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AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

When Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) jumpstarts a dormant peacekeeping program, things go terribly awry, forcing him, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and the rest of the Avengers to reassemble. As the fate of Earth hangs in the balance, the team is put to the ultimate test as they battle Ultron (James Spader), a technological terror hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they encounter two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff.

This outing maybe a little too long and a bit overcrowded but this is one slick, darker episode in Marvel’s fight for world domination. The visuals are pretty grand and the amount of humour sit nicely in this thrill of a ride, and with such a stellar cast Marvel seem to be winning.

See if you liked: The Avengers, Captain America

THE FALLING

It’s 1969 at a strict English girls’ school where charismatic Abbie (Florence Pugh) and intense and troubled Lydia (Maisie Williams) are best friends. After a tragedy occurs at the school, a mysterious fainting epidemic breaks out threatening the stability of all involved.

A psychological coming of age drama which is just a bit weird, the story is just a bit to contrive and it plays on it. The whole production is quite stunning but this can’t save what seems just a bit too pretentious film.

See if you liked: Girlhood.

THE GOOD LIE

After their village is destroyed and their parents killed by Northern militia, Sudanese orphans Theo (Femi Oguns), his siblings and other survivors make a difficult journey to a refugee camp in Kenya. Thirteen years later, the group gets the chance to settle in the U.S. They are met in Kansas by Carrie Davis (Reese Witherspoon), who has been charged with finding them jobs. However, seeing how adrift they are in 20th-century America, Carrie endeavours to help them in rebuilding their shattered lives.

This is such a moving and haunting film based on a true story, anyone who doesn’t shed a tear has a heart of steel. The main characters are actually played by real Sudanese refugees who were child soldiers which brings a real sense of realness to the story. It’s not all gloom and doom as Witherspoon brings her class of humour to make this a heart-warming story.

See if you liked: Lost Boys of Sudan, The Four Feathers.

STONEHEARST ASYLUM

When young doctor Edward Newgate (Jim Sturgess) arrives at Stonehearst Asylum in search of an apprenticeship, he is warmly welcomed by Superintendent Dr. Lamb (Ben Kingsley) and a mesmerizing woman by the name of Eliza Graves (Kate Beckinsale). Edward is intrigued by Lamb’s modern methods of treating the insane until a series of unusual events leads him to make a horrifying discovery, exposing Lamb’s utopia and pushing Edward to the limits of his conscience.

Not sure if this is supposed to be a horror or not to be frank, but then it is pretty shabby like most of the horror films we are subjected to these days. It may have a pretty impressive cast which makes it worth an outing and the black humour makes up for a pretty uninspired bit of filmmaking.

See if you liked: Shutter Island.

OUR PICK OF THE WEEK: AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON