What’s it about?
In Germany during WWII, Liesel (Sophie Nélisse), age 9, is sent to live with foster parents (Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson). She earns her title of  “the book thief” after “borrowing” books from the mayor’s wife’s library.

What did we think?
Casey says: There is a lot going on in this film and it sometimes feels like it moves too quickly to form meaningful relationships. This is remedied completely by the end, and the relationships are actually what make this film so beautiful. The narration by Death (Roger Allam) felt a little tedious to begin with (and seriously, Back to the Future owns the flying through clouds opening shot – leave it alone), but it all ties together in one of the most moving final shots of a film I’ve ever seen. Ever.
 
My eyes leaked more than they should have in a public place. Excuse me while I head off to steal the book.

What’s it about?
When a family member dies, everyone gathers to pay their respects. They end up paying their disrespects.

What did we think?
Elizabeth says:  It’s hard to know where to look with this many powerhouse performances competing for attention. There’s Meryl Streep as the manipulative matriarch dropping acid-tongued truth bombs; Juliette Lewis as the eternally upbeat self-deluding youngest daughter; Julia Roberts as the bitter first child so used to copping family abuse that it’s hardened her to the ones she cares about most. But is it too much? This adaptation of a Pulitzer Prize-winning play has so much melodrama it almost requires a theatrical setting to work. The delicious, explosive dialogue needs to seep into the stalls to diffuse the emotional build-up, or the pressure cooker is in danger of exploding with too much force. If you like the sort of epically corrosive family dysfunction seen in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, then this film is a show-stopper. If not, well, this is gonna be rather uncomfortable for you, isn’t it?

What’s it about?
The continuing adventures of Bilbo Baggins as he and a band of dwarves seek to reclaim a lost kingdom.

What did we think?
Anthony says: This is not The Hobbit you read. In place of the original novel, Peter Jackson has served up an adventure where conflict and action take prominence over discovery and curiosity. It’s still a fun movie and the new character of Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) is enchanting, but purists may struggle a bit. The rest of the world will enjoy a better-than-average (but still bloated) movie full of great scenery and cinematography.

What’s it about?
Life Magazine’s Walter Mitty works with photo negatives at a time when everything is going digital. He lives beyond his humdrum cubicle walls through a series of elaborate daydreams. When redundancy looms, his existence becomes more fantastic than he ever could have imagined.

What did we think?
Liz says: Stiller’s Mitty is a photo negative in a world of iPads; struggling for relevance but full of potential beauty in and of itself. His transformation from nebbish office worker to fulfilled human was cinematic chicken soup for my soul. The fact I am a journalist staring down the barrel of digital irrelevance myself probably had a little something to do with it, but this film touched me right in the warm fuzzies.

What’s it about?
Con-man Irving Rosenfeld (a portly Christian Bale) and his lover (a sexy Amy Adams) are forced to work with unpredictable FBI agent Richie DiMaso (a poodle-permed Bradley Cooper). Things get dangerous as DiMaso pushes them to bring down mafia bosses and beloved senators, and Rosenfeld’s unhinged wife (Jennifer Lawrence) might just blow the whole thing.

What did we think?
Elizabeth says: The 1970s are recreated to dazzling effect with David O. Russell getting the most out of his actors. Every performance is rich and layered, and the rumours are true – Jennifer Lawrence steals every single damn scene she’s in. But – and here’s where I get controversial considering the praise that’s been heaped on the film – I feel like American Hustle was less than the sum of its parts. What film was everyone else watching? I mean it’s pretty good but it’s no masterpiece. It’s like Scorsese’s biggest fan tried to emulate the master and came up short. It’s entertaining, it looks great, but it won’t knock your paisley 1970s socks off.

Sidebar: best supported actress goes to Amy Adams, whose every stunning costume seemed designed to give her a healthy helping of sideboob.

What’s it about?
Set in 1944 and chronicling the origins of the Beat Generation, the film follows fresh-faced New Jersey poet’s son Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe) to New York’s Columbia University, where he befriends the luminous, restless fellow student Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan). Joined by William S. Burroughs and writer Jack Kerouac, the pair grapples with convention, burgeoning talent, literary ambition and the consequences of obsession.

What did we think?
Marnie says: From pretentious, stock-standard coming-of-age film beginnings Kill Your Darlings hits its stride when it takes a dark turn to become a gripping, nicely paced tale of infatuation and its aftermath. Behind another pair of distinctive glasses a committed Radcliffe acquits himself well but the true star is DeHaan, whose character’s pain and desperation is palpable. Whether or not you’re familiar with the Beat movement, the intriguing story and psychological drama will hold your attention until the end.

What did we think?
Dan says: The first Cloudy film was an exceptional piece of cinema. This film takes the characters you loved from the last film and shoe horns them into a second, more whimsical endeavour. Lovers of awful puns will delight in this eye-popping extravaganza but if you want some heart in your story you’re looking at the wrong reanimated corpse.

It’s not unpalatable and there are plenty of laughs but ultimately it feels like someone took some old brioche, truss tomatoes and wagyu beef and turned them into a McDonald’s burger.

What’s it about?
A  hapless delivery driver finds out that, during a rather active period as a sperm donor, he fathered more than 533 children. More than 100 of these now adult children petition the sperm bank to reveal their father’s identity. Will he come forward? Will he make a good dad?

What did we think?
Alex says: A remake of a 2011 French-Canadian film, Starbuck, Delivery Man is an unusual film. The warm-hearted, serious moments that are usually a cheesy drawback of “dropkick-proves-his-worth” comedies are actually the strengths of this film – though perhaps by default, because the laughs aren’t overly forthcoming. Parks & Recreations’ Chris Pratt is fine droll form as David’s lawyer but Vince Vaughn and Cobie Smulders aren’t at their best, guffaws-wise. Some genuinely touching scenes and good acting save this from being just another unnecessary US remake of a better foreign-language film.

What’s it about?
A sheltered, bullied girl unleashes telekinetic terror after being pushed too far.

What did we think?
This remake of Stephen King’s classic tale feels almost too faithful to the original and largely unnecessary. Julianne Moore is appropriately creepy as Carrie’s religious zealot mother, while Chloe Grace Moretz gives good crazy eye as Carrie. But were their efforts as believable and memorable as Piper Laurie’s and Sissy Spacek’s Oscar-nominated performances? No. And, frankly, we expected more from the director of Boys Don’t Cry, Kimberly Peirce.