Elena – intense sounding Russian drama that won the Special Jury prize at Canes last year, in which a rich, cold man and his second wife, who comes from a more humble background, deal with their respective children. Official New Wave Films site is here. Showing at special, selected cinemas only.

Halloween – definitely the ultimate Halloween movie is John Carpenter’s chilling 1978 classic sees impressionable babysitter Jamie Lee Curtis learning the hard way about the provenance of all those scary movie lessons propounded in Scream. The good news? It’s showing all over the UK – goody, goody.

It Always Rains on Sunday – well, only on a Bank Holiday in the UK. A film critic noted of the British film star “Googie Withers. The audience doesn’t!” Well, found out for yourselves as here she is, in this 1947 drama in which a former convict tries to hide out at his ex’s house. Trouble is, Withers has since married and isn’t at all happy with the idea. Showing at key cities, via the BFI.

Room 237 – It’s 50 years since the first Bond film and 30 since Stanley Kubrick’s odd-bod horror The Shining reached cinema audiences. This documentary looks at the myriad of hidden meanings alleged to exist within the confines of it’s achingly frigid frames. Showing at key cities only. Official site is here.

Sister (L’Enfant d’en Haut) – a little boy living beneath a luxury ski resort with his sister starts stealing ski equipment to support them. But his Robin Hood lifestyle starts to fall apart when he happens upon a crooked British man. Official Adopt Films site is here. Showing at key cities.

Skyfall – need I say anything? New Bond film. Distribution? Saturation. Official site? Covered.

Stitches – British comedian Ross Noble stars in this light-hearted horror about a clown coming back from the dead to take revenge on those who helped kill him. IMDb has a bit more detail than the official site. Showing nationwide.

As of Monday 29 October…

Fun Size – or Adventures in Halloween Sitting, Victoria Justice has to find her baby brother when he goes missing during trick or treating. Showing nationwide. Official Paramount site is here.

As of Wednesday 31 October…

The Rocky Horror Picture Show – the perfect antidote to any saccharine, family oriented Halloween, the kinky, cross-dressing, gender-bending 70’s musical from Richard O’Brien. Susan Sarandon (in an early film role) plays one half of a naive American couple who take shelter during the rain in the Transylvanian castle of mad Dr Frank N’ Furter (an unrestrainedly camp Tim Curry).  Unfortunately, only showing at selected sites. Scream it up on the official UK fan site.

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D – sounding rather less than accomplished as Halloween fare (and rather aggravatingly showing everywhere) is the third installment in…Zzzzzzzz.

5 Broken Cameras – political documentary shot by a Palestinian farmer, chronicling the increasing encroachment on West Bank land by an Israeli settlement. The official website tells more about the makers’ aims; listed only as being shown in the West End and ‘selected locations’ (mysterious!)

Beasts of the Southern Wild – tipped for big things at next year’s Oscars and already garlanded with film festival awards from Cannes and Sundance, this whimsical drama follows Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) who must deal with her father’s fading health and her bayou home being deluged with water after the ice caps melt, as she learns the ways of courage and love.  Looks like a huge crowd pleaser. Official site has the details here, but showing at key cities only.

Flying Swords of Dragons Gate – haven’t we heard this title of film from star Jet Li before? Very similar to anything else in the Crouching Tiger… vein, this new addition to the martial arts genre has an added visual interest in that it is set in a barren desert. Official site is here, showing at key cities only. 

Ginger & Rosa – I have followed Sally Potter’s eclectic career ever since seeing her gorgeous, witty Virginia Woolf adaptation Orlando (1992). It’s been an up and down affair for her critically and commercially since that film captured international attention and launched the worldwide career of Tilda Swinton. Here, Potter nabs another top flight star cast (Elle Fanning, Alessandro Nivola, Christina Hendricks) for this WWII drama about impressionable teen Fanning’s friendship with  Alice Englert being compromised by her nuclear activist father’s unconventional lifestyle. The official site is here.  Showing at key cities only.

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (3D) – Dreamworks have constructed a fun and impressive website to launch this 3rd addition in the animated series. The characters from the previous films are still trying to get back to New York, this time hitching a ride with and reinventing a travelling circus in order to do this. Showing nationwide.

Student of the Year – Bollywood High School drama featuring an almost hilariously beautiful cast. Official site is here. Key cities.

And on Monday next week…

Dark Tide – this seems to have been in post-production for ages. Halle Berry and current off-screen squeeze Olivier Martinez star in this thriller about shark experts reuniting for another dive after a member of their crew is savagely mauled by a Great White. Amazingly, that’s about all that seems to happen and my synopsis is a tad more succinct than the waffle on the official site. Incredibly, with these stars, it’s showing at key cities only – possible distribution problems, methinks?

Hello Quo – The official Facebook page promises a “no holds barred” insight into the career of ‘Dad’s favourite’ rockers Status Quo over the past 50 years. Does that include Francis Rossi’s hair transplants episode?

And on Wednesday next week…

Chakravayuh –  Bollywood political thriller. Official Facebook page is here. Showing nationwide.

Bhoot Returns (3D) – sequel to Bhoot that sees Bollywood take on Hollywood style horror thrills. The tagline is: “Some people can’t wait to move into their new house. Some houses can’t wait for new people to move in”. Official site with trailer is here. Key cities only.

Hit & Run – bank robber Dax Shepard’s former life catches up with him when his old colleagues turn up and demand the money he stole from them before going into witness protection. Kristen Bell is the girlfriend he has to drag along, as he evades Bradley Cooper et al. Official site is here. Showing nationwide.

Hotel Transylvania – Sony 3D animated comedy, with the voices of Adam Sandler and Steve Buscemi, about a hotel where monsters go to get away from it all. Official site is here and, of course, it is showing all over the UK.

On the Road – based on the Jack Kerouac novel this teenagers road movie stars Kristen Stewart as the liberated and seductive Marylou who cuts the ties with her former life to head off with husband Garret Hedlund and writer Sam Riley. Official site is here. Showing at key cities only.

Private Peaceful – Michael (War Horse) Morpurgo’s novel about two brothers falling in love with the same girl and going off to fight in WWI stars George McKay, Jack O’Connell and Maxine Peake. Official Fluidity Films site is here. Showing at key cities only.

Pusher – Drama starring Richard Coyle as the (drug) pusher of the title who finds his life spinning out of control over one week. Model Agyness Deyn is his girlfriend. Official site (yet to open!) is here. It’s being pushed nationwide.

Radioman – interesting sounding documentary about the real-life homeless man whose obsession with the movies has seen him cycling around film sets in New York and bagging small parts in over 100 movies. Official site is here. Key cities only.

Ruby Sparks – writer Paul Dano’s over-active imagination conjures up the beautiful character Ruby (Zoe Kazan) he has created in this adorable looking comedy drama, perhaps not surprising when it comes from Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the directors of Little Miss Sunshine. Official site is here.

And on Monday 15 October…

B.B. King: The Life of Riley – Documentary about the life of the titular blues legend, with contributions from such disparate fans, admirers and collaborators as Bono, Bruce Willis and Bill Wyman. Narrated by Morgan Freeman. Official site is here. Key cities only.

And on Wednesday 17 October…

Frankenweenie – Tim Burton updates his original short film from the 80’s into a full length Disney animation about a young boy who brings his beloved and recently departed dog back to life, in a Frankenstein way. Official site is here. Showing all over the UK.

Paranormal Activity 4 – the things that go bump in the night franchise stretches on and on with a fourth instalment. Official site is here. Showing across the UK.

And on Thursday 18 October…

Rolling Stones: The Crossfire Hurricane – Brett Morgan’s documentary, which will be broadcast live from the BFI British Film Festival, features previously unseen archive footage of the group and chronicles their rise to stardom. Official site is here. Key cities only.