Movie of the Week

• Wicked: For Good

Cinemas

• Sisu: Road to Revenge
• The Thing with Feathers
• The Carpenter’s Son
• Game
• The Ice Tower

Streaming/On-Demand

• Train Dreams
• Champagne Problems
• The Family Plan 2

CAST: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Marissa Bode, Ethan Slater, Michelle Yeoh, Peter Dinklage, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Sharon D. Clarke, Colman Domingo, Keala Settle, Adam James, Alice Fearn, Scarlett Spears

CREW: Jon M. Chu (director), Dana Fox and Winnie Holzman (writers), Marc Platt and David Stone (producers), John Powell and Stephen Schwartz (composers), Alice Brooks (cinematographer), Myron Kerstein (editor)

PLOT: Years after fleeing the Emerald City with the stolen Grimmerie spellbook, Elphaba Thropp (Erivo) – now known as the Wicked Witch of the West – continues to fight for the slowly eroding rights of Oz’s animal citizens, while her former friend Glinda Upland (Grande) – now dubbed Glinda the Good – operates under the watchful eye of the Wizard (Goldblum) and his right-hand woman Madame Morrible (Yeoh), with a series of unexpected events, among them the arrival of a young girl from Kansas, bringing both Elphaba and Glinda together one more time as Oz begins to change forever…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The second half of director Jon M. Chu’s epic two-part adaptation of the musical phenomenon Wicked brings the emotional retelling of The Wizard of Oz to a satisfying conclusion
• Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande reprise their Oscar-nominated roles as Elphaba and Glinda, with their electrifying chemistry providing the film with some of its most powerful moments
• Of course, viewers can expect many of the songs from the musical’s second act to pop up, as well as a couple of brand-new numbers written by legendary songsmith Stephen Schwartz
• Dazzling visual effects and stellar production/costume designs bring the world of Oz to striking life under Chu’s directorial vision that is both playful but also extremely aware of its heartfelt core
• According to early reactions, this is a sequel that more than lives up to the hype, and could help the two-part production ascend up there among some of the best musical adaptations of all time

Wicked: For Good is showing in cinemas from Friday 21 November 2025

CAST: Jorma Tommila, Stephen Lang, Richard Brake, Tommi Korpela

CREW: Jalmari Helander (director, writer), Mike Goodridge and Petri Jokiranta (producers), Juri Seppä and Tuomas Wäinölä (composers), Mika Orasmaa (cinematographer), Juho Virolainen (editor)

PLOT: In 1946, Finnish Army commando turned gold prospector Aatami Korpi (Tommila) returns to his old family house in Soviet-occupied Karelia, where his family was brutally murdered by Red Army officer Igor Draganov (Lang), and dismantles the building before loading it on a truck to build elsewhere, only to find himself followed by a vengeful Draganov…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The sequel to the sleeper hit action movie Sisu ups the ante with an even bigger palette of carnage to unleash upon audiences
• Jorma Tommila is back as the badass aged solider, as is writer-director Jalmari Helander who introduces a bold new threat for his star to face
• That threat is none other than Stephen Lang, whose on-screen ferocity in films like Avatar and Don’t Breathe makes him the perfect antagonist who’s more than a match for our hero
• Early reviews have dubbed it one of the best action sequels since Mad Max: Fury Road, with plenty of explosive showdowns and thrilling fights to satisfy any fan of the genre
• Like its predecessor, it seeks to usher in a new era of Finnish action cinema that can easily compete with more mainstream Western offerings

Sisu: Road to Revenge is showing in cinemas from Friday 21 November 2025

CAST: Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Boxall, Henry Boxall, Eric Lampaert, David Thewlis, Vinette Robinson, Sam Spruell, Leo Bill, Tim Plester, Claire Cartwright

CREW: Dylan Southern (director, writer), Adam Ackland, Leah Clarke and Andrea Cornwell (producers), Zebedee Budworth (composer), Ben Fordesman (cinematographer), George Cragg (editor)

PLOT: After the death of his wife, an illustrator (Cumberbatch) struggling to care for his two young sons (Boxall and Boxall) finds his reality come crashing down when a mysterious anthropomorphic crow (Thewlis) comes to life from his drawings and helps the family through their grief…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Grief is about to take an extremely unusual form in a tender family drama that will move you to the edge of your emotions
• Adapted from the novel by Max Porter (whose other novel Shy was recently turned into Cillian Murphy’s Steve) by filmmaker Dylan Southern, the film blends fantasy and stark reality seamlessly
• Benedict Cumberbatch gives one of his most transformative performances as an unnamed widowed father tormented – or possibly helped – by a strange crow-like creature with the unmistakable vocals of fellow acting thespian David Thewlis
• Some haunting cinematography illustrates the deeply emotional journey that Cumberbatch embarks on to move past his crippling state of despair
• It’s an original work of art with imagination to spare as it explores a fairly familiar topic with a newfound sense of earnestness and creativity

The Thing with Feathers is showing in cinemas from Friday 21 November 2025

CAST: Nicolas Cage, FKA Twigs, Noah Jupe, Souheila Yacoub, Isla Johnston

CREW: Lotfy Nathan (director, writer), Nicolas Cage, Alex Hughes, Yiannis Iakovidis, Eugene Kotlyarenko, Riccardo Maddalosso and Julie Viez (producers), Lorenz Dangel (composer), Simon Beaufils (cinematographer), Sophie Corra, Guillaume Fusil and Monika Willi (editors)

PLOT: In Roman-occupied Egypt, a carpenter (Cage), his wife (Twigs) and their teenage son (Jupe) hide out in a remote village, due to their son possessing unusual powers that soon attract the attention of supernatural forces…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• A lot of heavily devout Christians are about to be very upset by this supernatural horror that reimagines the childhood of Jesus as a terrifying ordeal
• Writer-director Lotfy Nathan takes heavy inspiration from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, a manuscript depicting Jesus’s childhood that was deemed heretical by official Christian figures
• Nicolas Cage delivers a reliably unhinged turn as the (here unnamed) father of Noah Jupe’s soon-to-be Messiah, while FKA Twigs and Isla Johnston provide memorable support
• In a piece of trivia bound to amuse Cage fans, the actor was reportedly attacked by a swarm of bees during filming – whether it’s an ominous sign from God or He’s just a big fan of The Wicker Man is entirely open to interpretation!
• Most faith-based audiences may feel this to be an exploitative mockery of their religion, but it’s an original and visually impressive movie that dares to provide an alternative approach to a story known the world over

The Carpenter’s Son is showing in cinemas from Friday 21 November 2025

CAST: Marc Bessant, Jason Williamson

CREW: John Minton (director, writer, editor), Geoff Barrow (writer, producer), Marc Bessant and Rob Williams (writers), Ross James (cinematographer)

PLOT: In 1993, aging raver David (Bessant) is driving through the woods with a stolen bag full of money and drugs when a crash leaves him trapped and helpless in the wreckage, but the arrival of a mysterious poacher (Williamson) brings more terror than help…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• This eerie psychological thriller introduces an immense sense of claustrophobia and paranoia to an already stressful situation
• It’s a striking debut by filmmaker John Minton, who gets an extraordinary amount of mileage out of a limited environment and even more restricted set of characters
• Marc Bessant (also a co-writer) and Jason Williamson give a pair of tightly guarded performances where you’re never entirely sure of what they’re thinking until the last second
• The 90s rave scene forms a compelling and ear-thumping backdrop to a story about some of the wildest personalities to emerge from that era
• A hypnotic blend of surreal imagery and mental intimidation swirls around a compelling narrative that you’ll be hooked on all the way through

Game is showing in cinemas from Friday 21 November 2025

CAST: Marion Cotillard, Clara Pacini, August Diehl, Gaspar Noé, Marine Gesbert, Lila-Rose Gilberti, Dounia Sichov, Raphael Reboul, Wilhelm Bonnelle

CREW: Lucile Hadžihalilović (director, writer), Geoff Fox (writer), Muriel Merlin and Harald Steinwender (producers), Jonathan Ricquebourg (cinematographer), Nassim Gordji Tehrani (editor)

PLOT: In the 1970s, Cristina (Cotillard) is an actor who is shooting a film adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen in which she plays the title role, but when runaway teenage orphan Jeanne (Pacini) takes shelter in the studio where the film is being made, she slowly becomes fascinated with Cristina who, in return, takes a shine to the young girl…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard delivers a spell-binding central performance in a radical new take on the classic story of The Snow Queen
• This version takes a more meta approach, as filmmaker Lucile Hadžihalilović recontextualises the set-up as being one between an actor and stowaway on the set of a straightforward adaptation
• The French writer-director crafts some imaginative visuals that illustrate the haunting beauty behind its characters and the absorbing story surrounding them
• At this year’s Berlin Film Festival, it was awarded the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution in recognition of its distinctive craftsmanship
• Unlike other versions of The Snow Queen – even Disney’s world-famous spin on the story that’s best known as Frozen – this one is both beautiful and haunting for its complex study of ice-cold behaviours

The Ice Tower is showing in cinemas from Friday 21 November 2025

CAST: Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon, William H. Macy, Clifton Collins Jr., Chuck Tucker, Paul Schneider, John Diehl, Alfred Hsing, Nathaniel Arcand, Johnny Arnoux, Will Patton

CREW: Clint Bentley (director, writer), Greg Kwedar (writer), Michael Heimler, Will Janowitz, Marissa McMahon, Ashley Schlaifer and Teddy Schwarzman (producers), Bryce Dessner (composer), Adolpho Veloso (cinematographer), Parker Laramie (editor)

PLOT: During the 20th century, logger Robert Grainier (Edgerton) works on the railroad across the United States which forces him away from his wife Gladys (Jones) and their children for long periods of time, and causes him to reflect on the ever-changing world around him…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The beauty of rural America is a major attraction of Netflix’s gorgeously understated historical drama
• Filmmaker Clint Bentley, who along with co-writer Greg Kwedar earned an Oscar nomination for the screenplay to last year’s outstanding prison drama Sing Sing, lends a dazzling lyricism to a rapidly changing environment
• Joel Edgerton delivers one of his best performances to date among a cast that also includes Oscar nominees Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon and William H. Macy
• Before being picked up for distribution by the streamer, Bentley’s film earned near-universal praise from critics and audiences who quickly labelled it one of the finest American films in recent years
• It’s filled with stunning cinematography and meditative atmosphere that makes it one of 2025’s most unmissable viewing experiences

Train Dreams is streaming exclusively on Netflix from Friday 21 November 2025

CAST: Minka Kelly, Tom Wozniczka, Thibault de Montalembert, Sean Amsing, Flula Borg, Astrid Whettnall, Xavier Samuel, Mitchell Mullen, Maeve Courtier-Lilley

CREW: Mark Steven Johnson (director, writer, producer), Margret H. Huddleston and Stephanie Slack (producers), Ryan Shore (composer), José David Montero (cinematographer), Kathryn Himoff (editor)

PLOT: During the Christmas period, ambitious executive Sydney (Kelly) flies out to Paris to oversee the acquisition of a world-renowned champagne brand, but ends up embarking on a whirlwind affair with Henri (Wozniczka), who happens to be the son of the champagne company’s owner Hugo Cassell (de Montalembert)…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Take a sip from Netflix’s newest festive romance that will fill your stomach with plenty of sweet romance and bubbly energy
• Minka Kelly, whom TV viewers may recognise from Friday Night Lights and Euphoria, shares tender chemistry with on-screen love interest Tom Wozniczka
• There’s fun support from character actor Sean Amsing and YouTube sensation Flula Borg who bring warm laughter to the proceedings
• The pristine wintery landscapes of France provide a charmingly romantic backdrop as the central love story goes in a couple of surprising directions
• Sweet-natured without being too cloying, this is a Christmas romance which goes perfect with a small glass of whichever champagne you may have around your home!

Champagne Problems is streaming exclusively on Netflix from Wednesday 19 November 2025

CAST: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Monaghan, Zoe Colletti, Van Crosby, Kit Harington, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Daniel de Bourg, Reda Elazouar

CREW: Simon Cellan Jones (director), David Coggeshall (writer), David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Stephen Levinson and Mark Wahlberg (producers), Kevin Matley (composer), Michael Burgess (cinematographer), Pani Scott (editor)

PLOT: Dan Morgan (Wahlberg), a former covert assassin turned suburban family man, plans a European Christmas holiday for his family, but his past continuously comes back to haunt him…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Mark Wahlberg is back in action/family mode in the fun-filled sequel to Apple’s streaming hit
• This time, Wahlberg and co-stars Michelle Monagan and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark star Zoe Colletti are headed to Europe for an action-packed adventure
• London and Paris are just some of the locations we get to travel to as Wahlberg and family deal with a new foe in the form of Kit Harington and his, erm, heavy Irish accent
• The added Christmas setting highlights a core theme of family bonds at a time of year when it’s more important than ever
• Fans of the first film can expect plenty of the same here, and there may even be just enough to entice newcomers as well

The Family Plan 2 is streaming exclusively on Apple TV from Friday 21 November 2025