Movie of the Week

• Sinners

Cinemas

• Warfare
• The Penguin Lessons
• Freaky Tales
• Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story

Streaming/On-Demand

• Grand Tour

Re-Releases

• Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

CAST: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, Li Jun Li, Delroy Lindo

CREW: Ryan Coogler (director, writer, producer), Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian (producers), Ludwig Göransson (composer), Autumn Durald Arkapaw (cinematographer), Michael P. Shawver (editor)

PLOT: In 1930s Jim Crow-era America, twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both Jordan) return to their hometown in an attempt to leave their troubled lives behind. However, they soon find that a sinister evil is there to welcome them back…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Ryan Coogler’s first film after his enormous success with Marvel’s Black Panther movies is a fiercely original supernatural horror with echoes of America’s racist past
• Coogler regular Michael B. Jordan delivers twice the charm in dual roles as twin brothers facing an unexpected – and possibly even blood-sucking – new menace
• The film was shot partially on IMAX 70mm film cameras (the same ones used regularly by Christopher Nolan), which in certain sequences presents a much wider vision of the action-heavy events
• It looks gorgeous, with illustrious production and costume design fitting neatly into cinematographer Autum Durald Arkapaw’s lens, along with Coogler’s ever-reliable directorial style
• This is a monumental genre event that further cements the filmmaker as one of our leading voices in modern cinema

Sinners is showing in cinemas from Friday 18 April 2025

CAST: D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Taylor John Smith, Michael Gandolfini, Adain Bradley, Noah Centineo, Evan Holtzman, Henrique Zaga, Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton, Henry Zaga, Alex Brockdorff, Nathan Altai, Aaron Deakins, Donya Hussen

CREW: Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza (directors, writers), Andrew Macdonald, Matthew Penry-Davey, Allon Reich and Peter Rice (producers), David J. Thompson (cinematographer), Fin Oates (editor)

PLOT: In 2006, a platoon of young US Navy SEALs serving in Iraq are suddenly thrust onto a fierce and dangerous mission…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The scene of war has never been as tensely replicated as in this suspenseful action-thriller that’s perhaps the best Iraq-set movie since the Oscar-winning The Hurt Locker
• Ex Machina and Civil War filmmaker Alex Garland co-directs and co-writes with war veteran Ray Mendoza, who replicates his own memories of operating within insurgent Iraqi territory
• The film’s ensemble cast includes a who’s-who of hot young talent, from character actors Will Poulter and Cosmo Jarvis, Netflix heartthrobs Joseph Quinn, Kit Connor and Noah Centineo, and Emmy-nominee D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as a fictional version of Mendoza himself
• It all unfolds in real-time, depicting long stretches of eerily quiet mundanity followed by some explosive – not to mention terrifying – combat action
• You will come out of it feeling as though you’ve been right alongside these soldiers in the middle of one of the most dangerous places on the planet, while also experiencing something genuinely thrilling

Warfare is showing in cinemas from Friday 18 April 2025

CAST: Steve Coogan, Björn Gustafsson, David Herrero, Jonathan Pryce, Julián Galli Guillén, Aimar Miranda, Nicanor Fernandez, Hugo Fuertes, Joaquín Lopez, Miguel Alejandro Serrano, Ramiro Blas, Florencia Nocetti, Micaela Breque, Romina Cocca, Alfonsina Carrocio, Tomás Pozzi, Vivian El Jaber, Juan M. Barreiro, Gera Maleh

CREW: Peter Cattaneo (director), Jeff Pope (writer), Rory Aitken, Adrián Guerra, Andrew Noble, Pen Pugh and Robert Walak (producers), Federico Jusid (composer), Xavi Giménez (cinematographer), Robin Peters (editor)

PLOT: In 1976, British teacher Tom Michell (Coogan) accepts a job at an exclusive boys’ school in Argentina, a country that is on the verge of political revolution. One day, he saves an orphaned penguin from an oil slick on the beach, and ends up forming a life-changing bond with the creature…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Emotions of all kinds strike hard in The Full Monty director Peter Cattaneo’s charming historical comedy about the power of friendship – even if it’s between a man and a penguin
• It is based on the true story of teacher turned author Tom Michell, who turned his own experiences into a best-selling memoir that has been adapted by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Jeff Pope
• Steve Coogan is at his most endearing as Michell, while there’s a bunch of lively supporting turns among the human cast, including Oscar-nominee Jonathan Pryce
• As for the titular penguin, its adorably loyal nature provides plenty of fun and bliss amidst some of the more serious depictions of an important moment in Argentine history
• Audiences will find plenty to take away as they engage with important life lessons that only a mischievous penguin could teach

The Penguin Lessons is showing in cinemas from Friday 18 April 2025

CAST: Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, Jay Ellis, Normani, Dominique Thorne, Jack Champion, Ji-young Yoo, Angus Cloud, Keir Gilchrist, Marteen, Too Short, Sleepy Floyd

CREW: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (directors, writers, producers), Poppy Hanks and Jelani Johnson (producers), Raphael Saadiq (composer), Jac Fitzgerald (cinematographer), Robert Komatsu (editor)

PLOT: In 1987 Oakland, California, four interconnected stories tie together in unexpected ways…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, known for Captain Marvel and Mississippi Grind, weave an odd yet fun anthology in a retro late-80s setting
• Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, ex-Fifth Harmony member Normani and the late Angus Cloud are just some of the names popping up across four loosely connected chapters
• In the same vein of Pulp Fiction and Four Rooms, there are some bizarre and often violent encounters that keep things fairly unpredictable (as well as an unexpected major cameo)
• Some of the chapters are based on actual events involving real people, including famed NBA player Sleepy Floyd who gets a rather badass fictional version as played by Jay Ellis
• You’ll have tons of fun as the film takes you from one unexpected event to the next, all with a winning mentality that’s hard to resist

Freaky Tales is showing in cinemas from Friday 18 April 2025

CAST: Edna O’Brien, Jessie Buckley, Declan Conlon, Gabriel Byrne, Anne Enright, Carlo Gebler, Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Sasha Gébler, Louise Kennedy, Walter Mosley, Maureen O’Connor, Andrew O’Hagan, Clair Wills

CREW: Sinéad O’Shea (director, writer, producer), Eleanor Emptage and Claire McCabe (producers), Richard Kendrick (cinematographer), Gretta Ohle (editor)

PLOT: At the age of 93, Irish author Edna O’Brien gives one final interview about her extraordinary life and career…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The influential and often controversial life of Ireland’s renowned writer Edna O’Brien is given the insightful documentary treatment by filmmaker Sinéad O’Shea
• It features the final recorded interview with O’Brien before her passing last year, with actor Jessie Buckley providing narration for her never-before-seen diary entries
• Viewers are treated to a whirlwind overview of O’Brien’s experiences, from her provocative books to the affluent lifestyle she led in London and New York
• Numerous admirers such as Gabriel Byrne and Anne Enright also show up to discuss their own relationship to the author and her works
• It is a fond way to remember a truly inspirational writer whose words and charisma touched the hearts and minds of many around the world

Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story is showing in cinemas from Friday 18 April 2025

CAST: Gonçalo Waddington, Crista Alfaiate, Cláudio da Silva, Lang Khê Tran, Jorge Andrade, João Pedro Vaz, João Pedro Bénard, Teresa Madruga, Joana Bárcia, Jani Zhao, Manuela Couto, Diogo Dória, Américo Silva, Giacomo Leone

CREW: Miguel Gomes (director, writer), Telmo Churro, Maureen Fazendeiro and Mariana Ricardo (writers), Marta Donzelli, Gregorio Paonessa and Filipa Reis (producers), Gui Liang, Sayombhu Mukdeeprom    and Rui Poças (cinematographers), Telmo Churro and Pedro Filipe Marques (editors)

PLOT: In 1917, civil servant Edward (Waddington) operates in the British-occupied Burmese city of Rangoon, where he abandons his fiancée Molly (Alfaiate) on their wedding day. However, as he flees across Asia, he soon finds Molly in relentless pursuit of him…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• This strikingly entertaining historical odyssey transports viewers across various points in Asia during a contentious period in the early 20th century
• A comedic romantic plot straight out of a pre-Hays Code Hollywood carries viewers on their journey, as captured by fluctuating colour and black-and-white imagery by numerous cinematographers, including Luca Guadagnino’s regular DP Sayombhu Mukdeeprom
• Visionary filmmaker Miguel Gomes won the Best Director prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, the first of Portuguese descent to win the award
• The film was submitted as Portugal’s entry for this year’s International Feature Film Oscar, but sadly it wasn’t nominated
• Lovers of old-school cinema and today’s more experimental crowd will enjoy the nostalgic envelope-pushing of every single frame

Grand Tour is streaming on MUBI from Friday 18 April 2025

CAST: Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Peter Kay, Nicholas Smith, Dicken Ashworth, Liz Smith, Edward Kelsey, Mark Gatiss, Geraldine McEwan, John Thomson, Vincent Ebrahim, Robert Horvath, Pete Atkin, Noni Lewis, Ben Whitehead

CREW: Nick Park (director, writer, producer), Steve Box (director, writer), Mark Burton and Bob Baker (writers), Claire Jennings, Peter Lord, Carla Shelley and David Sproxton (producers), Julian Nott (composer), Tristan Oliver and David Alex Riddett (cinematographers), David McCormick, Angharad Owen and Gregory Perler (editors)

PLOT: The hapless inventor Wallace (Sallis) and his faithful dog Gromit have formed a humane pest-control service to capture a horde of hungry rabbits that are in danger of ruining the upcoming annual Giant Vegetable Competition. But when a giant rabbit-like creature begins terrorising the locals – and their prized vegetables – the duo are faced with their biggest challenge yet…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The first feature-length adventure of Aardman’s most iconic duo is back in cinemas to celebrate its 20th anniversary
• The Claymation studio teamed up with DreamWorks Animation (after their successful collaboration on Chicken Run) for a film that features the series’ most memorable gags and set-pieces
• Peter Sallis reprised his role as the lovable cheese-loving inventor, while Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter are some of the more prolific actors added to the voice cast
• It scored universal acclaim and even the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, though creator Nick Park has since commented on the difficult working relationship with DreamWorks, which put him off another feature until last year’s Oscar-nominated outing Vengeance Most Fowl
• With its trademark British humour and stunning animation, it is one of the most memorably and purely fun entries in the series as a whole

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is showing in cinemas from Friday 18 April 2025