Recessions are rubbish, that’s pretty much a given. However, there is one distinct upside to the spectacular financial crash which has bankrupted and disenfranchised millions in the last four years; some really bloody good films have come out of it. We’ve had Up in the Air, Inside Job – and now The Company Men, which will make you empathise with a hugely well-paid executive more than you would have thought possible.

Described by debut filmmakers Brek Taylor and Elizabeth Mitchell as a ‘fairytale thriller’, Island sees a young woman journey to a distant Scottish island to seek vengeance for a lifetime of neglect. What results is a brilliant and ambiguous drama played out against the stunning backdrop of remote and rural Scotland.

Director Anh Hung Tran adapts Haruki Murakami’s bestseller into an entrancing vision of teenage angst. Drawn together by a shared tragedy two young people forge a painful and potentially destructive bond in 1960s Tokyo.

Wednesdays aren’t great, all things considered – the relaxation of last weekend has totally worn off, the prospect of Friday night is at least two days away and you can’t ever quite shake the knowledge that whatever happens, you will still die alone. Still, two for the price of one’s a bloody good offer, eh?

Earlier this year Inside Job proved once and for all that documentaries can be just as thrilling as the twistiest of Hollywood box-blasters. So what happens when you try to fictionalise the fact? Enter Fair Game, a “true story” political thriller that meshes real-life footage with Sean Penn’s frustrated wrinkles. The result is an interesting, compelling mess; held up by a great story and let down by the telling of it.

Recurring characters are awesome. Or at least that was the case until Resident Evil: Afterlife.

Edie Falco shines, as do the supporting cast in Nuse Jackie, a medical comedy/drama from Showtime, now entering its second season.

Tamara Drewe is a charming British comedy about an ugly duckling who returns to the village where she grew up as a beautiful swan. We’re celebrating the DVD release with 2 copies to give away! Competition ends 17 April 2011.

Competition closed. Winners: M Payne, C de Brikasaan, D Manning, D Cavender, D Rubery

The russet-haired Mad Men star is the latest name to be involved with Neil LaBute’s latest script, Seconds of Pleasure, rumoured to be directed by Mike Figgis. While Mad Men..