Piers Evans

A total and enthralling immersion into the world of a good-hearted 8-year-old boy in rural Iran. Nothing much happens. But the sudden hopes and sharp reversals of his dogged attempts to return a classmate's notebook will grip you utterly. His day of tribulation also carries us deep into the lives of villagers burdened by poverty, ill health, ceaseless drudgery, and oppressive social and family obligations. But you'll come out of the cinema uplifted both by the film's artistic perfection and its celebration of the human spirit in its tiny hero's kindness, determination, and endurance

Agatha Christie whodunnits fell out of fashion for a reason. They’re just too static, thespy, and contrived for modern cinemagoers. And Branaugh, sadly, can’t do much about that. What he has done is assemble some eminently watchable stars, deliver great camerawork, and lay on lashings of widescreen-worthy shots of towering pyramids, vast riverscapes, and deluxe thirties hospitality (unobtrusively achieved, I’d guess, with tons of CGI). The outcome is a trip to the cinema you’ll neither regret nor much recall. The genre is out of road. But if you’re content not to be wowed, this is a pleasant two hours in the company of a capable cast putting in solid performances in a sumptuous setting.

It’s the French to blame. It’s on them, this covalent bond between cinematic and culinary ponciness. No matter. “Pig” might have an arthouse fixation on fine cuisine but it’s got rich, full-fat flavours for a robust movie palate. If you love Nicolas Cage, you’ll overlook the pretentious scene titles with names of dishes. (And if you don’t, I’m guessing you prefer your films with a soupcon of chi-chi, n’est-ce pas?) That said, it’s an odd concoction of ingredients that go together like strawberries and creosote. It teases you to expect a revenge thriller… and, in a weird way, it sort of is. It shouldn’t work (especially the abrupt swerve into fantasy with a sous-chef gladiator school!) But it does. Cage is great. Needless to add, he’s the same as always. Only this time he’s fleshier and a tad more restrained. My only caveat is that “Pig” doesn’t add up to much. It’s an amuse-bouche rather than a hearty meal. You’ll leave wanting more. Thankfully, Cage’s finances are so shaky we can be sure of that. Let’s pray that movies like this, rather than Jiu Jitsu, will be on the menu…

I’d seen the decent score on the Tomatometer and felt tricked when the opening credits kicked in and I saw two words to chill the heart of any cinemagoer. In fairness, though, Megan Fox wasn’t too bad. The plot doesn’t demand much from her and she gamefully supplies the requisite feistiness of a modern heroine, looking exquisite even when spattered in brain matter. And the movie gallops entertainingly along, spurring by the surefire combo of a beautiful woman in peril, a vicious baddie, and a scenic snowbound setting. It’s attractively shot too. Casting an animated shop mannequin in the lead role of an action movie is an intriguing choice. But there are far worse ways to spend an hour and half if you’re not too picky and fancy something easy on the eye and brain.

In fairness, I didn’t hate this movie while I was watching it. But the more I think about it, the worse it gets. It’s a stab at Tarantino, but without the grip, the grit, the wit, or anything to plug that gap. Instead it seems they took a pair of pliers and a blowtorch to the scriptwriters. I’ve seen 5-year-olds with cap guns stage more realistic shootouts. The bad guys aren’t scary and the good guys are all clowns apart from the 2D, PC heroine (who, in fairness, is aced by Alexis Louder). And what passes for a plot hinges on sub machine guns actually having the stopping power of cap guns. All that said, it’s not terrible. But bad-ish rather than badass

Russell Crowe is immense in this film both literally and figuratively. His vast beardy rampaging menace is actually outsized for the plot, which is flimsy, derivative, and a tad predictable. No matter. His performance alone is well worth the price of admission - and his promise to show an uncivil motorist the true meaning of a "bad day" is a movie moment for the ages. Incidentally, this film is missold. Don't expect an allegory about masculinity in crisis. Crowe plays a murderous monster who won't elicit a scintilla of your sympathy. The film is probably all the better for it

Catherine Deneuve plays an aging film star. Juliette Binouche is her daughter, a scriptwriter married to an actor played by Ethan Hawke. Trouble is, CD was a bad mum. JB is upset about it. They have some chats but, as they're French, there are no histrionics or raised voiced. Spoiler alert! It's ok that CB was a bad mum, as she's sorry (a bit) and a great actress. Except that if being a great actress means making films like this, it shouldn't count. Unless you're gagging for yet another 'witty' post-modern movie about making movies, The Truth is bound to bore you rigid

Imelda's weird personality makes this compelling viewing. She's clearly sly, deceitful, selfish, immensely greedy, and a bit deluded. But precisely how evil? I was hooked by the hope of working that out. Beyond the startling interviews with the lady herself, expertly interleaved historical footage and contemporary commentary ensure interest never flags. It's harsh to blame the documentary for failing to put the case for the defence but I feel the lack of balance and context is a weakness. Clearly plenty of folk in the country don't see her greed as a disqualification. I suspect few politicians there would withstand scrutiny much better

This film is pretty but really stupid. The characters are not remotely plausible either for their era or ours. I was dumbstruck by the young noblewoman praising the 'equality' of her life in a nunnery. And then she goes and cooks a meal for her maid. Far worse is her - and her dead sister's - entirely unconvincing aversion to marriage, upon which the loopy plot revolves. You can't really blame the actresses for inhabiting parts this daft so poorly. Adele Haenel is especially absent. On the plus side, there's pretty scenery and the inevitable lesbian sex scenes aren't too explicit.