Catholic schools. Priests. Sexual abuse allegations. Does this equal a film we’d want to see? Probably not. At best, it would be dull, at worst quite disturbing. Nevertheless, given the Oscar hype surrounding this adaptation of John Patrick Shanley’s play last year, we decided it couldn’t be that bad. In fact, this 1960’s-set drama centring around a nun’s mission to prove a progressive priest guilty of sexual abuse of a student turned out to be quite a unique and thought-provoking film experience.

Gran Torino is vintage Clint Eastwood at his best. From Dirty Harry to Million Dollar Baby, he’s made his signature character into an art form, a hypnotising, hardened beast of a human that you can’t take your eyes off, and yet one that’s never without redeeming qualities either. In this self-directed tale of a bigoted retiree coming to terms with his Asian neighbours in middle America, Eastwood gives us enough bad-ass attitude, along with poignant drama to stand Gran Torino alongside his earlier Oscar-winning efforts.

The British talent for satire is brilliantly displayed in In the Loop. This film spin-off from the BBC series The Thick of It chronicles the life and times of several US and UK government figureheads in the days before the invasion of Iraq. The cracking script and brilliant cast keep the laughs coming hard and fast, while director Armando Iannucci’s hand-held camera techniques create an almost uncomfortably close-to-the-bone sense of realism. If you missed this film at the cinema, it’s well worth grabbing on DVD for the best laughs you’ve had in ages and one-liners you’ll be repeating for weeks.

Denzel Washington crashes onto DVD with the remake of the 1974 Taking of Pelham 123, also starring John Travolta in another of his couldn’t-care-less villain roles. What happened, John? You used to be cool, and you ain’t gonna get another gig like Pulp Fiction anytime soon. Sort it out. And lose some weight.

After the stunner that was Spider-Man 2 (in our humble opinion one of the best superhero films ever made), Spidey 3 certainly had a weight of expectation against it. And unfortunately, it’s not really the send-off the franchise – not the mention the considerable talents of Maguire, Dunst, Raimi et al – deserved.

You know what you’re in for when you pick up Pineapple Express at the DVD store. It’s a typically zany outing featuring Seth Rogen in his usual sarcastic misfit role, but the boy does it well – this time he’s on the run with his pot dealer after the two accidentally witness a drug ring murder. Sounds serious, but don’t worry, it’s actually far from it – Rogen pushes the boundaries of the ridiculous to extreme degrees in his chuckleworthy screenplay.

King of the American historical epic Ron Howard returns to form with Frost/Nixon. Based on Peter Morgan’s Tony-award winning Broadway play, the film chronicles ex-US President Richard Nixon’s infamous admission of wrongdoing in David Frost’s interview series in 1977. Howard’s intimate dual narrative draws you expertly into the lives of both the interviewer and his subject, while Michael Sheen and Frank Langella inhabit their characters with studied perfection. Despite its somewhat dry subject matter, you’ll find yourself fascinated by this battle-of-wits tale by the time the credits come up.

Warning – don’t go and see this film expecting another Twilight. The vamps in Daybreakers belong firmly to the old school of demonesque bad guys who have overrun the earth and must be hunted down with machine guns, exploding crossbows and other such gore-porn paraphernalia. The action is set 10 years in the future, where the human population has been infected with vampirism and blood has become as big a business as Coca-Cola. It’s up to Ethan Hawke’s erstwhile hematologist to save the population from themselves, but mostly he just ends up shooting a lot of stuff.

Based on the beloved 1978 children’s book by Judi and Ron Barrett, ‘Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs’ is a comical fantasy about one man’s pursuit of his dreams. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s computer-animated film is also a colourful morality tale about the gluttony of the west where bigger is apparently always better, especially when it comes to icecream

This silly alien romp brings out the earth-saviour in every kid and shows the grownups who are really in control. Though not the most polished of kids flicks out at the moment, this comedy still manages to shine with a strong cast, fast-paced action and humour to put us adults firmly in our place.