1 My Cousin Rachel (12A)
(Roger Michell, 2017, UK/US) 106 mins
Daphne du Maurier’s books continue to work well on screen (Rebecca, The Birds, Don’t Look Now), and it’s hard to think of a better proto-femme fatale for this Cornish mystery than Rachel Weisz. She arrives, shrouded in black, at the estate of her cousin with a reputation as a murderess and a seductress but, of course, the truth is more complex.
2 My Life As a Courgette (PG)
(Claude Barras, 2016, Swi/Fra) 66 mins
Life in a small orphanage is handled with unsentimental toughness and moving tenderness in this singular stop-motion animation. Following a new arrival’s struggle to fit in among the misfits after the death of his alcoholic mother, it’s an empathetic, emotionally intelligent story.
3 Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer (15)
(Joseph Cedar, 2016, Isr/US) 118 mins
Another fine role to add to Richard Gere’s late-career revival: he plays an old-school New York chancer, deceptively cheerful and cheerfully deceptive, who latches on to a rising Israeli minister as his ticket to success. We’re never quite sure if he’s trapped in the web of political/religious/financial intrigue or expertly negotiating it, but he’s a delight to watch.
4 Wonder Woman (12A)
(Patty Jenkins, 2017, US/Chi/HK) 141 mins
You’ll have to forgive some nonsense plotting and lapses of judgment, but there’s plenty to enjoy in this refreshing blockbuster. Gal Gadot is the Amazonian led into the first world war and “the world of men” by pilot Chris Pine. Brighter and funnier than previous DC outings, it’s a different kind of spectacular.
5 The Mummy (15)
(Alex Kurtzman, 2017, US) 110 mins
Universal is betting the farm on its new monster-movie franchise, and no expense is spared on this opening entry. Tom Cruise ably negotiates the high-adrenaline set pieces, having disturbed a havoc-wreaking ancient Egyptian princess. It’s hardly new territory but, as Dr Frankenstein would say, it’s alive.
