To celebrate Helen Mirren’s 80th birthday, Kate Stables hails her extraordinary 2006 metamorphosis into Queen Elizabeth II – “a human submarine with her emotions and personality largely submerged”.

More hidden gems, chosen by critics and filmmakers including Steven Soderbergh, Jane Schoenbrun and Asif Kapadia. Inside: B. Ruby Rich on Sorry, Baby, Peter Sellers at 100, Stephanie Rothman’s ...

The Congolese director blends a bit of Speed (1994) and Saw (2004) for a lightweight but exciting story of two unlucky Americans who wake up in Dakar with bombs strapped to their chests.