Movie of the Week

• Bugonia

Cinemas

• Relay
• Shelby Oaks
• Kontinental ’25
• Palestine 36
• Baahubali: The Epic

Streaming/On-Demand

• Ballad of a Small Player
• Hedda

Re-Releases

• Back to the Future

CAST: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, Alicia Silverstone

CREW: Yorgos Lanthimos (director, producer), Will Tracy (writer), Ari Aster, Ed Guiney, Lars Knudsen, Jerry Kyoungboum Ko, Miky Lee, Andrew Lowe and Emma Stone (producers), Jerskin Fendrix (composer), Robbie Ryan (cinematographer), Yorgos Mavropsaridis (editor)

PLOT: Michelle Fuller (Stone), a high-powered pharmaceutical CEO, is kidnapped by conspiracy-obsessed duo Teddy (Plemons) and Don (Delbis), who are convinced that Michelle is an alien intent on destroying the planet…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos continue their collaborative hot streak with a bonkers sci-fi thriller that gleefully plays with your expectations
• A remake of the South Korean film Save the Green Planet!, Lanthimos and The Menu screenwriter Will Tracy add their own absurdist touch to the material that makes it funnier but also more sinister
• Stone is committed as ever in the central role (even shaving her head for the part), but Jesse Plemons is on truly top form as the deranged conspiracist who kicks the whole affair into motion
• In true Lanthimos fashion, the film offers an imaginatively surreal exploration of dark and timely themes that are given a dry yet grimly hilarious sense of humour
• Audiences will find themselves expecting the unexpected as the filmmaker and his formidable leading lady flip the script at every available opportunity

Bugonia is showing in cinemas from Friday 31 October 2025

CAST: Riz Ahmed, Sam Worthington, Lily James, Willa Fitzgerald, Jared Abrahamson, Pun Bandhu, Eisa Davis, Matthew Maher, Seth Barrish, Victor Garber

CREW: David Mackenzie (director, producer), Justin Piasecki (writer), Gillian Berrie, Basil Iwanyk and Teddy Schwartzman (producers), Tony Doogan (composer), Giles Nuttgens (cinematographer), Matt Mayer (editor)

PLOT: Ash (Ahmed) is a covert fixer who brokers lucrative deals for whistleblowers threatening to expose the malpractice of large corporations, but when his latest client Sarah (James) requests his help to avoid a surveillance group targeting her, Ash is pushed to the edge…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• This suspenseful corporate thriller combines the fast-paced action of your average Bourne film with the paranoia-laced surveillance films of the 70s (i.e. Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation)
• Riz Ahmed continues to prove why he’s one of today’s most powerful performers as he commands the screen in a lead role that plays to his strengths
• Ahmed, Lily James and Sam Worthington are all giving everything they’ve got under the direction of Hell or High Water’s David Mackenzie
• There are surprise turns that will throw you for a loop, and make the overall outcome far less predictable than when it started
• It’s gripping, engaging entertainment that thrives on the intricacy to which certain behind-the-curtain players operate, and how they think fast when on their feet

Relay is showing in cinemas from Friday 31 October 2025

CAST: Camille Sullivan, Brendan Sexton III, Michael Beach, Robin Bartlett, Keith David, Sarah Durn, Eric Francis Melaragni, Anthony Baldasare, Caisey Cole, Charlie Talbert, Emily Bennett, Rob Grant, Lauren Ashley Berry, Derek Mears, Brenna Sherman, Sloane Burkett

CREW: Chris Stuckmann (director, writer, producer), Cameron Burns, Aaron B. Koontz and Ashleigh Snead (producers), James Burkholder and The Newton Brothers (composers), Andrew Scott Baird (cinematographer), Brett W. Bachman and Patrick Lawrence (editors)

PLOT: Twelve years after the disappearance of her younger sister Riley (Durn), a paranormal investigator last seen in the mysterious town of Shelby Oaks, Mia (Sullivan) finds herself falling to obsession as she learns a terrifying truth that connects the both of them…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Prominent film critic Chris Stuckmann makes his feature filmmaking debut with a haunting and unpredictable frightener that’s bound to become a modern classic
• Stuckmann raised the film’s $1.4 million budget from a Kickstarter campaign, making it the most funded horror film project in the crowdfunding website’s history
• Fellow horror visionary Mike Flanagan is on board as an executive producer, nurturing Stuckmann’s own filmmaking skills that creates some fantastic atmosphere and generates some impressive performances
• After a mixed reception at festivals last year, the film was heavily revamped in post-production thanks to an all-new edit and notes from filmmakers like David F. Sandberg and Heretic duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, which have made the final product even better
• It’s a terrific announcement of Stuckmann as a new face in horror filmmaking, and an encouraging sign for any other film critics aspiring to become filmmakers themselves

Shelby Oaks is showing in cinemas from Wednesday 29 October 2025

CAST: Eszter Tompa, Gabriel Spahiu, Adonis Tanța, Oana Mardare, Șerban Pavlu, Annamária Biluska, Adrian Sitaru, Marius Damian, Nicodim Ungureanu, Ilinca Manolache, Dan Ursu, Vlad Semenescu, Daniel Paleacu, Theodor Graur, Marius Panduru

CREW: Radu Jude (director, writer), Rodrigo Teixeira and Alexandru Teodorescu (producers), Marius Panduru (cinematographer), Catalin Cristutiu (editor)

PLOT: In Romania, Orsolya (Tompa) is a bailiff who is ridden with guilt after a homeless man she evicted tragically commits suicide, and sets out to right a moral wrong…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Radu Jude, the Romanian satirist behind the award-winning Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn and Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, is back to tackle a humanitarian crisis with plenty of macabre humour
• The film is very loosely inspired by Roberto Rossellini’s Europe ’51, albeit with a much more post-modern flavour
• It addresses pressing issues such as post-social economics, nationalism, and the lack of housing to shelter some of our most vulnerable citizens
• Jude was awarded the Silver Bear award for his screenplay at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, a couple of years after coming away with the top Golden Bear prize for Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
• Blending wry absurdist comedy with concerning social issues, this is a film that has plenty to say and a hell of a fun way to say it

Kontinental ’25 is showing in cinemas from Friday 31 October 2025

CAST: Hiam Abbass, Kamel El Basha, Yasmine Al Massri, Jalal Altawil, Robert Aramayo, Saleh Bakri, Yafa Bakri, Karim Daoud Anaya, Wardi Eilabouni, Ward Helou, Billy Howle, Dhafer L’Abidine, Liam Cunningham, Jeremy Irons, Mo’min Swaitat, Yumna Marwan, Sam Hoare, Christopher Villiers

CREW: Annemarie Jacir (director, writer), Ossama Bawardi (producer), Ben Frost (composer), Sarah Blum, Tim Fleming, Hélène Louvart and Leandro Monti (cinematographers), Tania Reddin (editor)

PLOT: In 1936, as the people of Palestine ignite a revolution against the ruling British Empire, a number of individuals grapple with the changing climate around them…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• A monumental period in Palestine’s history is the setting for a sprawling historical epic that seeks to educate viewers about the country’s rocky past
• It is the most ambitious project yet for Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir, who previously wowed with films like Wajib and Salt of This Sea
• The ensemble cast is spectacular, with local actors breathing life into the natives that bravely took their country back, while British acting giants like Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons and I Swear star Robert Aramayo represent the authoritarian rule they’re fighting against
• It has already been selected as Palestine’s official entry for the upcoming International Feature Film Oscar, and given its strong festival buzz it’s certainly within a shot of at least a nomination!
• As Palestine and its people both continue to suffer under ruthless genocide and starvation, it’s more important than ever to recognise the history of a country that deserves to be spared from such barbarism

Palestine 36 is showing in cinemas from Friday 31 October 2025

CAST: Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Tamannaah Bhatia, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah, Ramya Krishna, Sathyaraj, Nassar

CREW: S. S. Rajamouli (director, writer), V. Vijayendra Prasad (writer), Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni (producers), M. M. Keeravani (composer), K. K. Senthil Kumar (cinematographer), Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao (editor)

PLOT: In the medieval Indian kingdom of Mahishmati, Sivudu (Prabhas) is an adventurous young man raised by tribal people who soon accompanies resistance fighter Avantika (Bhatia) on a mission to overthrow the tyrannical King Bhallaladeva (Daggubati), and in the process learns his true destiny…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Visionary RRR director S. S. Rajamouli revisits his two-part historical epic with a brand-new approach in time for the duology’s 10th anniversary
• Both films have now been remastered and reedited into one singular movie experience, a process overseen by the filmmaker himself
• The result is an all-new film that feels distinct from its previous split incarnation, and certainly does not compromise any of the stylish spectacle that made Rajamouli’s films so revered in the first place
• There are effects-heavy action set-pieces and sprawling storytelling that honestly put a lot of modern Hollywood movies to shame, not to mention the heavy star power of Prabhas who impresses in multiple roles
• This is epic filmmaking on such a grand scale that you’d be a fool to miss out on its incredible sense of scope and wonder

Baahubali: The Epic is showing in cinemas from Friday 31 October 2025

CAST: Colin Farrell, Fala Chen, Tilda Swinton, Deanie Ip, Alex Jennings, Jason Tobin, Adrienne Lau

CREW: Edward Berger (director, producer), Rowan Joffe (writer), Mike Goodridge and Matthew James Wilkinson (producers), Volker Bertelmann (composer), James Friend (cinematographer), Nick Emerson (editor)

PLOT: Lord Doyle (Farrell), a high-stakes gambler laying low in Macau, is struggling to pay off his outstanding debts when he is offered a lifeline by casino employee Dao Ming (Chen), but with private investigator Cynthia Blithe (Swinton) hot on his trail, Doyle is forced to reckon with his guilty conscience…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• After a two-hit Oscars run with All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave, director Edward Berger lets looser than ever with a stylish and sophisticated psychological thriller
• Oscar-nominee Colin Farrell is exhilarating as the mysterious gambler at the centre of an unpredictable plot that’s based on Lawrence Osborne’s novel of the same name
• Some striking cinematography captures the neon-drenched colourfulness of Macau, while some fast-paced editing invites the viewer inside its unreliable protagonist’s carefully-guarded head
• Berger blends the exciting energy of casino gambling with a haunting and possibly even supernatural morality tale that will leave you with plenty to chew on
• Even if it doesn’t end up as much of an awards favourite as the director’s most recent films, it solidifies Berger as a fierce filmmaking talent that continues to surprise us all

Ballad of a Small Player is streaming exclusively on Netflix from Wednesday 29 October 2025

CAST: Tessa Thompson, Imogen Poots, Tom Bateman, Nicholas Pinnock, Nina Hoss, Kathryn Hunter, Finbar Lynch, Mirren Mack, Jamael Westman, Saffron Hocking

CREW: Nia DaCosta (director, writer, producer), Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Gabrielle Nadig and Tessa Thompson (producers), Hildur Guðnadóttir (composer), Sean Bobbitt (cinematographer), Jacob Schulsinger (editor)

PLOT: In 1950s England, Hedda Gabler hosts an extravagant party with her new husband George (Bateman), but as the evening plods along and various former lovers resurface, Hedda reveals a more secret agenda…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Acclaimed filmmaker Nia DaCosta brings to life a fresh and original new take on Henrik Ibsen’s classic play Hedda Gabler
• Tessa Thompson delivers a riveting central performance as the titular anti-hero whose complexity is brilliantly demonstrated by the actor
• The director/writer modernises many elements from the original play, including the sexuality of the protagonist that is now expanded to multiple genders
• It’s an adaptation that nails the tragedy of Ibsen’s text while also adding newer twists that make such tragic moments all the harder to stomach
• Filled with style, substance and plenty more underneath the surface, this is bound to become a go-to favourite for lovers of Henrik Ibsen adaptations

Hedda is streaming exclusively on Prime Video from Wednesday 29 October 2025

CAST: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson, Claudia Wells, Marc McClure, Wendie Jo Sperber, Elsa Raven, Richard L. Duran, Jeff O’Haco, George DiCenzo, Frances Lee McCain, Jason Hervey, Jeffrey Jay Cohen, Casey Siemaszko, Billy Zane, Norman Alden, Donald Fullilove, Harry Waters Jr., Will Hare, Courtney Gains, James Tolkan

CREW: Robert Zemeckis (director, writer), Bob Gale (writer, producer), Neil Canton (producer), Alan Silvestri (composer), Dean Cundey (cinematographer), Harry Keramidas and Arthur Schmidt (editors)

PLOT: In 1985, teenager Marty McFly (Fox) witnesses the scientific breakthrough of his eccentric scientist friend Dr. Emmett Brown (Lloyd) as he tests out a DeLorean time machine, but soon he is accidentally transported back to 1955 when, after inadvertently preventing his father George (Glover) from meeting his mother Lorraine (Thompson), must try and unite them before being erased from existence…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• One of the greatest teen movies, sci-fi movies, comedy movies etc ever made is speeding at 88mph back onto the big screen for its 40th anniversary
• Director and co-writer Robert Zemeckis’s all-encompassing ride was, and continues to be, a cultural phenomenon that viewers of any age can enjoy
• Filled with lovable characters from the scrappy teen Marty McFly to the hilariously brutish school bully Biff Tannen, as well as endlessly quotable dialogue and pitch-perfect plotting, Zemeckis and Bob Gale’s script is utterly flawless
• Its legacy remains intact, from the two sequels shot back-to-back to the short-lived animated show to the recent successful stage musical to, of course, the iconic music by composer Alan Silvestri and songs by Huey Lewis and the News
• In case you couldn’t already tell, Back to the Future is one of my favourite movies of all time, so if I’m ecstatic about the prospect of seeing this classic in cinemas, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be as well!

Back to the Future is showing in cinemas from Friday 31 October 2025