There are no surprises – just lots of good, old-fashioned scenery chewing – in August: Osage County, director John Wells’ splendid film version of playwright Tracy Letts’ acid-tongued Broadway triumph about three generations in a large and highly dysfunctional Oklahoma family.

An interesting hybrid of popular film genres, Ghost showcases the talents of its entire cast. While out on the town one evening, New York couple Sam (Patrick Swayze) and Molly (Demi Moore) are confronted by a mugger. After submitting to his demands, Sam is murdered anyway.

A crazed tale of con men, FBI agents, thugs, politicians and some dazzling-but-loony women, “American Hustle” is absolutely hilarious. But there’s more than mere fun going on here. Writer-director David O. Russell, building on the basics of a real political sting in the ’70s, is exploring the dark and dizzy heart of American ambition from a number of angles.

Directed by Ralph Fiennes, The Invisible Woman is based on the biography by Claire Tomalin that detailed the secret relationship between Charles Dickens and 18-year-old actress Nelly Ternan.

Bring along all the emotional support you can muster to get you through this topsy-turvy love story; a boisterous, heart-wrenching movie that will have you smiling through your tears.

Sometimes, the truth can be more entertaining than fiction. So now, in typically earnest fashion, we Canadians respond with a documentary to reclaim our true story.

Famous for the Qatsi trilogy of Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, and Naqoyqatsi, names taken from the Hopi language, director Godfrey Reggio has made another exquisite visual poem in Visitors, his first film in over a decade.

Louise Archambault’s smart and refreshing debut feature Familia marked the arrival of an extraordinary new talent in Canadian film. Delivering on the promise of her earlier work, Gabrielle is a stunning, tender film about a developmentally challenged young woman’s quest for independence and sexual freedom.

Stephen Frears’ Philomena is a funny, well-observed tearjerker featuring a wonderful performance from Judi Dench and a very good and understated one from Steve Coogan.

There's a devastating mix of eroticism and sadness in Abdellatif Kechiche's new film, which returns to the style and setting of his 2003 movie Games Of Love and Chance. It's the epic but intimate story of a love affair between two young women, unfolding in what seems like real time. There's an interestingly open, almost unfinished quality to the narrative.