Zombieland (Cert 15, 84 mins, Sony Pictures Home Entertain-ment). Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Bill Murray, Amber Heard *** Hilarious jaunt which strikes an irreverent tone echoing Shaun Of The Dead. The rules for survival are explained in the film’s tongue-in-cheek opening section: maintain cardio fitness because you’ll spend a lot of time running away from predators, check the back seat of your car for unexpected, teeth-gnashing passengers and avoid bathrooms. The last thing you want is to be caught, literally, with your pants down as a zombie crawls into the cubicle. Eisenberg’s droll scaredy-cat is a wonderful comic foil for Harrelson’s goofball avenger. Stone and Breslin pull their weight too, shooting a fair few zombies as they search for a safe haven. Bill Murray’s cameo as himself is a treat.

A Serious Man (Cert 15, 101 mins, Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd). Starring Michael Stuhlbarg, Sari Lennick, Fred Melamed, Jessica McManus, Aaron Wolff, Richard Kind, David Kang **** A deceptively simple portrait of a family in crisis, distinguished by a sharp script and terrific ensemble cast. Following the unbearable tension of No Country For Old Men and the frippery of Burn After Reading, this wicked black comedy finds directors Joel and Ethan Coen in a quirky hinterland where they previously bowled strikes with The Big Lebowski. Stuhlbarg adopts a permanent look of incredulity as his caring family man struggles to make sense of the cards that life has dealt him. The supporting cast vividly bring their roles to life as the Coens add flecks of humour, some causing us to wince almost as much as the characters.

The Fourth Kind (Cert 15, 94 mins, Entertainment In Video). Starring Milla Jovovich, Will Patton, Elias Koteas, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Corey Johnson, Enzo Cilenti, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Raphael Coleman *** In 1977, Steven Spielberg introduced audiences around the world to Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. The film took its title from a scale devoted to alien encounters: the third kind refers to actual contact with extra-terrestrials. The encounters of the first kind are sightings of alien craft while the second kind refers to any encounter supported by evidence. This thriller deals with encounters of the fourth kind – alien abduction. The Fourth Kind attempts to send chills down the spine with a supposedly authentic tale of people tormented by unseen horrors. Grainy library footage sows seeds of doubt in the minds of viewers who are willing to suspend their disbelief, but since truth is stranger than fiction, surely a documentary would convey the point far more succinctly?