SHORTCUTS

NEW RELEASES

Maps to the Stars: A tour into the heart of a Hollywood family chasing celebrity, one another and the ghosts of their pasts. ★★★ The Humbling: An elderly actor has his world turned upside down after he embarks upon an affair with a lesbian, in this adaptation of the Philip Roth novel. ★★★ The Imitation Game: During World War II, mathematician Alan Turing tries to crack the Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians. ★★★★ The Pyramid: An archaeological team attempts to unlock the secrets of a lost pyramid only to find themselves hunted by an insidious creature. ★

ON CIRCUIT

Pride: Gay activists in Britain work to help miners during the strike of the National Union of Mineworkers in 1984. ★★★ Unbroken: After a plane crash in World War II, Olympian Louis Zamperini spends 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he’s caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. Angelina Jolie directs this true-life story. ★★★ Taken 3: Ex-government operative Bryan Mills is accused of a murder he didn’t commit. As he is tracked and pursued, Mills brings out his skills to find the killer and clear his name. ★★ Birdman: Birdman is talky and philosophical. But it is also a virtuosic and exhilarating movie; and very, very funny. ★★★★★ Tinker Bell and the Legend of the Neverbeast: The latest in Disney’s Tinker Bell animated movies is a sprightly affair with enough narrative verve to keep the mawkishness at bay. ★★★★ St Vincent: St Vincent occasionally threatens to become selfcongratulatory but is a chance to revel in the Bill Murray personae that have allowed him to reach stardom while retaining his own idiosyncratic niche. ★★★ Seventh Son: This film invests lots in visual effects and locations but not enough in an original story. ★★ Into the Woods: A Disney adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical, an intricate fable which embraces the grimmest of Grimm’s classic fairy tales. ★★★★ Paddington: The live-action story of the bear from darkest Peru is a film of considerable charm, but undermined by a very bitty and flimsy screenplay. ★★★ Foxcatcher: A gloom suffuses this dramatised version of the murder of wrestler Dave Schultz in 1996. ★★★★★ The Judge: This film is well served by intense performances from its stars Robert Downey jr and Robert Duvall but is undercut by a pace that is too deliberate. ★★★ Big Hero 6: A special bond develops between robot Baymax and Hiro Hamada in this Disney adaptation of a Marvel comic. ★★★★ Exodus: Gods and Kings: Moses rises up against the Pharaoh Ramses, setting 600 000 slaves on a journey to escape from Egypt. ★★★ Knysna: A regular guy’s life in this coastal town is turned upside down when he falls for a beautiful stranger. ★★★ Gloria: This Spanish-language drama centres on Gloria (Paulina Garcia), a 58-year-old divorcee. With no desire to spend her days wallowing in self-pity, she decides to go out every night to the singles’ clubs in hopes of meeting new people. ★★★ The Best of Me: Former high school sweethearts reunite after many years. ★★★★ Night at the Museum: The Secret of the Tomb: Security guard Larry Daley heads to London as the action moves to the British Museum. ★★★ John Wick: A former hitman (Keanu Reeves) comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters who took everything from him. ★★★★ Mr Turner: This film explores the last quarter century of the great if eccentric British painter JMW Turner (17751851). ★★★ Jessabelle: Jessabelle comes face to face with a spirit that has no intention of letting her escape. ★★ The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies: Bilbo and company are forced to engage in a war to keep Smaug from obliterating Middle-Earth. ★★★★