Arthur Conan Doyle’s ingenious detective is given an exhilarating makeover in this blockbuster reinvention of the legendary character that’s sure to have literary scholars choking on their sherry.

Robert Downey Jnr plays Holmes as a wisecracking braggart with Jude Law as faithful sidekick Watson, but perhaps the biggest surprise is the director – Guy Ritchie, the mockney film-maker best known for the East End shenanigans of Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels.

As such, expect something a little less stuffy than past Sherlock Holmes movies, complete with bare knuckle boxing and Holmes bickering with Watson like they’re an old married couple. Having recently picked up a Golden Globe for his performance, Downey Jnr really is a Holmes tailor made for the modern day.

Ryan Bingham (Clooney) has made a career out of firing other people. Living out of a suitcase and spending more time in the air than he does on the ground, Bingham advises corporate suits how to downsize and cut loose their staff. It’s only when he has to show the ropes to a young graduate (Anna Kendrick) that he starts to realise how isolated he is - and how he’s spent his whole life avoiding what he’s always needed.

From the director of Juno and Thank You For Smoking, Up In The Air is an existential comedy that couldn’t be more ‘of the moment’ if it tried, and features a perfectly understated performance from George Clooney. Clever without being smug, this is that rare Hollywood creation – a film that looks at how we live today, and asks where we’re going wrong.

At last year’s Sundance Film Festival, there was one film that came out of absolutely nowhere to wow critics and audiences alike – its name was Precious, a powerhouse drama that will absolutely floor you.

The focus of the story is Precious herself (Gabourey Sidibe), an obese teenager with a physically abusive mother (Mo’Nique) and a child with Down’s syndrome, borne from years of sexual abuse inflicted by her father. Pregnant again, the future looks bleak until Precious is transferred to a new school where a teacher and a social worker (Mariah Carey) finally give her a glimpse of something better.

It’s undoubtedly a hard-hitting story, but this is a film that proudly wears its heart on its sleeve and offers performances that the Oscar committee just can’t afford to ignore, especially Mo’Nique, who displays an astonishing ability to make you sympathise with a monster. This isn’t just Precious - it’s glorious.

Vampires are so 2009. This year it’s all about the werewolf, and top of the moon-howling list is The Wolfman, a new take on the classic Lon Chaney horror from 1941.

The Electric Cinema is hosting two preview screenings of this glossy remake, starring Benicio del Toro as a troubled nobleman lured back to his family estate, where a dark secret soon transforms his life in more ways than one.

Featuring the Oscar-winning make-up skills of Rick Baker (An American Werewolf In London), The Wolfman is bursting with spine-tingling chills.

‘Sometimes awful things have their own kind of beauty.’

English professor George (Colin Firth) has decided that today will be his last. Consumed by grief since the tragic death of the man he loved, he’s decided to take his own life. We follow George through his final hours as he reminisces with his alcoholic friend Charley (Julianne Moore), seeing in flashback the good times he spent with his lover.

If you know Colin Firth largely for his roles in bland rom-coms, then A Single Man will be a revelation. Firth gives the performance of his career, already picking up an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, while the film itself is beautifully composed by director Tom Ford, better known for his work in fashion design. As quiet and thoughtful as its central character, A Single Man will break your heart and then piece it back together again.

Vampires are so 2009. This year it’s all about the werewolf, and top of the moon-howling list is The Wolfman, a new take on the classic Lon Chaney horror from 1941.

This time round, it’s Benicio del Toro donning the wolf suit, playing a troubled nobleman lured back to his family estate when his brother dies in mysterious circumstances. Reunited with his estranged father Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins), he soon discovers there’s a dark secret at the heart of his family - one that reveals itself in monstrous fashion every time the moon is full...

Paying homage to the classic creature features of yesteryear and featuring the Oscar-winning make-up skills of Rick Baker (the man behind the bone-breaking transformation of 80s classic An American Werewolf In London), The Wolfman is an unashamedly gothic affair that’s positively bursting with spine-tingling chills.

Before there was Moulin Rouge or Romeo + Juliet, Aussie director Baz Luhrmann cut his cinematic teeth with this charming audience pleaser about a maverick performer throwing a small town dance competition into chaos.

More importantly, it’s about the relationship between unorthodox dancer Scott (Mercurio) and ugly duckling Fran (Morice), an unlikely pair whose unique routines are the talk of the town and the bane of stuck-in-his-ways judge Barry. Think Dirty Dancing with a lot more sequins.

Colourful and romantic, Strictly Ballroom is as full of life as Luhrmann’s subsequent films, and the very definition of a crowd-pleaser.

Forget When Harry met Sally or Bridget Jones; if you’re looking for a rom-com that hits all the bases, then Breakfast At Tiffany’s is the film for you.

Exclusively screening at The Electric Cinema this Valentine’s Day, Audrey Hepburn brings to life the character of Holly Golightly, a fashionable New York socialite who isn't ashamed of using her beauty to woo rich older men who have the cash to support her luxuriant needs. It's Holly's relationship with her new neighbour (Peppard) that's the heart of the film, although anyone expecting a typical Hollywood screen affair might be surprised at how the story plays out.

Bright and sprightly, Breakfast At Tiffany’s is the quintessential film for a romantic evening out that’s sure to leave you all luvvy-duvvy.

Here’s something to get you all hot under your frilly collar – an exploration of an oft-misunderstood art form from one of Britain’s premier burlesque performers, Miss Immodesty Blaize.

Mixing live performance and interviews with performers both past and present, cheeky documentary Burlesque Undressed peeks behind the rhinestone curtain for a glimpse of what the audience doesn’t often get to see (steady now...), with input from the esteemed likes of Sir Peter Blake and the more androgynous likes of Marc Almond.

The first screening will also be preceded by a special appearance from Immodesty Blaize herself, who'll be signing copies of her new book Tease.