Beyond the Hills – Romanian drama about the close friendship between two nuns. A film festival fave, the lead actresses shared the best actress award at Cannes and writer/director Cristian Mungiu received a gong for best screenplay. The IFC Entertainment site has a few more details here; the film will be showing at key cities.

Maniac – in this remake of the 1980 slasher movie of the same name, Elijah Wood is the disturbed young man who develops an unhealthy obsession with artist Nora Arnezeder. IMDb has a few further details here (and not too many happy views from fans of the first film, but with a title like this, surely no one was expecting Citizen Kane?), it will be showing at key cities only.

The Paperboy – interesting trailer, amazing performance from Nicole Kidman who dumbs down and trashes herself up as a peroxide tramp out to get husband John Cusack out of jail – by hook or by crook. Zac Efron comforts her as only he seems to be able to in films that also feature attractive film film stars of a certain age. The official site is here and it will be showing at key cities only.

Red Dawn – 80’s remakes continue, this time Chris Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson are the kids who try to save their town from an invasion of North Korean soldiers. Will be showing nationwide; the official site is here.

Shell – Scottish drama from writer/director Scott Graham about a young woman (Chloe Pirrie) who works in an isolated petrol station and her difficult relationship with her father (Joseph Mawle) who is still distraught after his wife left him many years before. The official website, with screening details, is here.

The Spirit of ’45 – a new Ken Loach film always grabs some attention on the film circuit. Here, the old goat of socialist cinema looks at how a sense of unity spread amongst the British following the end of the second world war, how long it lasted and how a sense of community could be rediscovered today. Interesting website here lets you enter some details about yourself and get a result for ‘Your ’45’, a run down of how your life would have panned out had you been born in 1945. With this in mind, my name is Barrie and I have 35 years left to live. Great, just enough time to learn how to play the bagpipes. Website also contains screening locations and dates here.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone – clearly basing the lead character on Siegfried and Roy, this comedy stars Steves Carel and Buscemi as wizards of the Las Vegas strip but facing competition from street magician Jim Carrey. Olivia Wilde co-stars. The official  site is here and it will be showing nationwide.

Vinyl – Phil Daniels stars in this dramatisation of a music hoax when a group of washed up rockers pass a young band of pretenders off as the performers of a new punk single. Didn’t Milli Vanilli get their Grammy’s taken off them for this? Official site is here, cinema screenings here.

Welcome to the Punch – stylish looking London-set crime thriller with James MacAvoy as a detective who gets a second chance to nab master criminal Mark Strong when Strong’s son is injured during his own heist. Official IFC Entertainment site is here, the film will be showing nationwide.