From a gripping story set in apartheid-era South Africa to a Chris Hemsworth action flick, here are our picks for what to stream and rent...
Going to cinema might not be an option right now, but bringing the magic of the big screen directly into your home is – especially as more studios opt to release the latest films on VOD platforms instead. What better way to take refuge from the bizarre situation currently gripping our world than with a host of unique, inspiring, and entertaining films?
As always, we've assembled the best of what’s showing (read as: streaming) 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…
New Releases
Moffie
Where to watch it: Curzon Home Cinema (rent)
This sensitive, compelling film from director Oliver Hermanus hones in on gay, sixteen-year-old teenager Nicholas (Kai Luke Brummer) after he's enlisted into the army in apartheid-era South Africa. A meditation on sexual awakening, toxic masculinity, and the innocence of youth, it paints a vivid and unflinching picture of a society that's broken from the ground up.
What we said: “Hermanus manages to create coherence from all the different, sometimes contradictory aspects of Nicholas’s existence, revealing how a person continues to reassess their life and their self as they carry on living and encountering new challenges and possibilities (read our full review)”
Extraction
Where to watch it: Netflix (stream)
Chris Hemsworth is back in beefy action hero mode, this time to rescue the kidnapped son of an international crime lord as tormented mercenary “Tyler Rake.” Produced by the Russo brothers (Avengers: Endgame), Extraction marks the directorial debut of stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave, who brings his unique skill set to what is a blisteringly loud and explosively unsubtle thriller. Might help to alleviate some of that quarantine restlessness, though.
What we said: “If you can brush aside everything that's wrong with Extraction, from it mistreatment of exotic locales to its paper thin protagonist, it's entertaining in a mindless, overblown way, like The Raid as directed by Tony Scott (read our full review).”
Sea Fever
Where to watch it: iTunes (buy)
The latest in an endless line of films taking their cues from Ridley Scott's Alien, eerily prescient thriller Sea Fever – with its quarantine-themed story of a fishing trawler crew under attack from killer parasites – couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. Expect scenes right out of John Carpenter's The Thing, and one moment that's literally eye-popping.
What we said: “The acting, low-key and unshowy, brings a gritty realism, whilst the mumbly dialogue and lack of traditional heroics contribute to a film that seems refreshingly indifferent to the fates of its characters (read our full review).”
The Willoughbys
Where to watch it: Netflix (stream)
Affable adventure The Willoughbys, based on the book of the same name by children’s author Lois Lowry, is both a traditional family film and a strangely meta-minded deconstruction on the nature of storytelling. It's a clear attempt on the part of its maker, Netflix, to throw their hat into the world of more esteemed animated fare. There is also a cat voiced by Ricky Gervais – a blessing or a curse, depending on you.
What we said: “A sweet and amusing balance of light and dark, it’s something of a bridge between child-friendly and young adult, a fun first step towards a more democratic family movie night (read our full review).”
Circus of Books
Where to watch it: Netflix (stream)
Filmmaker Rachel Mason turns the camera on her own parents, the accidental proprietors of a gay book shop, in this enlightening and funny documentary charting the highs and lows of the business across the years – one that, for a time, was considered to be the “centre of the gay universe.”
Still Streaming…
Selah and the Spades
Where to watch it: Prime Video (stream)
The debut feature from writer-director Tayarisha Poe can't be easily pigeon-holed, falling somewhere between high school drama, satire, and strange vision of an alternate future. The story finds the “Spades,” a gang led by the titular Selah Summers (Lovie Simone), fighting to stay at the top of the social pile in an American prep school dominated by cliques. Stylish and original, it marks Poe as a filmmaker to watch.
What we said: “Maybe Selah and the Spades is better for what it promises than for what it is – and that's perfectly okay (read our full review).”
Why Don’t You Just Die!
Where to watch it: Prime Video (rent)
Set almost entirely within the confines of a Moscow apartment, this strange but gripping black comedy from Russia hones in on a corrupt police officer, played by Vitaliy Khaev, whose life is turned upside-down when a young man (Aleksandr Kuznetsov) turns up with a hammer, claiming to be his daughter's boyfriend. It's a violent, giddy yarn, expertly told and packed with neat twists and turns. Quentin Tarantino would approve.
New to Streaming…
Blue Story
Where to watch it: Prime Video (rent)
The writer-rapper-director behind the YouTube sensation that was Shiro’s Story brings us an urban tale set in Peckham and Deptford, 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.
Birds of Prey
Where to watch it: Prime Video (rent from April 27)
This solo vehicle for Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn proved to be an unexpected delight. Directed by Cathy Yan, its story follows Quinn's post-Joker misadventures after their break-up inadvertently paints her as a target for Gotham's villains. Did we mention there is a deliciously campy Ewan McGregor? If only all DC movies were this fun!
Calm with Horses
Where to watch it: Prime Video (rent from April 27)
This gritty drama, set in rural Ireland and directed by first time feature filmmaker Nick Rowland, has western vibes and blackly comic chops. It stars musician Cosmo Jarvis as a boxer who's hired by a family of drug dealers and paired with the always impressive actor Barry Keoghan, who does great work here in a tale that thrives on their back and forth chemistry.
