…the animation is of a high quality and grows more appealing in the second half but this surfeit of action tends to drag on endlessly, with the result its 102-minute duration seems much, much longer than one would like. There are other sub-plots that only seem to prolong the agony.

John Turturo and Woody Allen are their usual suave selves but Vanessa Paradis and Sofia Vergera are not far behind. Sharon Stone of the “crossing and uncrossing legs” of “Basic Instinct” fame is far more circumspect but hasn’t lost any of her oomph. “Fading Gigolo” is surely worth watching.

Mr Peabody & Sherman is a delightful animated film of a talking dog/man Mr Peabody who is the smartest thing in the world and his dog/son Sherman, making the film eventually a sumptuous romp through history taking pot-shots at historical figures with utter disdain.

Mr Peabody & Sherman is a delightful animated film of a talking dog/man Mr Peabody who is the smartest thing in the world and his dog/son Sherman, making the film eventually a sumptuous romp through history taking pot-shots at historical figures with utter disdain.

A taut screenplay is adeptly handled by director Serra who is supported by good performances by Neeson who is accustomed to playing such parts and Julianne Moore as the enigmatic window passenger. Little Quinn McColgan provides a human touch and all’s hunky-dory till the climax —- notwithstanding a few blanks..

Shedding so much weight as to be barely recognizable , Matthew McConoughy is just brilliant in the lead role and goes through a full gamut of emotions that could well win him the Best Actor Oscar this weekend. He is ably supported by Jenifer Garner who grows on the viewer but it is Jarred Leto who also takes the cake and her role reminds one of Pedro Almadovar’s All About My Mother as far as gender determination is concerned. The other cameos are minimal in this not-to-be-missed real life experience.

Nebraska is sure to touch the soul of man. It’s just unmissable and I mean it.

…the dormant volcano Vesuvius has the last say and Pompeii (remember The Last Days Of Ponpeii, starring Steve Reeves?) and history is well captured. Maybe the revival of those 1950s classics like Quo Vadis and Ben Hur give it an edge over the more weighty Monuments Men. Well, that’s where Einstein’s theory of relativity comes in!

Oscar Isaac virtually lives the part of Llewyn and he is ably supported by Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake with the burly John Goodman notching yet another good cameo in this delightful soul-searching music drama. This is a must for music aficionados, specially folk music lovers.

With a plethora of talent, the performances are good with De Niro and Stallone sharing the honours and Alan Arkin whose deaf-mute role in The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter is still fresh in memory while Kim Bassinger, after a long break, still has enough oomph to remind one of Jane Fonda in her heyday. All in all Grudge Match is well worth going to.