The Odyssey (2026): review: 6/10

 *

The tribulations of Odysseus as he returns by sea with his crew and fellow warriors from the Trojan Wars to reunite with his, anxious wife, Penelope.

There are some striking set pieces, particularly featuring the Cyclops Circe, and the Sirens.

 It can be hard to follow the plot, though the long running time passes without longeurs.

The moronically obvious soundtrack consists largely of loud drums: boom! boom! boom! as if created for the hard of hearing.

The script consists largely of solemn pronouncements, without one scintilla of humour. It can be a little hard to follow the plot. 

Anne Hathaway is disgrace as Penelope, grimacing all the time. The rest of the cast are unmemorable except for creepy, clunky Eliot Page.

In short: competent standard-issue macho cinema, with zero subtlety, which has generated more interest than it merits.

*

Everybody to Kenmure Road (2026): review: 3/10

 *

Documentary tracing events in a Glasgow street when the Home Office attempt to arrest two foreign men, presumably for not having appropriate visas.

Neighbours and locals protest, successfully preventing their removal in a van. The crowds are joined by local politicians.

The documentary attempts to contextualise these events withing Glasgow`s history as a radical city.

The presentation of events is entirely celebratory. No effort is made to question the legitimacy of the collective action, or the reasons for the arrest of the two men: sentimentality prevails. 

The film is watchable, however, reminiscent somehow of Ealing films such as Passport to Pimlico.