We've got you covered if you're going to the cinema this weekend - check out what's worth going to see in our cinema review round-up.
'71 ****
Starring: Jack O'Connell, Sam Reid, David Wilmot, Paul Anderson, Sean Harris, Charlie Murphy, Killian Scott, Sam Hazeldine
Director: Yann Demange
15A
Starred-Up’s Jack O'Connell plays a British soldier who gets separated from his unit during a riot in West Belfast in 1971 in this fast-moving and bloody thriller.
Caught in the warren of streets and the walkways of the Divis Flats, Private Hook finds himself running scared from opposing IRA splinter groups and loyalists, all of whom wish to use him to their own ends.
But it's the spineless machinations of British Intelligence which may really decide his fate as the warring factions close in on him. It’s directed at a blistering pace by Yann Demange making his feature film debut, much of it on hand-held camera recalling the chaotic vérité of Paul Greengrass. The fog of war is well captured, the urban battleground lit by burning cars and sickly neon.
We first meet Hook in basic training in the dales of Yorkshire…
Read Alan Corr's full review here
The Maze Runner ***1/2
Starring: Dylan O'Brien, Will Poulter, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie- Sangster, Aml Ameen, Blake Cooper
Director: Wes Ball
12A
It's a mantra for many: films are never as good as the books they're based on (October's exhibit: Gone Girl). But while there's a lot of truth in it, sometimes things work the other way around, and what's on screen is actually better than what is on the page. A case in point is The Maze Runner. James Dashner's young adult source bestseller is stodgy enough in places, but first-time director Wes Ball has turned it into a very watchable survival story where the characters are more interesting than their literary incarnations.
The bewildered Thomas (O'Brien) wakes up in an express elevator and when the top hatch is opened he's 'welcomed' to the Glade, a boys-only camp that's more prison than commune. The Glade is surrounded by huge walls and beyond them is the Maze, filled with deadly creatures called Grievers. It's impossible to find a way out of - plenty of kids have died trying. There are dangers inside the walls, too, with resident hard man Gally (Poulter) taking an instant dislike to Thomas, and paranoia and power struggles aplenty.
New arrivals aren't expected to last that long in the Glade, but Thomas seems to have more smarts and skills than the others initially give him credit for. Has he been sent to help the boys find a way out, or are they better off staying where they are?
Ball's calling card for The Maze Runner gig…
Read Harry Guerin's full review here
Gold ***
Starring: James Nesbitt, Maisie Williams, David Wilmot, Kerry Condon, Steven Mackintosh, Ashley McGuire, Patrick Gibson, Martin Maloney, David McSavage
Director: Niall Heery
15A
Irish director Niall Heery won the Breakthrough Talent Award at the IFTAs back in 2007 for his first feature film, Small Engine Repair, but his latest offbeat comedy of errors, Gold, lacks the sparkle of his previous outing.
Gold, finds Heery bringing viewers on a journey of broken dreams, bittersweet moments and family breakups, all nestled in a small community in North Dublin. Ray (Wilmot) has real issues with his past, and like most people, he wishes that he could rewind the clock. When a tragic situation presents itself, allowing him to return to his hometown after twelve long years away, Ray seizes the opportunity with open arms.
Bringing his worn-out orange couch along for the ride, he uses the opportunity to bridge the gap with his childhood sweetheart Alice (Condon) and teenage daughter Abbie (Williams). When Ray discovers that his former school P.E. teacher Frank McGunn (Nesbitt) and his impressive moustache are living with his family, a comic catastrophe unfolds. Will Ray be given the second chance he is longing for?
Ray may be a bit all over the place and seem like he's good-for-nothing…
Read Laura Delaney's full review here
Annabelle ***
Starring: Alfre Woodard, Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, Eric Ladin
Director: John R Leonetti
16
Horror films went all ironic during the Knowing Nineties, especially when the Scary Movie franchise came along and it's been almost impossible not to treat them as comedies these days. But there's a lot of money to be made from this genre, and Australian film producer, screenwriter and film director James Wan has been at the forefront in recent years.
A prequel to last year's hit The Conjuring, this one sees Wan vacating the director's chair and concentrating on being the producer. Presumably this is due to his involvement in the Fast and Furious franchise, and offers an opportunity for his regular Director of Photography, John R Leonetti, to step up to the plate. And while there's nothing groundbreaking on offer here, it's an enjoyable film that starts off really well before a rather clichéd conclusion.
The spooky, eponymous doll Annabelle arrives innocently enough as a present from cardboard-cute husband John Gordon to wife Mia, who's expecting their first child. Everything's very happy families until their next-door neighbours are brutally murdered by their own daughter and an accomplice, both of whom are members of a cult.
The Gordons are also attacked, with Mia and baby lucky to survive…
Read John Byrne's full review here
Unbreakable: The Mark Pollock Story *****
Starring: Mark Pollock, Simone George
Director: Ross Whitaker
G
Guaranteed to be the Irish film of 2014 for many, the heart-rending but ultimately uplifting documentary Unbreakable charts a couple's journey as they try to move beyond the tragedy and trauma that became the reality of their lives. Indeed, such is the impact on the viewer that many of the worries that clog up our heads and hearts are rendered trivial while watching – a reminder to be thankful for what, and more importantly, who we have. As Pollock himself says: "Basically, you just need good people around you." His are among the greats.
Blind since the age of 22, Pollock had established himself as one of Ireland's top adventure athletes and professional speakers with achievements including the Gobi March, Everest Marathon, North Pole Marathon and South Pole Race. In 2010, just four weeks before his planned wedding to fiancée Simone George, he fell out a second-storey window and as a result of the fall was paralysed from the waist down.
Having survived severe infections, Pollock reached the crucial 12-week milestone for spinal injuries without signs of improvement, and with determination seeming minuscule in comparison to the abyss. "I cried every day for three months," he says. "I cried every second day for the next three months." But he didn't give up…
