THE BIG SCREEN
FILM CRITIC PAUL GREENWOOD’S GUIDE TO WHAT’S ON
NIGHTCRAWLER (15, 117 MINS)
This blistering satire of the sensationalism of TV news is also a first rate thriller as Jake Gyllenhaal’s ambitious citizen journalist prowls the night-time streets of LA looking for stories to film. It’s also a fine character study, and Gyllenhaal’s stellar turn sees him join the ranks of the great cinema sociopaths.
MR. TURNER (12A, 150 MINS)
Mike Leigh’s unconventional biography of 19th century artist William Turner boasts a wonderfully expressive and subtle performance from Timothy Spall in the title role. As Turner’s life and work is explored in episodic but compelling detail, the hefty run time flies by thanks to Spall and Leigh’s expert craftsmanship.
FURY (15, 134 MINS)
Brad Pitt leads a tank crew through Germany during the last days of WW2 in this astonishingly violent and skilfully staged drama. The action is thrilling and as a realistic and harrowing depiction of the carnage of war, it’s really quite something.
THE MAZE RUNNER (12A, 113 MINS)
A group of youngsters find themselves trapped in a field surrounded by a mysterious maze in this well constructed teen fantasy. The action is brisk and the characters interesting, and though it suffers from a finale that’s a bit of a letdown, there’s much to look forward to from future instalments.
GONE GIRL (18, 149 MINS)
David Fincher’s stylish thriller, based on the novel by Gillian Flynn, stars Ben Affleck as a husband who comes under suspicion when his wife (Rosamund Pike) goes missing. With outstanding performances from the leads and all the supporting cast, a twisting plot, and inspired direction that balances tension and laughs, this is tremendous entertainment for grown-up audiences.
WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAY (12A, 95 MINS)
Rosamund Pike and David Tennant are the bickering parents who take their three young kids to Scotland for the birthday of their sick grandfather (Billy Connolly) in this delightful comedy. The blend of laughs and poignancy is a winning one, and Connolly is great value.
HORNS (15, 120 MINS)
There are a number of elements to enjoy in this dark fantasy, in which Daniel Radcliffe is suspected of murdering his girlfriend, and sprouts horns which cause everyone to tell him the truth. But it never quite gets its rules sorted nor knows if it wants to be a horror or a comedy, and ends up being not much of either.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (12A, 101 MINS)
The underground turtle heroes, now computer generated, return once again to take on evil in this daft but occasionally nifty slice of comic book antics. Anyone beyond the target audience of 12 and under isn’t likely to be impressed.
THE EQUALIZER (15, 132 MINS)
Denzel Washington plays a helpful loner with a mysterious past who comes up against Russian mobsters who want him dead. Washington is terrific and some of the action is exciting enough, but it’s much too flabby in places when it should be lean and mean.
THE BABADOOK (15, 94 MINS)
A young boy’s creepy story book comes to life in this well-meaning but ultimately disappointing Australian chiller. It works very well as a domestic drama about a woman struggling to cope with parenting pressures, but fails utterly to provide the scares required of a successful horror movie.
THE BOOK OF LIFE (U, 95 MINS)
Two young Mexican men compete for the hand of the girl they both love in this odd animated adventure that also visits the spirit world. With characters that fail to engage and a story that takes much too long to get to the point, there’s little here to recommend.
THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU (15, 103 MINS)
A family gathers for an extended funeral in this uneasy blend of comedy, drama and sentiment that doesn’t provide anything we haven’t seen before. An all-star cast that includes Jason Bateman, Tina Fey and Jane Fonda struggles to make any impression, with only Adam Driver providing any real spark.
THE JUDGE (15, 141 MINS)
Robert Downey Jr. is the high-powered lawyer who is called to defend his judge father (Robert Duvall) in a murder case in this sloppy blend of family crisis and courtroom drama. With far too long spent getting to the point and too many subplots, it feels like a mini-series, while the court case itself isn’t even that interesting.
ANNABELLE (15, 99 MINS)
This cash-in spin-off from horror hit The Conjuring features that film’s spooky doll, as we see how it came to be possessed by demons. There’s some initial promise, but it quickly regresses into well-worn poltergeist shenanigans and loud shock tactics.
THE NECESSARY DEATH OF CHARLIE COUNTRYMAN (15, 103 MINS)
Shia LaBeouf stars in this incredibly messy indie drama as a young man who moves to Bucharest following the death of his mother and gets involved in a bunch of contrived scrapes with a musician and her gangster husband. Everything is thrown at it in the vain hope of something sticking, but it doesn’t make sense for a second.
LOVE, ROSIE (15, 102 MINS)
Rosie (Lily Collins) and Alex (Sam Claflin) spend years in relationships with other people even though they’re meant for each other in this intolerable romantic drama. With everything imaginable thrown at the screen, it clearly has designs on Four Weddings but comes up some way short.