theOneliner.com: Handling the Truth

Before we plunge headlong into the world of arthouse cinema at this year's EIFF, here's a roundup of those films currently plaguing your local multiplex: The Hangover: Part Two, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, X-Men: First Class, Senna, and Last Night.

The Hangover: Part Two kicks off this parade of tentpole sequels, and delivers damn near the same film as the first one, but in Bangkok. At the risk of being extraordinarily lazy, if you like the first one, you'll like this, for much the same reasons. Listen to our podcast for slightly more detailed examinations of the film.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides gets a cast upgrade, but otherwise delivers business as usual for the franchise. As usual, the franchise id predicated entirely on Johnny Depp's addled pirate act, so if you want more of that, go watch. Otherwise, this delivers a movie exactly as you would expect from the fourth entry in the series.

X-Men: First Class bucks the trend by being the fourth, or fifth, depending on if you count Wolverine or not, entry in the franchise and being the best of the bunch. Great turns from James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender provide a solid base for the series 'mutual respect' meme, and Kevin Bacon is a revelation as the sinister Sebastian Shaw. Highly recommended.

Senna is a documentary about, unsurprisingly, Ayrton Senna. If you like Ayrton Senna, you'll like this. Lazy? Me?

Last Night? A melodrama starring Keira Knightley and Sam Worthington, two of the least charismatic and engaging actors working today? Yeah, that works out as well as you'd expect.