What’s it about?
Four high school mates are reluctantly dragged back to their home town by their former ringleader to re-create a night of drinking excess. And then robots happen. Except they aren’t robots.

What did we think?
Elizabeth says: The final installment in Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) has all the laughs and offbeat comedy you expect from this duo, served with a hefty dollop of emotional resonance I wasn’t expecting.  A movie about dudes battling pseudo-robots (they’re roboty aliens who really don’t like to be called robots, see) that’s actually super relatable? That’s a win in my book.

What’s it about?
Based on a true story, this film follows the Perron family, who moved into a house in the country in the 1970s only to find it haunted by multiple demonic spirits. Enter Christian paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga).

What did we think?
Hilary says: If you enjoy the classics when it comes to horror films, The Conjuring is not to be missed. Part Child’s Play, part Amityville Horror, part The Exorcist, this film —  by director James Wan (Saw) — delivers genuinely gut-clenching scare fare. Corny lines we’ve come to expect of this genre crop up at times, but they are improved by strong performances from Farmiga and Wilson as the paranormal investigators, and Lili Taylor (Six Feet Under) as the children’s mother. Make sure you catch this at the cinema for maximum scream factor.

What’s it about?
Chasing his own American dream, Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) blows in to New York City at the height of the Roaring Twenties and finds himself drawn to the dazzling world of his wealthy neighbour, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio).

What did we think?
Elizabeth says: Gatsby has the Technicolor pomp and “all that Baz” we’re used to but it falls just short of the high bar that Luhrmann set with films such as Moulin Rouge! and Strictly Ballroom. Carey Mulligan, while a vision to behold, is almost too grounded in her portrayal of the flighty, fun-loving Daisy; Tobey Maguire is, well, Tobey Maguire; and there isn’t a time that Leo utters the phrase “old sport” when it isn’t jarring. On the flip side, Joel Edgerton smashes this one out of the park and Isla Fisher is a colourful little bit on the side, just as Myrtle should be. All this wrapped up in a stunning-looking, sumptuous package. It’s very enjoyable, just not quite “spectacular spectacular”.

What’s it about?
After a 911 phone operator (Halle Berry)  takes a call that spirals out of control, she questions her ability to do her job, until a co-worker urges her back for a similar call that forces her to face her fears and her past.

What did we think?
Hilary says: Halle Berry is excellent as the 911 operator, refusing to let her ridiculous wig steal the spotlight. Berry’s performance, a suspenseful score, tight direction and sharp editing were what kept the audience on the edge of our seats (with a few folks even sprinting out of the theatre!) But the gasps of fear quickly turned to groans and laughter as The Call took an odd final turn that tainted everything that came before it. An A-grade thriller with a C-grade ending.

Note: Avoid the massive spoiler that is this film’s trailer.

No surprises in this suspense but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

What’s it about?
An eccentric billionaire (Richard Attenborough) employs a pair of palaeontologists (Sam Neill and Laura Dern), a rock star mathematician (Jeff Goldblum), and his grandchildren (Ariana Richards and Joseph Mazzello) to earn their seal of approval for his ground-breaking, but woefully understaffed, dinosaur park. All it takes is one rogue technician and a poorly thought out power grid for the aspirant utopia to become a walking, screeching nightmare…

What did we think?
Mitch says: This 3D re-release is a testament to the visual achievement that Jurassic Park really is – here we are, 20 years later, and the animatronic work of Stan Winston and his crew is as captivating and believable as it was 1993, even having gone through the rigours of 3D processing. The film itself as is enjoyable a ride as ever, with the added bonus that now at least you can say you’ve seen a man die on the toilet in 3D.

What’s it about?
A regular Joe (Jason Bateman) goes to extreme lengths to track down the person who stole his identity (Melissa McCarthy). He’s got nothing to lose and a bad credit rating to settle!

What did we think?
Elodie says: This flick is very hit and miss and suffers from a few pace problems especially early. A handful of lighter moments peppered with ridiculous humour save Identity Thief  from being a lost cause, though. The chemistry between Bateman and McCarthy definitely deserves a mention; McCarthy in particular is a delight to watch on screen.

What’s it about?
In the future, after zombies have waged a successful apocalypse, an unusually empathetic zombie named “R” falls in love with Julie (there’s a theme here. I just can’t …), the daughter of the leader of the surviving humans. Oh but that won’t work out at all! Surely!

What did we think?
Alex says:  What may have been intended as “Romeo & Juliet with Zombies” turns out to be more “Zombie Twilight” with an intentional sense of humour. But this zom-rom-com combo leaves you not really caring about the characters or the fate of the human race.

Jonathan Levine at least capably directs likeable leads Nicholas Hoult and our very own Teresa Palmer away from vapid Edward-and-Bella territory. But when it comes to the undead-related laughs, it’s no Shaun of the Dead.

What’s it about?
The fairy-tale adventure of a gullible farm boy thrust literally and horticulturally into circumstances where he must prove his worth or perish.

What did we think?
Dan says: Bryan Singer takes the quirky elements of a children’s fable and grittily reboots it. No longer restricted to water-colour illustrations, the giants and the bean stalk become monstrous entities. The action and violence is larger than life and occasionally pushes against the PG rating potentially upsetting some parents and few children. (They love it.)

Surprisingly satisfying for anyone who has ever enjoyed the age old tale and/or delighted in Ewan McGregor at his hammiest.

What’s it about?
A jaded, once-successful Vegas magician and his sidekick (Steve Buscemi and Steve Carell) – former token schoolyard victims who used to believe in the magic of, well, magic – must change tack when an obnoxious street magician threatens their cheesy, tanned brand of trickery.

What did we think?
Alex says: Is THAT your card, sir? In what could have easily been a parody worse than the kitschy, dated magic scene it’s sending up, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone delivers handsome LOLs as well as an arbitrary saccharine tale of caring about what’s important – or something – which fortunately doesn’t get in the way of the humour too much.
Under the sharp direction of Don Scardino (30 Rock), the leading Steves, Carell and Buscemi, are stellar as the bickering, washed-up illusionists but Jim Carrey very nearly steals the show as the alternative – and, of course, entirely evil (hey, we came for laughs, not character depth!) – new face of extreme magic. No new heights of comedy but it does little wrong.