ANGUS, THONGS & PERFECT SNOGGING (12A) (All major cinemas)
LOUISE Rennison’s successful series of teen novels are brought to the screen by Gurinder Chadha who was responsible for both Bend It Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice. A 14-year-old girl (Georgia Groome) keeps a Bridget Jones-style diary about her desperate attempts to get herself a boyfriend.
STAR RATING: **
CARAMEL (PG) (All major cinemas)
FIVE women working in a Beirut beauty salon each have a story to tell from affairs with married men in this acclaimed comedy.
STAR RATING: ***
THE DARK KNIGHT (12A) (All major cinemas)
AN ASTONISHING combination of thought-provoking ideas, compelling character interplay and breathtaking action sequences, Christopher Nolan’s Batman sequel sets a new standard for the comic book genre which is unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon.
STAR RATING: ****
THE FOX AND THE CHILD (U) (All major cinemas)
AFTER scoring a big hit with March of the Penguins, director Luq Jacquet tries something a little more conventional with a film aimed squarely at the infant and primary school market. A young red-headed girl forms a deep bond with a fox that develops against the backdrop of some stunning scenery in a French language picture whose appeal will be broadened over here with the addition of a narration provided by the ever sublime Kate Winslet.
STAR RATING: **
HANCOCK (12A) (Vue, Cheshire Oaks)
ENTERTAINING comedy with the ever charismatic Will Smith as a reluctant superhero nobody likes, who gets a PR makeover after saving the life of Jason Bateman.
STAR RATING: **
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (12A) (Vue, Cheshire Oaks)
This comic book–inspired blockbuster is imaginative, endearing and at times charming. Although not a work of art and at times repetitive, it is never boring and capable of delighting even the most jaded comic-book-summer-blockbuster film fan.
JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH (PG) (Vue, Cheshire Oaks)
THERE is very little of Jules Verne in this latest version of his classic adventure, which has Brendan Fraser leading a bunch of kids through what is a glorified cinematic series of theme park rides that borrows more heavily from everything from Jurassic Park to Narnia and Indiana Jones.
STAR RATING: **
KUNG FU PANDA (PG) (All major cinemas)
A GREAT title is further assisted by the presence of Jack Black providing the voice for the unlikely titular hero in an animated adventure that is purely for kids but manages to remain witty enough to keep older audiences happy.
STAR RATING: ***
THE LOVE GURU (12A) (Vue, Cheshire Oaks)
MIKE Myers’ obsession with pre-pubescent jokes are wearing more than a little thin now he has hit his mid-40s, as can be seen from this tedious, infantile attempt to pack as many euphemisms, sight gags and childish references to his private parts as a 12A certificate will allow.
STAR RATING: *
MAMMA MIA! (PG) (All major cinemas)
A BUNCH of non-singing actors come together to belt out some of the greatest pop songs every written and somehow it works! Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan take on the best of Abba in a Greek island setting for this guaranteed hit, based on the successful stage musical.
STAR RATING: ***
MAKE IT HAPPEN (PG) (All major cinemas)
MARY Elizabeth Winstead gave a feisty performance as Bruce Willis’ daughter in Die Hard 4.0 which has earned her the chance to headline her own picture, even if it is essentially a teen chick flick about a young woman who dreams of a place at the Chicago School of Music and Dance but ends working in a burlesque club.
STAR RATING: **
MEET DAVE (PG) (Vue, Cheshire Oaks, matinees)
THE once brilliant Eddie Murphy continues to resort to toilet humour for laughs in this unwise reunion with Norbit director, Brian Robbins, in which he plays an alien spaceship in human form!
STAR RATING: **
MRS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY:PG) (All major cinemas)
SET in 1939 London, Frances McDormand plays the title role of a sacked governess who stumbles into the employ of Amy Adams’ rising singing star. The pair form a bond that goes beyond class.
