FILM: Doctor Strange 3D 4DX (dir: Scott Derrickson, 2016)

"OK.  That's a thing."

Doctor Strange is a very entertaining film.  It sets out its stall early, and from then on it uses a successful balancing act of character scenes (with some nicely wry humour) and spectacle that keeps attention throughout.  This aspect of Marvel's 'magic', including teleportation, multiverses and astral projection, is introduced seamlessly to the filmic MCU.  Cumberbatch is inevitably terrific in the title role, pitching his character somewhere between Sherlock and House MD, and his character arc is interesting.  The film is, of course, a stunning visual effects tour de force, backed up by another strong (if somewhat familiar-sounding) Michael Giacchino score, and the use of 3D is impressive, not just for the big set-pieces but also for smaller details like placement of characters in frame.  This is very much Strange-centred - inevitable for an origin movie - therefore accusations of the other characters being underwritten are to be expected, but Tilda Swinton is a delight, Rachel McAdams plays nicely against Strange, Chiwetel Ejiofor adds expected gravitas, and Mads Mikkelsen is one of Marvel's better antagonists in the screen time he has. The finale, for all its clever CGI bluster, does feel emotionally underpowered and a bit perfunctory.  Doctor Strange overall is nevertheless a fine introduction to a new player in the MCU, and as the ending and the excellent mid-credits scene prove, this is a character we look forward to seeing again.

FILM: Ouija - Origin Of Evil (dir: Mike Flanagan, 2016)

"You dig?"

For the most part, this unexpectedly 60s-set prequel works.  It is hardly original, and it is an ideal film for playing the guess-the-next-line-of-dialogue game, but it is well-executed and solidly-performed.  It is a slow-burning story that builds well, with a handful of jump scares executed effectively, and the sound crew clearly had a ball.  It makes affectionate nods to a raft of classic supernatural/horror films across the decades, and the 1960s stylings are pleasingly nostalgic (the title screen, reel-change cigarette burns, grading to look like old film stock).  Frustratingly, the film suffers from a chaotically messy third act and the kind of deeply unsatisfying ending that plagues a lot of modern horrors.  Putting those issues aside, Origin Of Evil is one of the better-made low-budget horror/thrillers of recent times.

VOD: The Greasy Strangler (dir: Jim Hosking, 2016)

"Too much grease is bad for you!  I read it in a fitness magazine someone left on the bus."

This 'instant cult classic' is proving divisive, with many film writers declaring it to be a work of subversive genius, but truth be told that is a case of The Emperor's New Clothes.  Whilst the ambition of low-low-budget filming is often to be applauded, The Greasy Strangler is for the most part barely watchable, not because of its non-Hollywood stereotypes and gore/nudity, but because the script is repetitive (if you do not tire of hearing the phrase 'bulls**t artist' you have a very high tolerance level indeed), timing and delivery of lines are poor, the Casio-keyboard score irritates rather than amuses and the film serves no evident purpose.  As an anti-Hollywood film it does everything to jar with expectations, from mise-en-scene to the bizarre love-triangle at the heart of the film, and the shark is truly jumped towards the end, but the bottom line is that it is a chore to sit through.

FILM: Trolls (dirs: Mike Mitchell and Walt Dohrn, 2016)

"I think I had a sarcasm once."

Trolls is an unruly mix of traditional fairy tale and random film references, presented with eye-popping E-numbered-neon colours in an 70s/80s jukebox-musical style.  The three acts are uneven - the first is manic, the second is meagre, the third an odd succession of tones - and the slender storyline is filled out with the musical numbers.  Kendrick and Timberlake do solid work as the two leads, but the thin material on offer makes this film directed squarely at the youngest of viewers.

FILM: Jack Reacher - Never Go Back 4DX (dir: Edward Zwick, 2016)

 "I move around a lot."

Using old-fashioned stereotyping for a somewhat old-fashioned movie, if the first Jack Reacher movie was an efficient action movie for the boys, Never Go Back feels as if it was selected to give an action movie for Cruise's female fans, with a range of significant female characters, Cruise addressing more emotional issues with the introduction of possible paternity of a fifteen-year-old daughter who becomes embroiled in the narrative, and watered-down violence for a 12A certificate.  Cruise is as reliable as ever and can still carry a movie effortlessly, Cobie Smulders is effective as his main foil, and the introduction of Danika Yarosh as the teenager works well.  It has a remarkably simple straightforward story, with overlong talky stretches, but Never Go Back is a slick, well-made but rather tepid action movie.

FILM: Storks 3D (dirs: Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland, 2016)

"What just happened?"

Storks feels like an animation studio let loose its quirkier employees, and the result is a bizarre but surprisingly enjoyable movie that does not hit the heights of the best of its more traditional CG-animated bedfellows but scores high on creativity and sheer bizarreness.  From deployment of songs/music to the mish-mash of styles and ideas, Storks is seldom predictable and often surprising (with everything from Looney Tunes to Tarantino in the mix).  Andy Samberg's voice work is notably terrific here, and the 3D is crisp, detailed and has wonderful depth.  Although at times it feels more like a sketch-show barrage of ideas rather than a fully-formed traditional movie, revel in the film's oddness, and enjoy this unusual and gently anarchic movie.

FILM: Inferno 4DX (dir: Ron Howard, 2016)

"You talk too much...."

There is a spirited opening with Hanks's character injured, delusional and amnesiac, which immediately thrusts the viewer into a shared personal mystery.  What follows is a well made but very clinical cat-and-mouse thriller that again suffers as a result of the source material, with flimsy and mechanical plotting and a serious lack of puzzle-solving, on the latter of which Brown's output (both literary and cinematic) is sold.  As a picturesque travelogue, the film looks great, the strong cast does solid work with what little emotional characterisation is on offer, and Hans Zimmer conjures up a great cool-synth thriller score that nevertheless is strangely intrusive in key dialogue scenes.  Inferno is a handsome but over-long routine thriller that really would benefit from more action and content in order to truly engage.

FILM: War On Everyone (dir: John Michael McDonagh, 2016)

"You guys are adorable!"

War On Everyone starts with a great gag involving a mime artist, and from then on hits the mark now and again, as the humour and occasional knowing winks become increasingly inconsistent.  Pena and Skarsgard are good value as the corrupt-cop buddies, and Theo James plays pleasingly against type.  The film does its best to offend as many groups as possible, but the script sometimes feels like it would have benefited from more work, as sometimes scenes lack a punchline or a point.  It is an easy film to warm to and to be entertained reasonably by, but it does not hit the heights of the similarly-styled The Nice Guys.   

FILM: The Girl On The Train (dir: Tate Taylor, 2016)

"Facebook and drunk ex-wives do not make friends."

The stylish trailer here gives way to a rather turgid thriller in its full-length form.  The main problem is the lethargic pace, and whilst the film undoubtedly looks good - making effective use of the switch from the novel's UK location to the USA - it takes far too long following its meandering course of secrets exposed and mild shocks.  It also does not help that the male characters are underwritten and feckless, whilst the lead female characters are portrayed as varyingly unhinged, apart from strong cameos by Lisa Kudrow and Alison Janney, and Blunt inevitably does good work.   To be fair, the finale does work well, bringing together the unravelling lies and reality in a satisfying way, but all that is basically left is an old-fashioned 80s-style 'erotic thriller' potboiler with every ounce of lurid fun drained from it.

FILM: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (dir: Tim Burton, 2016)

"Have you ever BEEN to Florida?"

Miss Peregine's Home...  sees a largely on-form Tim Burton doing his particular style well in a thoughtful, creative and mature way.  Although it is no Edward Scissorhands or even Beetlejuice, the film offers a strong story through another well-crafted Jane Goldman script, some delightful visual conceits and a number of peculiar and horrific ideas that are just about on the right side of child-scaring.   The time-looping concept is stretched to almost breaking point, otherwise the movie is full of interesting ideas that keep the viewer's attention.  Eva Green does good character work in the title role, and Asa Butterfield again proves to be a strong emerging young actor.   Overall, this is a good commercial Tim Burton film that skews young and entertains effectively.

FILM: Deepwater Horizon (dir: Peter Berg, 2016)

"This is the well from Hell, girl!"

Remember that devastating ten-minutes tsunami sequence from The Impossible?  That feel translates to the whole second half of this true-2010-story-based movie which, having set up the base and the characters well, pulls no punches in the destruction and human damage that erupts spectacularly through a remarkably powerful mix of CG and practical effects.  Although characters are largely drawn very broadly, the movie is held together by Mark Wahlberg doing his likeable everyman routine very well here, and Kurt Russell battling through as the gruff stoic veteran.  The film brings together docu-drama and disaster movie very effectively overall, and the spectacular and harrowing second half leads to an appropriately sombre and reflective ending that pays strong tribute to the (surprisingly few) actual lives lost.

VOD: Spotlight (dir: Thomas McCarthy, 2016)

"They control everything.  Everything."

The inevitably unfolding scale of the central conspiracy and the true personal horrors of Spotlight are told with such a relentless pin-sharp simplicity that its largely understated style is immensely powerful.   Fully deserving of its Awards-season recognition, the film handles the dense dialogue and plotting carefully and effectively, Howard Shore's melancholy score is spot on, and the ensemble cast (led by Keaton, McAdams, Schreiber and especially Ruffalo giving another striking performance) is wonderful to watch.  Only the occasional cliché (a jogging shot, a couple of montages) intrudes, but that is a minor quibble for what is an unshowy, mature and very bold film that leaves a real impression.