Best Films to Watch in London This Week
All the best films showing in the capital, from low-budget gems to the culmination of cinema's biggest movie franchise
Another week, another huge selection of amazing films to catch in the capital. Decisions, decisions, though. Good thing Walloh’s here, as usual, with our list of hand-picked highlights. And could this particular week be any more exciting? After all, we say goodbye (sort of) to cinema’s biggest movie franchise after more than a decade of superhero antics. And if superhero blockbusters aren’t your thing, there are plenty of other gems here – both new and classic – that are sure to fit the bill. Enjoy!
Eighth Grade
Former YouTuber Bo Burnham makes his absurdly confident feature debut with Eighth Grade, a film he writes and directs, and one that shows him as a talented observer of teenage life. Honing in on the pitfalls of social media, the film has – quite deservedly – received lots of praise across the pond for its writing and direction. But Eighth Grade‘s greatest asset is lead actor Elsie Fisher, who plays a social media-obsessed teen, Kayla, during her last week at middle school. Contrary to Hollywood’s usual preference for casting actors in their mid-twenties as teens, the choice to cast – shock! – a real eighth grader proves to be the film’s masterstroke. It is, in all its pimply awkwardness, a star-making turn.
Get Eighth Grade showtimes in London.
Mid90s
Millennials rejoice! Superbad’s Jonah Hill writes and directs this coming-of-age drama set in 90s California, complete with skateboarding, Super Nintendo, and Cypress Hill on the soundtrack. Mid90s eschews the heaviness of similar films like Larry Clark’s Kids in favour of a more identifiable story and a big emphasis on nostalgia, helped out by Hill’s decision to shoot in a docudrama style. If you ever spent care-free afternoons playing Tony Hawks’ Pro Skater with your face pressed right up against the TV screen, this one’s definitely for you.
Get Mid90s showtimes in London.
Wild Rose
Jessie Buckley plays a wannabe country star in this Billy Elliot-esque musical drama set in Glasgow. Fresh out of prison, Rose-Lynn dreams of Dolly Parton-level stardom, but she’s also a single parent whose kids have been left in the care of her own mum, played here by screen legend Julie Waters. At first Wild Rose feels like it’s flirting with the formulaic, but it quickly reveals itself to be a far deeper and more interesting film than all that. There’s been much talk, also, that the film is set to propel its lead actress to superstar glory. Watching it you’re likely to agree.
Click here for Wild Rose showtimes in London.
Loro
Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that Silvio Berlusconi has led one hell of a life. The former Prime Minister of Italy found his career entangled in one political scandal after another, including the infamous “bunga bunga” parties that shocked the world. Now he’s the focus of director Paolo Sorrentino’s latest epic – so epic, in fact, that it was originally split into two movies before being re-edited into one two-and-a-half hour extravaganza. With acclaimed actor Toni Servillo taking on the coveted role of Berlusconi, Loro is a movie that proves to be as daring and edgy as the man himself.
Get Loro showtimes in London.
The World is Yours
Films about criminals pulling off “one last job” are ten a penny, so it’s not at all surprising if French-language thriller The World is Yours, with its plot about a small-time gangster who takes on – you guessed it – one last job, seems like all too familiar fare. But eagle-eyed Scarface fans might recognise the film’s winking title, a neat reference to Cuban gangster Tony Montana’s doomed mantra, and a clue that Roman Gavras’ film has its tongue pressed firmly against its cheek. Channeling the works of Guy Richie and Quentin Tarantino could have meant disaster; instead it results in a relentlessly entertaining crime flick that actually has something to say about the state of divided Europe. Who knew?
Get The World is Yours showtimes in London.
Avengers: Endgame
After more than 10 years of intricate world-building, Avengers: Endgame arrives with its huge cast of superheroes reeling in the wake of a catastrophe that wiped out half of the life in the Universe. But this is nowhere near as bleak an outing as Infinity War set it up to be. Instead it works as a glorious love letter to the MCU, a thank you to fans who’ve stuck around for the entire ride. You’ll laugh. You’ll cheer. And when it all comes together in the film’s final hour – the culmination of 22 films – you’ll even shed a tear. A monumental cinematic achievement, Endgame is everything a fan could want from a “final” instalment, and somehow not at all the film you’d expect. In other words, it’s a perfect farewell.
Get Avengers: Endgame showtimes in London.
Ash is Purest White
Not a sequel to Blue is the Warmest Colour, but a gripping crime drama from the always interesting Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke. Part sweeping romance, part hard-boiled thriller, Ash is Purest White follows a gangster’s girlfriend, Qiao, as her life is turned upside-down after she meddles in her boyfriend’s affairs. Beginning at the turn of the century and spanning several years thereafter, Ash is an epic work that – so often the case with Jia Zhang-Ke – can be read on multiple levels. A social critique, a meditation on modern China, and an exploration of self-sacrifice, it’s a disquieting film with a depth that can be felt in every frame. Not to mention there’s a fantastic scene with the “YMCA.”
Get Ash is Purest White showtimes in London.
Maborosi
The 1995 debut feature from Hirokazu Kore-eda (of Shoplifters fame) is essential viewing for anyone passionate about the work of Japanese filmmaking legend Yasujiro Ozu. That’s another way of saying this sombre drama about a woman haunted by the suicide of her husband eschews close-ups and favours long takes. Highly moving and deeply melancholy, Maborosi is a film that refuses to hold your hand, allowing the viewer to make connections and fill in details. By all means go and bask in its mediative brilliance and stunning compositions (you won’t regret it), though you might consider heading out for a few stiff drinks afterwards. It’s that kind of film. Part of the BFI’s Kore-eda season.
Get Maborosi showtimes in London.
Styx
Directed by Wolfgang Fischer and starring Susanne Wolff, Styx is a high seas drama about a sailor who stumbles upon something unexpected during a solo trip across the Atlantic – the less said about what the better. Styx is a film that takes its time and is unashamedly frank about doing so. The first half is essentially plotless, as Wolff’s adventurer, Rike, hits the seas. Just as the film eases you into its rhythms, though, Fischer throws in a massive curve ball. It’s then you realise the decision to start slow is a brilliantly calculated one, serving to enhance the drama of the final hour by contrasting it with the earlier quietness. What should Rike do? Moreover, what – in the same situation – would you do?
Get Styx showtimes in London.
Magnolia
Say what you will about Paul Thomas Anderson, but he doesn’t do things by halves. Magnolia is a true testament to that notion, a film that – with its lengthy runtime and huge cast of characters – was met with equal amounts acclaim and eyebrow-raising back in ’99. But unlike so many movies in the often over-reaching “we are all connected” sub-genre (here’s looking at you, Crash), Magnolia plays out like poetry on celluloid. An epic, LA-based tapestry of human beings in search of meaning, most probably remember it now for its infamous “frog” sequence. But it’s the performances that make Magnolia special, with standout turns from Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, and Tom Cruise, who – as macho motivational speaker Frank Mackey – has never been more watchable (or vulnerable) on screen.
Get Magnolia showtimes in London.
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