Released in 2005, the original Nanny McPhee was a strong successor to Mary Poppins in every way. Adapted from the Nurse Matilda books by Christianna Brand, the film pitted seven mischievous tykes against an ugly woman with a snaggle tooth, warts and an oversized nose, who had a few tricks up her sleeve when it came to childcare. Susanna White’s colourful sequel casts an even more bewitching spell, introducing the mysterious nanny to a family in crisis in wartime Britain.

Rec, The Ring, Let The Right One In, the list goes on. Foreign horror films always seem to know how to get the adrenaline going and the new French sick flick Martyrs is no exception. The film is based around Lucie, an abused orphan (this is the first clue that the film is going to be uncomfortable viewing) who, along with her childhood friend Anna look for revenge on her past tormentors. The tormentors seem to be, on the outside, a regular suburban couple and you start to think Lucie has made a mistake. Lucie kills the couple and their children as well as her taking her own life, leaving Anna behind.

Enter the next generation of comic-book movies. Kick-Ass is truly a brilliant and original take on a sorely overdone franchise, but if you’re looking for a laugh-a-minute flick you’ve come to the wrong place. Kick-Ass is not for the faint of heart, with humour as black as coal and violence to rival the goriest of horrors. However, it could be that it’s all the better for its darkness. Though its pretty impossible to avoid the hundreds of stars thrown in Kick-Ass’s direction, we tried our very hardest to come to it with an open mind. And we’re glad we did.

An undeniably bleak snapshot of adolescence in ‘Broken Britain’, the critically acclaimed and BAFTA award-winning Fish Tank is a thoroughly captivating experience from start to finish. Centred upon the character of Mia Williams, Fish Tank offers much more than the usual gritty portrayal of teenage life in urban Britain.

Foul-mouthed and gleefully violent, Perrier’s Bounty is an edgy black comedy about one man’s turbulent journey through the lawless streets of Dublin. Scripted by award-winning playwright Mark O’Rowe (Intermission, Boy A) and punctuated with scenes of torture, Ian Fitzgibbon’s film is not for the faint of heart or easily offended. Animal lovers will certainly have to avert their eyes when a pair of beloved dogs suffer an inglorious fate at the hands of the eponymous gangster.

Finally, a kids film that deserves its 3D pricetag. Since Avatar, we’ve seen a lot of gratuitous 3D labels being slapped on films that didn’t need it, purely to hike up the cost of the tickets. Even watching the hallowed Up – as beautiful as it was -we never really thought those pesky glasses added much. However, with How To Train Your Dragon, Dreamworks have created a truly stunning piece of 3D film; immersive, beautiful and gorgeously rich. The story may be a little run of the mill, but the overall experience make this film a must-see for kids and big kids everywhere.

If at first you don’t succeed, fail miserably again. Three years after the crass and homophobic comedy Wild Hogs, Robin Williams and John Travolta reunite with director Walt Becker for this chaotic road movie that proves parenting is a lot harder than it looks. So, it would seem, is writing and directing a film that retains a single laugh, because Old Dogs is 88 tortuous minutes of limp gags missing easy targets.

Hong Kong legend Jackie Chan may be comfortably in his fifties, but he still manages to put many of the action genre’s young pretenders to shame with his acrobatics in The Spy Next Door. Targeted at families, Brian Levant’s high-tech comedy marries the martial arts prowess of the leading man with slapstick and cartoon violence.

Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor – two great actors that have been somewhat off the radar of late. We’re glad to announced that in uniting in black comedy I Love You Phillip Morris they both show that they’re far from out for the count. But, though it’s McGregor who nabs the titular charcacter, Carrey is the one who steals the show.

Jen wasn’t the only one who felt strapped to her seat whilst experiencing The Bounty Hunter. Joyless, clichéd and hackneyed, we never want to watch Gerard Butler in a rom-com again. Do you hear us Gerard? Do you?