FILM REVIEWS

• 'Green Zone' a quiet, thoughtful and mature film

  As with 'Shutter Island' and the re-teaming of DiCaprio and Scorsese, so that of Damon and Greengrass – actors and directors who can bring the best out of one another’s work.

• Scorsese does it again with 'Shutter Island'

  The return of what has become a fine partnership brings us another outstanding performance from DiCaprio and something of a directing departure for Scorsese.

• 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' complex and atmospheric

  Nobody does dysfunction quite like the Swedish cinema and with this complex and atmospheric thriller, based on the first of Stieg Larsson’s trilogy, we get an island full of dysfunctional people and a 40-year-old mystery.

• Burton updates 'Alice in Wonderland' in typical style

  One of cinema’s most-filmed stories is updated by Burton in magnificent manner – as only he can – by sending the now 19-year-old Alice (Wasikowsky) back to Wonderland, there to meet up again with her odd-ball friends and battle the evil Red Queen (Bonham-Carter).

• 'Ondine' a beautiful and lyrical story

  Farrell, turning away as he is from the lurid, hell-raising headlines of recent years, is producing some quite excellent performances, none better than in this charming fantasy (or might it be fact?) set in Ireland.

• Fine performances in 'The Father of my Children'

  Successful film producer Gregoire Canvell (Lencquesaing) has a good, even wonderful, life, with a loving wife and happy family and a career that goes from strength to strength.

• 'Legion' too slow and low-budget

  In 'Legion', God finally arrives at the obvious conclusion … humankind is the pits and deserves a good, bloody kick up the rear end, sending Michael (Bettany) and a Host of Angels to do the kicking.

• Neeson underused as 'Chloe' falls short

  Sometimes it’s best to leave things alone, as Catherine (Moore) discovers when she suspects her husband (Neeson) of cheating and hires a hooker (Seyfried) to lure him into an affair and report back on all the sordid and erotic details … all of which leads, naturally, to

• 'Case 39' much too predictable

  Zellweger doesn’t quite convince as a social worker in what turns out to be a lazy, seen-it-all-before, sort-of horror film.

• 'Micmacs' a great rollercoaster of a film

  Leading French actor Boon, a modern-day answer to Chaplin and Keaton, is at his best in this quirky and utterly mad, tumbling film, one that races from one outstanding cinematic delight – and surprise – to another.