THE BELLY OF THE WHALE ★★☆☆☆
Directed by Morgan Bushe. Starring Lewis MacDougall, Pat Shortt, Michael Smiley, Lauren Kinsella, Art Parkinson, Peter Coonan. 15A cert, lim release, 86 min
Shortt, playing a miserable alcoholic reduced to flogging Chinese Teddy Bears, and MacDougall, a young Scot returning home to take over the family's caravan park, bounce erratically about an Irish town in a feature that never quite locates its own identity. At times it plays like an indie comedy. At others it comes across like an existential Russian drama. Thank heavens for Smiley's reliably sound turn as a corrupt politician with ruthless intentions. DC
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY ★★★★☆
Directed by Bryan Singer. Starring Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, Allen Leech, Mike Myers. 12A cert, gen release, 134 min
Squabbling is a defining characteristic of Bohemian Rhapsody, which blazes through Freddie Mercury's life in a series of agreeably cheesy vignettes: Freddie's Parsi origins and disapproving dad, his lifelong love for Mary Austin (Boynton), the tours, the parties, the loneliness between, the hangers-on, and various eruptions of creative differences with the band. The final scene, a flawless, moving replication of Queen's entire 20-minute set from Live Aid, is absurdly impressive, with Malek interpreting Mercury as a geomagnetic storm. A kind of magic. TB
THE CAMINO VOYAGE ★★★★☆
Directed by Dónal Ó Céilleachair. Starring Danny Sheehy, Liam Holden, Brendan Begley, Breandán Moriarty, Glen Hansard. PG cert, IFI/Light House, Dublin, 97 min
It takes some class of determination to row all the way from Ireland to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. It takes more to do so in a traditional naomhóg. Yet four brave men -- poet Sheehy, artist Holden, musician Begley and stonemason Moriarty – set out to do just that in three gruelling yearly stages, beginning in 2014. Musician Glen Hansard joined them later. Ó Céilleachair's film records the journey with care and grace. You'll feel uplifted and a little exhausted by the close. DC
CREED II ★★★★☆
Directed by Steven Caple Jr. Starring Michael B Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Dolph Lundgren, Florian Munteanu, Phylicia Rashad, Brigitte Nielsen. 12A cert, gen release, 130 min
The follow-up to Ryan Coogler's excellent Creed also stands as a belated sequel to Rocky IV. Ivan Drago (Lundgren) is back and his son is challenging for the title. Will Donnie Creed (Jordan) fight the man who killed his dad? Will Rocky (Stallone, OBVIOUSLY) be in his corner? That would be telling. We can reveal that Creed II is almost as sleek as its predecessor and certainly as well acted. If you don't leave punching the air you may wish to throw in the towel. DC
DISOBEDIENCE ★★★★☆
Directed by Sebastián Lelio. Starring Rachel Weisz. Rachel McAdams, Alessandro Nivola. 15A cert, IFI/Light House, Dublin, 114 min
The director of A Fantastic Woman tackles Naomi Alderman's novel concerning a passionate lesbian relationship within London's orthodox Jewish community. From the handsomely framed sensuality of its sex scenes to the perfectly formed swells of Matthew Herbert, this carefully crafted chamber piece may prove too tasteful for more rambunctious sensibilities. Veteran cinematographer Danny Cohen makes great, naturalistic use of London's bright grey skies and escalators. And even under mousy wigs and minimal makeup, Weisz and McAdams shine like the movie stars they are. TB
FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD ★★☆☆☆
Directed by David Yates. Starring Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Zoe Kravitz, Alison Sudol, Johnny Depp, Ezra Miller, Callum Turner, Jude Law, Claudia Kim. 12A cert, gen release, 134 min
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was a bit of a marvel. Yates' picture fleshed out the Harry Potter universe without disappearing up its own Quidditch. What has gone wrong? Redmayne is back as the magical zoologist Newt Scamander in a confusing, overpopulated film that plays like the work of a particularly anal Potter Reddit. The march of non-personalities serves to bury many of the characters we liked so much from the first film. Oh, well. The costumes, at least, are lovely. DC
THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB ★★★☆☆
Directed by Fede Álvarez. Starring Claire Foy, Sverrir Gudnason, Lakeith Stanfield, Sylvia Hoeks, Stephen Merchant, Vicky Krieps, Claes Bang. 15A cert, gen release, 115 min
Lisbeth Salandar is back in an adaption – keep up here – of the sequel to Steig Larsson's Millennium trilogy penned, after that author's death, by David Lagercrantz. The film redraws Lisbeth (Foy) as James Bond or possibly the Equaliser, as she gets drawn into a convoluted plot to capture all the nuclear launch codes in the world. Even the titles feature naked dancing lady silhouettes. Alvarez is a fine action director, and his exciting set-pieces provide decent compensation for Lisbeth's now omnipotent skills. But the plot is a shaggy, loose-ended mess. TB
THE GRINCH ★★★☆☆
Directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney. Voices of Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson, Cameron Seely, Angela Lansbury, Pharrell Williams. G cert, gen release, 86 min
The latest adaptation of the 1957 Dr Seuss book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is jeopardised by a distinct lack of bah humbugging. The Grinch, as voiced by Cumberbatch, dotes on his loyal dog, Max. and spoils Fred, the fat reindeer he enlists into his Christmas-stealing scheme. We're told the Grinch's heart is two sizes too small, but there's nothing in his interactions with the Whos of Whoville to support this abnormal cardiovascular theory. As all-ages Christmas porn goes, it's a huge improvement on The Nutcracker and the Four Realms and the unlovely Jim Carrey Grinch. TB
NATIVITY ROCKS! THIS AIN'T NO SILENT NIGHT ★★☆☆☆
Directed by Debbie Isitt. Simon Lipkin, Daniel Boys, Craig Revel Horwood, Bradley Walsh, Meera Syal, Helen George, Ruth Jones, Celia Imrie, Hugh Dennis and Anna Chancellor. G cert, gen release, 100 min
Coventry, as the fictional mayor of that place reminds us in Nativity Rocks!, has survived bombing and rationing and poverty. But can it withstand a fourth film in the Nativity sequence? Kind of. The plot concerns the staging of a rock opera to help the city win most Christmassy spot in the land. Characters come and go randomly.There's a lot of chatter about family and Christmas and the magnificent city of Coventry – did we mention Coventry already? It's still marginally more tolerable than the last one. TB
THE OLD MAN & THE GUN ★★★★☆
Directed by David Lowery. Starring Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Sissy Spacek, Danny Glover, Tika Sumpter, Isiah Whitlock Jr, John David Washington, Tom Waits. 12A cert, gen release, 92 min
Redford (allegedly in his last role) and Spacek are delightful as an ageing bank robber and the woman who offers him a belated shot at domesticity. Lowery's film has the grace to treat its elder characters with respect. It does that by treating them like human beings: nuanced characters with the same needs as people their grandchildren's age. Scored to great tunes by Scott Walker and The Kinks, it could hardly offer a more satisfactory swansong to an admired star. DC
RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET ★★★☆☆
Directed by Phil Johnston, Rich Moore. Voices of John C Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, Taraji P Henson, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Alfred Molina, Ed O'Neill, Sean Giambrone. PG cert, gen release, 112 min
Ralph (Reilly), former brute from the platform game Fix-It Felix Jr, and Vanellope von Schweetz (Silverman), speed star from racing game Sugar Rush, are living in equilibrium when a vital part for Sugar Rush gets broken. The two use their arcade's newly upgraded internet connection to access the world that lies beyond the wires. The sequel to Wreck-It Ralph is a bit ramshackle in its plotting, but there are many good jokes about current online discontents. DC
ROBIN HOOD ★☆☆☆☆
Directed by Otto Bathurst. Starring Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx, Ben Mendelsohn, Eve Hewson, Tim Minchin, Jamie Dornan, F Murray Abraham, Paul Anderson. 12A cert, gen release, 115 min
The latest take on the ancient myth is horrendous mess of bad ideas seasoned with uncertain acting and horrendous design. Egerton is an estuary Hood. Foxx is a former adversary turned pal. Hewson is an inexplicably Northern Irish Marian. Like Guy Ritchie's recent, slightly less terrible variation on King Arthur, the film owes more to Assassin's Creed than it does to any ancient chronicles. But it doesn't have even that film's good natured geezer chic. Utterly pointless. DC
ROMA *****
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón. Starring Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Marco Graf, Fernando Gregiaga. 15A cert, lim release/Netflix, 134 min
Gorgeous, complex monochrome drama concerning a middle-class family in 1970s Mexico City and the indigenous servant who holds their world together. If anything, the film slightly overdoes its virtuoso gestures: hugely long shots down impossibly busy thoroughfares. No fair-minded viewer would, however, argue that the technical elan overshadows emotion. Alongside fascinating social observations and surprising outbreaks of humour, Roma feature one or two of the most heart-wrenching scenes in recent cinema. Will work nicely on Netflix, but, if you're near one of the few cinemas showing Roma, it is worth making the trip. DC
ROSIE ★★★★☆
Directed by Paddy Breathnach. Starring Sarah Greene, Moe Dunford, Ellie O'Halloran, Ruby Dunne, Darragh McKenzie, Molly McCann. 12A cert, Light House, Dublin (Fri/Sun/Wed only), 82 min
Working from a script by Roddy Doyle, Breathnach gives us a troubling, moving study of how homelessness now functions. Greene and Dunford are super as a couple flung into a hotel when their landlord sells up. Rosie is claustrophobic throughout, but Doyle's durable humanism does provide some light in the darkness. The mechanism of society has become clogged, but the film wastes no time blaming those who merely maintain the cogs and levers. DC
SHOPLIFTERS *****
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. Starring Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Jyo Kairi, Miyu Sasaki, Kiki Kirin, Mayu Matsuoka, Kengo Kora, Chizuru Ikewake. 15A cert, IFI/Light House, Dublin, 120 min
Kore-eda was a deserved winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes with this Dickensian tale of a family of thieves who – out of common decency – adopt an abused young girl. The Japanese film-maker has been constructing quiet, nuanced masterpieces for 20 years and Shoplifters shows all his talents to advantage. The film creeps up on you. It yields its pleasures stealthily. It has, however, more to say about questions of public and private morality than whole libraries. DC
SMALLFOOT ★★★☆☆
Directed by Karey Kirkpatrick. Voices of Channing Tatum, James Corden, Zendaya, Common, LeBron James, Danny DeVito. Gina Rodriguez, Yara Shahidi, Ely Henry, Jimmy Tatro. G cert, gen release, 96 min
Smallfoot, an inversion of the Big Foot myth in which Abominable Snow Persons are terrified to learn that humans are real, is bogged down with elaborate mythology introduced in song. But once the film gets into its stride, it's a likable and zany family fable. The voice cast is charming and the creature design appealing, even if the human characters, as is often the case in CG animation, don't really cut it. The theme – your leaders are lying to you – is a welcome swerve for a kid's film, as is a rap number performed by Common that rhymes: "Over time/ We Surmised/ We were facing genocide." Deep. TB
SORRY TO BOTHER YOU *****
Directed by Boots Riley. Starring Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, Omari Hardwick, Terry Crews, Patton Oswalt, David Cross. Danny Glover, Steven Yeun, Armie Hammer. 16 cert, gen release, 112 min
Stanfield is "Cash" Green, a flunking millennial reduced to living in his uncle's garage and working a low-paid telemarketing position. Cash struggles at work until a veteran (Glover) advises him to use his white voice. As a "power caller", Cash leaves behind the troubles of his friends and coworkers as they struggle to unionise against a rigged system. It's only when he is invited to a party with a bonkers chief executive (Hammer) that he realises just how rigged. Busy, boundless and brilliant, this is the madcap Marxist adventure comedy you need to see right now. TB
A STAR IS BORN *****
Directed by Bradley Cooper. Starring Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott, Andrew Dice Clay, Rafi Gavron, Dave Chappelle, Rebecca Field, Michael Harney, Shangela Laquifa Wadley. 15A cert, gen release, 135 min
A triumphant return to an indestructible Hollywood warhorse. Gaga exceeds all expectations as the talented working-class ingenue propelled to fame by Cooper's soused rocker. Leaning into the male lead like a bird investigating promising movements among the undergrowth, she is exotic when she's ordinary and rooted when she's fantastic. Cooper is equally strong – browned to the colour of yesterday's tea – as a decent man laid low by addiction. The music is great. The nimble camera-work is a pleasure. What's not to like? DC
SURVIVING CHRISTMAS WITH THE RELATIVES ★★☆☆☆
Directed by James Dearden Starring Julian Ovenden, Gemma Whelan, Joely Richardson. 15A cert, gen release, 101 min
Despite the insistence of the soundtrack (Chris Rea's Driving Home for Christmas, etc) and the presence of a turkey called Gobbles, there's nothing remotely seasonal about this muddled farce. "It's a family tradition," explains Miranda (Gemma Whelan) as her fixer-upper home in the country is descended upon by hordes of relatives and randomers. There is all kinds of garbage out there. But there's no garbage like this people-off-the-telly Brit pic. TB
THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS ★★★★☆
Directed by Tim Wardle. Featuring Edward Galland, David Kellman, Robert Shafran. 12A cert, IFI/Light House, Dublin, 97 min
"When I tell people my story, they don't believe it," says Robert Shafran at the start of this astonishing documentary. It transpires that, adopted as a baby, he was one of triplets whose later meeting the film relates with great lucidity. Working with Irish editor Michael Harte, director Wardle crafts an impeccable sequence of reveals, that take in a refugee from the Holocaust, unethical scientific design, and files that can't be opened until 2055. A surefire Oscar contender. TB
WHITE BOY RICK ★★★☆☆
Directed by Yann Demange. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Richie Merritt, Bel Powley, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry, Rory Cochrane, RJ Cyler, Jonathan Majors, Eddie Marsan, Bruce Dern, Piper Laurie. 15A cert, gen release, 111 min
The extraordinary true life of Rick Wershe, a teenage FBI informant turned teenage drug dealer, makes for a curiously downplayed film. Despite its gangland setting, and despite having the talented Demange at the helm (who wrest genre thrills from the Northern Irish conflict in '71), there's not nearly enough sense of jeopardy in White Boy Rick. Still, a terrific cast occasionally shine through the low-key script. TB
WIDOWS ★★★★☆
Directed by Steve McQueen. Starring Viola Davis, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Jacki Weaver, Robert Duvall, Liam Neeson. 16 cert, gen release, 130 min
The director of Hunger takes another sharp turn as he attempts an adaptation of Lynda La Plante's 1983 TV series concerning a gang of hoodlums' wives who plan a heist. It's all terribly unlikely (let's have the babysitter drive the getaway car!) and a little over-stuffed with subplots (Duvall and Farrell as Irish-American crooks). But on a scene-by-scene basis it's quite magnificent. All the performances are excellent, but Debicki stands out from the distinguished crowd. CF3 DC
WILDLIFE ★★★★☆
Directed by Paul Dano. Starring Carey Mulligan, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ed Oxenbould, Bill Camp. 12A cert, QFT, Belfast; Triskel, Cork; IFI/Light House, Dublin, 105 min
In his directorial debut, actor Dano takes on a Richard Ford novel about a couple (Mulligan and Gyllenhaal) falling apart in early 1960s Montana. Mulligan is at her best when sulking like a cat confronted with a rainy garden and, as the film progresses, she gets more opportunities to wrinkle her snout and droop her whiskers. But the standout performance may be that of young Ed Oxenbould as the couple's son. A whole generation's coming disenchantment is captured in his drooping features. DC
THE WILD PEAR TREE ★★★★☆
Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Starring Aydin Dogu Demirkol, Murat Cemcir, Serkan Keskin, Tamer Levent, Akin Aksu, Öner Erkan. Club, IFI, Dublin, 188 min
Sinan (Demirkol), a recent graduate, returns to his maritime home with plans to self-publish a philosophical tome inspired by those surroundings. He argues with dad. He buttonholes a famous writer. Turkish director Ceylan's latest conversational epic is gorgeously filmed and features more elegantly constructed philosophical musings. The daunting length and narrative inertia are, perhaps, in danger of becoming directorial fetishes, but there is something miraculous about Ceylan's ability to draw us into inaction. DC
