From cinema releases to streaming gems, including a dazzling relationship drama from Charlie Kaufman, and Disney's latest live-action remake
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
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).
Mulan
Where to watch it: Disney+
Delayed several times due to the pandemic, Mulan – the latest Disney classic to get the live-action treatment – arrives not, as one might have expected, in cinemas, but on streaming service Disney+. Eschewing the talking dragon and iconic musical numbers, this version finds an altogether less cynical approach, leaning less heavily on nostalgia and more on “historical epic” territory and the long tradition of Chinese wuxia movies.
Les Miserables
Where to watch it: Get London showtimes
Thankfully, you won't find Russell Crowe doing any singing here. Instead this acclaimed French drama tells the story of a cop who moves to Paris to join the Anti-Crime Brigade of Montfermeil, only to find himself entangled in an underworld of warring factions. Directed with visual panache by Ladj Ly, it's loosely based on the real-life instances of police violence which took place in Paris back in 2008.
Socrates
Where to watch it: Get London showtimes or watch it on various streaming services
This impressive, low-budget effort, set in Brazil, finds it story in the plight of a gay teenager, played by Christian Malheiros, whose life hits rock bottom when his mother dies, leaving him to fend for himself. Written and directed by Alexandre Moratto, it's only 71 minutes long, yet it packs more enough honesty and drama into its short runtime.
The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful
Where to watch it: Get London showtimes
Like a Chinese version of The Godfather, in which said Godfather is actually a woman, The Bold, the Corrupt and the Beautiful unfolds as an epic family crime saga with a deeply feminist kick. Acclaimed Hong Kong actress Kara Wai plays the wife of a general who is the real brains behind their extensive antique operation, but whose world is shattered by a murder. Maybe it's good to mention that the film's original title was Blood Queen?
Still in Cinemas and Streaming…
Tenet
Where to watch it: Get London showtimes
After being delayed three times due to the global pandemic, Christopher Nolan's latest mindbender – about a temporal agent trying to prevent World War III using “time inversion” – has finally arrived in cinemas. Was it worth the wait? That'll depend on your tolerance for a plot that refuses to explain itself in any coherent way and seems designed to baffle audiences into a stupor. It's hugely ambitious, bold and extremely Nolan. Whatever your take, it must be said that this filmmaker doesn't do things by halves (read our full review).
She Dies Tomorrow
Where to watch it: Curzon Home Cinema
Actor-turned-filmmaker Amy Seimetz delivers a strange and cerebral sort-of horror movie that felts perfectly timed with the global pandemic. Kate Lyn Sheil is Amy, the first victim of a mysterious, unknowable illness that transmits to her an overwhelming belief that she is going to die the very next day. Quickly, her conviction spreads to other people. But is what they're feeling real, or a case of mass hysteria?
Get Duked!
Where to watch it: Amazon Prime Video
Four friends from Glasgow find themselves targeted by an elite hunter in the Scottish highlands in this riotous and funny blend of Attack the Block and “The Most Dangerous Game.” Get Duked! (previously titled Boyz in the Wood) features outstanding performances from its lead quartet and confirms its writer-director Ninian Doff as a talent to watch. 86 minutes of pure entertainment… and there's Eddie Izzard, too.
Ava
Where to watch it: Curzon Home Cinema
A furious, polemical debut feature, Ava features one of the year's great film villains in a mother that does everything she can to enforce Iran's patriarchal standards on her bright, rebellious teenage daughter. Filmmaker Sadaf Foroughi gives an insight into a world previously under-explored on screen, using imaginative, voyeuristic visuals as well as excellent performances to immerse audiences in the frustrating reality of being a young woman in Iran (read our full review).
Yes, God, Yes
Where to watch it: Various streaming services
A coming-of-age film in all sense of the word, Yes, God, Yes follows a Catholic teen who has to come to terms with both her faith and her sexuality when she discovers the joys of masturbation. Stranger Things star Natalia Dyer anchors this serious-yet-silly look at the difficulty of balancing being devout with the physical realities of going through puberty, taking good-natured stabs at the sexual dysfunctions of teenagers and adults alike.
