The Man With The Iron Fists is more of a bloviated vanity piece by lead/director/writer/composer RZA than an homage to Chinese martial arts cinema. Proving that mediocre and poorly-edited action sequences are no substitute for a coherent screenplay, this film is an hour and a half of unenjoyable tosh that never even approaches the level of violence, gore, or fun that it promises. Someone better wrap RZA in a warm blanket and put him back to bed, he’s obviously not ready to be doing films yet.

A thorough account of the infamous West Memphis Three murder case and its 18 year fallout, Amy Berg’s documentary combines forensic detail with righteous anger to compelling effect. There has been a lot of film dedicated to this particular story, but Berg’s is the first account to provide a complete overview of the murders that befell a rural American community in 1993. From the initial sentencing of three outcast teenagers through the years of legal wrangling and newly discovered evidence, West of Memphis paints a damning portrait of police misconduct in a society all too quick to punish those least able to defend themselves.

A thoroughly unnecessary and totally uncalled-for reboot of the Morgan Freeman-led Alex Cross films unites mediocre director Rob Cohen with the flop magnet that is the actor/director/screenwriter/producer/general nuisance Tyler Perry. A clumsy, forced script, an inexplicable central plot, and muddled direction makes Alex Cross a flamboyant train-wreck where the mangled carcasses of a buddy movie, a cop caper, and a psychological thriller are barely distinguishable.

After an award-laden 45 years in front of the camera, Hollywood heavyweight Dustin Hoffman makes his directorial debut right here in Blighty with this eager-to-please septuagenarian backstage comedy. And as if that wasn’t excitement enough, Quartet features an illustrious cast of British acting royalty, including one Dame, two Sirs, and enough C-, O- and MBEs to make you feel like you should probably go home and have a wash. And Billy Connolly. What could possibly go wrong?

Having recently delivered middlebrow stodge like Invictus, Hereafter and J. Edgar from the director’s chair, it’s been a while since Clint Eastwood has had a chance to chew some scenery. With directing duties left to longtime collaborator Robert Lorenz, Eastwood steps in front of the camera once more, finding the same ardent growl that made Gran Torino such an enjoyable boilermaker of a film. Unfortunately, Trouble with the Curve is as toothless as the man himself, a catatonic baseball drama that suffers from the same mouldy traditionalism championed in Eastwood’s cranky talent scout.

The first feature length film for director Jake Schreir shows us a glimpse into our near-future. Glass phones, voice-activated video-calling on HD screens, robots cooking lasagne; it’s really the 21st century dream. But what do we do with all the old people? Turns out what we do is give them robots and let them steal diamonds and antique versions of Don Quixote.

Rise Of The Guardians is a technically impressive piece of work from the folks at DreamWorks who brought you the spectacular How To Train Your Dragon. It really is quite lovely to watch. Unfortunately, this is where we must get off the positivity train and enter the dark and rotting sled that is everything else about this film. The plot, the characters, the story – all must obey the cardinal rule of a kids film: Don’t be boring. It is a rule that Rise Of The Guardians breaks with aplomb.

Lee Toland Krieger, well-versed in the doctrines of ‘indie’, offers us yet another spin on the rom-com genre. Written by co-stars Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, Celeste and Jesse Forever is, at certain points, an endearing and unique take on relationships and heartbreak, but at others resorts to the conventional mainstays of the genre. (Oh hello, embarrassing wedding speech, we haven’t seen you in a while, except from ALL THE BLOODY TIME.)

Graham Chapman has been mostly dead for 23 years now, but hasn’t stopped his voice reaching out through the veil of time to narrate his own (mostly fictional) biography. Recent recordings of Graham Chapman reading his own book have been remastered to fit this 3D collection of animations as an homage to the great deceased Python. Featuring the talents of the Monty Python team, along with a few surprise guests, A Liar’s Autobiography is a wonderful tribute, even if it lags in places. There is a lot of love for Graham Chapman in this film, and hopefully you will feel it too.

Releasing two classic albums in the early seventies to minor critical acclaim but non-existent commercial success in the US, reclusive singer-guitarist Rodriguez became something of a popular music myth. Examining his phenomenal popularity overseas and his music’s relative obscurity at home in the US, director Malik Bendjelloul goes in search of the story behind a man dubbed the ‘Mexican Bob Dylan.’