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  Certificate: 18 Running time: 106 minutes  Starring: Mia Goth, Brittany Snow, Jenny Ortega, Kid Cudi, Martin Henderson, Owen Campbell Directed by: Ti West The story: In the seventies, a group of filmmakers decide to make an adult film at a secluded farmhouse where their hosts take a special interest in them. The verdict: Working as an homage to both horror and seventies filmmaking, X is a great throwback to the slasher movies of old whilst simultaneously maintaining the self referential quality often found in modern horror. Though that may sound a heady mix, X works really well in finding a balance between feeling familiar and being new.  The premise is a fun one and one that will certainly strike a chord with anyone who has any experience of low budget filmmaking. The cast is great with everyone working in a way that makes it easy to imagine that this is a real cast and crew - which of course it also is and therein lies the cleverness of X. X builds its way to the ou...

  Certificate: 12A Running time: 106 minutes  Starring: Mark Rylance, Sally Hawkins, Jake Davies, Christian Lees, Jonah Lees, Rhys Ifans Directed by: Craig Roberts The story: In 1976, Maurice Flitcroft decides to take part in The British Open Golf Championship despite having never played golf. The verdict: Sometimes the best films are the ones that simply bring a smile to your face and The Phantom of the Open is without a doubt a film that was watched accompanied by a big cheesy grin.  Based on a true story, these characters are so easy to root for and so easy to like. Maurice’s unrelenting optimism and determination, his wife Jean’s unconditional support and their sons’ ambitions to chase their own dreams all add up to making a family that the audience becomes a part of for the duration of the film. Being so invested in the Flitcrofts meant that the film was highly engaging throughout and the running time flew by. The Phantom of the Open also strikes a really good balan...

  Certificate: 15 Running time: 176 minutes  Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Wright, Paul Dano, Andy Serkis Directed by: Matt Reeves The story: When a serial killer begins to leave cryptic clues all over Gotham City, Batman must work to uncover the culprit. Meanwhile, corruption threatens to tear the city apart from the inside. The verdict: Robert Pattinson, an actor who is often unfairly berated, yet again proves his naysayers wrong in Matt Reeves’ take on the caped crusader. In The Batman, the eponymous character is tortured and sleepless - kept awake by the weight of his family’s legacy and haunted by his parents’ untimely deaths. He wears dark makeup under his black cowl, which only highlights the torment in his eyes and he prefers to spend his time alone in rooms scant of light. Often Bruce Wayne and Batman go hand in hand, but in The Batman, Wayne takes a backseat to his alter ego in a way that he hasn’t in previous films featuring th...