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Kim Hollis: I think that the result is not terribly surprising. It's a movie that is perfectly suited to its demographic, and presents a Hangover-esque story aimed at that age group rather than 30-something dudes. I'm slightly surprised that the found footage gimmick isn't losing some steam, but I guess if they're going to use it in new and different ways rather than repeating the same stuff over and over again, it can have its place. I am amused by the audience extremes that the two new movies this weekend would have created in theaters - on one side, you have the party kids, and on the other side you have the little kids and their parents.

David Mumpower: To a larger point, I am impressed by all the creative wrinkles movie makers are finding in the evolving Found Footage genre. I thought Apollo 18 as a premise was genius and this is even more original. It takes that closing bit of The Hangover where we recount the night through pictures and shapes it into an entire video of forgotten events. I congratulate the person/people who had that idea, because it is an instant money concept. The opening weekend triumph is the culmination of that.

We watch movies. Hooray!

Edwin Davies: I had a rather intense weekend watching a bunch of really oppressively bleak films, all of which were good, even if I had to chain watch episodes of Parks & Recreation afterwards to restore my faith in humanity.

Carancho (The Vulture) - An Argentinian thriller about insurance which- wait, come back, it's really good! Anyway, the film focuses on the relationship that develops between an ambulance chaser whose job is to essentially con victims of traffic accidents into signing contracts that will ensure that they receive hardly any money whilst the insurance companies walk away rich, and a relatively naive doctor who doesn't realise the depths of the corruption around her. It's a really compelling film that offers an insight into a sub-culture that I knew nothing about by putting it in the trappings of a genre film. The end result is something that is hugely exciting, but which manages to examine some very difficult moral issues.

Martha Marcy May Marlene - When people look back on the 2012 Oscars, I hope that they will cite the lack of recognition for this film as a clear sign that they got it very, very wrong. A really beguiling examination of the mindset of a young woman who escapes from a cult that uses a non-linear narrative to establish her confused state of mind, jumping from past to present to suggest a sense of memories being confused with reality and vice versa. Elizabeth Olsen is superb as the main character, and the ever brilliant John Hawkes is amazingly creepy as charismatic the cult leader.

Michael - I really have trouble talking about this film because the subject matter is so distasteful and awful, so I'll kind of skirt around it as best I can. It's essentially about an Austrian man who keeps a young boy prisoner in his cellar for...well, reasons. Horrible, horrible reasons. However, it's not sensational or horrific since all the abuse happens off-screen. What's really disturbing is the way in which the captor tries to make everything seem normal by taking the boy out to the park or singing Christmas carols with him. It's a deeply unsettling watch that I found really effective, even though I don't think it ultimately has anything meaningful to say about the abuse itself, or the society that could allow such abuse to occur.

48 Hours - Man, Eddie Murphy used to be amazing.

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