PARALLEL MOTHERS/MADRES PARALELAS ★★★★☆
Directed by Pedro Almodóvar. Starring Penélope Cruz, Rossy de Palma, Julieta Serrano, Milena Smit, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Israel Elejalde. 15A cert, limited release, 122 min
There is a certain class of twist, revelation and plot device that can only function successfully in a telenovela or the films of Pedro Almodóvar. Parallel Mothers, in which two women (Cruz and Amit) meet in a maternity ward and give birth at the same time, uses its soapish premise to simultaneously embrace the tragedy of the Spanish civil war, the joys of female friendship, and the complexities of motherhood. It wears its heart on its beautifully styled sleeve. Even the dark excavation at the heart of the enterprise is delivered with warmth, wit and eye-popping colours. Full review TB
AMULET ★★★★☆
Directed by Romola Garai. Starring Carla Juri, Imelda Staunton, Alec Secareanu, Angeliki Papoulia. 15A cert, limited release, 99 min
Impressive horror following a troubled ex-soldier (Secareanu) as he moves into a mysterious house with a young woman and her frail mother. In her feature debut as a writer-director, actress Garai makes merry with creepy practical effects and unsettling details. A pagan icon discovered in the forest foreshadows the awful tableaux to come. Old newspaper scraps, icky decor and bodily oozings add to the wild mythology. Amulet has been billed as a feminist revenge horror. It's a savage one at that, powered along by same metaphorical heft that made The Babadook such a sensation. Full review TB
DOINEANN ★★★☆☆
Directed by Damian McCann. Starring Peter Coonan, Bríd Brennan, Clare Monnelly, Sean T O'Meallaigh. 15A cert, limited release, 94 min
A man (Coonan) searches for his missing wife and baby on a remote Irish island. Ticking along in Scandi-style, this Irish-language mystery forms itself into something like a pilot for a television show you wouldn't watch. Or would you? Brennan is wonderful as a retired copper who takes over the case. Like so many of the best fictional detectives, she has an unthreatening, unhurried manner that causes the guilty to let their guards down. Sadly, Brennan doesn't get the plot she deserves. Too much of the film is taken up with folk talking to one another in uninspiring two-shots. Full review DC
SING 2 ★★☆☆☆
Directed by Garth Jennings. Voices of Matthew McConaughey, Bono, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, Bobby Cannavale, Tori Kelly, Nick Kroll. G cert, gen release, 110 min
For no good reason, the team from the first animated smash relocates to a version of Las Vegas and embarks on an apparently appalling sci-fi musical. Before the premiere they must locate a retired rock lion with the voice of one Bono Vox. The lead characters are reasonably easy on the eye, but too many of the secondary players look like human beings with animal heads crudely jammed on unwelcoming shoulders. There is quite enough inspirational stuff about self-belief and the power of positive thinking. The incontinent stream of glibly arranged hits from all eras is alienating. Full review DC
