THE DIG ★★★★☆
Directed by Simon Stone. Starring Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James, Johnny Flynn, Ben Chaplin, Ken Stott, Monica Dolan, Peter McDonald. Nexflix, 112 min
Beautifully made drama concerning the discovery of a now famous Anglo-Saxon burial site in Suffolk just before the second World War. There is something of the Fast Show's Ted and Ralph about the relationship between Basil Brown, local archaeologist, and Edith Pretty, upper middle-class landowner, but Fiennes and Mulligan really make it work. The swirly nature footage and disembodied dialogue bare comparison to Malick's Days of Heaven. Unfortunately, it loses some steam when the focus shifts to an uninteresting younger generation. DC
CRONE WOOD ★★★★☆
Directed by Mark Sheridan. Starring Elva Trill, Ed Murphy, Sarah Jane Seymour, Karen McCartney, Meg Healy. VOD, 86 min
Shot over seven days on a teeny budget, Sheridan's nifty, low-budget feature is a welcome addition to the venerable found-footage canon. Crone Wood opens as a meet-cute romance as Danny (Ed Murphy) and Haley (Elva Trill) begin chronicling their freshly minted relationship. But deep in the woods – the dark, atmospheric woods – the pair are disturbed by the appearance of odd figures. They happen upon creepy ruins. There's some chatter about a witches coven. Top-quality shocks follow. TB
ASSASSINS ★★★☆☆
Directed by Ryan White. Featuring Siti Aisyah, Hadi Azmi, Anna Fifield, Doan Thi Huong. VOD, 104 min
The LOL T-shirt makes it a spectacle to rival Burhan Ozbilici's extraordinary photograph of Mevlut Mert Altintas waving his gun in the air in the moment after he fired nine bullets into ambassador Andrei Karlo. But the story behind the image is weirder than incongruous slogans. In Assassins, Ryan White, director of Ask Dr Ruth, probes the most bizarre political slaying of the 21st century. It's a fascinating news story, but the film's additional if entertaining speculations remain just that. TB
TWIST ★★☆☆☆
Directed by Martin Owen. Starring Rafferty Law, Michael Caine, Lena Headey, Rita Ora, Sophie Simnett, Noel Clarke, David Walliams. Sky Cinema, 94 min
Largely silly translation of Oliver Twist to a contemporary version of the East End. Law is the grown-up hero. The Artful Dodger, now called Dodge, is a wise-cracking Ora. Fagin is that version of Michael Caine who doesn't have to stand up very much. Like the trendy vicar of popular legend, it makes a pathetic – if mildly charming – attempt to connect with the kids by flogging them popular culture from a time before they were born. Free running? Ocean Colour Scene? The Zutons? How dangerous. DC
