Best Films to Watch in London and Stream This Week
From cinema releases to streaming gems, including a brilliant coming of age drama set in London's East End to a macabre slice of Southern Gothic
Fancy a film but can’t make your mind up what to see? Look no further: we’ve assembled the best of what’s showing in London, plus the latest streaming releases, and gathered them here to make choosing a great movie as easy as possible. Whatever you’re in the mood for, out in the world or in the comfort of your own home, WeLoveCinema has you well and truly covered…
[New Releases]
Rocks
Where to watch it: Get London showtimes
As a brilliant, London-set drama about a Nigerian British girl and her little brother, Rocks arrives as one of the most acclaimed releases of the year. Written by Theresa Ikoko and Claire Wilson and directed by Sarah Gavron (who helmed the far inferior Suffragette), it unfolds as an endlessly creative and entertaining social-drama about life in the East End and a bold evocation of Black teenage life. Unfolding with an improvisational quality and packed with great performances, Rocks is an unmissable triumph.
White Riot
Where to watch it: Curzon Home Cinema
This timely, lively documentary from filmmaker Rubika Shah pulls together archive footage and brand new interviews in a bid to tell the story behind the Rock Against Racism (RAR) movement, which formed in 1976 following musician Eric Clapton’s support of the racist MP Enoch Powell. Featuring interviews with The Clash, Tom Robinson Band, Steel Pulse, and Alien Kulture, there’s never been a better time to brush up on this period of British history.
The Devil All the Time
Where to watch it: Netflix
Simon Killer filmmaker Antonio Campos helms this macabre adaptation of the acclaimed 2011 novel by Donald Ray Pollack, set in small-town Ohio and Virginia in the aftermath of World War II. Featuring a stellar cast that includes Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Sebastian Stan, Riley Keough, and Eliza Scanlen, The Devil All the Time paints a dreary picture of generational conflict, inherited violence, and faith through the lives of a dozen interconnected souls – and it doesn’t hold back (read our full review).
Bill and Ted Face the Music
Where to watch it: Get London showtimes
After more than a decade in development, Bill and Ted (played by Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves) are back once more to awe at chronological mishaps whilst saying: “Dude.” Now battling the inevitable comedown of being both washed up and middle-aged – not to mention dealing with their daughters (Samara Weaving and Kristen Schaal) – they’re propelled on yet another cosmic adventure in this brisk, entertaining yarn (read our full review).
Barking Dogs Never Bite
Where to watch it: Curzon Home Cinema
Following the cinematic re-release of Bong Joon-ho’s second feature, the masterpiece that is Memories of Murder, his lesser-known debut, Barking Dogs Never Bite, is now available in digital form on Curzon Home Cinema for the first time. This unruly tale finds Bong’s inimitable voice and penchant for tonal shifts in full flow as he carves an unpredictable, satirical tale of a lecturer who decides to vent his frustrations by targeting dogs.
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[Still in Cinemas and Streaming]
The Painted Bird
Where to watch it: Get London showtimes or watch on various streaming services
A truly hellish ride, set at the end of World War II, this harrowing, explicit, and frankly deranged vision of a young boy’s odyssey through a decimated Poland won’t win any prizes for subtlety. Based on the novel of the same name by Jerzy Kosiński and directed by controversial filmmaker Václav Marhoul, it’s a gorgeously shot but bloody attempt to grapple with the weight of history – a kind of modern day reinvention of Russian masterpiece Come and See.
Cuties
Where to watch it: Netflix
Hit with a wave of unnecessary controversy in the weeks before its release and prejudged by internet hordes, Cuties – the debut film from the immensely talented French filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré – announces its writer-director as a major talent to watch. The story finds a young Muslim girl who finds herself being pulled between two worlds, touching on themes of hyper-sexualisation and internet culture. Think Girlhood with something of Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring (read our full review).
The Broken Hearts Gallery
Where to watch it: Get London showtimes
This affable romantic comedy hones in on a New York gallery assistant who decides to create an exhibit showcasing important and sentimental items from her previous relationships. Starring Geraldine Viswanathan – excellent in Blockers and Bad Education – and produced by Selena Gomez, it’s a worthy ode to relationships, past and present. Dacre Montgomery, Phillipa Soo, and Molly Gordon round out the cast.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Where to watch it: Netflix
Acclaimed writer-director Charlie Kaufman has given us yet another cerebral drama about the unknowable nature of relationships, this time based on a novel by Iain Reid. I’m Thinking of Ending Things stars Jessie Buckley as a young woman who considers splitting with her boyfriend, played by Jesse Plemons, only for the thought to trigger an incalculable number of scenarios, shifts, and possibilities during a trip to meet his parents. Do you really think it’s possible to explain a Charlie Kaufman film in a paragraph? (read our full review).
This post was categorised in Archive.