1. An Education: Nick Hornby's sensitive adaptation of journlaist Lynn Barber's excellent memoir of her first boyfriend.
2. Tales From The Golden Age: Portmanteau film with five stories about the horrific final 15 years of the Ceausescu regime in Romania.
3. Fantastic Mr Fox: Wes Anderson’s take on Roald Dahl is full of quirky magic — with a sly George Clooney voicing Mr Fox.
4. Bright Star: Jane Campion's imaginative portrayal of the Keats/Brawne love affair.
5. Disney's A Christmas Carol: Starring Jim Carrey as Scrooge.

Critics' Choice

Fay Maschler

quote With a single dessert and just two glasses of wine our bill was kept in check - but the effort of doing so was not much fun quote

Babbo Film

Andrew O'Hagan

quote This is a film with beautiful performances and a visual style that urges you towards reflection quote

Bright Star Theatre

Henry Hitchings

quote Although the first half of Kwei-Armah’s production is pacy, funny and intelligent, the energy level then drops off quote

Seize The Day

Reader reviews

Film

Squiz, Islington

quote I loved this film from start to finish. Take the girlfriend, tell your mum - I'd see it again tomorrow and will buy the dvd. quote

An Education Theatre

Joe, London

quote I saw this last night and can't remember the last time I was so moved in the theatre. quote

This Much Is True Restaurants

Hiroshi Sugiyama

quote I have been to many of London's so-called best Japanese restaurants and none have been as good as the food that I've had at Aqua Kyoto quote

Aqua Kyoto

Bond star wins best actor award

By This is London 28.03.07

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Daniel Craig is a big hit with the fans

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Bond star Daniel Craig has been named Best Actor for his role as 007 - in awards voted for by the public.

Craig, 39, beat Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen, Johnny Depp for Pirates of the Caribbean and Leonardo DiCaprio for The Departed to the title.

Gallery: See the winning films and stars here

Casino Royale, the movie which saw Craig wow critics and audiences alike for his gritty Bond debut, was named Best Film.

The gong is good news for Craig, after he went away empty-handed from the Baftas despite making history by being the first Bond to be nominated.

French actress Eva Green, 26, was named Best Female Newcomer for her role as Bond's Vesper Lynd, while Superman Returns star Brandon Routh, 27, took Best Male Newcomer.

Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, 32, won the Best Actress Empire Film Award for her role in Volver, pipping Oscar-winner Dame Helen Mirren, 61, for The Queen.

United 93, the harrowing story directed by Paul Greengrass of the only plane hijacked on September 11, 2001, not to reach its target, was named Best British Film.

British director Christopher Nolan took the award for Best Director for The Prestige, the story of rival magicians.

Pan's Labyrinth, set in Franco's Spain, and the comedy Little Miss Sunshine also won awards.

Empire magazine assistant editor Ian Freer said: "I'm delighted that Empire readers have decided that Casino Royale is the best film of the year.

"We're proud that real cinema-goers have the good taste to do something neither the critics' awards or industry prizes managed to do - really get behind the reinvention of James Bond as a great British triumph."

Over 50,000 people voted for the awards organised by film magazine Empire.

THE WINNERS...

Best Film: Casino Royale
Best British Film: United 93
Best Director: Christopher Nolan (The Prestige)
Best Actor: Daniel Craig (Casino Royale)
Best Actress: Penelope Cruz (Volver)
Best Comedy: Little Miss Sunshine
Best Thriller: The Departed
Best Science-Fiction/Fantasy: Pan's Labyrinth
Best Horror: Hostel
Best Male Newcomer: Brandon Routh (Superman Returns)
Best Female Newcomer: Eva Green (Casino Royale)
Scene Of The Year: M:I-3 - The Bridge Sequence