Shaun the Sheep
What’s it about?
When Shaun’s mischief inadvertently leads to the Farmer being taken away from the farm, Shaun, Bitzer and the flock have to go into the big city to rescue him, setting the stage for an epic adventure.
What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: A delightful movie that proves quality storytelling doesn’t even need dialogue to charm the heart. Amazing characterisation and a surprisingly emotional storyline will leave everyone from toddler to imaginative adults with plucked heartstrings. Even if you aren’t familiar with Shaun and his pals you’ll still find something in this heartfelt comedy.
Get Hard
What’s it about?
Will Ferrell is James King, a wealthy businessman found guilty of fraud who befriends a hard working small business owner, Darnell Lewis (Kevin Hart), in order to prepare for his time in jail.
What did we think?
Nick Bleeker says: Filled to the brim with racist jokes, rape “humour”, a weird thing against gay people, and a silly number of lazy gags about its title, Get Hard shows a decent rapport between Ferrell and Hart but fails to present any form of humour that isn’t absolutely, totally, 100% morally bankrupt. It gets the extra half star because Kevin Hart is tolerable.
Cinderella
What’s it about?
Disney raids its back catalogue to gives one of its most iconic tales a coat of live-action paint.
What did we think?
Amy Currie says: Director Kenneth Branagh’s take on Cinderella doesn’t stray too far from the source material, but plumps the story up enough to be interesting. It’s a beautiful chocolate box of a film that gives its familiar characters a bit more depth (but manages to resist the urge to update by simply cutting-and-pasting modern sass onto fairytale staples). Helena Bonham-Carter’s fairy godmother is a delight, but Cate Blanchett’s wicked stepmother steals the show. Oh, and the Prince (Game of Thrones‘ Richard Madden) wears some very, very tight breeches which can only be described as enchanting. See it before the clock strikes 12.
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water
What’s it about?
When a diabolical pirate above the sea steals the secret Krabby Patty formula, SpongeBob and his nemesis Plankton must team up in order to get it back.
What did we think?
NOTE: Our reviewer declined to comment as she couldn’t bear to spend one more second of her life thinking about this film.
Insurgent
What’s it about?
Part two in the Divergent trilogy sees our heroes, Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) attempt to uncover the truth about their society’s rigid faction system and bring down its Machiavellian government.
What did we think?
Lisa Clifford says: Insurgent begins where Divergent left off – a little disorientating for those unfamiliar with the first installment or novels. For a dystopian teen drama, it’s a pretty bleak look at the lengths some will go to for power and pulls no punches when it comes to violence and death. The strong cast does their best with the at-times mediocre dialogue. The story moves along a reasonable pace, spurred on by some decent edge-of-your-seat action sequences. An improvement on its predecessor, Insurgent builds to a satisfying climax while effectively setting up the final installment in the trilogy. Fans of the books and the first film will enjoy.
Home
What’s it about?
Oh, an alien on the run from his own people, lands on Earth and makes friends with the adventurous Tip, who is on a quest of her own.
What did we think?
Erin Lane says: Not even the voices of Jim Parsons and Rihanna can save Home from a terrible blandness. Their presence might help the film’s popularity and, to be honest, it probably needs all the help it can get. The forced Boov dialogue – more Jar Jar than Yoda – grates and there are so many little morals coming at you that it’s hard to see what a child would go away with from the movie. A poor plot without a consistent theme just makes it difficult viewing for adults. It alternates between too cutesy and too clever for its own good (for example Tip is a nickname because her name is Gratuity). Kids might possibly like the cute aliens (who change colour with emotions) but let’s face it, cute aliens have been done before and much better.
What’s Popular
20th Century Women
What’s it about?
Two women, a man, a boy approaching manhood and a girl becoming a woman face their own crisis of confidence in that short burst of creativity during the late 70’s when punk flared then disappeared as quickly as it came. At its core, a 55 year-old mother is frustrated at her perceived inability to raise her 15 year-old son into manhood.
What did we think?
Stephen Scott says: Coming of age isn’t only for pre-pubescents. The revelations of this share-house-moulded, psuedo-intergenerational family prove it. An endearing exploration of how an individual’s response to the realisation of “this is as good as it gets” changes – with a sharp focus on the pivotal point of puberty via 15, 17 & 24 year-old perspectives.
It’s vexing pinpointing what is so enthralling about this nebulous reflection on everything and nothing. Perhaps it’s best left to the bohemian Abbie’s wistful explanation of the musical ineptitude of punk musicians: “it’s really interesting what happens when your passion is bigger than the tools you have to deal with it. It creates this energy that’s raw. Isn’t it great?”.
Baywatch
What’s it about?
Mitch Buchanan (Dwayne Johnson) is the ultimate boy scout of lifeguards. But when illegal drugs threaten the sanctity of his bay, he and his team take it upon themselves to expose the criminal plot.
What did we think?
Lisa Clifford says: I really wanted to like this one. I used to love watching the cheesy 90s original and I even appreciate the genial charms of Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. But by the mid-way mark, I was ready to raise an arm and call for somebody to ‘saaaaaaaaaaave me’ (*cue theme song*).
Despite a few laughs and a LOT of gratuitous (but equal opportunity!) body shots, Baywatch suffers a MAJOR identity crisis that causes a lack of cohesion. Is it a re-boot? A parody of the original? Or an awkward continuation of the original Baywatch universe, where the ‘new class’ of lifeguards have the have the exact same names as their predecessors for some bizarre reason? Good luck trying to figure it out, because I doubt anyone involved with the movie has yet.
The Sense of an Ending
What’s it about?
Tony (Jim Broadbent) leads a reclusive, curmudgeonly existence until a letter from his past resurfaces and forces him to confront his flawed recollections of his past in the film adaptation of Julian Barnes’ Man Booker Prize-winning novel.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
What’s it all about then?
From the beginnin’. Well, there’s this roguish lad see, an’ ‘e an’ his mates are plannin’ a heist …
‘Old on, ‘old on. Yer sure nothin’ ‘appened before the beginnin’? Aw yeah, that’s right. Ye see (flashback) the kid’s not the bastard son of a prostitute, but actually heir to ye olde Englaland’s throne.
That’s more like it my son. Go on … There’s this magical scimitar an’ rooftop parkour an’ a kind-but-fair oriental fight instructor, y’know, everything you’d expect in 6th century Londinium …
What did we think?
Stephen Scott says: in a gloriously raucous post-Roman-occupied Britanniae, trouble is brewing in a cockney lad’s-own adventure that’s bleedingly obviously directed by Guy Ritchie without having all the promos blaring it at a million decibels. Fast, romance-free, with a (fantastic) soundtrack that makes you go “yeah – that’s what action movie music must’ve sounded like in 629AD”, it’s Lock Stock and One Smoking Excalibur. Exactly what you expect.
Editor's Choice
20th Century Women
What’s it about?
Two women, a man, a boy approaching manhood and a girl becoming a woman face their own crisis of confidence in that short burst of creativity during the late 70’s when punk flared then disappeared as quickly as it came. At its core, a 55 year-old mother is frustrated at her perceived inability to raise her 15 year-old son into manhood.
What did we think?
Stephen Scott says: Coming of age isn’t only for pre-pubescents. The revelations of this share-house-moulded, psuedo-intergenerational family prove it. An endearing exploration of how an individual’s response to the realisation of “this is as good as it gets” changes – with a sharp focus on the pivotal point of puberty via 15, 17 & 24 year-old perspectives.
It’s vexing pinpointing what is so enthralling about this nebulous reflection on everything and nothing. Perhaps it’s best left to the bohemian Abbie’s wistful explanation of the musical ineptitude of punk musicians: “it’s really interesting what happens when your passion is bigger than the tools you have to deal with it. It creates this energy that’s raw. Isn’t it great?”.
Baywatch
What’s it about?
Mitch Buchanan (Dwayne Johnson) is the ultimate boy scout of lifeguards. But when illegal drugs threaten the sanctity of his bay, he and his team take it upon themselves to expose the criminal plot.
What did we think?
Lisa Clifford says: I really wanted to like this one. I used to love watching the cheesy 90s original and I even appreciate the genial charms of Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. But by the mid-way mark, I was ready to raise an arm and call for somebody to ‘saaaaaaaaaaave me’ (*cue theme song*).
Despite a few laughs and a LOT of gratuitous (but equal opportunity!) body shots, Baywatch suffers a MAJOR identity crisis that causes a lack of cohesion. Is it a re-boot? A parody of the original? Or an awkward continuation of the original Baywatch universe, where the ‘new class’ of lifeguards have the have the exact same names as their predecessors for some bizarre reason? Good luck trying to figure it out, because I doubt anyone involved with the movie has yet.
The Sense of an Ending
What’s it about?
Tony (Jim Broadbent) leads a reclusive, curmudgeonly existence until a letter from his past resurfaces and forces him to confront his flawed recollections of his past in the film adaptation of Julian Barnes’ Man Booker Prize-winning novel.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
What’s it all about then?
From the beginnin’. Well, there’s this roguish lad see, an’ ‘e an’ his mates are plannin’ a heist …
‘Old on, ‘old on. Yer sure nothin’ ‘appened before the beginnin’? Aw yeah, that’s right. Ye see (flashback) the kid’s not the bastard son of a prostitute, but actually heir to ye olde Englaland’s throne.
That’s more like it my son. Go on … There’s this magical scimitar an’ rooftop parkour an’ a kind-but-fair oriental fight instructor, y’know, everything you’d expect in 6th century Londinium …
What did we think?
Stephen Scott says: in a gloriously raucous post-Roman-occupied Britanniae, trouble is brewing in a cockney lad’s-own adventure that’s bleedingly obviously directed by Guy Ritchie without having all the promos blaring it at a million decibels. Fast, romance-free, with a (fantastic) soundtrack that makes you go “yeah – that’s what action movie music must’ve sounded like in 629AD”, it’s Lock Stock and One Smoking Excalibur. Exactly what you expect.