The most interesting aspect of the film is the psychological war between Zamperini and the brutal Japanese camp head ‘The Bird’ played by the Japanese singer Miyavi. Some of the exchanges between them are so over-the-top they seem manufactured for drama, so it’s quite unsettling to know that Zamperini actually went through all that torture and lived to tell the tale. This is a fairly decent movie, but Zamperini deserved a much better one.

‘The Battle of the Five Armies’ is the most interesting movie of this trilogy, in that it is the least disappointing movie of this trilogy. So if you walk into the theater expecting something as mediocre as the previous movies, you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised. The 3D is still terrible though.

There isn’t a single boring moment in the movie — it just zips and flies along from the moment it opens. The zip-zoom tone clearly shows that this was aimed at the younger kids whose attention span is significantly less than adults. But it’s hard for even adults to be not entertained by such harmless and colourful fun.

The visuals really are top notch, especially with Seydoux’s red dress flowing across the snowy white forest. It’s not as dark as one expects it to be, but it’s fun nonetheless, especially if you have kids for company.

The film doesn’t end Wick’s character — if Hollywood were looking for a fresh new alternative to the Bond franchise, they really should make more ‘John Wick’ movies. Wick is a lot more fun than what Bond and Bourne could ever be. And he kick a ton of ass. Very stylishly.

I do not know what alchemy Linklater performed to pull off such a project, but he somehow did it. And for a film buff, it’s a reason to rejoice. It’s a reason to rediscover your love for cinema. It’s a reason to take everyone you know to the nearest theatre and return home with some seriously fond memories.

The film is directed by first timer Dan Gilroy (the brother of Tony Gilroy of the Bourne movies), yet it feels like it’s made by an auteur with a ton of experience. Despite heavy themes embedded within the narrative the film is a black comedy, and in fact a lot of fun. Some of it is even a horror movie, but whatever the shift in tone the intrigue level is always at full throttle.

This is a superhero origin story that doesn’t really feel like an origin story. There’s a waft of good-natured familiarity in the whole thing, but the feeling is that of a warm welcome back rather than a cold beginning.

In Captain Phillips, the filmmakers make the protagonist the good guy, but in Kill the messenger, they leave a gray shade over the hero in question. Sure, he gets to drive a motorcycle like a Hollywood action hero once, but he’s not the uber clean guy one can rely on. That in itself makes it one of the better films we have seen this year.

Even if you have figured out the mystery, nothing will prepare you for the way the solution to the mystery presents itself. It’s a brutal deconstruction of imperfect marriages, and the nature for longing, togetherness and eventual hatred in the contemporary world. Surprisingly, the film plays out like a black comedy, even in the face of stunning violence, misogyny and misandry.