Luc (Bruce Willis) is a disenchanted abstract painter, seeking solace in Abinsthe, Gauloises and the charms of his lover Angelique (Melanie Griffith).

His life is thrown into turmoil when he realises that a giant asteroid is heading towards Paris and only he can save the city from destruction (and possible immigrants). He teams up with Pierre (Ben Affleck) the son of a bourgeois banker, to combat the threat from the skies.

Bruce Willis is perfect as Luc, reprising his original role and injecting it with a sense of Gaulish pathos that never teeters into self-parody. The film takes a more ponderous tone than the American original, but the stupendous black and white cinematography occupies the eye when the drama flags. Ben Affleck is perhaps underused as the fickle Pierre, but Melanie Griffith is winningly comic as Pierre's oversexed and frequently nude lover.

Verdict: amour is not less! 7/10

More than twenty years after the original film, James Cameron takes up the directorial reins from Stephen Spielberg to continue this tale of mystery from the skies.

Ron Neary (Steve Guttenberg, playing the role made famous by Richard Dreyfuss) finds himself stranded upon an alien spacecraft. Initially friendly, the aliens soon reveal their diabolical plan to use Earth as the base planet for an invasion by extraterrestrial overlords. His only hope for saving the planet is to overpower the aliens, but he is alone, unarmed and held captive...

Guttenberg lands on his feet as the tough-talking, no-nonsense Neary. The dialogue is smart, his delivery is impeccable and after a slow start, the film soon revs up into an all-action rollercoaster of a movie. Some of the violence may be a bit strong for kids, but for those that don't mind a little alien gore, this hi-octane thriller hits all the right buttons.

Verdict: Go fourth! 8/10

Judi Dench (Judi Dench) is an old but proud matriarch, holding together her family and quietly inspiring all those around her with her refusal to be patronised by young people.

Although old and frail, Judi has been around the block a few times, and behind her haughty, proud exterior there lies a wry, knowing soul. She adopts young orphan Madelaine (Amanda De Cadanet). Although suffering from Alzheimers, cancer and piles, Dench never asks for help or pity from her young charge, and when developers want to redevelop the park as a huge multinational bank, the duo are spurred into action...

Dame Judi Dench is simply marvellous as Judi Dench, fiercely proud and tender and often heart-stoppingly moving.

Verdict: the dench-mark by which others dramas will be measured... 9/10

Hud Swinch (Michael Rappaport) is a low-level technician at Xorex corp in this quick-fire social satire.

Dissatisfied with his marriage to Jeannie (Martha Plimpton) and frustrated by his lack of success as a performance artist, his life takes a turn for the surreal when he stumbles onto a portal that allows him to experience life as Angelina Jolie's breasts (Angelina Jolie's breasts).

Michael Rappaport sleepwalks through his role as Hud, while Plimpton is wasted as his whiney, nasal girlfriend. Billy Bob Thornton's direction is unsure and self-indulgent and frequently left this critic wondering what exactly he was trying to say. The film veers uncomfortably between satire and melodrama, but never really succeeds with either. However, Angelina Jolie's breasts do emerge with some credit, remaining charmingly aloof throughout.

Verdict: Billy Boob Thornton... 3/10