Reel magic: The UAE’s latest cinema releases

The Theory of Everything

After picking up the Golden Globe for Best Actor this week, Eddie Redmayne looks a shoo-in for a nomination in the same category at next month’s Academy Awards.

The actor plays theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, as he attends Cambridge University and falls deeply in love with fellow student Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones), upon whose memoirs the film is based.

But the couple’s passionate love affair is dealt a hammer blow when Hawking discovers that he has a rare form of motor neurone disease, which also threatens his groundbreaking scientific work.

Redmayne and Jones have both drawn fierce acclaim for their respective roles, while the film itself (from Man on Wire director James Marsh) has been largely applauded – although some critics have found fault with its supposed glossiness.

“A stirring and bittersweet love story, inflected with tasteful good humour,” said Justin Chang of Variety.

“On one side is Mr. Redmayne’s remarkable presence. On the other is Ms. Jones, whose lovely freshness and calm intelligence complement everything her co-star does,” said Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal.

The Theory of Everything currently has a 79% rating on rottentomatoes.com and a 7.7/10 rating on imdb.com.

Taken 3

Liam Neeson rounds off the trilogy that turned him into an unlikely action star with Taken 3.

This time around, the taciturn Irishman – being paid a reported $20 million salary – finds his retired CIA operative Bryan Mills on the run after his ex-wife is murdered and he is framed.

For one final time, Mills must use his famously “particular set of skills” to escape capture and bring the real villains to justice.

Predictably for an action ‘threequel’, Taken 3 has elicited snide reviews from critics. Audiences however still appear to love the action franchise, which opened in the States last weekend at number one with an impressive $39.2 million haul.

“Nothing gets taken here except your ticket money,” said David Hiltbrand of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“Taken 3 is such a blatant paycheque gig for Liam Neeson, you almost expect him to stop midmovie to deposit his loot into an ATM,” said Peter Howell of The Toronto Star.

Taken 3 currently has an 11% rating on rottentomatoes.com and a 6.7/10 rating on imdb.com.