There is definitely something on this list that will make you say “Oh, I haven’t seen that in AGES!”
Many, many, MANY new releases to choose from this week.
Let us dive in!
BORAT
The 2006 original and not the 2020 sequel (which is available exclusively on Prime Video), it still holds up as arguably one of the funniest movies ever made.
BRAVEHEART
Mel Gibson tackles the King of England and the Scottish accent in this five-time Oscar-winning historical epic.
BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE
Steve Martin and Queen Latifah star in this comedy, both bringing their individual styles of humour to a story about Internet dating gone awry.
BRUNO
Even more hijinks by Sacha Baron Cohen, this time performing as a gay Austrian fashion guru looking to further his fame in America.
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC
Isla Fisher plays a college grad who lands a job as a financial journalist, telling others how to better spend their money, all the while she is living with a shopping addiction.
THE COURIER
A decent historical thriller about a businessman (Benedict Cumberbatch) who may be the key to helping to bring an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
DATE NIGHT
Tina Fey and Steve Carrell are a happily-ish married couple who try to spruce up the excitement in the relationship during their date night, only for it to backfire hugely as they accidentally get involved with the mafia.
THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW
If you’ve recently watched Moonfall and thought “I’d like to see more of this kind of ridiculousness”, then you can check out this 2004 disaster movie with Dennis Quaid and a young Jake Gyllenhaal.
THE DESCENDANTS
When his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident, a rich father (George Clooney) realises he doesn’t really know his daughters (Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller), so he makes it his goal to reconnect with them.
DODGEBALL
Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn headline this much-loved bonkers comedy about duelling gym owners.
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
The endlessly quotable comedy (“Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.”) with Anne Hathaway is absolutely devoured by the scene-chewing combo of Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep.
A GOOD YEAR
Ridley Scott directs Russell Crowe in this rom-com-dram about a highly-stressed investment broker who learns to live life at a slower pace when he inherits his uncle’s French vineyard.
GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS
After the one-two-three punch of The Rock, Con Air and Face/Off, Nic Cage clearly thought this car-heistathon would continue his winning streak of awesome action movies.
It did not.
HACKSAW RIDGE
Another war epic directed by Mel Gibson, this one is telling the true story of a soldier (Andrew Garfield) who puts himself on some of the frontlines during WWII without a weapon as it is against his religious beliefs.
THE HELP
Emma Stone plays an author who is writing about the civil rights movement during the 1960s from the point of view of African American maids (including Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer) who work for exclusively white families.
HITMAN
Not to be confused with the Rupert Friend adaptation of the hit video game series, this is the Timothy Olyphant adaptation of the same hit video game series.
This is the better of the two, but still not very good.
HOLMES & WATSON
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly’s worst movie to date. Avoid.
THE HUNGER GAMES
The first one, and despite still being quite decent, the worst of the four Jennifer Lawrence-fronted sci-fi dystopian action thrillers.
THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
The second and best of the series.
A new director (Francis Lawrence, no relation to the leading star) gives the whole thing a proper blockbuster shine, with cast additions including Jeffrey Wright and the late great Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART ONE
The final book “did a Harry Potter” and split its story across two parts for the cinematic adaptation.
This first half goes heavy on the political subterfuge, all build-up for…
THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART TWO
… this explosive finale.
To be fair, the Hunger Games quartet doesn’t get enough credit for being a very decent series of movies.
All four are definitely worthy of a rewatch marathon.
SAFE HAVEN
One of the many, many adaptations of the books from the author of The Notebook, this romantic drama has an absolutely astoundingly stupid (but still highly entertaining) third-act twist that needs to be seen to be believed.
SISTER ACT
Whoopi Goldberg hides from the mob by pretending to be a nun.
You can’t help but like this movie.
SISTER ACT 2: BACK IN THE HABIT
Remember the guy who played Mac in Predator? The “Anytime…” guy?
He directed this sequel!
SPOTLIGHT
The powerful, Oscar-winning true story of a group of journalists (played by Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Michael Keaton and more) who investigate the cover-up of sexual assaults that have happened worldwide by the Catholic Church.
We recently caught up with the movie’s writer/director Tom McCarthy and chatted about the strong impact this movie had in Ireland in particular. Check out that conversation right here:
WALK OF SHAME
Elizabeth Banks headlines this comedy about a news reporter who has a one night stand, which results in her being lost in downtown LA with no money, no ID, no phone and just eight hours to get to a very important job interview.
WALKABOUT
This powerful 1971 drama tells the story of a young brother and sister who are abandoned in the Australian Outback, but they learn to survive with the help of an Aboriginal boy, who is on his ritual walkabout separation from this tribe.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
