Have some sympathy for cinemagoers who make the mistake of booking their tickets over the phone in the next few weeks. Quite apart from the purgatory that is the multiplexes' booking systems, they'll also have to contend with titles that will leave them breathless.

Much more than a chance to turn a royal hit film into royalties

The production company behind the Bridget Jones's Diary movies was yesterday forced to deny reports that Hugh Grant had quit the third instalment because of issues with the script.

The success of The King's Speech and The Inbetweeners has helped independent British films to a greater share of box office receipts than ever before.

Tomas Alfredson's perfectly cast adaptation of John le Carré's thorny tale of double-crossing spies doesn't quite equal the peerless BBC series from the Seventies, but it's still a sensationally nimble achievement.

Hollywood royalty Colin Firth was today awarded a CBE by the Prince of Wales - whose grandfather the actor brought to life on the screen.

I've always viewed the Oscars roughly the way I view Formula One: I'm quite interested in knowing the results, but the process by which they're produced is basically unwatchable. Over here, where things are still amateur enough that something is liable to go wrong – see Freddie Starr's recent inscrutable performance at the Comedy Awards – they're still reasonably entertaining.

David Cameron urged the British film industry to concentrate on making more mainstream movies today.

New Year Honours: Entertainment

The action film Fast Five, the fifth in the Fast and the Furious franchise, has been illegally downloaded more than any other film this year.

Starring: Robert De Niro, Ashton Kutcher, Sarah Jessica Parker

A reassuring tale of friendship and determination overcoming every obstacle, The King's Speech was the safe, conventional choice for Oscar voters.

Colin Firth is set to be knighted after winning an Oscar for 'The King's Speech'.