Larry Oliver Film Reviews

  Pictured : Having made his fortune, Heathcliff ( Jacob Elordi ) visits Catherine Linton ( Margot Robbie ) in a scene from writer-director Emerald Fennell 's streamlined adaptation of  Emily Brontë ’s  ' Wuthering Heights' . Still courtesy of Warner Bros .   The most successful film directed by a woman so far released in 2026 ($84,001,073 domestic, $241,301,072 worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo , figures correct as of 20 April 2026), British writer-director Emerald Fennell’s reboot of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights is, as they say up North, ‘proper gravy’. Fennell is fascinated by the casual cruelty meted out by men and how those on the receiving end respond, as evidenced in her films Promising Young Woman and Saltburn . Her adaptation of Brontë’s 1847 novel is tailored to this interest. It’s a love story that ends badly – you might call it a tragedy, though environmental determinism plays a part. Fennell’s film is visceral, more sexually frank than pr...

  The phrase ‘showing up’ has multiple connotations. You can show up unannounced – uninvited and imposing. Your reluctant host eagerly anticipates your departure. Showing up also means humiliation, casting shade. You might be competent but someone in the room grabs the attention, letting off fireworks. Moreover, they get a catalogue. Your relatives can show you up too, behaving in your presence in such a way that you become responsible for their actions, or at least you feel that way. You show up for work, but are you really there? Presenteeism is a problem, colleagues being reluctant to do admin. Showing up can also be a good thing. The person you thought who was lost finally appears. Does it really matter if they eat all the cheese? A friend can show up; their timely intervention can put everything into perspective. Director Kelly Reichardt explores all of these meanings in her seemingly low-stakes drama, Showing Up , which she co-wrote with her frequent writing partner Jon Raymo...