Film Review: Argo

Argo. Rated M (coarse language, mature themes and violence). 120 minutes. Directed by Ben Affleck. Screenplay by Chris Terrio.

Verdict: Ben Affleck delivers an outstanding edge-of-your seat ride.

When Iranian revolutionaries stormed the Embassy of the United States of America in the Iranian capital Tehran in November 1979, the world watched the hostage drama unfold over 444 days before the 52 American hostages were finally released. What was unknown at the time, was that as the embassy was being stormed, six Americans escaped and sought safety in other places – notably in the home of the Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor (Victor Garber).

Film Review: Paranormal Activity 4

Paranormal Activity 4. Rated M (horror theme, violence and coarse language). 88 minutes. Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. Screenplay by Christopher Landon.

Verdict: It’s probably the last gasp for the Paranormal Activity franchise as it takes on Rosemary’s Baby – and loses.

The ghost of The Blair Witch Project (1999) has haunted just about every offering from independent filmmakers playing around with projects from the psychological horror genre. Famous for, among other achievements, cutting tyro filmmakers loose from big budgets and motion picture studio funding, Blair Witch made the ‘found footage’ and wobbly, jump cut, hand-held camera work its signature and raked in more than $250 million at the box office.

Film Review: Killing Them Softly

Killing Them Softly. Rated MA 15+ (strong violence, drug use, sexual references and coarse language). 97 minutes. Written and directed byAndrew Dominik. Based on the novel Cogan's Trade by George Higgins.

Verdict: Andrew Dominik takes on the gangster genre and wins with this audacious take on contemporary American crime and poverty.

Dominik (Chopper, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) reunited with the star of Jesse James – Brad Pitt – works wonders in the bleak, poverty-stricken film about consequences. In this case, the consequences of a robbery carried out by Scoot McNairy’s fragile Frankie (pictured) and Ben Mendelsohn’s deluded Russell – a couple of inexperienced young hopefuls who aspire to a better life.

Film Review: Taken 2

Taken 2. Rated M (violence). 92 minutes. Directed by Olivier Megaton. Screenplay by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen.

Verdict: Guns, guns and more guns star in this toxic little sideshow of brutally stark propaganda about whose family means more.

What ends up being most interesting about this morally bankrupt little piece of work is the extent to which one can chart the collapse of Hollywood’s moral and cultural codes by the collapse of Liam Neeson’s career as an actor. The man who brought us the extraordinarily thoughtful, considered and culturally relevant characters of Oskar Schindler (Schindler’s List), Michael Collins (Michael Collins) and Alfred Kinsey (Kinsey) has been reduced to a vengeful, shoot-em-up action hero – and the result is as gruesome as it is tiresome. If there was ever to be the moment to mourn the passing of the well-made, meaningful, epic human drama, then this toxic little sideshow is it.

Film Review: Looper

Looper. Rated MA 15+ (strong violence). 118 minutes. Written and directed by Rian Johnson.

Verdict: A fascinating time-travel premise combined with a top cast results in a compelling drama about honour, integrity and responsibility.

Boasting a truly fascinating time-travel premise, a top-notch cast and a wicked (if not entirely unexpected) sting in its tale, Looper is marvellously involving cinema from the little-known Johnson (Brick). In a year where many of the cinematic offerings have been variations on well-worn themes, the threads of a heightened moral responsibility for the integrity of the lives we lead (and those of the people who rely on us for their very survival) that are woven through this film, are never less than utterly compelling.

Film Review: Ruby Sparks

Ruby Sparks. Rated M (coarse language, sexual references and drug use). 104 minutes. Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Screenplay by Zoe Kazan.

Verdict: Be careful what you wish for.

With their breakout hit Little Miss Sunshine (2006), the husband and wife directing team of Dayton and Faris delivered a heartfelt and unconventional take on the ‘road trip film’, while debut screenwriter Michael Arndt took home the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. With Ruby Sparks, they’ve done it again – taking on a debut writer (Kazan, who also stars as Ruby), and delivering a wonderfully inventive and deceptively complex little gem of a film that successfully turns the romantic comedy genre on its head.

Film Review: Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. Rated PG (mild violence and crude humour). 93 minutes. Directed by Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath and Conrad Vernon. Screenplay by Eric Darnell and Noah Baumbach.

Verdict: The Madagascar team are back in an inspired film that recalls the ground-breaking work of the animation master Walt Disney.

Beginning with Madagascar (2005) and a sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008), this successful franchise has followed the lives of four animals – Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer) and Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith). Having been shipwrecked on the island of Madagascar, many miles away from their home in New York’s Central Park Zoo, the series focuses on their attempts to return to the familiarity of their relatively comfortable home.