THE BIG SCREEN

Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris serve-andvolley a fine romance in their dramatisation of the televised 1973 match between Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell). It’s a sophisticated, crowd-pleasing rally of heartache and triumph against adversity. The rotten apple never falls far from the tree and Sean Anders’ mouldering sequel lands with a mightier thud than its ham-fisted predecessor. Father knows best – or loudly claims to – in Anders’ script, which ramps up the mean-spirited games of one-upmanship with the addition of an older generation of dysfunctional family members played by Mel Gibson and John Lithgow. Timothy Reckart’s computer-animated road trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem glimpses the nativity through the eyes of talking fourlegged and feathered critters. The Star is geared towards Christian congregations but audiences of all faiths will be able to engage with a menagerie of cute protagonists, who play instrumental roles in the birth. The script preaches thanksgiving, peace and good will to all (wo)men. The bare necessities of a fulfilling life will come to you if you follow Paul King’s unabashedly sweet, wholesome and crowd-pleasing sequel. Paddington 2 is a lip-smacking, tear-jerking delight for audiences of all ages. The superhero blockbuster picks up a few months after the devastation at the end of Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice, with the world mourning the death of Superman (Henry Cavill) and a newly awakened threat on the horizon in the shape of Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) and his army of red-eyed flying Parademons.