FILM: Captain America Civil War IMAX 3D (dirs: Anthony and Joe Russo, 2016)

"I can't go to Germany!"
"Why not?"
"I've got homework!"

Civil War continues down the stylistic path set by The Winter Soldier, which initially is a little worrying, as the first half is a particularly gloomy affair which pays little attention to non-Marvel followers - death is everywhere, the grey/green look is oppressive, and what is presented is a great but rather talky adult thriller (which will probably bore children rigid) punctuated by bouts of frantic but extremely well edited and choreographed fights.  The second half is a different matter altogether - the seemingly disparate narrative ideas pay off superbly in massively enjoyable big-screen entertainment, from the stunning airport superteam smackdown (just wait til you see what Ant-Man can do!) to the brutally painful (emotional and physical) Captain/Bucky/Tony confrontation.  The Russos are now so confident with what they can achieve on screen which is evident throughout, and the speed and quality of the effects work is terrific.  This film is all about making it personal - loss, grief, inner demons, choices, responsibility and accountability - providing some real dramatic meat for the terrific ensemble (just watch Johannson quietly steal the early round-table scene, or the interplay between Evans and Downey Jnr in the 'pen' exchange).   This movie also serves as a surprisingly excellent introduction to Black Panther/Wakanda and the new Spiderman, who are clearly wonderful additions well-served with action (unlike the lip-service introductions to future Justice Leaguers in Batman v Superman).  The laughs are few and far between, but when they come they are very strong indeed.  Civil War delivers many treats, from a terrifying re-activated Bucky/Winter Soldier to a narrative that doesn't always go to where it seems to be leading, and this movie will bear further viewings. 

FILM: Bastille Day (dir: James Watkins, 2016)

"Action, reaction."

Bastille Day is an adequate but solid actioner, that adds very little to what was seen in the trailer but is carried by Idris Elba and Richard Madden clearly having fun in a film that treads that fine line between taking itself seriously and being fully aware of just how generic it all is.  In spite of the uncomfortable mix of terrorism, fascists, demonstrations and corrupt cops, the Paris setting makes for a slight change, the action is reasonably well-handled (but hardly Bourne) and the film is always watchable, even if it only seems a couple of notches above a decent TV drama.

FILM: Friend Request (dir: Simon Verhoeven, 2016)

"It's called cyberstalking for a reason...."

The premise of marrying contemporary social media with ancient witchcraft has some promise, but essentially Friend Request is fairly standard stalk-and-slash, with the usual reliance on VERY loud stings for a couple of jump scares, but also with the occasional visual and editing flourish that shows the film is striving for more.  Apart from some very good work by Connor Paolo as one of the group of friends, the acting offers little of note, and the increasingly wobbly internal logic only adds to the overall sense of unevenness.  By the time it reaches its utterly and almost necessarily predictable final scene, this film demonstrates that you can dress up the genre with contemporary trappings but it still basically remains the same.

FILM: The Jungle Book 3D (dir: Jon Favreau, 2016)

"He's walking on two legs!"
"Don't stare."

Disney really are getting it (mostly) right with their current wave of own live-action remakes, and this version of The Jungle Book is a delight to watch.  Storytelling is strong, and Favreau provides a lot of enjoyably creative direction, making the film an absolute visual treat, with even the more action-styled set-pieces having a contemporary blockbuster sensibility that sits comfortably with the more conventional Disney elements.  The only niggle is the actual use of the classic songs 'I Wanna Be Like You' and 'The Bare Necessities', which feel at odds with the more grounded tone of this film than their animated origins; it works much better when the score and dialogue is used to reference the original, as in the excellent 'Trust In Me' snake sequence.  Nevertheless, The Jungle Book 2016 stands as a strong, effective and well-made film that is easily the definitive live-action version. 

FILM: Hardcore Henry (dir: Ilya Naishuller, 2016)

"Your persistence is unparalleled - and quite exciting!"

It is very easy to see why Bekmambetov put his support behind this project, with its bonkers mix of impossible stunts and visuals coupled with the film's main selling points: uber-violence and the true use of first-person perspective throughout.  Unafraid of using a slew of genre references - Crank, Universal Soldier and Robocop are the main touchstones here - this is a genre movie turned up to the max.  It feels like watching a FPS videogame we have all played, and its relentless (and impressive) action, violence and style makes it curiously all the less emotionally engaging as a result.  Nevertheless, there are some truly insane stunt/parkour sequences on offer to relish, the concept of Copley's 'Jimmy' as a guide works well if you can forgive the broad stereotypes, and sometimes you just need to surrender to the sheer full-on madness of it all.

FILM: Midnight Special (dir: Jeff Nichols, 2016)

"That's impressive."

Midnight Special is in many ways a very straightforward tale, but the enjoyment comes from the (very) slow unfolding of the clues, a couple of strong set-pieces, and very controlled but powerful performances from the leads (Shannon, Edgerton, Dunst and Driver in particular).  The very deliberate and careful pacing may put off some viewers, but patience pays rewards for this simple, well-considered and interesting film.

FILM: My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (dir: Kirk Jones, 2016)

"It's what we do."

This belated follow-up to the inexplicably successful 2002 original takes the next-generation step with Vanderlos's daughter now 17 and contemplating love, college and identity all in the shadow of her extended Greek family and heritage.  Age and experience makes this sequel a more languid and gentle affair, with the comedy played very broad and unthreatening.  Nevertheless, there is a pleasing amount of warmth, some well-played comedy and some touching moments, making this a pleasant if undemanding sequel.

VOD: Area 51 (dir: Oren Peli, 2015)

REVIEW No. 650!

"We shouldn't have done this.  This was dumb."

It is clear to see why Oren Peli's follow-up to his breakout hit Paranormal Activity was not released with great fanfare.  After some good world/character-building at the start, it takes over half the running time to actually get on to the eponymous base, at which point the first-person shooting makes the descent through corridors and stairwells look like an old-fashioned videogame.  The solid cast plays it well, and the overall construction is simple but effective, but Area 51 cannot overcome its fundamental limitations that it looks exactly how you expect it to look, it plays out exactly as you predict, and therefore it has little dramatic point.  Once Idiot Plot takes over for the final third in what is clearly the least secure secret base ever, and with a lot of Blair Witch running, it all leads to yet an another disappointing abrupt finish.

FILM: Kung Fu Panda 3 (dirs: Aleesandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh, 2016)

"Subtle, Po.  Very subtle."

Never the deepest of the animated franchises, this hyperactive and energetic third entry in the Kung Fu Panda series delivers a clear, simple and effective three-act story and restores some of Po's childish glee and an overall feel of lightness that was missing from the worthy first sequel.  The stylised design and use of colour is simply stunning, the breathless pace holds attention and the previously-hidden panda village charms but is not over-cute.  Box office returns will determine if another cinema outing will happen, but Kung Fu Panda 3 is a decent, well-produced children's film that would serve as a fitting trilogy-closer to hero Po's journey if needed.

FILM: Zootropolis 3D (dirs: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush, 2016)

"I like trying, actually."

Disney Animation comes up with another winner, and Zootropolis turns out to be an extremely smart, well-made and entertaining movie. It plays the tropes of the police procedural very straight, leaving the humour to emerge from its collision with the high concept of an animal-filled human-style society.  The film is propelled energetically by character and story, both of which are consistently engaging and very successfully developed.  The voice talent does an exceptional job, with the excellent mis-matched pairing of enthusiastic new bunny-cop (Ginnifer Goodwin) and street-wise hustler-fox (Jason Bateman), who are together on-screen for most of the time.  The design work is imaginative and well-realised; there is some wonderful playing with scale using the different animals and their environments.   Even the blatant themes (prejudice, tolerance, aspiration) develop organically, apart from a spell-it-all-out tubthumping end speech followed by the now-obligatory awful closing song-and -dance number.  Overall, Zootropolis is an imaginative, beautifully-crafted and well-told tale that showcases what Disney does best in a very effective contemporary manner.

FILM: The Huntsman: Winter's War 3D (dir: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, 2016)

"Love conquers all....so I've heard...."

Hardly the light-hearted romp its stars have been selling, this prequel/sequel is quite a sombre and ponderous affair, occasionally livened up by sparky dwarf banter and brief but well-staged fight sequences.  There is a lot of excellent design work on display and the use of 3D is very well executed.  Hemsworth broods and swaggers effectively with an interesting accent, Theron positively eats up every moment of what screen time she has, and Blunt gives a nicely precise performance as the Ice Queen.  It builds slowly to a somewhat lively but mad Narnia meets Terminator 2 final showdown, which only serves to show that keeping the main characters apart for most of the running time smacks of missed opportunities.  Whether Winter's War turns out to be part of an ongoing franchise or just an interesting sideline, the film itself is solid and well-made but not exactly thrilling. 

FILM: The Boy (dir: William Brent Bell, 2016)

"Well I don't know about you, but that certainly wouldn't wake me up!"

Following a promising trailer, and after a nicely-played off-kilter opening, The Boy turns out to be a rather dull and dopey affair.  Along the way it packs in a large number of genre clichés and a couple of decent jump scares, all leading up to a routine finale that is quite jaw-droppingly silly.  As far as creepy-doll movies go, this is certainly no Trilogy Of Terror or Dead Of Night, and it even lacks the energy or fun of an average Chucky movie.  The Boy is a good-looking film with some excellent sound placement, but it is simply rather tedious to sit through.

VOD: The Diabolical (dir: Alistair Legrand, 2015)

"You have to be brave..."

What starts off as a rather dull and routine TV-movie-level Poltergeist/Paranormal potboiler is not quite all it seems, thanks to a belated but implausible twist.  The film wastes no time in setting out its stall, with an early matter-of-fact reveal of the increasingly corporeal malevolent spirit menacing a single mother and her young children.  The incessant overpowering droning soundtrack irritates rather than unsettles, and spite of the reliable Ali Larter giving it her all, the film never really shocks or engages.

FILM: Eddie The Eagle (dir: Dexter Fletcher, 2016_

"What a doddle!"

Leave all your cynicism at the door: Eddie The Eagle is an unashamed feel-good delight that will win you over within five minutes.  With a huge dollop of whimsy and a lot of good-natured humour, this is a very smart re-construction of the myth into heroic epic fable.  Taron Egerton charms utterly from start to finish with a warm and well-played comic performance that shows real attention to detail, and the fabricated Hugh Jackman character serves as an effective narrative counterpoint.  The film is well-directed and looks stunning, with a wonderful soundtrack of well-placed 80s hits and a superbly cheeky score by Matthew Margeson powered by perfect retro synths and production.  Like most successful feel-good films, this is very carefully constructed and this particular dramatising of the Eddie The Eagle story does not bear much scrutiny, but that is not the point here: simply wallow in a wonderfully-made and excellently-delivered slice of joy.