A ‘will they or won’t they’ romantic drama in which rooming-house neighbours vow to not be like their spouses, whom they suspect of having an affair.

“That rarest of birds, a good-natured Canadian romantic comedy, Sabah is made unique by the couple involved – she’s a shy Muslim from Syria, while he’s an affable tradesman from Sudbury.

“Set in the town of Salta, nestled between the ankles of the Andes and the toes of a nearby rain forest, The Holy Girl physically takes place at a hotel hosting a conference of ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialists.

“More emotionally compelling than his martial-arts epic Hero, Zhang Yimou’s House Of Flying Daggers is the story of a love triangle, with a Robin Hood tale and superhuman acrobatic skills, set in China in 858 AD.

“At long last: a dog movie that really is just about a dog. The canine in question – Quill, a white Labrador retriever with a dark spot on its belly – does not have to compete for screen time with a moist-eyed tyke. Nor does Quill need to know how to punt a field goal.

The death of producer Ismail Merchant led to the dissolution of the Merchant-Ivory team, and seemed also to herald the end of the intelligent, romantic literary period film, typified by "Howard's End" and "A Room with a View." What followed has mostly been piffle aimed at aging art house audiences who like the clothes, the scenery and the sentiment. Advertisement

'LETTERS From Iwo Jima," Clint Eastwood's spare, poetic and remarkable companion piece to "Flags of Our Fathers," is an engrossing and revealing look at that same World War II battle from the Japanese side. The American commanders figured it would take five days to capture Iwo Jima, a barren volcanic island, and make it a beachhead for their final attack on Japan.

“If the original Apocalypse Now was a narrow, swiftly flowing river that gradually closed in on the patrol boat carrying Captain Willard into the heart of darkness, Apocalypse Now Redux is a wide river of greater depth, more variable currents and some fascinating new ports of call.

“Zhang Yimou sounds defensive when he speaks of Hero as ‘a genre piece.’ The implication is: just a diversion, a long sword fight played by grownups. Zhang is underestimating both the power of the movie-epic form and his ability to inhabit and revive it.

"A little piece of action-comedy heaven from Hong Kong's multiple-threat wizard Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer), who wrote, directed, produced and stars in this rambunctiously inventive martial arts romp that tickles as many ribs as it breaks.