Damon Wise

Zahler has a way with action, and the set pieces are inventive and nasty, with an unflinching eye for violence. Such style and confidence is impressive. But after three movies, his increasingly morose characters’ world-weariness is becoming wearying in itself; a little more light and shade here and there would easily take this cult director to the next level. That is, if he wants to go.

Coppola’s most traditional film to date is a heightened, darkly comic, sexually tense drama that flips the male gaze, to show what happens when a man, for once, gets caught in the crosshairs of desire.

A visceral, artful horror about childbirth and trauma released in the UK just in time for Mother’s Day.

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.

Sparks fly, but the grim cynicism of modern politics adds subversive weight to the film’s screwball comedy stylings and has a lot to say about modern politics, in the US as well as abroad.

The acting is wooden, but fans of the director’s more shocking work might enjoy its gentle self-referential comedy.

Don’t get too caught up in the all-too-familiar plot, just savour Jake Gyllenhaal’s powerhouse performance in a riches-to-rags-to-redemption sports movie that punches well above its weight.

Roth and Reeves locks us in for an increasingly terrifying thrillride.

Neatly balances a folkloric coming-of-age tale with violent action thrills.

The dirty compañeros of the old Spaghetti West ride again in this stirring tale of hate, murder and revenge.

Superbly acted allegorical drama with a climax that is not only breathtakingly exciting but flawlessly handled.

When Abbot and Nixon start their sparring, Mond’s film takes on a magnificently physical and tactile quality.

A great cast and promising premise get swamped in an awkward mix of airport-novel noir and blokey family melodrama.

Cahill's second feature film is another smart, inventive and engaging offering.

Filmmaker Sean Ellis does terrific work balancing the disparate elements of his crime-laced drama.

Dreams of rock stardom become a warped reality in this barking-mad but affecting comedy about the side-effects of being a non-conformist genius.

A very welcome return from Moodysson. The music is Wyld Stallions-grade, but the charm and spirit of the three girls will have you moshing in your seat.

A brutal, immersive prison survival story with a breakout performance by British actor Jack O’Connell.

Another meticulously stylish and deadpan Wes Anderson movie that walks the fine line between masterpiece and folly.

A caper thriller that's sufficiently zippy to hold the attention. LaBeouf's current notoriety adds extra piquancy to those urban fight scenes.

The oddest thing of all about The Wolf Of Wall Street is also the most unusual for a Scorsese film: it is incredibly, incredibly funny.

Though it begins as a murder-mystery, Kill Your Darlings may be best described as an intellectual moral maze, a story perfectly of its time and yet one that still resonates today.

A charming road movie that develops into a full-blown study of life and roots, offering a beautiful insight into the way families migrate and change.

A terrific, sophisticated comedy that tackles serious issues with a lightness of touch and a spirit of steel, Philomena is the British film to beat come BAFTA time.

A terrific human drama about two boys about to be consigned to the scrapheap, with standout performances from its young leads.

Gordon Green follows up a pair of execrable comedies with a wise and witty slow-motion road trip that catches the sun.

A bulked-up James McAvoy dominates the screen in this razor-sharp Glasgow smile of a black comedy, packed with aberrant sex, hard drugs and maximum David Soul.

A bang-on soundtrack will make the hairs on ex-ravers' necks stand up. The plot will have the opposite effect.