Ben X may seem like a predictably tragic computer nerd’s coming-of-age story but Nic Balthazar’s debut as a filmmaker is a smart, thoughtful tale about school bullying, mental distress and the social impact of online role-playing games.
Review by Pamela Jahn

The Dark Knight grossed a record-breaking $158,300,000 in its first weekend, has made it to the #1 slot of the 250 best films ever made according to users of the internet movie database and has been compared to The Godfather II. Is all the hype really deserved?
Review by Alex Fitch

Taking as its starting point the photos of torture and humiliation shot at Abu Ghraib in 2003, and seen by millions worldwide, Standard Operating Procedure pieces together a fascinating, almost forensic study of the events depicted in the shocking images.
Review by Sarah Cronin

A spellbinding tale of luxury, incest, madness and matricide, the film recounts the glittering rise and tragic fall of the aspiring American socialite Barbara Daly (a wonderfully versatile Julianne Moore), who married into the incredibly wealthy Baekeland family, and her unhinged relationship with her son Tony (Eddy Redmayne).
Review by Pamela Jahn

Origin: Spirits of the Past shares with other recent releases Vexille and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time a jackdaw approach to the sci-fi and fantasy genres that the three films belong to.
Review by Alex Fitch

Like the classic flâneur Sergio wanders aimlessly about the streets of Havana, meditating on the true meaning behind the agitprop facade which continuously plays out on his TV.
Review by James DC

Messy is probably the best word to describe Nicolas Roeg’s Puffball, his first theatrically released feature in twelve years, and by far the most questionable and simplistic film in the director’s canon so far.
Review by Pamela Jahn

Dank, dark spaces and untamed tropical nature encroach upon a remote Yunnanese inn, where the appearance of a mysterious, floating case signals the return of dormant, irrational desires for the mild-mannered protagonist He Dashang (Wu Gang).
Review by Edwin Mak

Bruce Weber’s acclaimed 1988 documentary about wild jazz genius Chet Baker is re-released theatrically in the UK in June.
Review by James DC

A multi-stranded narrative about the clash of Romanian and American cultures, California Dreamin’ is an affecting feature debut in more ways than one.
Review by James Merchant