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The mind of Lars von Trier must be a very dark place, if works like Breaking the Waves and Antichrist are anything to go by. Melancholia, the Danish provocateur's latest, takes a trip into that darkness like none of his films have before, conjuring the inner despair that has reportedly affected the depression-prone director himself. It begins - where else? - with the end of the world, as Earth crashes into a rogue, "fly-by" planet, the Melancholia of the title, before flashing back to the wedding of the depressive Justine (Kirsten Dunst) in the mansion of her sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and her husband John (Kiefer Sutherland), an occasion that gets weirder and more awkward as the bride grows increasingly unable to cope. The second half focuses on Claire and her own anguished reaction to the Armageddon threat stirred by Melancholia's approach.

Less an arthouse Deep Impact than a psychological survey, Von Trier's movie, by its own despairing nature, feels emptier than some of his previous probing attacks on society's complacency. But that's not to say it's not effective: the final shot, played out to the strains of Wagner's prelude to Tristan und Isolde, delivers goosebumps of galactic dimensions.

More dark corners

Also poking around the mind's darkest corners is Dream House, which stars Daniel Craig as a publisher who relocates wife Rachel Weisz and their two girls to sleepy New England, only to discover some ghostly goings-on relating to the murder of the previous occupants of their new home. Also starring Naomi Watts, Jim Sheridan's (My Left Foot) film features a big twist halfway through to enliven the hackneyed setup. What a shame it's given away in the trailer.

Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Téa Leoni and Casey Affleck are among the stars who come out to play for Tower Heist, a comedy caper about a team of apartment block workers who plan to rob the billionaire owner of the penthouse who stole their pension fund (Alan Alda). Rush Hour's Brett Ratner directs.

Footloose, meanwhile, is Craig Brewer's spirited remake of the 1984 musical-drama about a big-city kid (newcomer Kenny Wormald) protesting the ban on dancing in the puritanical Southern town to which he has recently relocated after his mom's death.

And there are more feisty teenagers in Verbo, the debut feature from Madrileño Eduardo Chapero-Jackson, previously best known for his short-movie work. The Spanish-language fantasy drama follows Sara (Alba García), a 15-year-old with a sixth sense who starts receiving messages pushing her toward a dangerous alternative dimension. With Miguel Ángel Silvestre, Najwa Nimri and Verónica Echegui.