Three at the Movies: Just how good is Tom Ford's Nocturnal Animals?

Nocturnal Animals (15)

Starring: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer

The low-down: Directed by Tom Ford, this film focuses on LA gallery owner, Susan (Adams). On the surface she has it all: a great career, glamorous life and husband. Yet when her ex, Edward (Gyllenhaal) sends her a copy of his manuscript, her life starts to spiral.

Who's it for? Cinema-goers who like their thrillers to be massively psychological.

What the experts say:

"Some might find the film heartless or cold, but that misses the point. Strong storytelling demands empathy not sympathy." Empire

"This is a terrifically absorbing thriller with that vodka-kick of pure malice." The Guardian

"David Lynch meets Alfred Hitchcock meets Douglas Sirk in Nocturnal Animals, a sumptuously entertaining noir melodrama laced with vicious crime and psychological suspense." Hollywood Reporter

Worth seeing? Definitely. Negative reviews for this one are hard to come by.

Around the BBC

Check out Mark Kermode's review of Nocturnal Animals from Kermode and Mayo's Film Review on 5 live.

A Street Cat Named Bob (12A)

Starring: Luke Treadaway, Ruta Gedmintas, Joanne Froggatt, Anthony Head and Bob the Cat

The low-down: Adaptation of the bestselling autobiography by James Bowen. James (Treadaway) is homeless and suffering with addiction problems. So what will help him get off the streets? A stray cat called Bob who follows him everywhere.

Who's it for? Those who loved the book and those who want their tales of woe uplifted with a cute cat.

What the experts say:

"If you’re partial to cats and don’t mind a bit of saccharine with your social realism, it’s the kind of movie to leave you purring in approval. If not, you'll probably come out in hives.” Independent

"The tone director Roger Spottiswoode and the high quality cast strike is perfect. The social realism is shot through with just enough whimsy and lightness of touch to make it easily accessible to a wide audience." The Big Issue

"Unpretentiously touching on the page, this material feels stretched a bit thin on film, with televisual production values and a samey song score doing little to enrich matters: Still, it’s sweetly hopeful (and, in its own parlance, “Catmassy”) enough to score in ancillary as a future holiday-season standby." Variety

Worth seeing? Yes, apparently Bob the cat plays his role to perfection.

Around the BBC

Check out Mark Kermode's review of A Street Cat Named Bob from Kermode and Mayo's Film Review on 5 live.

The Accountant (15)

Starring: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, JK Simmons

The low-down:

This is an action thriller about an accountant. Yes, really. Only he's not just any old number cruncher - he's been diagnosed with high-functioning autism - oh and he's also an assassin.

Who's it for? People who can suspend their disbelief.

What the experts say:

"The Accountant features a strong performance by Affleck, but it ultimately comes off as an underdeveloped, generic genre picture." Screen Rant

"Who knows why Mr. Affleck, looking appropriately dead-eyed and miserable, committed himself to this laborious ultraviolent brain tease of a crime thriller. The movie, directed by Gavin O’Connor (“Tumbleweeds”), makes little sense. The screenplay, by Bill Dubuque, is so determined to hide its cards that when the big reveal finally arrives, it feels as underwhelming as it is preposterous." New York Times

"The Accountant is a monumentally weird film: a story so at war at itself that it feels like the work of two separate filmmakers." Den of Geek

Worth seeing? In the same way any good accountant would tell you to look after your pennies, you might be ill advised to splash out on this.

Around the BBC

Check out Mark Kermode's review of The Accountant from Kermode and Mayo's Film Review on 5 live.