We’re closing out March with yet another jam-packed week of exciting blockbusters and pleasing arthouse gems, featuring a big-budget take on a classic RPG board game, a star-studded murder mystery sequel, and much more…
MOVIE OF THE WEEK
CINEMAS
STREAMING/ON-DEMAND
RE-RELEASES
MOVIE OF THE WEEK
Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (dirs. John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein)
CAST: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Hugh Grant, Daisy Head, Chloe Coleman, Jason Wong, Rylan Jackson
CREW: John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (directors, writers), Michael Gilio (writer), Brian Goldner, Jeremy Latcham and Nick Meyer (producers), Lorne Balfe (composer), Barry Peterson (cinematographer), Dan Lebental (editor)
PLOT: In a fantasy kingdom of magic and mysterious creatures, the Bard Edgin (Pine) leads a group of thieves and adventurers – including the Barbarian Holga (Rodriguez), the Paladin Xenk (Page), the Sorcerer Simon (Smith), and the shapeshifting Druid Doric (Lillis) – on a heist to retrieve a lost relic, but when they fall afoul of the wrong people, they must band together to save the world…
FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:
1) The infamous RPG board game is given the full Hollywood blockbuster treatment that promises plenty of fun and action for all audiences, even those who have never even played the original game
2) Chris Pine leads an exciting ensemble of actors playing a wide range of fantasy characters, including Bridgerton breakout Regé-Jean Page as a Paladin, literal It girl Sophia Lillis as a Druid, and even Hugh Grant as a villainous rogue
3) Directors and co-writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, who previously had a hit with the hilarious comedy Game Night, are set to bring a whole new level of smart and giggle-inducing humour to this vast fantasy realm
4) The title is certainly accurate: there are indeed dungeons, and you can be sure that there will also be plenty of fire-breathing dragons as well!
5) At the very least, it’ll wash the taste of the much-maligned 2000 film version out of everyone’s mouths (although it’s hard not to love the over-the-top energy that Jeremy Irons brought to that mess!)
Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves is showing in cinemas from Friday 31st March 2023
WHAT’S COMING TO CINEMAS THIS WEEK?
Mummies (dir. Juan Jesús García Galocha)
CAST: Joe Thomas, Eleanor Tomlinson, Santiago Winder, Celia Imrie, Hugh Bonneville, Sean Bean, Shakka, Dan Starkey
CREW: Juan Jesús García Galocha (director), Jordi Gasull (writer, producer), Javier López Barreira (writer), Toni Novella, Marc Sabé and Pedro Solís García (producers), Fernando Velázquez (composer), editor TBA
PLOT: Buried underneath the sands of Egypt is a secret ancient city of mummies, where local charioteer Thut (Thomas) is hastily engaged to the princess Nefer (Tomlinson). However, when her family’s treasured ring is stolen by ambitious archaeologist Lord Carnaby (Bonneville), Thut sets out with Nefer and his younger brother Sekhem (Winder) on a journey to reclaim it from the world of the living, where they soon end up in modern-day London…
FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:
1) Worlds collide in this hilarious animated adventure that has been lovingly imported from Spain
2) The English dub features familiar voices including thespians Sean Bean, Hugh Bonneville and Celia Imrie, as well as former Inbetweeners star Joe Thomas in the lead role
3) The impressive animation brings to life so many colourful settings, from the Ancient Egyptian underground city to the wonders of modern-day London
4) Kids will get plenty of giggles from the fish-out-of-water gags as these mummies adapt to modern society in unexpected, but laugh-out-loud, ways
5) It’s a perfect Easter cinema treat that has something for everyone in the family, including children, daddies and – yes – mummies
Mummies is showing in cinemas from Friday 31st March 2023
God’s Creatures (dirs. Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer)
CAST: Emily Watson, Paul Mescal, Aisling Franciosi, Declan Conlon, Toni O’Rourke, Marion O’Dwyer, Brendan McCormack, Lalor Roddy, Isabelle Connolly
CREW: Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer (directors), Shane Crowley (writer), Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly (producer), Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans (composers), Chayse Irvin (cinematographer), Jeanne Applegate and Julia Bloch (editors)
PLOT: In a small fishing village off the coast of Ireland, Aileen O’Hara (Watson) is shocked but pleased to welcome home her estranged son Brian (Mescal) after he unexpectedly returns from Australia. However, when Brian is found at the centre of a local scandal, Aileen is forced to choose between the love she has for her son, and her own sense of right and wrong…
FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:
1) After winning acclaim at film festivals around the world, A24’s dark and brooding Ireland-set drama is brought to UK screens courtesy of the British Film Institute, one of the country’s most prominent supporter of the arts
2) Co-directors Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer make quite a splash with their debut feature, which presents a raw human story of family loyalty
3) Oscar nominees Emily Watson and Paul Mescal deliver unforgettable performances as a mother and son who could not be more opposite, and yet more alike, than they realise
4) The coastal landscapes offer a haunting but beautiful vision of Ireland where this ominous story takes place
5) Its thrilling balance of dreary drama and rich character study makes for compelling viewing
God’s Creatures is showing in cinemas from Friday 31st March 2023
The Night of the 12th (dir. Dominik Moll)
CAST: Bastien Bouillon, Bouli Lanners, Anouk Grinberg, Pauline Serieys, Mouna Soualem, Lula Cotton-Frapier, Théo Cholbi, Johann Dionnet, Thibault Evrard, Julien Frison, Paul Jeanson, Camille Rutherford, Pierre Lottin
CREW: Dominik Moll (director, writer), Gilles Marchand (writer), Caroline Benjo, Barbara Letellier and Carole Scotta (producers), Olivier Marguerit (composer), Patrick Ghiringhelli (cinematographer), Laurent Rouan (editor)
PLOT: Shortly after being appointed as leader of the Grenoble Criminal Squad, the young and ambitious Captain Yohan Vivés (Bouillon) is tasked with investigating the life of a murdered woman named Clara Royer (Cotton-Frapier). However, what begins as a methodical dive into the victim’s complex life turns into a dangerous and haunting obsession…
FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:
1) This gritty French crime thriller explores the deep, dark obsessions that come with getting too close to a complex subject
2) It is based on the non-fiction book by Pauline Guéna, so it has some unexpected roots in reality
3) Lead actor Bastien Bouillon leaves a chilling impression as the officer tasked with the central case, in ways that aren’t unlike David Lynch’s Twin Peaks
4) Impressively, the film picked up a whopping six awards at last month’s César Awards (the French Oscars), including Best Film and Best Director
5) Prepare to go to some disturbingly bleak places as more is revealed about the murder case and its victim
The Night of the 12th is showing in cinemas from Friday 31st March 2023
Law of Tehran (dir. Saeed Roustaee)
CAST: Payman Maadi, Navid Mohammadzadeh, Parinaz Izadyar, Kourosh Torbat Zadeh, Farhad Aslani, Houman Kiai, Maziar Seyedi, Hojjat Hassanpour Sargaroui, Ali Bagheri, Marjan Ghamari
CREW: Saeed Roustaee (director, writer), Mohammad Sadegh Ranjkeshan, Sayed Jamal Sadatian and Shahab Shafiei (producers), Peyman Yazdanian (composer), Hooman Behmanesh (cinematographer), Bahram Dehghan (editor)
PLOT: In the Iranian city of Tehran, narcotics detective Samad (Maadi) is hell-bent on taking down local drug lord Naser Khakzad (Mohammadzadeh), who is responsible for the growing rate of drug addition in the capital, and is often several steps ahead of the authorities, which are contaminated by corruption and abuse…
FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:
1) Iranian filmmaker Saeed Roustaee presents a gritty and timely vision of a city and society under threat from an unseen enemy
2) Originally called Just 5, its new title suggests a more contemporary crime action-thriller in the same vein as Sicario and, most prominently, Heat
3) There are more than just a few spiritual call-backs to Michael Mann’s crime epic, right down to its central cat-and-mouse plot between a dedicated officer of the law and the remorseless criminal at large
4) At the 2019 Venice Film Festival, it picked up an award for its cinematography, which means you can expect plenty of stunningly gritty imagery throughout
5) Although Iran is under tight scrutiny for its recent authoritarian actions, the country’s filmmakers and their boldly critical works should still be supported
Law of Tehran is showing in cinemas from Friday 31st March 2023 (and will be available to rent/buy on most digital platforms)
Riotsville, U.S.A (dir. Sierra Pettengill)
CAST: Charlene Modeste, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gov. Otto Kerner, Edward P. Morgan, Robert Curvin, Leonard Kowalewski, Sgt. John Harrington, The Rev. Albert Cleage, Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint, Sen. Fred R. Harris, Dick Gregory, Roger Mudd, Sen. Robert Byrd, Jimmy Collier, Rev. Frederick Douglass Kirkpatrick, Ronald Reagan, Gov. Spiro Agnew, Sen. Strom Thurmond, Rev. Theodore Gibson
CREW: Sierra Pettengill (director), Tobi Haslett (writer), Sara Archambault and Jamila Wignot (producers), Jace Clayton (composer), Nels Bangerter (editor)
PLOT: In the late 1960s, as civil unrest becomes more and more uncontainable, the US government and military authorised the construction of model towns, nicknamed “Riotsvilles”, to train soldiers and officers how to respond to rebellious protestors…
FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:
1) Filmmaker Sierra Pettengill tells the bleak true story of the then-government’s response to growing civil disorder in the late 1960s
2) Pettengill uses archive military training footage, as well as news media broadcasts from across the country, to show how little progress has really been made in the fight for equality and civil rights
3) Accompanied by poetic narration by actor Charlene Modeste, the film is powerful enough to make people reflect on history and what they need to do in both the present and future
4) Several prominent politicians and key historical figures pop up frequently throughout the film, including former Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Ronald Reagan, and Black spiritual leaders Albert Cleage and Frederick Douglass Kirkpatrick
5) It pays tribute to the activists who originally took to the streets in the late 1960s, who paved the way for the ones still clamouring for justice and fairness in the twenty-first century
Riotsville, U.S.A is showing in cinemas from Friday 31st March 2023 (and will be available to rent/buy on most digital platforms)
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman (dir. Pierre Földes)
CAST: Marcello Arroyo, Michael Czyz, Zag Dorison, Pierre Földes, Jesse Noah Gruman, Katharine King So, John Vamvas, Nadia Verrucci, Shoshana Wilder
CREW: Pierre Földes, director, writer, composer; Pierre Baussaron, Tom Dercourt, David Mouraire, Olivier Père, Emmanuel-Alain Raynal and Pierre Urbain, producers; Étienne Boilard, cinematographer; Kara Blake, editor
PLOT: In Tokyo, a lost cat, a tsunami, and a human-sized talking frog help a bank employee, his frustrated wife, and a schizophrenic accountant to save the city from an impending disaster, and to find meaning in their lives…
FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:
1) This unusual animated feature, which was co-produced between France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Canada, adapts six short stories by acclaimed Japanese author Haruki Murakami
2) Director Pierre Földes adopted an unusual animation technique where he filmed his performers in live-action for reference, but then created 3D models of them within a 2D format – kind of like an advanced form of rotoscoping!
3) The stories themselves verge on the bizarre (giant talking frogs, anyone?), which always lend an air of unpredictability
4) Most of the events take place after, or even during, the tsunami that swept through Tōhoku in 2011, adding some timeliness to the otherwise timeless tales
5) The unique visuals and even stranger storytelling allow the viewer to become fully immersed in the Wonderland-like worlds that Murakami originally created
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman is showing in cinemas from Friday 31st March 2023
WHAT’S COMING TO STREAMING/ON-DEMAND THIS WEEK?
Tetris (dir. Jon S. Baird)
CAST: Taron Egerton, Toby Jones, Nikita Yefremov, Roger Allam, Anthony Boyle, Togo Igawa, Ken Yamamura, Ben Miles, Matthew Marsh, Rick Yune
CREW: Jon S. Baird (director), Noah Pink (writer), Gillian Berrie, Len Blavatnik, Gregor Cameron, Claudia Schiffer and Matthew Vaughn (producers), Lorne Balfe (composer), Alwin H. Küchler (cinematographer), Colin Goudie, Ben Mills and Martin Walsh (editors)
PLOT: In 1988, video game designer Henk Rogers (Egerton) discovers a revolutionary new game called Tetris, developed by Russian inventor Alexey Pajitnov (Yefremov). In a bid to purchase the game and sell it to the masses, Rogers travels to the crumbling USSR to negotiate with Pajitnov and the Soviet government, which owns the rights to Tetris, and will do anything to preserve what remains of their diminishing empire…
FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:
1) This high-octane historical thriller tells the incredible story behind the legendary video game Tetris, which is just as exciting as playing the actual game itself
2) Taron Egerton is on fine form as our entrepreneurial hero Henk Rogers, the real-life video game designer who collaborated with Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov – played by an equally compelling Nikita Yefremov – to bring his revolutionary game to the world
3) Director Jon S. Baird, behind the unhinged black comedy Filth and the heart-warming biopic Stan & Ollie, brings a fresh vision to the final years of the Soviet Union, and the blossoming video game industry
4) The tone of Noah Pink’s script is said to be in the same vein as David Fincher’s The Social Network, which for fans of that film can only mean a nail-biting and expertly written drama awaits us all
5) It’s a must-see for any video-game fans, at the very least as an appetizer for next week’s anticipated release of The Super Mario Bros Movie
Tetris is streaming exclusively on Apple TV+ from Friday 31st March 2023
Murder Mystery 2 (dir. Jeremy Garelick)
CAST: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Mark Strong, Mélanie Laurent, Jodie Turner-Smith, Enrique Arce, Tony Goldwyn, Annie Mumolo, Zurin Villanueva, Kuhoo Verma, Adeel Akhtar, John Kani
CREW: Jeremy Garelick (director), James Vanderbilt (writer, producer), Jennifer Aniston, Allen Covert, A.J. Dix, Adam Sandler, James D. Stern and Tripp Vinson (producers), Rupert Gregson-Williams (composer), Bojan Bazelli (cinematographer), Tom Costain and Brian Robinson (editors)
PLOT: Four years after solving their first case, married couple Nick (Sandler) and Audrey (Aniston) have quit their jobs to become full-time detectives, but are struggling to get their new agency off the ground. When they are invited to the wedding of their old friend the Maharaja (Akhtar) on his private island, they are called into action when the groom is kidnapped and held for ransom, which could have been accomplished by one of the many other wedding guests…
FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:
1) Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston reunite for the sequel to their hit all-star caper from 2019, with their winning chemistry carrying the bulk of its charm
2) Sandler also produces through his Happy Madison production company, which may well be going through its maturity phase if last year’s Hustle is any indication
3) In addition to some other returning faces, like scene-stealers Adeel Akhtar and John Kani, there are plenty of recognisable new ones from Mark Strong to Mélanie Laurent to Jodie Turner-Smith
4) There are plenty of glamorous locations to explore this time, including Hawaii and Paris, both of which serve as backdrops for a fresh new mystery
5) Don’t expect much of the usual Happy Madison immaturity, especially with original writer James Vanderbilt also providing the tight and focused script for this one as well
Murder Mystery 2 is streaming exclusively on Netflix from Friday 31st March 2023
Prom Pact (dir. Anya Adams)
CAST: Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Milo Manheim, Blake Draper, Arica Himmel, Jason Sakaki, Margaret Cho, Monique Green, David S. Jung, Wendi McLendon-Covey
CREW: Anya Adams (director), Anthony Lombardo (writer), Julie Bowen and Melvin Mar (producers), Clark Mathis (cinematographer), Shannon Baker Davis (editor)
PLOT: As her high school prom rapidly approaches, Mandy (Lee) is more interested in applying to Harvard than finding a date. However, when she learns that her application has been put on an extensive waitlist, Mandy finds herself desperate to get her future back on track – even if it means asking popular jock Graham (Manheim), whose father is a powerful Senator and Harvard alumni, to the prom. Although at first she abhors everything that Graham stands for, Mandy soon begins to see more to him than she previously thought…
FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:
1) This chirpy, feel-good teen rom-com puts front and centre the all-glamorous rite of passage that is the school prom
2) Disney actors Peyton Elizabeth Lee, formerly of Secret Society of Second-Born Royals, and Z-O-M-B-I-E-S star Milo Manheim share sparkling chemistry with each other
3) There are plenty of fun supporting roles for comedy veterans Margaret Cho and Wendi McLendon-Covey
4) Expect a number of “prom-posals” that range from hugely imaginative to unbelievably cringeworthy
5) It arrives onto streaming the day after its Disney Channel premiere, so there’s no need to fear any spoilers or leaks ahead of time!
Prom Pact is streaming exclusively on Disney+ from Friday 31st March 2023
Please Baby Please (dir. Amanda Kramer)
CAST: Andrea Riseborough, Harry Melling, Demi Moore, Karl Glusman, Ryan Simpkins, Matt D’Elia, Karim Saleh, Jake Choi, Jake Sidney Cohen, Cole Escola, Jaz Sinclair, Dana Ashbrook, Mary Lynn Rajskub
CREW: Amanda Kramer (director, writer), Noel David Taylor (writer), Gül Karakiz, Rob Paris and Mike Witherill (producers), Giulio Carmassi and Bryan Scary (composers), Patrick Meade Jones (cinematographer), Benjamin Shearn (editor)
PLOT: In 1950s New York, newlyweds Suze (Riseborough) and Arthur (Melling) witness a murder, and become hunted by an obsessed greaser gang. In the process, unexpected revelations about the couple’s sexual identity come to the surface…
FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:
1) The movie musical is about to get its weirdest, maddest, and indeed its horniest spin since the likes of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Repo! The Genetic Opera, and even Cats!
2) Andrea Riseborough, whose recent grassroots Oscar campaign for her powerful role in To Leslie caused surprise and controversy within the Academy, leads an eclectic ensemble who sing, dance, and thrust their way into your memory
3) The madness comes from filmmaker Amanda Kramer, who’s no stranger to out-there concepts after her previous feature, the Lord of the Flies homage Ladyworld
4) It’s already being described as a combination of the works of John Waters, Pedro Almodóvar and Kenneth Anger, so you know you’re going to get something crazy!
5) It looks set to become a new cult classic, very much in the same vein as those other previously-mentioned musicals
Please Baby Please is streaming exclusively on MUBI from Friday 31st March 2023
WHAT’S RETURNING TO CINEMAS THIS WEEK?
The Big Lebowski (dirs. Ethan Coen and Joel Coen)
CAST: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tara Reid, John Turturro, Sam Elliott, David Thewlis, Ben Gazzara, Peter Stormare, Torsten Voges, Flea, Jon Polito, Philip Moon, Mark Pellegrino, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Jack Kehler, Dom Irrera, Harry Bugin, Jesse Flanagan, Leon Russom, Warren Keith, Marshall Manesh, Asia Carrera, Aimee Mann, Richard Gant, Christian Clemenson
CREW: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen (directors, writers, producers), Carter Burwell (composer), Roger Deakins (cinematographer), Roderick Jaynes (editor)
PLOT: Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski (Bridges), a lazy and laid-back slacker, is mistaken for a billionaire with the same name (Huddleston) by thugs who then proceed to urinate on his prized rug. Coerced by his bowling friends Walter Sobchak (Goodman) and Donny (Buscemi), The Dude visits his namesake for compensation, which leads to him becoming involved in a kidnapping plot involving the billionaire’s trophy wife Bunny (Reid), his estranged artist daughter (Moore), a group of German nihilists, and other bizarre additions…
FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:
1) The Coen Brothers’ comedic masterpiece is back in cinemas to celebrate its milestone twenty-fifth anniversary
2) A muted hit upon its original release in 1998, it has since become a cult classic among cinephiles and general audiences alike, inspiring countless self-help books, visual essays, conventions, and even zen-like lifestyles
3) The Dude is by far the most iconic Jeff Bridges performance, with extremely memorable supporting turns by John Goodman, Julianne Moore and John Turturro (as sex-offender bowling rival Jesus, who has since headlined his own spin-off movie)
4) It is endlessly quotable, features plenty of memorably surreal dream sequences, has a non-stop line of gags and slapstick that still holds up, and a pretty unpredictable mystery that hooks you in
5) No matter how many times you see it, you’re almost always guaranteed to laugh at every single joke and quote along to every one-liner – now that’s something that anyone can abide!
The Big Lebowski is showing in cinemas from Friday 31st March 2023
Three Colours: Blue (dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski)
CAST: Juliette Binoche, Benoît Régent, Florence Pernel, Charlotte Véry, Hélène Vincent, Philippe Volter, Emmanuelle Riva, Yann Trégouët, Julie Delpy, Zbigniew Zamachowski
CREW: Krzysztof Kieślowski (director, writer), Krzysztof Piesiewicz (writer), Marin Karmitz (producer), Zbigniew Preisner (composer), Slawomir Idziak (cinematographer), Jacques Witta (editor)
PLOT: After losing her husband and young daughter in a car accident, Julie (Binoche) attempts to cut herself off from the world and isolate from her former ties, but soon finds that she cannot escape from human connection…
FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:
1) Krzysztof Kieślowski’s highly influential Three Colours trilogy returns to the big screen in a brand-new 4K restoration, beginning with the re-release of acclaimed first entry Blue (the following films White and Red will be released separately over the next couple of weeks)
2) Blue features a striking early performance by Juliette Binoche, for which she won the Venice Film Festival’s Best Actress award in 1993, and even scored a Golden Globe nomination (y’know, back what that meant something…)
3) The film itself, along with the other films in the trilogy, is often cited as one of the greatest international films of all time, as well as one of the greatest films, period
4) Each film in the trilogy is named for the colours in the French flag, and themed after the three French Revolutionary ideals, with Blue focusing on the nature, and emotional baggage, of liberty
5) It’s a must-see for any budding cinephile who wants to add a timeless and devastating drama to their prized film collection
