Ghosts of War (18)
Directed by Eric Bress
★★★★

SIXTEEN years after The Butterfly Effect, film-maker Eric Bress returns with a seemingly conventional ghost film but which has a deliciously unsettling and surprising twist.

Set in WWII, it follows five battle-hardened US soldiers — played by Brenton Thwaites, Theo Rossi, Kyle Gallner, Skylar Astin and Alan Ritchson — who are assigned to defend and hold a French chateau against the Nazis.

They should have realised the assignment was too good to be true when the unit they are relieving can’t wait to be shot of the place.

As they hunker down, they discover that the creepy chateau has a life of its own and is haunted by apparitions — cue endless weird creaks and noises, moving furniture and ugly ghosts.

Just when you think this is a very stylishly shot but predictable haunted-house film it takes a turn which you won’t see coming. What follows is an intriguing exploration of the horrors and atrocities of war and post traumatic stress disorder within a horror construct.

An entertaining ride.

Available on video on demand.

Masters of Love (15)
Directed by Matt Roberts
★★★★

THE COMPLICATIONS of contemporary love and friendship are lovingly explored in this surprisingly funny and touching British rom com.

Writer-director Matt Roberts’s debut feature follows a group of friends who are at different stages in their relationships, with Emmy (Sarah Ovens) and Samantha (Eleanor Fanyinka) about to get married.

But Emmy’s foodie brother Josh and his girlfriend Jenifer (Lizzy Watts) are splitting up, while Josh’s stand-up comic friend Niall (Ciaran Dowd) is continually sleeping around.

It is an impressive first feature from Roberts, who has created characters who ring true to life and whose actions — some heightened for comic effect —  and problems are very relatable. A superb cast imbues them with pathos and a great deal of likeability and vulnerability.

There are some painfully funny moments as Josh embarks on internet dating and takes his loss of Jenifer to extremes, while Niall’s stand-up comic routine needs to be seen to be believed.

Masters of Love is an unexpected gem and I’m looking forward to seeing what Roberts does next.

Available on digital download.

Dreambuilders (U)
Directed by Kim Hagen Jensen and Tonni Zinck
★★★

A WORLD where dreams are created by a group of dreambuilders, each with their own script, cast and sound stage is the setting for this bold and ambitious Danish animated feature.

It centres on Minna (Robyn Dempsey), a young girl whose tranquil life with her father (Tom Hale) and hamster named Viggo Mortensen is upended with the arrival of her new would-be stepmother (Karen Ardiff) and stepsister Jenny (Emma Jenkins), who turns out to be a spoilt brat. She is totally self-obsessed, spending her time posting on Instagram and making Minna’s life hell.

Having discovered the dreambuilders and how she can control other people’s dreams, Minna decides to teach Jenny a lesson after she declares Viggo hamster non grata.

Reminiscent of Pixar’s Inside Out, the film comes into its own in elaborate dream sequences full of colourful and quirky fun characters, although younger children might find some scenes a little frightening.

While it may not have the ingenuity and depth of a classic Pixar film, Dreambuilders holds its own with its beautiful animation and engaging story and characters.

Arkansas (15)
Directed by Clark Duke
★★★

SPANNING several decades, this quirky thriller about organised crime in Arkansas from actor and writer turned director Clark Duke is a case of style over substance.

Based on the best-selling novel by John Brandon. it follows the exploits of two minor drug dealers Kyle (Liam Hemsworth) and Swin (Duke) who team up and end up working for the mysterious drugs lord called Frog (Vince Vaughn, on fantastic menacing form)

Thanks to a stellar cast, which also includes John Malkovich, Vivica A Fox and Michael Kenneth Williams, Duke’s debut directorial feature punches well above its weight.

Divided into numerous chapters dedicated to each character, Arkansas is slick and stylish but the portrayals are somewhat two-dimensional and certainly not very likeable.

But it is almost worth watching for Malkovich alone.

Available on digital download and on DVD from July 20.