IS ANYBODY THERE? (12A)
TWO beautifully judged performances from British actors more than 50 years apart distinguish John Crowley’s surprisingly tender coming of age story, set in the fashion black spot of 1987.
A sleepy British seaside town, starved of colour, provides a suitably drab home for bookish tyke Edward (Bill Milner), who lives in the Lark Hall retirement home run by his parents.
The boy's solitude is interrupted with the arrival of grieving widower Clarence (Michael Caine), a retired magician who doesn’t suffer children gladly.
STAR RATING: ***
X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE (12A, 107 mins)
HUGH Jackman sharpens his retractable, adamantium claws in this spin-off from the X-Men films, expanding the back story of one of the franchise’s most popular and enigmatic characters.
Inevitably, the film doesn’t settle for just having one superhero so we also get to see Sabretooth, The Blob and Deadpool.
STAR RATING: ***
GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST (12A)
INSPIRED loosely by Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Mark Waters’ romantic comedy concerns an incorrigible womaniser who considers changing his ways thanks to the intervention of three spiritual guides.
Celebrity photographer Connor Mead (Matthew McConaughey) adores his job, but loves women even more – not that he treats them with any respect, dumping girlfriends by conference call, sometimes two at a time.
One night, the ghost of Connor’s idol, Uncle Wayne (Michael Douglas), visits the lothario to instruct him that the spirits of three jilted girlfriends will make contact to offer a glimpse at his past, present and future.
STAR RATING: **
