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Alexander Payne / USA 2023 / 123 min / Cert 15 Alexander Payne, who won an Oscar for Sideways in 2004, pairs up again with Paul Giamatti, who plays Paul, a history teacher at an expensive boarding school and very much a loner. He reluctantly becomes a ‘holdover’, an adult tasked with overseeing students who have nowhere to go over the Christmas vacation. Angus, a smart yet rebellious teen (newcomer Dominic Sessa) is his only charge. The pair spend the holiday with cafeteria manager Mary, a grieving mother (played magnificently by Da’Vine Joy Randolph). The three are an unlikely fit, but a subtle script avoids the twin pitfalls of lengthy monologues and sentimentality.

Kristofer Borglum / USA 2023 / 100 min / Cert 15

Nicholas Cage gives a pitch perfect performance as a timid family man, Paul Matthews, who finds his life turned upside down when he starts to appear as an impassive spectator in other people’s dreams. As in life, his presence in these dreams is banal and non-intrusive. However, his nighttime appearances take on a nightmarish turn when his dream selves start, inexplicably, becoming violent and the real Paul is vilified for the terror being unleashed. The film is both funny and sad with Nicholas Cage showing just the right amount of awkwardness and honesty.

Oliver Parker / UK 2023 / 97 min / Cert 12A

Michael Caine and the late Glenda Jackson give terrific performances in this poignant and thought-provoking film based on a true-life story. 89-year old navy war veteran Bernie absconds from his care home to join fellow veterans to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Normandy Landings. We join him on his journey as he reflects on his guilt at surviving the war, when so many of his comrades perished. There is humour in the attempts by Bernie’s wife (Jackson), to cover up his escape. However, the film may leave you with a tear in your eye but there is ‘a huge amount to enjoy from these legendary performers’ (Guardian)