Director Ron Howard’s exploration of genius – in this case that of Nobel Prize-winning mathematician John Nash – is more bracing than you would expect, thanks to a nifty twist midway through the film that recalls themind-bending trickery of Fight Club. Russell Crowe turns in a solid performance as Nash – the girth of Gladiator

Million Dollar Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis made a supremely confident directorial debut with this intricately plotted ensemble drama – and Best Picture winner at the 2006 Oscars – tackling no less a topic than race relations in contemporary Los Angeles. The lives of a jumpy Middle Eastern shop owner, two carjacking young black men, a

Charming scene-stealer Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind) stars with Kirsten Dunst in this romance set during the title tennis tournament, and something is severely amiss in the pairing. It’s probably rooted in their age difference – though Dunst manages a semblance of adulthood in the Spider-Man films, most often she comes across as a giggling,

Set amid the Scottish shipping canals of the 1950s, Young Adam stars Ewan McGregor as a drifter floating from one heartless affair to the next. All actors who thrive on their likability seem destined to try at least one thoroughly unlikable role, and McGregor has found a fascinating one here.

America Ferrera, a young actress of abundant curves and even more abundant spunk, plays a bright, independent high school senior whose collegiate aspirations clash with the traditional values of her Mexican-American family. True, each American immigrant subculture seems to produce this movie sooner or later, but Ferrera’s invigorating freshness single-handedly keeps Real Women Have Curves