Movie of the Week

• Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Cinemas

• Lilo & Stitch
• The Phoenician Scheme
• When the Light Breaks
• Mongrel

Streaming/On-Demand

• Fountain of Youth
• Fear Street: Prom Queen

Re-Releases

• Burden of Dreams

CAST: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga, Henry Czerny, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Angela Bassett, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, Frederick Schmidt, Rolf Saxon, Tommie Earl Jenkins, Mark Gatiss, Indira Varma, Lucy Tulugarjuk, Katy O’Brian, Tramell Tillman, Stephen Oyoung

CREW: Christopher McQuarrie (director, writer, producer), Erik Jendresen (writer), Tom Cruise (producer), Lorne Balfe (composer), Fraser Taggart (cinematographer), Eddie Hamilton (editor)

PLOT: After acquiring the key to locating and destroying a rogue AI known as the Entity, IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team of operatives including Grace (Atwell), Luther (Rhames) and Benji (Pegg) embark on their most dangerous mission yet…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The eighth entry in star/producer Tom Cruise’s hugely successful action franchise is an epic culmination of everything the series has done up to this point
• Continuing the storyline from Dead Reckoning, the film sees Cruise, once more under the direction of Christopher McQuarrie, perform some of his most death-defying stunts to date
• Expect plenty of callbacks to characters and items from previous Mission: Impossible films, some of which could well come into play throughout the course of the film
• With a budget reported to be around $400 million, it’s set to be one of the most expensive movies ever made – and thankfully, the money is all there on the screen!
• It is said to be the emotional entry yet, so you might want to start preparing to say farewell to some franchise favourites, including quite possibly Cruise’s Ethan Hunt

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is showing in cinemas from Wednesday 21 May 2025

CAST: Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders, Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Magnussen, Kaipo Dudoit, Tia Carrere, Courtney B. Vance, Hannah Waddingham, Amy Hill, Jason Scott Lee

CREW: Dean Fleischer Camp (director), Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes (writers), Jonathan Eirich and Dan Lin (producers), Dan Romer (composer), Nigel Bluck (cinematographer), Phillip J. Bartell (editor)

PLOT: In Hawaii, a young girl named Lilo (Kealoha) adopts an unusual-looking dog she names Stitch (Sanders), unaware that he is actually a rogue alien experiment created to cause chaos and destruction…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Disney revisits its modern animated classic with a live-action revamp that retains the adorable nature of the original, in addition to the Hawaiian setting and embedment of Elvis classics
• Dean Fleischer Camp, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, brings some of his trademark irreverence to the familiar narrative
• Young actor Maia Kealoha makes a formidable as the human lead, with erstwhile supporting turns from the likes of Zach Galifianakis, Billy Magnussen and Courtney B. Vance
• Of course, it is the blue alien of the title whom most will want to see, and thanks to cutting-edge CGI as well as the participation of original voice actor Chris Sanders, Stitch is faithfully brought into the real world
• It’s a treat for fans of the 2002 Disney classic as well as newer audience who will undoubtedly fall in love with the bond that the two title characters share with one another

Lilo & Stitch is showing in cinemas from Wednesday 21 May 2025

CAST: Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed, Mathieu Amalric, Jeffrey Wright, Richard Ayoade, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, Bill Murray, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Willem Dafoe, Tonio Arango, Aysha Joy Samuel, Mohamed Chahrour, Imke Büchel, Anna Bardorf, Imad Mardnli, Jaime Ferkic, Antonia Desplat, Sabine Hollweck

CREW: Wes Anderson (director, writer, producer), Jeremy Dawson, John Peet and Steven Rales (producers), Alexandre Desplat (composer), Bruno Delbonnel (cinematographer), Barney Pilling (editor)

PLOT: Zsa-zsa Korda (del Toro), one of Europe’s wealthiest men, appoints his only daughter, a nun named Sister Liesl (Threapleton), as sole heir to his estate, which brings both of them in the crossfires of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists and determined assassins…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Wes Anderson is back with an all-new cinematic adventure that’s well within his meticulously artisanal wheelhouse
• He’s gathered yet another impressive ensemble cast made up of familiar faces like Bill Murray, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson and Benedict Cumberbatch, along with Anderson newcomers like Michael Cera and Riz Ahmed
• Leading the chase, though, is the eclectic pairing of Benicio del Toro and Mia Threapleton (daughter of Kate Winslet) as a very unusual father-daughter duo, even for someone like Anderson
• It’s a truly world-hopping affair as Anderson takes us to several different locations around the world, captured through Bruno Delbonnel’s striking cinematography
• Whether you’re a Wes Anderson fan or not, it’s always fun to see something of such vivid imagination be at the forefront of modern cinemagoing

The Phoenician Scheme is showing in cinemas from Friday 23 May 2025

CAST: Elín Hall, Mikael Kaaber, Katla Njálsdóttir, Ágúst Wigum, Gunnar Hrafn Kristjánsson, Baldur Einarsson

CREW: Rúnar Rúnarsson (director, writer, producer), Heather Millard (producer), Sophia Olsson (cinematographer), Andri Steinn Guðjónsson (editor)

PLOT: One summer’s day, art student Uma (Hall) receives tragic news concerning her lover Diddi (Einarsson), while harbouring a secret that brings the nature of her relationship with him under a new light…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• This tender Icelandic drama explores the sudden nature of losing someone close, and grappling with the decisions made in the tragic aftermath
• Oscar-nominated filmmaker Rúnar Rúnarsson sets his fourth narrative feature over the course of a single day, with actor Elín Hall carrying the contained events with profound emotion
• It opened the Un Certain Regard section at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it also received plenty of healthy feedback from critics and audiences
• Some captivating cinematography and a carefully curated playlist of music help to set a powerful tone that matches the heartbreak of its central characters
• Moving in all the right ways, this is a beautiful slice-of-life film that brings up some upsetting but ultimately healthy themes concerning grief and eternal love

When the Light Breaks is showing in cinemas from Friday 23 May 2025

CAST: Wanlop Rungkumjad, Kuo Shu-Wei, Daniel Hong, Lu Yi-Ching, Atchara Suwan, Akira Chen

CREW: Chiang Wei-Liang (director, writer), Yin You-Qiao (director), Lynn Chen, Lai Wei-jie and Chu Yun-Ting (producers), Michaël Capron (cinematographer), Dounia Sichov (editor)

PLOT: In rural Taiwan, Oom (Rungkumjad) is a migrant caregiver from Thailand who is illegally employed by local gangster Hsing (Hong), and finds himself in a series of difficult situations…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The emotional new film from debut feature filmmakers Chiang Wei-Liang and Yin You-Qiao sheds light on exploitative practises in specific parts of Asia
• It is a co-production between Taiwan, Singapore and France, which Singaporean native Chiang began developing as early as 2017 after being inspired by his family’s experience with migrant caregivers
• After debuting to strong praise at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, the movie came away with a special mention in the Caméra d’Or category, which honours the work of first-time filmmakers
• It operates on high Ken Loach levels of showing social issues such as migrant exploitation and mistreatment, with plenty of heart-wrenching drama to illustrate its fierce points
• While it’s far from an easy watch, it nonetheless remains vital viewing for anyone hoping to learn more about the world’s crises in order to campaign for crucial change

Mongrel is showing in cinemas from Friday 23 May 2025

CAST: John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza González, Domhnall Gleeson, Carmen Ejogo, Stanley Tucci, Laz Alonso, Arian Moayed, Daniel De Bourg, Steve Tran, Benjamin Chivers, Michael Epp

CREW: Guy Ritchie (director, producer), James Vanderbilt (writer), Ivan Atkinson, Ritchie Atkinson, David Ellison, Dan Goldberg, Don Granger, Jake Myers, William Sherak and Tripp Vinson (producers), Christopher Benstead (composer), Ed Wild (cinematographer), James Herbert (editor)

PLOT: Global adventurer Luke Purdue (Krasinski) teams with his estranged sister Charlotte (Portman) for a quest to find the fabled Fountain of Youth…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Guy Ritchie brings the old-school adventure movie back to its roots with a fun-filled action blockbuster for all ages
• The director assembles a starry cast, fronted by John Krasinski and Natalie Portman, for an international journey that makes exquisite use of some of the world’s most iconic locations
• It features giant sets and sprawling effects work that recall some of the finest moments of Indiana Jones, whose spirit lives on in this original modern-day homage
• Some exciting puzzles leading to the ultimate treasure that will capture the imagination of its audience in ways they won’t be expecting
• Thanks to the bounding charisma of its leads and the layers of mythology to work with, don’t be surprised if more films with these characters gets made if it performs well!

Fountain of Youth is streaming exclusively on Apple TV+ from Friday 23 May 2025

CAST: India Fowler, Suzanna Son, Fina Strazza, David Iacono, Ella Rubin, Chris Klein, Ariana Greenblatt, Lili Taylor, Katherine Waterston, Brennan Clost

CREW: Matt Palmer (director, writer), Donald McLeary (writer), Kori Adelson, Peter Chernin, August Linn and Jenno Topping (producers), The Newton Brothers (composers), Márk Györi (cinematographer), Christopher Donaldson (editor)

PLOT: In 1988, the students of Shadyside High School are preparing for the prom, where numerous girls shop around their classmates for support to be voted Prom Queen. However, things take a deadly turn when an unexpected candidate throws their hat into the ring…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Return to the world of Shadyside with an all-new standalone adaptation of R.L. Stine’s horror series, following the three-part Netflix movie event from 2022
• Director and co-writer Matt Palmer adapts Stine’s 1992 novel The Prom Queen with Donald McLeary (a former cast member of CBeebies’ Me Too! – yes, really)
• Numerous actors are lined up to potentially be offed in increasingly disturbing ways, including Barbie star Ariana Greenblatt and American Pie alumni Chris Klein
• With its 80s setting and aesthetic, expect plenty of callbacks to classic horror movies of the era, including some prom-themed ones like Carrie and Prom Night
• It’s sure to not be the last time we step into the world of Fear Street, with plenty more stories from Stine’s backlog that are ready to be adapted in the near-future!

Fear Street: Prom Queen is streaming exclusively on Netflix from Friday 23 May 2025

CAST: Werner Herzog, Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, Mick Jagger, Mariano Gagnon

CREW: Les Blank (director, producer, cinematographer), Michael Goodwin (writer), Maureen Gosling (editor)

PLOT: The chaotic production of filmmaker Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo, as told by documentarian Les Blank and his own crew…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The legendary making-of documentary about the even more legendary Werner Herzog movie Fitzcarraldo makes a daring return to cinemas with an all-new 4K restoration
• Filmmaker Les Blank captured some of the most catastrophic moments of an already-troubled film production in the deepest parts of Peru, as led by the daring but difficult Werner Herzog
• Showing everything from tempestuous actor-direction relationships to the protests of local natives hired to work behind the scenes, it’s a fascinating look at how far is too far when it comes to making movies
• Famously, Blank and his crew became so overwhelmed and exhausted by the frequent chaos that many, including Blank himself, have liked their experiences to serving in the Vietnam War!
• Despite the unruly nature of what’s shown on the screen, the film has become recognised as one of the finest documentaries about filmmaking ever made, and a must-watch for any potential movie-maker

Burden of Dreams is showing in cinemas from Friday 23 May 2025