The special effects, especially the transformation of a pumpkin into the golden carriage, are uniformly impressive. Cinderella, which is preceded by an overly cute eight-minute animated short titled Frozen Fever, is more than likely to enchant adults and youngsters alike.

As much about the unravelling of an art scandal as about female empowerment in a male-dominated era with an indelible performance by Amy Adams. Even though Burton’s storytelling is sometimes erratic, the end result is a poignant portrait of an artist who claws her way back into mainstream acceptance by reclaiming her creative legacy.

The City of Angels is photographed with breathtaking virtuosity by Robert Elswit. A sonorous music score by James Newton Howard adds to the film’s impact.

Graphics designer turned first-time feature filmmaker Wes Ball has done a commendable job in telescoping the story for the big screen.

There is an abundance of violence including the hacking of heads and limbs. Unfortunately, the cartoonish carnage comes at the expense of plot and narrative momentum. Clearly, Rodriguez and Miller opt for stylistic razzmatazz over thematic substance. If only for its visual virtuosity, it’s worth plunging into the hard-boiled world of Sin City 2 : A Dame To Kill For.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is a trip to bountiful…

Despite the burp-so-familiar storyline, Favreau manages to serve up a delicious blend of humour, sentiment and drama. In small but significant supporting roles, Scarlett Johansson is delectable as the restaurant hostess and Dustin Hoffman pops up as her unadventurous boss. Regrettably, the upbeat wrap-up is a coput.

Viewers looking for wall-to-wall mayhem along the lines of Roland Emmerich’s bloated 1998 version will be disappointed. But those who savour an immersive visual spectacle will likely go ooh-aah in the presence of the freshly-minted Godzilla.

Working from his own original script, the former music-video whiz, Spike Jonze, has crafted one of the most poignant love stories in recent memory. An invigorating exploration of identity, bonding, loneliness and pain, Her almost restores our faith in American cinema.

The film makes for a fairly rewarding fantasy adventure. It also makes us anticipate There and Back Again, the concluding installment of the series which is due for release at the end of next year, writes Rashid Irani.