1 Hunt For The Wilderpeople (12A)
(Taika Waititi, 2016, NZ) 101 mins.
It might lack the epic grandeur of The Lord Of The Rings, but this modest meander through the New Zealand wilderness still has a little magic of its own. Our runaways are an overweight city kid (Julian Dennison) and his grouchy foster father (Sam Neill), neither of whom have any great affection for civilisation, or, initially, each other. Kiwi wit and a few surprise encounters make for an amiable little adventure.
2 Hell Or High Water (15)
(David Mackenzie, 2016, US) 102 mins.
Having delivered a superior prison movie with Starred Up, Scottish director Mackenzie ticks off “Texas crime thriller” with this tough, punchy tale of two brothers who target the rural bank ruining their family ranch business. The presence of Jeff Bridges is a seal of quality.
3 Kubo And The Two Strings (PG)
(Travis Knight, 2016, US) 102 mins.
More stop-motion magic from animators Laika (Coraline, ParaNorman), questing through a mythological Japanese-styled world with a magical, origami-summoning boy guitarist and his strange companions. Wondrous visuals – a mix of digital and human artistry – blend into a sincere story dealing with loss and memory.
4 Bridget Jones’s Baby (15)
(Sharon Maguire, 2016, Ire/Fra/UK/US) 123 mins.
It’s somehow reassuring to catch up with Renée Zellweger’s archetypal London singleton, and find her still klutzy, lovelorn and unattached, but more comfortable with it. A pregnancy and a choice of two fathers (Colin Firth, Patrick Dempsey) drives along this bumpy sequel, which is redeemed by the supporting characters and some properly funny moments.
5 Don’t Breathe (15)
(Fede Alvarez, 2016, US) 88 mins.
Three naive young burglars pick the wrong target in this clever crowd-pleaser, as their blind victim turns out to be fighting fit and with a few surprises of his own. There’s tension and violence aplenty, but conducted with a good, dark sense of humour.
