Begin Again (15)

Begin Again (15)

Dir: John Carney

With: Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley

Runtime: 104 minutes

IRISH writer-director John Carney had a hit in 2006 with the musical Once, the tale of a Dublin busker and a Czech migrant hitting the creative high notes together.

Seven years later he is back with another two hander, this time located in New York and featuring a washed-up record company executive (Mark Ruffalo) and an English singer-songwriter (Keira Knightley).

Same old routine then, but this time both the story and the direction are more assured. All that, plus some terrific songs.

A thoroughly modern musical but one that, just like the golden oldies, has you leaving the cinema in a better mood.

Under the Rainbow (15)

Dir: Agnes Jaoui

With: Agathe Bonitzer, Arthur Dupont

Runtime: 112 minutes

A YOUNG Frenchwoman dreams of finding love and a chance meeting with a musician appears to have delivered it. However, this is a comedy drama from Agnes Jaoui (Look at Me, Family Resemblances) so the path of true romance is going to go all round the houses, twice, before settling on a surprising destination. The giddy whirl proves a tad wearing at times, as do the many conversations about the finer points of love.

DCA, Dundee, from July 11; Belmont, Aberdeen and Edinburgh Filmhouse, from July 25.

Keeping Rosy (15)

Dir: Steve Reeves

With: Maxine Peake, Blake Harrison

Runtime: 93 minutes

AN odd one this from Steve Reeves, here making his feature debut. In its favour is a cracking central performance from the ever excellent Maxine Peake (Silk, Shameless) as a career woman brought low by redundancy, and that is just the start of her troubles.

This, too, is the point at which the drama starts to go wrong as Reeves and co-writer Mike Oughton pile improbable twist upon unexpected turn, gradually draining their story of believability.

Cameo, Edinburgh, July 15 only.