Big Bad Wolves

This violent Israeli thriller has been acclaimed by no-less an authority on such movies than Quentin Tarantino as the best film this year.

A vigilante cop, sure he knows the identity of a child killer, beats the suspect half to death. But this is filmed and goes viral, leading to an escalation of his problems. No official site, but Wikipedia has the low-down here. The film will be on a limited showing only so keep your peepers out for it.

Black Nativity

Teenager Jacob Latimore moves in with strict religious relatives (Forrest Whittaker, Angela Bassett) but embarks on a journey of faith himself when he tries to return home to mom Jennifer Hudson. The official Fox Searchlight page is here; the film will be showing across most of the UK.

Floating Skyscrapers

Polish gay drama about an athlete’s developing sexual curiosity for a man he meets at a gallery opening. Apparently one of Polish cinema’s only queer offerings, the film will be showing at these limited locations and the official Facebook page is here.

Frozen (3D)

Disney animated adventure about a spirited girl who sets out to rescue her sister, whose magical powers have frozen the kingdom of Arendelle in perpetual winter. The official site is here and the film will be playing all over the show.

Getaway

Former race car driver Ethan Hawke steals “international music sensation” (if you believe the website’s blurb) Selena Gomez’s car, with the girl still in it, as a means to save his wife. You might have to bear with this plot. The official site is here; the film will show at most UK cinemas.

Homefront

Coming in the wake of the much lauded American drama Breaking Bad this action thriller sees Jason Statham as a former Drug Enforcement Agency man moving to a small town with his family but finding himself entangled with the local Crystal Meth lord (James Franco). Winona Ryder and Kate Bosworth round out the star cast; Sylvester Stallone is the credited scribe. The official Facebook page is here; the film should be playing at all cinemas with enough screens.

Kill Your Darlings

Director John Krokidas’ feature film debut looks at what happened when a murder happened that brought together leading beat generation poets Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe), Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston) and William S. Burroughs (Ben Foster). The film will show at key cities only, but Facebook lists the locations here.

Klown

Slightly bonkers and certainly outrageous, this sex-fuelled Danish comedy follows two men as they plough through Denmark and unmentionable debaucheries as they join their friend on a secret, sex-fuelled canoeing weekend. Comedians Frank Hvam and Casper Christensen play the two leads and the film will be showing at key cities only. Official site is here.

A Long Way From Home

James Fox goes for his ‘Bogart/Death in Venice’ slot as a retired Brit lusting after Natalie Dormer’s younger woman while he takes it easy in France with wife Brenda Fricker. The film will show at key cities only and the official Soda Pictures is here.

Nebraska

Bruce Dern could well be a shoe-in for an Oscar next year if the buzz around his performance here is anything to go by. He receives a sweepstake letter and, thinking he’s won it big, ropes in son Will Forte to take him on a road trip across four states to collect his prize. Alexander Payne (Abouth Schmidt, Sideways) directs. The official website is here and the film will be showing across the whole of the UK at most cinemas.

Oldboy

American remake, surprisingly directed by Spike Lee, of the decidedly weird 2003 Park Chan-Wook thriller. Josh Brolin stars as a man who is imprisoned and framed for the rape and murder of his ex-wixe, his daughter having been taken away and adopted by another family. He spends the next 20 years training as a boxer to take revenge on the men who did this to him. But there is a lot more to this story than meets the eye as one can see from the official Tumblr site here. The film should be playing at most places.

The Patience Stone

Afghani film, based on the novel by Atiq Rahimi tells one woman’s story to break away from silence and oppression. The stills of the film alone look heart-achingly beautiful. The film will show at key cities only and the official webpage is here.

The Powder Room

Brit actress of the moment Sheridan Smith leads a largely female cast of girls in this raucous ‘girls on the piss’ comedy as they face up to where their lives are as they paint the town red. Jaime Winstone co-stars. The film will be showing at key cities only and the official Vertigo Films page is here.

Rough Cut

Director James Shovlin explores and pays homage to the slasher genre with this film-within-a-film, following a remake of an old classic of the genre. The official website is here and it will show at key cities only.

Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s

Matthew Miele’s documentary peeks behind the scenes at the legendary American department store. Contributors include Joan Rivers and Karl Lagerfeld. The official website is here and the film show at key cities only. If you want the lowdown on the store itself, click here.

This Ain’t California

Drama-documentary following the hitherto neglected 80’s skateboarding scene in the East Berlin of the 1980’s. Now there can’t be many of these films, so knock yourselves out skater boyz and girls! The official Facebook page is here and the film will show at key cities only.