Movie of the Week

• Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Cinemas

• Immaculate
• The Persian Version
• Robot Dreams
• Late Night with the Devil
• Baltimore
• The Delinquents

Streaming/On-Demand

• Road House
• Shirley
• Brightwood
• A Million Days

Re-Releases

• After Hours

CAST: Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, Celeste O’Connor, Logan Kim, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, William Atherton, James Acaster, Emily Alyn Lind

CREW: Gil Kenan (director, writer), Jason Reitman (writer, producer), Jason Blumenfeld and Ivan Reitman (producers), Dario Marianelli (composer), Eric Steelberg (cinematographer), Nathan Orloff and Shane Reid (editors)

PLOT: After assisting the original Ghostbusters – Peter Venkman (Murray), Ray Stanz (Aykroyd) and Winston Zeddermore (Hudson) – with combatting the supernatural threat in Summerville, Oklahoma, Callie Spengler (Coon) and her children Trevor (Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Grace) head to New York City with their friend Gary (Rudd) to help them develop a new secret lab to take their business to the next level. However, when the discovery of an ancient artefact unleashes an evil presence, putting the city into greater danger than ever, Ghostbusters both old and new must now team up to prevent a second Ice Age from engulfing the planet…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The iconic franchise continues as new and old faces unite to take on a fresh supernatural force with chilling powers (pun intended)
• Monster House director Gil Kenan, who co-wrote the previous entry Ghostbusters: Afterlife with Jason Reitman, steps up to direct this time, with Reitman just taking writing and producing credits this time
• Most of the Afterlife cast is back, including Paul Rudd and Finn Wolfhard, and they are joined by original stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts
• The threat that they all face is by far the most powerful ghostly force yet, which could spell dire consequences for some or all of the teammates
• Fans of the original will be delighted by the expanded roles for the original team members, while newcomers can enjoy all of the blockbuster entertainment that it provides

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is showing in cinemas from Friday 22 March 2024

CAST: Sydney Sweeney, Álvaro Morte, Benedetta Porcaroli, Dora Romano, Giorgio Colangeli, Simona Tabasco, Giampiero Judica

CREW: Michael Mohan (director), Andrew Lobel (writer), David Bernad, Jonathan Davino, Michael Heimler, Teddy Schwarzman and Sydney Sweeney (producers), Will Bates (composer), Elisha Christian (cinematographer), Christian Masini (editor)

PLOT: Cecilia (Sweeney), a young American nun of devout faith, travels to a picturesque convent in the Italian countryside, where she takes up a new role within the traditional establishment. However, when a miraculous event suddenly occurs, Cecilia quickly discovers that her new home is filled with dark and sinister secrets…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• This chilling psychological horror turns its focus onto the corruption of faith, and questions whether it is truly the forces of Hell that should be feared in our mortal world
• In addition to starring in the film, Sydney Sweeney also makes her debut as a producer, after previously serving as an executive producer on her hit rom-com Anyone But You
• The actor reunites with director Michael Mohan, with whom she previously collaborated on Amazon’s erotic thriller The Voyeurs
• It presents an intriguing twist to a concept previously explored in classics like Rosemary’s Baby and The Omen, where the real evil might not necessarily be any kind of supernatural demon
• You’ll be on the edge of your seat as you witness the horrifying ordeals that Sweeney’s character is forced to go through

Immaculate is showing in cinemas from Friday 22 March 2024

CAST: Layla Mohammadi, Niousha Noor, Bijan Daneshmand, Bella Warda, Tom Byrne, Arty Froushan, Samuel Tehrani, Jerry Habibi, Parsa Kaffash, Andrew Malik, Ash Goldeh, Chiara Stella, Kamand Shafieisabet, Shervin Alenabi, Sachli Gholamalizad

CREW: Maryam Keshavarz (director, writer, producer), Peter Block, Luca Borghese, Anne Carey, Ben Howe and Cory Neale (producers), Rostam Batmanglij (composer), André Jäger (cinematographer), Abolfazl Talooni and JoAnne Yarrow (editors)

PLOT: Leila (Mohammadi), an Iranian-American filmmaker struggling to balance her opposing cultures, reunites with her extended family in New York when they arrive for her father Ali’s (Daneshmand) heart transplant. However, when she unexpectedly falls pregnant after a one-night stand with stage actor Maximillian (Byrne), she clashes with her estranged mother Shireen (Noor), whose own experiences with love and family differ from her daughter…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• This funny and heartfelt family comedy-drama takes a frank yet inviting peek at the life of an Iranian-American family
• At its centre is a decades-spanning tale of a mother and her daughter, going from the mother’s earlier life in Iran to her present as a businesswoman in New York
• It is the third feature by filmmaker Maryam Keshavarz, whose debut film Circumstance picked up Sundance’s Audience Award in 2011, the same award that The Persian Version won twelve years later
• The predominantly Iranian-American cast lends plenty of authenticity to their roles, and provide further insight into cultures that wider audiences may not be wholly aware of
• With plenty of laughs, tears and stylish filmmaking at its disposal, this is an endearing slice of much-needed representation for a culture that’s been largely underserved by mainstream media

The Persian Version is showing in cinemas from Friday 22 March 2024

CAST: N/A

CREW: Pablo Berger (director, writer, producer), Ibon Cormenzana, Ángel Durández, Ignasi Estapé, Sandra Tapia and Jérôme Vidal (producers), Alfonso de Vilallonga (composer), Fernando Franco (editor)

PLOT: In 1980s New York, Dog is tired of living alone in his apartment, and decides to build himself a robot companion. Soon, Dog and Robot develop a strong and inseparable friendship, which comes to an abrupt halt when Dog is forced to abandon Robot at the beach, possibly separating them forever…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Get ready to have your heartstrings pulled with immense force as this wondrous animated drama makes you feel all sorts of emotions
• Filmmaker Pablo Berger makes his animation debut with a touching adaptation of Sara Varon’s graphic novel
• Told with zero dialogue, the film relies purely on its colourful visuals and designs to tell a heartbreaking story of friendship and loneliness
• It was nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar at the most recent ceremony, losing to The Boy and the Heron, and won over several audiences at film festivals across the world
• With a delightful 80s soundtrack primarily featuring Earth, Wind and Fire’s classic hit “September”, you’ll also be endlessly grooving as the film reaches its emotional conclusion

Robot Dreams is showing in cinemas (and will be available to rent exclusively on Curzon Home Cinema) from Friday 22 March 2024

CAST: David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, Georgina Haig, Josh Quong Tart

CREW: Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes (directors, writers, editors), David Dastmalchian, Derek Dauchy, Mat Govini, Roy Lee, John Molloy, Steven Schneider and Adam White (producers), Roscoe James Irwin and Glenn Richards (composers), Matthew Temple (cinematographer)

PLOT: The audience witnesses a rediscovered master tape of a live broadcast episode for 1970s late-night talk show Night Owls with Jack Delroy, where the titular host (Dastmalchian) interviews parapsychologist Dr. June Ross-Mitchell (Gordon) and Lilly (Torelli), the teen survivor of a Satanic church’s mass suicide, which leads to some disturbing on-air consequences…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• A terrifying new format of found-footage horror is presented with the aesthetic and overall vibe of a typical 70s talk show
• It comes from filmmaker siblings Cameron and Colin Cairnes, the Australian duo who previously scored audience approval with films like 100 Bloody Acres and Scare Campaign
• Here, the Cairnes brothers near-perfectly recreate the typical set and characteristics of live television broadcasts, which adds to the eeriness of the story
• Lead actor and producer David Dastmalchian taps into his inner Johnny Carson as the talk show host at the centre of the horrifying ordeal
• With unanimous praise following its world premiere at last year’s SXSW Festival, it’s bound to become an underground horror hit for many fans of the genre

Late Night with the Devil is showing in cinemas from Friday 22 March 2024

CAST: Imogen Poots, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Lewis Brophy, Jack Meade, Patrick Martins, Dermot Crowley, Andrea Irvine, John Kavanagh, Flynn Gray, Martha Breen, Carrie Crowley, Simon Coury, Vanessa Ifediora, Paul Ward, Fionnuala Murphy, Conor Lambert, James Edlin, Jude McClean

CREW: Joe Lawlor (director, writer, producer, editor), Christine Molloy (director, writer, editor), Stephen McKeon (composer), Tom Comerford (cinematographer)

PLOT: In 1974, former English debutante Rose Dugdale (Poots), now a fully radicalised member of the Provisional IRA, leads a daring heist of several highly valuable paintings from a wealthy estate in Ireland, with her and fellow accomplices Dominic (Vaughan-Lawlow) and Martin (Brophy) struggling to fulfil their duties as they lay low from the law…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The life of Rose Dugdale, the wealthy heiress turned Provisional IRA activist, is retold with a great deal of thrilling tension
• Imogen Poots puts in some strong work as Dugdale, as she wrestles with her inner morals as she embarks on a noble but ultimately extremist cause
• Filmmaker duo Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy follow up their unnerving thriller Rose Plays Julie with an equally mysterious dive into the central figure
• The film was among the official competition for Best Film award at last year’s BFI London Film Festival, where it made its world debut
• With intriguing twists and some deep character studies, this is an unusual biopic that will leave you wanting to know more about Dugdale and her interesting life

Baltimore is showing in cinemas from Friday 22 March 2024

CAST: Daniel Elías, Esteban Bigliardi, Margarita Molfino, Germán de Silva, Laura Paredes, Mariana Chaud, Cecilia Rainero, Javier Zoro Sutton, Gabriela Saidón, Adriana Aizemberg

CREW: Rodrigo Moreno (director, writer, editor), Ezequiel Borovinsky (producer), Inés Duacastella and Alejo Maglio (cinematographers), Karen Akerman, Manuel Ferrari and Nicolás Goldbart (editors)

PLOT: In Buenos Aires, bank clerk Morán (Elías) wishes to free himself of corporate monotony by stealing $650,000 from work, confess to the crime, and then have his friend and colleague Román (Bigliardi) hold onto the money whilst he serves time, after which they will split the money and retire comfortably. However, whilst facing a company investigation, Román retreats to a remote location to hide the cash, where he encounters someone who could change his life forever…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The heist caper is given a humorously mundane makeover in the brand-new comedy from Argentinian filmmaker Rodrigo Moreno
• Moreno tells an oddball story of criminal conspiracy that relies on the deadpan personalities of its two main characters
• With the heist itself gotten out of the way fairly quickly, the rest of the plot is an amusing and unpredictable look at the consequences of being a long-term accomplice
• It was put forward as Argentina’s submission for the International Feature Film Oscar, though unfortunately it didn’t make the shortlist
• Filled with feel-good vibes and a sunny disposition, you’ll be perfectly entertained by this gentle and funny twist on the bank robbery formula

The Delinquents is showing in cinemas from Friday 22 March 2024

CAST: Jake Gyllenhaal, Daniela Melchior, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, Joaquim de Almeida, Austin Post, Conor McGregor, Lukas Gage, Darren Barnet, J.D. Pardo, Arturo Castro, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Hannah Love Lanier, Travis Van Winkle, B. K. Cannon, Dominique Columbus, Beau Knapp, Bob Menery, Kevin Carroll, Jay Hieron

CREW: Doug Liman (director), Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry (writers), Joel Silver (producer), Christophe Beck (composer), Henry Braham (cinematographer), Doc Crotzer (editor)

PLOT: Elwood Dalton (Gyllenhaal), a former UFC middleweight champion who’s fallen on hard times, takes up a job as a bouncer at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys. Quickly, though, Dalton realises that the seemingly straightforward location of his latest gig is not as it seems…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The 80s cult classic starring Patrick Swayze is given an action-packed and energised new update for modern audiences
• Jake Gyllenhaal takes on the Swayze role, who here is reimagined as a bulked-up UFC fighter that gets in plenty of vicious blows to his foes
• Some of the Oscar-nominated actor’s co-stars include The Suicide Squad’s Daniela Melchior, Austin Post aka Post Malone, and boxing/MMA champion Conor McGregor who makes his acting debut
• Director Doug Liman has been vocal about Amazon’s decision to only put the film on streaming instead of giving it a theatrical release, which led to the filmmaker boycotting its recent world premiere at the SXSW Festival
• It’s a hardcore slice of fun for any action lovers, as well as those who fondly remember the original Road House (and not just those who know it through the recurring Family Guy gag!)

Road House is streaming exclusively on Prime Video from Friday 22 March 2024

CAST: Regina King, Lance Reddick, Terrence Howard, Lucas Hedges, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Christina Jackson, Michael Cherrie, André Holland, Dorian Missick, Amirah Vann, W. Earl Brown, Brad James, Reina King

CREW: John Ridley (director, writer, producer), Elizabeth Haggard, Regina King, Reina King and Anikah McLaren (producers), Tamar-kali (composer), Ramsey Nickell (cinematographer), JoAnne Yarrow (editor)

PLOT: In 1972, Shirley Chisholm (King) – having become the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress – breaks further boundaries by launching a history-making Presidential campaign…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Following on from its recent Oscar-nominated biopic Rustin, Netflix presents a new historical drama about another trailblazing Black figure who made history in 20th century America
• Oscar-winner Regina King plays the central figure Shirley Chisholm, and also produces the film for writer-director John Ridley (himself an Oscar-winner for his script for 12 Years a Slave)
• King leads a strong ensemble cast that also includes fellow Oscar nominees Terrence Howard and Lucas Hedges, as well as one of the final performances of the late Lance Reddick
• The film tackles important political issues such as racial discrimination and bias, which were just some of the many hurdles that Chisholm had to overcome
• In addition to her ambitions for the White House, many other aspects of Shirley’s inspiring career are celebrated throughout the movie

Shirley is streaming exclusively on Netflix from Friday 22 March 2024

CAST: Dana Berger, Max Woertendyke

CREW: Dane Elcar (director, writer, producer, cinematographer, editor), Max Woertendyke (producer), Jason Cook (composer)

PLOT: Jen (Berger) and Dan (Woertendyke), a married couple whose relationship hangs in the balance, go for a simple jog around their local pond, only to find themselves in a time warp that forces them to face the monsters both inside and outside…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• This chilling sci-fi horror will twist your mind and have you reconsidering everything that it offers you
• It is the feature debut of filmmaker Dane Elcar, who not only directs and writes the film but also produces, edits, and provides the cinematography, among other things!
• Actors Dana Berger and Max Wortendyke (also a producer on the film) make the most of their exclusive screen time as the only people you ever see in this twisted world
• The surprising turns it makes with these two characters and the mysterious circumstances they find themselves in are enough to make you completely glad you sought it out
• For anyone looking for a contained but ambitious independent thriller, Brightwood may just provide you with all that you need and want!

Brightwood is available to rent/buy on digital platforms from Thursday 21 March 2024

CAST: Simon Merrells, Hermione Corfield, Kemi-Bo Jacobs, Darrell D’Silva

CREW: Mitch Jenkins (director), Michael Dobbin (writer, producer), Guillaume Fradin (writer), Christopher Hamilton, Eva Lewucha and Charles Meunier (producers), Rachel Jamieson (composer), Stuart Howell (cinematographer), Beatrix Grimbly (editor)

PLOT: In the year 2041, a long-awaited mission to create the first lunar colony is about to launch, with Anderson (Merrells) leading the small group of astronauts set to embark on the expedition. However, when the mission’s purpose-built AI reveals a chilling prediction that puts humanity’s existence at risk, Anderson must decide over the course of a night whether to continue the mission, or sacrifice everything for the future of humankind…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• A number of tough moral dilemmas are at play in this thought-provoking sci-fi drama
• Mitch Jenkins, previously the director of the Alan Moore-scripted fantasy-noir The Show, brings a gently contained look at a small but significant choice regarding humanity’s future
• The limited ensemble cast, led by Simon Merrells, manage to create an uneasy atmosphere as their characters undergo some serious soul-searching
• Its talk of AI and the potential elimination of mankind make it eerily relevant to today’s audiences
• This is smart and calculated sci-fi that takes a much more thoughtful approach than is often done within the genre

A Million Days is available to rent/buy on digital platforms from Monday 18 March 2024

CAST: Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Verna Bloom, Thomas Chong, Linda Liorentino, Teri Garr, John Heard, Richard Cheech Marin, Catherine O’Hara, Dick Miller, Will Patton, Bronson Pinchot, Rocco Sisto, Larry Block, Victor Argo, Clarence Felder, Martin Scorsese

CREW: Martin Scorsese (director), Joseph Minion (writer), Robert F. Colesberry, Griffin Dunne and Amy Robinson (producers), Howard Shore (composer), Michael Ballhaus (cinematographer), Thelma Schoonmaker (editor)

PLOT: After an uneventful day at work, meek data processor Paul Hackett (Dunne) impulsively travels to New York’s Soho district for a date with Marcy (Arquette), a stranger he just met in a café. However, Paul quickly finds himself in a nightmarish series of episodes as the night progresses…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Martin Scorsese’s hugely underrated dark comedy makes a long-awaited return to cinemas with a brand-new 4K restoration
• Scorsese opted to make the smaller-scale film with Warner Bros after Paramount put his long-gestating passion project The Last Temptation of Christ into turnaround (the film eventually got made over at Universal)
• It was a starring vehicle for Griffin Dunne, who also produced the film and went on to receive a Golden Globe nomination for his tightly-wound performance
• Although it made a measly $10 million at the box office (just about making a profit on its $4.5 million budget), the film received widespread acclaim from critics, with Scorsese even winning the Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival
• Today, it’s remembered as one of the legendary filmmaker’s hidden gems, amidst an illustrious career culminating recently with the Oscar-winning/nominated Killers of the Flower Moon

After Hours is showing in cinemas from Friday 22 March 2024