sent us videos of what they have sent us videos of what they heard. we have been consulting the experts, and apparently the sound is created when thunder and lightning combined with heavy snowstorms. and it is rare, apparently. more news at 6pm, but now on the news channel, it's the film review. hello and welcome to the film review with me, anna smith. i'm filling in for mark kermode to review this week's releases, whether you're at home or able to go out to the cinema again.

directorjulien temple has worked with many a rock star — from keith richards to the sex pistols — and his latest subject is the equally colourful shane macgowan. crock of gold: a few rounds with shane macgowan is a riveting documentary about the lead singer and songwriter of the pogues,

who shot to fame in the ‘80s with their anarchic spin on irish folk music. using unseen footage from the macgowan family and narration from shane himself, this shows him growing up in ireland with a pint in his hand and a song in his heart. then it's on to english public school and the hedonistic allure of the london punk scene, the birth of the pogues and a punishing world tour. in episodes illustrated by the great ralph steadman, there are shocking stories about wild nights out and terrifying tales of mental institutions. the singer isn't always in the best health, or even mood, when he's being interviewed for this documentary. once we've wrapped up filming... now? so director temple brings in a few friends for a chat.

these include the film's producerjohnny depp, who was filmed before losing his recent libel case... what makes you think i did? ..former sinn fein president gerry adams and shane's wife, victoria mary clarke. aided by archive footage, these interviews work as a potted social history of ireland, as well as a fascinating insight into a musical scene and a portrait of a troubled, talented and funny man. crock of gold: a few rounds with shane macgowan is in cinemas now and on digital and dvd from monday, december 7. i love seeing film—makers come up with creative solutions in challenging situations, and rob savage has done just that with the horrorfilm host. sitting in a circle.

spirit, we invite you to use us to pass on any communication. is there anyone there? please come forward. what was that? amy, was that you? i heard it. i heard something. i think there's something here. do you see that? inspired by a short that went viral on social media, it's set entirely on zoom, where six friends decide to hold an online seance under the guidance of a medium. thanks to a sharp script, naturalistic performances and a bit of improv, the characters are swiftly established and the stage is set for demonic activity that escalates to an alarming degree. shouting haley, this is all yourfault! it's not my fault! this is your fault! it's a lot of fun watching multiple screens for glimpses of paranormal activity. and it's genuinely scary when it kicks in. these are characters

i enjoyed spending time with, and there's a peculiar intimacy watching them on an online conference call. atjust 57 minutes long, host isn't especially profound, but it is very effective. it's in cinemas and on digital now. beautiful, isn't it? that's the last thing irememberseeing. back to ireland, via somalia, and a girl from mogadishu — the true story of activist ifrah ahmed. ask her, how did it happen? aja naomi king plays the teenage ifrah, who narrowly escaped war—torn somalia with a trafficker, played by barkhad abdi. ifrah thinks she's on a plane to see her aunt in minnesota, but instead, she arrives in dublin and is dumped at an asylum seeker centre.

when a medical exam reveals she's a victim of female genital mutilation, the true horror of the custom begins to dawn on her. determined to save other young girls from the same fate, she learns english and launches a campaign to end fgm in ireland and beyond. the narration is a bit overbearing at times, but this is still a compelling film, beginning as a gripping thriller and turning into an inspiring story of activism. until girls like me are free of the fear, the pain, the shame, i will not stop. director mary mcguckian has a broad populist touch. as well as dark moments, there is hope and even humour. ifrah is thrown headfirst into western culture, baffled by everything from aeroplane food to cornflakes. a girl from mogadishu is out on digital now.

yo, give me your chips, man! i literallyjust bought them... shut up, fam! give me your chips. i don't care. what are you doing? what? what are you doing? no, i was onlyjoking you wasjustjoking? yeah, man. i was onlyjoking with him! my next film choice is written and directed by a youth worker who spent over a decade working with kids who have been recruited by drug runners. henry blake's debut, county lines, feels alarmingly authentic, as it tells a story that is apparently relatively common. conrad khan stars as tyler, a 14—year—old londoner living with his sister and his single mother, toni, who's struggling to hold down a job. tyler is easy prey for the older simon, who buys him trainers and offers him cash to smuggle drugs on the train to small towns. naive tyler is soon thrust into a world of criminals, crack dens and violence. the performances are excellent.

conrad khan really holds the attention in his first lead role. and simon is played with chilling brilliance by harris dickinson, who i reckon is shaping up to be the next tom hardy. yes. right, let me call you back. all right, all right. what do you do? entrepreneur. what? someone who works for themselves. not all the dialogue in county lines rings true, but the storytelling is impressive, showing most events through tyler's point of view. it's a worthwhile watch that's in cinemas and on digital now. everyone say "christmas"! no, don't say that, just smile. 0k.

blurry, boring. nope, nope, nope. ok, none of these will do. we will try again tomorrow. thank you. having sat through the likes of the family stone and four christmases, i don't always relish the idea of a glossy festive romantic comedy. but happiest season has a twist on the genre. it's about two women. how can you not like the lights and decorations? this is beautiful. come with me to my parents' house for christmas. abby, you and harper have a perfect relationship. she is my person and i really want everyone to know that. i want to marry her. i'm going to ask her dad for his blessing. way to stick it to the patriarchy! kristen stewart and mackenzie davis play a happy couple whose relationship is tested when they go home for the holidays. the venue is the affluent family home of harper, played by davis. the snag is that harper hasn't come out to her parents, despite having told her girlfriend

that she already did. so abby is introduced as harper's flatmate, with a promise that all will be revealed in due course. naturally, nothing goes smoothly in this film from clea duvall, who delivers a consistently funny comedy with an excellent cast. stewart has never been better. and supporting standouts include mary steenburgen as the controlling, oblivious mother and schitt‘s creek star daniel levy as abby‘s fiercely feminist friend. yes, iamjohn, abby's heterosexual ex—boyfriend. and i have come to get her back. isee. well, it would have been nice to have known you were coming, but since you are here, enjoy. thank you so much. ok, i nailed that, and she is fabulous. happiest season is better at comedy than it is romance, but it's still a fun, inclusive christmas movie with laugh—out—loud moments. it's available on demand now.

# the sun will rise to life the skies # and merrily, bells ring out # surprise, and brighten all the folks in lockdown... # finally, a fittingly surreal experience for 2020, a festive film made during the pandemic in the garden of former blue peter presenter peter duncan. billed as the first ever made—for—cinema, covid—friendly, socially distanced pa nto, jack and the beanstalk is co—directed and produced by duncan, who rounded up his showbiz mates for the gig. this is truly a pandemic panto. there is a lockdown song, with jokes about loo roll, and there are gags about trump. and then there's the giant ogre who's eating humans. it's a very strange thing to watch at home alone, but it's got all you'd expect from a family panto,

including terrible puns, boo—worthy baddies and a pantomime dame, played by, yes, peter duncan. jack and the beanstalk is at everyman cinemas from saturday, december 5, and it's also available to stream at home now. thanks for watching the film review with me, anna smith. mark kermode will be back next week. meantime, stay safe. hello there. it's been a very wet day across some central and northern parts of the uk. we've seen further sleet and snow, mainly over the hills, and as we head through the course of the night, it stays very wet, very unsettled across central, northern and western parts of the uk as this area of low pressure continues to spiral across the country. it's going to bring further snow, mainly over the pennines and across the hills of scotland, but it generally should be rain, maybe sleet, down to lower levels. some clear spells across eastern england. here, it will turn cold, a touch of frost and ice. now, into the weekend, it's remaining cold, but there were signs of it beginning

to turn drier, as our area of low pressure begins to slip away southwards. so the pressure chart for saturday shows the centre of the lowjust to the south of the uk, towards the southwest quadrant. that's going to bring stronger winds here, showers or longer spells of rain, which will slowly spiral away southwards through the day. so, an improvement here gradually. further north and east, there will also be a couple of showers. a bit of wintriness again over the mountains of scotland, but in between, we should start to see the sunshine breaking through the clouds. it may turn brighter for some. not a bad afternoon through some central areas, but it's going to be another cold day, as temperatures are for 4 to 7 degrees for most. the area of low pressure continues to push into the near continent for sunday. this weather front could bring just a few showers to the northeast of england, eastern scotland, but for most, actually, it's going to be a calm, quiet, still sort of morning. much lighter winds, could see some mist and fog around, which could be stubborn to clear, and it could lead to a grey day across and eastern areas. there will be some sunshine

around, probably favoured spots towards the west. just one or two showers in the northeast thanks to that weather front. it's going to be another chilly day — 3 to 7 degrees. now, into next week, it starts off dry and cold. there are signs of it turning unsettled from midweek onwards as the atlantic begins to get back to life again. so this is the pressure chart for monday. i think we're in between weather systems. this one could move perilously close to the far southwest, so we could see strong winds here, maybe thicker cloud. some spots of rain for western cornwall, maybe the odd shower for the northeast, but for most, it'll stay generally dry. again, the winds fairly light, a little bit of sunshine around, some mist and fog and murk around too, but temperatures on the low side — 2 to 6 degrees. a similar sort of day on wednesday, and then from midweek onwards, signs of it beginning to turn a little bit more unsettled and those temperatures climbing very slowly.

tonight at six. brexit trade talks are at a very difficult point, warns downing street — as negotiators continue to talk into the night. the eu's chief negotiator is still in london for the intensive discussions with just four weeks to go until the uk's transition period ends. really, it's now getting under 30 days and we're no clearer or further forward as to what's going to happen. both sides are said to be giving it their all to try to get a deal done this weekend if possible. also tonight... telesales a 16—year—old boy was one of the four people killed at a water treatment plant near bristol yesterday.