David Parkinson

Dramatically, this may seem slight. But bounteous pleasures lie in the intimacy of the acting and in the exquisite cinematic and culinary craftmanship on display.

Drolly scripted, impeccably designed and photographed, and played to succinct perfection, this may only be a slender drama, but it's also a cherishable summation of what makes Aki Kaurismäki special.

Visually striking and explosively violent, this simmering parable makes exceptional use of its rustic locations — and the faces of a vibrant cast — to reinforce a sense of authenticity.

An affecting reflection on the loneliness we will all have to face at our end, held together by Vicky Krieps's poised display of unself-pitying despair and liberating acceptance.

Meticulously controlled, but simmering with a tension that is suffused with fury, this treatise on dignity and depravity, aspiration and apathy is the Dardennes at their most accusatory and damning.

Despite the almost caricatural Frenchness of the premise, this is a superbly acted and intricately directed drama that makes a virtue of its very human feelings and follies.

Despite the nobility of its intentions and commitment of its cast, this would-be treatise on gig economical iniquity winds up patronising the very ‘invisible people' it's supposed to be championing.

Showing how paradise can be hell, this audiovisual treat is spiritedly played by its leads and bristles with a brooding menace that can't quite disguise the story's essentially melodramatic nature.

Filmed over 13 days in Tuscany and based on genuine Balkan Route testimony, this is an innovative, immersive insight into the migration crisis that also reveals much about human depravity.

Moving and atmospheric, this quest tale is among the best of its kind.

Full of fascinating behavioural insights and moments that are both hilarious and adorable, this studied treatise on the personality and emotionality of domestic animals should provide plentiful food for thought.

This study in chaos and calculation not only makes for harrowingly compelling viewing, but it also exposes the apathy of an international community that simply turned the other way.

Combining widescreen lyricism and neo-realist intimacy, this is a poignant reflection on the stark situation awaiting so many migrants who risk everything to reach a false paradise. The methodology occasionally feels calculating, but the intentions couldn't be more sincere, as the struggles are destined to continue once the cameras leave.

With each subplot reinforcing the simmering sense of unease, this compelling recreation of a pernicious period soberingly exposes the ease with which morality can become a casualty of human nature.

Instructive, insightful and inspiring, Maiden is a rousingly riveting record of a remarkable accomplishment that says as much about British bloody-mindedness as it does about feminist fortitude and underdog pluck.

Regardless of the skittish structure and illegible subtitles, this is a valuable reflection on an incalculably influential career, which serves as a timely reminder about the pitfalls of artistic tyranny.

Challenging the truism that you can never go home, this doesn't entirely integrate its political subtext. But the storylines are involving, the setting is picturesque and the performances are impeccable.

Baalsrud never claimed to be a hero and the emphasis of this gripping reconstruction rightly falls on the resourcefulness, courage and self-sacrifice of those who epitomised the spirit of resistance.

The spirits of the old masters pervade this disquieting but deeply moving drama. But Kore-eda stands alone as the chronicler of family life in a country facing an identity crisis.

Tempering its flights of fancy with moments of whimsical humour and kid’s-eye realism, this thoughtful treatise on growing pains reveals a realist side of Japanimation that’s all too rarely seen.

Echoes of Dog Day Afternoon and Locke reverberate around this claustrophobic thriller, which is tautly plotted, precisely paced and grippingly played by Jakob Cedergren and his unseen co-stars.

Abetted by Nicolaj Brüel's prowlingly ominous camerawork and Dimitri Capuani's soul-destroying interiors, Garrone proves once again that even the lowest-rung southern Italian gangster can't afford a shred of human decency.

Whether rediscovering La France périphérique or hurtling through the Louvre, Varda and JR make a surprisingly empathetic team and their collaboration is as provocative as it is poetic and poignant.

Chekhov is notoriously difficult to film and this adaptation boldly taps into the play's mordant wit. But the fidgety and over-emphatic visuals detract from the themes and the stellar performances.

Impeccably performed by its young leads and nurturing supporting cast, this deeply personal picture particularly impresses in the closing scenes, which are quietly devastating in their intimacy, insight and truth.

This director's cut might smack of self-indulgence, but it also says much about love and loss and the language of an artform that flirts with realism while remaining an illusion.

Thrillingly capturing both time and place and fizzing with non-judgemental empathy and cinematic flair, this is a magnificent debut that catapults Laetitia Dosch into the front rank of French actresses.

Detached, but never dispassionate, this may not be Andrew Haigh's best film. But its slow-burning authenticity suggests a versatility to go with his acuity for credible characters in recognisable situations.

Knowingly blending realist grit with generic guile, this unrelentingly tense account of a fragmented family living in constant fear thoroughly merited the Best Director prize at the Venice Film Festival.

Pondering everything from free expression and sexual harassment to bourgeois guilt and migrant rage, this superbly acted saga may not always hit the target. But it unerringly leaves its mark.

It feels more like a ciné dissertation designed to showcase Zvyagintsev’s appreciation of the medium than an original piece of cinema.

A fascinating life is reduced to a series of skittishly edited and visually stylised vignettes that do scant justice to Marie Curie's scientific achievements and Karolina Gruszka's laudably intense performance.

A fascinating topic is attenuated by conservative storytelling and sketchy characterisation. Nevertheless, the sense of place is as assured as the vigilant performances, while the defusing sequences are genuinely suspenseful.

Telling an unfamiliar tale in a highly predictable manner, this is a laudable, but lightweight tribute to golf's founding fathers.

Despite a wonderfully witty voiceover and the bullish playing of a willing ensemble, this bawdy romp consistently stumbles over its more contrived excesses.

It's more than a little precious, but it's also sincere, touching and astute in its insights into social geography and human nature.

With its bestial themes, conceptual humour and cartoonish thespians, this consciously arch farce will intrigue some and infuriate others.

Unflinching in its depiction of rural reality, this may be a dour drama, but it has been made with sincerity and an exceptional sense of place.

This intelligently scripted and imposingly played costume noir revisits the conventions of Victorian melodrama to comment on modern attitudes to oppression, prejudice and morality.

Although replete with creepy shocks, this lacks the narrative finesse to match the committed performances and slick visuals.

With the camera placement being as meticulous as the use of Handel on the soundtrack, this impeccably played saga deservedly earned Mungiu a share of the Best Director prize at Cannes.

Atmospheric and engrossing, this meticulous recreation of time and place acquires an unsettling contemporary relevance through its analysis of the mindset of a mass murderer with a death wish.

Played with committed ferocity by the excellent Oh and Heche, this riotous state-of-the-nation satire may lack subtlety, but it has the courage of its socko convictions and certainly packs a punch.

The plot pieces might slot into place with a resounding clang, but what it lacks in finesse, this brutal actioner more than makes up for in bullish bravura and technical slickness.

Impeccably played by Rebecca Hall, this is a thoughtful reflection on life’s casual cruelties and how little attitudes towards women have changed since Watergate.

Rising to the challenge of doing something new(ish) with an overworked sub-genre, this may not be particularly scary or funny. But it belies its modest budget to splatter to knowing effect.

Persuasively played by fine leads and a well-cast ensemble, this thoughtful treatise captures provincial life and the medical mindset with authenticity and tact.

Ruinously prioritising chic over content, this is intellectually and stylistically shallow when it should have been dynamic and compelling.

Ruinously prioritising chic over content, this is intellectually and stylistically shallow when it should have been dynamic and compelling.

Vibrantly recreating a seminal period in Jodorowsky's personal and artistic development, this bullishly played saga has enough quirky detail, audacious incident and visual panache to sweep the storyline through its less persuasive phases.

Filled with striking and scarringly disconcerting images of vandalised nature, satanic mills and redundant modernity, this is a mournful tribute to a maligned migrant workforce and a sobering reminder that nothing comes cheap.

A touch twee at times, but the use of classic and original animation is admirable, while Owen emerges as the king of sidekicks.

Impossible to appreciate in a single sitting, this masterly piece of polemical filmmaking is as intoxicating as it is intriguing.

Played with restraint and individuality by a fine ensemble, this is a moving but provocative study of belief, duty, compassion and acceptance.

A gripping if occasionally overwrought drama radiated by a standout turn from Seydoux.

Taut, tense and teasing, this fascinating exercise in screen storytelling keeps viewers guessing whether the prime suspect might just be a victim.

Ostensibly, a lovingly made study of homemade cooking and old-fashioned values, this beautifully played drama also contains a mordant denunciation of the lack of compassion that shapes Japanese attitudes to social stigma.

Unflinching in its eschewal of objectivity, this provides a unique perspective on a notorious case, while correcting some of the impressions about urban black youth the media cravenly peddled in its aftermath.

A gruelling watch and a searing indictment of America's disregard for its indigenous peoples.

Hilarious in places, hideous in others, this struggles to make its philosophical case. But the performances are exceptional and the conceit could not be more daring or distinctive.

Notwithstanding the efforts of a game cast, this is a grotesque miscalculation that disrespects the memory of those who perished in one of the darkest episodes in recent history by turning it into a piece of white-knuckle entertainment.

Notwithstanding the efforts of a game cast, this is a grotesque miscalculation that disrespects the memory of those who perished in one of the darkest episodes in recent history by turning it into a piece of white-knuckle entertainment.

This 1967 Ming Dynasty epic may lack plot complexity and period spectacle. But the stand-off in a remote inn is flecked with tension, wit and slick martial artistry.

Despite the striking photography, this fascinating denunciation of 150 years of persecution and oppression lacks Guzmán's customary trenchancy and restraint.

An atmospheric rite of passage that suggests big things lie ahead for its writer-director and young cast.

This is a fascinating insight into the mind of the Nobel laureate and his city muse. Coolly intelligent and noirishly compelling.

Although packed with compelling archive footage, this never quite gets into Joplin's head, heart or soul.

Switching from dour humour to humanist drama without seeming contrived, this is a masterclass in combining character and landscape that is played with deceptive poignancy by the excellent leads.

The archive footage is compelling, but the soundtrack is a muddle of voice-over, music and effects.

Exquisitely designed, this cornucopia of melodramatic fragments and movie pastiches will enchant Guy Maddin fans.

While strong on establishment prejudice, the coverage of clashing egos and agendas isn’t always incisive.

A truly insightful art film that still manages to be easy-going and unpretentious.

Visually striking, intellectually challenging and emotionally harrowing.

This spends more time on the tensions between the dominant trio than their landmark campaigning.

Despite its sketchiness, this offers a vivid insight into the rejuvenation of a decaying city through fury, activism and music.

Outstanding account of a pivotal moment in small-screen history.

The science is haphazard, the techniques gimmicky, but the point is cogently made.

Superb star turn from Maria Alexandra Lungi but this doesn’t grip as it might.

While beautiful, early scenes of shocking violence give way to philosophising and gauche symbolism.

Exceptional, human filmmaking.

A gripping study of treachery, identity and survival.

Challengingly spellbinding.

More compelling when focusing on long-serving staff and their skills and opinions

A sensitive, sincere and humbling profile which is truly inspirational.

A final opportunity to see a master at work in this mischievously melancholic delight.

Quietly compelling, but lacks finesse in its characterisation and dogged denunciation of the Ethiopian justice system

Courageous and indelible account and an invaluable perspective of the protests.

Rinko Kikuchi's superb core performance and some striking photography stand out in the latest feature from the Zellner Brothers.

Charming performances from both leads and insightful vignettes makes up for occasional clumsy writing and plot developments.

Exasperatingly trite, but also rather sweet.

A daring, dark satire strewn with allusions to modern times.

An insightful examination of racism, homophobia and identity in Latin America.

A challenging and intelligent Swedish drama that still raises laughs.

A strange story that's no less disturbing for its unbalanced telling.

Although lacking specific context and fussily presented, this is a harrowing account of the Arab Spring as witnessed by seven reluctant and committed activists in Libya, Syria and Bahrain. The footage of the violence inflicted upon civilians is truly terrifying.

A fun and insightful slice of Roman life. Next up, M25: The Movie?

A powerful and provoking take on a violent and volatile era.

Farhadi’s gifted storytelling and direction is on show again in a damning look at Iranian society.

As startling and bleakly compelling as you'd expect from this rare combination of director and subject.

A painful and poignant excoriation of the American dream.

At the venerable age of 84, documentary maven Wiseman hasn't lost his touch.

Filipino maven Diaz delivers a bravura, literary human drama that does justice to its great source material.

An intriguing look at a lost voice.

A sparse and languid Italian thriller that carries a debt to Melville.

Shot with grace and precision but paced with all the urgency of a Sunday afternoon stroll, Joanna Hogg's Haneke-lite study of an English middle class family is a well-crafted affair elevated by terrific moments.

A romance not nearly as seductive as its lead actress.

As meticulous as one of Claudel's sculptures, Hors Satan director Dumont and his star do this true-life story justice with an empathetic telling.

A road trip movie filled with simple pleasures. Ashmore does a solid job as a mariachi musician without a single grenade-launcher in his guitar case

Despite visceral moments, it often feels like an excuse to use footage that didn’t make the 2010 film.

Forte and Peake excel in a notable debut from Green that marks her out as a director to watch.

This leaden relocating of an iconic German saga to 16th-century France isn’t helped by the miscast Mads Mikkelsen’s morose display as Michael Kohlhaas.

Over-the-top but blackly funny along the way.

A fly-on-the-wall look at the band that will thrill fans but may not convert too many non-believers.

A timeless musical treat and the most fun you can have with really elegant clothes on.

A romantic-comedy that isn't funny or romantic.

A snappy, quirky German indie that will thrill fans of early Jim Jarmusch.

A laudably even-handed examination of a highly charged subject.

Powerful and mesmerising, this offers an fresh approach to a tough topic.

A fun and frothy mock-doc with a message buried in its axle.

A largely dour romantic drama, hampered by thrusting non-actors into challenging lead roles.

A moving treatment of a deeply personal subject (France's own partner died of an AIDS-related illness in 1992), and an enthralling depiction of a seriously fired-up popular movement.

The mesmerising García and sensitive direction by Lelio light up this delicate yet spiky drama. Terrific stuff from both Chileans.

If not quite on the level of Garbus's terrific Bobby Fischer documentary, this still filled with fond recollections of Mazza's life and career. Fans will relish it.

Unsurprisingly, considering the circumstances, this is less a meticulous study of photojournalist's art than an privileged and emotional look at the life of a friend and colleague.

Shot in magisterial black-and-white, veteran director Trueba's drama is a welcome return from the Belle Epoque man.

A sometimes over-simplified but often affecting look at forbidden love.

A deeply affecting glimpse of a man's quest to salvage beauty from tragedy.

Slightly jerry-built reconstructions detract from an intriguing film with a unique angle on the country legend.

Angry, impassionate filmmaking that demands - and deserves - serious answers.

As simple and charming as you could wish for, this is a genuinely pioneering debut from a female Saudi filmmaker and a striking piece of work by any standards.

Impassioned and disturbing, this documentary matches "The Cove" for marrying cool intellect with real fire.

Bold and beautiful, this is a mystery worth puzzling over.

Now practically an exile from his homeland, Kiarostami follows Certified Copy with another film-literate relationship drama with the enigmatic overtones of Hitchcock.

As angry and unflinching a piece of documentary filmmaking as you'll see this year.

It's a stark vision of humanity in a hellish world. Tough and thought-provoking.

Lustrous photography and a fine cast make this dark drama a compelling one.

Funny and freewheeling, it's a joy.

Superbly judging tonal shifts and juggling disparate storylines, this snapshot of a Refice street reveals the class, gender, racial and historical fissures in Brazilian society, while also making for riveting drama right down to the shocking sting in the tail.

A bruising psychodrama from the Palme d'Or winner that taps into the dark heart of central European superstition.

A timely documentary that seeks to amuse and inform as much as alarm.

Bleak and compelling.

Shot in beautiful black and white with some stunning visuals, Gomes' narrative quest is a understated gem.

An intense, emotional ride. Uplifting and inspiring.

Tender and touching, this gay coming-of-ages story is underpinned by a terrific, subtle turn from newcomer Florizoone.

A touching and revelatory piece of film-making about the plights of real people living in an uncertain world.

A few plot holes hold back what is otherwise a well cast and compelling picture.

A delight from start to finish.

Best known until now for Oscar-winning holocaust drama "The Counterfeiters," Karl Markovics flexes his muscles on the other side of the camera with terrific effect. A fine, moving debut for the new writer/director.

Klayman exploits the opportunity to follow a man at the eye of a cultural and political storm, although more detail on his creative process and private life would have welcome.

A mix of the fascinating and the frustrating: some of the dishes are exciting and interesting, however, 108 minutes of detail causes this documentary to fall short of its potential.

Enjoyably satirical and occasionally insightful, it's betrayed by some lazy stereotyping.

Quietly compelling, the cerebral slice of social realism is well worth hunting down.

A charming, visually sparkling Parisian fantasy with a dark edge.

Hansen-Løve again shows what a gifted storyteller she is with this tender, realistic portrayal of young love.

Much-maligned it may be, but the so-called mumblecore movement continues to turn out gems. Lena Dunham's lo-fi, witty treatment of a semi-autobiographical tale adds another dozy to the canon.

Complex and sophisticated, this genre-defying crime story is spellbinding viewing.

As Cunningham goes about his work chronicling changes in fashion and the city he loves, a portrait emerges of a man deserving of ever bit of the respect and esteem in which he's held. There's few sharp edges or dirt digging, but it's no less engaging for that.

Tsangari proves she's one of the freshest voices in European cinema with this offbeat character piece.

A tough but deeply rewarding watch. Search it out.

A quirky road-trip movie with things to say. A return to form for Depardieu too.

Veers too close to hagiography, although it's visually arresting enough to carry you through sagging in the narrative.

Keiller's follow up to his cine-essays London and Robinson In Space is another intelligent, thought-provoking piece of filmmaking.

Powerful art cinema that challenges political and social unity in Iran.

Storytelling of breathtaking scale and grandeur, even if the complex plotting may twist your synapses along the way.

Occasionally lacking in context but never less than intriguing, Jarreth Merz's polished film is a handy document to a rarely visited democracy.

Chock full of larger-than-life characters, it's an enthralling insight into a raw, bloodied world.

Charming but uneven, director Améris's film doesn't know whether to make us laugh or cry, and ends up doing neither. Still, a smart script offers plenty to keep incurable romantics happy.

Ironically, it lacks journalistic rigour but it's a fond, nostalgic look at the gilded history of the Grey Lady.

A subtle and sensual character study.

Some acute performances do justice to the novel in a quirky adaptation of the novel. Balasko steals the show as the prickly concierge with the warmer side.

An intriguing and compelling documentary that provides insight into Kiefer's artwork.

A welcome return from Hoop Dream director Steve James. Even at just shy of three hours, the format strains to accommodate such a complex, involving true-life story, but it makes a seriously impressive attempt.

A thriller that twists and turns with an understated power that will have you gripping the arm of your seat. Terrific stuff.

A slick, enthralling look at the life of Vallanzasca but fails to truly get under his skin.

A beautiful but slow moving celebration of life, stunningly photographed.

This grungy anti-musical will offend just about everyone with its attitude towards women, gays, kids, and the elderly.

Laurent's brushstrokes always feel a little too broad to capture the finer details of the legendary New Wavers, but some fascinating archive footage saves his documentary from missing the mark altogether.

A gently moving film that's always thought-provoking if at times a little slow going.

A touching and insightful black comedy that gracefully spans sixty years.

Even if Rupert Murray's film does turn out to be a hoax, there's no denying the ingenuity involved in its making.

Although not all the loose ends are tied up in the telling of this bizarre and absorbing tale of love, grief and goose-bumps, one scarcely minds at all, since the fourth-dimensional doings on offer, (underlined with a marvellously moody, haunting score by Zbigniew Preisner) are like an erotic trip into The Twilight Zone.

Once the political correctness is side-stepped, this contains classic chemistry from its two leads.

Typical James Stewart defeating bullies with integrity stuff.

Captivating and poignant portayal of life on the edge for the disregarded of our societies.

Magnificent absurdist crime drama from the master of suspense.

Bleak brilliance.

Satirical Samurai action of the highest order.

Audacious, yet sensitive, Fire may shock traditionalists but is the sort of film that ought to win Indian cinema a whole new audience.

The execution could be improved, but the sheer zip of the real life story just about carries this wartime tale along.

Hitchcock's penultimate film deals with many of his previous themes with typical grim comedy and insight into a psychopathic killer's mind.

Less audacious than A Bout de Souffle, this is, however, one of Godard's most accessible pictures. A good place to learn how much of a debt modern cinema owes him.

A classic of the weepy genre so have some toilet roll handy.

Cocteau has produced a bizarre, interesting although at times tedious movie.

Dark but beautiful.

Tautly scripted by director Per Fly and bullishly played, this is soap for the ciné-sophisticate.

For all its self-conscious pizzazz, this is irresistibly entertaining.

A positive and personal look at the Israel/ Palestine divide through the quest of one woman to maintain her own property.

Subtle and multi-layered film-making with compelling performances.

1954 musical that is woefully miscast in places and extremely dubious in its portrayal of African-Americans but does boast an on-form Dorothy Dandridge.

Olivier is truly remarkable in his portayal of the hammy actor, anti-hero Archie.

A simple, elemental tale that makes breaking the heart seem like the easiest and most natural thing a filmmaker can do to his audience. Which, of course, it isn't.

Interesting misfires from Wong Kar-wai and Steven Soderbergh barely manage to atone for the seedy muddle concocted by eightysomething Michelangelo Antonioni, who mocks his own reputation for existential ellipsis with his voyeuristic vignette.

Not one of Hitchcock's best, but with a few creative sequences and some sharp writing from Dorothy Parker.

Exploring workers' rights in an age of mechanisation and recession, this isn't always an easy watch. But it's played with spirit, filmed with integrity and is pleasingly full of surprises.

A powerful meditation on personal freedom from a Hungarian auteur.

Like "The Searchers", this is so brilliant that the only real effect of the other versions is to make you want to watch the original again.

There are some poignant moments, but Steven's decision to shoot a claustrophobic movie in CinemaScope and the stage-bound feel of the whole enterprise never bring the action to life.

This is simply the finest jazz documentary ever made.

Exposing the bleak reality of a supposedly more innocent time, this inspired blend of musical and melodrama succeeds in being both fond and forlorn, artistic and authentic.

You'll be left as much in the dark as the director about the personality traits that inspired the loyalty of three strong, intelligent women towards this self-centred, physically-resistible enigma.

Less visceral than the battle scene in Seven Samurai, this is more of a free-for-all, with brute force leaving no room for skill.

Suspense gives way to metaphor in a stark thriller that hints at the work to come from master Carol Reed.

The result is both audaciously amusing and provocatively sophisticated.

The first Fred and Ginger feature is a little clunky and short on plot and character but a beautiful and atmospheric treat for all that.

Not Woody Allen at his best, this period piece has some clever writing but is not completely convincing.

Drags in places and deosn't even try for a true-to-life portrait of the great theatre entrepeneur but it's shiny and big spectacle with impressive choreography.

It may seem flawed in a number of ways to some people but this is monumental cinema and essential viewing for true film enthusiasts.

The second outing for Fred and Ginger which cemented their partnership can be irritating in it's romantic machinations but the Astaire flair is always winning.

The stinging bon mots occasionally sound handcrafted rather than raspingly spontaneous, but aspiring actress Anne Baxter’s rise to the top over the corpse of her supposed idol, Bette Davis, remains rousing and endlessly amusing.

Violent, visionary, vital.

Assayas' attempt to present a multi-perspective Polaroid view of Adrien and his circle fall back on the tired technique of abruptly punctuating grainy, handheld sequence with jump cuts. A disappointingly sterotypical French film.

Tense and slick, this early thriller remains a true masterpiece.

Poetic but bleekly pessimistic version of the Danish tragedy.

Packed with amusing graphics, animated sequences and damning testimonies, this is a landmark denunciation of Hollywood infantilisation and protectionism.

Avant-garde triumph revolving around the seemingly mundane life of a widow in Brussels.

If Tom Jones now feels something of a product of its times, it still deserves credit for attempting something new - no matter how derivative.

Great songs, gentle humour and a dose of syrup which is not to everyone's tastes, but worth buying to keep that Christmas spirit going until next year.

Marlene Dietrich tries not to give anything away as usual while Agatha Christie's whodunit plot whirs tidily about her expressionless beauty.

Timeless classic. Superb performances and the infamous shower scene make this the perfect nightmare.

Comedy has rarely been so intricate, incisive and inspired.

Powerhouse performance from Richard Burton but a little too old to play the angry young man stuff that is essential to this tale.

Superb dialogue, beautifully played and hummingly atmospheric, this is sexy, poignant and tense with some surpising humour...only the plot shows cracks...

This has many more plus points than critics at the time were willing to admit.

Wry and haunting.

Sturges' no-holds-barred comic cristicism of American Forces abroad is still challenging and funny.

If you can see past the heavy-handed religious overtones you will encounter an inspired and deeply intelligent Bresson classic.

For the rare uninitiated, this is a fine introduction to Babs' talents.

This is still the definitive version of Charles Dickens' atmospheric and occasionally creepy classic.

The performance of Harvey Stephens as the young Damien has invested the film with the chill of genuine credibility.

Magnificent examination of the criminal mind and Cagney's finest moment.

One of Hitchcock's earlier efforts that was hacked around a bit to take out some of the more ambiguous psychological elements by the editor but still retains the old Hitch charm.

Filmed on a modest budget with a subtle sense of place and pace, this highly impressive debut considers mortality with a wry compassion that's rare for such a young director.

An uncompromising documentary which simply lays its subject bare and dares us not be moved by the raw humanity on display.

This is Hitchcock's longest film and also his most self-referential. Little jokes abound about art and artifice, role play and reality, duty and duplicity and each viewing reveals something new to enhance the pleasure of watching the Master of Suspense at his most mischievous and assured.

Falls into the "interesting failure" category.

Emphasis has been placed on extravaganza, when it should really have been placed on getting good performances out of a talented cast.

Romance novel in narrative this transcends its genre with visual depth and perceptive socio-cultural insights.

Difficult love, Nazis, and a lovely soupy plot...brilliant.

Judy Garland is magnificent in this charming musical with a number of star turns from the impressive cast.

A lighter film for Hitchcock but with a wonderfully sewn narrative and some good performances.

This is a suberbly structured thriller whose excellence is aided and abetted by a spirited cast.

The mood of the movie reflects the exuberance of youth and the wisdom of experience. New Wave gold.

Interesting depiction with a pretty decent performance from Holden and supported by a credible cast.

Stylish and gripping at times, this wry very-French gender satire is definitetly entertaining but falls down a little in the third act.

A compelling study of a small-town lawyer's determination to challenge Cameroon's institutionalised chauvinism, which judiciously combines small triumphs with a daunting sense of the task that lies ahead.

The semi-improvised performances and gently nostalgic tone makes this endearing and captivating.

One of the finest documentaries ever made about the performing arts, this magisterial history of the companies that danced under the name Ballet Russe will enchant dance aficionados and novices alike.

Not quite as fully realised as the classic Adam's Rib, but generally good.

A strange foreboding of what was to come from the Hitch.