PLANNING ON HEADING out to the cinema this weekend?

There are a few new movies out, but which is a must-watch, and are there any you should avoid?

We take a look.

The Secret Scripture

What we know

Based – albeit somewhat loosely – on the book of the same name by Sebastian Barry. Starring Rooney Mara and Vanessa Redgrave as the young and older version of an irish woman who is sent to an asylum, but writes down her story in her ‘secret scripture’ book. Directed by Jim Sheridan.

What the critics say

• “Sheridan, reuniting with producer Noel Pearson (My Left Foot, The Field), shapes the drama with a sure grasp of the injustice that courses through Rose’s story, which will find her not just at St. Malachy’s but also, during her pregnancy, at one of the Magdalene Laundries, Ireland’s horrendous institutional response to “fallen women”. ” – Hollywood Reporter
• “Young Rose, initially feisty, becomes an unknowable non-entity. We never truly understand her and Mara quickly becomes visibly bored. She also seems annoyed by the other two attractive yet bland participants in her love triangle, both also stuck playing ciphers.” - The Guardian

What’s it rated?

• RottenTomatoes: 2.8/10
• IMDB: 6.9/10

The Eyes of My Mother

What we know

Easily grossed out? Then this horror film is not for you…

What the critics say

• “The Eyes Of My Mother is a grotesque, depraved genre movie with the skin of an art film pulled tightly over its bones. If Ingmar Bergman had helmed The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, it might look something like this exquisite nightmare.” – The AV Club
• “Meshing an especially bloody strain of slasher pic with the most whispery of high-art sensibilities, this tale of a young Portuguese-American woman drawn — by way of misused heritage and scarring personal tragedy — into severely psychotic behavior reps an exquisite waking nightmare, its meticulous monochrome imagery caressing the eye even as the filmmaker brandishes a scalpel before it.” - Variety

What’s it rated?

• RottenTomatoes: 6.6/10
• IMDB: 6.2/10

Life

What we know

If you’ve seen Alien, then this will look very familiar… a team out in space discover extraterrestrial life on Mars, but (shock!) it turns out this lifeform isn’t out to be best pals. Stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds.

What the critics say

• “The expressions on the spacepersons’ faces here may give a guide to the feelings of Ridley Scott and everyone involved with the 1979 classic Alien when they see it. Life is indebted to Alien, to say the least, although its final, perfunctory hint of a conspiracy doesn’t approach Alien’s powerful satirical pessimism.” – The Guardian
• “ “Life’s” a thrill when it’s smart, but it’s even more exciting when the characters are dumb — which is ultimately a paradox the film wears proudly, to the possible extinction of the human race.” – Variety

What’s it rated?

• RottenTomatoes: 7.3/10
• IMDB: 8.4/10

Which one would you go see first?