It’s always nice to stay ahead of the curve, if only so you can feel unneccessarily smug in front of friends and loved ones. With this in mind Best For Film brings you what you need to know about next week’s film releases. Have a read, plan your week accordingly, and practice that lovely self-satisfied smile we all love you for…

Tobey has announced today that his next big role will be rather a departure from the superhero franchise that made him famous. Instead, he will be exploring the live-fast-die-young world of chess. He’s in talks to star in Pawn Sacrifice as Bobby Fischer, a legendary chess player who faced off with a Russian champ in 1972, in a game that echoed the tensions of the Cold War.

In a shocking U-Turn, Odeon cinemas have decided to reverse the boycott of Burton’s Alice In Wonderland they announced earlier in the week. A battle has been raging between UK distibutors and Disney for the last couple of weeks, and with this final news, it looks like there’s no defeating the House Of Mouse.

Marvel have revealed that their search for Captain America has been whittled down to just six men. The company are planning to release a nine film franchise about the famous superhero, so it’s pretty bloomin important that they choose the right man. So who are the final six? Have a look…

Matt Damon seems to have got the biog-bug; first he starred in the real-life tale of Mark Whitacre in The Informant!, then he went all Sauff-Africin as Francois Pienaar in Invictus, and now he’s revealed that in his next project he’ll be playing John F Kennedy’s younger brother Robert. Robert Kennedy overcame the shadow of his sibling’s assassination to forge his own political career, only to die by another assassin’s bullet in 1968.

There are several reasons why helping to produce a movie you’re also starring in is a pretty sweet deal. Jeff Bridges shows this off to perfection in Crazy Heart, as he manages to swing a bed-time scene with Maggie Gyllenhaal, despite the fact he’s about twelvety times as old as her. The magic of cinema, eh? To be fair, Jeff’s great performance means he can get away with just about anything, in a film that is just about saved from by schmaltzy.

Back in that popular epic – the Bible, the character of Solomon (son of David and King of Israel) is known throughout the land for his wisdom. Sadly, the only thing noticeable about Solomon Kane, the star of Michael J Bassett’s historical action adventure, is how unnaturally white his teeth are.

God, life is rubbish isn’t it? It’s cold, you’re unattractive, that umbrella you nicked has been nicked off you (how dare they) and you’re really really unattractive.At least we can count on Disney – unstoppable global terror that it is – to provide us with some respite. But even big dog Disney needs inspiration. And a lot of the time, inspiration comes from existing tales, from history, from myths, from life itself. And it turns out the Disney version might be spruced up a bit…

Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner of Twilight fame join Zac Efron and Miley Cyrus as Oscar hosts this year, a decision which some find surprising. With the teen market being marketed too so heavily, some people are worried that the Academy Awards might be losing a little of its prestige.

For a while there Pirates 4 was all looking a bit pear-shaped; Orlando had stepped down, Keira walked the plank and it looked like it would be Johnny Depp sailing solo. However, then Penelope Cruz climbed aboard, Ian’s stowed away (we’re rapidly running out of piratey metaphors) and things are generally looking up for team Pirates.