William Thomas

This is a very patchy affair - while some of the animated pieces work, others come across as downright insane.

A spare and authentic screenplay unfolds in an almost documentary-like enviroment, there are no histrionics and the acting is of the highest order, but the film shocks and disturbs as much for its morally questionable purpose as in its ugly subject.

While Dudley's booze-sodden antics tire after a while, there's relief in the form of John Gielgud as the old-fashioned English butler with a nice line in four-letter words, and a return to the screen from Liza Minelli, who plays the waitress Arthur falls in love with.

It's not as poetic as My Darling Clementine or as historically accurate as Sturges' sequel-remake, Hour Of The Gun, but it is a wonderful evocation of the brassy Westerns of the 50s, when Burt and Kirk demonstrated more machismo than a whole posse of Arnies or Slys.

Strays from the boundaries of believability a little too much to be regarding anything other than a throw-away comedy.

One of those instances where everything good about Hollywood just fell into one place at the right time, it's almost impossible not to get swept up in the vivaciousness of The Sting as a whole. Magnificent, timeless stuff.

Simple, but effective.

An embarrassing mish-mash of comedy and horror which fits neither criteria.

A sentimental drama that's 'good in the air' and something of a throwback to war films of old.

Ogata's performance is the obvious highlight, and Imamura constructs an utterly plausible scenario, but at times overreaches, and loses focus. If you can tolerate a few extraneous scenes, though, this is a dark treat.

Enjoyable enough nonsense, even if it barely cracks a smile.

Here's a film consisting entirely of things you've seen before. Especially indebted to the hardly classic students-on-rampage sagas Class Of 1984 and The Principal, it even takes its title from a forgotten Amanda Donohoe DTV movie of a few years back. Furthermore, it's choppily directed by Robert Manel (School Ties) and toplined by the still-in-decline Tom Berenger.

Road movies should be pleasurable and free-spirited, but Candy Mountain drags too much weight around.

A gaudy, flamboyant expose that asks a lot of its stars, and gets more than it deserves.

Sexual tension hangs in the air as the wind blows and native drums beat, but it's on a visual level that the film excels.

From the visceral plunges of the first person mind clip sequences (including a terrifying, controversy courting rape sequence) to the overwhelming finale this is a, literally, stunning event. Some directors can, thank God, still make you experience films.

A fun night in with the tellybox, but then it never claimed to be anything more.

There is bound to be a large appreciative audience for this chick flick. But it might not be you.

A worthy diversion for the very young, but against their more venerable stablemates - notably DuckTales - The Rescuers's identification/memorableness factor remains second division.

Stagey filming aside, this is a sharp and controlled study of celebrity obsession.

Predictably awful fourth installment.

Screamingly funny. Few films, if any, can match Spinal Tap for consistent laughs. Every scene is a classic.

About as funny as contracting cancer.

Spader and Cusack go through the motions as political sparring partners in this coming of age drama.

Ultimately lost in it's own contrivances, Big Business still manages a few laughs thanks to it's big name leading lady.

With a heavily improvised script Cassavetes gets the most from his actors, each giving emotive performances.

Little atmosphere and no surprises.

Apart from a sprinkling of Wilde's legendary bons mots and a few fleeting visits to theatres where audiences cheer Lady Windemere's Fan, there is disappointingly little here to suggest the complexity of his mind, the range of his writing or, crucially, the importance of being Oscar.