An Education (Cert 12, 96 mins, E1 Entertain-ment). Starring Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Cara Seymour, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Olivia Williams, Emma Thompson. ****
In Twickenham in 1961, 16-year-old schoolgirl Jenny (Mulligan) meets handsome stranger David (Sarsgaard) on the street and is flattered by the attentions of the older man. Eventually, Jenny is torn between the hopes of her parents (Molina, Seymour) and her burgeoning desires. Based on a memoir by journalist Lynn Barber, An Education is a rites-of-passage story blessed with a touching and humorous script by Nick Hornby, and beautifully evoking an era of mini-skirts, bouffant hair and childish innocence. Mulligan’s tour-de-force, Oscar-nominated central performance galvanises the film, striking the right balance between determination and vulnerability.

Julie & Julia (Cert 12, 118 mins, Sony Pictures Home Entertain-ment). Starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, Jane Lynch, Mary Lynn Rajskub. ***
Julia Child (Streep) and her doting US diplomat husband Paul (Tucci) settle into new lodgings in 1940s Paris. Blessed with an indefatigable spirit, Julia yearns for something productive to keep her amused and flouts convention by attending Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, where the teachers deride her initial efforts. Through perseverance, she will prove the teachers wrong and become the face of a TV series which introduces authentic French cuisine to the kitchens of her homeland. Meanwhile, in New York in 2002, enthusiastic cook Julie Powell (Adams) decides to work through all 524 recipes in Child’s book, Mastering The Art Of French Cooking, in just 365 days, and pen a blog about her exploits. Based on two memoirs set more than 50 years apart, Julie & Julia is a frothy and entertaining tale.

Taking Woodstock (Cert 15, 115 mins, Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd). Starring Demetri Martin, Henry Goodman, Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Groff, Eugene Levy, Liev Schreiber, Darren Pettie. ***
Handsomely-crafted drama that taps into the mood of free love and self-expression that wafted over the east coast of America in the summer of 1969. However, this lacks that vital, emotional spark. Stand-up comedian Martin is an interesting casting choice for the laconic lead Elliot, but he is upstaged by dreamy newcomer Groff. From a purely technical perspective, Lee’s film is a triumph.