Trance
What’s it about?
An art auctioneer who has become mixed up with a group of criminals partners with a hypnotherapist in order to recover a lost painting.
What did we think?
Anthony says: With a quality cast and an overly complicated plot, Trance tries hard to be seen as a clever, classy movie but a few things work against it. Firstly, they explain everything eventually in a way bordering on monosyllabic and secondly, none of the characters are actually likeable so you’re not sure who to cheer for. They all could have died and I wouldn’t have cared. In no way hypnotising – you’ll just end up feeling sleepy.
Liz says: Awesome stuff happened. Then less awesome stuff happened. Then some confusing and silly stuff happened. Then we saw Rosario Dawson’s vagina and it all went downhill from there.
Jack the Giant Slayer
What’s it about?
The fairy-tale adventure of a gullible farm boy thrust literally and horticulturally into circumstances where he must prove his worth or perish.
What did we think?
Dan says: Bryan Singer takes the quirky elements of a children’s fable and grittily reboots it. No longer restricted to water-colour illustrations, the giants and the bean stalk become monstrous entities. The action and violence is larger than life and occasionally pushes against the PG rating potentially upsetting some parents and few children. (They love it.)
Surprisingly satisfying for anyone who has ever enjoyed the age old tale and/or delighted in Ewan McGregor at his hammiest.
A Good Day To Die Hard
What’s it about?
John McClane (Bruce Willis) travels to Russia to help out his seemingly wayward son, Jack, only to discover that Jack is a CIA operative working to prevent a nuclear-weapons heist, causing the father and son to team up against underworld forces.
What did we think?
Anthony says: The opening seconds lift our spirits and hopes with a haunting bass version of Ode To Joy but then the black screen gives way to vision and it’s mostly downhill from there (impressive car chase aside).
Jack McClane is the Jar Jar of the Die Hard universe. He’s irritating, unnecessary and a walking cliche. Completely ignoring the complexities of the previous Die Hard movies, this time around the producers decided to keep the action and explosions but mix them with poor dialogue, bad editing and a simply ridiculous story.
I’m gutted.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
What’s it about?
A jaded, once-successful Vegas magician and his sidekick (Steve Buscemi and Steve Carell) – former token schoolyard victims who used to believe in the magic of, well, magic – must change tack when an obnoxious street magician threatens their cheesy, tanned brand of trickery.
What did we think?
Alex says: Is THAT your card, sir? In what could have easily been a parody worse than the kitschy, dated magic scene it’s sending up, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone delivers handsome LOLs as well as an arbitrary saccharine tale of caring about what’s important – or something – which fortunately doesn’t get in the way of the humour too much.
Under the sharp direction of Don Scardino (30 Rock), the leading Steves, Carell and Buscemi, are stellar as the bickering, washed-up illusionists but Jim Carrey very nearly steals the show as the alternative – and, of course, entirely evil (hey, we came for laughs, not character depth!) – new face of extreme magic. No new heights of comedy but it does little wrong.
Goddess
What’s it about?
Elspeth Dickens (Laura Michelle Kelly), a former small-time singer, has put her dreams on hold to raise twin toddlers while her often-absent but idealistic husband (Ronan Keating) works weeks away at a time. She sets up a webcam to keep in touch with him but ends up becoming an inadvertent internet sensation. Suddenly marketing gurus and a shot at the big time beckon luring her away from her family.
What did we think?
Anthony says: Eccentric and whimsical, this film will intensely appeal to its key demographic. The question is will it rate with people who aren’t stay-at-home mothers? While there is still some appeal for females in general, the recurring themes and morals are predominantly about juggling love of kids and hubby with dreams. Which is a bit of a shame because this over-the-top semi-musical is actually fun but just has too many parenting in-jokes.
Oz the Great and Powerful
What’s it about?
A tornado hurls a small-time huckster magician, Oscar (James Franco), into a Wonderland-esque land overseen by three witchy sisters (Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz). And where there be witches, there be wickedness. Which witch is which? (Spoiler: green face, hooked schnoz, much cackling.) Oscar, mistaken for a powerful wizard and rightful ruler, befriends a few locals and tries to keep the joint safe. Just in case a scarecrow, tin man, lion and Judy Garland turn up, in a far superior film, made 70 years beforehand.
What did we think?
Ben says: Well, we’re off to see the wizardry, the wonderful visual-effects wizardry of Oz. And we get it – in a Skittles explosion of rainbow-hued CG. We also get a gorgeous, crippled china doll who steals the film and cured this reviewer of his lifelong detestation for porcelain dolls. But Oz’s other fantastical curiosities pale next to the 1939 original: winged monkeys are replaced with winged baboons; Munchkins are now the ethnically inclusive Midget Union of North America; and instead of an engaging, rogueish wizard, we get James Franco, as James Franco. In top hat.
What’s Popular
Ex Machina
What’s it about?
Caleb is a bright young coder who wins a company wide lottery that has him spending a week at his celebrity boss’s mountain retreat. On arrival it is revealed that his role is to interview an Artificial Intelligence program in a beautiful body.
What we thought
Dan says: There is an almost immediate menace in this film that never stops. This slow burning thriller crept relentlessly forward, always keeping me delighted. The ‘car-chase brigade’ may find it plodding but for those with some patience they’ll be rewarded in spades.
The visuals are impressive. Imagine the Portal video-game come to life but GladOS is much, much cuter. Each carefully considered pause contains a screen full of delicate engineering ticking away at the seams of this flirtatious droid.
You won’t be able to look away, which is good training for the oncoming robot apocalypse.
Unfriended
What’s it about?
A group of high school friends are Skyping when a guest enters the conversation: Laura Barns, a classmate who committed suicide a year ago.
What did we think?
Dominic Barlow says: The entire movie takes place in real time on one of the character’s computer desktop screens, and it makes smart cinematic use of familiar images from that environment. Less smart is the story, whose characters become hard to like at all as they are forced to answer for their transgressions. Their constant screaming and crying feels like seeing the “Leave Britney Alone” video play in several open windows, but the film they’re in is enough of a fun novelty to be worth checking out.
Avengers: Age Of Ultron
What’s it about?
Marvel’s superhero team reunites to fight an AI determined to destroy the world. Did I mention they created it too?
What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: The Avengers sequel is a grand spectacle featuring amazing fight scenes and lots of adventure and for most people that will be enough. The CGI and one liners are strong enough to overshadow some poor characterisation (the inter-team tension is incredibly same-same and a smug sarcasm is way too prevalent) and a subplot featuring darkest fears that is both cliched and actually goes nowhere. Thankfully grater emphasis on the lesser characters and the delightful voicing of Ultron by James Spader help you gloss over the negatives and you can just enjoy this fast-paced action flick for the fun romp it is.
Testament of Youth
What’s it about?
An adaptation of the World War One memoir of Vera Brittain (Alicia Vikander), an Oxford student whose life is thrown into disarray upon the enlistment of her fiance Roland Leighton (Kit Harrington) and brother Edward (Taron Egerton).
What did we think?
Dominic Barlow says: The Theory of Everything might have gobbled up Oscar nominations earlier this year, but this is easily the superior historical British romance. It uses a tender love story to portray the personal damage done by a dark time in human history. With a fine cast and finer visuals, it’s a devastating, moving and inspiring piece of work.
Editor's Choice
Ex Machina
What’s it about?
Caleb is a bright young coder who wins a company wide lottery that has him spending a week at his celebrity boss’s mountain retreat. On arrival it is revealed that his role is to interview an Artificial Intelligence program in a beautiful body.
What we thought
Dan says: There is an almost immediate menace in this film that never stops. This slow burning thriller crept relentlessly forward, always keeping me delighted. The ‘car-chase brigade’ may find it plodding but for those with some patience they’ll be rewarded in spades.
The visuals are impressive. Imagine the Portal video-game come to life but GladOS is much, much cuter. Each carefully considered pause contains a screen full of delicate engineering ticking away at the seams of this flirtatious droid.
You won’t be able to look away, which is good training for the oncoming robot apocalypse.
Unfriended
What’s it about?
A group of high school friends are Skyping when a guest enters the conversation: Laura Barns, a classmate who committed suicide a year ago.
What did we think?
Dominic Barlow says: The entire movie takes place in real time on one of the character’s computer desktop screens, and it makes smart cinematic use of familiar images from that environment. Less smart is the story, whose characters become hard to like at all as they are forced to answer for their transgressions. Their constant screaming and crying feels like seeing the “Leave Britney Alone” video play in several open windows, but the film they’re in is enough of a fun novelty to be worth checking out.
Avengers: Age Of Ultron
What’s it about?
Marvel’s superhero team reunites to fight an AI determined to destroy the world. Did I mention they created it too?
What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: The Avengers sequel is a grand spectacle featuring amazing fight scenes and lots of adventure and for most people that will be enough. The CGI and one liners are strong enough to overshadow some poor characterisation (the inter-team tension is incredibly same-same and a smug sarcasm is way too prevalent) and a subplot featuring darkest fears that is both cliched and actually goes nowhere. Thankfully grater emphasis on the lesser characters and the delightful voicing of Ultron by James Spader help you gloss over the negatives and you can just enjoy this fast-paced action flick for the fun romp it is.
Testament of Youth
What’s it about?
An adaptation of the World War One memoir of Vera Brittain (Alicia Vikander), an Oxford student whose life is thrown into disarray upon the enlistment of her fiance Roland Leighton (Kit Harrington) and brother Edward (Taron Egerton).
What did we think?
Dominic Barlow says: The Theory of Everything might have gobbled up Oscar nominations earlier this year, but this is easily the superior historical British romance. It uses a tender love story to portray the personal damage done by a dark time in human history. With a fine cast and finer visuals, it’s a devastating, moving and inspiring piece of work.