Prometheus (2012)

Erich Von Däniken's admittedly bonkers book "Chariots of the Gods" (about extraterrestrial 'engineers' kickstarting the ancient civilisations on the third rock from the sun) is a fascinating read for 13-year-old sci-fi geeks. As far as pseudo-scientific treatises go, it's up there with the best of them. Von Däniken's ambitious and passionate approach to his theory is infectious from the first page until the end. So much so that it makes you wonder what else he has to say on the subject. Over a career of countless books, each featuring the word "gods" in its title, he has proselytized the notion that we have come from outer space.

Young Adult (2011)

Young Adult proves that it doesn't take copious amounts of make-up to hide Charlize Theron behind a fictional façade. Despite all efforts to make her unattractive, Charlize Theron will still be the most beautiful woman in the room. She has always been the most beautiful woman in the room.

She uglied up and won a few statuettes for Monster. It wasn't a fantastic film by any means; it was the film where the most beautiful woman in the world was ugly. Hollywood loves when their actresses go hideous for a film and show up on the red carpet a few weeks later looking impossibly beautiful. Nicole Kidman's performance in The Hours was exactly the same. I don't want to take anything away these two roles, they were very good (and I will get back to Young Adult in a second). But it is in films where these women don't hide behind make-up that you can see their real talent. Who can argue against Kidman's performance in Birth - as difficult a role as any I can think of? Theron's performance here is also fantastic - further proof that these actresses don't need to ugly up to make us emotionally invest in their characters and see beyond their physical attributes. This goes the same for both sexes.