Sing Street (12A)
three stars
Dir: John Carney
With: Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Aiden Gillen
Runtime: 106 minutes
ANOTHER musical yarn from John Carney, the Irish helmer of Once and Begin Again. Like those pictures it is a love story, but this one is centred around a Dublin teenager, Cosmo (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) whose grand passion is pop music. Cosmo wants to be a pop star, and nothing, not the break up of his parents’ marriage or the bullies at school (the ones in the playground and on the staff) are going to stop him. Plenty of lovely moments that those of an Eighties vintage will chuckle at, and the soundtrack is a moreish cheesefest of poptastic tunes. Nothing startling here, but a likeable young cast and an irresistible vibe.
X-Men: Apocalypse (12A)
two stars
Dir: Bryan Singer
With: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender
Runtime: 144 minutes
YOU will need a degree in X-Menology (yes, just invented the discipline) and several PhDs in patience to get through the set up for this latest instalment in the franchise. Something wicked and powerful is coming this way from the ancient past and once again mutants and humans are at odds with each other and among themselves. James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence reprise their roles as Xavier, Erik/Magneto and Raven/Mystique, but this is all about introducing the next generation of super-powered ones. Otherwise, it’s the same old crash, bang, CGI-heavy mash-up, delivered at a ridiculously long length.
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