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When Voltaire’s satirical classic Candide was published in 1759, it was promptly banned. The book was deemed blasphemous, anti-monarchy, politically dangerous and a generally bad thing.ÌýSo those same authorities probably wouldn’t have approved of Leonard Bernstein's allÌýsinging, all dancing, West End showstopper.

Anyone who says they've driven down a country lane in the dead of night and not felt a slight twinge of terror is a liar. And it’s exactly those anxieties that new British psychological horror film In Fear plays on. Lost at night in a maze of unfamiliar roadsÌýa young couple are terrorised by aÌýmysterious stranger. That tormentor is Allen Leech.

1: THE BUTLER
Dir: Lee DanielsÌý
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, Robin Williams John Cusack, Alan Rickman.
The Butler tells the story of a White House butler who served eight American presidents over three decades. The film traces the dramatic changes that swept American society during this time, from the civil rights movement to Vietnam and beyond, and how those changes affected this man's life and family. .ÌýÌý

The Butler (12A) is out now

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2: DON JON
Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Glenne Headly
Jon Martello is a strong, handsome, good old fashioned guy. ÌýHis buddies call him Don Jon due to his ability to "pull" a different woman every weekend, but even the finest fling doesn't compare to the bliss he finds alone in front of the computer watching pornography. Ìý

Barbara Sugarman is a bright, beautiful, good old fashioned girl. ÌýRaised on romantic Hollywood movies, she's determined to find her Prince Charming and ride off into the sunset. Wrestling with good old fashioned expectations of the opposite sex, Jon and Barbara struggle against a media culture full of false fantasies to try and find true intimacy in this unexpected comedy.
Don Jon (18) isÌýout todayÌý

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3: IN FEAR
Director: Jeremy Lovering
Cast: Iain De Caestecker, Alice Englert, Allen Leech

InÌýJeremy Lovering’s chilling debut, a young couple fights to survive one night-turned-nightmare. Driving to a music festival, Tom and Lucy have plans to stay at a countryside hotel. But with hotel signs leading them in circles and darkness falling, they soon become lost in a maze of country roads… and the target of an unknown tormentor.

Reminiscent of vintage psychological thrillers and bolstered by newcomersÌýIAIN DE CAESTECKERÌýandÌýALICE ENGLERTÌýin its main roles, 'IN FEAR' plays out in real time and hinges on a claustrophobic, unrelentingly tense visual style. Looking to shed pretense and genuinely scare his actors, Lovering withheld the script and often concealed what was about to happen to them. Add a dark forest, and the fear became real.

In Fear (15)Ìýis out now

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DVD: Mary Poppins: 50th Anniversary Re-issue
Dir: Robert Stevenson
Cast:Julie Andrew, Dick Van Dyke, Ed Wynn, Hermione Baddeley, Karen Dotrice.

GeorgeÌýBanks, an old-fashionedÌýLondonÌýbanker, is trying to find a nanny for his two naughty children, Jane andÌýMichael, as several nannies have now upped and left. His children produce an advertisement for their ideal nanny ("with a cheery disposition, rosy cheeks, playÌýgamesÌý- all sorts", etc). George tears it up and throws it away. Floating down from the sky, the "practically perfect" Mary Poppins arrives, having rescued the remains of the children's advertisement. She charms George into giving her theÌýjob, and soon delights the children with her songs and magic, while remaining extrememly firm and militant, and only promising to stay until the wind changes.

Mary Poppins, the 50th Anniversary Re-issue (U)Ìýis out on DVD and BluRay on 10th December

It’s frankly astonishing that some teachers manage to make history dull. How, you might wonder, is it possible to turn tales of love, betrayal, power, plague and so much more into sleep-inducing tedium?ÌýIt’s a question that the author Terry Deary clearly wrestled with – and came up with the utterly brilliant Horrible Histories.ÌýHis books have also made a successful transition to the stage, with the latest productionÌýBarmy Britain - Part Two currently playing at the Garrick Theatre in London.

1. Southern Cross the Dog by Bill Cheng

This is like a blues song in novel form! It begins in 1927 with the devastation of the Great Mississippi Flood, and loosely follows the life of a boy and his friends as they grow up in the aftermath.

It frequently shifts focus and timelines taking in musicians, prostitutes, fur trappers, lynch mobs and unscrupulous land developers. We get a real sense of a changing world for these people, and yet the strong echoes of 'Katrina' show that maybe things haven't changed that much.

It's quite unrelentingly grim and yet very beautiful (like a good blues song!) Melodramatic, but with a very honest voice and feels extremely authentic. It's more remarkable because the author lives in New York and had never been to Mississippi when he wrote this. Cormac McCarthy meets John Lee Hooker!

Southern Cross the Dog by Bill Cheng is out now, published by Macmillan

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2. Love, NinaÌýby Nina Stibbe

Nina Stibbe worked as a nanny in the 1980s for the two sons of Mary-Kay Wilmer, the editor of the London Review of Books, and this is a collection of Nina's letters to her sister.

The Wilmers lived in the same street as Jonathan Miller, Michael Frayn, Claire Tomalin and Alan Bennett (who used to pop round for dinner most nights!) What's so fantastic is that Nina really had no idea who any of these people were, and her insights and observations, although very affectionate, are extremely domestic and very honest. She loves Alan Bennett because he's very practical and helps her fix her bike, but dislikes the 'uninvited milky things' that he occassionally brings to the dinner table.Ìý

Nina has a fantastic ear for dialogue and is very, very funny. It's tragic that letter writing has become almost obsolete - we won't get many books like this in the future.

Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe is out now, published by Penguin

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3. Still Alice by Lisa Genova

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This is a novel about Alice, a 50 year old Harvard professor whoÌýstarts to notice moments of unusual forgetfulness and confusion.ÌýShe goes for tests and is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers.Ìý

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What is unusual and brilliant about this book is that we see all the events from Alice's point of view. It is through her eyes that we see her gradual loss of independence and sense of self, how her illness impacts on her husband and children, and how they try in their different ways to deal with and relate to Alice's changing personality.

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What I found remarkable about this book was how reassuring it was! Lisa Genova has a PhD in neuroscience and she charts the progress of Alice's illness very believably and sympathetically. I really think this would be very helpful to anyone who has a loved one suffering from dementia.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova is published by Simon and Schuster is out now

MUSIC

IfÌýyou're in and wondered what all that noise was coming from St Paul’s Hall or the Longside Gallery at the Yorkshire Sculpture ParkÌý- well I can tell you -Ìýwhat you heard was some of the first events,Ìýin aÌýseries of marking the start of the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.ÌýÌý

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It runs until the 24th November and althoughÌýsome of the events have sold out - I know there are still some ticketsÌýleft for others - but as always this is a popular season of events so probably best to get in there sooner rather than later to avoid being disappointed.

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ART

Now I've got a slightlyÌýoff the wall question for you Claudia - what's your favourite ??Ìý Mines probably Superman or Storm - I love a feisty woman - anyway the reason why I ask is because on Sunday -Ìýthe 7th Thought Bubble FestivalÌýkicks off up in Leeds.ÌýÌý

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It's the largest event of its kindÌýin the UK dedicated to comics, graphic novels and animation as a serious cultural art form.ÌýÌýIt runs until the 24th NovemberÌýwith screenings, talks, workshops, exhibitions and even the British Comic Awards takes place between now and the end of the festival.Ìý

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THEATRE

We’ve all heard of Guantanamo Boy - well now a new stage adaptationÌýof Anna Perera'sÌýcritically acclaimed novel of the sameÌýname stops offÌýat in ColchesterÌýfrom Thursday for two nights.ÌýÌý

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This is part of a nationalÌýtour and so if you can't make it to Essex the run still includes performances at the Burnley Youth TheatreÌýand The Drum in Birmingham all before the end of the month.Ìý

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THEATRE

It's 75 yearsÌýsince the – when almost 10,000 mainly Jewish children from Germany and Austria were bought to Britain in the 9 months leading up to World Ward 2.Ìý

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Well now - to markÌýwhat was seen as a lifesaving journey for many is a unique promenade piece of theatre touring some of those train stations the locomotives would have stopped at between Glasgow andÌýLondon all those years ago.Ìý

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It's called Suitcase and will pull into Sheffield tomorrow andÌýLeeds on TuesdayÌýas it head south towards London where it end its voyage on the 2nd December.Ìý

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LITERATURE

For those interested in literature The Folkestone Book Festival got underway today.Ìý But don't worry you haven't missed tooÌýmuch as there'sÌýnine more days of workshops, debates, theatre, talks andÌýwe're also promised a few new ways to become engaged in literature.Ìý

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Some of the includes a talk byÌýKate Adie who will be exploring the role of woman in World War 1Ìýand anÌýafternoon ofÌýreadings from local poets John Whitworth and June English.Ìý