An Education
A precocious schoolgirl – trapped in the stultifying suburbs of London in the 1960s – is transformed by
an encounter with a charming suitor more than twice her age (Peter Sarsgaard). Author Nick Hornby (High Fidelity) based the screenplay for this lively and sophisticated drama on a memoir by British celebrity journalist Lynn Barber, who is as unsparing on herself as she is on her famous subjects. Smart, poignant and extraordinarily unsentimental.

Away We Go
When two 30-somethings (The Offices John Krasinski and Saturday Night Lives Maya Rudolph) accidentally fall pregnant, they hit the road in search of the perfect place to call home. Travelling across the US, they get a crash course in child rearing from friends and family. Director Sam Mendes's observations on parenthood are painfully funny, but his follow-up to Revolutionary Road is patchy
– especially Maggie Gyllenhaal's turn as a hippy earthmother.

Julie & Julia
Before MasterChef, there was Julia Child – a one-of-a-kind, 188cm American with a knack for dismembering chicken carcasses. Forty years later, New Yorker Julie Powell (Amy Adams) decides to cook her way through all 524 recipes in Child's famous 1961 cookbook, writing a popular blog about her experiences. Director Nora Ephron (Sleepless In Seattle) interweaves the two women's stories with wit and dexterity, but Julie & Julia is rather bland.