It’s almost impressive, the way Nic Cage can go on relentlessly lowering the standard of his output the way he does. If you thought National Treasure: Book of Secrets was as bad as it was going to get, you still had Season of the Witch to look forward to. And then Trespass. And now Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, in which FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA’S NEPHEW MANAGES TO MAKE A FLAMING SKELETON BORING.

A well-made, satisfying and properly scary ghost story, The Woman In Black shamelessly indulges all the gothic tropes we’ve been bored of for years and is all the more refreshing for it. Daniel Radcliffe doesn’t quite engage with the scenes where he’s doing anything except walking slowly down a candlelit hallway, but to be honest the edge of your seat will be grateful for the occasional moments of respite.

Screened by UK Jewish Film a year after it was the toast of the charity’s annual Film Festival, The Debt is a challenging and unconventional thriller which combines dizzying timelines and fine performances to electrifying effect. And seriously, when else are you going to get to see Helen Mirren practicing Krav Maga?

Half drowned from the deluge of rave reviews (and probably lagoon) with which it was met in Venice, Tomas Alfredson’s adaptation of John Le Carré’s classic Cold War thriller will shortly open in Britain. Don’t miss it. As engaging an adaptation of the labyrinthine novel as was the classic BBC series starring Alec Guinness, this is the very definition of a masterful translation to the screen.

So indecisive you can’t choose what mug to use for your frothy morning energiser? Well hopefully this list will help you narrow down those options. But for films, not mugs. Hmm…although there might be a gap in the market for Best for Mugs.

WHY? WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU, NICOLAS CAGE?

At Cheat Sheet Villas (it’s a granny flat in the grounds of Best For Film Towers), we’re always on the lookout for stars with a less extravagant public profile than the Britneys and LiLos of the world; then we expose them and shamelessly drag all their secrets into the merciless light of day like squirming vampire children being torn from their coffins. This week, it’s the turn of screenwriter extraordinaire Jane Goldman!