Now, with lockdown currently testing everyones patience, it seems to me that we could all do with a little bittersweet sentimentality in our lives. Perhaps with an added feel good lift. Well, thats exactly whats on offer from astronaut, a film with a small budget, a big heart and a stellar hollywood star. Rosie used to say, on every special occasion, you make a wish. And that comet, thats a special occasion. Dad says wishes dont come true. He does . Richard dreyfuss is angus, the retired widower whose spirits may be down, but whose head is in the stars. A keen astronomer, hes always dreamed of going into space, a dream which becomes a possible reality thanks to a tv contest to win a once in a lifetime seat on a commercial spaceship. You could look 65. Angus may be too old and too infirm to qualify, but in the whimsical wish fulfilment world of sheena mcleods debut future, he still has a shot. Angus stewart. Youre going to be an astronaut its clear from the outset that this very modest drama doesnt have the resources or the desire to become a space travel extravaganza. This was always going to be a down to earth tale of an elderly man facing up to life in a retirement home, balancing loss and loneliness with his still vibrant sense of adventure. Something this film captures rather nicely. Theres also an echo of roy neary, the character dreyfus played in close encounters, suggesting that angus is what roy could have become if he hadnt climbed aboard the spaceship all those years ago. Originally intended for Theatrical Release in the uk, astronaut has a televisual quality which means it loses nothing by being watched at home rather than in the cinema. In fact, right now its ideal home viewing fare. Its available from monday. What . Thats moving pretty fast. Altogether more adventurous is sea fever, the feature debut from talented bafta winning niessa hardiman indebted to but not defined by the wbr id wbr1680 claustrophobic spirit of alien and the thing. This adventurous eco chiller plays out on a fishing boat trailing the west irish sea. b joining the crew is a Research Student who gets more than she bargained for when the boat strays and becomes entangled with a mysterious underwater parasite. Take off the barnacles for us. That could be anything. Thats what youre here for. An International Co production featuring danish connie nielsen, english Hermione Corfield and scottish dougray scott, sea fever is an excellent example of how to get big results from a small budget. Finely drawn characters and a properly thought out script draw us into this confined world in which we only ever know as much as the crew members who find themselves horribly stranded while a quarantine subplot strikes an accidentally wbrid wbr2280 timely note. The special effects are limited but inventive, meaning that sea fever relies on atmosphere and tension to deliver its thrills, an endeavour in which its aided by christoffer franzens eerie ambient score. There are couple ofjumps, but this isnt some formulaic quiet, quiet, bang affair. On the contrary, this is a film that gets you from the inside, much like its mysterious intruder. You can catch see fever on digital hd on all major platforms and on blu ray. Why dont we keep the party going . Depends on what you have in mind. Lets hit a bar. Are you kidding me . Theres no bars. Theres like 7 elevens and diary queens. Sticking with horror, we summon the darkness is a satirical romp that proved a crowd pleaser at the uks premier horror Film Festival frightfest. Set in the late 80s, the story follows three Young American women who we first meet travelling to a rock concert amid News Headlines of satanic murders. You girls be careful now. Why . You dont think we can fend for ourselves . Johnny knoxville is the fundamentalist preacher whose snake oil selling voice blares from radio and tvs, ranting about devil signs and devil beats, of which there are plenty at the concert. It all seems fairly generic, but the film is more interesting in wrong footing its audience than in pandering to its audiences expectations. Its hardly groundbreaking, but we summon the darkness makes the most of its narrative on keeping its tongue firmly in its cheek. I saw the lights on and thought somebody was robbing the place. What was that . What was what . Theres a fair amount of blood letting in both of those horror titles, but neither has a body count that comes close to extraction, the new Chris Hemsworth movie thats not to be confused with the bruce willis stinker of the same title which critics have argued is about as fun as having a tooth removed. Youre hoping if you spin the chamber enough times, youre going to catch a bullet. Originally entitled dakar, this film finds hemsworth enlisted to kill a frankly Staggering Number of people with guns, knives, bombs and occasionally with his bare hands. Turns out hes very good at it, although inevitably hes haunted by the ghosts of the past, in particular the memory of a child whose loss has left him with a death wish. Cant you trust me . No. Good. No. Written by joe russo, co helmer of avengers infinity war and endgame, and directed by stunt specialist sam hargrave, the main selling point is some virtuoso action sequences against eyecatching backdrops. Labyrinthine chases that appear to play out in single shots, following characters out of windows, down streets, into cars, all without obvious cuts. During these adrenaline fuelled set pieces, you can just about forget about the emptiness of the story. Just about. A touch of class is added to the cast and hemsworth makes a very good punch bag, even when fighting a gang of street kids that he dubs the goonies from hell. You can find extraction on netflix now. Far more thoughtful is moffie, an arresting adaptation about of a biographical novel about Compulsory Military Service in the South African Defence Force in the early 80s. Would you like a drink . No, im fine, thanks. You sure . You know where were going . Like Stanley Kubricks full metaljacket, the film is divided into two segments the first during a brutalising training regime, in which new recruits are forced into macho conformity, the second in active duty near angola. Described as an examination of shame amongst a generation of men being militarized, moffie, the title is a derogatory term for a gay man or supposedly effeminate man, is a powerful examination of toxic masculinity, homophobia and racism. That sounds like a tough watch, but the movie itself is actually surprisingly engaging, and even tender thanks to some intimately terrific camerawork from jamie ramsay, great performances by the cast, and an adventurous if occasionally overpowering use of music that draws us right into this world. Its available now. We understand the arm here has given him a taste. But we think its now time to finish the job. No, dont do that. Not that sort of business, you know what im saying . Its time to get into that business, if you know what im saying. For my own pick of the very best film available for home viewing, i choose calm with horses. On a broad range of on demand platforms from monday. Inventively adapted from colin barretts young skins collection,