YOUR GUIDE TO THIS WEEK'S NEW CINEMA RELEASES

There's really only one movie release to get excited about seeing this week - THE JUNGLE BOOK.

TOP PICK

In the THE JUNGLE BOOK the man-cub Mowgli flees the jungle after a threat from the tiger Shere Khan. Guided by Bagheera the panther and the bear Baloo, Mowgli embarks on a journey of self-discovery, though he also meets creatures who don't have his best interests at heart. Based on the books by Rudyard Kipling, THE JUNGLE BOOK is an absolute must-see in 3D! I'll post my review soon but I give it *****! Village Voice's Bilge Ebiri says, 'If only all blockbusters could be this exciting, engrossing, and beautiful.' I agree. What a superb viewing experience. Watch out for my more detailed review coming very soon. People **** | Critics ***1/2

MAYBE/MAYBE NOT

The documentary WIDE OPEN SKY follows the heart-warming story of an outback Australian children's choir. Chronicling their journey from auditions to end-of-year concert, the trials of trying to run a children's choir in a remote and disadvantaged region are revealed. Here, sport is king and music education is non-existent. Despite this, choir mistress Michelle has high expectations. She wants to teach the children contemporary, original, demanding music. It becomes clear for the children to believe in themselves, they all need someone who believes in them. Set against a landscape of devastating beauty, Wide Open Sky is a moving portrait of the fragile world of possibility that is childhood and reminds us why no child, anywhere, should grow up without music. WIDE OPEN SKY won Best Documentary at the Sydney Film Festival last year and, given its setting of rural and remote Australia, I'd suggest seeing this one on the big screen for the cinematography. People ****

ALLEGIANT, the next instalment in the Divergent series, looks like it's on the way downhill in terms of popularity. In this episode, after the earth-shattering revelations of Insurgent, Tris must escape with Four beyond the wall that encircles Chicago, to finally discover the shocking truth of the world around them. Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips describes it this way: 'It's a pretty dull picture, I must say, because it's my duty to say it. And it's a pretty dull picture, I must say, because something about its particular grade of dullness may cause memory loss.' People *** | Critics *1/2

TO AVOID

Finally, one to avoid. In THE BOSS, Melissa McCarthy plays a titan of industry who is sent to prison after she's caught insider trading. When she emerges ready to rebrand herself as America's latest sweetheart, not everyone she screwed over is so quick to forgive and forget. The Hollywood Reporter's Frank Scheck suggests that, 'Its paper-thin characterizations, hackneyed plotting and overdependence on viciously profane humor put this effort more in the minor league of Tammy, McCarthy's previous collaboration with her director/co-screenwriter husband Ben Falcone, than her truly inspired work with Paul Feig on Bridesmaids and Spy.' People **1/2 | Critics **

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.