Odeon Tunbridge Wells

• 2017
• US
• 129 min
• 15

• Directed by: Benny Boom
• Cast: Demetrius Shipp Jr, Danai Gurira, Kat Graham

Biopic of Tupac Shakur (Shipp Jr), which entirely fails to illuminate the life story of the hip-hop legend. Every time it threatens to get thought-provoking, it jumps to the next scene; the concert scenes are mostly tepid, the dialogue is platitudinous and the whole thing lacks flair, energy and rhythm.

• read review
• more info & trailer

• 2017
• UK
• 103 min
• 12A

• Directed by: Christopher Menaul
• Cast: Jenny Seagrove, Julian Kostov, Ronan Keating, John Hannah, Amanda Abbington

Louisa Gold (Seagrove) is a widowed Jersey shopkeeper with two sons fighting in WW2 when the Channel Islands are occupied by the Germans; she takes in an escaped Russian POW (Kostov). The look and atmosphere of 40s Jersey is well caught, but the story is predictable and it feels like a tame TV drama.

• read review
• more info & trailer

• 2017
• UK/US
• 113 min
• 15

• Directed by: Edgar Wright
• Written by: Edgar Wright
• Cast: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jon Bernthal, Eiza González, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx

Baby (Elgort) is an Atlanta getaway driver, forced by his boss Doc (Spacey) into doing one last heist. Exuberant crime caper full of stonking music; the story is hardly original, but Wright’s snappy dialogue and zesty direction reinvigorates the genre clichés, and the stars revel in it. Great fun.

• 87%
• 81%

• read review
• more info & trailer

• 2017
• Italy

• Directed by: Enrico Castiglione

Experience one of Puccini’s most famous operas performed live from the Teatro Antico di Taormina, under the shadow of Mt. Etna.

• more info

• 2017
• US
• 105 min
• 12A

• Directed by: Colin Trevorrow
• Cast: Jaeden Lieberher, Naomi Watts, Jacob Tremblay, Dean Norris

Susan (Watts) is an unconventional mother whose genius son Henry (Lieberher) comes up with a plan to save his schoolfriend Christina (Ziegler) from her abusive father (Norris). A manipulative mid-point twist turns the schmaltz up to eleven in a deranged tearjerker which is both unbearably twee and strangely fascinating.

• read review
• more info & trailer

• 2017
• USA
• 97 min
• U

• Directed by: Tom McGrath
• Written by: Marla Frazee/Michael McCullers
• Cast: Miles Christopher Bakshi, Alec Baldwin, Tobey Maguire, Steve Buscemi

The Boss Baby (Baldwin) is a tot with the mannerisms of a ruthless corporate tycoon, who upsets seven year old Tim (Bakshi). The frantic visual style and crude slapstick overwrite the charm of the original story by Marla Frazee, and there’s not much for audiences to take to their hearts.

• 65%
• 50%

• read review
• more info & trailer

• 2017
• 105 min
• PG

• Directed by: Jonathan Teplitzky
• Written by: Alex von Tunzelmann
• Cast: Brian Cox, Miranda Richardson, John Slattery

The story of how Churchill (Cox) was vehemently opposed to the Normandy landings of 1944. Intelligent, sometimes moving drama with an exceptional cast (especially Purefoy as a touching George VI) but not notably cinematic, stringing together a series of confrontations with shots of Churchill being driven from one place to another.

• read review
• more info & trailer

• 2017
• US
• 90 min
• U

• Directed by: Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda
• Cast: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Nev Scharrel, Steve Coogan, Julie Andrews, Jenny Slate, Pierre Coffin

Gru (Carell) and new wife and fellow agent Lucy (Wiig) are ensconced with their adorable adopted daughters when supervillain Balthazar Bratt (Parker) decides to take revenge on Hollywood for neglecting him. It’s all a bit familiar but it skilfully balances kid and adult appeal with its madcap approach and embarrassment of mischievous energy.

• read review
• more info & trailer

• 2017
• US
• 91 min
• U

• Directed by: David Bowers
• Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Tom Everett Scott, Alexa Blair Robertson, Jason Drucker, Charlie Wright

Greg (Drucker) and Rodrick (Wright) go on a two-day road trip with their family in order to attend a birthday party. The fourth film in the sequence completely recasts the main characters (the previous ones having become too old) and despite likeable performances it’s only moderately amusing.

• 36%
• 41%

• read review
• more info & trailer

• 2017
• USA
• 101 min
• 12A

• Directed by: Marc Webb
• Cast: Chris Evans, Mckenna Grace, Lindsay Duncan

Frank (Evans) has been looking after his mathematically gifted niece Mary (Grace) ever since his sister committed suicide, but then his mother stakes a claim on the girl. Movie-of-the-week stuff about one man’s journey for personal redemption, emotionally overwrought and schmaltzy.

• 78%
• 60%

• read review
• more info & trailer

• 2017
• UK
• 102 min
• 12A

• Directed by: Joel Hopkins
• Written by: Robert Festinger
• Cast: Diane Keaton, James Norton, Brendan Gleeson

Emily (Keaton) is an American widow living in Hampstead who falls for the grumpy Donald (Gleeson), who lives in a shack on Hampstead Heath. Twee later-life rom-com with Ketaon in pure ditz mode; her and Gleeson’s chemistry is appealing, but there are no surprises.

• read review
• more info & trailer

• 2017
• US
• 88 min

• Directed by: Andrew Jay Cohen
• Cast: Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler

After spending their daughter's college fund Scott (Farrell) and Kate (Poehler) start an illegal casino in their basement.

• more info

• 2017
• US
• 110 min
• 15

• Directed by: Alex Kurtzman
• Cast: Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson, Courtney B. Vance, Marwan Kenzari, Russell Crowe

US soldier Nick Morton (Cruise) is collecting artefacts in the Middle East when he accidentally releases the murderous, mummified Ahmanet (Boutella). Boutella’s the best thing in this first of Universal’s monster movie revamp series, Dark Universe. Based on this turgid and not at all scary effort, more like Dull Universe.

• read review
• more info & trailer

• 2017
• UK/US
• 106 min
• 12A

• Directed by: Roger Michell
• Cast: Sam Claflin, Rachel Weisz, Holliday Grainger

A young Englishman plots revenge against his mysterious, beautiful cousin, believing that she murdered his guardian. But his feelings become complicated as he finds himself falling under the beguiling spell of her charms. Weisz is a fine choice for the eponymous enigma, while Claflin is superb as her heedless admirer Philip but the film feels desperately abbreviated.

• read review
• more info & trailer

• 2017
• US
• 129 min
• 12A

• Directed by: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg
• Cast: Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom

Captain Jack (Depp) and friends are on a mission to obtain the trident of Poseidon before ghoulish Captain Salazar (Bardem) can get his hands on it. A partial return to form for the franchise, with Bardem vigorous as Jack’s nemesis and a winning performance from Scodelario as an astronomer. It’s all too crowded but it manages to stay afloat.

• read review
• more info & trailer

• 2017

World-famous tenor Jonas Kaufmann makes his role debut as Otello in Verdi's passionate retelling of Shakespeare's great tragedy of jealousy, deception and murder.

• more info & trailer

• 2017
• USA
• 89 min
• U

• Directed by: Kelly Asbury
• Written by: Stacey Harman/Pamela Ribon
• Cast: Demi Lovato, Ariel Winter, Julia Roberts, Joe Manganiello

Smurfette (Lovato) and her friends go on a quest to help her find her place in the village, and the result is a series of chases, a few under-cooked girl-power nods and a lot of sappiness. Undemanding kids might have a good time; adults will have to grin and smurf it.

• 58%
• 40%

• read review
• more info & trailer

• 2017
• US
• 133 min
• 12A

• Directed by: Jon Watts
• Cast: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Tyne Daly, Bokeem Woodbine, Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr.

The first collaboration between Sony and Marvel brings Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

• more info & trailer

• 2017
• UK
• 104 min
• 12A

• Directed by: Roger Goldby
• Written by: Roger Goldby
• Cast: Joan Collins, Pauline Collins, Franco Nero

Priscilla (P Collins) is a neglected housewife who finds herself on coach trip to France with some dotty pensioners, including forgotten film star Helen (J Collins). The Collinses make an engaging double act and it works best when it goes a little off the rails, but this amiable comedy occasionally feel unfinished.

• 61%
• 32%

• read review
• more info & trailer

• 2017
• US
• 148 min
• 12A

• Directed by: Michael Bay
• Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Laura Haddock, Anthony Hopkins

It turns out that the Transformers shape human history, as Oxford lecturer Viviane (Haddock), butch inventor Cade (Wahlberg) and an English Earl (Hopkins) charge about from action sequence to action sequence. Wahlberg and Haddock have zero chemistry and it’s a deadening pile-up of CGI carnage, grating quips and joyless pummelling.

• read review
• more info & trailer

• 2017
• UK / India
• 106 min
• 12A

• Directed by: Gurinder Chadha
• Cast: Gillian Anderson, Michael Gambon, Hugh Bonneville, Manish Dayal, Huma Qureshi

Lord Louis Mountbatten (Bonneville) is to oversee Britain’s withdrawal from India and the ensuing partition, but he and his wife Edwina (Anderson) witness the violence erupting through the country. A below-stairs romance between Dayal and Qureshi is frustratingly insipid and the Indian characters are all unforgivably poorly drawn. Despite some good acting, timid and inert.

• 66%

• read review
• more info & trailer

• 2017
• US
• 133 min
• 12A

• Directed by: Patty Jenkins
• Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright

Diana (Gadot) is a princess of the Amazons, who rescues WW1 pilot / secret agent interest Steve (Pine) and resolves to end the war. Stylish and exciting, with a top cast, touches of real humour and tragedy, and spiffing action sequences, anchored by a strong and highly likeable performance from Gadot.

• 
• 88%

• read review
• more info & trailer