Daisy Edgar-Jones enters the Jane Austen cinematic universe in this gorgeous new adaptation of Austen’s beloved classic.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that film and television producers will never tire of Austen’s work. Though this time we are speaking not of Netflix’s upcoming Pride & Prejudice, but of her first book, Sense and Sensibility, which was published anonymously in 1811 with the title page stating only that it was ‘By a Lady’.

It is testament to said lady’s enduring legacy and the continued relevance of her stories that the adaptations keep coming thick and fast. The lavish new interpretation follows two sisters, Elinor (Edgar-Jones) and Marianne Dashwood (Esmé Creed-Miles), the former embodying reason, restraint, and practicality (sense) and the latter romanticism, strong emotion and impulsiveness (sensibility). Forced to leave their family estate after the death of their father, they move with their mother and younger sister, Margaret, to a cottage in rural Devonshire.

A classic coming-of-age story, it charts their contrasting experiences of love and loss, and the social and financial pressures of late 18th-century England. This beautiful and faithful adaptation is a sensual delight

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Language: French

Bertrand Usclat and Martin Darondeau’s hilarious laugh-a-minute comedy is a wonderfully chaotic love letter to theatre.

Certain institutions are indispensable if one wants to know Paris. One of these is the Comédie-Française, a national theatre, and one of France’s most revered arts institutions; dedicated to French playwright Molière, but which also puts on plays by other classic French dramatists, foreign greats, and some modern playwrights. The theatre has a dedicated corps of players, and when they join, the have the “de la Comédie-Française” attached to their names. There is one golden rule: the play is never cancelled.  

Unfortunately for theatre producer Nina (Pauline Clément), everything is unravelling just three hours before the premiere of her first production – an ambitious retelling of Macbeth. Her lead actor is stuck on a train, tensions are exploding, passions flaring, equipment breaking down and egos are clashing. With panic setting in and the clock ticking, Nina must hold things together at all costs. Will the show go on?

France’s runaway hit comedy is a delicious behind-the-scenes farce which is unafraid to poke fun at the highbrow reputation of French theatre.

Aardman’s hero is back in The Beast of Mossy Bottom – a terrifying tale of frankenfood, pitchfork-wielding villagers and a monster with suspiciously stiff orange hair.

Everyone is looking forward to Halloween on Mossy Bottom Farm - until the clumsy Farmer trashes the Flock's beloved pumpkin patch. But when Shaun turns mad scientist to fix the problem, things rapidly spiral out of control. With the Farmer missing and a wild beast roaming the woods of Mossingham, all the ingredients are in place for a monstrously fun family adventure.

Mossy Bottom is indeed a horror film. Or, at least, a horror for those with a 7.30pm bedtime. Scares have been softened. But there remains allusions to films like Psycho, as the flock cower in the shower. Other inspirations include Nosferatu and Frankenstein, The Shining and Weird Science. So there are plenty of nudges and winks for the adult horror fans in the audience.

Aardman once again showcases not just its extraordinary talent at sop-motion animation, but the way they juxtapose cutesy charm with genuine thrills. All in a brisk eighty minutes.

Bullock and Kidman return for a witchy sequel that can still cast a spell.

Nearly three decades after Practical Magic became a cult favourite, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are back as the Owens sisters, bringing their singular blend of eccentricity, sisterly affection and supernatural mischief to a new generation.

When Kylie (Joey King), the latest in the Owens family to fall in love, finds her new romance threatened by an ancient curse, she turns to the family’s magic for help. Her mother Sally (Bullock), who long ago turned her back on witchcraft, and free-spirited aunt Gilly (Kidman) are soon drawn back into the supernatural world, setting off on a journey that takes the Owens women from Boston to their ancestral home in England.

Directed by Susanne Bier, the film embraces everything that made the original so distinctive: playful magic, romantic entanglements, colourful characters and a soundtrack steeped in witchy atmosphere. Bullock and Kidman remain the heart of it all, effortlessly slipping back into the sparring, affectionate rhythm that made Sally and Gilly such an irresistible pairing.

With its cosy autumnal mood, eccentric humour and enduring celebration of female friendship and family, this is nostalgic enchantment 101.

It’s a miracle - forever inside a Warner Bros. vault to justify a corporate tax write-off, Coyote vs. Acme has been rescued and released. And rightly so, because it’s brilliant.

This cartoon/live action hybrid sees Wile E. Coyote, tired from decades of being blown up by explosive ACME products, team up with a no win, no fee lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte) to fight back. But ACME has its own powerhouse defence attorney in Kevin’s slick college nemesis Buddy Crane (John Cena), who is determined to silence the duo  - sending them on a wild quest for justice that’s as thrilling and physics-defying as Wile E.’s lifelong chase for the elusive Road Runner.

Yes, it’s a story about becoming the best version of yourself, about trying over and over again in the face of failure because you know it’s the right thing to do. There’s a mystery to solve in a fight against a heartless corporation, but there’s also no shortage of Looney Tunes antics.

It’s a testament to the enduring legacy of Bugs Bunny and co. that, almost a century on, they’ve lost none of their zaniness.

Jane Schoenbrun crafts a intoxicating display of transformative ecstasy and submissive rapture, treating us to a bizarre pop-cultural world of fiercely believed-in trash and kink.

The director of I Saw the TV Glow gifts us another queer masterpiece (this one being far more accessible, so don’t panic) which follows smart young filmmaker Kris (Hannah Einbinder) who has been hired to “crack” the reboot of Camp Miasma – an endless, schlocky horror franchise which is itself a knock-off of Friday the 13th. In order to do so, she has tracked down the reclusive star of the original movie, Billy Presley (Gillian Anderson), with the hope of talking her into a cameo role. She discovers that Billy actually lives in the disused camp that was the location for the first film.

Billy is, at first, amused at Kris’s earnest description of her queer polyamory; there’s a deliciously awkward chemistry between the two leads, which marries perfectly with the deliberate artifice of the world around them. But boundaries come crashing down when the original killer becomes all too real. Gorgeous and exquisite, this slasher-cum-love story is essential viewing.

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Language: Korean

A Quiet Place but with the dial cranked all the

way up to eleven, this sci-fi creature feature is full-scale fun.

One of the most expensive Korean films ever made, Hope races from modern-day western to action-thriller to horror film to science-fiction epic – all while retaining the full-throttle energy and cult-movie atmosphere of a 1970s exploitation flick.

We are in the remote town of Hope, a group of hunters come across the badly mauled corpse of a cow. The first clue that something very large is endangering the community. Local police chief Beom Seok (Hwang Jung-min) shows up to investigate along with rookie cop Sung-ae (Squid Game’s Jong Hoyeon).

Monster-sized holes in the buildings and bodies are strewn around; soon explosions and gunfire are breaking out everywhere. Once he’s gathered his courage, Beom Seok begins following the crashing and booming sounds. Much of what follows consists of him and everyone else inexhaustibly running, driving very fast, and often firing machine guns and rocket launchers. With a raw energy only outmatched by Fury Road, Hope is a beautifully gonzo ride, and one not to be missed on the big screen

A master class in blending, Ghostbusters is the ultimate horror comedy.

In the prime of their Saturday Night Live heyday, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis, who all contributed to the script and improvised many scenes, play three down on their luck parapsychologists. When a strange light begins to emit from Sigourney Weaver’s fridge! This turns out to be a doorway to another dimension, attracting all kinds of spooks. The team kick start the business of catching these things, practically demolishing the apartment block along the way.

It isn’t just Murray’s comic timing that holds up to this day; the special effects that bring the apparitions to terrifying life almost steal the film from under the sarcastic leads (one particular librarian still gives me nightmares). Who can forget such memorable monsters: a fifty-foot walking marshmallow, a flying booger, and a Sheena Easton lookalike in bubble wrap? Imagination on overload. (research Jack Whiting) Halloween Schmalloween. It is as fresh and as silly as it ever was. Come.

It’s the ultimate cult film. The first. The biggest. For more than 40 years it has defined what we mean by a ‘cult’ film, though few can ever hope to match its phenomenal level of ritualised worship.

A camp twist on sci-fi B-movies, it first sprang to life in 1973 as a musical in the tiny capacity studio above London’s Royal Court Theatre. An instant hit, the play transferred first to the West End. A movie spin-off was a no-brainer. The film attracted an audience hungry to celebrate a story of sexual awakening, where gender fluidity and pan-sexualism are joyfully celebrated.

Detached from the historical hoopla, you'd expect the film to be a bit on the time-withered side, but in fact it has stood the test of time rather well, with songs remaining as loopily catchy as ever. But the powerhouse of the film, no doubt, is Tim Curry's cross-dressing alien, Frank N. Furter.

See it once and laugh about it at dinner parties for the rest of your adult life. Or go along to the interactive viewings, dress up, and sing along. It's your call.

Andrew Scott brings intensity to this tightly wound World War II drama, turning a question about weather into a matter of life and death. It finds plenty of tension in the crucial countdown to D-Day.

Three days before the Allied invasion, Scottish meteorologist James Stagg (Scott) advises General Dwight D. Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser) on whether conditions are safe for Operation Overlord. Stagg predicts weather makes an immediate launch too dangerous, putting him at odds with American meteorologist Irving Krick (Chris Messina) and figures including Field Marshal Montgomery (Damian Lewis).

Based on David Haig’s play, the film unfolds inside military headquarters, with competing forecasts and clashing personalities raising the stakes. Director Anthony Maras keeps things moving with a ticking-clock structure, while archive footage and staged combat give invasion a sense of scale.

Scott is excellent as the stern, principled Stagg, making his reserved character compelling without forcing sympathy. Fraser brings theatricality to Eisenhower, while Kerry Condon adds warmth as his secretary.

There’s little action until the closing stages, but the battle of ideas proves absorbing. Smart, efficient and grounded in a true story, this makes weather forecasting feel genuinely, unexpectedly thrilling.

Two couples from contrasting social classes brush up against each other in Lee Chang-dong’s exquisite relationship drama.

Thou shalt not covet. Whether it’s thy neighbour’s house or thy neighbour’s wife, but it’s hard to not believe the grass is greener when your own garden lies withered. For Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon) and her husband Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu) the past few years have been difficult; his job loss has led him to becoming reliant on alcohol, leaving Mi-ok to care for their 10-year-old son.

Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong) seems to have an idyllic life by comparison. She’s married to the handsome businessman Sang-wook (Zo In-sung) who comes from family money. The two women meet after Ho-seok causes a scene at a colleague’s funeral. Ye-ji appears well-meaning enough, sincerely interested in Mi-ok’s life, but it’s apparent from their first exchange that the two come from different worlds. Through tipsy confessions and wistful recollections Lee carefully unpacks the contrasting marriages, masterfully observant and tender in his approach.

In some ways, it is a fascinating companion piece to Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice (minus the violence), dealing with similar subject matter in a completely different way.

Saoirse Ronan excels as a burnt-out primary school teacher in this unhinged black comedy.

The scene is a primary school in the English West Country where Maria (Ronan) is a hardworking, idealistic teacher – but her class is hopelessly disrupted by a violent boy, Danny (Eddie Waller), obnoxious and out of control. He seriously injures another pupil, teacher’s-pet Pauline (Nia Brown) whom Maria privately considers a bit annoying. After a chaotic visit to Danny’s home, Maria winds up causing the boy to lose consciousness with an accidental chokehold, and in a panic smuggles him back to her house where she imprisons him in her basement. And then, slowly but surely, the rest of the class, freed from Danny’s hateful presence, blossom and Maria gets a glowing Ofsted report. She looks and feels on top of the world. But what is to be done about her shameful secret?

The film toys with horror tropes in unpredictable ways, conveying mounting distrust with menacing flair while also blending drama, comedy and existential crises marvellously. Bad Apples dangles moral quandaries about guilt and the greater good with cutting satire and haunting visuals.

This thrilling mountaineering biopic offers a much-needed change of perspective on the famous 1953 ascent of Mount Everest.

Tenzing (Genden Phuntsok) is a former Sherpa guide whose unparalleled knowledge of the mountain earned him promotion to full team member. The film traces Tenzing’s calling across three timelines: as a boy, to a young man, and finally as the head Sherpa. Tenzing fights for his place as an equal on the team, eventually forming an unlikely partnership with Hillary (Tom Hiddleston) as the pair make for the peak. Tenzing understands the irony of celebrating those who summit the mountain while overlooking the people who do so much of the dangerous work to get them there.

For years, many assumed that Tenzing was Hillary’s loyal servant. But Tenzing is the hero of this story, and the narrative of the great climb with Hillary and expedition leader John Hunt (Willem Dafoe) is interspersed with flashbacks to his early life. It may not be reinventing the mountaineering movie, but it asks us to look at a familiar summit from the other side

Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s wildly ambitious $160 million gambit, about the grotesque pageantry of our contemporary hellscape, is a hoot.

Tom Cruise dons convincing old-man prosthetics and a fat suit to play Digger Rockwell, an ageing Texan oil tycoon who cares for nothing but the money flowing in from his wells and his unnervingly mangy pet cat. Digger is finally forced to face the consequences of his actions when his rapacious drilling in Greenland causes an ecological catastrophe that could kill millions. After saving the world so many times, Cruise is now playing one of its destroyers.

To say any more would be to spoil the wonderfully metatextual reveal about thirty minutes in - one that re-frames the entire film (and is all the better for it) - but suffice to say Cruise is surrounded by actors that can match (and even outperform) his larger than life persona: including Riz Ahmed, Jesse Plemmons, and John Goodman.

It’s a gonzo, gorgeous (the production design is nothing short of breathtaking), and at times baffling auteur driven spectacle that is both bleak, and oftentimes bizarrely hilarious. Don’t miss

David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer) gathers an ensemble of new and familiar faces for a throwback sex comedy that will leave you grinning ear to ear.

Jon Hamm (playing himself) is the celebrity that Gail (Zoey Deutch) would most want to sleep with if she was allowed to, a topic she’d never even thought about before. But when her fiancé has sex with his pick, Jennifer Aniston, at a book-signing event for her absurdly simple cookbook, Gail is determined to get her own back and heads to Hollywood with her closest friend Otto (Miles Gutierrez-Riley)

After a briefcase mix-up, their quest intersects with a sinister megalomaniac (Sabrina Impacciatore) and her unspecific nefarious plan. Along the way Gail and Otto pick up an ambitious but incompetent wannabe agent (Ben Wang), a has-been paparazzo (Ken Marino) and an out-of-work John Slattery (Hamm’s Mad Men co-star) as they hunt down Hamm while running from goons.

The film is a flagrant concoction that wants to do nothing more than make you laugh, and at that it most definitely succeeds.

First shown in March 2005 and not to be missed now in November.

Wide eyed Audrey Tautou is unrecognisable in this heart-breaking tale of love, desperation and honour… and one piece of very satisfying revenge.

A hauntingly tragic story, beautifully told of loyalty and hope, where there is none.

As World War One comes to an end, a young French woman’s greatest fight is about to begin. Mathilde receives word of Manech, her childhood sweetheart… That’s all… But there are four other soldiers. Follow her, following each one.

Jeunet’s squalid trench life and terrible decisions made in haste by incompetents, are only the spokes in the puzzle. More, in no time, he somehow creates whole biographies of four ordinary men and one boy, caught in hell. It is linked more by the French countryside than the war, and Mathilde’s determination to find Manech through listening very carefully. Above all, it is a beautifully executed ‘detective’ story, with some startling twists and fantastic Gallic faces… It is the most compelling and moving thing you are ever likely to see.

Cancel everything to be here.

The always excellent Lesley Manville sees history unfold in front of her eyes in this riveting Cold War thriller.

For three decades, psychiatry professor Joan Andrews (Manville) has worked to rise to the top of her field, but as a woman, and someone from the West, her groundbreaking ideas are met with skepticism in Poland. A conference she attends in Warsaw is interrupted by protests, and she’s quickly ferreted away to a flat belonging to the parents of her handler Alina (Zofia Wichlacz). Feeling disrespected, she’s ready to pack up and go back home. But overnight, the military takes over the government, martial law is declared, the borders are closed, and Alina goes into hiding.

Joan’s journey is first physically exhausting and then morally challenging as she must figure out what she believes in and how far she’s willing to go for the greater good, an inner conflict that lands her at the feet of Tom Burke’s shady British ambassador. The story of an intrepid rebellion fighting back against an authoritarian government hasn’t ever lacked relevancy but it’s obviously an easy story to get behind at this particular moment. Don’t miss.

Two Devon neighbours face off over the future of the countryside in this warm, wry documentary about farming, conservation and some troublesome wild boar.

The film captures gentle feuding between second generation dairy farmer Derek Banbury and rebellious Scottish rewilder Derek Gow. Gow has swapped his ovine flock for wild boar whose rootling naturally reshapes the landscape. Unfortunately, this annoys Banbury, when the boar breach the admittedly flimsy-looking fencing and sometimes eat sheep. What is clear is that traditional farmers will be even more hopping mad if wolves are introduced to the area, a proposition discussed at a conference that Gow hosts on his land.

What seems to win over Banbury is the case that Gow makes about declining insect populations, especially the pollinators, whose populations have reduced by as much as 70% in some areas thanks to insecticides. It won’t turn Banbury into a Green party voter all at once, but it gently builds up persuasive arguments, and in any case makes for a lovely viewing experience as a nature movie, with gorgeous shots of little water voles, plucky beavers and elegant storks. A delight.

A famous line in 2010’s The Social Network was “A million dollars isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? A billion dollars.” This film starts by telling us that Facebook is now worth a trillion dollars.

Set a decade after the close of The Social Network, Aaron Sorkin picks up with the story of data scientist turned whistleblower Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison). Haugen leaked documents in 2021 that proved Facebook was actively participating in the spread of misinformation regarding Covid and global politics, promoting hate groups and targeting vulnerable teenagers through advertising. The dramatisation of Haugen

working with investigative journalist Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White) in 2019/20 is set against Mark Zuckerberg (now played by Jeremy Strong) in early 2021, preparing to testify in front of congress regarding social media’s role in spreading misinformation with coaching from crisis publicist Raya (Wunmi Mosaku).

Reckoning does lack that magic touch that David Fincher so effortlessly weaved throughout his masterpiece, yet Sorkin’s whip-smart script and razor-sharp dialogue still cuts through the screen with precision. The result is a drama that rattles along at an entertaining clip.

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This returns as one those of those, everyone ‘must’ see, treasures we find from time to time. So come and see why.

A truly lovely film which offers a Middle Eastern take on Jarmusch-ion manners. It was considered the most charming film at Cannes (2007)

We join the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Band arriving at Tel Aviv airport to play at the opening of an Arab cultural centre somewhere nearby. Their hosts fail to turn up so they start walking. After catching a bus to the wrong town, it is too late and they are stranded. Hesitantly, they accept the sanctuary of a bar owner Dina (Elkabetz) and resolve to spend a single strange and wonderful night in this desolate place far from home. From then on, the gentle, slightly scared Egyptians gingerly mingle with their more forthright Israeli hosts

“A sweet-natured examination of strangers in a strange land until its moving final scenes…Above all, it is almost perfectly formed and by no means just a pleasant work in a minor key. The more you think about it, the more truthful, thus important, it seems. I cannot imagine anyone not enjoying it…” (Standard) And like any well-observed slice of humanity, it is very funny. Cancel band practice.

Brad Pitt heads deep into the Alaskan wilderness in this gripping survival adventure from David Ayer.

Pitt stars as James Belmont, a retired Special Forces operative who has withdrawn from the world alongside Odin, his former military scouting dog. Both carry the scars of their time on the front lines, and their bond runs deeper than that of owner and pet. When a plane crash leaves them stranded in unforgiving terrain, they must rely on each other to survive.

With 58 miles of wilderness between them and safety, James and Odin face freezing conditions, hostile wildlife and dangers lurking beyond the next ridge. Their journey becomes a tense test of endurance – and an affecting portrait of two battle-scarred survivors refusing to give up.

Pitt delivers the action thrills you’d expect, while in supporting roles J.K. Simmons brings his trademark grit and humour to the adventure, alongside a brilliant Anna Lambe. At its heart, though, Heart of the Beast is about an extraordinary partnership, turning the classic survival story into a two-way fight for life.

As Belmont reminds us, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight that matters, but the size of the fight in the dog

Taika Waititi returns to the more whimsical stylings of films like JoJo Rabbit and Hunt for the Wilderpeople in this warm, charming sci-fi adventure.

Based on the novel by acclaimed author Kazuo Ishiguro (Never Let Me Go), Klara (Jenna Ortega) is an AF – an Artificial Friend – androids bought by parents to provide companionship for their teenage children and prevent loneliness.

When Klara meets the young Josie (Mia Tharia) each immediately senses a kindred spirit in the other. Josie has a fraught relationship with her mother (Amy Adams) and they’ve suffered great loss, but Klara’s innocent wonder and unwavering loyalty begin to heal the family and bring light to Josie’s complicated world. Klara addresses the “Glorious Sun” and uses it to recharge. Josie’s mother threatens Klara saying she’s still “under warranty” and that they can always send her back to the store. When something happens to Josie, her mother and nurse shut the door on Klara.

There’s plenty of fish-out-of-water shenanigans as Ortega’s robot is a blank slate, learning about the world for the first time. However, the film also tackles some heavy themes, so maybe have the tissues ready.

Back, for as long as it likes. From nowhere in 2006 A-list big man Liev Schreiber on a-day-off from tough-guy, turned in this extraordinarily beautiful piece of storytelling from script to made-look-easy directing. And what a timeless treasure it is.

Eugene Hutz’s perplexed Alex, our ‘guide’, his straight-faced story telling and of the haunting film-score is from him too, and his real-life band: ‘Gogol Bordello’ (they are at the train-station)

A heartstopping surprise from its first outing at the Rex 15 years ago, Jonathan Safran Foer’s real family tale and best-seller.

Geeky ‘Jonfen’ (Elijah Wood) travels from America in search of Augustine, whom he believes saved his grandfather during the Nazis razing of Trachimbrod a now lost, Ukranian town. It was wiped-out. Armed with a yellowing photograph, he begins his search with the unlikely Alex, his grandfather (Boris Leskin) and his ‘seeing-eye bitch’. Alex’s butchery of the English language and passion for all things American is a tragi-comic joy from the start. You will be glad to be in the presence of every word and gesture. It is as unexpected as it is beautiful. It will touch you now. Then, it will fill your hearts long after and for years to come…

Delicate and heartwarming, Orlando von Einsiedel’s stirring documentary is the kind of film whose sweet subject transcends time and borders.

The film follows the romantic journey of PK Mahanandia, who embarked on a bicycle trip from India to Sweden in 1977 to be reunited with the woman he loved.

In 1975, P.K. met the woman of his dreams: Lotta. She was traveling from Sweden, when she sat for P.K. to sketch her portrait. In 10 minutes their lives changed forever. The film is mostly made up of reenactments, but they are done with so much artistry that you could remove the docu elements and have a brilliant drama on its own.

As well as its focus on racial discrimination, it’s also incredibly vital for the turbulent moment we’re currently living through. Empathy, respect, kindness, love — it’s all cyclical in how we treat others and are treated in return, whether in present situations and relationships or as time and lives go on. Its themes being based in Hindu ideology is essential to its richness as a true story and as a film.

Based on the novel Wives and Concubines, this was the final part of Zhang Yimou's Red trilogy, that opened with Red Sorghum and Ju Dou.

It’s 1920’s China and nineteen year old Songlian (Gong Li) is married to a man with three other wives. Each evening, red lanterns are lit outside the courtyard of whichever wife the master chooses to visit. Songlian joins three other women in the walled compound: First Mistress Yuru (the senior authority), Second Mistress Zhuoyun (seemingly kind but manipulative), and Third Mistress Meishan (a former opera singer).

Desperate to secure her status and the red lanterns, Songlian fakes a pregnancy. As the women reluctantly battle it out for their master’s affections, the film gradually moves towards its inevitably tragic ending.

The film can be interpreted in a number of ways – as a cry against the subjection of women in China, as an attack on feudal attitudes – and yet it works because it is so fascinating simply on the level of a melodrama.

The entire ensemble excels throughout. But it's Zhang's aesthetic subtlety and Li's spirited defiance that make this so compelling, moving and courageous. (Jack Whiting)

There’s plenty of style and intrigue to this seductive adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling thriller, where the truth is never quite what it seems.

Struggling writer Lowen (Dakota Johnson) accepts a lucrative job ghostwriting for bestselling author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway), who is incapacitated following a mysterious accident. Staying at the family’s remote Vermont home, Lowen grows close to Verity’s husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett), while uncovering disturbing material that raises questions about the author’s past and the family’s secrets.

From the striking lakeside house to its stylish costumes and atmospheric flashbacks, there’s plenty of visual appeal. Hathaway makes a memorable impression despite spending much of the film in a near-catatonic state, while Hartnett brings a brooding charm to Jeremy. The story steadily builds its sense of unease, weaving together questions of trust, ambition and deception, with enough unexpected turns to keep audiences guessing. Its heightened melodrama and occasionally outlandish developments are very much part of the film’s appeal.

There is undoubtedly some trashy fun to be had here, and fans of Hoover’s work will find plenty to enjoy. Glossy, twisty and unapologetically dramatic

Writer-Director Boots Riley gleefully tears up the rulebook in this outrageously funny, wildly inventive and gloriously unhinged heist comedy.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, Corvette, Mariah and Sade make up the Velvet Gang, a trio of shoplifters targeting the fashion empire of ruthless designer Christie Smith (Demi Moore). By stealing her high-end clothes and reselling them at bargain prices, they see themselves as fashion-forward philanthropists, taking from the wealthy to give back to the people. But their rebellious scheme soon spirals into something far stranger than a straightforward heist.

Riley packs the film with vibrant visuals, rapid-fire ideas and absurdist detours, shifting from class politics to outrageous surrealism without warning. Just when the story seems to settle into familiar territory, another bizarre surprise arrives. But beneath the madness lies a pointed attack on consumerism and inequality, delivered with a mischievous, unapologetically radical spirit.

Not every idea needs to make sense to make an impact. Fast, fearless and utterly unpredictable, I Love Boosters is one of the year's most distinctive comedies, guaranteed to keep audiences guessing.

Paul Greengrass brings his trademark intensity to this gripping historical drama, with Andrew Garfield delivering a ferocious performance at the heart of England’s Peasants’ Revolt.

In 1381, crushing taxes and royal tyranny push England’s poor towards rebellion. When an unnamed farmer known as The Ploughman (Garfield) defies a brutal royal guard, his actions inspire thousands to march on London. As rebel leaders and preachers rally the masses, The Ploughman must confront the growing divide between fighting for justice and giving in to revenge.

Greengrass’s restless, handheld camerawork brings an immediacy to medieval England, giving the chaos that boots-on-the-ground, guerrilla journalistic feel. The huge battle scenes are gripping, but the film is equally compelling when the fighting gives way to tense negotiations and moral dilemmas. Garfield’s anger is matched by an increasingly difficult sense of responsibility. Elsewhere Woody Norman impresses as the young King Richard II, a vulnerable ruler caught between his own fears and the scheming advisers around him.

It’s well-trodden cinematic territory, but The Uprising does a solid job of exposing how easily the pursuit of justice can spiral into vengeance.

Frightening, surreal and visually extraordinary, Whalefall takes the survival thriller to unexpected new depths.

Scuba diver Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams) is searching the Pacific for his estranged father’s remains when he finds himself swallowed by a sperm whale while hunting a giant squid. With barely an hour of oxygen left, Jay must find a way out of the creature’s enormous, suffocating body before time runs out.

As the desperate struggle unfolds, flashbacks reveal the troubled relationship with his father that brought him here. The premise makes for a uniquely claustrophobic experience, with the whale’s interior transformed into a nightmarish landscape of pulsating organs and heaving flesh. The result is part survival thriller, part full-blown body horror, with an immersive soundscape that amplifies every terrifying moment. Abrams brings a convincing desperation to Jay’s fight for survival, while the occasional flashbacks add some needed emotional depth.

Wildly imaginative and unafraid to take risks, it’s a film willing to embrace the bizarre. And it pays off massively. An utterly singular cinematic ride and one of the strangest big-screen spectacles in recent memory

The much-loved gang make their big-screen debut in this spirit-swapping, supernatural comedy delight.

When a group of teenagers break into Button House to hold a séance, they unwittingly unleash a new kind of chaos. One unlucky teen becomes possessed by the mischievous, trouser-less MP Julian Fawcett, leaving the youngster trapped among the house’s resident ghosts while Julian escapes into the living world. With Alison and Mike caught up in the madness, a race against time begins to get everyone back where they belong.

A cinematic upgrade feels like a natural fit for the Ghosts gang, giving the familiar Button House crew a fresh, feature-length predicament to get their heads around. There’s plenty of fun to be had in seeing Julian loose in the real world, causing mischief and mayhem, while the show’s trademark cheeky humour and gloriously silly supernatural antics successfully make the leap.

For newcomers, it’s a brilliant introduction. For fans, it’s a chance to spend one more outing with a gloriously daft bunch of ghosts. And, if this really is the end, a rather fitting way to say goodbye

Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s wildly ambitious $160 million gambit, about the grotesque pageantry of our contemporary hellscape, is a hoot.

Tom Cruise dons convincing old-man prosthetics and a fat suit to play Digger Rockwell, an ageing Texan oil tycoon who cares for nothing but the money flowing in from his wells and his unnervingly mangy pet cat. Digger is finally forced to face the consequences of his actions when his rapacious drilling in Greenland causes an ecological catastrophe that could kill millions. After saving the world so many times, Cruise is now playing one of its destroyers.

To say any more would be to spoil the wonderfully metatextual reveal about thirty minutes in - one that re-frames the entire film (and is all the better for it) - but suffice to say Cruise is surrounded by actors that can match (and even outperform) his larger than life persona: including Riz Ahmed, Jesse Plemmons, and John Goodman.

It’s a gonzo, gorgeous (the production design is nothing short of breathtaking), and at times baffling auteur driven spectacle that is both bleak, and oftentimes bizarrely hilarious. Don’t miss

Almost 70 years on, Elia Kazan’s powerful tale of morality and justice remains a timeless masterpiece.

Terry Malloy, a former boxer who works as a longshoreman in New York City, is caught up in a corrupt union led by Johnny Friendly, who uses violence and intimidation to maintain his power over the docks. Terry's life takes a dramatic turn when he is asked by Johnny to lure a fellow dockworker to his death. However, his conscience is pricked when he meets and falls in love with Edie (Eva Marie Saint) and he begins to question his loyalty to Johnny and the union.

Regarded as one of the greatest American films in history, On the Waterfront marked a turning point in the careers of many of its cast and crew, not least for Brando, whose unforgettable performance won him an Academy Award and cemented him as an all-time great, not just a contender.

At its heart, it is a story about standing up to oppression and fighting against a rotten system, issues that have resonated with audiences for decades. Exploring themes of loyalty, corruption, and redemption, its message of speaking truth to power and taking a stand against injustice remains as relevant today as it was in 1954.

Frank Berry’s harrowing true story of institutional abuse is anchored by a remarkable performance from Monica Dolan as a woman determined to uncover the truth.

In 2010, local historian Catherine Corless begins investigating the deaths of children at a former mother and baby home in Tuam, Ireland. Her research uncovers 796 babies who died but were never properly buried, exposing decades of neglect and cruelty by those responsible for their care. As Catherine contacts survivors and pursues answers, she faces years of frustration before her findings receive official recognition.

Berry keeps the camera close to Dolan, bringing immediacy to Catherine’s painstaking work without resorting to sensationalised flashbacks. Dolan is superb as a modest, initially reluctant campaigner, capturing her growing determination without slipping into heroic clichés. Her performance balances quiet humour with anguish, making Catherine’s persistence all the more affecting. Andrew Bennett also brings warmth as her supportive husband Aidan, offering glimpses of ordinary life amid the grim discoveries.

This is a difficult but important watch, reminding us that uncovering the truth matters and that these victims must never be forgotten

Dark, violent and drenched in gruesome body horror, this is new ground for DC and a disturbing take on one of Gotham City’s most tragic villains.

Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) rises from the streets of Gotham to become a Hollywood leading man, only for his promising career to be shattered when a crime boss leaves him horribly disfigured. Abandoned by those around him, Matt turns to an experimental treatment that restores his former appearance, but at a terrible cost. As his grip on reality begins to unravel, his desperation gives way to an increasingly destructive quest for revenge.

Directed by James Watkins (Speak No Evil) and written by Hossein Amini and horror specialist Mike Flanagan, the film combines a hard-edged crime thriller with shockingly visceral horror. Harries leads a strong cast, including Naomi Ackie and Eddie Marsan, grounding the increasingly unravelling events in human desperation. It’s an unrelenting darkness that suits a story about identity, obsession and the price of reclaiming what has been lost.

A bold and intriguing new direction for James Gunn’s still-evolving DC Universe.

Olivia Colman is in a class of her own in this gloriously oddball medieval fable about love, individuality and the joys of being different.

On the outskirts of a seaside village, a lonely, much-ridiculed Fisherwoman decides she has had enough of her narrow-minded neighbours. Her solution? Commissioning a husband made entirely from wicker (Alexander Skarsgård). But in this conservative community, their unconventional romance soon sparks outrage, jealousy and chaos.

Visually this is a treat, with every frame bursting with the imaginative detail of a medieval Edward Scissorhands. Its bawdy humour and raunchy, off-kilter script give the familiar folk-tale setting a wonderfully distinctive flavour. Colman throws herself into the role with gleeful abandon, delivering a wonderfully unrestrained performance that gradually reveals a more tender side. Skarsgård makes an equally intriguing partner.

Beneath the mischief lies a big-hearted belief that love can challenge convention and change minds. And while it draws on recognisable fairy-tale archetypes, the film embraces them wholeheartedly. Strange, funny and unexpectedly sweet, Wicker makes a compelling case for celebrating the things that set us apart.

Pedro Almodóvar finds fresh ways to explore the messy relationship between art and emotion in this colourful, cleverly constructed drama.

In 2004, aspiring filmmaker Elsa (Lennie) is struggling for inspiration while enjoying life with her firefighter and stripper boyfriend, Beau (Criado). But Elsa exists within a screenplay being written years later by Raul (Sbaraglia), who is still grieving his mother’s death. As both characters navigate love, loss and personal turmoil, the boundaries between fiction and reality begin to blur.

Almodóvar handles the interwoven timelines with a masterly touch, using striking visuals, richly coloured costumes and gorgeous songs to bring both worlds to life. He makes the creative process feel as unpredictable, chaotic and moving as life itself, mirrored by his characters’ emotions spilling between the two stories. Performances feel refreshingly natural, with Sbaraglia and Lennie bringing warmth to their flawed protagonists, while Sánchez-Gijón builds towards a gripping confrontation. Criado and Gutiérrez also shine in their offbeat roles.

Thoughtful without becoming heavy-handed, this is a fascinating look at how art helps us make sense of feelings we struggle to express.