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Nicholas Barber

Nicholas Barber

The Guardian

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US nuclear attack thriller is 'more terrifying than most horror films' ★★★★☆

The Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow builds "excruciating tension" in a film about a nuclear missile headed for the US. It's a characteristically...

04.09.2025 50

BBC

Nicholas Barber

14 of the best films to watch this September

Here are the films to see this month, including Leonardo DiCaprio's new comedy-action-thriller, a sequel to classic music mockumentary Spinal Tap and...

03.09.2025 20

BBC

Nicholas Barber

The new film about how Putin's Russia was born

Featuring a much-anticipated performance by Jude Law as Vladimir Putin, this new drama looks to explore how the Russian president came to power –...

02.09.2025 40

BBC

Nicholas Barber

Why a cute Frankenstein's monster misses the point

Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic novel features the "ridiculously good-looking" Jacob Elordi as the monster – which results...

01.09.2025 30

BBC

Nicholas Barber

Julia Roberts' new film could win her an Oscar

The megastar plays a philosophy professor shaken by a student's sexual assault allegation against a colleague in Luca Guadagnino's new film – and...

31.08.2025 10

BBC

Nicholas Barber

No Other Choice review: 'Hilarious' masterpiece ★★★★★

Oldboy and The Handmaiden director Park Chan-wook has premiered a "bleakly hilarious" comedy about economic anxiety at the Venice Film Festival, and...

31.08.2025 80

BBC

Nicholas Barber

Why film and TV should stop drooling over the rich

This new big-screen comedy drama starring the A-lister as a Hollywood superstar travelling across Europe is the latest glossy tribute to the one per...

30.08.2025 10

BBC

Nicholas Barber

The CIA spy shot down over Russia in 1960

On 19 August 1960, 65 years ago this week, a court in Moscow handed a US pilot, Francis Gary Powers, a 10-year sentence after he was apprehended by...

19.08.2025 50

BBC

Nicholas Barber

12 of the best films to watch in August

From The Naked Gun to Freakier Friday – these are the films to watch at the cinema and stream at home this month. Boris Lojkine's powerful drama...

26.07.2025 10

BBC

Nicholas Barber

How Superman started out as a 'violent socialist'

Returning to cinemas next week, the superhero may be known as the ultimate all-American Mr Nice Guy – but, back in the 1930s, he didn't begin that...

05.07.2025 100

BBC

Nicholas Barber

10 of the best films to watch this July

From Superman to I Know What You Did Last Summer – these are the films to watch at the cinema and stream at home this month. Best known as the...

28.06.2025 10

BBC

Nicholas Barber

Why original kids' films are flopping so badly

Pixar's Elio has had the worst-ever box office opening for a film from the animation studio. It's part of a wave of original family cartoons failing...

26.06.2025 30

BBC

Nicholas Barber

10 of the best films to watch this June

From Materialists to 28 Years Later – these are the films to watch at the cinema and stream at home this month. Celine Song's bittersweet debut,...

30.05.2025 40

BBC

Nicholas Barber

This Brazilian thriller could be an Oscars hopeful ★★★★☆

Set in the military dictatorship of 1970s Brazil, this buzzy crime drama, which has premiered in Cannes, "makes up in pulpy excitement what it lacks...

24.05.2025 20

BBC

Nicholas Barber

Revenge thriller favourite for Cannes' top prize ★★★★☆

After years of imprisonment and travel bans in his native Iran, Jafar Panahi returns to Cannes with a furious but funny revenge thriller that takes...

23.05.2025 40

BBC

Nicholas Barber

Gay romance The History of Sound is 'too polite' ★★☆☆☆

In this period drama, premiering at Cannes, two of Hollywood's buzziest male actors play lovers making music together – but the film could do with...

23.05.2025 10

BBC

Nicholas Barber

Wes Anderson takes his quirkiness to 'new levels' ★★★☆☆

Featuring Benicio Del Toro, Michael Cera, Scarlett Johansson and many more, the director's latest A-lister-filled farce has premiered at Cannes –...

20.05.2025 40

BBC

Nicholas Barber

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning could be 'feel-bad film of the summer' ★★☆☆☆

The opposite of an escapist blockbuster, the eighth and apparently final outing for Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt is the doomiest and gloomiest yet in the...

18.05.2025 30

BBC

Nicholas Barber

A shocking thriller about US pandemic divisions ★★★★☆

Midsommar and Hereditary director Ari Aster is once again set to shock with this surreal, gory western featuring Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal,...

18.05.2025 30

BBC

Nicholas Barber

12 of the best films to watch this May

The return of Marvel, Final Destination and Mission: Impossible franchises are among this month's unmissable films to watch and stream. Cobra Kai...

03.05.2025 20

BBC

Nicholas Barber

Thunderbolts* is 'the greatest Marvel in years' ★★★★☆

The latest in the superhero franchise "is scrappy, scruffy-looking, down-to-earth fun", with a "charismatic" Florence Pugh at its centre, writes...

01.05.2025 20

BBC

Nicholas Barber

Why Sinners has become a box-office sensation

After great reviews and buzz, Ryan Coogler's vampire film had an extraordinary second weekend at the box office. It's a victory for a wholly original...

30.04.2025 40

BBC

Nicholas Barber

The absurd masterpiece that changed comedy forever

Fifty years after Monty Python and the Holy Grail redefined comedy, stars Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam look back on the freedoms – and...

10.04.2025 200

BBC

Nicholas Barber

11 of the best films to watch this April

From Drop to A Minecraft Movie, these are the films to stream at home and watch at the cinema this month. David Cronenberg's latest sci-fi-tinged...

05.04.2025 10

BBC

Nicholas Barber

Why the quaint paintings of Thomas Kinkade divided the US

Beloved by many, despised by others, Thomas Kinkade's quaint rustic scenes and his wholesome image belied a dark and tortured story that contrasts...

29.03.2025 90

BBC

Nicholas Barber

Film review: Disney's Snow White has a major 'identity crisis' ★★★☆☆

With its creepy CGI dwarfs and muddled tone, Disney's latest live-action remake is "not calamitous" but is a "a mind-boggling mash-up". Live-action...

21.03.2025 30

BBC

Nicholas Barber

Why the Oscars require 'a major shake-up'

Last night's show featured a bizarre James Bond tribute – while failing to duly honour visionary director David Lynch. That choice spoke to the...

04.03.2025 30

BBC

Nicholas Barber

10 of the best films to watch this March

From Disney's Snow White to Mickey 17, these are the films to stream at home and watch in the cinema this month. Disney's Snow White is a...

01.03.2025 10

BBC

Nicholas Barber

'One of the closest Oscar races ever'

The Baftas, which is often seen as a key indicator of where the Oscars are heading, left commentators none the wiser, paving the way for a tantalising...

18.02.2025 10

BBC

Nicholas Barber

Why 'category fraud' is causing Oscars anger

Among the many controversies of this year's Oscars race, some believe that favourites to take home the acting awards have been recognised in the wrong...

16.02.2025 20

BBC

Nicholas Barber

Will offensive X posts derail an Oscars favourite?

The unearthing of inflammatory social media remarks by the actress about subjects including George Floyd, Islam and the Oscars itself has caused a...

02.02.2025 50

BBC

Nicholas Barber

10 of the best films to watch this February

From Captain America: Brave New World to Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, these are the films to stream and watch at the cinema this month. There...

01.02.2025 20

BBC

Nicholas Barber

The most political Oscar nominations ever

The contenders for the film industry's biggest prizes this year represent a range of genres and styles. But many are united by a common thread: they...

25.01.2025 60

BBC

Nicholas Barber

The secret to making a Hollywood comeback

If there's anything that audiences and awards voters alike love, it's seeing a faded star revitalise their career with one breathtaking performance....

18.01.2025 6

BBC

Nicholas Barber

How YMCA became Donald Trump's unlikely anthem

Following the announcement that the Village People would be performing at several upcoming inauguration events, what is it about their songs that...

17.01.2025 60

BBC

Nicholas Barber