A list of new films released in the UK on Friday 10 October 2014.

Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

An ace little website accompanies this cute looking Disney comedy with Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner as aprents to a boy (Ed Oxenbould) who experiences the worse day ever, starting when he gets chewing gum stuck in his hair. The film opens in Scotland today, the rest of the UK from October 24.

Annabelle

A real-life Annabelle (Ms Wallis, the short-lived Jane Seymour in The Tudors) stars as one half of a young couple (the other being a rather fit Ward Horton) who experience terrifying supernatural occurrences involving a vintage doll shortly after their home is invaded by satanic cultists. Ads for this are splashed all over the IMDb, as is the film all over UK cinema screens. Official website is here.

The Calling

What with all the moody Scandi-noir on TV screens, a little should inevitably bubble over into the cinemas. Here, Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef (Susan Sarandon) leads a quiet life with her mother (Ellen Burstyn), her painkillers, and an occasional drink. But when she checks on an ill neighbor, she stumbles upon a gruesome murder that shatters her peaceful existence. The official Facebook page is here, but the film will be on a limited run only. Check out Find Any Film for screenings near to you here.

Effie Gray

Emma Thompson scripts and stars in this account of the love triangle between Victorian art critic John Ruskin (played by Greg Wise, Thompson’s real-life husband), his wife, Euphemia “Effie” Gray (Dakota Fanning), and Pre-Raphaelite artist John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge). The film will be screening across the UK, but not on many screens so check Find Any Film to make sure you don’t miss out. No official website, but the Wikipedia page is here.

Filmed in Supermarionation

‘Stand by for action!’ This is the definitive documentary about the unique puppetry and animation technique developed by Gerry and Sylvia and their team and utilised in all their programmes throughout the 1960s including Stingray, Captain Scarlet and, most famously, Thunderbirds. showing at key cities only, the official webpage is here. For Facebookers, try here.

Giovanni’s Island

For anime fans, in the aftermath of the most devastating conflict mankind had ever experienced, the tiny island of Shikotan became part of the Sakhalin Oblast… and on the unhealed border of this remote corner of the world, friendship among children from two different countries timidly blossomed, striving to overcome language barriers and the waves of history. Check out the website for more detail here and scroll down for UK screening locations.

Gone Too Far!

Lots of good media coverage recently about this black British comedy that commendably focuses on funs rather than guns. The plot is: we follow two estranged teenage brothers over the course of a single day as they meet for the first time and struggle to accept each other for who they are. When London teenager Yemi’s big brother comes to live with him from Nigeria, Ikudayisi’s terrible fashion sense, broad Yoruba accent and misplaced confidence with the opposite sex threaten to destroy Yemi’s already small amount of street cred. When the pair are forced to spend the day together on their Peckham estate Yemi is forced to confront local bullies, the unattainable girl of his dreams and his own African heritage, eventually teaching both of them the values of family and self-respect. Showing at key cities only, for details click here for the official web page.

The Maze Runner

Is this the British Hunger Games? When Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) wakes up trapped in a massive maze with a group of other boys, he has no memory of the outside world other than strange dreams about a mysterious organization known as W.C.K.D. Only by piecing together fragments of his past with clues he discovers in the maze can Thomas hope to uncover his true purpose and a way to escape. Based upon the best-selling novel by James Dashner, the film will be playing just about all over, the Tumblr page is here.

’71

Jack O’Connell (Starred Up) continues an impressive looking run of gritty films with this Northern Ireland during the troubles drama, as a young soldier separated from his unit during a riot. The official Studio Canal webpage has typically scant information on it here, but the trailer on Youtube is here.

And on Wednesday 15 October…

The Best Of Me

Another Nicholas (The Notebook) adaptation (the guy must be cranking up the millions), with James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan. Years ago, Dawson and Amanda knew and fell for each other while they were in high school, where they had the time of their lives. Now, twenty years later, the two, by chance, find each other in the town they left and renew their relationship as adults. Irrespective of the plot or anything else, this is worth seeing for the dreamy Mr Marsden (how can anyone resist a man whose stubble so perfectly flows along his cheekbones)? The official Tumblr site is here and the film will be playing all over the UK.