What were the best films that came out in the last week? What were the worst? Were there any you weren’t sure of seeing? Below are quick and easy star ratings of the past week’s releases to help you decide, including short plot details from IMDB. Full comment and opinion can be found in The Film Journal.

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22/08/14

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What If
★★★★

Wallace, who is burned out from a string of failed relationships, forms an instant bond with Chantry, who lives with her longtime boyfriend. Together, they puzzle out what it means if your best friend is also the love of your life.
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98 min. Director: Michael Dowse. Writer: Elan Mastai. Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Megan Park. Watch trailer

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Two Days, One Night (Deux jours, une nuit)
★★★★½

• Recommended Sandra, a young Belgian mother, discovers that her workmates have opted for a significant pay bonus, in exchange for her dismissal. She has only one weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses so that she can keep her job.
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95 min. Directors: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne. Writers: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne. Stars: Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione, Pili Groyne. Watch trailer

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Into the Storm
★★½

Storm trackers, thrill-seekers, and everyday townspeople document an unprecedented onslaught of tornadoes touching down in the town of Silverton.
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89 min. Director: Steven Quale. Writer: John Swetnam. Stars: Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Matt Walsh. Watch trailer

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Lucy
★★★½

A woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.
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89 min. Director: Luc Besson. Writer: Luc Besson. Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Min-sik Choi. Watch trailer

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Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
★★★

Some of Sin City’s most hard-boiled citizens cross paths with a few of its more reviled inhabitants.
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102 min. Directors: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez. Writer: Frank Miller. Stars: Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Brolin. Watch trailer

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The Notorious Mr. Bout
★★★½

When he was arrested in 2008 in Thailand as a result of a U.S. government sting operation, the career of internationally known arms smuggler Viktor Bout came to a decisive end. Veiled by the obscurity of post-Soviet Russia, Bout had built an empire of aerial delivery so vast he was called “the merchant of death” and was even the subject of a Hollywood film.
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90 min. Directors: Tony Gerber, Maxim Pozdorovkin. Stars: Alla Bout, Sergei Bout, Viktor Bout. Watch trailer

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