Movie of the Week

• Nightbitch

Cinemas

• Rumours
• On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
• Unstoppable
• Club Zero
• Never Look Away
• Grand Theft Hamlet
• Nocturnes
• The Commander
• Merchant Ivory
• Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.

Streaming/On-Demand

• That Christmas
• Mary
• The Second Act

CAST: Amy Adams, Scoot McNairy, Arleigh Snowden, Emmett Snowden, Zoë Chao, Mary Holland, Ella Thomas, Archana Rajan, Jessica Harper, Adrienne Rose White, Roslyn Gentle, Stacey Swift, Darius De La Cruz

CREW: Marielle Heller (director, writer, producer), Amy Adams, Anne Carey, Sue Naegle, Stacy O’Neill and Christina Oh (producers), Nate Heller (composer), Brandon Trost (cinematographer), Anne McCabe (editor)

PLOT: A woman (Adams) is struggling to cope with the responsibilities of motherhood while her husband (McNairy) provides little help, when she suddenly begins to realise that she may be slowly transforming into a dog…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Amy Adams goes off the leash in perhaps the oddest lead role yet in her illustrious career
• Filmmaker Marielle Heller adapts the surreal magical-realist novel by Rachel Yoder into a rapturous and often very funny ode to motherhood
• Adams commands your attention at all times as she applies some ego-free physicality in scenes where her inner canine lets loose
• There’s talk of Adams even scoring an Oscar nomination for her eye-catching performance, which would mark her seventh overall nod (but her second as a lead)
• Filled with unexpected warmth and wisdom, this is one strange movie that you’ll want to pass on to the overworked mothers in your own life

Nightbitch is showing in cinemas from Friday 6 December 2024

CAST: Cate Blanchett, Charles Dance, Roy Dupuis, Denis Ménochet, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rolando Ravello, Takehiro Hira, Zlatko Burić, Alicia Vikander

CREW: Evan Johnson (director, writer, producer, editor), Galen Johnson (director, producer, editor), Guy Maddin (director, producer), Liz Jarvis, Lars Knudsen and Philipp Kreuzer (producers), Kristian Eidnes Andersen (composer), Stefan Ciupek (cinematographer), John Gurdebeke (editor)

PLOT: Whilst meeting to draft a joint statement on a blooming global crisis, the leaders of numerous world powers – including German Chancellor Hilda Ortmann (Blanchett), US President Edison Wolcott (Dance) and UK Prime Minister Cardosa Dewindt (Amuka-Bird) – wind up lost in the woods, where they encounter some unusual entities…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• This bonkers political satire takes aim at the ineffectiveness of our world leaders during times of global catastrophe
• Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin unites with siblings Evan and Galen Johnson to craft their unusual slice of social commentary
• A starry cast has been assembled to play the fictional representatives of our many nations, including Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett as an Angela Merkel-type figure, and Charles Dance as a very Biden-esque President (who, inexplicably, still has the actor’s signature English accent!)
• Prepare to witness some truly surreal imagery that will stick firmly to your brain – and we’re not saying that because there happens to be a giant brain in this movie!
• The whole strange ordeal unfolds in oddly entertaining fashion, rendering it something you’re unlikely to see replicated in the years to come

Rumours is showing in cinemas from Friday 6 December 2024

CAST: Susan Chardy, Elizabeth Chisela, Henry B.J. Phiri, Roy Chisha, Benson Mumba, Norah Mwansa, Esther Singini, Doris Naulapwa, Mary Mulabo, Blessings Bhamjee

CREW: Rungano Nyoni (director, writer), Tim Cole, Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe (producers), Lucrecia Dalt (composer), David Gallego (cinematographer), Nathan Nugent (editor)

PLOT: In Zambia, Shula (Chardy) stumbles across the body of her uncle whilst driving late at night, but does not emotionally react. As her family makes preparations for the uncle’s funeral, Shula soon becomes central to some shocking revelations that explain her non-reaction…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Some devastating family secrets are unearthed in eye-opening style during this surprising Zambian drama
• It is the long-awaited follow-up for writer-director Rungano Nyoni, who won numerous awards including a BAFTA for her striking debut feature I Am Not a Witch
• For her memorable approach to this film, Nyoni picked up the Best Director award within the Un Certain Regard section at this year’s Cannes Film Festival
• There are some hard truths that must be faced by certain family members, some of which may be rather shocking for some audiences to learn about
• Don’t miss this critically-acclaimed gem on the big screen, where unique and original stories like this need to be shown in all its glory!

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl is showing in cinemas from Friday 6 December 2024

CAST: Jharrel Jerome, Jennifer Lopez, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Don Cheadle, Shawn Hatosy, Chimechi Oparanozie, Parker Sack, Jordan Wallace, Benjamin Barrett, Corey Jantzen, Shane Sparks

CREW: William Goldenberg (director), Eric Champnella, Alex Harris and John Hindman (writers), Ben Affleck, David Crockett, Andy Fraser, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Gary Lewis and Anthony Robles (producers), Alexandre Desplat (composer), Salvatore Totino (cinematographer), Brett M. Reed (editor)

PLOT: Anthony Robles (Jerome), who was born with one leg, aspires to become a wrestling champion…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The inspiring true story of wrestler Anthony Robles is brought to the screen in rousing and uplifting fashion
• Jharrel Jerome puts in a powerful lead performance that is supported by equally strong turns by Jennifer Lopez and Bobby Cannavale, as his loving parents, as well as Michael Peña and Don Cheadle
• Lopez’s (now former) husband Ben Affleck is a producer on the film, with Matt Damon also credited as an executive producer, through their production company Artists Equity
• The film also marks the directorial debut of William Goldenberg, the prolific film editor who won an Oscar for Affleck’s Argo
• You’ll be moved by its resounding ability to deliver intense and crowd-pleasing human drama amidst its reliable sports biopic formula

Unstoppable is showing in cinemas from Friday 6 December 2024 (and will be streaming exclusively on Prime Video from Thursday 16 January 2025)

CAST: Mia Wasikowska, Mathieu Demy, Elsa Zylberstein, Amir El-Masry, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Amanda Lawrence, Sam Hoare, Keeley Forsyth, Lukas Turtur, Camilla Rutherford, Laoisha O’Callaghan, Isabel Lamers, Luke Barker, Ksenia Devriendt, Florence Baker, Samuel D. Anderson, Gwen Currant, Andrei Hozoc, Sade McNichols-Thomas

CREW: Jessica Hausner (director, writer), Géraldine Bajard (writer), Philippe Bober, Mike Goodridge, Johannes Schubert and Bruno Wagner (producers), Markus Binder (composer), Martin Gschlacht (cinematographer), Karina Ressler (editor)

PLOT: Ms Novak (Wasikowska) joins the faculty of a prestigious international boarding school, where she teaches a small but impressionable class of students about a fasting phenomenon called “conscious eating”. However, as Novak’s lessons become more extreme, and her students get into increasingly dangerous habits, their parents raise suspicions with headmistress Ms. Dorset (Knudsen) about Novak’s true intentions…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The school system is thoroughly shaken up in this unusual satire from writer-director Jessica Hausner
• Mia Wasikowska delivers one of her most chilling performances to date as a teacher who slowly encourages a cult-like mentality among her students
• There are echoes of The Wave in its depiction of real-world politics within an educational setting, though with an even more sinister focus on eating disorders
• The film competed for the Palme D’Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, alongside acclaimed favourites like Anatomy of a Fall, The Zone of Interest and Perfect Days
• It is a concerning reminder of how impressionable our youth can be, especially in the hands of people whose job is to prepare them for the wider world

Club Zero is showing in cinemas from Friday 6 December 2024

CAST: Margaret Moth, Christiane Amanpour

CREW: Lucy Lawless (director, writer, producer), Tom Blackwell and Matthew Metcalfe (writers, producers), Whetham Allpress (writer, editor), Jason Smith and Karl Sölve Steven (composers), Jenna Boss and Darryl Ward (cinematographers)

PLOT: The story of Margaret Moth, the CNN combat camerawoman who shot footage in numerous war zones over the years…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Lucy Lawless – yes, Xena: Warrior Princess herself – directs this fearless documentary about the trailblazing journalist who captured some of the 20th century’s most poignant war footage
• Margaret Moth’s indomitable spirit reigns supreme as the film charts her extraordinary career and numerous close calls with death
• Archive footage (some of it captured by Moth herself) show numerous conflicts up close, from the Persian Gulf War of the 90s to Israeli bombardments in the West Bank
• Lawless also allows the viewer to see the actual person behind the artist, using interviews with close associates to further paint a picture of who she truly was
• At a time when journalism is fighting for its own survival, this film serves as a formidable reminder of how vital it is to have people like Moth capture what few others aren’t quite able to

Never Look Away is showing in cinemas from Monday 2 December 2024

CAST: Sam Crane, Pinny Grylls, Mark Oosterveen, Jen Cohn, Tilly Steele, Lizzie Wofford, Sam Forster, Jeremiah O’Connor, Dipo Ola, Gareth Turkington

CREW: Pinny Grylls (director, writer, cinematographer, editor), Sam Crane (director, writer), Julia Ton and Rebecca Wolff (producers), Jamie Perera (composer)

PLOT: In January 2021, as theatres remain closed during lockdown, actors Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen attempt to stage a full production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the virtual world of Grand Theft Auto Online…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The most unlikely Shakespeare production in modern history is the subject of this funny and surprisingly touching documentary
• It is shot entirely within the gaming reality of Grand Theft Auto, rendering it a form of “machinina” (which describes the practise of using real-time computer graphics to create a cinematic experience)
• The film highlights the difficulties and growing anxieties developed by many during the COVID-19 pandemic, including working actors whose livelihoods were forced to a halt
• Festival audiences have been extremely receptive to the unusual hybrid, including at this year’s SXSW Film Festival where it won the Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature
• Combining the violent world of GTA with one of the greatest plays of all time, this is a real crowd-pleaser for fans of both video games and theatre

Grand Theft Hamlet is showing in cinemas from Friday 6 December 2024

CAST: Mansi Mungee, Bicki, Ramana Athreya, Gendan Marphew

CREW: Anirban Dutta (director, writer, producer), Anupama Srinivasan (director, writer), Nainita Desai (composer), Satya Nagpaul (cinematographer), Yaël Bitton (editor)

PLOT: Ecologist Mansi and her co-conspirator Bicki, who hails from the indigenous Bugun community, set out into the dense forests of the Eastern Himalayas to study moths and their secret nighttime world…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• This hypnotic documentary gives a whole new perspective to moths that you may never have seen before
• Filmmakers Anirban Dutta and Anupama Srinivasan follow two adventurous ecologists on a mission to discover more about the insects and their colourful world
• Some dazzling nighttime cinematography captures the raw beauty that the regular moth can create when alone or in a magnificent swarm
• Its visual rewards are unexpectedly stimulating for all your sensory needs, from its stunning visuals to the soothing sound design
• Even if insects aren’t your thing, there’s no denying how gorgeous it is to witness nature like this in its purest form

Nocturnes is showing in cinemas from Friday 6 December 2024

CAST: Pierfrancesco Favino, Johan Heldenbergh, Johannes Wirix-Speetjens, Silvia D’Amico, Paolo Bonacelli, Massimiliano Rossi

CREW: Edoardo De Angelis (director, writer, producer), Sandro Veronesi (writer), Attilio De Razza, Paolo Del Brocco, Nicola Giuliano and Pierpaolo Verga (producers), Robert Del Naja and Euan Dickinson (composers), Ferran Paredes (cinematographer), Lorenzo Peluso (editor)

PLOT: During the Battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War, Italian submarine commander Salvatore Todaro (Favino) disobeys direct orders and rescues the crew of a sunken Belgian ship, forcing his vessel to the surface and becoming an easy target for enemies…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The rare humanity of fascist Italy is on display in this gripping war drama that gives a small glimmer of hope in a dark world
• Acclaimed Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino plays the role of Salvatore Todaro, a real-life naval officer who made a brace choice in the face of almost certain death
• The film was selected to open the 2023 Venice Film Festival at the last minute, when the original selection – Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers – was pushed back due to the actors’ strike
• It has been compared to the classic German war thriller Das Boot, not just for its submarine setting but also for its unflinching portrayal of life within such a hostile nautical environment
• If you’re a sucker for war movies, then this should give you plenty of action and raw human drama that you crave from the genre

The Commander is showing in cinemas from Friday 6 December 2024

CAST: Ismail Merchant, James Ivory, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Helena Bonham Carter, Vanessa Redgrave, Felicity Kendal

CREW: Stephen Soucy (director, writer, producer), Jon Hart (writer, producer, editor), Ryan Homsey (composer), E. Matthew Cady, Sefa Karatekin, Adam Lewis and Jean-Marc Selva (cinematographers),  Eric Whedbee (editor)

PLOT: A celebration of the long-running film partnership of Ismail Merchant and James Ivory, who became known for period dramas like Howards End and The Remains of the Day…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Lovers of prestigious cinema will be ecstatic over this celebratory documentary about the legendary pair known collectively as Merchant Ivory
• The film explores their creative partnership, which last for over fifty years and across more than forty movies
• Interviews with top talent, including Oscar-winners Emma Thompson and Vanessa Redgrave, describe their experiences working with the duo
• Some intimate details about their professional and personal relationship are revealed by people who knew them best
• It shows why their films, and their extraordinary work ethics, continue to thrive with cinephiles all these years later

Merchant Ivory is showing in cinemas from Friday 6 December 2024

CAST: Jonas Dassler, August Diehl, David Jonsson, Flula Borg, Moritz Bleibtreu, Nadine Heidenreich, Patrick Mölleken, William Robinson, Clarke Peters

CREW: Todd Komarnicki (director, writer, producer), Camille Kampouris, Emmanuel Kampouris, Chloe Kassis-Crowe and Mark O’Sullivan (producers), John Mathieson (cinematographer), Blu Murray (editor)

PLOT: In 1940s Berlin, local pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Dassler) becomes involved in a deadly plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The chilling but hopeful tale of a pastor in Nazi Germany is brought to life in exciting fashion
• It comes from Angel Studios, the distributor behind last year’s sleeper hit thriller Sound of Freedom and the successful TV series The Chosen
• Jonas Dassler leads a formidable cast that also includes German character actor August Diehl, Alien: Romulus standout David Jonsson, and even YouTube sensation Flula Borg
• The film has garnered some controversy for its appropriation by far-right Christian Nationalists, which has prompted a letter of disapproval co-signed by many of the actors in the movie
• With its powerful messages, it hopes to shine light on a largely forgotten figure in European theological history

Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. is showing in cinemas from Friday 6 December 2024

CAST: Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker, Bill Nighy, Lolly Adefope, Alex Macqueen, Katherine Parkinson, Sindhu Vee, India Brown, Zazie Hayhurst, Sienna Sayer, Jack Wisniewski, Rosie Cavaliero, Paul Kaye, Guz Khan, Andy Nyman, Kuhu Agarwal, Bronte Smith, Freddie Spry, Ava Talbot, Rhys Darby, Deborah Findlay, Alicia Davies, Isabella Hopkins, Luke Jameson, Dermot O’Leary, Simon Otto, Jordan North, Mary Moss

CREW: Simon Otto (director), Richard Curtis and Peter Souter (writers), Aaron Dem, Nicole P. Hearon and Adam Tandy (producers), John Powell (composer), Sim Evan-Jones (editor)

PLOT: As Christmas approaches, Santa Claus (Cox) finds himself making a big mistake, one that ignites a series of stories about people finding the joy and hope in one another…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• This delightful animated feature is bound to put families everywhere in the festive spirit
• The legendary Richard Curtis adapts his own trilogy of stories into a pleasing anthology that anyone can enjoy
• Brian Cox, as a warm and cuddly version of Santa Claus, leads a stellar voice cast that also includes Bill Nighy, former Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker, and Rhys Darby
• It marks the directorial debut of animation veteran Simon Otto, who previously served as an animator on several DreamWorks movies, including the How to Train Your Dragon series
• With plenty of Christmas cheer and even an original song by Ed Sheeran, it is a film that will make you more excited for the holidays than you probably already are!

That Christmas is streaming exclusively on Netflix from Wednesday 4 December 2024

CAST: Noa Cohen, Ido Tako, Anthony Hopkins, Stephanie Nur, Susan Brown, Ori Pfeffer, Eamon Farren, Hilla Vidor, Mili Avital, Gudmundur Thorvaldsson, Dudley O’Shaughnessy, Keren Tzur, Mehmet Kurtulus, Mila Harris

CREW: D.J. Caruso (director), Timothy Michael Hayes (writer), Mary Aloe, Joshua Harris, Gillian Hormel and Hannah Leader (producers), Tim Williams (composer), Gavin Struthers (cinematographer), Jim Page (editor)

PLOT: In Nazareth, young Mary (Cohen) is chosen by the angel Gabriel (O’Shaughnessy) to carry a special baby, but her miraculous conception causes her to be shunned by her community, and to become a target for the powerful King Herod (Hopkins). To protect the baby from Herod’s wrath, Mary and Joseph (Tako) set out on a perilous journey together…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The classic Nativity is given a fresh take through the eyes of arguably its most important figure
• Young Mary, whose struggles as a young woman in Biblical times forms the main focus of the film, is portrayed with grace and humanity by breakthrough actor Noa Cohen
• She is joined by acting royalty in the form of Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins, who takes on the role of the murderous King Herod
• J. Caruso, the director of Disturbia and the similarly faith-based drama Redeeming Love, is behind this epic retelling
• With Christmas approaching, it’s as good a time as any to witness a whole new version of the story that inspired the holiday we all know and love today

Mary is streaming exclusively on Netflix from Friday 6 December 2024

CAST: Léa Seydoux, Vincent Lindon, Louis Garrel, Raphaël Quenard, Manuel Guillot

CREW: Quentin Dupieux (director, writer, cinematographer, editor), Hugo Sélignac (producer)

PLOT: At a restaurant in the middle of nowhere, Florence (Seydoux) wants to introduce her beloved boyfriend David (Garrel) to her father Guillaume (Lindon), while David intends to lead Florence into the arms of his friend Willy (Quenard)…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• French absurdist Quentin Dupieux is back at it again with yet another odd comedy outing
• This time, he’s bringing a number of prominent French actors into the mix, including Bond veteran Léa Seydoux, Titane star Vincent Lindon and The Innocents actor and director Louis Garrel
• All of them are given increasingly bizarre material to work with, all of which is right within Dupieux’s eccentric wheelhouse
• It opened this year’s Cannes Film Festival, before debuting in French cinemas the very same day
• Those who know what to expect from this filmmaker will be endlessly satisfied, while newcomers are bound to become perplexed yet thoroughly entertained

The Second Act is available to rent/buy on digital platforms from Monday 2 December 2024