Tender and beautifully acted, it's a unflinchingly bleak glimpse of life on Australia's margins.

The story isn't as strong as either Leone or Corbucci's best work, but the iconic imagery and solid central performance from Nero make it easy to see why this became a worldwide success.

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.

Some may find this sprawling film hard to adjust to, but for those who can, it is a real find. With an imaginative plot and an amusing direction, this charming film is a fitting way to end Cocteau's career.

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.

The supporting cast is a kick. Law gets to send up the Bond role, something he could very well have played in his younger days; Allison Janney fills her boots as the angry head of the agency and Statham, frankly, should only ever play this role for the rest of his life.

Gripping, smart and well-tooled, this greenies-on-a-mission movie gives terrific build-up and a riveting central set-piece, with only a slight dip at the end. If she is looking for another genre to subvert, a Reichardt superhero movie would be a sight to behold.

Michael J. Fox is a revelation as the mouse that roared, whilst the score, the direction, and the rest of the cast turn a risky film into a solid addition to the Nam canon.

Not exactly genre-bending innovation or anything but a decent documentary about an important episode in history of oil company exploitation.

A brutal, bruising bullet ballet of a sequel that builds upon the promise of the original.

A kind of Ken Loach does Shirley Valentine, The Escape is not a comfortable watch. But it is a rewarding one, thanks to Dominic Savage’s forensic investigation of a disintegrating marriage and career-best work by Gemma Arterton.

Gnarly, gross and delightfully unconventional, this is exactly the kind of Sam Raimi film his fans have been waiting for, carried by a committed, no-holds-barred Rachel McAdams performance.

Belfast is exactly the kind of film that wins an audience award at a festival — highly entertaining and beautifully done without ever being innovative or challenging, finding the universal in the specific, the upbeat in dire circumstances. Slight but winning.

The start wobbles, but once boy and dragon connect, this becomes a thrilling flight.

As a political statement, Civil War is provocative and occasionally exasperating; as a purely cinematic experience, it is urgent, heart-in-mouth, extraordinary stuff.

We may lose Soderbergh to painting, theatre and HBO-fuelled TV, and that’s a crying shame. If that’s the case, Side Effects is a great note on which to go out.

Great songs, great set pieces and solid performances in this colourful and infectiously enjoyable musical.

By equal turns tense and witty but with plenty of perceptive social commentary to go around, this is a film that only gets more rewarding the more you look under its surface.

A sometimes clunkily executed true-life story which at least has potency in its blend of subject matter and lead actor. Despite often being hard to watch, this is Rosamund Pike’s best work yet.

This is complex, thought-provoking cinema.

Because it is a sequel, it's less satisfying than the more idea-driven original, but this is still top-flight kick-ass entertainment

Amid a cacophony of cack-handed hijacks of Irish politics for Hollywood gain, Jim Sheridan's clear, intelligent directorial voice once again hits the strident notes of realism.

A modern love story with a dash of Cronenberg for good measure — a brutal portrait of messy, intense long-term love. Warts, blood, bones and all.

By The Grace Of God lives in the present, a fast-paced, exciting, beautifully played film that matches Spotlight as a searing portrait of modern heroes who stood up.

Song Without A Name is a true original, at once rooted in a raw emotional reality but told with the striking beauty of a dream. Writer-director Melina León is definitely one to watch.

Complemented by its black-and-white photography and a moody DJ Shadow score, this is a gritty yet often tender look at society's margins.

Matching its blockbuster scale and spectacle with the smarts of a great, grown-up thriller, Captain America: Civil War is Marvel Studios’ finest film yet.

The film falls into the gap between the manifestly unique qualities of the musician in performance and the near complete mystery of an intensely withdrawn private life.

'Highbrow' might be the best way to sum it all up. Interesting and stimulating, if not always successful.

An intriguing look at a lost voice.

Some will find it overly long, but with such a pivotal performance by Cruise and a veritable platoon of Hollywood elite supporting, who can begrudge a bit more screen time?

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

Despite Hitchcock's own reservations this is definitely worth a look. Interesting to his aficionados and darkly funny and depressing in turns.

A sobering, haunting but completely fresh look at Whitney’s life and death that will reframe everything you think you know about the singer.

With so much going on, and such a ferocious pace, several parts of the story feel undernourished... But what we do get here is largely fantastic.

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.

A spunky, spiky action comedy that lives on the charisma of its leading ladies and the innovative spirit of director Nida Manzoor. Sisterhood is eternal; weird movies must be protected at all costs.

A commanding, troubling domestic horror that should launch a long career for Avranas.

Dark fun, with performances to savour and a set of references too seldom made in today’s pictures, this is a treat. It may peter out at the end, but what a calling card for Cory Finley, and this could be the last outing for its leads before superstardom beckons.

Amped up for the big screen while maintaining its sense of heart and with lashings of charm and gentle comedy, Bob’s Burgers proves more than worthy of the feature treatment.

A big hand to the Talk To Me directors for navigating the filmic equivalent of that difficult second album. An accomplished and disturbing work, with Sally Hawkins on startling form.

Luna Carmoon’s grimy study of loss might ultimately be too strange for its own good. Nevertheless, this debut boldly announces the arrival of one of Britain’s most promising new filmmakers.

A highly quotable, visual treat that’s packed with in-jokes but is entertaining enough on its own terms to work for fans and non-fans alike. The best Batman film in years.

Neither tribute nor analysis, this doc offers an inappropriately off-beam treatment for such a serious subject.

Not one of Altman’s masterpieces, but aficionados will find pleasures in a bittersweet swansong from the grand old man.

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

This plays very much like a standard biopic, lacking the dangerous spirit of the movie that inspired it.

At times it feels as if five different films are going on at once, but Schumer’s whip-smart delivery and no-holds perkiness keeps it all in place. Just as her director wilfully mines his own life for laughs, there is a whole lot of Amy in Amy.

An over-eager, idea-stuffed debut that keeps you engaged with its surprising twists, but which nevertheless could have used a little pruning.

If O’Connor’s aim was to recreate a British classic, she has surely failed to reach those lofty heights. Mackey shows further signs of promise, but she’ll be better off elsewhere.

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

Continually clearing its throat to utter something profound about sexuality, this never quite delivers the speech, though its failure to fully engage the mind is made up for by its captivation of the eye.

DuVernay’s sweeping odyssey is an ambitious (if sometimes messy) spectacle. At its best, it holds a poignant power that provides plenty of food for thought — enough to linger long after the credits roll.

Another sparkling thriller from the "Anything For Her" director. See it, then wait for the inevitable US remake.

An intimate, if unanalytical, portrait of one of movies greatest talents, told in her own words and through an adroitly assembled use of fantastic home movie footage. It’s also probably your only chance to see a Hollywood icon win a sack race.

An engaging, visually striking attempt to uncover the ‘real’ Grace Jones which is only partially successful in those terms. Nonetheless, it’s still a fitting tribute to a music icon.

An engrossing slice of modern history.

Kathryn Bigelow is back with a bang. This is a bleak but adrenaline-pumping experience that’ll leave you shaken, and searching for the nearest bunker.

A pot-bellied fable unlike anything else you’ll see this year. Not since Babe has an adorable porker inspired such peculiar joy or unexpected heartache.

Rich in atmosphere, its leisurely pace dwells on repressed passions in Edwardian society.

Joan Allen, Tom Noonan and Dennis Farina contribute to the class in a truly underrated chiller.

Though a little messy and increasingly absurd in places, Titane is a brash body horror with intense central performances, certain to leave you wide-eyed and slack-jawed at such a risky cinematic endeavour.

Still an impressive and disturbing brink-of-doom thriller.

A true evocation of the spirit of the Strand Magazine, this is the best Holmes movie ever made and sorely underrated in the Wilder canon.

Easily, almost nonchalantly, best in franchise, Rogue Nation dispenses with the dead weight of realism or relevance for state-of-the-art thrill-making in a classical mould. The series has finally found its voice.

Mia Farrow is note-perfect in this charming little movie.

Kidnapped is an expertly paced, gorgeously shot and evocative true story of faith, family, and the power of people coming together to right deeply ingrained wrongs.

The plot’s all over the place, but there are a lot of laughs and some strong action beats along the way.

An unusual epic, the first half is a knockabout comedy, but thoroughly entertaining.

Sour as month-old milk and with a tang of off-screen animosity in its mouth, Robert Aldrich's melodrama is still hysterical in every sense of the word.

A creepy, compelling creature-feature packed with interesting themes, and carried by an impressive lead performance. Cracking stuff.

At three hours it does seem bloody long at times, but is still a suitably epic tribute.

A compelling, grubby outback Western revealing the ragged reality behind a folk hero. Terrific performances, incredible visuals, and a reassertion of Justin Kurzel as a bold filmmaker most comfortable dealing with discomfort.

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

An unassuming treat amid the noisy blockbuster season. It’ll melt your heart and any dietary resolve equally.

A time capsule now of all that was considered controversial and gutsy in 1966.

An engaging comedy drama lifted by two revelatory performances. Wiig in particular suggests an Academy Award-winner-in-waiting.

A little pretentious maybe, but then you've got to wonder at a woman who could sit motionless in a wooden chair, eight hours a day for three months.

A stylish, laugh-out-loud blast that has something to say but doesn’t sacrifice enjoyment to do so, anchored by a trio of great performances. Quite the debut for Juel Taylor.

Exasperatingly trite, but also rather sweet.

Paying attention to religious impulses which are all but incomprehensible in the 20th Century, Bresson conjures up a God-bothered middle ages that is harrowing but not, it must be said, terribly exciting.

Psycho’s accepted greatness means we can leave it on the shelf as we look for newer sensations. This prompts an urgent desire to revisit it.

A simple but effective study of a vital activist voice, this documentary is a powerful force for change.

Horrifying, heart-breaking, often hilarious - Moore’s latest shock doc is a potent polemic.

There’s enough dark humour to entertain.

Ralph Fiennes dazzles as a rock’n’roll maverick in a stylish, unorthodox erotic drama that tries hard but fails to maintain its eccentric momentum.

A compelling story told with Morris's usually flair. Still, hard not to think of it as a disappointment by the director's exalted standards and a missed opportunity to explore society's dysfunctional relationship with its media.

The young Aprile is a standout in a moving, hard-hitting and surprising adaptation of the Henry James novel.

Perfectly tense atmosphere and performances, with the sparks flying between Bogart and Bacall.

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

Very sweet, very funny, really quite touching and exquisitely handmade, by a film lover with humour and a heart, for a like-minded audience.

It has a wealth of marvellous Western imagery, grotesque-comic business (Van Cleef striking a match on seething baddie Klaus Kinski’s hunchback), Ennio Morricone’s baroque score, iconic stars and unforgettable supporting faces.

Humane and perceptive memoir from Allen, with a pleasant visual nostalgia and the usual slew of impressive performances.

Strawberry Mansion is hugely ambitious, even more so because it doesn’t quite have the resources to realise its own dreams. Nonetheless, it’s a soulful, adorable and unique little trip.

Even if you didn’t know what comes next, this story of the first days of the Obamas would still seduce as a sweet, smart romance.

For all its flaws, it's thrilling viewing whenever LaChapelle opts to show rather than tell.

An incredibly silly, sapphic, gloriously weird high-school satire. Bottoms’ ultra-knowing tone might be a struggle for some — but it’s hilariously rewarding.

A quietly moving coming of age story that resists formula or easy redemption, driven by a strong, unvarnished performance from Witherspoon, who deserves huge credit as both star and producer.