Fruitvale Station (Cert 15, 85 mins) **** Starring: Michael B Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, Ahna O’Reilly, Ariana Neal, Caroline Lesley, Marjorie Shears, Victor Toman, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray.

On December 31, 2008, 22-year-old Oscar Grant III (Michael B Jordan) takes his young daughter Tatiana (Ariana Neal) to school then drops off his girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz) at work. He heads to the grocery store to pick up two crabs from the fish counter.Seemingly, it is a day like any other. Early the following morning, as Oscar and his friends travel home from New Year’s Eve celebrations, he is shot in the back and killed by a police officer at Fruitvale Station on the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system that serves San Francisco – a senseless killing that sparks riots across the city. Opening with real-life footage of the shooting, Fruitvale Station is a gripping portrait of a flawed man who struggles to rebuild bridges and atone for his sins but always seems to be dragged back into the mire.

Like the train that carried Oscar and his friends home from the New Year’s Eve fireworks, Ryan Coogler’s film has a relentless sense of momentum and won’t be deviated from its tragic course, no matter how hard we will it.

Coogler retains gritty realism in acutely observed scenes of family life.

His script speaks from the heart and touches and rends ours with every word. Jordan is terrific in the lead role – charming and volatile, cocksure yet desperately unsure how he will pay next month’s rent. Diaz is luminous in this engaging piece.

Mr Peabody & Sherman (Cert U, 92 mins) **** Featuring the voices of: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann, Allison Janney, Stanley Tucci, Patrick Warburton, Mel Brooks, Zach Callison, Lake Bell.

Mr Peabody (voiced by Ty Burrell) is a talking dog, whose myriad achievements include a Nobel Prize and two Olympic medals.

His greatest triumph is his adopted son, Sherman (Max Charles), who has nurtured a fascination with history by accompanying his father on time-travelling expeditions using the top-secret Wayback Machine.

On his first day at school, Sherman antagonises class swot Penny Peterson (Ariel Winter) and bites his nemesis. Dastardly child protective services officer Mrs Grunion (Allison Janney) threatens to take Sherman away from his father and insists on a home visit to gauge Mr Peabody’s suitability as a carer.

Penny and her parents Paul (Stephen Colbert) and Patty (Leslie Mann) also attend.

While the adults chat, Sherman and Penny use the Wayback Machine and accidentally create ripples through time. Mr Peabody & Sherman is a rip-roaring computer-animated adventure with limitless possibilities for sequels.

However, it’s the touching central relationship that anchors the picture and ensures Rob Minkoff’s colour-saturated romp is a well-groomed pick of the animated litter.

Craig Wright’s smart script refuses to roll over for sugary sentiment, charting a less obvious route to our heartstrings as the four-legged characters learn life lessons.