Quantum of Solace – 2008 – Marc Foster

Take one clean shaven spy, two sultry chicks, endless car, plane and boat chases, mix in some exotic locations, vendettas, diminutive villains, public transport, touchscreen technology, the CIA, – and Canadian intelligence, who knew? – shake it all up and you have yourself another Bond installment. No classic, but it goes down okay. JJ

Alice in the Cities – 1974 – Wim Wenders

A charming and effortless road movie which sees the eponymous Alice, a nine-year-old girl, entrusted to a bewildered German journalist returning home from the US after an unsuccessful assignment. The pair have a lovely on-screen relationship and Wender’s fascination for trains, planes and monorails is marvellous. JJ

Che: Part One – 2008 – Steven Soderbergh

The first in a two part biopic based on Ernesto Guevara’s writings, this is possibly the most tedious film you’ll see in 2009. Dull, overwrought and intractable it’s as if Soderbergh is punishing the audience for tacitly accepting Che as a fashion icon emblazoned on a million white T-Shirts. JJ

Buffalo Soldiers – 2001 – Gregor Jordan

Joaquin Phoenix plays an opportunistic American soldier stationed in Germany prior to the end of the Cold War with nothing to fight except boredom and the occasional superior officer. Makes me ponder what Yossarian from Catch 22 could have been like if he sold American WMDs on the black market. JJ

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – 2008 – Steven Spielberg

Calling all Hollywood stereotypes! All-American hero fights evil Russians with funny accents, check. Gets the girl of his dreams, check. Solves the mystery and saves his friends – all without breaking a sweat – or losing his hat, check check check! Perfect – if you’re in the mood for some cheap thrills. Cristina Pittelli

Spielberg has done this the old-fashioned way and the texture and color of the film are a testimony to this. Indy looks for a crystal skull that would gives supreme power. Brace yourselves for a close encounter of the 4th kind! Omid Nikfarjam

Adventures rarely beget the levels of fantasy in an Indiana Jones escapade. Despite the sluggish start it does pick up when the swashbuckling hits the jungle. However, I can’t help feeling that it was a cynical exercise by Spielberg, more interested in keeping the franchise alive than making a fine Indy adventure.JJ

Bourne Ultimatum – 2007 – Paul Greengrass

The final instalment of Jason Bourne’s adventures to learn of his forgotten past is intense, yet cool and composed.  By far, the best action-thriller of the decade. I got high on the Waterloo Station sequence. Omid Nikfarjam

Dus Kahaniyan – 2007 – Various

This Bollywood movie is a compilation of 10 different stories, which have a flavour of thrill, action, suspense, romance and the occasional morality tale. It’s very different from the regular Hindi-movie format and very beautifully done. Most of the stories are enjoyable, but you may find the odd dud. Neha Kumar

The Hunting Party – 2007 – Richard Shepard

Set in Serbia during and after the war. Richard Gere is a love-lost journalist in need of the biggest story of his life; capturing an infamous war criminal modelled on Radovan Karadžić. Gere’s character manages to find him after only two days, which raises the question, why isn’t Richard Gere on the the UN payroll? Brian Murray

Bewoulf – 2007 – Robert Zemeckis

Semi-animated tripe with the ever-beautiful Jolie in the wrath-of-the-witch role. Apart from that, a pointless re-enactment of the classic novel; your time and money would be better spent getting the Penguin Classics’ version and reading it. Brian Murray

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium – 2007 – Zach Helm

Dustin Hoffman, becoming more redundant with each film, stars with the beautiful Natalie Portman – who admittedly is the only incentive to watch this movie. A kid’s story about a magical toy store owned by Mr Magorium, whose lifetime is determined by how many pairs of shoes he has left, and the prodigious pianist-come-store manager (Portman) seeking inspiration to finish her first symphony. More boring than Marietta biscuits – and certainly without the charm. BM