Certainly difficult to define, this period piece messes with genres, power relationships and your head.

Judy Garland's most famous role and her best performance make for entertaining viewing.

Style over substance, but very stylish indeed.

Not as affecting as Ozu's classic Tokyo Story, Late Spring still charms with it's similar theme of development of the parental bond as the children mature and become more independent. Although well acted, the visual are equally arresting but when the themes are so similar a new approach is required to keep it interesting.

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

An intelligent, engagingly honest study of love lost and, just maybe, regained.

Hollywood over-indulgence at its best.

It's Sarah Polley through and through: slightly too glum for its own good, but reeking of quality and feeling.

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

Not for anyone with a sensitive gag reflex. Joshua Marston provides a harrowing depiction of drug- muling for dummies. The raw, revolting, dangerous details of such an undertaking are graphic.

Holocaust drama shot like costume drama, creating a sense of aesthetic disharmony.

A gentle trance-out and the strangest Palme d'Or winner in a while.

There’s beautiful visual and verbal comedy, and the film has the creative spontaneity of a dream, foreshadowing Spirited Away (it influenced Miyazaki). However, the lack of momentum and focus may end up boring children, while the English dub actors sound a little stilted.

Appealing, emotional and with a strong enough performance by Rice-Edwards as the boy in his own little war-free world.

Sumptuous and self-indulgent, Sorrentino's latest is a Fellini-like feast for the eyes.

The simmering implication of incestuous emotions between Lili and Roy, leading to the shocking denouement, is badly underdeveloped and mishandled, leaving a lingering sense of anti-climax.

Andersen makes a far from inspiring guide, intoning his humourless points in a dry-as-powder monotone.

A decent but unremarkable film with a big, unforgettable central performance. Carey Mulligan passes with First-Class Honours.

Curious allegorical epic which was supposed to speak to Allied spirits during the second world war but was a trifle obscure in its symbolism even then.

While you cannot dismiss its place in history, its power is in what it represented rather than what it did.

Shows the famed songwriter's performance and work off with reverance, and a faithfullness to the live experience.

Though Davies says this is a celebration of what were the best years of his life — he had a doting mum, nice sisters, and school was apparently okay — you'd hate to see what he'd produce if he were depressed, for the overall mood is heavy and glum.

This drama is a little too sedate to make its mark, but director Walter Salles delivers a sensitive portrait of Eunice Paiva's family life during a period of traumatic upheaval.

An award-worthy performance from the reliably exceptional Andrea Riseborough elevates an affecting portrait of the road to recovery that fails to tread new ground.

Not one of Nicholson's best, but an enjoyable comedy nonetheless.

It demands patience and an open mind, but Lowery’s return to his indie roots after Pete’s Dragon is a highly unusual and, at times, emotionally shattering fable.

Two of cinema's most iconic stars on top form make this worth a good look.

Delightful, but bum-numbingly slow.

Edwards and Andrews insisted on using the picture to drive another nail into her detested Mary Poppins image.

Shot over three years, this is one of the more considered and insightful Iraqi documentaries - although some may find its stylistic contrasts a little self-conscious and distracting.

A decent historical drama, with one of the best extended battle scenes (a full half of the movie is the face-off in the 'village of death') in recent memory.

A completely merited cult favourite of the avant-garde genre. This is surprisingly compelling in places.

The plotting - Kelly's struggling painter falls for Leslie Caron's French waif, engaged to nice but dull Georges Guétary - lacks the pace, exuberance and wit of, say, Singin' In The Rain, but compensates with fantastic Technicolor visuals..., George Gershwin's sublime music (pick of the tunes: I've Got Rhythm, S'Wonderful and Our Love Is Here To Stay), sublime art direction from the great Cedric Gibbons and astounding choreography and footwork from Kelly.

While not quite offering the emotional gut-punch it promises, its many ideas never completely cohering, Soul is nevertheless a gorgeous and tender existential trip. It’s full of surprises.

Although some say Wayne's Oscar was given out of sympathy instead of his performance, he still acts well as the sheriff who's past his peak. Proving he wasn't always a serious as he was made out to be, he plays the role with aplomb, even pastiching himself in other films.

Slightly overlong and glosses over certain aspects but a profound examination of a tortured artist.

It's a surprise to see Wim Wenders embracing 3D in its full, feature-length glory but the medium works well to capture the graceful swirl of the German choreographer's work.

While it's all very pleasant watching these undecided pubescents frolic in the lake in their undies, there's a distinct lack of real drama or purpose in the self-indulgent, humourless proceedings.

Impressive because Loach keeps things simple in an accurate social study.

Keeping it surreal has never been so nauseating and, at times, hilarious.

As it is, it’s an aloof conclusion, an unclimactic climax to a stand-alone film.

This gentle and intimate coming-of-age drama from beloved playwright Annie Baker is an assured but frustratingly slow-paced directorial debut which evokes the bittersweet nostalgia of ‘90s pre-teen girlhood.

Odd and sexy, troubling and touching, frustrating and mesmerising, dull and haunting. A film by Jonathan Glazer.

It's solid Miyazaki, although he has reached greater heights both before and since.

The revolutionary visuals find endless ways to honour the mind of an innovator – but simultaneously risk an overwhelm of aesthetic information, rather than a lucid insight into the anatomy of contemporary dance.

Mortensen shines but a contrived, issue-driven plot destabilises what could have been a great Russian gangster movie.

Perhaps the best Hitchcock film Hitchcock never made.

Strong performances carry this unyielding portrait of dementia and elderly suffering that marks an interesting shift for Noé, but its relentless efforts to inflict sorrow and pain can feel overdone.

All gothicky, christmassy, romantic and Burtonesque. Worth a look.

As frustrating as it is rewarding.

This Indian immigrant family saga is a pleasant watch, but given the emotive source novel, it’s surprisingly superficial.

Phoenix, Hoffman and Norman, especially, amuse and move with their relatable performances in Mills’ sweet drama. It’s nicely visualised but can feel unnecessarily long in places.

Just as Miyazaki seemed on the verge of properly crossing over, he serves up an anime riddle wrapped in an enigma - though with all his usual charm, wit and hand-drawn beauty.

Azkaban contains both the longest denouement and the most rousing finish of any of the books, and Cuarón wisely whips through the 'ah-hahs' so that the clever climax, complete with the series' best SFX, can enjoy its moment in the moonlight.

It may not be up there with his very best, but Aki Kaurismäki offers a reminder that he's a still one of the freshest voices in cinema.

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.

A subtle and sensual character study.

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.

Insufferably long, but very good in parts.

Sheen thrives in the guise of the idiosyncratic Clough in a brilliantly candid, if bitty, football parable.

The strength of the piece is that it realises which aspects of its genre have been seen too many times, always coming back to Nelson's blank but expressive stare as he watches terrible things the director doesn't need to shove in our faces.

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.

Oak solid and unsinkable, Master And Commander is old-fashioned entertainment crafted with considerable care; but compared to "Pirates Of The Caribbean's" pleasure cruise, this voyage is choppy and difficult without ever troubling deeper waters.

Claire Denis' drama is an overly fastidious but insight-filled look at post-colonial Africa.

With good performances and characters, Beginners is an enjoyable, amusing and occasionally poignant watch. Indie film fans will want to catch it, but it falls short of being a must-see.

An unsparing look at the winter of life, salted with humour and emotion.

Some of the slower tunes tend to grind but the sort of musical/ retro irony is still amusing in places. Not if you don't like dentists though.

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.

May be contrived and overlong, but it is also technically distinctive and utterly compelling in its analysis of Swedish attitudes towards race.

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.

Terrific effects and considerable charm, but, once again, you can't help wishing the filmmakers had been bolder with the adaptation.

Well acted genre outing.

It soon becomes apparent, though, that the best songs were used by the first two films, leaving the third with a set of slightly underwhelming tunes.

If it’s slightly hampered by a generic love story and pie-in-the-sky teenage pontificating, I Lost My Body should still rank among the year’s most original and peculiar films. Hands down.

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.

Exceptional performances, particularly from Caleb Landry Jones in the lead, and a sensitive touch from director Justin Kurtzel can’t shake the unease of giving yet another cinematic spotlight to a real-life mass murderer.

Asking questions of moral beliefs and societal responsibility, a plausible dilemma is framed like a fairytale. While the storytelling is neat, aesthetic quirks that entertain also remove any potential urgency.

The main problem is that the supposed good guys are all such reprehensible toads it’s impossible to care whether they get to bring down Willem Dafoe’s charismatic, polo-necked super-crook.

Jennifer Lawrence is the standout in a tonally uneven, eccentric romantic dramedy that fuses "The Fisher King" with "Romy And Michele's High School Reunion."

Slow, ponderous, meticulously rendered realism that will appeal to specific audiences of slow, ponderous, meticulously rendered realism, with a heart.

Superficially interesting in many ways but this doesn't really engage on a deeper level.

A crime thriller with no interest in thrills and not much in crime, this is an at times frustrating character study of a guy who can’t get out of his own way.

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.

Insightful as ever but a little dated in the set-up and treatment of the shooting.

An unconventional and imperfect first work of a career that would have been fascinating to watch unfold, Jóhannsson’s images are just as strong as his typically excellent, haunting musical composition.

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

The message is just as clear with Simpsonian antics -- if it ain't broke, don't make a movie…

Ultimately, Irma Vep doesn't quite have the courage of its convictions, but still provides plenty of scathing satire on the state of French cinema.

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

A sad story, but well told, with respect for its subject and an eye for the Shakespearian tragedy in the tale.

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.

Lotfy Nathan’s debut is a grounded, sensitive portrait of a country still reeling from dysfunction. The script doesn’t penetrate as much as Adam Bessa’s searingly intense performance, which gives this social drama impressive emotional heft.

Formulaic but uplifting, positive and accessible. Fairly graphic sex is handled as tastefully as one is ever likely to see in a crowdpleaser.

It's a missed opportunity to make a great documentary, but still decent family entertainment, with awe-inspiring Antarctic scenery and some very cute stars.

Not stellar Lynch but still an enjoyable film noir.

One of Heston's best work, this shows our lead at his most macho and heroic, inspiring a whole army while also managing to woo the stunning Loren in this romantic war epic.

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

This looks and sounds superb. Isabelle Huppert and Pascal Gregory are splendid. But the over-archingly smug sophistication of the enterprise robs it of some much-needed human interest.