1 The Big Sick (15)
(Michael Showalter, 2017, US) 120 mins
The standout romcom of the year so far, even if it stretches the definition somewhat, seeing as one half of the couple (Zoe Kazan) spends most of the movie in a coma. That leads her Pakistani-American non-boyfriend Kumail Nanjiani into some awkward, cross-cultural meet-the-parents territory. Based on Nanjiani’s real-life experience, it’s a heartfelt, bittersweet tale.
2 Dunkirk (12A)
(Christopher Nolan, 2017, Neth/UK/Fra/US) 106 mins
Nolan reinvents the war movie with a gripping, immersive account of the Dunkirk evacuations, told almost entirely through action, rather than words. Three perspectives – the beach, the sea and the air – are cleverly woven together with the help of a host of familiar faces (Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, etc) and a pounding score.
3 Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (12A)
(Luc Besson, 2017, Fra) 137 mins
Besson’s sci-fi epic has already been labelled a flop, but it’s more interesting and imaginative, and less predictable, than many a blockbuster “hit”. Admittedly, Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne are underwhelming leads, but this is a universe crammed with exotic creatures, exuberant costumes and agreeably random cameos.
4 Land of Mine (15)
(Martin Zandvliet, 2015, Den/Ger) 99 mins
Taking a very different tack from Dunkirk, this tough and tense wartime story plays out on a small scale. The setting is the Danish coast in the aftermath of the second world war, where a bitter army sergeant cajoles young German prisoners of war into removing the thousands of land mines left by their forces.
5 The Ghoul (15)
(Gareth Tunley, 2016, UK) 83 mins
This low-budget thriller cleverly cuts loose the psychological moorings, casting us adrift in the world of a detective (Tom Meeten) who’s masquerading as a delusional loner, or is it the other way round? Occult mysticism and Lynchian narrative loops add to the appeal.
