This Week’s Movie Menu (9 – 15 December 2024)

Ride your way into a magnificent new week of film, which includes an animated epic set in ancient Middle-Earth, a violent Marvel origin story, a surreal LGBTQI+ odyssey, and even an unexpected celebration in Wonderland…

Movie of the Week

 

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024, dir. Kenji Kamiyama)

CAST: Brian Cox, Gaia Wise, Luke Pasqualino, Miranda Otto, Laurence Ubong Williams, Shaun Dooley, Lorraine Ashbourne, Yazdan Qafouri, Benjamin Wainwright, Michael Wildman, Jude Akuwudike, Bilal Hasna, Janine Duvitski, Christopher Lee

CREW: Kenji Kamiyama (director), Jeffrey Addiss, Phoebe Gittins, Will Matthews and Arty Papageorgiou (writers), Philippa Boyens, Joseph Chou and Jason DeMarco (producers), Stephen Gallagher (composer), TBA (editor)

PLOT: Set nearly 200 years before the events of Lord of the Rings, the kingdom of Rohan is ruled by the hot-tempered Helm Hammerhand (Cox), who unsuccessfully attempts to marry off his free-spirited daughter Hèra (Wise) to Dunlending lord Wulf (Pasqualino), who later seeks vengeance against Helm for the murder of his father. Now, Helm and Hèra must lead their people in a final stand against their enemy…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

  • The Lord of the Rings franchise gets a luscious new vision in this breath-taking anime epic
  • The film takes heavy inspiration from the appendices of J.R.R. Tolkien’s original books, with this story in particular describing the rich history behind the formation known best as Helm’s Deep
  • Anime director Kenji Kamiyama adds a beautiful lens to the landscapes of Middle-Earth that not even Peter Jackson (who is on-board as an executive producer) could bring to life
  • Brian Cox delivers a fierce lead vocal performance as the mighty King of Rohan at the centre of everything, while Miranda Otto reprises her role as Éowyn who serves as the film’s narrator
  • A new Lord of the Rings film is always cause for celebration, but the fact that it is taking new creative risks is also admirable in this day and age

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is showing in cinemas from Friday 13 December 2024

What’s Showing in Cinemas This Week?

 

Kraven the Hunter (2024, dir. J.C. Chandor)

CAST: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, Russell Crowe, Levi Miller, Billy Barratt

CREW: J.C. Chandor (director), Matt Holloway, Art Marcum and Richard Wenk (writers), Avi Arad, David B. Householter and Matt Tolmach (producers), Evgueni Galperine, Sacha Galperine and Benjamin Wallfisch (composers), Ben Davis (cinematographer), Craig Wood (editor)

PLOT: Sergei Kravinoff (Taylor-Johnson), a big-game hunter who shares a complex relationship with his father, ruthless crime boss Nikolai (Crowe), is drawn down a brutal path of vengeance that makes him feared for many reasons…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

  • The latest Spider-Man villain to be given his own big-screen origin story is by far the most ferocious to date
  • Aaron Taylor-Johnson leans into his animal instincts as he delivers vicious violence unto his enemies in exceptionally gory fashion
  • Director J.C. Chandor also assembles a fine ensemble supporting cast that includes Oscar-winners Russell Crowe and Ariana DeBose, as well as Alessandro Nivola as fellow Spidey foe The Rhino
  • It is the sixth film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, after movies focused on popular villains and anti-heroes like Venom, Morbius and Madame Web
  • With Kraven rumoured to be teaming up with some of them for a potential future Sinister Six movie, it looks like Spider-Man (whoever he may be in this particular shared universe) may have finally met his match!

Kraven the Hunter is showing in cinemas from Friday 13 December 2024

 

Queer (2024, dir. Luca Guadagnino)

CAST: Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey, Lesley Manville, Jason Schwartzman, Henry Zaga, Drew Droege, Ariel Schulman, David Lowery, Colin Bates, Ronia Ava, Perla Ambrosini, Simon Rizzoni, Omar Apollo, Michaël Borremans, Andra Ursuța, Lisandro Alonso, Ford Leland, Sean Cubito, Diego Benzoni, Radu Murarasu, Francesco Lupo Sturani

CREW: Luca Guadagnino (director, producer), Justin Kuritzkes (writer), Lorenzo Mieli (producer), Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (composers), Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (cinematographer), Marco Costa (editor)

PLOT: In 1940s Mexico City, American expat William Lee (Craig) spends his days lusting after attractive young men in bars and clubs, and eventually becomes infatuated with Navy serviceman Eugene Allerton (Starkey), with whom he embarks on a surreal romantic odyssey…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

  • Luca Guadagnino returns to arthouse filmmaking with this unusual and often bizarre historical romance
  • Daniel Craig gives more of himself than ever before as the hopeless romantic who soon becomes involved in a mind-boggling odyssey
  • It is based on the book by Naked Lunch author William S. Burroughs, with Guadagnino’s Challengers screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes adapting it into a unique cinematic experience
  • Some of the dream-like visuals, as accompanied by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s soothing musical score, are bound to leave you in a hazy, almost hypnotic state
  • Though it might seem like a natural companion piece to Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name, it actually has more in common with the director’s remake of Suspiria – which alone should raise your curiosity!

Queer is showing in cinemas from Friday 13 December 2024

 

The Universal Theory (2023, dir. Timm Kröger)

CAST: Jan Bülow, Olivia Ross, Hanns Zischler, Gottfried Breitfuss, David Bennent, Philippe Graber, Ladina Carla von Frisching, Imogen Kogge, Emanuel Waldburg-Zeil, Vivienne Bayley, Dirk Böhling, Paul Wolff-Plottegg, Peter Hottinger, Dana Herfurth, Joey Zimmermann, Eva Maria Jost, Jonathan Wirtz

CREW: Timm Kröger (director, writer, producer), Roderick Warich (writer), David Bohun, Sarah Born, Tina Börner, Heino Deckert, Lixi Frank, Rajko Jazbec, Dario Schoch and Viktoria Stolpe (producers), Diego Ramos Rodriguez and David Schweighart (composers), Roland Stuprich (cinematographer), Jann Anderegg (editor)

PLOT: In 1962, young physicist Johannes (Bülow) travels to the Swiss Alps, where he meets jazz pianist Karin (Ross), who mysteriously knows things about him that he’s never told anyone else. As a series of deaths occur within the mountains, while a strange cloud begins to form in the sky, Johannes and Karin set out to uncover the mystery together…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

  • This mind-bending mystery will trap you in a metaphysical dilemma where nothing is predictable
  • Director Timm Kröger combines the suspense of Alfred Hitchcock, the surrealism of David Lynch, and the expressionist horrors of Fritz Lang for a truly unique experience
  • The stark black-and-white CinemaScope cinematography adds to the intensity, as do its themes surrounding Cold War paranoia
  • It competed for the Golden Lion at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, alongside fellow festival favourites Poor Things and Priscilla
  • You will be utterly confounded by its boldness in storytelling, which takes you well beyond the reach of your imagination

The Universal Theory is showing in cinemas from Friday 13 December 2024

 

Sujo (2024, dirs. Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez)

CAST: Juan Jesús Varela, Yadira Pérez, Alexis Varela, Sandra Lorenzano, Jairo Hernandez, Kevin Aguilar, Karla Garrido

CREW: Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez (directors, writers, producers, editors), Diana Arcega, Jean-Baptiste Bailly-Maitre, Virginie Devesa and Jewerl Ross (producers), Ximena Amann (cinematographer), Susan Korda (editor)

PLOT: After the death of his father, an assassin for a Mexican cartel, young Sujo (Varela) is taken in by his reclusive aunts Nemesia (Pérez) and Rosalía (Garrido), but as he grows up Sujo begins to struggle with the blood-stained legacy that he has inherited…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

  • This gripping Mexican crime thriller contains a powerful coming-of-age story at its tough centre
  • Filmmakers Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez assert themselves as some of Mexico’s finest modern storytellers as they dive into the troubled upbringing of a cartel member’s son
  • At this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the film was awarded the World Cinema (Dramatic) Grand Jury Prize, and has been selected as Mexico’s 2024 entry for the International Feature Film Oscar
  • Some striking cinematography and gentle editing nudge the film toward a compelling and heartbreaking resolution
  • If the recent Emilia Pérez wasn’t your bag when it comes to gripping cartel-related drama, this should give you everything you felt was missing from that film

Sujo is showing in cinemas from Friday 13 December 2024

 

The Bibi Files (2024, dir. Alexis Bloom)

CAST: Benjamin Netanyahu, Ami Ayalon, Raviv Drucker, Nir Hefetz, Ehud Olmert, Tom Vincz

CREW: Alexis Bloom (director, producer), Raviv Drucker, Kara Elverson, Alex Gibney and David Rahtz (producers), Will Bates (composer), Avner Shahaf (cinematographer), Graeme Butler, Halil Efrat and Andy Grieve (editors)

PLOT: An inside look into the corruption charges against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with never-before-seen footage of police interrogations from the investigation into bribery and fraud allegations…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

  • This damning exposé reveals some shocking facts about the divisive Israeli politician Benjamin Netanyahu and his alleged corruption
  • In addition to interviews with numerous Israeli journalists and former associates, the film contains explosive footage of Netanyahu’s corruption trial that had been leaked to filmmaker Alex Gibney (a producer on the film)
  • It reveals the depths to which this figure’s morality has sunk after his many years in power, in ways that could leave some of his more loyal supporters looking at him through a different lens
  • Shortly before a work-in-progress screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, lawyers for Netanyahu tried and failed to have the film pulled, hinting that the man himself does not want the public to view this film
  • With Netanyahu being thrust onto the world stage due to his genocidal actions in the wake of the October 7 attacks, this is a vital documentary that should explain why his level of power is dangerous in the modern world

The Bibi Files is showing in cinemas from Friday 13 December 2024

What’s Showing At Home This Week?

 

Carry-On (2024, dir. Jaume Collet-Serra)

CAST: Taron Egerton, Jason Bateman, Logan Marshall-Green, Sofia Carson, Danielle Deadwyler, Theo Rossi, Dean Norris, Sinqua Walls, Josh Brener, Joe Williamson, Curtiss Cook, Tonatiuh Elizarraraz, Gil Perez-Abraham

CREW: Jaume Collet-Serra (director), T.J. Fixman (writer), Dylan Clark (producer), Lorne Balfe (composer), Lyle Vincent (cinematographer), Elliot Greenberg, Krisztian Majdik and Fred Raskin (editors)

PLOT: Ethan Kopek (Egerton), a TSA agent, is blackmailed by a mysterious traveller (Bateman) into allowing a dangerous package to slip by security and be placed onto a Christmas Day flight…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

  • Your heart will be pumping non-stop as soon as this tense action-thriller takes flight
  • Its simple yet effective premise invites plenty of conversation about the effectiveness of airport security, as well as how easy it can still be for terrorists to bypass certain checkpoints
  • Taron Egerton is the hapless security guard caught in the grasp of Jason Bateman’s intimidating and mysterious villain
  • With director Jaume Collet-Serra at the helm, you can expect plenty of gripping action and crowd-pleasing suspense
  • As the festive season fast approaches, and with it an incredibly busy time for air travel, this might have you thinking twice about jetting off for that Christmas break

Carry-On is streaming exclusively on Netflix from Friday 13 December 2024

 

The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland (2024, dir. Peter Baynton)

CAST: Gerard Butler, Emilia Clarke, Simone Ashley, Mawaan Rizwan, Eliza Riley

CREW: Peter Baynton (director), Sara Daddy (writer), Camilla Deakin and Ruth Fielding (producers), Guy Chambers (composer), Margred Pryce (editor)

PLOT: On Christmas Eve, St. Nick (Butler) decides to pay a visit to Wonderland, where the Queen of Hearts (Clarke) has put a ban on Christmas. Now, St. Nick teams up with Alice (Ashley), the Mad Hatter (Rizwan) and many of Wonderland’s other inhabitants to bring Christmas back to the illogical world…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

  • Two magical world collide in this bright and cheerful animated Christmas adventure for the whole family
  • It is based on the popular children’s book by Carys Bexington, with the animation closely resembling Kate Hindley’s illustrations
  • Gerard Butler and Emilia Clarke lead a vivid voice cast that also includes Bridgerton breakout Simone Ashley as the titular Alice of Lewis Carroll’s classic story
  • Kids and parents can expect plenty of fun gags and silly slapstick, as well as some toe-tapping new songs to enjoy throughout the story
  • Like the best Christmas movies, it carries a strong sense of heart that ensures it will be rewatched for many years to come

The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland is streaming exclusively on Sky Cinema from Friday 13 December 2024

That’s about it for this week – be sure to come back next week for a whole new set of movies to work up an appetite for!

Want to see our past menus?

Want to find a specific film?

Search for it in the box below:

Captain America: Brave New World (dir. Julius Onah)

Sam Wilson investigates a dangerous new conspiracy as Captain America…

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (dir. Michael Morris)

Bridget Jones embarks on the next chapter of her ever-rocky love life…

Heart Eyes (dir. Josh Ruben)

A masked serial killer stalks a couple on Valentine’s Day…

Memoir of a Snail (dir. Adam Elliot)

In 70s Australia, young Grace is tragically separated from her twin brother…

Love Hurts (dir. Jonathan Eusebio)

A real-estate agent is forced to return to his violent past life…

Dog Man (dir. Peter Hastings)

After an accident, a cop and his dog companion are brought together in an unexpected way…

September 5 (dir. Tim Fehlbaum)

During the 1972 Munich Olympics, an American broadcasting team covers a devastating event…

Kinda Pregnant (dir. Tyler Spindel)

A woman pretends to be pregnant for attention…

The Fire Inside (dir. Rachel Morrison)

In 2012, 16-year-old boxer Claressa Shields makes Olympic history…

Hard Truths (dir. Mike Leigh)

Two sisters have two very different reactions to grief…

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