Best Films to Watch in London This Week

All the movies worth catching in the capital, from a fast-paced Mexican doc to a CG dog film that's actually good...

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

Midnight Family

Here's something you probably never considered to be a thing: cowboy ambulance drivers. Midnight Family, a gripping, emotional rollercoaster of a documentary, zeroes in on the Ochoa family, who operate one of Mexico City's private ambulance services. As they race through the streets in search of accidents and emergencies, the miraculous footage, both inspiring and saddening, tell us only one thing about the medical system in Mexico: it's broken.

Get Midnight Family showtimes in London or read our full review.

 

The Call of the Wild

Jack London's classic novel about a domestic dog who winds up in the Yukon has been adapted for the big screen countless times already – but never with a fully CG mutt! Even if this pixelated version of Buck fails to convince entirely, the inclusion of Harrison Ford (appearing as a grizzled prospector in an unusually engaged performance) and heaps of sincerity means this is that rare CG dog movie that won't make you want to claw out your eyeballs.

Get The Call of the Wild showtimes in London or read our full review.

 

End of the Century

Lucio Castro's impressive debut drama centres on two men who meet on a trip to Barcelona and realise they've met before, offering up a tricksy but intelligent take on the “what could have been?” romance tale. Acted with authenticity by Juan Barberini and Ramon Pujol, End of the Century gives us an impressive and stylish take on themes of memory and romance. It's the sort of first feature that makes you excited about whatever Castro decides to do next.

Get End of the Century showtimes in London or read our full review.

 

Little Joe

Blending elements of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Happening, and – yes – Little Shop of Horrors, Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner makes her English language debut with the memorably titled Little Joe. Alice (Emily Beecham) is a scientist working on a genetically engineered plant that's been designed to increase its owner's mood. Then things go wrong, à la Jurassic Park. It's less bloody horror show, though, and more sinister mood piece.

Get Little Joe showtimes in London or read our full review.

 

Greed

Steve Coogan has teamed up with his regular collaborator Michael Winterbottom (The Trip) for a comic portrait of a billionaire tycoon built in the mold of Sir Phillip Green. Here he's named Sir Richard “Greedy” McCreadie in an aptly titled film that centres around the man's sixtieth birthday party on the Greek island of Mykonos. If not up there with both Coogan and Winterbottom's best work, Greed makes for funny (and angry) enough viewing. David Mitchell and Tim Key round out the cast.

Get Greed showtimes in London.

 

The Public

Emilio Estevez, best known as a member of the “Brat Pack,” writes, directs, and stars in this story about a group of homeless people who take over a public library in Cincinnati in order to get free from the cold. If that sounds like the sort of plot you'd find in a film inspired by a true story, it surprisingly isn't, yet its message is timely enough. If you can forgive the clunky dialogue, The Public has a lot of interesting things to say about our unjust systems. It also has Jena Malone, which is never a bad thing.

Get The Public showtimes in London.

Still in Cinemas

First Love

Japanese provocateur Takashi Miike made his name in the West with ultra-violent crime thriller Ichi the Killer, but he's probably best known nowadays for just how prolific he is (he's probably made two features in the time it's taken you to read this sentence). His latest flick, First Love, is – remarkably – his 103rd, finding its story in a terminally ill boxer who sets out to rescue a young woman from the Yakuza. A unique blend of violent set-pieces and surprisingly sweet romance ensure it's one of Miike's most purely enjoyable efforts in years.

Get First Love showtimes in London or read our full review.

 

Parasite

Boog Joon-ho's Oscar-winning masterpiece, Parasite, is the first foreign language film to win Best Picture. As with Bong's previous films (Snowpiercer, Okja), it's also one that 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 deserves all the praise it has received, the sort of film that makes you want to shout “cinema!' from the rooftops. Go on, shout it.

Get Parasite showtimes in London or read our full review.

 

Birds of Prey

Given the poor reception to 2016's Suicide Squid, 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.

Other Features

Repertory Rundown: What to Watch in London This Week, From Little Women to Sergio Leone

From classics to cult favourites, our team highlight some of the best one-off screenings and re-releases showing this week in the capital

Repertory Rundown: What to Watch in London This Week, From Coppola to Cross of Iron

From classics to cult favourites, our team highlight some of the best one-off screenings and re-releases showing this week in the capital

20 Best Films of 2023 (So Far)

With the year at the halfway point, our writers choose their favourite films, from daring documentaries to box office bombs

Repertory Rundown: What to Watch in London This Week, From Mistress America to The Man Who Wasn’t There

From classics to cult favourites, our team highlight some of the best one-off screenings and re-releases showing this week in the capital

Reviews

The Innocent review – 60s-inspired heist movie with an existential twist

In his fourth feature film, writer-director Louis Garrel explores with wit and tenderness the risk and worth of second chances

Baato review – Nepal’s past and future collide in an immersive, fraught documentary

A mountain trek intertwines with a road-building project, granting incisive, if underpowered, insight into a much underseen world

The Beanie Bubble review – a grim new low for the “corporate biopic” genre

With none of the saving graces of Tetris, Air, or Barbie, this ambition-free look at the Beanie Baby craze is pure mediocrity

Everybody Loves Jeanne review – thoroughly modern fable of grief, romantic confusion, and climate anxiety

Celine Deveaux's French-Portuguese debut can be too quirky for its own good, but a fantastically written lead character keeps it afloat