THIS WEEK’S NEW CINEMA RELEASES

Well… we seem to be travelling through a low period when it comes to great movies. But here goes…

TOP PICK TO SEE

HOME, from the trailers, looks like a good fun animation adventure comedy. Oh, an alien on the run from his own people, lands on Earth and makes friends with the adventurous Tip, who is on a quest of her own. Audiences seem to be enjoying it.

OTHERS TO SEE

BIG EYES looks interesting. Based on a true story, its a drama about the awakening of the painter Margaret Keane, her phenomenal success in the 1950s, and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband, who claimed credit for her works in the 1960s. According to Empire, Tim Burton’s return to real-life storytelling is entertaining but flawed. See it for a fascinating true story and a fantastic Amy Adams. Beware the uneven tone, a lack of depth and Christoph Waltz’s monumental mugging.

MAYBE/MAYBE NOT

Yet another Liam Neeson movie and pairing up with Ed Harris, RUN ALL NIGHT tells the story of mobster and hit man Jimmy Conlon who has one night to figure out where his loyalties lie: with his estranged son, Mike, whose life is in danger, or his longtime best friend, mob boss Shawn Maguire, who wants Mike to pay for the death of his own son. It looks like a typical Neeson action crime drama. Empire’s Chris Hewitt is disappointed in the end: With Neeson on fine form and an encouraging start, it’s a shame that this gritty crime drama feels the need to erupt into a full-blown action movie by the end. Audiences are rating it around ***1/2.

The second episode in the Divergent series, INSURGENT, opens today. Following on from DIVERGENT, Beatrice Prior must confront her inner demons and continue her fight against a powerful alliance which threatens to tear her society apart with the help from others on her side. Critics and audiences are divided. For The Telegraph’s Robbie Collin, It plays like a listless mash-up of every Young Adult franchise movie you’ve ever seen – domineering rulers, anguished, system-smashing teens, and all the purposeful striding through rubble you can handle. Audiences are rating it around ***.

That’s it for this week. See you at the movies!

*NOTE* Movie summaries are adaptations of movie summary on IMDB. Opinions are mine unless credited.