Loveless (dir: Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2017, cert 15)
Winner of the 2017 Jury Prize at Cannes, Zvyagintsev’s epically morose masterpiece recalls other great European directors such as Ingmar Bergman and Bela Tarr in its forensically unflinching trawl through human misery. Ostensibly a police procedural at its core, Loveless is an existential trudge through the moral quagmire of what it means to be human. Beautifully filmed in Moscow, one can feel the very essence of that great city seeping from the screen as Zhenya (Maryana Spivak) and Boris (Aleksey Rozin), warring spouses, search for their missing son.
Mon 26 Feb to Thu 1 Mar at the mac, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH £9 macbirmingham.co.uk

Princess Bride (dir: Rob Reiner, 1987, cert PG)
A film that couldn’t fail. A William Goldman script, Rob Reiner directing and a great cast including Christopher Guest and Robin Wright, look out for Peter Cook. An anti-fairytale full of hilarious dialogue, grotesque characters and positively dripping with a knowing post-modern satirical glaze.
Mon 26 Feb 8.30pm at The Mockingbird, Custard Factory, Gibb St, Birmingham B9 4AA £1 veezi.com

Pan’s Labyrinth (dir: Guillermo del Toro, 2006, cert 15)
A genre defying fantasy as the vivid imagination of an 11 year old girl collides with the brutal reality of fascism. Or should that be the vivid imagination of the fascists colliding with the human experience of an eleven year old girl. The truth is nebulous and del Toro teases the viewer with clues without giving anything away. A beautifully stylised film whose audaciously choreographed scenes of fantasy are devilishly juxtaposed with sudden outbursts of violence in the ‘real’ world. Imagine Alice falling down a hole and into the bloody struggle of the Spanish Civil War.
Wed 28 Feb 8pm at The Mockingbird, Custard Factory, Gibb St, Birmingham B9 4AA £1 veezi.com

Get Out (dir: Jordan Peele, 2017, cert 15)
Not only is Get Out a fresh and original horror film it also fearlessly pokes a stick into the glib racism of white middle class suburbia. English actor Daniel Kaluuya excels as Chris Washington, the black boyfriend of a privileged white girl meeting his girlfriend’s parents for the first time. Their cringe making ‘some of my best friends are black’ attempts at bonding make for uncomfortable viewing. But that’s just the start. An aching dread seeps gradually through every pore of the movie building to an unforgettable climax. A stunning directorial debut from Jordan Peele.
Fri 2 Mar 8.15pm at The Electric, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY £9.50 www.theelectric.co.uk

A Disastrous Double Bill: The Disaster Artist (dir: James Franco, 2017, cert 18) + The Room (dir: Tommy Wiseau, 2003, cert 18)
A wonderful opportunity to catch Tommy Wiseau’s appalling The Room and James Franco’s story of its ignominious birth on the same bill. Wiseau’s film makes Ed Wood look like Eisenstein. “You, you’re just a chicken. Chip-chip-chip-chip-cheep-cheep.” It gets worse. Bring plastic spoons.
Sat 3 Mar 9pm at The Electric, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY £15 www.theelectric.co.uk