NEW RELEASES
Child 44: Tom Hardy and Noomi Rapace’s strong performances are gripping, but the labyrinth storyline of this character study set in 50s Russia takes a long time to get done. *** TS
Do You Believe: If you don’t already know the answer to the question, this melodramatic and shallow film is not for you. ** HR
Lullaby: Other than Richard Jenkins playing a dying man, the cast of this family drama about assisted suicide is wasted on clichéd behaviour. Compassionate story, but it doesn’t answer any questions. *** HR
Paul Blart Mall Cop 2: This unnecessary sequel makes the original look like an unheralded classic. What happens in Vegas, should have just stayed there. * HR
Somer Son: Clichéd meandering under the Mozambican sun apparently prompts romantic white South Africans to hire the local black man to bring some more alcoholic drinks. * TS
Unfinished Business: Unfocused and unfunny, this shallow story about friends and business partners embarking on an overseas trip should have been left unfinished. ** HR
Yellowbird: This animated cliché won’t fly with anyone over the age of six. ** HR
ON CIRCUIT
Avengers: Age of Ultron: Joss Whedon’s stamp is all over this comic book sequel with witty one-liners, frenetic action and an underlying sense of dread as the superheroes unleash a supervillain on the world. **** TS
Beyond the Reach: Does not deliver on the promised goofy cat-and-mouse genre pleasures, wasting a villaineous turn from Michael Douglas. ** HR
Black or White: While the film has more to it than the average family drama, its approach is too much like its title, never really delving into the shadings in between. ** WP
Cinderella: Kenneth Branagh gives the Disney fairytale a lush real-life makeover, even if it does drag at times. *** WP
Dear White People: Cleverly scripted presentation of the state of race relations in the US, using a fictitious Ivy League university as the flashpoint. **** TS
Desert Dancer: A melodramatic retelling of dancer Afshin Gaffarian who risked his and his friends’ lives to start an underground dance company in 2009 Iran, which is more clichéd dance movie than context for what is happening in the country. ** TS
Enemy: Jake Gyllenhaal plays two very different characters in a tense, menacing thriller which doesn’t go anywhere, but still freaks you out as it meanders along. *** TS
Far From the Madding Crowd:Tom Hardy’s book is turned into a film which explains the main character in a way the source material never made clear. Beautifully filmed and well acted. **** TS
French Toast: Afrikaans rom-com that hits all the clichés we associate with Paris being the city of love. Beautifully shot, but the storyline is muddled. HH TS
Furious 7: This latest sequel is a sentimental last hurrah for Paul Walker, filled with fast cars and impossible stunts. *** TS
Get Hard: Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart are wasted on tired and offensive gags instead of allowed to take advantage of the comedy’s potential to break boundaries. ** WP
Home: Issues around friendship, compassion, family and loyalty are relayed in the light-hearted and funny story of Oh and Tip and their adventure into friendship. *** LN
Inherent Vice: Frustrating to anyone looking for a coherent plotline, this 70s crime drama will appeal to fans of director Paul Thomas Anderson and the original novel by Thomas Pynchon. *** TS
Insurgent: The sequel to Divergent dives right in and Shailene Woodley gives it a good try, which is just as well, since she’s in almost every frame. YA fans will love it. *** TS
Run All Night: Liam Neeson is in great form, but the plot is convoluted and everyone is dialling in their performances. *** HR
Serial (Bad) Weddings: French comedy about the problems a white Catholic couple have with their daughters’ choice to marry non-white non-Catholic men. (Not reviewed)
She’s Funny That Way: If only the title were more true. ** HR
Still Alice: Heroic yet harrowing tale of a woman whose life and livelihood depend on her love of language, but Alzheimers is stripping away her mind and therefore her very self. Julianne Moore is scarily sublime with an extraordinary supporting cast. **** DdB
Swan Lake (Royal Ballet): Filmed version of the classic ballet presented by the Royal Ballet. (Not reviewed)
The Book of Life: Brightly animated children’s film which introduces the idea that death is but a journey, using Mexican folklore and history with heavy emphasis on Santa Muerte art. *** TS
The Duff: Not your typical high school comedy. Funny enough to keep you entertained; but with heart, charm and a sense of maturity in its storyline. *** LN
The Imitation Game: Benedict Cumberbatch is compelling in this haunting biopic about Alan Turing, the mathematician widely credited as the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. **** TS
The Theory of Everything: It’s all about the performances of Eddie Redmayne (who was rewarded with an Oscar) and Felicity Jones as Stephen Hawking and his wife Jane on whose book it is based. A story of love rather than science. **** DdB