In the Heart of the Sea ****
Director: Ron Howard | Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson
Duration: 122 minutes | Cert: 12A
Ron Howard and Moby-Dick? Now that clash of populist cinema and classic literature had me looking forward immensely to this film, and I wasn't disappointed. Moby-Dick is regarded as one of literature's greatest works, but it's a hefty tome - both in volume and density of prose - and wouldn't be to everyone's taste. Ron Howard, on the other hand, knows how to make a film hit a giant audience.
In the Heart of the Sea is based on Nathaniel Philbrick's 2000 non-fiction book of the same name, about the sinking of the American whaling ship Essex in 1820, a tale that inspired Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick... Read John Byrne's full review here
Daddy's Home **1/2
Director: Sean Anders | Starring: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini
Duration: 96 minutes | Cert: 12A
As This is Spinal Tap's Artie Fufkin can attest to, timing is everything, and whoever decided to steer this Ferrell and Wahlberg vehicle into festive cinemas looks like they knew they'd be on to a good thing as a Star Wars alternative at the US box office. But, really, a third viewing of The Force Awakens would still prove more entertaining than this chalk-and-cheese comedy. It's not strong enough to deserve its post-Christmas slot and you'd want to be truly stir crazy to stir out and buy a ticket - a nothing-else-happening week around February was Daddy's rightful home.
Ferrell plays Brad, one of life's gentle giants who hit the jackpot when the penny dropped and wife Sarah (Cardellini) realised she needed more in terms of stability for her two kids than sparks for herself. Brad can't believe his luck - we can't either - and after nine months of marriage it looks like the new family unit is really starting to gel... Read Harry Guerin's full review here
Star Wars: The Force Awakens ****
Director: JJ Abrams | Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Harrison Ford, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Peter Mayhew, Oscar Issac, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Lupita Nyong'o, Max von Sydow
Duration: 135 minutes | Cert: 12A
There is a strange dislocating sense of déjà vu throughout this affectionate and lovingly made reboot of the ultimate blockbuster sci-fi classic. It’s there in that almost amateur-looking Seventies sci-fi blue of the opening legend: "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."; it's there in John Williams' rousing orchestral score; and it is certainly there in the non-stop visual and plot references to the original Star Wars mother lode.
The Force Awakens is so loyal to the 1977 original in terms of story, dialogue and design that it seems like little more than some kind of cleverly constructed remake but there is so much more here that sparkles with freshness and a bold sense of freewheeling adventure too. Abrams has refashioned the myth and made a hugely entertaining and utterly engrossing action film that explores the lethal generational pull of the Dark side on both old characters and new... Read Alan Corr's full review here
Sisters ***
Director: Jason Moore | Starring: Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, John Cena, Maya Rudolph, Ike Barinholtz, James Brolin
Duration: 118 minutes | Cert: 15A
I'll be honest, the premise of the movie - that two adult sisters would throw one last house party before their parents sell their family home - left me sceptical, but I should've known better than to doubt the comic genius of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Sisters is hilarious.
At this time of year cinemas are full of serious, Oscar-worthy 'important' films - which is amazing, don't get me wrong - but sometimes you just need to check your brain at the door and have a good laugh, and Sisters is perfect for that.
The film has a great mix of clever one-liners, witty remarks and slapstick gags, and by the time things start to get really, really silly you're sure... Read Sinead Brennan's full review here
Grandma ****
Director: Paul Weitz | Starring: Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden
Duration: 79 minutes | Cert: 16
Lily Tomlin has undergone a remarkable revival in recent years and has earned Outstanding Lead Actress Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her role as Frankie Bergstein in Netflix comedy Grace and Frankie. Here's where she might earn a previously unlikely Oscar nod.
The 76-year-old plays the titular role of Elle, a lesbian poet not coping very well with the recent death of her long-term partner. Her 18-year-old granddaughter Sage turns up pregnant, looking for $630 for an abortion. But Elle's broke, so they set off looking to raise the cash, approaching various acquaintances and delving into personal demons... Read John Byrne's full review here
The Peanuts Movie ****
Director: Steve Martino | Starring: Voices of: Noah Schnapp, Hadley Belle Miller, Alexander Garfin, Mariel Sheets, Bill Melendez, Noah Johnston.
Duration: 90 minutes | Cert: G
Director Steve Martino revisits the loveable characters of the late Charles M. Schulz in The Peanuts Movie bringing the charming neighbourhood gang to the big screen for the first time in 35 years in a nostalgic and warm-hearted 3D extravaganza.
Charlie Brown and his trusty dog pal Snoopy (who looks great for being 65) have come a long way since their 1950 comic strip debut in a weekly newspaper, which grew legs (and paws) and spanned into award-winning (an Emmy and Peabody for 1965's A Charlie Brown Christmas) theatrical films and TV specials... Click here to read Laura Delaney's full review
By The Sea ***
Director: Angelina Jolie Pitt | Starring: Angelina Jolie Pitt, Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Melvil Poupaud, Niels Arestrup
Duration: 122 minutes | Cert: 15A
Some of us still set a little time aside each day trying to figure out how Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's 2005 hookup hit Mr & Mrs Smith managed to take $475m at the box office, given how painfully smug and wholly unmemorable the comedy-thriller turned out to be. (Truth be told, a friendship nearly ended 'round these parts on the way home after watching it.)
Now, there's further head scratching to be done with Jolie and Pitt's latest film - she has written and directed, they both serve as producers and star. By the Sea is a far more rewarding movie experience than their first joint venture but, ironically, it died a death at the US box office, thus prompting night sweats that a Mr & Mrs Smith sequel may soon be upon us. It's a tragedy when one good film could lead to another bad one... Click here to read Harry Guerin's full review
Christmas with the Coopers **
Director: Jessie Nelson | Starring: Alan Arkin, Amanda Seyfried, Diane Keaton, Ed Helms, John Goodman, Marisa Tomei
Duration: 107 minutes | Cert: 12A
Director Jessie Nelson has released just two movies over the past two decades - 1994's Corrina, Corrina and 2001's Oscar-nominated I Am Sam - and unfortunately the 14-year wait for her third is like Christmas dinner for vegetarians - all Brussels sprouts and no meat.
Christmas with the Coopers (called Love the Coopers in the US) follows a dysfunctional family and their holiday season reunion as four generations reluctantly try to get along for just one day. Narrated by a cookie-gobbling dog called Rags (voiced by Steve Martin), the festive flick has a similar template to New Year's Eve (2011), Valentine's Day (2010) and Love Actually (2003) with multiple sub-plots forming one overall story... Read Laura Delaney's full review here
The Night Before ***
Director: Jonathan Levine | Starring: Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Anthony Mackie, Lizzy Caplan, Jillian Bell and Michael Shannon
Duration: 101 minutes | Cert: 16
Name me one good Hollywood festive movie since Home Alone? Exactly, you can't! And yet each year they are foisted upon us like an unwelcome drunken pass at a Christmas party. Novelty jumpers are donned and nominally credible actors run through the paces of getting back in time for the 'holidays' or endure some contrivance whereby they are forced into the company of misfit family members (I'm looking at you Christmas with the Coopers) or estranged ex-lovers. Cue the fake snow and schmaltzy hugs.
This year, what with the upcoming release of S*** W***, there's less of the typical yuletide caper troubling your local cineplex. But fear not, The Night Before will fill that snowflake-shaped void. The film delivers all the Christmas trimmings while thankfully managing to serve up enough warmth and genuine laughs to keep even the biggest movie-going Grinch happy. Oh, and there's even a nice nod to Home Alone along the way... Read John O'Driscoll's full review here
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