THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: Secret Of The Unicorn (Cert PG, 102 mins)
Paramount Home Entertainment, Animation/Action/Adventure/Comedy, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray & DVD Combi-pack £27.99/3D Blu-ray & DVD Combi-pack £29.99
GUNG-HO reporter Tintin (Jamie Bell) buys a model ship and is plunged into a centuries-old mystery involving Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine (Daniel Craig).
Ivan asks Tintin to name his price for the boat but the reporter refuses to sell, sensing the wooden vessel is far more valuable than it first appears. Sure enough, a cryptic conundrum lies within, revealing that “only a true Haddock will discover the secret of The Unicorn”. Blistering barnacles! Assisted by trusty pooch Snowy, Tintin searches for more clues, meeting booze-sodden Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis), whose family history holds the key to the mystery of a cursed shipwreck. Steven Spielberg’s film is a breathlessly entertaining spectacle, littered with eye-popping action set pieces that would simply be unthinkable – not to mention astronomically expensive – as live action.
Rating: ****
MONEYBALL (Cert 12, 127 mins)
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Drama, also available to buy DVD £17.99/DVD Box Set £19.99/Blu-ray £22.99/Blu-ray Box Set £24.99
BILLY BEANE (Brad Pitt), general manager of Oakland Athletics baseball team, goes cap in hand to the team’s owner for more funds after bigger teams pilfered three of his star players. The request is denied – “Don’t spend money I don’t have!” – so Billy turns to Yale-educated economist Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), who believes crucial decisions should be based on statistics and data. Together, Billy and Peter compile a list of the most undervalued players in the league and bring together this band of misfits as the new squad. Gruff team manager Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman) scoffs at the plan, as do members of the old guard. The season begins with a series of crushing defeats, heaping pressure on Billy and Peter, until the tide turns and miraculously, the A’s embark on the longest winning streak in the sport’s history.
Rating: ****
TOWER HEIST (Cert 12, 100 mins)
Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd, Comedy/Action/Romance, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray & DVD Combi-pack £26.99
JOSH KOVACS (Ben Stiller) is the proud manager of The Tower, one of the most luxurious and tightly secured residences in New York City. He entrusts his staff’s pensions to Wall Street titan Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda), who is placed under house arrest after he is caught stealing two billion dollars from investors. Convinced Arthur must have a multimillion-dollar safety net concealed in his penthouse, Josh approaches petty thief Slide (Eddie Murphy) to plot the perfect heist.
Rating: ***
