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The Call

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.

Olympus Has Fallen

What’s it about?
Disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) finds himself trapped inside the White House in the wake of a terrorist attack; using his inside knowledge, Banning works with national security to rescue the President (Aaron Eckhart) from his kidnappers.

What did we think?
Anthony says: This is what Die Hard 5 SHOULD have been. In fact they even steal a few scenes from the original Die Hard pretty unashamedely. Which is apt as really this is basically a big-budget version of an 80s action flick. Silly, flimsy at bits, predictable and with a few plotholes, it would be easy to bag the film but to be quite honest it’s just a lot of unpretentious fun.

The Company You Keep

What’s it about?
A collection of domestic freedom fighters from the seventies have their thirty year hiding spots blown open by an upstart journalist in this well paced chase movie where no one breaks the speed limit.
What did we think?
Dan says: Each member of Robert Redford’s over-the-hill cast feels like a beloved and well worn piece of clothing that Hollywood has decreed is out of style. Combined, the outfit is not only as comfortable as you remember, it has also become retro-cool. LaBeouf stands out like a pure white iPod that nonetheless slips perfectly inside the jacket pocket completing the ensemble.

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

Iron Man 3

What’s it about?
Picking up in the aftermath of The Avengers, Tony Stark is dealing with his brush with death by ignoring the world until a terrorist called The Mandarin brings the battle to Stark’s doorstep.

What did we think?
Anthony says: If you’ve seen the trailers you’ve seen most of the twists and a good deal of the action already. But you’ve not quite seen it all and there’s enough to keep even the rabid fans happy. There are lots of explosions, snarky dialogue and a stunt scene that has to be seen to be believed. The plot is a tad clunky at times but it’s clever, humorous and – most importantly of all – big. Spectacular in parts, even.

It’s not a great movie but it is great fun.

3.75/5.

Song for Marion

What’s it about?
Arthur, a stereotypically cantankerous old man with a complete aversion to fun learns to cope with the death of his wife, Marion, while mending the strained relationship with his son and carrying on Marion’s legacy at the local choir club. Think Glee but with old people.

What did we think?
Matthew says: From beginning to end, Song for Marion is as clichéd and predictable as it comes.  If it weren’t for Stamp, Redgrave (and even Arterton), this movie would have fallen completely into the dark abyss of mediocrity. It’s a shame they did not have a huge amount of material to work with and much of the plot seemed to be dragged out and made to appear larger than what it was.  It lacked the impact it should have had but the sincere performances and one particular solo still managed to move me to manly tears (a fact that I will strongly deny).

Jurassic Park 3D

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.

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