Where the Wild Things Are

It's the release that everyone's been waiting for with baited breath. The Spike Jonze interpretation of the classic children's book of the same name finally hits our screens.

Max is a boy with stubborn tendencies and a rapacious imagination. When his feelings are misunderstood he retreats to his bedroom and conjures up a world of insane creatures in a faraway land. He wants to be king but with power comes responsibility, and Max learns some important childhood lessons.

Jonze treats his intended audience with a cool maturity and the special effects alone are worth the ticket price.

The Hangover

Director Todd Phillips struck gold with puerile teen romp Road Trip in2000. He’s essentially still making the same film but the characters and situations have aged at roughly the same rate as the audience.

The Hangover sees a group of friends suffer amnesia after a hedonistic stag night in Vegas. They must piece together events from random clues, retrieve the groom and try to get to the wedding in one piece. Needless to say the laughs revolve around bodily functions, nudity and injury but it’s a fairly decent two-hour diversion to everyday life.

Last Chance Harvey

Harvey and Kate live on different continents, have different lives and are nonplussed by each other when they first meet. Sounds like familiar rom-com territory so far. The difference here is that the two leads can act and they have a natural on-screen chemistry.

This screenwriting-by-numbers movie is far from groundbreaking: it’s just done well. There’s nothing more salacious than a lingering kiss and yet the poignancy of the back-stories makes for some truly heart wrenching scenes, as Harvey tries to wriggle his way back into his daughter’s life.

Best of all, it’s wrapped up in a neat 90-minute package.

Slumdog Millionaire

It’s not often that I come out of the cinema with a cheesy smile on my face but Slumdog Millionaire had me grinning like a Cheshire cat.

This is a rags-to-riches, road trip tale of two brothers from a Mumbai slum whose lives take very different paths. Jamal ends up on an iconic game show and is assumed to be cheating when the money starts stacking up. Danny Boyle delicately weaves the touching and intricate tale of his childhood into the narrative and this resolves any doubts about the improbability of a slum dweller knowing the answers. Superb.

The Wrestler

I’ve racked my brain and I can honestly say this is one of the saddest films I’ve ever seen. Mickey Rourke is an acting revelation as a washed-up wrestler who tours the community centre circuit on the back of a golden career twenty years previously.

The parallels drawn between the ‘Ram’ and his love interest are what make this a truly great film. Cassidy works in a strip club competing with younger girls for customers. Both are past their sell-by-date, pulling in the loose change by performing for baying crowds. However, only one of them succeeds in getting out. Staggering.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

This has classic Woody Allen hallmarks but it’s more accessible than much of his work. The narrator technique kicks in from the outset: I’m not a fan but it worked beautifully here, as the film follows Vicky and Cristina on their summer in Barcelona.

Cruz is phenomenal as the nutty ex-wife and Bardem plays the enigmatic artist with aplomb (I desperately tried to ignore any flashbacks to ‘No Country for Old Men’).

Allen has pulled it out of the bag with this sassy slice of contemporary life and love. Only he could turn a love triangle into a love ‘square’.

Burn After Reading

The Coen brothers and A-list friends have been busy again and Burn After Reading sees them push the boat out with a full-on genre hybrid. Comedy, action, murder and mayhem all jostle for space in this tale of spiraling plot twists.

Brad Pitt gets his teeth into every actor’s dream character role. He justifies his position at the top of the heap with his portrayal of ditzy gym bunny Chad who’s convinced there’s money to be made from blackmail. A simple premise escalates to a complex tale of whodunnits. Classic Coen, classically executed.

Changeling

Put Clint Eastwood’s name on that Director slot and I’ve booked my ticket before reading the synopsis. The downside is that expectations are high and this can lead to catastrophic disappointment when it comes to movies. However, this true story of suspense, corruption, action and intrigue is an instant classic.

Despite being set in 1920s America, the story and sub-plots have huge resonance in today’s society. Jolie is mesmerising as the distraught mother whose son goes missing. My only gripe is that she seems to be visited by the hair and make-up fairies during the night.

Casino Royale

Having never been fan enough to rush to the cinema on Bond release date, I was surprised that the hype for the latest instalment was sufficient to reverse the trend. And the verdict? It was worth the effort.

Craig is mesmerising as the first blond incarnation of 007 and he really seems to have found his niche, slipping into the role like a comfortable pair of well-worn slippers. It helps that we're given a taste of the human side of the lethal killing machine, as Bond falls in love with the flirtatiously sardonic Vesper Lynd and thrill-a-minute adventure ensues.

Amazing Grace

This film charts the political career of William Wilberforce, of which a great deal of time was spent trying to persuade fellow members of parliament of the barbarism and depravity of the slave trade - a system that was keeping the kingdom's coffers lined.

The acting is sublime; to be expected from such a talented line-up and Ioan Gruffudd proves his worth as the leading man. Whilst the action is kept firmly away from the Indies, we are left in no doubt as to the horrors of slavery and the savagery of this shameful period in history.