The best cinema releases in October

‍

After The Hunt

Fri 10 Oct

Visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino unleashes a gripping psychological drama about a college professor (Julia Roberts) who finds her life turned upside down.

Both her professional conduct and personal choices are brought into question when a star student (Ayo Edebiri) levels an accusation against one of her colleagues (Andrew Garfield). As if this wasn’t troubling enough, a dark secret from her own past threatens to come into the light. With supporting performances from Chloë Sevigny and Michael Stulbarg, plus a stand-out turn from it’s star, this tightly-coiled drama could be a sleeper hit.

‍

Fairyland

Fri 10 Oct

Produced by the Oscar-winner Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation) and based on the acclaimed memoir of the same name by Alysia Abbott, Fairyland is a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s vibrant cultural scene in the 1970s and ’80s.  

This captivating film chronicles a father-daughter relationship as it evolves through an era of bohemian decadence to the sober and heartbreaking era of the AIDS crisis. Starring Emilia Jones (CODA), Scoot McNairy (A Complete Unknown), Cody Fern (American Horror Story), Maria Bakalova (The Apprentice), Bella Murphy (Coming 2 America), Adam Lambert (Glee), and Geena Davis, this slice of Californian sunshine will light up the autumn nights.

‍

Kiss of the Spider Woman

Fri 10 Oct

Dreamgirls and Beauty and the Beast director Bill Condon returns to the musical format with this dazzling Technicolor-hued fantasy. Valentín (Diego Luna) is a political prisoner who finds himself sharing a cell with Molina (Tonatiuh)-  a window dresser convicted of public indecency.  

The two form an unlikely bond as Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favourite silver screen diva, Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez). Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical hit, this is a modern twist on a true classic of the genre.

‍

Roofman

Fri 10 Oct

Based on an unbelievable true story, Roofman follows Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), a former Army Ranger and struggling father who turns to robbing McDonald’s restaurants. His method of gaining entry by cutting holes in their roofs, rather than his skills at mending chimney flashing, earns him the nickname: Roofman.  

After escaping prison, he secretly lives inside a Toys “R” Us for six months, surviving undetected while planning his next move. But when he falls for Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), a divorced mom drawn to his undeniable charm, his double life begins to unravel, setting off a compelling and suspenseful game of cat and mouse as his past closes in.

‍

Tron: Ares

Fri 10 Oct

After 15 years, The Grid is returning to the big screen, as the highly anticipated third instalment in the groundbreaking Tron is set to dazzle audiences. Continuing the standard set by Tron: Legacy, which saw dance music legends Daft Punk on the soundtrack, this iteration sees Grammy-award-winning rock band Nine Inch Nails composing its score.

The action follows a highly sophisticated Program called Ares. Dispatched from the digital realm into the real world on a dangerous mission, he will provide humankind’s first encounter with an AAI being. Directed by Joachim Rønning (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Young Woman and the Sea), this standalone sequel stars Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, and Jodie Turner-Smith – with Jeff Bridges returning from the first film to give it that badge of blockbuster appeal.

‍

Vicious

Fri 10 Oct

When Polly (Dakota Fanning) receives a mysterious Box from an unexpected late-night visitor, it comes with a simple instruction: place three things inside: something you need, something you hate, and something you love.  

What begins as a strange ritual quickly unravels into a waking nightmare. Trapped in a terrifying world where reality bends and memory betrays, Polly must navigate a series of impossible choices. As time slips away, she’s forced to confront the darkness not just around her, but within her—before it consumes everything and everyone she’s ever known. Fanning is joined Kathryn Hunter, Mary McCormack, Rachel Blanchard, Devyn Nekoda, Klea Scott, and Emily Mitchell, for a brisk horror that’ll have you watching from behind your hands.

‍

Black Phone 2

Fri 17 Oct

After the profoundly unsettling tension of Black Phone, somehow The Grabber is back on the prowl. Developed from Joe Hill’s short story, we see Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Miguel Mora, and Jeremy Davies reprising their roles from the original film. Ethan Hawke also returns as the notorious serial abductor, as some of the characters’ stories are fleshed out for this evolving horror universe.  

Finn is struggling with life following his ordeal. His sister, Gwen, is now a headstrong 15-year-old who gives little thought to her psychic gift. That is, until she begins seeing disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp known as Alpine Lake. Determined to solve the mystery, she persuades Finn to visit the camp during a winter storm. Soon, they have to confront a killer who has grown more powerful in death and more significant to them than either could imagine.  

‍

Good Fortune

Fri 17 Oct

What if It’s a Wonderful Life was in LA and had a feckless guardian angel? And maybe involved some elements from Big? That seems to be the question Aziz Ansari (Being Mortal) was pondering when he wrote and directed this sharp new comedy. Keanu Reeves is Gabriel, a minor angel intent on dispensing some (ill-judged) intervention, who helps two people learn an important lesson by swapping their bodies. Ansari plays Arj, a chap broadly unsatisfied with what life has given him. Seth Rogan (The Studio, Neighbors) is Jeff, his tech-bro employer who seems to have everything. When the pair is switched, little is learned, and one of them doesn’t want to go back to the way things were. And very quickly everything starts to unravel.

Comedy films don’t seem to provide box office gold at the moment. But given that both Rogan and Reeves seem at the peak of their powers, coupled with a hot new director, this could be the film to make audiences think again.

‍

Anniversary

Wed 29 Oct

In this gripping thriller, a close-knit family is caught in the turmoil of a controversial rising movement known as The Change. Ellen and Paul (Diane Lane and Kyle Chandler) witness their lives fall apart when Ellen’s former student Liz (Phoebe Dynevor) reappears and starts dating their son (Dylan O’Brien).  

As Liz becomes a part of the Taylor family, tensions rise and loyalties are tested. Liz’s role in The Change brings simmering conflicts to the surface, unraveling the fabric of the family just as the nation itself stands on edge during an alarming and challenging time of uncertainty.

‍

Bugonia

Fri 31 Oct

Two conspiracy-obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.

Starring Emma Stone as Michelle Fuller, the uncompromising CEO, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Alicia Silverstone, and Stavros Halkias, this sardonic black comedy has plenty to say about the state of the world and the strange direction society is choosing. It’s a work packed with interesting directorial choices and plenty to keep you talking about it for weeks afterwards. Whether it gets the audience it deserves is another matter entirely.

‍