Zodiac - Dir: David Fincher

This is a superlative film in every area. As you would expect from David Fincher, the film looks great giving the audience an extra filthy look to every scene. The script is also great and even though this has a 2h 30 mins running time, you are hooked by the twists and turns in the story. Based on true events surrounding the infamous Zodiac killer in America in the 1960s and 1970s, Jake Gyllenhaal plays a cartoonist on the San Francisco Chronicle who doggedly keeps on the case when others fall by the wayside over the years. Some excellent performances from Robert Downey Jr and Mark Ruffalo make this an essential watch this year. This is a JM RECOMMENDS.

Proof - Dir: John Madden

What was good on paper turns in to watching paint dry on screen. The director John Madden has pedigree being nominated for an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love. The heavyweight cast of Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaal and Anthony Hopkins should have oozed greatness, but none apart from Paltrow have the material to get their teeth in to. The story about a woman's relationship with her dead mathematical genius father is adapted from a successful stage show and you can tell here through the wooden feel of it all, which is a shame. This is a JM THUMBS DOWN.