THE FIGHTER (15)
MICKY (Mark Wahlberg) is a talented boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts, but he has always languished in the shadow of his half brother Dicky (Christian Bale), who famously knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard then lost everything to the ravages of drugs and crime. Trained by Dicky and managed by his monstrous mother, Alice (Melissa Leo), Micky accepts lacklustre fights for scant rewards until he is persuaded to cut himself loose from his loved ones and punch above his weight for the first time in his life. New girlfriend Charlene (Amy Adams), who works in a local bar, encourages Micky to follow his dreams, incurring the wrath of the rest of the Ward clan, who resent outsiders from interfering in family business. Sure enough, Micky tastes victory and as his confidence grows, he faces the possibility of a shot at the world light welterweight title.
STAR RATING: ****
THE KING'S SPEECH (12A)
WHEN King George V (Michael Gambon) dies in 1936, eldest son Edward (Guy Pearce) ascends to the throne, but his reign is shrouded in scandal as he continues to romance American divorcee, Wallis Simpson (Eve Best). Love triumphs over duty and Edward abdicates, forcing youngest son Albert (Colin Firth) into the spotlight. However, the newly crowned King George VI suffers from a crippling stammer, which renders him unable to deliver public addresses. With war imminent and the country looking to its King for leadership, Queen Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) approaches unconventional Australian-born speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) on the recommendation of a friend, and persuades him to help her husband overcome his fears.
STAR RATING: ****
A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN (12A)
MARLEY Corbett (Kate Hudson) is a vice president at an advertising agency in New Orleans. Full of energy and surrounded by great friends including sassy gal pal Sarah (Lucy Punch) and heavily pregnant Renee (Rosemarie DeWitt), Marley has everything to life for - except that she doesn't. A routine check up at the local hospital reveals shocking news: she has cancer and the disease has spread too far throughout her body for chemotherapy to have any positive effect. Supported by handsome doctor, Julian Goldstein (Gael Garcia Bernal), Marley comes to terms with impending death, sharing the diagnosis with her clucky mother (Kathy Bates) and emotionally distant father (Treat Williams). Thankfully, Julian is a tower of strength and as Marley prepares for her passing, she falls hopelessly in love with her medic.
STAR RATING: ***
TANGLED (PG)
Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) is abducted from a castle by the scheming Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy), who covets the girl's magical hair. The golden locks shimmer with the secret of eternal youth but must never be cut - or else the hair will lose its power. Gothel confines the girl to a tower and convinces the child that she must never leave the high-rise fortress for fear that she will fall victim to the evils of man. Then as Rapunzel celebrates her 18th birthday, swaggering outlaw Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) happens upon the tower in the secluded clearing and climbs into Rapunzel's bedroom. At first, the young woman is wary of the intruder but eventually convinces the fair maiden to disobey Gothel and travel to the castle to witness the annual display of fire lanterns.
STAR RATING: ****
