Tangled (PG)
(Nathan Greno, Byron Howard, 2010, US) Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, Ron Perlman. 100 mins
Disney's animation formula might be 50 movies old, but after a thorough 21st-century overhaul it sparkles anew here. The classical elements are present and correct: rejigged fairytale (Rapunzel), musical numbers, expressive animals, problematic mother-daughter dynamic. But the animation is bright, the comedy tight, and the dialogue high-school-friendly. It's like Shrek without the irony, which is kind of refreshing. Little to challenge the status quo (or Pixar), maybe, but it does feature a great comedy horse.
Barney's Version (15)
(Richard J Lewis, 2010, US) Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, Dustin Hoffman. 134 mins
Giamatti was made to play this comically disgraceful antihero – a boozy, philandering New York Jewish sleazeball/charmer – whose belief in romance shapes his unreliably narrated life, even as it ruins those of others.
Biutiful (15)
(Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu, 2010, Spa/Mex) Javier Bardem, Maricel Alvarez, Hanaa Bouchaib. 147 mins
The world weighs heavily on Bardem's Barcelona loner here – what with his exploitative sweatshop business, miserable family life, terminal illness and his visions of the other side. The topical grimness is piled so high it's almost laughable, but it's strikingly shot, and Bardem carries his burden with dignity.
Hereafter (12A)
(Clint Eastwood, 2010, US) Matt Damon, Cécile de France, Bryce Dallas Howard. 129 mins
Like Bardem, Damon also sees dead people, though his psychic uses his "gift" sparingly in this multi-stranded spiritual meditation – until the hand of fate starts swatting. It recalls Iñárritu's Babel.
How Do You Know (12A)
(James L Brooks, 2010, US) Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd. 121 mins
Rudd and Wilson play to their strengths (charming nice guy and charming idiot) in this resolutely middle-of-the-road romcom, with Witherspoon as a pro-softball player (that's the only surprise) torn between them, and Jack Nicholson as a not-all-that-wild card.
The Mechanic (15)
(Simon West, 2011, US) Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Tony Goldwyn. 92 mins
Statham growls his way through another hi-octane action workout, showing a rookie the ropes of his hitman trade, leaping off buildings and punching everyone's lights out.
How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr Foster? (NC)
(Carlos Carcas, Norberto López Amado, 2010, UK/Spa) 75 mins
A useful primer on the life and work of Norman Foster – with all the loving shots of his architectural oeuvre you could wish for. What could have been a dazzling in-depth documentary though plays more like a corporate video.
Men On The Bridge (15)
(Asli Özge, 2009, Ger/Tur/Neth) Cemile Ilker, Fikret Portakal. 90 mins
Intelligent, understated realist drama using Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge to connect the lives of three ordinary men (a cop, a cab driver and a flower-seller) and explore wider tensions.
Out next week
James Cameron Presents Sanctum
Cave-diving disaster thriller along the lines of The Descent, except in 3D, and produced by Cameron.
The Fighter
Mark Wahlberg plays a boxer giving it one last shot in this true-life fable.
Brighton Rock
The Brit noir classic, refashioned for the 1960s, with Sam Riley and Andrea Riseborough.
Rabbit Hole
Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart grieve for their lost child, and try to save their marriage.
A Little Bit Of Heaven
Kate Hudson and Gael García Bernal have a doctor-patient romance with a built-in time limit.
The Clink Of Ice
Bertrand Blier casts an ingenious spin on cancer by turning it into a person.
New York I Love You
Compilation of romantic shorts from star directors.
Nenette
Nicolas "Etre Et Avoir" Philibert documents a 40-year-old orang-utan in a Paris zoo.
Silken Skin
Truffaut's 1964 study of an extra-marital affair.
Coming soon
In two weeks... Saddle up for the Coens' True Grit … Keira Knightley leads pessimistic English drama Never Let Me Go …
In three weeks... ET goes native in Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's Paul … The economic meltdown of Inside Job …
In a month... Natalie Portman cuddles up to Ashton Kutcher in No Strings Attached… More of the Khans' Manchester life in West Is West …
