The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies (12A)
(Peter Jackson, 2014, NZ/US) Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch. 144 mins
In stand-alone terms, this is probably the least satisfying film of the whole Jackson/Tolkien cycle – a feature-length third act to wrap up one trilogy and set up the next, with a title that augurs an orgy of CGI combat. But we’ve come to take for granted just how vivid and spectacular this Middle-earth is. We might miss it when it’s gone.
Electricity (15)
(Bryn Higgins, 2014, UK) Agyness Deyn, Lenora Crichlow, Christian Cooke. 96 mins
Deyn acquits herself impressively as a northerner adrift in London, tormented by epilepsy and family baggage. There are plausibility issues, but distinctive visual flourishes too.
The Face Of Love (12A)
(Arie Posin, 2013, US) Annette Bening, Ed Harris, Robin Williams. 90 mins
Bening falls for a man who’s the dead ringer of her dead husband – what could go wrong? Skilled actors strain to inject some Hitchcockian class into a cheesy story.
The Green Prince (15)
(Nadav Schirman, 2014, US/UK/Ger/Isr) 101 mins
The testimonies of a top-level Palestinian informant and his Israeli handler weave a documentary tale of high stakes and moral complexities.
Merchants Of Doubt (12A)
(Robert Kenner, 2014, US) 96 mins
Damning, rousing documentary exposing the underhand techniques of the denial industry that has stalled action on climate change and other issues.
Manakamana (U)
(Stephanie Spray, Pacho Velez, 2013, Nep/US) 119 mins
A fixed camera observes various passengers on a cable car to a Nepalese shrine, making for a shrewdly minimal documentary that finds allusions and revelations in the commonplace.
The Circle (15)
(Stefan Haupt, 2014, Swi) Matthias Hungerbühler, Sven Schelker, Marie Leuenberger. 102 mins
Documentary and drama combine in a history of Switzerland’s postwar gay underground.
The Great Museum (PG)
(Johannes Holzhausen, 2014, Aus) 94 mins
Elegant behind-the-scenes look at Vienna’s prestigious Kunsthistorisches Museum.
A Tale Of Samurai Cooking: A True Love Story (U)
(Yûzô Asahara, 2013, Jap) Aya Ueto, Kengo Kôra, Kimiko Yo. 122 mins
Azumi star Ueto plays an 18th-century master chef in this food-centric historical romance.
Montana (15)
(Mo Ali, 2014, UK) McKell David, Lars Mikkelsen, Ashley Walters. 106 mins
Urban gangster thriller in which a teen dropout is mentored by a Serbian veteran.
Bringing Tibet Home (TBA)
(Tenzin Tsetan Choklay, 2013, US/S Kor/Ind/Nep) 82 mins
Documentary on a lateral-minded artist who smuggled 20,000kg of Tibetan soil to exiled natives.
We Still Kill The Old Way (18)
(Sacha Bennett, 2014, UK) James Cosmo, Steven Berkoff. 94 mins
Urban upstarts v Old Firm veterans in a cockney gangster thriller very much on the side of tradition.
The Snow Queen: Magic Of The Ice Mirror (U)
(Aleksei Tsitsilin, 2014, Rus) Bella Thorne, Sean Bean, Sharlto Copley. 79 mins
An animated sequel for Russia’s answer to Frozen.
Tinker Bell And The Legend Of The NeverBeast (U)
(Steve Loter, 2014, US) Mae Whitman, Ginnifer Goodwin, Rosario Dawson. 76 mins
More fairy animation for juniors, centred on a big, cuddly creature.
Out from Friday
Dumb And Dumber To Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels plumb new depths of toilet humour like the past 20 years never happened.
Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb Ben Stiller’s living-history bandwagon rolls into London, with Dan Stevens among the exhibits.
Kon-Tiki Oscar-nominated, Norwegian-made retelling of Thor Heyerdahl’s intrepid, trans-Pacific odyssey.
Guys And Dolls Reissue for the 1955 musical, starring Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons.
PK Superstar Aamir Khan plays a Gump-esque fool in this Bollywood comedy.
Coming soon
In two weeks... Christian Bale in Exodus: Gods And Kings… Tim Burton’s caper Big Eyes…
In three weeks... Hawking story The Theory Of Everything… Michael Keaton in Birdman…
In a month... Channing Tatum’s Foxcatcher… Meryl Streep in fairytale musical Into The Woods…
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