By Jake Wilson
1. THE BIRDS (120 minutes) PG
A romance between a lawyer (Rod Taylor) and a rich party girl (Tippi Hedren) is interrupted when birds launch an unprovoked mass attack on a small Californian coastal town. Alfred Hitchcock was at the peak of his poetic powers when he made this seminal 1963 disaster movie, a technical tour de force that remains both shocking and mysterious. Digitally projected. Astor, tomorrow, 7pm. Double feature with Psycho.
2. ELVIS: THAT'S THE WAY IT IS (97 minutes) G
Even if you're not an Elvis fan, you might be converted by this rousing concert documentary, filmed in Las Vegas in 1970. This is the King in all his glory – freed from the burden of having to act a fictional role, he comes through as a genuinely affable personality as well as a consummate entertainer. Re-edited special edition, 35-millimetre print. Astor, tomorrow, 2pm.
Sharp: The Darjeeling Limited.
3. THE BABADOOK (92 minutes) M
Australian writer-director Jennifer Kent makes an auspicious feature debut with this extremely creepy horror film about the psychological collapse of a lonely widow (Essie Davis) with a disturbed young son (Noah Wiseman). The bogeyman of the title may well remind viewers of their own childhood nightmares, and the imaginative use of film and TV clips is worthy of Joe Dante. Cinema Nova, today, 11.45pm.
4. THE DARJEELING LIMITED (91 minutes) M
Wes Anderson's 2007 comedy-drama casts Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson as bickering brothers on a spiritual journey through India. Beneath the typically whimsical style, the observation of family dynamics shows Anderson at his sharpest and most realistic, presumably drawing on his own experiences as the middle brother of three. 35-millimetre print. Astor, today, 7.30pm.
A terrifying triumph: The Babadook.
5. BIG HERO 6 (108 minutes) PG
Since more or less merging with Pixar, Disney has regained its position as the top animation studio in Hollywood. This Japanese-influenced tale of a young scientific prodigy (voiced by Ryan Potter) and the robot (Scott Adsit) who becomes his surrogate parent skips between action, comedy and pathos in a manner uncanny in its expertise. General.