The Big Screen Opinion Property/Sports/Opinion - popup ad by News Of The Area - Modern Media - February 18, 2025 LAST year, small-budget horror filmmaker Osgood Perkins (son of Psycho star Anthony Perkins) knocked the socks off most people who caught his occult-tinged film Longlegs. That’s given him a huge leg up in promoting his latest film, and an adaptation of a Stephen King short story, The Monkey. Spanning two eras, the tale is of twin brothers (Theo James) and the misfortunes they witness following the appearance of a very creepy children’s toy. Like his previous efforts Perkins prefers to build tension and atmosphere very slowly, relying on his performer to sell a sense of steadily growing horror. What mustn’t be forgotten, however, is that Perkins is very funny, and though it is midnight black in tone, there is a good deal of humor amidst the gore. Gosh, remember Pamela Anderson? The Last Showgirl makes a compelling case as to why we should. Coming from writer Kate Gersten and young Gia Coppola (of that film dynasty), Anderson stuns as Shelly, an aging Vegas showgirl whose long tenure in a popular revue is being brought to an end. Estranged from her daughter, Shelly’s only friends are those who have shared the stage with her. A heart-breaking portrayal of again and coming to terms with life-choices that never work out the way we dream, this is very much in the vein of 2008’s The Wrestler. Some films are puzzling, and difficult to describe when someone asks the question “What’s it about?”, but leave an undeniable imprint on the soul, having moved you deeply in ways we can not even understand. Bird is that kind of a film. From British Writer/Director Andrea Arnold and starring newcomer Nkiya Adams alongside Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski, this tale of a struggling adolescent’s strange friendship with a kind but simple man offers a blunt portrayal of low-income life, along with hope that seemingly has no basis in reality, but lifts the spirit nonetheless. Finally this week another Irish filmmaker Nick Hamm takes a shot at a historical epic in the tale of William Tell. Starring Claes Bang in the title role with supporting turns from Connor Swindells and Golshifteh Farahani, along with appearances from legends Johnathon Pryce and Sir Ben Kingsley, this account of the 14th century Swiss folk hero looks very energetic and stylish. At the very least there are some impressive battle sequences which may salve the disappointment of last year’s Gladiator 2. By Lindsay HALL