We're now about a week into the London Film Festival and it must be said that it's going rather well in terms of wheat to chaff ratio. There have been no major disappointments and a high number of superb discoveries for those lucky enough to grab tickets for the festival.

One of the best received films so far is Hunger by Steve McQueen (not that one, obviously). A meticulously constructed portrait of the horrifying protests staged by imprisoned IRA members demanding political status - ranging from daubing their prison cells in their own filth to starving themselves -  it's an extremely tough watch, but one well worth taking on. McQueen steers clear of making judgements on either side of the argument - almost to a fault, it could be said - and focuses on the people over the political bodies. As Bobby Sands, a folk hero/monster, depending on who you ask, Michael Fassbender gives the kind of performance that generally invites a hail of awards. His physical transformation as he undergoes a hunger strike is sickening to observe, but this is much more than method acting display. Look out for our interview with McQueen nearer the time of the movie's release.

Also rather harrowing is Sharon Maguire's Incendiary, about as big a leap from her previous film, Bridget Jones' Diary, as it is possible to imagine. It stars Michelle Williams as a married mother whose life is unhappy but for the extremely close bond she has with her son. Seeking grown-up human affection, she falls into the arms of a local playboy (Ewan McGregor). They enjoy a tryst while her husband and son are at a football match, which ends in tragedy with a terrorist bombing. There's a great deal of crying in the journey to piece her life back together, some of it overly mawkish and glib, but it's a belter of a performance from Williams.

Infinitely more upbeat was Religulous, a comedy documentary by Larry Charles (Borat) and comedian Bill Maher. The aim is to investigate how millions of people around the world can credulously follow religions - all religions - that are based on events that can't be proven; seem impossible at face value and sometimes promote prejudices that most modern people would find abhorrent. Actually, investigation might be the wrong word. Maher is clearly a very intelligent man, and a very funny one, but he's not really going on this journey around the world with an open mind. He's seeking to challenge the logic and frequent hypocrisy of many of his subjects, which most are only too eager to help with. Few interviewees are a match for his quick thinking and they swiftly tie themselves in knots of contradiction. It's a great watch and sure to spark a lot of debate, but it could have been even better if Maher had chosen a few more moderate believers, rather than a cavalcade of thumpers of various religious tomes and people who seem like they might spend their spare time shouting at the bins. We'll be talking to Larry Charles about the movie very soon.

Just to bring you to the end of this marathon entry - and thanks for sticking around if you're still with me - we're going to get in our early prediction for Anne Hathaway's Oscar nomination for Rachel Getting Married. In the new film from Jonathan Demme, she plays a considerably troubled, and troublesome, young woman who returns home for her sister's wedding and wreaks all manner of havoc. You probably won't particularly like her character, but you won't be able to deny that she inhabits her completely.

There's still plenty to come at the LFF, including the sublime animated documentary (yes, that's possible) Waltz With Bashir; Synecdoche, New York, the hopefully wonderful directorial debut of Charlie Kaufman; the buttock-destroyingly long Che Guevara biopic, Che; plus the world premiere of Quantum of Solace, which is simultaneously enjoyable and disappointing, coming in the wake of the excellent Casino Royale. Stay tuned here for updates.

Olly Richards