Savoy Cinema

• 2017

• Directed by: David F Sandberg
• Written by: Gary Dauberman
• Cast: Miranda Otto, Philippa Coulthard, Stephanie Sigman

When dollmaker Samuel (LaPaglia) and his wife Esther (Otto) open their creaking home to a group of orphans, little do they know that their late daughter’s bedroom contains a demonic doll. Routine horror with a flimsy narrative driven by Samuel and Esther’s increasingly poor decisions; this fourth film in the franchise is one too many.

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• 2017
• US
• 1h 55min
• 15

• Directed by: David Leitch
• Cast: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Sofia Boutella,

Lorraine Broughton (Theron) is an MI6 agent tasked with finding a list of double-crossing agents, aided by dodgy fellow spy David (McAvoy) as she kicks the arses of an army of foes in 1989 Berlin. Basically a showcase for Theron’s sparring ability and withering looks, it features authentically exhausting fights and is a shamelessly derivative but fun actioner.

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• 2017

• Directed by: Nikolaj Arcel
• Cast: Katheryn Winnick, Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey

Gunslinger Roland (Elba) engages the help of New York teenager Jake (Taylor) in a battle to save the titular tower from the menacing Man in Black (McConaughey). Writer-director Arcel turns King’s dark book into a disappointing YA adventure with little tension or gravitas, and Elba’s charm is offset by McConaughey’s unintentionally comical impersonation of Viggo Mortensen.

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• 2017
• US
• 1h 30min
• 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.

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• 2017
• 1h 46min
• 12A

• Directed by: Christopher Nolan
• Written by: Christopher Nolan
• Cast: Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy, Harry Styles

Survival story set during the battle of Dunkirk in WWII. The younger cast members acquit themselves admirably, including pop star Harry Styles; and, in its uncomfortable depiction of frightened men looking to save their own skin, this is far from straightforwardly patriotic fare. As he delivers non-stop visual audacity, once again Nolan shows himself to be a master of pure cinema.

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• 2017
• US
• 1h 26min
• PG

• Directed by: Tony Leondis
• Cast: T. J. Miller, James Corden, Anna Faris, Maya Rudolph, Steven Wright, Jennifer Coolidge, Jake T. Austin, Christina Aguilera, Sofia Vergara, Patrick Stewart

Gene (Miller) is a ‘meh’ emoji living in Textopolis who can’t help displaying mixed emotions. Targeted for deletion, he goes on the run with perky Hi-5 (Corden) and hacker Jailbreak (Faris). A combination of product placement, ingratiating voice work and barrel-scraping studio desperation, it’s a witless and blandly generic journey of self-discovery.

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• 2017
• Canada/US/South Korea
• PG

• Directed by: Cal Brunker
• Cast: Will Arnett, Katherine Heigl, Maya Rudolph

In this inexplicable sequel to the underwhelming 2014 original, Surly Squirrel (Arnett) teams up with idealistic Andie (Heigl) and Precious (Rudolph) to save their park from the Mayor (Moynihan). The characters are unappealing and the script relies on uninspired action and flat non-jokes. At least there’s no ‘Gangnam Style’ this time.

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