Movie reviews

THE DARK TOWER

Watchable. A standard dark fantasy about evil forces trying to destroy the world. I liked the fake skins and the monsters adjusting them like clothes, also the portals between the worlds were fun to watch. But when you add the boy having to block his Shine so he can't be tracked or Seers, you realise the story's compiled of stolen motifs. Idris Elba is perfect for his Gunslinger role, Matthew McConaughey as a dark lord less so. The boy (Tom Taylor) is cute and a future hottie, his mum (Katheryn Winnick) lovely.

VICTORIA AND ABDUL

I've seen it already but, due to a publication ban, will be able to post a review no earlier than on 5th Sept.

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE

Watchable. Not as stupid as the title implies. Superheroes look like they're wearing underpants so it only makes sense to create one like Captain Underpants. Primary school gets a make-over when two brats change the principal into a childish superhero. No more boring for children Invention Conventions at 8 a.m. on Saturday. "Weird Al" Yankovic performs the theme song. There's a good mid-credit. For viewers of the same age as the pranksters in the film.

LICHOZROUTI (THE ODDSOCKEATERS)

Watchable. The sock-like creatures evoke many warm feelings even if they are all mafia. The movie feels like one for nursery/early primary school children but contains foreign language bits: Italian "padre" and several more in Russian, Einstein's theory of relativity is mentioned and Munch's "Scream" gets mocked in one scene. The pace is a bit too slow for me.

HAMPSTEAD

Watchable. I expected a sad love story for elderly people. Luckily it's much more optimistic and versatile. The age of the protagonists has the effect that this love story is not as tacky as it would be with a younger couple in. It'a a surprisingly pleasant tale. In one of early scenes there's a kid on a leash wreaking havoc in a clothes shop, when the shop assistant ties the brat to a desk, the mum gets upset calling it barbaric. An even funnier scene is when the lead lady says: "What could I be possibly hiding?" and that guy comes out of the bathroom humming a tune.

I'm still a great fan of my local Cinema City, where I saw all the movies reviewed above, but at more popular movies I realised the row and seat numbering was a bit unclear. A number of people, me included, has problems identifying the right row or finding the seat number. A map at each entrance would help.