Sounds like there's lots of good stuff at this year's Cannes (although the weather isn't as good as it is here), but my big hope for the moment at the moment is for Ken Loach's new film, The Angel's Share, which has had rave reviews, and which sounds like his most commercial film in ages - if not ever. Lots of good reviews and positive word of mouth, and cool stories, like this one - http://tgr.ph/MEoTfr Fingers crossed some prizes will be won come the end of the week. Here's a trailer - http://youtu.be/QhQeWhqs1bA

Having recently seen Safe, starring Jason "Hit Me" Statham, as well as The Raid, the Indonesian movie that raises the bar on action movies by several metres, I think now is the time to consider what exactly an action movie is, and why their popularity is eternal.

You will be forgiven if you haven't noticed the recent dvd release of The Big Year, a film that also came and went at the cinema with no discernible ripple on the pond of public attention. Yet it is a textbook case of how badly Hollywood can get things wrong when it really tries.

And so, with a Mighty Bang!, the Superhero Season is upon us. Avengers Assemble - so called because you're deemed so stupid that you might think it's abut John Steed, who most of you under 30 have never heard of - cracks open the UK box office with £15 million, and the US will follow suit in a few days. And I couldn't care less.

Dear Kristin Scott Thomas,

As you know, you are the last word in beauty, intelligence, talent and general cinematic genius, so it is with some sense of nervousness that I suggest that you run the risk of overexposure.

You know me. Mr Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life, never look back in nostalgia, the present is as good as better than the past (we're talking Cinema here, not the world in general). But eve my radiantly sunny and optimistic enthusiasm is occasionally challenged by Hollywood's tendency to behave in ways that defy the laws of sanity. This is one those moments.

The Hunger Games continues to cream the opposition, sweeping its way to $250 million in the USA in 2 weeks, and £5 million in the UK. It's a great big hit, and I'm very pleased. I encourage you to go and see it, if you haven't already. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Dear Julia Roberts,

When you were 23, you were a Pretty Woman. At 45, you're the Wicked Stepmother. The combination of big brown eyes and an even bigger smile has kept you going for half your life. But for how much longer?

Although the Twilight franchise hasn't quite expired, with Part Deux of the final film due in November, it already seems like yesterday's news, and there's a new contender that could just be the surprise hit of the next few months.

I'm a born optimist. I always look on the bright side of life, and regard nostalgia as a form of mental deterioration. But looking ahead to the films coming this way over the next few months, I have to say it's hard to find many glimmers of light.