Nick Levine

Like many of Leigh’s best films, it prioritises authenticity and recognisable glimpses of emotion over a splashy narrative arc. That may make it frustrating for some viewers, but there’s no doubt that Leigh and his cast have created a sad, captivating, fascinating slice of everyday life.

There’s no denying this is a powerful portrait of grief driven by a shattering performance from Buckley.

Gary Oldman made his directorial debut with this startling portrait of life in a deprived part of south-east London.

This isn’t a perfect film, but it is a funny, fascinating one with terrific performances from Kidman – surely the bravest A-lister around – and Dickinson as an inscrutable wildcard. You’ll submit to Babygirl’s machinations willingly and thrillingly.

It’s horrifying in the moment and gnawingly haunting when you process it fully: a sickening satire of society’s obsession with youth and beauty.

It all adds up to a film that’s brave, fascinating, grim and irreverent: in other words, vintage Verhoeven.

The Bob’s Burgers Movie is substantial enough to justify its 102-minute runtime and manages to supersize the show’s appealing recipe without diluting its flavour. It’s a meaty treat that fans and newcomers alike can devour with relish.

Throughout, Guadagnino audaciously but successfully balances some gut-wrenchingly grim and gory scenes with moments of genuine tenderness.

You won’t leave a-ha: The Movie wanting to hang out in the band’s dressing room, but you will come away with a renewed appreciation for the intense and sensitive men who made melancholy pop gems like ‘The Sun Always Shines On TV’ and ‘Hunting High And Low’. Glorious as it is, there’s a lot more to this band than ‘Take On Me’.

Thankfully, if you can suspend your disbelief, Heart Of Stone is plenty of fun and far slicker than a lot of recent Netflix content. It almost goes without saying that the ending leaves room for a potential franchise. And after two hours of near-constant japes and scrapes, you’d need a heart of stone – or at least a high entertainment threshold – not to think “Oh go on then, why the hell not?”

This feature-length documentary makes for affecting viewing because it tells the duo’s incredible success story through the lens of their rock-solid friendship.

Creed III isn’t quite a knockout, but only a fool would come away questioning whether this seasoned slugger of a franchise has more rounds left in it. Bring on Creed IV.

By the end, you won’t quite be levitating off your seat but you’ll definitely be enchanted enough to stream the soundtrack on the way home. Funny, colourful and full of empathy for outsiders, this film really is the Shiz.

The Girl with a Bracelet is a clever, relevant film which makes you question the way society expects young women to behave.

Bros is a cut above most romcoms for one simple reason: it’s funnier.

This could easily have smacked of trying too hard, but Johnstone really seems to have pulled it off.

There’s an infectious warmth to proceedings that makes you stick with Mickey 17 (and 18) through thick and thin. This kooky curio is well worth seeking out.

A perfunctory romantic subplot linking Andy to a bland property developer (Patrick Brammall) should have been edited out and the ending is perhaps a little too sentimental. But this is still a smart and satisfying sequel. The Devil Wears Prada 2 feels like a sleek update on a classic, not a cheap knock-off that falls apart in the wash.

It all adds up to a superior Wes Anderson confection: the surface gleams with a retro sheen, but there’s enough going on underneath to leave a lasting impression.

By the end, even the clunky-looking asterisk in the film’s title makes sense. Thunderbolts* doesn’t so much reinvent the wheel as remember what put the wheels on this bandwagon in the first place: an epic blend of thrills, spills and psychological ills. It’s the most fun the MCU’s been in years.

Buckle up and enjoy the ride, safe in the knowledge that the tyre talk never gets too overwhelming.

It’s a rich character study that doesn’t sugarcoat the ageism Shelly faces, but also grants her a defiant sense of agency. Whatever you think of her choices, she’s lived life on her own terms.

While there are glimmers of drama, there are also extended sections where this deliberately bewildering film gets a bit boring. Despite this, Sasquatch Sunset is worth seeking out if you have a taste for the absurd.

Wonka isn’t quite an immaculate confection, but it’s moreish enough to become a future festive favourite. You’ll want to tuck right in.

For a film about feats of next-level bravery, Thirteen Lives is a little too cautious to really soar.

The climactic setpiece isn’t quite an action spectacular, but it does feel tense and narratively satisfying.

Is there too much going on? Possibly, but Eddington is never dull – Aster commits fully to his grisly vision of a ruptured America where a sticky narrative is more important than the truth or any kind of moral high ground.

Despite its flaws, George Michael Freedom Uncut ultimately succeeds because the man himself remains so compelling.