Igor
Not so long ago in a kingdom not so far away the people had been brainwashed by their king into believing the only way to survive was to be evil. The king shrouded the land in grim clouds, warning of approaching evil. The king’s evil scientists competed in an annual science fair, vying to invent evil. But a saviour came through the ranks, an Igor, one of the hunchbacked servant caste enslaved to the elite of mad scientists, and overthrew the evil king. Sound like the United States’s recent presidential elections? The resemblance between the US and the kingdom of Malaria in this hilarious animated feature seems no accident. Muted colours and a brooding atmosphere emphasise a darker take on our world, but this only makes the gags funnier. — Zinaid Meeran
Killshot
Based on the novel by Elmore Leonard, Killshot is about a middle-aged couple (Dianne Lane and Thomas Jane) being hunted down by professional killer Armand Degas (Mickey Rourke), who is obsessed with anonymity, and his psycho sidekick, Richard Nix (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Word on the street (and on every website) is that Killshot was initially destined for a DVD release after a test audience found the multifaceted plot too perplexing. To save the film, the producers decided to refine the story, but now the film is so straightforward you will spend your time hoping for something to confuse you. The characters lack personality and the dialogue is trite. — Azad Essa