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A good week for releases this week with a couple of Oscar films and plenty of mindless guff. Oddly it’s the mindless guff I’d rather see.

Animal Kingdom
Can a young man escape a life of crime despite his family being a right rum lot? Can you not like a film with a 93% fresh rating?

Drive Angry
There’s almost no need to see this stupid, run of the mill, 3D action film. But then there’s Amber Heard.

No Strings Attached
There’s almost no need to see this stupid, run of the mill, romantic comedy. But then there’s Natalie Portman.

The Rite
A young priest goes to exorcism school in Italy a bit of a skeptic. A few hours and plenty of dark rooms, evil faces and arch dialogue later and he’s a believer.

West is West
A sequel to a film I haven’t seen. Someone goes to join someone else in the Punjab. Any sequel to a critically acclaimed film, ten years after the original, is a tricky proposition.

Howl (limited release)
Your art house film for this week. The obscenity trial of Alan Ginsberg is acted out alongside archive footage of the man himself and some surreal animation. With a cast that include John Hamm, Mary-Louise Parker and James Franco you know this is a quality piece.

Waste Land (limited release)
Those of us who have seen this documentary about art thriving in a landfill won’t shut up about it, and those that haven’t have added it to their increasingly long list of films they want to see in the cinema.

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I’ll admit that the list of nominees for Best Documentary at this years Oscars does feature a few Mild Concern favourites in the shape of Exit Through the Gift Shop and Waste Land, but it’s a shame the most talked about documentary is absent.

Catfish is truly moving and completely shocking. Once you’re into the final forty minutes you won’t be able to look away. Clearly this isn’t the most technical documentary, shot on the fly rather than with nay real intent to make a documentary, but the story it tells is one of the most compelling. Rather than the lack of technical prowess what is probably holding Catfish back is it’s believability.

While I buy into the story completely some are more cynical and find the final act revelation too exciting to be true. This brings the feature’s credentials as a documentary into question and makes it much less award friendly. Exit Through the Gift Shop had a similarly dramatic conclusion that many viewers found hard to swallow. It’s validity only confirmed for some but the fact that it was allowed into the Oscars.

A nomination at the Oscars would have given Catfish the seal of approval from the wider film community. As it is it remains a cult hit and something that has to be seen to be believed… and even then not by everyone.

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There was a time when everyone seemed to be excited about Never Let Me Go, but that was a while ago and felt like it ended long before the film actually came out. Maybe if the film had opened in the UK first it could have gained some support before tackling the US. Instead it flopped in the US and then continued to flounder in the UK market.

With no real excitement any more and not much attention the studio seems to have given up on this little treasure. Without an Oscar campaign, something that is depressingly vital for award success, the film that opened the London Film Festival has no Oscar nominations to speak of. Hell, it didn’t even make the Baftas.

Beautiful direction, careful writing and stand-out performances all go ignored. Andrew Garfield and Carey Mulligan are heart breaking and Keira Knightley is surprisingly good in her unsympathetic role. The film unfolds slowly and manages to not gives itself away in the opening act. Surely something in here deserves a little recognition?

Even a nomination for all the heavy knitwear would have been enough.

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We’re in the weird period of the year between Oscar fare and summer blockbusters. Today we get a sci-fi action thriller, not quite big enough to come out when it’s warm outside.

I Am Number Four
A teenager with special abilities (the type that make your hands glow blue) is being pursued by a deadly force. It’s like Heroes or Push except that….

Moving on… Dianna Agron is in it, you know, the bland blonde from Glee, and Timothy Olyphant who should have better things to do.

At the end of an odd week of sporadic film releases, there are just a handful of films out today. They still manage to run the gamut from awful to awesome though.

Inside Job
From what I’ve read, and I’ve read at least two things, this documentary about the recent financial meltdown in the western world is an overlooked gem. Just how wide its nationwide release is, I’m not sure but I blindly recommend seeing it if you get the chance. If you don’t it will be on More4 before long, probably.

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
If you’ve ever wanted to watch the life story of a tween pop sensation on the big screen, and in 3D then you are in luck. If, however, you have the teeniest sliver of good taste you’d probably rather watch Big Momma’s: Like Father, Like Son.

Confessions (limited release)
“A psychological thriller of a grieving mother turned cold-blooded avenger with a twisty master plan to pay back those who were responsible for her daughter’s death.” Good reviews and a shortlisting at the Oscars mean this might be worth the hunt.

Day for Night (limited release)
A re-release from the BFI is a 1973 french film about a director struggling to complete his movie.

Art house cinemas and documentaries win out this week.