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So, here we go again!

Hello fellow film lover! Welcome back after yet another long stint battling logic and how to continue watching movies in a theatre with the existence of this petty virus.

It's been a long six months absence since our last review, and we are so excited to welcome you back with a film that, like so many of us have been feeling, has longed to see the daylight. Due to arrive in cinemas since 2019 (back when film delays used to happen not because of world threatening virus'), Death on the Nile has had its fair share of misfortunes.

As you all may be wondering, the film industry is changing, and rather quickly, at that. With all that has been happening over the last two years, all it seems we are able to do is roll with the punches, adapt and evolve, especially when it comes to cinema and our deep, long love for it.

As time passes and the clock ticks, we always find ourselves constantly adapting to the changing landscape and expectations for cinema. For a while, after the strength and importance of streaming services, it seemed as though, cinemas as we knew them, and movie theatres, we're on their way out. That was, until, one friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man came and saved the day. After the massive commercial success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, a film that could be argued, single-handedly, saved movie theatres as we know them, the relevance and importance of going to the movies has never been more dire right now.

Fast forward a couple months, and February begins its reign with a film that has been waiting nearly three years to get the spotlight. The delay ridden Death on the Nile, the unexpected sequel to Kenneth Branagh's surprise hit Murder on the Orient Express, finally arrives. But, aside from its cliched, by the number whodunit narrative, Death on the Nile provides audiences with yet another stark switch happening in the film industry today.

After the rape allegations of Armie Hammer, Nile has been in release limbo for a long time now. Yet, despite the final verdict on Hammer and the allegations as a whole, Hammer was not taken out or replaced in the film, despite the film's lengthy delay. Unlike All The Money In The World, Fantastic Beasts: The Secret of Dumbledore and other huge blockbuster endeavours that re-cast their lead stars after similar allegations and despite their star power, Nile decided to keep Hammer on the bill, in the film and still credited fully in the picture. Sure, he may not get the most promotion in the commercials and hasn't seen the light of day in years, but Hammer still occupies most of the picture, seeing he has a crucial role as the main protagonists love interest and eventual husband. Who would have thought, that after a few couple years of the #METOO movement in Hollywood, the response and importance of such a stance in the industry, would die down so quickly. Ironically enough, to a celebrity and star being known for being a troublemaker, womanizer and nuisance on set with his cast and crew.

Yet, aside from all the drama and politics of the film, the truth of the matter is, Death on the Nile isn't going to single-handedly save movie theatres, nor will it revive a very lacklustre February for the movie industry and it won't revive any careers either. Death on the Nile is a run of the mill whodunit with some fun moments that include some mild twists, shallow turns and expectedly unexpected narrative tropes that we have all seen many times before. Is it entertaining, absolutely; but does solely entertaining cut it in 2022? In a time where films means so much more, in a time when nostalgia are studios main star, reminiscing on the glory days and bringing some classics back and reviving them is perhaps why audiences are so keen on going back to the movies? Just like old times. Just look at Jackass: Forever, Ghostbuster: Afterlife and Spider-Man: No Way Home as clear cut examples.

No one expected Death on the Nile to take this long to release, especially not its star and director Branagh; whose sights couldn't be further from the picture, given his recent Oscar nominations and critical praise for his semi-autobiographical indie darling Belfast taking much of his time and attention now a days (and for good reason).

Death on the Nile is a film that passes time. Like a lazy river of emotions, action, pacing and character development, Death on the Nile is another stagnant attempt of studios jamming as many celebrities and stars into one picture, and wishing for a hit.

Not to be confused with the 2001 blockbuster hit Behind Enemy Lines starring Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman, which spawned a countless amount of straight to video/VOD sequels, with lesser known actors and much less talent, Enemy Lines is a UK produced WWII film about a joint venture between allies to rescue and retrieve a rocket scientist from the grasp of the Nazi regime.

If this plot seems a little too familiar, its probably because it really is. Enemy Lines is a B-movie production made with B-movie intentions and care. The crack team of allied commandos, led by Ed Westwick's Major Kaminski, followed by an array of lesser known actors and characters, create a violent and suicidal plan to enter the war-torn landscape of occupied Poland. Held together by Kaminski's bravery and Captain Davidson's heart (Tom Wisdom), the team risks everything for the lives of one man.

As you can imagine, our group of mercenary allied heroes face an array of obstacles and unplanned adversity, including a rival Russian team intent on capturing the scientist for themselves. Maneuvering through unfamiliar territory and the elements, the team come across friends and enemies at every turn, pushing the limits of their friendship, trust and loyalty to each other.

While the chemistry between the actors, with the exception of Westwick and Wisdom, isn't anything to marvel at, there is an amusing and somewhat satisfying reunion between Hannah and Johnson, who were both amusing in the 1999 remake The Mummy, giving audiences some sort of nostalgia throughout the film. Yet, as expected from low budget B-film, the acting is never the greatest, the action is always sub-par, and of course, the movie itself tries to take itself more seriously than it ever should. Yet, despite the content and it being set during the Second World War, Enemy Lines is a film that thrives off of campy dialogue, some semi-captivating moments and a faux-hawk stolen straight from the 2000s for its biggest acting name Westwick.

While the film lacks any real suspense that one might expect from a war film, it is plagued with ongoing stand-offs and gun battles, which, although not-particularly stylized, are quite entertaining, given the constant use of highlighting blood in the snow and the lingering fate of our protagonists lives hanging by a string.

While the film tries to base the majority of its events in reality, the film is a lacklustre depiction of many scientists and doctorates who were confiscated by the Nazi's during the war, and used to conjure up weapons that would secure their victory against the allies. Although there never was a Dr. Faber in the war, the character provides the film with the most amount of tragic density, given that his daughter and him are following every bated breath of the allied soldiers to live.

While Enemy Lines won't be a film that will be remembered for very long, it surely is an opportunity for people stuck in their homes to enjoy some generic war film that will entertain, albeit, pass the time before the next Netflix produced time-occupier comes along.

"Say not the struggle nought availeth, the labour and the wounds are vain, the enemy faints not, nor faileth, and as things have been they remain." An important passage of one of Arthur Hugh Clough's most recognized poems, is easily one of the most important messages from William Nicholson's long awaited sophomore feature Hope Gap. A story about hope, persistence and hard work for the things in life that matter the most, Hope Gap is a small film, but size never seems to be a determining factor of poignancy. Just like a well written poem, Hope Gap is a little piece of reality for the struggles, hardships and sometimes, maybe even often times, emotionally violent feats one may take to overcome heartbreak.

Upon watching Hope Gap, I found the film resonating very deep within my heart and soul. Having endured a heartfelt and emotional withering of my own relationship, the film treads lightly the very real and hard to swallow realities of moving on.

Plot wise, the film is a very familiar story. As the film opens up, we are quickly introduced to a very simple family; Edward (Bill Nighy) a professor at a local school, Grace, religious mother and poet enthusiast (Annette Bening) and their tech-savvy son Jamie (Jack O'Connor), who has recently moved away from his parents quaint seaside town and into the city. Upon the arrival of Grace and Edward's twenty-ninth wedding anniversary, an elderly Edward (Bill Nighy) informs Grace that he is leaving him for another woman.

As the unravelling of Grace and Edward's marriage begins, very simple yet complex themes of happiness, communication and relationships encompass the film. Within the first ten minutes of the film, Grace and Edward's relationship is spotlighted by how a lack of communication shows how their relationship begins to wither. Discussion of a simple anniversary dinner date, as well as a belief and faith in God shows both of their large differences in the relationship pushes Edward away. Grace, who is so passionate and feisty, laments her own emotions onto Edward, who, lifelessly and aimlessly just goes through the motions of the final days of their marriage. It becomes quite clear that the routine, repetitiveness and familiarity of Edward's life with Grace takes a toll on how he sees his future may be, and therefore rejects and denies it when he begins to fall in love with another woman.

Nicholson's script and direction is super tight and extremely relatable in a time where the large gaps between generations, especially between parents and children, are more visible than ever. Nicholson uses his very talented cast, moistly in Bening and Nighy, as well as the highly underrated O'Connor showcase their acting skills in nuanced yet powerful ways. Nicholson treads light waters and uses the weight of little things having value in relationships and how certain partners characteristics leads to problematic formulas of action/reaction and the lack thereof.

Hope Gap is wonderful film who's biggest enemy are not the cheaters, the faithfuls or the innocent bystanders who get caught in the cross-fires of love; the greatest enemy in Hope Gap are the fears that individuals tend to forget when it comes to growing a life, raising a family and getting older entails. These fears, like, being adequate companions to a spouse, projecting your beliefs onto your children, as well as the expectations people have for others, without expecting much from themselves, become the very fabrics of why Hope Gap succeeds as a portrait of a failed marriage, but also bridges the spaces of simple narrative storytelling.

Hope Gap isn't a movie you see, it's a movie you feel, similar to the way Edward explains to his wife how trying to force their son to believe in God is not the path he nor his son sees fit. "You don't tell love, you feel love", says Edward. Hinting early on in the film his very own emotions to a wife that seems deaf to his cries and pleas of change and growth.

One of the marvellous feats of Hope Gap is its ability to, although showcasing the faults and incompatibilities of each spouse to the audience as well as to each other, never makes either one of the partners a villain or a hero. Grace and Edward move on with their individual lives in manners that seem to not only evolve their characters, but also allow their son Jamie to find peace and happiness in the unfolding of his parents marital demise.

One of the most reoccurring dialogues in the film, is the idea of being happy and being fine. As Grace so eloquently states, "Fine isn't the same as happy" when discussing Jamie's love life in the city and his lack of companionship in his single flat, as well as Edward's responses whenever Grace asks him how his days are and how he is feeling. This simple use of narrative foreshadowing and these little bits of dialogue really pushes the points towards the fact that marriages are not easy; relationships are not simple, yet, its the decisions made between two people and the actions of their love that bridges the gap towards the idea that their love, their failed marriage and the time spent together, brought them their greatest accomplishment, their son.

It is quite obvious that Hope Gap may not be the happiest film you may see in 2020, but it sure is one damn fine film.