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Streaming gods Netflix have just added a new film to their remarkably well-stocked line-up, one that’s generated significant buzz among critics and audiences since its initial release.

That film? 2022’s Sisu, an outlandish and ludicrously violent Finnish action-war movie that really, really doesn’t mess about.

It’s amassed an impressive 94% approval rating on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, with one critic describing the brutal 91-minute flick as reminiscent of ‘if Quentin Tarantino directed a Clint Eastwood western.’ With everything centring around a main character that’s been likened to a cross between John Wick and Rambo.

So don’t expect a deep and moving character study, eh…?

Set against the backdrop of World War II in 1944, Sisu follows the story of Aatami Korpi, played with grit and gusto by the Finnish actor Jorma Tommila. A solitary prospector in the remote wilderness of Lapland, one day Aatami unearths a substantial amount of gold.

His journey to return home with this newly-discovered treasure is interrupted by a retreating Nazi platoon that quickly decides to half-inch Aatami’s new-found mineral haul.

Unbeknown to – and unluckily for – them, their mugging victim just so happens to be a rather dangerous former commando with a fearsome reputation.

Hitler’s idiots make off with the gold, but they soon discover it was a rather daft thing to do. Given that it leads to a relentless pursuit of them and a series of violent and bloody confrontations. All as our hero strives to reclaim what’s rightfully his (gold prospecting in 1940’s northern Finland being subject, of course, to the universal law of ‘Finders, Keepers’).

The film’s title, Sisu, is a Finnish term that embodies the concept of extraordinary determination in the face of overwhelming odds. It’s not a term that has a direct translation in English.

Although to try and imagine what it’s supposed to represent, think of someone who’s able to open up a grab bag of salt & vinegar Discos and save some for later on instead of just eating them all in under 30 seconds.

This theme of courage and resilience is pretty central to the film’s basic butadmittedly quite stirring narrative, as Aatami’s unyielding resolve drives the plot ever forward, showcasing his impressive tenacity against formidable, cruel and well-dressed adversaries.

Directed by Jalmari Helander, known for his work on the equally entertaining 2010 Christmas horror-comedy Rare Exports, the film features a cast that includes Aksel Hennie as SS officer Bruno Helldorf, Jack Doolan as Wolf and Mimosa Willamo as Aino.

The performances, particularly Tommila’s portrayal of Aatami, are noticeably good, bringing as they do a fair amount of depth to the characters. Something which is no mean feat amid so many high-octane action sequences and a pretty limited run time.

While Sisu isn’t based on a true story per se, it does draw plenty of inspiration from a few real historical events, specifically in its setting – The Lapland War between Finland and Nazi Germany.

The character of Aatami Korpi is heavily influenced by real-life Finnish sniper hero Simo Häyhä, a decorated soldier nicknamed – rather coolly – The White Death.

A man who’s credited with over 500 Russian kills during WWII’s Winter War (not bad considering it barely lasted three months).

Okay, so the film takes a number creative liberties, resulting in a fair few historical and scientific inaccuracies.

But go in remembering that it’s not a BBC Four documentary and these deviations serve only really to enhance the intensity of the thing and should be embraced as part of the film’s stylistic choices and a contribution to its unique charm. Basically, yes – none of it’s very likely to have happened. Get over it.

Viewers loved it on its release three years ago, praising Sisu for its thrilling action sequences, distinctive style and compelling storytelling.

One fan described it as ‘a gory grindhouse good time’ and a movie that ‘should satisfy almost anybody who’s wondered what it might look like if John Wick went up against Nazis.’

Critics also responded positively. David Stratton of The Australian said: ‘It’s all very silly, but it’s so over-the-top that it becomes blissfully entertaining.’

Similarly, Sandra Hall of the Sydney Morning Herald wrote: ‘It’s lavishly embellished with blood and gore. Talk about a guilty pleasure.’

It’s also worth pointing out that this film was made on a shoestring budget. How the filmmakers made this impressive action thriller and balanced the books with just £5m available to them is a minor miracle.

If Finland ever flirts with recession or economic struggles, the suits in Helsinki could do worse than appointing Sisu director Jalmari Helander to run their Treasury.

Sisu is available to stream on Netflix now.

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Dwarf actors have expressed their fury at Disney’s Snow White remake over the use of CGI characters, claiming it’s ‘discriminating in a sense’ and even claiming it could damage their careers.

In the upcoming live-action film – starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot – set to be released in the UK on March 21, the seven dwarves have been replaced by computer-generated ‘magical creatures’.

After bosses reportedly declined to hold an elaborate premiere in London, the launch of the popular Disney classic was relocated to a remote castle in Segovia, north-west of Madrid.

Bodybuilder and performer Choon Tan, 31, from north London, who has dwarfism, told Femail that the movie’s reliance on CGI for the seven dwarves is ‘absolutely absurd and discriminating in a sense’.

He added: ‘I think Disney is trying too hard to be politically correct, but in doing so it’s damaging our careers and opportunities.

‘There really is nothing wrong casting someone with dwarfism as a dwarf in any given opportunity. As long as we are treated equally and with respect, we’re usually more than happy to take on any acting roles that are suitable for us. 

Choon added that he would’ve loved to have played the role of one of the seven dwarves in the upcoming remake.

‘We get paid to do what we love to do, acting and performing.

‘Plus it’s also an opportunity for young children to see someone with dwarfism, which they may have never seen before.’

Supporting Choon’s views on the new film, fellow performer Blake Johnston, 42, from Melbourne, Australia, also told the publication how he believes the decision to use CGI is ‘quite stupid’.

‘We have plenty of dwarf actors out there who are dying for roles like this. I think Disney have succumb to peer pressure on political correctness, which has now given top dwarf actors less work,’ he said.

He added: ‘I’m offended by the decision because Disney had the greatest educational story of all time now they have made it as a joke.

When the first teaser trailer dropped in August 2024, it sparked more than 1.4million dislikes from its 11m views, based largely on what was seen as its overuse of CGI in the creation of the seven dwarfs.

They were previously reported as having been renamed and reimagined as ‘magical creatures’ instead, of being portrayed by live actors.

This comes after Wicked actor Peter Dinklage – who has a common form of dwarfism known as achondroplasia – branded the story ‘backwards’.

The actor, 55, said on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast in 2022: ‘You’re progressive in one way and you’re still making that f**king backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together, what the f**k are you doing man?’

Pro-Palestinian activists have also called for a boycott of the movie over Disney’s casting of Israeli actress and Wonder Woman star Gal, 39, as the evil queen.

West Side Story actress Rachel, 23, has also been in the firing line of some fans for criticising the original film – released nearly 88 years ago – as ‘dated’.

She shared her opinion on elements such as Snow White’s relationship with Prince Charming as a ‘guy who literally stalks her’ in an interview with ExtraTV at the Disney D23 Expo in September 2022, calling it ‘weird’, which didn’t sit well with fans.

Her revelation in a separate interview with Variety at the event that Snow White was ‘not going to be dreaming about true love’ anymore and rather ‘about becoming the leader she knows she can be and the leader that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave, and true’, also rubbed former Disney designer David Hand the wrong way.

‘I find it quite frankly a bit insulting [what] they may have done with some of these classic films,’ he told  The Telegraph.

‘There’s no respect for what Disney did and what my dad did… I think Walt and he would be turning in their graves.’

Metro also understands that no interview junket was planned for the UK, as would normally be anticipated, with extremely limited press opportunities being controlled as part of a European-wide junket in another country instead.

The film kicked off its press run in Tokyo, with leading lady Rachelperforming the film’s first new song, Waiting on a Wish, live on stage.

Metro has reached out to Disney for comment.

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Sadie Sink has reportedly been cast in the fourth installment of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man – and the theories are already going wild.

The Stranger Things star is best known for her rousing portrayal of grief-stricken teen Max Mayfield in the hit fantasy Netflix series, which will release its final season later this year.

And for those curious to know what the 22-year-old actor’s next career move is, look no further.

It looks like she is destined for one of Marvel and Sony Pictures’ most highly anticipated sequels, Spider-Man 4, opposite our titular superhero, Tom Holland, per Deadline.

As of now, only the 28-year-old actor is officially confirmed to return as Peter Parker.

The last movie, No Way Home, ended with the love of his life Michelle ‘MJ’ Jones (Zendaya) and best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon), losing their memory of him when he wiped his own existence.

So, it’s anyone’s guess as to the direction the next movie will take and exactly how Sadie will fit into it if the rumours are true.

There are currently two theories as to which role she could play, including X-Men character Jean Grey – one of the most powerful X-Men with telekinetic and telepathic abilities.

The other, which has caused fierce speculation, is that she could be Mary Jane Watson – Peter’s famed love interest.

‘Sometimes the most obvious answer is the correct answer. Sadie Sink will be the new Mary Jane,’ @mcucommenter declared.

Although not everyone believes this theory, given how firmly established Zendaya is as the MJ of this universe.

‘Genuinely what sense would it make to bring in another MJ Watson (AT ALL considering we already have one) given what happened in nwh??,’ @peterfemmejay shared.

‘Why start a whole discussion when it’s pretty clear she won’t be Mary Jane??? TOM’S SPIDEY HAS AN MJ THIS IS SO DUMB GUYS PLS,’ jcomerswift said.

And others believe it could be a different character altogether.

‘Imagine if Marvel is tricking us all and Sadie Sink isn’t playing Jean Grey or Mary Jane but actually Gwen Stacy or Black Cat,’ connorbehrens posed.

‘Sadie Sink would absolutely crush a Jean Grey or Mary Jane role, but I feel like she might be getting cast as Firestar here,’ firestar991 said.

‘There are rumors it could be another multiverse movie and what if Sadie Sink is playing the daughter of Peter Parker & Mary Jane from the Raimiverse. Mayday Parker aka Spider-Girl,’ @fmraimispidey questioned.

The Whale actress recently opened up about the emotional experience finally wrapping up filming on Stranger Things season five.

‘I haven’t seen anything from it yet, I’m very curious though,’ she told The Hollywood Reporter.

She continued: It’s going to be super emotional so I’m ready to cry with everyone.

‘I had cried so much that my eyes were so puffy – they had never been like that before and there are some pretty embarrassing photos of me just with these giant puffy eyes.’

As for Spider-Man’s future, Tom (who is currently filming for Christopher Nolan’s next epic, The Odyssey) shared that he has read a draft script for the fourth film.

Offering a small insight into how the film is shaping up, he admitted that with Marvel, Spider-Man is a ‘small cog in a large machine.’

He added to Variety: ‘We have a creative and we have a pitch and a draft, which is excellent.

‘It needs work, but the writers are doing a great job. I read it three weeks ago and it really lit a fire in me.

‘Zendaya and I sat down and read it together and we at times were bouncing around the living room like this is a real movie worthy of the fans’ respect.’

Metro has reached out to Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures for comment.

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A sequel to the iconic rockumentary has been confirmed as a teaser trailer for Spinal Tap II: The End Continues has been released – with Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney confirmed to cameo.

The new film is set to feature the original cast members, including Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, and director Rob Reiner, with Bleecker Street holding the U.S. distribution rights.

Guest plays the lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel, McKean plays lead singer David St Hubbins, Shearer is bassist Derek Smalls, and Reiner was the original film’s documentarian Martin ‘Marty’ DiBergi.

The teaser showed dials on an amp being turned ‘up to 11’ – a classic joke from the original movie about ‘one of England’s loudest bands’.

It has been confirmed that along with Sir Elton and Sir Paul, there will be several other stars making an appearance.

This will include US country singers Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, Canadian singer Paul Shaffer, The Nanny star Fran Drescher and British comedians Nina Conti, Kerry Godliman and Chris Addison.

This will be a return for some of the cast – such as Drescher who appeared in the original movie as Bobbi Flekman of Polymer Records, who was offended by the band’s ‘sexist’ album cover.

Many fans have met the film with a little trepidation, considering the trend of sequels not quite living up to the original.

‘I love love love everyone involved in the film but I’m still scared,’ said grammaire on X.

‘I hope it has original jokes and isn’t just a rehash of Spinal Tap 1,’ added MahatmaBlondi.

‘Though it’s the original people behind it, I’m still very, very worried about this one. The original is my favorite comedy of all time, and I don’t want that magic tarnished with a cash in sequel (which is the current trend),’ said Oyabungaijin.

Other fans were a little more positive.

‘The legends are back! Can’t wait to see how they turn it up to 11 once again!”‘ said AjayKum66174906.

‘The amps are about to go up to 11 again—comedy gold incoming!’ said Grey__Storm.

In 2002, the original film was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry and deemed a ‘culturally, historically and aesthetically significant’ by the US Library of Congress.

Reiner previously told Deadline that he wanted the sequel to be released in 2024.

‘The plan is to do a sequel that comes out on the 40th anniversary of the original film and I can tell you hardly a day goes by without someone saying, why don’t you do another one?

‘For so many years, we said, “Nah”. It wasn’t until we come up with the right idea how to do this. You don’t want to just do it, to do it. You want to honour the first one and push it a little further with the story.’

The original 1984 film This Is Spinal Tap mocked heavy rock bands, pointing out the ridiculousness of their backstage debaucherous behaviour and outfits.

The movie was a massive success, leading to the trio actually performing as Spinal Tap at various concerts, including at Glastonbury Festival, Live Earth concerts, and at a tribute to Freddie Mercury.

Since directing Spinal Tap, his directorial debut, Reiner has gone on to direct Stand By Me, The Princess Bride and A Few Good Men, and When Harry Met Sally, and Misery.

Reiner is also known for his acting roles in New Girl, The Wolf of Wall Street,The First Wives Club, and Sleepless in Seattle.

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is set to be released in September 2025.

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There is bad news for Netflix users as an iconic action movie, with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, is being removed from the platform

After a series of developmental issues, Mad Max: Fury Road finally hit the big screen in May 2015, and was instantly met with rave reviews from impressed film fans and awards galore – including 10 Oscar nominations and six wins.

George Miller’s post-apocalyptic flick served as a sequel to Mad Max, and starred Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Zoe Kravitz, Riley Keough and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

It followed Max Rockatansky (Tom) as he joined forces with Imperator Furiosa (Charlize) as they battled against warlord Immortan Joe (Hugh).

Unfortunately for Netflix fans in the US, Mad Max: Fury Road has been slapped with a pesky ‘leaving soon’ sticker, and will be taken down on March 30.

A warning reads that the last day to watch George’s masterpiece will be March 29 – it is currently not available to stream in the UK, but action lovers can buy or rent it from Amazon Prime Video now.

The movie currently boasts a huge Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 97%, compared to a slightly less audience rating of 86%.

Heaping praise on Charlize and Tom, Leprechaun K raved: ‘Movie was darn near perfect. Walked away knowing it will win a bunch of Oscars and it did.’

‘The praise is well deserved,’ Sergio A agreed. ‘It took time, but George Miller has delivered a true masterpiece—original, inventive, and exhilarating. With outstanding performances and breathtaking production design, the film seamlessly blends artistic and technical brilliance.

‘One of the greatest films of this century.’

A user known only as B said: ‘A perfect action film. No notes.’

‘Arguably, the greatest action movie ever made,’ Maxime T posted. ‘The movie is full throttle from start to finish. It never gets boring and leaves you wanting even more. A must see.’

As Kevin P added: ‘An insane roller coaster from beginning to end with amazingly creative and impressively practical stunt set pieces and thrillingly engaging visual storytelling. The movie has such a badass high level of energy that keeps up the momentum throughout the entire film.

‘It’s boosted by its leads actors Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron as Mad Max and Furiosa, both whom show off so much character despite saying very few lines. It’s a modern cult classic for very good reason and I’m so glad to have finally watched it!’

Fury Road was the fourth instalment of the Mad Max franchise – and grossed more than $380million at the global box office.

A prequel titled Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga was released last year, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth and Thom Burke.

In 2020, Mad Max got the ultimate honor of being declared ‘the greatest movie of the century’ by critics and readers alike, in a poll conducted by Empire Magazine.

‘It’s a lovely pat on the back… How do you measure the worth of a film?,’ filmmaker George said of the accolade at the time.

‘The best I can come up with is to ask, “How long does it follow you out of the cinema? Some films you’ve forgotten by the time you get to the car park. Other seems to follow you around for the rest of your life.”’

Discussing the issues he faced when making the film, which took almost 20 years, he added: ‘Whenever it fell down, it didn’t stop me thinking about it.

‘You couldn’t kill it with a stick.’

Mad Max: Fury Road is available to stream on Netflix now.

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