CHRIS HUNNEYSETT
FRIDAY
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
THRILLS The saga rolls on
they brought a fresh energy, humour and charm to the series alongside original stars Harrison Ford and the late Carrie Fisher. It rockets along from one planet to the next, offering all the robots, spaceships and alien fun you could possibly hope for.
SATURDAY
Tinkerbell and the Pirate Fairy (2014)
Little ones will enjoy this sweet Disney cartoon, the fifth in the studio’s series based on the characters from J M Barrie’s Peter Pan. Mae Whitman once again voices Tinker while Tom Hiddleston plays a young James Hook. Lucy Liu, Jane Horrocks and Anjelica Huston also join the fun which sees a rogue fairy causing chaos with powerful magic pixie dust when she becomes a pirate captain.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
Kevin Costner’s big-budget take on the outlaw hero of Sherwood Forest may lack the flamboyant swagger of Errol Flynn – and plays fast and loose with the geography of the British Isles – but with a respect for the myth, a commitment to physical stunts and some outrageous grandstanding by Alan Rickman as the villainous Sheriff, there’s loads for us to enjoy.
Girls Trip (2017)
Women are behaving badly as Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Regina Hall and Tiffany Haddish star in this boundary pushing raucous road trip comedy. There’s a palpable warmth and chemistry on show which lifts this above the formula as four friends reunite in New Orleans for a festival where they let it all hang out in the most enjoyably vulgar fashion.
SUNDAY
Eragon (2006)
SWEET fairy fun
HERO Kev as Robin
BRUTAL Rambo debut
CLASSIC in Charade
Dragons, sorcerers, elves and fortune tellers feature in this handsome action fantasy which brings the first book of Christopher Paolini’s The Inheritance Cycle to firebreathing life. Ed Speleers stars as the farm boy who bonds with a dragon and battles demonic powers. Jeremy Irons, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou, Joss Stone and the voice of Rachel Weisz.
COLOR OUT OF SPACE
Digital Monday, disc April 6
The Girl on the Train (2016)
Although criticised for relocating British author Paula Hawkins’ bestselling 2015 novel from London to the US, this chilly mystery thriller features a superb turn by Emily Blunt. She plays a neurotic alcoholic who winds up under police investigation when a woman goes missing. Rebecca Ferguson, Justin Theroux and Luke Evans help keep us guessing as the twists pile up in the unashamedly trashy plot.
TUESDAY
First Blood (1982)
The more Sylvester Stallone added to his action franchise about the exploits of one-man war machine, John Rambo, the more this melancholy first outing seems an outlier in the franchise it kick-started. Yes it’s full of the brutal violence the series is famed for, but it’s also highly critical of the treatment of US veterans, and in bringing an anguished soulfulness to the role, Stallone really proves his worth as a dramatic actor.
WEDNESDAY
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
Having recently reinvented himself as a brawny action star in Brawl in Cell Block 99, Vince Vaughn was at the height of his popularity as a comic actor when he starred in this. He plays the leader of a hopeless dodgeball team competing in Las Vegas to raise the cash to save his dilapidated gym from Ben Stiller’s evil corporate bad guy. A successful and silly sports spoof.
THURSDAY
Charade (1963)