Movie of the Week

• A Minecraft Movie

Cinemas

• Death of a Unicorn
• Last Swim
• Screamboat
• Four Mothers
• Restless
• The Most Precious of Cargoes
• Mr. Burton
• Sebastian

Re-Releases

• Muriel’s Wedding

CAST: Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, Sebastian Hansen, Rachel House, Jennifer Coolidge, Matt Berry, Kate McKinnon, Jemaine Clement

CREW: Jared Hess (director), Chris Bowman, Chris Galletta, Gavin James, Hubbel Palmer and Neil Widener (producers), Jon Berg, Cale Boyter, Vu Bui, Roy Lee, Jill Messick, Jason Momoa, Mary Parent and Torfi Frans Ólafsson (producers), Mark Mothersbaugh (composer), Enrique Chediak (cinematographer), James Thomas (editor)

PLOT: After falling through a mysterious portal, a small group of outsiders – Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Momoa), Henry (Hansen), Natalie (Myers) and Dawn (Brooks) – find themselves in the Overworld, a bizarre land where everything is made out of cubic blocks and constructed from pure imagination. Along with expert crafter Steve (Black), the group must embark on a mystic journey through this new world to get back to theirs…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The gaming phenomenon is finally brought to the big screen in all its blocky glory
• Familiar designs and landscapes are given a fresh stylistic update that stays as true as it can to the pixelated look of the original games
• An all-star cast including Jason Momoa, Oscar-nominee Danielle Brooks and Jack Black as the blue-shirted Steve find themselves opposite a plethora of CGI creatures and characters
• Director Jared Hess, best known for the 2004 cult classic Napoleon Dynamite, brings a sense of fun and wonder to a world that long-time fans and energetic newcomers can enjoy
• With the world of Minecraft as popular as ever, the stage is set for a theatrical experience that’s bound to boost the franchise’s popularity even further!

A Minecraft Movie is showing in cinemas from Friday 4 April 2025

CAST: Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, Richard E. Grant, Anthony Carrigan, Sunita Mani, Jessica Hynes, Steve Park

CREW: Alex Scharfman (director, writer, producer), Tyler Campellone, Tim Headington, Drew Houpt, Lucas Joaquin, Lars Knudsen and Theresa Steele Page (producers), Giosuè Greco and Dan Romer (composers), Larry Fong (cinematographer), Ron Dulin (editor)

PLOT: Whilst driving towards a crisis management summit with his boss Dell Leopold (Grant) and his family, Elliot (Rudd) and his daughter Ridley (Ortega) accidentally crash into a unicorn. The Leopolds soon discover that the creature carries some powerful curative abilities, which they seek to exploit – until another, much deadlier unicorn shows up…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• This hilarious dark comedy explores the absurd lengths that some people will go to in order to take advantage of some of the planet’s most mystical and legendary resources
• Writer-director Alex Scharfman assembles a starry ensemble including Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Téa Leoni (in her first film role in over a decade) and Rudd’s fellow Marvel veterans Will Poulter and Richard E. Grant
• The absurdist premise recalls fond memories of similarly odd comedies like Everything Everywhere All At Once, which is appropriate since A24 is also behind this movie
• During the SAG-AFTRA strike of 2023, the film was granted a waiver to keep shooting, since it met the threshold that the actors’ union was fighting for at the time
• Expect plenty of darkly funny twists and turns as the unicorns in this movie are far from whimsical!

Death of a Unicorn is showing in cinemas from Friday 4 April 2025

CAST: Deba Hekmat, Narges Rashidi, Solly McLeod, Jay Lycurgo, Denzel Baidoo, Lydia Fleming, Michelle Greenidge, Davoud Rastgou

CREW: Sasha Nathwani (director, writer), Helen Simmons (writer, producer), Campbell Beaton, Bert Hamelinck, James Isilay, Nisha Mullea and Sorcha Shepherd (producers), Federico Albanese (composer), Olan Collardy (cinematographer), Stephen Dunne (editor)

PLOT: On a summer’s day in London, British-Iranian sixth form student Ziba (Hekmet) sets out to celebrate her A-Level results and acceptance into university with her friends, but hides from them a devastating secret that directly affects her future…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The deeply personal struggles of Gen-Z teens are captured like never before in this emotional British coming-of-age drama
• Filmmaker Sasha Nathwani balances a hefty teen saga with deeply complex adolescent and multicultural themes in his feature directorial debut
• The lively young cast is led by an all-encompassing turn by Deba Hekmat, who delivers a performance that could potentially be star-making
• It was awarded a couple of prizes at last year’s Berlin Film Festival, including a Best Film prize in a section category voted upon by a youth jury
• As the characters’ day builds towards an unexpected climax, you’re bound to feel a whole bunch of feelings that will have you reflecting on some of your own youthful decisions

Last Swim is showing in cinemas from Friday 4 April 2025

CAST: David Howard Thornton, Allison Pittel, Amy Schumacher, Jesse Posey, Rumi C. Jean-Louis, Kailey Hyman, Jesse Kove, Jarlath Conroy, Charles Edwin Powell, Tyler Posey, Brian Quinn, Joe DeRosa

CREW: Steven LaMorte (director, writer, producer), Matthew Garcia-Dunn (writer), Steven Della Salla (producer, cinematographer), Michael Leavy, Martine Melloul and Amy Schumacher (producers), Charles-Henri Avelange and Yael Benamour (composers), Patrick Lawrence (editor)

PLOT: During a late-night ferry ride in New York, the passengers and crew members are terrorised and attacked by a murderous mouse named Steamboat Willie (Thornton)…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The “copyright-sploitation” genre expands with a brand-new slasher take on the now-public domain cartoon Steamboat Willie, which famously marked the first-ever appearance of Mickey Mouse
• While Mickey himself is still very much under Disney’s copyright protection, filmmaker Steven LaMorte uses as much as he can from the original cartoon to his own deviously violent ends
• Playing the twisted mouse himself is none other than David Howard Thornton, known to horror fans the world over as Art the Clown from the Terrifier movies
• The film boasts plenty of memorable kills as well as some impressive make-up and visual effects to bring the tiny killer to life
• Its unapologetic gore and tongue-in-cheek attitude should please anyone who enjoys this new trend of exploitation movies

Screamboat is showing in cinemas from Friday 4 April 2025

CAST: James McArdle, Fionnula Flanagan, Niamh Cusack, Dearbhla Molloy, Paddy Glynn, Stella McCusker, Gearoid Farrelly

CREW: Darren Thornton (director, writer), Colin Thornton (writer), Eric Abraham, Martina Niland and Jack Sidey (producers), Hugh Drumm and Stephen Rennicks (composers), Tom Comerford and Burschi Wojnar (cinematographers), Gary Dollner and Gretta Ohle (editors)

PLOT: Edward (McArdle) is a writer looking after his elderly mother Alma (Flanagan), but as he’s about to embark on a major book tour, he is unexpectedly left to also care for the mothers of his friends, who are off for an impromptu Pride celebration in Spain…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• This hilarious and unexpectedly heartwarming Irish comedy is an ideal (late) Mother’s Day choice for any film lovers out there
• Lead actor James McArdle shares a profound chemistry with the titular four mothers, including veteran performer Fionnula Flanagan who gets some of the film’s most memorable moments
• The film is a remake of the 2008 Italian film Mid-August Lunch, which was produced by Gomorrah filmmaker Matteo Garrone
• It won the coveted Audience Award at last year’s BFI London Film Festival, which had previously been awarded to films like Gassed Up and Blue Bag Life
• Anyone seeking a charming feel-good romp with more than a touch of soul and heart will find this to be just what they’re looking for

Four Mothers is showing in cinemas from Friday 4 April 2025

CAST: Lyndsey Marshal, Aston McAuley, Barry Ward, Kate Robbins, Denzel Baidoo, Matt Emery, Ciara Ford

CREW: Jed Hart (director, writer), Sophie Ede, Harri Kamalanathan, Jens Nielsen, Iain Simpson and Benedict Turnbull (producers), David Bird (cinematographer), Anna Meller (editor)

PLOT: Nicky (Marshal), a middle-aged woman living alone, becomes increasingly plagued by sleep depravation as her rowdy new neighbours keep playing loud music every night, which soon drives her to unspeakable acts…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Debut feature filmmaker Jed Hart announces himself as a fresh talent with a ravenous pressure-cooker of a psychological thriller
• Hart’s film takes a relatable topic – that of dealing with loud obnoxious neighbours – and takes it to extreme levels in ways that will undoubtedly shock any and all viewers
• Keeping it all together is a magnetic lead turn by Lyndsey Marshal, who brilliantly captures her character’s slow but certain descent into paranoia and madness
• On the opposite end, you have some truly loathsome antagonists who you’re desperately eager to see get their comeuppance, which they do in unexpected ways
• Both terrifying and cathartic, this film is a rousing debut that will make one very excited to see what Hart does with future projects

Restless is showing in cinemas from Friday 4 April 2025

CAST: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Grégory Gadebois, Denis Podalydès, Dominique Blanc, Antonin Maurel

CREW: Michel Hazanavicius (director, writer, producer, editor), Florence Gastaud, Robert Guédiguian, Riad Sattouf and Patrick Sobelman (producers), Alexandre Desplat (composer), Laurent Pelé-Piovani (editor)

PLOT: In war-torn Europe, a woodcutter (Gadebois) and his wife (Blanc) discover an infant Jewish girl that had been thrown from a train bound for Auschwitz, and take her in despite knowing the consequences…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• A simple yet emotionally extraordinary fable of war lies at the heart of this stunning new animated drama
• It is adapted from Jean-Claude Grumberg’s 2019 novel by Michel Hazanavicius, the filmmaker best known for his Oscar-winning silent film homage The Artist
• The limited voice cast includes acclaimed French actor Grégory Gadebois (a last-minute replacement for the scandal-laden Gérard Depardieu) and the late Jean-Louis Trintignant, who provides the film’s narration
• The film was selected to compete for the Palme D’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, an award ultimately won by recent Best Picture winner Anora
• It is a powerful reminder of human kindness in the darkest of times, which is something we desperately need to be reminded of in today’s worrying climate

The Most Precious of Cargoes is showing in cinemas from Friday 4 April 2025

CAST: Harry Lawtey, Toby Jones, Lesley Manville, Steffan Rhodri, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Aneurin Barnard, Daniel Evans

CREW: Marc Evans (director), Josh Hyams (writer, producer), Tom Bullough (writer), Trevor Matthews, Ed Talfan and Hannah Thomas (producers), John Hardy (composer), Stuart Biddlecombe (cinematographer), Tim Hodges (editor)

PLOT: In 1942, young Richard Jenkins (Lawtey) is a wayward schoolboy in the small Welsh town of Port Talbot, where his natural talent for drama is noticed by his teacher Philip Burton (Jones), who takes him in and helps develop his acting abilities…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Both an inspiring teacher drama and an unexpected origin tale for one of the world’s most revered actors, this tender British film has plenty of warmth to envelope audiences
• Harry Lawtey (previously seen in Joker: Folie à Deux as Harvey Dent) plays a young version of the actor who would become better known as Richard Burton, while Toby Jones is on excellent form as the man that taught him everything he needed to know
• The film was initially commissioned to mark the centenary of Burton’s birth, taking the slightly unconventional route of exploring his beginnings rather than a full-blown biopic
• Key parts of the actor’s early life are dramatized for extra zest, which will no doubt be of great interest for long-time admirers of Richard Burton’s life and career
• You’ll be as inspired as the man who would become Richard Burton ultimately is by the methods and passion put into the artform known as acting

Mr. Burton is showing in cinemas from Friday 4 April 2025

CAST: Ruaridh Mollica, Hiftu Quasem, Ingvar Sigurdsson, Jonathan Hyde, Lara Rossi, Leanne Best, David Nellist, Pedro Minas, Fleur Keith, Dylan Brady, Akbar Kurtha, Marcus Macleod

CREW: Mikko Mäkelä (director, writer, editor), James Watson (producer), Ilari Heinilä (composer), Iikka Salminen (cinematographer), Arttu Salmi (editor)

PLOT: Max (Mollica), an aspiring young writer, moonlights as a sex worker named “Sebastian” in order to research his debut novel, but soon finds his two lives converging in unexpected ways…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• In the wake of Anora’s Oscar success comes a fascinating new look at sex work that casts a whole new light on the profession
• The ambitious second feature from Finnish-English filmmaker Mikko Mäkelä takes viewers on a provocative journey that offers some surprising, if not always pleasant, directions
• Ruaridh Mollica delivers a compelling central turn that nabbed him a nomination for Best Breakthrough Performance at last year’s British Independent Film Awards
• It explores complex themes of identity as the main character fluctuates between his authentic self and the titular alluring young male escort that forms his alter-ego
• As with Anora, it’s set to reignite and recontextualise the conversation surrounding sex work and the many stigmas it faces in society

Sebastian is showing in cinemas from Friday 4 April 2025

CAST: Toni Collette, Bill Hunter, Rachel Griffiths, Geneviève Picot, Sophie Lee, Jeanie Drynan, Gennie Nevinson, Daniel Lapaine, Matt Day, Roz Hammond, Belinda Jarrett, Pippa Grandison, Danile Wyllie, Gabby Millgate, Rob Steele, Chris Haywood, Annie Byron, Cecily Polson

CREW: P.J. Hogan (director, writer), Lynda House and Jocelyn Moorhouse (producers), Peter Best (composer), Martin McGrath (cinematographer), Jill Bilcock (editor)

PLOT: Muriel Heslop (Collette), a socially awkward and wedding-obsessed young woman from a small town in Australia, attempts to take charge of her own destiny by leaving her cruel family life behind and setting off to find her ideal groom…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The hugely popular Australian romantic-comedy returns to cinemas just in time for its 30th anniversary
• It launched the career of lead actor Toni Collette, who received universal praise and even a Golden Globe nomination for her eccentric turn as a young woman coming into her own
• Writer-director P.J. Hogan inserts plenty of charm and uplifting spirits with enough ABBA songs to fill an entire Mamma Mia! movie
• In the years since its critical and commercial success, the film has also inspired a stage musical which is set to have its UK debut this month in Leicester
• It also came at a significant time in Australian cinema, with its debut coming just a month after The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, both of which helped bring in a new era of international recognition for the country’s film industry

Muriel’s Wedding is showing in cinemas from Friday 4 April 2025