Begin Again: This unexpectedly stirring narrative tells the tale of love and lives lost and regained, sketched within the framework of the hesitant, unassuming world of indie music versus the flashy, rapacious, razzle-dazzle of the music industry. *** LdM
Before I go to Sleep: This average thriller totally wastes the talents of Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth and Mark Strong. *** HR
Calvary: Brendon Gleeson gives a strong performance as a good-hearted Catholic priest being held to account for the sins of the church in an eccentric little Irish village. **** TS
Let’s Be Cops: This would-be comedy does nothing with the admittedly strong chemistry between leads Damon Wayans Jr and Jake Johnson. H WP
Mr Morgan’s Last Love: Michael Caine’s strong performance is not enough to save this one from its mawkishness. ** HR
The Giver: Director Phillip Noyce evokes the visual splendour of Lois Lowry’s book, but none of the thought-provoking themes and the ending is just plain lazy. ** HR
Suurlemoen: Afrikaans teenage skater comedy based on a popular book. (Not reviewed)
22 Jump Street: Making fun of sequels, buddy cop movies and fratboy shenanigans, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill return for a bromance that is goofy, but funny. **** TS
Adult World: Clichéd in its approach and neither satirical nor comedic, this debut from Scott Coffey skirts the issue of the millenial’s desire to be famous for making art versus the desire to make art. ** TS
As Above So Below: A mind-numbing horror about an archaeologist who follows clues from the legendary Philosopher’s Stone to find the elixir of life deep in the catacombs beneath Paris. ** DT
Belle: Beautiful period drama that delves into the life of a mixed-race woman who grew up in an aristocratic family at a time when slavery was still the bedrock of the British economy. **** TS
Between Friends: Tyler Perry meets The Wild with a generous streak of Generations. * TS
Blended: Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore again display an onscreen connection that lends a grounding warmth to the clunkiest of clunky comedy setups – two single parents on an African holiday as a second date. *** HR
Boyhood: Richard Linklater takes his time to tell the story of one child’s boyhood. While the technicality of filming is handled on an epic scale, the story, which delves into the human condition, is intimate. **** TS
Chef: Jon Favreu directs himself in another version of his Happy character from Iron Man with great food shots, oddball cameo roles and a few sharp lines in this feel-good movie. *** TS
Die Spook Van Uniondale: The premise is based on the legendary ghost story from that neck of the woods, but then they turned it into a folksy family tale rather than a ghoulish tale which would have been an edgier option. HH DdB
Expendables 3: Stallone and Hollywood’s Class of the ‘90s return for more explosions and hand-combat. If you take it as it is, this film will not disappoint. **** MV
Guardians of the Galaxy: Fun, epic ride through outer space with Star-Lord and his misfits because someone has to save the universe. **** TS
Hercules: Dwayne Johnson rocks the loincloth in Brett Ratner’s take on a graphic novel. With well choreographed action sequences. *** TS
House of Magic 3D: Animated 3d adventure about a kitten that stumbles into a magical house and decides he really wants to live there. (Not reviewed)
How to Train Your Dragon 2 3D: The dragonriders of Berk are back, but Toothless steals the show. Exquisite flying sequences, meticulously animated with a strong, meaty storyline. **** TS
Into the Storm: A bunch of tornadoes descend on a small town and the residents have to decide to run and hide or study patterns and evade. Impressive graphics, but you’ve seen this before. ** MV
Lovelace: Amanda Seyfried plays Linda Lovelace, the girl with the golden throat, but it’s Sharon Stone and Peter Sarsgaard who steal the show. *** PE
Lucy: Le Femme Nikita meets The Fifth Element, which is cool on the one hand because it’s aaaaalll Luc Besson. But this is just Besson unfocused. *** BG
Mom’s Night Out: Faith-based comedy in which a group of stay-at-home moms decide on a girls-only night out. Unfortunately, that means their husbands have to watch the kids for a few hours. ** WP
Nymphomaniac Volume I: A battered and bleeding nymphomaniac tells her shocking story. Lars von Trier captures her melancholy slide into depravity in a story about love, life and morality. *** PE
Omar: Oscar-nominated crime drama set in Palestine with depth and great twists. *** IND
Tammy: Melissa McCarthy goes OTT in the title role of this comedy, co-produced and co-written by her. She plays a loser who goes on a road trip with her granny, Pearl (Susan Sarandon), and they get into all kinds of trouble. Sadly, it isn’t as funny as hinted at in the trailer. ** DT
The Canyons: Far from being the boundary-pushing, sexually explicit sensation the marketing would have you believe, this is a lame and one-dimensional look at peripheral Hollywood types not worth the screen time. * HR
The Hundred Foot Journey: Lasse Hallström directs Helen Mirren in a predictable feel-good dramedy. *** HR
The Rover: The austere Australian backdrop mirrors the desolate plot, where a sphinx-like Eric (Guy Pearce) is merciless in his quest to retrieve his stolen car from a group of criminals. Watchable only for the stellar performances by Pearce and Robert Pattinson. ** DT
Venus in Fur: Roman Polanski directs Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathieu Amalric in the filmic version of the award-winning Broadway play. *** WP
Wish I was Here: While this has all the overly sentimental dialogue, musical crutches and pensive Zach Braff close-ups that annoyed viewers of Garden State, this also touches on timely themes with artistic vulnerability. So ask yourself, do you like the guy’s work or not? *** WP