Hale County This Morning, This Evening review – visionary doc about lives in Alabama
Executive produced by Laura Poitras, this documentary RaMell Ross is a revelatory study of African American lives - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarAn Impossible Love review – brilliantly dark and tender family drama
A daughter’s life is shaped by her father’s arrogance and her mother’s humility, in Catherine Corsini’s beautiful film - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarAn Elephant Sitting Still review – melancholic and mesmerising
The first and last film from the late Chinese director and author Hu Bo has a desolate beauty - Simran Hans
starstarstarstarstarIt’s a Wonderful Life review – Capra's Christmas cracker shines anew
A crisis in housing, a racist ruling class and a struggle against a hideous ego-plutocrat who names everything after himself – this 1946 classic still resonates - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarKhrustalyov, My Car! review – delirious and visually amazing Russian gem
A rerelease of Aleksei German’s 1998 satire is a journey into a hallucinatory world shot with documentary realism - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarCarnival Night / Hakob Hovnatanyan review – a pair of pre-Christmas Soviet treats
A nimble 1950s Russian musical comedy is coupled with a restored 1967 short by the Armenian director of The Colour of Pomegranates - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarDie Hard review – Bruce Willis Christmas classic is still a blast
The deafening shootouts, the uproarious explosions and the killer catchphrase remain gloriously intact as the festive face-off gets a 30th anniversary rerelease - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarRoma review – an epic of tearjerking magnificence
Alfonso Cuarón’s intimate family drama, set in 1970s Mexico, is a triumphant blend of tragedy, comedy and absurdity - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarHey Duggee at the Cinema! review – CBeebies earns its movie badge
An hour-long compilation of favourite preschool TV episodes brings simple pleasures for toddlers and in-jokes for the grownups - Leslie Felperin
starstarstarstarstarMonsters and Men review – boys from the hood take a stand on the street
Reinaldo Marcus Green’s tough drama follows the fortunes of three young African-American men who find their loyalties divided – and their futures in peril - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarIsland of the Hungry Ghosts review – timely study of refugees’ plight
A vivid sense of place mixes with mysticism to create a moving documentary about Australia’s Christmas Island detention camp - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarStan & Ollie review – a love letter to cinema’s odd couple
Steve Coogan and John C Reilly excel in this bittersweet film about the twilight years of the great double act - Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
starstarstarstarstarThe Front Runner review – sharp US election bio-drama
Jason Reitman’s thrilling take on senator Gary Hart’s fall from grace in 1988 shines a powerful light on US politics - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarIsland of the Hungry Ghosts review – grim view of Australia's Guantánamo
Gabrielle Brady’s powerful portrait of the lives of asylum seekers warehoused on Christmas Island is fierce and compassionate - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarThe Ponds review – deep dive into Hampstead Heath's swimming culture
This gentle documentary wades through interviews and drone footage for a touching portrait of pond life - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarColette review – Keira Knightley shines as a racy writer wronged
Dominic West plays the French author’s exploitative husband in this invigorating and kinky biopic set during the belle époque - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarAn Impossible Love review – a mother and daughter driven apart
A toxic narcissist invades the lives of two women in Catherine Corsini’s intimate study - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarColette review – Keira Knightley shines in gritty, glamorous biopic
Knightley plays a woman reclaiming her voice in Wash Westmoreland’s beautiful biopic of the French author - Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
starstarstarstarstarOne Cut of the Dead review – zombie films get a shot in the arm
Japanese film-maker Shin’ichirô Ueda injects new life into the undead with this lively metafictional horror show - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarThe Favourite review – Colman, Weisz and Stone are pitch-perfect
Yorgos Lanthimos’s tragicomedy boasts daring performances from its three female stars and lashings of lust, intrigue and deceit - Mark Kermode
starstarstarstarstarOne Cut of the Dead review – meta zombie fun
A zombie film about making a zombie film, with actual zombies crashing the undead party - Simran Hans
starstarstarstarstarBumblebee review – old-school 80s buzz
Hailee Steinfeld shines in this charming Transformers movie featuring a teen outcast and a robot disguised as a VW Beetle - Simran Hans
starstarstarstarstarMary Poppins Returns review – not totally expialidocious but still a joy
It was always going to be hard to watch for a diehard Poppins fan, but this sequel to the 1964 classic retains the magic - Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
starstarstarstarstar1985 review – stylish and heartbreaking
A touching, lo-fi drama set at the height of the Aids epidemic against the backdrop of Reagan’s America - Simran Hans
starstarstarstarstarAll Is True review – Kenneth Branagh and Ben Elton's poignant Bard biopic
Judi Dench and Ian McKellen offer solid support in a story of Shakespeare’s home life that tiptoes between fact and fiction - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarVice review – Christian Bale hilarious as toad-like VP Dick Cheney
Bale brilliantly captures the former vice-president’s bland magnificence in Adam McKay’s entertainingly nihilist biopic - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse review – savvy and sublime
There’s lots to love in this animated reimagining of the webbed wonder, which introduces no less than five new Spideys - Simran Hans
starstarstarstarstarThe Last Movie review – fascinating, flawed adventure in ideas
Dennis Hopper’s audacious 1971 movie about the ritualistic voodoo of cinema is a brilliant, exhilarating experiment - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarFree Solo review – jaw-dropping high jinks on a 3,000ft rock face
A daredevil with a samurai’s intensity, Alex Honnold scales a vertiginous cliff without ropes in this visually staggering documentary - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarAn Elephant Sitting Still review – on the edge of despair in the new China
In his arresting final film, Hu Bo follows a string of characters struggling against injustice – and dreaming of escape - Phil Hoad
starstarstarstarstar1985 review – desperately moving Aids-related drama
Cory Michael Smith plays a son coming out to his conservative Texas family in Yen Tan’s compassionate, beautifully acted film - Cath Clarke
starstarstarstarstarSorry to Bother You review – Boots Riley finds soul-selling comedy gold
A likable loser takes cold calling to a new level in Riley’s gleefully anarchic directorial debut - Mark Kermode
starstarstarstarstarThe Old Man and the Gun review – Robert Redford twinkles one last time
The star’s supposedly final big-screen outing as an ageing bank robber is an enjoyable nod to criminal days gone by - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarThe Producers review – Brooks's bonfire of good taste still burns brightly
Raz Shaw’s riotous revival of Mel Brooks’s musical meisterwerk offers as much fun as you’ll find on a stage this Christmas - Michael Billington
starstarstarstarstarSorry to Bother You review – white privilege gets a wacky wake-up call
Lakeith Stanfield plays a black call-centre worker whose fortunes improve when he adopts a ‘white voice’ in Boots Riley’s cheerfully anarchic satire - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarTheatre of War review – raw wounds and redemption in Falklands docu-fiction
This genre-muddling film is both a documentary, featuring former soldiers who fought in the 1982 conflict, and a theatrical arthouse drama - Leslie Felperin
starstarstarstarstarRalph Breaks the Internet review – charming buddy comedy
Ralph and Vanellope must find a replacement part for her game – and avoid being sabotaged by a virus that replicates its victims’ insecurities - Simran Hans
starstarstarstarstarThree Identical Strangers review – brothers, where art thou?
This documentary about triplets separated at birth is slightly sinister and very watchable - Simran Hans
starstarstarstarstarRoma review – Alfonso Cuarón's bravura ode to his Mexican childhood
Two stoical women divided by class are the heart and soul of the Oscar-winning director’s most personal film yet - Mark Kermode, Observer filim critic
starstarstarstarstarThe Wild Pear Tree review – leaves flutter with significance
Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s latest epic tells the story of a graduate returning to his rural home - Simran Hans
starstarstarstarstarDead Souls review – monumental study of China's political brutality
Wang Bing’s shocking eight-hour oral history of the Jiabiangou ‘re-education’ camp is a gruelling – and necessary – account - Phil Hoad
starstarstarstarstarSalvador Dalí: In Search of Immortality review – portrait of a gloriously eccentric artist
David Pujol’s documentary includes some bizarre moments, including Dalí’s seduction of his wife-to-be with a paste made of goat excrement and fish glue - Andrew Pulver
starstarstarstarstarLondon Unplugged review – portraits of people at their most vulnerable
Ten stories about the migrant experience, loneliness and being broke give a glimpse of a city without its makeup on - Cath Clarke
starstarstarstarstarThe Raft review – strange tale of a floating human laboratory
Marcus Lindeen’s prizewinning documentary about an anthropologist’s 1970s social experiment doesn’t fully immerse itself in the mission’s oddity - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarMary Queen of Scots review – Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie's duel-like cousinmance
This heartfelt, serious-minded film about the artful power politics of the rival 16th-century queens presents their relationship as battle and love affair - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarReign of the Supermen review – copycat superheroes fight it out
Following the apparent death of the Man of Steel, a plethora of Superfakes don the spandex in an underpowered animated caper - Cath Clarke
starstarstarstarstarThe House by the Sea review – melancholy family drama
Veteran French director Robert Guédiguian achieves moments of beauty in an occasionally heavy-handed film - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarRBG review – judge for yourself
This profile of supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg captures the impact of the tireless feminist pioneer - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarRBG review – heartfelt portrait of US supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
This lively documentary tracks Ginsburg’s brilliant legal career, fighting for women’s workplace rights and preventing race discrimination - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarPolina review – from Russia to love, a classical ballerina finds a new path
This coming-of-age tale boasts beautifully shot dance sequences and strong performances - Simran Hans
starstarstarstarstarThe House That Jack Built review – a killer with room for improvement
Matt Dillon’s crazed architect recalls Lars von Trier’s grisly greatest hits in the director’s perversely timed black comedy - Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
starstarstarstarstarKeepers of the Flame review – a dense, reverential dip into Ireland's past
History unfolds in a documentary that explores personal stories from the country’s military pension archives - Leslie Felperin
starstarstarstarstarLizzie review – mythic axe murders get an edgy update
Chloë Sevigny plays the terrorised daughter – and prime suspect – in this retelling of the notorious Lizzie Borden story - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarMary Poppins Returns review – a spoonful of state-of-the-art genetically modified sweetener
Emily Blunt is the magical nanny in this scarily accomplished clone-pastiche sequel, which starts terrifically and ends cloyingly – just like the original - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarBumblebee review - Transformers spinoff dumps 'Bayhem' for old-school spirit
With a new director at the helm, the standard Transformers crassness has been replaced by a sweetness reminiscent of classic Spielberg - Phil Hoad
starstarstarstarstarReturn of the Hero review – Jane Austen meets screwball farce
This lively French romcom brings a modern sensibility to its tale of duels and deception in Napoleonic Burgundy - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarMug review – overly obvious Polish drama
Cute devices and simplistic morals hamper this film, despite a promising beginning - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarWhite Boy Rick review – rise of a teenage drug hustler
Matthew McConaughey stars in a father-and-son drama about the FBI’s youngest informant turned Detroit crack kingpin - Cath Clarke
starstarstarstarstarMeteors review – portents of tragedy in Turkey
The trauma of a state crackdown on one village finds celestial expression in this poetic film by Turkish director Gürcan Keltek - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarTides review – laughter and loneliness on a narrowboat
A group of friends embark on a boating trip – but despite the beauty of the countryside not everything is shipshape in this understated drama - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarReturn of the Hero review – bustles, bonnets and saucy intrigue
Jean Dujardin and Mélanie Laurent star in a ridiculous but enjoyable romp set during the Napoleonic era - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarThe Old Man & the Gun review – Robert Redford bows out in a feelgood crime caper
Redford’s swansong film, in which he plays an audacious real-life bank robber, makes light of the heists but offers a sad, sweet farewell performance - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarAwait Further Instructions review – sweatily tense Christmas horror
A festive gathering turns nasty when a warring family become trapped following a mysterious incident somewhere outside - Cath Clarke
starstarstarstarstarAnna and the Apocalypse review - all-singing, all-dancing, brain-bashing zomcom
Fun addition to the zombie mashup canon, with secondary-school pupil Anna battling the undead with showtunes - Cath Clarke
starstarstarstarstarDisobedience review – textbook forbidden love with Rachel Weisz and McAdams
Strong performances from Weisz and McAdams lift Sebastián Lelio’s relentlessly drab adaptation of Naomi Alderman’s novel set in Orthodox Jewish north London - Simran Hans
starstarstarstarstarCreed 2 review – round two is second best
Michael B Jordan and Sylvester Stallone are back to take on a beast from the east, but this sequel isn’t as light on its feet - Simran Hans
starstarstarstarstarHome Alone review – 1990 Christmas cracker resurfaces
Macaulay Culkin is nearly incandescent with confidence in the yuletide rerelease of Chris Columbus’ box-office smash - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarMowgli: Legend of the Jungle review – a stunningly strange beast
Mowgli, Baloo and co get a visually dazzling upgrade, but there’s too much animal trauma to make this child-friendly - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarAmá review – shocking story of Native Americans' mass sterilisation
The 1960s and 70s US government drive led to the eradication of a tribe – as revealed in Lorna Tucker’s moving follow-up to her Vivienne Westwood film - Leslie Felperin
starstarstarstarstarPlagi Breslau review – blood-spattered serial-killer thriller
Polish purveyor of graphic screen gore Patryk Vega unleashes another tide of visceral mayhem - Mike McCahill
starstarstarstarstarBeautiful Boy review – screamingly cliched view of drug addiction
Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet play father and son in a film based on a true story hampered by its white-privilege viewpoint - Simran Hans
starstarstarstarstarUnderdog review – sweat-soaked MMA movie succumbs to cliches
This montage-riddled clunker hits us over the head with stereotypes of masculinity and sports-drama tropes - Leslie Felperin
starstarstarstarstarGlass review – M Night Shyamalan's superheroes assemble
The director unites Samuel L Jackson, Bruce Willis and James McAvoy from earlier films in a pointless supernatural sequel - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarBeautiful Boy review – precious tale of addiction woe
Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet play a real-life father and son in this insufferable, memoirs-based drugs drama - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarStorm Boy review – not even a beloved pelican can save this epic downer
Shawn Seet’s remake of the Australian film, which stars Geoffrey Rush, makes jarring missteps in its final act - Luke Buckmaster
starstarstarstarstarThe Upside review – mediocre remake
Kevin Hart is just irritating as a former criminal caring for Bryan Cranston’s paralysed millionaire - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarReplicas review – Keanu Reeves fights to save brain-dead sci-fi thriller
The actor’s distinctive acting style is the only reason to watch this silly C-grade pulp filled with stilted dialogue and bad CGI - Charles Bramesco
starstarstarstarstarThe House By the Sea review – stagey goings-on in the south of France
Siblings reunite and re-evaluate their lives and relationships in this self-regarding variation on a theme - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarThe Front Runner review – evasive account of Gary Hart's downfall
Hugh Jackman stars as the US Democrat whose presidential ambitions were scuppered by allegations of misbehaviour on board the Monkey Business - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarThe 12th Man review - real-life derring-do minus the thrills
This laborious depiction of a Norwegian second world war hero squeezes all the drama out of an exciting story - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarWelcome to Marwen review – misjudged doll drama
Robert Zemeckis’s semi-animated style hampers this fascinating real-life story - Simran Hans
starstarstarstarstarPapillon review – protracted jail break remake
This update on the 1973 classic is a gruesome ordeal - Simran Hans
starstarstarstarstarLizzie review – an infamous murder mishandled
This dull dramatisation of the 1892 Lizzie Borden case squanders the talent of its two stars - Simran Hans
starstarstarstarstarPolina review – dance drama fails to get moving
The story of a young Russian who abandons the Bolshoi to chase her dreams across Europe is frustratingly inert - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarPapillon review – prison-break remake is a long stretch
Charlie Hunnam is plausible but bland in this unnecessary account of Henri Charrière’s horrific incarceration on Devil’s Island and his daring escape - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarWelcome to Marwen review: Steve Carell on icky form in straightwashed misfire
Robert Zemeckis tries too hard to sentimentalise Mark Hogancamp’s story, meaning what might have been a complicated drama plays like a dud Forrest Gump - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarMortal Engines review – derivative dystopian adventure
This Peter Jackson-produced adaptation of Philip Reeve’s YA fantasy series falls way below the mark - Simran Hans
starstarstarstarstarAquaman review – another hulking hero in search of a throne
Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry plays a parody of Thor in this Marvel wannabe going for screwball laughs - Simran Hans
starstarstarstarstarThe House That Jack Built review – self-congratulatory serial-killer gorefest
Matt Dillon plays an architect turned murderer in Lars von Trier’s latest provocation, which plays out with the director’s customary humourlessness - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarThe Mule review – Clint Eastwood's drug running drama is a slow misfire
The director’s second film in a year is a strangely inelegant tale cursed with a clumsy script, uneasy politics and a lethargic pace - Benjamin Lee
starstarstarstarstarAquaman review – a complete bellyflop
This part-underwater set superhero origin story is a big disappointment and even Jason Momoa’s good-ol-boy persona can’t save it from drowning - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarWhite Boy Rick review – bland young gun biopic
Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Jason Leigh can’t save this uninvolving drama set in crime-ridden 80s Detroit - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarMerry Men: The Real Yoruba Demons review – cheerful comedy, lost in translation
Our flashy heroes navigate a tortuous non-plot – using their smooth tongues to rob the rich and give to slum-bound relatives – without much narrative coherence - Mike McCahill
starstarstarstarstarDumplin' review – Jennifer Aniston's Netflix comedy is more like trifle
Strong turns from Aniston and Danielle Macdonald can’t save this conventional pageant saga with music from Dolly Parton - Jake Nevins
starstarstarstarstarMortal Engines review – Peter Jackson's steampunk Star Wars stalls
Jackson has turned Philip Reeve’s dystopian adventure novel into a tiringly frenetic and derivative fantasy-adventure movie - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarMowgli: Legend of the Jungle review – man-cub makes a pointless return
There are no songs and not much fun as director Andy Serkis’s ultra-realistic animation trudges into the uncanny valley - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarThe Upside review – Bryan Cranston heads up horrific odd-couple disability drama
This sentimental remake of French heartwarmer The Untouchables pairs a quadriplegic businessman with black carer Kevin Hart to give unfunny echoes of Trading Places - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarHolmes & Watson review – elementary homophobic grossout comedy
This murky Sherlock tale is the nadir of Conan Doyle adaptations - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarLife Itself review – too much calamity
Dan Fogelman piles on the suffering for characters and audience alike in this pretentious drama - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarSurviving Christmas With the Relatives review – badly wrapped present
A dysfunctional family faces the challenges of the festive season in this chaotic, eggnog-nostalgic comedy - Cath Clarke
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