http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0469494
A powerhouse performance by Day-Lewis as a ruthless oil-man hell-bent on acquiring success. He is mean, scary and unhinged but almost matched by Paul Dano's demented preacher. The film is really far too long but it can't be denied that it's an epic performance and a bold, brutal story.
Four stars
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0470752/
A wonderfully straightforward and undeniably brilliant artificial intelligence story. I don't know whether it was the super-stylish setting, the head-on confrontation of the "does it have consciousness" question, or the darkly funny performances but I hugely enjoyed it and would recommend it to any scifi fan.
Five stars
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2170593
BILL MURRAY! Playing BILL MURRAY! Doing and saying BILL MURRAY type things. Grumpy, sarcastic and world-weary, this is an easy role. As Vincent's life continues a downward spiral, a clever young boy-next-door (no, not that type) brings him some hope and light. N'awwww. Funny and touching but nothing new.
Four stars
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2004420/
Funnier than expected, as long as you're looking for semi-slapstick toilet humour and dick jokes. There's a war between some young parents (Rogen and the under-appreciated Byrne) and their new frat-house neighbours (led by Efron), and despite attempts to present some "getting-older" personal struggles, it's mostly just dick jokes.
Three stars
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825157
Creepy, awkward and extremely accomplished writing and directorship from national treasure Ayoade (way better than Submarine). Eisenberg's greatest performance to date with sterling support from Wasikowska. Story by Dostoevsky. What more can I say? A beautifully crafted filler-free 93 minutes.
Five stars
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3504048/
Quirky comic horror about a delinquent teenager confined to her creepy parental home by an asbo anklet. Weird shit unfolds and she tries to solve the house's mysteries with the help of her hapless mother and goofy security guard. Slapstick in parts, gory in others, funnier than it is scary.
Four stars
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2562232/
Michael Keaton stars as a washed-up Hollywood actor who has turned his hand to theatre. I didn't quite get some of the subtleties of his conflict, but his, Norton's and Stone's performances are great, the drums-only soundtrack is jarringly atmospheric and it's darkly funny. Would definitely recommend.
Four stars
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1631867
I'm not quite sure whether to call this a documentary, biopic or drama but whatever it is, it's great. Spectacular casting blends the acting (of legend Paul Giamatti amongst others) and the real-life interviews expertly, and the grumpy atmosphere and comic-book cinematography are big winners. Imperfect but definitely worth watching.
Four stars
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1631867
Tom Cruise playing his finest Tom Cruise! A war against aliens provides the backdrop for this action-packed over-and-over battlefest that's reminiscent of Groundhog Day, or more recently Source Code. Of course it's mega daft but it's also funny and the aliens are cool and TC is on top charismatic form.
Four stars
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1877832/
Usually the presence of superheroes is enough for me to enjoy a film, and mutants are close enough, right? But Days of Future Past starts so slowly, and the time-travelling twaddle is so silly that this really didn't hold my attention. A few cool X-Men showpieces but overall very disappointing.
Two stars
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2310332/?ref_=nv_sr_1
What to say? Well, it's almost exactly as good as the previous two. It's similarly over-long and over-stretched with too much time where nothing happens, yet similarly the sense of adventure is captivating and rooting for the goodies makes my heart swell. An entirely as-expected conclusion to the trilogy.
Four stars
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816442
An Anne Frank-esque World War II drama about a young girl whose family are hiding a Jewish refugee, The Book Thief is the definition of a tear-jerker. No happy ending, no sugar-coating of the harshly terrifying acts of war, probably best viewed when you need a good cry.
Three stars
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2883512/
Chef has bad points (a desperately cloying sub-plot about a bad father turning good and hugely unsubtle product placement of Twitter) and good points (it's great fun and the main thread is very uplifting) but the most important thing is the whole thing is jam-packed FULL of food porn. YUM!
Three stars
