REVIEW OF THE YEAR
Eye in the Sky (15)
The war on terror gets a fresh, more personal twist in Gavin Hood’s emotionally-charged thriller.
Guy Hibbert’s screenplay doesn’t sugarcoat — there are no clear heroes and villains or right and wrong answers.
Helen Mirren gives her finest display in years and the late Alan Rickman is gifted a fine farewell.
(15) David F Sandberg takes his 2013 short film of the same name and delivers the finest horror of 2016.
The simplistic premise — an evil entity using darkness to terrorise a family — results in frequent moments of armrest-grabbing tension.
Sandberg’s patient camera work and Benjamin Wallfisch’s music combine to create scares aplenty, culminating in a mature, poignant ending.
(15) Imagine Quentin Tarantino directing a superhero movie and Deadpool wouldn’t be far off the mark.
The adult tone and irreverent humour won’t be for everyone, but this is a riot from start to finish.
It’s redemption for the character and ex-Green Lantern Ryan Reynolds, who is in brilliant form as the cocky, wise-cracking anti-hero. This year’s well-deserving Best Picture Oscar winner is an admirable throwback to old school talky dramas like All the President’s Men.
Tom McCarthy’s true-life drama relies on the facts — and a top cast — to drive the story and steers clear of grandstanding.
Even though you know where it’s heading, the journey to get there is tight, tense and tremendous. Bone Tomahawk’s mash-up of genres mark it out as its own beast and while the shoot-outs and visceral ambushes leave a mark, the character development is also top notch.
Kurt Russell’s lawman is brave and authoritative and Matthew Fox’s vain dandy is his finest movie role yet.
Tension flows, especially in the eerie ending.
(PG) (18)