Game of Thrones Series 2

Peter Dinklage, Charles Dance, Maisie Williams - Dir: various

OKAY, so it's not a film. But, with the imminent arrival of series 3 (kicking off on Sky's Soho channel at the beginning of April, a mere 24 hours behind the US) anyone not yet in thrall of this magnificent fantasy epic should climb on board. Take the week off and work your way through series 2, now handily out on DVD.
There have been a number of such outings on TV recently – Pillars of the Earth, Camelot, et al – but this leaves the others in its muddy wake, mixing top class production values with a seriously complex story, vividly-drawn characters, grown-up dialogue, generous lashings of sex and violence, and twists and turns that continually surprise (less so I imagine if you've read the series of books by George R Martin).
After killing off the central character at the end of the first series it looked like things might go downhill, but a renewed focus on the story's smartest character, the diminutive Tyrion Lannister (Dinklage) brought even greater heights.
But no one character carries it: this is a huge ensemble piece and to try and attempt a plot summary would be hopeless. It's like a medieval Mafia saga with the five families all at war. If you're not already hooked you're missing out – fantastic stuff!

Karl Urban continues to climb the stardom ladder – after support roles in The Chronicles of Riddick, LOTR, Doom and Star Trek – with the lead in Dredd . It won't help much, though it's a perfectly decent little film. The role is actually rather thankless, given he keeps his helmet on throughout and doesn't have a lot to say. That's just how Judge Dredd rolls. The film also has exactly the same plot as last year's (superior) The Raid. Dredd and partner must battle their way up through a tower block to defeat an evil drug dealer on the top floor. Lots of fighting and some fun special effects. That's about it really.

The Twilight franchise limps to a close with Breaking Dawn Part 2 , as bad a film as the series has yet produced. Earlier efforts could be criticized for the obvious passive women subtext, tedious romance, absurd plotting and simply being a bit boring. This time it's bad because it's just plain bad, the sort of stuff that wouldn't even cut it as a half-assed TV series. It actually just about works as a comedy, but that's probably unintentional. Fans, however, should be happy: Kirsten Stewart pouts frequently, Taylor Lautner takes off his shirt, and R-Pat is reliably blank – at least Michael Sheen seems to be having fun.

You have to feel for Liam Neeson. Here was a respectable, high class actor, a man with gravitas, and now he's an over-sixty action hero, grunting inanities in films like The Grey and Taken while body doubles fight off bad guys (and wolves). Now, unsurprisingly, there's Taken 2 . Turns out the several dozen Eastern European nasties he slaughtered while saving his daughter in part one are out for revenge. Next thing you know Liam and his ex-wife have been kidnapped by said forces of darkness and reluctantly must turn to the daughter for help. Violence ensues. Like Neeson's central turn, it's solid, efficient, and tries to pretend it's not just going through the motions.

The Good Doctor is an unusual film. It stars Orlando Bloom as a young doctor, clearly insecure and uncertain of himself, and lonely at being away from his family. There seems to be something off about him. And indeed there is, as we discover when his success in treating an 18-year-old patient becomes obsessional. What's odd about the film is the way it's shot, in a resolutely unflashy style that makes its low-key rhythms seem even more low-key. Bloom is actually very good at exhibiting subtle creepiness and there is naturalistic support from Rob Morrow, Michael Pena and Riley Keough.