Iron Man 3
Robert Downey Jr, Guy Pearce, Gwyneth Paltrow - Dir: Shane Black

Jokes tend to get a little tedious when you hear them for the fourth time. And since this film marks the fourth outing for Robert Downey Jr's iteration of Iron Man you might begin to wonder if he's getting past his use-by date. Good news then: with the importation of writer/director Shane Black the franchise has regained its freshness, even if the end seems somewhere in sight.
Black was the writer on many of the eighties biggest action blockbusters, most notably the Lethal Weapon franchise. He has previously made one film of his own, the wonderful Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), a canny deconstruction of the action genre which gave a resurgent Robert Downey Jr his best (and first) role in years.
Like that film, Iron Man 3 is set at Christmas-time – presumably the release schedule changed – and opens with a humorous self-deprecating interior monologue. And then it proceeds to get just about everything right. Iron Man 2 made the mistake of assuming that 10 guys fighting in suits would be 10 times more fun than just one. This film realises that Tony Stark is the most interesting thing, so strips him early of his powers and relies on the Downey charisma.
Wise move. Throw in walloping action, a fine support cast and more of that witty dialogue and you have a winner. Now bring on the next Avengers movie.

Passion is based on a French film, Crime D'Amour, a minimalist corporate thriller about betrayal, jealousy and revenge between two women, an advertising exec and her 2IC. In this American remake they are Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace; and the plot has been rather 'expanded”, as mucho manipulation leads to murder. Director Brian De Palma – expect dream sequences, obviously – gives everything a sleek sheen but, perhaps restrained by budget, the visuals seem to lack his usual flair (the camera is surprisingly static, though there is a striking split-screen sequence). And some of the script is risible. Still fun though, in a guilty pleasure sort of way.

A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III is a quirky proposition. Written and directed by Roman Coppola (son of Francis) it stars Charlie Sheen as the titular Charlie Sheen-like graphic designer whose life collapses after his enigmatic lover (Katheryn Winnick) leaves. A quick swimming pool car crash later and he's in hospital re-evaluating his life. While somewhat self-indulgent – dream and fantasy sequences abound, Sheen persona is riffed on – it retains a certain sweetness; and Jason Schwatzman, Bill Murray and Patricia Arquette are along for the ride, which is obviously a good thing. Film buffs will (bizarrely) notice several Bob Fosse tributes.

Resolution is an intriguing backwoods indie that has played festivals and won the odd award. It starts with P-addicted Chris out in an isolated cabin shooting guns and falling apart. Nice guy best friend Michael visits to enforce handcuff-assisted cold turkey as a first step to rehab. But the longer the pair spend at the cabin, the weirder things get, with the discovery of strange manuscripts and videos. It's an enigmatic film, well-acted and shot, with thoughtful dialogue and only very muted horror elements. In fact, calling it a horror film at all is misleading. It's more like an episode of The Twilight Zone, and a good one at that.

In a working example of the idea that small things amuse little minds, I find something irresistibly amusing about the title of The Last Exorcism Part 2. If only they'd known there would be a sequel. Then they could have called the first one The Second To Last Exorcism, or The Last Exorcism (Till The Next One)... Also, they might have had a plot for the follow-up. Because, the first one, following a fake exorcist who encounters the real deal, is rather good. Here that film's sole survivor, Nell, tries to deal with the aftermath, largely by looking continually depressed. You'll quickly relate.