Sherlock Holmes

A film made by Guy Ritchie and starring Robert Downey Jr as Holmes might provoke dread among Conan Doyle's detective’s fans

Four stars for Nowhere Boy

This film does not tackle the birth of pop music in Britain. It’s more about a boy - one that was John Lennon - than a Beatle

Nine

Nine has numerous songs, but only one note: creative anguish. Too personal a tale for anybody but Fellini devotees to enjoy

My Father My Lord

Brought up in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, David Volach picks a fight with fundamentalism in his first movie

St Trinian’s 2: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold

Another panto for 10-year-old girls, in which any given scene could pass for something from children’s television

The Queen of Spades

An unsung British gem is brought to wider attention with this rerelease of Thorold Dickinson’s 1949 film

Dogging: A Love Story

Sordid, squelchy, bare-bottomed comedy is the order of the day in this low-budget British film. And pretty feeble it is, too

Avatar

This latest offering from the Titanic director looks amazing - an unreal world of fantasy is portrayed with such realism

Humpday

This is the story of two male buddies who joke about an idea for a video-art project: having sex with each other on camera

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

Why must the brattish Alvin get starrier billing than his comrades? At least the new film teaches him a lesson

Nowhere Boy

Taylor-Wood’s use of colour is particularly eloquent — the key characters are each given a distinctive palette of hues

Nine

Nine isn’t camp spectacle but gritty and sombre. And no one does hand-wringing, head-grabbing agonising like Day-Lewis

Humpday

On a tiny budget, the director Lynn Shelton and her two leads have somehow emerged with one of the year’s funniest films

Sherlock Holmes

The film looks terrific and Downey Jr is sensational as Holmes — he’s the perfect fit for the troubled eccentric

Avatar

The most anticipated film of the decade is finally here and, contrary to expectations, it’s actually rather good

Dogging: A Love Story

The backdrop of Newcastle at night, awash with vomit and wobbly flesh, is about the most depressing thing you’ll ever see

Nine

Torture has a new name, and it’s called Nine — there are few more agonising experiences than squirming through this

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakel

Judging by the reaction of a three-year-old of my acquaintance, the chipmunks will have the audience eating out of their paws

St Trinian’s 2: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold

A sequel to the 2007 film that rebooted the St Trinian’s brand, it's ramshackle entertainment imbued with affection

Dogging: A Love Story

This is titillation for people who are too stupid to download porn from the internet and a profoundly depressing film