1. Tulpan: Remarkable romantic comedy set among a nomadic tribe in Kazakhstan.
2. An Education: Nick Hornby's sensitive adaptation of journlaist Lynn Barber's excellent memoir of her first boyfriend.
3. The White Ribbon: Michael Hameke's Palme d'Or winner at Cannes is set in a German village just before the start of the First World War.
4. 2012: Roland Emmerich's thrilling apocalypse movie with John Cusack as the hero.
5. Fantastic Mr Fox: Wes Anderson’s take on Roald Dahl is full of quirky magic — with a sly George Clooney voicing Mr Fox.

Critics' Choice

Film

Andrew O'Hagan

quote New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it quote

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Theatre

Henry Hitchings

quote A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion quote

Cock Restaurants

David Sexton

quote Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave quote

Kitchen W8

Reader reviews

Film

Adam, Harrow

quote Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects quote

2012 Theatre

Rob, London

quote This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws quote

The Habit Of Art Music

Bernard, London

quote Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor quote

Alexandra Burke

Cinema visits reach a 40-year high

27.09.07

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Hit: Ten million UK cinema-goers went to see the Harry Potter adventure

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Film listings

This summer saw the largest number of cinema visits in 40 years, according to figures from the Film Distributors' Association (FDA).

There were 50.8 million visits to UK cinemas in the three summer months of June to August this year.

The figures represent an increase of 27 per cent from the same quarter in 2006, and an increase of 44 per cent compared to the same period in 2000.

The fact that it was the wettest summer since records began is thought to have contributed to the record number of box office receipts. Some 117 films received a UK cinema release between June and August.

In total, 12 blockbusters generated £305 million at the UK box-office. The top five - Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix; Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End; The Simpsons Movie; Shrek the Third; and Spider-Man 3 - all earned places in the UK's top 50 cinema hits of all-time.

Ten million UK cinema-goers went to see the Harry Potter adventure, fifth in the highest-grossing film series of all time.

Foreign language releases also attracted more than one million UK admissions. The last weekend in July, when the Simpsons Movie was launched, was among the most popular two days for the cinema recorded in the UK with 5.5million admissions.

FDA chief executive Mark Batey said: "These are sensational figures, unprecedented in modern times."

"The first eight months of 2007 have seen 116.5 million admissions - more than took place in the whole of 1995 - while the autumn line-up, including Ratatouille, Stardust, Lions for Lambs, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Kingdom, The Kite Runner and The Golden Compass, looks powerful and varied enough to make this an absolutely barnstorming year at the movies."

The top 12 blockbusters in UK cinemas this summer:

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
3. The Simpsons Movie
4. Shrek the Third
5. Spider-Man 3
6. Transformers
7. The Bourne Ultimatum
8. Die Hard 4.0
9. Ocean's Thirteen
10. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
11. Hairspray
12. Rush Hour 3