Paris provides a picturesque backdrop to Michel Gondry's surreal romantic comedy The Science of Sleep, about a man who prefers to escape reality by retreating into his private dreamworld of childhood memories and cotton wool clouds. This is certainly unlike any other film you will have ever seen - a tour de force of dazzling production design and bravura direction that draws on tricks from Gondry's award-winning commercials and music videos. Fans of his previous work, especially Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, should revel in the weirdness of his vision and the offbeat romance that underpins the visual flourishes. But for mainstream audiences, this film may be one audacious flight of fantasy too far.

From an early age, Stephane Miroux (Gael Garcia Bernal) struggles to distinguish his fantastical dreams from waking life. Now in his twenties and pursuing a career as an illustrator, Stephane retreats for extended periods into his imagination where he creates the alter ego of a presenter on a fantasy show, Stephane TV. Real life seems so drab in comparison.

He has a mundane job with a Parisian calendar publisher, and his co-workers Martine (Aurelia Petit), Serge (Sacha Bourdo) and Guy (Alain Chabat) fail to appreciate his genius, like a "Disastrology" calendar depicting some of the greatest airplane crashes and earthquakes of all time. As reality and fiction blur, Stephane finds it increasingly difficult to maintain control of his mundane day-to-day existence and to conduct a romance with Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a pretty neighbour who is unaware that he lives across the hall.

Stephanie's friend Zoe (Emma De Caunes) tries to encourage the burgeoning romance but Stephane's weird and wacky inventions, like a One-Second Time Machine or his everyday 3-D glasses fail to make an impact. "Isn't life already in 3-D?" sensibly asks Stephanie. So Stephane goes to increasing lengths to share his vision with Stephanie, such as breaking into her apartment to create a galloping toy horse. But how can he ever communicate successfully with his beautiful neighbour when he spends so much of the day in a world of his own?

The Science of Sleep is a romantic dalliance through the French capital like no other, tinged with Gondry's distinctive, unconventional sense of humour. Animation sequences, which bring to life the hero's dreams, are breathtaking, placing the lovers in a vast metropolis of cardboard tubes, where water is replaced by shimmering trails of clear plastic and Stephane's co-workers don furry cat costumes for a musical serenade. Bernal and Gainsbourg are an attractive pairing, bringing sweetness to their characters caught in the midst of the director's creative whirlwind.

The new comedy from the creators of Shaun of The Dead is an enjoyable romp in the country that handcuffs the loopy plotting of Midsomer Murders to the hysterically overblown action of Lethal Weapon. While Hot Fuzz isn't as satisfying as its zombified predecessor, Edgar Wright's film has charm and colourful performances in abundance, including the madcap lead pairing of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. There are moments of surreal brilliance, like the off-kilter finale that nods and winks to various Hollywood buddy cop movies. But, for all the belly laughs, there are longueurs too, where jokes fall flat and the narrative treads water before the next set piece.

PC Nicholas Angel (Pegg) is one of the Metropolitan Police's shining lights. He is so good at his job, that he makes the rest of the force seem sluggish in comparison. "The fact of the matter is that you've been making us all look bad," says the Chief Inspector (Bill Nighy). So Nicholas's superiors transfer him to the sleepy West Country backwater of Sandford, where nothing ever happens. "Statistically, Sandford is the safest village in the country," proudly declares Insp Frank Butterman (Jim Broadbent).

Assisted by Frank's son, clumsy constable Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), Nicholas begins to acquaint himself with the locals, including slippery supermarket manager Simon Skinner (Timothy Dalton), florist Leslie Tiller (Anne Reid) and the Rev Philip Shooter (Paul Freeman). The new cop in town soon discovers that his new home isn't as idyllic as it appears, and that beneath the surface, Sandford harbours at least one psychopath with an insatiable bloodlust. Armed to the hilt, Nicholas inspires his colleagues - PC Doris Thatcher (Olivia Colman), Sgt Tony Fisher (Kevin Eldon) and DCs Andy Cartwright (Rafe Spall) and Andy Wainwright (Paddy Considine) - to take down the bad guys.

Hot Fuzz simmers pleasantly, building up the camaraderie between Nicholas and Danny against a backdrop of ridiculously bloody and over-the-top death sequences.

Look out too for an uncredited cameo from an Oscar winner - if you can unmask them!