<< THIS WEEK'S NEW CINEMA RELEASES >>

I'm on the last few days of my holidays so decided to have a movie marathon day today - and saw four movies, all of which opened today. So watch out for my reviews shortly. In the meantime, here's what has opened in our cinemas today...

MY TOP PICK TO SEE

There's no doubt that the top movie to check out this week is PREDESTINATION about the life of a time-traveling Temporal Agent who, on his final assignment, must pursue the one criminal that has eluded him throughout time. I've seen this one twice now - it's brilliant! I'll post my review shortly but for now, I'll let you know I rate it ****1/2. A great new Australian movie.

OTHERS TO SEE

Another Australian movie is FELONY. Three male detectives become embroiled in a tense struggle after a tragic accident that leaves a child in a coma. One is guilty of a crime, one will try to cover it up, and the other attempts to expose it. How far will these men go to both disguise and unravel the truth? Very interesting story. My review coming soon.

MAYBE/MAYBE NOT

A movie over which the general public and critics disagree. IF I STAY. Life changes in an instant for young Mia Hall after a car accident puts her in a coma. During an out-of-body experience, she must decide whether to wake up and live a life far different than she had imagined. I'm on the side of the general public with this one - my review coming soon. Not for everyone but if you like a tear-jerker aimed at the young adult demographic, this one will be for you.

MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT, Woody Allen's latest cinematic outing that some will enjoy but which critics are not enjoying. It's a romantic comedy about an Englishman brought in to help unmask a possible swindle. Personal and professional complications ensue.  Philadelphia Inquirer's Steven Rea is spot on: For all its visual delights, Magic in the Moonlight, the 44th feature written and directed by the admirably industrious Woody Allen, has to be one of his bigger duds. My review soon.

And, finally, one for the kids ... LEGENDS OF OZ: DOROTHY'S RETURN. Dorothy wakes up in post-tornado Kansas, only to be whisked back to Oz to try to save her old friends the Scarecrow, the Lion, the Tin Man and Glinda from a devious new villain, the Jester. Wiser the owl, Marshal Mallow, China Princess and Tugg the tugboat join Dorothy on her latest magical journey through the colorful landscape of Oz to restore order and happiness to Emerald City. General public are rating it as average while the critics don't like it at all. RogerEbert.com's Susan Wloszczyna warns us that This is one of those movies that parents will have to ask themselves if they love their child enough to sit through it. At least "The Nut Job" is off the hook as the worst indie-made animated feature of the year. You decide!

That's it for this week. See you at the movies!

NB: synopses of movies are adapted from IMDB. Opinions are mine unless quoted from cited sources.