Before summer brings us a bunch of (hopefully) good blockbusters and a lot of (hopefully) sunny weather, cinemas this week have stocked up on smaller ventures. Sleepless is a thriller directed by Swiss filmmaker Baran bo Odar. His first English-language feature, it stars Jamie Foxx as a detective who must delve into the criminal underworld in order to find his kidnapped son.

Michelle Monaghan, David Harbour and Scoot McNairy also star in this remake of Frédéric Jardin’s 2011 French thriller. That outing was better received than Odar’s redoing, which bears the hallmarks of many a Liam Neeson grit-filled exploit. Foxx is often a charismatic presence, and the cast is talented too, therefore this should at least have a little to offer.

Another thriller, Unlocked manoeuvres us from the streets of Las Vegas to the gloomier site of London. Prometheus main-player Noomi Rapace joins Orlando Bloom and Michael Douglas in an effort to prevent a biological terror assault on the capital city.

As its promotional poster notes, Michael Apted’s outing arrives via the producers of genre companions Red and Salt, thus you should expect something fairly similar. Of his more recent efforts, Apted’s work on The Chronicles of Narnia series is notable.  Dog lovers rejoice! Lasse Hallström brings us A Dog’s Purpose, a film about a canine who lives multiple lives alongside multiple owners. Josh Gad voices each dog incarnation, while the likes of Dennis Quaid and Britt Robertson turn out as owners. Expect a lot of heartstring-pulling in this.

And we round off the week with two British productions; one new, the other old (sort of). Produced by Ridley Scott and Steve Coogan, Mindhorn unfurls the comedic story of an actor who indulges in a scenario where a criminal confuses fiction with reality, assuming the actor is, in fact, a policeman (as opposed to someone who plays a policeman on television). Directed by Sean Foley, this one has been generally well-received by critics.

The other UK production is a remake of Ealing Comedy’s 1949 hit, Whisky Galore! It stars Gregor Fisher and Eddie Izzard, and details the exploits of a group of Scots who attempt to steal whisky crates from a stranded ship during World War II. The film spent the best part of a decade struggling to gain traction, but it is here now, and hopefully worth the wait.

Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Like most superhero flicks nowadays, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is an ensemble piece, meaning it hosts a large volume of actors. Unlike most superhero flicks nowadays, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 affords ample screen time to all of its characters, mainstays and supporting players alike.

This is all James Gunn’s doing, the writer-director who now brings us the sequel to his own 2014 hit. While the original was all about introducing its main wacky characters (Pratt, Saldana, Bautista, Cooper, and Diesel are all back as the eponymous Guardians) and their space-trotting tendencies, Vol. 2 has more room to explore the journeys of its side collaborators.

Ravager duo Kraglin and Yondu – played by Sean Gunn and Michael Rooker, respectively – are fine examples of this, each given genuine moments to shine, their collective arc the heartfelt backbone of the story. Dave Bautista is also a highlight as Drax the Destroyer, his pinpoint tone-deafness a surefire incitement of amusement.

Sure, it might not have the fresh burst of pure joviality the initial outing brought in abundance, but this tale of fatherhood and sisterhood works on a more sentimental level. With part three in the works, we may be looking at another exceptional superhero trilogy.