REVIEW - MISS SLOANE (JOHN MADDEN)

The pitfalls of propagandistic filmmaking loom large over Miss Sloane, bearing down upon it with a force that its makers must surely have hoped was directed elsewhere. Were it not for the procedural narrative's innate, engaging sense of drive, and a compelling lead turn, this entire enterprise would crumble. Writer Jonathan Perera's heart is in the right place, but his goal of fusing that heartfelt passion with the cool cerebrality of a political thriller is one of only suspect possibility, and neither he nor director John Madden have the skill to achieve it. Miss Sloane is blighted by baffling errors, each presumably made as a concession to the development of plot and the eventual arrival at a particular conclusion. Never mind the implausibility of such a neat outcome - this is propaganda, after all - it's the liberties taken en route that dilute the impact of Miss Sloane's message, and the character inconsistencies in the protagonist, perhaps devised to make this figure more palatable to a broader audience, that undermine the application of that message. Jessica Chastain perseveres through this silly stew of muddled intentions, wholly unable to invest any semblance of legitimate earnestness in either character or scenario, but dogged enough to hold our interest and perhaps elicit our concern. With her, we weather Miss Sloane's easy, familiar plotting and the basic satisfaction that it offers - a film always moving forward is a good thing in itself, regardless of its intended destination. Such films have this quality on which to fall back, though few should ever need to; this is one that, unfortunately, does need to, and it's a sorry fall to see.

JESSICA CHASTAIN IN TEASER TRAILER FOR MISS SLOANE

All eyes turn to Jessica Chastain, the latest star to pitch in as a contender in a Best Actress Oscar race that's already full to the brim with potential nominees. She stars in John Madden's gun rights drama Miss Sloane with what promises to be yet another knockout dramatic performance from the exceptionally talented actor. Check out the trailer for the film, which has a scheduled release date in North America of the 9th of December, above.

REVIEW - THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER'S WAR (CEDRIC NICOLAS-TROYAN)

We Western audiences are accustomed to this by now, the sequel that never should have been. We receive them, with varying levels of willingness, countless times every year, apathetic to their mediocrity, quietly cursing them as they desecrate our memories of their predecessors. There's little to desecrate in 2012's Snow White and the Huntsman, though 2016's The Huntsman: Winter's War somehow achieves such a feat - of all the sequels that never should have been, this awful attempt after an already-bad film, itself an ill-advised update of a classic tale, and this an insulting extension from that, in a franchise with no promise, and needlessly jettisoning the first film's star, this sequel takes the cake. In essence alone, Winter's War is slut-shaming manifest as movie, sinking so low as to actually feature a Kristen Stewart body double for one pithy shot, before inexplicably ignoring her character for the remainder of the film, a film which yet includes every other leading cast member from the previous film. An Aussie, a Brit, a South African and an American embark on a tour of the accents of Britain, with wildly erratic results: kudos to Chris Hemsworth for his solid turn at Scottish, though poor Jessica Chastain's heinous effort may just have painted his in a flattering light. Who among the cast could justifiably shoulder the blame for such atrocious dialogue, though? Every last line seems to land with a horrible thud; if not every line, then at least almost. Amid sorry craftsmanship and a silly storyline, savour what few gems Winter's War has to offer: a subtly scene-stealing performance by Emily Blunt, and a genuine good laugh to be had from the film's little people. Alas, even in this regard, the film fails however, with just as many offensive statements as funny ones, and a continued refusal to actually cast little people in these roles. A curse on this film!