HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE (PG)

The film of JK Rowling's first book is full of stunning special effects and sparkling performances from everyone concerned. Daniel Radcliffe, as the orphaned Harry Potter, plays a wholly believable hero, first enduring misery with his nasty relatives and then learning on his 11th brithday that he is the son of two powerful wizards and possesses magical powers. Soon he is at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where all kind of magical events occur as Harry learns the Philosopher's Stone, which gives its owner immortality, is under threat. It's five-star wizard entertainment.

KISS OF THE DRAGON (18)

Martial arts expert Jet Li stars in a high-octane adventure as intelligence officer Liu Jiuan, who is in Paris with maverick cop Richard (Tcheky Karyo) to protect a Chinese VIP. But when the VIP is found dead, Liu is accused of his murder. On the run, Liu meets drug addict Jessica (Bridget Fonda), and they join forces to take down the bad guys. It's a clichd plot with outrageous stunts, minimal dialogue and gratuitous violence - one for the 'brawn over brain' fans, then.

THE OTHERS (12)

On the island of Jersey during the Second World War, Grace (Nicole Kidman) waits patiently with her children Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley) for the return of her husband Charles (Christopher Eccleston). The family lives in a large Victorian mansion, a place of secrets and strange voices on the wind. Anne and Nicholas are photosensitive and must be shielded from sunlight at all times, plunging the house into eternal darkness. The arrival of three new servants has a dramatic effect on the house, catalysing a series of increasingly bizarre episodes which threaten the sanity of Grace and the children. Written and directed with brio by Amenabar, The Others is an intelligent psychological thriller which chills without recourse for gore or bloodshed.

LEGALLY BLONDE (12)

Ambitious Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis) is dating glamorous Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon), but when he gets to Harvard Law School, he dumps her believing it would be career suicide for an aspiring political heavyweight to date a blonde. Elle is devastated and her misery is compounded when she learns that Warner is dating a brunette. Determined to win her man back, she schemes her way into Harvard, where she discovers she has a wealth of untapped legal savvy. Soon she is embroiled in a high-profile murder case in Beverly Hills - now the fight is no longer just for Warner, but for justice and respect as well. One of the most entertaining films of the year.

ATLANTIS (U)

Disney animated adventure in which intrepid youngster Milo Thatch (voiced by Michael J Fox) dreams of discovering Atlantis. Eccentric billionaire Preston B Whitmore (John Mahoney) funds an expedition, so Milo joins the daredevil explorers led by Captain Rourke (James Garner) deep below the ocean. The expedition finds the fabled and fabulous Atlantis, but Captain Rourke has an ulterior motive for being there...

AMELIE (15)

THE mesmerising Audrey Tautou is the eponymous young woman who is intent on bringing love into the lives of her friends in a sunny Paris while not noticing that someone has a hankering after her. It's a feelgood movie to brighten up a dark winter day.