Shannon Mullins (McCarthy) is a cop and good at her job – she’s a lone gun on the Boston beat and uses her street smarts and fiery temper to solve her cases. Sarah Ashburn (Bullock) is a no-nonsense and uptight solo FBI Special Agent. Their paths cross and partnered up they are tasked with taking down a ruthless mobster. The hitch is that neither woman has ever had a partner… or even a friend.

This buddy cop-comedy is not your usual kettle of fish as it’s a role reversal this time, as Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy take the lead under the helm of Paul Feig. Both Bullock and McCarthy deliver great characters, each being the polar-opposite of the other, but through some clever scripting and situations some bonds do develop. The winning formula isn’t new, but Feig is able to deliver some great action alongside some ripper comedy with both stars providing a few laugh out loud moments. All in all, The Heat isn’t breaking new ground, but like Bridesmaids it’s showcasing some great female talent. And if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen and head to Film Group for a great night out… and order takeaway.

A classic. US comedian Dick Van Dyke has written that Laurel and Hardy ‘invented comedy’ as we know it. British-born Stanley ‘Stan’ Laurel had cut his teeth as Charlie Chaplin’s understudy and was the creative side of the duo, while Georgia (US)-born Oliver ‘Ollie’ Hardy was a laid back chap who spent most of his off-screen time playing golf. One possibly needs to be ‘of a certain age’ to know and love these two – but it is never too late to learn!

The formula of two muddling idiots was fine-tuned by ‘the boys’ to hilarious perfection: one (Ollie) who thinks he is smart, and the other (Stan) obviously dumb who is of course the (slightly!) smarter of the pair. Bonnie Scotland has the boys in Scotland, having come in the hope of inheriting the MacLaurel estate. Finding themselves down on their luck they are tricked into signing-up with a Scottish regiment and are posted to the Northwest Frontier in India where they are ‘volunteered’ for a dangerous mission by their sergeant-major (fellow silent era comedian and frequent co-star James Finlayson) hoping to get rid of the two nitwits. Ollie utters his ‘signature’ phrase (blaming Stan for his own bungles): “Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!” Come along, settle down and prepare yourself for side-splitting guffaws. And if you enjoy it, other classics to watch out for: The Music Box, Way out West, Block-Heads, The Flying Deuces …