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A dopey actioner that's painfully predictable but sufficiently different to at least hold your interest. Sure it's silly, and structurally is very much akin to a superhero origins movie, but what it does it does well enough, and the idea of the main character being an autistic savant plays cleverly to Affleck's range as an actor. It's not something you're likely to remember shortly after watching it though..

The scope of the narrative here is so narrow that it amounts to nothing more than a couple of variations on the theme of a dispossessed woman. It's a one note film featuring some smart set design and cleverly reconstructed historical events, but is ultimately quite empty, and as accurate a portrayal of Jackie Kennedy as Portman gives, it is by necessity also a one note performance. There's just not enough here to sustain much interest.

At first glance this seems like it's going to be about Ryota's down at heel lifestyle and gambling problems, but it gradually reveals itself to be a poignant family drama with characters mourning the loss of happier times and unsure of the future. It's a beautifully understated film directed with an easy confidence by Koreeda, who draws wonderfully natural performances from all of the principals.

Swish cinematography, nifty editing and fancy montages cannot save this bland quasi-musical boy-meets-girl tale everyone's seen a million times before. As musicals go (and I wish they would) it's too morose and calculated to be enjoyable, and it fails as a drama due to the intrusive song and dance routines. To add insult to injury the songs themselves are insipid, and the two leads' singing and dancing abilities are underwhelming.

Amy Adams is excellent here and Villeneuve directs with his usual confidence, managing to convey the wonder of discovery and the down to earth pragmatism of the scientific method in a smart and introspective fashion, resulting in as realistic and engrossing an alien encounter time paradox film as you could reasonably expect. It's deliberately paced, and there's a distinct lack of spectacle, but it does gradually increase in intensity and emotional impact to a clever and quite satisfying climax.

The first half of this is actually not bad, mainly because little Sunny Pawar is fun to watch, and the hostile hustle and bustle of Calcutta as seen through the eyes of a frightened child is vividly portrayed. But it's all downhill as soon as we meet the older, mopier Saroo and things become more and more generic and manipulative with each passing minute.

Easy going, old-fashioned romance with lush photography and good dialogue that effortlessly captures the feeling of the romantic comedies of a bygone era. Certainly not original, and fewer one-liners than premium Allen for sure, but it's a quality package nevertheless. Your mileage may vary with regard to the leads.

Unsentimental character study of a lost soul unable to reconcile his past or move on with his life. Many of his problems result from a self-centred carelessness he's either unaware of or unable to come to terms with. Either way, he's not an easy character to like, but more importantly he seems authentic, thanks to a terrifically earthy and naturalistic script by director Lonergan, which provides the driving force behind Casey Affleck's amazing central performance.

Often invigorating, moderately subversive and occasionally amusing tale of the individual bucking the system that feels honest and sincere for the most part. Mortensen is indeed fantastic, and the themes of personal freedom versus responsibility are intriguing, but not fully explored. It could have been a bit more focused in tone, and the final third is a little cheesy at times, but it's hard not to like this film at least a little bit.

Raw, almost documentary look at a marginalised protagonist trying to find his place in the world - a world that features believable characters and situations that evolve in a seamlessly organic way. Every ounce of this film feels authentic, and the performances - aided by a script of exceptional depth and subtlety and which places more emphasis on listening than talking - are superb across the board. One of the most intimate and intense experiences to be had this year.

The odd scene is effective, and it looks pretty good, but for the most part this is vapid, poorly written trash. Maybe that was kind of the point, given the subject matter but knowing that's the case doesn't make it any easier to sit through.

This started off well enough, and Huppert puts in a fine performance, but the screenplay turns out to be absurd, the characters don't seem real and there's a pall of misogyny hanging over the whole affair that I found disconcerting. This is a classic case of mutton dressed as lamb.

The novel within the film is much better than the film itself, featuring as it does a couple of tense scenes, but like the film proper it doesn't really say anything or go anywhere. Gyllenhaal and Shannon are interesting, but almost everything else here is pretty bad. It's very stagey and contrived and the dialogue feels forced, leading to some awkward performances and giving the film an artificial feeling.

Frequently engrossing character study of a self delusional scumbag that's a little long, and a bit stagey. Quite grounded though (apart from the last few minutes - the film's worst misstep), and well worth it for the performances, with Denzel Washington giving a career best and Viola Davis ably supporting, on the back of sterling work by writer August Wilson.

There's no high drama or conflict here. It's a languidly paced and relaxed film about the small things - the little details and routines of an average Joe living an unremarkable life. Adam Driver gives a beautifully understated performance, and the characters he brushes shoulders with in his little corner of the world each are fascinating in their own way. A quirky and meditative experience for the people-watcher in us all.

At its core this is a pretty standard biopic and a standard war film. However, the premise of a conscientious objector signing up to go to war then refusing to fire a shot is intriguing enough, andthere are some fine battle scenes once the film gets going. However, there's a distinct lack of subtlety to the script and some very heavy handed symbolism to wade through in order to get your action fix.

The increasingly strained relationship that develops between the two leads in this film arises from the simple but thought provoking premise of how normal people deal with conflict, and it speaks volumes about women's place in Iranian society, and of the differences between the sexes in general. Almost all of the suspense generated here originates from this (mostly unspoken) tension between the sexes, and is expertly sustained until the narratively weak, but technically masterful final act.

The Coen Brothers films that are set around the time Preston Sturgess was making films seem like slick rehashes of those films, but they're done with such wit, style and precision that they feel fresh. Hail, Caesar seems like a rehash of those rehashes, and feels a bit stale. Any Coen brothers film is worth a watch but this is their weakest effort thus far.

This is first and foremost a film of ideologies, and in that regard I found it utterly unappealing. We're obviously supposed to sympathise with the Jesuit priests here, but that's really difficult if you think that what they're trying to do is reprehensible, and it's equally difficult to care about their Japanese captors, who are behaving abominably. So even though Silence is masterfully directed and visually stunning, I struggled mightily to enjoy it. And Andrew Garfield didn't help.

A precisely directed and sumptuous looking film full of mystery and perversity that also packs an emotional punch like few others. Park knows how to stage a scene like an old master, and the labyrinthine narrative that snakes through the claustrophobic atmosphere layers intrigue upon deception until the veil is finally lifted to cleverly reveal where your sympathies should ultimately lie. I've rarely felt so satisfyingly manipulated by a film.

This is a story that needed to be told, but really you'd be better off just watching Laura Poitras's Citizenfour - the documentary about Snowden - because in this fictionalised account any tension or drama surrounding the actual events is negated by Stone's weak script and bland presentation. A well-intentioned bore.

Nothing you haven't seen before, and highly reminiscent of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, with a liberal helping of No Country For Old Men this is nevertheless a solid film with a topical theme that features decent dialogue and good performances from Foster, Bridges and Pine. Nice cinematography and score too.

If you've seen the 'Aircraft Investigations' episode about this flight then you've already seen this film, minus the superfluous melodrama. Hanks is always watchable though, and it's short, so you could do a lot worse I suppose. It's a hell of a lot better than 'Flight', but that's not saying much.

A strictly linear triumph over adversity biopic that highlights an important issue in a pointed and obvious way, then hammers it home every thirty seconds until we all understand that RACISM IS BAD. The problem is that aside from Costner doing his Costner thing there's not much on offer to make up for all the sermonising you have to sit through.

Maren Ade has a real knack for highlighting social awkwardness, which she used to perfection in Forest For The Trees. This has some interesting moments and Hüller is very good, but it doesn't really go anywhere and the characters and situations seem forced this time around. Still, worth a watch.

Literate and quite restrained horror tale that could have been even more effective had the supernatural elements been more ambiguous, as the film shines when focusing on the religious fervour, paranoia and self doubt of the characters. The last ten minutes or so let the film down somewhat but overall it's atmospheric, beautifully shot and features good performances all round - especially Anya Taylor-Joy.