What’s it about?
When a little girl is stolen away by malevolent spirits, her family must band together to rescue her.

What did we think?
Dominic Barlow says: This remake of the 1982 film has all the modern bells and whistles you’d expect, with computer-generated effects and new technology being used to try to ramp up the spook factor. The cast, including Sam Rockwell as the little girl’s father and Jared Harris as a grizzled paranormal investigator, deliver solidly amusing performances. But amusing isn’t really what horror is going for. On the whole, however, this flick is written and shot too blandly to be especially frightening or fun. Why remake a film if you can’t improve on the original?

What’s it about?
Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) is a desk-bound CIA operative constantly in the ear of suave and in-the-field Bradley Fine (Jude Law). When he disappears, she gets in on the action to save the world from global disaster at the hands of a nasty Russian arms dealer.

What did we think?
Angela Young says: Let’s face it, McCarthy can do no wrong in comedy – especially when she’s permitted to swear outrageously. And there’s plenty here – it had me spitting out my drink on more than one occasion. F-bombs and even c-bombs rain down from above (some might say too many). Guffaw! The storyline’s the same American, crass crap, but it’s hilariously well done with superb one liner scattered throughout. Rose Byrne’s pretty good as a Russian bitch, and it’s fantastic to see loveable Brit Miranda Hart playing her typical endearing role. Allison Janney as the boss is a genius stroke of casting, too. Explosive laughs out loud virtually guaranteed.

What’s it about?
In this Oscar-nominated anthology of six darkly funny short stories, ordinary people carry out violent acts of revenge.

What did we think?
Dominic Barlow says: Szifrón has created a compelling feature-length experience out of very different and surprising short films. Each one steadily increases in length and scale, but is also completely self-contained, so the whole film flies by but you’ll be picking your favourites as you leave the theatre. It’s a fun, classy and bloody affair that you should go into knowing as little about as possible.

What’s it about?
On VE night, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret actually managed to escape Buckingham Palace for a night of incognito celebration.  A Royal Night Out tells how the evening might have unfolded.

What did we think?
Amy Currie says:  Too soon.  No, really.  I’m embarrassingly fond of the Queen, and I hope she lives forever.  On the offchance that she doesn’t, though, they should remake this film in about 30 years.  Perhaps then they could actually commit to a silly, caricatured romp instead of a confused series of mishaps surrounding a saintly, duty-bound Princess entirely devoid of character flaw.  It’s certainly a fun premise, but the painfully respectful depiction of Her Maj just doesn’t gel with the otherwise broad-strokes approach.  It’s ridiculously incongruous – Princess Margaret (Bel Powley, an absolute standout) is mistaken for a prostitute and bundled into a wheelbarrow, but when Elizabeth chastely kisses a new friend goodbye the camera discretely pans away as if director Julian Jarrold was afraid of being hung for treason.  Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) does her best with what she’s given, but A Royal Night Out would have been miles better for a little affectionate teasing.

What’s it about?
Caleb is a bright young coder who wins a company wide lottery that has him spending a week at his celebrity boss’s mountain retreat. On arrival it is revealed that his role is to interview an Artificial Intelligence program in a beautiful body.

What we thought
Dan says: There is an almost immediate menace in this film that never stops. This slow burning thriller crept relentlessly forward, always keeping me delighted. The ‘car-chase brigade’ may find it plodding but for those with some patience they’ll be rewarded in spades.

The visuals are impressive. Imagine the Portal video-game come to life but GladOS is much, much cuter. Each carefully considered pause contains a screen full of delicate engineering ticking away at the seams of this flirtatious droid.

You won’t be able to look away, which is good training for the oncoming robot apocalypse.

What’s it about?
A group of high school friends are Skyping when a guest enters the conversation: Laura Barns, a classmate who committed suicide a year ago.

What did we think?
Dominic Barlow says: The entire movie takes place in real time on one of the character’s computer desktop screens, and it makes smart cinematic use of familiar images from that environment. Less smart is the story, whose characters become hard to like at all as they are forced to answer for their transgressions. Their constant screaming and crying feels like seeing the “Leave Britney Alone” video play in several open windows, but the film they’re in is enough of a fun novelty to be worth checking out.

What’s it about?
An adaptation of the World War One memoir of Vera Brittain (Alicia Vikander), an Oxford student whose life is thrown into disarray upon the enlistment of her fiance Roland Leighton (Kit Harrington) and brother Edward (Taron Egerton).

What did we think?
Dominic Barlow says: The Theory of Everything might have gobbled up Oscar nominations earlier this year, but this is easily the superior historical British romance. It uses a tender love story to portray the personal damage done by a dark time in human history. With a fine cast and finer visuals, it’s a devastating, moving and inspiring piece of work.

What’s it about?
In this latest high school comedy, Mae Whitman plays Bianca, a perfectly happy girl whose sense of self is turned upside down when her neighbour and high school jock Wesley (Robbie Amell) tells her she is the DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) of her group.

What did we think?
Francesca Percy says: Homecoming dance! John Hughes references! Makeover montage! This entertaining story is nothing if not self aware, but it falls short of being teen classic material, due to the not-quite fully-formed characters (Bianca excepted). That’s not to say it doesn’t have enough going for it to make it worth your time. There are enough laughs, and Mae Whitman is fantastic as Bianca – it was great to see the character flourish and strengthen her feelings of confidence and self-worth while still staying true to herself.

What’s it about?
British soldier Gary Hook (Jack O’Connell) is separated from his unit during a Belfast riot.  Unarmed and injured in hostile territory, he’s got to survive the night – but who can he trust?

What did we think?
Amy Currie says:  Director Yann Demange’s depiction of Northern Ireland at the height of the ‘Troubles’ is bleak, ugly and very, very well done.  There’s certainly plenty of action, but it’s thoughtful and unglamorous.  There are no goodies or baddies – just people trying to make sense of a sad and terrible mess.  You won’t exactly have fun watching this, but you’ll be glad you saw it.