Confession time: I’ve never really been able to get into Bob Marley.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll nod along to his tunes when they come on the radio, but he’s one of my musical blindspots, those classic artists who I don’t feel I like as much as I ought to – much like that other famous Bob, Mr. Zimmerman, in fact.
Could this week’s new biopic be the film to make me see the light? Well, given I only started getting into the Beatles after that film where Tamwar from EastEnders nicks all their songs then it’s entirely possible.
Right, I’ve shamed myself enough for one week – time to make an exodus to the cinema, where revolutionary reggae, mouthwatering meals and spurious spider spin-offs await…
New releases
Bob Marley: One Love
Having previously picked up plaudits for his portrayal of Malcolm X in 2020’s One Night in Miami, Kingsley Ben-Adir steps into the shoes of another revolutionary Black icon in this biopic of the reggae legend.
Centred around the period from 1976 to 1978 when Marley relocated to London following an attempt on his life at his home in Jamaica, the film looks back at his rise to fame as both a musician and a figurehead for love and unity.
Lashana Lynch (No Time to Die) co-stars as Marley’s wife Rita, while director Reinaldo Marcus Green has form in this area as the man behind 2021’s sporting saga King Richard.
| Cert 12A, 110 mins | |
| Cineworld, City Screen, Everyman, Vue | |
| From Weds Feb 14 | |
| More details |
The Taste of Things
A feast for the eyes, a mouthwatering cinematic treat…definitely one to break out your I-Spy Book of Film Critic Clichés for, this romantic period drama starring Juliette Binoche has had gastronomically inclined moviegoers swooning in the aisles.
Trần Anh Hùng won the Best Director award at last year’s Cannes festival for his tale of chef Eugenie (Binoche) and wealthy restaurant owner Dodin (Benoît Magimel), whose culinary partnership of more than 20 years has garnered them a reputation that has diners from all over the world flocking to sample their sumptuous wares.
While the chemistry between the pair is not confined to the kitchen, Eugenie has never wanted to marry Dodin – can he rustle up something truly magical in the kitchen to change her mind?
| Cert 12A, 135 mins | |
| City Screen | |
| From Weds Feb 14 | |
| More details |
Madame Web
Dakota Johnson swings into action in this latest entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (aka the universe named after Spider-Man which can’t actually feature Spider-Man due to convoluted legal reasons).
Set in 2003 (which I suppose qualifies it as a period drama these days), the story sees New York paramedic Cassandra Webb (Johnson) develop clairvoyant abilities after a near-death experience.
Her new-found powers set her on a mission to rescue three young women (including Anyone But You’s Sydney Sweeney) from becoming victims of a sinister figure with ties to her own past.
| Cert 12A, 117 mins | |
| Cineworld, Everyman, Vue | |
| From Fri Feb 16 | |
| More details |
Other screenings
Other new releases and previews
Such is Olivia Colman’s national treasure status these days that sending her poison pen letters is presumably now a treasonable offence – but back in the 1920s, someone’s been doing just that in new black comedy Wicked Little Letters, which previews at City Screen on Tues 20th ahead of its release next week.
As viewers fall in love with One Day all over again thanks to the new Netflix adaptation, there’s more academia-inspired amorousness on offer in Malayalam-language romcom Premalu (Cineworld, Sat 17th, Tues 20th).
Malayalam horror Bramayugam screens at Cineworld on Fri 16th and Mon 19th and daily at Vue, while there’s a bit of a Fugitive feel to Tamil-language thriller Siren (Vue, daily until Weds 21st), which sees a falsely imprisoned man set out to avenge his wife’s death, and Polish comedy sequel Baby Boom Czyli Kogel Mogel 5 (Vue, Fri 16th, Sat 17th, Weds 21st) continues the saga of the Wolański and Zawada clans.
Fresh from picking up rave reviews for his tear-jerking turn in All of Us Strangers, Andrew Scott takes to the stage in Vanya (all cinemas, Thurs 22nd), a one-man tour-de-force which sees him play every character in a new adaptation of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya.
It’s the latest release in the ongoing NT Live series of specially-filmed West End hits which recently brought footballing drama Dear England to the big screen – you can catch another encore screening at City Screen on Mon 19th.
If you’re more in the mood for a show tune or ten, though, look no further than Vue, where My Favorite Things: The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert (Sun 18th) celebrates the classic songwriting partnership behind the likes of Oklahoma!, Carousel and South Pacific.
Family-friendly films
As half-term draws to a close, there’s still time to seek cinematic sanctuary from the harsh reality of Monday morning this weekend.
Poptastic threequel Trolls Band Together is your budget-priced viewing selection at both Cineworld (tickets £2.50) and Vue (£2.49) this week, screening from Fri 16th to Sun 18th, while City Screen take one more pick from the Wonka selection box on Fri 16th, followed by classic 1999 Ted Hughes adaptation The Iron Giant on Sat 17th; there’s also an Autism-Friendly screening of the film on Sun 18th, and tickets for all three screenings are £3.30.
It’s trough at the top: the perky porcine puddle-splasher’s 20th anniversary celebrations continue with Peppa’s Cinema Party, showing at Cineworld (Fri 16th to Sun 18th, £2.50), City Screen (Sat 17th, £3.30), Vue (daily, £3.99) and Everyman (Fri 16th, £6.25 child/£10.75 adult; Sat 17th/Sun 18th, £9.55 child/£14.60 adult; plus Toddler Club screenings on Fri 16th and Sat 17th, £6.25 child/£8.65 adult and toddler).
Plus family members of all ages can enjoy two recent animated highlights at Vue in the form of Pixar coming-of-age tale Turning Red and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (both screening from Fri 16th to Sun 18th, £6.99 – £9.99).
Nolan plots an inception and Python farts in your general direction: old favourites back on the big screen
City Screen kicks off a new season in honour of the inimitable Werner Herzog on Sun 18th with one of the German director’s best-known works, 1972’s historical drama Aguirre, the Wrath of God, the tale of an increasingly fraught expedition along the Amazon which falls prey to the delusional ambition of Klaus Kinski’s scheming conquistador.
On Mon 19th, City Screen’s celebration of British filmmaking powerhouse Powell and Pressburger continues with 1948’s The Red Shoes, the duo’s Hans Christian Andersen-inspired story of an aspiring ballerina pushed to her limits and a particular favourite of P&P’s number one fanboy Martin Scorsese.
There are a couple more swoonsome oldies on offer at City Screen in the form of screwball romantic comedy It Happened One Night (Fri 16th) – an early, Oscar-winning hit for It’s a Wonderful Life director Frank Capra, back on the big screen for its 90th anniversary – and a post-Valentine’s screening for the evergreen Casablanca on Sat 17th.
A far more recent romantic highlight appears at City Screen on Mon 19th as their regular Out strand showcases 2011’s Weekend: this tale of a one-night stand that blossoms into something more was the breakthrough feature of All of Us Strangers director Andrew Haigh.
As cinematic calling cards go, you’d be hard pushed to beat Lady Bird, the classic 2017 coming-of-age tale that set director Greta Gerwig on the path to future Barbie glory – it’s back on at Vue this week (Fri 16th, Tues 20th), as is her Barbenheimer buddy Christopher Nolan’s 2010 headtrip Inception (Sat 17th, Weds 21st), while there are more cerebral sci-fi shenanigans over at Cineworld on Tues 20th courtesy of Blade Runner: The Final Cut.
Romance and revolution are the order of the day in the re-released 2012 adaptation of stage musical smash Les Misérables, showing at Cineworld (daily except Mon 19th) and Everyman (Sun 18th, Tues 20th).
And finally, there’s some altogether sillier singing and dancing on offer in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, back on the big screen for its 48th (and a half) anniversary – grab yourself a pair of coconuts and make haste to City Screen and Cineworld on Weds 21st.