Best Films to Watch in London This Week
All the best films showing in the capital, from the most original animation of the year to a Frozen follow-up...
Out and about this week? 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 and gathered them here to make choosing a great movie as easy as possible. Whatever you’re in the mood for, WeLoveCinema has you well and truly covered…
I Lost My Body
And the prize for the weirdest plot of the year goes to…! It’s not everyday a film like I Lost My Body – a stirring, beautifully-crafted, and emotionally rich tale of a severed hand trying to reconnect with its lost owner – comes along. But what sounds highly questionable on paper winds up working a special kind of magic on the screen, as director Jérémy Clapin’s ambitious coming-of-age saga unfolds with a Malickian grandeur, backed by a stunning musical score. Two storylines play out simultaneously: one detailing the life of the hand’s owner, Naoufel, pre-hand loss, whilst another chronicles the adventures of said hand as it navigates a series of heart-pumping set-pieces through the streets of Paris (rats are especially terrifying when you’re a hand). Trust us when we say you’ve never seen anything quite like it.
Get London showtimes for I Lost My Body or read our full review here.
Frozen 2
It was inevitable that Frozen, the second highest-grossing animated movie ever made, should eventually wind up with a sequel, and so Frozen 2 has finally landed in cinemas in order to cast yet another icy spell over parents and children alike. Picking up a few years after the events of the original, the plot concerns a Tolkien-esque quest to pinpoint the source of a mysterious voice. Though there isn’t really anything here to match the magic of the original (mainly because the joy of the first film derived from the general lack of expectations), Frozen 2 still delivers on humorous antics and features a whole selection of brand new earworms (though, it must be said, there’s nothing as memorable as “Let it Go,” but wasn’t that a given?).
Get London showtimes for Frozen 2 or read our full review here.
Judy & Punch
No, they haven’t got the title the wrong way round: this darkly comic, revisionist take on the mythos of “Punch and Judy” exists entirely to shake things up, repositioning the inherent – and oddly tolerated – spousal violence of the well-known act as a feminist yarn/revenge fantasy, perfectly timed for Me Too. As the debut feature from Australian actor-turned-filmmaker Mirrah Foulkes, Judy & Punch stars Mia Wasikowska and Damon Herriman as the titular duo, who live in the grubby, Dickensian town of Seaside and entertain the masses with their beloved marionette show (Punch takes all the credit, though it’s Judy who’s the real talent). Highly idiosyncratic, unpredictable, and very gory, it makes for one very weird but highly original turning of the tables.
Get London showtimes for Judy & Punch.
Blue Story
The writer-rapper-director behind the YouTube sensation that was Shiro’s Story brings us an urban tale set in Peckham, this time unravelling with a distinctly Shakespearean vibe as two friends – played by Stephen Odubola and Micheal Ward – are made into mortal enemies when their lives diverge during a gang war. Though lots of the film feels familiar, the appearance of Rapman himself, acting as a Greek chorus of sorts throughout, is what makes Blue Story into a true original that transcends its well-worn subject matter. At times it’s a little too on-the-nose, but if you can forgive these moments – and they are easy to forgive – you’re sure to come away feeling like you’ve just witnessed something pretty special.
Get London showtimes for Blue Story.
La Belle Époque
La Belle Époque‘s intriguing premise is hard to resist: What if there was a company that, for a price, would reconstruct the greatest day of your life to your exact specification, so that you could relive it all over again? It’s the sort of question you might find at the heart of a Charlie Kaufman script, though this time the task falls to French filmmaker Nicolas Bedos, who has made a sweet, magical, and handsomely shot picture about the power of nostalgia – and our obsession with the past. Its title literally means “The Good Times,” and that’s precisely what our hero (Daniel Auteuil) goes looking for when he hires a theatrical expert (Guillaume Canet) to reconstruct the 1974-era Lyon bar where he first met his wife.
Get London showtimes for La Belle Époque or read our full review here.
Harriet
You might be familiar with the name “Harriet Tubman,” but her amazing story has yet to find its way to the big screen… until now. Written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, and featuring a magnificently cast Cynthia Eviro as the Underground Railroad freedom fighter of the title, Harriet tells the story of the revolutionary slave whose decision to rebel against her masters made her one of the defining figures of the 20th century. This biopic is long overdue, of course, and Lemmons’ films is a handsome and effective look into the life of this extraordinary women. Eviro makes for a stunning lead, and the film even finds a way to make use of her fantastic singing voice. If the film occasionally errs on the generic side, her performance keeps us fully invested.
Get London showtimes for Harriet.
Marriage Story
Noah Baumbach has already established himself as one of the defining filmmakers of his generation, turning up intellectually-minded comedy-dramas in the vein of Woody Allen and Éric Rohmer. His new film, however, might be his best work yet. Loosely based on the director’s divorce with Jennifer Jason Leigh, Marriage Story stars Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson as a couple in the midst of a complicated split, told with the insight, humour, and sadness we’ve come to expect from a filmmaker of Baumbach’s calibre. It’s a beautifully realised and complicated work, packed with outstanding performances (Laura Dern and Alan Alda are marvellous in supporting roles), not to mention a sure-fire contender for Best Picture at next year’s Oscars. Driver, especially, delivers the turn of his career.
Get London showtimes for Marriage Story or read our full review here.
Le Mans ’66
Le Mans ’66 is the sort of old-fashioned, petrol-soaked charmer that’s sure to please Dads everywhere. But it’s also a car movie that will appeal to even those who couldn’t care less about them. That’s down to the lead performances from Matt Damon and Christian Bale, whose bromance ensures that this biographical blockbuster pulls you in for all its 152 minutes, not to mention an unwaveringly affable tone that makes it a breeze to sit through. Based on the true story of Ford’s attempts to beat Ferrari at the 24 hour race in La Mans, director James Mangold – best known for Logan – has basically assembled a western from car parts: it’s crisply shot, well-acted, and packed to the brim with bravado driving sequences. Proper bang for your buck.
Get London showtimes for Le Mans ’66 or read our full review here.
The Report
It’s a great week for Adam Driver fans. He’s here, too, commanding the screen – proving yet again he’s one of the best actors around – in Scott Z. Burns’ deft political thriller The Report. In the vein of investigative dramas like Spotlight and All the President’s Men (and based on a true story), The Report zeroes in on the plight faced by one Dan Jones, a Senate staffer tasked with filing a report on why the CIA authorised the destruction of paperwork relating to post 9/11 torture methods. It’s a film that, free from the usual Hollywood clutter, thrives on its ability to portray the facts and isn’t afraid to take the CIA into account for its shady practices. If you like competent people being obsessed with the truth, this one ticks all the boxes.
Get London showtimes for The Report or read our full review here.
The Irishman
Just when you thought Martin Scorsese had said everything he could possibly say about the mob and gangsters, along comes The Irishman, his most ambitious movie yet – and a sure-fire candidate for best film of the year. As one of Scorsese’s longest gestating passion projects, based on a 2004 true-crime book, it zeroes in on the life of former mob hitman Frank Sheeran, who narrates the story of his long and morally dubious career from the confines of an old people’s home. Much has been said about The Irishman‘s gargantuan, three-and-a-half-hour length, not to mention the de-aging technically that allows Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino to appear as much younger men, but it’s in the sadder, more melancholy moments where the picture truly thrives. It’s like one epic funeral for the entire gangster genre.
Get London showtimes for The Irishman or read our full review.
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