Gravity - 2013 ***

'Gravity' has an exceedingly good premise - an astronaut and engineer find themselves separated from the shuttle they are working on, and are stuck in space with barely no oxygen and no contact whatsoever with anyone. The acting is excellent, and I'm surprised to say that Clooney and Bullock work very well together. It's brilliantly designed too, to such an extent that after a while the idea of floating in space can give you a serious bout of nausea. 

Despicable Me 2 - 2013 ****

'Despicable Me' manages to boast a high scale of wit and graphics whilst also appealing to younger audiences. Not all animated films can do this. And the sequel to the first film can only be described as an improvement all round. Added to which, I have now become utterly obsessed by anything Minion-related (let's face it, they are the best thing about the film) and was overjoyed that the new film had triple the amount of minions that the first did. The music is great as well. And let's face it, we have all warmed to Gru a great deal by the second round.

Gambit - 2012 *** 1/2

'Gambit' is funny. It's not hilarious, but it has enough humour to quench the audience's thirst.
Colin Firth is a master at distinguishing forged paintings, and when he tries to get wild Texan Cameron Diaz involved in his latest scheme to swindle Alan Rickman out of a stunning Monet, everything that could possibly go wrong, does.
Colin Firth is quietly amusing and I liked the plot very much, but Cameron Diaz is a bit tiring after a while.

The Vicious Circle - 1957 *****

Caught this by chance but blimey what a whopper of a film! John Mills plays a well respected doctor, falsely framed for the murder of a German movie star found in his flat. The beauty of this film is the amount of red herrings (a bit like an Agatha Christie) and the fact you genuinely have no idea who to trust. The ending comes as a proper shock when the culprit is revealed. I really loved this, I loved the direction, the acting and the fast paced story. Tiring at time! What an unexpected treat. This is a proper suspense film.

Changing Lanes - 2002 ****

A very clever thriller. Affleck plays a highly strung lawyer who becomes embroiled in a car accident with a salesman (Freeman) who is on the way to court to try and gain custody of his children. Despite being in the wrong, Affleck drives off without giving Freeman any information and leaving him there in the middle of the road. Getting to court, Affleck realises that he has left one of the key files he needs for his power of appointment at the roadside with Freeman. Freeman isn't about to give back the file anytime soon. So begins a terrifying game of cat and mouse, where each move sees one of the men destroying a moment in the others life. Their whole day now revolves around trying to outsmart and hurt the other. It's an incredibly clever character study into two mindsets that couldn't be anymore different, and both actors are perfect for their roles.