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?
John McClane (Bruce Willis) travels to Russia to help out his seemingly wayward son, Jack, only to discover that Jack is a CIA operative working to prevent a nuclear-weapons heist, causing the father and son to team up against underworld forces.

What did we think?
Anthony says: The opening seconds lift our spirits and hopes with a haunting bass version of Ode To Joy but then the black screen gives way to vision and it’s mostly downhill from there (impressive car chase aside).

Jack McClane is the Jar Jar of the Die Hard universe. He’s irritating, unnecessary and a walking cliche. Completely ignoring the complexities of the previous Die Hard movies, this time around the producers decided to keep the action and explosions but mix them with poor dialogue, bad editing and a simply ridiculous story.

I’m gutted.

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.

What’s it about?
Elspeth Dickens (Laura Michelle Kelly), a former small-time singer, has put her dreams on hold to raise twin toddlers while her often-absent but idealistic husband (Ronan Keating) works weeks away at a time. She sets up a webcam to keep in touch with him but ends up becoming an inadvertent internet sensation. Suddenly marketing gurus and a shot at the big time beckon luring her away from her family.

What did we think?
Anthony says: Eccentric and whimsical, this film will intensely appeal to its key demographic. The question is will it rate with people who aren’t stay-at-home mothers? While there is still some appeal for females in general, the recurring themes and morals are predominantly about juggling love of kids and hubby with dreams. Which is a bit of a shame because this over-the-top semi-musical is actually fun but just has too many parenting in-jokes.

What’s it about?
A tornado hurls a small-time huckster magician, Oscar (James Franco), into a Wonderland-esque land overseen by three witchy sisters (Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz). And where there be witches, there be wickedness. Which witch is which? (Spoiler: green face, hooked schnoz, much cackling.) Oscar, mistaken for a powerful wizard and rightful ruler, befriends a few locals and tries to keep the joint safe. Just in case a scarecrow, tin man, lion and Judy Garland turn up, in a far superior film, made 70 years beforehand.

What did we think?
Ben says: Well, we’re off to see the wizardry, the wonderful visual-effects wizardry of Oz. And we get it – in a Skittles explosion of rainbow-hued CG. We also get a gorgeous, crippled china doll who steals the film and cured this reviewer of his lifelong detestation for porcelain dolls. But Oz’s other fantastical curiosities pale next to the 1939 original: winged monkeys are replaced with winged baboons; Munchkins are now the ethnically inclusive Midget Union of North America; and instead of an engaging, rogueish wizard, we get James Franco, as James Franco. In top hat.

What’s it about?
A humble orphan suddenly becomes a gentleman with the help of an unknown benefactor.

What did we think?
Cindy says: I headed into the cinema with great expectations, and thankfully I was rewarded – this is a good one.  Director Mike Newell takes us back to a sumptuous Dickensian time ripe with dirt and excess.  The film unfolds beautifully with each chapter of the story furnished with charming costuming and detailed art direction.  Special mention goes to Miss Havisham’s delightfully decaying wedding banquet.

I was taken in by everything and everyone.  Everyone except the delightfully pretty Jeremy Irvine.  In the pivotal lead role of Pip he is out-acted by everything and everyone in the film.  Expectations almost met. Almost.