A little clunky at times for contemporary audiences but still manages to truly perturb at times...

Quality acting and writing and appropriately understated direction, but a touch too polite for its own good.

Bahman Ghobadi can’t be faulted for showcasing so many bands, and the mix is wonderfully eclectic, but the linking episodes aren’t always riveting.

A film for anyone who’s ever climbed trees, grazed knees or basked in the comfort of a parent’s sympathy as they’ve pulled you off the ground crying. It’ll make your inner child run wild.

A colourful and stylish romp, for sure, but a feeling of restlessness sets in long before the series of false endings that finally bring it to a close. Time passes, things happen, but nobody emerges very much wiser.

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

Combining comedy, cringe and creepiness, All My Friends Hate Me is a short, snappy and seriously entertaining spiral into peer-related paranoia.

A very smart take on the stalker movie, which resists easy laughs for harder truths, and might make you think twice the next time you’re lining up a photo for social media.

Devastating, yet ultimately rewarding, Paris Memories offers an alternative to the usual socio-political consideration of a terrorist attack by drawing a humane, kaleidoscopic portrait of various survivors’ crisis responses.

This is the origin film we really need right now. Directors Cohen and West have brought a liberal trailblazer’s fascinating and largely untold story proudly into the spotlight.

Perhaps the best premise for thrills since "Speed," only this time the bad guy’s on board and the battle of wits is more philosophical debate than pop quiz.

A brilliant Sally Hawkins stands atop Craig Roberts’ perceptive look at mental illness. Small but beautifully formed.

There's a desperately inevitable, powerfully tragic last reel, but getting there is absolute torture.

A disturbing and poignant anthology of Roman Polanski's favourite, oppressive themes.

Not Lee's finest but intriguing nonetheless.

Mamet’s gem of a movie, with a great final twist, goads the Godfathers with just as much invention and wit as the much higher profile Married To The Mob.

It might be easy to jump to conclusions as to why Allen made such an irreverent film when his life was in such turmoil, but more to the point why he made it at all. While relatively enjoyable and amusing, the acting begins to grate as the married couple bicker constantly but thankfully Alda and Huston are as reliable as ever.

An intense, streamlined exercise in gruesome thrills, with a tiny glimmer of social context (it’s all about the economy) which doesn’t take away from the exciting struggle to get out of this house of horrors.

It’s an intriguing look into a secret world and a great performance from Chastain, but Sorkin’s directorial debut never quite makes the leap from great poker movie to great movie.

An affectionate portrait of a big-hearted man and a fitting testament to the enduring appeal of Sesame Street.

The final shot, in particular, is awesome, and confirms that the sooner Cameron gets back to making proper movies, instead of Boys’ Own diversions, the better.

The resulting portrait seems cruel at times, and Bingenheimer's little-boy-lost expression can be heartbreaking.

The rare teen movie that recognises crushes are never as important or powerful as BFFs — and one that marks an intriguing new direction for Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison productions.

Combining both the universality and specificity of Springsteen’s music, Blinded By The Light is an exuberant anthem to the importance of music, the need to be seen and the hope of new possibilities.

Even if it hits well-worn beats, Come As You Are still shines a light on the oft-ignored sexual wants and needs of the disabled community, with humour, empathy and poignancy.

With some genuinely shocking moments, this is a fascinating, frightening —  if frustrating — account of masculinity in crisis.  

A fond and always accessible portrait, but the lack of objectivity and drooling images of Gehry's work deprives this documentary of any objectivity.

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

If you're a bah-humbug type looking for an alternative to Santa Claus: The Movie or Miracle On 34th Street, this could be a holiday perennial. May be too strange for normal people, but weird kids will love it.

Successfully mining the awkward humour of the adolescent experience, Karen Maine’s coming-of-age feature makes the most of a strong central performance from Natalia Dyer.

A marked improvement on the first film, it's easy to see why this was such a smash in Brazil. Breathless, brutal and thrilling, it's a gut punch of an action movie.

It's loud, at times unwatchably gross and sometimes lingers on the verge of hysteria. But it's also a warm-hearted and optimistic celebration of black womanhood. Maybe friendship can save us all.

Charming and uplifting.

Touching and well-acted, Brazil's Best Foreign Film entry is a worthy Oscar candidate.

The romantic plotting is so cliched that the denouement may as well have been e-mailed, and the director has fooled himself into believing that a rousing soundtrack is adequate shorthand for the mood of the flower power generation.

A fizzy, funny, period dramedy with top-notch performances, Florence Foster Jenkins doesn't take many risks but it's a very entertaining experience. And yes, she was that bad.

The movie that really showed Tom Hanks' promise as a deliverer of great comedy and heart-warming pathos.

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

Brimful of glorious sounds, this affectionate fan letter says as much about Pops Staples's artistic and political evolution as it does about his devoted daughter, one of the all-time greats.

A moving and surprisingly nuanced drama offering far more than flag-waving nostalgia. Superb performances from Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson ensure the latter’s final screen role is fittingly dignified.

Flat as day-old beer.

A compassionate and inspiring look at an extraordinary life, anchored by two of the best performances of the year.

Brutal, bloody, terrifying, astonishing... And so tense it'll leave you aching. The most significant Brit chiller since "28 Days Later."

Even thought it's the third such effort to employ handheld camera in a zombie flick, this has more than enough shocks to hold its own.

Entertainment that tickles the justice-for-all glands.

Although the acting is of a high calibre as expected, the story disappoints with little character development or action.

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.

A compelling if formulaic star-crossed lovers’ narrative. Come for a wordless seduction, stay for the complexities of parenthood, drag queens and family loyalties that deserve more of your time.

Grim, gruelling but beautifully shot, this is intelligent, sophisticated horror.

Like all the best exploitation flicks, Piranha is driven by a ruthless desire to entertain and, in this non-pretentious ambition, it succeeds magnificently.

Instantly gripping, with a powerhouse star performance, it'll make you want to speed through the weeks to get to part two.

Energising, stylish and engrossing, although its scattershot chronology and egocentric approach might not be to everyone;s taste. Still, Boseman is brilliant - it would be madness if he isn't among the Oscar runners this season.

This is Steve McQueen’s most accessible film to date, without diluting any of his power. Mixing epic sweep with textured detail, despite an episodic second half it will make even the stiffest upper lip quiver.

The hardest power to depict onscreen is the wisdom of Solomon, but Shazam! makes clever decisions, mixing middle school snark with disarming sweetness. And — yes — it delivers the requisite lightning-strike punch-’em-ups with considerable force.

Unbound by cinematic convention, Raimi unleashed his free-range camera, and ghoulish, omnipresent sound effects to create a bleak, paranoid atmosphere and a raft of sudden, effective shocks.

There have been many Draculas. But the one against which all others are measured is Bela Lugosi. Tod Browning's 1931 film is stagey and creaky, but it also has wonderful, unforgettable moments.

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

This doesn't have the high style that made Taxi Driver or American Gigolo instant cultural icons - although Schrader shows more than a few traces of Scorsese as his camera creeps- perhaps because it's concerned with a chilly 90s that looks back with a sort of nostalgia on the cocaine-fuelled craziness of earlier years. But it does develop powerfully the themes of Schrader's earlier work and will not disappoint his fans.

This is really Sly's movie as he slugs his way through a heartfelt performance and delivers some cracking punches, both literally and emotionally.

A decent, cogent, greyly atmospheric thriller with something to say about War-On-Terror America.

Significantly grittier than previous Bat-beginnings, this finds new things to do with, and say about, a character who's been around since 1938.

More startling than an unexpected punch in the noggin, Na Hong-Jin's unusual thriller could have the highest knife count this side of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. A violent thrill-ride to a dark new corner of Asian cinema.

A watchable, if by-the-book, documentary. It’s only a pity that the conventional storytelling hems in such a deeply unconventional director.

Relentless gags, spot-on performances and dazzling showtunes to boot — Theater Camp is a feel-good delight, and a sign of impressive directorial talent from Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman.

Unfortunately, left alone on the big screen, distinctly thin characterisation and a plot that looks like a distended television episode, let the new crew down slightly but there are still enough classic moments to keep fans happy.

An amusing scenario gets a big boost from winning performances all round -- which lift it well above other bride vs. buddy 'triangle' japes like, say, "You, Me And Dupree."

Falls slightly short of being the definitive Alien doc, but Memory is slick and thoughtful, and will deepen your love of a classic.

A flawed but fascinating (and frequently funny) insight into a culture seldom explored on film from an insider's point of view.

It’s extremely antic for the most part, covering a lack of real story with a lot of distracting quirk. Yet when Petit’s foot slips out onto a wire thousands of metres from the ground, it’s quietly mesmerising.

The structure similarly misses the flashbacking subtlety of the original. Even the characterisation lacks depth.

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

It Is In Us All is slight, sombre, and something of a slog, but features another strong turn from Cosmo Jarvis – and is still a positive indication of Campbell-Hughes’ potential behind the camera.

Entertaining if inconsequential, Companion is buoyed by solid central performances from actors that seem keenly aware that it’s all just a bit of bloody fun. Viva la robot revolución!

Anyone looking for a revelatory portrait of an iconic artist might be a smidge disappointed. But as conventional as it is, this is still a strikingly well-made musical drama with pitch-perfect performances. Don’t criticise, as Dylan once sang, what you can’t understand. 

Old-fashioned comedy with superb performances and insightful glimpses into the world of newspaper journalism.

The best sports movie for years, as it's not about sport at all. Forget fears of jingoistic grandstanding, this is an un-American all-American tale that deserves attention.

Another aching heartbreaker of a film by Berri that absorbs and rewards the audience for sticking with Manon on her sun-beaten quest.

Anchored by great performances from Liam Neeson and especially Lesley Manville, Ordinary Love is alive to the feelings and moments other hospital dramas overlook. Its accumulation of details form a shattering whole.

More of a slow burn than a thrill-ride, this study of bygone motorhead mentality at its most visceral and violent is gorgeously shot — but only nicks the surface.

An epic masterpiece, albeit in need of a tweak here and there.

An intense, emotional ride. Uplifting and inspiring.

With Haskell Wexler's splendid photography and Leonard Rosenman's fine score, the film provides a poetic yet authentic view of Depression-era America with the symbolic figure of Guthrie (an impressive David Carradine) at its very centre.

Terribly dated, but worth watching for Caine's performance.

Within Allen’s recent output, Vicky Cristina is the highlight. See it for beautiful locales, an ambivalent look at human relationships and a clutch of great performances, especially from Cruz.

Intelligent and challenging: Mann's crime epic could take two viewings to fully absorb, but it's worth every devoted minute.

Serving up stone-cold multiplex mayhem, Sisu makes no bones about it — this is a film about one mad bastard killing a gazillion Nazis. It’s almost impossible not to love it.

Hood handles his material so deftly that a conclusion which could have been mawkish and sentimental is instead bittersweet, both painful and quietly affirming.

Well-served by a laudably authentic ensemble, the director explores both character and ethnicity with a canny wit.

Walker was Oscar nominated for Waste Land this year, and while this occasionally unfocused doc doesn't hit those heights, it's still a valuable and scary film that should be seen.

Sensibly dramatising a few representative days rather than Giacometti’s whole life, this may seem slight, but there’s a lot to dig into here — and Rush hasn’t had a showcase this good in years.

Quick on its wits and fast with its fists, this is Black firmly back doing what he does best. And nobody out there does it better.

An over-strung last act aside, this is funny, brilliant and sickening all at the same time.

Unlike in The Pink Panther, Clouseau was the real star here.

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.

C'mon, it's Fred and Bing! Depending on your disposition, you can take that as a recommendation or a warning.

Enough large-scale spectacle scenes to outweigh the inevitable religiose sludge that creeps in between them.

Aptly for a film so concerned with time, Button is 13 minutes shy of three hours and just flies by. If this is Fincher selling out, can he sell out more often please?

Eichhorn, who should have had a much bigger career, is luminous as the sad-eyed heroine, while Heard pulls off the showy role - especially in a climax that finds him rampaging through a posh party at the Cord estate in search of justice.