As one of the territories deemed lucky enough to get THE AVENGERS last week, today sees a number of second tier titles open ahead of the summer madness. But the lack of blockbusters certainly doesn’t mean there’s a lack of quality on offer, quite the contrary in fact! All these films open today:

Movie of the Week: THE CABIN IN THE WOODS

Directed by Drew Goddard
Joss Whedon – he of BUFFY, FIREFLY and now THE AVENGERS fame – wrote and produced this deliciously entertaining deconstruction of the horror genre, directed by Drew Goddard. Chris Hemsworth (THOR) and Kristen Connolly lead a group of teens on a hedonistic weekend of debauchery at the titular secluded venue, but all is not what it seems. The less you know about this going in the better, but definitely a film you’ll want to talk about afterwards! (4/5)

CORIOLANUS

Directed by Ralph Fiennes
For his directorial debut, Fiennes tackles one of Shakespeare’s most obscure and unwieldy plays, relocating it to the present day in commendable style. Fiennes plays the warrior leader who struggles to command in peace time and despises the passive nature of his people. His contempt sees him banished and he must turn to his own sworn enemy (Gerard Butler) for help. Fiennes assembles a fantastic cast, including Vanessa Redgrave and Jessica Chastain, and turns this notoriously difficult text into a visceral and charged piece of Cinema. (4/5)

LOCKOUT

Directed by James Mather/Stephen St. Leger
If you’re looking for a slice of mindless B movie hokum, look no further than this incredibly silly but shamelessly entertaining sci-fi actioner from producer Luc Besson. Guy Pearce reinvents himself as the wise-cracking cocksure beefcake Snow, who despite being in disgrace is assigned the mission of rescuing the president’s daughter from a maximum security space prison, where she has been taken hostage by the mentally unstable inmates. Wearing its influences (most notably John Carpenter’s ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK) proudly on its sleeve, what it may lack in top drawer special effects, it certainly makes up for in enthusiastic B movie thrills and whipsmart one-liners. (3/5)

DARK TIDE

Directed by John Stockwell
While it may look like a weighty, character-based drama set on the beautiful but dangerous waters off the coast of Cape Town, the script is riddled with cliches and one dimensional characters wading through an entirely predictable plot. Halle Berry plays the former shark expert scarred by tragedy, Olivier Martinez her estranged husband/colleague and Ralph Brown the arrogant millionnaire willing to pay whatever it takes to swim with a Great White. Essentially VERTICAL LIMIT or SANCTUM, but with sharks, events play out exactly as expected, but at a pace that reeks of delusions of grandeur, although the impressive underwater photography make it almost worth watching. (2/5)

SNOWFALL IN TAIPEI

Directed by Huo Jianqi
I haven’t had a chance to catch this Taiwanese tale of young love just yet, and it’s unlikely I’ll bother to be honest. There seem to be a slew of similarly themed romances lining up in the months ahead and frankly I can only stomach so much and have heard little to make this one stand out from the crowd.

So, let us know what you watch this weekend, and if it’s one of these and you agree/disagree with what I thought of them, we’d love to hear from you!