Vue Birmingham

• 2018
• US
• 2h 29min
• 12A

• Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
• Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt

The Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.

• 96%

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• 2018
• India
• 2h 24min

• Directed by: Ahmed Khan
• Cast: Disha Patani, Tiger Shroff, Randeep Hooda

Ronny, is hired by ex-lover Neha, to track down her daughter Riya, who has been kidnapped.

• 54%

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• 2018
• US
• 2h 14min
• 12A

• Directed by: Ryan Coogler
• Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis

T’Challa (Boseman) ascends to the throne of Wakanda after his father is killed, and he and former lover Nakia (Nyong’o) must avenge the theft of an artefact made of Wakanda’s precious vibranium. Ground-breaking superhero story with awesome action; Boseman is agile and impressive, but the female contingent is superb and sombre themes sit comfortably alongside comedy.

• 77%
• 88%

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• 2018
• US
• 1h 42min
• 15

• Directed by: Kay Cannon
• Cast: Leslie Mann, John Cena, Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Newton, Gideon Adlon, Geraldine Viswanathan

Three teenage girls (Newton, Adlon and Viswanathan) make a pact to lose their virginity on prom night, but their parents (Mann, Cena and Barinholtz) scramble to stop them. It may sound horrible, but even with all the slapstick stupidity it’s a funny and rigorous exploration of the parent-teen dynamic, with a surprisingly moving conclusion.

• 66%
• 69%

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• 2018
• US
• 1h 47min
• 15

• Directed by: Eli Roth
• Cast: Bruce Willis, Vincent D'Onofrio, Elisabeth Shue

Chicago surgeon Paul Kersey (Willis) takes the law into his own hands after his wife is killed and his daughter left in a coma. At a time when the issue of gun control is raging, Roth’s distasteful remake of Winner’s original amounts to a campaign ad for the NRA.

• 65%
• 32%

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• 2018
• 1h 31min
• PG

• Directed by: Christopher Jenkins
• Cast: Jim Gaffigan, Zendaya, Lance Lim

An animated comedy in which a young male goose, Peng, is forced to make an unlikely bond with two lost ducklings as they journey south for the winter.

• 50%

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• 2018
• UK
• 1h 29min
• PG

• Directed by: Nick Park
• Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, Timothy Spall, Richard Ayoade, Selina Griffiths, Johnny Vegas, Mark Williams, Gina Yashere, Simon Greenall

Gormless caveman Dug (Redmayne) and his clan are menaced by Bronze Age invader Lord Nooth (Hiddleston), until twinkle-toed defector Goona (Williams) joins them to help them unite. Deliciously daft prehistoric fun from Park and his team on top form, with winning human touches, plenty of sight gags and painful puns.

• 63%
• 68%

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• 2017
• 1h 38min
• 15

• Directed by: Jeremy Dyson, Andy Nyman
• Cast: Martin Freeman, Alex Lawther, Nicholas Burns

Anthology movie in which three twisted tales are presented as three unexplained hauntings which sceptical Professor Goodman (Nyman) has to investigate. Beautifully shot and with plenty of frights, but maybe not enough surprises, it’s playful and wryly funny enough for the shocks to have full impact.

• 68%
• 69%

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• 2018
• India

• Directed by: Ksshitij Chaudhary
• Cast: Amrinder Gill, Simi Chahal, Harish Verma

Upcoming 2018 Indian-Punjabi film directed by Ksshitij Chaudhary.

• 85%

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• 2017
• US
• 1h 45min
• PG

• Directed by: Michael Gracey
• Cast: Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya

A musical version of the life of showman and genius of hype PT Barnum (Jackman), and how he went from running a museum of ‘curiosities’ to promoting Swedish soprano Jenny Lind (Ferguson). Jackman has rock-star charisma and Gracey delivers a kaleidoscopic, family-friendly spectacle.

• 78%
• 48%

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• 2018
• UK
• 2h 4min
• 12A

• Directed by: Mike Newell
• Cast: Lily James, Michiel Huisman, Jessica Brown Findlay

Juliet (James) is a successful writer in post-WWII London who discovers the eponymous book club, and learns about their lives under the German occupation of the island. Don’t let the twee title put you off, as it’s a beguiling and affecting celebration of friendship, courage and the joys of reading, full of warmth and good humour.

• 68%
• 59%

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• 2018
• US
• 1h 41min
• PG

• Directed by: Wes Anderson
• Cast: Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Kunichi Nomura, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Courtney B. Vance, Fisher Stevens, Mari Natsuki, Harvey Keitel, Koyu Rankin, Liev Schreiber, Bob Balaban, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton

When the corrupt Mayor of Megasaki City sends all the dogs to Trash Island, his 12-year-old ward Atari (Rankin) goes there to find out what happened to his beloved Spots (Schreiber). Sensationally rendered stop-motion tribute to Japanese cinema, rich in detail and full of deadpan heroism and epic ineptitude. Delightful.

• 82%
• 82%

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• 2018
• India

• Directed by: Rohit Jugraj
• Cast: Ranjit Bawa, Elnaaz Norouzi, Mandy Takhar

Punjabi movie about hockey.

• 88%

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• 2017
• US
• 1h 33min
• 15

• Directed by: Greta Gerwig
• Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Odeya Rush, Kathryn Newton

Christine (Ronan) is a 17-year-old from Sacramento, dreaming of the life that awaits her while having to deal with her hyper-critical mother. Gerwig’s solo directorial debut is a sure-footed charmer, wise, witty and breezing along with sunny optimism and an acute understanding of human nature.

• 75%
• 94%

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• 2018
• India

• Directed by: Amberdeep Singh
• Cast: Ammy Virk, Neeru Bajwa, Amberdeep Singh

A romantic film based on the relationship between a husband and wife.

• 58%

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• 2017
• Italy / France
• 1h 52min
• 15

• Directed by: Paolo Virzì
• Cast: Helen Mirren, Donald Sutherland, Christian McKay

Ella (Mirren) is terminally ill, and her husband John (Sutherland), has a form of Alzheimer’s which only kicks in when required by the plot, so they decide to drive their trusty Winnebago to Florida. Meandering, mildly entertaining, tear-stained road trip that just about works thanks to the commitment of Mirren and Sutherland to their characters.  

• 66%
• 45%

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• 2018
• US
• 1h 49min

• Directed by: Greg Berlanti
• Cast: Nick Robinson, Jennifer Garner, Katherine Langford

Simon (Robinson) is a young high school student who hasn’t yet come out as gay, who starts swapping email with an anonymous fellow student calling himself ‘Blue’. The script gets bogged down in irrelevant subplots and the first kiss is delayed until the end credits, making it a disappointing cop-out as gay teen movies go; indies handle this much better.

• 81%
• 73%

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• 2018
• Pakistan
• 2h 8min

• Directed by: Aabis Raza
• Cast: Elnaaz Norouzi, Adeel Chaudhry, Ghana Ali

A story about young people against the institution of marriage in society.

• 68%

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• 2018
• US
• 1h 51min
• 12A

• Directed by: Steven S. DeKnight
• Cast: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Cailee Spaeny, Jing Tian, Adria Arjona, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman, Rinko Kikuchi

Ten years after the original war between humans controlling giant robots and creatures from the sea, Jake (Boyega) is living in the shadow of his father; but then a robot goes rogue. DeKnight does a fair job with the action and it’s a competent enough sequel to a far from stunning original.

• 59%
• 44%

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• 2018
• US / Australia
• 1h 33min
• PG

• Directed by: Will Gluck
• Cast: Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, Sam Neill, Daisy Ridley, Elizabeth Debicki, Margot Robbie, James Corden

Mischievous bunny Peter (Corden) and his sisters Flopsy (Robbie), Mopsy (Debicki) and Cotton-Tail (Ridley) contend with Thomas (Gleeson), an uptight cottage garden owner. The interweaving of CGI animals with live action is flawless, Gleeson proves to have fine comedy chops and there’s a lot of slapstick, but anyone looking for Beatrix Potter will be sorely disappointed.

• 66%
• 52%

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• 2018
• Poland

• Directed by: Wladyslaw Pasikowski
• Cast: Marcin Dorocinski, Krzysztof Stroinski, Dorota Rabczewska

A policeman gets killed and the short-staffed police chief sends for a few experienced officers to support him in his fight with organised crime. Meanwhile, a conflict between local gangster groups escalates.

• 66%

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• 2018
• US
• 1h 35min

• Directed by: John Krasinski
• Cast: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Noah Jupe

Lee Abbott (Krasinski), his wife Evelyn (Blunt), son (Jupe) and deaf daughter (Simmonds) live and work in an empty dystopian world in complete silence, hiding from creatures who hunt by sound. Krasinski's third film as director is a smart, weird sci-fi frightener that is beautifully simple but thoughtfully composed.

• 81%
• 82%

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• 2018
• India

• Directed by: Raj Kumar Gupta
• Cast: Ajay Devgn, Saurabh Shukla, Ileana D'Cruz

Based on real events, Raid revolves around Amay Patnaik, a fearless Income Tax officer who carries out a non-stop raid at the mansion of Tauji, the most powerful man in Lucknow.

• 77%

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• 2018
• US
• 1h 47min
• 12A

• Directed by: Brad Peyton
• Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris, Malin Åkerman, Joe Manganiello, Jake Lacy, Marley Shelton, Jeffrey Dean Morgan

When a space-born pathogen starts turning random animals dangerous across the USA, primatologist Davis (Johnson) is on the case. Splendidly silly monster movie which swerves between knowing humour, endearing stupidity and an over-long CGI-heavy finale; Morgan’s turn as a gung-ho Homeland Security agent is a hoot.

• 65%
• 45%

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• 2018
• US
• 2h 20min

• Directed by: Steven Spielberg
• Cast: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, Mark Rylance

Wade (Sheridan) lives in a city wasteland of rusting trailers called The Stacks, spending his days playing (along with nearly everyone else) in a VR world called the OASIS. But then OASIS’s creator dies; who will inherit his fortune? Eye-popping blockbuster, relentlessly entertaining but without much emotion or involvement.

• 78%
• 64%

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• 2017
• US
• 1h 59min
• 15

• Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
• Cast: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Lauren Lee Smith, Michael Stuhlbarg, Octavia Spencer

In 1962 Baltimore, Eliza (Hawkins) is a mute who works as a cleaner in a secret government facility alongside the chatty Zelda (Spencer); there she makes a connection with a mysterious monster (Jones). A wondrous tale of underwater love, with an apt and refreshing approach to female sexuality; from screenplay through casting, score and production, it all gels superbly.

• 75%
• 87%

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• 2018
• 2h 3min
• PG

• Directed by: Zakariya
• Cast: Soubin Shahir, Samuel Abiola Robinson, Savithri Sredharan

Story of an African football player and a local football club manager from Malappuram, Kerala.

• 87%

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• 2017
• UK / US
• 1h 55min
• 15

• Directed by: Martin McDonagh
• Cast: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Peter Dinklage

Exasperated by the police’s failure to catch her daughter’s murderer, Mildred Hayes (McDormand) buys ad space on the titular billboards to tear a strip off the police chief (Harrelson). McDonagh’s latest delicately balances the lingering pain of the crime itself with dark comedy, and a superb cast is topped by a magnificent performance from McDormand.

• 82%
• 88%

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• 2018
• US
• 1h 58min
• 12A

• Directed by: Roar Uthaug
• Cast: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Kristin Scott Thomas

Lara Croft (Vikander) is told by guardian Ana (Scott Thomas) that her ten-years-missing dad (West) is dead, and she inherits a key to the secrets of his past. Vikander gives it bags of commitment and Uthaug keeps the energy level high, leaving you actually looking forward to the prospect of a video game movie sequel.

• 68%
• 48%

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• 2018
• USA
• 1h 40min
• 15

• Directed by: Jeff Wadlow
• Cast: Lucy Hale, Tyler Posey, Violett Beane

Olivia (Hale) is roped into a game of Truth or Dare while on spring break in Mexico with her friends, but a demon takes over the game. Hale is an appealing lead and although the script has some heavy-handed moralising, the death sequences are suitably nasty and the ending is sheer chutzpah.

• 45%
• 35%

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• 2018
• US
• 1h 32min
• 15

• Directed by: Fritz Böhm
• Cast: Liv Tyler, Brad Dourif, Bel Powley

A blossoming teenager uncovers the dark secret behind her traumatic childhood.

• 58%
• 57%

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• 2018
• US
• 1h 49min
• PG

• Directed by: Ava DuVernay
• Written by: Madeleine L'Engle (novel), Jennifer Lee (screenplay)
• Cast: Storm Reid, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Levi Miller, Deric McCabe, Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Peña, André Holland, Zach Galifianakis, Oprah Winfrey

Meg (Reid) is a headstrong, mixed-race 13-year-old who has to deal with the usual adolescent issues while searching for her missing scientist father (Pine); she soon goes on a planet-hopping adventure. Reid is an utterly charming heroine and the film allows her to be opinionated and self-doubting; an inspirational watch for all ages and genders.

• 42%
• 53%

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