It's probably coincidence that war looms large in this week's newsletter.

Our pick of the week is Lawless, a Prohibition-era gangster film set against the backdrop of Al Capone, speakeasies, and corrupt cops. Shia LeBoeuf, Tom Hardy and Jason Clarke star as a trio of bootlegging brothers in rural Virginia who get mixed up with the big people from Chicago, including a possibly homosexual G-Man played by the excellent Guy Pearce.

Argo is a thriller-comedy about a real-life secret CIA operation to smuggle a group of American embassy staff from Iran in the weeks following Ayatollah Khomeini's toppling of the Shah, using the improbable cover story that they've been scouting for a sci-fi film in Teheran.

The discovery of oil in the Arabian peninsula and the wars it created are the focus of Black Gold, which tells the story not as a satire or political allegory of the extension of American imperialism and interventionism, but as a old-school romance about crafty and honorable Arab rulers and their game of thrones.

Cold War isn't about the Cold War but about modern terrorism. In particular, how internal politics can rip apart the security apparatus in the light of a terrorist attack. Tony Leung Kar-fai and Aaron Kwok star as two police commissioners go to war with each other once it's clear the terrorist attack is an inside job.

If Gerard Butler caught your attention as the king of Sparta in 300, he'll do it again as a soul surfer in Chasing Mavericks, where he plays a warrior-philosopher type mentor to a young man who will become the best surfer in recent history.

Showing at the Arts House for one week is indie film Where the Road Meets the Sun, where a multinational cast of characters find themselves all suitably angsty, staying in the same run-down motel, and ready for some life-changing experiences that will put right their direction in life.

Almost two decades ago, there was Michael Chiang's Army Daze. Jack Neo now returns with Ah Boys to Men, his unique take on Singapore's national service. Will this be a boot camp comedy or a propaganda flick? Read our review!

Till next week,

Vernon Chan