Film

Three decades after confronting our anxieties about reproduction in Alien, Sir Ridley Scott returns to the universe of his classic sci-fi horror film. Davina Quinlivan considers the franchise and shows that in nightmares, no one can hear you scream

Alison Oram on a tale of two very different 19th-century women who lived as men: the charming butch and the fragile androgyne

Had it really looked east and dared to dance, this film could have offered so much more, says Philip Dodd

A film about Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky is surprising in its frankness, says Philip Dodd

Will Brooker is seduced by a romcom with a starry cast of actors of a certain age who give powerful, sexy performances

A son’s quest for his late father’s secrets does not bring us closer to the trauma of 9/11, says Will Brooker

Will Brooker is disappointed by an old-fashioned ghost tale that lacks the spirit of its superior source

Subtle evil lurks in a believable portrayal of a traumatised, fractured personality, says Duncan Wu

The master of 'body horror' turns to the monsters of the mind in an exploration of psychoanalysis. Davina Quinlivan investigates

The idyllic island backdrop may pall but the chemistry between George Clooney and his clan ignites the film, says Will Brooker

Clint Eastwood's biopic of the first head of the FBI belongs to its leading man, argues Will Brooker

The wonder of a heroic wartime tale is lost in Steven Spielberg's cinematic landscape, says Will Brooker

A film about Margaret Thatcher is unrealistic about her and events in her premiership, says Duncan Wu

A Hollywood remake glosses over its source's message about misogyny in society, argues Will Brooker

Guy Ritchie's new film is a visceral, action-packed extravaganza. Davina Quinlivan enjoys the ride

This set of melodramatic interconnected tales is a visual delight - but take a cushion, says Duncan Wu

An outdated, stylised reality is a missed opportunity for a more interesting narrative, laments Will Brooker

Philip Dodd finds moments to cherish in Terence Davies' meditation on a tortured relationship

Philip Dodd is disturbed by a vision of hell, where the audience is forced into unendurable complicity

The glamour, the imagination, the fabulous frocks - as Will Brooker says, we can all be queens for a day

A restrained portrayal of love resists the clichés of romance and the New York film, says Duncan Wu

The emptiness of the landscape reflects the bleak heart of a new German thriller, says Philip Dodd

Will Brooker explores the unsettling juxtaposition of self and other in Lynne Ramsay's skilful adaptation

The sterile detachment of an alienated half-life gives way to the pain of rebirth, observes Will Brooker

Duncan Wu doesn’t quite buy Morgan Spurlock’s less-than-burning questions about commercial sponsorship

Bringing comedy into the tale of a man whose suburban life falls apart doesn't work for Duncan Wu

Melancholia obliterates all around it, figuratively and literally, in Lars Von Trier's latest film, says Philip Dodd

Duncan Wu finds drama in the smallest gesture in a finely nuanced account of an unexpected passion

Duncan Wu is charmed by a modest octogenarian photographer and the vivid street style he documents

Despite reservations about yet another version of a classic story, Duncan Wu enjoys a faithful rendition

An intelligent adaptation skilfully if smugly paints Japan as antidote to French bourgeois life, says Philip Dodd

Will Brooker on a skilful adaptation that shows how in the midst of life, love and laughter we are in death

Duncan Wu is impressed by an honest depiction of the emotional and physical harm we inflict and suffer

In which High Noon meets high-concept sci-fi carnage - and shoots blanks, says Duncan Wu

A true story of how humans nurtured, used and then abandoned a chimp is unsettling for Duncan Wu

Duncan Wu considers how the quiet dignity of a veteran actress creates an impressive drama

A handsome terrier lightens the load for a formidable trio grappling with life's mysteries, finds Duncan Wu

Philip Dodd finds darkness and oppression in a film of international chess master Bobby Fischer's life

A routine costume-drama story is transformed by the casting, writing and direction, says Duncan Wu

Robert Redford's period courtroom drama is a cautionary tale of flawed American justice, observes Duncan Wu

Duncan Wu struggles to see the humour in the story of a woman for whom everything goes wrong

Duncan Wu admires an adaptation of a play about how people lose control of their lives during conflicts

It's only the shark that Duncan Wu feels for in a self-righteous true-life tale of triumph over tragedy

Duncan Wu finds irony and charm in the camped-up tale of a 1970s trophy wife's empowerment

Duncan Wu is charmed by a plot inspired by Pythagoras and a star-studded cast of goats

A high-calibre cast overcome a contrived storyline about a fresh start in middle age, says Duncan Wu

A flawed satire of the moral duplicity at the heart of American politics wins Duncan Wu's qualified praise

Philip Dodd finds physical and critical distance obliterated in a 3D film where the brand is king

A teenage girl assassin and out-of-control technology serve to amuse but also irritate, surmises Duncan Wu

Duncan Wu detects smug bigotry in the sourly 'comic' tale of a middle-aged naif's business trip

Philip Dodd on the visceral and transformational reality of war in a Danish documentary

Duncan Wu enjoys some sensitive performances in a Midwest drama about a prison warden's moral crisis

An unbelievable, unerotic thriller may still appeal to viewers' sense of silliness, concludes Duncan Wu

Woody Allen's latest satire has worthwhile things to say of the US. Pity it's set in Britain, says Duncan Wu

Philip Dodd finds arresting beauty in Norwegian Wood, but the novel's interiority is lost on film

It may be hard to sympathise, but even high-flyers hurt when they hit the ground, Duncan Wu learns

Duncan Wu finds a CIA thriller based on real events in Bush's White House more compelling than fiction

Duncan Wu appreciates the Coens' distinctive take on the traditional pleasures of a classic western

Duncan Wu is impressed by an intelligent, complex murder story that has been poorly received in the US

Philip Dodd finds Javier Bardem the pivotal centre of a film about our inescapable mortality