Films showing at local cinemas until December 19

28 Days Later (18) Cillian Murphy, Christopher Eccleston, Brendan Gleeson **** Written by Alex (The Beach) Garland and directed by Danny (Trainspotting) Boyle, this uncompromising portrait of a post-apocalyptic Britain over-run by ravenous zombies is all too frighteningly plausible. UCI (Sun-Tues only), Odeon (Fri-Tues only)

The Apartment (PG) Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray **** A wage slave tries to improve his lot at the office by renting his apartment out for his boss's secret trysts. Tivoli (Mon, Tues only)

Betty Fisher & Other Stories (15) Nicole Garcia, Sandrine Kimberlain, Mathilde Seigner *** French adaptation of a Ruth Rendell story in which an author finds her real life is turning out to be stranger than her fiction. Lighthouse (from Sat)

Chasing Amy (18) Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee **** Sharp look at the complexities of modern love in which the friendship between two guys is threatened when one falls in love with a lesbian. Lighthouse (Mon only)

Deathwatch (15) Jamie Bell, Hugo Speer, Matthew Rhys ** Billy Elliott star Bell struggles through this messy WW1 ghost story in which a unit of Tommies get stranded in a fog-bound trench. UCI

Die Another Day (12A) Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry, Toby Stephens **** Bond battles devious baddies, beds beautiful birds and saves the world with a smile on his face in perfectly pitched 20th 007 movie. UCI, Odeon, ABC

Donnie Darko (15) Jake Gyllenhaal, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne **** Cultish black comedy about a high school kid who is haunted by visions of a giant rabbit that encourages him to commit acts of evil. ABC (Fri-Tues only)

Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets (PG) Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Kenneth Branagh **** Darker than The Philosopher's Stone, this lengthy sequel provides more action, more comedy and more magic. UCI, Odeon, ABC

Like Mike (PG) Lil Bow Wow, Jonathan Lipnicki, Morris Chestnut *** An orphan kid becomes a basketball superstar when he finds a pair of magic sneakers. UCI, Odeon

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (12A) Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler *** Sprawling but good-to-look, there's another chance to enjoy Part One again. UCI (Mon only)

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (12A) Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler **** Visually impressive continuation of The Lord of the Rings saga. UCI, Odeon, ABC (from Wed)

Lost in La Mancha (15) Johnny Depp, Vanessa Paradis, Terry Gilliam **** Mouth-watering documentary following Gilliam's dream of filming Don Quixote fall apart. UCI (Tues only)

Movern Callar (15) Samantha Morton, Kathleen McDermott, Raife Patrick Burchell *** Lynne Ramsay's follow up to Ratcatcher is this hallucinatory journey through rave culture and female friendships. Lighthouse

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (PG) Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Joey Fatone *** Popular domestic drama centred around a Greek-American family's wedding preparations. Rex (Fri-Mon only)

The Odd Couple (PG) Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau **** Comedy classic written by Neil Simon in which two old friends try sharing an apartment. Tivoli (Fri only)

The Quiet American (15) Michael Caine, Brendan Fraser, Do Thi Hai Yen **** Caine is at is best as a veteran British journalist in Vietnam locking horns with a young American over a local beauty. ABC

The Road To Perdition (15) Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law **** Sam Mendes' dark and emotional story of a Mob hitman's efforts to protect his young son from his former bosses. Rex (Tues-Thurs only), Odeon (Wed only)

Santa Clause 2 (U) Tim Allen, Elizabeth Mitchell, Judge Reinhold ** A bit of mushy seasonal froth finds Santa searching for a wife, but the robot he leaves in control of the elves has got its own ideas about the true meaning of Christmas. UCI, Odeon

Some Like It Hot (PG) Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe ***** Billy Wilder's finest moment in which Lemmon and Curtis don make-up and hide from the Mob by joining an all-girl band. Tivoli (Wed, Thurs only)

U2: Almost Live (tbc) U2 *** Bono and the boys captured live in Boston last year on their Elevation tour. UCI (Tues only) Cut price children's shows (Sat, Sun only)

Christmas Carol: The Movie (U) (voices): Nicolas Cage, Kate Winslet, Jane Horrocks ** Poorly made animated version of Dickens' classic story. UCI

Scooby Doo (PG) Freddie Prinze Jr, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard *** The Mystery Inc gang is reunited to investigate more strange goings-on. Odeon

Stuart Little 2 (U) Michael J Fox (voice), Hugh Laurie, Geena Davis *** The cute mouse goes on a mission to find his mum's wedding ring. Odeon