This film is about love. Well, sort of. It's about what people look for in love, in lovers, in themselves, and what, eventually, when they are ready, they need to find. Lars (Gosling) is quiet, reclusive, younger than his years, and, above all, terrified of human contact while at the same time longing for it. Lars's story is tragic and beautiful and comic all at once. Reaching out from the isolation of years, Lars purchases a disturbingly lifelike sex doll on the internet and introduces her to his stunned brother Gus (Schneider) and sister-in-law Karen (Mortimer) as Bianca - a Dutch/Brazilian missionary whose clothing - and wheelchair - were stolen at the airport. Lars can hear Bianca speak, and can interpret her indistinguishably vapid facial expressions that are, at least at first, perfectly compatible with his needs. Baffled and shocked, but increasingly compassionate, Gus and Karen take Lars to the family doctor, Dagmar (Clarkson), also a trained psychologist ("You have to be," she says, "this far north"). Dagmar, under the pretext of treating Bianca, allows Lars to open up and talk, perhaps for the first time, about himself and the meaning he makes of his life.

This film is beautiful and touching and eminently compassionate. It treats a protagonist turned in upon himself gently and without the cruelty which would be too easy to bring to a depiction of a man and his doll.

With the whole world now aware of his dual life, billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (the ever-entertaining Downey Jr) finds himself under increasing pressure from the US government to share his Iron Man technology with the military. What's more, the very invention that is powering his suit ((ndash)) and keeping him alive ((ndash)) is slowly poisoning him. Overwhelmed by the power and the pressure, Stark becomes reckless. Soon, even his closest allies begin to take sides and as new villains emerge, he again finds himself up against all odds.

Despite featuring more villains, action, special effects and more of generally everything, Iron Man 2 thankfully manages to avoid feeling bloated or overdone. Credit for this must surely go to returning director Favreau, who keeps things on track and firmly grounded ((ndash)) a task easier said than done, especially when so many sequels of late aim for bigger and better but fail miserably.

Joining the top-notch cast from the first film is the formidable Rourke, as a Russian inventor with a vendetta against Stark, and Sam Rockwell, who provides plenty of the film's great moments as the slimy Justin Hammer, rival to Stark and all-around try-hard. Even Favreau gets in on the action, in a beefed-up role as Stark's amusing right-hand man and chauffeur.

Iron Man 2 is an invigorating two hours of smart, action-packed superhero fun, which fly by and again leave you wanting more. Fortunately, as with the first film, you can stick around after the end credits for one last scene.

It's Gladiator with bows and arrows!

Actually, this Robin Hood 'origin story' plays out more like a few leftover pages from Kingdom of Heaven than Gladiator, bringing an epic blockbuster scale to a character who is usually associated with relatively intimate banditry. Crowe stars as the eponymous bandit, who is at this point in time a fearsome archer in King Richard's crusading army. Weary of life on the road and the intent of the crusade, Robin and his chums ((ndash)) Little John, Will Scarlet and Allan A'Dayle ((ndash)) desert and head home to England. Along the way they encounter a group of royal guards being ambushed by the sinister Sir Godfrey (Mark Strong), an English knight working for the French king. Upon returning to England, Robin poses as the leader of the fallen guards, Robert Loxley, at the bequest of Loxley's father (Max von Sydow) and proceeds to woo his pretend wife, Lady Marion (Blanchett) as he defends her lands and thwarts a French invasion.

Though it strays substantially from the traditional Robin Hood mythology, with more than a few cheeky nods towards the traditional story as it skirts around it, Robin Hood is quite true to the spirit of the character in an unorthodox way. More importantly, it's a rollicking action adventure that is as fun to watch as it is preposterous and features a great cast.

It seems every few years Jean-Pierre Jeunet surprises us with one of those delightful French flicks that make us smile, despite the sometimes off-colour humour and tone in his stories. Don't recognise the name? He made Am((eacute))lie and A Very Long Engagement. Before that, it was Alien: Resurrection, before that, The City of Lost Children. Micmacs, unlike some of his earlier movies, is more in line with Am((eacute))lie.

After taking a non-fatal bullet to the head, Bazil (Boon) is befriended by a group of scavengers and misfits, living in a junk heap, and enlists their help in a plot that'll take down two competing arms companies that contributed to both the death of his father when he was a child and the bullet in his brain.

The movie complements Jeunet's wonderfully dark and satirical French humour, and gives a rather exciting and entertaining viewing experience. People familiar with Jeunet's work will notice some familiar faces throughout the film, and those unfamiliar with his work will find themselves pleasantly surprised by the charm of the movie. The movie is riddled with those little idiosyncratic moments that take you off guard, but you immediately relate to them as you realise we all share such moments in day-to-day life. If you can suspend disbelief and take the movie with a grain of salt, Micmacs will be one of those movies you walk away from with one of those annoying smiles that just won't go away.