YOUR GUIDE TO THIS WEEK'S NEW CINEMA RELEASES

Take a big breath… because there’s lots of new releases this week!

TOP PICK

Top of the list to see this week is 45 YEARS about a married couple preparing to celebrate their wedding anniversary who receive shattering news that promises to forever change the course of their lives. Critics are scoring it highly — slightly  more than the general public. indieWIRE’s Eric Kohn says, ‘Anchored by a sensational Charlotte Rampling as its lead, the movie combines Haigh's perceptive style with shades of Mike Leigh's "Another Year" to create a quietly moving and deceptively tragic look at aging romance haunted by past mysteries.’ Sounds like a must see.

OTHERS TO SEE

In 1947, Dalton Trumbo was Hollywood's top screenwriter, until he and other artists were jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs. TRUMBO is his story. For Variety’s Peter Debruge, ‘Trumbo may be clumsy and overly simplistic at times, but it's still an important reminder of how democracy can fail (that is, when a fervent majority turns on those with different and potentially threatening values), and the strength of character it takes to fight the system.’

MAYBE/MAYBE NOT

CONCUSSION, starring Will Smith, is set in Pittsburgh, where accomplished pathologist, Dr. Bennet Omalu, uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play. The trailers look good but the movie itself may not live up to expectations. According to The A.V. Club’s Jesse Hassenger, ‘Smith's Omalu makes a compelling character, supported by his mentor Cyril Wecht (Albert Brooks) and former team doctor Julian Bailes (Alec Baldwin). But Concussion doesn't crackle like the best whistleblower dramas.’

New York City is full of lonely hearts seeking the right match, and, in HOW TO BE SINGLE, what Alice, Robin, Lucy, Meg, Tom and David all have in common is the need to learn how to be single in a world filled with ever-evolving definitions of love. General viewers are rating it as average with critics below that. Variety’s Nick Schager describes it as, ‘Splintered between thinly sketched focal points rather than actually plumbing the real fear, paranoia and elation that come from operating without a romantic partner\[.] How to Be Single never transcends its most sitcom-y instincts.’

RISEN ‘Follows the epic Biblical story of the Resurrection \[of Christ], as told through the eyes of a non-believer. Clavius, a powerful Roman Military Tribune, and his aide Lucius, are tasked with solving the mystery of what happened to Jesus in the weeks following the crucifixion, in order to disprove the rumors of a risen Messiah and prevent an uprising in Jerusalem.’ (Written by Sony Pictures) There’s nothing much I’ve seen written about this one so don’t know what it will be like. If I see it, I’ll let you know!

TO AVOID

Finally, one to avoid: In RIDE ALONG 2 Ben, as his wedding day approaches, heads to Miami with his soon-to-be brother-in-law James to bring down a drug dealer who's supplying the dealers of Atlanta with product. Hmmm… sounds cliched and superficial already. Be warned when TheWrap’s Alonso Duralde tells us that, ‘The film's most genuinely funny moment involves A.J.'s ringtones, which should perhaps come as no surprise - the stakes, and the laughs, are so small that Ride Along 2 was apparently designed to be watched on your phone.’ Give it a miss!

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

*NOTE* Movie summaries are adaptations of movie summary on IMDB. Opinions are mine unless credited. These updates are written from an Australian perspective so openings of the movies in cinemas may vary in other parts of the world.