This Week's New Films

Sightseers (15)
(Ben Wheatley, 2012, UK) Steve Oram, Alice Lowe, Eileen Davies, Richard Glover. 88 mins

It's been billed as Badlands meets Nuts In May, but what separates this English country killing spree from its influences is its finely tuned sense of humour, which owes more to Alan Partridge or Edgar Wright. That's the black icing on a cake that's already rich with satire, twisted romance and gruesome violence, as our caravanning couple carve a murderous swathe through our nation's more mundane tourist attractions. It makes you proud to be British.

Great Expectations (12A)
(Mike Newell, 2012, UK/US) Jeremy Irvine, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter. 128 mins

To be honest, expectations weren't that great for this lavish, handsome, star-stuffed but essentially orthodox Dickens adaptation. Despite the epic scope, the dense plot feels crammed in, and it ends up leaving little impression in the crowded Victoriana-drama marketplace.

The Hunt (15)
(Thomas Vinterberg, 2012, Den) Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, 115 mins

A child's accusation of indecency turns a community against a kindly teacher, and turns his life upside down in this tense, thrilling drama. Mikkelsen and the cinematography are outstanding.

Laurence Anyways (15)
(Xavier Dolan, 2012, Can/Fra) Melvil Poupaud, Suzanne Clément, Nathalie Baye. 168 mins

The long, tumultuous journey of a man who wants to become a woman is handled with great energy and empathy here. Rather than sensationalising the subject, it expands it into a universal study of marginalisation.

Rise Of The Guardians (PG)
(Peter Ramsey, 2012, US) Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman. 97 mins

Led by a Bieber-esque Jack Frost, childhood folk heroes (Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, etc) team up, Avengers-style, to save kids' imaginations in this dazzling-to-the-point-of-exhausting animation.

Trouble With The Curve (12A)
(Robert Lorenz, 2012, US) Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake 111 mins

Pushing those all-American buttons, an emotive sports drama with grouchy, growly Eastwood as a fading baseball scout reconnecting with his neglected daughter. Timberlake adds some freshness to a very traditional set-up.

Yossi (15)
(Eytan Fox, 2012, Isr) Ohad Knoller, Oz Zehavi, 84 mins

Catching up with the doctor from 2002's Yossi And Jagger, 10 years after the death of his lover, we find him still closeted and struggling to move on in this sympathetic drama.

Alex Cross (15)
(Rob Cohen, 2012, US) Tyler Perry, Matthew Fox, Rachel Nichols. 101 mins

Perry's attempt at a new, deadly serious Bourne-type persona is made even harder to swallow by a ridiculously sadistic bad guy and a lacklustre story.

Talaash (15)
(Reema Kagti, 2012, Ind) Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukerji. 139 mins

A suspicious car crash leads the investigating cop into Mumbai's seamier side in this suspense thriller.

Out from Friday

Seven Psychopaths

Christopher Walken and other oddballs in a dognapping comedy thriller.

Out Wed

Celeste And Jesse Forever

Andy Samberg and Rashida Jones play a couple trying to split up.

I, Anna

Gabriel Byrne falls for Charlotte Rampling's femme fatale.

The Man With The Iron Fists

Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu in RZA's Chinese martial arts epic.

The Oranges

Hugh Laurie and Leighton Meester cause a multi-family crisis.

You Will Be My Son

A French wine-making patriarch seeks a successor.

So Undercover

Miley Cyrus pretends to be a sorority airhead – this time for the FBI.

Confession Of A Child Of The Century

Pete Doherty leads a shaky tale of a 19th-century, er, libertine.

When Santa Fell To Earth

German-made festive fantasy based on Cornelia Funke's novel.

Life Just Is

A group of graduate friends learn to cope with the real world.

Khiladi 786

Akshay Kumar leads a stylised action comedy.

Coming soon

In two weeks ... Return to Middle Earth with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey … Young alcoholics sober up in Smashed …

In three weeks... Another tiger in Ang Lee's Life Of Pi … Anna Kendrick is Pitch Perfect…

In a month ... Tom Cruise on the case as Lee Child's Jack Reacher … Low-tech time-travel romance Safety Not Guaranteed …

This article was written by Steve Rose, for The Guardian on Saturday 1st December 2012 00.05 Europe/London

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