Film fans who fancy adding a healthy side order of Oscar-winning snacks to their diet of summer blockbuster fare are in for a treat when the Epsom Playhouse launches its new movie menu.

Kicking off on July 28 with the Coen brothers' majestic No Country For Old Men, the season will include a strand of popular musicals later in the year.

But for starters it is the acting heavyweights taking centre stage, with a host of statuette-snatching talent lighting up the big screen.

First up is the aforementioned No Country..., a stunning thriller that wowed audiences earlier this year, leading to Oscar wins for best film, director, supporting actor and screenplay.

Stumbling across a bounty of drug money after a gang deal goes bad, Josh Brolin's llewelyn Moss goes on the run in a bid to keep hold of the loot.

Trouble for him is that ice-cold assassin Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is on his trail, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake.

Tommy Lee Jones also stars as a sheriff drawn into the confrontation.

Next up is Marion Cotillard's Best Actress turn as Edith Piaf in Olivier Dahan's triumphant La Vie En Rose (July 29).

A powerful portrait of the enigmatic, tragic singer, the movie is guaranteed to leave a lasting impression.

A similar reaction will probably be evoked by Daniel Day-Lewis's at times charismatic, at times sheer frightening performance as oil baron Daniel Plainview in Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood.

Set against a backdrop of turn-of-the-century America, Day-Lewis' powerhouse display fully deserves the best actor Oscar he garnered (July 30).

Further delights include indie fave Juno (July 31), Tim Burton's dazzling take on the legend that is Sweeney Todd (August 1), and the singalong triumph Hairspray (August 2).

And, looking even further ahead, September springs a host of silver-screen specials to savour, headed up by the steamy Natalie Portman/Scarlett Johansson period romp The Other Boleyn Girl and controversial Afghanistan-set tale The Kite Runner.

Don't miss the chance to catch these modern classics as they were intended - on the big screen.

Epsom Playhouse, Ashley Avenue, Epsom, £4.60 / £5.75, 01372 742555 or epsomplayhouse.co.uk