The Good Liar (2019)

It's not quite true to say you know exactly what is going to happen in this thriller based on Nicholas Searle's book because the movie withholds until the end some specifics that are impossible to foresee, but enough is known from the outset to make the broader arc of this crime thriller predictable and it is just thanks to the fine performances of British acting royalty Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren, playing conman Richard and the latest victim in his sights, the wealthy widow Betty, that the plot, largely without surprises, is still so entertaining.

★★★☆☆

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Mr Holmes (2015)

The themes of memory, fact and fiction are explored in this movie that elaborates on the Sherlock Holmes canon, imagining the great detective at 90-odd years of age vexed by an unsolved case, but the movie's three distinct story threads are each so frustratingly thin - and in one important area, so unconvincing - that the impact of the interesting loftier themes is lessened.

★★☆☆☆

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X-men: The Last Stand (2006)

The third installment of the X-men series dutifully upholds the superhero filmmaking law which states a third installment superhero movie must be so unrestrained it collapses from its own bombast.

★★☆☆☆

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