Film

Six of the best films to see at the cinema this weekend

New this week: The Old Man & the Gun, Sorry to Bother You, Roma

Hot on the trail: Casey Affleck in The Old Man & the Gun

Donald Clarke
Tara Brady
Fri Dec 7 2018 - 06:00

THE OLD MAN & THE GUN ★★★★☆
Directed by David Lowery. Starring Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Sissy Spacek, Danny Glover, Tika Sumpter, Isiah Whitlock Jr, John David Washington, Tom Waits. 12A cert, general release, 92 min
Redford (allegedly in his last role) and Spacek are delightful as an ageing bank robber and the woman who offers him a belated shot at domesticity. Lowery's film has the grace to treat its elder characters with respect. It does that by treating them like human beings: nuanced characters with the same needs as people their grandchildren's age. Scored to great tunes by Scott Walker and The Kinks, it could hardly offer a more satisfactory swansong to an admired star. Full review DC

SORRY TO BOTHER YOU ★★★★★
Directed by Boots Riley. Starring Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, Omari Hardwick, Terry Crews, Patton Oswalt, David Cross. Danny Glover, Steven Yeun, Armie Hammer. 16 cert, general release, 112 min

New this week: Lakeith Stanfield iSorry to Bother You

Stanfield is "Cash" Green, a flunking millennial reduced to living in his uncle's garage and working a low-paid telemarketing position. Cash struggles at work until a veteran (Glover) advises him to use his white voice. As a "power caller", Cash leaves behind the troubles of his friends and coworkers as they struggle to unionise against a rigged system. It's only when he is invited to a party with a bonkers chief executive (Hammer) that he realises just how rigged. Busy, boundless and brilliant, this is the madcap Marxist adventure comedy you need to see right now. TB

ROMA ★★★★★
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón. Starring Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Marco Graf, Fernando Gregiaga. 15A cert, limited release/Netflix, 134 min

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Gorgeous, complex monochrome drama concerning a middle-class family in 1970s Mexico City and the indigenous servant who holds their world together. If anything, the film slightly overdoes its virtuoso gestures: hugely long shots down impossibly busy thoroughfares. No fair-minded viewer would, however, argue that the technical elan overshadows emotion. Alongside fascinating social observations and surprising outbreaks of humour, Roma feature one or two of the most heart-wrenching scenes in recent cinema. Will work nicely on Netflix, but, if you're near one of the few cinemas showing Roma, it is worth making the trip. DC

CREED II ★★★★☆
Directed by Steven Caple Jr. Starring Michael B Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Dolph Lundgren, Florian Munteanu, Phylicia Rashad, Brigitte Nielsen. 12A cert, general release, 130 min

The follow-up to Ryan Coogler's excellent Creed also stands as a belated sequel to Rocky IV. Ivan Drago (Lundgren) is back and his son is challenging for the title. Will Donnie Creed (Jordan) fight the man who killed his dad? Will Rocky (Stallone, OBVIOUSLY) be in his corner? That would be telling. We can reveal that Creed II is almost as sleek as its predecessor and certainly as well acted. If you don't leave punching the air you may wish to throw in the towel. Full review/trailer DC

DISOBEDIENCE ★★★★☆
Directed by Sebastián Lelio. Starring Rachel Weisz. Rachel McAdams, Alessandro Nivola. 15A cert, IFI/Light House, Dublin, 114 min

The director of A Fantastic Woman tackles Naomi Alderman's novel concerning a passionate lesbian relationship within London's orthodox Jewish community. From the handsomely framed sensuality of its sex scenes to the perfectly formed swells of Matthew Herbert, this carefully crafted chamber piece may prove too tasteful for more rambunctious sensibilities. Veteran cinematographer Danny Cohen makes great, naturalistic use of London's bright grey skies and escalators. And even under mousy wigs and minimal makeup, Weisz and McAdams shine like the movie stars they are. Full review/trailer TB

THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS ★★★★☆
Directed by Tim Wardle. Featuring Edward Galland, David Kellman, Robert Shafran. 12A cert, IFI/Light House, Dublin, 97 min

"When I tell people my story, they don't believe it," says Robert Shafran at the start of this astonishing documentary. It transpires that, adopted as a baby, he was one of triplets whose later meeting the film relates with great lucidity. Working with Irish editor Michael Harte, director Wardle crafts an impeccable sequence of reveals, that take in a refugee from the Holocaust, unethical scientific design, and files that can't be opened until 2055. A surefire Oscar contender. Full review TB

Other ★★★★☆ and ★★★★★ movies out and about: Bohemian Rhapsody, The Camino Voyage, Rosie, Shoplifters, A Star Is Born, Widows, The Wife, Wildlife, The Wild Pear Tree