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This bio-pic of Vidal Sassoon doesn't begin promisingly with its gushing B/W accolades comparing the London hair stylist to the Messiah and Einstein. But gradually one does become fascinated by the story of this man's single-minded tenacity to succeed. A Jewish East End kid, at 14 he got on his bike during the WW2 Blitz and worked his way up through the ranks. "1954-1963 were the most exciting years but with many lonely downtimes". Sassoon is credited with a revolution in hair styling "a whole different look in shape". His new glass windowed salon "looked like a modern art gallery...people [being seen] having their hair done was a revolution". As you'd expect there's little comparison to other hairstylists or comments that are any less than gushing in this doco. But it is an inspirational story nonetheless and not without compromises. He even had to take elocution lessons in order to lose his broad East End accent to seem acceptable to posh clients. "If you go out on a limb...[what] can't be done...the root of who you are, the gut...in whatever field, my sense is that you will surprise yourself."

Sassoon was fascinated with the geometry of cutting hair. Popping into Alan Cristea's gallery and seeing Michael Craig Martin's work will also inspire in this regard. His geometry is quite staggering in its freshness even though much of the work dates back many decades. He's also curated some of the rooms at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition including a room of academicians' work that in his own words "is a singularity" that never seems to stop moving such is the resonant interraction of the chosen works. Even a large Per Kirkeby painting in Room 3 that you'd think would never work alongside such disparate other painters' work only serves to enhance both itself and the rest of the room. The Summer Exhibition hasn't had great press in recent years (and I haven't seen the shows to compare) but the breadth and detail of each room each curated by an established artist this year is a fascinating insight into what it is to be an artist rather than just a cramped free for all for lesser known artists to sell their work.

At Eleven Fine Art Daisy de Villeneuve shows her well-known designs as part of a Pop Art show alongside Peter Blake and Natasha Law (Jude's sister). Daisy's father Justin (like Sassoon from a poor family background) is credited as having launched Twiggy, convincing her to cut her shoulder length hair into the icon we recognise today. "Everybody kept telling me I couldn't do this or that, but I just went ahead and it worked out O.K.," Justin is quoted as saying. He, however, vetoed changing Twiggy's working-class accent.

Keira Knightley in Last Night seems to be trying to shrug off her image as a big budget Hollywood actress and show she can be edgy and improvisaional. You will either empathise with this film's guilt ridden relationship scenario or be bored to tears by its solipsism. I hasten to add I'm of the former camp because the script rings true as a bell. Thankfully nobody in the film 'acts' they are just being. And while these characters are quite possibly among the most boring individuals on the planet that doesn't mean the actors are thus. First time director Massy Tadjedin encourages Sam Worthington (Avatar) to just be rather than act. And he turns out to be the most boring but dependable bloke in Manhattan. And so on and so on. On board are also some of the cinema's greatest technical talents, Susan Morse (editor) and Ann Roth (costumes).

Third Star is the sort of film that gets attention at the Raindance Film Fest and if lucky enough resurfaces possibly grabbing a distribution deal in the big bad real world. It's a film loaded with talent but equally with longeurs. Oliver Schmitz's Life Above All is based on Allan Stratton's best-selling Chanda's Secrets. It's subject matter is an AIDS rumour ruining the family of a small African village. While it may sound worthy it transcends politicisation and becomes an engrossing tale of humans trying to survive prejudice. Everything in this film is exemplary -and what a performance from first-time actress Khomotso Manyaka as Chanda.
For director Xavier Dolan, "The only truth is love beyond reason," quoting playwright Alfred de Musset. Heartbeats will irritate the life out of some viewers with Dolan's 'trademark' choreographed camera style and willful colour palette right down to a tangerine sweater. "You never look at me from where I see you," another de Musset quotation. Dolan's direction sees everything; arguably too much so. But like his character who observes that "Koltès [a renowned contemporary French dramatist] keeps you in shape", Dolan dances his characters into the corners of their desires as Koltès sculpted words to be batted across the theatrical space.

Re-released is the painstakingly restored print of Herbert Ponting's 1924 doco The Great White Silence accompanying Scott on his voyage to Antarctica. Last year Getty Images showed Ponting's stills that have remained mesmeric to this day.

Le Quattro Volte is also elemental. Director Michelangelo Frammartino: "It urges the viewer to seek out the invisible connection which breathes life into everything that surrounds us." The film is both as 'arty' as it sounds and as cleansingly beautiful to refresh our belief in existence.