Monthly pick of films to watch - January 2021
Here is our monthly pick of films to watch for January 2021.
Here are our pick of the films being released in Britain and Ireland during January 2021.
Friday 1st January 2021
Mayor (12)
MAYOR is a real-life political saga following Musa Hadid, the Christian mayor of Ramallah, during his second term in office. His immediate goals: repave the sidewalks, attract more tourism, and plan the city's Christmas celebrations. His ultimate mission: to end the occupation of Palestine. Rich with detailed observation and a surprising amount of humor, MAYOR offers a portrait of dignity amidst the madness and absurdity of endless occupation while posing a question: how do you run a city when you don't have a country?
MAYOR is a real-life political saga following Musa Hadid, the Christian mayor of Ramallah, during his second term in office. His immediate goals: repave the sidewalks, attract more tourism, and plan the city's Christmas celebrations. His ultimate mission: to end the occupation of Palestine. Rich with detailed observation and a surprising amount of humor, MAYOR offers a portrait of dignity amidst the madness and absurdity of endless occupation while posing a question: how do you run a city when you don't have a country?
Nomadland
Following the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, Fern (Frances McDormand) packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad. The third feature film from director Chloé Zhao, NOMADLAND features real nomads Linda May, Swankie and Bob Wells as Fern's mentors and comrades in her exploration through the vast landscape of the American West.
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Following the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, Fern (Frances McDormand) packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad. The third feature film from director Chloé Zhao, NOMADLAND features real nomads Linda May, Swankie and Bob Wells as Fern's mentors and comrades in her exploration through the vast landscape of the American West.
Watch Trailer
Friday 15th January 2021
Blithe Spirit (12A)
A spiritualist medium holds a seance for a writer suffering from writer's block but accidentally summons the spirit of his deceased first wife, which leads to an increasingly complex love triangle with his current wife of five years.
A spiritualist medium holds a seance for a writer suffering from writer's block but accidentally summons the spirit of his deceased first wife, which leads to an increasingly complex love triangle with his current wife of five years.
Imperial Blue
Hugo Winter a roguish American drug smuggler, travels to Uganda in an attempt to export a large amount of Bulu, a sacred herb that grants the user visions of their future. Upon arriving in Kampala, he soon discovers that his only means of achieving this is through two sisters with competing agendas, born-again Kisakye and rebellious Angela, who come from the remote village of Makaana where the Bulu is grown. As they lead Hugo deeper into the jungle and further into their web of deceit, it is unclear if his drug-addled prophecies are helping his quest or clouding his future.
Watch Trailer
Hugo Winter a roguish American drug smuggler, travels to Uganda in an attempt to export a large amount of Bulu, a sacred herb that grants the user visions of their future. Upon arriving in Kampala, he soon discovers that his only means of achieving this is through two sisters with competing agendas, born-again Kisakye and rebellious Angela, who come from the remote village of Makaana where the Bulu is grown. As they lead Hugo deeper into the jungle and further into their web of deceit, it is unclear if his drug-addled prophecies are helping his quest or clouding his future.
Watch Trailer
MLK/FBI
The first film to uncover the extent of the FBI's surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King, Jr. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, the documentary explores the government's history of targeting Black activists, and the contested meaning behind some of our most cherished ideals. From Emmy Award winning director Sam Pollard and featuring interviews with Andrew Young, James Comey, Clarence Jones, and more.
Watch Trailer
The first film to uncover the extent of the FBI's surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King, Jr. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, the documentary explores the government's history of targeting Black activists, and the contested meaning behind some of our most cherished ideals. From Emmy Award winning director Sam Pollard and featuring interviews with Andrew Young, James Comey, Clarence Jones, and more.
Watch Trailer
Second Spring (15)
After a series of unusual encounters, it is obvious to those that know her best, that Kathy Deane is not herself. Then comes a devastating diagnosis, and she leaves the safety of her marriage to Tim for a man she barely knows. The mental illness causes her to behave irrationally and affects her capacity for empathy. She becomes aware that she is unaware. Nick seems wild and free, and is the change that Kathy needs. He takes her to his childhood home, around the marshes in north Kent. It's here that she is able to reconnect with herself and find some hope for the future.
After a series of unusual encounters, it is obvious to those that know her best, that Kathy Deane is not herself. Then comes a devastating diagnosis, and she leaves the safety of her marriage to Tim for a man she barely knows. The mental illness causes her to behave irrationally and affects her capacity for empathy. She becomes aware that she is unaware. Nick seems wild and free, and is the change that Kathy needs. He takes her to his childhood home, around the marshes in north Kent. It's here that she is able to reconnect with herself and find some hope for the future.
The Marksman
A rancher on the Arizona border becomes the unlikely defender of a young Mexican boy desperately fleeing the cartel assassins who've pursued him into the U.S.
A rancher on the Arizona border becomes the unlikely defender of a young Mexican boy desperately fleeing the cartel assassins who've pursued him into the U.S.
Friday 22nd January 2021
Baby Done (15)
Wannabe-adventurer Zoe freaks out when she falls pregnant to her long-term boyfriend Tim. As Tim embraces the prospect of fatherhood, Zoe attempts to rush through her dreams.
Watch Trailer
Wannabe-adventurer Zoe freaks out when she falls pregnant to her long-term boyfriend Tim. As Tim embraces the prospect of fatherhood, Zoe attempts to rush through her dreams.
Watch Trailer
Friday 29th January 2021
Fatima
A powerful and uplifting drama about the power of faith, this movie tells the story of a 10-year-old shepherdess and her two young cousins in Fátima, Portugal, who report seeing visions of the Virgin Mary. Their revelations inspire believers but anger officials of both the Church and secular government, who try to force them to recant their story. As word of their prophecy spreads, tens of thousands of religious pilgrims flock to the site in hopes of witnessing a miracle. What they experience will change their lives forever.
A powerful and uplifting drama about the power of faith, this movie tells the story of a 10-year-old shepherdess and her two young cousins in Fátima, Portugal, who report seeing visions of the Virgin Mary. Their revelations inspire believers but anger officials of both the Church and secular government, who try to force them to recant their story. As word of their prophecy spreads, tens of thousands of religious pilgrims flock to the site in hopes of witnessing a miracle. What they experience will change their lives forever.
Monster Hunter (12A)
When Lt. Artemis and her loyal soldiers are transported to a new world, they engage in a desperate battle for survival against enormous enemies with incredible powers. Feature film based on the video game by Capcom.
Watch Trailer
When Lt. Artemis and her loyal soldiers are transported to a new world, they engage in a desperate battle for survival against enormous enemies with incredible powers. Feature film based on the video game by Capcom.
Watch Trailer
Sound of Metal (15)
During a series of adrenaline-fueled one-night gigs, itinerant punk-metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) begins to experience intermittent hearing loss. When a specialist tells him his condition will rapidly worsen, he thinks his music career — and with it his life — is over. His bandmate and girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) checks the recovering heroin addict into a secluded sober house for the deaf in hopes it will prevent a relapse and help him learn to adapt to his new situation. But after being welcomed into a community that accepts him just as he is, Ruben has to choose between his equilibrium and the drive to reclaim the life he once knew. Utilizing startling, innovative sound design techniques, director Darius Marder takes audiences inside Ruben's experience to vividly recreate his journey into a rarely examined world.
Watch Trailer
During a series of adrenaline-fueled one-night gigs, itinerant punk-metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) begins to experience intermittent hearing loss. When a specialist tells him his condition will rapidly worsen, he thinks his music career — and with it his life — is over. His bandmate and girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) checks the recovering heroin addict into a secluded sober house for the deaf in hopes it will prevent a relapse and help him learn to adapt to his new situation. But after being welcomed into a community that accepts him just as he is, Ruben has to choose between his equilibrium and the drive to reclaim the life he once knew. Utilizing startling, innovative sound design techniques, director Darius Marder takes audiences inside Ruben's experience to vividly recreate his journey into a rarely examined world.
Watch Trailer
Synchronic
Two New Orleans paramedics' lives are ripped apart after they encounter a series of horrific deaths linked to a designer drug with bizarre, otherworldly effects.
Watch Trailer
Two New Orleans paramedics' lives are ripped apart after they encounter a series of horrific deaths linked to a designer drug with bizarre, otherworldly effects.
Watch Trailer
Wrong Turn: The Foundation
Friends hiking the Appalachian Trail are confronted by 'The Foundation', a community of people who have lived in the mountains for hundreds of years.
Friends hiking the Appalachian Trail are confronted by 'The Foundation', a community of people who have lived in the mountains for hundreds of years.
Sunday 31st January 2021
Nightmare Box
A woman wakes up trapped inside a room with no memory of her past. As times ticks by, a bizarre mix of real and surreal characters visits her; some seeming to aid her while others torment her. Unable to escape, she must put together the pieces of a riddle to discover who she is and how she got here. But when she discovers the truth of her past, she might wish she had instead remained a prisoner to the horrors of the room. The Nightmare Box is a venture into sexual guilt through experimental horror where terror and art are combined.
A woman wakes up trapped inside a room with no memory of her past. As times ticks by, a bizarre mix of real and surreal characters visits her; some seeming to aid her while others torment her. Unable to escape, she must put together the pieces of a riddle to discover who she is and how she got here. But when she discovers the truth of her past, she might wish she had instead remained a prisoner to the horrors of the room. The Nightmare Box is a venture into sexual guilt through experimental horror where terror and art are combined.