New Releases (31/10/13)

In cinemas this week - Thor: The Dark World, Lee Daniels' The Butler, Sister and Fly Me to the Moon.

Thor: The Dark World - Continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel's Thor and The Avengers Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on a perilous and personal journey, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything.

Sister - Simon (Kacey Mottet Klein) lives with his older sister (Léa Seydoux) in a housing complex below a luxury Swiss ski resort. With his sister drifting in and out of jobs and relationships, twelve-year-old Simon takes on the responsibility of providing for the two of them. Every day, he takes the lift up to the opulent ski world above, stealing equipment from rich tourists to resell to the local kids down in the valley. He is able to keep their little family afloat with his small-time hustles and his sister is thankful for the money he brings in. But, when Simon partners with a crooked British seasonal worker, he begins to lose his boundaries, affecting his relationship with his sister and plummeting him into dangerous territory.

Lee Daniels' The Butler - Tells the story of a White House butler who served eight American presidents over three decades. The film traces the dramatic changes that swept American society during this time, from the civil rights movement to Vietnam and beyond, and how those changes affected this man's life and family. Forest Whitaker stars as the butler with Robin Williams as Dwight Eisenhower, John Cusack as Richard Nixon, Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan, James Marsden as John F. Kennedy, Liev Schreiber as Lyndon B. Johnson, and many more.

Weekly recommendation: I really liked Sister. It is compelling small-scale drama with fine performances and stunning photography. It is a unique character-driven film about the lengths one is willing to go to maintain that much-desired family foundation. Thor: The Dark World is also worth a look. It's fun. The story didn't grip me, but the latter half action and humour - after Loki is given something to do - gelled really well. The Butler is receiving Oscar buzz - most notably for Oprah Winfrey's supporting performance - but I have no idea what Daniels is going to throw at us next (hated Precious, liked The Paperboy). I'll check it out.