Paranormal Activity review – this fright night leaves you spellbound and spooked
With expert direction and eye-catching stagecraft, the tension is ramped up in a new play inspired by the film franchise
Tell Me Softly review – high-school romance of bad boys and blurred boundaries
Social-media fame and sexual intrigue collide in this part-Twilight, part-OC romantic drama whose provocative dramatic set-ups feel as glib as porn scenes
Hong Kong Mixtape review – dissident artists keep hope alive in the face of China’s crackdown
San San F Young’s passionate documentary records a vibrant creative scene that continues to resist Beijing’s repression
The Great Flood review – Korean apocalypse movie swerves into sinister sci-fi territory
The storytelling is brittle, but there is still enjoyment to be had from this story of a mother and child and rescue from a catastrophic flood in Seoul
The Christmas Dream review – Thailand’s first musical in decades is big on sentimental spectacle
A festive musical blends fairytale optimism with lush orchestration and Sound of Music sweetness – even if this often overwhelms a thin storyline
Silent Night, Deadly Night review – killer Santa remake is overstuffed
There are too many competing and overfamiliar ideas in this busy slasher reboot that’s sorely lacking in style
Goodbye June review – Kate Winslet’s Christmas heartwarmer is like a two-hour John Lewis ad
Star turns from Helen Mirren, Andrea Riseborough and Toni Colette can’t stop cartoony sentimentality smothering this film directed by Winslet and written by her son Joe Anders
Ella McCay review – James L Brooks returns with a sorry mess of a movie
Emma Mackey, Jamie Lee Curtis, Albert Brooks, Rebecca Hall and Woody Harrelson are among the stars lost in the writer-director’s baffling misfire
Silent Sherlock: Three Classic Cases review – on the hunt with Holmes in restored 1920s mysteries
From stealing a photo for the King of Bohemia to battling the Napoleon of crime on a clifftop, Holmes is witty and watchable in these early Conan Doyle-approved dramas
Merv review – a dog steals the show in Amazon’s by-the-book Christmas romcom
Charlie Cox and Zooey Deschanel co-parent a depressed dog in a serviceable attempt to appeal to animal lovers during the festive period
Christmas, Again review – laidback tale of a forlorn Christmas tree seller has authentic charm
Charles Poekel’s directorial debut has taken a decade to reach the UK, but its indie take on seasonal cinema brings low-key warmth
Preparation for the Next Life review – deeply felt story of love among the marginalised in New York
Bing Liu’s debut feature is an unflinching portrait of an undocumented Uyghur immigrant and a traumatised US veteran whose fragile connection is strained by their pasts
Animalia review – megaflood strikes in haunting, eerie debut about liberation and the unknown
A pregnant woman’s journey becomes a surreal exploration of class, gender and spiritual transformation in Sofia Alaoui’s striking debut
Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea review – gripping trip along supply lines in China standoff
A gripping film captures the fraught contests, lonely outposts and human toll of the Philippines’ struggle to assert sovereignty against China
Baby review – an astute portrait of queer Brazilian hustlers lost in the system
Abandoned by his parents and fresh out of juvenile prison, the wide-eyed Wellington meets a charismatic hustler on the restless streets of São Paulo