The Imposter is a gripping tale of deceit and manipulation. LOOKING for a date movie? How about an edge-of-your-seat thriller? Or are you in need of a bit of a chuckle? Peruse this guide to find your perfect picture. BLINDER (M) Needs a free kick ... in the pants, Australia, 115 min Feeble drama set in the world of grass-roots Australian Rules football. A staggering number of rushed behinds is the only result possible for a poorly-conceived tale that often goes out of bounds and stays there. The film tracks the exploits of the Tigers, a coastal outfit whose premiership-winning squad implodes when several players are implicated in a sex scandal involving a 15-year-old girl. Leave aside the terrible script - which is hard to do, given its depiction of women as docile doormats - and there are still far too many average gameday sequences to contend with. Would have been nice if a few of the featured actors (playing supposed future AFL superstars) looked like they knew how to boot a ball. *1/2 BROKEN CITY (MA15+) Wahlberg's a stoppin'-Crowe man, US, 109 min Russell Crowe (groomed hair, generous girth and groovy glasses) is the most corrupt Mayor in Greater New York. By the halfway mark, he's on the Mayor's to-kill list. Overall, an industriously aimless thriller, scurrying up and down the corridors of power, looking for any way out. If it is escape you are after, best be patient. Co-stars Catherine Zeta-Jones. **1/2 GREAT EXPECTATIONS (M) Mild repetitions, UK, 125 min The classic Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations has been adapted too many times in the past few decades. There needs to be some kind of international treaty struck to let this rich tale rest and replenish. This latest version by British director Mike Newell (Love in the Time of Cholera) is a respectful, if unambitious effort. Thankfully, an accomplished cast was gathered for the occasion, and they do keep up their end of the bargain. Stars Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Sally Hawkins, Robbie Coltrane. **1/2 THE IMPOSTER (M) Lost and found and lost all over again, US, 97 min The heartbreaking story chronicled by this mesmerising documentary zeroes-in on that elusive point where the too-good-to-be-true becomes the too-sad-to-even-think-about. In 1994, a 13-year-old boy went missing in rural Texas. A grieving family never found closure. In 1997, the boy came home. Police in Spain had found him wandering the streets. As the title of the film clearly signals, the person that went back to Texas was not the real deal. He spoke with a French accent. Though no-one knew at the time, he was also 23 years of age. Think of it as a real-life psychological thriller, and you will end up thinking the world of this astonishing film. **** IN THE FOG (M) Sadly, mist, Belarus, 127 min On a German-occupied western frontier of Soviet Russia in 1942, a local railway worker is wrongly accused of being a collaborator. A devastatingly precise portrait of a world crashing down on one unlucky man. Filmmaker Sergei Loznitza's spartan shooting style (long takes, claustrophobic vistas) captures one of life's true paradoxes: those certain situations where to resist fate is to all but seal it. **** OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (PG) Just enough magic to get by, US, 129 min Did the world really need a fresh take on the origin story of the fella that became the Wonderful Wizard of Oz? The target audience of Oz the Great and Powerful - non-discerning cineastes aged 10 and under - will still be happy enough with this prequel to one of the great children's movies of all-time. James Franco stars as Oscar Diggs, a dodgy travelling magician propelled by prairie tornado to the fabled land of Oz. Upon arrival, our hero gets an up-close look at a power struggle between witches wicked and good. While there is many a dull spot, director Sam Raimi knows exactly when a lively diversion is needed. Co-stars Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams. *** PERFORMANCE (M) Playing to (im) perfection, US, 105 min Impeccably acted drama set in the world of contemporary classical music. On the eve of their 25th season together, a world-renowned string quartets is on the brink of falling apart. A key member has been diagnosed with the early stages of Parkinson's Disease. Two married players are heading towards divorce. A film that gets so many of the *the little things* right, particularly the fragile inter-personal dynamic that powers the most creative musical ensembles. The cast is flawless, with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener holding everything together as the couple crumbling to bits. Christopher Walken is also remarkable here, possibly playing his first *normal* character in many moons. ***1/2 21 & OVER (MA15+) Suitable for IQs 21 and under, US, 93 min Someone projectile-vomits in slow-motion. Someone takes a wizz on someone else. Let's not go anywhere near the poop, OK? Yep, what we have here is one of those home-brand, The-Hangover-for-morons comedies that usually bypass cinemas for DVD hell. This one somehow got past quality control. Story involves some sex-stunned, semi-racist young dunces having one last big night before they start growing up. On the evidence presented here, the common cold will be cured before these jerks get called adults. *