Best Films to Watch in London 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…

New releases

Parasite

Months behind its US release date, Boog Joon-ho's long-awaited, multi award-winning Parasite finally hits UK shores. As with Bong's previous films (Snowpiercer, Okja), this one also defies easy explanation, focusing on a story of two South Korean families – one rich, one poor – whose lives converge in a minimalist mansion. Blending comedy, horror, and satire, Parasite is a true original, the sort of film that makes you want to shout “cinema!' from the rooftops. The wait has undoubtably been worth it.

Get Parasite showtimes in London or read our full review.

Birds of Prey

Given the poor reception to 2016's Suicide Squid, very few probably held out hope for this all-female spin-off. Yet Birds of Prey, transposing that film's one great element in Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, is an unexpected delight. Directed by Cathy Yan, its story concerns Quinn's post-Joker misadventures after she dumps him and essentially paints a big fat target on her head. Did we mention there is a deliciously campy Ewan McGregor? Because there is a deliciously campy Ewan McGregor. If only all DC movies were this fun!

Get Birds of Prey showtimes in London or read our full review.

Mr. Jones

Unsung heroes often make for captivating cinema, which is certainly the case for writer-director Agnieszka Holland's true-life drama Mr. Jones. James Norton – upgrading to leading man status after years of playing supporting roles – stars as the real life reporter Gareth Jones, who travelled from his native Wales to the Soviet Union in the 1930s, where he uncovered Stalin's plan to engineer famine in the Ukraine. An important story of a tragic life, and well deserving of the big screen treatment.

Get Mr. Jones showtimes in London.

Still in cinemas…

The Lighthouse

Following his debut horror The Witch, writer-director Robert Eggers has returned to blow us all out of the water with this unruly maritime nightmare, shot in beautiful black-and-white. Is it horror? Comedy? Who knows? With Willem Dafoe as a salty sea-farer and Robert Pattinson reaffirming his place as one of his generation's most brilliant actors, The Lighthouse is a bold, unpredictable, and (ahem) flatulent fever dream. Don't even get us started on those seagulls…

Get The Lighthouse showtimes in London or read our full review.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Mr. Rogers isn't as well known here in the UK as he is stateside, where the man seems to be held with the same nationwide reverence as George Washington. There was only one guy capable of capturing the television presenter's unique charisma, then, and that man is universally beloved actor Tom Hanks, appearing here in an Oscar-nominated turn. Marielle Heller, who did such wonderful work on Can You Ever Forgive Me?, directs this life-affirming drama about a cynical reporter (Matthew Rhys) who tries to dig beneath Roger's unshakeable spirit.

Get A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood showtimes in London or read our full review.

Richard Jewell

With Richard Jewell Clint Eastwood continues his crusade to make films about good men whose lives are turned upside-down by the very institutes they swore to serve (see American Sniper, Sully). Based on the true story of the security guard whose heroics foiled a terrorist bomb plot only to later find himself targeted by the FBI, it features a long overdue lead role from the excellent actor Paul Walter Hauser, whilst Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, and Olivia Wilde round out the cast.

Get Richard Jewell showtimes in London or read our full review.

Queen & Slim

This 21st century take on Bonnie and Clyde follows the misadventures of two twenty-somethings, played by Jodie Turner-Smith and Daniel Kaluuya of Get Out fame, whose epic fail of a first date leads to an unexpected conflict with a racist cop and a life on the run. Directed by Melina Matsoukas, best known for her work on Beyonce's “Formation” video, Queen & Slim is an undeniably angry movie for these unjust times, not to mention one that's downright gorgeous to look at. Not sure about that sex scene, though.

Get Queen & Slim showtimes in London or read our full review.

The Personal History of David Copperfield

Though best known for his work on satirical shows like The Thick of It and Veep, Armando Iannucci has laid the snark and irony aside for his latest film, The Personal History of David Copperfield, based on the beloved tale by Charles Dickens. It's the sort of charming – and totally swear-free – adaptation that can only come from a life-long love of the source material. Opting for a “colour-blind” approach to casting, Iannucci injects new life into an old classic, uniting Dev Patel with a plethora of famous British faces, including Hugh Laurie, Ben Whishaw, Benedict Wong, Tilda Swinton, and Peter Capaldi. In a word: lovely.

Get The Personal History of David Copperfield showtimes in London or read our full review.

Back on the Big Screen…

A Streetcar Named Desire

One of the sweatiest films ever made returns to UK cinemas this week with a brand new restoration. Directed by Elia Kazan, based on the classic Tennessee Williams play, Streetcar tells the story of Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh), an ageing Southern belle who meets her match in her sister's brutish husband, Stanley (Marlon Brando). Many claim that Brando invented the modern acting style with his mumbly performance here, making thesps like Laurence Olivier seem old-fashioned. All together now: “Stella!”

Get A Streetcar Named Desire showtimes in London or read our full review.