Movie of the Week

• The Wild Robot

Cinemas

• Smile 2
• The Apprentice
• The Crime is Mine
• Kathleen Is Here
• Head South
• A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things
• My Hero Academia: You’re Next
• Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland’s Girlbands

Streaming/On-Demand

• Woman of the Hour
• Brothers
• The Radleys
• Caddo Lake
• Take Cover

Re-Releases

• Carrie

CAST: Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames

CREW: Chris Sanders (director, writer), Jeff Hermann (producer), Kris Bowers (composer), Chris Stover (cinematographer), Mary Blee (editor)

PLOT: In the near-future, an artificially-intelligent robot nicknamed Roz (Nyong’o) washes up on a remote island inhabited by wild animals. When the android is unexpectedly placed in charge of a young gosling named Brightbill (Connor), it must learn to adapt its programming for a greater purpose…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• DreamWorks Animation’s best film in years – possibly ever? – is an absolute treat for just about anyone with a beating heart
• Animation legend Chris Sanders directs and writes this adaptation of Peter Brown’s book of the same name, which tells a powerful story about the relationship between nature and science
• Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o leads an all-star voice cast including Pedro Pascal, Catherine O’Hara and Mark Hamill
• It boasts some stunning animation to go alongside its heartwarming and emotional story, which may well bring tears to your eyes by the end
• Anyone who values the medium of animation as an effective method of visual storytelling will absolutely want to see this enough times to turn it into a modern-day classic

The Wild Robot is showing in cinemas from Friday 18 October 2024

CAST: Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kyle Gallner, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Raúl Castillo, Dylan Gelula, Ray Nicholson

CREW: Parker Finn (director, writer, producer), Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Isaac Klausner and Robert Salerno (producers), Cristobal Tapia de Veer (composer), Charlie Sarroff (cinematographer), Elliot Greenberg (editor)

PLOT: Skye Riley (Scott), an international pop star, is preparing for her latest world tour when she begins to experience an escalating series of disturbing and violent encounters with a smiling demon…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The sequel to the psychological horror hit raises the stakes further than ever before
• Filmmaker Parker Finn returns to shift the focus onto a Taylor Swift-like music superstar, which allows the carnage to take place on a much larger scale this time around
• The mind-bending violence is as horrifying to watch as ever, as is the permanent grin on the faces of those that this demon manifests as
• With its focus on a famous singer, the film also manages to explore some poignant themes about the pressures of fame that are always relevant
• If the first film is anything to go by, don’t expect things to wrap up on a particularly optimistic note!

Smile 2 is showing in cinemas from Friday 18 October 2024

CAST: Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova, Martin Donovan, Ben Sullivan, Charlie Carrick, Mark Rendall, Joe Pingue

CREW: Ali Abbasi (director, producer), Gabriel Sherman (writer), Daniel Bekerman, Julianne Forde, Jacob Jarek, Louis Tisné and Ruth Treacy (producers), Martin Dirkov, David Holmes and Brian Irvine (composers), Kasper Tuxen (cinematographer), Olivier Bugge Coutté and Olivia Neergaard-Holm (editors)

PLOT: In 1970s New York, young Donald Trump (Stan) is taken under the wing of abrasive attorney Roy Cohn (Strong), who teaches his impressionable protégé to do whatever it takes to win, even if it means distorting the truth to benefit himself…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Before his third (and dear God hopefully final) Presidential campaign comes to a close, experience this eye-opening dramatization of the origins of Donald Trump
• Provocative filmmaker Ali Abbasi, previously of Border and Holy Spider, dives into the sinister elements that transformed him into the controversial figure everyone knows him as today
• Sebastian Stan gives a humanist rendition of the young Trump, while Jeremy Strong is on ferocious form as the man who ultimately shaped him, and there’s some strong support from Oscar-nominee Maria Bakalova as Trump’s then-wife Ivana
• After its attention-gaining debut at Cannes earlier this year, the film became embroiled in a series of potential lawsuits, not just from Trump’s campaign but also from close Trump ally Dan Snyder, who partially funded the film with guarantees that it would offer a positive view of the former President (it doesn’t)
• Whether you’re sick of him or (for whatever reason) still supporting him, this film should give you a whole new view of a man consumed with the dark side of the American dream

The Apprentice is showing in cinemas from Friday 18 October 2024

CAST: Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Rebecca Marder, Isabelle Huppert, Fabrice Luchini, Dany Boon, André Dussollier, Édouard Sulpice, Régis Laspalès, Olivier Broche, Félix Lefebvre, Franck de Lapersonne, Evelyne Buyle, Michel Fau, Daniel Prévost, Myriam Boyer, Jean-Christophe Bouvet, Lucia Sanchez, Dominique Besnehard

CREW: François Ozon (director, writer), Eric Altmayer and Nicolas Altmayer (producers), Philippe Rombi (composer), Manu Dacosse (cinematographer), Laure Gardette (editor)

PLOT: In 1930s Paris, struggling actor Madeleine Verdier (Tereszkiewicz) is accused of murdering famed theatre producer Montferrand (Bouvet), and is brought to trial in a case that brings her newfound fame and notoriety. Things threaten to come undone, however, when the real murderer shows up…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Prolific French auteur François Ozon returns with a riotous farce that should put a devilish smile on anyone’s face
• Ozon loosely adapts the play 1934 Mon Crime, which was previously turned into two separate Golden Age Hollywood movies: 1937’s True Confession, and 1946’s Cross My Heart
• The 1930s setting gives it the nostalgic look and feel of a classic Noel Coward play, with all the barmy plotting and satirical wit you could expect from that playwright
• Rosalie and Red Island actor Nadia Tereszkiewicz gives a showstopping lead turn as the woman caught in a nationwide scandal, but it is when French acting legend Isabelle Huppert arrives on the scene that things get (even more) interesting
• It’s a good bit of fun for lovers of French cinema, farcical comedy, and Chicago-like courtroom theatrics

The Crime Is Mine is showing in cinemas from Friday 18 October 2024

CAST: Hazel Doupe, Clare Dunne, Peter Coonan, Aaron Monaghan, Liadán Dunlea, James McGowan, Toni O’Rourke, Matthew O’Brien, Sean McAuliffe

CREW: Eva Birthistle (director, writer), Claire McCaughley (producer), Sam Thompson and Amelia Warner (composers), Burschi Wojnar (cinematographer), Colin Campbell (editor)

PLOT: Fresh out of foster care, eighteen-year-old Kathleen (Doupe) returns to her hometown where she has been bequeathed her late mother’s house. Desperate for a mother figure, Kathleen soon sets out on a destructive journey to find one…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• This moving and occasionally intense Irish drama shows the psychological fallout of having no solid parental figure in one’s life
• Hazel Doupe delivers a stunning lead turn as a damaged young woman who develops some unhealthy connections throughout the film
• Filmmaker Eva Birthistle adapts into a feature her own short film, given the past-tense title Kathleen Was Here, which Doupe also starred in
• Herself writer and star Clare Dunne takes on a significant supporting role that proves to be the film’s voice of reason in a number of places
• Though it often threatens to go deep into thriller territory, at its heart is a deeply sad concept that unfortunately is common among similarly displaced foster children

Kathleen Is Here is showing in cinemas from Friday 18 October 2024

CAST: Ed Oxenbould, Benee, Jackson Bliss, Orion Carey-Clark, Marton Csokas, Tom Eason, Arlo Gibson, Janice Gray, Geoffrey Heath, Roxie Mohebbi, Demos Murphy, Oscar Phillips, Trendall Pulini

CREW: Jonathan Ogilvie (director, writer, producer), Antje Kulpe (producer), Shayne Carter (composer), John Chrisstoffels (cinematographer), Julie-Anne De Ruvo (editor)

PLOT: In late-70s New Zealand, teenager Angus (Oxenbould) discovers an underground world of post-punk music, wherein he attempts to fit in by fabricating his own musical talents, until he is suddenly forced to become the musician that he falsely claims to be…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• New Zealand’s answer to Sing Street is a fun and energetic coming-of-age tale with plenty of era-friendly music
• Australian actor Ed Oxenbould easily embeds himself in a musical subculture that will get any nostalgic viewer ready to dance like there’s no tomorrow
• The soundtrack features tracks by prominent artists like Shayne Carter, Lou Reed and Benee (the latter of whom has a prominent supporting role in the film)
• It juggles the trials and tribulations of adolescence, particularly when a young teen will change practically everything about themselves in order to seem cool among their newer friends
• There’s plenty of teen awkwardness and rocking music to go around for just about everyone

Head South is showing in cinemas from Friday 18 October 2024

CAST: Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Tilda Swinton

CREW: Mark Cousins (director, writer, cinematographer), Mary Bell and Adam Dawtrey (producers), Linda Buckley (composer), Timo Langer (editor)

PLOT: The life and career of British artist Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, whose work and artistic legacy has been overlooked across the years…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Documentarian Mark Cousins pays close attention to the life and times of undervalued 20th century British artist Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
• Tilda Swinton provides narration as the artist, which plays over archival photos and footage of the artist at work
• Cousins focuses particularly hard on a defining moment in 1949 that found Barns-Graham on the top of Switzerland’s Grindelwald glacier, which gave her the artistic clarification she needed
• The film played at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic, where it won the Crystal Globe for Best Film
• At last, an artist whose work has largely gone ignored over the last few decades shall finally receive their due credit when this film exposes her art to the world

A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things is showing in cinemas from Friday 18 October 2024

CAST (ENGLISH VERSION): Justin Briner, Clifford Chapin, Davod Matranga, Luci Christian, J. Michael Tatum, Colleen Clickenbeard, Justin Cook, Caitlin Glass, Monica Rial, Brina Palencia, Kyle Phillips, Jessie James Grelle, Trina Nishimura, Christopher Bevins, Christopher Sabat, Patrick Seitz, Zeno Robinson, Mauricio Ortiz-Segura, Kayli Mills

CAST (JAPANESE VERSION): Daiki Yamashita, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Yuki Kaji, Ayane Sakura, Kaito Ishikawa, Marina Inoue, Toshiki Masuda, Eri Kitamura, Aoi Yūki, Ryō Hirohashi, Tasuku Hatanaka, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Kei Shindō, Kiyotaka Furushima, Kenta Miyake, Tetsu Inada, Yuichi Nakamura, Kenta Miyake, Mamoru Miyano, Meru Nukumi

CREW: Tensai Okamura (director), Yôsuke Kuroda (writer), Yasutaka Hyuuga, Ryōta Katō, Kensuke Kobuse, Xia Na Lu, Fumi Miura, Hiroya Nakata, Tatsuya Saitō and Misuzu Tsumura (producers), Yuki Hayashi (composer), TBA (editor)

PLOT: With the cities of Japan in ruins following the Paranormal Liberation War, Izuku Midoriya (Briner/Yamashita) and his fellow superpowered classmates in Class 1-A of U.A. High School team up with their fellow heroes to try and restore the world, but their efforts are thwarted by the arrival of a powerful new foe…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The fourth feature film in the ongoing manga and anime franchise takes the unique world of superheroes to extreme new levels
• It follows directly on from the destructive events of the anime’s sixth season, so make sure you’re all caught up before watching this film!
• Many fan-favourites get their time to shine here, from the young protagonist Izuku Midoriya to many of his “Quirk”-infused classmates
• The energetic animation truly encapsulates the expansive scope of this particular story within this imaginative universe
• Newcomers may feel a bit lost, but dedicated fans will find more than enough to sink their teeth into

My Hero Academia: You’re Next is showing in cinemas from Friday 18 October 2024

CAST: The McKinleys, The Ettes, Strawberry Switchblade, Sophisticated Boom Boom, Twinsets, His Latest Flame, Sunset Gun, Lungleg, Pink Kross, Sally Skull, Hello Skinny, The Hedrons

CREW: Blair Young (director, cinematographer, editor), Carla J. Easton (director), Beth Allan, Sinead Kirwan and Miranda Stern (producers), Lindsay Watson (editor)

PLOT: A close look at a number of the forgotten girl bands in Scotland’s music industry…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Previously lost to time, various girl bands from Scotland finally get the chance to have their voices heard
• Musician Carla J. Easton co-directs and narrates a decade-by-decade look at the female-led music groups that were ultimately silenced by the male-dominated industry
• Easton and co-director Blair Young piece together an expansive audio-visual mixtape using lost demo recordings, rare live performances, and many pieces of archival footage featuring the many bands at its centre
• Its aim is to promote the endless possibilities that women in music can achieve when they’re not stifled by the male establishment, and hopefully inspire a new generation of young women to make their own kind of music
• Both a celebration of female artists past, present and even future, this is a vital piece of cinema that also doubles as an effective rallying cry for oppressed voices all over the world

Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland’s Girl Bands is showing in cinemas from Friday 18 October 2024

CAST: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Nicolette Robinson, Tony Hale, Kathryn Gallagher, Kelley Jakle, Autumn Best, Jessie Fraser, Taylor Hastings, Jedidiah Goodacre, Darcy Laurie

CREW: Anna Kendrick (director), Ian McDonald (writer), Roy Lee, J.D. Lifshitz, Raphael Margules, Russ Posternak, Vindhya Sagar and Miri Yoon (producers), Dan Romer and Mike Tuccillo (composers), Zach Kuperstein (cinematographer), Andrew Canny (editor)

PLOT: In 1978, Cheryl Bradshaw (Kendrick) becomes a contestant on the hit show The Dating Game, where she is eventually partnered up with Rodney Alcala (Zovatto), a serial killer who has already murdered five women…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Anna Kendrick makes her striking directorial debut with a stranger-than-fiction tale that will give you some serious chills
• The film is based loosely on the very real circumstances that saw prolific serial killer Rodney Alcala appear as a contestant on one of America’s most popular dating shows (yes, this actually happened!)
• Though the real Cheryl Bradshaw never went out with her televised match – at the time, she apparently found him “creepy” – Kendrick’s film imagines what might have happened if she did go on that date
• It explores how incredibly easy it can be for women to be placed in dangerous situations, even in the supposed comfort of broadcast television
• With a sinister tone that runs throughout, the film should have you thinking twice about finding your potential soulmate in the public eye (and about how seriously bad the vetting process must have been back then!)

Woman of the Hour is streaming exclusively on Netflix from Friday 18 October 2024

CAST: Josh Brolin, Peter Dinklage, Marisa Tomei, Taylour Paige, Glenn Close, Brendan Fraser, M. Emmet Walsh, Jennifer Landon

CREW: Max Barbakow (director), Macon Blair (writer), Josh Brolin, Peter Dinklage, David Ginsberg, Joshua Grode and Andrew Lazar (producers), Rupert Gregson-Williams (composer), Quyen Tran (cinematographer), Martin Pensa (editor)

PLOT: Moke (Brolin) and Jady (Dinklage) are brothers who are on opposite sides of the law: Moke is a reformed criminal trying to turn his life around, while Jady is a jailbird always out for his next score. They are unexpectedly reunited for a road trip that sees them reignite their criminal lifestyle, with disastrous results…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The spirit of Ivan Reitman’s Twins is alive and well in this hilarious crime comedy that also features a pair of mismatched brothers
• Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage turn in a pair of game comedic performances as the titular siblings, sharing some fun and at times touching chemistry with each other
• They’re joined by plenty of prestigious support both on-screen, in the form of Oscar-winners Marisa Tomei and Brendan Fraser as well as acting legend Glenn Close, and off-screen with Palm Springs director Max Barbakow and Blue Ruin writer Macon Blair working on the film together
• Expect plenty of riotous slapstick and physical humour, as well as the unexpected inclusion of an orangutan named Samuel
• You’ll never predict what’s coming around every corner as the filmmakers and its up-for-anything actors always throw you for a loop

Brothers is streaming exclusively on Prime Video from Thursday 17 October 2024

CAST: Damian Lewis, Kelly Macdonald, Sophia Di Martino, Shaun Parkes, Harry Baxendale, Bo Bragason

CREW: Euros Lyn (director), Jo Brand and Talitha Stevenson (writer), Debbie Gray (producer), Keefus Ciancia (composer), Nanu Segal (cinematographer), Jamie Pearson (editor)

PLOT: The Radleys – Peter (Lewis), Helen (Macdonald), Clara (Bragason) and Rowan (Baxendale) – are a seemingly normal family who are secretly vampires that have abstained from their traditional blood-sucking ways. However, when their secret is suddenly revealed among their community, the family struggles to maintain their comfortable suburban life…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Here’s a darkly funny vampire comedy-horror to sink your teeth into just before Halloween
• It is an adaptation of author Matt Haig’s novel, a more intense offering next to his more family-friendly works like A Boy Called Christmas (also adapted into a movie by Sky)
• Damien Lewis heads the small but formidable cast in not one but two roles, as both the Radleys’ nerved patriarch and his more unpredictable brother
• The film plays with conventional vampire tropes, in ways that are genuinely surprising and always rather funny
• It’s an oddball yet entertaining family drama with bucketloads of blood to help it all go down

The Radleys is streaming exclusively on Sky Cinema (and is showing in cinemas) from Friday 18 October 2024

CAST: Dylan O’Brien, Eliza Scanlen, Lauren Ambrose, Eric Lange, Sam Hennings, Diana Hopper, Caroline Falk

CREW: Logan George (director, writer, editor), Celine Held (director, writer), Kara Durrett, Josh Godfrey and M. Night Shyamalan (producers), David Baloche (composer), Lowell A. Meyer (cinematographer)

PLOT: A mysterious lake in Texas is home to some unusual phenomenon, as local residents Paris (O’Brien) and Ellie (Scanlan) find out…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• There are terrifying things to be found down the river in this chilling psychological thriller
• Dylan O’Brien and Eliza Scanlen anchor the film with a pair of nerved performances
• Filmmaker duo Logan George and Celine Held make a striking follow-up to their 2020 debut feature Topside
• The king of twists himself M. Night Shyamalan produces under his Blinding Edge production company, so expect some unexpected reveals to really throw things for a loop
• You’ll be on the edge of your seat as this unpredictable story reaches its shocking conclusion

Caddo Lake is streaming exclusively on Sky Cinema from Sunday 20 October 2024

CAST: Scott Adkins, Alice Eve, Jack Parr, Madalina Bellariu Ion, Nik Goldman, Billy Clements

CREW: Nick McKinless (director), Joshua Todd James (writer), Ben Jacques (producer), Jamal Green (composer), Rick Joaquim (cinematographer), Liviu Jipescu (editor)

PLOT: Sam Lorde (Adkins), a professional assassin, decides to retire after a hit goes wrong. Persuaded to do one last job, Sam finds himself becoming the target when he is trapped in a penthouse by ruthless competitor Tamara (Eve), and with no backup to rely on he is forced to sight with what little he has to survive…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Scott Adkins continues to prove himself as one of action cinema’s most underutilised performers in this high-octane thrill ride
• Adkins turns up the charm as he dodges several bullets and delivers high-reaching kicks to all his known enemies
• Much of the film is set in a seemingly luxurious penthouse that becomes more and more destroyed as the carnage goes on
• Alice Eve offers some menacing support as the villainous brains behind this murderous operation
• You can put it on with your friends for a fun action movie night, and enjoy the mindlessness of it all without feeling guilty afterwards

Take Cover is available to rent/buy on digital platforms from Monday 14 October 2024

CAST: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt, Nancy Allen, John Travolta, Betty Buckley, P.J. Soles, Sydney Lassick, Stefan Gierasch, Priscilla Pointer, Edie McClurg

CREW: Brian De Palma (director), Lawrence D. Cohen (writer), Paul Monash (producer), Pino Donaggio (composer), Mario Tosi (cinematographer), Paul Hirsch (editor)

PLOT: Carrie White (Spacek) is a shy and unpopular teenage girl who is ostracised by her fellow high school students, and is brutally sheltered by her domineering religious mother Margaret (Laurie) at home. Soon, she develops some unusual psychic abilities, which come out in full force during the upcoming prom…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Brian De Palma’s classic horror returns to cinemas with a sparkling new 4K restoration
• It was the first-ever adaptation of a Stephen King story, with the then-debut novelist being paid just $2500 for the film rights
• Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie earned Oscar nominations for their respective portrayals of the long-suffering title character and her abusive mother, while John Travolta makes an early appearance as an antagonist
• The film’s iconic prom scene is a masterclass of editing and direction, with some unforgettable imagery that continues to give viewers nightmares to this day
• Both a compelling character drama and a terrifying supernatural horror, it more than holds up nearly fifty years on

Carrie is showing in cinemas from Friday 18 October 2024