On paper it looks like a gem – roaring 20s setting, verbal fireworks and a silly sport in its rude infancy. In practice, it's way off the pace, far too slow for its screwball pretensions and the kind of film that confuses pastiche with period detail.

Smarter than it sounds and carried by a very funny performance by Foster, this is a kids’ movie that’s bearable for adults too.

Slick, sick stuff, but save the odd squirm, a killer-plant horror that doesn’t grow anywhere.

A triumph for Scorsese and a document for the band, Shine A Light is a five-star experience for Stones fans. For those less enamoured with the ageing rockers, it goes a long way to explaining their longevity.

The Ocean’s Eleven: The College Years mood makes for a breezy good time, even if there is, like Vegas, precious little substance beneath the glitz.

Thanks to the captivating performances, this is well worth checking out.

A farcical romp but, being French, it's hugely glamorous and dripping with style.

Strong performances from the young cast make a compelling case that the US govt is failing its soldiers, but the film’s a little too much of a blunt instrument.

This super-powered spoof just doesn't fly.

An interesting first effort from Nichols - making him a director to look out for in the future.

It just scrapes two stars on the strength of Wilson’s best efforts. But for God’s sake, someone give this man a sparring partner.

There's a heartwarming quality that softens the hardcore setting but this does lack an assured, er, hand.

Marshall's film is crammed full of good ideas but doesn't have the cohesion to pull them all together. Less effective than "Dog Soldiers," never mind "The Descent."

Charming, funny and great turns from a cast with no finger-wagging. But if you don’t like psychosis-inducing imagery, steer clear.

"The Karate Kid" meets "Fight Club" but it's no way near as good as it sounds.

A stylish, darkly satirical horror-thriller, raising serious questions about Hollywood’s sanitisation of violence.

The mammoths aren’t all that is wild and woolly in this innocent, old-fashioned, amusingly self-important, entertainingly mad, rip-snorting throwback to vintage Saturday matinee fare, with all the swell set piece thrills state-of-the-art technology can throw at it.

A quartet of great performances and gorgeous scenery go some way to compensating for some strange variances in tone.

A rather titillating take on a racy historical novel, this is perhaps too ambitious in intent. More time, or more pruning (perhaps they should just have focused on The Boleyn girl), would have produced a richer and more enjoyable film.

After a strong start, the story ceases to challenge itself and its characters, offering easy options and a Prozac-soft finish.

The remake/parody sequences - trailers for which are on the official site - are outstanding, but Black’s all-over-the-place mania and Mos Def’s slightly too bland orphan hero don’t quite tie the rest of the picture together. Still, it has heart. And you’d rather see this version of "Rush Hour 2" than the original.

Some okay thrills with good performances and some smarts. But the last reel plunge spoils things. Myth for the new millennium: any average, out-of-shape middle-aged Yank, including the President, can get in a punch-up with a few well-armed, super-trained terrorists, and win.

A raw, vivid despatch from the frontline, this melds content with frights in classic Romero style. An outstanding exercise in showing the kids how to do it.

Sweet, funny, simple, entertaining -- everything a good rom-com should be. Definitely...

It’s Liman’s least charismatic action movie and the least developed, but it still packs some cracking action into its brief running time and lays foundations on which a great franchise could be built.

A late entry in a crowded field, Spiderwick works hard to set itself apart from the competition, and almost entirely succeeds - no mean feat these days.

A heartfelt, wry and decidedly spry film.

Absolute tosh. A ridiculous, unerringly tedious plot is weighed down by listless performances from a cast who clearly wished they were somewhere else, despite the sumptuous locations.

Ugly in more ways than one.

With In Bruges, the British gangster movie gets a Croydon facelift. It may not be new, but it’s a wonderfully fresh take on a familiar genre: fucked-up, far-out and very, very funny.

An effective look at women's lives in a decidedly non-Hollywood setting.

Rambo could have been a satisfying romp - wherein bad dialogue and cardboard characters can be forgiven - but for the sin of making the main man step to the sidelines in favour of charisma-free fillers. Bad move, Sly...

A competent suspenser, helped by the always-dependable Diane Lane, but it suffers by following the modern thriller playbook to the letter.

Tense, kinetic, intelligent and real – as if Paul Greengrass had remade Vera Drake.

It's not for nothing that these guys are the world's finest live act.

A dazzling experiment that paid off immensely, this is cinematic pleasure at its purest. One caveat: If they ever make a sequel, we’re taking two stars back.

Cute, cute, cute. No bouquets for originality, but it pushes all the buttons of this mini-genre, and Heigl and Marsden ring dem bells.

A gentle, enjoyable musical fable.

A good old-fashioned horror in the best possible way, this is a beautifully told, terrifying ghost story that lingers with you long after the shivers have stopped.

Uncompromising, intelligent and searing cinema. Along with The Assassination Of Jesse James... and No Country For Old Men, this is the best batch of Western-set dramas in decades. John Huston would have been proud.

An early but strong contender for worst movie of 2008.

The script is weak and obvious and the direction disappointingly unimaginative. But stars are stars, and the old boys are terrific - enough to make this a funny and sometimes moving buddy picture.

The monochrome animation is stark and beautiful, and Marjane’s an appealing narrator. Often hilarious, sometimes tragic, this may be low-tech, but it’s high-class.

Likeable stuff despite being slow paced and rather sentimental.

Extremely enjoyable. Although it’s a little tonally unsure, whenever Hanks and Hoffman are on screen, any misgivings are forgiven.

A turgid action sequel that loses sight of plot and characters in its humourless efforts to impress.

Gerard Butler stars in a very good film where he helps a guarded woman get over a tragedy in her past. It’s called "Dear Frankie" - go rent that instead.

Whether horror fans are ready for high-notes or musical buffs will appreciate Dario Argento levels of gore is an open question, but this is a rich, demented experience.

John C Reilly just about holds together a funny but patchy comedy that puts a ten-megaton bomb under the cliched rock biopic – and never detonates it.

An unflinching and affecting depiction of the region’s tragic lunacies.

Fun musical numbers and cartoonish humour give way to a bland sermon about the evils of the music industry.

While the sun shines, it’s a four-star thriller with a superb turn from Smith. When the moon rises, it’s a two-star horror cartoon with some of the worst FX we’ve seen all year. So, really, it has to average out at…

An engaging melodrama whose less convincing plot points are superseded by some astonishingly affecting performances from the mostly unknown cast.

Not quite a complete write-off, but basically a folly.

The kind of film the tabloids will call to ban. Don't take that as a reason to see it.

Gorgeous cinematography, a lilting score and near-faultless performances, under Wright’s assured direction, make this the first contender for next year’s Best Picture Oscar.

A crushing disappointment for fans and a scuppered opportunity for a cinematic event. That the first book has been so mishandled doesn’t bode well for the (already greenlit) more complicated ones to come.

As in Cocoon, the emphasis is on sentiment, feel-good and reclaiming the elderly from the scrapheap. But the performances are nowhere near as subtle.

Attempting to encompass too many genres dulls the overall effect but this still commands a certain fascination.

A sharp-edged, sweet-centred, warm-hearted coming-of-age movie that’s always just that little bit smarter than you think it is.

A poignant reflection on what it means to be alive and, visually, a true cinematic experience.

An enjoyable satire is let down by a third act that juggles too many ideas for its own good.

A richly nuanced American comedy, with two acting talents working at their absolute peak.

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.

Unapologetically preposterous, but it is a (very sweet) fairy tale and Highmore is captivating.

It’s essentially, y’know, for kids, but the dedicated fairy tale fan will have tons of fun spotting all the references. Adams, meanwhile, gives one of the comedy performances of the year.

An extraordinary attempt to encapsulate the many faces of Bob Dylan that plays better to the convert than the sceptic. Like the nasal twang of the man in question, the film finally beguiles more than it irritates.

Criminally overlooked in the States, this is one of the best horror movies of the last few years.

Like mum's home-made comfort food, it's warming but not really that good for you.

It’s not a reinvention of the wheel, but in 3D this is an astonishing experience that borders on ‘must-see’, and raises the bar for what James Cameron is planning with Avatar. And you’ll be glad to know that the creepy dead eyes thing has been fixed.

A sharply observed but bleak examination of family dysfunction, anchored by solid performances.

Structurally it’s a bit ragtag, but, as your mum would say, it has its heart in the right place. For all its wilful oddness it’s enchanting, imaginative and genuinely moving.

De Palma is incapable of making a dull movie, but poor performances and a see-sawing tone make this an unsatisfying experience.

A bold and sometimes garbled take on modern American politics, this nevertheless marks an effective and surprisingly funny comeback for a film that many deemed to be DOA.

It creates a seasonal glow, but inconsistencies keep Fred Claus off the ‘Nice’ list this Christmas.

A smart, accessible, surprisingly balanced look at our dysfunctional world. Compelling stuff.

Violent, poetic, gripping, thrilling and blackly funny: that’ll be the Coens doing what they do best then. Now with added humanity.

An entertaining romp through familiar cop-and-crim cat-and-mousery, bolstered by strong star turns from Washington and Crowe. Still, it has neither the intelligence nor the grip to jump from the merely good to the truly great.

The depth of talent in the cast and gag writing shines through, but it’s only just enough to take your mind off of the flat animation.

Bleak, brutal and quite possibly brilliant, this is a triumphant return to form for Lumet and further proof that Hoffman is on an incredible winning streak.

A small but sweetly formed comedy of romantic misfortune that can’t quite keep Hollywood at bay.

This slick and sticky horror is the most accomplished treatment of vampire lore since Near Dark.

A superior, haunting thriller of abduction, deception and ethical dilemma with a sobering ending - a moral quandary that demands strong debate outside the cinema.

Disappointingly dull given the explosive subject matter, this at least attempts to get a message into the mainstream. An extra star for effort rather than execution.

The script is structurally similar to "21 Grams," but restrained turns and perceptive direction make this honest rather than manipulative.

Despite being occasionally hilarious, director Goran Dukic should have toned down the wackiness.

Over-indulgent and melodramatic, as is the nature of artistic mythmaking, The Golden Age will beguile and repel in equal measure. The performances are supreme, although some viewers may struggle to reconcile the director’s epic intentions.

A strangely affecting romance with real heart -- and another sign that Gosling is one of the best young actors around.

Minus a couple of brisk, black laughs, this hollow remake botches the twists and sucks the fun right out of its feisty source.

A highly engaging documentary that recounts a remarkable tale. Young Marla is clearly talented, but so too is her father…

Funny peculiar and funny ha ha, with a spontaneity and energy that gather up a powerful emotional head of steam as it chugs along.

Even The Rock's immense charisma cannot save this predicatable fare.

Not quite as smart as it wants to be, and a better action movie than it is a political thriller, this is still a heart-pounding drama.

A beautifully rendered, long, drawn-out but ultimately very satisfying story of betrayal and revenge in an uneasy setting of wartime paranoia.

If "Wedding Crashers" is in your top ten rom-coms ever, you might not hate this. Otherwise, it’s too gross to be sweet and too sweet to be gross.

With the whole of America as his backdrop, Penn pulls off his most ambitious movie yet. The result is a beautiful and thought-provoking road movie.

Better than the silly second instalment and boasting an effectively creepy empty world setting, it’s nevertheless scuppered by a lack of coherence.

An extraordinary and visionary study of a legendary murderer’s famous fate, within touching distance of Oscars.