Foxcatcher

Wearing a rubber nose doesn't necessarily guarantee you an Oscar. Nicole Kidman got one of her prominent proboscis as Virginia Woolf, but Ian McKellen didn't as Gandalf. Neither did Steve Carell, whose beak-like hooter in Foxcatcher helped transform him from funny to frightening.

Nasal jokes aside, it's Carell's spellbinding performance as eccentric millionaire and wrestling coach John du Pont that makes Bennett Miller's tragic, true-life sports story an absolute must-see - we'll leave you to discover the grim details of what transpired on the Foxcatcher ranch, when du Pont secured the services of Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) and his brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo) to train a team for the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

The theme of a naive youngster being seduced by wealth, drugs and success recalls both Boogie Nights and Behind the Candelabra, and a disturbing and uncomfortable tone saturates this intense character study; a mood heightened by Carell's incredibly creepy portrayal (full of awkward silences and calculating stares) of a man stewing in his own emotional repression.

While Carell's transformation is a highlight, Channing Tatum undergoes an equally impressive metamorphosis from hunky rom-com regular and Jonah Hill comedy sidekick to brooding and bitter former champion consumed by a similar sense of self-loathing. Ruffalo (always good) received the film's supporting actor Oscar nom, but it was Tatum who really deserved it.

Foxcatcher offers much more than just watching two Hollywood stars playing against type - it's the antithesis of all those feel-good, formula American sports films.