Although The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is somewhat long-drawn-out, it’s riveting thanks to the hyper-imaginative world it creates. This sci-fi thriller is elevated by its subtext of humaneness.

Inspired by the 19th century fable, “The Snow Queen” by Hans Christian Andersen, this animated musical may be excessively sweet but it doesn’t induce the fatigue factor at all.

In the Marvel movie-verse, it is hammer time again. A $200 million-plus son-et-lumiere spectacle, Thor is recommended for those with a taste for a decidedly funny fantasy.

Allowing the action plot to take over quickly, the director ratchets up the tension from the moment the four machine guns wielding pirates board the unarmed commercial vessel. The showdown culminates in a scene performed with such vulnerability by Tom Hanks that the two-time Academy Award winner will likely snag another Oscar nomination.

A genuinely engaging cast contributes to the enjoyment level of the rambling story about an aspiring young lawyer (Gleeson) who is blessed with a gift which enables him to find the girl of his dreams.
… Recommended for the young at heart.

Filmed wondrously by Cuaron’s longtime cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, with an accent on black, silver and indigo textures, Gravity restores our faith in today’s Hollywood cinema. Miss it at your own risk.

His debut feature, District 9 (2009), was one the more dynamic sci-fi epics in recent years. Embracing a similarly dazzling visual style, Neill Blomkamp envisions another dystopian future in this follow-up fantasy set in 2154 when Earth has become a gigantic ghetto.

The disheartening trend of according significant films a limited release continues with this docudrama. Fruitvale Station recreates the last day in the life of a 22-year-old African-American. Melonie Diaz who portrays his girlfriend and Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer as his mother are very good but it is Michael B Jordan’s virtuoso performance that forms the core of the film. A film that deserves a wide audience.

A promising feature debut by New Zealand-born writer-director Scott Walker, this icy crime thriller is based on actual events. The story sustains a blistering pace and there are enough thrills to propel viewers to the edge of the seat. Shot in the locations where the murders took place, cinematographer Patrick Murguia ably integrates the snowy vistas of a small town in Alaska with interiors shot in seedy bars and nightclubs.

Neither great nor ghastly, the warts and all account of the titular titan, merits a viewing.