Movie of the Week

• The Naked Gun

Cinemas

• The Legend of Ochi
• Savages
• 40 Acres
• Late Shift
• Heidi: Rescue of the Lynx
• 2000 Meters to Andriivka
• Dogspiracy
• Oslo Stories Trilogy: Dreams

Streaming/On-Demand

• My Oxford Year

Re-Releases

• My Beautiful Laundrette
• Summer Wars

CAST: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, Danny Huston, Liza Koshy, Cody Rhodes, CCH Pounder, Busta Rhymes, Michael Bisping, Eddy Yu, Moses Jones

CREW: Akiva Schaffer (director, writer), Dan Gregor and Doug Mand (writers), Erica Huggins and Seth MacFarlane (producers), Lorne Balfe (composer), Brandon Trost (cinematographer), Brian Scott Olds (editor)

PLOT: Frank Drebin Jr. (Neeson), a detective working for Police Squad, investigates a complex, and increasingly hilarious, new case…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The outrageously funny crime comedy series is retooled for a new generation of audiences, all while retaining the signature brand of silly humour
• Liam Neeson lampoons his own action-movie persona as he takes on a role previously occupied by the late comedic genius Leslie Nielsen
• Akiva Schaffer, a member of The Lonely Island and previously the filmmaker behind Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, directs and co-writes under the watch of producer and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane
• The non-stop gags are consistently hilarious, and are in keeping in spirit with the legendary silliness of Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker, the creators of the original Naked Gun trilogy as well as fellow comedy classics like Airplane! and Top Secret!
• Anyone looking for a hearty laugh this summer blockbuster season will absolutely want to experience the madcap zaniness that audiences, not to mention cinema itself, desperately need right now

The Naked Gun is showing in cinemas from Friday 1 August 2025

CAST: Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson, Willem Dafoe, Razvan Stoica, Carol Bors, David Andrei Baltatu, Andrei Antoniu Anghel, Eduard Mihail Oancea, Tomas Otto Ghela, Eduard Ionut Cucu, Stefan Burlacu

CREW: Isaiah Saxon (director, writer, producer), Traci Carlson, Richard Peete and Jonathan Wang (producers), David Longstreath (composer), Evan Prosofsky (cinematographer), Paul Rogers (editor)

PLOT: In a remote village, Yuri (Zengel) is taught to fear a mysterious race of creatures known as the Ochi, but after encountering a young Ochi left behind by its pack, she decides to venture out and return it…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• A24 invites you to return to an era of family adventure movies that relied on charm and whimsy over anything else
• It is the feature debut of music video director Isaiah Saxon, who also has in his corner Jonathan Wang, the Oscar-winning producer of Everything Everywhere All at Once
• Young Helena Zengel leads a warm-hearted core cast that also includes Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson and an ever-delightful Willem Dafoe
• The film uses a hearty combination of practical effects and puppetry to bring the titular creature to life, as well as subtle CGI on top of some old-fashioned matte paintings
• Both a winning throwback to 80s family movies and a timeless classic in its own right, this is a real treat for the whole family

The Legend of Ochi is showing in cinemas from Friday 1 August 2025

CAST: Babette De Coster, Martin Verset, Laetitia Dosch, Benoît Poelvoorde, Pierre-Isaïe Duc, Michel Vuillermoz, Gaël Faye, Sailyvia Paysan, Anna-Marie Missoul

CREW: Claude Barras (director, writer, editor), Catherine Paillé (writer), Nicolas Burlet (producer), Charles de Ville and Nelly Tungang (composers), Simon Filliot (cinematographer), Anne-Laure Guégan and Valène Leroy (editors)

PLOT: In Borneo, young Kéria (De Coster) rescues a baby orangutan named Oshi, and along with her displaced cousin Selaï (Verset), Kéria and Oshi sets out to stop logging companies from destroying their ancestral home…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• This gorgeous stop-motion animated feature offers thoughtful commentary in addition to all-encompassing entertainment
• It is the second feature from Swiss filmmaker Claude Barras, who first arrived on the scene with his Oscar-nominated feature My Life as a Courgette
• The wide-spanning rainforests of Borneo serve as a mighty backdrop for a story about cultural roots and the importance of preserving them from environmental threat
• It made a splash at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it debuted out of competition, and continued to stand out at further festivals in London and Barras’ native Switzerland
• It’s a heartwarming feature that may inspire a new generation of advocates for all aspects of our precious green planet

Savages is showing in cinemas from Friday 1 August 2025

CAST: Danielle Deadwyler, Kataem O’Connor, Jaeda LeBlanc, Michael Greyeyes, Milcania Diaz-Rojas, Leenah Robinson

CREW: R.T. Thorne (director, writer), Glenn Taylor (writer), Jennifer Holness (producer), Todor Kobakov (composer), Jeremy Benning (cinematographer), Sandy Pereira and Dev Singh (editors)

PLOT: In a decimated future, Hailey Freeman (Deadwyler) is the matriarch of a family of Canadian farmers who are descended from American Civil War migrants, and must now defend their homestead from vicious cannibals trying to lay claim to their resources…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Tensions run high in this dystopian thriller that offers few easy answers and plenty of unnerving post-apocalyptic entertainment
• The ever-excellent Danielle Deadwyler leads a limited cast that gives a collection of fierce and unpredictable performances
• It is the feature debut of Canadian director and co-writer R. T. Thorne, who previously worked on TV shows such as Degrassi: The Next Generation and Utopia Falls
• After debuting at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, the film was promoted by the festival to the prestigious Canada’s Top 10 list of local films showing that year
• You’ll be left in deep thought as well as deeply entertained by the strong filmmaking and compelling storytelling on display

40 Acres is showing in cinemas from Friday 1 August 2025

CAST: Leonie Benesch, Sonja Riesen, Selma Aldin, Alireza Bayram, Ali Kandaş, Aline Beetschen, Jasmin Mattei, Urs Bihler, Nicole Bachmann, Doris Schefer, Margherita Schoch, Lale Yavaş, Pema Shitsetsang

CREW: Petra Volpe (director, writer), Lukas Hobi and Reto Schärli (producers), Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch (composer), Judith Kaufmann (cinematographer), Hansjörg Weißbrich (editor)

PLOT: At a hospital in Switzerland, Floria (Benesch) is a devoted surgical nurse working through a demanding late shift at an understaffed ward, but a grave error pushes her towards collapse…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The everyday pressures of healthcare are pushed to the forefront of this intense European thriller
• The trailer alone is enough to give one a panic attack, as writer-director Petra Volpe brilliantly captures the overwhelming stress that all healthcare professionals have sadly experienced at some point in their careers
• Our focus is almost always on lead actor Leonie Benesch, previously seen in The Teachers’ Lounge and September 5, and who gives an expertly unnerved performance here
• It gained strong reviews following its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year, and even more when it showed at the inaugural SXSW London festival
• You’ll hopefully come away with a newfound respect for anyone working in hospitals who, like Benesch in this movie, do so much under the most enormously pressured conditions

Late Shift is showing in cinemas from Friday 1 August 2025

CAST: Max Giermann, Michael McCown, Toby Schwarz

CREW: Tobias Schwarz (director), Rob Sprackling (writer), Dario Sanchez Diaz and Thorsten Wegener (producers), Ute Engelhardt (composer), Sebastian Jansen (editor)

PLOT: Heidi (TBA), a spirited eight-year-old living with her grandfather (TBA) in the Swiss mountains, finds and rescues an injured baby lynx, and with her best friend Peter (TBA) she sets out to return the lynx to its family before evil businessman Mr. Schnaittinger (McCown) can get hold of it…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• A timeless literary hero makes a daring return to the big screen in an all-new animated adventure for the whole family
• The young heroine of the original book by Swiss author Johanna Spyri comes to life thanks to some striking CG animation
• It’s an original story written by Rob Sprackling, who previously wrote Gnomeo and Juliet and The Queen’s Corgi, the latter of which director Tobias Schwarz also worked on as a storyboard artist
• Young viewers can enjoy the spirited antics of young Heidi and her cuddly new lynx friend, while also becoming invested in the film’s wider environmental messages
• Spend the start of the summer holidays with a film that offers something for just about everyone, especially families with young children

Heidi: Rescue of the Lynx is showing in cinemas from Friday 1 August 2025

CAST: Mstyslav Chernov, Alex Babenko

CREW: Mstyslav Chernov (director, writer, producer, cinematographer), Michelle Mizner (producer, editor), Raney Aronson (producer), Sam Slater (composer), Alex Babenko (cinematographer)

PLOT: In 2023, journalist Mstyslav Chernov accompanies a battalion of Ukrainian soldiers on a mission to liberate the small Russia-occupied town of Andriivka…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The Oscar-winning documentary team behind 20 Days in Mariupol return to the frontline of the Russia-Ukraine war for a captivating new look at military life in war-torn Eastern Europe
• Journalist and filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov captures raw footage of Ukrainian soldiers putting their lives at risk for freedom, with intimate moments also taken from the soldiers’ bodycams
• Its haunting introspection has been likened to All Quiet on the Western Front in how it showcases the true terrors of war
• You feel the fear inside all these soldiers, but also their pride for fighting to liberate a country from the evils of Putin’s regime
• Like 20 Days in Mariupol, it’s a phenomenal achievement in documentary filmmaking that once again brings to light the horrors of what’s happening right now across the world

2000 Meters to Andriivka is showing in cinemas from Friday 1 August 2025

CAST: Marc Abraham, Peter Egan, Marcella Whittingdale, Donna Sherlock, Vanessa Waddon, Rosie Duffield, Sheryl Patrillo, Roger Gale, Jeanne McNeil, Henry Smith, Hagar Hauser, Maureen Greening, Caroline Lucas, Tracy Pennycuick, Ben Kramer, John Goodwin, Eileen Jones, Tim Schwab, Jennifer Maher, Grace Kelly, Naushabah Khan

CREW: Paul Crompton (director, writer), Marc Abraham (writer), TBA (producer), John Benam and Danny MacGregor (cinematographers), Michal Novák (editor)

PLOT: British vet, author and animal welfare campaigner Marc Abraham investigates a sinister international ring of puppy mills that abuse and exploit dogs…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• If you’re a dog-lover, make sure you have plenty of tissues in hand as you watch this eye-opening (and tear duct-opening) documentary about the cruel mistreatment of innocent canines
• It’s a passion project by outspoken animal welfare activist Marc Abraham, better known as “Marc the Vet”, whose work has earned him an OBE and other awards of recognition
• Marc captures horrifying footage of severe animal mistreatment that shows the cruelty of criminal puppy mills
• He is also shown liaising with politicians in both America and the UK, whose inactions are the product of a much larger conspiracy at play
• There’s enough to make anyone feel inspired to do whatever they can and take down the evil criminals, regardless of whether or not they even like dogs

Dogspiracy is showing in cinemas from Friday 1 August 2025

CAST: Ella Øverbye, Selome Emnetu, Ane Dahl Torp, Anne Marit Jacobsen, Andrine Sæther

CREW: Dag Johan Haugerud (director, writer), Hege Hauff Hvattum and Yngve Sæther (producers), Anna Berg (composer), Cecilie Semec (cinematographer), Jens Christian Fodstad (editor)

PLOT: In Oslo, teenager Johanne (Øverbye) documents her passionate crush on her French teacher Johanna (Emnetu) into a collection of writings. However, when her mother Kristin (Torp) and grandmother Karin (Jacobsen) find Johanne’s work and sense that it has literary potential, all three contemplate their differing views on desire…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The first released entry in Norwegian filmmaker Dag Johan Haugerud’s sensual new trilogy (but technically the second of the original line-up) is a subversive delight
• It dives deep into a wide spectrum of what it is to feel love and passion, without stigmatising some of the more provocative topics of conversation
• A number of strong performances warm its centre, including young Ella Øverbye who conveys the fiery yearning of a teenager experiencing their first love
• The film won the prestigious Golden Bear at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, beating out entries by Richard Linklater, Rebecca Lenkiewicz and Radu Jude
• Make it a triple feature with the two remaining films in the trilogy, both due out later this month!

Oslo Stories Trilogy: Dreams is showing in cinemas from Friday 1 August 2025

CAST: Sofia Carson, Corey Mylchreest, Dougray Scott, Catherine McCormack, Harry Trevaldwyn, Hugh Coles, Poppy Gilbert, Barney Harris

CREW: Iain Morris (director), Allison Burnett and Melissa Osborne (writers), Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Isaac Klausner and Laura Quicksilver (producers), Isabella Summers (composer), Remi Adefarasin (cinematographer), Victoria Boydell and Kristina Hetherington (editors)

PLOT: Anna (Carson), an ambitious young American woman, fulfils a childhood dream by heading to Oxford University, where she embarks on an affair with charming local Jamie (Mylchreest) that changes her life forever…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• If romance is on your mind this summer, then you can do no better than with this charming comedy-drama set in one of England’s most iconic places
• The city of Oxford and its world-famous university is one of the main attractions here, aside from lead lovers Sofia Carson and Corey Mylchreest of course
• There’s also a surprising connection to The Inbetweeners, as the TV comedy’s co-creator Iain Morris is this film’s director!
• It is based on the debut novel of the same name by actor Julia Whelan, who was previously seen on TV’s Once and Again as well as in the title role of Lifetime’s The Secret Life of Zoey
• It’s a bright and endearing romance that will inspire anyone, especially those in the US, to visit the city and its academic resources in all their glory

My Oxford Year is streaming exclusively on Netflix from Friday 1 August 2025

CAST: Saeed Jaffrey, Roshan Seth, Daniel Day-Lewis, Gordon Warnecke, Shirley Anne Field, Derrick Branche, Rita Wolf, Souad Faress, Richard Graham, Stephen Marcus

CREW: Stephen Frears (director), Hanif Kureishi (writer), Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe (producers), Ludus Tonalis (composer), Oliver Stapleton (cinematographer), Mick Audsley (editor)

PLOT: In mid-1980s South London, Omar (Jaffrey) is a young British-Pakistani man who is tasked with managing a rundown laundrette, and soon brings on board his childhood friend and former lover Johnny (Day-Lewis), a right-wing street punk…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The beloved British classic is back in cinemas with an all-new 2K restoration to celebrate its 40th anniversary
• It was originally shot for television, but early praise caused it to secure a theatrical release instead, and it quickly became an international success
• Saeed Jeffrey and a fresh-faced Daniel Day-Lewis (in one of his earliest major roles) made waves as the romantic couple at its centre, and the film was praised at the time for its positive depiction of a same-sex relationship
• In addition to critical and commercial success, the film received an Oscar nomination for its screenplay, was adapted into a stage play on two separate occasions, and in 2016 was named one of the greatest British films of all time by the BFI
• It’s a sweet and melancholic look at life in Thatcher’s Britain, and a moving depiction of multiculturalism at its most vulnerable

My Beautiful Laundrette is showing in cinemas from Friday 1 August 2025

CAST (ENGLISH VERSION): Michael Sinterniklaas, Brina Palencia, Maxey Whitehead, Pam Dougherty, J. Michael Tatum, Todd Haberkorn, Anastasia Muñoz, Bill Jenkins, Shelley Calene-Black, Chuck Huber, Cynthia Cranz, John Swasey, John Burgmeier, Mike McFarland, Lydia Mackay, Jennifer Seman, Barry Yandell, Robert McCollum, Patrick Seitz, Christopher Sabat, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Caitlin Glass, Monica Rial, Jason Liebrecht, Brittney Karbowski, Alison Viktorin, Cherami Leigh, Tia Ballard

CAST (JAPANESE VERSION): Ryunosuke Kamiki, Nanami Sakuraba, Mitsuki Tanimura, Sumiko Fuji, Ayumu Saito, Takahiro Yokokawa, Kiyomi Tanigawa, Mutsumi Sasaki, Mieko Nobusawa, Takuya Kirimoto, Sakiko Tamagawa, Ichirō Nagai, Takashi Kobayashi, Yutaka Shimizu, Kaori Yamagata, Tagame Tamura, Tadashi Nakamura, Yoji Tanaka, Hashiya Nakamura, Mitsutaka Itakura, Eiko Kanazawa, Chigusa Takaku, Riisa Naka, Naoto Adachi, Rikito Ota, Yuki Imai, Sumire Morohoshi, Hinano Minagawa

CREW: Mamoru Hosoda (director), Satoko Okudera (writer), Takuya Itô, Yûichirô Saitô, Nozomu Takahashi and Takafumi Watanabe (producers), Akihiko Matsumoto (composer), Yukihiro Masumoto (cinematographer), Shigeru Nishiyama (editor)

PLOT: Kenji Koiso (Sinterniklaas/Kamiki), a timid young math genius and part-time moderator of a virtual-reality world called OZ, is whisked away to the city of Ueda by fellow student Natsuki Shinohara (Palencia/Sakuraba) for her great-grandmother’s 90th birthday. However, he inadvertently unleashes a sinister artificial intelligence onto OZ, and must race to stop the rogue computer program before it can cause further chaos…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Mamoru Hosoda’s animated sci-fi thriller returns to the big screen with an all-new 4K restoration
• Production on the film began in 2006, with Hosoda creating all 500 pages of storyboards across long-hour shifts, before its eventual release three years later
• A prominent word-of-mouth campaign turned the film into a commercial success in Japan, as did general anticipation following Hosoda’s smash-hit The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
• Its themes of AI and virtual reality hit much closer today than they did in 2009, leading one to think that the anime legend was perhaps ahead of his time when creating it
• Before Hosoda unleashes his next film Scarlet later this year, this is your chance to check out another one of his films in the way that it was meant to be seen

Summer Wars is showing in cinemas from Sunday 3 August 2025