Whole lot of shaking going on: Amanda Seyfried throws herself into the role of Ann Lee, the Manchester woman who founded the Shakers

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Verdict: Won’t shake you up

Verdict: Will shake you up

Mona Fastvold and Brady Corbet most recently co-wrote the film The Brutalist (2024), a lengthy and immersive story about a Holocaust survivor who rebuilds his life as a successful architect in America after the war.

The filmmakers have collaborated once more on “The Testament of Ann Lee,” a serious and compelling new drama. Set in the 1700s, the film explores themes of religion, bias, women’s rights, and even the world of architecture. It’s impressive how this filmmaking duo has carved out such a unique and specific area of focus for themselves.

While Corbet previously directed The Brutalist, this film is directed by Fastvold, and with the beautiful cinematography of William Rexer, it’s visually stunning. It captures the 1700s with a picturesque quality rarely seen, even in paintings by Thomas Gainsborough.

Amanda Seyfried is fantastic in the lead role, delivering a powerful and dedicated performance, and convincingly maintaining a Northern English accent throughout the film.

Ann Lee led the Shakers, a religious group originally nicknamed the ‘shaking Quakers’ because of their energetic worship involving jerking and twitching. The group later became known as the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Coming.

The movie follows Ann and her devoted followers – who see her as the second coming of Christ – as they journey from the industrial landscapes of Manchester to a new community on the Hudson River. They travel with song and dance, even managing to keep their spirits up during rough seas. The film’s music draws from genuine Shaker hymns, but it playfully imagines whether the real Ann and her group were as musically gifted and perfectly synchronized as they appear on screen, almost like a Broadway-style take on their religious passion.

Ultimately, this portrayal should give you a much better understanding of the Shakers, and especially Ann Lee, who considered avoiding sexual relations central to her faith. This belief seems to have been strongly shaped by the loss of her four children in infancy, as well as her husband Abraham’s unusual sexual preferences. She famously stated that a connection with God wasn’t possible while indulging in physical desire. Perhaps if her husband hadn’t been so focused on those desires, she might have held a different view.

Christopher Abbott stars as Abraham, and Lewis Pullman plays his dedicated brother, William. Thomasin Mackenzie delivers a compelling performance as Mary, both as a devoted follower and the film’s narrator. The acting is superb, and the film is visually stunning. It’s also interesting to observe the origins and development of the simple, elegant principles behind Shaker design and craftsmanship.

Honestly, while the story picked up a little when Ann was taken away and accused of witchcraft, most of it just felt…flat. The character Mary describes young Ann as longing for meaning in a boring life, and that’s exactly how I felt watching it at the screening on Monday. I was hoping for more excitement, but it just didn’t really grab me.

EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert isn’t a typical biography. This documentary by Baz Luhrmann is a fascinating follow-up to his excellent 2022 film Elvis, and actually grew out of the research he did while making the movie.

As a lifestyle expert, I’m always thrilled when lost pieces of history resurface, and this is a big one! Imagine my excitement when a team and I discovered 65 boxes of previously unseen concert footage from Elvis’s iconic early 1970s Vegas performances. It was hidden away in the Warner Brothers archives… in salt mines in Kansas, of all places! It’s a treasure trove for any Elvis fan, and a fascinating look back at a pivotal time in his career.

I’m so excited to share that these classic performances have been beautifully restored! We’ve brought back the missing audio, and honestly, the result is breathtaking. It’s a powerful reminder of just how incredible Elvis was, even later in his career. It really showcases his extraordinary talent and stage presence.

I’ve seen a lot of people dismiss him lately, saying those big Vegas performances turned him into a caricature, a shadow of the artist he once was. But honestly? He’s just as incredible as ever. It’s not just that he still has that amazing stage presence, that charisma that just grabs you, it’s his raw musical talent that truly blows me away, and I know it will shake up even the most dedicated fans.

As a huge Elvis fan, I was completely blown away by ‘EPiC’! It’s not just a concert film; Baz Luhrmann went the extra mile and found an amazing, previously unheard audio recording of Elvis reflecting on his life and career. It gives you such a personal look at the man, both during his electrifying performances and behind the scenes. You even get to see legends like Cary Grant and Sammy Davis Jr. paying their respects after a show. Sammy, a performer of incredible skill himself, put it perfectly: ‘You started to rev up and you never stopped.’ It really captures the energy and drive that made Elvis, Elvis!

Ultimately, the performance centers on the music itself. The rendition of ‘Suspicious Minds’ is breathtaking, culminating in a drum solo where Elvis seems completely lost in the moment, radiating intense energy – almost as if overtaken by a powerful, spiritual experience. One might imagine Ann Lee, the founder of the Shakers, would have found something to admire in such passionate expression.

Both films in cinemas now.

 

Verdict: Powerful and timely

Verdict: Watchable but weird

Molly Russell, a 14-year-old from England, tragically ended her life in 2017. Her death was linked to harmful content she had seen online, which fueled feelings of self-loathing and despair.

Molly vs The Machines (rated 15, 91 minutes, four stars) is a compelling and relevant documentary examining the damaging – and sometimes deadly – impact of social media. It focuses on how Silicon Valley creators avoid responsibility for their platforms, often reacting angrily to attempts at regulation, dismissing it as censorship. Mark Zuckerberg is a prime example of this behavior.

The true hero of Marc Silver’s film is Molly’s father, Ian. He tirelessly fights against those who believe it’s acceptable to harm children with this dangerous substance.

He often feels like he’s facing an uphill battle. However, the more people who see this powerful and sometimes difficult documentary, the better his chances of success.

Sirat (rated 15, running 115 minutes, and receiving three stars) presents a fictional story about a father deeply worried about his child.

Sergi Lopez stars as Luis, a heartbroken father searching for his daughter. For the past five months, he and his young son have been repeatedly going to underground raves in the Moroccan desert, hoping to find her.

The story begins like a typical thriller, focusing on a father’s determined search for his son. However, Spanish director Oliver Laxe takes an unexpected turn, creating a strange but captivating film filled with dancing, drugs, desert landscapes, and music.

You can see ‘Molly vs The Machines’ in theaters this Sunday, March 1st, and it will also be shown on Channel 4 next Thursday, March 5th, at 9 PM. ‘Sirat’ is currently playing in cinemas.

 

ALSO SHOWING…

Verdict: Runs out of scream

Making another sequel in a long-running horror series is tricky. This one mostly retreads familiar ground – it revisits the same ideas and scares from the earlier films. Basically, it’s more of the same.

That’s the idea behind Scream 7. They’ve brought back Kevin Williamson, the writer of the first Scream movie, and he’s also taking on directing duties this time.

Neve Campbell returns as Sidney Prescott, a central character in the series, to face the Ghostface killer again.

My apologies, it seems there are multiple Ghostface killers in this sequel, not just one. The film attempts to change things up a bit by introducing the idea of more than one person behind the mask. They’ve also added a new element: AI-created deepfakes. Plus, Sidney Prescott now has a daughter named Tatum (played by Isabel May).

While the new additions are interesting, they don’t fundamentally change what makes a Scream movie a Scream movie. It still boils down to teenagers trying to escape a killer, ultimately leading to a reveal of who was behind it all – much like a Scooby-Doo episode.

The film starts strong, but unfortunately, its best moments happen early on. A striking, dramatic murder within the first fifteen minutes sets a high bar that the rest of the movie struggles to meet.

Sadly, for her family and us viewers, it takes out one of the few teens with a personality.

After that, things get a bit of both what you’d expect and what you definitely wouldn’t. Does Tatum show the same strength as her mom? You’ve likely already figured that out.

Can you see the final reveal coming? Not really – because it’s extremely dumb.

PETER HOSKIN

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2026-03-01 13:50