Let’s start with recent additions to Netflix and ‘The Legacy of the Bones’. 2017’s ‘The Invisible Guardian’ was a dark and brooding Spanish police procedural. In saying that this sequel is more of the same is actually a compliment. The impressive Marta Etura reprises her role as Inspector Amaia Salazar. As is the custom she has a troubled past that she is trying to come to terms with, but her history is crucial to the unfolding plot.

The mystery is as complex as before and it has the same menacing atmosphere. It does has the same flaw of the odd and unconvincing character of Aloisius Dupree who pops up every so often to propel the story along.

The final part of this Baztan trilogy should be with us later this year, and it is one to look forward to.
Rating: 8 out of 10

Netflix seems awash with teen dramas with the latest being ‘The Half of It’. The plot is a variation of the Cyrano de Bergerac story, at least to begin with. A smart but poor girl (Ellie, Leah Lewis) agrees to write a love letter for a handsome but dumb jock (Paul, Daniel Diemer) to a girl he likes (Aster, Alexxis Lemire), whilst also harbouring a crush on her.

Like most of these films, the kids talk on a way that teenagers do not in real life. Whilst it is not the worst of this genre and Lewis does very well, there are few surprises and a wholesomeness that I found cloying.
Rating: 5 out of 10

From Adam Sandler’s production company comes ‘The Wrong Missy’. It may not be fashionable to say this, but I like David Spade, so it is good to see him get a rare starring role as corporate executive who is desperate to impress his boss on an Hawaiian work retreat. Due to a mistake when updating his contact list on his phone he accidentally invites a woman (Lauren Lapkus) who he previously a disastrous blind date with.

Spade is quite subdued in this film which is a good thing as Lapkus is completely over the top. Especially during the first half, her character is so annoying, it is painful and embarrassing watching.

However, she tones down the zaniness later in the film, and otherwise when she isn’t on screen, this is quite a lot of fun.
Rating: 6 out of 10

Of the rental options available, one to really avoid spending your hard earned cash on is ‘Like a Boss’. Two long term friends, Mia (Tifanny Haddish) and Mel (Rose Byrne) run a beauty company. As it is struggling financially, they allow a large cosmetics company, headed by Claire Luna (Salma Hayek), to buy a 49% stake in their business, but that puts a strain on their friendship.

This is pretty much a laugh free zone. Byrne is too bland to carry a film and Haddish demonstrates that she is much more palatable in small doses as a supporting player. Hayek’s bizarre performance is meant to be scene stealing but it is over the top without being funny.

The humour is forced and the wafer thin plot failed to hold my interest.
Rating: 3 out of 10

Not since ‘Locke’ (2013) has a film been harder to sell based on a simple plot description than Kitty Green’s ‘The Assistant’. Over the course of a single day, a young woman, Jane, (Julia Garner) fulfils her duties as an assistant to a film producer. So we see her photocopying, arranging meetings and taking delivery of parcels. That appears pretty mundane, but it becomes apparent that her boss, who we hear but never see, is a bully misogynist who sexually exploits young women.

The film becomes unexpectedly mesmerising and Garner’s vulnerable performance is brilliant. Matthew McFadyen also is excellent is a single scene as the smart and conniving HR manager.

Timely with the Harvey Weinstein trial still fresh in the memory, ‘The Assistant’ gripped me and kept me thinking long after the credits rolled.
Rating: 9 out of 10

‘Body Cam’ is a genre mash up of a police procedural and a horror movie as cop played by Mary J Blige investigates the mysterious death of one of her colleagues. Blige still doesn’t convince me as an actor and the identity of the bad guys is way too obvious. However, the supporting cast is solid, the unusual premise works well and director Malik Vitthal manages to provide some chills in his debut feature.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Exclusively on Curzon Home Cinema is ‘The Whistlers’, a Romanian crime drama from writer/director Corneliu Porumbouia. Cristi, a policeman played by Vlad Ivanov, who also works for a criminal gang becomes embroiled in a complex plot.

The title comes from a whistling language that is used by criminals to communicate in secret, which Cristi has to learn. It is a shame that the language then plays such a small part on the movie later as the plot stands are tied up a little too neatly at the end.

But, mostly, this is a pleasingly twisty thriller and Ivanov’s minimal portrayal is spot on.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10