In a week where we saw the tragic loss of two screen icons, Robin Williams and Lauren Bacall, we are reminded of the power of cinema and its enduring influence on our lives. Here are our new release movies for this weekend and the must-see films already open.

• Robin Williams: his 20 greatest roles remembered
• Bacall and Bogart: their life together in pictures
• Life after death: the great posthumous performances

The 100-Foot Journey

Director: Lasse Hallström
Cast: Helen Mirren, Manish Dayal, Om Puri and Charlotte Le Bon
Duration: 155 minutes
Rating: PG

Why you should see it:  A delicious food romp from the director of the wildly popular Chocolat, The 100-Foot Journey stars Helen Mirren as snooty French restaurateur, Madame Mallory, who finds herself competing with an Indian family who open the only other restaurant in her picture postcard village. Also starring the stunning Charlotte Le Bon (Yves St Laurent) and fabulous Indian actor Om Puri. An easy-on-the-eye pleasure.

Snowpiercer

Director: Bong Joon Ho
Cast: Chris Evans, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Song Kang-ho
Duration: 126 mins
Rating: MA15+ – Strong themes and violence

Stephen A Russell for thelowdownunder says: “A masterpiece of dystopian delight that’s wickedly thrilling. An instant classic. Set in the future in a world baking under the effects of global warming, humanity is forced into a drastic attempt to reverse the worst of the ravages by releasing chemical coolant into the atmosphere. Alas, it works all too well, and the Earth is plunged into an eternal winter, Narnia-like, killing all life on the planet a little quicker than anticipated, save for the occupants of the Snowpiercer.”

Begin Again

Director: John Carney
Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley, Hailee Steinfeld, Adam Levine, Catherine Keener, Mos Def, Ceelo Green
Duration: 104 mins
Rating: M – Coarse language

Why should you see it: Some films just have charm and this is one of them. It’s hard not to compare this to the gorgeous 2007 Irish film Once, but Begin Again has talent in its own right. It’s also lovely to see Keira Knightly back in such good form. Begin Again sees her playing Greta, a musician who has recently broken up with her rocker boyfriend (Maroon 5′s Adam Levine). When a washed-up record producer (the very grungy Mark Ruffalo) hears her playing on the streets of New York, their lives take completely unexpected turns.

Still Life

Director: Uberto Pasolini
Cast: Eddie Marsan, Joanne Froggatt, Andrew Buchan
Duration: 92 mins
Rating: M – Coarse language and themes

Stephen A. Russell for thelowdownunder says: “When it comes to the publicity campaign, promoting a quietly reflective film about a local council pen-pusher who arranges funerals and attempts to find the next of kin for those unfortunate souls who die alone might seem a particularly hard sell, but from the outset there’s a luminescent heart to writer/director Uberto Pasolini’s affecting examination of the human spirit.”