Patrick's house are remarkably well-observed and funny as the family tries to pretend that the end of the world is 'like' xmas. It must therefore be treated as such, complete with a huge turkey dinner, a decorated room and wrapped presents containing family mementos from the past, accompanied by plenty of reminiscing. The two old ladies in this scene are genuinely funny, too. So anyway, we race across town with Sandra and Patrick, interrupted by Craig here and there, fending off people behaving badly with no inhibitions - given there are clearly no consequences left for their actions.

So what's it all about, apart from the obvious blurb above? McKellar left the details of what was happening unstated because he felt sci-fi explanations would distract from the film's core theme: if humanity has no power to stop the end, the how and why don't matter. What matters is how we treat one another when there are no long-term consequences left. The bright, washed-out sunlight reflects the fact that there are no 'dark corners' left to hide in and the tragedy of the characters' focus isn't dying - it's dying alone. A suicide pact, fear, obligation, warmth, vulnerability and the human touch in the final hours of existence.

Sandra Oh's performance as Sandra earned her the Genie Award for Best Actress (Canada's highest film honour at the time), apparently. Her frantic energy provides the perfect foil to Don McKellar’s deadpan, introverted performance. David Cronenberg’s character's quiet, tragic obsession with customer service during the apocalypse is one of the film’s best subplots. The supporting cast features a raft of Canadian icons, including a young Sarah Polley (Dawn of the Dead, eXistenZ) as Patrick’s rebellious sister Jennifer and Callum Keith Rennie delivering that delightfully wacko performance as Craig!

Made on a modest budget of $2.2 million CAD, its claustrophobic, ambient Toronto soundscapes and overexposed cinematography were designed specifically to stretch every dollar. And a final bit of trivia: Edgar Wright cited Last Night as a key influence on the tone for Shaun of the Dead, showing how mundane, everyday human behaviours persist even in catastrophic settings.

It's a darkly funny take on the apocalypse, sad here and there, poignant and moving at times, but always prioritising human connection over Hollywood mega-disaster tropes! It is certainly worth a watch, and the hour and a half flew by as we await the deadline to see what happens! Available on physical media if you can track it down, widely available on streaming in North America, and at the time of writing, someone has uploaded it to YouTube as well.